Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine.

AN: Arizona was told to stand down, or get comfortable in a jail cell. Which one will our FBI/Marine do? Let's see. Enjoy!

Chapter 38 – Running

"Are you serious?" I ask him, disbelieving this whole conversation. The Director just gave me an ultimatium, stay away from the case…or go to jail for the rest of my life. He just nods. "You made my team and I take this security detail…a job we don't do. …And NOW, we have a chance to do our ACTUAL job…I mean… This is what we DO. We hunt people down who don't want to be hunted. …And now you put me in time out." I say, crossing my arms over my chest, giving the Director a death glare. He just returns my stare. Finally, I step up to the very front of his desk and pull my credentials out of my back pocket and set them down on the dark maple.

"What are you doing?" He asks as I pull out my sidearm, release the magazine and clear the chamber, then set that down next to my ID.

"Surrendering my badge and my gun, sir." With that, I turn and move to the door.

"I'll still lock your ass in the brig if I smell you near this case." He calls as I am about to step out of his office. I halt midstride but don't turn back. "You hear me, Corporal?" He asks using his drill sergeant tone.

Turning my gaze to him, I reply "Sir… Yes, Sir." Crossing the threshold of the office, I slam the door behind me. April has a shocked look on her face but I fly right past her. Back at my floor, I walk past the bullpen, Karev and Avery looking up from their work, and walk straight into my office. Soon both my team members are at my door, watching as I hurriedly pack up a bag of my personal items.

"Boss…what's up?" Karev asks.

"Not here." I say softly. I catch both the agents eyes and then glance up at the small camera in the corner of my office. They follow my gaze and catch on to what I'm trying to say. I walk past them, leaving my office for the last time, and head to the elevators. Stepping on an empty carriage, I turn and look at Avery and Karev, both lost to what is happening. I motion for them to join me and they do. Together, we all walk out of the Brick and head out to the street. Standing at the curb, I turn and look at my old team.

"I'm done." I tell them. "The Director gave me an ultimatum. Stand down or get collared for interfering with an investigation. …You guys…hands off this investigation… Alright? No sense if getting you two wrapped up. But I need to find her."

"What are you going to be able to do by yourself?" Karev asks.

"Going to go off the grid again." I replay as I try to hail down a cab.

"And do what?" This time its Avery who speaks.

A cab pulls up and I open the back door, while replying "Find her."

"How?" Karev asks me, anxiety and doubt lacing his voice.

"I don't know." I say as I slide into the back of the cab. "…But I have to try." Then I shut the door and the cab drives off. The cab pulls up outside of my apartment building. I pay the man then go up to my locked down apartment which is dark and cold, having been empty for the last 6 to 8 weeks. I don't bother warming the place up…I'm not staying. Moving in to my bedroom, I throw a change of clothes into a duffle bag and go to my closet. In the corner is a good sized safe. Spinning the combination lock, the handle clicks open. I pull out things that I stashed away for a rainy day. …it's definitely raining. Two Glocks are there but I leave them. A drivers license, passport, 20 grand in cash, a lock picking set, and a couple cheap untraceable throw away cells are quickly stuff into the bag as well. Pulling a jacket on over my body, I close the safe and lock it.

Five minutes later, I am back out in the snow covered streets of DC. Going off the grid was my only option. I couldn't stand by and do nothing, just twiddle my thumbs and hope someone else would be able to find her. And I couldn't interfere under the Directors nose so… I quit. No longer an agent. Which means I'm on my own…really on my own. Glancing up and down the bustling street, I scan for any hostiles…only this time, the hostiles are Federal Agents. Seeing the coast is clear, I hop in my car and head to the nearest mall. Entering the parking deck, I head to the bottom level and park my car. Taking the elevator, I go to the uppermost level, the level where mall employees park in, and start shopping. …employee parking, meaning I could have up to eight hours lead time before the car is reported. Coming up to an older model 3 series BMW, I place a hand on the hood. …still warm. They just got here. Scanning the area, I see no prying eyes or cameras. Pulling off my jacket and wrapping it around my elbow, I pull my arm back and take aim at the rear window. But before busting the window, I chance a pull on the door handle. The door opens. …maybe this is a sign… I happily climb into the car …it's like it was waiting for me. I'm not so lucky about having keys in the car so I lean down and pull out the wires. …Foreign cars…frickin pain in the ass. It takes a couple tries, having set the wipers on full blast, and then the alarm sounding, but soon the engine fires up. …ooo nice shades. Pulling on the sunglasses and flipping down the sun visor, I head out of the mall parking garage and onto the interstate.

I drive for two hours until I hit the next major airport. Flying out of DC would have been too risky. The Director would no doubt have the camera's being watched and would know that I was on the move. I'm sure he already knows, but I need to stay as on the down low as I can. Parking my rented BMW in long term parking, I move through the airport and move to the desk who has the first flight out to Miami.

"One to Miami please." I say, pulling my glasses up onto the top of my head.

The perky blonde from behind the counter smiles at me and asks "Do you have a reservation?"

"No, it's an emergency trip… I'll be paying in cash." I say, pulling out some money.

"Alright, I'll just need a proof of ID, ma'am." The woman says. I hand over the fake ID, knowing that they don't run it, but only input the information from it. "Nadia Karella?" The woman asks, confirming my name, and I nod. After a minute of furious typing, she hands the ID back. "Will you be checking any luggage today?" I shake my head, only having my small duffle bag and that being mostly for a cover. "Alright…" She continues typing then a ticket prints out "…Here you are Ms. Karella. The flight leaves in one hour from gate C23. Security is right around the corner and the domestic terminal is on the left." She gives me a sickenly sweet smile.

"Thank you." I say politely. Security goes smoothly and soon I am sitting outside gate C23, foot tapping away. …calm down Robbins. She's going to fine. She's alive, and you are going to find her…and all will be as it should.

"Nervous flier?" A woman asks two seats down from me, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Excuse me?" I ask, not really paying attention to what she said. She scoots over one seat so she is right next to me and smiles.

"I asked if you were a nervous flier?" She says, batting her eyes alittle more than needed. "You seem… wound tight." She leans in closer to me. "I could help with that…"

"Ummm… thanks, but I'm good." I say, standing and moving to another seat. Soon, the plane boards and we all settle in. It's a full flight and I have a seat at the back of the plane. …right where I want. Have a view of the entire cabin. Its about a three and a half hour flight which means I have a lot of time to think. Pulling out my new phone, I glance around to see I'm not being watched and open up the GPS application. Going to settings, I manually type in the 24 character serial number that I made sure was engrained in my mind. Before pressing the save button, I send a silent prayer to anything that may be out there and listening to me, helping me with this mountain of a challenge facing me. Finally, I press the button and wait for the GPS tracker I placed in Callie's necklace to fire up and send me a location. …come on baby. Work for me. Work… please work. This is all I got right now. ...I just need to know where you are. A red dot pops up.

"YES!" I shout, making the entire back half of the plane turn around. "Oh…sorry… uhh…." I pull out the Fly Mall Magazine in the seat pocket infront of me. "…Self washing dog food bowl…I just…hate all the drool…" I explain. A lot of eyes roll then turn back to the front. Turning my eyes back to the screen in my hands, I zoom in as much as I can but all I can see is that she is in Florida somewhere. …she's alive, Robbins. They wouldn't have moved her if she was already… no, don't think about that. …She's alive and you are going to find her. The next hours pass so slowly. My mind races back the last commercial flight I was on. Turning to look at the only empty seat in the cabin, I can almost see Callie sitting there. …god she hated me then. …Called me her babysitter. Said she was my punishment… That seems like a year ago. …I miss her so much. I need to find her. I don't know what I'll do if… NO, Robbins. She's going to be fine. Maybe a couple bumps and bruises but… she's going to make it.

The rest of the flight drags on and finally the captian turns off the seat belt sign as we pull up to the waiting jetway. Being the last row in the airplane guarantees you will be the last off so I wait. And wait. And wait. Finally the cabin clears and I am able to grab my back and exit the airplane. As I make my way out to the front to catch a cab …I don't know where I'm going yet, but I'm going… my cell rings. Looking at the screen, its an unknown number. …shit. This number is suppose to be unknown, how did anyone find it.

"Hello." I answer.

"Boss, it's Karev." Alex replies, making my nerves wind even tighter.

"What the hell are you doing? I thought I told you to leave it-"

"Yeah, and let you go into hells asshole alone? Not likely. Look, the three of us want to help."

"They catch you and you guys are fired." I warn them, but desperately wanting their aid.

"Fuck em…they don't pay me enough anyways…" Karev grumbles. "Look, I called because I've been doing some digging and I got some intel for you."

"Shoot."

"Rodriguez was at your dad's place in Colorado."

"The heart surgeon? …What?"

"Yeah, his finger prints were all over that shattered scotch decanter." He says and my hand subconsciously reaches behind my head and trails over the few stitches keeping a throbbing wound closed.

"Fucker…" I breathe out. "Thanks Karev. …Looks like I'm going to be visiting the doctors home and office."

"Good thinking. Just stay frosty. …And armed." He says, then the line goes dark.

By now I am standing outside in the bright Miami sun setting over the large city, making it a romantic hue of oranges and reds. Pulling my borrowed shades over my eyes, I find a bench and sit. …alright, time to think through this. M3 took Callie. The tattoos on the dead men's bodies tell me that. Rodriguez was one of them. Which means he is in the mix somehow, either paying off a debt or a willing participant. Callie's GPS tracker has her in Miami but it's not strong enough to give me a precise location. I need…. Fuck. I need a lot but let's see… I need… addresses to Rodriguez's home and office. …And I need guns….how am I going to get my hands on some firearms? Selecting a contact from the short list in my phone, I hold it up to my ear.

"You've reached Christina Yang in the FBI's office of Supreme Genius."

"Yang, I need some help."

"How may I save your ass, boss lady?"

"I need a couple addresses…"

"Let me have em."

"Dr. Jesus Rodriguez's home and office."

"You will have them on your phone in seconds."

"One more… I need the home address to FBI Special Agent Theodora Altman." This catches the computer techie off guard.

"Umm…is she a leak you plan to plug up?"

"No…" I say looking around me, hoping that I'm not about to cross some huge friendship line. "…she isn't." At that, I cut the line. As Yang promised, I have the address to all three places in my phone. Standing from my place on the bench, I hop into the first cab I find and give him the address to my friends place, with the instructions to drop me off a block before. Sitting back in the seat, I bring the screen close to my face and just stare at the red dot that covers Miami.

…I'm coming Calliope. Hold on.

AN2: Things are starting to wind up, yeah? …Was there ever a doubt Arizona would tell the Director to shove it where the sun don't shine?