Amelia felt cold.

She lay in the fetal position, curled up under the sheets in Arizona's bed, wrapped in a cocoon of warm blankets, and clad in the gray Hopkins sweatshirt she had claimed as her own. Yet she somehow felt cold. And she knew it was because Arizona wasn't there with her.

Sometimes she worried about that, genuinely. How she had become so reliant on having the blonde beside her while she slept, how empty, and lonely, and cold she felt whenever she had to spend the night alone. How much she truly, irrevocably, and unconditionally loved her, how much she needed her. It scared her. Not the fact that she loved her, but the possibility of ever losing her. It scared her that she had let herself fall so hard.

She had never planned on this happening, falling in love, giving herself the potential to get hurt. But now she couldn't help but wonder how she had ever believed she would be better off alone.

Amelia felt cold. But at least she knew the feeling was only temporary.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the door creak open, and she smiled when Arizona entered the room. She marveled at how easily the blonde could alter her mood, how her presence alone had the ability to make her feel so safe and comfortable.

"Hey, sleepy," Arizona cooed, sitting on the edge of the mattress and planting a gentle kiss on Amelia's forehead.

"Hey," Amelia replied, her voice quiet and raspy. "You're home early."

Arizona rubbed her hand up and down Amelia's leg through the covers.

"Surgery was postponed," she explained, stifling a yawn.

"Good. Take off your clothes and cuddle with me."

The blonde laughed, standing up to peel off her shirt and jeans. She unhooked her bra with a teasing smirk, letting it drop to the floor before climbing into the bed beside her girlfriend. Amelia immediately enveloped the other woman in her arms, sighing as she snuggled into her warmth. Arizona held her close and buried her face into her neck, closing her eyes and smiling against the brunette's skin.

"I love you, you know." Amelia whispered, turning her head to meet the other woman's eyes.

"I know," Arizona chuckled, her fingers brushing the side of the brunette's face. "I love you, too."

"No, I mean..." she sighed, struggling to find the right words. "I love you. More than I've ever loved anyone. So much that sometimes I feel like I can't breathe... and I never want to lose you. Ever. I can't lose you."

Her heart pounded fast as she whispered the words, and her breath hitched when Arizona said nothing in response. The blonde reached under Amelia's sweatshirt and placed her hand on her chest, right over her heart, feeling as it thudded rapidly.

"Relax," she whispered, her voice quiet and soothing. Amelia's heartbeat only increased, and Arizona's expression became concerned.

"Hey, look at me. Relax," Arizona repeated. "You're not going to lose me, okay? I'm not going anywhere."

"You don't know that."

Arizona sighed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Amelia's ear.

"You're right. I don't know that. I can't know that. No one can. But what I do know is that we have this, right here and right now."

She wrapped her arm around Amelia's waist, pulling her closer and emphasizing every word she spoke.

"I love you so much, Amelia. That's not going to change. And yeah, we don't get to know what's around the corner. We don't get to know how much time we'll get to have together, but the reality is that we will most likely have all the time we could ever hope for."

She paused, looking directly into the brunette's eyes.

"I know that the universe has been ridiculously cruel to you. And I know that that's caused you to always prepare for the worst, to expect the good things in your life to eventually fail. And that destroys me. You don't deserve to constantly expect cruelty and unfairness. You deserve to be happy. So let yourself be happy. Let yourself believe that I'll always be here. Let yourself believe that I'm yours for as long as you want me."

Amelia cupped the other woman's cheeks and leaned in to capture her lips, tears forming in her eyes.

"Forever would be nice."

Arizona smiled. "Forever it is, then."