Title: Puppy Love

Author: A. Windsor

Pairing/Characters: Callie/Arizona

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. My one year of law school could allow me to legalese this a little more, but it also tells me it's pretty useless. So please don't sue; it's not mine, I'm just playing!

Series: Thing!verse

Summary: Momma and Mami's little Lena-bug is growing up. [Spring/Summer 2033]

Author's Note: So, here's one of the reasons that updates have been rather slow-coming from me. This story has taken a lot to write, and I've wanted to do it right. It's pretty much the follow-up to Kiss the Girl, so I hope everyone enjoys! Beta'd by the wonderful, snarky, weirdy reindeer roughian.

"Your daughter asked my daughter to prom."

McDreamy is mcsmirking.

"Excuse me?"

"Your daughter. Asked my daughter. To prom. Apparently, Katie has been freaking out about going alone to her senior prom for weeks, so Lena asked her. Katie said no, by the way. She said Lena has to ask Mia Randolph, because Lena's, quote, 'totally in love with her'. But I thought you should know. You've raised at least two gentlemen so far."

"That's a little sexist, Dr. Shepherd," she teases.

"For lack of a better word," Derek acquiesces. "I think Katie was touched by the gesture, but she's the wrong Robbins-Torres."

"Yeah," Arizona sighs. "I know."

"Is Lena really in love with this girl?"

"Head over heels, from what I've seen. They sit next to each other in calculus."

"That's sweet."

Arizona grimaces. "She's straight, Lena says. Or at least not out. They spend a lot of time together, though. She's been to the hospital a few times."

"In any supply closets?"

"No, actually. And Caroline loves to tattle on her sister, so I would know."

"Ah. Lena must be serious. It can't hurt to ask, though. They're young. What's the worst that can happen? She says no?"

"Is that McDreamy advice?"

"Certified and everything," Derek laughs. "Everyone should have a magical prom."

"You were prom king, weren't you?"

"Yes," Derek admits. "What was your prom like?"

Arizona snorts and grabs her charts.

"Didn't go. I was the new girl. No one asked, and it's not like I could've shown up with a girl as my date, anyway."

"Right," Derek slumps. "Sorry?"

"It didn't scar me too badly. Successful adult. Very happily married. Most days."

Derek laughs. "True. Well, I have to go save lives. Tell Lena I said to go for it, for what it's worth. She's very charming; the girl'd be a fool to say no."

Derek leaves, mcsmirking again.

Arizona rolls her eyes and scoffs: "McDreamy."

"You're asking her," Katie repeats firmly.

"But I don't mind taking you, Kate. We'll have fun. Maybe I'll even get you a little drunk and take advantage of you," Lena teases.

"Ew," Grey objects, spinning a football between his hands. "Siblings don't share that much."

Katie and Lena look at each other and then mutually shudder.

"You're asking her, or you're chicken," Katie ignores Lena's earlier comments.

"I'm not chicken! I don't want to put her in an uncomfortable position."

Grey gives a little squawk and cluck.

"Chicken," Katie repeats. "She's going to say yes. She's totally into you."

"She's into boys. She had a boyfriend back L.A., and they only broke up because she moved here."

"Mami only had boyfriends until she was in her thirties," Caroline offers from the cafeteria table behind them where she and Susie are allegedly doing homework with the younger boys.

"Pipe down in the peanut gallery," Lena calls over her shoulder to the eighth graders.

"I'm just saying. Dated boys doesn't mean only will date boys."

Lena pointedly ignores her little sister but murmurs to Grey: "I hate it when she's right."

"I like Mia," Teo adds his own two cents, the newly eleven-year-old looking up from his math homework. "She's nice. And pretty."

"We know," Grey calls over to him with a grin. "We're not sure which Robbins-Torres likes her more."

"Just walk up to her and say: 'Mia, would you like to go to prom with me? We can just go as friends if that makes you more comfortable, but I would really love to go as something more.' What's the problem? You ask out, and are turned down by, straight girls all the time."

"I like her. What if she doesn't even want to be friends after I ask her? What if she's scared off?"

"What if you have to take Grey to prom because you're too chicken to ask the girl you like?"

Lena makes a face.

"I do look very handsome in a tux," Grey supplies, utterly unhelpfully.

"Fine."

Katie squeals. "Really? You'll do it?"

"Yep. Worst thing she says is... well, she could say some pretty awful things, but she's Mia, so those seem pretty remote possibilities. Worst case scenario she lets me down gently and adorably, and everything is awkward, and I fake a reason to switch seats in calculus."

"That's the spirit!" Grey says helpfully, smacking his best friend on the back before spinning the football into the air again.

"I can totally do this," Lena says confidently. She looks between Katie and Grey, who smile encouragingly. Her face falls, and she lets her head drop to the table. "No, I can't."

Decision made, Lena-nena's usual confidence returns. Somewhat.

"Put your money away," Lena admonishes lightly, a gentle hand stilling Mia's as it reaches for her wallet.

"I can pay for own dinner," Mia laughs, but does nothing to remove Lena's hand from her own.

"Nope. I asked you to dinner to ask you a question. I'll feel bad if I make you pay to feel awkward."

"Awkward? What could you ask me that would be awkward?"

Lena smiles nervously, but then it's their turn to order. Mia orders her usual taco salad. Lena turns her dazzling smile to the burrito man behind the counter and quickly rattles off her order in Spanish, adding a few bits of small talk and typical Lena charm.

She pays over Mia's renewed objections, and they find a quiet corner to sit. Lena starts fidgeting with her napkin, and Mia says, warmly:

"It's so cool that you can do that."

Lena watches the smile that spreads to her green eyes and notes how even the florescent light of fast food Mexican restaurants brings out the natural highlights in her light brown hair. It makes her look like an angel.

She mentally smacks herself across the face for that line of sappiness, since Grey isn't there to do it for her.

"Do what?" she manages after what was probably a conspicuously long pause. At least she wasn't caught staring at her breasts. This time.

"Order in Spanish like that."

"C'mon. You're from L.A. I'm sure you know how to order cheap burritos in Spanish."

"Never a skill I acquired. And I've always taken French."

"Ugh. French. Blech," Lena teases.

Mia kicks her, delicately, under the table.

"Hey! What was that for?"

"Being a brat. Eat your burrito and stop whining."

"Yes, ma'am," Lena grins.

They make small talk until dinner is just getting picked at, when Mia blurts:

"Did you really ask Katie Shepherd to prom?"

Lena thinks/hopes/dreams that's a little jealousy in her voice.

"Yes," she answers honestly. "But just 'cause she's so sad that Asa's at school and they're broken up. And no one else has asked her. Probably because she's still pining over Asa."

"Did she say yes?" Mia asks, tugging nervous on a chunk of her wavy hair.

"Nope."

"Really?"

Lena takes a deep breath. "Yep. Because she knows who I really want to take."

"Who- Who's that?"

Lena looks up from idly playing with her straw and takes a leap:

"You."

She meets Mia's clearly surprised eyes and presses on.

"Will you go to prom with me? We can go as friends if you really want, but I really like you, Mia. Like, more than friends, like you."

They sit in agonizing silence for a few beats until Mia says, firmly:

"Yes."

"Yes?" Lena asks, stunned.

"Yes, but can I get back to you on friends or more than thing?"

"Um, sure, yes, definitely. Really?"

Mia nods, twisting a piece of hair again.

"We'd have a great time. Can't imagine going with anyone else, actually."

"Seriously?"

Mia laughs her sweet laugh. "Yes, silly." She bites her lip. "I think I might like you, too, Lena."

Lena is pretty sure her brain just exploded; she couldn't respond if she had to.

"I don't know. I've never really liked a girl before. How do you know?"

"I dunno. I've never really liked a boy before, so I can't tell you if there's a difference."

Mia laughs again.

"Well, either way, I'll have the best date ever," she declares, reaching across to thread her fingers through Lena's on the table. "Every single person will be jealous."

"They'll be jealous alright," Lena says, trying to be cool and not reveal her racing heart at the contact. "But not because of me."

Mia blushes and keeps their fingers linked.

"We'll have to compare dress colors and make sure they don't clash."

Lena rolls her eyes with a gentle laugh.

"We have to think of the logistics!" Mia objects.

"I am! Transportation, dinner, corsages."

"Ooh. That's a good point. Who gets who a corsage?"

"I did the asking; I'll get you one."

"No, now I want to get you one, too..."

Mia launches into a ramble about colors and flowers and dresses. Lena, half-interested, just listens and doesn't even try to hide the stupid grin on her face.

When Lena gets home, she's still grinning ear to ear. She plops her car keys in the bowl by the door with a triumphant jingle, and Arizona looks up suspiciously from her mighty Jenga game with Callie, Tiny Dancer, and Nicky Altman-Tate.

"What did you do?"

"Nada," Lena sings, practically skipping over to the living room coffee table and dropping kisses to cheeks all around.

"Lena Rose," Callie laughs. "Dínos. Ahorita." [Tell us, now.]

Her stupid grin gets even wider, and the boys exchange confused and bemused (as eleven-year-olds can be) glances.

"Oh, just asked Mia to prom."

Callie gives an appropriately dramatic gasp.

"And she said yes."

Callie beams, and Arizona feels the warring pride and maternal worry well up in her. Lena is so obviously in love, and Arizona is so very protective of her daughter's big, beautiful heart.

"And she said maybe as more than a friend," Lena adds with a dorky little victory dance, eliciting laughs from Callie and Teo.

Then Callie is on her feet, sweeping Lena into a big hug.

"Oh my Lena-nena. I'm so happy for you. Tanto coraje tiene mi hija. And how could she say no to you?" [My daughter is so brave.]

"¿Quieres que te enseñe a bailar?" [Do you want me to teach you to dance?] Teo offers teasingly, earning a headlock from his big sister.

"Hey, I can dance!" she objects and scruffs his hair.

"Nick! Help!"

It quickly turns into a dogpile, and Arizona's tension leaves her.

Lena's still her goofy Lena, even if she's starting to seem so grown up sometimes. And she's just doing what Arizona asked: having more serious (for high school) relationships and spending less time making out with random girls in parking lots.

Which should make her feel better, really, but just closes the door on one set of worries and opens it on another.

Mia tells her parents as soon as she gets home. They're perplexed but supportive, and her mother starts asking a million questions about, of course, logistics, until Mia escapes upstairs.

When she's changed and in bed, she thinks about that awkward, unexpected, moment where she'd desperately wanted to kiss Lena goodnight when they parted ways in the parking lot. She's heard that Lena is an excellent kisser from a rather large segment of the girls in their grade, and she's found herself increasingly curious to find out for herself.

But the need she'd forced herself not to act on in the parking lot went a long way to deciding whether she wants to just be Lena's friend. She feels butterflies she hasn't felt since sweet, shy Dylan sat down next to her in freshman English and introduced himself in a voice squeaky with nerves.

Her mother knocks on her door and comes to sit on the bed.

"I think it's just lovely that you're going as your friend's date. It's very kind; she can't have a lot of options at a small school like yours."

Mia bites her lip.

"I don't think I'm going as her friend."

Her mother's brow wrinkles, and Mia takes the plunge.

"I think I'm going as Lena's date because I really like her. Like, I want to kiss her and hold her hand and... she's so nice and funny and ho- pretty. And she looks at me, like... I don't know; I'm confused. I thought I liked boys. I really liked Dylan. But I don't know. Is that okay, Mom?"

Her mom gapes like a fish out of water before recovering admirably.

"Of course it's okay, darling," she says gently. "You're very young, and you should do what you think and feel is right. I'm just a little shocked is all. This is the blonde, right? With the lovely manners and good handshake?"

Mia nods, a little teary from the combined emotion of her confession and newly discovered feelings.

"Well, I definitely want to meet her again."

"Thanks, Mom."

"Of course, darling. Let's wait until you're a little more sure before we tell your father, okay? If you're sure, I know he'll be very supportive, but let's not stress him until we know there's something to worry him over."

"So I should lie?"

"No. No, never, Mia. Just leave him to his assumptions for a bit. If things get serious, we'll catch him up."

"Okay."

"Is she very sweet to you?"

Mia grins and nods. "She comes from a military family and has all these silly old manners. She always holds opens doors and lets me order food first."

"Military? Which branch?"

"Marines, I think. Her brother graduated last year, and now he's at the Naval Academy. They're freaky smart, she and her brother. And she has a brother and a sister in the lower and middle school. Her moms are doctors, so Caroline and Teo are usually around when we study together."

"You know quite a bit about her," her mom teases.

Mia blushes.

"We talk a lot."

"Good."

"I love you, Mom," Mia smiles.

It's her mom's turn to get a little teary.

"I love you, too, darling. Goodnight."

"Night, Mom."

tbc