Monster

by LVAv8or

Arizona Robbins is a loving mother and wife. Her co-workers think she is perky and bubbly, while the parents of her patients call her a savior, but what if it was just an act? Everyone has secrets and for Arizona she has one big dark secret that would leave everyone she knew stunned. Will that secret stay hidden or will the arrival of a new surgeon bring it to light?

45. Chapter 45

A/N: After a crazy year I'm back. I haven't forgotten about this story and I will not leave it incomplete. Since my schedule is still a little crazy I won't be able to post as frequently as I like, but I promise I will not make you wait another year for the next chapter.

Thank you Myfaerytale for being a beta reader for this chapter.

Chapter 10

"Let's see," I say under my breath as I intently stare at the chocolate truffle chart in front of me. "I've eaten the butterscotch walnut truffle, the hazelnut crunch, crème brulee truffle, and every disgusting combination of dark chocolate truffles this box has to offer. So that means that all the good stuff is left." I say with smile.

I scan the chart one more time, looking for a good truffle flavor to eat, when one flavor catches my eye. "Aztec Spice," I say out loud. A closer look at the chart shows that there are two Aztec Spice truffles located in the upper left hand corner of the box. I grab one of the Aztec spice truffles and take a bite. "Not bad," I say to myself. I put the rest of the truffle in mouth when I get a page from the hospital's new paging system.

'Vocera call from…Lauren Williams, do you accept?'

I take a moment to look down at the collar of my scrub top. There clipped to my collar is a small, sleek black rectangular device. Four months ago there was a communication issue in the emergency room which almost cost a patient their life, and cost the hospital $85 million dollars in a lawsuit. When all was said and done, Owen and the board upgraded the hospital pagers. The doctors and nurses at Seattle Grace Mercy West are no longer walking around this hospital with old school pagers straight from the 1990s. No more looking for a phone when someone paged his or her extension or trying to guess the super cryptic message using a series a numbers. Now our pagers act like two-way radios. You say the person's name you want to talk to and then the Vocera calls them, when you accept the call it opens up a line for two way communication, so the other person and can get down to business quickly…

'Vocera call from…Lauren Williams, do you accept?'

I reach up and push the large grey button in the middle of the device and say, "Yes."

'Ok,' the room is silent for a second before Lauren's voice fills the office.

"Hey, Dr. Robbins," Lauren says with slight annoyance.

By the tone of Lauren's voice I already know what she wants to talk about, but I just keep quiet and let her speak.

"Ms. Donovan is on the other line, again." Lauren says with a loud irritated sigh.

I just nod my head before I give myself a sarcastic smile. This will be the seventh time in a two day span that Ms. Donovan has called my floor looking for an update on her son. Based off of Lauren's voice and body language, she is tired of dealing with this woman and to tell you the truth, she is starting to work my last nerve as well.

"Ok, I'll talk to her," I say. "I think out of the two of us, I still have somewhat of a filter over my mouth."

"Thank you, Dr. Robbins." Lauren says with relief. "I swear to God if she calls me one more time, I might lose my job because she's an idiot."

"Relax, Lauren, when she calls just transfer her to me and I'll deal with her. Okay?"

"Yeah," Lauren says in a whisper. "Are you in your office?"

"No, I'm in Callie's office." I correct.

The line goes silent for a moment while Lauren tries to think of what Callie's extension is.

"Extension 50603." I say after 10 whole seconds of silence.

"Patching her through right now," after Lauren's statement, the Vocera call ends and Callie's office phone begins to ring. I reach over to grab Callie's phone, my right hand taking a slight detour to grab the second piece of Aztec Spice truffle on its way.

"Ms. Donovan," I say with a somewhat full mouth as I finish eating the truffle.

"Dr. Robbins, I'm sorry, I interrupted you. It sounds like you're eating lunch. I'll call you back." Ms. Donovan says.

"No, you didn't interrupt Ms. Donovan; I was eating a piece of chocolate when you called. You're lucky because I'm not busy at the moment. Today has been quite slow for me. What can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if you had an update about my son." Ms. Donovan asks.

I tilt my head up slightly and look at the ceiling in annoyance as take the phone away from my ear to collect myself for a moment.

After about 10 seconds I manage to calm myself down and put the phone back up to my ear. "Ms. Donovan," I say in a slight whisper.

"Dr. Robbins, please," Ms. Donovan cuts off. "He is seventeen years old which makes him a pediatric patient at Seattle Grace Mercy West, and you are the chief of the pediatric department. You must know something."

"I'm aware that your son qualifies for pediatric care here at the hospital, and yes I'm the head of the pediatric department. However, I'm the head of the medical side of pediatrics. Your son has been admitted to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation, which makes him a psych patient, and psychiatry is another department, which I have no control over."

"You can't just take a moment and pull up his chart?" Ms. Donovan says as she starts to sniff. "You just told me you're not busy, just take a quick peek. That's all I'm asking."

"One, the database that is used to store psych charts is completely different from the database they use to store medical charts. Since I'm a medical doctor, I only have access to the medical database. Two, even if I did have access to the psych database, I still wouldn't be able to look up his chart. I love my job too much to get fired and lose my medical license because you can't follow the rules and wait three days before a doctor calls you." I say with a raised voice.

I pause for a moment to close my eyes and take a breath when I hear Ms. Donovan start to cry. "I'm sorry, Ms. Donovan. I didn't mean to snap at you. That was rude and unprofessional. Believe it or not, I understand what you're going through. My oldest daughter spent the first three months of her life in a hospital. On the inside I was like you; I wanted to know anything and everything about her, and over time when the doctors got the chance, they told me. I didn't harass or hound them constantly, like you. Repeatedly calling and showing up causing a scene is only hurting you in the long run, because all you're doing is deterring the medical staff from giving your son the help he needs. In Chris's situation, I know the exact same thing you do. I know he is here at the hospital for 72 hours under observation in the psychiatric department because he was brought to hospital under the Baker Act by the Seattle police department and EVAC. When Dr. Sloan and I cleared Christopher medically we passed him on to Dr. West, who is a pediatric psychiatrist. After Chris's 72 hour observation, Dr. West will contact you about the next course of treatment for your son." I take a moment to not only catch my breath, but to study the chocolate truffle chart again because all this talking is making me hungry. I've narrowed down my selection to three options before I talk again. While I talk to Ms. Donovan, I debate between three flavors: the strawberry crème tart truffle, the orange creamsicle, and the birthday cake truffle. "Did anyone talk to you about what happens when a loved one is sent to the hospital under the Baker Act?" I choose the birthday cake truffle after I ask Ms. Donovan the question.

"No…Yes…I don't remember, I was just so upset about my son. I don't remember what they told me." Ms. Donovan confesses.

"Okay," I say as I pop the birthday cake truffle in my mouth. I grab the box of chocolates and the chart before I lean back and put my feet on Callie's desk. "When someone has been Baker Acted, they are placed in observation for 72 hours. During those 72 hours the person is not allowed to have contact with the outside world. No TV, radio, magazines, newspapers or family. That includes immediate family and distant relatives. After the 72 hours, it is up to the doctors whether they want to keep your son longer or let him go."

"If they keep my son longer, does that mean I can't see him?" Ms. Donovan asks.

"That depends if Dr. West determines that you are the root cause to Chris's psychotic break then no you will not be allowed to see your son. If Dr. West feels like something else brought on this psychotic break, then you will be allowed to see your son during visiting hours. I will warn you now Ms. Donovan; visiting hours in the psychiatry department are a lot stricter than mine. They are everyday from 1 pm to 6 pm, no exceptions. If you yell or try to force your way back there you will be trespassing the hospital meaning, unless you need medical attention, you will not be allowed to step in or on hospital property for exactly one year. Your son was brought in Monday evening meaning you should get a phone call either Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning. I'll see if I can ask Dr. West to call you before he leaves on Wednesday instead of when he first arrives on Thursday morning."

"Thank you, Dr. Robbins." Ms. Donovan whispers.

"You're welcome," I respond. "Try to get some rest, Ms. Donovan."

"Okay," she says weakly into the phone before she hangs up.

This past week had been very dramatic to say the least. Since I just got off the phone with Ms. Donovan, I'll start off with Christopher's situation first. Last Thursday, UNOS, rejected Christopher for a third time for a new kidney. Sorry ladies and gentlemen, this isn't Hollywood where all kids get second chances. The organ transplant list is very competitive. Men and woman of all ages who are dying all around the world can be found on the transplant list. The list of requirements that a patient must meet is not only long, it's also very strict. If you fail to meet just one requirement you will lose out on getting an organ, regardless of your age. In Christopher's situation, he failed to not only meet one requirement, he failed to meet the most important requirement: the abuse of a donor organ. That will always leave a giant red x on his application every time I try to put in for a new kidney.

Since Christopher was rejected for a third time, he was doing nothing but wasting a bed up in pediatrics. With Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital being the best pediatric hospital on the west coast, in the top five nationally, and in the top 10 worldwide, we see A LOT of patients. According to the American Hospital Association, my department alone will treat roughly 55,000 kids in the course of one year. With that being said, it should come as no surprise when I say that all 54 beds on my floor are taken, and I have an overflow of 8 kids downstairs in the emergency room taking up the 4 rooms in the observation unit. Since there was nothing more I could for Christopher medically until he got a new kidney, I had to discharge him and give his bed to one of the kids that has in the emergency room.

With all the paperwork and lab work that is required for discharging a patient, it took me four days to get him discharged. Chris was out of the hospital early Monday morning, and was back in the emergency room late Monday night. He was brought in by EVAC who was accompanied by the Seattle Police Department. According to the police Chris locked himself in the bathroom, threatening to his mother that he was going to kill himself. His mother did the only thing she could and called the police for help, however, help arrived too late and by the time the police got the door opened Chris had two large cuts on both of his wrists.

When he was brought to the emergency room, April paged both Mark and I. Mark beat me to the emergency room and was already stitching up his wrists when I arrived. Before I entered the room, April told me that he was brought to hospital as a Baker Act which required a full medical and physical to make sure he did nothing else to himself in the bathroom.

I finished the physical around the same time Mark finished stitching up his wrists. After both Dr. Sloan and I cleared him medically, he was then passed on to Dr. West, an adolescent psychiatrist.

Now I know what you're thinking, what the hell is a Baker Act? The Baker Act is a law that was passed by Washington state officials six year ago stating that, if any person is showing signs of mental illness or harm to themselves or others, they can be placed in observation involuntarily. Only judges, law enforcement officials, physicians and mental health professionals have the power to place an individual as a Baker Act. On average, the observation lasts for 72 hours, and in more severe cases the observation lasts until that person is deemed mentally and medically stable.

With that being said, I think Chris is in either the 2500 or the 2600 unit of our psychiatry department. Just like every other department here at Seattle Grace, our psychiatry department is starting to become full.

Over the past four years, our psychiatry department has grown from a small 3-room department on the neurology floor to a 108-room department with 216 beds. The upgrades started about three years ago when Lakeside Behavioral Healthcare, the only psychiatric hospital in the Seattle area, didn't meet the Joint Commission: Accreditation, Health Care, Certification (also known as JCAHO) standards and was forced to close its doors for good. With Lakeside closing down, many of the less severe psychiatric patients were transferred here while the more severe patients were transferred to Western State Mental Hospital in Lakewood Washington, which is an hour south of Seattle, for those who want to know.

I've only been in the new psych ward four times since it officially opened its doors three years ago. One time was because I had a patient that was in the 2600 unit, and the other three times was because Callie wanted a bodyguard for when she had to go to the 2700 unit where the worst of the worst psych patients go.

The entrance to the psychiatry department is similar to the pediatrics department. There is a large shatterproof glass door that is restricted access only. Once you get passed the door, you are greeted with the one and only nurse's station in the whole psychiatry department. The nurse's station is completely surrounded by shatterproof glass; I've heard stories about patients attacking staff members and one I've heard was of a patient trying to break the nurse's station glass wall with a chair. After you get past the fortress that is the nurse's station, you see the recreation and visitation room. This room is quite bare. There are a few couches, chairs and tables, which have now been bolted to the ground. There is a small TV that is placed on a cart and comes out for about one hour everyday usually around 2:30 pm. Books, magazines, games and phone privileges are earned, and are based upon their behavior with the staff members and other patients.

Along the back of the recreation room there are two hallways on either side of the back wall. The hallway on the left side leads to the 2500 rooms and the hallway on the right side leads to the 2600 rooms. The rooms go to the very back of the psychiatry department and there is another hallway that connects the 2500 and 2600 units. Along this back hallway is where the 2700 rooms are located.

Like I said before, the 2700 unit is where the more severe psychiatric patients are housed. These patients have personality disorders, schizophrenia and posttraumatic stress disorder. These are patients that get agitated quickly and are known for having violent outbursts. Most of the patients in this unit are usually waiting for beds to open up at a more skilled mental hospital. From what I've seen and heard about the 2700 unit, majority of the patients spend about a third of their day in five point leather restraints.

Chris isn't violent, nor does he have any type of personality disorder, so I highly doubt he is in the 2700. He's depressed and tried to commit suicide; that type of behavior is found in the 2500 and sometimes 2600 unit, depending on how busy the psychiatry department is. He's probably sitting and waiting for Dr. James West or Dr. Karen Fowler to come in his room and give him his evaluation.

And yes, you did hear correctly. As of last week, Dr. Karen Fowler stared accepting and treating patients here at the hospital so she could be close to Callie. Since Callie won't come to her, she's coming to Callie. Dr. Fowler likes to use her free time between patients to find and follow my wife around. According to several orthopedic nurses on the floor, Dr. Fowler has been sexually harassing my wife both verbally and physically. According to Gabrielle, Callie's favorite ortho nurse, one day while Callie and she were going over treatment on one of their patients, Dr. Fowler described in graphic detail how she wanted to pin my wife to the wall and fuck her. Gabrielle has told me that when she and my wife are walking into a patient's room, Karen grabbed and slapped my wife's ass. Also, on several occasions, both she and Callie have grabbed Karen's hand to stop it from its journey to my wife's chest.

Callie, every nurse, doctor, and resident on this floor and I have gone down to the first floor on the south tower and filed a sexual harassment compliant with both human resources and risk management, however no one from either department is doing anything about it. Based off of what I saw yesterday, I don't think anyone from human resources or risk management will do anything, because Karen seems to be best friends with Allen Torres, the head of risk management. It doesn't matter because Karen is walking around this hospital on borrowed time. As much as I would love to say that that time is almost up, unfortunately it's not, and Karen can thank her extended stay to Dr. Julia Canner.

Dr. Julia Canner, according to an Arizona Robbins not so illegal background check…does not exist. When I search her name, I get nothing. Social Security Number…nothing. Doctor National Provider Identifier Number…nothing. I've never seen her drive a car so I don't have a license plate number to go off of. Since she's not actually employed here at the hospital, she has no information stored in any human resource file, but that's not the part that throws me for a loop. When I hacked into Seattle Presbyterian Hospital, she wasn't in any of their human resource files, and she has worked there for over eight years before she quit after Mark dumped her for Lexie.

My gut and the Passenger are telling me that Julia is the Road Truck Killer, but Tim and Nick are telling me to prove it, and I can't. And I'm starting to stress out because I have a feeling that the clock is working against me, and I'm searching for answers on borrowed time. The only piece of the puzzle Nick and I know, is that the victims are either friends or ex-lovers of Mark Sloan. However not all of Mark's friends and ex-lovers have been murdered, some have been spared, and the question I have is why? What qualifies a friend or ex-lover, of Mark Sloan, as a player in this deadly game? Because they way I see it, the list of potential players are Jackson, Derek, Owen, Lexie, Addison, Teddy, and…Callie. Until I know what truly qualifies a person, anyone of those people could go missing at any time.

Nick… I hear a voice say from behind me.

"Yeah, it's my only option now." I say to the Passenger.

Nick is the only person I know who can find Julia Canner and find out what she's hiding. I'm too stressed to look for my next piece of chocolate, and just grab one randomly. It's Salted Caramel, one of my favorites, which only frustrates me more because I didn't get the chance to enjoy it. With my feet still on table, I lightly toss the box of chocolates and the chocolate chart on Callie's desk before I reach into my lab coat and grab my phone. I'm about to unlock it when Callie's door comes flying open, and just as quickly, it's closed.

When Callie's door slams shut, she turns so her back is leaning up against the door. She tilts her head until it meets the door with loud thud. Callie closes her eyes and lets out a frustrating sigh. "Fuck," she whispers to herself. "I swear to God if Arizona doesn't kill that bitch then I will."

I feel a small smile creep onto my face, because that has been a fantasy of mine since Callie and I first got together. I think it would incredibly hot to watch her kill someone in cold blood.

With all my will power I reframe from saying anything or making any noise until my feet are off Callie's desk. The list of pet peeves that Callie has, coming in at number two, is feet on her tables and desks. She's always hated when I did it before the kids, but her hate for the habit has picked up lately because our tiny humans are starting to mimic Mommy. Whenever they get the chance they put their tiny feet on Callie's coffee table or on their desks in their room.

After I plant my feet firmly on the ground, I quietly get up from her chair and say, "can I watch?"

Callie lifts her head off the door as she opens her eyes and looks over in my direction. She lets out a chuckle and smiles to herself before she says, "no, I wasn't being serious Arizona."

"Okay," I say a little disappointed. "Just remember if you change your mind, I've always got your back and your secret will be safe with me."

Callie just gives me a smile before she pushes herself off the door, "I'll remember that, but me killing someone is something that will always remain in your dreams."

"I know," I whisper back before I give her a smile.

"What are doing here?" Callie questions as she starts to walk over towards me.

"I came to surprise you." I say, as my smile grows wider.

Callie's only response is an eyebrow raise.

"Surprise," I say, complete with hand movements and a cheesy grin.

Callie just laughs as she continues to slowly walk over towards me.

"I'm an idiot, I know." I say with a head nod.

When Callie makes it to her desk, she looks down and spots the half eaten box of chocolate. Callie keeps staring at the box as she rounds to the corner of her desk to face me. When Callie is in front of me, she breaks eye contact with the box of chocolate and looks at me. "That's-"

"Not your surprise," I cut her off. "Cut me a little bit of slack, Cal. You know I would never eat chocolate I bought you behind your back. I'd do it in front of your face." Callie lets out a chuckle before nodding her head agreeing with me. "And two, I know how much you hate Godiva chocolate, and I would never buy you that brand even if they were the last chocolate brand on earth."

"Okay, well if that's not my surprise, then what is?" Callie questions.

"Well, the surprise starts when we get home." I start. "I figured we could both change into something comfortable. I plan on going with my 'go to' lounge clothes, my dark blue John Hopkins sweatpants and my white long sleeved Seattle Grace Mercy West shirt. As much as I would like for you to go to your 'the kids aren't home' lounge outfit that leaves nothing to the imagination, I'm going to request that you don't show too much skin when we first get home."

Callie purses her lips together before crossing her arms.

"Don't get me wrong, I love all of this," I say as I jester down her body, "especially when it's naked in front me, but if I'm going to cook our dinner properly, I can't have any distractions."

Callie's eyes, which were staring intently at my chest, snap up and she gives me a look of surprise.

"Yes you heard correctly, I'm making you dinner." I say with a smile.

"Your favorite, filet mignon with garlic and herb roasted purple potatoes and asparagus." I take a step closer towards Callie. "I think that 2005 Pine Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon we got on our little romantic getaway last month would go nicely with that meal."

"It sounds delicious, and I do love your wine pairing, but there is one problem. The kids hate asparagus."

I just give Callie a shrug and nod my head in agreement. It's like pulling teeth to get them to eat asparagus. They will eat broccoli, cauliflower and even Brussels sprouts, but they will not touch asparagus for the life of them. "I'm not making the kids dinner, I'm making you dinner."

"Well what will the kids eat?" Callie asks.

"That's Meredith and Derek's problem for night." I say.

Callie's quiet for a moment. "Are they watching Madison?"

"Nope, Holly from the daycare center downstairs is willing to watch her if I pay her overtime."

"If Holly is watching Madison, where will Teddy and Addison be all night?" Callie questions.

"Here, they have nightshift." I say with a grin as I take another step closer to Callie.

"Mark and Lexie? You know how they like to come over every now and then to play with kids and say hi."

I let out a small chuckle. "I swear if they ruin sexy time with my wife tonight, I will kill them both."

My response earns me an eyebrow raise. "Sexy time?" I can hear the small twinge of excitement in her voice when she questions me some more.

This time I don't answer her verbally, instead, I answer her physically with a head nod. "It's been awhile," I finally say.

"Um-Hm," Callie says as she bites her lower lip, immediately grabbing my attention.

"You know," Callie starts as she unfolds her arms and reaches up to grab the lab coat lapels on either side me, "you might have to refresh my memory of what you can do to me in bed…because of how long it's been."

"Like a preview?" My eyes finally leave her lips as I try to look her in the eye.

Callie's eyes are roaming my body freely, and lingering in some of their favorite spots. When her brown eyes finally meet my blue ones, the answer to my question is revealed.

Again, my answer is given physically instead of verbally.

Our bodies mutually close the gap between us as our lips come crashing into each other. The second our lips touched, Callie's tongue wastes no time as it comes barging into my mouth.

While our tongues battle for dominance, Callie takes two steps back towards her desk and I take two steps forward, following her. When she makes it to her desk, Callie scoots up to sit on it. In the process, her right hand manages to knock down all of her paper charts, medical records and morgue release forms to ground with paper spilling all over floor, mixing together. Her left hand pushes the half eaten box of chocolates to the other side of her desk.

While Callie situates herself on her desk, I quickly remove my lab coat and toss it to the side, the sound of paper and fabric meeting as it lands somewhere on the floor.

I let Callie's tongue win the battle as I rip my mouth away from hers. I place sloppy wet kisses on her chin and neck over her Adam's apple. As I kiss my way down, Callie's eyes roll to the back of her head and she tilts her head back. Her left hand is gripping the edge of the desk while her right hand digs itself in the middle of my back. Callie is wearing a v-neck scrub top with no undershirt and I manage to get one good nip and kiss on the exposed skin right above the 'v' when we hear a loud cough come from the doorway.

Callie forgot to lock the door. We used to be so good at locking doors, what happened?

Callie's left hand slides around my torso and rests itself momentarily on my stomach before gently pushing me away from her. After about two steps back, Callie slides off her desk. She turns around to face the door on my left.

Callie lets out a sigh before giving Dr. Fowler a small smile. I, on the other hand, do nothing to hide the annoyance in face while I look at every surface in front me to avoid eye contact with Dr. Fowler.

"It looks like I interrupted you two. I'll just come back later." Karen says with a small smirk when she sees the irritation on my face.

"What's the point in coming back," I bark at Karen. "You've already ruined the mood, so say whatever you need to say and then get the fuck out of my wife's department."

"How dare you talk to me like that?" Karen barks back. "You need to learn some manners, Dr. Robbins."

"Yeah, I'm not the only one. It's called knocking."

"It's habit; there are no doors in psychiatry, so I'm just used to walking into a room." Karen says more lovingly as she looks over towards Callie.

"Yeah, well this isn't psychiatry so you can leave." I say more with a hiss.

"And last time I checked pediatrics is in a whole other building." Dr. Fowler pauses for a moment as a sly grin comes back across her face. "You would have a lot of time on your hands, Dr. Robbins. I mean, after being demoted last week."

My response to her low blow is silence. I don't say anything to her as I just stare, and even though her words are not true about my demotion, something inside of me just snaps. My body becomes perfectly still as my arms hang loosely down my body. Face loses emotion as it becomes cold and blank. My dark ocean blue eyes that are filled with fake happiness and joy start to turn an icy grey as they begin to lose life. The man made personality that is Arizona Robbins quickly and quietly vacates her time-shared seat. 70 percent of the time, manmade Arizona Robbins gets to sit in the golden, driver's seat while 30 percent of the time, the Passenger gets to sit in it.

Man-made Arizona takes cover in one of the many shadowy areas of my brain. The Passenger, who jumps at any chance he can to get extra time in the golden seat, remains in his favorite shadow towards the back of my brain.

In my mind, and my mind alone, I hear a deep growl and what sounds like a cage rattling as a real monster makes himself known to the world. A monster that is crueler, more unforgiving and more barbaric, and before Callie's arrival into my life, he had the luxury of sitting in the golden seat 10 percent of the time. But because of Callie, this monster has been forced to live out the rest of his days in a cage, forever locked and hidden away from the world.

The more that seat remains vacated, the more he start stir. Flexing his wings, pounding the bars while screaming and yelling for his release. With each passing second he becomes louder, stronger, and more uncontrollable.

I can feel it happening. The constant pounding and flexing cause the foundation of his cage to crack. The more he beats on his cage, the more it cracks and soon I start to feel my body become consumed with the feeling of it. That bloodthirsty, homicidal feeling that only he can make me crave. The smallest hint of a smile glides across my face when he sees how weak his cage is becoming. However all actions come swiftly to a stop just seconds away from freedom.

A hand slides across my torso, stopping right in the middle of my stomach. I feel a slight pressure on the left side of my body and not too soon after my senses become flood with smell of lavender and vanilla body wash. A warm breath that smells like peppermint brushes past my neck. This action causes the Monster, the Passenger, and man-made Arizona to enter a hypnotic trance, a trance that Callie and Callie alone can induce.

My body language remains the same as she whispers something in my ear. When she sees that I'm still unresponsive, her hand leaves my stomach to grab my chin and she forces me look at her. The second we make eye contact is when she knows what is going on in my mind. My look, my signature "I'm literally going to murder you where you stand" look that once scared Callie now has no effect on her.

For a few seconds, Callie doesn't say anything to me; she just stares into my eyes, searching. She searches through my deeper and darker shadows, looking for him. It takes no more than ten seconds before Callie finds him. She remains quiet as she ignores me, just staring at him. The always vocal, confident, and violent monster that lingers in the back of my mind does nothing but curl up into a ball in the small corner of his cage, completely terrified of the woman standing before him.

"She's not worth it," Callie whispers. "Me and your tiny humans are and will always be worth more than anybody you come across. Don't you ever forget that." Callie starts another round of silence as she just stares at him. Letting him know that she is and always will be the warden: the key to his cage will forever be in her hands.

When he finally backs down is when I feel the life slowly start to come back to me. Callie lets go of my chin and turns to face Dr. Fowler who is completely frozen in fear. Man-made Arizona peeks out of the shadows and slowly approaches the golden seat, which belongs to her most of the time when I'm at the hospital.

"My wife and I were in the middle of an intimate…conversation, Dr. Fowler." Callie starts. "Unless you need a medical consult, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Without taking her eyes off me Karen says, "I just wanted to make you got my surprise before I went back downstairs." She takes a moment to glance around. "I see you've been enjoying the chocolate, but what about my flowers?"

"I threw them in the trash," I say once I manage to get my voice back. "And I'm the one who has been enjoying your chocolate. You're welcome, by the way."

Karen crosses her arms before raising a brow at me.

"Callie hates Godiva Chocolate. If she would've found the chocolate first, they would've gone immediately in the trash and all that money you spent on terrible chocolate would have gone to waste."

"Well if you don't like Godiva, what is your favorite chocolate?" Karen asks as she finally finds the courage to look away from me.

"It's none of your God damn business." I reply back.

Karen grins to herself as she looks down at her watch while shaking her head. "Congratulations Dr. Robbins, you've won this pissing contest but only by default. Because unlike you, Robbins, my services are still wanted at this hospital." Karen doesn't give me the time to respond as she quickly leaves Callie's office to go downstairs for her next appointment.

Once Karen is gone, Callie quickly makes her way over to the door. Once she gets there she not only closes it, she locks it as well.

"I should leave, too." I whisper as I quickly walk over towards Callie's door.

"Arizona," Callie whispers trying to grab my arm.

"Don't," I somewhat yell at as I side step out of her reach. "Please don't touch me." I say refusing to make eye contact with her.

Callie puts her hands down as she takes a small step back. "I know you think I'm upset with you, but I'm not." Callie lowers her head trying to look me in the eyes.

I turn my head away from her, still preventing her from looking at me.

"Arizona," Callie say attempting once again to reach me.

"No!" yell louder as I step out of her reach. "Let me leave," I say as I keep my eyes glued to the ground.

Through my perpetual vision I see Callie give me a head nod before she says, "Fine. Leave if you really want to."

I choose to ignore Callie's subliminal threat and leave her office and keep my head down as I quickly walk back to mine. Pediatrics and orthopedics are in different buildings on different floors, so it takes me fifteen minutes to get back to pediatrics. When I get through the sliding glass door of the peds main entrance, I lift my head for the first time since leaving Callie's office. After Owen demoted me and promoted Alex two week ago, I've had no new surgeries, no new patients and no new paperwork making it easy to get to my office without interruptions.

When I enter my office, I close the door as relief rushes through my body. However, my relief quickly goes away and is replaced with confusion as my eyes gravitate towards my couch to see my wife sitting there. I open my mouth to say something, but Callie cuts me off.

"You're upset." Callie states the obvious. "When you're upset at work you like to take long walks or people watch. When you left my office you refused to look up so I knew you were going take the long way back to your office."

Callie stands up and slowly starts to walk towards me. "I'm really not mad at you about what happened in my office fifteen minutes ago, Arizona."

"I'm not upset because I care about your feelings, Callie." I hiss at her. "I'm upset because this hospital is letting that bitch still practice here when they know that she's sexually harassing you, and I'm upset at myself for allowing her to still be alive."

Callie doesn't say anything as she grabs my arm and leads me over towards the couch.

"And now she ruined my romantic evening I had planned with you because the only way I'll get over it, is when she is dead." I say as I plop down on the couch next to Callie.

I lean forward as I place my elbows on my knees and rest my face in my hands. Callie scoots closer to me and her left hand starts to rub my lower back. "Actually, if it weren't for Dr. Fowler, I would've been the one that ruined your surprise romantic evening."

"How so?" I question as I turn by head to look back at Callie.

"Well, Owen and Cristina are fighting about kids…shocker I know." Callie pauses to let out a chuckle, and I feel a small smile tug at the corner of my lips. "Lately Owen has been volunteering at the Wounded Warrior Project on Alaskan Way to help keep his mind off Cristina and as for an excuse to get out of the house. Apparently for the past two months, Owen has been talking nonstop about the brain-mapping project that Derek and I have been working on the past two years. Well, two weeks ago, Owen mentioned that Derek and I were about to go into phase three, which is live testing on human subjects. Every veteran that goes to the building for Wounded Warrior wants to participate in phase three. This morning when I saw Owen in the ER, he told me that through bragging, word of mouth and the Wounded Warrior blog website, about 25 people flew to Seattle so they could be a part of our pre-screening physical."

"Sounds like you'll have your hands full after work for the next few months."

Callie gives me a weak loving smile before she nods her head. "I wish I would've know about this evening earlier. I would have pushed back the date of our screening until tomorrow because tonight sounded amazing."

Before I get the chance to reply, Callie and I hear muffled yelling that gets louder as it comes down the hallway towards my office. I'm about to get up and see what is going on when my office door flies open.

Alex comes storming into the office with Addison and Jo hot on his trail. Alex does one quick scan of the room, he turns to face me when he sees that I'm sitting on my couch with Callie.

"Dude, what the fuck!" Alex yells as he stares me down completely ignoring my wife. "Did you quit and not tell me, because if you did I want to know where you're going because I want to work there. You're the boss, I'm not cut out for this shit."

"I want to know too, because I refuse to work under this incompetent asshole." Addison adds.

The room becomes quiet and tense as Addison and Alex stare each other down.

"Dr. Robbins," Jo says breaking the silence. "I'm only a second year fellow in neonatal surgery and I still have my pediatric surgery fellowship here at the hospital after this."

"What's your point, Wilson?" Callie questions from behind me.

"Well I want to know if I did something to upset you." Jo asks.

"No, you haven't upset me." I say to Jo with a slight headshake.

"Then why are you sending me to Tampa Florida for the Pediatric Surgical Grand Rounds Conference?"

"Seriously?!" Addison and Alex say in unison, breaking eye contact to look over at Jo.

"I'm a fellow," Jo repeats as she looks over towards Addison and Alex. "No fellow in any specialty has ever spoken at any Ground Round Conference. Yang was a first year attending before she gave her first presentation."

"Nobody cares about your 'smart people' problems," Addison says before gives me her attention. "Do you know how many patients I have currently in the NICU?"

"Three," I say which catches both Addison and Alex off guard.

"For some fucked up reason she's not the head of the department and she still knows more than you." Addison says as she briefly looks over towards Alex.

"So what she knows about your critical patients, and I don't. They're your patients not mine, why should I care?" Alex snaps back.

"Addison currently has twelve patients; she did have three patients in the NICU but she lost one this morning. You, Alex have fourteen patients and one of those patients is in the PICU. Lastly, Jo has three patients, all of which are in the NICU." I say to Alex. "Name the doctor in this department and I can tell how many patients they have, the patient's name, and what they were brought in for."

Alex's face becomes tense and he gulps loudly.

"Addison is probably jumping down your throat because she has always hated the fact that the NICU and the PICU are on the ninth floor in west tower, while we are located on the sixth floor in the east tower. According to the email that she sent to both of us, it takes approximately ten minutes to get to the ninth floor from our department when you sprint and take short cuts. Addison also has a problem with the nursing staff in the NICU and PICU because they are not properly trained. All they know how to do is push the code blue button and hope that one of the pediatric doctors gets there before the baby dies." I state calmly.

"I spoke with Owen yesterday, and he said don't worry about it." Alex states towards.

"Don't worry about it?" Addison questions fiercely. "One of my fucking patients died because neither Jo nor I could get to the NICU in time, and the when we did get there the nurses were doing nothing but picking their asses!"

"Owen won't give me the time of day about this problem!" Alex states as his voice becomes irritable. "You're the one who has problem with the location of the NICU and PICU, how about you be an adult for a change and fight your own fucking battles instead of recruiting others to do it for you."

"You're the head of the fucking department! You're supposed to fight these battles for me!" Addison shouts at Alex.

"Will you two calm it down?" I say breaking up their heated argument.

Both Alex and Addison become quiet as they continue to stare each other down. "The main reason why Owen isn't giving you the time of day, Alex, is because I have been fighting with him and spoke about this problem for the past three months."

"Did you win?" Addison asks pulling her furious blue eyes away from Alex to look at me.

"I did," I say with smile. "As of this 8 o'clock this morning, I got an email from Owen stating that the pediatrics department will be moving into the north tower after it has been fully renovated. The first floor will be dedicated to women's health, the second and third floor will be dedicated to labor and delivery, and there will be five sterile rooms for c-sections on the third. The fourth floor will be dedicated to the nursery and the NICU, the fifth and sixth floor will be dedicated to pediatrics, and lastly the seventh floor will be dedicated to the PICU. As for the eighth, ninth and tenth floor, that will be going to cardio, and I don't care what cardio does with their three floors because that's not my department. According to Carl from biomed, they only have one thing left to do, which is install and test the code blue system. Once the code blue system has been installed and has passed the hospitals test, then we can start moving our patients to our new building."

"How long will that take?" Addison asks.

"It should take them six months to get everything up and running." I start, "I know six months is a long time, so for a quick fix for our PICU and NICU situation, I hired twenty temporary pediatric and neonatal nurses to work only in our NICU and PICU so a problem like this one doesn't occur again. And before I forget, don't fall in love with of the temporary nurses because I made a lot of enemies while I fought for our new seven floors."

"Thank you, Boss." Addison says to me. Addison gives one last glare over towards Alex before she leaves my office.

One down, two more to go…

"Jo, you are an amazing doctor. You're extremely talented and you're only a fellow. That is why I'm sending you to Tampa. The cases that you've solved and the surgeries that you've done can rival anyone one of the seasoned vets you'll meet in Tampa next week. You have three years total left in your fellowships here. I know it seems like it is a long way away, but believe me when I say it will be over in a blink of an eye. A lot of hospitals have been asking about you, if you're staying or leaving, so think of Tampa as a way of networking if you do choose to leave. I really do want you to stay , I'm not going to force you. I'm also using you to show the pediatric world that John Hopkins is no longer the only pediatric powerhouse this country has to offer. Plus, fetal surgeon Nicole Herman will be there. If she sees the type of fellow we produce, maybe she will sign a five year contract with me instead of with David at John Hopkins."

Jo just gives me a slight head nod. "I won't let you down, Dr. Robbins."

"Better not," I reply back with a smile.

"Right," Jo says under her breath. "Well I'll be in the medical library if you need me." Jo says with a smile as she leaves my office.

Two down…

With a small sigh, I turn my head to face Callie who is just leaning back against my couch, her left hand rubbing the small of my back. "Cal," I say with a soft smile. "I need to talk to Alex alone."

Callie returns my soft smile before she stops rubbing my back. She leans forward to give me a kiss on the cheek, but her lips take a slight detour to my ear. "Based off of what I just saw, I know why Owen and the board made you and Alex switch places." Callie whispers before she places a kiss on my cheek.

As Callie gets up off my couch, I just look at her with slight confusion. Clearly she knows something I don't. My eyes stay glued on Callie while I think about her statement. As Callie passes a very anxious Alex, she pats him on the shoulder giving him a silent 'good luck' look.

I'm pulled out of my reverie when I hear my office door close. I go from looking at the door to looking at a completely petrified Alex. He is staring straight ahead, with his breathing becoming heavier with each passing second. His eyes are wide, and there is nothing but pure terror on his face.

"Dude?" I question.

A small wave of relief washes over Alex's face. He closes his eyes and lets out a slow breath. When he reopens his eyes, I can still see a small amount of terror written on his face. Alex knows he's still in trouble, but it's not as bad as he thought it was going to be.

"Dude?" I repeat.

"I'm sorry, boss." Alex says to me. "When Owen said that I was going to be in charge of the pediatrics department for the next few weeks, I honestly thought it was going to be easy because you make it look it easy." Alex pauses to stuff his hands in his lab coat pockets.

Alex looks at his feet for a second before he looks back up at me. "I never realized how much behind the scenes drama there was in the department. Nurses sleeping with their patient's parents, residents stealing drugs out of the Pyxis machines, angry parents jumping on you because of something another doctor did in this department, and I can't forget Addison and her intensive care problem. And the paperwork…everything has to be so detailed and it has to be done within two seconds or Owen and the board will be down your throat. This too much, I never asked if this. You can be the boss forever as far as I'm concerned."

I lean back on the couch before I give Alex and slight head nod. "Like it or not, dude, this place is going to be yours because I don't want any other doctor beside you to run this place when I'm gone."

Alex's eyebrows come together in confusion.

"No, I'm not leaving anytime soon." I say answering the question I know is in Alex's mind. "Callie and I love it here at Seattle Grace. This is the place where we are going to work until we retire. There is nothing any hospital can say or do that will get us to leave."

Even though Alex is starting to relax a little bit, I can still see a little confusion written on his face.

"The reason why I'm not that upset about Owen putting you in the hot seat is because I am a maker of the tiny humans. I have three tiny humans who are starting to not be so tiny anymore. All three of them have a laundry list of activities they want to do when they finally meet the requirement for extracurricular activities. And after months of talking and arguing with Callie, we both finally agreed that we would let them do whatever activity they wanted to do. Yes, we want to be the greatest surgeons in our field, but we want to be the best parents to our tiny humans. Sofia has picked up a small interest in basketball, among other things, and her interest in the sport seems to grow every day. Jackie likes to sing and dance every chance she gets, and Will's face lights up every time he sees a football. Jackie starts her first dance class next week, Sofia has to wait until next November before she can play basketball, and Will has another two years before he can play pee wee football. My evening disappearances will start off slow, but as the years go on I won't be here as late as I used to. Callie and I will be sitting front and center for every game and dance recital our tiny humans have. We refuse to be those doctors who use their lunch breaks to pick up their kids from school only to bring them back here to the hospital's daycare so we can go back to doing surgery after surgery." I pause when I see Alex start to shake his head.

"I know where your speech is going and I'm going to stop you, because I'm not qualified for this, boss. I can name about ten other doctors in this department who have not only been a doctor longer than me, but they have more field and administration experience than me." Alex says.

It's my turn to shake my head. "You need to give yourself more credit, Karev. You prove to me every day that you're just as qualified, if not more qualified, than the other doctors in this department. This is my department…my child, Alex. I see and know everything. I know all of the patients on this floor, I know what they have been admitted for and I know who their doctors and nurses are. I know that you have more patients than hospital policy allows."

"You're always giving me new patients," Alex says.

"I know," is my only reply.

"If you know that I'm breaking hospital rules, then why are you giving me more patients?" Alex questions.

"Because I'm challenging you. I want to see how far I can push you before you finally break."

Alex doesn't say anything as he looks at me with confusion.

"Do you really think this department cares about Owen and his stupid patient policy?" I question.

Alex just shakes his head.

"This department may be successful, but I can tell you from firsthand experience that it will fight you and challenge you every step of the way. And if you don't fight back or accept the challenges it gives you, this department will fail. Out of all the other doctors on this floor, you have been the only one to fight back. When a challenge gets thrown at you, you accept it with open arms. When you walk through those sliding glass doors every morning, I see the fire and determination in your eyes. You want this place to grow and be successful, and you see the potential this place has to offer. That's why I give you the hard cases, that's why I've always favored you as a resident and as a fellow, and that's also why I pick and beat on you more than any other doctor on this floor. I knew since the first day I met you that you would be the next chief of pediatrics. I believe you can handle this job when I'm gone, and if you need more motivation, just know I will kill you if you let my department fail."

Alex gives me a smile, nodding. He's quiet while I watch the gears turn in his head. Alex is smart, he knew this conversation was coming, but he wasn't expecting it so soon.

I let the silence continue for another minute before I speak again. "It's a good thing that Morgan is covering the ER and you have no more surgeries for the day, because you and I have a lot of work to do. First up, Dr. Eric Poff and my Pyxis machine in the nursery."

"You know?" Alex says with a puzzled face. His bewilderment only lasts a few seconds, as he quickly remembers the beginning of my speech. "You know and see all."

I wait until Alex and I make eye contact before speaking again. "What should we do?"

Alex thinks about the situation for a few minutes before he finally answers me. "To be honest with you boss, I have no idea. Usually, I would just tell you that Dr. Poff is stealing hydrocodone from Pyxis machine in the nursery and then you always take care of it."

"What would you do if you were in my shoes?"

Alex thinks for a few seconds, "Call him in to the office and give him a warning."

"I already did that," I reply quickly.

After I speak, the room becomes silent. The answer to this problem is written clearly across Alex's face, however his body language is a whole other story. His body becomes rigid and his face starts to stiffen. The inner dialog in Alex's head is something fierce, and without a doubt, I know what it's about.

"Don't," I say breaking the silence.

The argument in Alex's mind stops when he looks at me.

"You need to stop looking at this like you're his friend, because right now you're not. Right now, you're his boss."

"See, that is another reason why I can't be the next head of pediatrics, boss." Alex says.

I don't say anything as I give Alex and blank stare.

"I'm friends with half of the doctors and nurses on this floor. None of them will respect me if I become the next department head. They will just use me so they can get away with stuff."

"Respect is earned, Alex, not given. Just because you're the boss doesn't mean you can't be friends with the other doctors and nurses on this floor. At the end of the day, it is up to you to draw that line on how they should be acting when they are working. And it is always up to you to punish them if they do wrong, regardless if you hang out with them after your shift. Everyone, including your friends, should know that from 7 am to 7 pm: you are Dr. Alex Karev. After that? You are Alex or whatever nickname you have when you're with them." I pause for moment to let this information sink in.

A full sixty seconds had passed before I speak I again. "So, Dr. Karev what are you going to do about Dr. Eric Poff stealing drugs out of the Pyxis machine in the nursery?"

Alex doesn't say anything to me as he reaches down into his lab coat pocket. As he pulls out his Vocera, I can see same guilt start to build up in his eyes. Eric had a lot of potential and it pains Alex to know that the young doctor has thrown it all away.

It takes Owen no more than twenty seconds to answer his Vocera. Alex briefly explains to Owen that one of the pediatric residents is stealing drugs from one of the Pyxis machines in the department. After listening to Alex talk for about five minutes, Owen tells Alex that he wants him and myself downstairs in the emergency room. Before he closes the call, he tells us that he will be in F-pod.

Alex and I are quiet as we make our way downstairs to the emergency room. F-pod is located in the back of it and isn't really used for seeing patients. It's mainly used as offices for the case managers in the emergency department.

The second we step into F-pod, we see Owen in the first office to our left. Alex steps in first with me closely behind. After I enter the office, I close the door and take a seat next to Alex right across from Owen. When I sit down, Owen makes Alex explain in grave detail about Eric and Pyxis machine in the nursery. After Alex's detailed explanation about Eric and the Pyxis machine, Owen looks over to me to confirm if this is true.

After I confirm that Eric has been stealing drugs, Owen wastes no time in getting the ball rolling on Eric's dismissal from the hospital. To make a long story short, Eric is called into Owen's temporary office and placed immediately on suspension until a formal investigation is done. Owen goes up one floor to meet with Jesse, the head of the security department and the two of them spend the rest of the afternoon looking at surveillance footage around the Pyxis machine that Eric was stealing from.

Alex and I go back to my office and show him how to properly fill out the occurrence reports for an employee stealing drugs. Since this is a serious matter, the report has to be extremely detailed.

Our report writing lasts until 5 pm, the end of my shift, while Alex still has another two hours left. When we exit my office, Alex walks towards the right as he goes down to human resources with the last of our paperwork for Eric, while I head for the attendees' lounge.

I get half way to the lounge when I feel my phone vibrate in back pocket. In a fluid motion, I grab my phone out of my back pocket and glance at the screen to see who's calling. I hit accept immediately when I see that the caller is Callie.

"Hey you," I say with a slight chirp in my voice.

The line is somewhat quiet for about ten seconds. Through the phone I feel Callie's cheeks as they become flush, and I hear the smile spread across her face. It's amazing how those two simple words, which I've used continuously over the past ten years, have the same effect on her now just like the first time I used them around her.

"Hey," Callie says after she gets her bearings straight again. "I have good news and I have bad news." Callie says after another short pause.

"Ok," I trail off.

"Meredith has agreed to watch the kids tonight since everyone is going to be busy this evening." Callie pauses to the take a breath.

Good news.

"As a repayment for watching five kids tonight on her own, she has requested that you and I take her and Derek out to dinner…At Canlis." Callie says.

Bad news.

"CANLIS!?" I yell into phone. "Canlis, in North Seattle on Aurora Ave?"

"Yeah?" Callie says shyly into the phone.

"Fuck. That." I yell into phone, momentarily forgetting my public setting. I quicken my pace and try to avoid eye contact because my foul language is getting me some pretty dirty looks.

"No," I say with a lower voice. "That place is expensive. The minimum cost at that restaurant is $210 per person. I'm not paying $840 for a babysitter, and the last time I checked, you cancelled our romantic evening so I'm not going be busy this evening. After I take shower, I'm picking up our tiny humans from school and then I'm taking them home were we will eat pizza and watch cartoons for the rest of the evening."

"Are you sure you're not going to busy this evening? Because this afternoon you were quite upset that you couldn't work on your project sooner."

"Callie, what are you talking about?" I say with a little frustration. "This afternoon I was talking about Dr…" Callie's subliminal message hits me like a freight train, causing me to instantly close my mouth and stop walking. Callie is handing me Dr. Fowler on a sliver platter. Callie's approval to actually go out and kill someone is rare, and should not be wasted…like ever.

"I love you," I say when I finally regain the ability to walk and talk again.

"I know," Callie hums into the phone.

"So since this is like a last minute…"

"Your curfew is still one in the morning." Callie cuts off flatly.

"Okay," I say quickly not pushing the subject anymore. "You know me, I had to try."

"Mmm" Callie purrs into the phone knowingly. "Do I need to rethink my decision about spending $840 on Meredith and Derek?"

"No," I stutter into the phone. "I have never broken any of rules over the past four years, and I don't plan on starting right now. I love you and our tiny humans too much to be breaking any of your rules."

The line goes somewhat silent after I speak. All I can hear is Callie's calm and even breathing, and even though I can't see it, I feel her raise a sculpted eyebrow.

"For tonight only, you can stay out until two in the morning." Callie finally says.

YES!

"Curfew extended until 2 o'clock for this one night. Thank you, Calliope."

"You're welcome," Callie says with a small amount of amusement.

"Well I don't want to ruin the moment, so I'm going to hang up phone now. Good luck tonight with your screening and I love you."

"Thanks, I love you too." Callie says before we both hang up on each other.

I feel a smile creep on my face the closer I get to the attending lounge, and I also find that I have a little extra pep in my step…

Dr. Fowler, the Passenger will see you now.

Finally, after about another two minutes of walking, I make it to the lounge. When I hear the door close behind me, I take a moment to close my eyes and take a deep breath. At that moment, I can feel my Passenger as he flexes his wings in anticipation. When I finally open my eyes and being to move over towards my locker, I can feel both the Passenger and I smiling because in a few short hours, Dr. Karen Fowler will be ours.

Once I make it to my locker, I grab my toiletries' bag, a towel, my flip flops and my street clothes before I walk into the women's bathroom. When I get inside the bathroom, I walk straight ahead down the aisle of showers. I stop when I make it to the very end of the aisle. I'm a creature of habit, so every time I take a shower at the hospital, I use the very last shower on the left hand side.

I set my clothes on the wooden bench before disrobing and stepping into the shower. When ice cold water hits my body, I suddenly remember that it take 5 complete minutes for the water here at the hospital to get lukewarm. However, the thought of Dr. Fowler neatly taped to my table helps push aside the pain that is coming from my coldness.

The ice cold water, mixed with my excitement about my fun evening, is the perfect combination to make me rush through my shower. I quickly dry myself off before putting on my street clothes. On my way out of the women's bathroom I toss my dirty scrubs and my dirty towel into the hospital's laundry bin with other dirty towels and scrubs from other doctors throughout the day. I head to my locker to finish getting ready and put on my shoes.

Now that I'm fully dressed and have all the important things in my shoulder bag, I take the stairs down one flight to the ground floor of the east building. I take the north exit, which puts me outside in the physicians' parking lot. In typical Seattle fashion, there is slight overcast with the late afternoon sun trying to trickle its light though the clouds. The air that surrounds me is electrifying, slowly building up inside me as I walk to my car. That feeling of want and need quickly builds up inside of me begging for its release that absolutely must come, and soon.

Usually when an evening of fun arrives, I'm excited and eager, which means my drive to Brightwater is on the fast side, but not today. Today, my drive is slow and calculated while I think about Dr. Fowler. Even though Dr. Fowler isn't a pedophile or more than the average criminal, in my eyes she doesn't deserve a quick painless death. No, her death needs to be long and drawn out. As I drive to pick up my tiny humans, a list of ideas starts to formulate in my mind, each one getting more grotesque than the last.

The usual ten minute drive to Brightwater takes me about 15 minutes in my calm and calculated state. When I get to Brightwater, I park in my usual spot and get out of my car, causally walking inside through the front doors of the school. Currently the kids are split up into the three different groups. There are kids outside playing, there are kids inside playing, and there are kids coloring and doing homework.

I walk down the long hallway until I make to the gymnasium on my left. When I enter the gym I see a small group of the kids playing inside, none of them are my tiny humans. I take a quick glance over towards the door that leads outside to see their jackets and snow boots in three different cubbies next to each other.

"Sofia, William, Jacqueline, your mother is here." A voice says from behind me. Since my kids aren't playing inside or outside, I look over to my right to see the three of them sitting at a table packing up their homework. Meredith is just as strict as Callie when it comes to homework. They know they will not be able to play with Bailey and Zola until their homework is completed.

William and Jack hand me their homework before they give me a hug. After, the two of them run over to their cubby to put on their jackets and snow boots. Sofia, however, stops right in front of me and just stares up in awe.

"Shadow Guy," she whispers.

The Passenger lets out a chuckle when Sofia acknowledges his presence, while I give her a small smile with a head nod.

"It's time to go Sofia", I say as I hold my hand to take her homework.

Sofia nods her head and tentatively puts her homework in my hand before she takes off running to join her little brother and sister. As she runs towards her cubby she glances back at me a few times, almost tripping over herself in the process.

It takes my tiny humans five minutes to get all of their things, and once they are ready to go, the four us start to walk out to the car. The twins are walking in front me while Sofia walks next to me on my left hand side. When everyone gets into the Tahoe its business like usual; the twins are in the front row talking and joking with each other, while Sofia sits in the back. Usually Sofia stares out the window. However, today she is looking right at me and my 'Shadow Guy'.

Since the kids are antsy and ready to play with Zola and Bailey, I drive at my normal pace and arrive at Meredith's in just about 15 minutes. When I pull up to the driveway, I see Zola and Bailey playing in the front yard with their mother. When the car comes to a complete stop, the twins immediately exit the Tahoe and start to run and play with Bailey. Sofia decides to wait until I turn off the car completely before she comes up to the front row.

"I want to come with you," Sofia says skipping the beginning, middle, and end of our conversation that would lead to this type of comment.

"No," I reply immediately.

As I turn my head to look at her, I can hear Sofia as she lets out a big puff of air. It's no surprise that she is pouting when I complete my turn to look at her.

"Why can't I come?" Sofia questions.

It's mine turn to let out a sigh as I continue to look at Sofia.

"You promised that you'd showed me things," Sofia adds.

I just nod my head and give her a small smile. "I did promise that I would show you stuff, and I will show you stuff this weekend; but not this."

"Why can't you show me this?" Sofia questions.

"This is stuff too advanced for you, and the stuff I'm going to show you is more for you."

"Like beginner stuff?"

"Yes," I say.

"And you promise you'll show me this weekend?" Sofia asks making sure I don't back down on my word.

"Have I ever broken a promise to you?"

"No."

"Then you already know the answer."

Before she can say anything, the back door opens and Zola pops her head inside.

"Sofia, are you going to come out and play or are you in trouble?" Zola says to her best friend.

"Zola!" Meredith calls.

Zola whips her head around to look back at her mother. With slight annoyance in her eyes, she looks directly at Zola and says, "Get your butt over here this instant." Meredith even points at the spot directly in front of her for emphasis.

Without hesitation, Zola takes off running towards her mother. Meredith takes a moment to scold Zola and points over towards Bailey, William and Jackie who are trying to build a snowman. Zola glances over at us before she and Meredith go over and the help the others build a snowman.

When Meredith and Zola join the others, I finally turn my attention back to Sofia. It only takes one glance at Sofia to realize that even though she had a dark moment, she's still a seven year old girl meaning, she has a very short attention span. The anxious look in her eyes lets me know that she's no longer thinking about our mother/daughter monster bonding time this weekend. No, now all she's thinking about is her best friend and playing with her in the snow.

"Yes, you can go play with Zola now." I say as I turn back around to unbuckle my seatbelt.

By the time I'm out the car, Sofia is already by Zola's side. The two of them leave the others to start building their own snowman. When Meredith sees Zola and Sofia in their own world, she leaves Bailey, William and Jackie for a moment to come join my side.

"Hey, Arizona," Meredith says with smile

"Hey, how have you been? I feel like I haven't seen you in awhile."

Meredith just rolls her eyes before she gives me a sigh, "I've been super busy with surgeries this past week. It's personal leave season, 'use it or lost it.'"

I don't say anything as I nod my head in agreement.

"Well, Bailey has four weeks of personal leave which she cashed in altogether starting this week, and I'm the only general surgeon she trusts with her patients."

"So you have all of her patients as well as yours," I state the obvious.

"Thirty plus patients, two kids and one on the way; shoot me now."

"You're pregnant, congratulations!" I say with smiles.

"Thanks, I just found out yesterday." Meredith starts, "so do I need to keep the Wonder Twins apart tonight?" She says quickly changing topics.

After a quick chuckle, I take the hint that she doesn't want to talk about her pregnancy, so I say, "no, Sofia has been begging me to have bonding time with just the two of us. I finally caved and said yes, so naturally she is playing twenty questions with me about what we are doing this weekend."

"That sounds like fun," Meredith says.

"Not as much fun as you're about have tonight." I say with chuckle.

Meredith lets out a chuckle as well, "I'm doing it for the dinner."

I can't help shake my head at her comment. "Homework is done, no ones in trouble, and I'm running late. So, do what you want with them, and thank you again."

"Not a problem. Between you and me, I love watching the five them. It's nice escape from the medical world."

Nothing more is said between us as Meredith goes back to the kids and I go back to my car. After a quick wave goodbye to my tiny humans, I get back into the Tahoe and start my drive to Dr. Fowler's boat. On my way to the Woodmark Hotel and Yacht Club in Kirkland Washington, I make two pit stops. The first stop I make is the house.

The first thing I do is go straight for the back door; without hesitation, Roxie and Hilton run outside, giving me a moment to go upstairs to the master bedroom. When I get inside, I remove my dirty clothes and place them in the dirty clothes hamper before I put my shoulder bag in the master closet and head downstairs. I glance at the back door to see that Roxie and Hilton are still playing, so I take that opportunity to go into the kitchen and make sure the dogs have enough food and water to last them until Callie gets home. When I get done with everything in the kitchen, I hear the dogs whining at the back door and let them back in.

The pit stop at my boat is a little quicker because I only have to worry about myself. When I get into the hull, the first thing I do is change into my traditional kill outfit. After I get changed, I walk to the other end of the hull and enter my supply room to grab one of my duffel bags. Inside I put two rolls of plastic, my knife set, duct tape, fish wire, bleach, several pairs of latex gloves, my bone saw, and several biodegradable trash bags. Once I have all my supplies, I leave my boat and head for my final destination: Dr. Karen Fowler's boat.

The thirty minute drive to the Woodmark Hotel and Yacht Club is a fast one. I park in my usual parking spotin the back corner in the back row. Once I turn off my car, I slide into the back seat and wait. I glance down at my watch to see that it's 7:00 pm on a Tuesday evening. The nightshift security guard, which patrols to the exterior common areas of the hotel, is a young college student named Robert. Rob is not only young, he's new, which works in my advantage. Rob likes to patrol the property three different times during his shift. He patrols at 8pm, midnight, and at 4am. I've studied Rob for the past few nights and have found that it takes exactly two in half hours to complete his security rounds. He takes an hour and a half to walk around the entire outside of the hotel, and it takes him an hour to patrol the dock, because he checks every nook and cranny.

As the Passenger and I wait for 8 o'clock to come around, darkness starts to fall over the Woodmark Hotel and Yacht Club. The darkness tonight, however, is filled with anxiety and fear. It's the kind of darkness that calls out to me, and brings me happiness and joy. It fills me with the uncontrollable need and want of human blood. Yes, the Passenger and I are hungry. In just a few short minutes, I find myself filled to the brim with need. And that need is very strong now, very careful, coiled, creeping, crackly, cocked and ready, very much ready now. But I have to wait and watch.

So for the next hour I wait and watch as my need pokes and prods and teases me. I spend that hour fighting the pressure, the growing need rising in me, like a great wave that comes up and over the beach. But this wave doesn't recede. No, it just swells more and more with each passing second on the clock.

Finally, Robert makes the first move. At 8 o'clock on the dot, he steps out of his cozy little guard shack. He locks it up before he begins his rounds on the exterior perimeter of the building. He spends twenty minutes walking around the south side of building before he walks around to the front of building. When Rob disappears up front is when I leave my car with my trusty duffle bag. Using the darkness, I'm able to get to Dr. Fowler's boat in less than 5 minutes.

When I get to Karen's boat, I enter the hull and go straight to the kitchen. I take a moment to rearrange the kitchen a little bit to my liking before I place my duffel bag under the dining table and take seat at the head of it to face the door that is used to enter the hull. Covered by darkness: I wait, coiled and ready to strike.

Karen comes home every night at 8:30 pm because the woman doesn't have any friends. Tonight is no different. At exactly 8:30 pm, the hull door unlocks and I hear Karen walk in. She doesn't turn on the light in the living room when she walks into the kitchen. She's too heavily engrossed in her mail to realize that she isn't alone. With her head looking down at her mail, she immediately turns her back to me as she continues to open and read it.

So I just watch and wait.

After Karen finishes going through her mail, she lets a sigh as she turns around, gasping when finally realizes that she's not alone.

Not now, not yet.

"Karen," I say in low savory voice.

In that instant, Karen froze neatly and perfectly as if she had practiced. It was like she could hear the laugher from my dark friend standing right behind me.

"You've been causing a lot of internal drama with me lately."

Karen doesn't say anything. She just stares into my empty, dark blue eyes.

"Usually when it comes to murderers like you, I like to hide in the darkness and wait for the perfect time to strike…"

Not now, not yet.

"With the help of this little guy," I say pulling a hypodermic needle out of my pocket. "100cc of etorphine, also known as M99, when administered through the neck of my victims, leave them immobile and unconscious within a couple of seconds." I set the needle on the dining room table in front of me. "Usually my victims stay unconscious for about two hours, giving me enough time to move them and tie them to my table."

Karen takes a deep breath and continues to stand still.

"When they wake up we usually have a long talk about what they've done, and I'm usually nice enough to let them plea for their lives for a few minutes before I finally stab them in the chest. However, you are not my average murderer, and I'm happy to announce that history is going to be made tonight." I slowly get up from my chair.

Not now, not yet.

When I get up, Karen finally finds a small amount of strength to move back towards her kitchen counter.

"You're not going to kill me," Karen says in small, powerless voice.

"Oh, I'm going to kill you." I say with a grin. "I'm going to make you regret every word you've said to my wife, every thought you've had about my wife, and every missed placed finger you've had on my wife. You, Doctor. Karen. Denise. Fowler, have earned a pedophile's death. In just a few short minutes, you will feel every cut, chop, slit and stab I make on your body."

At that moment, Karen finally finds the backbone to fully turn around and reach for her kitchen knife set. When Karen's hands make it to her Wusthof Gourmet 23-piece knife block set, she tries to grab her 8 inch kitchen knife. However, the knife doesn't come out and she tries to take out another.

NOW.

With Karen's back still facing me while she plays with her knife set, I take my fifty-pound fishing line and wrap it perfectly around her neck. Karen makes a small wet sound when I pull tightly. Karen's back collides with me, and her hands leave the kitchen knife set as her hands and fingers scrabble madly at the fishing line.

"Before you got home, I took the liberty of super gluing every knife in its current position." I say before I pull tighter on the fishing line. Karen's face goes dark and her eyes bulge out. After a few more seconds of holding on to the fishing line tightly, Karen's arms slide down her body and she starts to slump forward, fading away. When Karen finally loses consciousness, I loosen my grip on the fishing line.

I have to work quickly and set everything up before Karen can awake and spoil things. I take her downstairs to her secret bedroom where so many unsuspecting mothers and their children met their dark end. When I get Karen downstairs, I quickly go back to the kitchen and grab my duffel bag of toys and tools. Very soon after that, Karen is taped in place on her bed with her clothing cut away and her mouth sealed shut. Around her I have arranged the photos we found her in her secret draw. Right when I finish making everything just right, just the way it has to be, Karen's eyelids start to flutter.

For a moment she lies perfectly still, feeling the warm air on her naked skin and the tight rigid duct tape holding her still. When the shock wears off, her eyes slam shut and she tries the impossible; she tries to break free from her duct tape. When that doesn't work, she tries to breathe and fails.

"Relax," I say as put a gloved hand on her bare chest. "It will be over soon," I tell her. "But not too soon," I add with my cold happiness.

With my fillet knife, it starts slowly. It's not tentative, not out of uncertainty; it starts slowly so it can last. I slowly draw out and relish each well planned, well-rehearsed and often practiced stroke, bringing the doctor to the point of final understanding that nobody, and I mean nobody, messes with my wife. Slowly, I paint her a portrait of what happens when you mess around with my wife, that this was the wrong family to mess with. This will be her last counseling session, right here, right now, tonight. Slowly, carefully, slice by slice and piece by piece, she will pay the price for stepping in the forbidden land that is Calliope. Slowly, Karen will welcome the everlasting darkness that is waiting for her, because it will be the only way to get out of her pain. But not now, not yet, not too soon.

And so I go to work.

Karen is very cooperative. She pitches and hisses and hurls out muffled squeals as she sees that what is happening can never be undone, and it is happening so very thoroughly to make her disappear. After an hour, Karen reaches the place where breath comes slow and very hard for what is left of her and her final light of understanding. I pause to lean over her as I look into her red and swollen eyes. This isn't just about her abuse to Callie, it's also about the other women and children that came before Callie and Sofia. So I rip one corner of the tape on her mouth and it must hurt, but the pain is probably very small compared to the pain that she has been feeling. There is no sound except a slow hiss of air.

"See them," I say as I grab her wet chin and turn her head so she is looking at the pictures. "Do you see what you've done to them?"

She looks at them and sees them. And a tired smile twitches onto her face. "Yes," she says with a faint voice. She is drained of hope now, and every taste of life has faded from her tongue but, there is a small memory that crosses her tongue as she looks at the pictures. "They were…beautiful…" Her eyes never leave the pictures. "Beautiful," she repeats.

"So are you," I say before I push the tape into place over her mouth and go back work. All the anger, unhappiness and tension this woman caused me winds up into a well earned bliss. And with one final stroke of my knife, Karen Fowler is gone. Shot up and out into the welcoming darkness that sounds me.

The doctor is out.

At midnight, Dr. Fowler and my crime scene are neatly packed into six biodegradable trash bags. By 12:15 am, the six trash bags are in the back of the Tahoe. By 12:45am, my six biodegradable trash bags are on my boat. By 1:30 am, the trash is in the ocean, my boat is docked and I'm driving home. By 1:55 am, I'm inside my house 5 minutes before curfew.

When I enter the living room, I see that Roxie is standing at the top of stairs while Hilton comes down to see who has entered house at two in the morning. "It's just me Hilton," I whisper as I pat her on the head. After I say hello to Hilton, I skip dinner and just go upstairs..

Roxie loves and adores Sofia; when Sofia is home, Roxie will follow her everywhere and when Sofia is gone, Roxie will sleep in Sofia's room. Curiosity gets the best of me and I follow Roxie into the master bedroom. When I walk inside I see Callie and all three of my tiny humans huddled around each other sleeping. Since I'm too sleepy to ask questions or put up a fuss, I just change into my pajamas and join the slumber party in my bed. The second my head hits the pillow, I fall into a dreamless sleep.

My morning wakeup call doesn't come from my wife's velvety voice. Instead, it comes from my son, William, in the form of a blood curdling scream. In an instant I get out of bed and head downstairs to the living room where the scream originated from.

"Mommy," William screams with arm extended out in direction.

I immediately run over to him and swiftly pick him up. His tiny arms wrap around my neck and he immediately buries his face in crook of it, crying hysterically.

William's scream not only scared me, but it scared everyone in the house. Madison starts crying, and before I have time to walk over towards her, Teddy is by her crib picking her up and trying to get her to calm down. Mark and Callie quickly leave the kitchen, and Addison quickly leaves the guest bathroom.

"You left him alone," Mark yells as he points his attention to Addison.

"I had to pee," Addison yells back.

"We weren't joking when we said you can't leave him, ADDISON." Callie says with an annoyed voice.

"Well I can see that now, sorry." Addison replies.

I choose to ignore the rest of their argument as I return my attention back on my son. "Hey little man, why are you crying?" I ask.

"Because Freddy is going to get me," William says in a suppressed voice since he doesn't want to remove his face from my neck.

"Freddy?" I question.

Teddy and I look at each with puzzlement since Addison, Mark and Callie are still fighting about Addison leaving Will alone for a few minutes while she went to the bathroom.

"He's talking about Freddy Fazbear," Lexie says as she enters the living room though the formal dining room entrance. When Lexie enters the living room, my other two tiny human are right behind her.

"Mommy!" they yell in unison before they make a beeline right towards me. Sofia grabs on to my left pant leg, Jackie grabs my right, and William's grip around my neck grows tighter when he hears the name Freddy Fazbear.

"Who?" Teddy and I question in unison.

"Freddy Fazbear," Mark says with irritation. The name causes my three tiny humans to flinch. "He's one of the main characters in a horror video game called, 'Five Nights at Freddy's'" Mark says.

"You're a security guard at this pizzeria and you must defend yourself and survive the night against these malfunctioning animatronics that try to kill you during your shift." Lexie cuts in when she still sees the confusion on Teddy and I's face.

"How did they get their hands on this game?" I say with annoyance as I turn to face Callie.

"The new babysitter, Sarah, let them play that game. The babysitter that you were so eager to hire," Callie replies back with the same annoyance in her voice.

"Do you want to explain why Sarah was watching our kids and not Meredith?"

"She had an emergency at the hospital," Lexie jumps in hoping to defuse the growing situation between Callie and I. "Originally Meredith called both Mark and I, but we were in La Conner for a date night. We went to the La Conner Brewery which is about an hour drive. We were just waiting for the bill, so I told her to call Sarah and have her watch the kids for an hour and then Mark and I would watch the kids when we got back. When we arrived, the five of them were huddled in the corner crying while she just sat on the couch watching Netflix."

"I fired her," Callie adds in a short voice.

"After you yelled at her for 45 minutes, I thought you were going to kill Sarah last night." Mark says.

"That thought did cross my mind." Callie says as she starts to turn around. "Watch the kids while finish making breakfast, Arizona."

I don't say anything as I move towards the couch. When I sit down, William still has his arms wrapped around me while Sofia remains on my left side and Jackie remains on my right. I'm about to turn on the TV when Callie comes back into the living room, "the hospital keeps calling your cell phone." Callie says as she sits my phone on the coffee table in front of me.

"Angry parent or annoying parent?" Addison questions.

"An annoying parent to a patient that is not mine," I say with aggravation in my voice. "The patient belongs to Julia Canner, but it looks like she dumped them on me two weeks because this kid isn't going last much longer from poor life choices."

"So dump her back on Julia, give the parent her number and then walk away." Addison says.

"I tried, but Julia doesn't exist. HR doesn't have a record of her being at Seattle Grace as a visiting doctor, and Seattle Presbyterian says that they don't have a Dr. Julia Canner that works there." I reply as I turn on Cartoon Network.

"That's because she's sketchy and likes to use her father's last name, Nguyen." Mark says in a flat voice as he continues to stare at the TV, intently watching one of his favorite cartoons, Teen Titans.

"What?" I say as I turn to look at him.

"In person, Julia introduces herself as Dr. Canner, but on paper she likes to go by Dr. Nguyen."

I feel anger start to rise the more I think about Julia's real name. Nick had one simple task, which was to take a deeper look into the background of Joseph Nguyen. The last time we spoke was on Sunday evening and he told me he couldn't find anything. How the fuck do you miss the fact that the man has a fucking daughter, who is still alive and is a surgeon.

"Nguyen," I say in soft whisper…