[A/N] There is no Sofia in this story. I wanted to explore the paths the two women would have taken had there not been a child that bound them like in the show.

Chapter 1

Arizona was having an off-day. You know the kind, right? The one where you just woke up knowing that it was the wrong side of the bed; where you feel anxious despite being certain that your day has been planned ahead. Yet somehow, you feel in your gut that something important was going to happen that day.

Or maybe, this feeling was simply because she woke up in an unfamiliar room in New York. Why was she in NY, you ask? Well, she and the rest of the board members of Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital had been invited (read as: instructed) by Dr. Catherine Avery to attend a formal party for a milestone anniversary of one of the hospital's top donor institutions, a fairly recent one to boot. Add to that the close ties that the Harper Avery Foundation had with this donor, well, they could hardly say no. As per Catherine, this was a chance for the Board to mingle and network(read as: try to impress some insanely rich people to donate to the hospital).

Hence, here they were. They have flown in the night before the party, so they still have some time to rest at their hotel. Thankfully, Catherine did not skimp on their hotel rooms. They might not be in a 5-star hotel, but it was good enough. Besides, it would just be for two nights anyway. Tomorrow would be their flight back to Seattle. She had expected to have a fair bit of trouble riding a plane again after the crash, but perhaps flying on commercial with her fellow survivors and so many other people did have some calming effect on her. Time certainly helped. Plus, you cannot be in a plane crash twice in your life, right?

Arizona groaned. Hah! She knew exactly why she was feeling off-centered today. It was because the last time she dressed up for a formal event was also the last time she saw her.

Calliope.

It had been a year and some change since she last saw Callie, her ex-wife. While she may have still been in the affair fog and wasn't able to fully appreciate Callie's beauty during that fateful fundraising gala, she still remembered how the Latina looked that night. She was wearing a one-shoulder black dress that hugged her generous curves and subtly flaired out below her knees. Her straightened hair was pinned up on one side; and a pair of drop earrings was the only accessory she wore. Her ex-wife had always dressed quite simply, that one would not suspect she came from a fairly affluent upbringing.

Yes, this memory was the reason why Arizona felt unsettled today. She had been thinking of her ex-wife a lot more these past few weeks, more so than she had ever done in about nine months post Callie's departure.

She was slightly ashamed to admit, even to herself, that she did not notice that Callie had not been seen at the hospital for several days after the gala, for maybe a week at least. And when she did take note of that fact, she just assumed that Callie was working opposite shift from her, maybe too ashamed to face her after declaring to people that she was dead during the gala. Arizona was rightfully angry and hurt about that, and what was she going to say to Callie anyway? At the time, she still wasn't feeling particularly sorry for sleeping with Lauren Boswell. In hindsight, perhaps that should have clued Arizona in that something wasn't quite right.

She walked in their apartment one night after her shift at the hospital and noticed subtle changes in the place, maybe a bit more organized, maybe looking slightly cleaner than usual. Then she figured it out, Callie's knick knacks, books and other personal items were no longer strewn about in the living room. She went to their bedroom and opened Callie's cabinet and drawers, all were empty. Whatever was still in the apartment when Callie left for a hotel after the storm passed was gone. Every bit of evidence that someone other than Arizona was residing in this apartment was wiped away.

That's when she noticed a folded piece of paper on her bedside table.

That, and Callie's wedding ring.

Arizona thought, okay, she really left. She would need to prepare herself for how they were going to work together. And she needed to steel herself to bear the gossip that was sure to swirl around the hospital about them. She slept that night with thoughts of how to keep moving forward. The letter left unread on the bedside table thinking that she could just read it the next day, when she wasn't quite dead on her feet after a long day at work.

What she did not expect when she came to the hospital the following day was to be called in for an emergency board meeting, with Dr. Owen Hunt announcing that Callie had resigned from the board and the hospital, effective immediately. Apparently, the Ortho surgeon had been quite busy in the weeks after the gala – moving up surgeries that could not be performed by other surgeons, re-assigning those that were routine or elective to others, clearing up her schedule and paperwork, even went so far as providing Owen a list of candidates that could replace her as an attending.

Only Dr. Jackson Avery objected to letting Callie go without fully servicing her notice period to the hospital. But the others were convinced that the arrangements Callie made were meticulous enough that she should be allowed to take her unused leaves to offset the rest of her notice period.

Arizona believed that they only voted that way because this was, after all, Callie. Cristina's former roommate. The one who mentored Meredith for her boards. The one to give Derek back his life as a surgeon by going against another specialist's plans and operating on his hand.

She was flabbergasted. This hospital was where Callie grew up, where she built a network, a family. For Callie to leave and so suddenly at that, Arizona just could not believe it.

Arizona went back to their apartment that night after her shift and finally read Callie's letter.

It was closure.

Or at least, that's what she thought at the time.

Life went on for Arizona. She was soon offered a fellowship by Dr. Nicole Herman which kept her busy. She was now double board-certified in maternal/fetal surgery. She built solid friendships with Drs. April Kepner and Richard Webber. In fact, she had been regularly going to trivia nights at a lesbian bar with Webber once her fellowship was on even ground after its shaky start.

She flirted and got flirted with, went on numerous dates and slept with several women. She thought, Arizona Robbins was finally back! Carefree, independent, confident and hot. Women were lining up for her.

Life was good. Arizona couldn't have asked for more.

But for several weeks now, Callie was a constant thought on her mind.

The first time came so sudden. She received her certification for her new specialty, and the first thing she thought was - I have got to tell Callie! She was well on her way to going out of her office to seek Callie when her steps faltered. Callie was not at the hospital, had not been there for a better part of the year.

Where was Callie? Was she back in Miami, accepted back into the fold as a proper Catholic daughter no longer shackled with her lesbian lover? Was she a rockstar with a scalpel in a different hospital in the country? Or was she outside the country finally living it up as a hotel empire heiress?

That was a turning point for Arizona. Almost nine months have passed and it was the first time that she truly realized that Callie was gone from her life. It hit her like a bullet. This was the catalyst for Arizona to finally seek help. Professional help.

No, it wasn't the loss of Callie per se that made Arizona seek out a therapist. There was still lingering anger and apathy within her when she thought of her ex-wife.

It was the realization that she missed something so crucial, that certain facets of her life had passed her by and all she felt was indifference. Her life was moving forward, yet at times it felt like her emotions were still in limbo.

Arizona described it to her therapist as feeling that she had been shrouded by fog for so long since the plane crash, and the fog had finally just started to abate. They had a lot to work on in therapy, and they needed to start from the very beginning – back to her childhood to see if there was anything that might have affected her far more than she realized. It was hard work, but she was satisfied with her progress.

Callie had not been a prominent topic yet in her sessions with Dr. Katharine Wyatt. Maybe that was the reason why she had been catching herself remembering Callie frequently lately. Particularly today.

Arizona was brought out of her musings when she received a group text message from Jackson reminding them of what time they were going to be picked up by car service for the party. She looked at the clock at noted that she still had several hours to rest and prepare for the party. She laid back down on the bed to get some more sleep, hoping that this off feeling would be gone when she woke up.

######

Arizona went down to the hotel lobby to meet with the others. We clean up nicely, she thought upon seeing the rest of the group - Drs. Derek Shepherd, Meredith Grey, Cristina Yang and Miranda Bailey, who replaced Callie on the Board.

The banquet hall was not yet open to the guests when the group of surgeons arrived at the venue, but there were plenty of seats and poseur tables in the opulent waiting area perfect for mingling. An abundance of hors d'oeuvres and drinks were being offered around by wait staff.

Catherine and Jackson have also arrived and introduced the surgeons to people they know, most of which were from the corporate world. Arizona realized that she was right; Catherine brought them here in case they can impress some of these people to help the hospital. Really like the gala night then, Arizona thought.

Quite suddenly, Catherine exclaimed, "Well, if it isn't Henry Campbell!" The group turned their attention to where Catherine was looking at.

"Aunt Catherine, I didn't expect to see you here," the man in question responded, approaching them. He approached the group with a polite smile and kissed Catherine on the cheek. Arizona noted that this man was really quite a looker – handsome face, standing above six feet tall, with dark curls that could rival Derek's perfect hair, square jaw and muscular build. He was dressed impeccably, probably bespoke. What? She's a lesbian, neither blind nor stupid!

Cristina piped up, "THE Henry Campbell? Like, the one in the list of top 40 richest people under 40?" Arizona sometimes still could not believe how blunt Cristina could be even after knowing her for years.

"Cristina!" Meredith admonished her friend. At least one of the twisted sisters knew proper decorum, Arizona chuckled to herself.

Henry laughed a little at that, his polite demeanor turning warm. "I'm not quite sure about the THE in that statement, but sure, I'm Henry Campbell." He offered his hand to Cristina, "Pleasure to meet you, Ma'am?" obviously waiting to be introduced.

"Oh, where's my manners. These are fellow surgeons and board members in our hospital, Doctors -" Catherine started. But before she could properly introduce them, she got interrupted by the soft ringing of a phone coming from Henry's pocket, apparently.

"Apologies, Aunt Catherine, Doctors. It's my girlfriend, I told her to ring me once she's here since I wasn't able to pick her up from the hotel." Henry said. "If you don't mind, I'll go meet her in the lobby."

Catherine nodded, "Of course. Go ahead."

As soon as Henry was out of hearing distance and with Catherine and Jackson busy conversing with each other, Cristina said to the rest, "That's one lucky lady to be able to snag that one! Lucky, but cursed."

"Since you're apparently knowledgeable about the top 40 richest people under 40, would you know who his girlfriend is?" Meredith asked.

"You can tone down the snark, Mer. I'm not living under a rock like you! But no, I have no idea who the girlfriend is."

"And what do you mean 'lucky but cursed'?" asked Derek.

"You are such a guy, Shepherd. Have we seen the same man? Insanely good-looking and rich! And not just rich, it's generational wealth! Women probably throw themselves at him constantly. No matter how secure in their relationship whoever his partner is, that's not an easy thing to navigate."

Miranda quipped, "Wow, Yang. I didn't realize you can now talk girl."

"Whatever, Bailey. I'm growing up!" said Cristina, earning light chuckles from the group.

"Jackson's good-looking and rich. That doesn't seem to be an issue in any of his previous relationships," said Meredith.

Cristina sighed, "Mer, we surgeons live in a different world. Jackson is a bit 'sheltered' in that sense. If he decides to have a bigger role in their Foundation, I bet things would be vastly different for him too.

"Besides, Jackson is a pretty boy. Henry Campbell is a handsome man. Totally different target market!"

Miranda snorted at that as the rest chuckled. Derek suddenly said, "Oh well, there's Campbell coming back now."

They all turned to the doors of the banquet hall waiting area. Arizona's view was obscured by several people milling around, so she couldn't quite see the pair come in. Finally, she saw a woman with long wavy dark hair dressed in a gold gown. The woman on Campbell's arms was facing away talking to someone, so Arizona couldn't see her face. But from what she could see, she probably belonged in the upper society too given her obviously couture gown.

And then the woman turned just as the crowd cleared.

Arizona sucked in her breath.

Calliope.