Just a quick one I wrote today for all the moms out there. Happy Mother's Day to all the moms, those still here and those who have passed on.

~Reese

May 8th 2011

A warm wash of sunlight swept over the bed that Callie and Arizona Robbins-Torres were cuddled in, it's bright rays caressing their arms, faces, and the one leg Callie had curled outside of their thinner spring blankets. It was the warmth and brightness of the light coming through their window that slowly began to pull Callie from her peaceful sleep, but it was the quiet that awakened her. Sure there were birds singing outside, giving thanks and praise for the sun and the spring, but her house was quiet. She and Arizona had three children, fourteen-year-old Sophie, eleven-year-old Josephine and three year old Timothy who they called Mac. The fact that they had a three year old meant that the house shouldn't be this quiet while the sun was out. Lifting her head to look over Arizona to the clock across the room Callie gasped. "Zo wake up!" Her blonde haired, blue-eyed wife moaned before burrowing deeper into her pillow. "Arizona, wake up!"

"What?" Arizona groaned. "Calliope, it's mean to keep me awake for most of the night and then not let me sleep in."

"That's just it." Callie said as she rolled Arizona onto her back and then looked into her beautiful face. "It's nearly ten and we're still in bed."

Sapphire blue eyes suddenly popped open to meet warm brown eyes. "No way."

Callie laughed. "Yes way." She pointed to the clock and watched as Arizona slowly turned her head to look. When Arizona turned back to look at her there was an odd look on the blonde's face. "What?"

"It's too quiet." Arizona said after a moment of listening.

"I know, right?" Callie replied as she tossed their covers aside and reached for their robes.

"You don't think they've eaten each other do you?" Arizona asked as she slipped into her navy blue silk robe. Though it was her rode, she'd gotten it for Callie. She knew how much Callie loved the way her eyes darkened when she wore certain shades of blue.

Callie chuckled as she slipped into her own black silk rode. "I hope not. I'd really hate to end up as a dramatization on one of those TruTv crime shows."

As the two women made their way out into the hall of their home, a home they had designed and built so it was absolutely perfectly theirs, they smelled breakfast wafting up from downstairs. They gave each other an odd look before heading downstairs and into their kitchen. The sight before them nearly made them gasp but they managed to hold it in so they could have the few seconds before the kids noticed them to take it all in. The kitchen table was set nicely with two beautiful flower arrangements set at Callie's and Arizona's places at the table. Their children were already dressed for the day. The Sunday paper and a pink box full of donuts sat on the island. Sophie and Josie were finishing breakfast while Mac sat at the breakfast bar coloring a picture.

It was Mac who looked up and noticed them standing there. He smiled big and bright as he held up the picture he was coloring. "Happy mothers day!"

Sophie and Josie turned and smiled as they added, "Happy mother's day!"

Tears welled in both mothers' eyes but only Arizona's rolled down her cheeks as she went to her children and hugged them. "You let us sleep in and you're making us breakfast?"

"Sophie did most of the cooking." Josie said as she looked at her big sister proudly. "It was my job to keep Mac quiet."

Callie was beaming with such love and pride. She had totally awesome kids. Normally they figured out mother's day together since the kids had been pretty young until recently. This was the first year the girls had taken the whole thing on themselves. "That's a pretty big job, mija."

The girl blew a strand of dirty blonde hair away from her sapphire blue eyes. "You're tellin' me."

"I drawed you pictures Mama!" Mac said proudly as his Mama picked him up from the buster seat he'd been strapped in to keep him from falling off the high bar chair. She cuddled him and kissed his face, which made the little boy giggle. Mac's hair was much darker then Josie's, more brown then blonde, but not nearly as dark as Callie's and Sophie's. His eyes were big and brown like Callie's, while his sisters both had blue eyes. When he smiled it was Callie's smile, but much to her delight he had Arizona's dimples. He was a three-year-old charmer and he knew it. "I drawed one for Mommy too!"

"My babies." Callie cooed as she went and placed big sloppy kisses on each of her babies' faces. For the first time in a long time Sophie didn't groan and roll her eyes when her mother kissed her. Josie just beamed. Mac giggled. "Muy bueno, Mac." She praised her son as he handed her the picture he'd made for her. "Gracias mijo."

It took a moment for Mac to translate that in his head and then he beamed. "Welcome Mommy!" Josie walked over to her brother and whispered in his ear. Mac got a very thoughtful look on his face and then nodded. "Da nada, Mommy!"

Callie chuckled and then kissed her babies again.

Breakfast had been rather simple since the girls weren't allowed to cook anything huge on their own. Scrambled eggs made in the electric skillet, bacon made in the oven because Arizona was afraid they'd get a grease burn, home fries also from the oven, toast, and of course Arizona's donuts. There was sparkling apple juice and coffee, which was really strong. Sophie had no problem informing their mothers that Josie had made the coffee. "Who taught you how to make coffee, mija?"

"Grandpa." Josie answered.

Arizona nodded. "Yeap, that's The Colonel's coffee alright. Strong enough to fuel a tank."

The flowers that had been placed at their seats had been cut from their garden and put in vases the girls had bought at the craft store and then decorated themselves. Arizona's had bright colors and butterflies; Callie's had been done in blues and greens with little skull and cross bone stickers. Both were dotted with thumbprints in three very distinct sizes. They were beautiful. After breakfast, while Sophie and Josie cleaned up, Callie and Arizona were sent upstairs to get ready for the day. When they came back downstairs they were instructed to sit on the couch together. Neither could stop their giggles. Apparently taking charge of the holiday had made their daughters rather bossy and Callie couldn't help but giggle when she told Arizona they reminded her of her. Arizona rolled her eyes and smacked her wife playfully on the arm.

"Ok Mac," Sophie said as she handed her baby brother a gift-wrapped box. "Take this to Mama."

"Ok!" After taking the present from his sister Mac carefully walked it over to the couch where their moms were waiting. "Mama!" He shoved the present at her. "This is for you! Open it!"

Sophie rolled her eyes a little at the way her brother shoved the gift at their Mama. It was kind of cute how he got all excited over the presents even though they weren't for him. "Now give this one to Mommy." She handed him another gift and once again the little boy shoved it at his mom and demanded she open it now.

"That's from Mac." Sophie explained since the little boy was giving his Mama a run for her money in the perky and bouncy department. "With a little help from Dad."

Arizona was smiling so brightly her dimples were really pronounced. She ripped the paper away while Callie carefully undid hers. Arizona's gift was a round ceramic heart with Mac's handprints pressed into it with his full name, age, and the year imprinted around the edge. She had two just like it hanging in her office, one with Sophie's handprints and one with Josie's. "Yay! This is awesome buddy!"

Callie's present was also part of a match set. It was a beautifully framed x-ray of Mac's hands. Like Arizona's, his name, age and the year were engraved on a plaque at the bottom of the frame. She had framed x-rays from her girls hanging in her office and couldn't wait to put this one up as well. "I love it Mac!"

"Daddy made me stick my hands in goo." Mac explained as he pressed his hands into his Mommy's thighs in order to show her how he'd made the impression on his Mama's present. "It was cool! Then Aunt Lexie took a picture of my hands with the big monster camera at your work."

Arizona and Callie pulled their son onto the couch and sat him between them so they could cuddle and kiss him until he started to squirm. They both laughed when he wiggled his way free. When they looked up to their girls they noticed them having a whispered and slightly heated conversation. "Everything alright mijas?" Callie asked.

"Every things fine Mommy." Sophie answered before adding, "Dad's present is outside."

Part of their yard had been turned into a beautiful garden that had taken them years to get perfect. They were actually still working on it. The over all layout was finished but they still had some things they wanted to add, like a stone path that weaved through their yard. They'd started it last summer, adding some decorative personalized stones near the deck with their names engraved in them. They had wanted to add something a little more fun, and still personal, something to draw in not only their family but also their friends. As their children lead them along what was finished Callie and Arizona noticed that the path had been added too.

"Are those handprints?" Arizona asked as she stopped to look at a large man made stone with two sets of handprints and the names Ethan and Emily craved into it.

Another stone not to far off had what looked like the impression of a scalpel in it. The name below the scalpel impression simply read Yang. Callie laughed. Mark had managed to make a stone for everyone in their lives. Addison, Teddy, Mark and Lexie, Derek and Meredith, Christina and Owen, Bailey, Alex, and all the kids had left handprints, footprints, or indentations of something meaningful to them. The path weaved through their garden to the biggest tree closest to their house, which was still quite a bit off in the distance. Under the tree was a beautiful cast iron and wood bench.

"This is just," Arizona said as she took it all in. "Wow."

"Yeah." Callie said as she took it all in while holding her wife's hand. "Who knew Mark had this in him?"

"It's not finished." Josie cut in. She pointed to the stones around the bench. There was one for her, Sophie, Mac, and even Rosie and Grey. "You two have to have your stones done."

Sophie handed her Mommy a card. It was from Mark. "To the mothers of my children." Callie read out loud. "Your path hasn't always been easy and despite the detours you've kept too it and continue to walk it together. I hope this is kind of what you had in mind. Hope you enjoy it. It's the least I could do. You will always have my love and my gratitude for what you've given me. Mark."

They were both in tears as they sat on the bench together looking over the path of stones. Mark could still be an ass, he could still be an arrogant prick, and there were times when Arizona still wanted to smack in the face with a brick, but he was a good man and a wonderful father and neither of them regretted being tied to him for life by their pretty damn amazing kids.

"See, I told you we should have given them ours first." Josie said as she watched her mothers get all sappy. "This is gonna be hard to top." This had been the first year that their Dad hadn't helped them with their gifts. She and Sophie had come up with the idea together and had saved for months to buy them. When it came to mother's day gifts their Dad tended to go overboard and extravagant because he felt the need to try and repay them for giving him the chance to be father. They couldn't do big and extravagant, but they did want to do something really meaningful.

"Your Dad's gift is great, baby girl." Arizona said as she reached out and took hold of her daughter's wrist so she could pull the girl to her. She pulled Josie down onto her lap and then wrapped her arms around her. "But nothing could ever mean more to us then what you three give us. You've already made this day so special and very, very, awesome."

"Really?" Josie asked, looking a little worried over wither or not they would like their gift.

"Really." Callie said as she brushed at Josie's hair. She smiled at her youngest daughter before looking up at the oldest one. "So where's our present?"

Sophie laughed. "I'll go get them." The tall fourteen-year-old who was just starting to develop curves ran back to the house. When she returned she had two small boxes in her hands. She handed one to Josie, who then handed it to their Mama while Sophie handed the other to their Mommy. "They're from both of us."

Josie was holding her breath.

Callie pulled Sophie to sit beside her on the bench. It was big enough for all five of them to sit on comfortably, at least for now. With a kid on each side of them, Callie and Arizona carefully opened the small boxes, and they both gasped softly. Inside each box were three identical but much smaller versions of the hearts they each wore around their necks. "Oh girls," Callie said softly. "They're beautiful."

"Really?" Sophie asked. She'd been just as nervous as Josie had been. "You like them?"

"Baby, we love them." Arizona said as she gently traced the little pendants. "Is this why you two haven't been buying anything with your allowances the last few months?"

Sophie nodded.

"We were saving up." Josie explained.

"How did you know where to find them?" Callie asked as she unclasped her chain so she could put the new pendants on it. "We had these specially made for our very first Valentines' day together."

Sophie smirked. "You've been using the same jeweler for like ever."

Josie nodded. "Aunt Addie took us, but the idea was all us, and I was the one who got your necklace off so we could take it with us so the jewelry guy could make ours just the same as yours."

Callie narrowed dark eyes at her daughter. "I never take mine off, Josie."

The girl giggled. "You sleep like a rock Mommy, especially after a really long day, if your snoring you wouldn't notice if a train ran through your room."

Sophie laughed at the way her Mommy was looking at her sister. "Josie has skills."

"As long as those skills are used for good and not evil." Callie said as she reached over to tickle her youngest daughter.

A little after noon Mark showed up with lunch for two from their favorite bistro. They were getting to get a few hours to be alone together while he took the kids to have lunch with Lexie. Before the kids left with their Dad, Callie and Arizona called their own mothers so everyone could wish them a happy mother's day. As she and Callie sat cuddled on the couch eating their lunch Arizona thought about seeing Lucia Torres on their computer screen wishing them both a happy mother's day. It didn't take long for her mind to throw her back in time to their first few mother's days when the older Latina refused to even speak to her daughter. Callie would send a card, flowers, and call every year but Lucia refused to talk to her. That hurt Callie and that made Arizona angry. She had been more then willing to give Callie's family time to adjust and come to terms with Callie's truth, with who their daughter was, but Lucia had pushed Arizona's limits.

"Hey, are you ok?" Callie asked. She'd been studying her wife's face and had watched it go from blissful and tranquil to kind of angry. "You have that someone give me a brick look."

Arizona smiled warmly at her wife as she reached out and caressed the worry lines in her Calliope's beautiful face. "I'm fine, baby. I was just thinking."

"About?" Callie asked as she moved their lunches to the coffee table so she could take Arizona into her arms.

"Our first couple of mother's days." Arizona said honestly. At the questioning look she was getting, Callie clearly asking about what during those days could have made her look angry, she added. "Those first few years, our first mother's day with Sophie, our first mother's day with Josie, there's kind of a dark smudge on the memories."

Understanding dawned on Callie and her bright, dark eyes dimmed a little. "My mother."

Arizona nodded. "She'd hurt you so badly, Calliope. I don't think I've really ever forgiven her for that."

"She finally came around." Callie said gently.

"Only after she nearly died." Arizona replied. Lucia had had a heart attack that resulted open-heart surgery and the experience had finally forced her to realize she loved her daughter more then her doctrine. It hadn't been easy, the reconciliation had been just as slow going and as painful as Lucia's recovery, but they'd done it. She would never be as close to Callie's mother as she was to her father, but all Arizona cared about was that Callie had her mother back in her life and her children finally had their abuela.

Callie leaned in and placed a kiss between Arizona's eyebrows where her brow crinkled when she was upset. Then she moved down and kissed the tip of her nose before finally placing a kiss on her lips. She could feel her wife relax more and more with each kiss and when she finally pulled back from Arizona's lips she asked, "Do you remember the rest of our first mother's day?"

Arizona couldn't help but smile and nod. "I made you breakfast and we took Sophie for a walk in the park. When we got back to the apartment the three of us fell asleep together in our bed and when I woke up you were making me dinner."

"I wanted to make the day about just us, you, me and our daughter." Callie was smiling, her chocolate eyes warm and loving. "I wanted you to know without any doubt that you were just as much her mother as I was."

"You did Calliope." Arizona reassured her love. "It was a perfect day, and they've just gotten better and better."

Callie flashed a megawatt smile as she fingered the cluster of hearts hanging from the chain around her neck. "Can you believe how great our kids are?"

"They are pretty awesome." Arizona agreed, her own smile so bright that Callie couldn't help but lean in and kiss her dimples.

Since the kids had worked so hard on making the day special for them Callie and Arizona decided that they would handle dinner, which they decided they'd have out. It hadn't been any big surprise when they ended up at their favorite little restaurant that just happen to do the best Latin food in Seattle. When they'd called to talk to Callie's mother she'd mentioned that Carlos was making her dinner that night and ever since they'd all had Cuban food on the brain.

"Have you ever noticed," Arizona asked while she and Callie popped popcorn that night while their kids picked out a movie to watch. "Just how much we eat on Mother's day?"

Callie laughed as she dumped the mini three musketeers into the bowl of hot popcorn that would be for her and Josie.

As the silvery light of the moon seeped into their bedroom from their window, Callie and Arizona couldn't help but look into each other's eyes and smile. It had been a wonderful day. A peaceful day that had allowed them to reflect on how good their lives were, even during the hardest of times. For them that was the real meaning behind mother's day, the change to look back and look ahead and be grateful. Sure the show of appreciation and love from their kids was wonderful, but their kids did that in little ways everyday, all year long.

As Callie reached across the sleeping bodies of their three babies who were all snuggled between them in their bed, she smiled, her eyes full of love and contentment. "Happy Mother's Day, Arizona."

Arizona smiled back as she took Callie's hand and entwined their fingers. Dreams she hadn't known she'd had come true, that's what her family was and always would be. "Happy Mother's Day, Calliope."