A/N: I'm back! Thanks to everyone who read and left feedback on the last chapter – so happy you enjoyed it. Hope this one is okay! Next chapter should be released in a few days 😊

I didn't wanna up and leave

But I knew you wouldn't stay with me

I think about you all the time

My guilt is who I sleep beside

I wonder if you're warm tonight

Lip Service

By Xana

Arizona stood by the nurse's station, eyes trailing over the latest lab results displayed on her tablet for the mother she was due to perform surgery on this morning. She swiped the screen, pulling up the scans.

She visualized each step of the surgery in her mind – it helped to mentally prepare her for the procedure. It wasn't the first time she'd performed a FETO, but the stakes were always impossibly high. One misstep could compromise not only the baby's chance of survival, but the mother's health as well.

"Hey, boss," a gruff voice sounded across from her.

She raised her head slightly, slipping her new reading glasses down her nose as she peered up at her friend, "Alex, hey!"

Alex glanced down at the tablet, reaching over the desk, "Oh, is this the CDH case?"

"Yep, 28 weeks, congenital diaphragmatic hernia requiring fetal endoscopic tracheal occlusion," she reeled off, "It's critical in Ms. Williams' case. I need to improve lung development, or it'll be fatal."

Alex nodded, "Ah, that's the one with the tiny trachea balloon, right?"

The blonde squinted, mouth curving into a smile, "Correct. Taking an interest in fetal surgery, Karev?"

Alex tilted his head, shrugging, "I mean, it's not my thing - but it's pretty damn hardcore."

"Correct again," she grinned, removing her glasses and placing them into her pocket.

"So, how was your family day?" Alex pried, making his way around the desk to lean next to her.

Arizona's expression softened, glancing down as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "It was… amazing."

It had been over a week since her day with Callie and Sofia, she'd only seen Callie in passing since then, but Arizona was still riding the high.

"Something going on there, Robbins?" He said, flashing a knowing smile.

She rolled her shoulders back, her voice steady, "What do you mean?"

"You've got that look on your face."

Scrunching her brow, "What look? There's no look!"

"There's totally a look! Damn, you're screwing Torres, aren't you?" Alex's voice raised slightly.

She bumped her fist against his arm with force, hissing, "I am not!" She glanced around the room, hoping that no one heard him.

"Jeez, calm down Tyson!" He rubbed his arm, wincing.

"We're not… I'm not… We're friends!" She fumbled, a meek attempt at convincing her friend.

Alex raised his brow, "Friends? Seriously?"

She turned back to the desk, scrolling through her tablet, "Yes, we are friends."

"Since when? Last I checked you were pining over her so bad you were turning down hot chicks."

She settled her voice into a whisper, "Well, maybe I want to be more than friends but if you hadn't noticed – she has a girlfriend."

Alex nodded his head slowly, smirking as he leant in, "Playing the long game, huh?"

She let a smile grace her lips, glancing at her friend, "Something like that."

"I knew it! Get your woman, Robbins." He clapped a hand on her shoulder, "Gotta run, good luck with the surgery!"

As her friend left, she took the opportunity to review her patient's lab results another time, putting her glasses back on. They were good, all in optimal range, but she wanted to check just one more time. Anything could have changed since yesterday, so she paged the resident on her service.

Less than a minute later, the redheaded resident paced towards her, flushed with sweat.

"Dr. Robbins," Penny's chest heaved, catching her breath, "You paged?" Beyond her clear discomfort, the woman looked eager.

"Ah, Dr. Blake! I need you to re-run Ms. Williams' labs."

She refocused on the information on her tablet, missing Penny's questioning look.

"I only ran them last night, Dr. Robbins. They looked fine to me."

Arizona lifted her eyes, raising an eyebrow, "Are you the Head of Fetal Surgery, Dr. Blake?"

She watched as the resident shuffled uncomfortably, "Uh, no, you are, Dr Robbins."

Her voice remained soft yet commanding as she responded, "Then I'll assume that you're not questioning my clinical judgement and that I'll have an up-to-date result for her CBC, Coag, and BMP within the next two hours."

Penny was quick to reply, "Yes, yes, of course, Dr. Robbins."

"Put it through as urgent," she directed. The resident nodded rapidly as she clutched her own tablet to her chest, her fingers fidgeting with its edges.

She offered a tight smile, squinting, "Now, Dr. Blake."

Arizona watched as Penny spun on her heel and hurried off, her steps almost frantic. The corners of her mouth twitched upwards.

Guess I've still got it, she thought, enjoying the quiet satisfaction.

The fact that it was her ex-wife's girlfriend, practically tripping over herself to follow her orders? A nice bonus.

Callie scanned her eyes over the board, seeing that OR 2 was currently occupied by her ex-wife and girlfriend.

Hmm. I'm sure that's interesting.

She knew that it was unlikely for Arizona to discuss anything about Callie with her girlfriend, or mention what had transpired between them prior to their friendship. Despite that, the idea of the two of them being in a room together – without her, was disconcerting. While they were friends, Callie knew full well she'd been avoiding the blonde since their day together.

Callie had managed to keep their interactions short, dropping Sofia off, excusing herself without issue, and keeping their conversations to a minimum at work.

It wasn't that she wanted to avoid her, but she knew that she needed to focus her attention more on her girlfriend if she was going to manage to stay friends with Arizona

Callie was due to be in surgery herself this afternoon, and according to Arizona's schedule – she was available. She needed a pediatric surgeon, and Karev was busy. There were other peds surgeons available, but she didn't trust them.

Callie liked this family, and the little girl in question was only 7 years old. She didn't want to settle for someone less qualified. While Arizona was now Head of Fetal Surgery, Callie was hoping that the blonde would join her for a peds case.

Hoping to woo Arizona into saying yes, she decided to get her a coffee for when she finished her surgery.

At the coffee cart, she grabbed Arizona's usual order and added a diabetes-inducing amount of sugar to it. It was almost embarrassing to do, tearing into far too many sugar sachets and feeling the judgemental stare from the barista.

She made her way up to Arizona's floor, entering the fetal wing. From afar, she could see Arizona hovering in the corridor, talking with someone. As she made her way over, the commanding presence of the Chief stopped her in her path.

"What are you doing?" Bailey asked, her tone firm with her arms crossed.

Her brow furrowed, "What do you mean?" Callie attempted to side step and move past, only for the woman to move with her.

Bailey's voice hardened further, "With Arizona."

Callie gave an awkward smile, taken off guard, "Um, I've got her a coffee?" She held up the drink in her hand.

Somehow, it felt as if the shorter woman was towering over her, scolding her for the friendly act, "You need to leave her alone."

"Excuse me?"

The Chief tilted her head, scowling, "She's smiling again. Actually smiling. She's happy and I know you've got something to do with it."

Callie scoffed, "And that's a bad thing? Miranda, I–"

"No. Right now – it's the Chief." Callie shrunk back slightly, confused by Bailey's anger, "You put that woman through hell, and she is holding herself together with tape and glue so you need to leave her alone."

She gripped onto the paper cup, realising what Bailey was implying, "We're friends. Okay? That's all."

"Really? Friends? Do you really think you two can be friends?" Her tone was almost mocking.

Callie brushed a hand through her hair, becoming aggravated by the interrogation, "Yes! We are friends, it's what's best for Sofia. It was Arizona's idea!"

Bailey released a sharp huff, pointing her finger at Callie, "I swear, if you dare hurt her again, Torres, I will–"

"I won't," she asserted, hoping to calm the woman's fury.

Bailey bounced on her heels, setting her shoulders back, "You better not."

The woman moved past Callie, muttering as she went, "Goddamn friends. Friends, my ass."

Callie shook herself as the body block stormed away, refocusing on the blonde across the corridor.

Arizona was facing away from her, leaning an elbow casually against the desk as she spoke to the person in front of her.

Wait. Is that Katie? Again?

Her footsteps slowed, watching the interaction. Katie was leaning into Arizona's space, blushing as she giggled at something Arizona said. Callie felt her jaw tighten.

Stepping forward, she addressed the nurse before Arizona realised she was there. "Katie, hi. What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the cardio wing?"

The blonde jumped, spinning round to face Callie, her lips curving into a surprised smile, "Oh, Calliope! Hi!"

Katie's gaze flicked between the two attendings, "Yes, you're right, Dr. Torres. I should get back."

The nurse gestured to the post-it note in Arizona's hand, "You know where to find me, Arizona." She gave a wink to her ex-wife and a polite nod to Callie before walking away.

Seriously?

Callie's glare was fixed on the nurse's retreating figure, her shoulders stiff with irritation.

"Callie?" Arizona's voice pulled her back, soft yet amused.

She cleared her throat, snapping of out her stare. "Hi, I brought you coffee." She extended the cup to the blonde, who accepted it with a bright smile, "I wanted to repay the favour."

"Thank you, Calliope. I needed this." The brunette watched as Arizona sipped on the sweetened latte, her lips parting in a soft moan of appreciation.

Callie's stomach flipped, God, why does she have to make noises like that?

Pulling the cup away from her mouth, Arizona caught her gaze, "Was there something else?"

Callie rolled her shoulders back, trying to shake off her unreasonable jealousy twisting in her gut, "Yes, actually. I have an operation this afternoon on a 7-year-old girl, Emily Mason, complex reconstructive knee surgery."

Her ex-wife gave a curious look, leaning her back against the desk. "And you need me because…?"

"Karev is busy and the other peds surgeons are incompetent."

Arizona rolled her eyes, unimpressed, "Callie, they are not incompetent. I trained some of them, you know?"

"Yes, I know that. I just–I just want someone I can trust in there."

Arizona studied her for a moment, her expression softening, "Well, I am free this afternoon."

"I know."

The shorter woman smirked, "Stalker, much?"

"Will you help?"

"Of course I will, Calliope."

"OR 3 at 2 p.m.," she replied quickly, relief washing over her. "I'll send you her chart and scans."

Arizona nodded, pushing off the desk, "I'll pop in to see her before they take her up."

Unable to help herself, Callie stepped forward, pulling her ex-wife into a brief, tight hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Her ex-wife chucked gently against her shoulder before moving back, her dimples showing as she smiled.

"Anything for you, Dr. Torres."

Her brighter mood was sullied as her eyes dropped to the note still pinched between the blonde's fingers, "That her number or something?" she asked, her tone sharper than she intended.

Arizona hummed, pursing her lips, "It is indeed. Apparently, I haven't lost my touch."

"Right," she grumbled, "Of course not."

The blonde squinted, tilting her head, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Callie shifted her weight, her tongue running over her teeth in a vain attempt to hold back her annoyance. "Well, you've never had a problem finding women, have you?"

She regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth, bracing for Arizona to bite back. To her surprise, Arizona only smiled, shaking her head.

"I wouldn't say that, necessarily. I haven't been on a date in… over a year," she admitted, her voice casual as she folded the note between her fingers

Callie's eyebrows lifted, "Oh."

"No one really interested me, to be honest." The blonde shrugged, glancing at the note like it barely mattered. "She asked me out to Joe's. Tonight, actually."

The taller woman blinked, the tension in her shoulders releasing briefly, "Ah, I'm guessing you'll have to arrange for another time then."

"Nope. Sofia's at Meredith's tonight. Zola asked for a sleepover and as you can imagine, Sof was begging to go."

Callie's arms crossed over her chest, forcing her voice to stay steady, "Great. I hope you have a good night then."

She saw the way Arizona's eyebrows raised at the sharpness of her tone, an amused glint in her eyes.

"Thank you. I'll see you in a few hours, Dr. Torres." Her ex-wife picked up her tablet, manoeuvring her way around Callie to head towards the elevator.

Callie stood in the corridor, the scent of Arizona's perfume and the sweetness of her coffee remained, rooting her in place. For a moment, she let her eyes close, enjoying the lingering warmth of Arizona before steadying herself.

She couldn't ignore her irrational annoyance at Arizona having a date tonight, but she needed to. She had no right to feel that way, they were divorced, and she had Penny.

She glanced up at the clock on the wall, Callie still had a few hours before her surgery with Arizona. In the meantime, she was going to find her girlfriend.

Callie stalked her way through the hallways, her mind still buzzing from her interaction with Arizona. The image of her ex-wife laughing, flirting with that damn nurse was burned into her brain.

Rounding the corner, she spotted her Penny outside a patients' room, flipping through a chart. The redhead looked put together, hair neatly tied back, focused on the information in front of her.

Her pace quickened, the tension she felt urging her forward.

"Hey," she said, her voice low but clear enough to get Penny's attention.

Her girlfriend's looked up, a concerned expression on her face, "Hey, you okay?"

"I need to talk to you," Callie uttered, grabbing hold of Penny's wrist and pulling her along as she led her down the corridor.

"Calliope, what–"

"Just come on," she insisted, refusing to give Penny the opportunity to respond.

She located the on-call room, all but dragging her girlfriend inside and slamming the door shut behind them.

Before Penny could speak, Callie was on her – pressing her against the wall and capturing her lips in a forceful kiss.

Penny gasped in surprise, kissing back but urging Callie away, pushing against her shoulders.

"Wait, Callie. What are you doing?"

She ignored the question, moving to trail her mouth across the redhead's neck, grazing her teeth against the skin as she kissed. She fisted the material of her top in her hands, pressing closer against her.

"Callie–"

She reached to loosen the elastic on Penny's scrub pants, "I just–I need you."

"Callie, stop." Her girlfriend pushed firmly on her shoulders, making space between them.

She pulled away, running a hand through her hair, "Fine," she huffed.

Penny straightened her clothing, "What's gotten into you?" Her brow was furrowed, confusion littering her features, "You're being… pushy. We don't do this at work. We've never done this at work."

"I just–I thought–" She shook her head, frustration building further, "Forget it."

Penny reached for her, "This isn't like you, Calliope," she spoke softly. Callie stepped back further, raising open palms to signal that she didn't want to be touched.

"I'm fine. You're right. You're always so goddamn right about everything." Her voice was dripping in sarcasm, masking her vulnerability.

"What's going on?"

Callie scoffed, crossing her arms and avoiding her gaze, "Nothing. I shouldn't have bothered."

Penny rubbed a hand across Callie's tense arm, "Look, I'm sorry, but you know I don't do this kind of thing at work."

She couldn't help but roll her eyes, shrugging the hand off her. "As I said, forget it. I need to go check on my patient."

Her girlfriend's mouth opened to respond, but Callie didn't want to hear it. She moved past her, opening the door and letting it swing shut behind her with a thud.

A volatile mix of jealousy and guilt swirled inside her as she stalked down the corridor, fists clenched.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

No matter how hard she tried, the image of Arizona with another woman refused to leave her mind.

Arizona stood at the sink, scrubbing in as Callie entered the room. She turned her head, noticing the stone-like expression on her ex-wife's face.

"Hi, Calliope," she said, offering a smile.

Callie hummed in response, standing a faucet away from her and pressing on the pedal to turn the tap on.

Her gaze lingered on her ex-wife as she scrubbed, the sponge gliding over her forearms in steady, methodical movements.

"Everything okay?"

Callie was focused on her hands, vigorously scrubbing at the skin, "Yep."

Arizona shook her head lightly, looking through the window to the OR as she spoke, "You know you can talk to me, we're friends – remember?"

Callie let out a bitter laugh, "Trust me, you don't want to hear about my problems. Especially not this one."

She pressed her lips together, considering the woman's response, "Well, we are about to be stuck in a room together for, what, 3 hours?" Arizona rinsed off the soap, turning towards Callie as she grabbed a sterile towel, "It'll give us something to talk about."

The brunette scrubbed at the arms, still avoiding looking at Arizona, "It's probably not appropriate to discuss my sex life in the OR, and certainly not with my ex-wife."

Arizona felt her face flush, caught off guard by the matter-of-fact reply, "Ah. Gotcha."

That was not what I expected her to say. At all.

While it was surprising, she couldn't help but feel a little pleased at the possibility that Callie wasn't entirely satisfied with her girlfriend. It wasn't a problem Callie had ever experienced with Arizona.

She tried to ease the tension, "Well, if you need me to give Penny any tips or anything…"

A bark of laughter filled the room, Callie pausing in the rinsing of her arms. She finally turned her head to meet Arizona's gaze, "Wow, Arizona, that is..." She watched as the woman's smile dropped, shaking her head.

Her brow furrowed as she continued, "How are you so… okay with this? With us?"

The question felt almost rhetorical, she stilled, letting Callie speak, "It's like–It's like, you make it look easy. You act as if there's no history between us. You make jokes and you text me and then you flirt with nurses like it's nothing."

Arizona's shoulders stiffened, her grip tightening on the towel. Her smile faltered, replaced by a slight frown as she processed the accusation. "Easy? You think this is easy for me?"

Her ex-wife's eyes widened, as if the answer was obvious, she raised her voice, "Yes! I–" Callie paused, biting her lip as she exhaled sharply, "Shit, I'm sorry. I'm just, I'm having a bad day, and I shouldn't take that out on you."

It was a weak excuse, and one that wasn't in line with Callie's outburst. Regardless, she let it slide, knowing that it was a conversation that could wait. It could wait until Callie realised why she had such a problem with Arizona's apparent nonchalance.

Arizona wasn't going to push her further on the matter, Callie was still a flight risk, and she was still with Penny. She couldn't give in to Callie's questioning. She wasn't going to admit her feelings until she knew Callie wouldn't run, until she knew Callie was sure she wanted Arizona.

Arizona forced a smile, hiding the frustration that bubbled beneath the surface. Callie looked taken aback when Arizona softly spoke, "It's okay. Let's shelve that for another day, yeah?"

The brunette dried her arms, forcing a confident tone despite the lingering tension, "Yes. Okay. Let's get that little girl walking again."

Arizona nodded in response, moving to enter the OR, holding her arms up to avoid contamination. The operating room was silent except for the sound of monitors beeping and the hum of the overhead lights.

She was gowned, masked, and gloved with assistance before approaching the table. Callie stood across from her, fixated on her bruised and broken knee below.

"Scalpel," Arizona requested, extending a gloved hand. The scrub nurse swiftly placed the instrument onto her palm.

"So, Emily here decided that climbing a tree was a good idea, and now we have to rebuild her knee," Callie said, observing as Arizona made the incision.

She hummed, cutting with practiced precision, her movement fluid, "And this is why we will never let Sofia climb any trees. "

"Agreed, apparently she was trying to get her cat."

She glanced up at her ex-wife, "Does she remind you of Sofia? Is that why you wanted me?"

Callie squinted, "Maybe a little. She deserves the best, you know?"

Arizona smiled behind her mask, focusing on the task ahead, "The popliteal artery is damaged, imaging showed decent collateral circulation, but we can't waste time. I'll start with the artery repair."

Callie gave a curt nod, "Good, that gives me time to assess the joint damage. If the graft isn't a perfect fit – it won't hold up long-term".

They continued in silence for the majority of the procedure, only speaking to announce their actions. By the time Callie finished securing the bone graft, nearly three hours had passed.

"How's the tissue looking on your end?" Callie asked, without looking up.

Arizona examined the surrounding muscles, checking for discoloration. "Everything's viable, soft tissue debridement done, and sutures are holding steady".

"Good, the graft is secure and aligned. Ready to close."

She grinned, it felt good to work with Callie again.

"Awesome!"

She glanced across the table, meeting Callie's unexpectedly bright eyes, "It is indeed, awesome."

As they scrubbed out, Callie seemed more relaxed, lighter in her movements.

"I've missed working with you, Arizona."

The blonde turned her head, "Me too. We make a great team."

Callie hesitated for a moment, pursing her lips before responding, "I know I never really said it when we were together but, I'm proud of you – for what it's worth. Everything you've achieved, being Head of Fetal Surgery, certified in two specialities. I just… I think it's amazing. You're amazing."

Arizona blushed, looking away from the brunette, "Thank you, Calliope. That means… more than you know." She bit her lip, hoping Callie would understand what she was about it say, "I just, sometimes I question whether it was worth it."

Her ex-wife quirked an eyebrow, "Worth it? You're saving the lives of unborn babies every day. How could that not be worth it? What you do, Arizona, it's–it's incredible."

Arizona offered a sad smile, "It is incredible, Callie. But I took so much from me," she paused as a lump formed in her throat, "It took… you, from me."

The woman froze at her words, letting the water run over her arms. For a moment, she was completely still. Arizona waited, she waited for Callie to just walk out, or snap at her. Anything.

Instead, her ex-wife took a deep breath, closing her eyes before looking back at her.

"That's not how I see it," Callie finally said, her voice low and steady.

She blinked, her chest tightening. "What? Like my fellowship didn't result in our divorce, in losing you?"

Callie's gaze darted away as she stood away from the sink, reaching to grab a towel and dry herself. "You didn't lose me, Arizona. I… I let you go."

Her stomach churned, confusion and disbelief washing over her, "You let me go?" Her voice was sharper than she intended, throwing her own towel to the side, "Is that what you tell yourself? Well, newsflash, Callie – you walked away. You left me."

Callie flinched, the words hitting their mark, but she pressed on, the dam breaking.

"You wanted the divorce. You left that therapy session before it was even over – you decided that we were over. You didn't even try."

Callie pressed her palms to her forehead, frustration clear, "You didn't want me, Arizona. We couldn't fix it! I wasn't enough. I was just, I was just holding you back. Don't pretend I wasn't."

It felt as if the accusation stole the air in her lungs, she felt like she was choking, "You were everything to me, Calliope. I didn't want to lose you. I begged you to stay."

Callie sighed, placing her hands on her hips as she stared at the floor, "You deserved more, you deserved to be free."

Arizona couldn't calm herself, voice cracking as she spoke, "No, don't use that bullshit excuse again. You wanted to be free. You said that I suffocated you!" She inhaled sharply, tears filling her eyes, "Losing you didn't free me, Calliope, it shattered me."

Her ex-wife looked up then, her own tears threatening to spill over, "But I was right, wasn't I? To let you go."

She shook her head, "No Callie, I–"

Callie swiped a hand under her eyes, her features hardening, "Haven't you got a date you need to get to?" Her voice was cold as she continued, "Don't let me make you late." Without giving Arizona the opportunity to stop her, her ex-wife turned on her heels and left the room.