This is a continuation of Building a Future, the sequel to Love Will Lead You Back. For any newcomers to the storyline, this is Callie and Arizona's journey through marriage and motherhood. This installment will pick up right where Chapter 42 left off, after the birth of Timothy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy or any of the characters/story lines. Sadly, those all belong to ABC and Shonda Rhimes.

Chapter 20

Arizona's POV:

I cannot believe the man standing before me is my own father. He looks so…different. He looks older, wiser maybe. He looks weathered, but not beaten. He looks sorry, every line on his face full of regret and remorse. He looks scared. He looks so scared and just…different.

Perhaps he is no longer the man I knew him to be. Perhaps this whole thing has changed him somehow. From where I am standing, I can't tell if that is a good thing or a bad thing. But I'm standing behind my wife- a woman trying so hard to protect me from my it all. Callie's trying to protect me from him, but he is the one thing I need to face if I am truly to move on from this.

I squeeze the caramel colored arm serving as a barricade to my porcelain figure, forcing my wife to look me in the eyes. Blue meet brown and, in an instant, I see the fear that is resonating deep inside of her. She's afraid for me. She's afraid for herself. She's afraid for our life. "It's okay, Calliope," I whisper, tears burning the back of my eyes. "No matter what…he's still my dad."

"I know that," she replies, eyebrows furrowed in despair. "But he's, h-he's also the man who…"

"I understand your hesitation, Callie," my father interjects, causing both of our heads to whip in his direction. "I've hurt the woman you love. I imagine that's not easy to get over. But I'm not here to hurt her now, let me assure you of that. I'm here to explain myself, make amends, reunite with my family. Please…just, just give me a chance."

I watch as my wife inhales deeply, releasing anger and tension through her strong, flared nostrils. She's like a raging bull before the fight, quiet but readily anticipating her attack. I beg her with my baby blues, once again squeezing the shielding arm in front of me. "Fine," she huffs, closing her eyes to it all as she takes a step to the side.

I am finally face to face with my father, mere inches separating me from the beloved daddy whose arms I ran into every day for years. Even back then, when the first incident occurred, I loved him. I survived it, repressed it, and moved on. I guess in some way I forgave him, even then. Just like I want to forgive him now.

I take a tentative step forward, still a bit reluctant to get too close. What if he snaps? What if he's come here to play out the rest of his trauma-induced fantasy? What if he isn't really my father right now? He could be a soldier, a lieutenant, a murderer. How do I recognize the difference?

"Daniel. Daniel, what are you doing here?" I hear my mother ask as she finally reaches the front porch, her chest heaving with short, labored breaths from her quick pace up the driveway.

I step back. Maybe I should let her handle this.

"Oh, Barbara," my father cries, opening his arms in the hopes that his wife will fall into them. "It's been so long. I'm so sorry for that. I'm so sorry for everything."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Callie grabbing the kids and leading them away from the situation. She's got Sophia by the hand, and Timothy is wrapped in her arms as she scurries past my dad and into the play room. "I'm going to sit in there with the kids for a bit," she tells me, swallowing the ever-present lump in her throat. "Timothy needs to eat and I just…"

"I understand, babe I really do," I assure her, my eyes drowning in a sea of rich chocolate. Callie is right to take the kids. They don't need to be a part of this. "We'll be in the living room, so you can hear what's going on…make sure everything is okay," I whisper as I stroke her fingers with my own. "Alright?" She glances over at my father, then slowly nods in agreement. "No worries. Everything will be okay."

I want so desperately to believe the statement I just made, but I am more than a little skeptical. All I can do is face the situation and hope that I was right.

Apparently, my mother is not as skeptical as the rest of us. When I enter the living room, she is sitting beside my father on the couch, crying into his shoulder. "Thank God you are okay, Daniel," I hear her whisper. "I was so worried…"

"Ahem," I cough, my eyes circling the room frantically. "Sorry to interrupt, but…"

"No. Please…come here, Arizona," my dad says, waving me towards him. "You need to hear this too."

"Where the hell have you been the past few months?" I practically scream as I begin to pace the room, catching my wife's anxious glare every time I round the corner towards the playroom. "We've been worrying…a-and, and there are people looking for you. Your friends have been looking for you every day."

"I know. I know," my father says nervously, fumbling with his own hands much the way I do. "And again, I am so sorry for that. But…b-but I can explain."

"Explain then," my mother chimes in, her eyes widening with anticipation.

"After what happened with us…or should I say, after what I did to you," he begins, his fearful eyes shifting down towards the floor. "After that, I…I-I swore to myself that I would never, ever hurt you o-or anyone else again. That's why I told you to leave. And that's why I checked myself into an institution."

"You…y-you what?" my mother asks, her mind clearly working to digest this information.

"There's a place…they call it a Veteran Rehabilitation Center," my dad informs us. "I went to the VA, and they helped me find the place. It wasn't anywhere near our home. In fact, it was all the way in Oklahoma. But I went. And I got the help I've needed for so long."

"So, let me get this straight," I pipe up from my silent stance in the kitchen doorway. "You went to Oklahoma for a few months and you expect us all to believe that you're healed…cured of the PTSD?"

"No, Arizona. I will never be cured of the PTSD," my father tells me, looking me square in the eyes.

I am relieved to hear him say this, and for the first time since he walked into our house, I feel like I am really looking at my dad. "I know," I whisper, nodding in agreement. "My therapist told me the same thing."

"Well, he must be a good doctor then," my father says, releasing an anguished sigh. I'm sure, regardless of how much progress he's made, the fact that his actions have left me scarred with PTSD is not something he wants to hear. But he needs to hear it.

"She," I spit out, shaking my head vigorously to try and stay focused. "My therapist, Dr. Wyatt, is a woman."

"Oh…oh, I see," my dad stammers, unsure of what else to say. "Is it helping? The therapy…is it helping you, honey?"

"She's doing great," Callie bellows from behind us, poking her head into the room for a second as she rocks Timothy to sleep.

"Thank you," I whisper, locking eyes with my amazing and beautiful goddess. "Couldn't have done any of it without you," I remind her. I then turn and face my father again, wanting him to hear every word I have to say. "It isn't fun, Dad. None of this has been fun for me. I had just given birth to a beautiful baby…and, a-and then I start re-living my childhood. And not the wonderful, heartwarming parts I used to remember. Bad, terrible things that you put me and Tim through. Those memories almost ruined my life, Dad. I was confused, and angry, a-and afraid. I shut down. I walked out on my family and…"

"I'm so, so sorry for all of that, Arizona," my father interjects, stopping me from my faced-paced rant. I suck in a much needed breath and turn just enough to catch a glimpse of dark chocolate. If I'm going to get through this day, I need to see those eyes…the eyes that have looked at me with nothing but love and affection throughout this whole ordeal.

"It's okay, baby," Callie mouths from the playroom doorway, her big, brown orbs calming my soul. Timothy is asleep in his bouncy seat and Sophia is coloring at her little table, but still, my wife remains with them. She's not taking any chances with our babies, and I am grateful for that. She knows I need her to be with them, even more than I need her to be with me right now. "I'm right here," she whispers when my body instinctually backs up towards her.

"Your father never intended for any of this to happen, Arizona," my mother says, causing my head to turn quickly back around. My father smiles, then opens his mouth to say something. But my mom cuts him off at the pass. "I'm not going to make excuses for you though, Daniel. What happened to you in Vietnam was terrible, and…and no one can fault you for being traumatized. But you knew something was wrong. You had to have known. And you just ignored it…let it fester until it practically destroyed our family."

"Barbara, I…"

"No, Daniel. Don't interrupt me," my mother says, her tone stern with resignation. "I was stupid enough to keep my mouth shut for all of these years. I let that monster inside of you hurt me…hurt our children. I take full responsibility for my actions. And now, you need to do the same."

"I am. I am taking responsibility for what I've done," my dad tells her, standing up and quickly pacing the room. "Why do you think I'm here? Why do you think I finally went and got help? I know how much I've hurt everyone. And all I want to do is make amends for that. I want to prove to you all that what happened before will never, ever happen again. I want you to trust me again. I want you to love me again."

"Dad…we've, we've never stopped loving you," I whisper, suddenly feeling a pang of sympathy for the man before me. I know what it's like to feel that kind of remorse, and pain, and fear.

"She's right, Daniel," Callie says, finally entering the room. "Despite everything that's happened, these two women love you with all of their hearts. They wouldn't have been worrying about you so much if they didn't."

"Thank you, Callie," my father mumbles, blinking back the tears that have been threatening to surface since he first arrived.

Callie simply nods as she takes another step forward, weaving her fingers through mine when she reaches me. "Thank you," I whisper to the amazing woman beside me, squeezing the strong hand in mine.

"Shhh. None of that," my wife says, wiping the lone tear from my cheek. "I need you, you need me. Remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," I sigh, releasing the nervous breath that's been trapped inside my throat. "Sorry that my needing you seems to have stolen the spotlight again."

"Hey…I knew how much attention you demanded when I married you," Callie teases, winking at me playfully.

I swat her in the arm and giggle a little, thankful for her uncanny ability to lighten the mood. When we turn our attention back to my parents, they are locked in a tight embrace. I smile, despite the seriousness of the situation. No matter what, these two people taught me about love. Love, and devotion, and lifelong commitment.

"So, where do we go from here?" my father asks, breaking his loving gaze to glance in our direction. "Can you…do you think you can forgive me?"

"Yes. I can forgive you, Dad," I assure him, swallowing the new lump that has risen in my throat.

He then faces my mother again, his eyes asking her the same question. "Of course I can forgive you, Daniel," she whispers before throwing herself into his arms again.

"Well, that just leaves one person," my father says when he finally lets Mom go. I can see the nervous hesitation on his face as he stares at my wife. "Callie…"

Callie seems reluctant to speak for a moment, her eyes lowered to the floor. I am afraid of what might happen. She has every right to be angry, and bitter, and resentful towards my father. He's hurt me deeply. If Carlos had put her through this kind of emotional turmoil, I'm not sure how easily I could forgive him.

"Okay," my wife blurts out after another moment of silence. "I can forgive you…if you promise to get evaluated by our therapist. I need her to convince me that you're healed…or at least, healing. I need to know you won't hurt my wife…or, or our children."

"That is more than fair," my dad says, extending his hand to Callie. She shakes his hand, then takes a step back so I can give my father a hug, at last. "I love you, honey," he whispers in my ear as he holds me tight. "And I promise, I will make it all up to you."

"Just get better…and stay better," I tell him, pulling back to look into his eyes. It is all still there…the sorrow, the pain, the fear. But there is hope now too. It may be just a glimmer, but it's there in all of us.

"Mama, I hungry," a tiny voice whispers from the playroom.

"Okay, sweetheart," Callie says as she makes her way back to our children. "I'll go fix us all some dinner. But first…why don't you go say hello to Grampy."

I can't help the tears that form at that suggestion. Not only is my wife willing to let my father back into the life he almost destroyed, but she's willing to share our children with him. After all that's happened, that takes courage…and devotion…and love.

"Grampy!" Sophia yells as she runs into my dad's waiting arms. "I miss you so much, just like Mommy and Gramma."

For the first time since I made love to my beautiful wife hours ago, my heart feels full. There is a lot of work still to be done…a lot of therapy sessions, and healing, and forgiveness. But the storm has ended. It was violent, and cruel, and heartbreaking. But it's finally dying down. And the aftermath we are left with is worth sorting through. Our life…our family…our love- it's worth everything.

A/N: Okay, so good news first. Finally got to update this fic! Yay! Hope you enjoyed the chapter. What did you think of Daniel's big return? Wanted to bring this part of the story to a head finally, and show the healing process for everyone. Thinking there will be a few more chapters involving therapy, and then some happy times, and then…the conclusion. Sadly, I just don't have the time to devote to writing anymore. Which brings me to the bad news. Updates may be few and far between for a while. Moving, working on new living space, and expanding our family is sucking the life out of me. And now that summer is here and I'm off (yay!), I try and use every minute of free time to be with my girls. Having lots of fun at beach, parks, museums, etc. We really enjoy showing our kids the world, so we are planning a 2 week road trip from New England down to South Carolina. Should be interesting…and hopefully a lot of fun! Stopping to see friends and family along the way, which will be great! Hope you all have a wonderful summer and please keep reading, even if you don't see me posting for a while! Thanks as always.