How about some new characters? How about some background? How about some foreshadowing? How about some real writing on my part? Here. It. Is. my friends. Enjoy it.

"Aunt Zona, it's my turn!" 10-year-old Danny Robbins whined. He was gripping the arm of the couch where Arizona sat with both hands, bouncing up and down impatiently. Arizona's head was bent intensely over a black DS Lite and she was only barely listening to the child's complaints.

"But I'm on the last lap!" Arizona argued, her eyes glued to the top screen, where various Nintendo characters raced around in Go-Kart-type vehicles.

"You've been playing for almost an hour!" Before Arizona could say anything, her mother walked into the living room and stopped, hands on her hips.

"What's going on?" she asked, already figuring out what was happening.

"She won't give me my DS back, and she's had it forever!" Danny complained to his grandmother. Arizona heard her mother sigh in an exasperated way.

"Arizona, give the boy his DS," she scolded lightly, a laugh hidden beneath her words.

"Fine," Arizona mumbled, flipping the video game closed and handing it to the waiting child. She had just come in 2nd anyway. Danny ran off with a cheer to play his game while Arizona's mother settled on the couch beside her daughter.

"Where's Eva?" Arizona asked. "I haven't seen her in a while."

"I think she's up in Pet—in her room, packing," her mother answered, her eyes not leaving the television's glowing screen. Arizona took a deep breath to steady herself so she could pretend that her mother didn't intentionally avoid saying Peter's name. Arizona knew that her parents found it easier to act like Peter didn't exist half the time than to face the fact that they had lost a child, and it pissed Arizona off.

"Right. I should probably do that too," she said, letting the issue drop but making up an excuse to leave the room all the same.

When she reached her bedroom, Arizona found Danny lying stretched out on her bed, DS held barely an inch from his face. She watched for a moment as he whispered at the game and encouraged the Go-Karts to move faster than seemed impossible.

"Hey buddy," she greeted happily. "Why aren't you in your room?"

"Mom's in there and she locked the door," he replied in a bored voice.

"Do you know why?" Arizona questioned, confused. Danny shrugged and it couldn't be more obvious that he could care less about anything other than the video game he was playing.

Arizona left the boy in peace and went down the hall to the room that used to be her brother's. She had walked the path from her room to his so many times as a child that there was an obvious beaten down path in the carpet. She remembered being scared by noises or storms or dreams in the middle of the night and running into his room.

Now she walked the same path, scared for a different reason. This time she wasn't scared for herself, but for her sister-in-law. Her sister-in-law who lost her husband nearly three years previously and had never fully recovered from that. Arizona knew through her mother's gossip that Eva had taken to drinking after it first happened, but she thought that Eva had cleaned herself up a while back. Now with the present situation though, Arizona grew more and more suspicious with every step she took down the familiar hallway.

"Eva," Arizona called, knocking on the sticker-covered door. Both Arizona and Peter had a tradition of putting every sticker they received on their bedroom doors. It drove their parents crazy but they kept doing it anyway. "Eva, it's Ari, open the door. Please."

After a few minutes of waiting, Arizona heard the lock click and she cautiously tested the doorknob. It turned freely and allowed her entrance into the room, which was dark except for the dull glow from the desk lamp. On the desk was a paper bag the shape of a bottle and sitting on the bed staring loathingly and longingly at the bottle was Eva. Arizona sat silently on the bed beside her sister-in-law. Neither said anything or even moved for the longest time but when the silence was finally broken, it was Arizona who did it.

"I thought you quit," she said in a calm voice. She carefully kept all of the accusation and other emotions from her voice in hopes that Eva would open up to her more freely.

"I've quit a thousand times," Eva laughed bitterly. "And every time, something comes up and drives me right back to the bottle. I try to think of Danny because I know how much it hurts him when I drink, but it just hurts too much sometimes. And Danny looks so much like his father. I forget he's not Peter sometimes."

"What do you mean, 'something comes up'?" Arizona couldn't help but ask. Eva laughed again, more of a pained bark than anything else.

"Your brother," Eva began with the air of someone about to tell a thrilling, yet depressing tale. When Eva turned her head towards Arizona, Arizona caught a strong whiff of wine and realized that her sister-in-law was already drunk. "Your brother was not the great guy you think he was—"

"What are you talking about?" Arizona interrupted angrily, already knowing she didn't want to hear the story she was going to be told.

"No, listen to me!" Eva cried, grabbing Arizona's arm tightly and holding her in place on the bed. "The man was a douche. He was having an affair." Arizona gasped. "I had the suspicion, but it wasn't until after he…until afterwards that I knew for sure. Her name was Michelle. She has a five-year-old son now." Arizona pulled her arm free and put her hands over her mouth. The man she was hearing about didn't sound like her brother, but the pain in Eva's eyes was so real, she had no choice but to believe.

"Last night I found his journals," she continued. "I couldn't sleep last night so I decided to read them. He was planning on leaving me, Ari." Tears began to fall from Eva's green eyes and Arizona barely had time to process the news before the dark-haired woman was clutching Arizona for support.

"It's been three years Arizona, and he's still finding ways to hurt me. And I'm still weak enough to let it get to me, to make me run to the bottle. It's not fair to Danny. Sometimes…sometimes I'm so horrible to him. And I know it but I can't stop myself when I get like that. I'm sick Arizona, and it's hurting my son. Will you take him? Until I get help and until I get better, will you take Danny and keep him safe?"

Arizona sat with her mouth and eyes gaping, trying to avoid looking at the woman she held in her hands and her pained, pleading tears.

…

Callie paced a 3 by 3 foot square of the airport, her head snapping up every few seconds to look at first the sign informing her that Arizona's flight was on-time, second to the clock on the wall informing her that Arizona should have been in her arms 3 minutes prior, and third to the gate's exit where passengers were slowly emerging. Then she would stare at the floor, pacing, for 30 seconds and repeat the entire process. Finally Callie heard something to make her smile.

"Calliope!" Callie turned just in time to see a flash of curly blonde hair, and then Arizona was on top of her, her arms wrapped around Callie's neck and her legs around Callie's waist. Her lips pressed eagerly and passionately against Callie's and she only pulled away because the lack of oxygen became an issue.

"Well hello," Callie gasped, grinning brightly at her girlfriend. Arizona giggled adorably, dropping from Callie.

"Hi. Where's Natalie?" Arizona asked, noticing that Callie's arms were empty.

"She was sleeping and I didn't have the heart to wake her up and drag her out here. She's at Mark's." Arizona's eyes displayed pure horror at the thought of Mark babysitting. "Lexie's there too!" Callie quickly added. Arizona breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, so there's someone I want you to meet. Please don't be mad at me."

Arizona stepped aside and standing behind her was someone Callie hadn't noticed before. The boy was young and looked just like Arizona except with dark brown hair. Callie held her breath, waiting for Arizona to tell her that he was her son.

"This is my nephew Danny. Danny, this is Callie, my girlfriend." Danny jerked his head up and lifted his hand in a shy wave. Callie smiled at him after recovering from the initial surprise. "Danny's going to be staying with us for a little while, and I promise I will explain everything to you later. But right now, we're starving and some greasy airport fast food would be great right now." Arizona smiled widely, hinting at Callie to let it drop for now. Callie looked down at the child, who was looking down at the floor with a mixture of nerves and embarrassment. Callie nodded briefly, but was no where near ready to let the matter drop.

…

"What the hell Arizona?!" Callie stage whispered, angrily unmaking the bed so they could climb in it.

"I'm sorry, Cal, I'm really, really sorry. But I had to do it!" Arizona defended, her voice thick from being on the verge of tears.

"Alright, alright, just…start from the beginning. What happened?" Callie said slowly. She was taking deep breaths to calm herself down. Arizona sat on the bed, and gently tugged at Callie's hand to pull her down too.

"Okay, so…Danny's mother has been having trouble coping with Peter's death—I know, it was three years ago," she added, for Callie had opened her mouth to object. "But she keeps…learning new information about him. He was cheating on her, and he was planning on leaving her. Danny has a brother he knows nothing about." Callie gasped in shock, just as Arizona had done when she learned the truth. "Eva can't handle it, and she's drinking. Every time she gets clean, something forces her back. She begged me to take Danny, just until she gets better. I couldn't leave him with her."

"Okay. It's okay. It's okay Z, I'm not mad," Callie whispered, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend. Arizona chuckled at the use of her disliked nickname.

"You're not? 'Cause I was kind of expecting yelling and tears and all that not-fun stuff." Callie laughed.

"'All that not-fun stuff'?" she quoted. "God, I love you." Arizona giggled too, kissing Callie sweetly.

"Shush, you." Together they fell back onto the bed.

"Arizona? Don't leave me again."

"I won't," Arizona promised.

I wanted
I wanted you to stay
'Cause I needed
I need to hear you say
That I love you
I have loved you all along
And I forgive you
For being away for far too long
So keep breathing
'Cause I'm not leaving you anymore
Believe it
Hold on to me and, never let me go