Title: The Au Pair
Summary: AU - Aria is Callie's two year old sister. Callie is in university and unable to help out with things, so they get an au pair.
Rating: PG for now. May or may not change - not totally decided
Paring: Calzona
Disclaimer: I do not own GA or any characters etc that may be associated with GA.
A/N: No Beta for this story, all mistakes are my own. Feel free to point them out so that I don't make them again. :)
This is a light-hearted, relatively fluffy fic. Don't feel like the drama at the moment - far too much of that happening on TV.
So I know I have another story that needs attention, but there is an update for it that is going through its last stages :D
I hope you enjoy it, please let me know...
A bubbly, bright-eyed two year old ran through the large, mansion-like, house at a screaming pace, her little feet carrying her to the one destination that she had in mind, the living room.
"Allie-ope" a huge smile spread across the small, chubby features, causing the older Latina to break out into a mega-watt smile of her own.
"Hey there cutie-pie." She lifted the small child up into her lap, enveloping her into a great, big bear hug. Callie tucked her face into the toddler's neck and started to blow raspberries into the soft flesh, eliciting an almighty chuckle that rumbled from deep within the little girl. "What shenanigans have you been up to today?"
"Anangins?" A puzzled expression slowly spread across the tiny face.
"Yes, miss Aria, shenanigans." Callie stood up, placing the little girl on her hip. "Did you make great big mud pies?" She started to make her way through the house, in the direction that the child had come screaming towards her from.
"Uh-uh." Aria shook her head furiously, sending perfectly straight hair flying in all directions.
"I somehow think that you did." She laughed, noting the rather muddy looking bear that Aria insisted had to go everywhere with her.
"¿Dónde está mamá?" Callie looked down at the now squirming child.
"Mamá." the little girl called out, clutching Callie's hand and dragging her along in her wake.
"Hola mamá," The tall brunette pulled her mother into a tight embrace as they met in the kitchen. "¿cómo fue el día con el travieso?" [How was your day with the naughty one?]
"Hey!" Callie felt a tiny hand swat across her leg. "I no naughty."
Both women howled with laughter at the young child. "So then who made the mud pies next to the swimming pool, squirt?" Callie threw the tiny body up over her head watching the way her dark blue eyes twinkled.
Aria was the perfect mixture of her mother and father. She had her mother's huge, open heart and bright smile, but the deep blue, twinkling eyes of her father. The stubborn independence that her father prided in, and the warmth and generosity that her mother cared to uphold shone through, even at the tender age of two. Callie didn't fail to notice the intelligence that others seemed to ignore in such a young child.
"We had a very busy day, didn't we novio?" Lucia smiled down at her youngest child, who still stood clutching Callie's hand with her tiny one. Her eyes landed on Mr. Bear who was looking rather worse for wear, smiling, glad that she had taken the initiative to buy two of them at once.
"Ma, I can see we're going to have to do a sneaky bath time exchange again today." Callie laughed, noting where her mother's gaze was focussed.
Callie wrapped her arm around her waist and kissed her on the cheek. She was starting to look rather haggard these days, having a two year old running around constantly at her age was starting to take it out of her. Being in her first year of university, there really wasn't much that Callie could do to help her mother during the day.
Her mother was busy running a prestigious event's planning business from one of the wings in their house. Her father, the hectic business owner that he was, was away half the week on business trips, which meant that Lucia was left with both her daughter to look after and a business to run. Things were easier before Aria got into her active toddler years, but Lucia had been determined that she was going to manage on her own with the little one. The general staff that worked in the Torres mansion were very good, keeping Aria out of too much mischief if Lucia had to run out on an emergency errand, but she realised now, that she wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer.
Callie watched as her mother shuffled around the kitchen, preparing dinner for the family. It amazed her that no matter how hectic or tiring her mother's life became, she always made sure that she had time for her family, and that included making dinner for them every night.
Callie picked Aria up and sat her on the counter in front of her. "Shall we make some cupcakes for mamá?" She whispered into the little girl's ear. Once the suggestion was agreed upon, Callie took Aria off the counter top and sent her off on a mission to collect certain utensils.
Half an hour later, Callie was stripping the little girl in the bathroom. Aria had successfully managed to coat both herself and Callie in flour and then later in cupcake batter. Her mom was a sport and turned a blind eye to them, pretending that she had no idea what was going on. Once the cupcakes were in the oven, Callie had coaxed the feisty little brunette into the bathroom, ready for a bath – which would probably need to be repeated after dinner time. If it hadn't have been for the gooey batter caked into her hair, Callie probably would have left the bath until after dinner.
"One, two, and three." Callie hauled Aria up and over the lip of the tub and into the warm, bubbly water. "Okay squirt, you know the rules. No eating soap, no splashing Callie and lastly, no-"
Callie was cut off as a small pile of bubbles were placed on the crown of her head, promptly followed by a fit of giggles that erupted out of Aria. Her little face scrunched up in pure joy.
"Oh, you think that's funny now, do you?" The older brunette mock-glared at her sister, then poked her in the side, causing Aria to giggle even more.
Ten minutes later Callie emerged from the bathroom, dripping wet, with Aria wrapped in a towel. "Okay, two out of three, we're making progress."
Callie watched as her mother walked down the stairs with a smile on her face. "Your padre will be home tomorrow." She felt a need to explain her sudden joy to her oldest daughter. "Aria will be uncontrollable after he leaves again though."
"Have you thought about what Papá suggested?" Callie warily asked as she followed her mother into the sitting room. Aria had just been put to sleep after a bedtime story and a lullaby. Both women were tired and ready to head off themselves.
"Callie, you know that is something that I don't want. I don't want a stranger walking into my house and raising my child. From the day you were born until your first day of school I was there for you every single day, whenever you needed me, Aria should have the same."
"Mamá, it can still be the same for her. When you had me, abuela was there to help you, and you didn't have the business to run. You can't do everything on your own anymore." Callie moved so that she was sitting right next to her mother. She took her hand in her own and laced the linked hands on her lap. "It doesn't make you a bad madre." She whispered, looking up into her mother's soft brown eyes.
Lucia patted her daughter on her thigh. "I will think about it mija."
Two weeks later
"Mamá!" Callie stormed into the house, throwing her bag down by the door as she slammed it closed. She knew that her mother was at home as not a single one of the three cars had been removed from the drive way.
She walked up the stairs and made her way towards the wing that her mother used as her offices. "Mamá?" She poked her head warily into her mother's main office. The secretary, that she had employed last week, was nowhere to be seen and neither was her mother's assistant that had been around since the beginning of the business venture.
'Seriously, where could that woman possibly be?' The irritated brunette stomped back down the stairs making her way toward the back of the house. There was a slight chance that Lucia could have taken Aria for a swim, it was a beautiful day after all.
She popped her head out the back door, releasing an agitated sigh when she didn't see her mother. She walked toward the wall in the corridor, tempted to shout for her mother over the intercom, but thought against it when she figured that Aria might be asleep.
Resigned to the fact that the house was far too big, and it may take her nearly an hour to track down her mother, Callie returned to the front door to collect her bag. Once in her bedroom, the brunette flopped down onto her bed. 'What a day!'
An unfamiliar giggle wafted in through Callie's open door. She allowed one eye to pop open and stare up at the ceiling, when she didn't hear the laughter again for a few seconds she allowed her dozy eyelid to drop. Her legs hung lifelessly off the bottom of her over-sized bed, her feet brushing ever so gently across the plush cream carpet.
Both eyes flew open this time when she heard the laughter again, forcing her to sit up. She strained her ears to listen better, when she heard Aria's familiar cackle, she stood up to follow the sound.
All the bedrooms of the Torres family were located along the same corridor, something that Callie's parents had insisted upon, even when Callie had tried to distance herself from the family when she was in her mid-teens. This allowed Callie to hear the soft laughter from her bedroom.
She stopped suddenly when the unfamiliar laughter erupted again. Her heart sped up and a smile forced its way across her previously irked features. She felt the irritation and stress of her day seep out of her body.
Once the laughter had stopped she allowed herself to continue moving. Upon reaching the door to Aria's bedroom, which was more a play room considering that she snuck into Callie's bed most nights, she stopped. She tried to listen to what Aria and her unknown friend were doing.
".. Or I'll huff, and I'll puff and I'll blow your house in!" Callie allowed herself to smile, recognising Aria's favourite story being told. "The two little pigs shook their heads and they said to the big bad wolf, 'No we won't, not by the hair on our chinny chin chins." Aria giggled again, and Callie now knew why, whoever was telling the story, put on funny little voices for each character. "So do you know what he did? The big bad wolf huffed," She heard the unknown woman dramatically gasp in a lung-full on air, "and he puffed. Are you ready? And he BLEW the house in!" Both Aria and the unknown voice released a big breath of air, and something came crashing to the floor, followed closely by Aria's infectious giggle and the hypnotising lilt of her entertainer.
Callie couldn't hold herself back anymore, she needed to see who this person was. She gently pushed the door open, moving into the large room ever so slightly. In the middle of the room was a whole village made out of blocks, except for one lone little doll's house, which Callie presumed was the house made out of bricks. Aria had disposed of Mr. Bear on her bed, allowing her to hold onto the bunny, which Callie assumed was playing the role of 'the big bad wolf'.
She let her eyes rest on the figure of Aria's new friend. A petite blond sat amongst the remnants of their make-shift village, her long, toned legs extended to one side. Blonde, shoulder length, curls cascaded around her, framing what was sure to be a beautiful face.
"Allie-ope!" Aria squealed, pulling Callie out of her purvey daze. She jumped to her feet and went running head-long into her sister's awaiting arms. "Awi" She pointed at the blonde once she was settled comfortably in Callie's arms.
A/N: So I'm hoping that I won't take too long with the updates...