AN – This is clearly not going to be the best fic I have ever written. It's only slightly coherent (after 3 days spent reviewing it! Argh!), but once I've introduced all the complications (Yes, there will be more complications.) it should start to flow a little better. A few people reviewed (thanks!) with different ideas… the thing is, is that this will be a long story and it may take some time for the lightness to come back in… i.e. Calzona. So please do bear with it because there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Warning: This involves speculation about an upcoming ep of greys... the speculation is mostly over at LiveJournal at the Callie_Arizona community. I think sometimes we let our fangirl imaginations run a little too wild, but it was a cool idea and I thought there was a couple of small stories that could be played out while developing the idea.

This chapter jumps around a lot. It goes from Arizona's POV the day after the break-up and then to a third person narrative on the same day. The timeline then jumps back to Callie and her California-ness... from there it will continue in linear format.


Arizona POV

(Day immediately following break-up)

I love her and I thought she was it for me.

It. Like, the one. But, she wants kids. And I don't. She wants kids. Why would you want kids? Really? Why? I work with kids everyday and I can deal with them, but going home to a child. Total other story. How draining it would be.

First you pay god knows how much to get a parasite inserted into your uterus. You get handed a photo of peanut and are told to get excited about it and to love it. One of you carry it while it gives you nausea, indigestion and kicks your internal organs. Then they hand you the screaming bundle of 'joy' and it's obviously not happy to be out in the world and you have no idea what to do with it. Then you have to feed it and be awake all hours of the night ensuring it's comfortable. Once that stage is over you then have to teach it how to talk, how to walk and how to poop in the right spot. Then they start to run, in the house, in the yard, on the road. They grow up enough to start lying to you and testing your patience. When you thought it couldn't get any worse they start to completely rebel. They swear at you, they drink and take drugs and sleep with people they shouldn't, all the while you are trying to guide and mould them to be good people.

Rationally. Why would you put yourself through that? REALLY?

Then it's not just them you have to worry about, it's the relationship you have with the other parent. You watch it take a nose dive for 18 years while you fight over names, who stays home, what school to send them to, what sports they are to play, how to discipline and over what and it just goes on and on and spirals out of control, only to find that when you're done and the kid is out of your hair there is this person who looks a lot like someone you once knew.

Again, WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?

I love Calliope. I do. But why would I stick around to watch all of that happen to us? To watch our life be determined by someone else, a tiny someone else?Nope. Not me.


Mark had spent most of the day with his daughter and grandson. He was in a state of euphoria. Everything seemed right in the world. He would finally have a chance to make up for the absent father he had been. He was walking talk.

He strolled over to the table where Arizona was sitting by herself. Looking down to the salad and not lifting her head for anything. He took a seat across from her.

"I heard about you and Callie. I'm sorry."

"She told you already?"

"We were so busy she didn't tell me until she left this morning. She told me why… I'm sorry Arizona." He hadn't really listened to himself or the words that he was speaking and how they could be taken. When Arizona's face falls, he immediately reaches out to rub her arm.

"Don't." She deflected his touch, disgusted. "Did you even think… did either of you think that I even existed, or was it just like old times?" Still completely unaware that she was assuming that they had slept together, Mark continued on the conversation unknowingly digging Callie and him deeper.

"Well we are friends and we help each other out when we can. In all the chaos… I asked about you a couple of times, but Callie insisted that we left you out it, so we did. But this morning, it was great. When she agreed to stay with me… It was sort of an afterglow moment - when everything just clicks you know?"

Horrified and hurt, she stands, but before she leaves she shoots him a glare.

"Don't hurt her."

She walks off quickly, leaving a very confused Mark watching her leave.


(Back to Callie – Skip forward to the morning after arriving in LA.)

Callie woke up to the sound of waves crashing, a familiar sound from her childhood. Her eyes were heavy and sore from crying, but the oceans music was her saving grace. From the time she could walk she had lived for the ocean, often sneaking out of the house, building a campfire on the shore and sleeping under the stars. It was her haven. When she had called Addison 3 minutes after Arizona had left, an offer of the beach was something she immediately jumped at. Admittedly she had rung Addison in hopes of an invitation, but she was still happy to be invited.

Once there, after her meltdown, she and Addison had talked. Callie talked about her desire to have children and Addison voiced her regret of not being able to have them. It was the first honest conversation Callie had had in weeks about what exactly had been on her mind. She had felt as if she had been relieved of one of the burdens she was carrying.

The tears had still come once she lay in bed alone. Exhausted physically she drifted off again with her nightly ghost haunting her last thoughts. This time the dimpled boy whispered 'Come catch me Mom' and ran off to the other side of the imaginary front yard.

Now she watched the ocean from the window. It always had helped her think before. And it was in the calm of the moment that she made her decision. She had thought about it long and hard. She had tried with George, she had thought about it through the divorce, then with Erica, and finally it had grown from a theoretical far off idea into a suddenly real desire, almost an urgent requirement.

"I'm going to have a baby." She announced to the empty room.


It didn't take long to convince Addison for Callie to meet the fertility specialist. She had mentioned it over breakfast and by the time they both were finished Addison had spoken to Naomi and booked an appointment for later that day. They had spent the day on the beach outside Addison's house both reading.

"You know what would make this so good right now?"

"What?"

"Strawberry daiquiri's"

"This is not the Torres I left in Seattle."

"You are correct on that one, but Strawberry daiquiri's are a family tradition of my sister and I. We called it Torres time. We'd sunbathe and drink Strawberry daiquiri's and swim and just have a great afternoon by the beach."

"I've got all the ingredients for your fluffy pink drink, but maybe we'll get to the appointment with Naomi first?"

"Sure."


"So how does this work?"

"Well we'll run a few tests on you. Determine if you physically able and ready to get pregnant, then we'll go from there. I've got a couple of different cryo-banks that I am associated with, so should these tests come back all clear, we can start talking cycles and donors and all the interesting things tomorrow."

"Great, Thanks for seeing me at such short notice Naomi."

"You are welcome. Come back tomorrow afternoon at 3 and we'll talk about the results."

"Thank You." She left the office with Addison standing outside. Callie looked up and smiled and while Addison raised her eyebrow and followed the brunette.

"Are you sure about this?"

"If I wait for the right time, I'll never have kids."

"Well I know that feeling. But what about finances and work. Have you thought about all that?"

"Addison, I didn't just jump into this. I've been thinking about this for years. I have thought about the logistics I can do this."

"What about money… didn't your Dad cut you off?"

"He also gave my trust fund back with more money than I will ever need. I have thought about it. This is not a reaction to my break-up with Arizona, if that's what you are thinking. I wanted to do this with her, but she doesn't want it, so I'm just going to do what I want."

"I just don't want you to do something you regret. This is not a tattoo. It's permanent, but with real consequences. Consequences that will last the rest of your life. You might have considered it before, but you'll be doing this on your own."

"I am aware that it will be difficult, but when is life not difficult? Do you want to be cool Aunty Addie or not…?"

"I want you to be happy."

"I will be." They reach the car and Callie gets in the driver's side, looking over at her passenger she smiles. "Tomorrow I can start picking the Daddy." She laughs. Addison looks at her and smiles. "You have another day off tomorrow?"

"Yeah, the rest of the week, until Monday, figured I could use a little Torres time."

"Ah… so the sunbathing and cocktails appealed to you? Knew you were a daiquiri kinda girl." She laughed before her car roared to life. "I miss having you around in Seattle. Maybe I should move down here."

"That wouldn't be moving here that would be running away."

"Yeah, I guess it would be. It's still a nice thought though-" Her phone starts vibrating and Little Pieces by Gomez fills the air. "Uh – can you get that?"

Addison answers the phone

"Callie's Phone Addison Speaking"

"Addison, how are you?"

"Derek? I'm good. How are you?"

"Great. Look is Callie there? I need to speak to her about something."

"It's Chief Sheppard - do you want to pull over?"

"What does he want?"

"What do want Derek?"

"I need to speak to Torres, it's important."

"Apparently it's important."

She pulls over and takes the offered phone off Addison.

"You are interrupting my time off. I distinctly remember telling you that I need two weeks without interruptions – I can take my research elsewhere Derek. I don't have anything keeping me there anymore."

"Hold on Torres, I just wanted to let you in on some news that might be interesting for you."

Silence. She rolls her eyes and sighs loudly

"Well… go on."

"It seems that Seattle Grace has a Harper Avery nominee."

"That's nice…. I'm hanging up now."

"It's you. You have been nominated for the Harper Avery."

"Wha?"

"As chief I am ringing to let you know that there will be a ceremony in July – three months almost to the day - with the announcement of a winner. Congratulations."

"But why?"

"Callie I've seen how many hours you've put in, I've seen you build titanium legs, I've seen you freeze a man so that he could possibly walk again. Most recently you made cartilage out of nothing, if anyone deserves this award it is you. You don't do it for the glory you do it for your patients, that's why you were nominated to the board. The Avery Foundation seemed to agree and think you were doing a good job too."

"Wow. Thanks – Chief."

She hung up the phone. Addison looked over curiously.

"You are looking at one of the five nominees for Harper Avery award."

"That's…great. Definitely a reason to celebrate."

"Yep, I need a drink right now."


He headed to the coffee cart to get yet another coffee, when he saw Derek Sheppard in the halls.

"There is the Grandpa himself." Derek smirked.

Mark wasn't that bothered by it. He just smiled.

"Ah, I see, the grandpa has finally grown up. So you heard the news?"

"What news?"

"Torres got nominated for the Harper Avery."

"What?"

"Yeah, for her Cartlidge study she's just published. The titanium legs didn't hurt at all either."

"Wow."

"Yeah, couple of Seattle Grace alum that she will be up against though… Erica Hahn for one. Preston Burke for two."

"Erica Hahn? As in the cardiothoracic surgeon Erica Hahn? As in her ex."

"Yep. One and the same."

"That is interesting. I wonder how that will work." He took a moment and thought of Callie before continuing. "Think she's got a shot?"

"She is a lot younger than most – that could be a pro or a con. Orthopedics is usually less focused upon in this competition, again they might look at it as more reason to give it to her. Burke had already got one award, so maybe he'll get a second... She has done a lot of research and hers is a huge breakthrough. I'd like to see her win over Hahn and Burke, that's for sure. We won't know anything until July."

"It would look good for you too?"

"A Harper Avery while I was Chief? Wouldn't hurt that's for sure."