Disclaimer: This is AU. I do not own any of the characters from Grey's Anatomy. I just manipulate them to my will. Also, any line or phrase or setting that seems remotely familiar from any other show, movie or book, also not mine. I borrow… But any original characters are mine. Hands off.

AN: Alright, first chapter of part 2. A big thanks to all yall who read and reviewed Country Girl at Heart. Hopefully Part 2 will measure up to all the hype. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

Arizona's POV:

"Suck it up, Z!"

"It fucking hurts!" There is a low burning pain rolling through my left arm, starting at my shoulder.

"One more…come on."

"When have I ever actually admitted that something hurt?" With a final burst of energy I push the dumbbell above my head.

Teddy moves from behind me, where she was spotting the weight, and puts it back on the rack. I take the towel next to me on the bench and wipe my face free of sweat. For doing so little actual work, I am exhausted.

"Looking good, Z. You've made great progress."

It's been about four and a half months since I've had my shoulder replacement surgery. In just over a weeks time, Callie and I will have been together for six months. In the time since that surgery, Teddy has landed a job at Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospitals Physical Therapy department. She has shown her stuff and is now one of the top physical therapists in the greater Seattle area. Mark has shifted from the PBR to the NFL, becoming an agent to a couple low key Seattle Seahawks players. He always makes sure that he has an easy way out, just in case I ever give that word…I ever give my nod.

I hired George on as a ranch hand, turning one of the out houses on my property into a small cabin. The other quickly became a state of the art horse stable. I have survived my first Seattle winter, and let me tell you…it is so much different than my Colorado winters. So much more snow! Though I don't know what I was expecting, since it rains damn near everyday here, what would it do once the temperature dropped below freezing?

Callie and I remain much like we were. We do not live together, but spend damn near every night with each other. When Callie is due at the hospital early in the morning, we spend the night at her place. When she doesn't have to go in until later, or has the following day off, we sleep at my home outside the city. It works for us, it's comfortable. We each have our own space so if and when we ever fight, and we've had a few fights, we have our own place to go and blow up. And to cool down. But all in all…we are happy. Extremely happy. But still…there is one cloud lingering over us. And it all started that night at the hospital over pizza when Mark had to open his big mouth.

*Flashback*

…two million dollars. Just to attempt to ride again. No performance clause? Ford…Red Bull…Monster…Geico… But it's not the money. Can I live without riding? Without that rush, the overwhelming sensation of the pure physical power of the beast beneath you. Do I love her that much to give it all up. Or does she love me enough to let me have both?

I take a deep breath "Callie…we need to talk." My gaze lifts from the stuffed giraffe my love had given me. I see the color drain from her face, the tight, nervous smile drops into a knowing frown, her shoulders slump.

"I knew it."

"No…no, babe. No, I…I just…." …I don't know what.

"What do you want?" She asks me, voice free of any emotion.

…I don't know. All I can do is look at her.

"What. Do. You. Want?" She asks, echoing my words I voiced to her the last time I was laid up in the hospital having a discussion that would make or break our relationship. At that time, it was up to me. It was my decision on whether to take Callie back after all those horrible things she said to me. But now it's up to her, she's the one who will say yes or no. The one who will take me or leave me.

"You." It's true, there is nothing in this world I want more than to have Callie, be able to be with Callie, have her love me unconditionally and get on the back of that horse and be able to ride off into the sunset, to be able to live our happily ever after. But happily ever afters are for fairy tales. Fairy tales contain goddesses, which would be played by Callie. But I've never heard of a fairy tale that has a roughneck from the sticks riding in on a bull, sweeping the goddess off her feet, and have her be ok with the fact that the roughneck doesn't want to change. The toad doesn't want to turn into the prince. The toad likes being a toad. It's him, it's who he is, it's what he was raised to be.

After seconds of silence, I continue "…but can I have you and the ride?"

"I…I-I thought you were done. Retired…." She asks.

"I was…I thought I could. But…"

"But it's what you do…I know." She hangs her head.

"Callie…I love you." Her eyes find mine. "Believe me when I say I never thought that I would ever find you…the person that I want to give everything to. All of me. I…I gave up on the idea of 'her' a long time ago. I-I thought that my soul mate ended up being a three quarter ton animal with two horns and hooves that hit like a freight train."

We sit in silence. Neither of us knowing what to say…neither of us knowing what we just heard.

"I love you Calliope Torres. I don't want to lose you…ever." She just looks at me and I can feel her slipping away from me. "Do you love me?"

A tear streaks down her face. "Of course I do… but I don't know if it's enough." I wipe a set of my own tears that had somehow appeared on my face.

More minutes of silence. The eerie quite of the hospital as it sleeps makes the time pass even slower.

Shaking my head, I break the silence. "This…Th-this is ridiculous. I…I don't even know why I'm thinking about this. I love you, I want a future with you. And if we add in another season, that…that makes our future less certain and I'm not willing to take that risk."

She takes a deep breath. "How about…" She steels herself for something she really doesn't want to say. "How about we…just put a pin in this. You are…high on drugs. I am high on sex and love for you. Our emotions are just too…" She waves her arms around. "I say, we approach this at another time. When both of us have had time to think about what we truly want. Plus, we will be more set in 'us'. We'll be able to better judge what, if any, changes in our relationship another season would bring." She motions between the two of us. "How's that sound?"

"That…that sounds amazing. Absolutely perfect. You, Dr. Torres, are a genius." I say reaching for her hand and pulling it to my lips to plant a light kiss on.

"Common knowledge…" She says nonchalantly. We both just laugh, glad that we have sidestepped that little landmine…for the time being.

Turning my attention back on the beauty of the creature sitting in front of me, I ask "Now…Dr. Torres, when will you let your star patient show you how grateful she really is for those magic hands you possess?"

She leans in close to my lips, not making contact and responds "I believe it is my turn…"

"Keeping score are we?"

"Mmmhmm. And I'm winning." Finally, she closes the forgotten argument completely with a searing kiss.

*End Flashback*

Imagine…neither of us ever wanting to broach that subject again. Both of us content to just float along in our pretty pink 'newlywed' bubble. But sooner or later, that bubble will get popped, and popped hard. And someone will end up with bubblegum all over their face.

"You joining us tonight?" Teddy asks as she starts rubbing down my shoulder.

Shaking myself out of my thoughts, "Huh?"

"You coming to Joes tonight?" She asks again.

"Uhh…yeah. Callie asked me out. Apparently she wants me to meet this new resident she has. Going to be the next 'Callie Torres' if she has anything to say about it." I laugh to myself at the excitement Callie had while talking about having a resident actually interested in Orthopedics as their primary specialty.

"Yeah, and Addison is coming out with us to." Teddy adds a bit too cheerfully.

"Addison huh?" I ask, knowing how to push one of my closest friends buttons. Dr. Addison Montgomery is another new face around the hospital, one that, Callie says, is turning a lot of heads.

"Yeah...what about it?" She asks defensively.

"Nothing…just that you still call Callie, Dr. Torres a lot of the time. You like this Addison chick?"

"What?" She stops her massage of my shoulders and back and leans around to look me in the face.

"What?...I heard she is hot. Actually the word I heard was 'smokin'. Besides, you deserve some fun Teds. You're always wound so tight. You need to get laid." I say with a shrug of my shoulders, like its no big deal.

"Uhh….Z, I'm not gay." She laughs at the absurdity of it. …oh yea, she's got the hots for her.

"Look Teds, I'm just saying…don't limit your possibilities needlessly. Maybe she has a thing for girls. You never know." With that, I take my leave to finish my errands before meeting my beautiful girlfriend, and her posse', at Joes.

…I love this bubble.

AN2: Alittle slow, but have to give some back story. Stay with me yall. Leave me some love.