A/N

Sorry but I totally had to do it with the cliff hanger! So here it is, I think this is the start of what just a couple of you have been waiting for

"I LEFT TO PROTECT YOU!"

The words hung in the night air, the only other sound was the waves hitting the shore.

Slowly Callie turned around, her tear-stained eyes meeting Arizona's.

"Please…if this is a game, then please stop" she begged.

The blonde took several tentative steps forwards, stopping just out of arms reach.

"I promise you, this isn't a game. I hate how betrayed I made you feel, and so I just…god, I shouldn't have said anything. Forget it"

"No way" Callie shook her head "you don't get to say something like that and then try and take it back. Explain. Now"

"Callie…there's so much. So much that I have wanted to tell you. But I was scared. I'm still scared"

"Now Arizona"

The blonde swallowed, her eyes lifting to the sky as she sought the courage to speak.

10 years previously

It was two days after their graduation beach party, and Arizona had received a text from Callie asking her to meet her that evening. She'd immediately agreed when the brunette had offered to pick her up, and spent the next couple of hours trying to put together an outfit that looked like it had required no effort at all. Satisfied that she had succeeded, she shouted goodbye to her parents and headed out.

Seeing Callie's parents' car at the end of her drive, she smiled. While the brunette's Thunderbird was cool, and just so damn Callie, it had nothing on the latest Lexus that her parents drove. Callie was always bugging them to let her borrow it, and now that she'd graduated, they must have finally relented.

Opening the car door, she started to get in "Hey…."

The words died in her mouth as she realised that it wasn't Callie behind the wheel. It was her father.

"Get in Arizona"

She took a step back "I'm sorry, I was expecting…"

"I know who you were expecting. Now get in"

Every instinct told her to refuse, to walk back into her house. But Arizona had issues with authority figures. And so her fear of him shouting at her if she disobeyed led her to get into the car.

"Where, erm…where are we going?" she asked quietly as he pulled away.

"For a drive. You see, I think you and I need to have a little talk"

"Sure…we can do that. I mean, we are doing that" she laughed nervously.

"I'm going to cut to the chase. I've heard things Arizona, things about you and my daughter"

Arizona took a deep breath, desperately trying to ignore the thumping in her chest "I don't know what you've heard sir, but I can assure you that there's nothing to know"

"See that's what I thought when I heard it. Thought it was just a silly cheerleader making up stories. But I wanted to be sure, so I'm giving you the chance to tell me the truth"

"Which cheerleader?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

"It doesn't matter. Now Miss Robbins, the truth"

"I've told you the truth. Callie is my friend, my best friend. There's nothing else to say"

Carlos's jaw clenched "I've seen the messages on Calliope's phone. So you can stop lying to me Miss Robbins"

Arizona's stomach dropped. She knew immediately the messages he was referring to. Messages that they had exchanged when they'd got home from the party, both more than a little tipsy, where they discussed in vivid detail what they had wanted to do to each other behind that rock.

"I…I don't know what to say sir. Those messages were never intended to be seen by anyone else"

"I gathered that. But that doesn't change the fact that you sent them. That you have been behaving in a…sexual manner…with my daughter. And I will not have it"

"It's not as bad as it sounded. We had just been at a party. We just got…carried away" the blonde blushed.

"You. Are. Lying to me" he spat "but I suppose I should expect nothing less from a filthy whore who throws herself at her friends"

"Excuse me!" Arizona found her voice rising despite her fear of the man next to her "I won't accept being spoken to like that"

"I'll speak to you however I see fit" Carlos snapped back "it's the least you deserve for what you've done to my daughter"

"Done? I haven't done anything to Callie"

"My daughter is not a lesbian Miss Robbins. So whatever little mind games you've been playing, however you've persuaded her to go along with your…sickness, it ends now"

"I'm sorry sir, but that isn't for you to decide" the blonde shook her head.

"Oh but it is. She's my daughter, and I will protect her. Whatever the cost"

"Callie doesn't need protecting from me" Arizona said softly.

"I believe she does. You're trying to infect her, and I will not have it. You will never see Calliope again" Carlos stated, almost as casually as one would order a pizza.

That was the moment that Arizona finally broke, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks "That's not going to happen. You can't keep me away from her"

"So what will it take? This car? Take it, and you can drive right off out of our lives"

"Don't be so ridiculous"

"Money then? I'll pull over and write you a cheque, right now" he offered.

"I don't want your money" she shook her head incredulously "there's literally nothing you could offer me that would make me walk away from Callie"

"$100,000" Carlos said simply.

"I said no"

"$200,000"

"My answer isn't going to change"

"$300,000. That's my final offer. Think about it, it would see you the whole way through medical school"

"Mr Torres, I don't care if you offer me $300,000 or 3 million, I'm not taking it"

"Fine" Carlos hissed through gritted teeth "you had your chance"

Present day

Callie stared at her, open mouthed "I…I don't know what to say. You're joking, right?"

"I'm serious Calliope, I swear"

"If he did say that…surely…he can't have been being serious"

"That's what I thought at first" the blonde took a hesitant step forwards, and was grateful when Callie didn't back away "but he kept going, and as the money kept going up, I realised he meant every word"

"I…I can't believe this…my father…it can't be true"

"Think back Callie. That night. Could he have had your phone?"

"I…"

Callie thought back to the night in question. At the time, there had been nothing out of the ordinary at all. It was only later that it became significant, when she realised that that day was the last time she had heard from Arizona before she left. At her father's suggestion, she had set up a makeshift spa at home with her mother and sister, and they'd spent the afternoon pampering themselves. He'd taken their phones, saying that they could all have them back later once they'd truly had a chance to relax.

"Yes" she answered softly.

"And how would he have reacted if he'd seen those messages?"

"He…he would have gone mad"

"Yeah"

"So how much?" the brunette asked quietly.

"What?"

"How much did he end up paying you?"

Arizona frowned in confusion "He didn't. Like I just said, I told him that there was no amount of money that would make me walk away from you"

"But…it happened exactly like he said. You left, and paid your way through medical school"

"Yeah. With student loans Calliope. Which I'm still paying off now"

"Oh. Sorry, I just assumed…"

"It's ok" Arizona cut her off, placing a hand on her shoulder and then withdrawing it immediately "I think you've earned the right to assume the worst"

"So…if you didn't take the money that night…" Callie took a deep breath "then I assume there's more to the story? Either that or you turned down a life changing amount of money and then just decided to walk away anyway"

The blonde smiled at the last comment in spite of the situation "I don't think I'd ever be able to face myself if that were the case, let alone face you"

"So what did happen then?"

"Ok" Arizona bit her lip "but please, just promise me that you'll let me finish. And I swear to you, I'm telling you the truth"

Callie's brow furrowed "Ok yeah…I can do that"