A/N: Hello! This is going to be the first installment of a longer series on Grey's families. Each chapter will focus on one family as they explore what makes them who they are. Chapters will go in the order that the children first appeared (with Jolex and their hypothetical children last). So first up is the Robbins-Torres family.

"Mama, can you help me with my homework?"

Arizona couldn't help but be a little bit surprised as Sofia sat next to her at the table with a composition book and pencil in hand. Now eight years old the little girl had developed an independent streak that, while preferable to a constant need for attention, often found her at odds with her mothers. Most nights she chose to do her homework at the desk in her room. For her to not only come out and sit in the dining room, but ask for help, was virtually unheard of.

"Sure Sof," she said, setting her own work aside, "what is it?"

Sofia set the composition book on the table and flipped to the page where she had neatly printed a writing prompt across the top line.

Describe your family. Do you have a big family or a small family? Who is in your family? How does your family show you that they love you?

"How do we show you that we love you? Seriously?" Arizona mumbled too quietly for Sofia to understand.

"That part is due on Friday" Sofia explained unfazed, "Ms. Evans said that tonight we just have to draw a family tree. I tried to do it during afterschool, but I got confused."

"What did you get confused about?"

Sofia frowned, staring at the page in front of her and tracing shapes on it with her eraser.

"Sofia, I can't help you if you don't tell me what you're confused about."

"I didn't know where to draw my daddy."

Arizona felt her heart plunge as Sofia turned back one page to show her the family tree. It was a print-out that she had glued in with four boxes for grandparents, two for parents below that, and a number of boxes branching off for the student and their siblings. She could see that Sofia had tried to draw an extra box for Mark, but didn't know how to connect it to the rest of the chart. Part of her wondered what the teacher had been thinking giving them such a limited chart, and she made a mental note to send an angry e-mail as soon as Sofia was in bed.

"Well," she said finally, "your daddy is your parent too, so you can connect him to me and Mommy."

"That's what I thought," Sofia said, "but David said that you can only have two parents, because only two people can make a baby together."

Now it was Arizona's turn to frown as she tried to decide the best way to explain their situation. She and Callie had agreed on a complete honesty policy with their children, but this was the first time Sofia had really questioned her parentage. She had always just accepted that she had two mommies and a daddy who was in heaven.

Thankfully Callie chose that moment to come into the room, looking pleasantly surprised to find Sofia out and interacting.

"Excuse me," she said with a teasing smile, sitting across from Arizona and Sofia, "Why wasn't I invited to this homework party?"

Sofia giggled, oblivious to the warning look Arizona was shooting Callie across the table.

"Little Miss here needs some help with her family tree," Arizona explained, giving Sofia a pat on the back, "Why don't you show Mommy?"

Sofia slid the book across the table to Callie and pointed to the square she had drawn for Mark.

"I didn't know where to draw daddy."

Callie's eyes lingered for a long moment on the page, and even from across the table Arizona could tell that she was trying to hold herself together.

"It looks like you got it right," she said finally, looking up at Sofia with a small smile, "Daddy goes right there with me and Mama."

"See?" Arizona chimed in as she noticed Sofia studying Callie's face with concern, "You were right all along."

"But David said that you can only have two real parents because only two people can make a baby!"

"Maybe David should mind his own business," Callie grumbled.

"What Mommy meant to say," Arizona said, "Is that everyone's family is different. Right?"

"Right, yes," Callie sniffled slightly as she nodded, "It's true that only two people can make a baby, but just making a baby doesn't make you a parent."

Sofia seemed to consider this, pursing her lips almost comically as she turned the information over in her head.

"Is it like how Jamie carried Parker in her belly and then gave him to our family?"

"Exactly," Arizona said, "Jamie helped us make Parker because Mommy and I couldn't do it alone, but we're still his mommies."

"Okay," Sofia nodded, convinced. Reaching across the table she took her composition book back from Callie and drew a line connecting the box she had made for Mark to the designated parent boxes. When she was done she looked up at Callie and frowned.

"Mommy, why do you get so sad when we talk about Daddy?"

Arizona bit her lip as she watched Callie's face fall. She had been trying to hold herself together, but as she was getting older Sofia was getting more perceptive. Fake smiles and pretending to be okay wasn't cutting it anymore.

Callie sighed, refusing to make eye contact with Arizona. She knew that if she did she'd lose it completely, and Sofia was watching her, waiting for an answer.

"I loved your daddy very much Sofia," Callie started shakily, she could practically hear Mark in her ear telling her to keep it together, "and sometimes when someone you love very much dies it can be sad to talk about them."

"Why? Don't you want to remember him?"

Before Callie could answer she was interrupted by crying from the nursery. Arizona slipped quietly out of the room, leaving Callie and Sofia alone.

"I don't ever want to forget your Daddy," Callie said when Parker's crying stopped and she couldn't stall any longer, "It's just… You know how sometimes when you have playdates with Zola you get upset when she has to go home?"

Sofia nodded, "I just wish we could play together forever!"

"Well that's how I feel about your daddy," Callie explained, "I wanted to be able to spend more time with him, but he had to go home to God in heaven."

A look of understanding appeared on Sofia's face as she tried to imagine what it would be like to never have another playdate with Zola. As her own eyes filled with tears she ran around the table, climbing into Callie's lap and hugging her tightly around the neck.

"It'll be okay Mommy," she said after a moment, pulling back to look Callie in the eye very seriously, "you'll see Daddy again when you go to heaven. He's waiting for us there with Auntie Lexie, remember?"

Callie laughed, using the arm she wasn't embracing Sofia with to wipe away tears.

"I remember. They're probably up there thinking we're silly for being so impatient. I bet they're laughing because they know we're going to see them again so we don't need to be sad."

Sofia giggled and nodded, throwing her head back to address the ceiling,

"Don't you laugh at us Daddy and Lexie! 'Cause when we get up there we'll put you in time out for being mean!"

Just as suddenly as she had started crying Callie found herself grinning, pulling Sofia close to her and kissing her on the head.

"I love you so much baby girl."

"I love you too mommy," Sofia replied, kissing Callie on the cheek, "Will you read me a bedtime story?"

"Of course, go get your PJs on and I'll be right in okay?"

"Okay."

Sofia hopped down from Callie's lap and skipped off towards her bedroom. Once she heard the door click shut Callie sighed, taking a moment to dry the last of her tears with her sleeves. When she had finally regained her composure she stood to go read Sofia her story, then paused briefly and smirked, tilting her face upwards.

"Don't you laugh at me Mark Sloan, I'll be up there with you someday."

A/N: Thanks for reading, please review and keep an eye out for the next chapter, which will hopefully be up sometime in the next couple of days. :)