DISCLAIMER:: not mine. belongs to shonda and abc studios.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:: so, second to last chapter. it feels odd wrapping this up. i don't want to see it come to an end, but alas, all things must eventually conclude. this chapter will set up the sequel to this lovely fic which is already being worked on as we speak. enjoy and review if the inclination strikes you...

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A month passed with no serious incident. It was early summer now and Callie was happier than she'd ever remembered being. She couldn't tell if her good vibes were from the cheerier weather or something else entirely, but she was unnaturally perky.

"It's showing." Mark came up behind her with a grin on his face.

"What is?" Callie glanced down at herself looking for anything out of place and then around, confused.

"The rumor mill's already started turning." He tossed down a newspaper in front of her. West staring in new film with Seattle as backdrop was the byline of a headline that screamed West Makes a Change.

Callie paled momentarily but recovered quickly. "Yeah so?"

"Well, while I know that your new glowing mood is due to your secret elopement to Erica Hahn, Cardio Goddess, everyone else thinks you've rekindled the flame with McGleamy."

Callie snorted. "Not quite."

Mark shrugged. "Well I know the truth, but everyone else..." Mark left her to finish the statement.

Callie pondered that. It wouldn't hurt to just let everyone talk. It would certainly keep them from the truth a little while longer. But the mention of Ethan West being in town irked her. Why couldn't he stay on his own half of the west coast? Was he here to put a wrench in her happiness?

"Hey Callie." She turned and met his suddenly concerned gaze. "You doing okay... with everything, I mean?"

"I'm fine." Callie's tone was clipped. She wasn't ready to talk about this.

"Are you sure?" Mark wasn't quite convinced.

"I'm fine."

"Callie... maybe you should just tell Er..."

"No!" Callie's eyes bulged. "Erica cannot know. Do you understand me? Not now. Not ever."

Mark put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Callie... she's your wife. She's going to find out sooner or later."

"Yeah, well, where Erica Hahn is concerned, the later, the better."

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Ethan West sat solemnly in a chair off to the side of the set, on break from shooting. He had made what he thought to be a smart decision, switching from small screen to big. He had been contemplating a film career for years but Lodi memorial had been too lucrative an opportunity to pass up. But now... he decided change would be good. He was plagued by thoughts of his ex-fiancee on the set of LM. He had jumped at the first movie that was sent his way. Little did he know it would end up bringing him right back to Seattle, the city that started it all.

He had no doubt Callie Torres knew he was in town for an extended stay though she had yet to make an appearance. Not that he really expected her to. It would just be awkward being around her after what had transpired just mere months before. It was probably better if she didn't come.

But each day he still wondered if Callie would stop by, his heart's last hope for the one that got away. It took him nearly three weeks on set to stop looking up whenever he thought he heard her voice. But the moment he stopped waiting for her was just the moment she showed up.

"Excuse me, ma'am, this area is STAFF ONLY... excuse me... EXCUSE ME! SECURITY!"

Ethan looked up to see Callie stalking toward him, an entourage of personnel angrily following.

He held up a hand to ward them off. "It's okay, she's with me."

The short stout man who had led the chase against the ortho resident eyed Callie suspiciously but finally retreated.

"So Callie... to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Callie frowned. "I think it's about time we talked."

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"Callie!" Erica walked up behind the brunette as she was making a beeline for the elevator.

"Oh, hey." Callie smiled genuinely at Erica.

"I tried to wait up for you last night, but I must have passed out." Erica frowned, obviously dismayed.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I had somewhere to go after work."

"Where?"

"Just had to go see someone, an appointment of sorts. It ran a lot longer than I had intended." Callie stepped in the elevator and pressed the button for the third floor.

Erica stared at her, contemplation flashing behind her eyes as she studied Callie. The brunette raised an eyebrow but said nothing to appease the blonde.

The doors sprang open and the couple emerged. "You'd tell me if you were cheating, right?"

Callie stopped dead, shock on her face. "Erica, I..." She paused and when she spoke again, her voice was softer. "You know you can trust me, right? I don't plan on breaking any hearts." She lifted a hand to cup Erica's cheek.

"Callie!"

Erica rolled her eyes, Callie dropped her hand, and both turned to meet the intruder.

"Sloan... as always, your timing is impeccable."

Mark eyed Erica then turned to Callie as if to say something. The warning death glare Callie gave him was not lost on Erica. Neither was Sloan's immediate loss of words.

Erica pointed down the hall. "Well, I have patients to attend to, so I'll go. But I'll see you later?"

Callie hated that Erica now felt the need to ask, but she still nodded and leaned forward to accept Erica's departing kiss.

Mark watched until she disappeared around the next corner and then turned back to Callie. "So, what did Ethan say?"

"He was a gentleman, as always. He forgave me immediately, which of course, made me feel like shit. I told him I was married now and that was the only time he even stopped smiling."

"So he's good with things?"

"Yeah, he is."

"And?"

"I think he wants to be a bigger part of my life than I'm ready for."

Just around the corner, Erica Hahn stopped breathing. So Callie was already starting to keep secrets from her. Maybe this had all been a mistake.

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Callie had not seen Erica at lunch nor been able to find her anytime during her shift. It wasn't entirely uncommon for them to not see each other for a day or to, they were doctors after all, but Callie had a deep rooted bad feeling about Erica's absence. She wasn't surprised that the blonde had beat her home. Her shift had ended up running long due to a cheerleader who wanted to hold off putting a cast on her broken leg until after cheer camp.

"Erica, I'm home." Callie tossed her things on the empty couch and glanced around. On a normal day, Erica would be there to greet her, but the blonde was nowhere to be seen.

Finally Callie's curiosity drew her to the bedroom. Erica was sitting with her back against the headboard, a wine bottle clutched in her right hand. The bottle was almost empty, maybe a couple mouthfuls remained in the bottom.

"Honey? What... what happened?" Callie rushed over to her, prying the long neck of the bottle from her fingers and setting it on the bedside table.

"YOU! You are what happened!"

Callie cringed at the cardio surgeon's words. What had she done to offend her since that morning? Then the realization hit her that it didn't necessarily have to be something she had done that day, just rather something Erica had been made aware of that day. I'm gonna kill Mark Sloan.

"So you know." It wasn't a question, rather a confirmation. She had already expected this reaction from Erica, but it still stung.

"I know." Erica said it with as much disdain as she could muster.

"So, what now?" Callie wasn't sure where the question came from, but she realized she had been wondering the same thing for weeks.

"I don't know."

They were both silent for a moment.

"Ethan West, Callie, really? It had to be Ethan West? It couldn't have been that hot nurse from Triage or anyone else? It had to be Ethan West? You left him to be with me... are you gonna leave me for him now? Is that what you wan..."

Callie smiled, barely able to contain her joy, and put a finger to Erica's still-moving lips. "Shut up." Her voice had taken on a sultry edge.

Erica shoved her hand away, but gently so. "Where do you get off telling..."

Callie repeated her previous action, stopping her midsentence again. "Just shut up." She crawled onto the bed and straddled Erica's legs, so that she was facing her.

"I am not, nor will I ever, leave you for Ethan West. He's a really sweet guy and he was this part of my life; he still is." Callie pushed a wayward strand of Erica's hair behind her ear. "I love you so much Erica Hahn, so much sometimes I wonder where it all comes from. I told you to trust me. My love for you is the one thing you should never doubt."

"Then why didn't you tell me you were going to see Ethan West, Callie?"

"Maybe because I was afraid of this." She spread her hands to gesture to their current situation. "Maybe because I didn't want to upset you over nothing. That's what it was Erica... nothing. Just unfinished business."

"It's not nothing Callie. You're keeping things from me. Since when did I stop being the person you come to for things? You spend your lunches whispering with Sloan, you visit your ex behind my back. I just want you to let me in again. We were best friends before all else, before any of this."

Callie frowned. "Erica, I... I don't know what to say. Well, okay, I have been shutting you out."

"I knew it!" Erica nodded smugly.

"But it's not because I didn't want to let you in. I just, I'm dealing with something right now, and it's hard for me. I don't, I can't hurt you. I'd rather die than to destroy you, and..." Callie felt tears start to burn her eyes.

"Oh, hey, no crying." Erica whispered softly to her as she wiped away the stray tears that started to fall. "Just tell me what's wrong. We'll get through it. I promise."

"I..."

Callie was cut off as her cell phone went off. She could hear it crystal clear from where she had dropped it on the couch in the living room.

Erica put a hand under her chin and directed Callie's attention back to her. "Just ignore it."

Callie obeyed Erica and tried to remember where she had left off. The phone quieted just as she remembered. But as she opened her mouth to continue, Erica's phone went off.

"I'll just get it." Callie got up and stumbled across the room to the dresser, where Erica's phone was buzzing and aglow.

"Hello?" Callie said into the phone.

"Callie..." Ben fought back a sob.

Erica leapt off the bed, just in time to catch Callie as she fell.