Prompt:Set post crash, assuming Arizona loses her leg. She is watching Callie teach Sofia how to walk.
Submitter: Anonymous
Title From: "Big Jumps" – Emiliana Torrini
Arizona leaned forwards towards where Sofia was sitting on the ground, and pulled the little girl up on to the couch next to her, kissing her head softly. "Mami's going to get you to walk, big girl." As Arizona continued to gush over her daughter about to take her first steps, her eyes brimmed over with tears. She blinked quickly, burying her face against Sofia's hair, hiding her tears from Calliope. But it was too late, her wife had seen the tears, and sat down beside Arizona, pulling her into a hug.
"Hey, hey. It's going to be okay. Everything's going to be okay. I'm here, and I'm not leaving, I promise. I love you, every single thing about you I love."
Arizona pulled Sofia on her lap and leaned her head on Callie's shoulder, a familiar position in her moments of weakness. There had been so many moments of weakness in the first months after the plane crash. They'd got less and less frequent, as Arizona had always prided herself on her inner strength. But tonight, Arizona needed Callie's strength to help her through this.
"I'm fine. In a way I'm lucky. I'm alive, I could have died. I'm fine, really. It just sort of hit me, all the things I wanted to do with Sofia as she grew up and now I can't anymore."
"Arizona, no, sweetie. You can still do all those things, just in a different way. But you know what's important? What's important isn't what you can do and what you think you can't do. What's important is what's in your heart, Arizona. You're not a good mother because you play with Sofia. You're a good mother because you love her more than I've ever seen a mom love her child, and you protect her and would do anything for you. All of that is on the inside, and that is what matters, okay?"
I am so lucky I found her. Arizona nodded. "I love you Calliope. I don't know what I'd do without you, and that's not something I'm planning to find out." she hadn't meant to laugh, but a small giggle escaped from her lips, her cheerful perky-ness returning to the surface. Arizona squeezed Callie's hand gently and gave her a kiss before picking up Sofia and holding her out to Callie. "Come on, you teach her how to walk, and I'll hold the camera."
Arizona leaned back into the couch, giggling as she watched her two favorite girls, both as stubborn as each other. Callie was set on getting Sofia to stand up, whereas Sofia was set on grabbing Callie's hair; and neither one would stop trying to win. Finally, with the blackmail of waving a cookie in her hand, Callie managed to get Sofia to stand up and stay standing.
As much as she wanted to be supportive, Arizona couldn't help but burst into laughter at her wife's expression when Sofia sat right back down again once Callie had shuffled backwards a foot. "Callie wait, I'll hold her up until she starts walking." Arizona hooked an arm underneath Sofia's little shoulders, and pulled her into a standing position. She repositioned the camera to focus on Sofia, and then slowly took her arm away, until Sofia was stood up in the living room all by herself.
"Sofia come to Mami!"
Arizona looked on through the camera's lens with wistful eyes as Callie held her out-stretched arms towards Sofia. But as Sofia teetered forwards nervously and reached Callie's arms, Arizona's mood changed. Her heart swelled with pride at watching Sofia toddle around with Callie. It's not the things you can do that make you a good mother, it's the way you love your child. Suddenly Arizona dropped the camera onto the seat beside her."Sofia, Sofia, come to Mama." Arizona reached out and caught Sofia as she leaned towards her, taking small, fast, wobbly steps. And in that moment, Arizona couldn't be happier.