AN: Hey, ladies. Sorry, this took so long. I didn't really want to write this chapter because I REALLY want to write the next couple, but, I finally got it out. I hope you like it, and have a fantastical day.
I crouched low and slowed my breathing, attempting to conceal my location. I could feel the eager eyes of the hunter scanning and searching for any clue to my position. Determination set his features in almost comically harsh lines. Urging more flexibility from my tired muscles, I pulled my body even lower to the ground and into a smaller ball. He crept closer, moving smoothly on the balls of his feet across the cold tile. I held my breath as he paused directly in front of my spot on the other side of the overflowing cart of medical supplies. In a few moments, hopefully, he will pass by me, which will allow me to dash back the way he came and into a safe zone. My heart pounded loudly in my chest, making me wonder if he could hear it.
He took a few steps away, granting me my narrow opportunity. Keeping my eyes trained on his back, I silently shuffled backwards. As I prepared to make my move, a pair of unnoticed hands gripped the cart, pulling it away with a squeal, "Nathan! I found her!" Grinning triumphantly, a small girl slapped my arm, "You're out, Arizona! Yay! We win! We win!" As I stood up with a wide smile, Nathan ran back to us, pumping his fist in the air, "Yes! I told you we'd win, Arizona. We're the bestest at hide n' seek! No grown up can beat us."
Shaking my head at the young boy missing his two front teeth, I shrugged, "I guess you are the best. I definitely couldn't out smart you two. So, I owe you…broccoli, right?" I teased with twinkling eyes.
Nathan and Emily mocked gasped and made disgusted faces, "NO! You said you get us pudding!" Emil squeaky voice made my smile widen further. She was too cute.
"Oh, that's right. Pudding. Spinach pudding. Coming up!" Laughing at the shrieks of protest, I took off at a jog down the hall. Just as I reached the children's play room of the hospital, I collided with a solid figure, causing us both to stumble ungracefully.
Regaining my senses, I looked at the person and cleared my throat, "Dr. Bailey. It's lovely to see you, again. How's Tuck?"
Her stern brown eyes stared into my innocent blue, "He's fine. What's not fine is you teaching these kids to run around like hoodlums."
"We were just playin' hide n' seek, Dr. Bailey. And, now Arizona is gonna get us pudding!" Nathan explained logically.
Bailey glared at me again, "What did I tell you about hopping them up on sugar, then leaving them for the nurses to handle?"
I hung my head, mumbling, "I'm sorry, I just wanted to play." Chancing a glance back at her face to see if she was buying my act, I noticed that she was not.
After a few more moments of harsh glares, she finally grumbled, "Fine, get them the pudding you promised, but at least try to respect our rules." Bailey sighed before stalking toward the door. She paused, then turned back, "You know, I think it's wonderful what you do here with the children. They love it when you come by, and you really make a difference to some of them. I'm going to continue to gripe at you about how much more difficult you make my job, but remember what I just told you." With that she exited with a huff.
Grinning after the gruff doctor, I turned back to the kids, "Alright, since Nate and Em proved kids are better than grown ups at hide and seek, what kind of pudding does everyone want?" Chuckling at the explosion of noise following my question, I quickly took down orders and slipped from the room. Once out of sight, I slowed my walk to an aimless amble and allowed my thoughts to wander. Dark brown eyes shimmered in the lonely recesses of my mind and lunged forward at the opportunity for attention. Just as quickly as they appeared, they vanished as I felt Teddy appear beside me.
"Hello, Arizona. How are you today?" She chirped as she fell into step beside me.
"Actually…I'm well. I've been hanging out with the children, and I feel…light." I sighed and smiled softly at the admission. It was true, but not entirely. Raven hair, deep eyes, luscious curves, and plush lips held firm, weighing me down.
"I can see that. Seems as if you're staying strong to your word to the Elders." Teddy searched my face as I contemplated her statement.
Flashback
It had been one week since Callie showed up at my house, we had insane anger sex, and she told me she wouldn't give up on me. A whole week of fierce, uncontrollable rage and pain. I destroyed the house, screamed, starved myself, deprived myself of sleep, threw things, and wallowed until I was sure my heart was as broken as it could get. Then, Teddy showed up and very slowly nursed me back to functional.
"Hey, I came to take you to meet with the Elders…well, Elder. You'll be meeting with Webber." Teddy waltzed into my room as I finished putting on cloths. It took her two weeks of putting up with my emotional hurricane, but I could finally keep the anger to vigorous simmer just beneath the surface. That was enough to go council with the Elders about my situation. "Thanks, Teddy. I guess, I'm as ready as I'll ever be." I sighed heavily and smoothed my hair. To say I was nervous was an understatement. Holding a shaky hand out, Teddy gently grasped it and transported us. When we arrived I glanced around and scoffed, "We're not even meeting in the OverWorld?" We stood in a clean and bright conference type room of a very tall building. The bright sunlight filtered in through the large windows, causing everything to sparkle.
"You're not allowed up there, right now, Arizona." Teddy responded gently.
"That's right, you are firmly on Earth for the moment." A deep voice interrupted. We both turned to see Webber appear in the chair at the head of the table. "Sit down, please, Arizona. Theodora, you may leave."
Teddy shot me a supportive smile and disappeared. Resigning to my current fate, I plopped down into the seat across from him and folded my arms on the table. "So…"
Webber studied me for a moment, before instructing, "Tell me your story from the beginning."
Feeling snaky, I replied, "Like from birth?"
He fixed me with a hard stare.
"Fine." Here it goes. I'll just get this over with. "I was here on Earth trying to quiet the anger in me so that I could return home. One day, a little over a month ago, I met Callie in a hardware store. We talked and I felt an immediate attraction. I resisted at first, knowing that falling for a human would not aide me. However, we met again, and again I felt drawn to her. For some reason, I agreed to go to dinner with her. I saw O'Malley that night, and assumed he was there for me, but we were able to avoid him. I kissed her that night, and…and I've never experienced anything like that connection. I started to panic, because I couldn't stop thinking about her or wanting to be around her. We ran into each other at the grocery store again, and I went home with her. We had lunch and walked and talked, and…we, uh, we slept together. I woke up in the night to find Callie speaking with O'Malley. She got him to leave, then told me she was a Siren sent to lure me, so that O'Malley could steal my powers. I called in warriors and she called in her warrior and I left. We've seen each other once since then, and we, uh…well, we did stuff. She said she wanted to be with me and would wait for me. Through all of this, I fought my feelings for her. I know how I'm supposed to behave and what I'm supposed to do. But, since the moment I met her, I just want to be with her. Even, still. Being with her calmed my rage. The anger that I sought to relieve vanished when I was with her. But…she's hurt me so thoroughly, I don't know if I could ever recover." I took a deep breath. Having decided to hold very little back, meant a long winded ramble. Hopefully, Webber kept up.
"I see." Came his curt response after several long minutes.
"You see? That's it?" I stuttered in shock.
Webber scratched his chin, "Yes. I see. I understand your situation that led to you losing your wings. I understand being drawn in by a Siren. I understand that you healed around her. I understand that you're conflicted about your feelings both for her and as your position as an angel. I understand that you believe that she feels something for you. I understand that you're afraid of what you feel for her. I understand that you're a great angel and a wonderful soul."
My jaw dropped at his assessment. "So, what does all that mean for me?"
He sighed, "It means that we do not blame you for falling prey to an UnderWorld scheme, and therefore will aide you in your next path. If you choose to give up your wings and remain on Earth, then I will help you settle. If you choose to fight to earn your wings back, then I will help tame your demons and return to the OverWorld. I have faith in you, Arizona, and I trust that you'll make a strong angel, once again. However, you will not be allowed to see Callie again. Make a choice, and we are willing to stand behind you."
Only able to nod mutely, I stood up and began to pace. Thoughts whirled around my mind, each grasping to stay in one place long enough to receive attention. It was my destiny to be an angel, I was good at it and enjoyed it. However, maybe I was meant to lose my wings and meet Callie when I did. Maybe that changed my destiny. Living without Callie has been excruciating, but living with her would be an endless battle with trust…No…I can't think about Callie anymore, she betrayed me and cost me my most treasured attribute. My wings. I'm an angel, and simply could not be anything but. I turned to Webber, and took a shuddering breath, "I want to earn my wings back."
He nodded once, "Work hard. Stay centered. Keep focus. I'll be seeing you soon."
Once alone, I collapsed to my knees, violent sobs consuming my body. What did I just do?
End Flashback
"Yes, I'm staying true to my word. I've been focusing solely on soothing my soul and making myself worthy of the OverWorld. It's what's right…It's been three months and look," I flourished my hand and a beautiful flower bloomed on a morose plant that sat in a dark corner, then a tray of assorted pudding cups appeared in my hands. "And, yesterday, I had a vision…it took place only about five seconds into the future, and only warned me of a crack in the sidewalk, but that's something." I smiled at my accomplishments, but my insides still felt hollow.
"Wow, you've not only regained a lot of your powers, but are in control. That's wonderful, Arizona. You're well on your way back." Teddy grinned widely.
"Yeah, I am. I no longer feel the anger to the degree that I used to. I've come to terms with Tim's death as an unavoidable incident that comes with my calling. I couldn't have saved him, and if I had tried, the UnderWorld would have gained my powers. And…" I stopped when the next thoughts were of Callie.
"And…what about Callie?" Teddy inquired, not fooled by my silence.
"It's been almost four months without a word from her. She hasn't come back to see me in all that time. Maybe she didn't mean what she said. Maybe she got caught. Maybe she played me again. I don't know…And, I suppose none of that matters, because I'm not going to see her anymore…" I gulped at the thought that she wasn't coming back. Despite how well I'm doing, and my commitment to becoming an angel again. I want to see her. I miss her. When I lay in bed at night, I can't stop her from commanding my thoughts. I think about what she's doing, if she's safe, if she's thinking about me, if I'll see her again, what I would do if I saw her again, her eyes, her hands on me, the smooth silk of her skin… even now, most nights I weep with the pain of separation from her. However, during the day I'm able to keep busy and continue to make progress on my mission, only thinking of her at random moments of weakness. Most days I spend numb and functioning on auto-pilot. That's how it has to be.
"Well, you should be proud of how far you've come. I am." With a reassuring squeeze on my arm and a smile, she dissipated from the room. Re-centering myself, I remembered the pudding I was holding and headed back to the play room.
A few hours later, I strode from the hospital into the cool, Seattle night. After taking a long drag of crisp air, I turned toward the parking lot. Teddy had gotten me a car when I started to feel better so that I could get around. It wasn't pretty, but it served its purpose. Unlocking the door, movement in the window's reflection caught my eye. I whipped around, prepared for anything…well, anything except the beaten and weak form of Callie.
"Arizona…" Her voice came in a croaked whisper. Her hair hung lifeless around her face, her cloths were tattered and her skin lacked any glow.
"Callie." I returned her whisper. "What are you doing here?"
"I-I need…I need your help. P-please."
AN: Next chapter will be more exciting… But, let me know what you thought.