AN: So I've had some questions come up about why Callie is still with Erica if she hits her and things similar to that. I'm obviously not an expert in abuse, but from a class or two I've taken I learned that most abusers have so much control over their victim they are terrified to leave or betray them in any way. The cheating with Arizona, was the first time that Erica hit and so on. Callie loved who Erica was at first but things change. Now, I'd like to address that there will be flashbacks. If you don't like them, I will discontinue them. But if you do like them, let me know and give me ideas. I might use some, but no promises.

Arizona sat on her couch, thinking about what she should do to get Callie out of this. It was obvious that she loved Erica but it wasn't worth all the pain she was experiencing. She couldn't just watch her best friend come to work with bruises every day. If it kept happening, Arizona didn't want to think about what could happen if she didn't either get Callie out of the engagement or she somehow managed to get Erica to stop hurting her.

She saw how tired Callie was, so she told her to go sleep in her bed. The one thing that she knew was the best thing to do - call the police, Callie had objected to so she had to come up with something else. What she had to do, was save her best friend. There was absolutely no way she could save her without leaving Seattle. Of course Callie could stay with her, she would have no problem with it. The problem was that Erica lived right across the hall from her so she would find her immediately.

What Arizona wanted to do was inflict ten times as much pain as Erica had on Callie. She wanted to make her suffer and leave. The problem that was clouding her judgment was that she loved Callie. She would never admit it, because her fear was that she wouldn't feel the same. She had to keep her feelings to herself anyway, because Callie was going to marry Erica.

She didn't know what the plan was, but all Arizona knew was that she would make sure that Callie was safe. No matter what happened, she would keep her safe. They were best friends, the brunette had protected her countless times, against men that tried to pick up on her. Callie had sent them away. One time she even threw a bottle at someone's head to protect Arizona. This was Arizona's turn to repay Callie for every time she had saved her.

Arizona had always knew that her best friend deserved the best, not just because she was her best friend but for the simple fact that she was the most amazing person that the blonde had ever met.

There were things about Callie that always made her feel safe and sometimes even vulnerable. She always knew how to make her smile, a real smile not the one she always wore at work. The truth was before Callie arrived at Seattle Grace, Arizona didn't have any reasons to smile, but now she did. She wanted to be the person that would make the brunette smile everyday, like before Erica ever came to their lives.

~Flashback~

"Red or white?" Arizona asked her carefully as she held up the two different bottles of wine with a smile plastered on her face.

"Surprise me." She gave her a bright smile and a wink.

They were both in a good mood, they were having a girls' night in. It wasn't often that their schedules came together but this time they did. They both had the next day off to sleep in, so they decided that they would spend the night together, at Arizona's.

The blonde took out two wine glasses and poured red wine into the glasses, she knew that it was Callie's favorite whether or not she would admit it. She knew her best friend better than anyone. Every time they had the choice, Callie normally picked red wine. Arizona walked over and offered her the glass, which she gratefully accepted.

Arizona took a seat next to her, a little closer than she normally would have been sitting but it was cold and being closer to the other woman kept her warm. The heater was on, but barely working. The blonde seemed to get cold very easily and being next to Callie always gave her a warm feeling, inside and out. She took a sip of her wine and watched the movie, it was a romantic comedy that Callie had chosen. It was a great movie but Arizona's attention kept returning to the brunette.

Shivering as the movie was ending, she reached over for a blanket and looked over at Callie, "Do you want a blanket?" She asked, waiting for an answer.

"Sure." Callie smiled and looked over at Arizona, realizing that their faces were inches apart. She licked her lips and took a deep breath. The way that Arizona was staring at her with want and need, even when asking such an innocent question.

Callie had never been with a woman, she wasn't sure how it would feel compared to a man but the way Arizona looked at her felt amazing. But she knew that, if she started something with her, she wouldn't want to let go. Arizona had only been known to have one date or just one night, but Callie knew the underlying was buried within her past and she could understand. She just was afraid of being hurt herself.

When Arizona was getting up to get another blanket, Callie grabbed her hand and shook her head with a smile. "Don't get up." She took the blanket that Arizona was using and moved close to her, so they were sharing the blanket. "Is this okay?" She asked.

The blonde nodded as she looked into her eyes before returning her vision to the television. She felt Callie's warm skin brush against hers before she heard her best friend speak. "You're freezing Arizona." Callie stated, her hand moved to rub the blonde's small arm.

Arizona's heart raced at the contact, electricity moved through her body as she felt her continue the movement and she laid her head on Callie's shoulder. "You feel really good." She admitted, she closed her eyes at the contact.

This was the only person, Arizona could trust. She was the only one that she could be herself with, without feeling any judgment and it felt really good every time she was with her. She'd never felt so strongly about anyone, but she would never let those feelings be existent, she had to keep them hidden. Having sex with her, could ruin it all or make her want her even more. But what was best for Callie was not being with her, she couldn't make her feel as amazing as the brunette always told her she felt with a man. She was protecting herself, and Callie. She wanted her happy more than anaything.

~End flashback~

What Arizona wanted all along was for Callie to be happy, in a way that she could never make her. At first when she was with Erica, she seemed so happy, but after all the hurt she had put Callie through, she knew that she had to help her get away from Erica.

The blonde decided to go to her bedroom to check on Callie, she wanted to make sure that she was alright. When she opened the door to her room, she saw Callie curled up in a ball, she knew that all the pain was getting to her. She shut the door and walked over to the bed and laid next to her. What she could make out of her face was a scared expression, she turned over on her side, just to look at her. She was absolutely beautiful, and she deserved everything good. This was not what she deserved.

It tore her apart that Arizona hadn't figured out the abuse earlier. A tear rolled down her cheek at the thought, she shook her head and pulled herself together. She moved under the covers next to Callie and knew what she wanted. She pressed up against her and wrapped her arms around the brunette. She heard the sounds of her even breathing, so she assumed she was asleep when she whispered softly. "I won't let her hurt you again." A tear rolled down her cheek onto Callie's shoulder.

Callie felt her and opened her eyes and immediately wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist. "I miss you." She whispered as she buried her face into her neck. The familiar feeling was making her believe every one of the words that escaped Arizona's lips.

Arizona heard her and nodded, "So do I but if she finds out about this, it's worse for you." She pulled back to look into her eyes.

"I know." She took a deep breath and placed a hand on Arizona's hip. "I just need my best friend." Tears clouded her vision as she looked down. "I love her - I do but, if I can't see you again it isn't worth it."

The blonde tilted her head up so she could look into her eyes. "If you love her, we will find a way for her to stop hurting you." She hated the words coming out of her mouth, she had already hurt Callie so much. "If she doesn't make you smile, she isn't worth it. I haven't seen you smile in so long, Cal." She bit her lip and looked at her.

At that, Callie pulled away from her and sat up. "You don't understand do you?" She shook her head and stood up. "You have no idea what it's like to be in a serious relationship Arizona, not everything is always perfect. She used to make me happy, now I just upset her." It was a defense mechanism for her, she was protecting the person that she loved. "This can't keep happening." She warned Arizona. "I cheated on her once with you. Maybe it is best we don't see each other anymore." With that, she got up and went back to the place where she would be hurt once again.

What she didn't notice as she left was that Arizona was standing behind her, tears flowing down her face. Arizona was in love with her.