Title: Just Because (9/?)

Author: iheartcallietorres (laurenxx3 on LJ)

Pairing: Callie/Arizona

Rating: PG-13

Summary: AU - What if Callie had already had a child when Arizona had kissed her in the bathroom at Joe's? Knowing what we know now, how will Arizona react when she finds out that not only is Callie a 'newborn,' she has a newborn?

Disclaimer: You know the drill. All characters belong to Shonda Rhimes/ABC. I don't own anything. Any similarities to real life situations/persons are purely coincidental. Not for profit; for entertainment purposes only.

A/N: I have absolutely NO medical knowledge beyond what I see/hear on Grey's Anatomy, so forgive me of any medical-related errors. Also, this is un-betad, so all mistakes are mine. Please let me know if you come across any. As always, comments are much appreciated (and will encourage me to write more fics in the future - *hint, hint*).

A/N2: And the story line deviation continues… : )


[Callie's POV]

"Ooh! Let's get ice cream!" a very enthused Arizona said, pointing excitedly to an ice cream parlor while jumping up and down a few times like a little kid. I couldn't help but grin at her child-like mannerisms.

"You just ate a huge cheeseburger with a mountain of fries," I pointed out with a smile. "How do you even have room for ice cream?"

Arizona turned towards me and gave me a full-force smile, dimples and all. "Because," she stressed. "I always have room for ice cream! Come one. I hope they have peanut butter." She set off towards the tiny shop.

I rolled my eyes, but followed, pushing Liliana's stroller in front of me. The three of us had spend the entire day together so far. Arizona and I had picked up Liliana at Louise's (George's mother) first thing this morning. That had been a bit awkward since I hadn't even thought to mention that I'm dating someone. Who happens to be a woman. I'm not sure she fully realized that Arizona was more than a friend, though. I made a mental note to have that conversation with Louise soon. Very soon. Before George said anything to her. I hoped she'd be okay with it. But I'm not going to worry about that now.

After picking Liliana up, we'd gone out to breakfast before riding leisurely around Seattle, stopping to do shopping here and there. Well, Arizona shopped. I mainly looked at things longingly before placing them back on the rack.

But Arizona didn't shop for herself. She dragged me into a baby store and kept picking things out for Liliana - clothes, shoes, toys. I tried to say no, but she flashed me those damn dimples and I was a goner. When did become so whipped?

After shopping, we strolled around downtown, taking in the rare partly-cloudy day until it was time for a late lunch of burgers and fries. I knew I'd regret the calorie-rich meal later, but it had been so long since I'd had a burger that I didn't care.

And now, here we were in a tiny ice cream parlor after devouring a gigantic meal. I couldn't even look at the ice cream. I was too fully. But I was happy to allow Arizona to eat to her heart's content.

"I think I'll have a double scoop of the double chocolate chip peanut butter extravaganza," Arizona said to the teenaged boy behind the counter. She turned to me. "What do you want, Calliope?"

I shook my head. "I, unlike you, am not a bottomless pit and can't possibly eat anything else right now."

Arizona shrugged. "Suit yourself."

I chuckled and pushed Liliana's stroller to a booth in the corner to wait on Arizona as she paid and got her ice cream. I looked into the stroller and noticed that Liliana beginning to get fussy. "Hey, baby girl," I cooed as I gently picked her up from the stroller and held her in my lap.

I was rooting in her diaper bag for a bottle when Arizona sat across from me, already digging into her ice cream.

"I think this is the last stop for today," I said, holding the bottle for Liliana to suckle. "She's getting fussy."

Arizona nodded. "I somehow managed to get two days off in a row," she said. "You work tomorrow, right?"

I nodded. "My shift starts at six," I said with disdain. I despise getting up that early. I'm so not a morning person.

Arizona chuckled at my obvious dislike of the early morning hours. I shot her a playful glare and she ducked behind another bit of her ice cream.

"Mmmm," she sighed, her eyes rolling upwards in pleasure. "Calliope, you're really missing out," she said.

"Yeah, missing out on a stomach ache," I shot back.

"But it's soooo good," Arizona groaned. Her blue eyes sparkled with mischievousness and I raised an eyebrow. "So rich and creamy," she continued, spooning another bite into her mouth. She rolled her tongue over her lips and I nearly gasped aloud. She laughed when she noticed my reaction.

"Meanie," I said beneath my breath, turning my attention to the bundle in my arms sucking away noisily at the bottle.


[Arizona's POV]

"I have to go to work," Calliope protested. I ignored her and continued kissing my way down her neck. "Arizona," she groaned and pushed me away. I pouted and she chuckled. "Trust me, I don't want you to stop," she said. "But I need to get ready now or I'll be late."

I sighed and rolled off her. "Stupid work," I muttered. Calliope laughed and got out of bed. I unabashedly studied her as she walked to the bathroom naked and started the shower.

I sighed again and got up and threw on some shorts and a t-shirt before padding out to the kitchen to start some coffee. I was startled when I came face to face with Cristina Yang in the kitchen glaring the coffee pot.

"Morning," I chirped. She looked up and gave me the same glare before returning her gaze to the coffee pot, as if staring at it would make it brew faster.

"Whatever," she muttered.

Okay, not a morning person, I thought to myself.

Cristina finally poured a cup of coffee and took it back to her room, never giving me a second glance. I shrugged and poured myself a cup, adding sugar and cream. Minutes later, Calliope entered the kitchen fresh from her shower and kissed me quickly before pouring herself a cup.

She glanced at the clock above the oven and her eyes widened. "See? I'm gonna be late," she groaned. "And I haven't gotten Liliana ready to take to the daycare."

I could tell she was getting flustered, so I said the first thing that came to mind. "I can watch her today," I said, surprising myself.

Calliope's eyebrows raised and she looked at me questioningly.

"I mean, I understand if you're not comfortable with it," I hurried. "I just thought that it would be the simplest solution…" I trailed off and felt my cheeks turn red. I shrugged. "But whatever."

"I have no problem with letting you watch her," Calliope said. "I just wasn't sure you'd be willing to."

I grinned. "I want to. And you need to leave like, now, if you want to be on time," I pointed out.

"You're sure?" she asked, putting on her leather jacket.

"Go. We'll be fine."

"You can call me with any questions, you know," she said.

I rolled my eyes. "Calliope. I'm a doctor. A pediatric surgeon. She'll be fine."

She grinned and leaned down to give be a goodbye kiss. "It's not her I'm worried about," she said. "My shift ends at three."

She left and I grinned, looking forward to proving to Calliope that I could handle this. Actually, I wasn't proving anything to Calliope, per say. I was proving this to myself. I can handle this. I repeated those words in my head and I returned to Calliope's bedroom to try and catch a few more minutes of sleep, knowing from the few times I've spent the night that Liliana was due to wake up within the hour.

I'd barely fallen asleep when, sure enough, I heard Liliana's cries through the baby monitor and I sat up with a start, momentarily disoriented.

I shook my head to clear it and hurried into Liliana's room. "Hey, sweetie," I said softly as I picked her up and cradled her to my chest, careful to support her neck and head. I laid her on the changing table and mentally went over everything in my head Calliope had taught me about changing a diaper before attempting it for the first time by myself.

"I can do this," I said in a sing song voice, directing it at Liliana, but needing to hear it myself. Five minutes, six wet wipes and two diapers later, I pumped my fist into the air in triumph and did a little happy dance at successfully changing the diaper.

But Liliana was not so easily impressed and quickly began crying again.

I felt myself start to panic before classicizing myself. Babies cry. I can handle this. I picked her up and bounded her slightly, trying to figure out what she wanted.

Food! Maybe she was hungry. I walked out to the kitchen, still holding her and searched the cupboards for baby formula. I grabbed the can from a shelf and quickly scanned the directions. Seems simple enough, I thought to myself with a nod.

I sat on the couch feeding Liliana, glad that that had seemed to be what she'd been crying for. As I cradled her on my lap and held the bottle, I took the moment to study her. I could already see the striking resemblance to Calliope. She already had a full head of curly black hair and she had Calliope's eyes.

I settled in on the couch with a baby in my lap and suddenly chuckled at my life. I'd sworn I'd never fall for another woman with a child. Boy, had I been so wrong.

I've never been more happy to be wrong.


[Callie's POV]

Since Arizona had the day off and Mark was in surgery, I decided to eat my lunch in the lounge. First thing I did was call Arizona.

She answered on the second ring. "She's fine, Calliope," she said with a hint of laughter in her voice.

I smiled. "I know. I'm just checking in. Making sure that you are okay."

"I'm fine, too. There was a little, ah, diaper incident earlier, but all is well now."

I chuckled. "I never doubted you, Arizona," I told her.

She went quiet for a second. "Thanks," she said softly. "I can honestly say that this has been an amazing experience."

"What? Babysitting?"

She laughed softly. "No, silly. Well, yes, but that's not what I meant. I meant you and Liliana. Us. Thank you for being so patient with me."

I smiled broadly. "Thank you for giving us a chance." I heard Liliana start to cry in the background and let her go, smiling down into my pitiful lunch.

I was nonchalantly flipping through an issue of Orthopedics Journal of Medicine when the door to the lounge opened. I looked up to see a startled George.

"Sorry," he said. "I was looking for Bailey. Have you seen her?"

I shook my head. "Haven't seen her all day." I took another bite of my lunch as an awkward silence overcame us. I thought back to the brief time when conversation had been easy between us and nearly laughed aloud at the vast difference between then and now.

"Can I take Liliana tonight?" George suddenly asked. "My schedule got switched around, so I'm working on Friday and won't be able to take her then."

Yeah. That's pretty much all we talk about now; Liliana.

"Sure," I answered, not really wanting to say yes, but knowing I had no reason to say no.

"Thanks," he said and turned to leave. But he paused and turned back to me.

"What?" I asked when he didn't immediately say anything.

He hesitated a bit before closing the door and sitting across the table from me. "Are you… I mean, um…"

I raised my eyebrows at him, wanting him to spit it out.

He sighed and finally met my eyes. "Are you and Dr. Robbins… together? Like, romantically together?"

I nearly laughed aloud at that until I realized that he was seriously asking me. I must have looked confused because he quickly continued.

"I've heard the gossip, but you know you can't believe everything you hear within these halls. And I'm sorry if I'm wrong or if I offended you, but I've also noticed that you and Dr. Robbins have been spending a lot of time together and-"

"George!" I interrupted him. I hadn't actively thought about officially coming out to my ex-husband, but there's no time like the present, I guess. "The gossip you've heard isn't wrong," I said, my voice daring him to say something negative. In our short-lived 'romance' the topic of homosexuality had never arisen, so I honestly have no idea what his views are on the subject.

"Oh," was all he said and stared at his hands in his lap. "So, are you… gay then?"

I considered his question carefully for a moment before answering. "Why do I have to label myself?" I asked. "I'm with Arizona. I like Arizona. A lot. She's good to me. If that makes me gay, then I guess I'm gay."

He nodded slightly and I wondered what he was thinking. I really didn't care what most people thought about my relationship with Arizona, but I did care what George thought. We have a child together. If he had an issue with it, he could become really difficult to coordinate Liliana's care. I've recently read some articles about fathers who have tried to gain full custody of their children because the mother had come out as gay. I really don't believe George to be capable of something so malicious, but I'd also never believed that he would cheat on me and look how that had turned out.

"What are you thinking, George?" I asked, needing to know what was going through his head.

George looked up. "Are you happy?" he asked.

I couldn't stop the smile the spread across my face. "I am," I said. "Very happy."

He nodded slightly. "Good," he said softly. "You deserve to be happy and if s-she makes you happy, then I'm happy for you. I hope she treats you a lot better than I did."

I wanted to say something witty about how she wouldn't have to do much, but decided against it. He was trying here and I really did appreciate that.

The rest of the day was pretty slow with just a routine hip replacement and a few broken bones that needed casting. I was anxious to get out of there, so I weaseled another resident to cover my last fifteen minutes and left early.

I opened the door of my apartment and a smile immediately spread across my face. Arizona lay on the couch on her back with Liliana laying on her stomach on Arizona's chest. Both were fast asleep.

It was definitely a Kodak moment and I couldn't resist. I tip toed into my bedroom and grabbed my digital camera. I quickly snapped a picture of the sleeping duo. That's so going to be the new wallpaper on my laptop.

I set the camera down and knelt beside the couch. I gently stroked Arizona's cheek with the back of my index finger and her eyes fluttered open.

"Hey," I whispered. She looked momentarily dazed before smiling at me.

"Hey yourself," she replied. She looked down at Liliana. "She wouldn't go to sleep in her crib, so…"

I chuckled. "Yeah, she's a little spoiled between Louise, Cristina and I." I rubbed my hand gently over Liliana's back.

"Cristina? Really?"

"You'd be surprised."


[Arizona's POV]

I was surprised. A week later, I walked out of Calliope's bedroom to find Cristina holding Liliana high above her head as she spun slowly around, talking in a high-pitched voice that sounded completely foreign coming from her.

I stopped in my tracks as I watched the display of utter anti-Cristina Yang in front of me, barely containing my laughter.

I cleared my throat and Cristina jumped slightly. She stopped spinning and looked at me, her expression resembling that of a deer caught in headlights. She quickly regained her composure and lowered Liliana, cradling the tiny human against her chest. "You tell anyone," she started.

I stopped her. "I won't tell a soul," I said. I poured myself a cup of coffee.

"So, since Callie's not here, why are you?" Cristina asked, placing Liliana in the automatic swing.

Even with how little I knew Calliope's roommate, I knew not to take offence to Cristina's blunt question. I sipped my coffee before answering. "She was paged early this morning and told me I could stay until my shift started."

She seemed to accept that answer and began walking to her room. "So you can take her to the daycare, then?" She didn't wait for my answer before closing her bedroom door behind her.

I rolled my eyes, glad I'd already planned on doing just that and still had plenty of time to get myself and Liliana ready.

Calliope met us at the entrance of the hospital and took Liliana from me before leaning down to give me a soft kiss hello. "Thanks for getting her ready and brining her," she said to me.

I smiled as we made our way to the elevators, "It's no problem, really. I enjoy it."

Calliope grinned as we entered the elevator. "See? I knew you'd get the hang of it quickly."

I reached over and ran my hand over Liliana's back and smiled up at Calliope. "I did. And I'm starting to feel like a mom."