A/N: First off THANK you for all the reviews, majority of them were anonymous so I thank you!

Second, the next couple of chapters are giving me some trouble. I'm telling you this so you'll know there might not be an update next week, but I'll try to make sure that doesn't happen. Words of encouragement appreciated. :D

Chapter 9

Instead of leaving right away, Callie decided that her and Amelia would stay for a little while. Callie and Arizona moved with Amelia into the kitchen so they could spread out and work on their homework together. It had become habit in the last week or so for them to get their homework done and pass the baby back and forth between them to make sure she received plenty of attention.

As Barbara worked to prepare dinner, she also took a few turns with the little one, but mostly she just watched in amazement at how the two girls seemed to be in sync. She realized this probably wasn't the first time they'd worked together in such a way. But it was more than that, it was almost as if one could sense what the other was about to do. It was also very clear to her that her daughter wasn't only enamored with Callie, but with her child as well.

"Callie, are you going to stay for dinner?" the elder Robbins asked, breaking the flow of conversation between the two girls.

"I don't know," Callie answered hesitantly. "I don't want to mess with Amelia's schedule to much." Barbara nodded her head in understanding, while Arizona could barely hide the look of disappointment on her face.

"Couldn't you just stay for dinner?" Arizona pouted. "Just head home right after? Please," she whined.

Callie laughed, "Alright, fine, we'll stay. But I need to leave early enough to spend a little time with her before bed."

"Of course," Arizona said, as if it was obvious. "Wouldn't want you to miss out on mother/daughter bonding time. Would we Amelia?" she finished her sentence by tickling the little girl who was currently sitting on her mom's legs, earning her a laugh.

Apparently the attachment went both ways, Barbara thought to herself. Amelia seemed to love Arizona as much as Arizona loved her. "We'll have you home plenty early," she promised Callie. "Dinner is ready, we're just waiting on Arizona's dad."

"In that case, I better get Amelia's dinner ready," Callie said, moving to hand the baby over to Arizona.

"I can make it," Barbara offered, not wanting to make Callie move.

"No, thank you," the Latina declined, moving to the diaper bag to pull the baby cereal out.

"Callie likes doing everything herself," Arizona informed her mother. "She doesn't accept help easily." This statement earned a glare from the topic of conversation.

"Hey, I let you come over and help didn't I?"

"Only after I forced you to give me your keys," Arizona reminds her.

"But," Callie said pointedly, "I've let you come over every day since." Callie had her there. In the last week or so it had quickly become habit for the two to head straight to Callie's right after school.

"Well, what do we have here?" a male voice asks, stopping the bantering between the two girls.

"Hey, Dad," Arizona greeted, getting up and giving him an awkward hug with the baby still in her arms. "This is my friend, Callie," she introduced, while pointing at her friend. "And this cutie is Amelia, Callie's daughter." She took the baby's hand in her own and helped her give a small wave.

Daniel exchanged a look with his wife, silently asking so many questions. Barbara only gave a smile and a slight nod of her head. After so many years of marriage, that was all that was needed for him to understand. Leaning down so he was face-to-face with the baby, he took her small hand and gave her a smile. "Hello there," he told her, getting a gummy grin.

Standing back up, he moved over to where Callie was standing behind the counter and held out his hand. "Colonel Daniel Robbins, United States Marine Corp."

Taking his hand, she gave him a firm shake. "Calliope Torres, high school and mother," she introduced herself, adopting the same serious tone he'd just spoke to her in.

"I like you," Daniel stated simply, earning a smile from Callie. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"You too, sir." The young mother breathed a sigh of relief. Arizona had told her that if she ever met her dad that he would likely try to intimidate her. "Show no fear," the blonde had told her. It seemed she was right.

"Alright, now that everyone knows who everyone else is, let's eat," Arizona said in a teasing voice. She was hoping to save Callie from the inquisition that was coming. One that was far worse than the one she'd endured with Carlos Torres.

"I thought we'd eat in the dining room today, since the girls seem to have every inch of the table covered in here," Barbara teased.

Callie couldn't help but take notice of the difference between her own home and this one. They wouldn't think of being so informal as to eat in the kitchen, but here, the dining room was more for special occasions. She liked it.

Walking into the dining room, she was surprised when she found a highchair waiting at the table. Arizona seemed to be surprised as well. "I pulled this out of the attic when Amelia was taking her nap this morning, figured it'd come in handy to feed her lunch. And I was kind of hoping you'd agree to stay for dinner as well," Barbara told Callie.

"I didn't even know we still had this," Arizona said.

"We may move a lot dear, but there are some things a mom doesn't want to let go of. The crib you and Tim used is up there too."

"Packrat," Arizona teased her mother.

"You really didn't have to go to all that trouble," Callie finally spoke up, but hating that she broke up the banter between the two Robbins women. She loved watching Arizona and her mother interact. It was what she hoped to have with her own daughter. It also made her a little sad to think about the relationship with her own mother.

"It was no trouble. I hope that you'll visit more often, the both of you," Barbara told her pointedly.

"We will," Callie promised with a smile.

Arizona moved to place the baby down in the chair. "No," Arizona told Callie, when she went to sit down in the chair next Amelia. "You go sit over there," she pointed to the other side of the table.

"But…"

"No buts. I'm feeding her today so you can eat a hot meal for once."

"Arizona," Callie started to object.

"Nope, I won't hear it. This is my house, you're the guest. Go."

Callie tried again to sit down, but Arizona beat her to it. The two girls locked eyes and Arizona tilted her head towards the chair on the other side. With a huff, Callie finally gave in and moved around to the other side and sat down.

They didn't have anything to compare it to, since their daughter had never brought home a friend before, but Barbara and Daniel could see there was something strong between the two girls. Both were extremely stubborn, that much was obvious, but Arizona seemed to push Callie around a lot easier than she should be able to. It gave Daniel a sense of peace, knowing that settling down here was probably the best idea he could have had. There was a light in his child's eyes that had never been there before.

As predicted, Callie was questioned endlessly on her life and ambitions. She impressed both parents with her goals for the future. It seemed that being a mother wasn't going to stop her from getting what she wanted. In fact it only increased her need to make a good life for them both.

"I hope, someday, to be able to provide for both of us. I hate depending so much on my father, but knowing it's temporary makes me feel better about it."

"You seem to have a good head on your shoulders. You'll do fine," Daniel told her, impressed by this young girl.

"Thank you, sir."

"Enough with the sir stuff. Please, call me Daniel."

Arizona almost dropped her fork back to the plate with that. Her father didn't let just anybody call him by his first name. Giving a quick glance to her mother, she knew she wasn't the only one that was slightly shocked at her father's words.

"Oh, you two," Daniel said, catching the silent exchange between his wife and daughter. "It's not like nobody ever calls me Daniel."

"Yeah, you're right," Arizona agrees. "Mom calls you that all the time," she deadpans.

"Callie, ignore these two. They seem to think I'm making you a special case."

Callie sees the smile on Arizona's face and on Barbara's and notices that it's probably the truth. It made her feel good to know she'd been accepted by Arizona's father. "I shall do just that, Daniel," she says, playing into the conversation.

After that, the conversation was of a lighter and more joking tone. "Let me see that baby," Daniel said, when Amelia tried to join in on the conversation, make noises and banging a hand on the table.

Arizona passed Amelia over to her father without hesitation. He held her up in the air, studying her closely. Amelia gave him a smile, drool rolling down her chin. "You're going to be a handful," he concluded finally, sitting her down on his lap and wiping her mouth with a napkin. "If she's anything like Arizona here, you better practice patience," he advised Callie teasingly.

"Hey! I'm an angel," Arizona tried to defend herself.

Callie, however, had pretty much stopped listening to the words flying around her. Instead, she watched the ease with which Daniel took to her daughter. And Amelia seemed to relish all the attention she was getting today. Something she only really got from Callie and recently Arizona. She knew Sandra was a good nanny, but there was no real affection in the way she cared for her daughter.

She was almost sad to have to leave. She loved her one-on-one time with Amelia, but there was a feeling of belonging here, for both of them, that she didn't feel at home. Getting up, she started gathering her daughters stuff and putting it back in her diaper bag. "Sorry, but we better go."

"Yes, of course," Barbara replied, taking Amelia from her husband and giving her a loving hug. "Get this little girl home to bed, she's getting tired." As if to prove her point, Amelia's eyes started to droop.

"You get her in her carseat, and I'll get the rest of her stuff together," Arizona offered.

Callie nodded her head. Moving to stand next to Barbara, she held her arms out and Amelia quickly fell into them. "My baby is definitely tired," she said in a soft voice as her daughter curled into her chest. "She's had a long day."

"If your nanny isn't feeling better, feel free to bring her back tomorrow," Barbara offered just as Callie moved with Amelia to the door.

"Thank you, I might have to, I don't want to risk her getting sick."

"Yes, never good for a preemie like her. I know firsthand how crucial it can be to prevent illness." Callie gave Barbara a questioning look. "Apparently Arizona didn't mention I was a nurse in the pediatric and neonatal wards of the hospital before I was a stay-at-home mom."

Callie just shook her head no, both women giving Arizona a look. "I forgot," Arizona told them. "It's not like you ever worked after I was born," she reasoned.

"It would have made me feel a lot better about today to know that," Callie said pointedly, trying not to let Arizona see she didn't really mean it.

"I'm sorry," Arizona apologized.

"Apology accepted," Callie smiled a grin that let Arizona know she was just kidding.

The blonde stuck her tongue out at her friend. "You're mean."

"But you love me anyway."

How true that statement was, was all Arizona could think. Instead of answering, she walked out the door and started loading Amelia's things into the car. Callie exchanged a wink with Barbara, both laughing at how easy it was to get Arizona to pout. Following Arizona finally, she loaded her daughter in the car and said her goodbyes.

~CA~

"Where have you been?" Carlos demanded as soon as Callie stepped in the door with Amelia.

Callie glared at her father, not wanting to deal with him right now. "Not that it's any of your business, but I was at Arizona's."

"Not my business?" Carlos questioned angrily. "You are my daughter, how is that not my business? My high school aged daughter."

"Your daughter who is also 18 and a mother herself. I don't feel I need to inform you of everything little thing I do." She loved her father, she really did. He had done a lot to help her get through this whole situation. But to some degree, he was far too controlling.

"I didn't know what to think when I came home. Sandra informed me she was sick, but you and Amelia were nowhere to be found and no one had seen you all day."

"Once again, not necessarily your business, but Arizona's mom offered to baby-sit so I could go to school. Then we stayed to work on homework and have dinner." She just wanted to go up and get Amelia ready for bed and spend some time with her. She didn't really want to have this conversation.

"It's my business because I pay for everything," he reminded her, as if that explained everything.

Callie just sighed, sitting the carseat down on the floor and pulling Amelia, who had started to fuss, into her arms. "Yes, because money is everything," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?"

She stood and looked him square in the eye. "Yes, you pay for everything, and you ask how she's doing. But when have you actually played with her, or even held her for that matter?" It was a thought that wouldn't leave her mind ever since Daniel asked to hold her earlier tonight.

Carlos took a step back, thinking about it. "I've held her."

"Last time was at the hospital, right before she came home. And that was only because one of the nurses handed her to you so I could sign her discharge papers." She was right, he knew she was right. "You act like she's important to you. You pay for a nanny for her, and buy her things. But just like with me, that's as far as it goes."

At this point, her alone time with Amelia was dwindling. It made her sad, but she knew Amelia couldn't last much longer. Without explanation she started walking towards the kitchen.

"Don't walk away from me, Calliope," her father yelled at her retreating back.

"Not everything is about you," she called back. "I need to make MY daughter a bottle so she can eat before she falls asleep." She really hoped that would be the end of it. With skill she'd gained over time, she quickly made up a bottle with one hand and held it to her baby's mouth as she moved to walk to Amelia's room.

She was rocking softly in the rocking chair when the door opened. "What did you mean by all that?" her father asked quietly so as not to disturb his granddaughter.

Callie sighed, knowing he wouldn't give up until he had all of his answers. "You know why I liked being at Arizona's tonight? Because nothing that happened involved money. And I got to see everything I missed out on."

"What have you missed out on? I've given you everything you've ever wanted."

"Everything, but the one thing I needed," she told him honestly. "Your affection," she answered the question in his eyes. "I know you love me, but it's not the same. At Arizona's tonight I could see the difference. Her parents teased her, and she teased right back. They gave each other hugs, and gentle touches. And they included me in that, and Amelia. Even Daniel, her father, asked to hold Amelia and played with her. A virtual stranger, played with her, when her own grandfather never has." It was taking everything in her not to yell all of this at him.

"He's a Colonel in the Marines. He's a tough guy, a soldier. Yet, when he held her, it was only with tenderness," she continued sadly. Pulling the bottle out of Amelia's mouth and placing it on the floor, she moved the baby onto her shoulder, slowly patting her back, trying to get her to give a quick burp before she conked out for the night.

"Did you ever do this for me?" she asks, taking her hand away from her daughter to give a point, showing what she meant. "No, one of the nannies did. Are you seeing the difference yet?"

Carlos had the decency to look ashamed. "That's why I didn't bother to tell you where I was tonight. You didn't raise me. You paid someone else to do it. I may still be in high school, but I have my own child now."

"I'm sorry Calliope," he told her sincerely.

Callie gave him a sad smile, telling him silently that it was a start. "Now, I'm not saying I'll tell you every little thing I do, but I'll try and keep you more informed. Only if you promise not to get angry about the things you don't know," she tried to compromise.

"I think that's acceptable," he agreed. "I'll try harder to be more involved too. I promise."

"Thank you."

It wasn't until he'd left the room before she let out a relieved breath. She rocked for a few minutes, finally getting the sought out burp. Kissing her baby on the forehead, she laid her down in her crib. "Sleep well, mija. I love you."