Three weeks had passed, and Callie had more than settled into Arizona's apartment. Or, as the blonde continued to insist, their apartment. Living with Arizona was better than she ever could have imagined. She had pretty much claimed the kitchen as her domain, determined to get her girlfriend out of the habit of relying on takeout. For Callie, cooking was never a chore, and she loved the opportunity to show off her skills, with the added bonus that she could make sure her girlfriend was actually eating a decent meal now and again. Even if sometimes Arizona's shift pattern meant that she had to reheat the food before climbing into bed with Callie.

That particular morning, the brunette had woken up alone, as Arizona was working a night shift and probably wouldn't be home before mid-morning. Callie was nervous. She was due to fly to Bismarck, North Dakota, that afternoon to finally meet Alex Karev and his wife, Jo. She had no idea what to expect, having not spoken directly to Alex yet. But Jo assured her that he was willing to speak to her, but he wanted to do it in person rather than on the phone. Something about wanting to look in her eyes to make sure that he could trust her. Which, given what had happened in the past, she couldn't blame him for.

She took her time having a shower and getting ready. Making herself a cup of coffee, she began leisurely packing a few of her belongings into an overnight bag. She only intended on staying in Bismarck for a night, but didn't really know what to expect and so found herself throwing things in 'just in case'. As she packed, she thought back to the last time she had seen Alex.

13 years previously

It was a few days after Mark's party, the party where she and Alex had been caught making out by their friends. The following day, Alex had turned up at school with a busted face but had refused to really explain how it had happened.

By the end of the week, his face had healed to the point that his injuries were no longer the first thing you saw when you looked at him. Still, he'd spent most of the week avoiding class where possible, and on this particular day he and Callie were skipping math together. They'd made their way out of a side door in the science block, and headed round the building to a bin store that they knew was unlikely to be frequented by staff during class.

As they satisfied themselves that they were hidden by the bins and out of sight from anyone who could pass by, Alex pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his bag and proceeded to light one. Sensing eyes on him, he turned to face Callie, who had a hand on her hip and raised her eyebrows.

"Since when do you smoke?" she asked.

He shrugged "Since this week"

"You know it's bad for you, right? And it doesn't make you look cool"

"Like I care"

"Fine" a slow smirk spread across Callie's face "give me one, then"

He shook his head and laughed, handing a cigarette to the brunette and lighting it for her "That's on the condition that you don't lecture me anymore"

"Deal" she grinned "so, that shiner you had seems to have gone down?"

"I guess" Alex shrugged "still looks like I'm wearing purple eyeshadow though"

"You know, I could have leant you some concealer if you'd asked?"

"Concealer?" he screwed up his face in confusion.

"Yeah" she laughed "you know, the make up girls use to cover up zits and stuff"

"This face don't need no make up"

"Oh I know" she squeezed his cheek affectionately "but sometimes we all need a little war paint"

"Listen Cal, I…" Alex faltered, avoiding her gaze.

"What?" she challenged.

He slowly turned to look at her "I don't want you to think that this is about you, because god, you know I really like you…"

"…but?" Callie interrupted.

"I…I don't think you and I should carry on…doing what we've been doing"

"Hanging around together and making out?"

He smiled wryly "Yeah, I guess"

"And does this have anything today with you getting beat up?"

"Maybe. I guess maybe it's just made me think about things, you know? And I think maybe it would be better if we kept our distance a bit"

"Ok so…" Callie took a drag of the cigarette, folding her arms as she thought about what he had said "stopping the whole making out or whatever, sure. But are you saying you don't want to hang out with me? Coz it kind of looks like we're hanging out right now"

He smiled "I guess we are. Sorry, I just…I don't know where my head's at right now"

"It's ok" she dropped her cigarette to the floor and stubbed it out with her shoe "you want a hug?"

He stubbed his own cigarette out on the wall "I dunno man…"

"You know I give great hugs"

"Hey, I can't argue with that" he relented, stepping towards her and letting himself be wrapped up in a hug.

"Whatever's going on, it's gonna be ok" she said softly.

"Thanks" he squeezed her back.

That day, they'd hung out a little longer and then gone their separate ways, making vague plans to meet up at the weekend. Callie had no idea that their bin store hang out would be the last time she'd see Alex. The next day, his phone was disconnected and the following week he was withdrawn from the school roll, and they were told that his father had been given a sudden job opportunity and the Karevs had left town.

If only she'd known. That last hug that they'd shared had haunted her for years. And now that she knew the truth about his departure, the guilt still ate at her. But maybe with this visit, maybe when he got a chance to look in her eyes, she'd be able to show him how truly sorry she was, and begin making amends.

She picked up her phone, hoping to see a message from Arizona saying that she was on her way home from work. Instead she saw that she had two voicemails. She listened to the oldest one first.

"This is a message for Miss Callie Torres. My name is Marsha and I'm calling from the King County Family Court. I wanted to confirm that we've received your petition and the rest of your documents, and a copy of the petition and summons has been served on your spouse today. He has twenty days to respond, and depending on what happens, you'll then get a date to appear before a Judge. If you have any further questions, please give us a call. Otherwise, we'll be in touch soon. Thanks"

She didn't quite know how to feel. There were definitely butterflies in her stomach, which she attributed to a mixtures of relief and nerves. Her hands were shaking as she pressed the button on her phone to move on to the next message. She could feel her stomach sinking, knowing full well that the second message was likely connected to the first.

"Callie" Eduardo's angry voice came through her phone, almost causing her to drop it "I guess you're too ashamed to speak to me so I gotta use my dad's phone to get through to you. Well I got your paperwork today sweetheart. That was a real nice touch, having the sheriff serve it on me. Well I just wanted to let you know, you're not getting a cent out of me. And don't think for a second you're getting your hands on my house. I promise you Callie, you're not gonna win here. So if you know what's good for you, you'll walk away and get on with your little dyke life. Goodbye Callie"

"Fuuuuuuuck!" she yelled, throwing her phone across the room.

"Hey" at that moment Arizona stepped through the door to the apartment "what did that phone ever do to you?"

"Sorry" Callie blushed, scurrying across the room to pick up the phone "I didn't realise you were on your way back"

"Yeah I'm sorry, I forgot to charge my phone yesterday. Somebody distracted me" the blonde smirked, dropping her bag and kissing Callie lightly.

"I didn't hear you complaining then" the brunette managed a smile in return.

"So you wanna tell me about the phone call that's got to you so much?" Arizona stroked her arm gently.

"My divorce petition got served on Eduardo today" the brunette told her simply.

"Ok…well that's a good thing, right?"

"Yes. He…well let's just say he had slightly less positive things to say about it"

Callie called up her voicemail again and let her girlfriend listen to the message. The blonde exhaled as Eduardo ended his rant.

"Don't worry about him baby" Arizona reassured her, handing back the phone "he's all talk"

"I know but…what if he files an objection to the divorce or something?"

"Can he do that?" the blonde asked "I mean, I know he legally can, but what grounds could he possible have? How could he argue that the relationship hasn't irretrievably broken down?"

"I don't know. I just have visions of him trying to claim that I'm having a psychotic break or something and that he has hopes of us reconciling"

"Please don't think like that" Arizona cupped the brunette's cheeks "we've already shown that we're stronger than him, that we can take whatever stupid games he tries to play. This is the last step and then you'll be free of him for good. And I am right here beside you, every step of the damn way. And if the day comes that you need to fly back to Seattle and sort any of this in person, I'll be right next to you on the plane"

"God" the brunette sighed, sinking into Arizona's embrace "I don't know what I'd do without you. You're the only person who knows exactly what to say to make me feel better"

"It's all part of loving you baby"

"I really wish you were coming to Bismarck with me. You get rid of all of my nerves"

"You're gonna be fine. Have a little faith in yourself, Calliope" the blonde scolded.

"You're right, I'm sorry. Mainly I'm just worried that I'm gonna take one look at him and burst into tears. When really, he's the one that should be upset, not me"

"So what if you cry?" Arizona challenged her "You cry because you care. You've both been hurt in different ways. And I really hope that seeing each other again will be cathartic for both of you. And if it isn't, then you come right back home to me, ok?"

"I'll be coming right back home to you either way" the brunette replied with a smile.

"You'd better. Don't you go deciding that you like Bismarck better than New York or you're gonna ditch me for Karev" Arizona winked.

"Damn" Callie grinned "you figured out it was him I'd been holding a candle for all these years"

The blonde shook her head, leaning in to brush her lips against Callie's "He's got nothing on me"

"That's remarkably confident of you" the brunette smirked into the kiss.

"It's easy to be confident when I know I'm the one whose name you scream when you come"

Callie whimpered, pulling the blonde against her as she deepened the kiss. As their tongues brushed against each other, the brunette forgot about everything else. All that she could feel in that moment was Arizona. Their mouths moved in perfect harmony as their bodies pressed close together. The blonde deliberately slid a hand down Callie's back and squeezed her ass.

"How long do you have before you need to leave for the airport?" Arizona breathed against the brunette's lips.

"Maybe half an hour or so?"

"Perfect" the blonde grinned "Plenty of time for me to prove my point"

"About making me scream your name?"

"Uh huh" Arizona began kissing her way down the brunette's neck "now hurry up and get back to bed"