A.N: Because I haven't said it in a while, all recognizable characters belong to Shonda; I'm just playing with them. This chapter is mostly Cynthia/Aria focused, but I promise plenty of Calzona in the next chapter. Thanks, as always, to anyone who favorites, follows, and especially reviews!

"Cynthia, you already know this," Arizona tried to explain to her drunk friend. "When two hospitals come together, there are two completely separate rumor mills existing in the same place. All fail-safes are gone and no one knows who the credible information comes from, so every stupid little thing gets blown up and spread around. You're overreacting."

"I am not overreacting, Arizona," Cynthia said carefully, taking another long drink and putting her glass down in front of Joe, signaling for a refill. "I have been hurt before."

Arizona sighed sympathetically. "I know you have. But none of what you're saying sounds like the Aria we know, does it?"

"But that's just it. Do we even know Aria?"

"Of course we—"

"No, we do not." Cynthia held up one finger. "She's only been at this hospital for a couple of weeks. We know she's a good sister and a really good aunt. We know she's an amazing kisser. Like, amazing kisser, Zone." Cynthia's voice trailed off as she got lost in her thoughts.

Arizona finally had to snap her friend back to the conversation. "Cyn."

Cynthia blinked and stared at her finger. "And that's all we know about her."

"Okay, well, first of all…" Arizona grabbed the single finger that Cynthia had in the air. "You forgot to continue your count." Cynthia pouted and pulled her finger from Arizona's grasp. "And we know more than all that. You're just letting what you've heard get into your head."

"And seen."

"What?"

"I've seen it, Zone. I was over in Plastics talking to Dr. Franklin and they were walking down the hall together."

"Who?"

"Aria and Mark. And he put his arm over her shoulders and she looked up at him and laughed." She paused, picturing it again in her head. "They looked cozy." She spat the word out with disdain. "And then the nurses started talking—one asked the other if Sloan and Torres were together. And the other one said she had seen them coming out of an on-call room together."

"That could have a perfectly innocent explanation."

Cynthia shook her head. "How could they not be sleeping together? They're both hot."

"Hot people don't sleep together all of the time. Look, you and I are doing it right now."

"I'm not hot people."

Arizona slammed her drink down on the bar, causing a few heads to turn their way. She offered a sheepish smile before turning back to Cynthia. "I don't want to hear Katrina come out of your mouth ever again. I know she broke your heart and tore you down, but she is trash and you're better than that."

"This isn't—"

"No, I have to do some tough love here because you're drunk and you're not listening to me. All of this has Katrina written all over it. I know she shattered your confidence in yourself and in other people. I know you're looking for the red flags, but I also know that you have it bad for Little Torres. More than I think you expected to. And you're freaking out."

"But she's been avoidin—"

"She has not been avoiding you. She's scared for her career and feels like she has to fight for it. How many surgeries has she done this week?"

"A lot."

"And we know she's been staying at Callie's to help with the kids, right?"

"That's what she told me."

"This all sounds pretty innocent to me. And like you're reaching."

"I think she's sleeping with Kelly Warren."

Arizona shook her head and dropped her head into her hands. She wasn't sober enough to keep up with this conversation. "What? Why?"

"I heard about it. People…people in Ortho were talking about it."

"New people?"

Cynthia nodded. "My office is right outside of the nurse's station, so I get to hear everything. Apparently, Aria and Kelly were an item and then they had this big blow-up fight. Then one of our nurses asked if they were still together, and someone else answered that they heard they were at it again."

"I don't think we can believe anything we hear about Dr. Warren."

"Why not?"

"She spreads rumors. She spread some about the incident with Owen."

"How do you know this?"

Arizona made a face, reluctant to reveal the source of the information. "Sloan overheard her telling lies about it to some of the Pres doctors."

"Sssssloan," Cynthia hissed out between her teeth.

"Look, Cynthia, you're upset and drunk and not thinking clearly. Just talk to Aria and clear the air."

"That's just it—I've barely been able to get ahold of her all week. She's in surgery or she's just gone from the hospital. She's not texting me back other than a quick one-liner about how she's at her sister's house. Which…who even knows if that's true."

Aria let out a deep sigh. "Cynthia…"

"No, no, no." Cynthia waved a hand in the air and closed her eyes, shaking her head. "Let's change the subject. I'm done with this one. At the very least, she has an ex with some drama attached that she never told me about, even though I specifically asked if there was anything I should know."

"Cynthia, she doesn't have to tell you—"

"No. I'm fine. Forget it, I'm just drunk." Cynthia took another drink from her refilled glass and looked at her friend. "How's your week going?

Arizona sighed, worried about her friend, but knowing that when Cynthia closed the door on talking about something she wasn't going to open it again tonight. "It's crazy, honestly. I'm doing my best to work with as many of the Pres doctors as possible to prepare for evaluations, but I just don't know how we're going to make these decisions."

"Have you talked to Callie about your date?"

"She can't say for sure when it will happen…apparently the kids have been acting up without getting to see their dad at all this week and it's been crazy at home, plus the crazy she's got at work too…I don't know when."

"I operated on the owner of Topolino's a few months ago and he insisted he owes me a favor. I could probably get you guys a table for whenever on short notice."

"That new Italian place that's booked weeks in advance?"

Cynthia shrugged. "He's a man who loves to dance with his wife and I gave that back to him. Let me make the call for you."

"You don't want to cash that favor in for yourself?"

"Honestly? I get the feeling Aria wouldn't be impressed with a fancy restaurant. I'll make the call for the reservation as soon as you've got a day set, alright?"

Arizona decided to sidestep the fact that her friend just confirmed she was still thinking about going on dates with the younger Torres sister. "You're the best. Thanks!"

"Oh, I'm not doing this for you-I'm doing it for California." Cynthia shot a wry grin at her friend.

"Noted. Now let's get out of here. I've got to be at the hospital bright and early tomorrow."

The next morning, Callie put on her robe and walked quietly down the stairs to her kitchen, turning on the coffee maker with blurry eyes and leaning against the counter, staring at the coffee pot, waiting for the magic to happen. It had been an impossibly long week. Everywhere she went, she was still hearing whispers about Owen's incident.

On top of that, her kids were being absolute monsters. They didn't understand why they couldn't see their dad at the hospital and they were having practically non-stop meltdowns. Aria had been spending the night all week, trying to give her sister a break, but there was only so much success that either of them could achieve.

The hospital was also a war zone. There were interns and residents everywhere, tripping over themselves to get on any case they could. Chief Grey had promised that evaluations and decisions would begin this weekend, so the whole staff was on pins and needles awaiting their fate. Callie knew her sister was being particularly hard on herself after her run-in with the chief and taking on back-to-back surgeries.

Aria shuffled into the kitchen with Allegra hanging from her shoulders in a piggy-back hold. "I was sleeping so nicely on the couch when this little monster attacked me. Do you know this creature?"

Callie couldn't help but smile as her daughter began giggling and buried her face in Aria's hair. "I've never seen that monster before in my life!"

Allegra jumped down and lunged towards her mother, roaring.

Callie pretended to be frightened before grabbing her daughter into a big hug. "Are your brothers awake, mija?"

Allegra nodded and then ran into the living room, looking for her favorite doll.

"I don't know how she has so much energy in the morning," Aria lamented.

"I don't know how any of us have any energy at all these days."

"Amen to that. When did you finally get Gus to sleep last night?"

"Not until almost 3. Sorry again, I know we're not getting much sleep around here. You're an angel for helping out."

Aria waved a dismissive hand in the air. "You'd do the same for me."

Callie pulled two mugs from the cabinet and poured them each a cup of coffee. "Do you know if Dr. Warren is spreading rumors about Owen? I'm still hearing them all over the hospital and Mark mentioned a few days ago that he heard some coming from her."

Rolling her eyes, Aria gratefully took a sip of coffee before answering. "I haven't heard her say anything, but if she is, that's not surprising."

"I thought you two were friends?"

"Yeah...Not exactly. We had a big fight a while back and…I don't know, we're friends at work because we have to be, you know?"

"Did you two date?"

"Just barely. We went out once or twice. She found out about the trust fund, got weird about it, and I ended things. Lately, she's been struggling with the program and has some family stuff going on, so I honestly try to stay out of her way but she's still holding a grudge against me. I know she's not above making up rumors—it wouldn't be the first time. Maybe I can get Drew or Shelly to talk to her…"

Callie shrugged. "I've dodged the rumor mill before, I'm not worried about it. I just wanted to see if you knew what was going on."

"Oh, I'm aware that she's a little crazy." Aria glanced at the clock on the wall. "Do you need me to help get everyone ready this morning? I should really get to the hospital for rounds."

"Your job is not in jeopardy, Aria. You don't need to run yourself ragged."

"Cal, the chief made it very clear that I'm on her shit list. My evaluation is today. I'm not taking any chances."

Callie sighed. "Go. You're crazy, but go."

"I'll come back after work, okay? If you need me to."

"Actually...I talked to Joan last night. She and Megan are both home all weekend if I'm comfortable with Owen taking the kids. She said his therapy has been going well."

Aria furrowed her eyebrows. "Are you comfortable with Owen taking the kids?"

"I trust Joan and Megan." Callie took a deep breath. "The kids need to see him."

Just then, Sam started whining from upstairs.

"That's your cue," Aria said. "I'm going to head to the hospital, but you're right-the kids need to see him." She gave her sister a tight hug. "And maybe you can finally go on that date you keep avoiding."

Callie pushed Aria towards the door. "Leave my personal life out of this. Go! I'll talk to you later."

Arizona spotted Cynthia at the coffee cart and stepped up to join her, grabbing a muffin and handing over a couple dollars. "Callie said yes!"

Cynthia blinked a few times, trying to clear her headache before getting her brain to switch gears and catch up with her friend. "You're finally going on your date?"

"Tonight." Arizona smiled. "The kids will be at Owen's mom's house, so she has her first free night in a week and she wants to spend it with me!"

"She's spending the night?"

Arizona hit her friend's arm. "You know what I mean. Get your head out of the gutter."

"I can't help it. I've been celibate for a week without Aria around. A girl has needs, Zone."

Rolling her eyes, Arizona chucked at the other doctor's distress. "You seem to be in better spirits today."

"Yeah," Cynthia shook her head and smiled at her friend. "Thanks for talking some sense into me. You're right—I was letting the past get in the way of a possible future. That's silly."

"Yes, it is silly. Good girl."

"Now I just have to figure out when I can see her again."

"When's her evaluation?"

"Today. This morning." Cynthia waved her hand in the air, dismissing any concerns. "She's a beast in the OR and a great teacher; she's going to be fine."

"What about her friends?"

"I think Chang is going to cut Warren. Her skills don't match everyone else's and from what he's said, she's been lashing out all week. He is over her attitude."

"Yikes."

"When are you guys doing the other evals?"

"We start them this afternoon. Grey promised they'll be over by 6 for today. Then I can finally take Callie on our first date."

"Right! I'll call about your reservation and text you when it's confirmed, okay?" Cynthia waited for Arizona's nod before she looped her arm through the other woman's and started walking down the hallway. "So what are you going to wear?"

Aria came out of her evaluation and let out a big sigh of relief. Chang had asked her about the incident from earlier in the week and actually listened to her explanation of what happened. He had clearly gotten an earful from Chief Grey, but still listened intently as she spoke. They went over her surgical records from Seattle Pres and talked about every surgery she had done at Seattle Grace in excruciating detail before he finally presented her with a brand new lab coat with the Seattle Grace logo on one side and her name neatly embroidered on the other. He shook her hand and clapped her on the shoulder, welcoming her to the team before dismissing her from his office.

She wanted to find her sister and Cynthia and tell them immediately, but she knew that her friends were waiting for a full report, all on pins and needles for their own careers. Aria headed towards the lab and found Shelly, Drew, and Kelly huddled around a table. She walked into the room and flourished her new lab coat, flashing the Seattle Grace logo at her friends. Drew let out an excited whoop and Shelly clapped her hands and ran over to give Aria a big hug.

"You're safe?" Shelly asked.

"I'm safe. Chang is tough and wanted to talk about every single surgery I've done here and my record from Pres, but he finally welcomed me to the team!"

Drew walked over and playfully punched her shoulder. "I never doubted it, Torres."

"Yeah, great. Big surprise," Kelly muttered under her breath, making no move to congratulate Aria.

Rolling his eyes, Drew glanced back at Kelly. "C'mon, Kel. Aren't you happy for Aria?"

"Sure," she said enthusiastically. "Great job, Aria. You're just so lucky," she sneered before breezing past Aria and out of the lab.

"What is her problem?" Shelly asked, rhetorically. She glanced at her watch. "I've gotta get to my evaluation next. Congratulations again, Aria!" Shelly hugged Aria again before pinching Drew's butt on her way out of the lab.

Aria waited until the door closed again before turning to Drew. "Kelly needs to get her shit together."

"She's been a menace all week," Drew answered. "She's worried, just like the rest of us."

Aria rolled her eyes. "She's also still pissed at me and gossiping about my family. When is she going to let it go?"

"You're hard to get over, Torres." Drew grinned and Aria punched him in the arm, a little less playfully than he had done to her earlier. "She'll get over it. And honestly...do you think she's going to be staying after today's evaluation?"

Sighing, Aria answered, "If she does, it will be because they're saving all of us that are part of the cartilage work."

Drew made a face. "I heard that Chang himself had to step in on her last surgery to fix her mistake. I don't know how they keep someone after that."

Kelly Warren was fuming. Aria always got anything she wanted and Kelly was tired of it. All of their coworkers adored her, the Seattle Grace doctors loved her, and she was dating their attending and flaunting it. Kelly knew that Aria thought she was still hung up on her or pissed at the way things ended between them or whatever, but Kelly was just angry. Aria had said some very unkind things about her before breaking things off and then had the nerve to act like they were never even together around their friends. Kelly had done some things she wasn't proud of, but Drew was right there with her when it happened and Aria wasn't pissed at him, so what was the big deal?

Kelly's evaluation was scheduled for later in the day and Chang wasn't letting any of them do surgery before the decisions were handed out, so she was left just wandering the hospital. She started walking towards the nurse's station in the ortho wing when she spotted Frankie going over a chart, with Dr. Rogers standing at the other end of the desk. Kelly saw her opportunity to finally bring Aria down a peg. She sidled up next to Frankie and waited until she caught his eye. "Hey. Did you hear Torres is safe? She just had her evaluation." Kelly noticed Cynthia glance up in interest.

Frankie looked at Kelly and smiled. "Not much of a surprise. I'm happy for her." He immediately went back to his chart, hoping to avoid any of Kelly's drama. He knew she was having a bad week and had been keeping his distance as much as possible.

"I just think it's interesting, you know?"

"What is?"

"Well, how she took credit for the cartilage thing when we all worked on it."

Frankie looked at her in confusion. "She didn't ta-"

"I heard her talking to some reporters about how she did it herself," Kelly lied. "She was on her phone in the resident lounge and didn't know I was there."

No stranger to Kelly's quirks and exaggerations, Frankie just rolled his eyes and went back to updating his patient's chart and made a noncommittal sound.

"Drew, Shelly, and I were just talking about how selfish she is. Everything has to be on her terms. Like, I've been staying over at her place all week with her..." Kelly saw Cynthia turn sharply to look at her and Kelly turned fully towards Frankie, sure that her target was definitely paying attention. "...and everything had to be on her terms. Even the sex. Selfish, right?"

"Sure, Kel."

"And you know she was sleeping with that Attending just to make sure she got a spot at this hospital, right? And that roommate Attending of hers-she's got him on standby in case it didn't work with Rogers. She told me all about it."

"What are you-"

"I know, I know. You don't like to gossip." Kelly chanced a glance over at Dr. Rogers, satisfied to see that her jaw was clenched and her brows were furrowed. Let Aria know how it feels to not have the world just handed to her when she wanted something. "I'll leave you alone. Good luck with your evaluation, Frankie."

Frankie sighed loudly once Kelly finally left. He closed his chart and locked eyes with Dr. Rogers, who looked hurt and confused. His eyes got wide as he realized what Kelly had been doing-not just blowing off steam to distract herself, but she was actively sabotaging his friend. Cynthia turned on her heel and walked away before he could say anything.

"Oh hell, Kelly." Frankie sighed as he turned to try and find Aria before Kelly's tantrum caused too much damage.

Cynthia had been in surgery for three and a half hours. While she was happy for the distraction, her mind kept wandering back to the conversation she had overheard. Logically, she didn't want to believe any of it. But her gut was screaming that she had been burned before and she needed to be careful. She was already in too deep-deeper than she ever would have expected.

She turned to the unfamiliar intern at her elbow. "Can you close for me?"

Dr. Webber glanced across the table. "You seem distracted. Do you have somewhere to be, Dr. Rogers?"

Cynthia nodded curtly. "I do. This leg is good to go. I'll update the chart and we can debrief once you're done there. Page me when you're out of surgery." She turned, ripping her gloves off and stalking out of the OR. She scrubbed out and stepped into the hallway, looking around for the now-familiar dark hair. Aria's name wasn't on the surgical board and she couldn't find her in the locker room or the lab. She finally spotted the flash of dark hair at the nurse's station and caught Aria's arm just as she was about to turn away.

"Oh, hey! Guess what-I'm officially a doctor at Seattle Grace!"

Cynthia guided Aria into her office and shut the door.

"Brand new lab coat and everything." Aria smiled and flashed the logo at Cynthia before she noticed the scowl on the other woman's face. "What's wrong?"

"Are you sleeping with Kelly Warren?"

Aria chuckled, unsure where this was coming from. "Like...right this minute?"

"This week. Did you sleep with her this week?"

The smile dropped from Aria's face at Cynthia's sharp tone. "No."

"Why is she telling people that you did? That she stayed over at your place?"

"What? I've been at Callie's all week. You know that."

"I don't know that. I've barely seen you or heard from you."

"I texted you that I was at Callie's."

Cynthia rubbed a hand across her forehead. "Yeah."

"You don't believe me?"

"Are you sleeping with Mark? Why is he living with you?"

"What is happening right now?"

"Can you please just answer the question?"

"No, I'm not. And he lives there because I needed a roommate. I've told you that."

"Who was your roommate before Mark?"

Aria threw up her hands in frustration and stepped towards the door. "I don't need to stand here and be interrogated."

"Can you just answer my question?" Cynthia asked through clenched teeth.

Stopping, Aria crossed her arms and took a deep breath. "I didn't have one."

"Then why did you need a roommate once Mark came to town?"

Aria shook her head. "That's not...it doesn't matter."

"I thought you would answer whatever I had questions about. That's what you told me."

"And I have told you everything I'm comfortable telling you at this point."

"At this point?"

"We've only been on a couple dates, Cynthia. I don't have to tell you every single thing about me yet." Aria took a step towards the other woman and reached out to touch her arm, determined to defuse this situation. "I don't know what happened or what you heard…"

Cynthia shook the other doctor's hand off of her. "Stop. I know I don't have any kind of claim over you but I thought we were working towards something, Aria."

"I thought so too."

"Then why are you keeping so many secrets?"

Aria shook her head and took a deep breath. "This is ridiculous. I'm not keeping secrets. I am not sleeping with Kelly Warren. I have never slept with Mark. I'm also not going to stay here and listen to this. Is there anything else you want to accuse me of before I go?"

Taking a shaky breath, Cynthia quietly asked, "Were you dating me to make sure you got a job at this hospital?"

"Wow." Aria's eyes grew dark and she looked down at her shoes. "You really think that little of me, huh?" She rubbed one hand over her face. "I can't...It sounds like you already have your mind made up about me, Rogers. Sorry for wasting your time."

Cynthia watched helplessly as Aria stormed out of her office. She sank down in her desk chair and took a deep breath. She could feel tears pricking at the back of her eyes and her body was flushed cold. She remembered this feeling from the fights she would have with her ex-girlfriend, Katrina, and a feeling of shame washed over her. She had been the one in Aria's position during those fights—defending herself hopelessly against ridiculous accusations and now she was the one instigating and pushing.

Her phone began to vibrate on her desk and she picked it up and answered, knowing it wouldn't be Aria but somehow still hoping it would be.

"Dr. Rogers! Hello!" came the booming voice of Francisco Topolino.

"Hi, Mr. Topolino. Thanks for calling me back."

"I've told you, Dr. Rogers, you get to call me Francisco. Anyone who operates that beautifully and makes sure I can dance with my wife is a close friend of mine."

"Sorry. Hi, Francisco."

"I got your message. You'd like a table for two for tonight? It's done!"

"Thank you, sir."

"Are you sure you want it for your friend, though? You don't have a wonderful young man to take you out to dinner?"

Cynthia let out a mirthless laugh. "No, I definitely don't. My friends will be very happy though. Thank you."

"Well, if you ever decide you have someone special and want to eat at my family's table, you bring them here. Yes?"

"Yes, Francisco. Thanks again."

She hung up the phone and send a quick text to Arizona, letting her know the reservation was confirmed. Tossing her phone back onto her desk, Cynthia couldn't help but replay her conversation with Aria over in her mind. She was appalled that she had accused the other woman so callously. She had really meant to just talk to her, to ask questions, and listen to the answers. But she had definitely forgotten that last part. She could barely remember anything that Aria had said, her own anger, panic, and fear had been so loud in her head that she wasn't thinking straight.

There was a quick knock on the office door before Arizona peeked her head in. "I just got your text—thank you!" She noticed the look on her friend's face. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Cynthia smiled without it reaching her eyes and spread her arms out. "I'm an idiot."

Arizona quickly entered the office and shut the door behind her. "What happened?"

"Remember all those things I was freaking out about at the bar last night?"

"Yeah…?"

"I just loudly accused Aria of all of them. Plus some new ones."

"Oh, no." Arizona walked over to Cynthia and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I don't know what to do now."

"Can you talk to her? Explain?"

"If I were her, I wouldn't want to talk to me right now. Maybe ever again."

"So give her some time to cool down. You guys have something special, Cynthia. You'll work through this."

"I really hope so."

Callie was finally at home, having dropped the kids off at Owen's mom's house. All three kids had lit up at the sight of Owen and Callie had to admit that he looked good. They had made small talk, mostly about the hospital and how he was set to return in a couple of days. He mentioned that his therapy sessions were going well and promised that he would do the voices when reading to the kids, which made Allegra cheer and attempt a slightly off-balance cartwheel.

They had gotten through 50 evaluations at work, more than anyone had really planned for. Chief Grey took the lead for most of them, especially for the Attendings. But Callie was impressed at some of the new talent coming into the hospital.

And now she had a date to get ready for. All Arizona had told her was that they had reservations at 7:30 and to dress up. She took a quick shower and was standing in front of her closet surveying her dresses, unsure of what to choose. She knew how to dress to get a man's attention, but she had no idea what Arizona would like. She pulled out a few options, trying them on and discarding them before coming across an old dress that was always her favorite. A deep red color, it hugged all her curves and made her feel sexy and badass all at the same time. She put it on and turned in front of the mirror. She loved it, but she couldn't help but hear Owen's voice in her head from the last time she put it on in front of him. He had taken one look at her and just told her it was time to go. No compliments, no appreciation. She swallowed and shook her head, looking in the mirror again. No, she thought, I look hot.

Glancing at the clock, she realized Arizona would be there in a few minutes so she hurried into the bathroom, finishing her hair and completing her makeup. She heard her pager go off in the other room and rolled her eyes. She was absolutely not on call tonight and would not be answering that page. She got to her jewelry box and selected a necklace to wear before she realized that she was still wearing her wedding ring. Unsure of the protocols, she decided that wearing it on her first date with someone new was more than a little ridiculous. She slipped the ring off of her finger and stared at it. She had been wearing it daily more out of routine than anything else—it was part of her morning: shower, hair, makeup, ring, and then getting the kids up and ready. She placed it back into the jewelry box, selecting another ring that her father had given her after she graduated med school and she slipped it onto her ring finger on her right hand.

Her pager went off again just as the doorbell rang and she hurried down the stairs, slipping her black, strappy shoes on just before she opened the door to see Arizona standing there with a small bouquet of flowers.

"Hey," Callie smiled happily.

"Wow, you look incredible." Arizona couldn't help but stare at the beautiful woman in front of her. She may never be able to get that dress out of her mind after tonight.

Callie blushed faintly and shrugged. "This old thing? You look amazing." Callie let her eyes drift over Arizona's body, appreciating the black slacks and soft, silky white shirt that she was wearing.

Arizona smiled and held out the flowers. "These are for you. I wasn't sure what your favorites were, so I got one with a little bit of everything."

"Thank you." Callie took the flowers and gestured for Arizona to come inside. She heard her pager go off for a third time from upstairs and ignored it. "Let me just put these in some water and we can go."

Arizona stepped in the house and followed behind Callie as they walked to the kitchen. Arizona almost stumbled as Callie turned around and she got her first glimpse of the dress from behind. "You know, I kept thinking that you were going to call off tonight to be with Aria."

Callie glanced at Arizona as she took a vase from under the sink. "With Aria? Why?"

"Did she not tell you?"

"I didn't see her today. She texted that she had her evaluation and it went well."

"She and Cynthia got into a big fight. Cynthia was kind of an idiot."

Callie grimaced as she arranged the flowers in the vase, placing it in the center of her kitchen island. "That sucks. What was the fight about?"

"Cynthia's insecurities, mostly. There have been rumors going around and they got to her. I thought I had talked her down last night, but she overheard Kelly Warren going on about some things that really hit too close to home and she kind of unloaded."

"Well, Aria is a pretty rational person. I'm sure they can talk it out when they've both cooled down."

"I hope so. I like them together."

"Me too." Callie smiled at the other woman, just so happy to be seeing where this could go. "Shall we go see how we feel about us together?"

A flirty smile took over Arizona's face. "I have to admit, I already like us together. In fact…" Arizona took a step around the island and smiled at Callie. She went up on tiptoe and placed a soft, sweet kiss on the taller woman's lips. "I'm already convinced we're going to be good together too."

Callie couldn't help the brilliant smile that spread across her face. "I think so too." Just then, her phone started ringing in her purse. She groaned and shot an apologetic look at Arizona. "Do you mind if I check this? I keep getting paged even though I'm not on call."

"Of course."

Callie pulled out her phone and saw her sister's name flash across the screen. "Oh, it's Aria. I'll let her know I can't talk right now." At Arizona's nod, Callie touched the screen to answer the call.

"Hey, Aria. I'm actually about to go out with…What? Slow down; I can't understand you…Who is it?... What is she…? I'll be right there. Don't let anyone but Yang touch her, do you hear me? Aria…It'll be okay."

She looked at Arizona with a flash of panic in her eyes. "I have to get to the hospital."