A/N

So this is the chapter that contains the original idea that I first had that eventually grew into this story. It's massively flashback orientated, but I feel that's really necessary on the journey of how the characters got to where they are now. Also, if you don't like flashbacks, you probably want to avoid this story, as it's kind of built around them. Which is quite a new thing for me, but I think it helps with telling the story in this particular scenario. I think this is also the longest chapter I've ever written!

I'm also going to put a slight trigger warning here, and maybe should have done in earlier chapters, as this starts to talk about teenage girls being put in uncomfortable situations. There's nothing graphic, but I'm hoping here to portray something that has ultimately become completely normalised amongst young people.

The fact that Callie was being so kind to her just made Arizona sob even more. She just let herself be held in a way that she hadn't done in…well, realistically, ten years.

"And besides" Callie continued, as though there hadn't been a five minute break in the conversation "I think we both know which of us is more likely to run away after we kiss"

The blonde had to laugh before trying to defend herself "Hey, if you're talking about the same time I'm thinking about, the first time I didn't run because we'd kissed, and the second time I only ran because you were so shocked you couldn't move"

12 years previously

School was out for the summer, and Callie and Arizona had managed to wrangle an invite to the annual beach party that was being held by the graduating seniors, for both themselves and Teddy, on the simple basis that that group included both of their older siblings. They'd successfully completed their sophomore year, and although they would never be the popular kids, they were at least accepted by those who were.

The party had kicked off mid-afternoon, and a few of the seniors who had older siblings themselves had managed to score some beers that had been placed in coolers as a bit of a free for all. There were games of beach volleyball, some skinny dipping (which was primarily led by Mark), and Callie and Arizona were just happy to be included and weren't bothered by the beer in the slightest. As the sun started to go down, someone lit a fire and a couple of the guys produced some hard liquor that they'd probably stolen from their parents.

Addison had nominated herself to be in charge of mixing the punch, and she and Derek (with whom she was at the time in the "on" phase of their on-again, off-again relationship) were vaguely trying to ensure that nobody was hitting it too hard. Unfortunately, they weren't aware that Owen had been sharing his drinks with Teddy for most of the day, and after a couple of sips of punch, she was staggering around, and kept losing her footing in the sand.

"Damn" Callie exhaled as she caught sight of her friend.

"I guess that's our party over" Arizona added, resting her chin on the brunette's shoulder.

They approached Owen, who had by know managed to get Teddy seated on a large rock.

"Hey Owen, you want us to take her off your hands?" the brunette asked.

"Hey guys, no you know what, I totally helped her get into this mess, so I'm gonna make sure she gets home" he replied.

"Honestly, it's no bother" Arizona chipped in "this is your graduation party, you stay"

"Seriously, this whole thing really isn't my scene anyway. And I just want to make sure she's alright"

"You like her, don't you?" Callie grinned.

Owen gave her a half scowl "I care about her, yes"

"Ok well if you're sure…"

"I'm sure"

Happy that they'd given Owen more than enough chances to stay, Callie and Arizona let him lead Teddy off the beach with a promise to text them when he'd got her home safely. It wasn't that they didn't care, far from it, but Owen clearly had her best interests at heart, and they also weren't going to turn down the chance to stay for the rest of the party.

"Sooooo" Callie turned to the blonde with a cheeky grin "given what's just happened to our friend, this may or may not be a good time to mention that I stole some rum from my dad's collection tonight"

"Calliope!" Arizona scolded "Firstly, your dad'll hit the roof if he finds out. And secondly….why the hell didn't you mention this earlier?!"

The brunette shrugged "it's just some Havana Club, he won't miss it. It's not like I raided his prized wine collection. Which, by the way, little miss perfect Aria has totally done before. And I'm telling you now, because I figure we have two choices. Either we talk to Addison, and offer to put this in her punch in exchange for some of it, or….you and I drink this ourselves"

"Have you tried it before?" Arizona asked, peering at the bottle in Callie's bag.

"No…but we're 16, at that means we're totally legal to drink in Cuba…and this is Cuban rum, sooooo…."

"You make a convincing argument, you should go into law"

"Does that mean I've co-opted you into my conspiracy?"

The blonde grinned "Count me in"

All it took was a little bit of eye-fluttering at Derek (or maybe Addison, neither of them could really be sure) and they had two red cups.

About a hundred yards from the flat rock that Teddy had been sitting on where some upright rocks that gave enough coverage for the two girls to hide behind. They poured out two large measures of rum, and put the bottle back into Callie's bag.

"Together?" Arizona asked hesitantly.

"Together" the brunette confirmed.

Their eyes focused on one another's, and as the liquor hit their mouths, they both visibly winced. Callie was the first to move her cup, coughing and spluttering.

"Dios mio, that's horrible"

"Oh thank god" Arizona exclaimed, leaning back against the rock "that was the worst thing I've ever tasted"

Both girls burst into fits of giggles.

"Do you think…" the blonde tried to compose herself "do you think all alcohol tastes this bad, and everyone just pretends to like it?"

"Knowing the idiots that we know, probably!"

"Soooo…plan B?"

Callie nodded enthusiastically "Punch can't taste worse than this. Unless you have a diet coke or something?"

"Why would I bring diet coke to a beach party?"

"I don't know, you bring it everywhere else…"

"Calliope, you're doing my street cred no favours"

Callie raised a brow "You know nobody can hear us, right?"

"Shut up" the blonde swatted her arm.

"Right, let's go see Addison"

Still giggling, the two girls made their way back to where Addison and Derek were marshalling the punch. It didn't take a whole lot of negotiation to persuade them to trade the rum for a share of the punch.

As Callie and Arizona walked away with a full red cup, they turned to one another and burst into a fit of giggles again.

"Together again?" the brunette asked, holding up her cup full of punch.

"Well I'm damn well not drinking it on my own"

They giggling again before both taking a sip.

"Ok so, that's not that bad" Arizona mused.

"Yeah" the brunette agreed "Addison totally knows what she's doing"

"You reckon that'll be us in a few years, somehow making liquor taste good?"

"Sure, you'll just be pouring diet coke in it and hoping for the best" Callie teased.

"Shut up"

"Moron"

They burst into a fit of giggles again, but both happily took a second swig of their drink.

A few minutes later they were definitely starting to feel an initial buzz, and as they headed back towards the flat rock, found themselves being pulled in by the seniors.

"Hey, Torres Jnr! Mini-Tim!" Mark was waving them over, and both of them glared at the nicknames he'd ascribed them.

"We know you know our names, Sloan" Arizona scolded.

"Sure I do blondie" he retorted "but it's way more fun getting the death stare from the two of you"

They rolled their eyes but allowed themselves to be brought into the group that was now seated around the rocks. Finding a gap big enough for the two of them, they went to sit down, but found Eduardo wedging himself between the two of them and placing an arm around each of them. Arizona flinched at the feeling, but made eye contact with Callie who nodded to reassure her, and they both made themselves comfortable.

Apparently they'd all been seated for a game of dares, instigated by Eliza Minnick, who the other seniors seemed to follow without questioning. It wasn't like Callie and Arizona hadn't played before, but they immediately felt like playing with a bunch of 18 year olds was going to be different from their usual sophomore version. Plus, the version they played definitely allowed for the truth option, which it seemed wasn't available tonight.

An empty beer bottle was spun in the sand, firstly by Eliza, and it landed on Addison. Eliza dared her to leave a hickey on Mark's chest, which she did without hesitation, despite vague protestations from Derek.

Addison then spun, and landed on Aria, whom she dared to down a whole cup of punch in one. The older Torres sister did so without flinching, causing Callie to raise her eyebrows at the apparent other side to her sister.

Aria's spin landed on Juan, and she immediately dared him to bare his butt to the group. He did so, to a lot of whoops and cheers, before sitting back down and spinning the bottle himself.

When his spin landed on Eduardo, Arizona felt herself go cold despite the warm temperature of the night.

"Heeeeey bro" Juan tilted his cup towards Eduardo "I dare you to kiss the two pretty ladies either side of you. And don't hold back"

Arizona felt her hand clutch tightly around her cup. This was definitely not how she envisaged her first kiss going down. She looked up, and her eyes somehow desperately met Mark's.

"How's about we make this an even better dare" Mark got to his feet instantly "how about the two pretty ladies make out with each other first, before they kiss Rodriguez?"

It wasn't exactly what Arizona had been hoping for, but it at least gave her a momentary reprieve from kissing Eduardo. The round of cheers from the group told her that right now, she had to kiss Callie. And every instinct that she had been fighting against for so long had come rushing back to the forefront of her brain right now.

Leaning over Eduardo's lap. Callie reached for her hand.

"You're ok with this, right?" the brunette asked with genuine concern.

Arizona squeezed her hand "I am if you are"

Callie nodded and let her other hand reach fir the back of the blonde's neck. She kept her other hand firmly clasped around Arizona's as she guided the blonde's head to hers.

In that moment, Arizona willed every bit of her being to give her an ounce of control. Every feeling that she had fought for the last 18 months in respect of her best friend was flying around her head right now, and at the moment that their lips made contact for the first time, she felt like she couldn't breathe. The first kiss was tentative, almost just a brushing of lips. But, sensing no resistance, Arizona deepened the kiss, parting her lips and inviting the brunette's tongue into her mouth. It was like nothing she had ever felt before. With the sounds of cheers ringing in her ears, she pulled away, her gaze still locked onto the darkened eyes of her friend that she had just been kissing.

"Hell yeah!" Eduardo cheered between them, encouraged on by his friends "And now it's my turn!"

He turned his attention to Arizona, but before he could lean into her, the brunette pulled him in her direction. She gave the blonde a knowing look before speaking.

"Me first"

Eduardo wasn't going to complain, and let himself be pulled into a swift and exaggerated kiss from the brunette. When he was done, he turned to Arizona, who tried to keep it to a chaste kiss on the lips before pulling away. But he clearly wasn't satisfied, and forced his tongue into her mouth. It was nothing like how her kiss with Callie had felt. It made her feel physically sick as his tongue flailed around before she was finally able to push him off of her.

"Sorry, that's all you're getting" the blonde tried to smile innocently, concealing the bile that was rising in her throat.

After that, the game continued, with the other party goers seemingly content with their performance. As the game progressed, Arizona felt Eduardo's arm slowly making it's way back around her shoulder. When she looked to the side, she realised he was doing the same to Callie.

"So, ladies" he started, attempting to keep his voice low so that the rest of the group wouldn't hear "you know that at least one of you is going to need to give me a better kiss than that tonight"

Arizona froze. Her first instinct was to look at Callie, who she trusted with her life, but she knew couldn't prevent this situation from occurring. Her eyes darted around, trying to make contact with Tim, or Mark, or anyone else that she trusted, but it was to no avail.

Seeing the terror in the blonde's eyes, Callie raised a hand and guided Eduardo's face round to face hers.

"You know what, how about you start with me?"

She pulled him closer, and as the two started to kiss, Arizona couldn't take the feeling any longer. She got up from her seat on the rock, ignoring any vague attempts from the rest of the group to stop her, and ran across the sand.

She stopped when she reached the upright rock that her and Callie had been drinking behind earlier, and let her hand come to rest against it as she caught her breath.

Barely a minute had passed when she heard someone approach behind her. Before she could even turn to look, Callie appeared in front of her, and turned herself so that she was leaning directly against the rock.

"Wow" Callie panted "If I ever needed confirmation, I've just proved to myself how totally unfit I am"

"What are you doing?" the blonde creased her forehead, turning so that she was facing Callie whilst also directly shielded from the rest of the group by the rock.

"Following you, dumbass" the brunette retorted "do you really think I'd let you run off on your own?"

"But…I thought you were happy back there kissing Eduardo…"

"I kissed him so that you wouldn't have to"

"Oh"

"I saw how uncomfortable you were and I figured I could at least help a bit"

"Oh" Arizona repeated.

"Is that really all you have to say right now?"

"I guess"

"You…unless you've been hiding something pretty major from me, you never kissed anyone before tonight, right?" Callie asked, reaching out to gently take hold of the blonde's arm.

"Right"

"So…I'm your first kiss"

"Uh huh"

"Oh" it was Callie's turn to lose her vocabulary.

"It was a pretty good first kiss, even if the…location, left a little to be desired" the blonde teased.

"Pretty good?" the brunette raised her eyebrows.

"Hmmm" Arizona pretended to consider it "yeah, I guess?"

"Way to make a girl feel special"

"I mean, I'm not really sure it even counts if a load of people make you do it"

"So that kiss doesn't count to you?" Callie asked for confirmation.

"Maybe not" the blonde swallowed, leaning forwards so that one hand pressed against the rock while the other gripped the brunette's hip "but this one definitely does"

She pressed her mouth to Callie's, and in that moment, the fact that a large group of their friends were a matter of yards away no longer held any significance. Their lips parted, and Arizona felt the brunette's tongue tentatively dart out and brush against hers. She whimpered, and her grip on Callie's hip tightened as she encouraged her to repeat the action. This time, the brunette's tongue entered her mouth more deliberately, and she replicated the action, pressing her body forwards as their tongues danced together.

When she pulled back, her one hand still resting against the rock, she stared at her friend, both of them seeking to regain their breath. Their eyes were locked together, speaking volumes, yet neither girl said a word.

"That meant something" Arizona said softly.

She got no reply from the brunette, who continued to lean back against the rock, her mouth hanging open in shock at what had occurred moments earlier.

"I'm….I'm gonna go"

And with that, Arizona turned and ran home as though her life depended on it. If she'd looked back for just a second, she'd have seen Callie leaning her head back against the rock and bursting into tears, but she didn't allow herself a single glance until she reached her front door.

Present day

"Ok ok" Callie held her hands up "so your version and the version I've told myself over the years might not be quit the same"

"So is this you admitting I'm right and you're wrong?" Arizona teased.

"I'm not sure that wrong is the correct word….just, I accept that I may have completely frozen when you kissed me, really kissed me for the first time, and by the time I'd recovered, you'd run away"

"And then there's that little awkward bit about how the literal only man I've ever kissed is now your husband"

Callie's eyes widened "You've never kissed another man since that night?"

"Nope. I'm a gold star"

"Jesus"

"Does that weird you out?"

"A little. My head is kind of spinning right now"

"And that's without any Havana Club. Or vodka"

"Yeah" the brunette nodded "well…kissing you always did make my head spin"

"You still haven't lost that charm I see?"

"Arizona"

There it was again. The husky way in which the brunette said her name that could literally bring her to her knees.

"Kiss me" Callie stepped backwards until she was backed up against the wall "kiss me like you did that night"

Arizona shivered, and took three steps forward so that she was directly in front of the brunette. She reached out a shaking hand and pressed it against the wall, just as she had done against the rock that night. Their mouths were inches apart, and each woman was visibly panting.

"Put my hand…where it was" the blonde instructed.

Callie took a deep breath and reached out for the blonde's hand, pulling it towards her until it was wrapped around her hip. The blonde squeezed firmly, revelling in the sensation of the unmistakable curves beneath her fingers.

They stood there frozen for a few seconds, before Callie realised that she still had a free hand. She slid it up to grip onto the blonde's waist, pulling her closer so that their bodies were pressed together.

"Now" she breathed "kiss me like it's the first time"

Arizona didn't need asking again, and tilted her head so as to brush her lips against the brunette's. She kissed her again, softly, the gentlest of caresses before she pressed her mouth back against Callie, more firmly this time. Fingers gripped onto hips and waists as they devoured one another, no longer the innocent teenagers, but two women who knew exactly how to make the other feel good in this moment.

This time, when Arizona pulled back, she felt fingers gripping her hip firmly.

"Say it again" Callie commanded.

The blonde looked at her in confusion.

"Say what you said that night" the brunette clarified.

"That…" Arizona started, willing the tears that were forming in her eyes to hold back "that meant something"

"It did" Callie confirmed, leaning down to kiss the blonde again softly "it meant something then, and it means something now"

They wrapped their arms around each other, each breathing in the scent of the woman that they had missed for so long.

As they stepped apart, the brunette had tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Arizona asked in genuine concern.

"I never thought I'd be the kind of woman who cheats on her husband. But" she took a deep breath "I also never thought I'd love anyone that wasn't you"

"Calliope..."

"Don't. Please don't call me that right now. I'm ok, I just can't quite believe..." she reached out and took the blonde's hand "that I'm really touching you right now"

"I'm real" the blonde reassured, squeezing her hand "and I promise that we'll talk about this more"

The brunette nodded and placed another kiss on Arizona's lips.

"You know that tonight, I have to be the one that walks away" Callie said quietly, seeing the blonde nod in acknowledgement "but tomorrow I will be by your side and I won't leave you. I promise"

"You do?" Arizona looked up at the brunette, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I promise" the brunette confirmed.

"So this is…goodnight, and not goodbye?"

"That's exactly what it is. And I'm going to leave you my cell number" Callie reached in her purse for a pen and paper and wrote the aforementioned number down "because I have to assume that even though you had it all those years ago, you lost it for a reason"

"Thank you" the blonde replied softly, taking the piece of paper that she was offered.

"You're welcome"

"Goodnight Callie"

"Goodnight Arizona. And if you need me, please, feel free to text or call"

"I will"

Their kiss goodbye was chaste but still spoke a thousand words. Arizona barely remembered changing out of her clothes, but somehow found herself in bed, wondering if she was somehow in an alternate universe.

Before she fell asleep, she found herself sending one last message.

Goodnight Callie xxx

It was only seconds before the response arrived.

Sweet dreams A xxx

And that was all that it took for Arizona to finally succumb to the sleep that she had been lacking for so long.