A/N - Well here we are on Sunday again, I tell you what these weeks are flying by, its almost Christmas!

Today is the end of the trial and we find out if Callie's wins or if Earl walks free. I promise this will be the last of Earl... for now muahaha

So the next chapter will finally see some Calzona time, on their not date, date... or is it a date... i guess you will have to wait till next sunday to find out.

Now for me its back to work because im on call this weekend which sucks but atleast i found some time to post this.

Enjoy, and as always thanks for the reviews / messages from you all, i cant say how much i appreciate them, even the foreign ones, i take the time to google translate them so i can see what you have to say.

Thanks

AL

-oOo-

Callie found herself sitting in the seat behind the desk again for the final time, today was Earls hearing and to say she was feeling optomistic after his performance the day before would be an understatement. She had been a little upset at John for withholding the truth about the letters from her, but she understood that he wanted the impact of her finding out to be witnessed by the jury. After all trials were a game between two lawyers trying to top each other to win the case, and in Callie's opinion her lawyer had won this case, but that was up for the jury to decide.

As they rose to welcome Judge Rinder and the jury into the court room Callie felt sick to her stomach, this was the moment the past three and a half years had accumulated to. In a matter of moments she would find out if she would be rid of Earl, or whether he would be free to walk the streets again, suddenly she wasn't feeling quite so confident in the jury. She glanced over to them and noticed them all sitting stony faced, not giving anything away.

She glanced at Earl noticing him watching her with a sick smile, she felt a shiver run down her spine until a warm and caring hand was placed on her back, its like Arizona always knew when she needed a bit of support and comfort and was always on hand to provide it, she knew for a fact she wouldn't have been able to make it through this trial without the blondes support and made a silent vow to treat her somehow when all of this was over and the dust had settled.

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, have you come to a decision" The words tore Callie from her reverie and she attempted to focus on what was being said as the judge began to read out the various charges laid against Earl and the Jury's response. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty. Each and every charge he had been found guilty. Callie's heart did this weird thing in its chest where it stopped beating for a moment at the same time as it pounded against her rib cage. They had done it, SHE had done it. Earl was found guilty and would be sent away for a long time.

"Based on the jury's findings, I deem it pertinent to lay the maximum sentence for each charge, therefore I am sentencing Mr Earl Thompson to 32 years in jail with no option for appeal for ten years. The crimes you committed against Miss Calliope Torres are the most heinous I have ever seen and you have shown absolutely no regret regarding your actions. As a result of the fraud you have committed by using Miss Torres' online banking to fund not only your lifestyle but the home with which you imprisoned and tortured her in, her I find that the house and car will be signed over to Miss Torres and the sum of forty-two-thousand dollars which has been calculated at a thousand dollars a month for forty-two months. You are to have no contact with Miss Torres, nor aid and abet any other person to have contact with Miss Torres or you may be subject to additional sentencing. I will also take into account the application for divorce which I will grant immediately on the basis of domestic violence. Take him down"

Callie released a breath that she didn't realise she had been holding in for the past three and a half years, she was vaguely aware of her friends and family cheering behind her but she sat numb on the seat as she watched her husband... her ex husband... be led away. Just before he was led out the door he turned and met her eyes, she had seen that look in his eyes many times, that look in his eyes haunted her most nights and some days also, Earl was pissed off.

"I will get you for this, your dead. Do you hear me. Your fucking dead Cal! You and that stupid bitch... just wait till she gets sick of the sight of you too... fucking dykes" Earl spat.

"Calliope ignore him, he's toast. He is clutching at straws because he lost and everyone saw him for what he really is" Arizona soothed as she rounded the wooden barrier and pulled the brunette into her arms.

Callie instantly broke down, the flood gates opening as she sobbed for all she was worth, not because of the threat that Earl had made, no she had heard far worse from him over the years, she sobbed because she was finally safe, her baby was finally safe. Earl couldn't get to her anymore and she felt nothing but relief as she pulled Arizona harder into her and tucked her nose into the crook of Arizona's neck, inhaling the blondes calming scent.

She was free.

Earl was locked up.

She was divorced.

She was safe.

It all became too much for her and she felt her head start to spin, she pulled back from Arizona, intent on saying that she didn't feel great but one look at the pale complexion of the Latina and the glassy eyed expression and the blonde guided her carefully back into the chair before kneeling at her feet.

"Just breathe Callie, it's all going to be ok now" Arizona guided as she slid her hands up and down Callie's pencil skirt clad thighs soothingly.

"It's just... he's gone... like really gone, for a very long time. I'm free" Callie muttered quietly, the words feeling foreign on her tongue.

"He is gone and your right your free, but you've been free for weeks now Cal, you've got this" Arizona smiled up at the brunette, her hands still rubbing the thighs as she watched the colour slowly return to the Latina's face.

"What do I do now?" Callie asked, still shell shocked.

"Now you live your life the way you should be living it. You finish med school, you have a beautiful baby girl, you spend some time getting to know yourself again and eventually you will find someone who you can trust and you settle down... the skies the limit" Arizona smiled sadly, truth be told she desperately wanted to be that person Callie settled down with but she was way in the friend zone after all these years, hell she was mayor of the friend zone about now.

"Yeah" Callie breathed out, feeling more herself after the shock of the trial going her way.

"Mija, we thought we would have a little barbeque at home, to celebrate the outcome. What do you think?" Carlos asked as he approached the two women cautiously with a smile.

"That sounds fantastic. I feel like celebrating"

-oOo-

Two hours later and the Torres back garden was filled with familiar faces, the Robbins family plus Claire were there as was several of Callie's aunts, uncles and cousins. Several doctors milled about before starting their shift or having just finished a shift or in Mark's case had the day off, he had wanted to be there to support Callie and had been welcomed by both the Torres and Robbins family as a stable in Callie and Arizona's life.

The barbeque was well underway, with everybody but Callie and the doctors due on shift drinking to celebrate the days victory. Carlos chinked his glass with a spoon to get everybody's attention and a hush fell upon the backyard as they waited to see what the matriarch of the gathering had to say.

"I will keep this short and try not to be too embarrassing. I just wanted to say thankyou to everybody here today for their support over the past few weeks since Calliope came home to us. As you can imagine its been a difficult few years but to say that we are happy to have our daughter home with us is an understatement. I would like to raise a toast, to justice and to new friends" Carlos smiled broadly as he charged his glass of whisky.

A round of cheers fell upon the garden and Callie basked in the sound. She had gone from being beaten and broken and completely alone in the world to having a village surrounding her. Friends and family as far as the eye could see, but most of all she had the little girl who was growing safely in her stomach who now wouldn't ever have to be subjected to her 'fathers' bitter and twisted way of life.

Arizona glanced at Callie and saw her faraway look and decided to pull her from her obvious musings by running a soothing hand from her elbow to her wrist.

"Hey you look miles away" the blonde smiled softly when Callie's eyes met her own.

"I was just thinking how lucky this little one is going to be, to be surrounded by so many loving and caring people"

"We will always have her back, just like we will always have your back, no matter what happens or where life leads you, we will all always be here for you" Arizona said seriously, watching as brown eyes began to glass over. "Hey now, no tears... this is a happy time"

"Your right, they are happy tears though... I just, you know, I missed you so much... while I was away, I often thought of you and wondered how you were getting on, whether you were happy and safe" Callie admitted almost shyly.

"I could never be happy with you not in my life" Arizona admitted herself, her emotions raw with the truth to her words.

"Ditto" Callie smiled softly as she wrapped her fingers in the milky hand and tugged on their entwined fingers softly.

"Come on now Swayze, lets get back to the party" Arizona grinned, the butterflies erupting in her stomach at the feel of Callie holding her hand and it not for strength or support but simply as a need to touch her.

"Before we go I wanted to ask you something" Callie started, suddenly her mouth was dry and she felt nervous. "If you are free tomorrow, I would like to take you out for a meal, to say thank you for everything... I couldn't have gotten through this all without you"

"Thats not necessary but who am I to turn down dinner with a beautiful woman?" Arizona's smile stretched across her face.

"I was thinking that Italian place we've driven past a few times, Alberto's?" Callie asked still with a hint of nerves, she couldn't pinpoint what was making her so nervous.

"Sounds like a date" Arizona mused as her nodded her head in agreement to the plan.

"Not a date... date!" Callie stuttered out then felt herself blush as she realised that she so wanted it to be a date, this was too soon she couldn't be dating someone the day after her divorce, the day after her ex husband was put in jail for kidnapping her and abusing her... but then... a tiny part of her also realised that if she was going to go on a date with anyone, it would be Arizona. Afterall the blonde perky woman did make her feel safe in a world that terrified her, and she had always been attracted to her even if their timing was never right. Perhaps now that they were both single maybe the timing was finally right. But then there was the baby, Arizona wouldn't want to be tied down to a pregnant woman, never mind someone with a new born...

"Calliope... hey, where did you just go?" Arizona asked having seen the far away look return to her friends eyes.

"Oh err... nowhere important, I umm..." Callie stuttered around her words.

"I said I cant wait for our not date, date!" Arizona smirked playfully. To say she had been a little upset when Callie blurted out that it wasn't a date would be an understatement but she also knew that it was still early days in the brunettes recovery. If she had been through what Callie had, she wouldn't even be contemplating a date for years, never mind a few months. That was even if Callie was interested in her, apart from their first kiss being each other, Callie had never shown any romantic interest in her.