Sadie's Ramble: I just really want to thank everyone once again who has read this, reviewed or added this story to an alert, it really means a lot that you take time out of your day to read my madness. Thank you also to a lot of new readers who maybe got sucked in because of my other Story I started, I hope you enjoy both.

To my wonderful beta Zoda, sweetie I'd be lost without you, you keep me safe from the evil P&G (aka punctuation and grammar) I'm so grateful for the wonderful people who give their encouragement and support, youz make posting a little less scary so thank you (I'm not naming names cause youz know who you are!)

Disclaimer thingy! Same as always I'm just borrowing I don't own anything or anyone nor do I want to.

All mistakes are mine and if the snuck past Zoda they must be crafty wee ba... Okay I hope you enjoy x

Chapter 12 – The Truth behind Hair & Smile

"Fuck! What side is the Doctor actually playing?"

The words had swirled around Arizona's head just as quickly as she watched them leave the soldiers mouth. She had thought them herself when she had asked the good Doctor why he had let them think she was dead. She had tried to make out his thoughts but between him and the boy Avery all she was able to deduce was the fear of Hahn. It was this fear of the woman that led her to believe that he was indeed helping them.

Then his performance in his office in front of the she devil cemented her trust in him. Though that smile Derek gave towards the monitor now, it was a look of self-righteousness. She could feel the bile rise in her throat as he pointed toward their hiding place for the Alliance officers. How could she have missed what was really going on? She was a reader…how could she not have realised what side the man was working for? She knew the answer…Callie. It was all her heart was telling her to do, find her. Make sure she was alright and it had hijacked any sensible thought the blonde could make. One thing was for certain as she readied herself for the doors to open was that she wasn't getting this far, her family had found her and she had been given Callie, there was no way she was going down without a fight.

Looking down at the still bodies of her brother and girlfriend, something in her brain clicked and her escape strategy came to her in a flash.

"Avery get down on the floor…play dead. They're gonna expect me to go for them so why not let them come to us? We might actually get half a chance of taking a couple of them down, we can only hope." Arizona watched as Avery understood what she was thinking.

Avery nodded in agreement and moved quickly to an empty area to follow Arizona's plan. Both lay still face down it was just a few minutes until the mechanical bolt system thundered to life and began to echo around the room as the large sturdy door slowly began to slide open. Avery found himself clenching his eyes tighter together as he held his breath when he heard the latch release.

Slowing her breathing right down until it looked as though there was no breath left in her slender frame. Arizona found herself begin to smirk, this was the first time she had ever been in full control of her new skills. Unlike all the times before when "battle mode" hit and she had no self-control, this time she knew exactly what she was doing and right now all their training was coming together effortlessly.

As the door slid open Arizona lay in wait not wanting to make her intentions known, she could hear the slow approaching footsteps from two of the men. From this she could tell that one man was following behind the other. The first man's left foot made more of an impact on the ground than his right and because of this she deduced it was due to a limp and obvious that he had indeed hurt his right or at least it was weakened in some way. Taking in everything surrounding her she could make out Avery's heart pounding in his chest, the slow and steady beat of the two unconscious forms lying motionless to the side of the room.

Arizona readied herself as she felt the first man graze her trouser leg with the toe of his shoe. It had been so slight she knew the man hadn't felt it himself. She could hear his heartbeat gain the closer he got to her and she could hear the shake in his breathing. There was the crack of his knuckles not too far away from her head as she could feel the Taser gun being aimed at her as he crept forward. Arizona could hear everything and she was at one with her surroundings. She could hear what the men were thinking and knew every move they were contemplating taking, it filled her with a new sense of belief that she would get them out of there.

"What the …."

Arizona reached up effortlessly without having to even look catching the man's wrist she began to in one graceful movement force his arm back toward his own body, quickly pressing the man's finger down on the trigger she fired an electric volt through his legs rendering the man behind a twitching mess on the gloss white floor. As she had fired she twisted the man's wrist until he began to let go, when she felt his grip loosen she spun her body around quickly to face startled eyes taking his gun with her, her right leg flicked up toward her head taking out the injured leg of the man above her. As he came crashing to the ground, she flipped acrobatically to standing.

Arizona's finishing position, much to the jaw dropped Avery's amazement, was now standing with her foot forcibly located on the man's chest, he was now on his posterior trying to suck back the air that had been knocked from him. His gun now in Arizona's hand pointed at the only other soldier with a gun…who now looked very, very uncomfortable. It was a blur of Balletic non-lethal violence and was over in a matter of seconds, it had happened so quickly that the men hadn't even had enough time to make a proper noise before Arizona had complete control of the situation. Arizona's focused concentration was trained on the other Taser wielding soldier but the silence was immediately interrupted when she heard the clapping come from the unarmed, smart and very cheeky looking man standing next to a shocked and tentative looking Derek Shepherd who ran his hand nervously through his hair.

"That was AWESOME. Absolutely frickin Awesome! Arizona, please stand down. Relax, we mean no harm…We were sent for you!" The almost smug looking man gave a mischievous grin as the only standing soldier re-holstered his weapon and put his arms in the air to try and substantiate what the mid aged man had claimed.

"Mmm…Yeah, I don't think so! Do you always mean no harm with weapons drawn and why didn't you just state your intentions before you opened the…fluffing door?" Arizona looked to the man who was still smirking but he bit his lip trying to stifle a laugh at Arizona's use of "PG" language. He found it amusing that she had just taken down two of his men with ease but refused to let a curse word depart her lips.

Arizona studied the man's appearance a bit closer and realised, although he was wearing the Alliance smart double button up to the collar black jacket, there were no identifying markers of rank, or name. The uniform was normally sported by high up members of Burke's war chest, thinking about it she had a flash memory of her father wrapping his own one around her as a child, she would always demand it whenever she felt she could get away with it. Shaking the memory from before her eyes she focused again on the man before her. He wasn't clean shaven like Burke insisted all his soldiers were, and there was a kindness in his brown eyes and God, that smile…she could admit devilishly handsome and annoying all rolled into one.

"Yes well littlest Robbins, hindsight is a marvellous thing and unlike you we would very much get our butts kicked by a little blonde girl, my very manly ego could not handle that the next time I crack open a cold one with your father. My name is Denny, Denny Duquette a very good friend of your fathers" Arizona looked at the man pointedly as she heard movement and an indescribable noise of pain escape at least one of the bodies lying on the ground.

Turning quickly, Arizona found herself gazing at Callie's body first, her eyes widened in glee when she realised it was Callie who was beginning to stir. Releasing her body weight from the man below her she literally threw herself at Callie's side, grabbing a hand and moving some hair from her girlfriends face. Gazing lovingly down at the brunette, she watched eyes move under lids trying to build enough energy to finally open them.

The winded soldier got up, dusted himself off and backed off hobbling toward his stilled partner slumped at the door. In that moment Arizona only had one thought and that was getting to Callie so she was eternally grateful that it looked as though the men were definitely telling the truth.

A brief burst of light so bright it hurt, stinging her eyes. Callie found herself crashing her eyes shut again the darkness afterward lasted for a few seconds before she attempted to open her eyes again. She realised that it was no use forcing the issue so she gently released the tight grip, trying to let her eyes adjust to a little light, bit by bit. She was aware of the presence above her, though she wasn't afraid for the way her hand was being held and the way they brushed the hair from her face didn't strike her as "run for your life". Callie in that moment was at peace, but the thing with calm is that eventually your brain and thoughts kick back into gear and that's exactly what happened as all the emotional and physical pain came rushing back, all before she had even managed to regain eye control.

Callie tried to shake herself from the grasp of the person above her, the searing pain from her shoulder brought reality crashing forward as the memory of Hahn standing above the OR flashed in her memory. The cracked glass rippled across the evil smile, the heat of the bullet and the smell as burnt flesh hit her nostrils, she gasped for air as she also released a pained cry into the air.

"Arizona…noooooooo, please no" Callie's scream was heart breaking as the memory of the blonde's death replayed in her head. She didn't want to open her eyes; the outcome was just the same. She was still here and her love was gone…taken.

"Calliope, please sweetie open your eyes for me, baby please?" Arizona couldn't contain her tears, the pain etched on Callie's face would haunt her for years, and she had a lot of ghosts…just another one to walk the corridors of her mind.

Derek looked on at the scene before him, he had done this and it was killing him. He had just followed orders, they always say 'don't shoot the messenger' but in that moment he felt he deserved everything he would no doubt get. He felt the arm on his back in sympathy, looking to the man at his side he gave a sorry nod and moved over toward the two women, grabbing his bag on the way past.

"Callie, its Derek I'm going to give you something for the pain. Please you have to stop struggling or you're going burst your stitches. Callie can you open your eyes for me." Derek kept his voice as steady as he could as he watched the brunette carefully shake her head in the negative. Looking up into the bright blue eye's currently piercing his soul he tried to show how sorry he was without words. Arizona just smiled sadly at him she could finally hear all of his apologies, and motioned for him to continue. "Okay Callie I need you to listen really carefully, there are a few things that I am going to have to explain to you, I need you to open your eyes and listen carefully." Derek watched Callie carefully as she continued to attempt to open her eyes. Derek was hesitant, he didn't want to give Callie the morphine until he had seen her eyes and checked that they were clear and she could follow. "Callie, Callie I need you to open your eyes…Arizona's here, she isn't dead…" Derek was cut off by Callie as she began to cry uncontrollably, her eyes were tight shut as she turned her head tears began to pool on the already shiny floor.

"The monitors…lights…the noise, she died on your table, you let her die…you let her die!" Derek was startled when Callie's hand grabbed between his collar and his tie. He was surprised when she started to pull at him, bringing her head back around she finally snapped her eyes open ignoring the searing pain that the light sent burning to the back of her brain. Callie forged enough strength through rage, paying no attention to the pain radiating from her shoulder as she pulled Derek toward her as he tried to pull away.

"Callie, Arizona didn't die…she's here. I'm so sorry we had to trick you, but look at me." Derek watched Callie's eyes fully focus on him and then quickly move toward where Arizona was still kneeling holding on to her hand for dear life. Happy with the movement of Callie, Derek jabbed the brunette with his drug mix, Callie's eyes softened in recognition when brown met teary blue they connected. Arizona couldn't stop her sobs, as everything Callie had felt watching the woman she loved die hit Arizona like a typhoon.

"I knew I would find you again, my life was better with you in it and I couldn't think about living another minute without you. Knowing I would never hold you again I couldn't bear it, I just wanted to let go in the end and now I'm here with you again, we are toget…" The drugs hit quickly and Derek felt Callie release the grip she had of him.

"I'm sorry but she needed the drugs, she could be out for up to twenty four hours it just depends on how quickly her body works through them. Derek watched Arizona nod as she bent down a gently kissed Callie's forehead.

"Mmm Derek is there any reason why Master Tim here, is still sleeping like a baby?" Denny had made his way over to the unconscious male on the floor and gently kicked his side to see if there was a reaction. Derek looked over, puzzled for a second he had been so entangled in everything else that he hadn't even considered why Tim was still out.

"It was just a stun baton, okay he traded some pretty heavy blows with the young soldier there but NO, no he should be awake by now." Derek shrugged at the man who was now grinning childishly as he stepped over Tim's body to the sink filled up a mug of water. Returning back to above the man he slowly tipped the water out on to Tim's face.

Tim shot up in a spluttering wide eyed panic as he looked up and wiped the excess water from his face he focused on the familiar face of the man above him.

"Fuck Denny…What, wait where am I?" Looking around quickly he doubled back as his eyes at first had whisked past her, a flash of blonde that was what he recognised.

"Zona, Oh my god! I just knew…you're alive, you're alive!" Tim tried to stand shakily but lost his balance and Denny steadied him. Arizona left Derek to finish cleaning up Callie, picking herself up from the floor she grabbed her brother in a tight embrace, both releasing the last of the built up emotion.

"Excuse me, but we have a bigger family reunion to get to. Your dad sent us to bring you back to the compound. You know the Major, you don't question you just do, he'll explain everything when we get there." Denny spoke softly to the two.

"What about Teddy and Karev they're still outside, Teddy saw everything she'll be a mess…" Tim quickly remembered that Teddy would have been watching the security feeds.

"Teddy's fine, last I heard her and Karev where looking pretty snuggly in the back of our transport." Denny smirked when he saw a pang off jealousy pass over Tim's features. "Oh don't worry Timmy boy, she's left a nice puddle of drool on his shoulder. My men didn't really have time to go through the finer points of what we were up to at the time so we took the easy option…drugged them although the boy Karev did put at least one in the infirmary when he got back to base."

"Okay, guys we need to get this show on the road. Peters, Mathews, Robinson go with Doctor Shepard get as many supplies as you can carry. Derek you are coming with us, Major Robbins has decided it's safer if you do, your wife should be waiting for you at the base by the time we get there. Avery is it? Thank you for your help but this is where you make a decision, step up for what you know is right or slink into the dust the choice is yours but we will be gone in ten minutes whether or not you're on transport…think about it carefully." With that Denny's men followed their orders as Denny made his way out toward Derek's swirl office chair and took a seat while he waited. Arizona felt Tim's grip get tighter.

"I knew you were alive!"

"Yes, Sir she should be arriving shortly. I will indeed…a car will be outside in fifteen, okay I understand sir. Yes you too, I will see you soon." placing the phone down quietly, she took a breath and looked to the ceiling inspecting the black mark above her head, it had annoyed her for years but she never did anything about it cause it gave her something to focus on.

Throughout the entire conversation her eyes twitched in fear at the faintest of noises, trying to listen to the voice at the end of the line but also trying to make sure that no one over heard her end of the conversation. She had been a spy for a good year now she had never been great at it but she always just had a way of being able to float around at the back of conversations without being noticed. She was startled as the doors came crashing open revealing a pissed off and extremely black and blue assassin.

"Grey are you sleeping on the job again. I need to see Burke and bring me something for this pain." Meredith shot up right and onto her feet in a flash trying to stifle the building laughter, when she caught a proper look at the mess that was Erica Hahn's face.

"You look like you've went ram raiding without the use of a vehicle?" Meredith couldn't help herself, she hated the beast and even though she knew what Hahn was she couldn't help take a dig at the woman.

"Fuck off Grey, get the fucking medical kit." Erica didn't even look back as she continued toward the heavy double doors of Burke's office.

Meredith reached into her drawer and pulled the medical kit out placing it onto her desk. Looking to her computer screen she quickly typed in some commands bringing the screen to life with live images of Burke in his office with Erica closing the doors behind her, pressing record she minimised the screen before following the fiend into the room.

Meredith set her kit down on the edge of the ridiculously large oak desk. Hahn had taken a seat facing Burke who looked at Hahn in surprise, but decided that it was best not to even mention the fact that the nose had decided to take up half her face in a mass of red and purple. He flashed Meredith a faint smile of sympathy as the woman tried to tidy up the mess before her, the whole time Hahn was berating her for having clumsy hands. Burke rested elbows on the table as his hands held his chin, patiently waiting for the information he required. Hahn saw her bosses face and shooed Meredith away.

Meredith growled silently under her breath as she moved to the back of the room and poured some water into two glasses. With her back to the two occupants of the room she broke the capsule in half and added it to the assassin's water. Smirking while waiting for the cloudiness to settle she thought that this would teach the bitch to be careful to whom she was nasty too.

"Okay Sir, is there anything else I can do for you?" Meredith returned to the desk and handed each their glass and gave Hahn a couple of pain killer capsules still in their packaging.

"That will be all thank you. Though can you just make sure I'm not disturbed until Ms Hahn has left?" Burke smiled toward his secretary as Erica just frowned.

Meredith lowered her head in a faint nod backing out of the room when she closed the doors over she locked the door as quietly as she could and moved back over to the computer screen to make sure the live feed was still recording. Pulling the data key out her purse she connected it to her computer and typed in her commands, setting the timer to 20 minutes as she knew that he had a meeting in 30 and there was no way he would risk anyone seeing Hahn with him.

After making sure everything was set up she checked her watch, packing up the last of her things she hit enter on the keyboard and pulled the key from its slot. Moving quickly over to Burke's door again she pulled a chair over and butted it up under the handles. One last look around the room she grabbed the framed picture of herself and Derek, picked up her bag and left the office for the last time.

Hahn waited for the dirty blonde to exit the room before she drank some water and popped two pills in her mouth and swallowed, she then downed the rest of the glass. Putting the glass down on the coaster she brought her attention back to the man in front of her.

Burke looked on confused as the bag of dust and the disc hit the desk and slid to a stop before him. Raising an eyebrow, Hahn caught on that Burke was looking for clarification.

"It seems that Doctor Shepard followed your protocol for disposing of the departed. At least we don't need to hide it and you did say you wanted her gone…she's just dust in the desert now. Not sure about the disc though, I haven't had a chance to check what's on it yet." Burke smiled. Part of the evidence that would bring his regime down was now just a pile of dust in a bag on his desk. Getting rid of the blonde was definitely a major boost in his fight with the Resistance. Standing tall and pushing back from his desk the heavy chair scraped across the floor. Rounding the table he moved over to the large TV screen and inserted the disc. The screen came to life as he then watched the black and white recording of the failed operation, moving back he couldn't resist showing his joy at what his eyes were taking in.

Erica herself was finding it difficult to keep the smile off her own face and when she got to watch Callie's pained screams again it just brought back the memory of watching it in real time. As Callie hit the ground again and then her reaction to being shot Erica started to shift uncomfortably in her seat, a sudden ache in her stomach took over the throbbing pain that was her face.

"Erica…are you alright you're looking…" Burke was cut off when Erica bent over in agony and threw up at his feet. It just kept coming and coming. Moving over to his desk quickly he sent the call for Meredith to come in…but no answer, he moved to the door and tried the handles as he pushed on the door realising they were locked.

"Beeb, beeb, beeb, beeb…" The large TV screen flicked to black and then a large ten appeared on the screen and began counting down.

Burke watched wide eyed and horrified as the clock reached one, and then the message appeared:

"You messed with what's important to me so I thought I'd repay the favour…what do you crave? THE POWER? Let's see how you fare when you have none…This is JUST THE BEGINNING PRESTON!"

The message faded out and then there was an almighty noise, then there was silence as everything began to shut down leaving them in engulfed in darkness.