Hey guys! So here's the next installment; just a word, even though the chapter is Arizona-centric there is a section that is from Callie's POV, it's only there to serve as a sort of explanation to what's going on. So thanks and enjoy.

September 11, 2012

Arizona woke up to the pain of her belt buckle digging into her skin, turning unto her back she gingerly rubbed the indentation just below her bellybutton. She peeked open one blue eye and for a few minutes wondered where she was before she recalled that she was back in the United States…back in Seattle. She lifted her hand to read the time; it was just after ten in the morning. She allowed her hand to fall back to the bed and propped herself up into a sitting position. The blonde rubbed the sleep from her eyes, stretched her back and yawned. That was undoubtedly the most uncomfortable bed she had ever slept in…and the beds at Seattle Presbyterian were pretty bad. She took a quick shower and changed her clothes; she had a list of things she had to do today. At the top of that list, get a new phone and some clothes. Next, find and talk to Calliope. Pulling on her shoes her stomach growled, reminding her that she had not eaten in two days. She finished tying her shoes and left the room. She stepped out and met a cloudy and windy Seattle day; she looked to her right and saw a man exiting a room three doors down. He smiled at her and she gave a small wave before walking in the opposite direction.

A few minutes later she stepped into a small restaurant and found an empty table, she ordered an omelet and French toast. Thirty minutes later she was out of the restaurant and sitting in a taxi heading towards the busy part of the city. The next hour was spent buying a phone and searching for cheap clothes to buy. The clothes part was hard because Callie was the one who bought the clothes, Arizona simply wore them. After returning to the motel to leave her bags she headed out once more to complete the second and final task on her to-do list. Find Calliope.

Less than ten minutes later she was walking through the doors of Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital for the second time in as many days. The lobby was quiet and so she heard the loud shout that came from across the hall but paid no attention to it.

"Hey, Blondie!" Arizona felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see the guy from yesterday. What was his name? Matthew?

"Um…hi?"

"Hey, you still looking for Cal?"

"Yeah."

"She just left to look for you."

Arizona was confused, "Excuse me?"

He leaned in and whispered even though there was barely anyone around them, "I know you're Cal's wife, she told me last night…and then she kicked me out. She left a few minutes ago to go to the motel you're staying at."

"How does she…" she shook her head. "Can you call and tell her that I'm here please?"

"Yeah will do, Blondie."

"Arizona," she corrected.

"What?" he was obviously not listening as he searched his pocket for his phone.

"Nothing," Arizona mumbled.

He took his phone from his pocket and pressed a single digit before holding the phone to his ear. He turned away from her but was still in hearing range, "Hey Cal, your girl is here…yeah. She just got here…okay, yeah. She'll be in your office…okay mine then. Yeah, I've got a surgery in twenty minutes with Avery. Okay, see you later then." He turned and spoke to Arizona, "She's on her way back and you can stay in my office until she gets here."

Arizona nodded, "Okay."

He nodded as well and led her to an elevator on the other side of the lobby. The elevator was already occupied; two men, who she assumed were residents, were pouring over a book while one held a cup of coffee and flashcards in his hands. Arizona was grateful that the two men were there because she was sure that Matthew…whatever his name was…would have questioned her about any and everything if they were alone. He pressed the button to the third floor and they stood in silence as the residents behind them questioned each other and drank coffee. Arizona watched the numbers light up and said the number in her head as they shone. It was a habit she had since she was a little girl and she was surprised to find out one day years ago that it also helped to calm her when she was upset or nervous.

Unfortunately for Arizona they were going to the third floor and counting to three was definitely not enough to calm the raging nerves she had inside of her. The man led her down the hallway, receiving a few calls from nurses and a patient in the process, and to a door engraved with his name and title:

DR. MARK SLOAN M.D. F.A.C.S.
CHIEF OF PLASTIC SURGERY

"Mark, not Matthew," Arizona whispered to herself. That was something she had to remember seeing as though Callie and the man seemed close.

He opened the door, waved her in and offered her a seat on the leather couch beside the door. "Here you are. I gotta run, big surgery but Cal should be here soon." He grabbed his pager from his waist and paid no attention as she sat on the couch. He eventually looked up, "Alright, I'll see you later, Blondie." He left the room and Arizona waited ten seconds before standing.

She walked around the room. Certificates were hung on the wall behind his desk and the bookcase beside them was full of medical books and journals on plastic surgery and otolaryngology. Turning around from the bookcase a picture on the man's desk caught her eye and caused her to take a step back and into the bookcase, upsetting a trophy sitting on top of the structure. Tears pooled in her eyes as she looked at her wife and daughter's smiling faces. Callie and Mark no longer seemed close, now Arizona was certain that they were close. Seeing the framed picture, sitting perfectly, on the mahogany desk made her fearful of meeting Callie again. Thoughts raced through Arizona's mind and none of them were good: 'Suppose she was happy and had moved on? Suppose she did not want to see Arizona again?' she knew her fears were not justified but she could not help it. In the picture Callie looked happy and wasn't that all she wanted for the woman? To ensure her happiness?

Arizona was pulled out of her thoughts by a soft knock on the door. She could not find her voice to respond but the door opened anyhow. The two women stood in the doorway, neither daring to say a word. They stood there staring at each other, making up for the four years without even a peek at the other. Arizona's silence was partly because of how stunned she was. The woman standing in front of her was Callie but she looked nothing like her wife, four years had changed her.

"You cut your hair," it was the first thing Arizona had noticed when she saw her wife but as soon as the words left her mouth she felt like a jackass. After four years the first thing she said to her wife was not 'I missed you' or 'I love you' but instead it was a lousy 'You cut your hair'.

The Latina stepped in and locked the door behind her, "Arizona…."

With that one word…her name Arizona fell and let what she should have said when she first saw Callie again come out, "Calliope…I missed you."

"You never called, "Callie's voice came across hurt and her face did nothing to mask that emotion and like every single time all those years ago the hurt and pain that Callie expressed felt like a stake being driven through Arizona's heart.

"I tried."

It had been a month since Arizona had been kidnapped by Vasquez's men and had been taken to Spain and she was walking around the mansion. It was a month since she had last seen and spoken to her wife. She had slipped into the depression that always engulfed her whenever she thought about everything that Vasquez had taken from her. Since she had arrived in Spain she had wondered why Vasquez could not have simply hired her to be Catalina's doctor, that way she would fly to Spain when she was needed or the child could fly to America. Two weeks after her arrival her question was answered. Piero Vasquez was wanted in approximately twenty five countries around the world with the United States being the top country. He was one of the biggest drug kingpins in history and carried out a trade that touched every hemisphere of the globe. He had ordered his men to take her and carry her to Spain to treat his sick daughter because he, and ultimately she, was unable to travel. Now, one month after she had arrived in the country she had operated on Catalina three times and contacted anyone from her family zero times. She knew that the two women who were closest to her would be worried sick but she knew that her father would take care of them.

She was walking to the spacious living room before she heard rapid fire Spanish. By now she was able to understand a few more words that 'doctora' and so she peeked into the room and saw one of Vasquez's new lackeys talking on his phone. Some more Spanish and he closed his phone and placed it on the grand piano sitting in front of the glass doors leading to the balcony before leaving through said doors. Without thinking Arizona tiptoed to the piano and snatched the phone before the man returned. She quickly headed back to her room feeling hopeful. She sat on her bed, facing the door and dialed the number that had become so familiar to her over the years. On the third ring her door burst open and Vasquez's right hand man, Sancho, and the new guy whose phone she stole walked into the room. The men said nothing to her or to each other, Sancho only grabbed the hand she was holding the phone with causing her to drop it and pinned her to the bed. The other man stooped to pick up his phone and Arizona kicked him in the side of the head. It was a bold and rash move but she was desperate; she needed to talk to her wife or her parents. Sancho placed his hand on her neck and squeezed and Arizona was engulfed in darkness.

When she came to she was lying on the couch in the same room she was thrown in when she had just arrived. She stayed there for three days and was only releases because Catalina needed another surgery.

That was not the last time she tried to contact someone and each time the punishment was the same, she was locked in the room until Catalina needed her. By the fourth time Arizona was sure that she was becoming claustrophobic. But in the eight times that she was locked in the small, dingy room in the first year alone, never did she think about stopping. She only thought about her family, her wife who had most likely given up any hope of seeing her again, her baby who would never know its other mother and her parents who by now must have come to the conclusion that they had outlived their children.

"I tried, Calliope. I tried to call you," Arizona repeated and took a step towards Callie.

Callie also took a small step forward and Arizona could see the tears in her eyes, "I thought that I'd never see you again…four years. I thought that you were dead…they declared you dead."

"I'm sorry, Callie," Arizona said as her wife leaned her weight on the desk that still separated them. "I'm so sorry."

Callie's tears fell and she looked into her wife's eyes.

September 15, 2008

Callie was on a high, the first one she had felt in over six months. She had just completed her portion of an extensive domino surgery and it was more than successful…she rocked it. Usually after a surgery like the one she had just finished she would go to Arizona's office to celebrate but now Arizona's office was not hers and the new head of pediatric surgery who was a dinosaur of a surgeon had taken residence in her wife's office. Although she was unable to celebrate with her wife she was able to celebrate her success with what was left of her wife. She made her way to the nursery to spend some time with her and Arizona's baby. She waved to the nurse on duty and sterilized herself before heading to the cot that was designated as Sofía's. The baby was awake and her eyes stared up at the mobile that was hanging over her head. Callie moved the object and replaced it with her face, an instant smile spread on her daughter's face and her adorable little dimples appeared. They were the only thing that Sofía had inherited from Arizona…well Timothy really. When Arizona had told Tim that she was gay the questioned he asked (other than if she was going to marry a chick) was if she planned to have children; she had said she was not sure (that eventually became a no when she finished med school) but despite this one of the last things he did before he left for war was freeze his sperm to make Arizona's future child. A soft smile spread across Callie's face as that future child reached her hands towards her mother's face and gurgled.

Callie lifted her out of the cot and sat in the chair across the room, "Hola, mi'ja, how are you?" The baby continued with her gurgling and Callie continued talking, "I missed you too. Guess what?" Sofía looked up at Callie as though she were asking 'What?'. "Your madre just finished a really cool surgery with the other doctors. I made a man walk again…your momma would be so proud." Instead of breaking down in tears like she wanted to at the mention of Arizona she dipped her head and kissed her baby repeatedly, causing a laughter-like sound to come from Sofía. The next few minutes were spent in silence as she watched the baby try to fight sleep; eventually losing she clamped a small fist on her mother's scrub top and held on. Callie gave another small smile as her daughter transitioned peacefully into sleep. She watched Sofía's little chest move rhythmically as her mind wandered back to six months before when her wife did not come home.

A knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts, "Dr. Torres?" she looked up at the nurse who had called her, "There's someone here to see you…Officer James."

"Oh, send him in," she replied and a few seconds later the man was taking a seat beside Callie. "To what do I owe this visit, Carter? Where's Rosen?"

The man gave a small, tight smile, "He's in the car; hospital's aren't his thing." He ran a hand softly over Sofía's head, "I was talking to my boss today, Callie…" she looked up at him so he continued, "He wants to close the case…declare her dead."

Callie was sure that if Sofía had not been holding on to her scrub top and if Carter's hands were not on her that she would have dropped the baby. How could they even think about closing the case much more declaring her Arizona dead, after all it was just six months? She eventually found her voice and whispered, "What?"

"I know Callie," he put a hand on her shoulder but she did not feel it, she was numb to everything around her.

"You don't know, Carter!" she was surprised that Sofía was still asleep after that outburst. Her voice fell again, "You don't know," she repeated and his hand fell from her shoulder.

"I don't, but I tried to reason with him and argue that we should continue because she was still out there…but gut feeling can't be the one hundred percent that we need, Callie," his eyes were sorrowful and Callie knew that he truly did try everything in his power to keep the case open.

She looked down at Sofía when she spoke, "What do I do now?"

"Sign the death certificate," his voice came out just barely above a whisper. He had been working the case for six months and had become close to Callie, it was not something that he usually did but he saw that Callie needed it and so he obliged her. He knew how much everything he had said hurt her but he was carrying out orders. He watched as a strangled sob escaped the Latina and a tear fell onto Sofía's cheek, right where her little dimple was. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into him. In the ten minutes that they sat like that he only moved once to take Sofía and place her in her cot so she could fall asleep again.

When she had exhausted her tear ducts Callie dried her eyes, "Do you have it?"

"I didn't think you'd take it so easily so I left it with Rosen. I'll ask him to carry it up…unless you want to go and get it," his eyes showed how concerned he was and Callie was grateful that despite everything that had gone wrong in the hellish situation that began six months ago she had a new friend.

Callie agreed to go for the certificate and ten minutes later she was seated in the same room with Carter who had just ended his shift and decided to stay with her.

She held the papers between both hands, "I can't do this, Carter."

He nodded and ran a hand over her back, "No one's forcing you to sign them now, Callie. Take as much time as you want."

She opened them and read the first page. The police department had filled in all the details, all she had to do was print her name and sign and that bothered her. "It's only been six months."

"I know but we have absolutely no trace, no evidence of who took her nor any leads. I'm actually surprised that it lasted six months," she knew that he had to give her the facts hard and straight, she had to do the same to patients and family members every day so she understood. "It's hard, Callie but like I said, take your time and come to terms with this okay?"

She read the paper again. There was no way she was ever going to come to terms with that. The Seattle Police Department had declared her wife dead when she sure as hell was not.

Four years later Callie still had not signed the papers and Carter had never asked her once to return it. Currently she was not sure where they were, her best guess is that they got packed and lost in a box when she moved from Queen Anne.

Arizona took tentative steps around the desk and into Callie's space; the other woman tensed but kept her eyes locked on Arizona's. More than anything else the blonde wanted to kiss her wife again, to feel those plump and soft lips that she loved so much against hers but Callie's body language was telling her that that was not going to happen. So instead, she settled for another 'I missed you so much' and wiped away the tear that fell from Callie's eye and down her cheek. Callie's response was muffled by her tears but instead of repeating herself she wrapped her arms around Arizona, rested her head on the shorter woman's shoulder and released the tears that she had barely let out in the four and a half years that Arizona was not around. Arizona did the only thing she knew how to do in this situation, she comforted her wife just like she had all those years ago when her family rejected her, when their wedding seemed almost impossible, when she had unsuccessful surgeries and when they found out on numerous occasions that after months of preparation and fertilization treatments Callie was not pregnant. Callie's arms tightened around her waist as Arizona ran her fingers through her hair and gently massaged her scalp. The blonde closed her eyes and released her own tears that fell into shorter raven locks and disappeared.

Arizona had always hoped that one day she would be able to hold Callie again but as the years went by that hope grew dimmer and dimmer and when Catalina's life had completely ended on her table she thought that Vasquez would have ended her life as well and all her hope was dashed as the heart monitor blared and she tried to pump and shock life into the little girl's body. But now here she was with her wife's head on her shoulder and their arms wrapped around each other. It was more that she could have ever asked for.

Five minutes later Callie released her hold on Arizona and lifted her head to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand. She moved from between Arizona and the desk and walked away before turning to look at the blonde once again. She sat on the couch and looked up at Arizona. The blonde knew what she was doing, it was a tactic used by doctors, particularly surgeons, a lot. Callie was literally lowering herself to make her wife feel as though she was in control when she really was not and Arizona hated it. She did not want to feel in control of the situation, she did not want to be in control of the situation, she did not want Callie to be in control of the situation. They were wives, they were equal. That was the dynamic of their relationship, of their marriage; no one was above the other. Because of this Arizona went to sit beside Callie, they were equals again. Dark eyes followed the woman across the room and to the couch but Callie said nothing until Arizona was comfortably sitting beside her.

She focused her attention on her hands momentarily before looking into blue eyes, "Where were you?"

Arizona looked into her wife's unwavering eyes, "Spain. This guy, Piero Vasquez –" Callie's sharp intake of breath caused her to stop speaking.

"Piero Vasquez? As in Piero Vasquez the drug lord?" Callie said her eyes going wide when Arizona nodded.

"You know about him?" Arizona said studying her wife's distressed face.

"Everyone in and from Miami knows about him. His nephew, Julio Vasquez runs the Miami leg of his trade. I can't believe Vasquez took you…for four and a half years!" Arizona saw her wife's disbelief turn to anger, "That son of a bitch!" She looked away from Arizona and tried to blink away the anger which was usually accompanied by tears.

Callie's fist clenched and unclenched in her lap and without thinking Arizona placed her hand over Callie's. This caused the brunette to look into Arizona's eyes again. The tactile connection was broken when Callie slowly pulled her hand away, Arizona saw the fear and hurt run through her eyes. She opened her mouth to continue explaining (what she could at least) when a piercing beep rang through the room. The blonde breathed a sigh of relief when Callie reached for the pager attached to her pants. She wanted to tell Callie everything but she could not, she was not ready to face it all over again…the pain, the anguish and the heartbreak that accompanied those months…years in Spain. She knew she could not bear to see the hurt that would undoubtedly be written all over her wife's face.

"Nine one one, I gotta go," Callie blinked back the tears that had threatened to fall.

Arizona nodded, "Yeah. No problem." Callie stood, "Will we get to talk – finish this?"

The Latina punched something into the pager before looking up at Arizona, "I hope so." She walked to the door as Arizona stood up and turned the knob. She turned her head slightly to look at the blonde through the corner of her eye, "How about you stop by my place later…around six?" Arizona nodded, "It's the apartment complex across the street, number five oh two."

Arizona nodded again, "I…I guess I'll see you later then."

Callie smiled at her and left the office. Arizona sat in the couch once more and allowed her head to fall in her hands. That did not go as she had planned. Honestly it went better than the worst scenario that she had thought about for a few minutes but it was not ideal…it was far from ideal. Callie seemed more surprised than anything to see her and maybe it was shock after her being gone for four and a half years but it should have worn off during the time they had just spent together. But it did not and she felt distant from Callie but there must be something right? After all Callie had invited her to her home…that just had to count for something.

So there you have it guys. Hope you enjoyed it…whether you did or didn't just leave a review/comment below. Have a fantastic rest of the day.