Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy, I just borrowed the name of the characters for entertaining, no intention to violate any copyrights.
A/N : I have the scenes in my head after seeing the new Sofia. The show owes us the interaction between her and her mothers, hope this will change from now.
All mistakes are mine, sorry in advance.
"Okay honey," Callie said to her daughter who was sitting next to her on the dining table. "Go clean up, brush your teeth and I'll come tuck you in bed later."
The little Latina nodded and jumped off the chair, but her mother stopped her with a singing voice.
"Sof, have you thanked Penny for the delicious meal yet?"
"Thank you Penny." Sofia turned to the guest of the house saying reluctantly. Not that she had problem with the woman who made the dinner, just the greenish looking pasta was far from delicious.
"You're welcomed, Sofia." Penny put on an overly broad smile. She was nervous. Even more nervous than the last time she was invited to meet with Callie's work friends. Of course she had met with Sofia from time to time, but coming to the little girl's territory, making dinner and spending the night was a big step. She let out a deep breath after the mini Calliope dragged her feet out of the dining room.
"You're doing well. She liked you." Callie stood up from her chair, strode around the table and planted a kiss on her girlfriend's forehead.
"You think? She doesn't really like the food I made." The redhead cast a glance to the half eaten plate of spinach pasta.
"No kids like vegetables." The brunette laughed and sat down on the empty chair next to the pouting woman. "Even so, she had eaten more than I expected."
"She was being polite. She's a good kid." Penny put her hand on the back of Callie's chair and leaned closer. "I can see a lot of you in her."
"I'm doing my best." Callie laughed out even harder. "Sometimes I feel like Sofia has inherited the worst of all of us. She definitely has the hotheaded temper from me. The sly smile and the mischief in the eyes? I don't know they're coming from her father or Arizona."
She wasn't joking. Of course Sofia looked a lot like her and Mark on the outside, the little girl had Arizona's facial expressions. Callie lost count of how many times she was amazed seeing her daughter smiled with the little nose scrunching up, just like her mama.
"So it's really possible? I mean, Arizona and Sofia aren't really related, biologically." Penny wetted her lips, trying to use the words as appropriate as she could think of. "But they look alike? You know, they are not real mother and daughter..."
"They are real mother and daughter, Penny." Callie pulled back slightly, taken aback by the redhead's comment. "Arizona has been in the picture since the very beginning. Sofia adores her mama and really picks up some behaviors from her."
"I know. I am sorry. I didn't mean..." Penny tried to apologize, a warm and tender hand came to strike her cheek stopped her.
"I know." Seeing the flush on the pale face before her, Callie eased up a little. She chose to believe there didn't have any ill-meaning in her girlfriend's words.
"I just... you know, coming here tonight, cooking for you and Sofia like a family..." Penny started to ramble under the soulful brown eyes. "I always thought that have a child looks exactly like both mothers wouldn't be possible but you make it sounds possible. Can you imagine a child looks like the mixture of you and me? Or if I spend enough time with Sofia and she started..."
"You want to have a baby with me?" The brunette looked right at the green eyes which were now as wide as hers.
"No, no." Realized what she just had said, Penny's face turned another shade of red darker. "I didn't mean that. I was just saying... the possibility... of a child looks like both mothers."
"Well, it's too soon to talk about that now." Callie smiled and leaned forward pressing her lips on Penny's. "We can talk about it when the time is right."
The redhead smiled back in the kiss. The two lost themselves in the tender kiss until a faint sound calling out for Callie from behind.
"Mommy...?" Sofia's voice was small. She fidgeted with the hem of her dress looking down at the floor before her.
"Yes, baby?" Callie pulled back quickly. She had kissed Arizona in front of their baby girl when they were still married, but she had never kissed another woman when the little girl was around. She plastered a wide smile on her face trying to act as nonchalant as possible. "All done? Why don't you put on your pajamas?"
"I can't find my cookie monster pajamas." Sofia was still looking at the floor.
"Cookie monster pajamas?" The mother asked. She couldn't recall such pajamas...
"Yes, the blue one. Mama bought me that because blue is her favorite color." The girl brought her hands above her head gesturing. "It has 2 big eyes on the head."
Callie stood up from the dining table after giving her girlfriend an apologetic smile. She walked toward her daughter.
"Mama brought you that then it must be at mama's house, baby." The brunette rubbed the girl's shoulder gently, nudging her toward the bedroom. "How about Olaf? You love it."
"No, I don't want to. I don't love Olaf. I love cookie monster. My blue cookie monster." Sofia whined and refused to move. "Mama said I can wear that to sleep every night."
"I don't have it in here, Sofia." Callie said it a little firmer this time. Tonight was perfect, so far. Her girlfriend was here cooking dinner for her daughter. Sofia was being a little withdrawn and shy but still in her best behavior. She even didn't throw a fit when the oddly looking green pasta presented to her face. Callie was not going to let a stupid pajamas ruin this night. "I'll ask mama to bring it to me tomorrow so you can wear it tomorrow night. But not tonight, okay?"
"Mommy..." The little girl tried again.
"Sofia..." The mother gave the daughter a look. She was not going to back down. Her heart fell when Sofia turned around walking toward the bedroom, wiping her eyes by the back of her hand without another word.
"You okay?" Penny walked behind the brunette.
"Yeah." Callie tried her best to chuckle. "Have I mentioned that she inherited my stubbornness too?"
"I have my fair share of babysitting. I know how persist they can be with their pajamas." The redhead placed a kiss on the caramel cheek. "You go check on her. I'll clean up the table."
"No, you've made the dinner. Let me clean up." Callie stopped her girlfriend by grasping the pale hand. Penny pecked on her lips and pulled away with a smile.
"I don't mind."
Dreamy smile replaced by a worried look when Callie stepped foot in her daughter's room. Sofia was struggling to put on a paint blue color pajamas top. Sitting down on the bed, the mother helped to get the little head passed through the collar of it. As soon as the face appeared from the pajamas top, Callie could see the redden nose and tearful brown eyes of her daughter's.
"Baby, what's wrong?" The brunette pulled the girl to stand between her legs, but Sofia just shook her head, wriggling out of her hold and finished dressing up on her own. All the while, she was avoiding her mother's eyes.
Callie was bewildered. Yes, Sofia had thrown a few temper tantrums over the years after her mothers separated. But thing was good in the last few months, almost a year actually. She through the girl was getting bigger and more understanding. She didn't really know what had triggered this. And the silence treatment was new.
"Baby please, look at mommy." Callie pleaded. Finally, Sofia looked back with tremble lips. Callie repeated her question. "What's wrong?"
"I want my cookie monster pajamas." The little girl whispered, giant tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.
"I told you, I'll get it from mama tomorrow, okay?" Callie tried to pull her daughter to her arms again. This time Sofia didn't fight her but kept weeping.
"Will I see mama again?" A sob came out of the little mouth made the older brunette stunned.
"Of course you will, baby." Callie put the sad girl on her laps and enveloped her in a tight embrace. "Did... did mama say something to you?"
"Penny's here... making me dinner... and... and... she said mama is not my real mother..." Sofia was referred to the little pieces that she had overheard earlier when she went back to the dining room.
"Oh god..." The brunette whispered to herself. She knew how Arizona meant to Sofia, not in a million years that she'd take this away from her little girl. "Of course mama is your real mother."
"But Penny's here... making me dinner." Sofia couldn't stop crying. She was not a baby anymore but still, she was just 6 years old. The concept of another woman in her mommy's apron cooking dinner at her home was confused to her. "Only you and mama make dinner at home."
"Because she likes you and wants to spend some time with you." Callie coaxed softly. She really wanted to get Penny on her daughter's good side. But Sofia wasn't really listening.
"Katie said... she has a new daddy and never saw her old daddy again." Sofia remembered the frightening conversation she had with one of the classmates. She didn't understand it then but now the idea scared her. The tears wouldn't stop falling from her big brown eyes. "She said you'll replace my mama by a new mama. I don't want it. I want my mama."
"No one is going to replace mama, okay?" Callie buried her face in the little head, saying all she could think of to comfort her little girl. "She's your mama. She loves you so much. She will always be in your life, baby."
"And you and Penny are going to have a new baby?" The words from mommy did nothing to ease the worry in the little 6 years old head. Sofia clutched her mother's shirt tight and wailing loudly. "You have a new baby and you don't want me anymore. You'll give me to mama and never see me again."
"No, baby. No." The brunette pulled back in order to look her daughter in the eyes. Her own eyes were filled with tears now. Wiping the tears soaked cheeks tenderly, she declared it from her heart. "You are my baby. I will never, ever leave you. Mama will never, ever leave you. I don't know if me, or mama will ever have another baby, but you, Sofia Robin Sloan Torres, will always have the biggest piece of my heart. And I know that you will always have the biggest piece of mama's heart too. Okay?"
Sofia nodded slowly and relaxed against her mother's chest. She still didn't know what was going to happen but she'd settle on the affirmation she had gotten for now, that both of her mothers loved her so very much and she'd never lose another one of them.
The mother and daughter remained in the same position for a while, until Sofia's sob and hiccup subsided. Striking the little raven head gently, Callie asked.
"Ready for bed? Wanna go clean up your face and go to sleep?"
"Can I talk to mama? I want to say goodnight to her." The little girl looked up hopefully, and Callie couldn't decline this request.
"You go wash your face. I'll go get the phone."
Walking out of her daughter's room, Callie found a worried face looking at her from the couch.
"Is everything okay? I've heard Sofia was crying." Penny stood up and walked toward her girlfriend. She could see the redness around the brown eyes. "Is it because of me being in here?"
"No," The brunette shook her head quickly. "She just... she heard something from her friend and got a little upset about it. She wants to talk to Arizona."
"I see." Penny nodded. She wasn't truly convinced that she wasn't the cause of Sofia's melt down though. "It's getting late. I probably should go."
"Oh, okay." Callie answered absentmindedly, missing the look of disappointed on the pale fair as she was reaching into her purse looking for the phone. Holding the device in her hand, she walked her girlfriend to the door.
"Call me if you need anything?" The redhead asked after stepped out of the front door. Callie gave her a goodnight kiss on the lips.
"Yeah, I'll call you."
"Oops... my purse is vibrating." Arizona laughed when the woman who was whispering in her ear withdrew the hand from her thigh, under her purse.
"What is that? You packed a vibrator with you?" The faceless woman smirked at her seductively.
"Oh honey, I know my way around the neighborhood." The blonde winked, pulling the mobile out from her purse. "Believe me, I don't need any tools. It's my phone."
Looking at the caller ID displayed on the phone, Arizona frowned.
"Hello?" Poking a finger into her free ear trying to block out the loud music in the background, the blonde answered the call. "Callie?"
"Arizona?" Callie had to pull the phone away from her ear. The noise from the other end of the phone was unbearable. "Where are you? Are you... in a concert of something?"
"I am dancing." Arizona had to cover the mobile when the woman who was flirting with her the whole night catcalling into the phone. She herself had had enough alcohol in her system to flirt back. Leaning forward into the faceless woman's ear, the blonde whispered that she had to take this call outside before biting down on the handsy woman's earlobe. She laughed her way out after the woman moaned into her ear.
Callie didn't miss any of that.
"Hey, what's up?" Standing outside the club in the cold air, Arizona brought the phone to her ear again.
"So you go dancing." It wasn't a question.
"You have Sofia tonight. I am allowed to go out having a little fun." The blonde could hear the irritation from her ex-wife's tone. After all, they were together for 5 years before they went their separated ways. She knew this woman.
"Sounds more than a little fun to me." Callie couldn't help herself. She knew Arizona wasn't seeing anyone serious. From what she had heard over the phone, she didn't like what her ex-wife was doing.
"Anyway." Arizona rolled her eyes. She knew Callie had Penny over making dinner tonight. They were playing house, happily, she supposed. Why on earth would Callie concern what she was doing with her free time? "Why are you calling me? Is Sofia alright?"
"Funny that you remember you have a daughter when you have a woman moaning in your ear." Words came out of her mouth before she realized what she was saying. Took a deep breath, Callie softened her voice. "Sorry. Sofia was in a mood. She needs to talk to you. Are you in any condition to talk to her?"
"Yes." Arizona answered instantly. Hearing that Sofia needs her, it was like all in a sudden, the alcohol had drained out from her head. "Please put her on?"
"Hold on, I'll put you on speaker." Callie said into the phone. Pushed open the bedroom door, she found the little girl was lying in bed waiting for her impatiently. She sat down on the bed watching her daughter talking to her other mother.
"Mama?" Hadn't really recovered from the melt down, little lips trembled as she called for her mama.
"Sof? What is going on? Why are you crying?" The blonde could hear that clearly. It was a mother's instinct.
"I miss you, mama." The water gate opened again. Callie quickly moved to the head of the bed and pulled the girl into her arms.
"I miss you too, big girl." Arizona took a sharp in take of air. Her heart hurt knowing her daughter was crying and she was not able to hold her.
"When can I see you again?" Sofia wiped her eyes and sniffed loudly. "Will you come get me tomorrow?"
"I walked you to school this morning, remember?" The blonde knitted her brows together. What was happening?
"Yes." Sofia asked again. "But can I see you tomorrow?"
"You're with mommy tomorrow..." The blonde knew tomorrow was Callie's day off, and Sofia had told her that they made plan of going to the zoo with Zola.
"Baby, you and I and Zola are going to have a day of fun..." Callie cut in, but the little girl was kicking her feet before she could finish.
"I want to see mama!"
"Okay, okay. Sof, calm down." The brunette patted the little legs trying to soothe the upsetting girl.
"Sof, Sof?" Arizona said promptly. She hadn't seen her daughter threw a fit like this for a while. There must had something happened in the house tonight and now she was worried. "Tell mama why you are upset?"
"I want my old mama! I don't want a new mama!" Sofia dissolved into incoherent sobs, but it was well enough for her mothers to hear her.
"What?" The blonde clenched the phone tight. "Callie, what is she talking about?"
"Katie said she has a new daddy..." The little girl answered between hiccups. "And her old daddy doesn't want her anymore."
"This is silly, big girl." Arizona breathed out slowly trying to control her rapidly beating heart. Why would Sofia talk about this all in a sudden? "Mama always wants you, Sofia. You are my daughter of course I want you."
"But Penny said I am not your real daughter." Sofia's non-stopping tears were soaking the front of her mommy's shirt.
"Sof, that was not she meant." Callie chimed in hastily. She could hear the gasp of shock from the phone. "Arizona, it's not like that."
"You are my real daughter, big girl." Ignoring Callie, the blonde said with force. "No one can say otherwise. You hear me? I am your mother and I love you. No one can stop me from wanting you and loving you. Do you love me, Sof?"
"I love you, mama." Sofia answered without hesitation.
"Then none of the rest of it matters." Arizona directed this to her ex-wife subtly. "You are going to the zoo with mommy tomorrow. And after tomorrow, I'll pick you up and then the two of us going to do something that you like. How'd it sound?"
"Can we go see the puppies again?" Little brown eyes lit up.
"You want to help taking care of the puppies in the animal shelter? Of course we can go there." The blonde smiled into the phone. She knew how much her daughter loved puppies. "You have to close your eyes and go to sleep now. Tomorrow will come quicker and the day after tomorrow will come quicker too."
Callie sighed when her daughter settled back down on the bed without resistance. Arizona always had a way to calm the girl down. She picked up the mobile about to end the call, Sofia asked with her eyes closed.
"Mama, can you sing me to sleep?"
Arizona couldn't help to chuckle. She used to sing her girl to sleep when Sofia was younger, but the big girl grew out of it and they usually ended the night with story reading now.
"Sof, mama is standing in the middle of a street..." The blonde looked around. There weren't a lot of people around her, but still, there were people.
"Mama, please?" Sofia looked up, staring at the mobile in Callie's hand as if mama could see her eyes. "Can you sing me the song with the rainbow?"
"Fine," She wasn't going to say no. "One song and you go to sleep, deal?"
Sofia smiled satisfyingly. Callie placed the mobile next to the little Latina's ear, seeing the smile grew wider as the blonde started.
"Somewhere over the rainbow way up high, there's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby..." Blue eyes filled with tears as Arizona recalled the times she sang this song to lure her daughter to sleep. Sitting on the bed, stroking the little head lovingly with the other love of her life closed behind her. She didn't need to turn to know the identical caramel face resting on her shoulder was wearing the same smile as the one on the bed.
Little did she know, the woman on the other end of the phone was walking down the same memory lane.
"...if happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, why, oh why can't I?" Arizona ended the song as soft as she could. The line was quiet except for Sofia's even breathing.
"She's out." Callie picked up the phone carefully not to stir the sleeping girl. She turned off the speaker and brought the device to her ear. She knew she needed to talk to Arizona about this evening.
"Okay..." The blonde let out a breath of relief, then she realized her face was drenched with tears.
"Arizona..." The brunette trailed off, she didn't know how to start this conversation. But she didn't have to because the call ended abruptly.
Sliding off the bed, Callie sat on the floor with her knees to her chest. A fist against her mouth tried to suppress the involuntary sobs.
That's my baby in there, and I don't want anything happening to my baby.
In the other side of the town, passers were throwing curious gazes to a blonde woman who was leaning against the wall of a club, crying in her hands liked there was no tomorrow.
Putting down the glass of wine on the coffee table, Callie got up from the couch when she heard a knock on her front door. It was late and she wasn't excepting anyone. She choked with shock when she found the woman who occupied her mind in the last hour was standing on the other side of the door.
"Arizona...?" The brunette took in the woman before her. Golden lock was in a bouncy wave that featuring the bright and sparkling blue eyes; smooth lips shined with a shade of cherry red lipstick that would be irresistible to kiss. Looking down, the curvy body was hugged in a well fitting black dress that showing off the cleavage teasingly... Callie's mouth opened without realizing it. "You look... nice."
If it was another time, Arizona would have blushed and feeling butterflies fluttering in her stomach when Callie looked at her like that, but not now. She had a sole focus in her mind while she hopped in a cab coming to the place that she shouldn't come unannounced.
"I need to see her." The blonde said determinately. "I don't mean to interrupt your night with Penny. I just need to see my daughter. I'll be gone before you know it."
"Uh... Penny is not here." Callie shifted to the side letting her ex-wife entered. She waved her hand down the hallway. "Sofia's in her room, the second door on the left. But she's sleeping..."
Arizona didn't wait. Gave the brunette a tight smile, she strode toward when her daughter was. The room was dark with a little nightlight next to the bed. With the lights coming from outside after the door being pushed open, it was bright enough for the blonde to look at the little girl on the bed.
She didn't mean to wake up the little sleeping angel, but once her warm hand placed on the chubby cheek caressing it tenderly, Sofia was stirred and her long eyelashes fluttered. She frowned from the unfamiliar scents invading her nostril, but she knew that hand on her face. Even in her sleep, she knew that hand.
"Mama," A dreamy smile spread across the drowsy face before the little girl opened her eyes. "You came."
"Yes big girl, I am here." Arizona choked back a sob. She didn't want to cry in front of her daughter. "You want to see me, so I'm here."
"I love you, mama." Sofia murmured while drifting towards the dreamlands again, made her mama chuckled with tears in her eyes.
"I love you too, big girl." Kissing the little girl's forehead lovingly, the blonde sat there watching her daughter sleep. She could sit there watching her daughter forever but she couldn't. This wasn't her home and she knew that she had to leave at some point.
Closed the door behind her before threw a last look to the girl on the bed, Arizona found her way to the front door. She was in no mood to talk to Callie but the brunette just couldn't take the hints.
"You didn't have to come." Callie walked up the blonde before she reached the door knob. "She fell asleep before you ended the call."
There was no accusation in the brunette's tone, but in Arizona's ear, it sounded sharp and that irritated her.
"Yes, of course I have to come!" The blonde spun around with fire in her eyes. "My daughter was crying and asking for me, of course I have to come to make sure she is okay!"
"Our daughter!" The brunette exclaimed quietly, she didn't want to wake up the little girl. But seeing her daughter clinging on her other mother, and the blonde barged in her home just to kiss the little girl goodnight after this devastating evening... she couldn't control herself. "She is our daughter! And she is okay! She had a moment and she is fine now!"
"A moment? Sofia has never cried like that!" Arizona paused a second, recalling the phone call earlier. "What has your perfect Penny told her?"
"Penny and I were talking..." Callie dropped her head, avoiding the furious blue eyes. "Sofia wasn't supposed to hear that."
"So you and Penny were saying that Sofia is not my real daughter? Or you were telling her that I am not her real mother?" The blonde stared at her ex-wife incredulously. She could literally feel her heart was broken in a million pieces.
"Give me some credits, Arizona. I would never say such thing to anyone!" The Latina could see the hurt displayed on the face in front of her, but she was hurt too knowing that the blonde would think so little of her.
"So it was Penny, huh?" Arizona shook her head with a sneer. "You two are dating like what? 3 minutes? And she is planning to push me out of the picture?"
"No one is trying to push you out of the picture, Arizona! Penny was giving you a compliment. She was saying that..." Callie tried to defend her girlfriend, but the blonde was too angry to hear it.
"I don't care! Just... do us a favor, next time you and your girlfriend are going to talk about me, make sure my daughter is not around!" Arizona opened the door with force, yelled over her shoulder before walked out of the house. "I don't want to drag myself to here in the middle of the night again!"
"Our daughter, Arizona! She is our daughter!" Callie followed behind. She was not done with her ex-wife yet. "I am sorry that she interrupted your eventful night! I am sorry for keeping you away from whoever you were gonna hook up with!"
"Excuse me?" The blonde turned around giving the woman a hard stare. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Come on! Look at you!" Callie gestured the blonde's outfit with a wave of hand. Thinking about Arizona being flirtatious danced around nameless women made her lost the filter in her head. "You're all doll up and..."
"You don't know anything!" Arizona clenched her fists tight and shouted from the top of her lungs. "Yes, I go out meeting women whenever I don't have Sofia with me! You walked out of our marriage! You've moved on! You don't get to judge what I do in my time!"
"I... I am not judging you, Arizona." The brunette took in a large gulp of air. Arizona was right. It was not her place to judge, or even jealous. Her face softened and looking at her ex-wife with concern. "I ended our marriage because you weren't happy. But is this what you want? Go out dancing with random women..."
"This is not what I want, Callie!" Staring at the expressive brown eyes inches away from her, Arizona said between gritting teeth, restraining herself with difficulty from showing a quaver in her voice. "It doesn't matter anymore."
She waved her hand and turned to leave, but a hand on her arm stopping her before she walked down the doorstep.
"Arizona, I am sorry. I know you're upset about tonight. But I just want you to know, Penny wasn't being... I mean, she wasn't saying anything bad about you." Didn't want the blonde leaving with anger, Callie explained hurriedly. "Actually, she was saying that Sofia looks a lot like you even though, you know, I was the one who carried her."
"Yeah?" An uncontrollable small smile found the way to Arizona's face. If Callie was telling the truth, the nightmare scenario that had played in her head over and over again during the cab ride was not going to happen anytime soon.
"Yeah, especially her smile." Callie leaned against the railing, returning a smile. "Do you know she always looked at you when you laughed? Sofia. When she was younger, watching those cartoons with you. Even though she didn't understand what they were doing, she looked at you when you laughed, and then she laughed with you."
"And I'd smile harder because her little face lighted up and her little nose would scrunch up..." Talked about the little girl's antic made the blonde's grin went wider and her face screwed up. That made Callie chuckled.
"That's your smile. She watched and copied it." Callie couldn't take her eyes off the pair of dimples. "The super magic smile."
Arizona took in a shallow breath while leaned against the opposite railing. She remembered the first time Callie referring her smile. And she remembered the caress on her face after that.
The two women immersed in their memories. There was a pregnant silence between them before Callie spoke again.
"Arizona, I'd never kick you out of Sofia's life, even if I tried." The brunette said with nothing but honesty. "She loves you. I think she loves you more than me."
"You're crazy, Callie." Arizona shook her head with a chuckle.
"Am I? She asked for you when she was upset." Callie gave the blonde a bitter smile, who shrugged a shoulder playfully in return.
"Because I am the good cop."
The two laughed out simultaneously.
"Yes, you are." After the laugh died down, Callie looked at her ex-wife seriously. "You are a good person, Arizona. You're intelligent, caring, and loveable. Any woman would be lucky to be loved by you. You shouldn't waste your good quality to those hussies."
"Callie..." Arizona rolled her eyes to the sky. They were having a good time, why did Callie has to bring it up again?
"I am serious, Arizona. Find someone that worth it. Find someone makes you happy."
"Like you finding the perfect Penny?" The blonde said teasingly, but the smile didn't reach her blue eyes.
"Stop calling her that." It was Callie's turn to roll her eyes.
"You said it. She's funny and sharp. You two share the same mind..." Arizona repeated how the brunette described her new girlfriend. She could taste the bitterness on the tip of her tongue. Swallowed hard, she asked. "Do you love her?"
"I... I like her," Callie hesitated for a brief second, and added quickly. "A lot."
"Not there yet?" The blonde asked subtly, doing her best not to glow.
"I don't know. After the diner party at Meredith, after everything... maybe I don't really know her that well." The taller woman sighed heavily. "Or maybe I'm just thinking crazy, you know me. I think, maybe, probably, I'll love her, soonish."
"Soonish..." Arizona pursed her lips in her thought. She had question and she knew she might not have another chance to ask. "Is it... I... Is it really possible to love someone else after what we had?"
"What?" The brunette wasn't sure what Arizona wanted to say.
"I just... I am a woman living with only one leg, Callie." The blonde wetted her lips and looking away. She couldn't look at those brown eyes right now. "Trying to get over you? That is the hardest thing I ever have to do. And I still don't know how."
"What we had was... unique." Still don't know...? Callie frowned. "But... you ended it. You stopped loving me."
"I've never stopped loving you, Callie." Still staring at the floor between them, Arizona pulled her lips to a force smile. "You assume I fell out of love. You assume that I wasn't happy."
"You weren't happy. You stayed with me because of Sofia." Suddenly Callie felt her throat going dry. She said laboriously. "I don't want you stuck in a marriage that..."
"I wanted to stay because I love Sofia. I love Sofia because I love you." Watery blue eyes finally looked up. "I have never stopped loving you, Callie. Ever since that night you wore that hideous party hat, holding a plate of donuts in your hand."
Callie stood there with a lump in my throat and tried to fight back tears. She would never forget the first time hearing the blonde declared the love to her. She could see that sincere smile flashing back in her mind.
And she could see the Arizona she fell in love with 7 years ago in front of her again.
"I love you so much that I kept coming back to you, Callie. I came back to you even though I didn't want kids at the time." Arizona wiped off the lone tear with her finger tips before it rolled down her cheek. She didn't want the visible tear made her more vulnerable than she already was. "I came back to you even though you were pregnant with Mark's baby. I came back to you in a heartbeat when you asked if I wanted to come home."
"But you broke my heart..." Callie's voice was barely audible.
"Because I was broken. I went through a trauma." Arizona replied in an equally lower voice. "It took time for me to snap out of it, finally figuring out what I needed."
I don't need much to be happy. But I do know that I need you. I need Sofia, and I need you.
"And I screwed it up." The blonde breathed out. "I don't think I'd be able to find love again. Sofia is the only thing that keeping us together, Callie. You and me. I go from being your best friend, your wife to being just the woman who shares a child with you. If I lost her, all I have left would be the memories of those 5 years. The happiest 5 years of my life."
"You're not gonna lose her." Callie reassured her ex-wife. The only response she could come up with when her mind was in a whirl.
"I know." Arizona nodded slowly. She looked at the woman in front of her. She poured her heart out but the face under the dim front porch light was unreadable. Her heart almost leaped out of her chest when Callie finally opened her mouth.
"The way I loved you was consuming, Arizona. It was exhausting." The brunette said heavily, made the fair face before her fell. "But I don't regret any second of that because loving you was... is, the happiest time of my life."
I do everything for you, Arizona, because I love you.
The doleful frown on Arizona's face slowly replace by a small smile.
"I don't know if I can trust you again. I love you so much, Arizona. And it hurt so much... but..." Callie took a deep breath.
I choose you to be the one with whom I spend my life.
"I'm willing to try. For you, for me, and for our daughter."
The small smile went bigger.
"But I need time, Arizona. Especially, I'm with Penny right now." Callie bit her lips. Right, Penny.
"I understand." Blue eyes sparkled and blonde head nodded eagerly. "I'll wait, even if I have to wait 60 years."
"I don't think that's necessary." Callie chuckled at the blonde's antic. She and Sofia did act alike.
"So, I am going to give you time." Arizona smiled satisfyingly while taking her phone out of her purse. "It's getting late, you should go back to get some sleep."
"Where's your car?" The brunette looked over to her driveway, only her car was parked in there.
"I... uh... I was planning on having a few drinks tonight so I didn't take my car." The blonde waved the mobile phone in her hand. "I took a cab to here. Don't worry. I'm going to call a taxi. You don't have to wait with me."
"Arizona, it's late." Callie chewed her lips watching the blonde clicking on the phone. She had an idea. "I don't want you to go home alone in this hour. It's not safe. Stay here tonight."
"Callie...?" Arizona looked at her ex-wife uncertainly.
"I have a guest room. Or if you want, you can sleep in Sofia's bed with her." The brunette pulled the door opened waiting for the blonde to enter. "She'd be thrilled to see you in the morning."
"Are you sure?" The blonde was still uncertain about this invitation, but she entered the house again nevertheless.
"I wouldn't ask if I wasn't sure, Arizona. It's late." Callie smiled sincerely. She pointed toward the hallway. "The bathroom is down the hall on the right. I'll get you something to sleep in."
Arizona smiled back happily. She strode away but was stopped when Callie called after her.
"Maybe, we can go to the animal shelter with Sofia tomorrow? Together?"
"I'd love that." The blonde grinned from ear to ear.
And she got a breathtaking smile in return.
A/N 2: Hope you like it. Personally I am not really happy with the last part because something's holding me back when I wrote it... I don't want to get my hopes up.
Anyway, #calzonastrong