17. Chapter 17

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…

AN: Alright peeps, as promised. Enjoy!

Chapter 17

The laughter of Arizona Robbins fills the hotel's hallway as she and Teddy meander down its length after a very satisfying dinner. Team USA has a little under a week and a half left of their tour around the states, and then they take to the skies in search of the great city of London. Gold medals, honor to country, and tall tales to be told for years to come are just a few of the rewards if the fourteen young ladies perform as expected at the Olympic Games.

"Robbins." Someone calls from up the hall, making both pitcher and first baseman stop and turn. Sky blue eyes find the imposing figure of Callie Torres, and the blonde's heart starts to act on its own accord. "Can you come here, please?" Callie asks from the threshold of a hotel room Arizona is sure isn't the Latina's.

"S-sure." Arizona mumbles, then looks to her friend. "See ya tomorrow, Teds." With that, Arizona doubles back while Teddy stares after her. Suddenly Arizona is nervous for a completely different reason. It's not because of the urges and emotions she has for Callie, but because the catcher had been very… odd during dinner. Chilly. Cold. For all the warmth and life Arizona has seen in those deep brown eyes, the ones that stared down at her salad for over an hour tonight seemed dead. No, worse. They seem pained.

Approaching her captain, Arizona smiles in hopes of softening the look on her catcher's face. But it does little to soothe Callie Torres of the weight barring upon her at this moment. Not two hours ago, the Latina stumbled upon a little secret that has the ability to rip her entire team apart. To cost each of her teammates a shot at victory all because of one woman's decisions. And now… now the captain is floundering. She doesn't know what to do. But she has to tell Arizona, because she is sucked into this secret just as much as anyone else is at this point. Even if Arizona Robbins has no idea how.

The older woman's brow furrows when Callie can't meet her gaze, and Arizona softly asks "Calliope, are you ok?"

"No." Torres replies. And she's not. She's not ok. How can she be ok right now? The weight of her entire team is sitting on her shoulders. Her stomach is in knots and her hands ache with want of punching a certain brunette right in the face. But she is a captain, their captain. And this is her burden to bear.

"Can you…" Callie asks, taking a step back and opening the door further to allow the blonde to slip in. Once inside, Arizona's eyes go wide as she sees who else is in the room. Erica Hahn is sitting in one of the two arm chairs, a scowl on her face like one Arizona has only seen is the scariest of Attendings. And on the bed, looking like a prisoner waiting for the firing squad, is Amelia Shepard. The tension in the air nearly makes the newcomer gag, and her eyes immediately search for comfort in those of Callie Torres. But even there, she doesn't find safety because a fire rages in those depths that make fair hair stand on end.

"Callie… What's going on?" Arizona asks, trying to find a position in the room where her back isn't turned to either Hahn or Shepard.

"Can you tell me what this is?" The Latina asks, handing over a nearly empty orange pill bottle that Callie took from Amelia's possession. No matter how hard Erica or Torres pushed the pitcher, Shepard kept insisting that those pills were in fact anti inflammatories prescribed to her.

Arizona looks between the three other women in the room, then grabs the bottle. In the faint light she makes out the worn print of the label. "It's Celecoxib." The blonde states plainly, then looks up to meet Callie's gaze. "The same medication you asked me about over a week ago. Generic anti inflammatory."

"Told you." Amelia growls, hoping that that is the end of this whole thing.

"Shut your damned mouth, Shepard." Callie snaps, sending her teammate a look that says 'try me'.

"Wait…" Arizona breathes out, her fingers tipping over the bottle and spilling a couple pills out into the palm of her hand. "Celecoxib is a capsule. This is a pill." Both Callie and Erica turn their glares to the brunette sitting on her bed while Robbins continues her inspection. "A215…" She whispers, flipping through the catalogue of medication she has stashed away in her memory. "This is Oxycodone. 30 mg." The pitcher finally states, giving both Torres and Hahn the answer they were looking for. "Who is taking oxy?"

Erica's head falls into her hands as the older captain hears the ruling. Her teammate, one of her most trusted friends has done something enormously stupid, and now it's up to her and Callie, a woman who Erica can't stand to be around, to fix it before it gets out of control and makes its way to the coaches.

A growl comes from deep within Torres's chest, her fist clenching as her worst fears are confirmed. For weeks and weeks she had the feeling that something was up with the veteran pitcher. But Callie respected the woman's privacy and look where it's gotten her.

And Amelia… she's lost. Her world has folded in on itself. For months she has been hiding this secret, and when Arizona showed up with her nifty little prescription pad, it made it so much easier. But now… now it's out in the open. For months it's felt like Amelia was barely treading water, fighting the flood that was brought with the upcoming Olympic Games. All the fear, and anxiety and stress was too much. But when she took that one pill, that one pill that started it all, everything just fell away. She was numbed from the feelings. And that, in itself, was an amazing feeling. Suddenly she wasn't treading water, but floating on her back with the aid of her wonder drug. But now? She's falling. Drowning. Dying. And her entire future rests in the hands of two very pissed off captains, and the heart of a woman who Amelia has done nothing but step on since Arizona became a part of the team. Her future is squarely in the hands of the three women now staring at her.

"Will someone tell me what the hell is going on here?" Arizona barks, Amelia jumping at the sudden outburst. With a deep breath Callie reaches into her back pocket and pulls out the two stolen items. The picture of her brother is wrinkled and creased, his face obscure from where the photo is damaged. Tanned hands try to smooth it out but it doesn't straighten. She holds it out to the blonde next to her, eyes watching Arizona's face for a reaction.

"What…" Arizona breathes out, her gaze finding the picture of her brother and her chest tightening instantly. "Why… Why do you…" She whispers, gently taking the items from her captain's grasp. "Why do you have this? Where did you find it?" The blonde's mind isn't firing on all cylinders because of the sudden appearance of an item she thought she lost forever. Both Callie and Erica glance at the brunette still on the bed, while blue eyes move to the next item in her hands, her prescription pad.

Knowing that the only way anyone could be in possession of both items is by digging through her purse, Arizona exclaims "Callie! Where did you get these?" Anger is quickly rising and she takes a step closer to the taller Latina.

Callie's caught off guard by the accusation in Arizona's tone and she wonders how the blonde could ever think that Callie would do something like that. This hesitation only proves to piss Arizona off more and the shorter woman creeps up on her captain, fire in her eyes. "God damn it, Torres! Tell me-"

"It wasn't her." Erica snaps, rising to her full height as well, making the other blonde take a step away from Hahn's co-captain. Steel blue eyes turn to the other pitcher on the bed, and Arizona follows her gaze. Dots connect instantaneously. For weeks Arizona has been eyeing Amelia, sensing something was off with the veteran. But she was new then, she was 'NewGirl'. Robbins didn't want to step on any toes. And then when the signs continued, Arizona went to her captain and partner, Erica Hahn. But Erica immediately struck her queries down, telling Arizona to mind her own business. Since then, anything having to do with the frosty pair Robbins all but ignores.

"You stole my pad so you can get high." Arizona states, taking a few steps closer to the seated brunette. The scowl on Amelia's face would normally signal the blonde to run, but Shepard has crossed a line this time and Arizona doesn't intend on backing down.

"No." Amelia sneers.

"It wasn't a question!" Robbins barks, her hand clenching the two items in her hands. "Jesus what… what were you thinking?" She asks, and then starts to pace back and forth the few feet she can. "No, wait. You weren't! You weren't thinking at all were you? That brain of yours was turned off the entire time you were high as a fricken kite!"

Rolling her eyes, Amelia Shepard growls "Calm down Nebraska."

"NO!" Arizona snaps, causing all three women to jump. "No, it's not Nebraska. And it's not Alabama. And it's not NewGirl. It's Arizona Robbins. M.D.!" Blue eyes are dark with rage and Callie is afraid the blonde will actually cross the room in two strides and strangle Amelia. "Do you know what that means? It means I could kill you and make it look like an accident!"

"Alright…" She whispers, grabbing the pacing pitcher gently by the arm. Turning the raging Arizona to look at her, Callie says "You have a right to be upset."

"You think? !" Arizona snaps, tugging her arm free from her captains grasp. Finding the balled up picture in her fisted hand, she asks "Why the picture huh? Why did you take Tim from me? What purpose did that serve?" A fair hand tries in vain to smooth the paper out but it doesn't help and a single tear forms at her eye.

"It…" Amelia starts. "It was stuck between the pages of the pad when I took it." She whispers, eye dipping to the floor in shame. Shepard had no idea the picture was so special to Arizona, nor does she know why. But the blonde is getting more emotional about that than the pad, so it must be pretty important. "I didn't know it was there until later. And I could just give it back to you… You'd know that I-"

"Stole it. Went into my purse and stole my stuff." Robbins cuts the woman off. Silence descends upon the room, Callie and Erica standing at the perimeter, Amelia shrinking on the bed and Arizona actively trying to calm her breathing. The Latina's heart aches as she watches her pitcher experience this kind of pain and betrayal. Callie wants nothing more than to reach out, take the blonde in her arms and hold her until everything seems better. But that would add yet another layer of drama to this already screwed up scenario.

Bracing against the countertop and staring at herself in the mirror, Arizona breaks the silence. "What now? What happens now? We tell Webber and then…. Amelia is pulled, right?" Blue eyes watch in the reflection as the three other women exchange looks. "She gets pulled but we're still alright. Right?"

"How long will that drug stay in her system?" Callie asks, her gaze staying on the screw-up seated on the bed.

"I… I don't know. Four, five days." Arizona answers with a shrug. An idea slowly sinks into the blonde mind and Arizona turns. "We are doing something about this, right?"

"What good would that do?" Erica asks rhetorically, meeting dark blue eyes with ones as cold as ice.

"Are you kidding me?" The newcomer sneers. "Are you fricken kidding me? ! You… you two aren't seriously thinking about letting this whole thing slide, are you?"

"Look at it from our position." Callie says in a weak voice, finally chancing a look at the raging blonde and immediately regretting that decision.

"And what position is that?" Arizona's tone is sharp and it cuts the Latina like a knife.

"We turn her in… and then what? We are a week and a half from the Games and down one of our two best pitchers. What happens then?" Torres states, hating herself for even considering it. But it's not Callie Torres, person, talking right now. It's Callie Torres, captain of Team USA. And it just so happens that now is one of the rare times those two Callie's don't see eye to eye.

"You are. …You're seriously thinking about covering this whole thing up." Arizona breathes out, her head shaking in disbelief. Of all the people to be so low, to drag the sport Arizona loves… they both love, down to this level, it makes the blonde lose all the respect she has for Callie.

"She hasn't hurt anyone." Erica steps in when Callie seems to be lost for words. "Yeah, she made a stupid choice. Many stupid choices but… she's only hurt herself. It's not like they were performance enhancing drugs. She was taking an edge off. You said the drugs will leave her system in five days. And then after that she will be clean."

"And what happens if a random screening pops up with her name on it, huh?" Robbins turns her death glare to the other blonde in the room. "It comes back that she tested positive for Oxy. Then they go back and check for a prescription and see that she used MY name, my pad to get those pills. What happens then? You really expect me to cover for her? Cover for all of your asses now that you've dragged me into this crap." Erica lets out a sigh while Callie takes a seat. No one knows what to do, but the welfare of their team is in the forefront of the captains' minds, as it has always been.

When all she receives is silence from the three women, Arizona takes a deep breath and states "It's a felony. What Amelia did? It's a felony. As in hard jail time. Not to mention whatever shitstorm would come if all of this 'cover up' stuff were to get out. And I'm not doing that." Turning her gaze to the woman who has remained silent throughout this entire fiasco, the same woman who would benefit from all of this while everyone else suffered. "You did this to yourself. And now you need to face the consequences. It's not because I don't like you, which I don't. This is not my fault, Shepard. I'm not the bad guy here."

One last glance to the three sullen women and Arizona moves through the room and steps out into the hallway. Callie stares after her while Erica and Amelia share a look of dread. Not only is the veteran pitcher done for good if Arizona tells on her, but if Robbins adds that the other two women were conspiring to cover it up, it would spell the end of Team USA for this year's Games. Because these three are three of USA's strongest players. It'd be like a football team taking the field with no quarterbacks.

"Damn it Shepard." Erica growls, her hand raking down her face in anger and anxiety. "Why? WHY? !" Turning to her co-captain, Hahn says "You have to go after her. You… you have to talk to her."

Callie doesn't even look back to the woman on the bed, she has no desire to see Amelia's pain. Amelia doesn't deserve to be in pain over this. Arizona, now she deserves pain. But Shepard? No, she brought this on herself and now she is leaning on Callie and Erica to dig her out of the huge hole the brunette is in.

"Arizona is right." The Latina whispers, her eyes catching blue ones. "The second we considered covering this up-"

"Please." Amelia pleads, a look of anguish on her face that Callie doesn't see. "I screwed up but I'll sober up. Just please. Please give me a shot."

"You know we are done without her." Erica adds, stepping in close to her co-captain. The blonde has a need for victory and she is not going to let one idiotic screw-up mess with her chances of gold. So if she has to manipulate, plead, coerce Callie into standing by her, she will. "We've been working years for this, Cal. Five days… that's all. We need five days and then Amelia will test clean." Callie is stuck, she knows the right thing but the woman has worked her ass off for too long to just give it up. "She'll listen to you. She will." Erica isn't above using whatever relationship Callie has with Arizona to sway the doctor into playing along. …And if it ends up ruining that relationship? Well, that's all the better.

She knows better. She knows it's wrong. But that gold medal is so close, that one thing Callie has been searching for for years is right in her grasp. And she's not about to let it slip through her fingers, not without at least talking to the woman who could sink them all. Leaving the room in search of her pitcher, Callie takes off down the hall. A wisp of hair flies around a corner as Arizona takes the stair well, no doubt on her way up to the next floor where their coaches are staying. The Latina runs like the wind, urging her body on fast and faster. She slams into the door, the latch opening and the door swinging back with force. She finds Arizona there, just behind the door and sitting on the bottom step, a wrinkled picture grasped between her hands.

"Arizona…" Callie breathes out, not knowing what else to say. She gets it, she really does. If she were Arizona, she would tell also. But Torres is in a unique position, one where she has to put the needs of her team and fellow teammates above that of her own, above that of her own revenge.

Blue eyes float up to her captain, the fire still swirling in their depths. "Don't ask me." Arizona knows why Callie followed her, and she knows what the woman wants.

"Please…" The Latina pleads. "Just… just think first. Ok? Just take a breath and think about what you are about to do. You're not just hurting Amelia. You're hurting this entire team. If you go to Webber… we're done." These aren't her words, these are the words Hahn said before dinner, buying the three of them time to really think about what they were going to do about it.

"Do NOT make me the bad guy in this!" Arizona shouts, her voice pinging off the concrete walls of the stair well. "I could lose my license, Calliope. Do you get that? I could lose everything just because that… that…" No word seems strong enough for the vile and contempt the blonde has for Amelia Shepard. "This is not about a damned game anymore. This is about my LIFE!"

"This is about fourteen lives, Arizona. You're not the only one on this team! Fourteen women have sacrificed blood, sweat and tears to be here. THIS, these Games, are our lives." The Latina exclaims. "Amelia gets kicked off and we are stuck with you. And you're great, you are. But you can't carry this team by yourself. You just can't! You try to carry us and you'll end up throwing your shoulder out again! And then we have NO pitchers." Arizona's jaw clenches as her captain lays into her. "…We NEEDAmelia in London." Callie's chest is heaving as she goes word for word with the blonde. Somewhere along the way Arizona has found her way to her feet, and with the one step height advantage, blue eyes stare down into brown.

"I can't believe you…" The blonde breathes out. "You're actually asking me to do this. To lie? To break my code of ethics, the pledge I swore when I received my medical degree. Like my life isn't a complete mess as it is. It's not enough that my brother died six months, one week and two days ago. It's not enough that I failed my residency boards six months, and three days ago." Her voice rises with each passing word. "Or that EVERY job I was offered was dropped because I couldn't pull myself together enough to take one damned test days after I found out my best friend in this entire world was killed in the line of duty. It's not enough that my parents divorced because they couldn't stand the grief of losing their son. That my girlfriend broke up with me because I was depressed and crying every single day! It's not enough that my whole life is one big… cosmological joke. Now you're asking me to break the ONE thing I have left working for me. My word. My principles." Her chest is heaving, her blood boiling and a her hands shake as the pain and anger from the past half a year comes rushing back over her body.

Callie stands there in shock, not ever expecting this kind of revelation from the blonde. She always thought that Arizona would divulge her deepest and darkest secrets to the Latina when they were curled together in the darkness. Their bodies bare and intertwined, their voices in nothing more than a whisper. Not here, not in this cold and deserted stairwell. Not coming out as weapons pointed towards the catcher in hopes of hurting her. No… this is not what Callie wanted at all. Nothing is making sense anymore.

"Arizona…" The Latina whispers, reaching forward in hopes of making some sort of physical contact in this cold environment but Arizona yanks her arm away. "I didn't know. I swear… I-"

"No. You didn't. And there is a reason why! I see it now." The pitcher snaps, tears springing up again as soon as she voiced the hurt she has bottled up for the past five months. "Because getting personal? Getting close to someone is a mistake. Because all they'll do is use you and then throw you away. But I thought you were different."

"I am different." The catcher replies, tears threatening to fall but she keeps them held tight. Because she knows that showing those tears would not help this situation.

"No. No you're not. You're just like the rest of them." The blonde rebuttals. What used to be shouting is now the calm voice of someone who has made up their mind. It's not of someone struggling, but someone who is steadfast and that scares Callie more than anything.

Pushing past her captain, Arizona yanks open the stairwell door leading back out to the team member's rooms. Pausing at the threshold, blonde tresses wave slightly as Arizona shakes her head. "I liked you, Calliope. A lot. I really did. But… now?" Blue eyes drift up from the floor and lock on to saddened brown eyes. A strangled sigh escapes pink lips, and the next second Arizona is gone.

Callie is left standing along in the stairwell wondering how the hell her world got turned upside down in a matter of hours. Before dinner, before stepping in to Hahn's and Shepard's room, the Latina had everything figured out. Everything was good. She had a firm grasp on her team, a team that would no doubt slaughter any competition it came up against. And she was on the hunt to convince an amazing beautiful and amazingly bright woman that Callie was worth the risk. That Calliope Torres wasn't like any other woman out there. That she was someone special, someone Arizona couldn't live without. But now… everything is so dark. Sliding down one of the concrete walls, her head hanging in her hands, the coldness seeps into the captain's body, mirroring the coldness now seeped into her soul.

The night passes and no one comes. And then the next day passes, and no one comes. All the while Callie waits for the shoe to drop. Every time Coach Webber opens his mouth the captain is sure it's to call out Amelia, Erica and herself. But as each hour passes, as each minute ticks by, nothing seems to be said. She thought that if Arizona was going to tell, she would have done so by now. But Torres hasn't plucked up enough courage to even approach the blonde. That spark of intimacy and closeness that was brewing between then has since frozen solid, and Callie doubts there's a fire out there hot enough to melt it.

The past two days have been two of the worst for Amelia as well. Though her addiction wasn't a terrible one, she still has the itch for a hit. Her body craves a pill and when she doesn't get it, her body punishes her with pain. She agreed to the terms her captains gave her and she is set on complying with them. The terms? Get sober or she's out on her ass. So she pushes the pain down and digs in deep. And with the watchful eye of her roommate, Erica Hahn, always on her, there is no way for Shepard to slip up. Amelia knows she screwed up, she knows it was a stupid idea, and she wants to do better.

Two mornings after the incident, Team USA is loading up the bus and getting ready for another long leg of travel. Arizona has been distant, both physically and emotionally, from the rest of the team. Everyone has noticed some sort of… shift in her relationship with not just Callie, but with all of her teammates. Her performance both at shortstop, as well as the batter's box, were her worst yet. Arizona was just out of sync with everyone else, and couldn't find her groove. Even Webber noticed his little pick-me-up speech to her proved no good and he senses something is amiss with his players.

"Load it up, ladies! We got a lot of miles to cover today!" Hunt hollers over the whining and mumbling of fourteen women trucking up to the bus. Arizona, still stuck in the funk of a bad showing mixed with that of being utterly used, throws her bag into the storage compartment with more force than necessary, making Teddy look at her in confusion. Callie watches the blonde from her position at the back, and her heart aches. If only she could talk to her, but the Latina knows that is just playing with fire.

Once all equipment and luggage is loaded, the girls board the bus and settle in for a long drive. A flicker of hope ignites in the Latina's mind when she see's Arizona meander down the narrow aisle and approach her usual bench. When Arizona looks up and catches warm brown eyes, she returns the gaze with a chill colder than ice. Quickly grabbing all of her stuff that from her temporary home, Arizona turns her back to the Latina and marches back up the aisle, grabbing one of the empty seats in the middle, close to both Addison and Teddy.

This move does not go unnoticed by the team, and everyone exchanges a look of confusion but no one offers any explanation. Amelia shrinks into her own seat, nauseous from both the guilt and anxiety of this whole thing, as well as the withdrawal of her wonder drug. Directly across from her, Erica sends the brunette a death glare. For as much as she dislikes Arizona Robbins, the co-captain hates to put an innocent person into this position. Why Arizona is risking her neck for a group of women who have been less the civil towards her? Hahn doesn't know, and it makes her feel even worse.

"Wanna talk about it?" A voice whispers as Arizona has her nose buried in her notebook, her eyes having skimmed over the same paragraph for over an hour and yet somehow not reading a single word. Looking up, the blonde finds Teddy leaning over from her seat directly across from Robbins.

"About what?" Arizona questions, turning her gaze back to the book in efforts of pretending all is fine.

"About whatever has you all pissed off." The first baseman states. But when her friend doesn't respond, Teddy glances towards the back of the bus where she finds Callie staring out the bus window with a look like someone stole her puppy. Altman wasn't exactly sure what Robbins' and Torres's relationship consisted of, but she is definitely sure that something has changed. Something big has happened. Enough that it makes Arizona physically move away from the Latina.

Addison overhears their conversation and turns in her chair, very interested in what has happened as well. The redhead has been able to get nothing, absolutely nothing out of Callie, Erica or Amelia. That in itself says something, but Montgomery can't figure out what it all means.

Crossing the aisle and taking the empty seat next to Arizona, Teddy says "You can tell me, you know. Whatever it is."

"Did something happen between you and Cal?" Addison asks, making blue eyes whip up to green.

"You and Callie?" Teddy parrots, her mouth going wide. "You two are a-"

"NO." Arizona snaps, giving both women a pointed look. "Torres and I are nothing. Ok?"

"Look… Arizona." Teddy drawls, keeping her voice low so that anyone trying to listen in can't hear anything. "I don't care. You know that, right? I mean… it's not like I've been playing by the rules. Hunt's a coach and we've been-"

"We don't need details, Altman." Addison cuts her teammate off, then adds. "And you know my history. I'm not squeaky clean either." Though the redhead hasn't been with Derek since that hookup in the equipment shed weeks ago, Addison would be lying if she said she hadn't gotten it from someone else.

Aggravation and anger starts to turn Arizona's vision red. Her fists clench and her eyes close as she tries to get herself under control. A strangled breath floats out her nose and she says "Just because you two are screwing the coaches doesn't mean I'm screwing someone too, alright? I am here to play ball, and that's it. I'm not here for a girlfriend, I'm not here to get laid. I'm here to win. NOW… if that is all, will you two please leave me alone?" Her two friends, or atleast they were her friends, exchange a confused glance. They know something is up, it doesn't take a genius to figure that much out, but they don't know what it is. So resigning to the fact the blonde isn't going to talk they each go back to their own things, leaving Robbins to stew.

And stew she has. For two nights time Arizona Robbins has done nothing but stew. She really, like really wanted to throw Amelia under the bus. And she should have, it's the right thing to do. It's the legal thing to do. That woman stole her prescription pad and made out false scripts just so Amelia could go and get high. But something… Arizona couldn't. She couldn't do it. Even though every single fiber in her being was yelling at her to go straight to Webber and sing like a canary. But those chocolate eyes haunted her, Callie's pleading kept the blonde's clenched fist from pounding on Webber's hotel room door.

So that night she laced up her running shoes and she ran. She ran until her feet fell off. Arizona Robbins was running in the dead of night, getting lost in whatever semi-large city they were in in the Upper Peninsula. As her shoes pounded the pavement, she fought. Fought with herself. Fought with her dead brother. Fought with her divorced parents. Fought with her ex-girlfriend. Fought with her Chief of Surgery and those hospitals that pulled her job offers. She said things to them that she had always wanted to say, all the mean and hurtful things Arizona bottled up and kept to herself. She let those awful things go, yelled them out into the night air for all to hear.

And somehow after that run, she lost her rage. It just ran right out of her. Yes, Arizona is still upset, still unbelievably angry, that the woman stole from her, ruined her brother's picture and signed Arizona's name on a script pad. But that need to rip Shepard's throat out has dwindled. There are times where it flares back up, and its often, but the blonde's vision isn't near as red as it was in that hotel room. So for now, Arizona is going to wait. Wait until the drug tests. And then figure out what the hell she is going to do.

When the sun starts to dip below the horizon, Erica sits up in her seat and stares down the aisle to the back of the bus. Her gaze falls upon the stretched out body of Callie Torres, the catchers long and lean body taking up the five seats that make up the back bench. The rest of her team are doing their own thing, some huddled together looking at a magazine, some messing around on their laptops, while others read or even snooze during the long leg of the trip.

Looking across the aisle the blonde sees Amelia Shepard passed out in a very unnatural position. The captain has been keeping a very close eye on the younger player after stripping her of her pills that night. Sensing that the brunette will be out for a while longer, Erica unfolds her body from the cramped position she was curled in and stands. A low moan escapes from her lips when her legs take her body weight, a full day of sitting not helping her sore muscles and joints.

The blonde weaves and steps over the mess of limbs and junk littering the aisle as she moves down the length of the bus. At just past mid way she reaches the new bench of Arizona Robbins. The newcomer looks up from her laptop for a second and immediately tenses. Blue eyes lock with blue, but as soon as it happens, Robbins drops her gaze back to her lap. Hahn knows she needs to talk to Arizona, that she needs to thank her or… try to explain, but Robbins isn't talking to anyone. Let alone the one woman who has made her life a living hell since Arizona became a member of the team.

Continuing her journey she finally comes to the back seat. Dark eyes are glued to the roof of the bus as the Latina's music pumps in her ears. Only when blonde hair cascades down, obscuring her view does Callie realize she has company. Sitting up and pulling her earbuds from her ears, she gives her co-captain a hard glare. For weeks Erica Hahn avoided Torres like the plague, but then two nights ago they were forced to come together again. Not as friends, but as co-captains. And even that was difficult and painful.

Without asking, Erica takes a seat next to Callie and looks up at the rest of the bus in front of her. From here she has an eagle's eye view of the entire team, and even from a distance she can sense the tension in the air.

"What?" Callie asks, looking out the window to her right.

"Has Webber mentioned anything about a drug test yet?" The blonde questions. A sigh falls from luscious lips and the Latina's head falls back, hitting the seat.

"I can't believe you talked me into this, Hahn. I just…" The hurt and anger starts to stir within the younger captain, the scene from that night replaying in her mind. The one where Erica and Amelia pleaded with Callie to let it slide, to let this whole thing work itself out. Callie was set on turning Shepard in, dead set. Even if it meant that their hopes at gold were dashed, but then Erica opened her mouth and confused the Latina with logic. The blonde told her that if Torres did what she wanted, everyone would be hurt. If they let it go, made sure Amelia sobered up before the Games, it would be like it never happened.

Erica's jaw clenches, and her own anxiety and stress comes out. "Look, I'm sorry this screwed up your budding romance with NewGirl but-"

"If you want to keep your tongue, I suggest you stop talking. Right now." Callie cuts her co-captain off. It's one thing that Callie made a horrible decision, but to drag Arizona into it has made the Latina miserable. And to hear Hahn, the one pushing for Callie to turn the other cheek, bad mouth the one woman saving all their asses is too much.

"Her name is Arizona. And she's the one keeping all three of us here right now. Because if she told? If she did what she should, the closest you, me and Shepard would get to London is in front of a TV screen." Torres adds. The idea of missing out on the one dream she has had since she can remember is too much. But then the look of hurt and disappointment in Arizona's eyes flashes across the Latina's mind, making her stomach knot all over again.

"You know what? You need to leave, Hahn." Callie spits and thankfully Erica doesn't fight her. Because every second Erica sits next to her the Latina gets hotter and hotter… and not in the good way.

"Half hour ladies, then back on the bus!" Derek Shepard calls out as the team spills out of their tour bus. It's the last stop of the day and once everyone is back on, USA won't be stopping until they reach their destination early tomorrow morning.

Arizona hangs back, waiting for the crowd to disperse before she approaches the checkout counter. Setting down her bag of chips, bottle of Arizona and pack of gum, she turns a dimpled smile to the checkout clerk. "And… a pack of Marlboro menthols please." The blonde looks around her, making sure none of her teammates are around as the older man behind the counter rings her up. Quickly grabbing a purple lighter from the display, she pays for her merchandise and heads back outside. Most of the ladies have taken a seat at the small diner attached to the gas station, or some meander around the parked bus to stretch out their legs. But Arizona isn't in the mood for company, she hasn't been for a while.

Once in a more closed off area of the rest stop, the access entrance on one side and wooded area on the next, the pitcher takes a seat on the dirty curb and pulls out her cigarettes. The surgeon doesn't smoke. It's unhealthy. It's disgusting. She's seen inside too many smokers' bodies to do something as stupid as smoke. Unless she's in a trouble, or under a huge amount of stress. Like when Tim died, when she failed her boards, when her folks split up AND when her girlfriend walked out on her. That was a rough month. She's actually surprised she survived that month, what with the smoking and the god awful amount of alcohol she ingested.

Pulling one stick from the pack, Arizona brings it up to her lips. Her lungs tingle with anticipation. And when she lights the cigarette and breathes in that flame, it seems to quench the forest fire roaring within her. Her mind wanders as the smoke leaves her body, each inhale bringing another second of relief only to be lost on the exhale. The scuffing of feet alert the smoking blonde that she has company but she makes no effort to hide her secret.

"You smoke?" Callie questions lamely as she slowly approaches her pitcher. Blue eyes advert back to the expanse of trees in front of her, offering no form of response to the Latina. Tanned hands are shoved into the pocket of her hoodie and Callie tries to find something to say to Arizona. Something that would make it all ok, something to let the blonde know that this whole thing is making Torres sick too.

Without asking, Callie sits on the curb next to Arizona, but out of arms reach. "I didn't know you smoked." She adds, but gets only a puff of smoke in reply. "I'm sorry, Arizona." The Latina tries a different tact. Turning to see the blonde's profile, she continues "I'm sorry about this. About everything. About Erica, and Amelia. About how they treated you before. I should have done… something. I should have done something." All she gets is silence in return.

"Amelia says she's been sober for three days so… as long as there is no test in the next few days we should be ok." Callie offers, hoping that will get some sort of relieved expression from Robbins, but it doesn't even faze the blonde. "Erica is watching her closely, making sure she doesn't get anything else in her. But I think Amelia is really sorry about all this. She really is trying to get better." That statement gets the biggest reaction yet, Arizona clenching her jaw and shaking her head in anger, but still no words fall from her lips.

"Not that you care…" Torres whispers, her eyes falling to the stained cement in front of her. After a few seconds of silence, Callie adds "You know, sometimes I hate being a captain. I mean, most of the time I love it. But… things like this? I hate it. I hate having to place the welfare of the entire team over everything else." Brown eyes peek at the blonde, but finding Arizona's expression as cold as stone. "Because I like you too, Arizona. I like you a lot. And… I hate that I hurt you by asking you to do this for me. …And it's not even for me. It's for the good of the team. But I hate it… because I hurt you. And I never ever wanted to hurt you." The catcher had hoped this would get something out of Arizona. Any emotion other than anger, or maybe a soft word. But nothing, just another deep inhale of the blonde's cancer stick.

"And I'm sorry. For everything." Emotion makes her voice thick and she tries to clear her throat. "All that's happened to you. Your bro-"

"Stop." Arizona snaps, flicking the cigarette from her hand and standing. "Don't." Blue eyes look down at Callie, her glare sharp as a knife. "I don't want your damned pity, Torres. You don't get to talk about my brother, you got that? You don't get to feel better about this entire thing by just apologizing to me, crying and pleading that I understand. You don't get to do that." Callie swallows the lump in her throat but she keeps her mouth shut. This outburst is the most Arizona has spoken to her since the blonde left her in the cold stairwell that night two nights ago.

"I went against my better judgment and I kept my mouth shut. I didn't say anything to Webber or Sloan or Derek. I didn't. But that doesn't mean I won't sing like a canary if her test comes back positive. You understand me? There is a big difference between keeping quiet and actually lying. And if it comes to saving my license, I will turn her ass in. I will. I don't care who goes down with her." Callie absorbs the blonde's word, words so sharp that they pierce her heart like a hundred individual shards of glass. Seconds pass, cerulean locked with chocolate as the two women remain silent. The tightness in Arizona's chest starts to worsen and she's not sure if it's from the cigarette or the emotions that are rising up again.

Their impasse is broken by Mark Sloan's voice piercing the air. "Load up ladies! Come on, move your asses." Arizona looks away first, her gaze flicking to the rumbling bus just around the corner, then back down to the sitting Latina. Without another word, the blonde grabs the rest of her purchases and leaves the catcher by herself. Callie stares after the blonde, wondering how in the world she will ever make it right with Arizona.

AN2: So… what you all think? Couple steps forward just to fall a mile back. Are they doing the right thing? For the team? And is there any hope of regaining Arizona's trust? Only time will tell…