Something it's been in my head for few nights (When I was supposed to be working on my college paperwork) just let me know, this won't be long and it's almost finished already, so if you guys likes stay steady please.
Your Way Back Home
Chapter 1
Sofia stood on her tip toes as she tried to identify certain blonde in the middle of the great multitude of people who were now coming out of the inlet nº 4 at the airport. The almost 17 years old girl bite her lower lip in anticipation, her eyes wide open roamed every face she could to make sure not to lose the first glimpse of the woman she has been waiting for the past 13 months, 14 days, 2 hours ... Yes, she was counting each day. That was how much she missed her mother.
Finally, after what seemed an eternity but just minutes, Sofia's smile make presence, dimples appeared on either side of her cheeks as her face lit up when she saw her blond mother a few meters away.
"Mom!" She cried out excitedly before start running high speed, raven brown hair flew with the wind like white converse shoes helped her run faster.
Arizona is braced for impact. She could not stop smiling even if she tried. She had heard clearly Sofia's scream, hell, the whole airport must have heard it, so she focused her eyes and prepared her arms when she saw her eldest run to her with all the energy that a girl of her age can have.
And when it finally happened, she breathed again. Which is ironic, because the impact of well-trained and strong body of her eldest daughter caused her to run out of breath for a few seconds and then the tears of joy flowed of maternal blue eyes.
Mother and daughter hugged each other for a few long minutes, hard and longing before departing a bit to see clearly the perfect face of her daughter. They giggled when they realized that both had contained tears in eyes.
Arizona took Sofia's face in her hands before lovingly kissing her forehead. "Oh my baby girl. I've missed you so much." She admired her older daughter a little more. "My God, you're look all grown up, you've grown too much in the past year. I don't like it." The blonde pouted. Sofia was apparently higher than she remembers ... Well that's what you get when your biological parents are Mark Sloan and Callie Torres.
"You're exaggerating, Ma! I'm still the same." Sofia took her head back in laughter.
"I don't think so." Mother and daughter were taken out of their bubble by the almost hoarse, manly voice of someone behind them. "Have you two already finished mourn and laugh hysterically at each other? Because I like to say hello to my sister." The average height, green eyed and dark hair boy said with a chuckle.
"Oh little man, I'm sorry, you're right." Arizona stood next to Sofia to let her son Joseph hugged his sister too.
"Ma, I told you stop calling me that." The young man complained as she wrapped his sister in a hug.
"Well, you kind of are a little man, Joe. What are you? Still 10?" Sofia joked.
"I'm 14, you slumped shoulders." Joseph said as he pushed back his sister away from it in jest.
Arizona just laughed at the antics and the usual banter of her children. "Okay, you two stop, you haven't see each other after a year. Stop fighting." A fourth voice was recognized this time.
Right, Arizona's partner, Ashley Dion ... Yes, from the same family of the singer-songwriter Celine Dion. Ashley, a beautiful woman with expressive green eyes and jet-black hair, though was not in the music world, she's a world carve writer that Arizona met at a conference about fetal surgery in New York a little over 10 years ago. Totally random, the women shared a decadent elevator when they were stuck for nearly an hour.
After that fateful incident, Ashley asked the blonde to go to the launch of her book to be held in the same hotel that the two women were staying for the weekend.
Arizona were between dates with the renowned writer and the conferences to which she had been invited as a speaker. She also discovered that Ashley had a 3 year old son named Joseph. Despite the distance they both strove to make it work until the writer couldn't stand it and changed both her life and her son's and move to Seattle in search for Arizona. After a year or so of relationship and many conversations, Arizona adopted Joseph as her own.
"Ashley is right, we should better go find the luggage and then ate lunch like a normal family before you two take your head off." Arizona joked as she took her arm around the waist of her baby - not so baby these days - and the other around the arm of her growing son, with Ashley following closely.
"So the word is that your wife is back." Callie dropped her fork with a thud in irritation.
"Can we not do this right now ... here, please." Callie said without looking up at her wife sitting next to her on a table in the hospital cafeteria. "And stop saying that she is my wife, you are my wife, Jenny." She added.
"Right." Jenny said with disdain. "That wasn't what you said a few weeks ago when you cried your eyes out just because you missed her to much."
Yes, that was a bad day. Callie had remained strong in the fact that Arizona was gone for a year to London to support Ashley in her latest book tour throughout Europe, was painful to know that the blonde was going for that amount of time and it wasn't painful just for Sofia.
But she had just verbalized her feelings a few weeks ago when a fetal case came to the hospital and the surgeon who was replacing Arizona was a complete incompetent and he couldn't save the life of the Mom, where Callie was involved because her broken arm.
The brunette left the OR angry and sad at the same time before hiding in the near bathroom and cried with such intensity that her wife followed her to the place and try to comfort her. But nothing had prepared Jenny to hear her wife for the past 10 years crying for her ex and say how much she missed her 'wife'. At the time, Jenny realized that Callie wasn't crying just for the case, but for something more than even the brunette was not willing to admit.
Jennifer Velasquez, was the second fetal surgeon Arizona hired 12 years ago when she could no longer keep working in pediatric cases as fetal cases. Jenny - as Callie calls her - was Arizona's pupil when she reached the hospital. Raven hair, dark eyes, dimples on both cheeks and a beaming smile, made the Ortho Goddess fell in love with her lovely vibrant and lively personality.
Jennifer also happened to be the mother of one of Sofia's classmate at the new school, Melissa Velasquez. Was due to the connection of their girls that Jenny and Callie got to know each other a little better. After a year and a half, Callie decided that the third It's the charm and ended up marrying the hospital newest fetal surgeon and few months later Jenny had their youngest son Santiago Torres.
"I told you it was because the case took too much of me, I mean that woman was pregnant and the man couldn't save either of the Mom or the baby." Callie repeated what she thought was the millionth time to her wife.
"You should have called me ..."
"You were in surgery, Jenny."
"That's true, but maybe I could have done something about it." Jenny insisted. "No need Dr. Robbins to solve all your problems." She stung again.
Jennifer was quite aware about the connection between Callie and Arizona, means, they have a daughter together, but the young surgeon always knew it was more than that. There were times when Callie trust Arizona rather than her to treat fetal cases with the weak excuse that Arizona had more experience. Maybe Arizona had gained experience over time and certainly have worked with Dr. Herman was an added value, but she knew she was as good as the blonde, at the end of the day, she learned out of the infamous Dr. Robbins itself.
"Can we stop arguing about my ex please? The kids are excited about her return today, we will not ruin it for them just for us to be arguing and fighting all the time." Callie asked sweetly but firmly.
"Yeah, sometimes I think my own children love your ex more than me, that I am their mother." Jenny accused in a whisper.
Callie chuckled as she bent to kiss her wife's insecure flushed cheek. "Come on, that's not true. They love you very much, including Sofia. Arizona ... you know, she's like the cool aunt, who lets them do whatever they want and not get into trouble, except for Sofia, of course." In this the two women laughed softly before sharing a chaste kiss.
"Mom, Mami!" The wives looked up to find a hectic Melissa running with her brother in tow by the middle of the cafeteria toward them.
"What are you two doing here?" Callie asked, frowning.
"Today is a light day, Moms." Santiago said giving a little kiss to his mothers.
"So? Is she here? Where is she? Can we go see her?" Melissa asked full speed jumping on her toes in excitement.
"Calm down, cowgirl. She's not here." Jenny answered his obviously agitated and excited daughter.
"What?! But Sofia just sent me a text saying they were here." Melissa looked puzzled and disappointed.
"Damn right, I'm here." Then they heard the ringing voice behind Torres-Velasquez family.
Melissa and Santiago ran towards the blonde immediately. "Zona!" the noise in the middle of the cafeteria was heard. Some of the doctors, surgeons, interns or residents who were there to meet smiled, others just irritated at the caused noise. In any case, neither of the two families seem to care.
Callie looked longingly at the scene playing before her eyes. She wanted more than anything to stand up and also involve the small woman in her arms. She had a big smile on her face as she risked a glance at her wife. Luckily for her the woman wasn't looking at her. Jenny also had her attention on their children hugging the blonde.
"See, that's what I said." She said quietly.
Callie stood before leaning back and speak into the woman's ear. "The cool aunt." She reaffirmed the fetal surgeon before approach the shock of hugs and kisses that took place in the middle of the hospital cafeteria.
"Arizona…"
"Hello, Calliope."
Your Way Back Home
Chapter 2
After a little hug between the women in front the uncomfortable stares of their wives, children went back to the homes chores, Jenny went to her next surgery and Ashley took Joseph home, leaving the women in question alone.
Arizona looked carefully at the brunette who seemed nervous at her and a little excitement she noticed in her brown eyes and say about the anticipation that the blonde felt when she had Callie in her arms for those short seconds. She certainly had missed the Ortho Goddess too. And the feeling didn't go unnoticed by Ashley, just as Jennifer noticed the bright smile on the face of her wife when she first saw the blonde.
They had said goodbye to each other many years ago. They had forgiven each other many years ago. They were finally free and happy with other people, they formed different families, they grew and acknowledged the idea that their lives were hardly united only by the love of a daughter who loved them both equally.
But still today each of them still holds a candle for one another. It was a slight lingering feelings over the years, was that indescribable something, which lead them to be close to each other despite the appropriate distance and limits both had settle after Callie's wedding with Jenny.
Everything changed after Callie and Jenny's wedding. It was that day that Arizona finally understood that her Calliope, the love of her life despite everything, the mother of her daughter and the woman whom she was looking for spend the rest of her life with, was happy with someone else. Arizona understood and accepted it eventually and then she also went ahead and climbed aboard a committed relationship with Ashley, taking Joseph as her own.
They didn't regret of anything, their lives are good, filled with laughter and joy without excluding discussions and scolding, but it was what a normal family shared. The blonde was sometimes fantasizing how her life would have been if Callie had taken her back. Callie undoubtedly had also asked that same question so many times, but things happen for a reason and she loved her family too much like to regret anything.
Callie offered a coffee at the newcomer and the chance to catch up. She spent a whole year and it certainly wasn't ready to let go of the blonde so fast.
"So how was it?" Callie asked before taking a sip of her latte walking side by side with her former wife.
"It was really good. London has always been my favorite city." Arizona said with a smile. "I was there when I was just a little girl for about 3 or 4 months, many things have obviously changed, so it was like knowing the city once again." She said as she sat on a small table in the cafeteria again.
"That's great and I imagine it was ridiculously difficult, with all the work and be there for Ashley, I saw the interviews." Callie said as she sat in front of the blonde.
"Mmm you read her book?" She narrowed her eyes playfully.
"Maybe." Callie giggled. "She's very good at what she does and you know very well how much I like love stories, but I can assure you I was more than once to give up on that book. It was incredibly frustrating, it was only until the end that the couple was given the opportunity to be together, they were really stubborn, like what the hell? I literally wanted to get into that book and slap some sense into them." Callie rambled and wandered about the book.
"That is a reduced count about how the story's going way, have you been attending one of those groups that meet once a week to discuss and review about a particular book, Calliope?" Arizona asked in knowledge.
"You caught me." Both women laughed heartily. They were not exactly best friends that would be too weird and a bit awkward, but over the years and all the children grow about the same age, they did have enough contact. Not to mention the fact that both work in the same hospital.
At first their relationship was awkward, especially after the final break in that couples therapy room - it feels like an eternity ago, Arizona thinks - but after years, both women found out that yes or no, they were both in each other's life and the best was smooth things up for Sofia's sake.
"It's actually a great book, I read directly from the manuscript, you know advantages that come by themselves." The blonde moved her eyebrows comically making the brunette smile.
"I know."
"But I didn't actually worked in London at all. I'm actually here to talk to Bailey and see when I can take my job back, I need my hands with a little blood." She giggled. Surgeons at last.
"Wait! You haven't practiced medicine for over a year?" Callie's eyes widened dramatically.
"Nope."
"But like at all, not even a bandage?" She asked again now worried when the blonde nodded and frowned. "How is that possible? You are Arizona Robbins, you have double certified in both pediatric and fetal surgery, you love helping tiny babies ... Scratch that, you love cutting, how did you spent a whole year without making a single surgery?!"
"Ashley needed my support, that's what happened." Arizona replied seriously. "That was why I decided to go with her in the first place and it was crazy and believe me it was driving me crazy, but even if I had got my medical license in London to practice medicine, I wouldn't have had the time." She tried to explain.
Callie noticed the blonde's missed look though, she knew Arizona and she knew how much the woman loved her job so she cannot wrap her head in this.
"Can we talk about something else?" Arizona cut the brunette's train of thought. "Has Sofia mentioned something about what she wants for her birthday this weekend?"
And there it was, despite everything, despite the time, Arizona would always shut down at Callie even when she didn't have to. Callie nodded in understanding the situation and the apparent need for her ex-wife to change the subject.
"Actually yes, you beloved daughter asked to go to an Adele concert with Melissa in New York, can you believe it? She seriously thought I would let her go alone with Melissa without any supervision to New York no less." Callie snorted in disbelief to remember the request of her eldest daughter.
"Well at least her musical tastes have improved in recent times." Arizona shrugged. "How it is that I know nothing about this? She and I talk all the time."
"Well, I guess she knew you'd say no."
"And I would?" The blonde asked jokingly.
"You better do because I don't want Sofia, Melissa and you conspiring against me again." Callie raised her eyebrow at the blonde. "I hate to be the bad cop." She added with a hint of annoyance.
"Calliope, you were always the bad cop." Arizona laughed jokingly earning a death glare from the other woman.
"I hate you." She replied humorously.
"But for what it's worth, I also would have said no. I know she is nearly 17 but New York is far away and planning to go there by themselves is not the most appropriate thing to do."
"That's what I said!" Callie said convincingly. "I would have loved for you to said no when she thought she was big enough to start dating. She will never be big enough. Maybe when she's 30 0 35 I start to consider it." Callie chuckled
"I never said I was agreed with that, I'm still not and you're totally insane, Calliope." Arizona said as taking her last sip of coffee and stood up. "Can we keep talking about it as we walk to Bailey's office?" She asked hopefully to continue talking to the brunette.
"What? Been one year out and no longer remember your own hospital?" Callie teased walking beside the blonde again.
"Shut up." The blonde laughed with her.
"Oh and just so you know, your daughter is having a little thing with this boy, Roger, from school, just thought you should know now that you're here." She raised an eyebrow at the woman waiting for her reaction.
"What?! And you let her?" Yes, that was the reaction she was looking for, now she shouldn't have to be the only bad cop. She smiled to herself.
"So, what about this guy Roger?" Arizona asked her daughter now sitting on the couch playing video games with Joseph.
Children screamed loudly and continued to compete head to head in a race car at high speed. Some things never change. Sofia suddenly jumped with her fist in the air and with a cry of victory.
"Oh YES! In your face!" Sofia jumped and delight in her younger brother face. "I still got it, you dwarf. You cannot beat down Sofia Robin Sloan Torres." And she said all her names.
"You cheated! You're a cheater, you take me out of the way." Joseph complained. "Ma! She cheated!" Now he shouted to Arizona for support.
But the blonde was dying not to laugh to say anything. "Awww poor baby needs helps from Mommy." Sofia put her hands to her eyes comically pretend crying in derision.
"Sofia, that's enough Stop messing with your brother." Arizona said lovingly but firmly.
"But he's just a crybaby." Sofia replied.
Joseph trampled indignantly. "I am not!" The truth was that the boy was a bit spoiled, especially by Arizona.
"Can we stop screaming, we just got home." Ashley walked into the common room and fall comfortably next to Arizona leaving some snacks at the coffee table for the kids.
"She's right." Arizona put her hand on the woman's thigh. "You." She pointed to her eldest child. "Stop teasing your brother, it's the last time I said it Sofia Robin and you." She looked at Joseph, who had a smile when he saw her mother berating her sister. "If you want to win Sofia in that silly game, then play by her own rules. She plays dirty, learn to play dirty too." She advised.
"Arizona!" "Mom!" Was heard in the house at the same time.
"I don't think that's a good idea." Ashley said softly.
"It's just a stupid game." The blonde give Ashley a cheek kiss and smile
"It's an excellent idea. Thanks Ma." José fived Arizona.
Sofia rolled her eyes. "Sure it is, but you should have thinking by yourself and not wait for Mom to always tell you to do it, Dumbass."
"Sofia!" Both Ashley and Arizona said in unison. "What I just said? Apologize now." Arizona rebuked.
"But -"
"Now, little Miss." Ashley bite her lip not to laugh. She always reminded silent when Arizona rebuked one of their kids. Well, Sofia wasn't technically her daughter, but she couldn't help but love her as her own, just in the same way Arizona welcomed Joseph in her heart.
"Sorry, Joseph." Sofia said in a whisper.
"I haven't heard." Arizona raised an eyebrow.
"Ugh sorry little brother." She said loudly this time.
"I don't think you're being honest, but I take it." Joseph said laughing now.
"Of course you will." Sofia moaned as she sat again to restart play. She was so done with this conversation.
"Do not think I've forgotten the conversation about Roger, young lady, especially the fact that you didn't tell me anything about it. Callie had to tell me." The blonde was almost indignant that her daughter wasn't confident enough to talk to her about it.
"Mami is a traitor." Sofia murmured.
"What was that?"
Before another unnecessary argument took place, Ashley intervened. "So Sofia, what do you want as a birthday gift?" She asked not knowing what the whole thing was.
"Everyone."
"What does that mean?" Joseph asked this time without looking away from the flat screen of the plasma TV.
"I mean my two great and loving families. Mami and Jenny along with Melissa and Santiago of course and us." Sofia said without looking away from the screen as well.
"A huge family birthday?" Arizona asked sarcastically.
"You don't like the idea? Could have fooled me with what happened today in the cafeteria between you and Callie." Ashley said with disdain.
"Ash -" Arizona started, knowing the opinion of Ashley on the hug between her and her ex.
"This is about my birthday. I'm turning 17, next year I won't be around so I want to enjoy my two families a lot."
"That's another thing we need to talk. It seems you haven't told me much in recent times, Sofia. I won't lie, I'm a little disappointed." Arizona said with hurt in her voice.
"Ma, I just wanted to talk to you personally. About Roger, college and my birthday. You said I could have whatever I wanted for my birthday, by the way."
"If you think I'm going to say yes to your crazy idea of going to New York all by yourself for a concert, you are out of you mind." Arizona said once.
"Don't worry, Ma. I've given up on that. Mami made me give up into that actually."
"And I agree with her."
"I second that." Ashley intervened. "You're too young for those things and Melissa is not older than you either."
"Says who went to her first book fair at 14 without telling her parents." Sofia laughed, remembering the story.
"That's why I say it, I ended up wandering New York streets until I could call my mom to get me." Ashley said with a grin. "I also lived in New York so it wasn't so bad, but you want to go to a city you don't know."
"Well that's the point." Sofia said. "But relax, Mami already said she wouldn't let me go and I actually want something else as I mentioned before." Sofia said without looking at her mother and stepmother.
"And what's that?" Arizona asked curiously.
"Camping!"
"You cannot be serious." Callie blurted in disbelief as putting breakfast in front of her wife and children the next morning. Sofia came home really early to talk about plans for her birthday that last night she herself shared with Arizona.
"But it's fun and different and Melissa and I wants to go." Sofia pouted and whimpered to see defensiveness of her biological mother.
"Honey, that's not such a crazy idea, at least not as crazy as to let them go to New York for a concert." Jenny said without looking up from her newspaper. "It could be funny, I used to go camping all the time with my parents, we can build up our cars and the five of us can go to a pretty wooded park." Jenny mentioned feeling a little more excited about the idea.
"Ummm I not think to spend my birthday away from Ma, I mean I've been waiting for her to come back for my day all year." Sofia frowned on the assumption of her stepmother. "She wasn't here for my 16th so I need her more than ever for my 17th." She added.
"Well that was her fault, Sof. It was her decision to leave you one month before your birthday." Jenny mentioned.
"She didn't leave me!" Sofia snapped at her now.
"Hey! Do not raise your voice, Sofia, show some respect. Jenny didn't mean it that way, right?" Callie gave a dead glare to her wife.
"She was being a good partner in the same way that Ashley has been for her." Sofia defended her mother to the hilt, while Melissa and Santiago didn't move a muscle. They knew better than to get into the discussion.
"Before her duty as a wife is her duty as a mother and what she did wasn't okay at all considering how excited you were about your sixteen birthday." Jenny was on a roll.
"Jennifer, I think you've said enough." Callie said with a disdain still looking at her. She couldn't believe that Jennifer has said those things to Sofia, especially knowing how much Sofia idolized her blonde mother.
"Seriously, Callie? You expect me to agree with spending all weekend with your ex in the woods?"
"If you don't want to go then don't go, nobody is forcing you to do anything." Sofia said standing suddenly, she was no longer hungry.
"Sofia, now that's just rude." Callie intervened when she saw the sad look in Jenny's eyes.
"Sorry Mami, sorry Jenny." She quickly apologized. "But all I'm asking to spend my birthday with my two mothers, my two stepmothers and my many siblings, is that too much to ask? It's just a weekend, it's no big a deal." Sofia was almost on the verge of tears.
"Sof, what did your mother said about this?" Callie decided to divert a little to get more information.
"She said she'd have to think and talk with Ashley about it."
Callie sighed. "Okay, so let us talk about it too." Callie suggested.
"It's that really so difficult? I thought you all get along pretty well. I thought you and mom were finally friends, I mean the last 10 years hasn't help at all?"
"Sofia is not that, it's just that there are boundaries and these limits can't just go away. Those works for a reason." The brunette tried to rationalize with her eldest daughter.
"Fine, whatever." The exact copy of Callie made her way out of the kitchen.
"Hey, Hey, Hey, stop right there little Miss, do not walk away from me just because we don't say yes to you, Sofia." Callie scolded, not liking Sofia's attitude.
"I'm not walking away, Mami, I promise, it's just that I promised Ma would be quick. We will spend the day together, just her and me and I'm very excited about my uninterrupted time with my mom." Sofia's smile almost reached the height of her ears.
"We can see that, but you should at least finish your breakfast, Sofia." Jenny said this time.
"I'm sorry but I'm not hungry anymore and I'm late." Sofia came to give kisses to the other part of her family.
"Sof?" Jennifer called before the identical young version of her wife could leave the room. Sofia looked up questioning eyes. "Sorry ... The things I said about Arizona." She said honestly.
Sofia smiled sweetly. "It's already forgotten." It was not, but it was much better to let the remind silence.
"I love camping!" Santiago said out of nowhere after Sofia left.
Melissa didn't looked up. "I do too actually and Arizona is pretty cool."
Both women look one another and sing. It looks like the decision was already made.
"Three days, we can handle three days right?" Arizona looked back to Callie for some support.
"Yes, it will be a piece of cake. Sofia will be happy, the kids will enjoy it and then at Sunday night everyone can get back to normal again." The women sat side by side on one of the benches outside the hospital. Both had been trying to get their minds about Sofia's plan and it seems that they have come to a conclusion.
"But camping?" Arizona groaned for the tenth time. "Camping is not fun. I hate camping!" She mentioned again.
"I know." Callie said knowledge with a smile. "But you owe her, so ..." She trailed off. She wasn't being derogatory, just commenting.
"I know." Arizona looked at the cars move from place to place in the street until she complain again. "Why didn't she just asked for a jewel or even a car? That would have been much better." Callie laughed at the blonde's words.
"Your daughter is not so superficial, Robbins." She bumped shoulders with the blonde woman jokingly.
"Tell that to all the designer clothes she has in her closet." They chuckled again. "She's growing up so fast." Arizona said before releasing a long breath.
"But she's our baby girl, no matter what." Callie unwittingly took her former wife's hand in hers and gently stroked.
"She is." Arizona nodded in agreement without even register Callie's touch beyond comfort that representing the light delicate gesture.
"And she's ours." They said at the same time that made them laugh on matching thoughts. They smiled sweetly for a long moment before realizing that their bodies were unusually close to each other and the skin to skin contact was made more noticeable.
Arizona took out her hand from Callie's and straightened up, her cheeks burned for no apparent reason as her hands began to sweat strangely.
"So three days, what could go wrong?" The blonde said nervously without looking at Callie.
All mistakes are mine