Prompts: "Following a meeting with the lawyers Arizona asks Callie about finding out about the crash, the days in between and the rescue. It's another step towards reconciliation between the two." AND "Callie's side of things before the plane was finally found"

AN: There are two sides to every story, but neither is easy to bear…

I wrote this in literally twenty minutes, it just fell out of my brain. It's emotional but I hope you like it.

(updated AN: I just realized [6.14.13] that this is probably on of the best pieces I've ever written. Sorry about the self-brag)

The crowd of doctors and lawyers file from the conference room in dead silence. Never before has so much about the crash been discussed, analyzed, rehashed. Tears fell on numerous occasions because the picture the victims painted was so complete once they spoke as one. Not one person could fight the feeling of sickness and fear that engulfed the room as Derek, Meredith, Cristina, and Arizona spoke. The memory was shared as more than a story, but a tangible experience, capable of hurting people who were never stranded at all.

While every department head was in attendance, along with hospitals executives and lawyers, and the charter company's council, no one was more distraught sitting amongst them than Callie and Owen. They were the two who had the greatest burden when news came that their wives were gone. They had also felt the greatest pain upon getting their wives back. Their lives were as intertwined with the victims' as could be, and hearing about the crash made them both physically ill.

As Arizona made it out the door she stepped to the side to wait for Callie. She had noticed the grief and despondency in her wife's face as she talked about those terrible nights amongst the wreckage. The tears that trailed down the Latina's face were familiar and heavy to her alone, Arizona still didn't know what things were like in Seattle while everyone was missing. Somehow with all the drama, the amputation, and losing Mark, her and Callie never talked about the other side of it. They never so much as hinted on what Callie did for six days. Six days with no Mark. Six days with no Arizona. Six days with a fussy Sofia, a shattered heart, and no hope.

"Hey," Arizona says softly as the ortho surgeon finally emerges from the room. She offers a weak smile and steps closer to the blonde. Arizona grabs her hand tightly, and stares at her necklace. She can't quite handle the look in Callie's eyes. "I'm uh…I'm pretty hungry. You wanna grab something to eat with me?"

There's a need to take a big breath before Callie agrees. She walks alongside Arizona silently as they head to the cafeteria. Her mind is racing but she isn't keen on talking about it. The best decision she's made since the crash was to swallow her burden and deal with it alone. She hasn't been able to unload any of it on Arizona, because…well, she just wasn't strong enough.

After getting their food Arizona looks around the cafeteria and doesn't like how crowded it is. She cranes her head up over Callie's shoulder and says next to her ear, "let's just eat my office."

Still more-or-less in a daze Callie nods and takes her wife's tray as they leave. In the office Callie leans against the window seal and picks at a bowl of fruit. Arizona sits at her desk and pushes her lunch around too. Clearly neither has an appetite after speaking with the lawyers, so Arizona figures 'why wait'.

"Well that was morbid," she says with a dry laugh that's meant to be chipper.

Callie just nods her head slowly, her eyes trained on her food, her mind a million miles away. Arizona can tell they're not in the same room anymore.

"Can you tell me?" she asks. When Callie looks up, Arizona catches warm brown eyes for a second before looking away. "You know what happened to us and I just figured…you don't have to if it's too much."

Now Callie is attentive. She sees how her wife is fidgeting, tapping her toe and biting her lip. Every glimpse of those sweet blue eyes lets her know what Arizona's asking, and she never expected such a request.

"You want to know," she asks tenuously, not quite believing the blonde's strength is all there.

"Maybe I need to know." Finally Arizona looks up and doesn't waver from Callie's gaze. She's serious as can be.

xxx

It was around um…11 I think. Maybe 12, when I just knew. Thirty minutes is a normal delay, an hour is a stretch, but you were two hours late. I just knew.

Owen called and he could hardly talk. I've never seen him cry but I could hear it. I could feel it through the phone it hurt so bad. And I'm listening to him but they're empty words. Crash. Lost. Survivors. Dead. It didn't mean anything because I was there, in our bed waiting and you not coming home wasn't real. It didn't seem real. I hung up and suddenly felt stuck. I mean I was anchored to the bed, in freakin lingerie. FOR YOU!

She doesn't mean to, but Callie yells almost. She'd forgotten how manic she was that first night.

And…I don't know. I guess eventually I got up. I did something, but I might as well have been blind. I don't really remember seeing anything, hearing anything, or talking to anyone. I just found myself at the hospital with the police and Owen. I was a mess, he was a mess. It was…a mess.

They told us to give it twelve hours and it was 'sure'. The were so damn 'sure'. 'It's a locator', they said. 'They'll be found in no more than 12 hours'.

Well those twelve came and went. Bailey still had Sofia so I was here alone mostly. I don't know why I was in your office. Maybe…maybe because it feels like you and I thought…

Callie is running out of air. She's in the same place she spent the better part of 6 days waiting. It's all happening again and her chest is closing up, her mind shutting down just as it did the first time. Arizona stands up and takes a few steps towards her but she puts her hand up in protest.

We- I waited for another 137 hours. The first day I called my dad crying. He came out, he got us a chopper, we spent a days worth of sunlight looking on our own. He called people in the coast guard, he called friends in local governments, I mean Carlos made a lot of calls and I've never seen him turn up so fruitless. 'It's okay mija'. That's what he told me, but I thought, if he can't then no one can. It'd been 47 hours and I was hopeless…totally hopeless.

This time Callie paused and Arizona came to her completely and pushed her hand into Callie's. Their fingers locked together instinctively, and she leaned in, placing her nose tip-to-tip with the brunette's. She could see Callie's tear run down the valley of her nose and hated it as much as she hated the rest.

I called your parents the next morning, and they came to get Sofia from Bailey. I um…I couldn't really take care of her. I felt bad because they were so positive. You're mom, Arizona she is so strong. She refused to think she'd lost you too. But I wasn't…

And now Callie's sobbing. She's ashamed of her lack of faith, lack of strength, and her inability to believe. She let herself get so crushed she couldn't even take care of Sofia and that was the greatest low of all.

I wound up trying to just…pretend. I was washing your clothes, making coffee for two, recording your TV shows. I was out of my mind without you. I think I did that for almost three days, until it'd been 131 hours.

The search and rescue kept saying they were close, they'd found this or that. I think I told 100 different people to go screw themselves, and hundred more that I'd literally come hunt them down. I went from hollow to furious in one fell swoop.

Callie looks up and sees how worried Arizona is for her. She hopes that this wasn't too much. To recant both sides of the story all at once could be a big trigger for them both.

But finally they found you. That call was so scary for me because at first I thought you'd be coming home in a body bag.

Callie closes her eye, trying not to see the nightmare she'd seen every night Arizona was gone.

Then they said you were alive.

Callie brushes her fingers over her wife's cheek and settles her hand on her neck, lightly playing with this soft blonde hairs.

I can't remember being so happy before in my life. I think I fell to my knees, I prayed, I just…I couldn't believe how sure I was that you were gone only to have you back. I wanted to come get you but Bailey made me stay. For Sofia. I was at the airport though. When you got home you were still under but me and Sofia were there. I think she knew you weren't okay, she seemed really upset. I was too.

You looked so battered and bruised and I just wanted to help you, save you, and I couldn't. I was going crazy because I couldn't do anything, and I'm your wife, I'm supposed to save you.

Arizona still had no words. She knew all the agony she'd battled in the woods, but now her wife's agony was there too. She dropped her head into the nook between Callie's neck and collar bone.

At least I got you back. Mark seemed to be at death's door, Lexie was dead. At least I had you. Had the chance to make up for losing you. After you got back to SG I wouldn't let anyone touch you. Owen wasn't really in the place to stop me, nor would it have mattered. I was determined to fix you, make this all go away. I didn't do so hot with that though.

Xxx

Callie swallowed the lump in her throat and there was silence. Everyday they danced around the topic of Arizona's leg. Only on occasion had they come to really discuss it, half of those times being dramatic outbursts where they just couldn't keep avoiding it. So, Callie talking about how badly she wanted to save it, felt a little taboo, but certainly refreshing.

"I shouldn't have asked you to," Arizona mumbles into Callie's skin. The Latina sighs softly, a bit amazed at what she hears. Never has Arizona mentioned 'the promise'.

"I blamed myself anyway," Callie answered. Her hand was still curled around the nape of Arizona's neck and she let her fingers rub away the stiffening stress.

"But I shouldn't have blamed you. You went through so much too, and I put it all on you Calliope. I made it worse."

"No. You came home. You fought to stay alive and I love you for that, for surviving for me. Nothing else matters Arizona." Callie pressed her nose into the shorter woman's hair and breathed in her presence. It was a miracle she was in her arms at all.

"I'm still sorry." Regretful tears dripped down onto Callie's lab coat as Arizona admitted to being less than the wife her partner deserved.

"And I still love you," Callie said solidly. She leaned her head back and guided Arizona's up by her chin. "We will always be stuck with this, you in the woods me trying to find you. But that's okay, because we're here now, and we will always find each other."

"Promise," Arizona asks with a gentle smile and tear stained dimples.

"That's a promise I can keep."

AN2: (Sorry but not sorry for my OUAT reference)