Seattle Grace Penitentiary

Chapter 1

Callie's POV

"I hearby sentence you to 30 days imprisonment at Seattle Grace Penitentiary. Take the defendant down".

The sound of the hammer smashing down broke me out of my daze and I looked around the courtroom for the one person I knew I'd find. He was there, at the back, standing with a look of sadness and guilt on his face that I'd never seen before. I offered him a tight smile as they guided me away through the crowds and loaded me into the waiting police transport van. I knew he was following and as I looked back at him I mouthed a silent thank you. He smiled a sad smile and nodded, mouthing that he'd see me soon.

And then the doors closed shutting me off from the life I knew and from Mark, my best friend, and the man who called the cops on me as I let my life spiral out of control.

Sitting in the van all I could think about was what had got me here. My life had been falling apart slowly but surely and as each piece crumbled away, my behaviour got more and more extreme, but only Mark was there to notice.

George broke me. Erica broke me. My family disowned me. And Mark was in love, no longer my sex-friend, my distraction. That came in other forms now: fast driving, sex and drinking. The thrill was incomparable, but as I got more and more out of control I couldn't see the dividing lines anymore and after writing of two cars and being held overnight at the police station twice, only to be bailed out by Mark, I was beyond help. My work was suffering also as I was often hung-over, or on some occasions covered in cuts and bruises. Webber had resorted to putting me on probation but I didn't care. Who would care if my life and career now went up in smoke?

The last occasion came after an all night bender at Joe's. Usually he knew to take my keys off me, but the barman that night wasn't Joe and he didn't know me, so I got battered and got behind the wheel. As I sped away from the bar, I nearly hit Mark and Lexie crossing the road. He recognised my car and I think he didn't know what to do anymore. He'd tried but he couldn't get through to me so on that night he called the cops on me, his best friend. He rode with them, they found me crashed into a tree a few miles out of Seattle, unconscious and reeking of alcohol. When I woke up the police were at my bedside, and Mark was standing outside looking in through the windows.

I didn't talk to Mark for ages after that, they told me this time I would have to stand trial for drunk and disorderly, and for being a danger to the public, but I still knew he turn up for the trial.

And I also knew that ultimately, he had probably saved my life.

"All out of the van". The voice broke me out of my thoughts and there it was, Seattle Grace, my new 'home'.

Handcuffed at the wrists and ankles, wearing a bright orange jump suit, we were lead in to be processed and stripped of our belongings and all I was thinking about was the trivial things: Red was my colour, but orange? Not so much. What would the food be like? Would I be able to get Tequila? And seriously, putting 'Grace' in the name of a State Prison?!

"Name?" A short balding fat man asked me.

"Callie Torres."

"Ah Calliope it says here, pretty name for a pretty face" He smirked at me, eyeing me up and down. "Over there for admittance to the female wing. Strip off once your there and wait your turn". He smirked at me again and moved on to the next woman in line, and scowling Asian woman who looked like she couldn't care less where she was. As she caught my eye before the strip search she muttered a quiet "Bitches" while eyeing up the guards around us. I had to chuckle at that despite my situation.

After an eternity of waiting and searches,we were given a dressed up in our white tank tops and orange jump suits and led to the wing. It felt like a cat walk, everyone was out watching who the new meat was, only I'm pretty sure they weren't eyeing up the clothes.

"Yang" The Asian woman behind me was called up and led into a cell on the first floor. The cellmate eyed her warily, a twisty looking brown haired woman. They circled each other briefly before the one I knew as Yang hurled herself on the bottom bunk and simply ignored her cell mate.

"Torres" Now it was my turn, I was the only one left. I was led into the cell next door which I immediately noticed was empty.

"Where's my cell mate?" I asked. The guard turned and stared at me a while before smirking slightly.

"She'll be back in at 22.00 hours; she's been in solitary for a week."

All I could think was that that surely couldn't be good...I had to ask thought,

"Why?"

"She's a trouble maker, starts fights, gets beat up, gets put in solitary. It's her thing. She's doesn't say much either, I'd watch your back if I were you, there's something odd about that one."

The guard started to walk away but I had one more question I needed to know before my cell mate got back, I was already a little freaked by what the guard had said.

"What's she in for?"

The guard turned and fixed me with a stare, for a minute I though she wasn't going to answer then she simply said one word.

"Murder."

And with that she walked away.

Freakin' great.

Chapter 2

Callie's POV

A murderer, really? I mean, all I did was speed a little and they throw be on with a murderer for 30 days?

3 hours till she comes back, and I have no distractions. I look at the bunk beds against the wall. I really want to sit down but I don't know which one is hers and I really really don't want to piss off a murderer...

After a couple of minutes inspecting I decide that the bottom one looks like it's been used, there's a few unnerving scratch marks on the wall and a piece of paper stuck in the slats above.

Resisting the urge to take a peek at the paper, I jump up onto the top bunk and let myself relax. It's the first time in a while I've been sober at this point in the day, the first time I've contemplated a nap without it being alcohol induced. It feels pretty good. Looking around the cell I take in my surroundings. Besides the bunk beds against the wall, the cell is pretty sparse. There are two small cabinets, a sink and a toilet and that's it. With nothing else to do for now, I let sleep overtake me.

I briefly stir an hour or so late when they call us down for dinner. I follow Yang and her cell mate down to the food queue, retrieve my plate of pasta and follow them to a seat. We eat in silence and shortly it's time to go back to the cells. I watch Yang and the one I've discovered as Grey leave. Their actions are already in sync, it's like they're sharing a brain or something and my thoughts drift back to what my cell mate will be like.

By the time its drawing close to 22.00 hours, my thoughts have gone into overdrive. On the description given to me by the guard, I've built an image of a huge giant of a woman, muscles popping everywhere, silent aggressive type. I'm lying on the top bunk, trying to blend in with the wall of the 8ft square cell having an internal freak out when I hear footsteps coming along outside and an outbreak of whispering from other cells. I quickly look at my watch, its dark now, and I can just about make out the hand telling me it's 22.07.

Quickly deciding to keep my prone position on the bed rather than get up to meet her, I watch silently as the guard stops short of the door.

"Robbins for readmission to Gen Pop, open on floor 1" She bellows out and the door slowly slides open. No other words are spoken.

I still can't make out my cell mate and can't stop myself shutting my eyes as I hear someone slowly enter the cell and the cell door shut. Only when I hear the guards' footsteps walking away and the lock click do a sneak a look, and to say I'm surprised is an understatement. Although it's dark a can see from her figure that she's nothing like I imagined. Standing in the middle of my cell is a petit woman, standing in a tank top with her jump suit tied around her waist. She's motionless, staring out the window like she hasn't seen the moon for a while.

As I watch her I realise she probably doesn't know I'm there but just as I'm about to move, she moves, stopping any movement I may have been contemplating.

She suddenly drops to her knees, and as the moon light hits her face I see silent tears streaming from the most beautiful blues eyes. She has no other reaction; she just kneels there, with tears streaming down her face, staring out at the moon.

I can hear cat calls coming from some of the other cells but she still doesn't move. After a couple of minutes I realise I really should make myself knows. I slowly, quietly sit up and let my legs drop of the side of the bunk. The movement must have startled her as she suddenly jumps up, planting her back firmly against the wall and looking up with wide eyes. I was taken aback by how vulnerable she looked, I had a hard time comprehending that this woman in front of me now was the murderer and trouble maker the guard warned me about.

At the startled look on her face I raise my hands in a surrendering stance, and as she furiously wipes her face ridding any evidence of the tears, I murmur a quiet hello.

"Who are you?" She mutters, a slight trace of agitation in her voice.

"I'm Calliope, I mean I'm Callie...people call me Callie...I was brought in today" I manage to stutter out, still a bit stunned that this is my cell mate. "Sorry to startle you" I add as an afterthought, as I jump down from my bed.

She seems to have composed herself now, and a hard expressionless mask has replaced the vulnerability I saw earlier on her face.

"Are you ok?" I can't help myself asking, struggling to maintain eye contact against her intense stare. I already feel like I may have seen a side to her that no-one else in the prison has seen. A flicker of emotion passes over her face, surprise I think that I cared to ask, but it was gone in a flash. She took a step towards me until we were toe-to-toe.

"Stay out of my business, and I'll stay out of yours. You saw nothing, got it?" She simply states, and with that she moves around my stationary form and lies on the bottom bunk. As I stand there, I realise she didn't even offer up her name, but realising now may not be the time to ask I climb back onto my bunk and continue to stare at the ceiling, listening to the steady breathing of the blonde woman below until I fall onto a real sleep, for the first time in months, the image of her perfect face in the moonlight at the front of my mind until sleep takes me.

Chapter 3

Callie's POV

The next 3 days followed the same pattern. I'd wake up in the morning as the claxon sounded to signal that the cell gates were about to open. My cell mate would already be standing dressed by the gates waiting, and the minutes they did she was gone.

Part of me was glad. I could familiarise myself with the routine, get washed and dressed without her being there. Then I'd go out and find Yang and Grey who I'd formed a slight connection with.

Part of me was sad though, I found I wanted to get to know her. If only for someone to talk to when we were confined to our cells, but also because I was convinced now that this was all just a front she was putting on. I heard her in the night, having nightmares and talking to herself but it was always too soft to make out what she was saying, but she'd jolt awake gasping for air before gradually going back to sleep. I made sure not to move, not to make a sound, so she didn't know I witnessed these moments.

During the day I'd see her in the yard, sitting on the bleachers, no-one going near her. People seemed to avoid her. I remember the guard saying starting fights was her thing, but for 3 days all she'd done was sit on her own. Sometimes she caught me watching her, she's hold my gaze for a while with the same intense stare I'd seen in the cell and eventually I'd drop my gaze, unable to hold it anymore. But I found I wanted to know more so on the 3rd day I asked Grey, Meredith as I now knew she was called.

"What do you know about her?"

"Seriously? Why would you want to know about her. She's trouble."

"She's my cell mate. But I don't even know her name. She never talks."

"No-one knows her name, all we know her as is Robbins. She's 21 months into her 2 year sentence for murder. Should've got out on parole by now but every time she gets close to a hearing she starts some trouble and her parole hearing gets cancelled. It's like she punishing herself."

That was all the information anyone seemed to have and I found myself more and more intrigued by her. I'm watching her again as a guard approaches her. Whatever she's told breaks her facade briefly as she slumps defeated, before she stands tall and follows the guard. Just as she's draws level with a group of women by the exercise yard, her eyes flicker back to me and she holds my gaze as she draws to a stop. The guard sees her stop, and as if the guard knows already what will happen he takes a look between her and the gang and starts backing away, calling for back up. Suddenly the yard sparks with excitement as if they too all know what's about to happen.

"Here we go again" Meredith simply says. I look at her, then back at the blonde who's dropped her gaze from mine, closed her eyes and suddenly spins around, throwing the first punch at random member of the gang.

Arizona's POV

The sudden movement on the top bunk broke me from my trace. I looked up and my eyes lock with such expressive brown eyes. They were transfixing, I got lost for a minute but suddenly remembered where I was and what I was doing. Angrily wiping away any evidence of my break down, I quickly retreated behind all my self-imposed walls and scramble to my feet.

As she murmurs 'Hello', I can see she's trying to work out how to deal with me in response to what she's just witnessed.

Fixing her with the hardest glare I can muster I ask who she is. Her stuttered response would have brought out a smile in the old me, but not this person I have created within these four walls. It sticks with me though, her name: Calliope. It's beautiful. Like her.

I've obviously been staring, but her next question shocks me a little. She must know what I'm in for, the guards will have told her, they told the last few who they threw in with me and after a few days they all asked for a transfer. But Calliope knows and she still cares to ask if I'm ok, even getting closer to me as she slides of the bed. She makes me want to talk, but I won't. I've only made it this far through my sentence by keeping my distance. I only have a few months left, and I will not break now. I know she saw me breaking just now, I know she saw me cry, but I need her not to tell anyone, and most of all I need her not to care.

"Stay out of my business, and I'll stay out of yours. You saw nothing, got it?" I get out, despite my inner battle and then I retreat to my bed. I'm aware that she remains standing for a while, still in the position I left her in, before she seems to give up and climb onto her bed.

I didn't give her my name. No-one knows my name. That way I can't associate the person I was on the outside with this person here. I'm nobody, the person people avoid, and that suits me fine.

But as I go to sleep, Calliope's brown eyes invade my mind and I know this test will be harder than the rest.

For the next 3 mornings I get up early before she wakes. For some reason I don't want her to see me change, for her to see the slowly fading bruises on my torso, for her to see how vulnerable I really am. I watch her sleep for a few moments before the claxons sounds, hair mussed over her face, sprawled out as far as she can in the small bed, snoring lightly.

As the claxon sounds I turn and face the gate. She doesn't see the small smile I allow myself as I hear her jump and sit up startled and wide eyed. I pretend not to notice her eyes burning into my back as I wait for the gate to open enough for me to escape. Then my day could continue as normal, and from a distance I could pretend I didn't notice her curious gaze following me, I could pretend not to know that she was asking about me, and occasionally I would allow myself to stare into her brown eyes until she looked away with a bashful expression on her face.

Suddenly the guard was there telling me what I already knew was coming, that I'd been preparing myself for the last 3 days. I had a visitor; my father was there to see me. When you have a visitor, there is only one way to avoid seeing them, something I learned early on in my sentence: get the 'privilege' removed, get yourself sent to solitary or the infirmary.

As the guard walked me past the usual gang at the weights, he knew what was going to happen. As I drew to a stop I found myself seeking out Calliope's eyes. I didn't want her to see this, for the first time I cared, and as the yard sparked to life I held her gaze before I closed my eyes and threw my punch.

That's all it takes, one punch. I don't even have to try to fight after that. The gang launches at me, and back up finally arrives. It's like a perfected scenario now, everyone knows how it works. But as I lie there getting all degrees of shit knocked out of me, I see her getting up, moving as if she wants to help me. I manage to shake my head in her direction and she stops. But I can see the pain flashing across her face and I wonder briefly before I slip out of consciousness if maybe she'd understands. Maybe she's as screwed up as me.

Chapter 4

Callie's POV

Lying on my bunk a couple hours after the fight, I'm can't stop thinking about the resigned look I saw on her face as she shook her head at me as a moved forward, wanting to help her. I can't help the feeling that, even without words, she wants me to understand, she wants to let me in but she needs me to keep trying, to force her hand.

I asked Meredith after what she'd meant when she said, "Here we go again."

Apparently she always does it to avoid seeing visitors. Never in her entire sentence has she seen her visitors, yet they keep coming. And every time she gets herself sent to solitary or the infirmary to avoid meeting them.

I'm lying there still an hour later when I hear the gate open and I gasp at the site before me. She's standing there, her left arm in a sling and her arms and face covered in bruises. Without thinking, the doctor in me rears her head and I jump of the bed and shout down to the retreating guard.

"She should be being monitored by a doctor. She must have concussion or fractures. Why isn't she in the infirmary?!"

"She brought this on herself. Plus, she has no open wounds." And with a chuckle she walks away.

Shaking my head in disbelief I turn around and see that she's limping severely as she makes her way across to the window. She stops, standing and looking out at the sky the same way she did the first day I saw her. Tentatively, I make my way up behind her, acutely aware that we haven't exchange anything more than looks since the first night.

I reach out slowly and touch her right arm. She immediately stiffens but doesn't pull away. I step closer to that I'm not standing almost touching her back. Suddenly I'm surrounded by her scent and as I breathe her is, I manage to exhale a soft question.

"Are you alright?" I ask softly, my mouth so close to her neck.

She doesn't respond again and just as I'm about to give up and step back she makes a sudden movement. Twisting her right arm back she grabs my right hand, interlocking our fingers and pulling it around her waist. The action catches me by surprise and suddenly my front is flush against her back, my arm wrapped around her waist as she hangs her head and starts to cry. I slowly break out of my surprise and softly wrap my other arm around her waist joining the other hands at the front being mindful of her injured arm. And that's all it takes for her to crumble, pulling my arms tighter around her waist and pushing her body further back into me.

Despite the circumstances, holding her close to me like this felt like perfection, like we were the perfect fit.

Arizona's POV

As soon as I entered the cell and heard the concern in her voice as the called after the guard, I knew I was going to break. I knew that if she made one more gesture that showed she truly cared I wouldn't be able to push her away.

As I limped my way to the window, taking in the moon again out of the window, I felt her come up behind me. She was so close, yet I wanted to feel her closer. As she touched my arm I felt her soft touch for the first time I felt myself freeze and the touch and as she asked if I was ok, I felt her sweet breath on my neck. The scent of her was intoxicating. Frozen in my thoughts I felt her start to move away and something snapped in me. I needed her touch, the physical comfort and before she could move away I grabbed her arm and wrapped it tightly around my waist. I could tell she was startled by my sudden gesture, but feeling her pressed against me felt so right. And as I felt her tentatively wrap her other arm around me too, all my walls came crashed down and I broke down in her arms.

Chapter 5

Callie's POV

Feeling her breakdown in my arms broke my heart a little. The blonde had captivated me, and for the 3 days I'd been there I'd forgotten about my troubles, the reasons I was here. All that mattered in this moment was comforting the woman in my arms.

As she clung to me, I knew I wouldn't be able to hold this position for long. The last thing I wanted was to have her retreat into herself again, so I carefully shuffled us around until I could sit down on her bunk, and once I got there I pulled her down on to my lap keeping my arms around her waist. Instantly she turned slightly so she was cradled in my arms and buried her face in the side of my neck.

I'm not sure how long we stayed like this, but I was aware after a while that although she'd stopped crying, she made no effort to try and extricate herself from my arms. As her breathing evened out I noticed her right hand had started idling playing with a loose strand of hair at the back of my neck and I felt shivers going down my spine. Neither of us had said anything during this exchange, I was too scared to break the spell we were under at the moment, but just when I was thinking maybe I should think of something to say, she surprised me by speaking into my neck.

"Arizona. " She said.

I pulled my head back slightly, confused that after 4 days of silence the first word I get from her was a random announcement of an American state...

"Uhm...what?" I ask, seeking out her eyes. She pauses slightly then says it speaks again.

"Arizona," she whispers, "My name is Arizona."

And with that she pulled herself away, offered me a half smile, and limped over to the sink.

I sat there is shock for a little while. It was just a name, but I felt like had told me something much more important. She was letting me in.

As she stood by the sink preparing for bed I took a moment to take in her appearance. She had a perfect body, even when it was a bashed up as it was now. Her hair hung in lose curls around her shoulders and as she offered me a half smile in the mirror I noticed very faint traces of dimples that must be there when she really smiles. Aware that I was now staring I stood up and jumped up onto my bunk as to give her some privacy, however the knowledge that she must be in severe pain from her bruises made me pause. As a doctor, I guessed from the movements Arizona was struggling to make that her arm was in a sling to protect some fractured ribs underneath. Just as I was thinking this, a heard a soft curse from the blonde and on instinct looked over to see if she was alright. The site in front of me made me swallow, hard. And despite myself, I found myself slightly aroused by the site that greeted me. Arizona had managed to remove her orange jump suit and sling, but had her tank top stuck around her ribs as she was unable to lift her left arm.

I found myself lost in looking at her. Her stunning legs led up to simple black underwear, and her upper body was gorgeous despite being covered in bruises. As I continued dragging my eyes up her body I was suddenly met with two piercing blue eyes, full of questions as she watched me, watching her, through the mirror. As she winced slightly I snapped back to reality and jumped down off my bunk.

"I'm a doctor...in the real world...I'm a doctor. Well a rockstar surgeon actually but...anyway...can I help...you know...?" I manage to get out, trying to avoid staring inappropriate at the body.

"I...um...I need to change my top but I ca-...can't lift my arm...Could you...?" She left the question hanging, avoiding my eyes and finding some marks on the sink very interesting.

"Yeh...I...hang on a sec." I went over to my dresser and pulled out a loose fited t-shirt that I had figuring it'd be easier for her to put on. Plus, I kind of liked the idea of her wearing something of mine, even if it was still just a prison item.

Turning her so she was facing me, I slowly eased the shirt up over her toned stomach, watching as her breathing sped up slightly as I lightly brushed up her sides. She was now intently watching my face as I tried everything not to react to her half naked body being so close to mine.

Sex had been a regular thing for me as I'd spiralled out of control, but I hadn't been this physically drawn to anyone in a long time, they were just sex. As the shirt cleared her breasts I couldn't help but let out a ragged breath and I noticed Arizona closed her eyes as I slid my hand under the shirt to pull it free of her good arm. She opened them again and this time I held my gaze as I pulled the shirt slowly over her head and down over her injured side.

Putting the shirt on was a bit easier and soon she was dressed again, stood there in my oversized shirt and her pants. After an awkward silence, she cleared her throat slightly and spoke quietly,

"Thank you Calliope."

She looked at the floor as she said it and then started to move towards her bed, brushing past my side to get to her bunk. However at the last moment she stopped and turned around, leaning forward and placing the softest of kisses right on the corner of my mouth. As she pulled away I noticed a slight pink blush around her cheeks and as she offered me another half smile and turned away I quietly said,

"Goodnight Arizona" and climbed onto my bunk, the corner of my mouth tingling where she had placed the most delicate of kisses.

I was falling for her hard and fast and it scared me. Was I really falling for a murderer?

Arizona POV

As I lay on my bunk, I couldn't stop the thoughts from swirling around my head. She had been so tender when she held me, and so carefully in her touches. I hadn't missed the way her eyes had darkened as she undressed me, and I was sure she'd noticed the way I reacted to her touch. I had been here so long, and hadn't let anyone in for so long that I'd forgotten what it was like to see desire in someone's eyes. What is was like to react to someone's touch. What it was like to feel the starting of arousal spread through your body.

Calliope was dangerous to me. It had only taken her only 3 days to get under my skin, and I hadn't even been that near to her. 4 days for me to crack and tell her my name, something I hadn't done to anyone else in months. 4 days for me to start falling for her, when we'd only exchange so few words and in such small interactions.

But maybe letting her in would be worth the risk. I already had little self-control around her, that was evident by the kiss I couldn't help but place on her cheek, a kiss that was too close to her lips to really be misunderstood. A kiss that I hoped wouldn't scare her away.

And for the 4th night running I fell asleep listening to her steady breathing, and thinking about her good it felt to feel her skin on my lips.

When I woke up the next morning, I went about my usual routine. I didn't bother changing my top, convincing myself it was to avoid the pain, but deep down I knew it was because I liked wearing something of hers. Looking over to her on the top bunk, I couldn't help but let out a little chuckle as she lay there flailed out. My laugh quickly stuck in my throat though as I scanned down her body, noticing she had kicked off her sheets revealing her entire body covered simply in pants and her tank top from the previous day. The feelings from the night before crept over my body again and the feeling of desire settled heavily over my body.

The claxon suddenly sounded and I took my place up by the gate. I listened as she stirred and as always, felt her eyes on my back.

As soon as the gate was open I went to take a step forward but something inside me was different this morning. As I paused, I slowly turned around I saw her propped up on her elbows looking at me, surprise evident on her face that I hadn't already walked out.

"Are you coming to breakfast Calliope?" I asked her quietly, smiling shyly at her, my eyes darting between her and anything but her to hide my discomfort at asking.

If she looked taken aback before, that was nothing to her expression now, but suddenly her face broke into the most gorgeous smile I'd ever seen and with a simple "I'd love to" she jumped out of bed, pulled on her trousers and joined me at the gate, flashing me another killer smile as I motioned her out of the cell in front of me.

Chapter 6

Callie's POV

The following days followed much the same. I helped Arizona with her injuries and she in turn waited for me in the morning and we went down to breakfast together. She didn't need as much help anymore but she still wore my loose shirts and I still helped her manoeuvre it over her arm.

Slowly we started getting to know each other, but I was also aware that although I was telling her much about me, she was only telling me the smaller, more inconsequential details about her life.

While I told her about why I was there, my past, my family, my career and my life on the outside, I was only really learning about her favourite colours, food, films. She never mentioned her family, her career...or why she was here. But the more I did learn; her like of happy colours over frowny colours, her penchant for chicken and dislike of lasagne, and her love of all things Disney sure as hell weren't what I'd expect to hear from a murderer. And every now and then I would get a smile from her that once again hinted at the most gorgeous dimples. I only hoped one day I would get to see them and that her smile would reach her eyes.

I didn't want to push her though. Letting me in this far had obviously been hard on her. When we first walked into the dining hall together, the silence and stares that followed us to a table together confirmed that this was unprecedented. Arizona, or Robbins as they all knew her, always ate alone, she didn't talk to anyone, and she never let anyone near her. Yet here I was, being allowed to sit with her, talk to her and be with her in the yard. Yet despite all this, I was afraid to step too far, to ask her those personal questions I was dying to know the answer too because despite the facade I know she was fragile, and I knew I could break what we had right now at any moment.

Ten days in to my stay I was told I had a visitor.

Only one person would come and see me and I couldn't help but feel elated that he was so caring, more so than anyone else knew.

They led us into the room and I saw Mark there, looking a little nervous. When he saw me I could tell he didn't know how I'd react to him so I flashed him a huge smile and before they could stop me pulled him into a tight hug. Although we were quickly pulled apart, the tension between us had been cut and we were us again, talking away freely.

As time was drawing to a close, he grew slightly more silent and serious.

"Seriously though Cal, how are you? I see you here and I can't work out if I did the right thing for you."

I had to smile at his unending concern for me.

"I'm fine Mark, honestly. Sure I was pissed at first but being in here... I'm finding me again you know? I'm calmer, actually processing things and suddenly my life doesn't seem so bad, now I've taken that step back."

"So...we're good?"

"We're good. Thank you Mark."

He looked so relieved at this and started launching into a story about another guy who'd been waiting in the visitors area. A tall, military looking man, who all the guards seemed to know. Apparently he came pretty much every other week, and every timehe was told that his person didn't want to see him, that she was unavailable, but that he comes back every week just in case. He said he'd seen the defeated look in the man's eyes and he was so scared he'd be told that I didn't want to see him.

Something about this man's situation struck me as familiar and at the guards called time I managed to ask Mark one last question.

"What was his name? The man who comes every week and gets turned away."

"It was Robbins I think, Colonel Robbins."

And with a last smile and a quickly snuck hug, he was led out with a promise to be back soon. And I was left to my thoughts.

For 21 months Colonel Robbins had come every week to see someone, someone that had to be Arizona, and every week she managed to avoid him. Yet he wasn't giving up. What had she done to be here? Why was she punishing herself so badly when it seemed her family outside just wanted to see her and weren't giving up?

Suddenly nothing made any sense. How could the Arizona I knew be a murderer, and why was she ignoring her Father who so desperately wanted to see her?

It was time to find out the truth about Arizona, I just hoped with everything I had that I wouldn't scare her away. Maybe, just maybe, talking about what happened was what she needed.

Chapter 7

Arizona's POV

He was here again. 21 months, and he still wouldn't give up. After what I did I had never expected him to want to see me again. He didn't come for the first couple of months I was here but every since then he turned up regular as clockwork, and every week I found a way not to see him. I knew seeing him would break me. Deep down I hoped he came because he still cared, that despite everything that'd happened I was still his little girl. But I knew there was also a chance he kept coming to tell me what he really thought of me, to tell me to go to hell, stay out of their lives, for him to get his anger and grief out and I couldn't risk hearing that. Not while I was stuck in here.

One guard seemed to understand that it was pointless to try and make me to go. She knew what I'd do if they tried so on this occasion I was lucky it was her on duty.

When Bailey came across to tell me he was here, I was relieved. Today was a good day; I wouldn't have to hurt myself to avoid him. She simply led me up to the cell and turned away, yet as always she stopped and said her usual parting words.

"I don't get involved, I don't care about your life choices. But every week that man comes to see you, and every week you to pull some stunt to avoid him. Now I may not know him but I know people, and anger? That would have faded by now. But love? Love doesn't fade. That man, your father, he comes here out of love. You're a damn fool Robbins."

I was used to hearing her say stuff like this but it always made me think. And now sitting here alone, I wished Calliope was here. I wanted to know more about her. She distracted me from my thoughts but today she was seeing her friend. Instead I pulled the piece of paper from the slats above my bunk and read the words, even though I knew them by heart. And as usual, they brought me to tears.

I sensed her before I saw her. She was standing in the doorway looking at me curiously as I lay there, tears evident in my eyes, clutching the faded, stained paper to my chest.

And I prayed she didn't ask, but I knew she would and I knew I couldn't lie to her. I'd been holding back, telling her only insignificant details about my life as she told me everything about her. Never once had she pressed me for more though, and I'd been grateful for that, but as she watched me now I could seen concern in her eyes but also a new determination burning through.

Slowly she walked towards the end of my bunk and sat down, she didn't touch me but the close proximity made me feel calmer.

She sat there a while in silence, I could see her debating with herself but it didn't take her long to turn to me, intently finding my eyes.

"Who's it from?" She asked, like it was the simplest question in the world. The problem was, the answer was as loaded as any answer could me.

"It's from my brother" I replied, bringing tears to my eyes once again.

Callie's POV

I was shocked she'd answered. I now had an answer but it seemed too simple. The way she treasured that letter, kept it safe in, read it in the night and cried over it begged more questions.

Suddenly now seemed as good a time as any; we were locked in together, she had opened up to me slightly, and I just had to know. I had to know the truth about the person I was falling for.

Moving slowly I took one of her hands in my own causing her blue eyes to dart to our hands then to my eyes. I paused for a moment trying to read her emotions, trying to work out whether taking this course would be a massive mistake but although I saw fear, I also thought I saw a resignation and after a second an almost imperceptible nod, but a nod none the less. She knew what I had to ask and she was giving me her permission.

Taking a breath, I asked the million dollar question, tightening my grip on her hand as I said it.

"Arizona...Who did you kill?"

For a minute she looked at me blankly, unreadable, yet as tears slowly rolled down her face she closed her eyes and answered me.

"My brother. I killed my brother."

Chapter 8 - Part 1

Callie's POV

"Who did you kill, Arizona?"

For a minute she looked at me blankly, unreadable, yet as tears slowly rolled down her face she closed her eyes and answered me.

"My brother. I killed my brother."

To say I was shocked didn't begin to describe my emotions.

She killed her brother? Her brother, whose letter she treasures, whose letter she is clutching to her chest with desperation now as sobs wrack her body.

I sit there motionless for a while watching her fall apart. It occurs to be that having been in here for so long she probably hasn't said that out loud in a while. And I can hear her now, repeating the same words to herself over and over with her eyes screwed closed.

"They said I murdered him... They said I murdered him..."

There was something in the way she was saying it now, in the way the words seemed to cause her such intense pain that seemed to suggest there was much more to this story. The way she was saying 'They said...' seemed odd, detached, like she couldn't quite bear to the hear words, yet she couldn't stop saying them

Wrapped up in my own thoughts I hadn't realised how long had passed until she started pulling her hand away.

"It's fine." She says, "You can leave... Just leave Calliope."

She sounds so broken as she turns away to face the wall that I'm snapped back to reality and it dawns on me that she thinks I'm disgusted as I sat there in silence for so long.

Knowing there is only one thing I can do a get up off the bed, and hear a fresh sob from the blonde as I do so. Slowly moving down to her end I tentatively lie down on her bed behind her and, as she stills completely, I spoon her from behind and hold her tight and unable to help myself I place a soft kiss on her temple

"But that's not what really happened is it?" I say, "Tell me. Tell me what happened to your brother."

Arizona's POV

She didn't leave. She's still here.

My thoughts were racing.

Feeling her crawl up behind me and wrap her arms around me was the last reaction I expected, but maybe I was right and she really will understand, that's why I've been breaking every rule I set and been letting her in.

As she placed the lightest of kisses I relaxed into her and prepared to answer her quiet plea to tell her the whole story.

I felt safe like this, with her by me. It was the first time in nearly 2 years I'd felt that way and, as I pulled her arms tighter around me, pulling her impossibly closer, I realised it was now or never.

"I'll tell you, but just promise me something first?" I whisper out.

"Anything", she says sounding so sincere.

"Promise me you'll let me finish, promise me you'll hold me like this until I do."

"I promise you Arizona."

And as she places another kiss on my cheek I begin.

"He wasn't just my brother. He was my twin and my best friend. My father was in the army and so as kids we were moved around a lot, but it was alright you know because we always had each other. I was always a Daddies girl and he was a Mummies boy, but he was still always striving for my Fathers approval regardless."

I couldn't see Calliope but I could tell she was listening, and I could feel her eyes on me.

"Go on" she whispered in my ear, giving me chills.

"We always had each other, all the way through school but when it came to college things changed for the first time. I knew I wanted to go to med school, I'd applied and been accepted but he hadn't applied anywhere. I knew deep down why, but I didn't want to accept it. His need to please my father was so strong that he followed in his footsteps, he enlisted for the army and he was to join up with them around the same time I went off to med school.

"Starting out without him for the first time was hard but we were always writing to each other and talking over the phone when we could. Over the years he came back on leave. He was changed you know, but no one else could really see it. We were always close, we didn't even need words to communicate and I knew what he was seeing out there during the war was haunting him. Around my parents he played the part of a proud service man, but when it was just me and him he would break down, telling me about all the men he'd seen die and wounded.

"It was the wounded that haunted him most, the ones that went from being strong proud men, to being trapped in damaged bodies in a blink of an eye. He told me that was what he was most scared of, being injured to the point where he was dependent on everyone for everything. The men who now lie there with emptiness in their eyes, too damaged to live but unable to die, were what haunted him the most. He said if that ever happened to him he'd rather be dead.

"I heard what he was saying, but I also knew what he was asking, something no one else would ever have known. It was in the way he caught my eyes, in the way he slowed his words in a way that'd be unnoticeable to anyone but me and in the way he was telling me so specifically what haunted him and how he'd rather die that end up like that. It was an unspoken plea and a silent agreement."

I couldn't hold back the tears at this point, but she was still there still holding me, her thumb drawing calming circles on my hand.

I steadied myself before continuing. No-one knew this final bit of the story, the heartbreaking finish. I hadn't even told it to the jury at the trial; it would've been pointless and I knew it, and so I'd kept it to myself, my last sacrifice to my brother.

"Nearly three years ago a saw him, the real him, for the last time. I was in the middle of my paediatrics residency, when he showed up. He had one night of leave before flying out the next morning. We had dinner, and then he left. Our goodbye was as we'd always done it, promising to see each other again soon. But this time he words weren't echoed in his eyes, there seemed a greater finality about it and it unnerved me. When I got back into my flat I found a letter he'd left in my bag."

I was beginning to lose it, so slowly I passed the letter in my hand to Calliope, I knew I wouldn't be able to read it out loud.

"Read it."

"Arizona are you sure? This...this letter..."

"Please read it, I ca-...I can't..."

I knew she was hesitant but she took the letter and began reading it out to me in a soft voice.

'Zona,

I know I shouldn't have put this in writing. You and me, we've always been closer than that. But I couldn't find the words for this, knowing how much I am about to ask of you.

Where I'm going this time is more dangerous than anywhere else I've been before. They've put me in charge of a high risk operation, with no guarantee of a way out.

You must know that I will fight like hell to make it home to you, you mean everything to me Zona and I will give my all to come back to you so you never have to do what you know I'm asking you to do.

You always understood me more than anyone; I never had to ask you anything you always just knew. But this time what I'm asking may be too much. Just remember please everything I've ever told you, everything I never told anyone else.

You know what haunts me.

I don't want you to remember me as anyone else but me, I don't want mum and dad to ever have to see me as a shell of the man they raised. We are good men in a storm, and I am asking you to be my good man in a storm.

I love you Zona, you are the other half of me. You are the better half and the braver half and I hope I'll always be with you.'

When she stopped reading I stopped breathing for a little while. I could tell she was trying to process what she'd just read, trying to piece the truth together.

"Arizona, does this mean...is this letter asking you to do what I think it is..."

Chapter 8 – Part 2

Callie's POV

As she spoke I tried not to interrupt. After a while it was like she'd forgotten I was there, that she was reminiscing in her past with her brother, going through the memories but I could see the tears falling down her face and I knew I needed to just be still and let her talk.

As she passed me her letter, the one she seemed to treasure above everything, I suddenly became unsure. This was it, I was about to find out the truth about her, and I suddenly wasn't sure I wanted to know. We'd become so close that this felt like a huge moment, whatever the outcome a massive shift was about to occur in out fragile relationship.

However once I started reading I found I couldn't stop, and I felt Arizona shaking in my arms almost like she was having to relive some nightmare over and over.

As I got to the end I tried to comprehend what I'd read. It was so cryptic, her brother hadn't made any specific request but suddenly what she'd being saying before crept into my mind and I started piecing together the heartbreaking truth that was slowly starting to emerge.

"Arizona, does this mean...is this letter asking you to do what I think it is..."

I had to ask, I was too far involved now with the story and my ever deepening feeling for the blonde in my arms meant I had to know. If my suspicious were true then Arizona, in my eyes at least was no murderer. In my eyes she had been asked to do the hardest thing you could ever do for someone you love, a selfless act for the good of someone else at the greatest personal sacrifice.

I was shaken from my thoughts as Arizona suddenly started retelling her story.

"4 months later I got the call. The mission had gone tragically wrong and back up hadn't been able to get there in time. Many of the troops were dead but my brother was alive. I was so relieved, he'd made it this far back to his family and everything would be ok. But everything wasn't alright, everything was wrong.

"When I saw him I hardly recognised him. He was alive, but he wasn't the same man that left. He'd lost both his legs and his upper body was paralysed. They called it locked-in syndrome; he was awake and aware, but trapped inside his dead body, trapped in a shell unable to speak, move or do anything for himself. The only thing he could control, the only way he could communicate was through his eyes. He was one of the wounded soldiers he'd told me about, a living manifestation of the very things that haunted him.

"I saw it in his eyes the minute I stepped up to him. He'd asked me, and I'd agreed but seeing him like this, was heartbreaking. My mum and dad were a mess; they didn't know what to do. They clung to the hope he'd at least regain use of his remaining limbs and voice, but I was a doctor, I knew the truth. He would be stuck in his body until his heart gave out, and my brother never wanted that.

"On the 4th night I sat with him one last time. I could read his eyes unlike anyone else and I knew what I had to do. I walked out of the hospital one last time and went home to my apartment. I grabbed my medical bag and went to a bar and had a couple of drinks. When it got to the early hours of the morning I went back to the hospital, there was hardly anyone about. He looked so relieved to see me; I think I could almost see a smile in his eyes. I said goodbye, kissed him on the cheek one last time, and then administered him with a lethal dose of morphine and turned off all the machines. 15 minutes later, as I lay by his side listening to his heart, he died.

"They found me in the morning, still there with him. My parents couldn't comprehend what was happening as my brother was taken to the morgue and I was dragged off to the police station."

I could tell it was taking all her strength to talk now, to finish telling me the truth. I could tell she was completely drained from relieving that night but she'd made me promise to let her finish. But with her last sentence she fell apart, and I felt my heart breaking with her pain.

"They called it murder. They said I murdered my brother."

With those final words she completely broke down and I felt hot tears pour down my face as I held her tightly to me in the dark.

The emotional exhaustion caused by relaying her story soon took its toll on Arizona and she drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

I lay there still reeling from the truth. Of course they called it murder, there was no proof her brother had asked her to kill him. Even the letter wouldn't have prove anything, it was a cryptic reminder to Arizona of a conversation she'd once had with her brother and even if she could have called if euthanasia it was still illegal in most of the US. She may have stood a chance if he'd been terminally ill, but in this case she never had a chance.

The whole truth hit me now like a ton of bricks. She knew she'd be sent to jail and yet she still did it because her brother asked her too. She stayed with him that night, knowing in the morning her life as she knew it would be over. She sacrificed everything: her life, her career and her family to end her brother suffering, and now she was stuck here haunted everyday by what she'd been accused of.

Chapter 9

Arizona's POV

I woke with a start, shaken by the nightmares I always got. Yet this time something about the scenario was different. I felt safe this time as soon as I woke up and as my eyes adjusted to the light I could see why.

I must have fallen asleep after completely surrendering myself to Calliope and letting her in completely. She'd kept her promise to let me finish and I'd told her everything and yet she was still here, she'd held me till I slept and hadn't left me.

At some point in the night I must have turned in her arms and now she was holding me tightly in her arms, her legs tangled with mine and her face only inches away on the same pillow.

I managed to make out the clock on the wall telling me it was 6.10 am. The claxon would be sounding in at 7 and she would wake up. I knew I should probably move away, but being here like this was so perfect and watching her sleep, watching the small expressions pass across her face was mesmerising. I only wish I knew what she was dreaming about.

I must have dozed off again watching her because when I woke up again it was 6.55 and this time she was awake, watching me. She looked guilty as I caught her staring but I couldn't help the small smile on my face as I realised she'd woken up and still not left me.

"Morning" she said, her voice slightly husky with sleep. I could see the concern and uncertainty in her face as she tried to read my emotions after the event of last night.

"You're still here..." I couldn't help but say it out loud, unsure of myself. We were still so tightly wrapped up in each other, yet she still hadn't released any of her grip on my body. I was beginning to feel increasingly hot as she looked so deeply into my eyes.

"I promised you I would be." she said softly. I could tell she wanted to say something more so I stayed quiet.

"What you told me...about, about your brother..."

At her words I unconsciously started to try and pull back from her, afraid of what she'd say but she held me in place and what she said next I could never have expected.

"What you did was the most selfless thing you could ever do for anyone. And it just makes you even more amazing in my eyes... I'm not going anywhere."

I felt tears prick in my eyes and it was like a huge weight had been lifted. She didn't blame me or call me a murderer; she didn't think I was a monster. Maybe, just maybe I could be free of this... And as the tears fell down my face, and I saw the pure sincerity in her eyes, I couldn't stop the smile that spread across my face for what felt like the first time in a long time. And as I did so I saw amazement in her eyes.

"Dimples" she said, like she was saying it to herself, "I've been waiting to see those."

The admission caused a shy smile to break across her face, and she averted her gaze from mine causing a strand of her hair to fall across her face.

Suddenly I felt something like the old me again stirring inside myself; I felt like I was finally on my way to freeing myself of the guilt that had been consuming me. Her simple words had awakened the old me in me and I couldn't stop myself anymore.

Our proximity suddenly seemed too much. She was so close, looking at me again now with adoring eyes and I was suddenly aware of the feelings being created in me by having her body so intimately against mine own. I felt my pulse rate quicken and as if she could sense what I was thinking the smile left her face and a fierce intensity filled her eyes. I freed my left hand from around her body and brushed back the hair that had fallen across her face, watching as her eyes darkened further still and she took a ragged breathe. Spurred on by her reaction to my touch, I moved my hand from her hair to the back of her neck and as her eyes flickered between my eyes and my lips I slowly leaned forward and brushed my lips across hers.

Callie's POV

My mind was racing for a long while after Arizona fell asleep. As time dragged on I wondered briefly if I should try and move back to my own bunk. Truthfully, I really didn't want to leave her but equally I didn't know how she was going to react in the morning should she wake up and find me still here.

As if she subconsciously sensed my dilemma, she suddenly shifted in my arms turning to face me and pulling her body fully against me. Her face was so close to me now and I knew I wouldn't be able to leave her now.

Realising I still had her brothers letter in my hand, I carefully slid it back into the slats of my bunk above. Slowly sleep overtook me and I fell asleep, and the last sight I saw before my eyes closed was her face looking the most at peace I'd seen. That night my dreams were full of the blonde in front of me.

When I woke up, I was surprised to find her still there. I'd been sure she'd wake up and distance herself, but there she was, lying perfectly in my arms, her entire body tangled with my own. After a minute or so her eyes fluttered open and I couldn't help the blush that flooded my checks at having been caught watching her.

I managed a sleeping 'Morning' and watched as the emotions played out on her face.

"You're still here..." she breathed out and I was taken once again by the vulnerability in her voice.

"I promised you I would be" I said softly.

Watching her face I knew she still unsure how I was reacting to what she told me.

"What you told me...about, about your brother..." I started and straight away I felt her trying to withdraw, suspecting the worse, believing she deserved the worst.

"What you did was the most selfless thing you could ever do for anyone. And it just makes you even more amazing in my eyes... I'm not going anywhere."

As I said the words I released just how much I meant them. I wasn't going anywhere. I mean yeh I was in jail, the going anywhere even if I wanted to really was a bit of a problem but even if I could leave her I don't think emotionally I'd be able to now. There was nothing more she could tell me that would scare me away, she had told me her worse secret and it had only made her more beautiful to me.

As my inner thoughts rambled away, I saw a smile start up on her face at my previous words and I watched transfixed as the most magical smile worked its way across her face, the smile I'd been waiting for. The smile that reached her eyes.

"Dimples. I've been waiting to see those."

Words that should have stayed in my head were suddenly coming out of my mouth and as I shyly bowed my head before finally finding her eyes again, I felt the mood shift.

Her smile faltered, and her blue eyes darkened. Her hand left my side and I felt sparks as she brushed my hair aside, slowly grazing her fingers across my check before moving her hand to the back of my neck, threading her fingers through my hair. My breathing hitched in my throat as she moved forward and softly brushed her lips across my own.

As soon as they had touched mine, they disappeared. I opened my eyes to see her face, so close to mine, waiting as if to ask permission. The insecurity in her eyes, betrayed only by her increasingly ragged breathing and her body unconsciously shifting against mine.

Without a second thought I leaned forward to capture her lips again, but just as I had claimed her lips with mine, the claxon rang out and we were both jolted from our position.

Arizona sat up abruptly looking around as if she had suddenly been reminded of where we were and what was going on. I could see her mind start to race but before I could react she'd pulled herself away and off the bed and as the gate slid back she hurried out the cell, leaving me alone on the bed wondering what the hell just happened.

Chapter 10

Arizona's POV

It had all seemed so perfect, lying there with her. Feeling her lips under mine, her body react to mine and the feelings that were coursing through my body as she leant back into me were indescribable. And for a moment I'd forgotten where we were, forgotten that I was still in prison and that this beautiful moment wasn't going to be the start of something more. We were in prison, emotions were heightened and charged by circumstances and I couldn't let myself fall only for her to leave me here alone again afterwards. I needed distance, and so I ran.

I saw the confusion written all over her face but I still left. I had to protect my heart.

I spent the day avoiding her, so wrapped up in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed the charged atmosphere of the other inmates.

For months I'd gone about the same routine, the same places at the same time but today I needed to change them. I didn't want her to find me, not yet, I needed space to think and clear my head. Everything that'd happened in the last 24 hours was suddenly hitting me.

There was only one place I knew I could go at this time of the day that'd be empty and as soon as I found myself in the deserted library, I collapsed into a chair with my head in my hands. After I while I made my way over to the window overlooking the yard, and looking out I could see her, sitting on the bleachers where I always sat, starring across the yard motionless.

I watched her there for what felt like hours fighting an inner battle about whether to go down there and take her in my arms. I could still feel the touch of her lips on mine, her arms around her body, and her thigh shifting between mine...and then the look of hurt and confusion on her face as I ran away. I needed to talk to her, to go down there but before I could decide anything all the alarms started going off and after a second Guard Bailey burst through the door.

"Robbins with me, this wings going into lock down, there's been a breach in another wing and in the yard."

Spinning around I went back to the window and saw fresh chaos below, and Calliope was nowhere to be seen.

"Robbins...NOW!"

As she said it I was on my feet running but as she directed me to my cell there was only one thing on my mind and that was finding Calliope. I just hoped she was alright.

Calliope's POV

She was avoiding me. And the thought of that brought a stab of pain to my gut.

She kissed me. The barest of kisses, yet it had set me on fire. Never had I been so turned on by the simplest of kisses, and never had I experience such intense feelings for a person so quickly.

When I made it to the yard and saw her usual spot empty, I knew I wouldn't be able to find her if she didn't want to be found, the only thing I could do was wait for her to come to me.

Sitting there I thought over the last 24 hours in my head, thinking about everything but mainly about Arizona and how she was coping. If I was feeling this emotionally drained right now who knows what was going on in her head.

Occasionally I felt as I someone was watching me, but when I looked around there was no-one looking and after a while I sensed a growing agitation in the yard. Within minutes, all the alarms went off and suddenly the yard was in chaos. Guards were charging around the boundaries of the prison and the prisoners where surging everywhere. Following the majority crowd, I found myself running through the halls back to my wing, but I couldn't shake the feeling that Arizona could be anywhere in this mess, all alone.

As I reached the wing, the loud speaker blared into action.

"This wing is in lockdown. All prisoners go back to your cells. All water and air-conditioning to the wing has been turned off."

I was looking everywhere for a flash of blonde hair, hoping to catch her blue eyes across the floor but I couldn't see her anywhere. There was nothing I could do except go back to my cell and wait.

Arizona's POV

As I entered the wing I could tell something bad must have happened somewhere in the prison. Lockdowns in themselves rarely happened but cutting off water and air supplies were a last resort to get prisoners to back down.

As I ran through the crowds I looked for any sign I could of the only person I cared about. Not seeing her anywhere I sprinted up the stairs, ignoring the lingering pains in my body, and burst through the gate of my cell.

Emotions flooded through my body as I saw her standing there, out of breath fresh from running herself. Frozen on either sides of the cell, breathless, I don't know who moved first but suddenly we were in each other's arms holding each other as tightly as possible.

"Thank God," I heard her say against my ear "You're alright."

And in that moment, nothing else mattered. She was here, she was ok, and she hadn't left me...and I wanted her. Pulling away slightly I moved my hands to her neck and, before she had time to react, I crashed our lips together in a breathtaking kiss.

Calliope's POV

I was abruptly ripped from my thoughts at the sound of someone crashing into the cell. Turning toward the source of the noise my eyes clashed with the familiar blue of Arizona's and, without a word, we were in each other's arms holding on to each other for dear life.

I couldn't help but utter relief at seeing her ok, but after everything that'd happened I wasn't prepared for what happened next as she pulled away from me and crashed her lips against mine.

Suddenly everything was timeless, and out of control. I was vaguely aware of the cell door sliding closed behind us as I lost myself in her, and I think she did in me. As she traced her tongue across my bottom lip asking for entry I felt myself being forced backwards across our cell. Crashing into the wall behind me, I lost all logical thought as Arizona's tongue entered my mouth, massaging my tongue with her own in a bruising kiss.

There was nothing tentative and cautious now, it was pure unadulterated want, and I'd never been more turned on in my life.

Slowing the kiss, she pulled her head back slightly and rested her forehead against mind, breathing heavily.

"You have no idea what you do to me," she said, moving in as if to kiss me again before changing her mind and pulling back slightly again.

As she looked into my eyes with hers, seeing her darkened blue eyes full of desire did nothing to dampen the feelings coursing through my body.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I ran...it's just...this place, and everything I told you...it was too much for me right then, I just needed to clear my head. And you...Calliope you make me feel things I haven't felt in a very long time."

"I get it Arizona, I really do. But please, please don't run from this...from me..." I plead with her, unable to hide the desperation in my voice for her to trust me.

"I really really like you Calliope...," she lets the statement hang, a half smile on her lips as she moves her hands from behind my head to the straps of my top, fiddling with the strap while waiting for me to say something.

"I really really like you too Arizona..." I said, and as a full dimpled smile broke out on her face I couldn't stop grinning back at her and pulling her in for another kiss.

Chapter 11

Callie's POV

Standing there a few minutes later, I couldn't help but marvel at how at peace I felt. After the experience of the last few months, the last thing I expected was to come in here and find someone like her, to find myself totally at piece with another person. But standing her now, my arms wrapped tightly around her, her hands in the back pockets of my jumpsuit and the light kisses she was placing on and around my neck...I was completely and utterly happy, for the first time in a long, long time.

But with my happiness came an over-riding concern for her happiness and there was a couple of things I knew I had to know.

Softly breaking our moment, I asked the first thing on my mind.

"Why did you run? Earlier...why did you run away?"

I had a pretty good idea of what her answer would be but I needed to be sure. I needed to know I hadn't scared her off somehow, that I hadn't made anything worse.

"You scare me." she started to say softly into my neck. "My feelings for you, in this place, they scare me. And with everything that I told you, everything that's happened...it just hit me you know, that we were here and soon...that everything was different 'cause we were in here."

Moving her face from my neck so I could see her now, I made sure she was looking into her eyes as I said my next words.

"I know, I know we are in here, and this is definitely the last place I ever expect to find lo-...anything like this, but trust me, I've been hurt too many times to jump into to something without thinking that maybe, just maybe, there is a chance it could be something more."

Arizona's POV

I was stunned by what she just said, but not just by what she said but what she nearly seemed to say. Was she...did she nearly say love? Did she nearly say that she'd never been expecting to find love in here?

Pulling her with me, I moved backward so we were both moving onto the bed. As a shuffled over to the far side, I made sure to keep her with me so that I was holding her from behind. As she settled into me, I sensing see was debating whether to ask another question, and I readied myself for what she might ask.

"Why won't you see him, your father? They say he comes every week; he's come every week for over a year yet you've never seen him. "

I can see her trying to sneak a look back at me, to see how I'm reacting and as she turns her head to find my eyes I can't help but reach over and place a lingering kiss on her lips. Long enough to show her I don't mind her asking, long enough for her to know how I feel.

"That day. That day they didn't just lose one child, they lost both. I never let them see me after that day. My mother, I don't know how she is. They tried to see me before the trial, and at the trail, but I requested they didn't attend and they granted me that. My mother has never tried to see me here. But my father, he didn't come at first but then he started coming, and he's never stopped. But I couldn't bear it if he told me what I fear. I couldn't bear it if he told me he hated me for what I did, that he wished I'd died instead. And I can't risk finding out what he wants to say, not while I'm in here, it'd be too much. I just hope he can wait till I'm out, then I'll hear what he wants to say, but in here... I just can't. It'd kill me."

I paused before adding the last bit, "I never told them about what he asked, they don't know why I did it but how can I tell them that, that their son the proud soldier wanted to die? I just don't know how to begin to explain it to them."

"You won't need to Arizona. He's your father, but he was also a soldier. He'll understand, you have to believe that, he'll always love you...I mean, how could anyone not love you." she says it with a shy smile, placing a soft kiss on the inside of my wrist as she does so.

Callie's POV

She was admitting her deepest fear to me, and I could understand. But at the same time I couldn't believe he would keep coming this long out of hate. Maybe I could help; there may be something I could do, I'd just have to talk to Mark.

The heat in the cell was taking its toll now and I could feel the temperature rising. As I turned around on the bed to face her, my breath caught in my throat at the sight of her, a slight sheen of sweat coating her face and chest, torturing me by emphasising her cleavage over her tank top.

With the excuse of needing some water, I moved off the bed and leaned over the sink, splashing my face with some water before grabbing the towel to dry myself off.

Standing there trying to regain my composure, I tried to think of something to say other than confessing how much she meant to me right now.

"How long do these lock-downs usually last anyway?" I asked, focussing on wiping the towel over my body, not looking back at her.

Instead of an answer, I heard her moving over the bed and before I could turn I felt her move up behind me, resting her chin on my shoulder and as she did so, sliding her hands around my waist.

"Long enough," she answered simply.

Confused at first I soon realised what she was implying. I couldn't breathe as her hands started moving lower until the tips of her fingers were toying with the waist band of my trousers at the front. Shakily moving my eyes up to meet hers in the mirror, the look in her eyes made my heart miss a beat.

Slowly, keeping her eyes trained on mine, she lowered one hand over the top of my trousers, grazing it across the sensitive area between my legs, both of us taking a sharp intake of breath at the contact, whilst the other hand slipped under my trousers slight grazing inside my pants.

"Turn around Calliope" she said, with a steady determination in her voice. And as I turned, and my body connected fully with hers I knew I was lost. As her lips captured mine again in a searing kiss that embodied all the passion and emotion I'd just seen in her eyes, I knew I couldn't stop this even if I wanted too.

Her hands were roaming all over my body now, and as they started toying with the hem of my top, I took control of the situation, spinning her around till she was pinned against the wall and, moving my hands down her back, lifting her till she was wrapped around my waist, pinning her between my body and the cell wall.

As she pulled away to take a breath, I took advantage of her position to attack her neck with my mouth. I nearly lost it at the sound of the moan that was ripped from her throat and the thrust of her hips against mine. Safely pinned between me and the wall she moved her arms to grip the bars of the cell window above her head, and as I continued to make my way down her neck and chest with my mouth, she continued to move her body against mine.

Drawing away for air myself, the sight that met my eyes was almost enough to make me cum right there. Gripping the bars above her head, with her head thrown back and panting hard, Arizona was writhing against my body, bead of sweat on her neck, and with her legs wrapped tightly around my waist I could feel the heat emanating from her core.

Arizona's POV

As she'd stood there at the sink, I lost all control. Watching her arms flex as she wiped the beads of sweat from her body was doing a whole load of things to my body. As she asked about how long the lockdown would last only one thing was on my mind.

Moving up behind her I found her eyes and let my desires take over. Moving my hands lower I was mesmerised by the feel of her, by her body's reactions, and I needed more of her.

After she turned around, it didn't take long for her to take control, pinning me against the wall fiercely and lifting me off my feet so that I was wrapped around her waist. As I pulled away for a breath, my body continued to move on its own accord, my hips moving frantically trying to find some level of contact that would give me the satisfaction I craved.

Feeling her still in her actions, I tried to refocus my attention on the latina in front of me. She was there, pinning me against the wall, sweat lacing her upper body. My grip on the bars above me tightened to an almost painful level now as I tried desperately to keep some control over my body.

"You're gorgeous." I heard her say, as she pulled me in for another aggressive kiss.

"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." I couldn't stop myself saying as she pulled away as she rested her forehead against mine.

Breathing heavily now, she pulled me in again but this time into a softer kiss. It was a kiss so full of emotion and feeling that I felt like my heart was going to burst. I couldn't get enough of her and I didn't ever want this moment to end.

"I need more of you, I need to feel you."

As I spoke I loosened my grip around her waist and dropped to the floor between her and the wall. Finding the hem of her top I wasted no time in pulling it over her heard and discarding it onto the floor. As if frozen in the moment, Calliope just stood there, letting me familiarise myself with her body, watching me as I ran my hands from her shoulders to her stomach, watching as I ran my palms across her bra encased breasts before pulling her flush against me in another kiss.

Needing the feel of skin against skin, I gave in instantly as she in turn pulled my top over my head and as our bodies met for the first time, we both let out a moan. It didn't take long for our bras to join our tops on the floor as we fought for as much contact as possible.

Stumbling backwards without breaking the kiss, I managed to release her trousers while she did the same with mine. Stepping out of the final restraints of our clothes, she somehow manoeuvred herself down onto the lower bunk, never once releasing my lips until I was straddling her on the bed.

Everything was in slow motion as I looked down at her beneath me. I had her hands pinned above her head, my hips slowly rocking against hers as she closed her eyes in time with my movements. Our bare legs were intertwined, and I could feel her arousal seeping through her pants onto my thigh. The feel of her skin against my own had my body begging for more as we slowly ground against each other.

I could feel her breathing heavily as she placed soft kisses on my neck and chest before she flipped us over so that she was on top. Her abrupt movement caused her thigh to move firmly against my core and her nipples to come into direct contact with my own, drawing an intense moan of pleasure from my lips. As her hand moved lower down my body I felt myself surrendering completely to the brown eyed goddess above me and as her fingers dipped under the elastic of my pants running through my wet folds, and I knew there was no way I could stop the inevitable now.

Chapter 12

Calliope's POV

She was perfect, in every way. I could see the insecurities circling in her eyes but I could also read the reactions her body had to mine. The heat I could feel radiating from her core was matched by my own and as I flipped her on to her back I felt her surrendering all her control to me. As I traced my hand down her perfect body, keeping my eyes locked with hers, I knew that this was more that a quick lust filled fuck. Never had I felt so connected to someone, and as I ran my fingers through her folds for the first time, watching her face body react to my touch, I knew that this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

When I woke the next morning, things had never felt so right in my life.

We'd spent the entire night learning everything possible about each other bodies, touching, tasting and memorising every last detail until we fell asleep in the early hours of the morning completely sated. After the intensity of the last few days, everything seemed to be washed away as we brought each other to ecstasy time and time again. It felt like a fresh start, a new beginning for both of us. The only downside was where we were.

During the course of the night all remaining items of clothing had been discarded and the image of Arizona's body finding release beneath my mouth, covered in a glistening sheen of sweat was engrained in my mind, making it impossible for me to return to sleep.

It didn't help that the air-con was still turned off and in the heat of the night the covers had thrown across the cell leaving her now naked body entwined with mine fully exposed, doing nothing to quell the raging fire that was currently coursing through my body.

Trailing my eyes back up her body, I was shocked when I reach her face to find her shining blue ones open, look at me. A contented silence overcome us for a moment and I knew I wanted to wake up to those eyes every morning.

"Good morning Calliope."I wanted to hear that every morning too.

"Morning gorgeous" I said, pulling her in for a quick morning kiss but she quickly deepened it, taking advantage of catching me by surprise by rolling her body on top of mine.

"I love feeling you under me" she states with a sexy smirk and I know now she knows exactly what she's doing to me. Seeing her now I couldn't grasp that this perky smiling person above me was the same person I first encountered when I came into prison. But none of that mattered; all that mattered was who she was now, the person I think she was before she came here, and the person I was falling totally and utterly in love with.

Arizona's POV

When I woke up and saw her there, felt her there, I felt so many feelings coursing through my body. There were no words to describe the night before. I hadn't been connected with anyone that way in nearly two years, two years of keeping my mind, body and soul cut off from everyone and everything but she'd gradually taken over all of them.

Last night wasn't just sex, I knew it but I wasn't sure either of us would admit it yet. I was watching her now, as her eyes drew up my body and I'd never felt more loved in my life. As her eyes met mine I knew my once protected mind, body and soul were now hers, and she held them in her hands.

Pulled out of my thoughts I told her good morning. She said it back, saying it as if it's something natural that we've always done and then she kissed me good morning. With my thoughts and heart racing I needed more and distracting her with a deeper kiss I rolled my body onto hers where it fit, perfectly.

Right then I knew I'd fallen in love with her. She was perfect.

"What time is it?" I asked her, not wanting to look away from her eyes for a second to check.

"It's 9am. Guess we're still on lockdown."

"I guess we are," was all I managed to get out before our lips met again and we started to show each other all the things we couldn't yet say.

Chapter 13

Calliope's POV

To say I was exhausted would be an understatement. The lockdown which had turned out to be a 48 hour one was nearly over, the gates would be opening in ten minutes but I was still lying on her bunk, naked and unable to move.

Mind you, the blonde collapsed on top of me unmoving wasn't exactly helping. Unable to speak or move and with Arizona in a similar state, I brought my hand up to wipe the sweat from my face and my eyes caught sight of the strap still hanging from my wrist and my mind instantly flashed back to the night before.

*Earlier*

As I heard the guard push some food through the flap in the gate for us, I grabbed the flap and shouted out at the retreating back.

Recognising who it was I shouted out.

"Hey...Bailey...it's been like 36 hours, what's going on?"

Walking back with a pissed off look on her face, I wish I hadn't asked.

"You're on lockdown Torres, a 48 hour lockdown to be precise. I suggest you find some way to entertain yourself for a little longer."

She said it with a cock of the eyebrow that left no doubt in my mind that we hadn't been exactly quiet last night.

Turning back around I see Arizona standing at the window in pants and a wife-beater staring out. Admiring her body I didn't notice her turn around until she spoke.

"Calliope, will you play a game with me? I really want to play a game..."

A game...we're locked up in here and she wants to play a game?! She asks with that look on her face that you really really can't say no to though, I'm also intrigued where she's going with this.

"What kind of game?" I ask as I make my way back to the bed.

She's made her way over from the window now to where I'm now lying propped on my elbows on her bunk, with my legs hanging off the side.

"It's a trust game" she says, all the while straddling my hips on the bed and leaning down so her lips are mere centimetres from mine.

"What kind of trust game? " I can't help it, I like games, particularly games that start this way...

"Does that mean you'll play my game?"

"Yes Arizona, I'll play your game. Though I can't think what game you can come up with in here..."

The playfulness has left her eyes slightly now, replaced with an almost predatory look.

Standing up she goes over to the drawers and pulls out one of my larger t-shirts. Getting a good grip on the bottom, she rips the shirt hard. I start to protest at what she's doing to my top but the look she gives me silences me on the spot. Once she's ripped 3 long strips of material she turns her attention back to me.

The mood isn't playful and light-hearted anymore. The 'game' has suddenly escalated to a whole new level.

"Stand up."

Powerless against her, I stand in front of her as she slowly removes my top and watch as she takes one of the strips of material and starts to blindfold me with it.

"Wh-..."

She doesn't let me finish, silencing me with a kiss.

"You agreed to play, so play by the rules Calliope. Just trust me, trust me like I'd trust you."

"I trust you Arizona." And I meant it.

Feeling her manoeuvring me across the small space, suddenly my back hit the bunks, and before I knew what was happening, I was on my back, my hands were above my head, both my wrists tied by the other strips of material to the poles of the bunks.

Realising what was going on, I felt a rush of arousal surge through my body. She was right, this was a trust game...and I was completely at her mercy.

For a moment there was silence. I couldn't see a thing or move but I could sense her looking at me, tracing my body with her eyes.

Without warning I felt her hand on my stomach before my trousers were roughly pulled down my legs. As I kicked the trousers off my legs I felt her breath on my cheek and her words whispered in my ear.

"Are you ready to play?"

My throat was dry. I could feel the arousal dripping from her words, and all I could do was nod. God I wanted it, I just wasn't sure I'd be able to take the sweet torture.

Within in seconds I was naked and immobile. I could feel her breathe coasting over my body before her lips claimed mine. Not allowing me the chance to deepen the kiss she pulled away. My other senses were heightened as I tried to compensate for my lack of vision. I could hear her get up and remove her clothes, slowly, and as I heard the last item hit the floor I felt Arizona straddle my body.

Instantly I went to touch her, I wanted to feel her, but the binding on my wrist held and a heard a light chuckle above me.

"Patience Calliope."

I couldn't help it.

"Please, please just touch me."

"Oh I will touch you, I plan to touch you all over."

As she said it, I felt her shifting slightly and her own arousal became evident as she connected with my thighs, and her lips descended upon mine. I could feel her hot and sweaty body sliding on top of mine now as our mouths didn't leave each other, and the aroused moans coming from her lips set me on fire as all my blood rushed south.

Everything she did was heightened by my being bound up and completely at her mercy. Every touch shook me to the core as she caressed my entire body with kisses, but never once going near where I really truly needed her the most. Her lips which has started on mine, had soon moved to my neck and then down to my wanting nipples, locked on my skin the entire time. The pleasurable pain caused by her lips biting, and sucked at every part on my body they met was instantly soothed by the following soft caresses of her hands. Drops of sweat started to form on my body as she lowered her lips further, licking them off as she travelled further south. I was more turned on than I'd ever been and suddenly she was gone. Her touch was gone and I was left gasping for air, begging for release, my body screaming for more.

Then as quickly as she was gone she was back and I felt my back arching of the bed as I felt her warm tongue start to lick its way up to where I wanted her the most. One of her hands made its way up to my chest as I threw my head to the side as she finally relented and I felt my folds being parted by her tongue, rubbing the underside of my clit before it was claimed by her lips. I felt her moan against me as she tasted me over and over, still teasing me, and the vibrations ran through my entire body as I fought against my restraints desperately moving my hips to get her tongue where I so desperately needed it.

The cell was full of deep moans now, and I no longer new who's was who's but as she finally entered my with her tongue, her hands on my hips pulling me as deep as possible I let out a guttural scream that reverberated around our small cell.

The pounding in my ears was deafening now as the pressure mounted between my legs. I knew I was near release and the knowledge that it was Arizona doing this to me pushed me to the brink. With a sudden movement, she was on top of me again, her tongue abruptly replaced by her fingers as she easily slid them into me and with her spare hand she ripped off my blindfold. Slamming her lips against mine she picked up the pace before pulling away and staring down into my eyes.

"I want to see scream my name" she said her voice thick with arousal, and that was enough to send me over the edge. As my orgasm slammed through my body, she again picked up the pace with her fingers, drawing it out as her fingers repeated hit all the right places, watching my face intently the entire time as she drew me into oblivion. As another orgasm hit me just as hard, he mouth was back on me, licking and tasting my arousal savouring every last drop.

Breathless I felt my body start to come down from its high and Arizona slowly crawl up my body, kissing the whole way up my body before she reached my lips, kissing me deeply and passionately with the taste of my juices still lingering in my lips.

Seeing her dishevelled appearance and feeling her body sliding against mine again, the need to touch her was overwhelming, and with a sudden surge of strength and want, I ripped my arms from their restrains and, seeing the surprise in her eyes quickly disappear into desire, I simply uttered two words.

"My turn."

Many hours later, my turn had long since turned into an increasingly all-consuming marathon experience and as I lay there now, unable to move as her slick folds thrust against my own, rubbing my slit in all the right ways yet another moan left us simultaneously as her clit connected directly with mine. I felt the beginnings of another powerful release developing, both of our cores sliding against each other perfectly our arousals evident as our bodies became one and as she rolled her hips over mine one last time, her clit landing directly on mine I felt her body go stiff above me and the sight of her there, grabbing the slats above her head for support sent me over the edge with one last roll of my hips and our bodies found a perfect release together as wave after wave of pleasure shot through our bodies as we screamed each other's names.

Everything was in slow motion now as I let my body surrender completely to exhaustion and watched her body go completely limp above me before her hot body crash down on mine, breathless and spent but never more beautiful.

"God I love you."

Caught up in my thoughts I didn't realise I'd spoken out loud until her head snapped up of my chest, her dishevelled appearance seeming to accentuate the surprise in her face.

"Wh-...what did you say?"

Her face was unreadable but her eyes were speaking volumes.

My thoughts had come tumbling out of my mouth and now I had to choose whether to repeat them or try and cover up my slip.

Taking a minute to collect myself I realised she was worth the risk, she was worth everything, and so I said it again.

"I said I love you Arizona. I love you so much."

As she lay there unmoving, I started to panic and closed my eyes. Maybe it was just me, maybe I'd been imagining how thing were in here, maybe for her this was just a way to pass the time.

But as I felt a slow tear run off her face and hit my chest I opened my eyes again and all those thought vanished. Her face now said it all.

Smiling the most beautiful smile I'd ever seen, she said it back, the simplest yet most amazing words I'd ever heard.

"I love you too Calliope."

And with that she kissed me again, deeply and full of love.

Chapter 14

Arizona's POV

For the week after the lockdown, I forgot about everything that wasn't to do with Calliope. I was on cloud 9, happier than I had ever been and it was all because of the gorgeous Latina who lay in my arms every night, telling and showing me how much she loved me.

Every since the lockdown and her surprise admission, we'd been floating around in our own little bubble, oblivious to everything and anything else that was going on. The morning the lockdown ended, when we'd finally made it out of our cell, I was aware of some of the other people in the neighbouring cells either smirking or glaring at us. It wasn't until in the dining hall when Yang crashed her tray down in front of us followed by Meredith that I realised why.

"Seriously? 48 hours of listening to you two doing the McNasty next door. I'm surprised you two are able to walk today."

Flushing red I'd looked over at Calliope only to see her doing a pretty good goldfish impression and looking around the room, suddenly noticing all the indiscreet looks we were getting.

Sliding my hands over her leg to her inner thigh I'd put my lips to her ears and whispered.

"Let them look and listen. It was totally worth it."

With one last caress of her inner thigh, I refocused on my food fully aware of the fiery look that had emerged in her eyes from my not-so-innocent touch.

Now sitting on the bleachers in the yard, watching the brunette across the grass talking to Yang and Grey and couldn't help the goofy smile on my lips. Whenever I was away from Calliope now my thought drifted back to the lockdown night, how my 'game' had escalated into the intense, earth-shattering sex it had and admissions of love, and how perfect everything seemed.

But today was the day set to burst our bubble.

We were 20 days into her sentence now and it was another visitor's day. She had Mark coming and presumably my Father would be there too. For the first time I was contemplating seeing him. Everything seemed different now, I felt like I could take on anything but seeing my Father could take me from my happy place and I didn't want that. Calliope understanding was far different from my Father understanding and there was no reason to change my mind now about my reason for not letting him see me in here. If he came, I would do as I always did and I couldn't let my feelings for Callie stop that.

Sure enough come the afternoon, the siren went for visitation and names were called for who had visitors. As Callie's name was called out, I could see her trying to catch my eyes across the yard and as my name was called I was motionless trying to decide what to do.

As I left a familiar touch I looked up into the brown eyes I'd fallen for as she intertwined our hands.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know."

"Please Ari, please don't get yourself hurt.

I smiled slightly at the nickname she'd started calling me but the concern in her eyes stopped me. If I got hurt now, it wasn't just me I was hurting, I'd be causing her pain too and that was something I never wanted to do. But there was no Bailey on guard today, no safe option.

"Please don't do anything stupid." She said again, moving her hand up to my face and softly stroking my cheek. Her action caused me to close my eyes, leaning into her touch. As I opened my eyes I could see tears in her eyes, "I couldn't bear seeing you hurt again" she said in a whisper.

My intention not to let my feelings for Calliope change my actions suddenly seemed impossible. She'd brought my walls crashing down and now I had someone else's feelings to consider.

"Why don't you...why don't you come, come to the room, see him. I'll be there too, I'll be there with you and if it's too much you can leave. Even punch me if you have to," she added with a small smile, "just please don't hurt yourself."

I couldn't say no to her, she was so loving and there was no other way around it. I nodded slowly and the surprise was evident in her face. Placing a soft kiss on her cheek I stood up muttering to her,

"I'll try, for you. But you need to think me up another way out because there's no way I could punch you."

Flashing her a small smile we started walking to the gates. I could see the guards watching me and waiting for me to do something, theirs hands already on their radios. But keeping close to Calliope I kept my head down and walked to the doors ignoring the watching crowd and stepped inside to the corridor leading to the visitor's room.

Feeling many eyes upon me, I knew we were close now and I started to fidget with the bottom of my top out of nerves. I could see the glass window ahead behind which he might be sitting and the reality hit me that I was about to see my Father for the first time in nearly 2 years.

Three more steps and I'f be there with no way of going back. Seeing my nervous fidgeting Calliope was next to me taking my hands in her my and whispering that it would be alright. But at the final step I faltered and freezing on the spot I was paralysed by fear.

"I...I can't...he'll hate me, he'll tell me he hates me. I can't...Calliope I'm sorry I can't."

"Ari, calm down, you need to calm down..."

As she tried to pull me into her arms I backed up, and tears started to pool in my eyes at the flicker of hurt that crossed hers. Shaking my head I started to try and turn around but I couldn't. The guard behind me had grabbed me now and was trying to push me forward, and another held Calliope keeping her back from me. More guards were appearing as I started to struggle against his hold and force my way back down the corridor.

"No, stop...I need to get out of here, I need to leave...please, just let me leave."

I was pleading with them now but they wouldn't let me go.

"Robbins calm down or you'll be sent to solitary for the night," but I wasn't listening.

"Robbins...ROBBINS!"

He was shouting now, shouting at me to stop but I blocked him out, the only thought in my mind was to get as far away from here as possible. As I continued to struggle I felt myself being man-handled along the corridor until they had me backed against the wall, the struggle had pushing us further down the corridor. Calliope had already been ushered into the visitor's room with all the other cons and I could feel her eyes on me as everyone in the room was watching the struggle through the glass, like I was an animal at the zoo.

Desperate to get away I continued to fight until I looked up at the window and saw one man in the room who wasn't watching. He was slumped in his chair, with his head in his hands. His grey hair was all that was visible of his head but his whole posture seemingly resigned. As I saw him my attempts to get away increased until a guard grabbed one of my arms and twisted it behind my back, slamming me into the wall in the process with a loud noise. With my back to the window now I silently prayed that he wouldn't look up, that they'd take me away quickly enough but just then I heard a shout from inside the room, and I stilled completely.

"Get off her. Get off my daughter!"

At the sound of the voice I closed my eyes, recognising his voice like a distant memory. Having stilled now the guard released my arm from his grip and unable to resist, I slowly turned around to face the room. All eyes were on me but I didn't see anyone but him. All I could focus on was the pair of blue eyes staring back through the glass, the eyes I hadn't seen for years, as he slowly stood up from the chair he was in.

There was deafening silence now; no-one seemed to know what to do. As he took a few tentative steps towards the glass I saw the guards monitoring visitation take a few steps forward but they too paused as if fascinated by what was playing out in front of them.

Still I couldn't move, I was sure I'd find the anger I'd heard in his voice reflected in his face as he looked at me and I could only watch and wait as he slowly got closer to the glass. My head was screaming at me to run, to get away but my heart had immobilised me. Finally he was right in front of me, and as he lifted up one of his hands to the glass, I could see the tears pooling in his eyes.

So many emotions were flitting across his face, the resignation I'd seen at first had been replaced by shock, confusion and anger as he'd shouted but now there was only one emotion I could see. There was no hate in his eyes, no disgust in his face only unwavering love and relief as he flattened his palm on the glass just a meter in front of me I heard him say softly, almost disbelievingly;

"Zona? You're here...you're finally here..."

Tears were streaming down my face now as I heard his words and breaking free from the guards around me I stepped forward and placed my hand where his was on the glass.

"Dad?"

I couldn't believe he was there, looking at me with such love after what I'd put him through. Seeing him brought up a thousand suppressed emotions in me and the feelings were unbearable.

"I'm so sorry-...Daddy I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry..."

And with that I collapsed on the floor unable to take the varying emotions flooding my body. I could hear him now shouting my name but I was broken and as the guards picked me up and carried me back down the corridor away from him I saw him banging on the glass in the background. The guards were on him now trying to get him to sit down, but I heard one final shout above the chorus of shouts that had seemingly erupted now from all over, that was clearer than any other voice.

"Zona... Zona, I love you. You're my daughter and I've never stopped loving you!"

And just as he said it all the sounds were gone as a heavy door slammed between me and him and I let everything go black.

Chapter 15

Calliope's POV

As I was bundled into the visitor's room away from her I felt afraid. I'd pushed her to come here, I'd told her I'd be with her but instead she was on her own, being man-handled by the guards and slammed into the wall. It was too soon, I shouldn't have asked her to do it; I should've known better, that she was only doing it for me.

Instinct kicked in and I tried to get back to her but no sooner had I started moving than I felt a strong arm wrap around my waist, pulling me back and holding me tight.

"There's nothing you can do Torres. You can't help her now."

"Mark, you don't understand..."

"Yeh I do. Cal I know you, I can read you like a book. You're somehow involved here and it's written all over your face."

All of a sudden I heard a shout and as I turned around I saw a tall, powerful looking man standing slowly, his eyes fixed on Arizona. Given his weary expression, the commanding tone of his voice surprised me and his command for them to get off her had an instant effect.

"That's him, the guy I told you about who comes every week...Colonel something..."

"Robbins. Colonel Robbins." I whispered, causing him to shoot me a quizzical look.

My heart sank, and looking over at Arizona I realised there really was nothing I could do now. Her posture was rigid with her eyes trained on the man's face and fear was written all over her face. This was the moment she'd been dreading, and it was happening right now, playing out in slow motion in front of a silently transfixed crowd.

Mark had released his grip around me now but I clutched at his hand needing something to hold on to. I watched as the Colonel got to the window, placing his hand on the glass pain and after a minute I saw Arizona doing the same. I heard their words and watched helpless as she collapsed on the other side of the pane, saying she was sorry over and over, my heart breaking as the guards carried away the broken figure of the woman I love.

The room suddenly broke out in noise as Arizona disappeared from view but I heard her father shouting above all the rest as the guards tried unsuccessfully to pull him back, telling her he loved her. I just hoped she'd heard him.

Hearing a door slam shut in the distance I watched as he broke down himself, begging to be allowed to see her, pleading for them to let him see his little girl but eventually slumping down in the nearest chair defeated.

I felt Marks now manoeuvring me into the nearest chair and sitting down opposite me.

"Cal...talk to me. What's going on?"

"It's all my fault Mark. I asked her to come, I asked her to see him today. I thought it would help her but I've just made things worst. If it wasn't for me...God, if it wasn't for me that would never have happened. She always said she didn't want to face him in here but I pushed her, I pushed her and now look what's happened." I knew I was speaking louder and louder, drawing yet more curious stares, but my frustration at what I'd done was taking over.

Putting my head in my arms I didn't react when I felt a hand on my arm, thinking it was only Mark. Only upon hearing a voice that wasn't his did I look up.

"Excuse me Miss..." My eyes snapped up to a familiar yet unknown set of blues eyes.

"Colonel Robbins!"

His name was out of my mouth before I knew it and surprise graced his face. I stood up shakily, unsure of what he wanted.

"I'm sorry. I-...I overheard you just now saying, about it was your fault she came here today, that you made her come... How do you know my daughter?"

His tone was mild and gentle yet still portrayed a man that you wouldn't want to argue with.

"She's my..." I didn't know what to say. There were so many words I could use to describe what she was to me but right now didn't seem to be the time. Deciding not to overcomplicate it I simply replied, "..my cell-mate." He nodded, a slight smile on his lips, before continuing. His face pleading with me as he spoke, and he took my hands in his.

"Please do something for me. Please tell her we love her, tell her we understand. Her mother and I, we just want our little girl back. We need her to know that we don't blame her and that we'll be there for her always."

I nodded, unable to speak, knowing the importance of what he'd just told me to tell her.

"You must tell her, tell her we never blamed her. She must know that we understand completely." He repeated again, with increasing insistence.

Managing to speak now I uttered a simple, "Yes Sir" and with a nod he started to turn away. Pausing slightly he turned back to face me once more.

"She's a stubborn girl my daughter. She hasn't come to see my in almost 2 years, but she came today because you asked her too. You must mean a great deal to her for her to have even gotten her this close to seeing me today. Please, look after her my girl."

And with that he walked out the room, and feeling my legs start to shake beneath me I crashed down in the chair, Mark slowing me on the way down until he was kneeling in front of me.

"Cal, what the hell is going on?"

The concern was evident in his voice now and his face flooded with worry, and as he settled down in the seat opposite me I told him the whole story from start to finish.

As time was called, he stood up and gave me a great hug, ignoring the warnings of the guards around him. I chuckled into his shoulder.

"You'll get in trouble you know."

"I could take them." He stepped back now, but kept his hands on my shoulders. I watched him curiously as a massive grin formed on his face.

"Only you Torres." He said, "Only you would find the love of your life in prison... it's kinda hot! Next time you can tell me about the hot prison sex you and Blondie have gotten up to."

As he waggled his eye-brow up and backed away and down I couldn't help but laugh at his ability to lighten the mood. I punched him in the arm lightly and watched him as he walked out, a dirty grin on his face letting me know what was going on in his mind.

As soon as he was out of sight my thought went back to Arizona and finding out if she was alright.

Chapter 16

Calliope's POV

Curious gazes followed me as I charged into the wing and up to my cell only to find it empty.

As I left the cell again I bumped into Yang outside.

"Everyone's talking about it, how Blondie went psycho at visitation. Is it true? Cause if it is I'm pissed...I always miss everything good around here."

She delivers it with a bored expression on her face that pisses me off but I don't have time to react to her. Seeing Bailey at the end of the corridor I jog after her, shouting out as I reach her.

"Where is she? Bailey where is she?" I say, grabbing her arm in my hand,

"Torres I am not your messenger. Would you like to ask me again nicely?" She says, glazindg down at my grip on her arm disapprovingly.

Hastily pulling my arm away and muttering a quick apology, I try again.

"Please, please just tell me she's alright."

Softening slightly she takes me by the elbow and pushes me into an empty cell next to us.

"Look Torres, I like you and I actually like Robbins but this thing you've got going? It's only going to end in hurt, have you even though about what's going to happen to her when you leave here..."

I cut her off, not wanting to hear what she's going to say.

"Please...just tell me." She sighs, and I can tell from the look on her face I'm not going to like the answer much.

"She's in the infirmary Torres. They couldn't calm her down after the incident and she blacked out on the way back to the wing. When she woke up she was hysterical, talking nonsense about a brother, the army, her father...all sorts but none of it making any sense. They had to sedate her, she'll be there overnight and assessed early in the morning."

"It's all my fault Bailey, I made her go..."

Sinking down onto the bed in the cell, I was surprised when Bailey took a step towards me and sat down next to me.

"You are the best thing that's happened to her in this place. People talk, and the change in her since you came? Everyone's noticed it, it's like you brought her back to life. It's all the damn guards gossip about! You two doing the nasty every night at full volume isn't helping the talk much either..."

I feel the blood rush to my face at her comment and she seems to realise she's gone off on a tangent.

"What I'm saying is, you making her go today was the best thing you could have done for her. God knows I've been trying to make her go for months but she had no reason to listen to me. You've gotten through to her and maybe now she can find some peace."

And with that she left the cell leaving me to my thoughts.

Chapter 17

Arizona's POV

Blinking slightly I woke up, instantly trying to feel for Calliope but I couldn't move. Opening my eyes properly now I looked around, surprised to find I wasn't in my cell and was aware that I felt extremely groggy. Lifting my head slightly I looked down to see my arms in padded restrains and a drip in my arm.

Dropping my head back onto the pillow, I screwed my eyes up trying to get some kind of focus to my thoughts and went over what I could remember of how I got here.

Seeing my Father had stirred up so many feeling in me that I just couldn't deal with it. I'd kept everything locked away for so long but ever since she arrived in my life she's turned it upside down. She'd made me believe in myself again, and she'd opened up my heart again. But hearing my dad say he still loved me, despite everything, confirming that my worst fears were unfounded and that I hadn't lost everything...that realisation had opened the floodgates and everything had come pouring out sending my body into a complete emotional breakdown.

But lying here now I felt an unfamiliar calm settle across my whole being and all I wanted to make this moment better was Calliope here with me. I knew she'd be beating herself up, blaming herself, but honestly I felt a great relief at finally knowing what my Father thought and I would never have got to this point without her.

Since she'd arrived at Seattle Grace I'd somehow regained my life, my family and found someone to love...who loved me back. I'd all but given up, unsure what would happen when I left here, but sure of one thing and that was that I'd be alone. Now, now I wasn't sure of anything anymore more. I had hope, hope for love and hope that I'd have my family back on the outside. But in a place like prison hope is a dangerous thing.

But one thing was for sure, I had eight days and eight nights left with her before she'd be gone and I was too invested to pull away now.

Attracting the attentions of the nurse, I flashed my best smile and asked politely,

"Can I leave yet?" My desire to see Calliope over-riding the grogginess I'd been feeling before.

"In a moment, we need to clear you with one of our doctors first and then you can go."

"Well maybe you could take these restraints off? I really got to pee..."

She chuckled slightly and let me loose, removing my drip and untying my hands.

"Thanks. Oh look, the doctor!"

The doctor was here now, and seeing I was awake, didn't take long to clear me for re-entrance to the wing, although he was clearly perturbed by my now perky attitude given the state I'd been in the night before.

It was still early and knowing she would probably still be asleep, I walked quietly up to the cell with the guard, and as she open the door I stopped her from making too much noise by slipping through the gap as soon as it was big enough.

With my eyes adjusting to the light, I looked up to see her bunk empty and as I ducked down I saw her stretched out on my bunk, hugging my pillow with her face firmly pushed into it. Leaning against the wall I just watched her for a while. I'd never been one to watch people sleep, always finding it a bit creepy, but with her it was different. Even in her sleep she took my breath away.

Trying not to wake her I slid onto the bed, kicking off my shoes and trousers as I did so and gently loosened her grip on the pillow, placing her arm around my waist instead and curled into her, breathing in her scent. I knew I wouldn't get back to sleep, my thought were still going at a thousand miles an hour processing the events of the past day, but I needed to lie here with her and feel her next to me.

Placing the softest of kisses on her chest right above her heart, I heard her mutter in her sleep and she tightened her hold around my waist. I watched her eyes open slightly, obviously fighting against sleep.

"You're back?" she mumbled groggily.

"I'm back," I said, kissing her lips softly. "Go back to sleep, we'll talk later."

"Mm-kay. I missed you."

And with that she was asleep again, and I couldn't help but smile at how adorable she was.

"I missed you too Calliope."

Calliope's POV

I woke up to the feeling of soft fingers tracing my face, taking a path across it as if trying to memorise it forever, and so for a moment I just lay there, keeping my eyes closed, savouring her delicate touch.

My dreams had been restless. Falling asleep the night before without Arizona there had been hard. It had only been a short time, but I had gotten used to falling asleep with her body against mine and last night she wasn't there. I'd resorted to hugging her pillow in a desperate attempt to feel closer to her but now I could sense she was back, I could smell her unique scent and feel her breath on my face.

But despite her comforting touches, I was scared about which Arizona I was going to wake up to after the previous day and so for a moment I allowed myself to revel in the simplicity of this moment.

That was until I felt her lips on my neck, placing feather light kisses up to my ear and sending shivers down my spine.

"You're so beautiful."

She whispered, almost inaudibly into my ear, but the tone of her voice was one of absolute sincerity, almost awe, and it made my heart sore.

"And I'm so in love with you."

Opening my eyes at her words, I was met by her sparkling blue ones mere inches from mine and I claimed her lips in mine in a fierce, deep kiss pouring all my love for her into it.

She moaned in protest as I pulled away after a while trying to reclaim my lips with hers but I needed to tell her something first before I forgot.

"Ari...wait...I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for pushing you yesterday." She went to interrupt but I silenced her with a finger on her lips. Placing my other hand on her cheek I continued.

"I need to tell you something and you need to listen ok? You're father...he came over to me after you were taken away. He-...he wanted you to know something. He wanted you to know that they don't blame you, that they understand and that they've always loved you. They love you Ari and they'll be waiting for you when you get out."

I could see the emotion in her eyes and I pulled her into my arms, holding her tightly as she buried her face into my hair. I wrapped my leg around her body pulling her impossibly closer and waited for her to speak.

"Thank you. Thank you for telling me, and thank you for making me go." Pulling back she placed a soft kiss on the corner of my mouth, just like the first kiss she ever gave me, and without pulling away spoke again.

"You complete me Calliope. You've been completing me every day since I first met you, with everything you do. Never be sorry for that."

I lay there, completely speechless at her words and as the siren went off and the gates slid open, she pulled me up of the bed flashing me her perfect dimples and started getting ready for the day ahead.

Chapter 18

Calliope's POV

It was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Today was the most at ease I'd ever seen her, and every time she looked at me I felt like the most loved person in the world.

We were on the bleachers again, her head in my lap and her eyes closed as I ran my fingers softly through her hair. She'd been telling me all the stuff she'd never told me before, about when she was younger, about her brother, how they moved around a lot and how she got into medicine.

As she talked about working in Paediatrics, her eyes sparkled as she talked about all the kids she saved and how much she'd loved her job.

"Which hospital did you work at?" I asked, aware that talking about the kids had how much she'd loved her work had saddened her a little bit.

"It was one here in Seattle, Mercy West. Do you know it?" I couldn't believe she'd worked so close.

"Uh...yeh! I worked at Seattle Grace."

She looked up at me now with a little smile. "Small world eh, perhaps we might've met before."

"I'd definitely have remembered." I said, eliciting a small chuckle from her as she took one of my hands, softly playing with it in hers. "But I think we'd have just missed each other, I only started there about 2 years ago."

Growing silent for a while I started thinking about what might've been had we not ended up here. It was like we'd been on two path set to meet on the outside, only we'd both screwed up before that could happen and somehow found each other in here.

"They've merged now you know, Seattle Grace Mercy West it's called. Attending, Interns... Residents... We all work in the same place now. Maybe you could..."

Arizona's POV

"Stop...Calliope don't."

I knew what she was going to say and I needed her not too. We hadn't talked about the future, we hadn't talked about what would happen when she left but she was about to do that, she was going to suggest an impossible solution. I had hope for the future now, but I couldn't hold on to any hope of getting my job back. The thought of finishing my residency, working in the same hospital as her, creating a life with her was too overwhelming and so I stopped her and started another story about my life, keeping things light.

"I lived in Seattle for about 5 years before I came here. There was this one spot in Seattle I loved more than anything. It was up in the park, and there was this one bench that you could sit on and see the whole of Seattle. I used to go there, whenever I wanted peace and quiet. No-one else was ever there, like it was there just for me. I wonder sometimes if that bench is still there, if it'll be my place of peace again. Did you ever have a place like that?"

I'd shut my eyes as I told the story, picturing the place I used to love only this time I was there with Calliope, we were sitting together watching Seattle below us. When I opened my eyes I saw her looking at me with a deep intensity in her eyes, her face otherwise unreadable.

"Calliope, wha-..." I started, but this time she cut me off.

"It's still there." I must've looked confused so she continued. "The bench, it's still there."

"How...?"

"Over the last year when I needed space to think I used to go up into the park and walk around. One day I found this bench, it was completely isolated and no-one was ever around. I used to end up there most days and it was like my safe haven, I loved it there. There was a plaque of the back of the bench that read, "For my soulmate, may you..."

"...always find peace here." She didn't need to finish the rest because I'd read the same words a thousand times myself.

"I went there the day before my court case to look over Seattle one last time. That's how I know it's still there."

I was too stunned to reply so I just lay there, watching a soft smile creep onto her face causing the same reaction on mine. And as she leant down to place a kiss on my head, the one thought circling around in my head was maybe we were always meant to find each other...

Chapter 19

Arizona's POV

"Arizona, just...stop!"

Her raised voice breaks me from my thoughts as I watch her climb of the bed before walking towards me, coming to a stop in front of me.

"You're driving me crazy, like really really crazy. Will you please stop pacing!"

She's taken her hands in mine now and I instantly feel calmer. She tugs them lightly causing me to step forward into her body and she rests her forehead against mine.

"I'm scared." I admit quietly.

"I know, but just remember what I told you, what he told me to tell you...just call him Arizona, call him and talk to him."

"Ok...I'll call him...later. Sorry for... pacing...irritating you..." Her voice comes out muffled now as she tucks her head into the crook of my neck. I let out a little laugh at that.

"Arizona...you were pacing around the cell in just your pants..." I pull her face away to see her eyes. "The 'driving me crazy'? It wasn't anything to do with being irritated..."

A knowing smile lights up her face now and a faint blush creeps over her cheeks as she bites her bottom lip. Desire overwhelms me as I watch her body react to my confession, her eyes darkening and her already exposed nipples hardening as she pushes me backwards towards the bed.

I wake up in the morning with a grin plastered all over my face, the scent of sex lingering in the air.

Moving my arms up to stretch I hear her voice from the other end of the bed.

"I think I should take up pacing more often..."

Lifting myself up on my elbows I look down the bed at her, sprawled out on her back, a mess of blonde hair framing her face.

"You look so hot right now."

"Shut up." She says, sending a slap in my direction that lands on the side on my hip. She leaves it there tracing small circles, drawing a soft moan from my lips.

"I think I'm addicted to you. God the things you do to me." She says it like it's a confession, with her eyes closed and a small shake of her head as she speaks.

"I think I'm addicted to you too." And it was the honest truth.

Calliope's POV

She was stalling. I'd watched her walk up to the phone about 7 times now and she'd yet to make the call. Twice she's picked up the handset but both times she'd replaced it without dialling.

I wasn't going to interfere though. I knew she'd do it eventually, she just needed time to sort out her thoughts and so I was sitting, watching her across the yard, as she continued her pacing.

"What's Blondie doing? She looks like she needs to pee..."

Christina and Meredith sat down either side of me, and like me, they sat there watching Arizona.

"She's making a phone call." I replied, keeping my focus fully on the blonde.

"Really? Cause usually it helps if you pick up the handset..." I rolled my eyes at Christina's comments.

I was surprised when Meredith stuck out a hand and smacked her around the head.

"You...stop being mean! And Callie, maybe you should go over there...she kinda looks a little crazy."

"She can do this, she will, she just need time."

As we continued to watch we got onto why we were all in here. Like me they were both on short sentences. Meredith was in for drunk and disorderly plus vandalism; turned out her boyfriend had a wife he never told her about and then when she reappeared he went back to her. Out of her skull on tequila she'd gone up to his trailer shouting all kinds if crap and then taken a baseball bat to his car. Turns out he wasn't even there but the wife called the police and she was given 40 days.

Christina was on a 30 day sentence like me for abusing a policeman who tried to take away her tequila as she walked down the street. She didn't seem too sorry; apparently she made him cry like a little girl, but calling him a pussy had been a step too far and he'd arrested her.

I had to laugh as they told me their stories but after, having found yet another bond over their love for tequila, I let them drift off into their own conversation and my focus went back to Arizona as I watched her finally dial the phone. I saw her lips moving and then all too quickly she put the phone down again and stood there looking at the ground.

Quickly getting up I jogged my way across to her, worried by what might have happened.

"Ari, are you ok?" I asked, brushing so stray curls behind her ear.

"He didn't pick up... The answering machine, it was my mum's voice, I haven't heard it in so long you know?" She took her gaze off the floor now, looking up to see if I understood.

"I know baby." I said as I pulled her into a hug, "Did you leave a message?"

"I asked if they'd like to come to see me tomorrow... I told them I wanted to see them...what if they don't come Calliope?"

The vulnerability back in her voice shook me. I hated that she still doubted herself so much, that she still thought they wouldn't come. It was like she still believed she should be hated for what she did.

"They'll be here. You're Dad has come every week for months, last week he saw you and this week you've asked for him. He'll be there Arizona I promise you."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

Unlike her I had no doubt about Colonel Robbins love for his daughter. What he had told me and the way he'd insisted I told her were proof enough to me that he would never want to hurt her, and that he'd be there for visitation tomorrow. But Mrs. Robbins I wasn't so sure about.

Chapter 20

Arizona's POV

He was here. I was standing on my side of the glass, ready for admittance, and I couldn't take my eyes off of him. He was sitting there almost identical to how I'd first seen him last week, almost as if he feared the worst, waiting for me not to show. But today I was ready, and today I was going to face him.

As they opened the doors to the visitation room I saw his eyes snap up to the doorway and soon enough his eyes locked with mine. Before I could take another stop, he was out of his chair and running towards me and suddenly I was in his arms, wrapped in the tightest hug I'd ever felt. Over his shoulder I saw Bailey 'accidently' block the path of another guard as he tried to make his way over to split us up and I shot her an appreciative look. This moment was something I had needed and wanted for almost 2 years and she seemed to sense that.

As he finally pulled away he looked deeply into my eyes.

"Zona, I've missed you so much my baby girl." And as he said it I saw tears welling up in his eyes.

Leading him back over to the seats we sat down again, and everything we'd wanted to say in the last few years came rolling out. There was never a tone of malice, hate or anger in his voice when talking about my brother, only love and acceptance for what I had sacrificed and promises for the future.

After a while he asked me about Calliope, about my 'cell mate' who had been so worried about me. He'd always known me so well, he didn't have to ask really to know what the truth was, but I did tell him my fears. My fears about her leaving, about my finally two months without her and about the fears she'd made me forget, by making me believe in myself again.

As the bell sounded, he promised me he'd be there the day I left. I told him the date, and he said that no matter what the time, when I walked out of the gates he'd be there.

There was just one more thing I had to know, I had to ask. When I'd left the message it had been my mother's voice on the phone, and deep down I had hoped she would be there too. As he turned to leave I asked him one last question.

"Dad...what about Mum? Will she be there too? Does she...does she still love me too?"

He turned back to look at me very slowly. Taking my hands in his he answered me.

"I hope so Zona. I hope so." He paused for a minute as if processing his thoughts. "It took her longer to accept what had happened. Your brother was military through and through, and so am I, so I understood. I think it was easier for me to understand what you did and that you did it for him. But for her it was different. As a mother she lost both her children that day and for a while I thought she would never recover from it. But over time she slowly has and recently she's been asking more about you, asking me to explain and each week asking if I'd seen you. She's in the car outside Zona...she tried to come but I'm not sure she could stand seeing you in this place... but she does love you, she loves you with all her heart."

And with a final kiss on the cheek he was gone and I was left alone, standing in the now empty visitor's room.

The next couple of days passed without event. Callie would be leaving in 4 days but still we hadn't talked about the future. Things were perfect between us, or as perfect as they can be in prison, and it was as if neither one of us wanted to pop the bubble we were floating in.

Sometimes I'd catch her just looking at me, a small smile on her face, and I could tell she was thinking about the small amount of time we had left. I could tell she wanted to say things sometimes but she was holding it in because I'd asked her not to. More and more I could sense her watching me in my sleep and I would wait silently for the loaded words to come from her mouth but as yet they had never come and she'd settle for placing a linger kiss on my lips and pulling me closer, and for that I was grateful.

She was across the yard right now making a phone call. She was so animated when she was talking that I wondered what she was talking about. I knew she had called Mark who was meant to be visiting tomorrow but I couldn't work out why it looked like she was giving him some kind of directions. Her spare hand was moving as if she was visualising something in her mind and eventually finding it as she pumped her fist. Calming now the conversation continued and her movements stilled but right at the end she turned around meeting my eyes. She was still on the phone but as I smiled back at her, offering up a small wave, I saw her saying what looked like, "I'm sure" to Mark and then she said goodbye, put down the phone and walked over to me.

"Well you look happy," I said as she arrived, standing between my legs and running both hands up my thighs.

"Well that'd be because I'm thinking about a hot, hot blonde who I want to do dirty things to." She husked into my ear, sending chills down my spine.

Deciding the yard was too public to let her continue like this I tried to dampen the fire building inside me at her words and cleared my throat, pushing her backwards slightly.

"So how's Mark? He still coming in tomorrow?"

"Yup, yup he'll be here. Same as usual." She had a shifty look in her eyes that betrayed her words.

"So, what did you talk about? It looked...animated..." I picked my words carefully, pausing slightly to watch the emotions flicker over her face. She quickly covered up a startled expression with a nonchalant shrug and replied.

"Just the usually. You...he asks a lot about you. I think he wants details to fuel his dirty dirty fantasies about you and me, hot and sweaty in our cell...he's a man whore."

As she talks she steps in closer again and subtly slide one hand under my top stroking my stomach while the other one inches up my thigh. Luckily we were in a slightly secluded area of the yard and deciding my prying into her conversation wasn't going to get me anywhere I welcomed her attentions this time, although I was fully aware she was playing me to get me to stop questioning her. Sensing my surrender, she flashed her smile that never failed to make my knees go weak and leant in to kiss me.

"Get a room."

The shout took me by surprise and Christina suddenly appeared, sitting down next to me a crash followed by Meredith.

Dropping my head onto Calliope's shoulder I felt her hands stop their exploration of my body and drape around my back. I saw Meredith shoot us an apologetic look and a shrug as Christina just sat there ruining our moment, but after a while I didn't mind. Moments like this made me feel like everything was kind of normal; we stayed there in each other's arms chatting with people I'd almost started to think of as friends and a strange contented feeling washed over me like this was a moment I could picture us in forever.

As the conversation continued I whispered a quiet "I love you" into her ear and closed my eyes on her shoulder, perfectly at peace.

Chapter 21

Callie's POV

As they led me to visitation my thoughts were so stuck on a certain blonde I'd left half asleep in bed, that I didn't notice him in front of me at first.

"Oy, Torres. You in there?"

The voice of my best friend pulled me out of my thoughts and quickly refocusing I smiled his way and sat down opposite him.

"Sorry Mark, in a world of my own there."

"Uh-huh", he responds with a smirk that lets me know he knew exactly where my thought had been.

"So..." he starts, "Three days, three days left and I'll be outside these doors waiting to take you home. I've missed having you around Cal!"

"I've missed to too Mark." I replied, and it was completely true, but the thought of leaving this place pained me a little.

When I'd got here all I could think about was getting out again. I'd come here determined to count down the days and then leave, happy to be free and rid of this chapter of my life. But right now all I could think about was how much of myself I'd be leaving behind with her when I finally left.

As if sensing my thoughts he reached across and took my hands in his.

"She'll be out soon Torres, only two months and you'll have your girl again."

"You make it sound so simple."

"Well it is simple! You love her and she loves you so you'll make it work." He added with a shrug.

I had to smile at that and I knew it should be that simple but there was nothing normal about the way this had happened and I couldn't help but have a few doubts about what lay ahead.

"She won't talk about it. She won't talk about the future. And I get it, but I leave in less than only 3 days and I need to know what she's thinking."

"Is that why you called me? Asking me to...you know." He shot a furtive glance around the room at the guards, wary about being overheard.

"Yeh. I need her to know I'm going to wait for her. And I need her to have something to hold on to. I feel like she's my future Mark, I just need her to believe in that."

I was so glad of someone to talk to about this. There was no-one really to confide to in here accept Arizona, and I couldn't talk to her about this, not yet and that left only Christina and Meredith, neither of who really seemed like appropriate people to talk to about feelings...

"Will you visit her?" He asked.

"If she'll let me but I don't know...It'll be so hard to see her and not be with her, you know?"

Breaking eye contact with him I looked down at our joined hands, laughing suddenly at the sight.

Following my gaze he realised why I was laughing and looked back up at me with a defiant yet slightly affronted look, pulling his hands away as he did so tucking them out of sight.

"Hey...no laughing! I was thinking on my feet here!"

"Nice to see you embracing your feminine side" I managed to get out after a while.

"Shut it Torres. And if you tell anyone, even Lexie..."

"I won't, I promise. Thank you Mark." I was genuine now, grateful to him for everything he had done and continued to do for me.

As time was called I took his hands in mine again, gripping tight, and as he got up to leave, he slowly pulled his hand from mine, flashing me a grin before walking out.

Dropping my hands to my side, I stuffed my hands in my pockets and following the rest of the cons out and back to the wing.

Arizona's POV

Lying here without her I let my thoughts drift to the future. I knew she'd be down there now talking to Mark about it, trying to verbalise everything that I know had been going on in her heard. It was in that sense that we were very different. She likes to talk about things out loud, she needs a sounding board, a person to vent to whereas I'm happier seeking solace in my own thoughts, my own company, until I've worked out the answers in my own mind.

She'd be gone in less just 3 days now and I knew at some point before then we'd have to talk about it but I wanted to leave it as long as possible before popping our bubble.

I'd known what I was going to say to her for a few days now. I knew what I was going to ask of her, and I also knew she wasn't going to like it. She'd argue with me over it and fight me about it but it was the only way, and I didn't want out last few days to be overshadowed.

So I was putting it off and I just prayed she'd understand. I just hoped my decision wouldn't come back to haunt me when I finally got out of here.

I'd been starring into space, so wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn't notice her coming back into the cell until I heard her close one of the drawers nearby and felt her slide onto the bed next to me.

"Morning beautiful." She said, pulling me into a deep kiss that I gladly accepted. Needing to feel her as close as possible I rolled onto my back, pulling her on top of me parting my legs slightly to let her full mould herself into my body.

"I missed you when I woke up." I said simply before pulling her back into another slow kiss. Running my tongue across her lips, moaning slightly as teased me, slowly let me in and I lost myself in her, pushing all my thoughts out of my mind until later as our slow kisses quickly escalated.

Chapter 22

Callie's POV

"How's it feel Torres? 36 hours and you'll be a free woman again."

Looking up I saw Bailey standing next to me in the breakfast hall, and I thought of what to say. I was grateful Arizona was still queuing up for our food right now as I offered up a half-hearted reply to Bailey.

"Good. I suppose. I've missed my life outside but..." I finished, not really knowing what to say but my eyes drifted over to Arizona and she followed my gaze, getting her answer.

Obviously feeling eyes on her Arizona turned around, and was obviously startled to find two pairs of eyes fixed intently on her.

"You've fixed her Torres. She'll be ok. I'll make sure she'll ok." And as she walked off I had to chuckle when I heard her mumbling under her breath.

"Falling in love in prison...stupid stupid people."

Looking up I saw Arizona walking over with two trays and sitting down next to me.

"What was that about?" She asked.

"You." I said, kissing her on the cheek. "And how awesome you are."

"Uh-huh." She cocked an eyebrow at me, looking doubtful.

"It's true. Bailey really likes you..."

"Hmm...Maybe she can be my new 'special friend' when you leave..."

She said it with a suggestive wiggle of her eyebrows and a sexy grin that causes me to choke on my apple, and a flicker of triumph to cross her face as she thumps me on the back, unnecessarily hard.

Once I've finally regained control of my breathing she smiles innocently at me before continuing.

"So what were you really talking about? I felt like I had holes burning into the back of my head...plus my ears were burning."

Pausing slightly before answering I decided to tell her the truth, hoping maybe it would trigger a conversation.

"She asked how I was feeling about leaving in just 36 hours."

Her spoon paused half way to her mouth and she looked in my direction, but I knew she wasn't seeing me just staring at a point just over my shoulder.

"36 hours...you leave in just 36 hours..."

Her voice was emotionless, and her face unreadable. It was like the Arizona from a second ago had just disappeared in front of me, replaced by a hollow shell in an instant and it terrified me.

Dropping her spoon back to the tray she stood up.

"I'm not hungry anymore. I'll see you in the yard later." And she started to walk away.

Standing up I shouted after her.

"Arizona...!"

Without turning around she spoke, "Later Calliope, we'll talk later." And then she was out of sight.

Left standing alone I was startled by a hand on my shoulder.

"Let her go Torres. Just give her some time."

I knew she was right but it just seemed so wrong.

"I don't have that much time left." I whispered to myself.

She must have heard the defeat in my voice as she gave my shoulder a tight squeeze before leaving me sitting there alone staring at the space where Arizona had just been.

Arizona's POV

As I walked away my heart was screaming at me to turn back around but my head was controlling my body, keeping me walking away from her.

36 hours... It had hit me like a blow to the heart to hear our time remaining limited to a number of hours. And yet here I was, walking away and wasting time without her.

I needed a moment to gather my thought in peace and went up to the library again like I had on the day of the riot. Unable to help myself, I walked over to the window exactly like I had that day and I saw her sitting there again. It was like deja vu but this time she wasn't looking for me; her head cradled in her arms, her body slumped. I watched as Christina and Meredith walked there way over to her and my heart broke as I saw her look up at them, tears on her face and saw Meredith tentatively place and arm around her shoulders as sobs wracked her body. Her pain was torturing me and I knew the time had finally come.

As I saw time being called in the yard I left the library heading to the cell. I'd finally witnessed how much this was eating her up inside, how much pain the uncertainty was causing her yet she'd selflessly held it all inside at my request.

As I entered the cell I saw her sitting on the bunk, track marks of her tears evident on her face and I knew the time had come to finally talk about the future.

Chapter 23

Arizona's POV

Silence engulfed us as the gate slammed shut behind me. I slowly moved across to where she was sitting, trying not to meet her pleading eyes until I sat down next to her, close but not as close I would normally have sat. She seemed to sense my need for distance, initially reaching her hand out for mine before retracting it again before she made contact.

Seeing her small movement and the uncertainty that now seemed to have taken over her entire being, I relented shuffling closer across the bed and taking her left hand softly in my right, intertwining our fingers.

I could feel her eyes on my face as I sat there looking down at our hands.

"It never fails to amaze me how perfectly we fit together." It was a simple thought, softly spoken, but I heard her taken a shuddering breathe and felt her squeeze my hand tighter at my words.

"You're leaving tomorrow..." I start, unsure of where to start with what I have to say. "You're going back to your old life, you get a fresh start and I don't want..."

"Arizona wait." She interrupts me, "I know...I know you haven't wanted to talk about this. I know you're scared but if you're ready to talk now...let me go first, please?"

She's moved off the bed now, kneeling in front of me to get me to look at her. Relenting I look up into the brown eyes I'm so in love with, and that I can't seem to say no to.

"Ok. You go first." I say, and she smiles softly at me in return, keeping her gaze locked with mine.

"When I came in here I was a mess. Everything was falling apart and my best friend had to call the cops on me. My old life? That was it, a series of disasters, a lot of hurt and pain and I'd completely lost my way. And then I ended up here, with you, and suddenly all that disappeared. You say that I fixed you, I completed you, but I should have told you everyday how you've been doing the same to me. You've turned my life around and now I can see a future. I don't want to go back to my old life Arizona, I want to go forward knowing that in two months time I'll be able to start my future with you. You've made me believe that the future I've always hoped for, the future full of love and happiness is possible and I'm not giving up on that. Ari, now that I've found you I'm not giving up on you, on us without a fight because what we have is everything to me now."

She pauses now, taking a deep breath and I wait, I wait for what she about to say next.

"Arizona, I'd wait a lifetime to spend just one more day with you, so I will wait...if tell me you want me, then I will wait two months so I can spend forever with you."

I had tears streaming down my face now, and so did she. Everything she had said was perfect, it was everything I wanted to believe and hope for but I still needed to have my say.

"Calliope, it's not that simple..." I start but again she interrupts me.

"Yes it is Ari. Just tell me you want me, it's that simple. Tell me you want me, tell me to wait and I will do it." She looks at me now so pleadingly, her whole face begging for me to tell her to wait for me.

Pulling my hand from hers I see defeat haunt her eyes as she drops my gaze, but as I cup her face with my hands she looks up at me again.

"I want you Calliope, I want forever with you too and I can't imagine being without you." I say, and pull her into a kiss, tasting her tears mingling with mine on our lips.

"Then I'll wait." She says.

Pulling away I prepare myself for what I'm about to say, resting my forehead on hers as I start.

"But I need you to promise me something."

"Anything..." She replies as I close my eyes.

"I need you to promise me you won't try and visit me. That you won't write or contact me." I feel trying to pull away, trying to object but I keep her close and silence her with a kiss.

"Calliope, you have your world waiting for you out there. You have your life, career and friends. In here...in this place...everything is distorted, everything is more intense and the real world doesn't play a part. But you'll be back in the real world soon, this bubble we've been living in will burst and things may change."

She looks at me now, her face a picture of confusion and hurt but she doesn't say anything so I continue.

"I don't doubt that you love me, and god knows I want to believe everything you've said, I want to believe that we have a future but I need you to take the time to be sure."

"What do you want me to do?" She asks simply.

"2 months. I want you to take that time to rebuild your life and to live. If you still want me then in two months we'll find each other, but if things change, if...if your feelings fade or if you find someone else who makes you happy then I want you to forget about me."

She starts shaking her head as I talk, denying the possibility of my words with her gestures but I continue anyway, needing her to understand.

"More than anything I want to be the cause of your happiness but you deserves someone who gives you all the happiness in the world Calliope and...and if..." My voice was breaking now as I get the end of what I was trying to say.

"...if you realise that that person isn't me, then I want you to take your chance at happiness and let me go, let me go and be happy and I'll understand. Just take the time to be sure, because if you choose me...if you choose me I'll never be able to let you go."

I start to cry again as I say the final words. The thought of her being with someone else breaking my heart but I need her to understand that I want her to be happy, that I could never blame her for taking that chance if someone else came along. She pulls me into her arms now, holding me tight against her chest and burying her face in my hair as she starts to speak, with a fierce determination in her voice.

"You asked me to promise you so I will. But Arizona, that's not going to happen. You and me, I think we were made for each other and nothing is going to change that, not in two months or in a while lifetime. I'll do as you ask, I'll take two months, but I'll be thinking and planning for you, and only you. I will always be waiting for you Arizona, however long it takes for you to come back to me, and I promise you I will love you forever."

As she finished she crashed her lips into mine, a kiss full of promises, tears and hope for the future.

Chapter 24

Arizona's POV

Today was the day. Today I was going to lose her, today I would kiss her, hold her and love her for perhaps the last time...and it broke my heart.

Slowly manoeuvring off the bed, careful not to wake her, I almost too easily fell into my old routine. Letting her sleep behind me I washed and dressed and stood by the door, the urge to run away and avoid our good bye almost overwhelming. But at the last moment I looked over at the bed and watched her. I watched as she stretched in her sleep and reached out unconsciously to find me. Her eyes still shut but her hand wandering, expecting to find my body close by. And at the last moment I gave in, unwilling to deprive her of this final morning and just before the claxon sounded I slid back into bed next to her and held her close.

Slowly she opened her eyes, a confused scared expression clouding them.

"You're here...I thought...for a minute I thought you were gone."

"I'm right here baby." I said, unable to let her believe anything else. This was our final moment and it deserved to be perfect. She deserved for it to be perfect.

"How long have we got?" she asked, almost unable to look me in the eye.

"Six hours," I replied with a glance at the clock. "We have six hours left."

Calliope's POV

As the day wore on, we stayed in our cell, basking in our final moments with each other. And as the time drew steadily closer, I savoured what would be my final moments with her for two months.

"I meant it last night." I said, trying to get her to understand. "Arizona, I will be waiting for you the day you get out. All you have to do is trust me. Trust that'll I'll be there."

She looked at me now, a sad look in her eyes like she wanted to believe but she couldn't quite bring herself to hope.

Pulling away from her arms I got up from the bed and went over to the set of drawers in the corner. Pulling out a pair of socks I retrieved the item I'd stashed in there the day Mark had visited.

As I turned around I saw her still lying there, watching me inquisitively. Kneeling down on the floor by her head, I watched as she propped her head up in her hand, watching me with love in her eyes.

"I love you." It seemed the most obvious way to start but before she could reply I continued.

"I know you're scared, I know you are worried, but I need you to believe. I need you to believe in me, and in us."

"Calliope..."

"Wait..." I silenced her. "The other day, the other day I asked Mark to do something for me. Before we'd said anything, I knew what I wanted. I've known for a while that all I wanted was you and so I asked him to bring this in for me, so I could give it to you."

Under her intense gaze, I opened my palm and showed her the ring I'd had Mark sneak in for me. It was a simple ring, nothing extravagant, just a simple silver band but it meant the world to me.

"I'm not asking you for forever, not here, not like this, and it's not a promise...this is just something from me to you so you'll remember. My grandfather gave this ring to my grandmother. He couldn't afford to buy one so he crafted it himself and inside he engraved his promise to her. In turn she passed the ring down to me and today...today I'm giving it to you."

I watched as she tentatively picked up the ring, reading the engraving and whispering it out loud in to the cell.

"My Everything." She said.

"That's what you are to me Arizona. You are my everything, and no matter what happens in the next two months I want you to know that, and believe that and come back to me."

Taking it back from her grasp, I slid it onto the forth finger of her right hand, kissing it as I did so before looking her in the eyes again.

"Make sure you come back to me." I whispered. And with tears in her eyes she replied.

"I promise Calliope, I promise I will."

"I love you so much."

Arizona's POV

I couldn't believe she had done this, and as I lay there holding her I couldn't help but stare at the ring on my finger, when something occurred to me.

"How...how did you get this in here?!"

She let out a small chuckle which vibrated through my chest and answered me.

"Mark. He always knew I had it. I once threw it away, I was drunk and lonely and I was convinced I'd never have anyone who I'd want to give it to and so one night I got drunk and threw it from my balcony. Thankfully being drunk and it didn't go very far and once I passed out Mark went out into the street and found it for me. In the morning I woke up to a note he'd written telling me that one day I'd find someone who'd be my everything and not to give up hope, and sitting next to the note was the box I'd thrown out into the night. When I rang him the other day I asked him to get it from my apartment and so he did, eventually finding it and he brought it in for me."

"But how did he get it past the guards, the take everything off you..."

"He wore it... He'd kill me for every telling you this, but he put it on his little finger and wore it into visitation. You'll understand when you meet him, he's a man's man so wearing a ring on his pinkie finger was quite the self sacrifice!"

She was laughing now and the sound sent shockwaves down my spine.

"He knew how much it meant to me... He knows how much you mean to me." She admitted, staring deeply into my eyes yet unable to resist a flickered glance at the clock as she did so.

In only 4 hours they'd be letting her out and right now knowing she was going to be taken away from me felt like a worse punishment than being sent here in the first place.

Callie's POV

Two hours later we lay wrapped in each other arms just savouring holding each other for the final time. She was tracing soft patterns on my stomach, and listening to my heart beating whilst I immersed myself in her scent, lost in all my feelings for her that were consuming me.

"The bench."

She looked up at me as I spoke from her position on my chest, questioning me with her eyes.

"On the day you get out, at 8pm, I will be waiting for you at our bench. At 8pm we'll start our future together."

I saw her eyes start to tear and she moved up my body till her lips touched mine in the briefest of kisses.

"8pm," she repeated slowly, kissing me again before curling up on my side holding me close. As I tried to stop the tears falling from my eyes, I felt her tears hit my stomach and all my resistance broke as the tears started to fall.

Chapter 25

Callie's POV

"It's time Torres."

I heard the voice from the doorway but I couldn't move. She didn't move either, and we lay there holding each other as if the moment would go on forever.

"Didn't you hear me, I said out now!"

The guard spoke again but to me the voice sounded distant, like it was in another world. All that mattered was the blue eyes looking into mine. I was vaguely aware of guard coming closer and reaching for my arm when another figure appeared.

"Torres, what do you think this is, a hotel?! You can't just decide to stay!" It was Bailey. "Go, I'll take this one...I said go Percy!"

I heard a muffled "Yes ma'am" and the man left leaving Bailey in the doorway. My eyes remained fixed on Arizona but behind her the figure of Bailey peered out the door checking the other guards were out of ear shot before turned her attention back to us, her voice much softer this time.

"Torres, you got 5 minutes then we have to go. Robbins, I'll let you come as far as I can but that's all I can do."

I heard Bailey speaking but I still didn't move. She stepped out the cell again and pulled the door half closed. In the silence of the cell I could hear her outside shouting at people to move along, cons and guards alike.

"Is this really it?"

Arizona's cracked voice broke the silence.

I couldn't speak. I felt like part of me was dying inside and my voice caught in my throat. All I could do was nod, the very action hurting me.

As I nodded, I watched as she took a shuddering breath, her whole body shaking as she tried to hold back the tears, biting her lip and grasping the front of my t-shirt.

"Please don't leave me." She whispered softly, almost as if it wasn't for my ears.

She was asking for the impossible and we both knew it but hearing the raw emotion in her voice was too much for me. Pulling her fully into my arms I kissed her hair before pulling back and kissing her with all the love I had to give her. And as the tears streamed down our faces, she eventually pulled away from me leaving both of us struggling for air.

She placed a soft hand on my cheek now, tracing the contours of my face with her fingers, and cocked her head to the side in a way I'd always found adorable.

"Don't forget about me," she said, smiling softly and I couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle.

"That could never, ever happen...especially after a kiss like that." I said, punctuating the last words with soft kisses.

"Ok then..." she said, with a goofy smile on her face that betrayed the seriousness of the situation.

Hearing a soft knock on the door the brief moment of lightness was broken and Arizona closed her eyes before slowly pulling away and lifting herself off the bed. Taking my hand she pulled me slowly up until I was standing flush against her before she wrapped her arms around my neck in a final embrace. Taking my hand once more in hers she turned to the door and slid it open the final amount. The wing was practically deserted now but Baileys was still on the other side, standing guard.

As she turned around I felt Arizona give a soft tug on my hand and speak.

"We're ready," she said.

And never in my life had the implication of two such simple words caused me so much pain.

Arizona's POV

"We're ready," I said.

My heart and mind betrayed my words as I tightened my hold on Calliope, the words burning my throat as I comprehended how untrue they really were.

I would never be ready to let her go and I knew that now. I wanted to turn around and take back everything I'd asked of her, to beg her to visit me, call me and wait for me. I wanted her to know how I wasn't sure that I'd cope without her, how I didn't know how I'd be able to fall asleep without her beside me or get through the day without seeing her brown eyes whenever I opened mine. But instead I didn't say a word as I walked slowly down the corridor behind Bailey, softly pulling the love of my life behind me, drawing closer to losing her with every step.

As we rounded the final corner the finality of everything hit me and I faltered. Spinning around I locked eyes with Calliope who at my sudden movement had stopped behind me placing her hands on my hips. Finding her eyes, full of sadness and loss, I didn't give a second thought to where we were as I slammed her into the wall and crashed my lips into hers. She responded with a desperation that I knew mirrored my own, her hands roaming my hips and my own tangled in her flowing hair. Full of passion, there was nothing gentle about this kiss; it was all tongue, teeth and gasping for air. As I bit down on her lip she let out a deep moan that vibrated through my entire being and, moving her hands to my waist, lifted me up till my legs were wrapped around her. As she took two steps forward, my back hit the opposite wall and with my body trapped between it and her she moved her hands up from my waist to my breasts, instantly finding my aching nipples.

"Uh, wha-...woah! Torres, put her back on the floor!"

Brought back to reality I was unceremoniously dropped back to the floor as we both looked over at a distinctly flustered looking Bailey.

"Now I'm all for your lady loving, but not here," she said, gesturing wildly at the corridor we were in, "And not right in front of me people!"

Unable to contain myself at the absurdity of the situation, I felt laughter erupting from deep inside of me and seeing Calliope's bemused expression at my reaction only intensified it. She gradually joined in with me and even Bailey let out a disbelieving chuckle. Eventually I stopped and gently this time I cupped her face and kissed her softly.

"I love you, I always will. Now go, it's time for you to go."

I was grateful for the lightened mood that had overcome us since Bailey's outburst and only hoped I was strong enough to get through the final moments. I didn't want her to see this break me,

"Robbins," Baileys started, pausing slightly before continuing, "Arizona, you can't come any further. It's just Torres from here, she needs to be processed for leaving. If you want I can get someone to take you to the yard...you be able to see her as she..."

Bailey looked uncomfortable and left the sentence hanging, clearing her throat instead.

I looked at Calliope and made up my mind.

"No. Not the yard...I can't...I can't watch you leaving surrounded by everyone watching. It'll feel too much like goodbye...I'm sorry..."

I looked down at my hands in hers but her soft voice pulled my eyes back to hers.

"Hey, it's ok. And anyway, this isn't goodbye, ok? This is just...an interlude, a pause, soon we'll be together again ok?"

She was perfect and she brought a smile back to my face. "OK," I say, allowing a small amount of hope to take up residence in my heart as I did so.

"Now let me see your dimples before I go," she said with a grin.

At that a full blown smile hit my face and hers soon mirrored mine.

"Go," I said, giving her a light push, and slowly she walked away over to Bailey, her hand gradually sliding from mine, and disappeared through the doorway.

Smiling till the last, I didn't let her see me break.

Callie's POV

She was gone. A smile on her face till she was out of sight, but it was a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

As they processed me I felt numb. Despite all the promises, and light hearted words about how soon we'd be together again, the two months ahead felt like a lifetime.

Bailey must have sensed how I was feeling as she guided me through the processes with care, and before I knew it I was standing, dressed in the jeans, lose black t and leather jacket that I'd worn in here. I was ready to be released back to the world with a box full of irrelevant possessions and an aching heart.

As I stepped out I realised I was walking the path that ran along the side of the yard, leading me towards the main gates. Although I knew she wouldn't be there my eyes drifted to her usual spot on the bleachers, hoping against hope for a last glimpse, but she wasn't there. Only Meredith was sitting there. She gave me a slight shrug, knowing who I was looking for, followed by a small wave.

Yet as I walked I couldn't help feeling she was watching me and I soon realised where she would have gone, away from the prying eyes of the yard, somewhere quiet where she could watch me alone. And as I drew to a halt by the gates, my eyes sought out the window.

Arizona's POV

I didn't want to watch but I knew I would anyway. I watched her from the library window where no-one could see me cry and I watched as she walked slowly to the gate, her eyes scanning the yard even though she knew I wouldn't be there. But as she stopped by the gate, waiting for the guard to activate the gates, I saw her turn around and follow the wall up until she was looking directly at my window.

I knew she couldn't see me but I also knew she knew I was there as she held her gaze on the window, on me, unwaveringly. As the gates behind her creaked into action, I took her in. She was in street clothes, something I'd never seen before, and she was breathtakingly stunning.

As the guard motioned for her to move she dropped her gaze and I turned my back on the window, but knowing she was out there was like a magnetic pull and I returned my gaze within seconds, instantly regretting doing so as I saw her passing through the now fully open gates.

As I placed one hand on the window I saw her turn back once again seeking out the window with her eyes. Her own hand appeared to reach out towards me and that small movement was enough to send me sprinting out of the library, running down stairs and corridors until I was in the yard.

The gates were already closing as I reached the fence nearest her, crashing into it. Ignoring the whispers and stares around me, I shouted her name, gripping the wire of the fence above my head, praying for her to hear me and turn around.

Callie's POV

As the sun went behind a cloud, I saw her silhouette appear in the window. I watched as she placed one hand against the pain and my own hand reacted, reaching out for her as if I could touch her. But almost as soon as she'd appeared she was gone again, leaving the window empty.

As a lone tear broke down my face, I turned around and walked through the gates and heard them shuddering back into action behind me. Just as they were about to seal shut I heard voices erupt in the yard and a shout behind me calling my name.

At the sound of her voice I spun around and there she was, standing there only a few meters away, her hands clutching at the fence for support and her chest heaving, tears silently running down her face.

I wanted to run back to her but it was too late. With nothing else I could do, I mouthed to her a last 'I love you' as the gates slammed shut between us.

She was gone.

Chapter 26

Callie's POV

As the gates shut I'd felt myself crumbling and turning around I was instantly wrapped in a strong pair of arms. Instantly I knew it was Mark and I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him tight, letting him support my weight. Spotting Lexie behind him shuffling her feet awkwardly, I pulled away from Mark slightly and offered her a grateful smile as she picked up my box of belongings. With a last glance behind me I let Mark lead me to the car.

"You'll be ok Cal. I got you," he said, knowing now was not the time for celebrating my release or talking about anything.

As he settled me in the back I took in my surroundings for the first time and became aware of the other people around me who'd just been released. Most people were being joyfully reunited with somebody, but as Mark started the engine I noticed Christina standing on her own, trying her best to look like she didn't care but in her face I recognised the same confusion I was feeling about being outside again.

"Wait a sec will you?" I asked, already knowing he would, and I opened my door and leant out, without the energy to walk across to her I settled for shouting.

"Hey Christina, you er...you need a ride?"

She looked at me for a second, a slight look of surprise breaking through her usual expression before she shrugged slightly and walked over to the car, chucking her box in before her and sliding into the back seat.

We sat in silence for a second before Mark, realising no introductions were going to be made, set off. An uneasy silence hung in the air and as we neared Seattle I thought I'd better ask Christina where she was going.

"Er, so where do you want to go?"

She didn't answer for a second, before abruptly turning her face towards me.

"You have a nice apartment right?"

"Uhm...yeh..." I replied, confused as to why she was asking.

"And you do normal human things like cooking and cleaning?"

It came out as a statement but assuming there was meant to be a question in there too I simply nodded.

"And you have a spare room right?"

Again I nodded, a slight comprehension dawning on me.

"Ok then."

"Ok then what?" I replied, needing her so confirm what I thought she was doing.

At that she looked at me, implying with her eyes that she thought I was being a complete moron.

"I'm going wherever you're going. I'm moving in...with you," she added.

And with that she returned her attention to the window and I was left speechless. Catching Lexie's eye I saw her gesturing wildly at me to tell Christina no, and Mark doing crazy eyes at me in the mirror, but as I let the idea sink in I didn't actually mind it so much.

Sure I didn't really know her that well but we got along, and to be honest the idea of going home to an empty apartment was something that I'd been dreading.

"Ok then." I said now, to no-one in particular. "To mine it is."

As I opened my front door I immediately noticed it was a lot tidier than I'd left it. The empty bottles and fast food packages that had littered the place when I'd left were gone and the place had been cleaned top to bottom.

As I stood taking it all in Christina walked in besides me and giving the place a once over threw him box on the floor and flung herself on the coach.

"Nice place," she said and that was it.

I turned to Mark and took my box from him.

"Thank you Mark, for everything. Especially all this..." I said, gesturing around the apartment.

"No worries Torres. Lex wanted to throw you a release party but I didn't know if you'd be feeling much like a party you know?" I could see from his face he wanted to ask more, to ask how I was feeling about being out, about Arizona...about everything. But he didn't pry and I was grateful for that.

"I think for tonight, I just wanted to spend some time here, just...adjusting. We'll talk soon though I promise, just not right now ok?"

"Sure thing Cal," he said, and pulled me into a hug. "I'll you with dark and twisty there, but I'll be right across the hall of you need me ok?"

And with that he left, and it was just me and Christina left in my apartment, both lost in our own thoughts.

As the days went by I got used to be outside without going off the rails. I met up with Mark and Lexie almost every day and tried to keep busy, anything to keep my mind off thinking about and worrying about Arizona. Even Christina was a welcome distraction. There wasn't much conversation and she was true to her words in prison, she didn't clean, cook or tidy but I didn't mind. In fact it gave me something to do with my time in the day.

But when I was alone my thoughts never strayed far from the blonde who'd stolen my heart and more than once I cried myself to sleep, wishing she was here in my arms, telling me she loved me.

About a week after my release I had an appointment with the Chief. I'd been putting it off for a week, scared that he would simply tell me my career was over but Mark had gone to him and set up an appointment for me, insistent that it was time for me to get my life moving again.

So here I was, standing outside of Seattle Grace Mercy West, waiting till the very last minute to walk in there and face all the nurses staring and gossiping. Eventually I was standing outside the Chiefs office and with a tentative knock I entered.

Fifteen minutes later I walked out the room completely speechless and as I looked up I was met with the grinning face of my best friend.

"You knew didn't you?" I said, as I walked over and punched him in the arm.

"Ouch Torres, that is not a good start to your month on probation," he joked, rubbing his arm in fake pain.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked now, falling into step with me as we crossed the bridge.

"It was fun to watch you sweat," he said, elbowing me lightly, "but also this was something you needed to do, walk in her yourself and face whatever he had to say. If I'd told you I'd already talked to him and he'd already told me you weren't getting the sack you wouldn't have achieved anything for yourself today. You walked tall today Cal."

As he'd been speaking he got more serious and I slipped my arm around his waist, resting my head on his shoulder.

"Thank you." I replied. A silence fell for a minute before I continued. "I miss her. I miss her every day. It's only been one week but it feels like a life time...She asked me not to visit her Mark, and I promised her I wouldn't but it's killing me inside."

I finished in a soft voice, tears pooling in my eyes.

"Maybe it's for the best..." he started to say.

"That's what she said but it doesn't feel that way. She told me to take 2 months and sort my life out and then if I still wanted her, to find her."

He stopped now pulling away till he was in front of me, looking me in the eye.

"Then do just that. Move on with your life, don't forget her, but sort your life out so that when she gets out you can be everything she'll need you to be. She's scared Cal, she's been in there nearly 2 years. When she gets out it's not going to be easy, a lot will have changed and she's going to need you to be there for her. When you went in there you were a mess, and she knows that, so she's right, you need to take this time to sort yourself out, so that when she gets out you can give her 100% because she's going to need that from you."

I was speechless as he finished his speech, and seeing my expression he cleared his throat looking a little embarrassed.

"Ok who are you and where is my man-whore best friend?" I joked, breaking the mood and he flashed me a smile and pulled me back to his side.

"Well you could always repay me for my words of wisdom by telling me about the hot, hot, prison sex...?"

I had to laugh at that but before I could respond his pager went off and I pulled away, leaving him pouting in the lobby as I retreat out into the Seattle rain and back to my apartment.

Chapter 27

Callie's POV

It had been ten long days since my release and I had started back at the hospital two days ago. It felt good to be back amongst the other doctors, immersing myself in something I love and keeping busy. The first week of idleness had provided me with far too much time alone with my thoughts, and in the last two days I'd found my work was the only thing keeping me from driving myself crazy with constant thoughts of Arizona.

However this morning as I walked through the hospital I was stopped in my tracks at the sight that made me forget about everything else for a minute. Rounding the corner was Christina dressed in light blue scrubs, stalking down the hallway.

As she saw me she did a doubt take that mirror my actions before I closed the distance between us.

"Erm, what are you doing here?!" I asked, grabbing her elbow and pulling her around a corner. "Did you steal my scrubs?!"

"Um...why are you touching me?!" she asked, pulling away from my grasp. "I work here...duh!"

"No...I work here..." I said, emphasising my point by waving my ID card in her face.

At that she rolled her eyes and pulled the waist band of her scrub pants out, revealing her own ID card.

"Intern, Christina Yang, SGMW. I started the program yesterday. That's what I was celebrating when they arrested me...idiots."

She stands there staring at me for a minute and I simply stare back.

"So...you're an intern here, and I'm a resident here...that kind of make me your boss..." I say, slightly confused by the turn of events.

She looks at my disbelievingly for a minute before snorting in laughter.

"Yeh, ok...Boss."

She turned around and started walking off but not before shouting some parting words over her shoulder.

"Least I know now who the psycho resident who went off the rails after being abandoned in a car park by her heart surgeon girlfriend is! And got married in Vegas? Seriously?"

And with that she was gone, and as usual I was left speechless by my ex-prison mate, current roommate and now colleague with one clear thought in my head: I was going to kill the nurses.

As the days wore on I managed to block out the whispers that seemed to follow me around but at the same time became aware that many fictional tales of my days in prison were circulating, something I had no doubt Christina was responsible for. Privately I was quite amused by the stories she'd come up with that the nurses seemed to be believing with the utmost seriousness, but professionally I was starting to get pissed off.

My thoughts however strayed more and more to Arizona. The promise I had made her becoming increasingly difficult to keep as the time went by. The month we'd had together had seemed so much more than that; we'd been living together, spending our days talking and learning about each other and our nights savouring each other. I had been around her practically 24/7 for 30 days and now she was gone, completely eradicated from my days. And she'd left a gaping hole in my life.

Two weeks after my release Mark threw me a belated party and everyone went to Joe's. It was my first time in there since before I went to prison, since the night I got drunk and drove my car into a tree, since the night I nearly hit Mark and Lexie and since my life started to change. As soon as I entered I realised I didn't want to be there and it didn't take Mark long to realise I was there in body but not mind. After staying a polite amount of time making small talk, he took me aside.

"You ok Cal? You look a little spaced." he asked.

"Everyone keeps asking the same thing. What was it like? How bad was it? Then they all tell me how happy I must be to be out...but all that does is make me think about Arizona... They all expect me to say how horrible it was but...I think I was actually happy in there you know? It sounds stupid, I was in prison, but I found some peace in there, she brought me back and now...now I feel emptier, more lonely out here than I did in there. I'm sorry Mark, it's not that I don't appreciate everything you've done..."

I was worried I'd offended him now, he'd been trying so hard to help me, to keep me going and now I'd told basically told him I'd rather be in prison than here. But instead he gave me a quick hug before smiling and subtly shoving me towards the door.

"Go. I'll cover for you. I understand Cal, and they would too if they knew." he said. And with a quick 'Thank You' I snuck out the back door into the Seattle night air.

When I got back to the flat I was grateful to find Christina was out, but at the same time the silence was overwhelming. I'd realised a few nights ago that I didn't even have any pictures of Arizona and a thought had occurred to me. At the time I'd played it off, it wasn't a box I wanted to open, but tonight I needed something, anything, of Arizona and so sitting down at my laptop I googled her name.

The search came back instantly but the results made my breath catch. All the hits were headlines about her court case, all proclaiming her guilt, and all accompanied by a picture of a worn and haunted looking Arizona. Unable to help myself I flicked through the pictures, hoping there would be one where I could catch her smile but they were all the same broken images of her in the dock, in the police car or being dragged away in handcuffs.

Just as I was about to stop, one caught my eye. It showed Arizona being led from the court room. She was wearing a dark grey trouser suit and blue shirt with her hair in lose curls around her shoulders the way I loved it. Her eyes, accentuated by the shirt, stood out staring straight down the camera lens and she had tears running down her face. But what caught my attention was the man in the background. He was a tall, grey haired gentleman straining against the wall of police guards, his arm was reaching out, trying desperately to get through the human fence to Arizona.

I recognised him at once, I'd spoken to him at the prison and I suddenly realised that there was a way for me to know she was alright. There was someone out there who was able to see and talk her every week and if I could find him, I too would be able to find out everything I wanted to know. All I needed to do was track down Colonel Robbins.

That night I hardly slept, trying to work out how to find him, and just as I was about to give up I realised the solution was obvious. There was one place I knew he would be, on the same day, every week. Checking my watch, I saw that it was already 2am, meaning it was already Tuesday. In 8 hours Colonel Robbins would be entering visitation to see Arizona, and in 9 hours he would be leaving again. With a plan in my mind, I finally drifted off to sleep, thoughts of my future with the blonde lulling me into a peaceful sleep.

When I woke up again it was 8am. After a quick shower and breakfast I rushed across the hall to see Mark. It didn't take long to convince him to help me out and as I sat there I listened in as he called Chief Webber from his mobile, telling him he'd just been by mine to see if I wanted to walk over with him only to find me ill in bed. As I heard him explaining to the chief elaborate details of the sushi we'd supposedly eaten the night before, and the resultant sickness that would mean I was going to need the day off, I saw Mark give me a thumbs up and I raced out the door before he'd even hung up.

By 10.50 I was sitting in the car park of Seattle Grace Penitentiary, leaning on the bonnet of my car, waiting for the Colonel to come out, hoping he'd remember me and that he'd be willing to tell me that she was alright.

As the time ticked by I found myself drifting into thoughts about Arizona, the little things she did that made her all the more adorable, that had made me fall in love with her so quickly and leaning back onto the bonnet, I closed my eyes and remembered the feel of her body against mine.

A cough jolted me back to reality and I jerked back into a sitting position looking around to find the source of the noise.

"Miss Torres isn't it?" he said, standing next to me, his face as yet unreadable.

"Uhm yes...yes Sir...I mean Colonel Robbins Sir."

I was rambling now as I'd shot to my feet and saw a soft smile creep onto his face.

"I assume you aren't here to admire the view..." he said, and as he did it he cocked his head to the side in the same time that way Arizona used to do and for a minute I got lost in my thoughts.

Seeing this he softly placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Miss Torres, I'm going to hazard a guess that this visit has something to do with my daughter who has been in an equally spaced out state as you are now for the past two weeks?"

"Yes Sir...I just...I need to know that she's alright. Please tell me she's alright?"

I saw his face cloud with emotion briefly before he lowered his hand from my shoulder to my arm.

"How about we go get a cup of coffee Miss Torres? Then we can both fill each other in on what's really been going on in this place."

Too nervous to reply I simply nodding at him and listened as he suggested I follow him in my car. Quickly agreeing I jumped back into my car and putting it into gear I took a deep breath as I pulled out behind him and let him lead the way.

Chapter 28

Callie's POV

After driving for about ten minutes I saw the Colonel turn off the main road into a residential side street. About half way down the road he pulled into a drive way and as I pulled in behind him I realised that we hadn't been heading to a cafe at all, but to the Robbins' house.

As he walked to the door he turned around, catching me hovering on the spot glancing around nervously at my surroundings.

"I hope you don't mind," he said, "but living so close it seemed silly to go to a cafe. At least here we can have some good coffee and talk freely."

He looked be directly in the eye at that and slightly reassured I followed him into the house, stopping to remove my shoes as I did so.

"Oh don't worry about that," I heard him say from up ahead, "My wife is out for the day so there's no need. I won't tell if you don't."

And with a wink and a smile he passed through a doorway to which I presumed was the kitchen.

Walking down the hall I stopped in front of some pictures on the wall. My breath caught as I looked at all the pictures, all of them featuring the same piercing blue eyes. Some of them were the eyes I loved, but some shone out from the face of a male, a face adored with the same dimples I missed seeing on Arizona.

Stepping back I took in all the pictures in front of me that documented the lives of Arizona and her brother. Nearly all the pictures featured them both, and no matter the age they were they were invariably wrapped in some kind of familiar embrace, grinning manically either at each other or the photo taker. Two pictures stood out toward the end of the wall though, where they stood alone. The first was of her brother, standing proud and tall in his military uniform, and next to him was Arizona standing proudly in her graduation photo looking truly alive.

I couldn't help myself as I stepped forward and lifted a hand to trace her face in the picture, a mixture of pride and sadness welling up inside of me. Feeling a tear forming in my eye, I stepped back, roughly brushing away the evidence of my weakness and turned to the doorway but stopped in my tracks as I saw the Colonel standing there watching me. He looked slightly shaken for a moment, like he too had been lost in his thought, before he shook himself and stood tall again.

"I came to ask you whether you wanted tea or coffee," he started, waving the two mugs in his hands in my direction. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you Miss Torres."

I chuckled slightly at the formality with which he was still addressing me and moved towards him slightly.

"Please, call me Callie. And I would love a cup of coffee Sir."

He smiled at that and responded, "Well if you are to be Callie, you most definitely must stop calling me Sir! Call me Colonel, I respond to it quicker than my real name after all these years, it almost like a nickname these days!"

And with the ice broken, we sat down together.

"Why don't we both just start at the beginning? I think we might both learn something new perhaps?" he said with a knowing glint in his eye.

That day I told him everything about me and Arizona, leaving out only the bits that a father really doesn't need to know. He in turn told me all about her as she grew up, starting from stories from her infancy up until her burgeoning medical career. Only as he reached the details of the trail did he grow more serious again.

Learning about Arizona's past had warmed my heart. I had felt closer to her than I had in days and her father proved to me a truly amazing man. But as our stories drew to a close I still needed the answers I'd been looking for.

"Sir...Colonel, I need to know how she is, how's she's been in there since I left. She asked me not to visit her, and I gave her my word but I need to know. Please, tell me she's ok?"

His serious gaze settled on my face, unwavering for a minute before he answered.

"She's told me about you Callie, these last few weeks. She told me about her 'Calliope'. She sayd you saved her; that you helped her find herself again and that she was in love with you. She also told me of the promise she made you make, and as she did so I saw her armour crack just for a second. I believe she is scared, scared that having asked you to stay away she now feels like she's going to lose you but I can see now that she may be wrong. I believe you love my daughter just as much as she loves you, and I will trust you with her heart."

I could only nod as he finished, scared that if I opened my mouth I would say something wrong but instead he continued.

"But she is struggling. I can see that more and more since you left, and there is only so much a father can do. I only hope that when she is released you will be there to fix her once again and Miss Torres if I hear that you have done anything to hurt..."

Suddenly finding my voice I interrupted him perhaps more forcefully than was necessary as I saw his eyebrows slowly rise. He was obviously not a man accustomed to being interrupted but I had to make hear me.

"Sir, if I planned to hurt your daughter, I wouldn't be here now. I wouldn't have tracked you down in a desperate bid to find out how she was. If I planned to forget her I would have moved on with my life already and not thought twice about her, but I think about her every second of everyday. I spend my time planning and waiting for our future. And when she gets out I'll be there...and I will be her good man in a storm."

As I said the final words, I saw his face transform, his eyes a whirlwind of emotions. He knew the meaning of those words as I did, and taking a shaky breath I saw him trying to compose himself.

"Thank you Callie. That was quite some speech. I apologise for any doubt I may have had."

The silence that followed indicated that the end had come to our conversation. My words seemed to have taken him off into his own thoughts and so I stood, taking the cups with me to the kitchen, waiting a moment before returning to the sitting room.

"Thank you Colonel, for talking to me. I'll let myself out."

At first he didn't acknowledge my words but as I reached the door I heard him approaching behind me, clearing his throat.

"If you would like, perhaps...perhaps I could pick you up each week as I go in for my visit? That way we could talk some more, and you'd be able to find out how she is each week. I have enjoyed talking about her today Callie, it has been too long since I have been able too."

I was surprised by his offer, convinced that I crossed some invisible line but as he stood there I saw a man who himself was desperate for someone to talk about his daughter too and the thought of being so close to her once a week and finding out how she was regularly was more than I could have hoped for.

"I would love that Colonel. Thank you, thank you so much."

After trading numbers, I said goodbye once more and returned to my car, watching as he waiting on the doorstep till I was out of sight, his hand raised in a wave.

Chapter 29

Callie's POV

This was how the weeks went by for the next 3 weeks. Every Tuesday morning I would wait outside the hospital for him to come and pick me up and each time we drove to the prison in a companionable silence, occasionally trading stories about our weeks. Despite Arizona's recent change of heart about seeing her father, I could tell he was always on edge, worried that this time she wouldn't show. For almost two years he turned up at the gates only to be turned away and as he parked he always took a minute to take a deep breath before heading in.

While he was in there I remained in the car. I'd asked him not to tell Arizona about our arrangement, I wasn't sure how she'd react and I didn't want the knowledge that I was so close but so far away to pain her like it did me every week as I sat and waited.

He'd taken to bringing along old photo albums for me to look through while he was inside, but today I couldn't focus on the pictures. This was my third trip with the Colonel and after his visit last week I could tell he was worried about her when he came out. He couldn't say what it was that seemed off, she had been chatty and seemingly happy to see him, but he had also sensed an almost forced air to it, a slight agitation.

This week I was praying for him to come out and tell me that everything was fine, that he must have been imagining things but as he came out the gate I saw the same concern on his face as last week. Jumping out I closed the distance between us, meeting him in the middle of the car park.

"What's wrong? Please tell me Sir."

"What have I told you about calling me Sir."

His snapped response took me my surprise and I paused in my step but he kept moving, striding to towards the car. Jogging after him I caught up with him as he got in the car and climbed in beside him. This time I waited for him to speak.

"She's struggling, there's no point denying it to myself anymore. I can see it in her eyes. She's losing hope, her fight is gone," he said, shaking his head while deep in thought.

"She talked a good fight but it never reached her eyes. She was trying, for me, but I can see right through her. She was never able to lie to me, and she knows it, but she told me nothing was wrong all the same."

I didn't know what to say, and I sat there never in my life feeling more useless than I did now.

"She didn't want to talk about you Callie, for the first time. I'm not telling you this to hurt you, I just...for the last few week talking about you has been the only time she truly came alive, but not today. I haven't told her you come with me yet as you asked but now...maybe we should have told her. She needs something to hold on to."

Silence descended on us again as we both sat deep in thought. She had to know I was still waiting for her, didn't she? Was she really losing hope? Should I not have insisted on keeping my presence a secret? A thousand questions were flying through my head and I didn't have an answer for a single one of them.

"I'm sorry Callie, I won't be much company today. I'll drop you back at the hospital," he said, quietly and I realised that while I'd been lost in my thought he'd been driving and we were almost back in town. The last two weeks we'd had sandwich and coffee after the visit but today neither of us seemed to know what to say.

As I climbed out I ducked my head back down to the window.

"Thank you for the lift Colonel." I said quietly, no other words coming to mind.

"I'll see you next week Callie," he replied, his eyes not meeting mine before he drove away.

The next week as I waited for the Colonel outside the hospital I couldn't shake the feeling in my stomach that something bad was going to happen today. As a doctor I was used to this feeling, you got a sixth sense about when a bad day was going to hit the hospital but never had I been so scared by the feeling, never had it related to my own life.

Looking at my watch I saw that he was already ten minutes late. For the previous three weeks he had arrived with almost military precision at the correct time but not today. Just as I was about to ring him and check everything was ok, I saw him pull up in front of me.

As I got in I could tell from his body language that something was up. He barely acknowledged my presence, his eyes remaining focused on the road ahead and his knuckles were white from his grip on the steering wheel. He was pale and unkempt, with the appearance of a man who hadn't slept the night before and had cried recently. As he parked up he remained still in his seat, never once relinquishing his grip on the wheel and just as I was about to speak he abruptly turned and got out the car without a word.

Unnerved by his behaviour, I struggled to remain still in the car and so getting out I found myself pacing the length of the car, glancing alternately at my watch and the gate.

Only ten minutes had passed when I heard the gate re-opening, and I saw him slowly walking out. As the door shut he stopped on the spot and for the first time since I'd met him his he looked utterly lost, the air of military confidence that usually surrounded him nowhere to be seen.

Running over to him I stopped short, slowly taking the final steps before guiding him back to the car without a word. After sitting there in silence for a minute, the not knowing what had happen became too much for me to handle.

"Colonel, please tell me what happened? Why are you out already?"

Staring dead ahead through the windscreen at the prison gates, he responded, his voice devoid of any real emotion.

"She didn't come today Callie. They said she wouldn't come."

I didn't know how to respond. I knew what that meant, and what she must have done to avoid being there and I felt sick to the stomach. Shaking the thought away I tried desperately to think of another reason for her absence.

"Maybe there is an explanation...she might be ill or-...or..." I was at a loss.

At that he shook his head, and turned to look at me finally, a sad smile playing across his lips and I saw for the first time his red-rimmed eyes.

"I knew she wouldn't come. Today...on this date...I knew, and it scares me knowing she's in there alone."

I was confused by his confession, so again I waited for him to continue,

"Do you know what today is, Callie?"

I knew better than to answer, and he was already continuing before I had a chance.

"Today is her birthday. Today was their birthday."

And as we sat there, both lost in our own worries, we were both unaware that on the other side of the walls a bruised and battered Arizona was being transferred from the hospital wing to start a four day stay in solitary with nothing but her own tortured thoughts for company.

Chapter 30

Arizona's POV

As they walked me to solitary I only had one feeling flowing through my body. I felt numb to the physical pains of my body, to the environment around me and to everyone else. All I could feel was the anger.

I was angry. Angry at everyone and everything, angry at myself but most of all I was angry at her. Or that's what I was trying to convince myself of. It was irrational and deep down I knew it, but every other emotion I had been feeling over the weeks had slowly manifested into a deep, all consuming anger that I couldn't seem to shake.

And she was the easy target. She had left me, she wasn't here, and that made it so much easier. I could convince myself that it was possible to forget how perfect she was, how amazing she'd made me feel. I could try to forget how she had awakened my heart and made me feel hope, when I had no right to feel it. But then she had walked away, and that part I couldn't forget.

My beautiful Calliope, who I wished I could hate, because surely anything would feel better than this excruciating love for her that I still felt in my heart.
*

Throwing the first punch had been easy, almost a relief. And feeling the blows hit my torso had been the most I had allowed myself to feel in days.

As they transferred me from the hospital bay to solitary, I could see the confusion in Baileys face. It had been a long time since I had pulled something like this to avoid visitation. I had been wary at first but it had only taken a few visits for me to start getting excited about seeing my father again each week.

But not today. Today had been the catalyst for everything I'd been feeling to come to the surface. All my pent up, repressed frustrations bursting to the surface trigger by one taunt in the yard and as I had landed that first blow I had felt good for one brief second before letting myself feel the pain.

As they pushed me in the confined cell, the extra guards left leaving just me and Bailey. I could feel her watching me but I ignored her, laying down on the bed and staring out the window. After a few moments I heard her sigh and start to close the door but at the last moment she hesitated.

"Why did you do it Robbins?" she asked, concern and curiosity mingling together in her voice.

Keeping my eyes trained on the window I contemplated my answer, before deciding upon telling her the truth.

"Because it's my birthday," I whispered, knowing that it would provide her with no clear explanation for my actions, but obviously sensing that I wasn't planning on elaborating she turned away once more, closing the door behind her with a resounding crash, and I was left alone in the dark. And as I lay there I couldn't help but think back on everything that had happened since she'd left.

Chapter 31

Arizona's POV

The day she'd left I'd felt a thousand emotions, but as she'd mouthed her final 'I love you' to me through the gates, that irrepressible hope in my heart that I had since come to hate had flared up and optimism had coursed through my body. It was only two months after all; she loved me and she was going to wait for me. It seemed so simple.

As I'd turned around I came face to face with Meredith. She had obviously been approaching me slowly, cautiously, unsure of how I was going to react but seeing me calm and smiling, wiping away any remnants of tears from my face, was clearly not what she'd been expecting at all.

"I'm OK," I'd said, even laughing slightly as I'd said it and she'd taken a moment to check I was being truthful before smiling back at me slightly.

"Ok then. You're ok... I guess it's just you and me now."

In the moment, I hadn't even registered that Christina had left also, but seeing Meredith's forlorn face I'd realised that right then, she too was feeling a loss of someone close. Although not quite the same, her and Christina had practically started sharing a brain over the last month and understood the sense of loss she was feeling.

I'd also realised that quite a lot of the attention of the yard was still fixed upon us, still focused on me after my outburst and taking Meredith's forearm in my hand I had led us back across the yard and inside.

For five days Meredith had been a good distraction. Each day Meredith had come past my cell in the morning and waited for me to head down to breakfast. We'd eat in comfortable silence and afterwards head out to the yard a fall into easy conversation, full of crazy stories and banter. But at night only Calliope had invaded my thoughts leading to sleepless nights.

But on the fifth day Meredith too had come to say goodbye, and I'd finally been left all on my own with no distractions from the world around me. And that was when hope and optimism stopped being enough and at the same time, became too much.

The anger slowly crept in and brought with it doubt and suspicion. Despite knowing why, I couldn't help but question why she hadn't even tried to contact me. Was she not thinking about me? Was she not as pained as me? Was she moving on...? Deep down I knew that it was because I had made her promise not so come, but at the same time I desperately wanted some proof she still cared, and I wanted more than anything to know she was waiting.

But above all, if I looked deeper, I knew who I was really angry with was myself. It was my fault I was feeling like this. It was my fault for making her make that promise, for telling her I'd understand if she moved on and as she'd been leaving all I'd wanted to do was take it back, but I hadn't. I hadn't because she'd made me love her and I wanted her to be happy. And now maybe she was; maybe she was moving on and all I had left was this hope, this false hope that was slowly dying inside of me.

She should never have made me love her and I wanted to hate her for it, it would be so much easier but I couldn't. Before she had arrived I had been fine, I had accepted how thing were and would be and I had built my defences so high that nothing could hurt me anymore but brick by brick she had brought them crumbling down, making me crave more, and now I couldn't go back.

My father had begun to suspect something was wrong, but I couldn't stand seeing him worry and so I pasted a smile on my face, feigning excitement about my release and my future, only feeling truly alive when he mentioned Calliope. But as the time went by even talking about her was forced and faked, and after a while I found I just couldn't talk about her anymore, the pain of what I may have lost cutting too deep.

But today had been different. Today I hadn't wanted to see anyone. The one person I truly wanted to see despite myself, I knew wouldn't be there. I wanted nothing more than to have her hold me in her arms, tell me it would all be ok and that she loved me no matter what but without her here to comfort me, my guilt over the past reared its head as I thought of the birthday we should have been celebrating today, together.

Today I need deserve my father's compassion and sympathy. Today I didn't deserve anybodies love.

When Bailey had come to get me for visitation, I knew she hadn't realised anything was wrong and as I followed behind her I had made up my mind to ask her to take me back to my cell instead. She'd been looking out for me these past weeks and I was grateful it, although I'd barely acknowledged her effort, and I had been relieved that it was her with me today.

But as I had walked past the usually gang on the weights, their taunt stopped me in my tracks. Any other day I would have let it slide, I had been hearing them every day since she'd left but today it was too much. To hear my deepest fears being thrown in my face was too much. As I had turned I saw her face shift and the women behind her draw to attention slightly. I could tell she hadn't expected me to react, had expected me to brush it off as usual but I was done.

And without a second thought I threw the first punch.

As I was lying there I didn't realise that the numbness was wearing off. As I was pulled from my thoughts by a noise in the corridor, all the feelings I had been trying so hard to suppress flooded back in and surrendering to them completely, I let them take me over.

Calliope's POV

After the Colonel had dropped me at home, I hadn't been able to stop thinking and nothing I'd tried could distract me from my worries. My thoughts were going at a hundred miles an hour yet only one thing was clear to me.

Arizona was hurt, she was in pain and I was partly to blame. I shouldn't have made that promise, I should have realised she hadn't meant it; everything she'd done to land herself in prison had been through sheer selflessness, and in telling me to take my time to think she'd been doing the same thing again and I'd let her.

From the moment the Colonel had told me what had happened, all I'd wanted to do was go in there and take her in my arms but that was impossible now. She was in solitary now; she would spend the next four days alone with no one to talk to or look after her, and I was scared she'd give up completely.

I had to get to her somehow, and as I paced I realised there was only one way I could do that. And there was one person who might just be willing to help me.

"Torres?!"

The voice jolted me from the half sleep I'd fallen into and I started looking around to see where I was.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

Looking around I realised I was still sitting on the ground outside the prison, leaning back against the cold stone wall and finally lifting my eyes up to the source of the voice I winced slightly at the pissed off look on Bailey's face.

I'd been sitting here two hours now, waiting by Bailey's car for her to finish her shift. After the idea had occurred to me I'd wasted no time in getting back to the prison and had been relieved to find Baileys car still parked outside in her named parking bay. With nothing to do except wait, I'd sat down on the hard ground afraid that if I waited in my car I'd miss her leaving.

Standing up slowly, I tiredly met the eyes of the shorter woman.

"I was here today, with the Colonel. I've been coming with him every week but today she didn't come. He told me it was her birthday and...I just need to know. Please Bailey, tell me what's happened...tell me she's alright?"

I could hear the pleading tone of my own voice and I could tell she had too as her posture softened slightly and she took a deep breath.

"Do you want the truth, or do you want me to tell you what I think you want to hear?"

The way she said it made me fear the worst, but I had to know.

"The truth, tell me the truth."

She stood there staring at me for a while, and I could tell she was deciding what to tell me and what not to tell me. But as she started to talk, I could tell she'd decided on telling me everything.

"She's a mess. She's worse than I ever seen her. When she first came in she was agitated at first, but she soon calmed down almost as if she'd resigned herself to her sentence, to the fact that there was nothing she could do. I think she realised early that the best thing she could do was keep her head down, stay detached and look after number one. And with the exception of avoiding her father and the stunts she had to pull to do that, that's exactly what she did. But I could tell she was dying inside, that she was slowly forgetting the person she'd been before."

I couldn't say anything as I listened to Bailey's story. This was a part of Arizona's life I'd never heard about before. The Colonel had been telling me all sorts of stories about her recently about her past and from Arizona I'd heard all the stories she'd wanted to tell me, but hearing Bailey talk about the start of her sentence and how she slowly broke apart was something I'd always tried not to think about and I'd never heard talked about.

"You know, I believe in the system, I really do but in her case... I don't know much, but I know the basics and what she did wasn't murder in my book, and watching her punish herself for what they told her she did..."

Baileys was shaking her head now, almost lost in her thoughts before she found my eyes again and continued her stories.

"I never saw her as a murderer but I never knew how to help her and then you came along, and she came back to life, slowly you broke her defences and I could see the person she might once have been coming back. But now..."

She paused again, and I waited desperately for her to continue.

"Now, she's just angry. She's angry at everything, and she's disappearing again. Me, the other guards, the past...herself...but most of all Torres, she's angry at you."

Bailey's words had stunned me. Resignation I had expected, pain I had expected but anger? Anger was something I couldn't associate with the Arizona I had left behind, the perky bubbly blonde with the dimpled smile who'd stolen my heart. And knowing that anger was directed at me made me feel guilt I'd never experienced before.

"Why?" It was the only question I could formulate through the fog in my head.

"Because you left," she said, while shrugging her shoulders.

I couldn't mask the shock on my face and I could tell Bailey had seen my expression change.

"I know, you had no choice, and she knows that too but in her mind, in the dark place she is now... You gave her hope, the one thing that can be most dangerous in here. She was fine at first, I think she truly believed she could deal with it but it's been six weeks now. In that time, hope can do more harm than good, especially if you start doubting it, and for that she's blaming you."

I didn't know how to respond, there was nothing I could say to that. There was no defence that I could give that would help anything.

"What happened this morning? Why didn't she come..."

"She lost it, for the first time in weeks. The other cons, they've been giving her stick about you, taunting her. You two...everyone knew about it while you were in here and since you've left they've become more vocal about it. When I went to collect her for visitation today I could tell something was off. I could see it in her eyes, she was vacant somehow and yet pained, and as she walked past the crew on the weights I heard them taunting her."

"What did they say?" I asked, barely a whisper now but I was desperate to know more.

"They asked if you were here to see her...or if you'd already moved on and forgotten about her. And that's the polite version! They were laughing, pushing her buttons but not expecting a reaction. But as soon as she stopped I knew they were wrong. You know that crew Torres, there were seven of them and one of her...we got her out as soon as we could but she was beat up real bad. I tried to get them to let her stay in the hospital bay but to them it was clear cut, she started the fight, they had no choice but to put her in solitary."

I had tears on my face now and hastily wiped them away as Bailey continued.

"I asked her why she did it, she said it was because it was her birthday..."

She left the sentence hanging, obviously wanting me to explain to her what that meant.

"They were twins, her and her brother. Today would've been his birthday too." I explained and she seemed to understand. Whether she'd known before who Arizona had killed or whether the final piece of the jigsaw had just clicked into place, it was understanding and compassion flood her face.

"How bad is it? Her injuries..."

I couldn't help but picture her now, bruised and broken like the first time I saw her.

"She pretty badly beat up and there is nothing broken physically, but mentally? I'm not sure how much more she can take without something to hold on to."

Hearing all this was bad enough, but thinking of Arizona living through it was too much.

"Bailey, I need you to do something for me please, she needs to know there is still hope. She's got her whole future, her family, all waiting for her...and me, I'm not going anywhere. God, I've not gone anywhere since I left there without her!"

"Torres, I can't... Damn it you know I can't take you in there, she's in solitary..."

"No, not me...just something." I was trying to think on the spot what the best thing I could do was but the options all seemed too insignificant. In the end there was only one thing I could think off.

"A note...just a note. Please Bailey, she needs this. "

She looked torn, unsure whether to agree but after a second, and many frustrated sighs she gave me her answer. She seemed annoyed at herself for being unable to refuse, and I could tell I was running out of time with her.

"Alright Torres, but make it quick, I've already wasted enough of my night standing here with you."

Pulling out the first bit of paper I could find in my bag, I scribbled the first thing that came into my head, hoping she'd understand and remember what she had to hold on to.

Chapter 32

Arizona's POV

I woke up slowly and as I had done every morning since she left, I opened my eyes praying to find her brown ones looking at back at me. But as always, instead I was met with nothing but emptiness.

As I tried to turn over, I couldn't help but cry out loud at the pain that shot through my body. Lifting up my head slightly, I lifted my top up and saw the ugly purple bruises that covered my skin and lifting a hand to my cheek, I felt a surge of pain shoot across my face from the light touch.

Knowing the pain was only going to get worse now I was awake, I slowly made my way to my feet and across to the door, only too aware that every small movement was an effort. When I finally got there, I opened the hatch and shouted out to the guard for some pain meds. I got no response but I heard him pick up the telephone and call the hospital bay, asking for the doctor to come check me out before they gave me any drugs.

Realising it may be some time, I shuffled my way over to the wall next to the door and leant my weight on it, before slowly sliding down to the floor.

About an hour passed before I finally heard the door opening and by then I had curled myself into a ball in the corner, trying to block out the pain. Feeling a tentative hand on my forearm I opened my eyes to see the concerned face of the doctor looking down at me and asking for some assistance from the guard, they lifted me off the floor and walked me back over to the bed.

After he'd checked my ribs he handed me a cup of pills, all of various shapes and sizes. The doctor in me recognised some and wondered what the others were, but the patient in me just wanted the pain to go away and I swallowed them greedily, not caring to wait for the water the doctor was getting for me or caring what they were as long as they made the pain stop.

As I swallowed the last one, I heard the doctor telling me it was a concoction of sleeping pills and pain killers, and that hopefully by the time I woke up in about 24 hours the worst of the pain would be over. As he left I felt myself quickly becoming drowsy and just as I was drifting off I saw Bailey appear in the doorway. She took a step towards me, her hand reaching into her pocket for something, but before I could see what she was reaching for I drifted off into a heavy sleep.

When I woke up again it was dark outside. Still feeling a little groggy I didn't move for a while, savouring the lack of pain in my body for a short while.

As my head cleared, I realised I felt calmer than I had done in a long time and briefly wondered how long I'd been asleep before I realised the position I had manoeuvred myself into. I'd been grateful for a peaceful, dream free sleep but despite not dreaming of her, my body must subconsciously have been thinking of her. My pillow was dragged down next to me, my right arm slung over the middle of it and my head resting on the top. My right leg also was positioned as if it should be wrapped around a body; instead it was just tangled in the sheet. But what held my attention was my left arm that had found its way under the pillow, and linked up with my other hand; my fingers gently resting on the ring that adored my hand.

More than once I had removed the ring in the last week. Once I'd even thrown it across the cell, but the instant it had left my hand and I heard it hit the wall, I had been off the bed and diving across the floor to put it back on my finger, holding it to my chest firmly against my heart. Lying here now I removed it once again, but this time I tilted it till the moon light caught it, and read the inscription as I had done thousands of times.

'My Everything'. Did I still believe it? Did she...?

Moving my arms now, but keeping a grip on the pillow, I brought the ring to my lips and placed a soft kiss on it, despite my fears wishing that soon I would once more get the chance to kiss the lips of the woman who gave it to me.

The rumbling of my stomach broke my reverie and I got up, surprised at how much lighter my body felt and once more went to the door. This time I opened the hatch and remained there, waiting for a guard to answer my call. It didn't take long for a guard I didn't recognise to appear.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"It's 11pm, you're been passed out for nearly 30 hours," he replied. It was little wonder my stomach was protesting as it let out another rumble.

"Is there any chance I can get some food?"

I knew meal times were over but having been without food for nearly a day and half now I knew they'd have to do something for me.

"Bailey's on shift in an hour, I'll ask her to get something brought down with her."

He nodded in my direction and walked away, sliding the hatch back shut as he did so, and all I could do was wait for Bailey to arrive and hope whatever she brought was enough.

As the hour passed, the effect of the drugs fully disappeared and along with it did my calmness. By the time I heard the guards changing over outside, I was pacing the cell trying to ignore my thoughts and the rumbling of my stomach.

The corridor outside had been quiet for about five minutes before Bailey finally came to my cell. Expecting the hatch to open and some food to be passed through I was surprised when I heard the key in the lock and saw Bailey opening the door, letting the light stream in. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust but when they did I saw her standing there with a tray of food in one hand and some clean clothes hanging over her other arm.

Walking towards the bed, she placed the tray on the mattress before walking back over the door. Reaching around the corner she pulled up a chair and putting it in the doorway she sat down and pinned me with a look.

"I'm trusting you here ok, so no funny business. You're the only one down this corridor so I don't see why I can't let you have your food in some light but one wrong move, pull one stunt and I'm gone. You got it?"

Feeling like a reprimanded child being told off for in some way disappointing their mother, I nodded guiltily and dived into my food. It didn't take long for me to clear the plate, particularly savouring the donut she'd brought me for pudding, and flopping backwards I lay down on the bed and let myself revel in feeling full, rubbing my stomach lightly with my hands, a light satisfied moan of appreciation leaving my lips.

Hearing a chuckle from the doorway I looked up and caught Bailey laughing at me. Confused as to what was going on I pulled a face, causing her to snort out in laughter.

"Sometimes Robbins I swear there's a five year old living in that body of yours."

Seeing her point, I played up to the part and stuck my tongue out at her petulantly, before standing up and stretching out.

"Well at least you're looking more yourself today." I heard her say quietly, causing me to turn my attention fully back to her.

"You're father and T-...he was upset you didn't see him the other day."

She'd caught herself in the middle of the sentence and I could see she was slightly flustered from her slip, but I couldn't work out what it was she was going to say.

Thinking about my father again sent guilt surging through my body, and I sat down on the bed with my head in my hands.

"I couldn't face him. It was a bad day...but I should've gone, for him. I should've been there for him, he doesn't have anyone else to talk to about it, he says my mother won't talk about it and he comes here every week all alone. I should've been stronger for him, he shouldn't have been on his own."

I was speaking more to myself now but I heard Bailey respond anyway.

"Maybe he wasn't on his own... You might be surprised yet Robbins."

Looking up at her she held my eyes for a moment, ignoring the curious expression I knew was plastered all over my face before placing the clean clothes on the bed next to me.

"Now get these clean clothes on, no offence Robbins but you stink to high heaven! Put your used ones through the hatch when you're done."

And turning, she moved her chair and closed the door.

Sitting still where she'd left me I couldn't help stop my thought going over what she'd just said.

"Maybe he wasn't on his own... You might be surprised yet..." I whispered to myself, wondering what she could have meant. And then there was the slip up earlier, what was it she had nearly said? What did she know that I didn't?

Shaking my head of the thoughts I went over to the door and stripped off, wincing slightly as I tried to lift my tank top over my head. As I slowly manoeuvred it up over my ribs, I tried remembering the first time Calliope had helped me undress. Thinking about the softness of her touch and the intensity of her eyes as she'd done it, I managed to get the top over my head easier and quickly removed my bra, followed by the rest of my clothes. Shoving my dirty clothes through the door, I was left standing there naked in the cell and hurrying back over to the bed, I grabbed the clean clothes and pulled them on as quickly as I could, desperate for the coverage to keep the cold chill of the air from my skin.

Hearing Bailey moving around in the corridor outside and talking to some of the other cons in the next corridor along, I crawled on to the bed and curled up under the covers trying to get warm. As I tucked my knees up under my chin, I heard a rustling coming from my pocket and stretching out again I reaching down and searched in my pockets. As I put my hand into my right trouser pocket, my fingers closed around a folded piece of paper and I pulled it out, confused as to what it could be. I stood up and went over to the door, opening the hatch and letting the light in to try and light the paper in my hands.

Holding it up to the light, I saw it was a receipt and as I read it, confusion entered my mind. It was a receipt for two coffee's from Seattle Grace Mercy West coffee cart from over a week earlier. Dropping my hand I stared across at the wall, unable to comprehend how a coffee receipt would end up in my trousers, especially a receipt from where the object of my every waking thought worked.

Realising there must be more to it I lifted the receipt to the light once more, this time turning it over to see if there was any further clues on the back.

What I saw written there made my breath catch, and tears pool in my eyes. Scrawled on the back, in an elegant and looping hand writing, was a note...from Calliope.

'I promised you forever and I promise it to you again.

I'm waiting every day for you to come back to me.

Don't give up on me. 8pm. I love you. '

Chapter 33

Arizona's POV

After I read the words, I made my way to the bed and crashed down on it. She was waiting, she still loved me...she was waiting. I couldn't bring myself to believe it but surely it must be true... If she'd moved on she wouldn't have written to me, despite everything I may have thought over the past weeks I knew she wasn't cruel enough to play games with me.

Suddenly a thought occurred to me and I ran to the gate.

"Bailey...Bailey!" I shouted out my door.

She had to have had some part in this; there was no other way Calliope could have got this note to me alone. As I stood there waiting I thought on all the possibilities. For a brief moment I wondered if Bailey had written it, trying to cheer me up and give me hope, but as I thought harder I realised there was no way. Only Calliope knew of our plan to meet at 8pm, and the note itself was written on a receipt from her work.

Looking at the receipt again I read the details on the other side. It was an order for one espresso and one cappuccino. I smiled to myself slightly, knowing that she would've brought the espresso for herself and the realisation that I knew these small details about her made me feel somehow closer to her in the moment. I remembered the day when we were talking in the yard and she was telling about her work, she'd told me how she never made it through the day without an espresso or two, that she hated getting up in the morning for early shifts and the coffee cart was always her first stop. But I also knew other small details about her, one of which was that she didn't drink cappuccinos and irrationally that thought got stuck in my brain, and I couldn't help but wonder who she was buying cappuccinos for.

A noise outside drew my attention back to the hatch and I looked up, ready to ask Bailey what was going on but instead I was met by a different guard, one I didn't recognise.

"Where's Bailey? I need to talk to her." I said, desperately trying to look further out into the corridor to see her.

"She's rotating back to another wing. She won't be back before we let you out in the morning."

As he said it, I rested my head against the door, wishing she could have been here for five more minutes so I could find out what was going on. However, when I looked up to reply to the guard, I saw Bailey about to leave through the gate at the end of the corridor.

Shouting out her name once again, I saw her turn around and pause for a moment before a slight knowing smile broke over her face and I heard a soft chuckle escape her lips.

"Sleep well Robbins." I heard her say, before she turned and left and the other guard shrugged in my direction before shutting the hatch.

I was back in the dark, unable to see the words written on the paper anymore but it didn't matter. Her words were already engrained in my memory, and as I started to drift off to sleep I repeated them to myself softly, like a silent prayer, willing myself to believe.

I woke up in the morning to my door being opened and for a moment I forget where I was. I'd gone to sleep with thoughts of her racing through my mind and over the night she'd also crept into my dreams. The painfully aroused feeling coursing through my body as my eyes adjusted to the light was a distinct reminder of the dream I been in the middle of and I silently cursed the guards for their timing.

As I lay back down on the bed, I screwed my eyes closed and tried to take myself back to the dream world I'd been in moments before but the gruff voice of the guard quickly broke any chance I may have had of doing so.

I couldn't help but laugh to myself as I stood up, as I thought about how I'd tried to hate her for this very reason. Before she had arrived, my body had been dead to feelings and sex was something of a distant memory. But she'd awakened my sexual side again, and despite almost forgetting how much I enjoyed sex, I had known when I was with her that I had never felt so connected to anyone in that way before. I had always enjoyed sex, but with her it had been taken to a whole different level, and when she left the sexual frustration had been torture. I knew that those frustrations had added greatly to my general feeling of hate over the weeks, but standing here now with the near painful arousal coursing through me, I knew I was horny as hell and there would be no release until I saw her again. But with a re-emerging hope, maybe I'd be able to bear it.

As the guard looked at me strangely, I realised I'd been fidgeting on the spot with my eyes closed and stilling my actions I tried to push all thoughts of Calliope to the back of my mind in order to get through the day.

"We're taking you back to the wing now, but first we're taking you to visitation. Your Father came in today."

My thought were quickly sobered by this as I realised I would have to explain to him what I'd done. Lifting a hand to my face I felt my cheek bone, too aware I that I still had bruising on my face and that he would be sure to ask. But seeing him would also give me a chance to ask if he knew anything about Calliope.

I nodded to the guard, but he still eyed me warily.

"Any stunts Robbins and you'll be stuck in solitary till your release date ok?"

A nodding once again, I followed him from the cell.

As soon as I stepped foot in the room, I saw him stand up to greet me before freezing on the spot when he saw my face. Walking a slowly towards him I stopped just in front of him and waited for him to move.

Taking me by surprise, he grabbed me tightly, pulling me into a firm hug and in my ear I could feel him fighting back tears.

"Zona, what have you done to yourself?" he asked, pulling away and softly tracing a finger over my bruises. Unable to help myself, I winced at his touch and he pulled away and moved to sit down.

Following his lead I took a moment before answering him.

"I couldn't bear it. I'm sorry, that I didn't come... I'm sorry. It was just too much, I knew if I saw your pain as well..."

I let my words trail off, my attention already straying to my hands which he had taken in his own.

"Never, ever apologise to me again. Do you hear? You did what none of us had the strength to do, you should never have to apologise, especially not to me. I am your father; I was worried for you, that was all but now I know you're alright..now I know you're alright, then I'm alright."

He said it with a fierce determination that warmed my heart. Averting my eyes for a moment, not wanting him to see my tears yet again, I was relieved when he changed the subject and started to talk about my release. It was only 4 days away now, he told me he had already enquired what time I'd be out and so at midday when they released me he would be here. As if sensing my next question, he answered before the words even left my lips.

"And you're mother will be here too," he said, smiling at me and I could see the love radiating from his eyes. "It's like she's coming back to me too. She's come back to life Zona, you've done that, you making it through has brought her back... We can be a family again."

I sensed the slight sadness creeping into his words, but also the genuine happiness. We would never be a family like we once were, but we would be able to start again. There was hope.

As time drew on I found my hand idly playing with Calliope's note in my pocket, and I found myself wondering once again. Seeing my thoughts were elsewhere, he waited for me to meet his eyes again before asking.

"Tell me what you're thinking Zona?" he asked, his eyes sparkling as if he too where in on something I didn't know about.

" Calliope...I'm thinking about Calliope." I said wistfully.

"Ah, the lovely Miss Torres."

He said it was a smirk before giving me a look that indicated he wanted me to continue.

"She sent me a note, I don't know how, I just know she did."

As I spoke, I lifted it out of my pocket and held it in front of me, reading the words again.

"She said she was waiting for me... That she still loves me..."

I didn't know whether to say what I was thinking next or not but a soft squeeze of my hand made me continue and once I'd started, the words didn't stop.

"I'd lost hope. You know I did, I never could lie to you. I knew you saw it in my eyes but it was all too much, I lost myself somewhere. And just as I got to my lowest point, I get this," I said, gesturing to the note. "I just don't understand... I thought she'd given up on me, she never even tried to see me, there was no reason for her to wait, I practically gave her my blessing to forget me but then she writes me this..."

As I continued to rant, I saw his smile get ever wider but suddenly everything I'd been thinking was flowing from my mouth.

"And now what am I supposed to think? Am I meant to go back to floating around in my happy bubble or should I be preparing myself for this all being one big cosmic joke? I mean, why would she wait for me? She gorgeous, she could have anyone and my god the things she can do with her t-..."

"Ahem...there are things a father never needs to know, no matter how much he loves his daughter."

His interruption stopped me in my tracks and his words brought a blush to my cheeks as I thought about what I had been about to say, however I could see the amusement in his face.

"I must agree that she is quite a woman, she's certainly convinced me..."

But I wasn't listening as I interrupted him, not listening to what he was saying as I saw Bailey walking across the room, determinedly ignoring me. And as my thought refocused on the note, I was unaware of the suggestion in what he had just said and continued venting my thoughts.

"But seriously, who writes someone a note on a receipt anyway, especially a receipt that shows they've been buying coffee for someone else. Coffee, in the morning, she's been buying someone else coffee in the morning...that means she's been with someone in the morning..."

My body slumped and saying the words sent cold chill through me and he must have sensed this. Reaching across he put his hand under my chin, pulling my eyes back to his from the distant spot they'd drifted too.

"Zona, do you remember how I used to take my coffee?"

Smiling slightly at the memory, I replied.

"Of course. When we were little you and Mum always used to get cappuccinos so we could scoop the chocolate off the foam on the top..."

As I said the words, my eyes snapped down to the receipt again and then back to him.

"Wha-... She was buying a coffee for you?!"

He nodded at me before speaking, making sure I was listening and I hung on his every word.

"I have been seeing quite a lot of your Miss Torres. Four weeks ago I left here to find her sitting on her car bonnet, waiting for me, desperate to see how you were. She was quite determined! Since then, she's been coming with me every week, and every week when I pick her up she has a coffee for me. Last week when you didn't come, she was a mess," he said, shaking his head slowly as he did so. "She rang me in the evening to tell me what she'd done. Apparently she sat outside for two hours that night, waiting for this guard, Bailey I believe she was called, and convinced her to give you that note. She's been worrying about you everyday Zona. I do believe she's very much as in love with you as you are with her."

As he finished, he sat there and waited for me for me to respond. For a while I just sat there, trying to comprehend what he'd said.

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me she was here every week..."

"She asked me not too. You had made her promise, and she wanted to stick to her word, but it appears being apart from you was as hard for her as it has been for you."

"Is she... Is she outside now?" I asked in disbelief.

"She is," he said simply.

Knowing she was so close yet so far away had me elated but also frustrated and I think he sensed that.

"I believe this too is another reason she didn't want to tell you. I saw how much it affected her, knowing you were so close yet she couldn't get to you and I believe she was worried that that would cause you more pain. But now, I thought you deserved to know the truth, you needed the truth. I was going to tell you last week but..."

As he tailed off, the guard called an end to visitation and my father stood up.

"Four days Zona, please look after yourself," he said, as he softly pulled me closer and placed a kiss on my bruised cheek.

"I will. I love you," I said, as he turned and walked to the doors.

"And Dad," I shouted, as he was disappearing, "Just...tell her I love her."

I saw a smile pass across his face as he disappeared around the corner, and as I turned around I came face to face with Bailey. Without a second's hesitation, I abruptly pulled the shorter woman into a hug and felt her tense, but after a second she relaxed slightly and I felt a tentative pat on the back as I whispered in her ear.

"Thank you Bailey, for everything."

Now all I had to do was get through 4 more days and I'd be free. Four more days and I'd be in her arms once more.

I just had to believe.

Chapter 34

Arizona's POV

Chapter 34

Arizona's POV

Today was the day. Today, after 2 years in this place, I would finally be free.

It was still early in the morning, the sun was only just beginning to rise, but I couldn't sleep. The last three days since I'd seen my father, since he'd told me the truth about Calliope, had dragged by. The days had seemed endless, every act that I did seemed trivial, yet at the same time every moment was significant as it drew me closer and closer to where I was now.

It was 4am. In 8 hours the gates would open and I would step foot outside, I would see the world I used to live in again; I would see my father, and I hoped my mother, there waiting for me, ready to start our lives again.

The thought of leaving here used to scare me but now I was restless with anticipation, and a huge part of that was down to the meeting time and place that was engrained into my memory. In less than 24 hours I would be in her arms again, feeling her body against mine once again and her lips against my own.

But for now, all I can do is stand here in my cell and watch the sunrise on the last day of this chapter of my life.

By the time the claxon finally rang I had already been awake for hours. I passed the time packing the few items I had in the cardboard box they'd given me the night before, and re-reading her note over and over.

As I pulled the last of my things from the shelf, I came across the one thing of Calliope's I'd secretly kept, even though it wasn't strictly hers.

It was the t-shirt she's put on me that first day we'd really talked, as she'd looked after me so tenderly even though she hardly knew me. I'd worn it for two days and on the day I'd finally taken it off, I'd tucked it to the back of my shelf while she'd been out at the showers.

As I stood here now, I quickly discarded the top I was wearing and pulled her one over my body and as the gate opened I made my way out for my final breakfast.

The day past slowly after that but when the time finally arrived I was ready. I was waiting as I had been all morning, and it was driving me crazy. After breakfast I'd quickly made my way back to the cell and ever since then I'd alternated between pacing the floor and starring motionlessly at the gate waiting for a guard to come and get me.

Finally I heard a key in the lock, and turning to face the door I picked up my box, ready and waiting to get out.

Seeing it was Bailey at the gate, I let a smile of relief break out on my face. She more than anyone else in here knew what today held for me and what it meant to me. She'd been here with me since the start, since the morning she'd processed me into the system, and I was glad that it'd be her with me till the end.

"Ready Robbins?" she said, cocked an eyebrow at me, knowing full well the answer to her question.

"I've been ready for months." I said, grinning manically at her, bouncing slightly on my toes in anticipation.

"Well what you waiting for then, let's go!" she replied, in typical Bailey fashion but I saw the smile on playing her lips as she set off in front of me.

Quickly stepping after her I followed her down the walkway and stairs toward the exit of the wing. I was surprised to hear a few people around me wishing me luck as I passed and a couple saying goodbye, but they were all faceless nameless people who I'd never talked to in my time here and as I walked only one face occupied my thought. However I was grateful for their sentiments and as I reached the gate out of the wing, I stopped and looked back at what had been my home for two years and with a last small wave, I left the wing for the last time.

Calliope's POV

I couldn't sleep. For two months I had gone to bed alone, waiting for this day. Waiting for the day that I would have her with me again and my future could start.

These two months I had felt in limbo. My old life had finished, the pain of it all had gone and I was ready to move on with my life, but I couldn't. Instead I'd had to wait, slowly moving through day void of any real purpose, and the wait had sometimes seemed endless.

The hospital had been my savour. There was only so much Mark could do for me to keep my mind off her, and there was very little I could do to stop myself thinking about her when I was alone. But at work I had to concentrate on other things, my full attention could be focussed on an unknown patient, and their problems became my relief.

But standing here now all I could think about was our plan, and as I watched the sun rising slowly over Seattle, I prayed that she would be there as we planned in 16 hours. I'd always assured her that I would be there, and her being there too had been assumed without reassurance, but I couldn't help the small 'What if...' in my mind as time ticked slowly on. What if I was there, and she didn't show...

"Shit, shit, shit!" I yelled out loud, not caring who saw or heard. Luckily I was safely in the Attendings lounge anyway and no-one was around to hear my outburst, but that was the last thing on my mind.

I'd come in early for my 7.30 shift, unable to stand the emptiness of my apartment on my own anymore. Christina was out, and I'd already tidied every single item more than once. She'd quickly struck up a relationship with Owen, the trauma attending, and since then I'd rarely seen her around the place. When I had it'd been very briefly and without a word before they disappeared into her bedroom and I retreated into my bedroom alone, putting on my headphones, trying to block out their noises and any thoughts of sex that invaded my mind.

I'd been in an optimistic mood though when I'd left my apartment, ready for the day ahead to be done with so as soon as my shift ended at 6pm I could be out of there. But as soon as I came in, I saw the on-call rota pinned to the wall and saw my name scheduled in for this evening.

This was not part of the plan, and I knew there was nothing I could do about it. I was only just off probation and still was without some privileges. Taking days off was still not an option and I knew that despite everything, there was no other Ortho surgeon in the hospital that was half as qualified as me to take over an on call shift. Realising asking the Chief for a favour was out of the question, I silently prayed for a quiet night so that nothing would get in the way of me being there, waiting for her.

Arizona's POV

I was here. After all this time I was standing in the processing room once again, but this time they were taking away my prison clothes and handing me back my street clothes.

I'd tried to remember what it was I'd been wearing that day many times, but each time it was just a blur; my memories remembering only words and faces.

Stepping behind the changing screen, I opened the bag and pulled out the contents. Inside was the white shirt and fitted jeans they'd had me change into after my court case. Seeing the clothes there was like a trigger as I remembered how they'd made me change from my suit and blue shirt after the court case into something more casual. I hadn't understood the point of it then; what did it matter what I wore in, surely they'd be taking it away from me anyway? But seeing them now, I was relieved to have casual clothes to leave in instead of the suit connected to all the memories of my past.

Pulling on my black boots, I stepped out from behind the screen and took in my appearance in the glass and I stood there for a minute just looking. I was amazed to find the clothes still fit like a glove and I felt like the old me, wearing my favourite clothes, ready for a date or a night out. And a smile stretched across my face as I thought about how appropriate that was for what tonight could hold. Turning around, I faced Bailey.

"I'm ready. I've never been more ready in my life." I said, "Get me out of here Bailey."

We left by the side door, and I find myself on the path I'd watched Calliope walk all that time ago. But for me the experience was different. My eyes never once strayed to the yard, fixed permanently on the huge gates ahead of me that were all that kept me from the outside and as I got within 50m of them I saw them slowly creak into life.

I realised I'd been holding my breath, scared it was all a dream and they'd tell me to turn back, but as I saw them open I let out a massive breath and heard Bailey in front of me.

"Relax Robbins, nothing's going to go wrong."

We were nearly there; only a few more steps now till I was out of the door and in the distance I could see a cluster of waiting vehicles and people.

Stopping at the doors, Bailey removed my handcuffs for the last time and handed me my release papers to sign. Handing them back to her, she smiled back at me and patted me on the shoulder.

"Go Robbins, you deserve to be free. Be happy."

"Thank you...Miranda." I said, with a little smirk at having been able to use her first name after all this time, and watching her face turn from surprise to amusement as she gave me a push. Turning around I took a couple more steps forward, and saw that I was only about 5m away from the front gates now.

And that's when it happened.

Chapter 35

Arizona's POV

Standing there, I watched as chaos erupted all around me. The sirens were blaring as bodies ran recklessly in all directions and as I looked up, I saw flames erupting from the wing and smoke billowing through the sky. Voices were blaring out of all the speakers calling for everyone to remain calm. They announced the entire prison was going into lockdown to contain the spread and all exits were to be sealed, and although no-one was listening, all the doors and gates creaked ominously into action.

Turning my head back to the outside, I caught sight of my dad taking a few hurried steps toward the gate obviously alerted to the noise, but I was frozen by the horror around me. Brought back to the moment I felt a Bailey grabbing my arm, catching my eyes as she did so and before I knew what was happening, I felt my body moving and heard the front gates slam shut next to me.

Calliope's POV

It was 6pm and somehow I had made it to the end of my shift. As I walked into the Attending lounge to change, I once again pulled my mobile from my pocket and dialled the Colonel's number. I'd tried a few times since midday, hoping to hear him say the words I was so waiting to hear; that she was free, that she was ok. But every time I had tried, there had been no answer.

When I'd last seen him he'd said he'd let me know she'd got out ok and not hearing made me feel a little uneasy. As I stood here I tried to think of all the reason why he may not be answering my calls, trying to focus on the many good reasons why I might not have heard from him. He'd told me of his worries for Arizona's release; how he was unsure of his wife's reaction, of Arizona's reaction upon finally being free, and I hoped with all my heart that his silence meant everything was going ok and that they were spending some time as a family again.

Once again my call went to answer phone and I tried not to let the worries take over. Changing swiftly into my jeans and red top, I pulled my leather jacket over my shoulders and tucked my pager into my pocket. I had cornered Mark and Lexie earlier, even Christina and Owen, and between them they had promised to delay any pages that might need to come my way until it was absolutely necessary.

Even so, as I walked out I prayed that there would be no emergency tonight, and as I passed through the automatic doors to the outside, I didn't once spare a glance at the breaking news flashing across the TV screen in the lobby.

The next hour was spent in restless agitation. Unable to stay away, I made my way out of my apartment and started the slow winding walk up to the bench. As I walked my mind was spinning with thoughts of what I wanted to do to her first. To hold her in my arms would be enough, but to feel her lips instantly against mine would be amazing and to hear her tell me she loved me still almost seemed like too much to hope for.

As I reached the bench, I realised that in this moment, right now, just seeing her would be enough. If I could see her blue eyes looking back at me once more, staring into mine, I wouldn't need words or touches...I would know everything she was feeling simply by looking at her, and I would be whole again.

Sitting down, I checked my watch and saw that it was only half past seven. My walk had seemed to take forever but in reality only ten minutes had past.

But being early had always been part of my plan. I had promised her I would be waiting for her, and I would do exactly that. I would be the one sitting here waiting for her to appear so that when she arrived, there would be no doubt in her mind; I was there, I loved her and I was ready to start my life with her.

As time ticked by I couldn't sit still any longer and standing up, I started pacing slight by the bench. In my hands I clutched the single flower I had bought on the way, Arizona's favourite, and I waited, pacing on the spot until I finally stood still as the hands on my watch hit 8pm.

Chapter 36

Arizona's POV

Feeling Baileys hand in my arm jolted me back from the chaos that was taking over the prison. Feeling her grip tightening on my upper arm, I drew my eyes away from the smoke and looked at her. Before I had a change to do anything else, I felt my body moving backwards under the force of an almighty push from Bailey and as I stumbled backwards I heard the gates slam shut next to me.

As I regained my balance I took a moment before opening my eyes, coming face to face with the metal as I did so. Hearing fast footsteps approaching from behind me I spun around, just in time to see my father's face before he engulfed me in a his arms.

"Thank God Zona, what the hell is going on in there?" he said, tightening his grip on me even more and turning me away from the prison.

Shaking my head, I kept my face buried in his shoulder, revelling in his embrace for the first time in years with absolute freedom. In the background I could hear all the shouts from inside, and above them all the voice of Bailey instructing everyone on what to do. I was so relieved to be on these sides of the gate at last, and as that feeling suddenly hit me I realised that I was finally free.

Pulling back I looked my father in the eyes and the love and relief I saw there made any lingering worries I had about my release disappear and as I smiled at him, I pulled him back into another hug.

After a few moments, he pushed me away slightly, holding my shoulders as he glanced around me.

"Come on Zona, let's go. You're Mother is waiting for you in the car."

He put his arm around my shoulders, shooting me a warm smile as I processed this new bit of information. My mouth went dry and he must have sensed my recurring nerves as he guided me slowly across to the car park.

"She wants to see you. She just didn't know how to react when she saw the smoke, she feared..." he paused, unwilling to continue but I knew what he'd meant. "Bit she's here, and she's waiting for you."

As we reached the car park I spotted his car, the same one he'd been driving for almost 20 years now, and I watched as the passenger door slowly opened. Without realising it, I was holding my breath, and only when she appeared did I release it. She looked as emotional as I felt, emotions streaming across her face as she stood there looking at me.

"Mom?" I said, barely a whisper but she heard me.

After what felt like hours, she finally took a tentative step in my direction, and driven by her movements, I mirrored her actions. Slowly we picked up pace toward each other and within seconds I was wrapped in yet another crushing hug.

"Thank God, my baby girl...you're finally here." I heard her whispering as I felt hot tears hitting my shoulder as my own streamed down my checks.

"I've missed you Mom," I said, as I held on to her for dear life, finally letting myself feel how much I truly had missed her.

Looking over her shoulder I saw my father standing by the car with the happiest expression I'd ever seen gracing his face as he watched me and my mother.

The sound of sirens approaching jerked us back to the here and now and for a second I tensed, imagining that this had all been a dream and the sirens were coming for me. But as I saw the fire engines rounding the corner I relaxed once again, and turned back to see my mother watching me with a sad expression on her face.

Cupping my cheek with her hand, she brushed my silent tears away with the pad of her thumb and spoke in a fierce whisper.

"It's ok Zona, we've got you now and we'll never let anything bad happen to you again. You're safe now, ok?"

And taking my hand in hers she led me back over to the car. As my Dad opened the door for me and my mother, he paused slightly once we were both seated, looking from one of us to the other with a beaming smile.

"Let's go home," he said.

The journey back was spent in relative silence, both of my parents seemingly realising I was mesmerized by seeing Seattle again. All too quickly the journey ended and we pulled into a house I didn't recognise, but as soon as I stepped inside it instantly felt like home. Filled with everything I remembered from before, I couldn't stop myself as I walked around spotting all the little things I'd remembered but forgotten.

The afternoon passed by quickly as we quickly fell back into a familiar pattern. It was like I'd never been away, but one giant hole was forever present, never to be filled again.

"Mom, Dad...I'd like to- to say good bye. I never got to say goodbye." I said softly and they both understood instantly.

"Are you sure you want to do this now? It's already been an emotional day..." my father replied, concern evident in his voice, but I was certain.

"I have to Dad. I can't go another day without saying goodbye, that was one of the worst things about being inside. And then maybe...maybe I can find some peace."

I watched as my mother grabbed his hand for comfort and with a quick look at each other they exchanged nods.

"I'll drive you there now. It's only five o'clock; we'll go before it gets dark."

Standing up he grabbed his keys and turned for the door, and I made to follow him.

"Will you come back after?" I heard my mum ask from behind me, causing me to turn on the spot.

"Don't take this the wrong way Mom, but I'm kinda hoping not..." I said with a bashful smile, feeling a blush creeping up my cheeks as I watched my parents exchange knowing looks.

"Ah yes, your 'Calliope' is it?" she said, giving me an amused smile before her face turned serious once more. "You deserve to be happy Arizona, and if she does that, then she has my blessing."

Running across the room and pulled her into a hug and heard her laugh into my hair.

"Go, you don't want to leave her waiting!"

And with a final kiss on her cheek, I jogged out the room after my father.

Arriving at the cemetery, we sat for a moment in the car.

"Do you want me with you Zona?" he asked, taking me hand in his.

"No...No, I need to do this alone." I replied, "I just need to talk to him, one last conversation, to say goodbye,"

"Ok then. I'll wait for you here" he said, with a reassuring smile, but I shook my head.

"It's ok, you go home and be with Mom. I may be a while...and then I'm hopefully going to meet the love of my life." I said, a huge grin working its way on to my face at the thought of this evening.

Laughing at my happiness, he placed a kiss on my cheek as I got out the car. Leaning back through the window I caught his attention before he drove off.

"What time is it now? I left my watch in my personals box." I said slightly frustrated with myself.

"It's six o'clock. Good luck sweetheart," he said, and as he drove off I was left alone with my brother.

As I sat there talking to him I lost track of time. Talking to my parents and now finally to my brother had freed me of the last of the guilt I'd been harbouring. I could finally envisage my future and as I continued to tell him about everything that had happened I started telling him about Calliope, and I knew that he'd be happy for me, wishing for me to live my life just like he'd always wanted.

Sitting there as the time past by I continued to tell him everything about her, just as I would have done in the past, and as I finally ran out of things to tell him I realised it was now dark around me. It had felt so good to talk about everything, even though I knew she wasn't really there, but once I'd started I'd gotten carried away in the moment.

Startled from my position leading against his headstone, I reached for my watch, only to groan in frustration as I remember I wasn't wearing it. With a hurried goodbye, and promises to be back again, I ran from the graveyard desperate to find out the time and praying I wasn't too late, that I hadn't stayed too long.

Sprinting out on to the main road, I paused to look around for a clock or passerby who could tell me the time. Seeing a couple emerging from an bar about 100m away, I took off running again, cursing as the rain began to fall. Finally reaching them, I shouted at them over the noise of the rain. Both of them gave me a look as if I was a little bit crazy and following the man's gaze, I looked down at my white shirt that was going slightly see through in the rain. Pulling my jacket shut around me, I noticed the young looking brunette give the man a sharp elbow in the ribs and smirked a little as he winced.

As the brunette turned her attention back to me she spoke.

"Are you alright?" she said, "Cause...well you look a little bit wet and lost..."

"I need to know the time, I was meant to be somewhere and I think I'm late but I really can't be sure because I don't know the time...plus I'm not entirely sure where I am, I just know where I'm meant to be..."

As I rambled on, I became aware of the large smirk forming on the man's face as he chuckled at me, seemingly oblivious to the rain landing in his greying hair and rolling down his face.

"Well now I think we can probably help you out here," he said.

Pulling back his sleeve, he shot me a look before telling me the time.

"It's a quarter to nine he said," his tone getting more curious, and he fixed me with an inquisitive stare.

Running my hands through my hair, I frantically looked around, pleading with my memory to recognise something about where I was so I knew where to go, but nothing registered.

Panic started to overtake me as I processed what was happening. I was already three quarters of an hour late and I had no idea where I was.

Feeling a tentative hand on my elbow, I looked up into the wide-eyed face of the brunette. Grabbing her hand in mind, ignoring the blind panic that appeared in her expression at my sudden movement I spoke in desperation.

"I need to get somewhere, fast... Which way is it to Seattle Park? The one on the hill..." I stared at her, willing her to answer fast and didn't notice a look of understanding and a genuine smile grace the older man's face.

"It's about 15 minutes that way," she said, pointing to my right, "Maybe 5 minutes at a run. Then you'll see it on the left."

I was off running before she'd even finished talking, shouting 'Thank you' at them over my shoulder.

As I left, I didn't see him smiling manically between me and the brunette next to him, or hear the soft words over the rain, "Got get her Blondie."

Chapter 37

Calliope's POV

Looking at my watch once again, I read the time with a heavy heart.

It was 8.45pm and she wasn't here. As I sunk down onto the bench, I stared at the flower in my hands, laughing lightly to stop myself crying at the irony of sitting her alone on a bench meant to be shared by soul-mates.

A few more minutes passed and I still couldn't decide what to do. I knew there were many reasons why she may not have come, but that didn't stop the pain coursing through me at the thought that maybe she'd simply changed her mind. I didn't want to believe it and I knew there was no way it was true, but she was now 45 minutes late.

As if right on cue, I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket and flipped it open to see I had a message from Mark. It was as if he could read my mind as I read his text; 5 words, direct and to the point.

'Patience is a virtue Torres.'

Brow furrowing slightly I wondered how he could know that I was still waiting, but I didn't bother to respond, knowing already that he wouldn't answer me if I asked him what he meant anyway. Instead, I slipped my phone back into my pocket and stood up. My whole body was frozen and unbeknownst to me it had begun to rain, the drops steadily getting heavier as I looked to the sky and let them wash over my face.

As I stood there in the rain, rubbing my arms to try and warm myself up, I finally made up my mind what to do and slowly I started walking away from the bench. As I did so I paused and placed the flower on the seat before turning once more and walking away back to my car, looking back over my shoulder at the bench occasionally as I did so, desperately hoping she might still appear.

Arizona's POV

My lungs were burning as I ran through the rain as fast as I possibly could. Following the road the couple had pointed me down; I finally reached the end and stopped once again, desperately gasping for breath. Looking around, I tried to get my bearings and finally I spotted something I recognised. It was the back entrance to the park, just as I remembered it from years ago. The path leading on from it took a winding route through the trees to the highest point and it was off this path, just before the top, that the bench was situated in a secluded area.

Feeling adrenaline kick through my body at the realisation I was so close, I ran across the road, ignoring the irate horns being blasted in my direction as I cut across the traffic. Nothing mattered to me right now more than getting up that hill to her as fast as I could.

Despite the sound of my feet pounding the path beneath me and the sound of the rain falling around me, all I could hear was the beating of my heart resounding through my ears as I got nearer and nearer.

As I nearer the top, I finally recognised the turn of and slowed down. Stopping by the end of it, I took in how much more overgrown it had become since I last came here, yet it was obvious that every now and again, somebody pushed their way through the undergrowth to reach the open area beyond.

Taking deep breath to calm me self, I slowly put one step in front of the other and started walking, the pounding in my ears still the only sound I heard.

After a minute of so I finally saw the sky starting to emerge from the trees ahead and taking a final deep breath I walked the last few steps into to clearing.

Dead ahead of me was the bench, and what I saw there made my heart stop.

She wasn't there.

And I was alone.

And just like that the pounding in my ears was gone, and I was suddenly maddeningly aware of the silence surrounding me. The peace of the place used to be the reason I came here, to get away from the people and the city, but today I'd come here for the opposite reason and yet I'd found myself here alone like always, and the silence was deafening.

The exertions of the run were catching up with me and the emotional turmoil I was feeling was draining my body of any energy it had left. Had I missed her, was I simply too late or had she never been here at all? She wasn't here now and that was all I knew, and without a clue where to go or what to do next, I went to turn back on myself. But something made my pause and at the last moment I made my way to the bench instead to sit down for a moment as a fought to regain control over my breathing. This had always been my space to think, and now more than ever I needed to clear my head.

Walking around the bench I looked down at the seat and instantly stilled. There, laid on the seat underneath the inscriptions, was a single flower. The simple gesture brought tears to my eyes as I picked it up and held it to my chest. She had been here, she had waited and when I hadn't shown she had left a flower here. Once again I was left trying to piece together what it meant. Had she simply discarded the flower when I didn't show or had she left it here for me to find, believing I would eventually come, so that I would know she'd been here? Looking at it in my hands I took in every detail, amazed that she'd remembered my favourite flower, something I'd only told her once months ago.

Slowly sitting down on the bench, I kept the flower tightly in my grasp and stared out over the city. Despite being here alone, I almost felt that she was near, that she was somewhere close by but somewhere just out of my reach. She had been here, of that I was sure, and in my heart I knew that she had left this flower here for me to find.

Pulling my coat around me, I looked up into the rain, letting the rain pour across my face and feeling it wash away my tears. Standing up again, I walked forward right to the edge of the hill and opened my body up to the rain, letting it consume me as the feeling she was near once again washed over me.

Calliope's POV

As I reached my car, I unlocked it and got inside, grateful to finally be sheltered from the rain. Turning on the engine, I whacked the heating up to the highest setting and waited for the warmth to penetrate my clothes and my body.

As I sat there I heard my pager beeping in my bag, and let out a frustrated sigh. This wasn't the way tonight was supposed to be going, and being on call was only exacerbating the situation. Pulling it out, I was relieved to see that it wasn't a 911 and that it was only a message from the hospital telling me I had an answer phone message I needed to listen too urgently.

Dialling in from my mobile I listened as the sound of Mark's voice filtered through.

'Torres it's me. Listen a mass casualty situation has just hit the hospital; they wanted to page you so I had to lie to the chief. Listen, if anybody asks your sister has been taken ill and you've had to fly back to Miami urgently for a few days ok? I know, I know, but it just kind of came out! Anyway they've called another guy in to cover you. Congratulations Torres, you officially now have three days off with Blondie, you can thank me late.'

I could hear the smirk in his voice at the end but I had also heard the seriousness in his voice at the beginning. Whatever the situation was it was bad, and he'd obviously had to pull some strings to prevent me being paged.

Looking at my watch I saw it was now 9pm. Feeling warmer now, I remembered why I'd come to the car in the first place and reached around to the back seat to find the blanket I'd come back for. Whatever happened and despite all the things I didn't have an answer too, there was one thing I knew and that was that whatever the reason, there was no way I could leave here without being one hundred percent sure that she wasn't coming, and right now I still held onto a sliver of hope. I would wait all night if I had to but I at least needed something to keep me warm.

After taking one more minute to enjoy the warmth of the car, I switching the engine off and climbed out, shuddering as the cold air hit my skin, and jogged over to the tree covered path. Feeling like I was stuck in a déjà vu, I walked once again down the familiar path to the bench.

Only this time everything was different, and I stopped short for a moment, simply taking it in.

She was there.

She was right in front of me, sitting there on the bench in the pouring rain with her face up to the sky. All I could see were her blonde curls yet right in this moment I felt as if I'd never seen anything more perfect in my entire life.

Mesmerised by her appearance, I was frozen to the spot as she slowly got to her feet. She took a couple of steps forward, and as she did so I too moved forward not wanting to let her get any further away from me, feeling like I was being drawn in my an unstoppable magnetism.

The sound of the rain around me was deafening now but as I watched her still, surrendering herself to the rain, I finally found my voice.

"Arizona?"

It came out as a broken whisper, the word sticking in my through as I moved closer still, but I instantly knew she had heard me. Her body froze as time slowed around me. As I saw her starting to turn her head slightly I stopped, butterflies erupting in my stomach as I waited, longing to see her beautiful face looking back at me once more.

As it in slow motion, she turned on the spot and as her body finally faced mine, the flower still clutched tightly in one hand, her blue eyes finally crashed into mine and everything around me froze.

Chapter 38

Arizona's POV

"Arizona?"

When I heard her voice I froze, scared I was imagining things but the feeling she was close to me had intensified and I knew now that she was really there. I thought I'd felt her near before but now I had heard her saying my name I knew, and it had never sounded more perfect than it did right now from her lips.

Slowly turning on the spot, I kept my gaze fixed on the floor, only stopping when I finally glimpsed her standing there. As I stilled, I slowly moved my eyes up her body, taking in every detail of her body and clothes before I reached her face. Mesmerised, my eyes trailed slowly across her lips before I lifted my gaze up her face until I finally reached her eyes, and once I got there, I let myself drown in them.

For a moment we just stood there simply looking at each other, and I revelled in being able to see her again. She looked breathtaking and, despite her soaked and wide eyed appearance, she was perfection.

"You're here."

She spoke again, her voice slightly more certain than it had been before, a tone of reverence in her voice as she looked at me with all the love of the world evident in her face.

"I'm here," I said, still slightly in shock at her sudden appearance.

"I was waiting for you..." she said, her words trailing of as I sensed a slight hurt and confusion lace her words.

"I was trying to get to you..." I replied.

I knew I would have to explain at some point why I was late but right now, in this moment, I just wanted to be in her arms again and taking a step towards her I made the first move to bridge the gap between us.

"You're really here..." she said, taking a tentative step forward herself now.

"I'm really here." I said.

We were inches apart now, I could feel her breath on my face and smell her scent, and the sensation was overwhelming. She didn't say anything, she simply held my gaze with her own before tracing the contours of my face with her eyes until I couldn't take it anymore, I needed to know what she was thinking.

"Callio-"

I was silenced by her lips on mine and in that moment I forgot to breath. All the fragmented pieces of my life suddenly came together in this one moment, this one moment of pure happiness.

One of her hands immediately wrapped around my waist pulling my body flush against hers and the other held my face to hers, holding the back of my neck as if her life depended on it. Moaning into her kiss, I tangled both my hands in her hair as the kiss deepened to new levels and I felt her tongue sweep across my lips as I eagerly welcomed her.

We stood there like that for what felt like hours; tasting, feeling and holding each other before finally having to pull away for air. Resting my forehead against hers, I tried to gain control over my breathing and as I opened my eyes I couldn't help a sharp intake of breath as I saw the barely disguised arousal in her eyes.

Removing my hands from her hair, I trailed them softly across her face and down her neck before resting them on her chest, feeling her heavy breathing, as she kept me pulled tight against her. Suddenly aware of the rain and cold, I shivered involuntarily and attempted to push myself further into her embrace for warmth. Sensing this, she wrapped her arms tightly around me and rubbed her hands across the expanse of my back trying to warm my body with hers.

"Jesus Arizona, you're freezing," she said looking down at my shaking body, "and soaking wet."

The arousal in her eyes increased and she audibly gulped as she caught site of my white shirt, now see through in the rain.

Playfully slapping her on the arm to break her from her stupor, I smiled up at her.

"I'm fine, I'll be fine, as long as I'm in your arms," I said, ignoring her worry as I smiled up at her, loving being able to look at her again.

Pulling me close to her again she kissed me once more, lighter this time but just as intensely as we took our time savouring the feeling of our lips on each other's again before she pulled away far too quickly for my liking, drawing a groan of frustration from my lips.

"Come on," she said, smiling adorably in response to my pout, "let's get out of the rain."

And taking my hand she walked away in front of me back down the path.

Calliope's POV

Slowly walking back toward my car I couldn't stop myself constantly looking over my shoulder, checking she was really there as we wound down the narrowing path.

As we drew nearer to the car, I went to look back one more time only to be stopped by the feel of her hands on my hips and her body pressed against my back, holding me tight and stopping me moving further forward or turning around. With my head turned to the side, I could just make out the soft smile playing across her face as she brought her lips to my ear.

"I'm not going to disappear Calliope. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere."

Her softly whispered words combined with her fingertips slowly making their way under my jacket sent shockwaves through me and I closed my eyes, letting out a deep sigh.

"I know," I whispered, savouring her closeness, "I just...I just can't believe we're finally here...it sometimes felt like this moment was never going to arrive."

Arizona's POV

Seeing her walking in front of me, I'd been amused by her constant checks over her shoulder and by the awestruck expression on her face every time she saw I was still there, but as we reached the end of the path I stopped her.

Hearing the vulnerability in her voice now made me realise that she too had hoped, yet feared, for this moment as much as I had. I realised that the last two months had been as much as a suffering for her as they had been for me and I tightened my hold on her.

Sliding my hands under her shirt now, I softly caressed her stomach, desperately trying to keep my touches innocent as I tried to simply reassure her that I was really there. In prison I had always seen her as the strong one, but right now I knew that it was my turn to step up and take care of her as all her insecurities surfaced.

Pulling her body back further into mine, my breasts pushed firmly against her back, I placed a lingering kiss on her jaw bone and heard her release yet another deep sigh, but this one more contented. Moving along slowly I traced my way along her jaw bone with light kisses until my lips were directly above hers as she turned her head around as far as she could to meet me.

"I'm never leaving you Calliope. For as long as you want me, I'll always be with you...ok?" I said, my eyes never leaving hers as I nodded my head, willing her to believe me.

Hearing the fierce determination in my words, she suddenly spun around in my arms and pulled me into a fiery and passionate kiss. There was nothing tentative or slow this time, it was animalistic and rough and I couldn't get enough of her. Freeing my hands from her embrace, I quickly found the zipper to her coat and pulled it down allowing my hands freer access to her body as she pulled back to let me push her jacket from her shoulders. As I did so I felt her back me up against a tree and her thigh press firmly between my legs causing me to throw my head back into the night. Pulling my lips away from hers as I did so, I felt a loud and guttural moan leave my throat just as my hands grazed the underside of her bra.

My reaction seemed to bring her back to our surroundings and she pulled back to speak, yet at the sound of her voice heavy with desire I had to hold back another moan.

"Home...now." she said.

And grabbing her jacket from the floor, she took my hand and without another word I followed her.

Chapter 39

Calliope's POV

Hearing the moan that was ripped from her throat as I pushed her up against the tree set every nerve in my body on fire. I could already feel my arousal building between my legs, months of pent up frustration coming to the surface as I finally felt her body writhing against mine once more.

The sound was so primal, so unguarded, that I could have taken her there and then and god knows I wanted to but as I pulled back to look at her face I realised where we were and despite everything I was feeling right now, I knew she deserved more that a frantic fuck against a tree.

Pulling back I looked her in the eyes and struggled to form words as I took her in, her head back against the tree in complete abandon.

"Home...now," I managed before grabbing my jacket from the floor and dragging her off toward the car.

The journey was quiet, full of stolen touches and glances but also nervousness as I tried to get back to my apartment as quickly as possible. There was something different about tonight and something about the atmosphere felt as if we were coming to the end of a first date and about to experience the awkwardness that follows.

And although this was by no means going to be our first time, we both knew that this was it. this right here was the start of a new chapter. We were almost starting a fresh, all the rules had changed and the landscape had shifted, and after all this time and all this waiting this was the turning point. Now it was up to us to make this work outside of the confines that brought us together in the first place.

By the time I pulled up in front of my apartment, an almost awkward silence had fallen over us. I could see her shivering once again in the passenger seat and turning off the engine I quickly jumped out and ran to her side to open her door for her.

She smiled shyly up at me as I opened the door and I was relieved to feel her move up unnecessarily close against me as she climbed out, pausing to place a soft but electrifying kiss on my lips as she moved past me, a kiss that spoke volumes against the silence.

Locking the car, I held my hand out for her to take and slowly turned us toward the lift as she entwined her fingers with mine. As we waited for the lift to arrive, we remained in silence and after a moment I pulled her towards me and just held her to me, smiling to myself as she quickly buried her face in my hair, breathing in deeply and placing soft kisses on my neck.

"I missed you so much," I whispered, "Every moment of everyday I was wishing I could be holding you again, just like this."

She didn't say anything back but I felt her head nodding against my neck, and a soft sniff come from down by my neck. As the elevator sounded to announce its arrival I watched and waited as she pulled away, wiped her eyes with her lose hand and finally looking me in the eyes.

Knowing what she wanted to say without her having to say it, I pulled her into the elevator and as I pushed the button to my floor, I felt her pull my hand to her lips and kiss it, holding my hand to her face as she closed her eyes, and I heard her whisper the faintest of words into the air.

"You're all that kept me going."

As we finally reached my front door, my nervousness has increased ten-fold.

"So this is where I live," I stated as I forced my shaking hand to unlock the door and open it.

Letting Arizona pass me by, I stood awkwardly in the doorway as she walked slowly into the middle of the room and looked around, taking in everything about the surroundings. Despite it being relatively unimportant right now, I desperately wanted her to like it, for her to feel like it was somewhere she could maybe one day feel at home...

I'd been so busy watching her taking in the apartment from the doorway that I hadn't noticed the mess on the couch and it wasn't until she turned around, looking at me with one eyebrow cocked and a confused expression on her face that I took in the sight. Strewn across the back of the sofa were a t-shirt, bra and pants that obviously weren't mine, leaving a trail the floor to the doorway leading into a bedroom.

At first I couldn't form words, only too aware what it must look like to Arizona but thankfully after a moment I saw her smile, and she walked over to me and placed a hand on my cheek.

"Breath Calliope...I'm really trying to not think the worst here but your goldfish impression really isn't helping. I need you to speak baby," she said, a teasing lilt to her voice as she stroked my cheek making it even harder for me to form a coherent sentence.

I saw her eyes starting to glaze over at the closeness of our bodies again, her eyes fixated on my lips, and just as she was bringing her lips to mine I finally managed to blurt out a word.

"Christina."

She pulled back now, the look on her face a mixture of amusement and sheer horror and I couldn't help but laugh, feeling all the nervousness in my body disappear as I pulled her into my arms and spun her around, kissing slowly down her neck before finally explaining.

"Christina moved in with me. She actually works at the hospital but that's a long story and..."

Her lips cut me off and I allowed her to take control for a moment before she pulled away.

"Long stories can wait, I know all I need to for now. Right now, I need you to warm me up," she said, and with a suggestive look as she started backing me across the floor.

"How about you show me your bedroom?"

Arizona's POV

All the nervous hesitation had gone from the room now as I saw a predatory glint light up her face. Taking the lead, she led me past the trail of clothes to the other side of the room and opened the furthest door.

As she walked in she slowly took off her coat, her eyes never leaving mine and in the light of the room I let myself fully take in her appearance. She'd always managed to look amazing, even in prison clothes, but seeing her now in fitted jeans and a low-cut red top sent my heart racing to a whole new level.

As I was watching her, she walked up to me and taking advantage of my distracted state, managed to strip me of my own jacket before chucking it on top of her own.

"You're gorgeous," I breathed out, unable to stop the words from tumbling out of my mouth.

She flashed me a gorgeous smile and held her hand up for me to wait where I was as she disappeared through another door, and I took the moment to collect myself.

Everything was so different, gone were the bunks beds and prison uniforms, the dirty walls and constant noise and instead I was standing in a beautiful room only a meter from a huge bed, where it was so quiet I could hear my own heartbeat. And now, I was watching as the woman I loved walked across the room to me with an intensity in her movements that sent chills through me, and I watched as she slowly starting to unbutton my shirt. Making quick work of my buttons, she paused looking at me before going to lift up her own top before I finally broke from my trance.

"Please..." I said, stilling her hands with my own, "Let me do it."

I saw her swallow hard at my words before dropping her hands to her sides in complete surrender. Taking a moment to compose myself, my shirt hanging upon around my chest, I slid my hands under her top. Feeling her stomach muscles contract under my fingertips, I slid my hands up her torso and over her breasts, pushing her top up as I did so. Once it was fully pushed up I let my hands linger, palming her breasts gently before pushing her top up more insistently until she obediently lifted her arms allowing me pull her top over her head. Before she could lower her hands, I had lowered my lips to her collarbone and I heard her sharp intake of breath and felt her hands grip my waist as I ever so slowly moved lower down her chest until I reached the lace of her bra, revelling in the feel of her bodies reaction to my touch, as I lowered my lips to her wanting nipples.

Before I could get any further, I felt her hand tangle in my hair as she roughly pulled my face back to hers with a desperate urgency. Moans filled the room now as she claimed my lips in a rough kiss, her teeth biting down on my bottom lip as her hands pushed my shirt from my shoulders before lowering to the button of my trousers. Feeling our bare torsos finally against each other only seemed to fuel the desperation in our movements as our kisses, all teeth and tongue, got deeper and deeper.

"Clothes off...now," she said, pulling away between kisses, "I need to feel you."

Frantically we both moved against each other, both trying to get the other out of their clothes as fast as possible while still trying to find the friction between us that we both so desperately craved.

After a few moments and many stumbles, we were both finally stood in front of each other in our underwear. Seeing her there in her black lace bra and pants, I felt desire shooting through my core but at the same tine couldn't help but feel slightly self-conscious at my far from sexy just-out-of-prison underwear.

"Don't," she said, as I moved my arms unconsciously trying to cover my body. "Don't...you're perfect...you're perfect."

Taking my hand she walked backwards, pulling me with her across the floor to the door she'd disappeared through before.

"Where are we going?" I said, slightly bemused as to why we were moving away from the bed when having finally got rid of most of our clothes, all I wanted to do was feel her body on mine.

"I'm getting you warm," she said, letting go of my hand as we reached the door.

And clutching the doorframe for support, I realised where she was going and watched as she sensually removed her bra and pants before stepping back under the spray of the shower, watching my reactions the entire time as she lifted her hands to her hair and raised her face to the water.

I stared shamelessly as the steam engulfed her body, the water tracing patterns across her skin, sliding deliciously down across her breasts and down her stomach before disappearing at the apex between her legs and the sight nearly made me cum on right there.

Finally drawing my eyes back up her body I took in the smirk on her faced, mingled with unmistakeable lust, and let out a ragged breath as her lips formed a word.

"Coming?"

Chapter 40

Callie's POV

I couldn't help but smirk as I watched her standing there, immobile in the doorway, her eyes fixated on my every movement. As her eyes moved lower and lower the intensity of her attentions grew and the heat coursing through my body skyrocketed.

I knew what this game I had started was doing to her but I also knew how much she enjoyed 'games', and that this one in particular was definitely going to end well.

Seeing her physically shaking her head to rid her head of whatever thought she'd been having, I savoured being the one to cause these reactions in her, but as her eyes locked on mine the smirk fell from my face

The intensity in her eyes, combined with a pure and wanton lust, caused a surge of wetness to pool between my legs that had nothing to do with the shower.

I knew she was in charge now but I was more than happy to surrender.

Finally pushing herself away from the doorframe she stalked under the spray, stopping about a meter from me and taking her time to let the water run over her as she ran her hands through her hair and then down across her body, lingering on her own breasts, all the time keeping her eyes locked with mine.

Taking a few more small steps, she was right in front of me, so close yet not close enough as she kept her body from touching mine. Overwhelmed by the feelings she was creating in me I unconsciously shifted backwards only to find my back flat against the wall, and I watched the corners of her lips curl up in a satisfied smile.

Desperate for her to touch me, as she stood their enjoying watching me squirm, I went to speak only for her to silence me by placing a single finger on my lips. Unable to resist I sucked her finger into my mouth, swirling my tongue around the end of it as I watched her eyes dilate impossibly further. Pulling her finger away, she looked at me now with a raw need and without a word we crashed into each other, our lips meeting urgently.

Our tongues slid against each other with a renewed passion, our hands groping across our slippery and wet bodies as our legs entwined and our naked bodies connected fully for the first time in two months. Moans simultaneously left our lips as our nipples rubbed against each other and I couldn't pull away until the need to breathe forced me to.

I barely gave her time to catch her breath before I'd pulled her in once more and, still kissing her, I abruptly turned us around until she was backed up against the wall.

Moving my lips to her neck, I felt her hands tangle in my hair as she panted out my name, her hips desperately pushing forward trying to find mine as I trailed kisses down her chest, my lips never leaving her wet skin until I reached her hip bone.

On my knees now, I looked up to find her blue eyes watching my movements, one hand still tangled in my hair, the other splayed out against the shower wall, and I silently asked for permission.

Nodding almost imperceptibly, she tightened her grip in my hair as my hand traced a light pattern on her thigh.

"I need you Calliope." she said, "Just take me..."

That was all it took as I moaned in arousal at the huskiness of her voice before burying my head between her thighs and sliding my tongue out to meet her dripping core.

Arizona's POV

The minute I felt her mouth on me my eyes slammed shut. As she slid her tongue through my wet folds, I cried out her name, bracing myself against the wall with my free hand.

As she focussed on my throbbing clit, I couldn't stop the low moans and half pleas coming from my throat, begging her for more, as she ran her tongue the length of me before circling where I wanted her the most.

Keeping her tongue on my clit now, I felt her fingers circle my entrance and her other hand lift my leg, wrapping it around her shoulder allowing her better access, before she lifted her free hand back to my hip stabilising me against the wall.

Unable to take the teasing anymore as he fingers continued to toy with my folds, I thrust down with my hips and revelled in the feeling of her finger finally penetrating me at my movement.

"Oh god...don't stop, please Calliope..." I moaned in desperation, opening my eyes to see her.

As I looked down I saw her head pull back from between my leg, locking eyes with me briefly, before she dived back in, sucking my clit hard into her mouth and entering me again, roughly, with two fingers.

Callie's POV

As I looked up I nearly came at the sight of her, her legs parted wantonly before me and her body soaking from the stream of hot water still cascading down upon us. Her wild abandon as she'd thrust down on my fingers, forcing the pace, had turned me on and taking her in one last time I locked her clit between my lips and thrust into her, deeply and forcefully. Instantly I felt her walls tightening around my fingers, and I knew she wouldn't last long. The time for teasing was definitely over and I felt her grip tighten in my hair, urging me for more.

"Fuck Calliope...don't stop...I'm so close baby," she panted, her breathing getting more and more erratic as her moan got ever louder. "Faster...make me come..."

The explicit way she was expressing herself had reached a whole new level and, closing my own eyes to savour the feel of her, I sped up my ministrations as I frantically fucked her with two fingers.

Knowing how close she was only pushed my own body closer to the brink.

"Harder..." I heard her moaning and I didn't hesitate.

Flattening my tongue over her clit, I thrust into her one last time, curling my fingers against her sweet spot and felt her body stiffen above me and her release cascaded over my mouth.

Arizona's POV

I stiffened as the heat from my core spread down my limbs, my body trembling as Calliope's tongue never left me as she savoured every last drop prolonging my climax. Feeling her fingers still moving slowly inside me, not quite letting my body relax, I felt my legs collapse beneath me as I slid down the shower wall into her awaiting embrace, my body still quivering.

Expecting her to stop, I was surprised to feel her add a third finger and gradually start to increase the pace again with her fingers again. With my legs now straddling hers I couldn't help but respond as I moved my hips, riding her fingers, feeling the pressure building between my legs again as I looked into her lust filled eyes.

Crashing my lips into hers, I moaned as I tasted myself on her tongue, all the while feeling her fingers pumping in and out of me until I couldn't think anymore and I pulled away, letting my head rest on her shoulder as she drew me nearer and nearer to the edge once more.

"You feel so good...," I heard her husk into my ear, "I can't get enough of you...cum for me again, once more baby."

Riding her hand faster and faster, thrusting my hips lower bringing them closer and closer to her own centre, I cried out as another climax hit me, even more intense than the first and taking me over completely. As my body stiffened I threw my head back, bracing myself against the wall behind me with one hand and clinging to her neck with the other, before I collapsed into her body, pushing her back with me onto the floor of the shower, letting the water wash over my body as I slowly regained control.

Callie's POV

Watching Arizona losing control like that had turned me on like never before. Lying under the hot water now, with her slick body collapsed on top of me I was so close to the edge myself without even being touched. The image of her riding out her second orgasm was a picture that would never leave me, and knowing I had caused those reactions in her was breathtaking.

"That was..." she started, her eyes finding mine, hazy and unfocussed as she tried to speak. "That was... God I don't even have a word for it."

As she spoke, a beautiful smile lit up her face, her dimples out in force as she shifted slightly and slid her body up mine till her mouth was over mine. Leaning down slowly, still slightly uncoordinated, she pressed her lips to mine, her tongue slowly seeking entrance to mine as she sucked my bottom lip in between her own. As she deepened the kiss, I felt her thigh slide between my legs and as she finally connected with my throbbing clit, I moaned deeply into her mouth unable to help myself at the touch.

Pulling back, I saw a renewed focus in her eyes as she purposefully rubbed her thigh against me once again, watching my reactions as I closed my eyes and placed my hands on her hips, desperate for more contact as I felt my wetness coating her thigh.

Suddenly she was pulling away and I looked up to see her straddling my hips as she reached up and turned off the shower.

Seeing my confusion she leant back and kissed me again fervently, one of her hands drifting teasingly down my stomach, before moving her lips to my ear.

"Take me to bed," she said, her voice dripping with lust, "because now it's my turn."

Arizona's POV

Once we were on our feet, our mouths didn't leave each other all the way to the foot of the bed. Once we were there I wasted no time in pushing Calliope back onto the bed, desperate to make her feel the way I had moments before and also desperate to feel and taste her again in the most intimate of ways.

As she propped herself on her elbows, her body already shivering with anticipation as she breathed heavily watching my every move, I slowly crawled up her body, loving the feel of having her squirming beneath me once more as I lowered the full length of my body onto hers.

Pulling both of her arms above her head; I held them in place with one hand as I trailed the other slowly down her body, watching as goose bumps erupted on her skin under my touch.

"Please...touch me Ari...I need you to touch me."

Hearing the plea in her voice, I latched my lips to hers once more and knowing she'd waited long enough, swiftly thrust two fingers into her dripping core.

Hearing her moan in appreciation at my actions, I quickly set a rhythm with my fingers and slowly started a descent down her body with my mouth.

Callie's POV

Feeling Arizona suddenly inside me striped me of any control I had left. Moaning and mumbling incoherently, my body responded to every touch as if it was on fire. As her tongue trailed down between my breasts I felt my body arch of the bed and my head fall back onto the pillow, leaving my body entirely exposed to her for the taking.

I surrendered completely to the blonde above me, to the fingers moving in and out of me, to the tongue and mouth ravishing my body and to the love I felt for the woman topping me.

Arizona's mouth had descended lower and lower, leaving me trembling in her wake, and just before she reached the apex of my legs she looked up at me, finding my eyes.

"I want to hear you scream... I want to hear you scream as you cum in my mouth," she said, her eyes almost black with desire, and I couldn't hold back the moan that was ripped from my throat at her words.

Breaking eye contact she locked her lips to the skin on my hip, marking me as she did so, as the pace of her fingers increased before finally taking my clit between her lips and sucking and biting in a continued assault.

As my hips began moving more and more violently against her mouth, I was aware of my moans getting louder and louder as I verbalised my desires, and as I grabbed her hair and pushed her deeper into me I felt her moan against me. Instantly I felt her fingers withdraw, only to cry out again as I felt her worm tongue entering me, lapping up my juices and sucking at my entrance as her lips explored my folds.

"God Ari...I'm gonna come so hard baby..." I panted, desperately trying to hold on for just a bit longer and I felt her free hand reach up and grab my own, interlocking our fingers, as if she was trying to ground me in the moment.

As she started a slow trail with her tongue back up to where I needed to feel her once more, I lifted my hips off the bed as she circled my nub, getting closer and closer to the peak and as she finally sucked it in once more she thrust into me one last time with her fingers before everything exploded before my eyes as I felt my orgasm take over every nerve and muscle in my body as I screamed out her name.

Arizona's POV

Prolonging her orgasm for as long as I could, I savoured every drop of her release, revelling in the taste of her before finally pulling myself away.

The sight that met my eyes took my breath away as I saw here there, her chest rising and falling violently, one hand firmly twisted in the sheets, her face turned to the side with her eyes screwed shut and her body fully exposed to me. Only then did I noticed the almost vice like grip she had on my other hand but right now the pain didn't matter, all I wanted was to savour the contact.

Small shocks were still jolting through her body as I slowly crawled up beside her and pulled her into my arms, waiting for her to come back down from her high as I placed soft kisses along her neck and across her cheek. As I reached her lips, I lingered there, softly caressing her own lips with my own until I finally felt her eyes flutter open and her lips respond, almost instantly opening against my own and drawing my tongue into her warm mouth causing both of us to moan into the kiss.

Pulling away, she held my head in place with her free hand, my forehead resting against hers as her breathing finally slowed and she turned her body until we were pressed fully against each other once more, our legs completely intertwined.

"God I love you," she said, the manner of her words reminding me so much of the first time she ever aid them to me, and the sincerity I found there almost brought tear to my eyes.

"I love you too, so much." I said, pulling her tighter into my arms as I felt exhaustion taking over her body, the emotional and physical exhaustion of the day taking their toll as we both fell into a deep sleep, wrapped together, completely at one.

Callie's POV

Ow.

That was the first thought that went through my mind as I came back to consciousness. I could tell it was light outside but I couldn't quite bring myself to open my eyes as I tried to block out the aching of my limbs. Everything hurt, my entire body felt like it'd run a marathon and confusion circled my half awake brain until I registered the dead weight resting on my shoulder and across my stomach.

Slowly opening my eyes in case it was merely a dream, I felt a huge smile to break onto my face at the sight of messy blonde curls strewn across my chest and the feeling of a naked warm body pressed against my own. Moving my head to try and glimpse her face, I felt her stirring against me, her body tantalisingly rubbing against my own, causing my own body to respond in kind as I opened my own legs allowing her right leg to slide between my own.

She was here, she was back, and as her blue eyes flickered open and looked into my own, I knew I was home.

"Hi," I whispered, lifting my hand to her cheek and brushing the hair from her face, tracing my hand back across her beautiful face as I did so.

"Hi," she relied, a smile steadily growing on her face before she pulled my lips to hers for a good morning kiss. "I've missed waking up like this," she said, her chaste morning kiss turning into something much deeper.

Rolling onto my back I pulled her with me, keeping my lips on hers, until she was lying on top of me. Only then did I pull back and look up at her as she crossed her arms under her chin, resting on my chest, looking deeply into my eyes.

"Did last night really happened?" she said, her dimples popping as she bit her bottom lip shyly.

"It really did." I said quietly, amazed by the shyness she was displaying now after all the things she had done to me the night before with a complete lack of inhibition.

"Last night was..." I paused, desperately trying to think of a word that summed up how the previous night had felt, but I didn't need to, she already knew what I was trying to say.

"It really was," she said, leaning down to kiss me once more. "It was perfect."

As she rested her head down on my chest, her fingers idly tracing patterns in my shoulder, I knew that I wanted to wake up like this every day for the rest of my life. This was our new beginning, and I didn't want to waste a second of it.

"Arizona?" I said.

"Yeh?" she asked, looking up at me again from her position on top of me, her face radiant in the morning light.

And as a smile grew across my face, I asked her something I'd never asked her before.

"Will you go on a date with me?"

**********************************THE END*************************************