A/N: Here's the third chapter! I won't lie, it may not be very polished but I wanted it out tonight - I'll likely edit it tomorrow to correct any mistakes that my wife notices when she reads it. It's quite a bit longer than the other chapters so I hope you enjoy!
Thank you again for all the support - any and all feedback if welcome :)

Two whole years have washed you down

Still, I taste you in my mouth

Thought this would be over by now

But now I'm tipsy, wishing that you missed me

And wondering if I still cross your mind

Well, if you're asking, for me it happens all the time

Tipsy

By Xana

Arizona was in a state of shock and denial, backing away from the door as she heard Penny question why Callie was still on Arizona's side. She needed to get away before, god forbid, one of them left the room.

Did that really just happen?

The content of the argument was spiralling through her mind. Hell, Arizona was spiralling at this point.

'How do you think it makes me feel hearing you tell me how she was the love of your fucking life!'

A deep, niggling part of her brain wanted to erase every aspect of that conversation, well, shouting match, from her memory. She wanted to forget she'd heard anything at all, it… hurt. Her chest ached, her heart was jack-hammering against her ribs. If it was any other day, Arizona would be concerned that she was having a heart attack. Her perception of the music playing downstairs was drowned out by the sound of her heartbeat pounding in her ears.

'Love of your life…'

Arizona couldn't stop replaying every aspect of the argument as she made her way to the stairs. Callie thought of her that way? Used to think of her that way. Past tense. This was too much. Arizona felt the overwhelming nausea hit her like a truck.

Ha! A truck… again!

Not the time, Robbins.

Arizona shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut, desperately trying to focus on simply getting herself back downstairs. Arizona slowly descended the steps, feeling unsteady on her prosthetic leg, struggling to find her balance. Her plan to leave the party was out of the window. She couldn't go home alone feeling like this. So overwhelmed, baffled, hopeful. God, that was a dangerous feeling. One that had bitten her in the ass many times before.

Callie really told Penny that I was the love of her life?

Even the concept of Callie uttering those words was confusing to say the least. From a woman that resented Arizona so much, it was… shocking.

'Your goddamn soulmate!'

That may have been something her Calliope referred to Arizona as, once upon a simpler time.

Before everything went to shit. Before the plane crash, the amputation, the cheating, the divorce. It was a nauseating feeling, knowing how much she'd lost, how much they'd both lost in their relationship.

All the pain they caused each other, every cutting remark damaging the foundation they had built. Their relationship was bulldozed by bitterness and mutual distaste for the people they'd become. Now, it was as if walls were constructed to hide the damage, to hide everything they used to be. Arizona's walls were wearing awfully thin. Ground down by Callie Torres – yet again.

'You can't tell me you aren't in love with her and…'

Penny's words were ringing through her skull, This can't be happening, Arizona told herself. She couldn't be dragged back in by Callie again. Callie wanted her freedom, not Arizona. Whether her freedom involved Penny or not, Callie didn't want her, and Arizona… didn't deserve her.

Arizona was reminded of the hope she'd once felt, sat in the therapist's office on that damn 'Day 30'. Thrilled that they had finally reconnected, feeling so close to Callie, relieved that they were actually repairing their damaged relationship. Only to be told that for Callie, their marriage was suffocating, Arizona was suffocating. The blonde's memory of that day was crystal clear, the emotions she'd felt as she watched Callie walk out of the therapist's office, never looking back, leaving Arizona thoroughly heartbroken.

That heartache hadn't left her, not once since the divorce. She was tormented by her mistakes and broken vows each waking moment. Every way that she'd destroyed her wife and their relationship. These cyclical thoughts had eclipsed any animosity she still held towards her ex-wife. Her own experiences of Callie's selfish nature, hot-headed attitude, lack of respect for her opinion and frequent inability to understand Arizona's perspective. Those grievances had been pushed to the back of her mind, overtaken by her guilt ever since Callie had left.

Beyond the regret for her own actions and the bitterness she'd felt towards Callie, there was devotion towards her ex-wife. When everything else was stripped away, all that remained was enduring affection.

Callie had branded her with fire, searing onto Arizona's soul and leaving her aflame.

'She is my wife…'

She felt the nausea fade as her temper rose. How dare Callie refer to Arizona as her wife after so successfully breaking them apart?

'Don't you dare speak about her like that you have no right…'

Callie did this, Callie wanted the divorce, Callie moved on. Now she was defending Arizona to her girlfriend.

Arizona was back downstairs, making her way back to the kitchen island, intent on grabbing onto whatever liquor was left. The music was louder than before, with 'In Da Club' blasting from the speakers; It must have been the only birthday themed song that Cristina would tolerate. Cristina and Meredith were both dancing on top of the coffee table, gyrating in their hilarious attempt to look 'gangsta', beer bottles in hand. She hadn't seen Meredith get loose in a long time, it was refreshing. They both looked young, free, and absolutely smashed.

Groups of Grey Sloan employees were huddled in different clusters around the room, dancing and conversing by shouting in each other's ears. April was, unsurprisingly, crying on the sofa; Miranda sat next to her, clearly broadcasting some drunken inspirational speech while April nodded in between sobs.

April almost always cries when she's drunk. Alcohol and that woman just don't mix well. Bailey's got this under control, if I involve myself now – I'll be here all night.

"Bella! Where the hell have you been, Loca?" Alex hollered, still situated against the kitchen island.

"D-Did you just Twilight me?" She laughed, amused by his antics. She moved to stand next to Alex, picking up a bottle of vodka and leaning against the island.

"Will you be the Bella to my Jacob, Robbins?" Alex bantered, smirking at the blonde.

"What? Lead you on then ditch you for a man that thinks I stink? In your dreams, Karev." She shoved Alex playfully with her elbow. He was already doing a fantastic job at distracting Arizona from her inner turmoil.

"So, you're a Twilight fan? I didn't think sparkly vampires and werewolves with six packs were your thing, tough guy." Arizona teased, squinting at Alex with an accusatory stare.

"Uh, no, all the kids just, ya know, quote the lines and stuff." He was now choosing to focus his attention on fiddling with the label of his lukewarm beer.

"Sure… totally believable excuse, good save!", Arizona replied, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Alex turned to face her, "Oh, shut up Robbins – you've watched it too."

"Anyway, what happened? You just stormed off after Callie left, leaving me here to get hit on by a receptionist from derm - who's a dude by the way. Thanks for that, boss. So, did you go in all guns blazing and get your woman back?" He questioned, an amused edge to his voice.

"What are you talking about, Karev? She's certainly not my woman and no I did not get her back. I just… needed to use the bathroom." She looked away from Alex's prying eyes.

Repeating her earlier words, Alex deadpanned, "Sure, totally believable excuse, good save!"

Arizona smiled, rolling her eyes before clearing her throat. "I… uh…"

I can't tell him. It wasn't my place to hear that argument never mind tell someone else about it.

"Robbins, we don't have to talk about it. But, ya know, if you ever need a "girl talk" with me to talk about your… feelings, I'm here… or whatever. And I'm sure I can put on a good impression of Kepner. Or we can drink, that works for me too."

"Alex, thanks. I… really do appreciate it. Drinking sounds good right now." She opened the bottle in her hand and took a hefty swig.

Arizona immediately cringed, rapidly shaking her head as the burning liquid descended down her throat.

God, when was the last time I drank straight vodka? No wonder I don't do shots anymore.

"Come on, Robbins! Don't be a wuss, here-" Alex reached behind her, pulling a bottle of toffee flavoured vodka from the makeshift bar. "If you are gonna be a baby about it, give me that - you can drink this and act like you're 15 again."

As they swapped bottles and simultaneously drank, Arizona felt relieved. This was a much more palatable, almost toffee-donut tasting drink - if she ignored the slight burn. However, her relief stemmed more from the buzz she felt, dizzying her thoughts enough to distract from her ex-wife.

After about ten minutes of unwillingly playing 'Smash or Pass' while observing crowd, she had consumed a considerable amount of liquor. Alex had, unfortunately for her liver, set the rule that any time you pass, you had to drink. Her friend had terribly low standards, while Arizona couldn't fathom sleeping with the majority of the guests.

"Hot brunette over there with the glasses, the one that keeps looking at you like she wants do shots out of your bellybutton". Alex slurred, pointing towards the unsuspecting woman. Her mouth gaped, shoving his arm and slightly stumbling in the process, "She does not, you pig."

Alex was quick to counter, "Does too - smash or pass, Robbins."

"Fine, smash, if I drink anymore I think I'll vomit," she giggled, resting her head on Alex's shoulder.

Arizona wasn't completely out of it yet, but she didn't want to end up doing something stupid like text Callie, or worse call her and leave a tragic voicemail confessing her feelings.

As if thinking of her ex-wife manifested her presence, she spotted Callie across the room, her girlfriend nowhere to be seen. To Arizona's surprise, Callie was walking straight towards her.

Oh God, she's coming over here. Look normal Arizona, you are not drunk.

Well, a little bit drunk. Teenie, tiny bit drunk. The room isn't spinning that much, right?

Arizona stilled, watching as Callie approached. The brunette looked tense, frustrated as she paced towards her.

She's probably mad at me for my mere existence causing issues with Penny, here to shout at me for inadvertently being a problem for her.

She's so hot when she's angry, all fierce and determined.

Stop it, Robbins!

When Callie had arrived at her destination, inches away from her, Arizona found herself dumbfounded that Callie didn't immediately start yelling at her. Instead, the taller woman stared her dead in the eyes, grabbed the bottle out of her hand and tipped it back into her mouth – gulping down the overly sweet liquor.

"Calliope…" she began, overwhelmed by how close Callie was standing. The scent of her amber perfume invaded Arizona's senses as she watched her ex-wife lowered the bottle from her lips.

Callie's attention refocused on the blonde, "Not now, Arizona," she turned around and walked into the crowd, Arizona's half-empty bottle gripped in her hand.

Her intoxicated brain could only focus on how good Callie looked as she walked away, dressed in a form-fitting black dress, cinching her waist and accentuating her ass. Arizona could feel her cheeks flush, heat rushing to her core. Thinking of all the times she's raked her nails along the brunette's naked back, grabbed onto that toned ass while Callie fucked-

Robbins! No! Stop perving on your ex-wife. Stop it!

"Well, that was interesting". Karev commented, looking at Arizona. "Something going on there, Robbins?"

"No…. No, nothing. She's probably just drunk or whatever," She deflected, unable to fathom Callie's actions.

From the raise of his eyebrows, the blonde knew that Alex didn't believe her but she couldn't bring herself to care. Between her inebriated mind's attempts to process the events of the night so far and quell the unrequited attraction she felt towards her ex-wife, Alex's opinion was not a priority.

Instead, her dizzy focus was drawn to the hot Latina now dancing with Meredith, who was thankfully no longer on the table. That was certainly a safety hazard in the general surgeon's drunken state.

Dancing was something her ex-wife had always excelled in, impressively matching the rhythm of the upbeat pop music now playing. Arizona was captivated by the movement of Callie's hips, interrupted when a noticeably dissimilar brunette approached looking awfully nervous.

"Good luck", Alex said before moving away from Arizona.

"Wait! Don't!" And… he was gone. Now, Arizona was left alone and disorientated having to deal with whatever attempt this woman would have at hitting on her.

Thanks for nothing, Alex.

In an effort to be polite, Arizona turned her attention to the stranger, offering a feeble smile.

Ah. Hello, woman with glasses that I 'smashed'… That doesn't sound appropriate.

The unknown woman began speaking, "Um… hey, Paeds right?"

When Callie walked out of the bedroom, she questioned whether she should just go home. However, it was Cristina's birthday party, and she hadn't seen her friend in what felt like forever. Regardless of Penny's upset and the subsequent argument, Callie wasn't going to let it ruin her night. So instead, she went back downstairs with the intent to get drunk and enjoy the party.

When she entered the room, she found her ex-wife standing with Karev against the kitchen island that happened to contain all the available alcohol.

Why is she always in my way? Blocking my ability to move on, blocking me from loving again, and now blocking the freakin' bar.

With a huff, Callie made her way over, intent on avoiding Arizona entirely.

Just walk around to the other side of the island, don't go anywhere near her.

Her disobedient feet had other ideas as she took in her view of Arizona, directing her towards her ex-wife. Callie could see that the blonde was at least tipsy. Her stance was off kilter, bottle swaying in her hand as she giggled with Karev. Callie watched the way Arizona's face lit up, her wide smile emphasising her dimples.

Her laugh is stunning, almost angelic, infectious in the best way.

Lost in her thoughts of her ex-wife, Callie was stumped when she found herself stood directly in front of Arizona.

Why does she have to look so damn beautiful all the time?

Words failing her, she reached for Arizona's bottle and drank, hoping to find clarity in the sickly liquid.

Ew, toffee vodka? Why am I not surprised Arizona's got such a girly drink.

Before she had fully decided what she was going to do, she heard Arizona's voice.

"Calliope…" Arizona softly spoke, barely audible over the music. It was enough to send the brunette fleeing.

I shouldn't be thinking about her like this. I've moved on.

"Not now, Arizona," and with that, Callie turned around and sort out a recognisable face in the crowd.

She couldn't talk to her, not after her argument with Penny. It had resurfaced all the feelings that she'd buried deep in her attempt to set them both free, to allow them to be happier apart than they could be together.

Defending her ex and the love they'd had for each other had been easy but having to admit that she still considered Arizona to be the love of her life was not. It was something that Callie had accepted long ago. That in leaving Arizona, she was leaving her one, great love behind in the process.

It wasn't that she was still in love with Arizona, surely not. There was… too much history there, too much damage.

For Callie, that kind of love didn't happen twice, and it wasn't something that was easy to move on from. In telling Penny, she was expressing the difficulty she'd experienced in adjusting to a new relationship. Callie felt that it was something she would overcome in time. One day, she would be able to love again, just simply not to the same extent that she once loved Arizona. To Callie, this thought process seemed rational, it was something Penny should be able to accept.

Towards the end of their marriage, Callie could see that she hadn't made Arizona happy anymore. In those thirty days, she really did feel free. Free of feeling like a burden to her wife, like a heavy weight preventing Arizona from being able to stand tall and pursue her dreams.

Arizona had told her that all she needed was Callie and Sofia, but Callie didn't want her to need her, she wanted Arizona to want her. That was enough to solidify her decision to let Arizona go. Callie was the one to walk away, but she knew if she'd stayed, it only would have been a matter of time before Arizona realised that Callie was holding her back.

I couldn't watch Arizona walk away, not again, it had to be me…

"Callie!" Meredith called her over, waving her arms like a mad woman and dancing animatedly, "Come on, dance!"

Callie gladly joined her friend, letting the music drown out the battle that was warring in her mind as she moved to the beat.

After a mere few minutes, and frequent swigs of the bottle she'd taken from Arizona, her thoughts drifted back to the blonde.

Part of her wanted Arizona to be watching, she wanted her ex to be thinking of her. To remember all the times they'd danced together, like Callie was now. Turning her head to where Arizona stood, Callie's hopes were dashed.

There, the blonde stood smiling, but rather than looking at Callie, she was looking at some other brunette.

Is that Katie, the cardio scrub nurse? What is she doing with Arizona?

Callie squinted, pausing her movements as she watched Katie touch Arizona's hand, laughing at something Arizona had said. Jealousy coursed through Callie's veins; she felt possessive as she witnessed the clear flirtation between the pair.

Callie shrugged the thought away, choosing to label it as annoyance that Arizona was so easily able to forget their past relationship, unlike herself.

I'm not jealous, I have no right to be jealous. It's just the alcohol twisting my thoughts.

Fixed in her stare, she observed as Arizona seemed to politely excuse herself, and a little clumsily, make her way to the glass front door and head outside.

Without logical reason, Callie followed her out.

The blonde was growing tired of placating the woman in front of her.

Kathy, did she say her name was? No, Katie… or was it Kaylee?

The name didn't matter, all she knew was that she'd had enough of Kathy touching her arm, grazing her hand, complimenting her hair or glowing reputation as a surgeon and blah blah blah.

The woman wasn't off-putting in anyway, quite the opposite. If Arizona had been in the right frame of mind, she might have pursued Kaylee herself. Now was not the time when all she could think about was her ex-wife.

Arizona excused herself, informing Katie that while she loved talking with her, she really needed to call the babysitter to make sure her daughter was okay. Before Kimmy could ask for her number, Arizona was already opening the front door. She had no intent of calling Claudia, or 'unibrow' as her ex had named her, as Claudia had already messaged letting her know that Sofia was tucked up in bed asleep.

Instead, she was going to go shamefully smoke a cigarette. The blonde was glad she'd brought them, a decision she'd made as soon as she'd agreed to come knowing Callie would be there.

Finding a quiet, unwindowed part of the house around the corner, Arizona pulled the pack of cigarettes out of her bag. Leaning against the wall, she struggled to locate the lighter, shuffling through her bag haphazardly. With her vision blurry, she didn't even notice Callie walking towards her.

Where is it? Where is it? I know I packed one… Come on, I need this. Stupid freakin' lighter!

"Ha! Gotcha!" She exclaimed loudly, finally looking up.

Oh.

Callie stood at a distance in front of her, arms wrapped around her middle and gaze fixed on Arizona.

What is she doing here? Did she follow me?

Arizona felt stuck in place, as if turned to stone by Callie's intense stare.

"Calliope..." Arizona's soft, strained voice broke the silence.

Arizona observed the redness of her eyes, her flushed cheeks, the slight sway in her stance.

Callie's jaw was clenched, and those eyes... those damn eyes were piercing, unwavering in their focus on Arizona. The pain, the ache in her chest, the attraction, all returned in full force as she looked at Callie, waiting patiently for her to say something, anything.

When Callie finally spoke, her tone was firm, almost accusatory. "You... are everywhere, Arizona. Fucking everywhere. I can't escape you".

The blonde scoffed, shoving her pack of cigarettes and lighter back into her bag. Her prior heartache dissipating and replaced by anger, she couldn't help but bite back at the incredulous comment. "I'm pretty sure you've already done a great job at escaping me, Callie."

"God! You have no idea, do you?" Callie quipped, watching as Callie's hands reached into her hair, clenching her scalp with an exacerbated huff.

Laced with bitterness, Arizona taunted, stepping towards Callie, "Oh, do enlighten me, Dr Torres. What am I doing now that's oh so aggravating for you? Is it too much of an inconvenience to see me when I drop Sofia off with you? Or is it too much that I happen to work at the same hospital as you? Or too much for you to be in the same room as me? Were you somehow hoping that I'd just magically disappear when you divorced me?" Arizona's chest heaved, exerted by Callie's audacity. They were closer now, a meter apart.

Arizona had little time to process what was happening before she was pressed against the brick wall with Callie's hands on her waist. The blonde released a soft moan as Callie's fingers dug firmly into her hips, her heated breath across her lips.

Their chests were flush, the warmth emanating from Callie sparking arousal that flooded her body. Arizona gripped onto her ex-wife's shoulders, one hand reaching to the base of her neck, pulling her closer until Callie's forehead was pressed against her own. Even in the dim light, Arizona could see her darkened eyes, almost black with lust.

We can't do this.

"Cal-" Just as the blonde began to interrupt their embrace, Callie's thigh slipped between her legs, applying pressure to her core and tearing a loud moan from her lips. She was so turned on, so wrapped up in the feeling of Callie. Her breathing was rapid, mouth ever so slightly agape, desperate to be kissed.

No, no Arizona. Don't.

Arizona knew she had to stop this before it went any further. She relaxed her grip, placing her hands on Callie's firm biceps.

"Calliope… we can't," she whispered, stomach sinking as she spoke.

It would have been so easy to close the distance between them, feel those soft plump lips against hers once again, but she couldn't do that to Callie.

She closed her eyes, resting her head against the wall behind her, waiting for the moment Callie realised this was a mistake.

It didn't take long before the warmth left her, and when she opened her eyes, Calliope was gone.