Author's Note: Hi again! I know, it's been eons. Please forgive me for the wait. School is draining, real life has been really hard, and I was struggling to plot this chapter. I think I finally got it to somewhere where I am remotely happy with it. And it's a long one!

To address some reviews, Arizona absolutely jumped the gun a bit, and that certainly had something to do with the fact that she is bored out of her mind. And to the curious guest, don't feel bad for asking. I'm happy to talk about my crazy family. I didn't want to put this in the Author's note, so I answered your questions in a review. You can also ask me via tumblr!

I'll do my best to be more timely with regards to the next update. Reviews, by the way, always make my day. Thanks for sticking with me! :)

And suddenly, Arizona realized that this wasn't a run-of-the-mill bad day. Callie lost her job. And while drinking wasn't a good way to cope with anything, had Arizona known this, she may not have pushed so hard. She may have believed Callie when she insisted that it was a particularly bad evening, and this sort of drinking was an anomaly. She tried calling Callie back, repeatedly, but she wouldn't pick up. Not knowing what to do next, another feeling Arizona wasn't used to, she found herself calling someone surprising.

"Mark," Arizona said. "It's about Callie…"

XXX

Arizona didn't sleep much that night. After Addison spent a few hours mediating a fight between a contrite and concerned Arizona and an angry and outraged Mark, the trio finally reached a consensus that considerable progress would not be made that evening, and they'd re-evaluate in the morning, once everyone calmed down and got some sleep. Nothing good would come of Mark repeatedly berating Arizona for potentially damaging his newly-rekindled friendship with Callie, just as nothing good would come of Arizona blaming Mark for abandoning Callie when she left residency. Despite their widely differing reactions, they all were concerned for Callie, wondering what her next move would be.

When Arizona woke up after a few fitful hours, she had three voicemails, all from Callie. She couldn't believe she'd missed the calls. She held the phone up to her ear.

"Hey… It's Callie. Look, Arizona, I was upset, and I drank myself to sleep, and I terrified you in the process. I'm sorry. But I still stand by the fact that I'm not an alcoholic. This isn't a habitual thing and it– it was my choice. A poor choice, but a choice that I made with full control of the situation. I resent the implication that based on my behavior last night you just assumed I had a substance abuse issue. The accusation hurt, and it brought back some ...unfortunate memories, and last night I was just too drunk and too emotional to react rationally and explain that to you. But still, you had every right to be concerned – you have every right to be concerned. That isn't a healthy way for me to cope with things, but it's what I know how to do. I just– What I'm trying to say is that I'm not the kind of person who gets upset and talks about why. I used to be, but I guess after so many years with no one to talk to, you find other ways to cope. And I was coping with tequila last night. This is probably the last thing you need in your life right now from your girlfriend or from your attorney."

"Next message," The automated voice cut in.

"Oh, And I'm sure after last night you want a new lawyer. I mean, I clearly gave you every reason not to trust me, especially when your career is in the balance. I don't blame you. So, I can give you some names of some other good attorneys. I could also refer you to my mother's firm. They're taking the brunt of my clients that don't want to stay signed with me, seeing as I no longer work at the firm as of yesterday. However, you'd probably be better off with someone local. I can send over all the work I've done on the case and I'd be happy to meet with your new attorney and explain what progress we've made. Your future shouldn't be jeopardized because of me. I'll be in touch."

"Next message."

"Addison probably told you that after everything, I'm a little unstable. More than a little. I leave when things get messy, probably because no one ever gave me a reason to stay, but I leave. I bail. And you– You make me want to be a better person, Arizona. I'm messy and selfish and mercurial, and I know that I'm a piece of work. I don't trust people because everyone I've ever loved has let me down, myself included. Especially myself. And I'm certainly not something positive in your life right now. I think it would be best if we took a break so I had some time to pull myself together. I want to be better for you, Arizona. I think I can be better, I just need time. I have some things to sort out in Miami, anyway, and I need some space to clear my head."

Tears fell down Arizona's face as she heard the messages. The self-deprecating guilt was clear in Callie's voice. Arizona was prepared to apologize, and deal with Callie's anger. How was she supposed to react to this? Things were going so well with Callie and now she went and turned everything to shit. Addison warned her that Callie wasn't in the best emotional place, which was completely understandable after everything she'd been through, and Arizona had to go and ruin all of the wonderful progress they'd made.

She immediately dialed Callie's number, wanting to tell her a hundred times that she had nothing to be sorry for. She wanted Callie to know that there was no one she'd rather fight a lawsuit with and no one she'd rather take on the world with. That in such a short time, she'd started falling for the tempestuous attorney with dark past. That the last thing she wanted was to take a break. The call went straight to voicemail. Arizona took a deep breath and left a message.

"Calliope, I'm so, so, so sorry. I over-reacted and I– I hurt you. I hate that I'm the one who hurt you. I'm your girlfriend. I'm supposed to make you feel better. You have nothing to be sorry for. I had no idea you lost your job. I just thought you were stressed from a normal day at work. But still, I had no right to accuse you of anything. I'm so sorry, Calliope. I really, really hope you can forgive me. I don't want a new lawyer. There's no one I trust more with my case than you. And I don't want to take a break. I want you in my life. You make me so happy, Calliope. I want to be with you, messy, complicated baggage included. I obviously have plenty of baggage, myself. I want to sort through it with you. You don't need to be better. You're perfect as you are, Calliope. Please call me back. We need to talk about this."

Arizona hung up the phone and leaned back against the headboard, silent tears slipping down her cheeks. What was she supposed to do next?

Then the doorbell rang. A package was waiting for her. A convenient distraction, Arizona carried the large box into the kitchen. It was from Miami. When had she ordered something from Miami?
She pulled out a pair of scissors and began to open the top. She found an envelope and opened it, revealing a familiar, loopy scrawl.

My beautiful, brilliant, and very bored girlfriend,

First of all, I'm sorry I was inconsiderate and dismissive earlier when you were trying to find a hobby. I didn't mean to seem unsupportive, I'm just grumpy, and it was beyond wrong of me to take it out on you. And I'm sorry I can't be there to cheer you up, so I sent some stuff to kick off the hobby search in my stead. Enclosed you'll find, (if my assistants didn't screw this up):

A box of chocolates from your very, very sorry girlfriend.

A bottle of Moscato, canvases, and painting supplies.

An indoor gardening set (because you have an apartment).

Knitting needles and the most colorful yarn available.

A beginner's guide to iPhone photography.

A notebook, and a set of pens.

My favorite kind of running headphones (with a microphone, so you can call me and gloat about beating my best running times).

I didn't think it'd be wise to send you a pet via the US Postal service, so I figured if you're still interested, we could pick out a fish or something when I get back to Seattle. I know it's awful, not being able to do what you love, but I promise, we'll have you back in the OR soon. Until then, I hope you find an exciting new hobby. Just make sure it doesn't keep you too busy, because I fully plan on monopolizing your attention when I return. ;) Speaking of returns, I should be back sooner than expected, as something came up at work. I'm sure I'll have told you all about it by the time you get this package.

See you soon,

Callie xxoo

As if she couldn't feel any worse, Callie had to go and be the sweetest and most considerate person. Arizona slumped into a dining room chair and dialed her girlfriend's number. Again, it went straight to voicemail.

"You've reached the personal voicemail of Calliope Torres, Esquire. If this is a personal call, please leave a message at the beep and I'll endeavor to get back to you as soon as my schedule allows. If this is a client with an emergency, please call the law offices of Torres, Myers, and Brooks, LLP, and they will make sure you are in touch with a representative until I become available. Thank you." The professional recording finished with a beep.

"Hi. It's Arizona again. I wanted to let you know I got your package, Calliope. God, you're perfect. How are you so considerate? And I screwed everything up… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Calliope. I hope you can forgive me. I want you to know that you'll never be alone again. At least, not if you don't want to be. You have me, Calliope, if you'll take me back. You have no reason to trust me again after this, but I hope you'll find it in you to try anyway. Plus, you have Addison, and Mark, who is so angry at me because he thinks you'll never talk to any of us again. Please don't run. Call me soon."

XXX

That night, lying beside the bottle of tequila, Callie suddenly realized that Arizona had the power to break her. After all that she'd been through, with George, her hand, her family, and Erica, Callie had spent so long fortifying walls around her heart to ensure she'd never feel helpless again, only to find that the dimpled blonde had wormed her way past them. Arizona could absolutely destroy her. And she didn't like that feeling.

Callie didn't answer her phone for the next two days. She just threw herself into work, updating her client roster, transferring the appropriate files to her mother's firm, and representing the client that she'd been called back to Miami for, who needed Callie for an emergency injunction hearing regarding contracts. Contracts made sense, so Callie just focused on the contracts.

Eventually, she listened to her voicemail. The longer, apology-filled messages from Arizona petered out to shorter, more panicked ones, with countless texts sent to the same effect.

"Hi, Calliope. I know you said you wanted space, but I just need to know you're okay. Please just tell me you're okay. I miss you. Please call me back."

"Hey. It's Arizona again. I'm starting to get really worried, Callie. Please just tell me you're okay."

"Mark and Addison say you're not taking their calls either. I– don't let my mistakes deprive them of your friendship, Callie. And please, please, just let me know you're okay. I have nothing to do now, and I'm just at home worrying about you and wondering what awful things might have happened to you."

"Please just tell me you're alive and safe. You don't need to talk to me. Just tell me that. I can't handle this, Callie."

Callie sighed, and decided to put her panicking girlfriend out of her misery.

I am fine, Arizona. I asked you to give me some space. Bombarding my phone isn't helping. -CT

The days following the text passed slowly as the reality of the fact that she'd quit her mother's firm set in. Callie didn't know what she wanted anymore, and that was not a great feeling. She didn't know what she wanted with Arizona or her friends, she didn't know where she was going with her career, and she didn't know what to do next. She just knew one thing; she missed Arizona. Maybe it was time to let this all go.

XXX

For Arizona, the next few days crawled by, and despite countless attempts to contact Callie, there was radio silence. At first, Arizona's concerns were dismissed by Mark and Addison, who both could busy themselves with work. Arizona, on the other hand, spent the first forty-eight not sleeping and thinking about every horrible scenario that could have played out as a reason why Callie was unresponsive. The hours following Callie's text, after the initial utter relief, were spent berating herself for possibly pushing Callie further away by not allowing her the space she asked for.

At this point, after also receiving nothing but a cryptic text from Callie asking for some space, Mark and Addison became concerned as well. They decided to head over to Arizona's apartment and come up with a plan during their lunch break.

"So I'll go down to Miami and talk some sense into her," Mark stated, as if it were the most obvious solution in the world.

"Really? Callie wants you, of all people, who's only just now started talking to her again after nearly a decade, to fly across the country to her rescue? When all she asked is that we give her space?" Arizona was incredulous.

"You don't get to blame this one on me, blondie! I'm not the one who had to go and accuse the poor woman of being a drunk after she got fired!" Mark was close to yelling at this point.

Arizona was red in the face, and stood up tall, hands resting on slim hips. "I definitely went too far with that one, but at least I'm here! I'm trying! And I'm certainly not just going to let her handle crisis after crisis – tragedy after tragedy – without so much as a call!"

"I blamed myself for her hand! And, as you said, that was almost ten years ago! I've changed!" Mark stood up straighter, too, towering over the blonde.

Arizona groaned and rolled her eyes. "You've changed? You're the definition of a man-child. You're almost forty and your biggest non-professional accomplishment is the fact that you've tried to seduce every woman in the hospital!"

Mark's face reddened with anger. "I could say the same about you, Robbins! You want to talk about not settling down? You've been with every woman in the hospital that I haven't."

"Why do you have to be such a man all the time?" The word man was laced with disdain. "First of all, there's significantly fewer gay ladies at the hospital. And second of all, news flash, just because a lady turns you down, doesn't mean she's gay!"

"Why do you have to be such a man-hating lesbian all the time?" Mark countered. "And yes, it probably does. I'm Mark Sloan. Women love me."

"Really? Are you really that arrogant? Besides, don't straight women don't find it as repulsive as I do when you stare at my breasts?" Arizona had Mark there. He'd gotten the 'my eyes are up here' line often.

"They're distracting!" Mark defended.

"I like breasts as much as you do, and I manage to control myself. Well, maybe not just as much as you do. You're obsessed. But I have grown up. I'm in a mature, adult relationship!" Another wave of guilt hit Arizona as she thought of Callie.

"You have been together for like a week, and you're already not speaking. How mature and adult!" Mark's sarcasm was thick.

"Enough!" Addison shouted, tired of hearing Mark and Arizona argue. "You two are horrible! We're here to talk about Callie. I'm going to call her house phone again and see if she answers."

Arizona and Mark plopped back onto the bright blue couch on either side of Addison, simultaneously letting out a humph. Addison turned the phone on speaker and placed it between them on the coffee table as they waited for an answer.

"Torres residence," a voice with an accent chirped. "Elena García speaking." Arizona recognized Callie's housekeeper's name.

"Hola, Elena!" Addison began in broken Spanish. "Soy Addison, amiga de Callie. Recuerdo?"

Arizona barely stifled a laugh at Addison's poor attempt at Spanish.

"Hola Miss Addison! You remember that I speak English, right?" Thankfully, Elena seemed to have a sense of humor.

"Oh," Addison blushed. "Of course. Um, Elena, have you seen Callie?"

"Oh, Miss Callie? She was working like crazy for the past couple days, but this morning she left for the airport."

"Did she say where she was going?" Addison asked.

Elena hummed as she tried to remember. "I can't really remember what she told me. It was very early. She said something about going to Arizona? I think maybe she has a case there or something."

Another voice, distinctly male, could be heard in the background. "Elena, ella no estaba hablando del estado. Arizona es la novia nueva." [Elena, she wasn't talking about the state. Arizona is the new girlfriend.]

"Oh, sorry Miss Addison! Arizona is a person. I think Callie is visiting her." Elena amended.

"Yes, Arizona is a person. She's right here," Addison explained.

"Hi," Arizona said timidly. "How did Callie seem? Was she upset?"

They could practically hear Elena's smile. "Hola Arizona! Miss Callie has said so many lovely things about you. She said she might bring you here sometime. I want to meet this girl that makes her smile so much." Arizona blushed before she realized that Elena probably hadn't heard about their fight, because she probably wouldn't have been saying such kind things if she knew what had transpired. The housekeeper continued. "Miss Callie has been very busy the past few days, though. Hardly home. Her assistant told me that her mother found out you two are together and it went very poorly. Mrs. Torres, her mother, can be unkind."

"Oh God," Arizona said, realizing that Callie probably had every reason in the world to turn to tequila that night. From what little Callie had said about her mother, Arizona could only imagine what horrible, hateful words were thrown at her.

Addison saw how suddenly pale Arizona looked, and put a soothing hand on her back, rubbing soft circles.

"Hi. Mark here. I'm Callie's best friend," he made a point of emphasizing the best just to annoy Arizona. "There was an email about Callie leaving the firm. Do you know if she got fired?"

"I think she quit. But I only know what Marianna, her assistant, tells me," Elena explained. "She said that there was a huge fight between her and Mrs. Torres, and miss Callie left." There was a splashing sound on the other end of the call. "Jesucristo! ¿Qué hiciste? I'm sorry, but I must go! It was nice talking to you all." And with that the call was hastily ended.

Arizona sunk back into the couch with a sigh.

"Well that explains a lot," Mark chimed in. He was met with angry glares from the two other women.

Arizona pulled out her phone.

"What are you doing?" Mark tried to look over Addison and onto the blonde's screen. "She said she wanted space."

"I'm trying to see when flights from Miami get in, dumbass." Arizona was really angry with the plastic surgeon, because she rarely cursed. At least, she rarely cursed outside the confines of her bedroom, but thankfully Mark had no knowledge of her sinful mouth in that particular context.

"Dumbass? Really?" Mark countered.

"Do you prefer man whore? Or arrogant bastard? Or pain in my ass? Or–"

"Seriously, stop!" Addison interjected, pushing Mark out of her personal space. "You two are like children. Arizona, she's probably taken the jet. She hates flying commercial."

"But she left the firm," Mark reminded them. "She may not be able to use her parents' jet anymore."

Before anyone could respond, there was a knock at the door. Arizona stood to get it, and barely registered the sight of Callie on the other side before the brunette's curvy form was pressing her own into the adjacent wall of the apartment, and her lips were being devoured. Once Callie's scent and taste flooded Arizona's senses, she matched her girlfriend's intensity, two arms pulling her impossibly closer in a sudden rush of relief. The blonde didn't think she could let Callie go if she tried, her arms tightly securing them together.

This went on until they were interrupted by a loud wolf-whistle from Mark. They turned to glare at him, bodies still pressed together, both breathing hard.

Addison smacked the back of his head.

"Ouch!" Mark exclaimed, bringing his hand up to rub where he'd been hit.

"Thank you, Addison," Arizona said, a satisfied smirk gracing her lips.

Callie tried to back away, but Arizona's arms wouldn't budge. The brunette licked her lips and seemed to be considering the taste in her mouth.

"You taste like a chimney" Callie turned to Arizona, outraged. "You've been smoking?"

Arizona looked down at her feet sheepishly. She only smoked when she was really anxious or knew she'd be in trouble, and this situation featured both scenarios.

"In her defense, Cal," Addison began, voice calm, "she's been worried sick about you. And driving us crazy."

Callie turned to her girlfriend, guilt flooding her features. She'd been so wrapped up in her own emotions she hadn't stopped to consider the blonde's. "I'm so sorry, Arizona."

Arizona had tears in her eyes, probably of relief but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what given the storm of emotions coursing through her. "No, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Callie. I'm so glad you're back." Arizona buried her face in Callie's shoulder, holding her tight.

Callie ran soothing circles down Arizona's back, trying to comfort her, feeling incredibly guilty.

Addison, feeling awkward intruding on such a personal moment, pulled on Mark's arm, leading them towards the exit, which the two women were effectively blocking. "We'll give you some space. See you soon?"

Callie nudged Arizona up, and she released the brunette, who grabbed a suitcase and her purse from the hallway, swiftly returning. Arizona grabbed Callie's hand as soon as she was back in reach, as if she were afraid Callie would leave again if she let go.

"How about dinner? I'll bring over pizza and beer," the attorney offered.

"Deal. We can do it at my place," Mark added. "Cal, the Seahawks had this incredible play on Sunday and I need to show it to you." The plastic surgeon was grinning at his best friend, and pulled her into a soft hug against his side. "Don't go disappearing again, Cal. You freaked them out," he gestured towards Arizona and Addison.

"Freaked us out?" Addison asked, offended. "You're the one who was yelling at Arizona non stop and saying you'd fly down to Miami."

Mark reddened. "Okay, I was a little worried, too." He turned toward Arizona. "Robbins."

"Sloan." She replied. "See you later."

"Who said you were invited?" he matched her terseness. That comment caused Addison to smack his head again, followed by Callie backhanding his arm with her free hand for good measure. "Fine, see you later," the plastic surgeon grumbled. The three women could swear he muttered "unfortunately", but they thought better than to call him out on it.

"How long has this been going on?" Callie asked Addison, gesturing towards the death glares exchanged between her best friend and girlfriend.

"They've pretty much been like this since you left. Competing for your affections." The death glares simultaneously turned towards Addison, and she pulled Mark from the blonde's apartment.

XXX

Arizona had scrubbed every inch of her mouth twice, while receiving a lecture about the dangers of cigarettes as Callie paced around her master bathroom. Both women knew that the brunette was focusing on that to avoid talking about other, more touchy subjects, but Arizona decided not to push it for today. They could talk tomorrow.

They shared a hot shower, and it passed in complete silence. They didn't need to speak, passing the soap and scrubbing each other's backs wordlessly. There was nothing sexual about it; both women just wanted to feel close. Once they'd towelled off, they decided to retire to Arizona's bedroom, knowing neither had gotten much sleep in the past few says. They lay there in pajamas, silently holding each other.

"My mother found out that we're together," Callie broke the silence, her voice shaking under the weight of suppressed emotion. "And she was so awful. I couldn't hear go on about how much God hates me anymore, so I quit." Tears began slipping down Callie's face despite her best efforts, but Arizona just held her closer, running her fingers through wet curls.

"It's okay. God doesn't hate you, Calliope. I know he doesn't. Everything will be okay," The blonde wasn't just reassuring Callie. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Callie shook her head and whimpered involuntarily as her body was wracked with sobs. She was finally allowing herself to feel the emotions she'd been suppressing and they flooded through her at a rate that overwhelmed her. She didn't know what she'd do without the blonde beside her.

Arizona kissed the top of her head and spoke softly. "We can talk tomorrow. Why don't we get some sleep?"

The brunette just nodded, burying her face in Arizona's neck.

The blonde did her best to soothe Callie, whispering sweet nothings in her ear and holding her until soft sobs subsided and soft snores began. It hurt so much to see the unflappable, polished, arrogant attorney so broken. It didn't take long for Arizona to fall asleep, too.

When Arizona woke up, it was already 7:00 PM. She tried to move but a sleeping body held her firmly in place. She was so relieved to find Callie by her side. Reaching for her phone, she saw that Mark had texted about dinner plans.

Looking over at how peaceful Callie looked, Arizona considered the fact that she'd never actually seen the attorney asleep before. Callie always woke up before her and fell asleep after. Arizona couldn't help but find her breathtakingly stunning as she breathed rhythmically against blonde hair.

Knowing that between all of the stress of the past few days and the jet lag, Callie must be beyond exhausted, Arizona sent a text to Mark and Addison.

Callie is asleep and I don't want to wake her. Considering everything, on top of the jet lag, she needs the rest. Can we do dinner another night? -AR

Arizona muted her phone and put it back on the bedside table, deciding that she could use some more sleep, too.