Title: Can't Walk Away

Rating: M, this chapter!

Authors: a_windsor & roughian (a_roughian? windsorian?)

Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. My one and a half years of law school could allow me to legalese this a little more, but it also tells me it's pretty useless. So please don't sue; it's not mine, I'm just playing!

Summary: The beginning and the end of an affair. Set after 8x13

A/N: Here we are, at the end. For now. And by for now, we mean, that our muses have decided that this is a !verse. (Still working on the name of said 'verse.) So, enjoy the end of this, which is really just the beginning of a whole world. Oh! And flashbacks in italics.

The hospital was never a place for sexy anything for Arizona, until she'd met Callie. And they'd started... having a lot of lunches.

Was it safe to call it an affair? Learning about this woman as they worked together, sneaking kisses in stairwells, making out in on-call rooms, stealing glances over board meetings, sending suggestive text messages during busy days.

Arizona's mind was consumed with this woman. She was hers while they were here- this palace of life and death and everything in between. She wasn't sure where they fit on that spectrum, but she wouldn't stop trying.

Arizona ate the last of her pear over the trash can in the attendings lounge while she read over the gossip-headlines in the People she'd snagged from Callie's locker. The solitude felt nice, comforting. Arizona had become an endless cycle of introspection so the fruit and the tabloids distracted her long enough to not have to think.

However, the swing of the door, the heels clacking softly on the tile, and the arms around her waist, threw that notion in the garbage along with the core of her pear. She shivered as familiar hands moved to shift her hair to the side and familiar lips pressed against the back of her neck.

"Hi," Arizona smiled.

"Hey," Callie replied. "Long day. I'm about to leave."

"Me too," Arizona sighed. "Rounds then I'm going home."

Callie loosened her grip to allow Arizona to turn in her arms. She pressed a kiss to her lips; they tasted sweet. Well, sweeter than usual. "See you tomorrow?"

Arizona wasn't satisfied with that tiny kiss, though, and pressed her lips more adamantly against the other pair. The fleeting thought of Callie coming home with her made the kiss more passionate, insistent.

"What time are you in tomorrow?" Callie asked as she broke away from the kiss, realizing she could get carried away with it. Her hands slipped beneath Arizona's lab coat, stroking against her lower back.

The blonde melted at the touch. "Not until 5:00 p.m.," she lamented, pressing a kiss to Callie's throat. "You?"

"Early. I think 8:00?"

"Dinner?" Arizona asked hopefully, between kisses up the side of Callie's neck.

"Sounds great," Callie smiled, wrapping her arms around Arizona in an embrace.

Both women heard the telling whistling before the door swung open, causing the pair to skitter apart.

"Hey, Cal," Owen smiled, ceasing his whistling. "Didn't know you were in here. Hello, Dr. Robbins."

"Hey, Dr. Hunt," Arizona said, face red, eyes wide. Hand just out of the cookie jar. Had he walked in a moment sooner...

"All ready?" Callie asked as Arizona smiled sheepishly.

"Thanks again, Dr. Torres," Arizona said. "You um, that was great work today."

"Sure," Callie said. "Anytime."

Hunt smiled as he slipped an arm around his wife's shoulders.

Arizona watched the pair walk out, the stiffened gait of Callie under the forced affection from her husband. Arizona burned with something that felt a lot like jealousy, but mostly shame. Callie laughed at something he said before they were out of earshot. Crumpling the magazine in her hand, Arizona sneered to herself.

She was in this. Really, really in this.

And that was really, really terrifying.

"Well, that didn't take long."

Callie looks up from the precious little Ella Sloan in her arms.

"What do you mean?"

"It's been less than a year since the two of you started making eyes at lunch and hiding in supply closets doing the nasty, and you already look like Stepford's happiest lesbians."

"I don't-"

"And I don't understand how you and Owen have the most easy, amicable divorce ever. You're shacking up with the mistress too!"

"We're not-"

"Derek is fighting me over every comma in that divorce settlement."

"Well, you did let him believe Ella was his for eight months."

Addison makes a face and gestures back to the scene playing out before them on the playground, where Ella's father Mark Sloan is helping Arizona guide the twins through some epic slide races, Allegra clinging tightly to Arizona's back.

"Whatever," Addison dismisses. "You're such a happy little family. It's cute. When's the big gay wedding?"

"We're not- My divorce isn't even final, Addie. It's... It's early. We're taking it slow."

"Could've fooled me," Addison shrugs.

"Mami, Mami," Allegra interrupts, running over. Mark, Arizona, and the boys have moved on to the swings. "Ooh. You got the baby."

Allegra tucks in between Callie and Addison, looking into Ella's scrunched up face.

"She's soooo cute. Mami, are you or Sona gonna have my next brother?"

Callie almost drops poor Ella, and Addison breaks out in a loud cackle.

"Baby girl, what are you talking about?"

"Jillie has two mommies, and one had Jillie in her belly and the other one had her sister in her belly," Allegra says easily.

Addison is laughing so hard she's shaking.

"Okay, well, that's great for Jillie," Callie says, blushing hotly. She lifts her gaze to where Arizona is doing a good old-fashioned underdog on Gavin's swing.

"I think I wanna sister this time. I'll ask Sona."

"No!" Callie snaps quickly, Allegra flinching and baby Ella grunting. "It's not... You've got two crazy little brothers, Legs, why do you want another baby?"

Allegra shrugs and busies herself with Ella's socked feet.

"So..." Addison draws out. "When's that big gay wedding, again?"

"Shut up," Callie hisses.

Arizona heard a familiar, wonderful laugh behind her, bringing back memories of that same laugh with a much more sultry tone that made her flush all over. She spun around with a wide grin, only to freeze a little in her tracks.

Calliope was there, as expected, but she was giggling, honestly giggling, at something one of her sons was doing. She had him scooped up in her arms, swinging him about, while her daughter and other son cheer her on.

She had seen Callie with her kids before. Even though Callie almost never brought up Hunt when they were together, it was impossible to spend time with her without hearing about the antics of Angus, Gavin, and Allegra and seeing the way Callie lit up about them. But she'd never really spent time with the little rascals.

It was a cold dousing of reality. She, Arizona Robbins, was a homewrecker. She was sleeping with a married woman, enamored of a mother with three very important responsibilities.

She wanted to slink off and cry a little, maybe. To call it all off and maybe pretend like it never, ever, happened. But she couldn't. She was sucked in: she was in this until Calliope called it off, because even with the crushing guilt, this woman made her feel more alive than she could ever remember, maybe even counting before Tim died. This woman made her want things she could never imagine before.

She would take what she could get, and then spend the rest of her life futilely trying to get over Calliope Torres.

Arizona considered her options for escape from this suddenly claustrophobic hallway, but before she could execute any such plan, she was interrupted by a tiny-human shaped bullet to her knees. She looked down to see one of Callie's ridiculously cute twins staring up at her.

"Hi," he blushed.

"Hi... buddy."

"That's Gavin," another voice interrupted. She put an instinctive hand down on the boy's soft head of curls to steady him and lifted her eyes up to see Allegra giving her a quizzical look. "They're hard to tell apart."

"Hi, Gavin," Arizona said with a steadying breath. Kids loved her: she was a natural. She just wouldn't think too hard about whose kids they were (even as she searched their faces for every trace of Calliope). "They certainly do look alike."

"They're identical," Allegra supplied helpfully.

"Thanks. How do you tell them apart?"

Allegra shrugged. "Just do."

"Allegra, Gavin, you know better than to run off. Don't bother Dr- Arizona."

"Hello, Calliope," Arizona couldn't help but smile. She looked a bit frazzled, Gus on her hip playing with her hair, but still just so beautiful. Robbins tried very hard not to think impure thoughts in the presence of Callie's kids. "What are you guys up to?"

"Just taking a break while Mami has a second to breath," Callie laughed uneasily. "It's unseasonably nice so we were going to head outside for a few minutes. Stretch our legs."

"You should come, too, Arizona," Allegra cried excitedly.

"Dr. Robbins," Callie corrected, taking a breath to excuse Arizona.

"Arizona is fine," Arizona insisted with a kind smile for all four Torres'. Er, Hunts.

"Ah-sona," Gavin tried from below them, extending his arms in a classic gesture. "Up, Sona."

"Sorry," Callie grimaced. "He likes to flirt with pretty girls."

Arizona shook her head, determined to embrace this. She lifted Gavin to her hip and grinned: "Is that so? So do I."

Callie snorted, and Arizona joined in. This all is so absurd they just have to laugh.

"So, we're headed outside, hmm?" Arizona continued, surprised as Allegra slips a hand into hers. These kids sure aren't shy.

"Yeah, after donuts," Allegra decreed.

"Donuts? I love donuts!" Arizona exclaimed.

It shouldn't feel like this, Callie decided.

This was the worst of all her sins of the past few months. Owen was the furthest thing from her mind and all she could think was:

This is perfect. I could do this for the rest of my life.

It was a bit colder than anticipated, so they were all huddled on one bench for warmth, Arizona's thigh pressed achingly close to hers. The twins jockeyed for position in Arizona's lap while Allegra grinned and looked on from Callie's.

They felt... like a family.

Shit.

Callie pulled up short at that and gave Allegra a quick squeeze. There was already a family here, and Arizona wasn't a part of it. This was wrong. But it made her so happy, and for once in her recent life, she just wanted to be happy.

The twins were singing some made up gibberish song for Arizona, who tipped her head back and laughed. Callie was transfixed on the fine muscles at her throat.

She wanted this, so badly, and that was a worse sin than the on-call room sex and heated verbal foreplay in the cafeteria. Worse than the afterglows spent sharing exquisite secrets she hadn't even shared with her husband. This was the worst.

She had to confess.

He'd been shocked into silence, and she'd recoiled in fear of a physical reaction, hating herself even as she did it. Owen would never hurt her. At least, the old Owen wouldn't.

"You cheated on me."

She couldn't make out his face through the tears clouding her eyes, and his tone was horribly flat and neutral.

"With Arizona Robbins."

"Yes," Callie sobbed, hating (and loving) the rush of warmth even at her name.

"For how long?"

"Months. Five months."

Five glorious months and ten days. That number was from The Case, the one that changed her life, not the first time she laid wrapped in Arizona's sheets and screaming her name, but Callie figured an affair of the heart was a greater crime than an affair of the flesh.

"Huh."

"Owen..."

"Are you still?"

"I wasn't doingcharts in on call room five yesterday."

Owen grunted. "Not gonna be able to sleep there ever again."

Callie buried her head in her arms, curled up small in the armchair in the corner of their guest room, Owen seated on the bed across from her.

"Are you leaving me?"

"I don't know," Callie cried harder. "Oh, Owen, I don't know. I want to love you. I want to fix us, for them. But I don't love you. I haven't in years."

She figured she might as well be honest.

"Me either," Owen whispered. "Do you want to leave me?"

Callie whimpered.

"Do you want to be with her?"

"Yes," Callie choked, feeling it more strongly than ever. "I'm so sorry, but yes."

Owen sighed.

"Okay."

Callie looked up sharply.

"What?"

"Allegra, Gavin, Angus. They're the best things we've ever done. But going on like this will just hurt them. I'll go, tomorrow. You stay here, with them. I... I shouldn't be with them anyway."

"Owen... You're their daddy. They need you."

"I'll try to find a place during work tomorrow. Just... let me tell them, okay? The boys won't get it, but Allegra..."

Callie unfolded herself and scooted closer to the edge of the chair, placing a tentative hand on her husband's shoulder.

"Owen, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

For the first time in months, maybe years, he let her hold him while he sobbed into her hair, while they both sobbed for what had been.

"Daddy!"

"Hey, pumpkin. Hey, guys."

Callie smiles as she watches them all piling on top of him. He looks good. Healthy. He's been in therapy for the greater part of a year, and he and his therapist collectively decide how much time he's ready to handle one on one with the kids. So far it's been going very, very well.

Another positive (though she can't believe she sees it that way) is his growing relationship with Yang. She is patient with him in a way Callie could never muster, and she's actually pretty good with the kids, in her own way. They think she's really funny, and Callie chooses to believe that her tendency to refer to Gavin and Gus as "Dino" and "Monkey" is born of affection and not laziness.

"What's the plan for the day?" Callie asks, two-thirds small talk, one-third concerned parent. She does like to know where they are.

"Well, I managed to get tickets for the Huskies this afternoon. A little basketball, and then dinner at Grandma's. How's that sound, guys?"

But the kids are too excited trying to find all the 'Dad's house toys' inside Owen's apartment to answer.

"That sounds like a lot of fun. Have to say I'm a little jealous," Callie grins. "Oh, word of advice at the game. Gus randomly stopped eating cheeseburgers on Tuesday. I thought he was just being ornery for Arizona when I was late for lunch, but then I tried again last night and he refused."

"Oh-kay," Owen comments. "But he loves cheeseburgers."

"Over it," Callie shrugs. "I'm sure he'll be back to it next week. Just don't be surprised if he doesn't want one."

"Good to know. Hey, did you get Wednesday off from Grey?"

"It was like pulling teeth, but yeah. I said I would be in court and I didn't know how long it would take the judge to get to us."

"Yeah, my lawyer said it could take an hour or it could take all day. Depends on how busy the judge is."

"Yep, so. Wednesday."

Owen nods, and Callie searches for something to say. They've reached a very comfortable place, and it feels like their marriage has been over for months, but in the eyes of the court they're married until the judge signs her name on the separation agreement on Wednesday, and it's a bit of an awkward limbo.

"Anyway, you'll get them to day care Monday morning?" Callie smiles. "You have everything they need?"

"Got it all," Owen says quickly, double-checking the trio of backpacks in his hand. "Enjoy your weekend off."

Callie smiles ruefully. "I really rarely do."

It's not completely true: she does enjoy the opportunity to be alone with Arizona (if their schedules allow), to make love without fear of waking or wandering babies, and maybe even have the living room be neat and tidy for more than ten minutes at a time, but even all of that pales in comparison to how much she misses them on their weekends with their dad.

"Right. So, Wednesday," Callie continues. "I feel like we should get one last cup of coffee as husband and wife beforehand. What do you say?"

"Sure. Grab a cappuccino and talk about our girlfriends?"

Callie laughs, his awful joke breaking the awkward tension. She rolls her eyes.

"They write soap operas about this stuff."

Inside the apartment, one of the twins raises an affronted cry of: "Allegra!" and Callie and Owen automatically snap in unison:

"Allegra, leave your brother alone!"

They make eye contact and laugh again.

"Okay, well, I should go regulate that," he gestures over his shoulder.

"Yes, go. No broken bones or black eyes."

"Yes, ma'am."

This time it's Allegra that squeals and Callie shoos: "Go, go, before they kill each other!"

"See you Wednesday," Owen grins.

"Okay, guys, time for me to pack it up."

"Nooooo," Gus whines, actually throwing his almost empty bowl of peas from his highchair.

"Angus," Arizona snaps, reproachfully, freezing when she picks up on the 'mommy voice' in her tone. She clears her throat. "I gotta go, buddy. My house misses me."

"Don't go, Sona," Gavin pipes up. "Please..."

"Stay for bath time at least, Arizona," Allegra begs. "It's pirate day!"

All three faces (smeared with dinner) are looking up at her with the biggest puppy dog eyes. She looks up and sees Callie has the exact same look, with something deeper lurking behind.

"Okay," Arizona acquiesces. "I'll stay to make sure Gus walks the plank for throwing his plates."

The kids giggle and rejoice, and Arizona oversees a swashbuckling bath time while Callie puts away the laundry Nanny Dana folded earlier in the day. Arizona gets talked into staying even for bed and stories.

After everyone is asleep, Arizona is throwing a few things into her overnight bag when Callie blurts from the doorframe:

"I don't want you to go."

"You gonna throw your peas about it, too?" Arizona asks, frustrated.

"I want you to stay. We miss you so much when you're not here. Don't you miss us?"

"Calliope. Of course I do. In that stupid empty apartment. I just-"

"Then stay. Please. I want to wake up next to you every morning. I want your clothes in the closet next to mine. All of them. I want to fight for counter space 'cause we both have so many useless hair products. You only have your useful hair products here. I... I want you to yell at my kids and not feel self-conscious about it."

"Callie."

"I saw you today. Your first instinct was to discipline him."

"It's not my place."

"It is your place! It, it could be."

"I'm not their mom..."

"Maybe not, but you're something special."

"I'm doing my best, okay? My friends think I'm insane for being with you and stepping right in to be your husband."

Callie flinches and stutters: "You, you're not, you're..."

"I never wanted the house and three kids thing, Calliope. Now I kinda have it, and you're asking, begging me to have even more of it. And I love those kids, but this is a heck of an adjustment."

"This isn't what you want?" Callie asks meekly.

"No! None of this is ever what I wanted."

Callie feels herself start to tear up, but Arizona just keeps pushing on.

"But now I can't imagine ever letting you go. Do you know how scary that is? I love you all so much." She throws her bag to the side forcefully. "I love you. Calliope, I love you."

"I love you, too," Callie swears, crossing to her, grabbing her shoulders. "So, stay. Please stay. Forever. Or, we can start with a week at a time? Just please, stay. I've never loved anyone so much in my life. I can't see a future without you."

"Really?" Arizona asks, feeling so very exposed.

"Really," Callie nods, hands trailing up Arizona's arms to lock behind her neck, thumbs stroking the soft hair there.

Arizona reaches around her waist and pulls her close, pressing one fluttering kiss at Callie's collarbone, then repeating the action along that strong line the bone makes.

"Me neither," she whispers, and Callie whimpers as they fall into each other.

Arizona falters for a moment. She wants to take her time, take all of Callie's clothes off, but there's another fierce desire to just take her where they stand. She backs her up against the wall, tugging up on her shirt. "I need you right now."

Callie's already working at Arizona's jeans, hands pulling them down and helping her kick out of them. Arizona does the same, oofing as Callie spins her against the wall. Fingers work down the front of Arizona's navy blue boy shorts, met with arousal already. She wastes no time, pushing two fingers inside to their hilt, crushing her lips against the other pair to keep the strangled moan from waking any sleeping children, something they've had to get very good at.

She pushes into Arizona desperately, listening to the whispers of her name against her neck. This woman makes her feel like a teenager again. There will undoubtedly be hickies and scratches that make the other blush at second glance. But neither woman cares.

Arizona wrestles a hand down the front of Callie's underwear as well, touching her with the same amount of urgency, fingers mirroring the fast pace of her lover's. Their kisses can only mask the gasps for so long before Callie's head tips back, Arizona's lips at her neck while her fingers burrow into long, dark waves.

Callie withdraws her hand, letting Arizona have the space she needs. Her underwear is off, her thighs shaking as Arizona's hands continue. She fears she's going to collapse, but Arizona's there, tugging her to the floor as she continues pumping her fingers, thumb flicking intermittently. There's going to be rug burn on her back from the ferocity in which Arizona's fingers are moving. But she doesn't care, especially as she comes- hard and practically out of nowhere.

Arizona barely has time to register Callie flipping her over, nearly tearing her boyshorts off of her as her thighs are hitched over Callie's shoulders. Fingers tangle in dark tresses once more while Callie works Arizona with her tongue. She's trying so hard to keep quiet, gasping moans permeating the otherwise quiet space. Callie tries shushing her as best she can, and Arizona responds by biting her fist. In the months they've had together, Callie has gotten very good at this.

Callie feels Arizona shaking harder, the urgency behind her hands in her hair. She knows her girlfriend...her girlfriend is close. The thought of that is safe and terrifying, but Callie shoos it to the side in favor of making sure Arizona has one hell of an orgasm.

With one long, loud moan, an arch of her back, and a whimper of Calliope, Arizona does, indeed have one hell of an orgasm.

The afterglow is a little different though. Callie and Arizona manage to make it to the bed, moving Arizona's discarded overnight bag in the process. Arizona will worry about unpacking it later, but for now she is content in holding Callie close, pressing kisses to her forehead, smiling.

Callie's tracing lines against Arizona's skin, connecting freckles with invisible patterns. Smiling at the gorgeous woman next to her. She yawns, trying not to fall asleep, but after the day she's had, her body can finally relax.

"What are you thinking?" Arizona whispers, yawning as well.

"This is nice," Callie snuggles in a little more. She was never this woman; never the cuddly type after sex. But here she is.

Arizona smiles, tightening her hold as she drops a kiss to the top of Callie's head.

"It is, isn't it?" she considers for a moment. "What time do you want me to set the alarm for?"

Callie grins before her lips graze Arizona's shoulder. "So you're staying."

"Yeah, I'm staying," she swears, a soft whisper against Callie's ear. "I'm definitely staying."

el fin... for now! To be continued in stories to come.