A/N - Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Chapter 10

"Okay, so you heard what Addie said?" Callie said, glancing at Arizona as they made their way through the crisp Seattle morning in to work together.

"Don't exert yourself too much, no heavy lifting, don't spend too much time on your feet and…" Callie carried on saying, as Arizona rolled her eyes and said …"and be sure to take lots of breaks," finishing off her wife's sentence.

Callie ignored her, saying, "and the moment you get any sort or pains or twinges to.."

"Page Addison," Arizona said, sighing and interrupting Callie again.

"We can't take any risks, Arizona, you need to take care of yourself and our next little princess." Callie said, as she gave her wife an intense stare.

"I know. I love you…." Arizona said, as she leaned in to kiss her wife, as they reached the hospital entrance together.

"I love you too. So, see you for mid morning coffee then," Callie said, as she turned to walk in the opposite direction to her wife, to take the elevator alone.

After a fairly quiet morning, Arizona was starting to fell distinctly bored with her new lighter position. After her rounds she'd literally been sat, twiddling her thumbs, waiting for something to do. She was starting to regret agreeing to the change, she missed the frantic buzz of the back to back surgeries and exciting cases that she'd always had stacked up for her as head of Ped's.

What had really frustrated Arizona too, was finding out that Alex had been given a big surgery originally meant for her, as a trial for her old job that morning and she had been completely excluded from it.

As she walked towards the cafeteria to meet Callie, Arizona was getting more and more frustrated, she literally had no surgeries scheduled at all for the next few days and she was more than a little suspicious that Callie and Addison might be ganging up against her, not wanting her to spend too much time on her feet in the OR in long, gruelling surgeries.

Arizona was cool with cutting back on her long working hours for the sake of her and her un-born baby's health and also for Alex to step in and take over the running of her department. But, that didn't mean she wanted to stop doing what she loved all together and let him have all the cool surgeries. She would have to have a word with Callie and have it out with her.

Still pondering what to do about her lack of interesting cases, Arizona was suddenly distracted as she spotted a familiar face in the distance.

"Izzie, I didn't know you were back in Seattle too." Arizona said excitedly, as she saw Alex's wife walking towards her holding the hands of their two little boys.

Izzie flashed Arizona a bright smile, as she approached her and Arizona instantly flung her arms around the taller blond. The two had never been friends exactly. It wasn't that they hadn't got on. It was more that their time working together at Seattle had been so brief that back then, Arizona had never had the chance to get to know Izzie properly. Arizona had simply known Izzie as her mouthy resident, Alex Karev's, pretty girlfriend. But, Arizona had always felt sure from the times she had spent with Izzie in more recent days, after Alex had got back together with her, that under different circumstances the two could have become great friends

"We just flew in to join Alex last night, while he completes his trial here." Izzie replied as their hug broke apart.

"He still hasn't signed that contract yet?" Arizona said, shaking her head.

"Well, the chief's putting the pressure on, but we're going to make a decision at the end of the week…..Anyway, it's great to see you. You're truly blooming, pregnancy suits you well. You, Callie and Sofia most be getting so excited about the new baby." Izzie said kindly, as she stepped back and took a look at pregnant Arizona as she took in how amazing she was looking. Her skin was glowing, her eyes sparkling and her hair looked thick and glossy.

"Thanks. Sofia sure is getting excited." Arizona said, smiling back at Izzie and her two children.

"Mummy...where's Daddy?" The older of her two boys said, tugging Izzie's hand.

"We're just on our way to meet, Alex." Izzie explained to Arizona.

"Oh, well I think he's still in surgery. I was just about to meet Callie in the cafeteria. You want to join us?" Arizona said.

"Sure, but shouldn't you be in surgery with him?" Izzie replied, a little confused.

Arizona grimaced, as it hit her again just how annoyed she was that Alex was in surgery without her. But before she could respond to Izzie, they both jumped slightly as they heard a shrill female voice call out. "Isobel Stevens, is that you?"

Causing both Arizona and Izzie to turn and see Dr Bailey rushing towards them, clumsily dropping the pile of charts she was holding on to the nurses station and rushing up to Izzie, flinging her arms around her. Izzie shot Arizona an amused look, as she wriggled free from her old mentor.

"I never thought I'd see the day that you'd grace the walls of this hospital with your presence again, and with your two adorable little boys too." Bailey said, smiling, as she stepped back looking at Izzie's children.

"You remember, Miranda?" Izzie said to them, as they looked up at Bailey shyly.

Bailey leant down to the younger of the two, Will, and grabbed his cheeks affectionately as she said. "Well, I can tell you're Alex Karev's son. You're the spitting image of your Daddy." Smiling, fondly, as she looked at the little miniature version of her once troublesome intern, staring back at her.

"My Daddy's a doctor and he used to work here when he was younger." Will said proudly to Bailey, as she grinned and replied. "He certainly did and I could tell you a few stories about your Daddy when he worked here too." As she then took him by the hand and smiled at Arizona and Izzie, as she gestured for Izzie's other son Danny to hold her other hand, saying to them both. "Come on, I'll take you to find your Daddy and I can show you where he used to work too."

Bailey, then turned back to Izzie and Arizona and said "Alex is out of surgery now, so I'll tell him to come and find you both in the cafeteria."

"Great, thanks." Izzie said, a little bemused at the change in Dr Bailey, as she watched her two little boys walking away with her old boss and turning back to Arizona, Izzie said "What happened to the Nazi?"

Arizona just laughed and said "She's mellowed over the years."

"Wow, things really have changed around here," Izzie replied.

Alex had just finished speaking to the parents of his young patient, when he saw the Chief of Surgery, Owen Hunt, walking towards him.

"Dr Karev, I hear your first surgery back here was a success, good job." Hunt said.

"Thanks," Alex replied.

"So, when you're ready, your contracts waiting for you in my office ready for you to sign. But, don't take too long. I need to send it back to HR for processing." Hunt said firmly.

"Er….Okay," Alex replied, a little awkwardly. His mind was firmly made up, he was more than ready to take over as head of Ped's back at Seattle Grace. But, he still hadn't managed to persuade Izzie to agree to them moving back yet. After a heated debate the night before in their hotel after their kids had gone to bed, they'd managed to agree they would decide by the end of the week. Alex knew Izzie was struggling with the thought of being back in Seattle and also with the prospect of them being so close to Arizona and Callie, when the baby that he'd fathered for them finally arrived. But, Alex really didn't want that to stop him from a potentially great career move.

"I'd better go and check on my patient again." Alex said, making his excuses to Hunt, as he turned and walked away, thinking about just what he was going to say to Izzie later.

…..

Alex had just closed the door to the room of the young patient he'd operated on earlier that day, when he saw his two kids running towards him, followed closely by Bailey.

"Daddy….." Both his children cried out, as they ran up to Alex, flinging their little arms around his legs. Alex grinned, never failing to get a rush of joy from the unconditional love his children gave him. To them he would always be a superstar.

"Where's Mummy?" Alex then said, looking around for Izzie.

"She's with Aunt Arizona. Miranda brought us to find you…." Danny said.

"Oh, okay..thanks," Alex said, nodding to Bailey as he saw her stood behind them.

"No problem," Bailey replied, smiling at the sight of Alex with his kids. Before she turned to walk away, ruffling the little boy's hair one last time, as she went.

As Alex approached the cafeteria with his children, he immediately spotted Izzie sat at their old favourite table from their intern days, chatting and laughing with Arizona and Callie. She looked as though she was telling them a story, using big hand gestures and dramatic facial expressions and she looked happy and relaxed. Alex smiled to himself, he knew Izzie would fit in just fine back here in Seattle.

Walking up to the table to join them, all three women turned to look at him. "Sorry, Iz, I got delayed" Alex said, as he leaned down and kissed his wife on the cheek.

"We were just talking about you actually." Arizona said, grinning at Alex, just as both her and Alex's pagers beeped loudly at the same time.

"Emergency, I've got to go. Sorry, Iz." Alex said apologetically to his wife, as he looked down at his waist.

"Life of a surgeon." Izzie said, smiling back at her husband.

"Me too…" Arizona said, as she stood up abruptly.

"Well, make sure you don't push yourself too much…" Callie said protectively after her wife, as Arizona turned to rush off with Alex. Secretly pleased, that it looked like she might be getting in on some juicy surgical action that day after all.

"Jeez, Callie is such a nag at the moment." Arizona said to Alex, as he hurriedly pushed the button for the elevator.

"Ah, I was the same with Izzie when she was pregnant. It's just instinct, it's only because she cares so much." Alex replied, his mind elsewhere as he focused on getting to the emergency.

"I know." Arizona replied quietly, reminding herself how lucky she was to have Callie.

"So, you guys still not made a final decision on coming back here then?" Callie said, as she sipped her coffee and looked across at Izzie, as the two of them were now sat alone together in the cafeteria. With Izzie and Alex's two little boys, noisily running around them.

"Oh, I don't know. Alex is really excited and up for it and the chief says I can take over the clinic again. But….it just feels weird." Izzie replied, sighing.

Callie raised an eyebrow, she knew exactly what Izzie was getting at, as she took a deep breath and said. "Well, I'll let you in on a little secret. When Arizona first suggested that Alex take over her job to the chief, I was far from enthusiastic. Nothing personal and he's a shit hot surgeon and all, but I thought it would complicate the situation with the baby, after everything we went through with Mark when I was pregnant. But, I am slowly starting to see that it's very different to the situation with Mark. Its right for Alex to be back here now and to be honest I don't think Arizona would have agreed to step down for anyone else. Plus, with all the changes around this place it would be great to have you both back here now too."

Izzie smiled back at Callie, as she laughed a little and said. "Thanks…But to be honest…it's not just that. Alex, will have more than enough on his plate with our boys and his new job, to be able to interfere with you guys even if he wanted to." Izzie said, as she paused, she'd never talked this openly with Callie before, as she went on to say. "It's more that I've only been back in the hospital five minutes and already it seems as though every woman in here has slept with my husband at some point. Back in Baltimore, we're just Alex and Izzie, who everyone knows as the average, young, married couple with kids. Alex is well liked and respected at Hopkins. The interns and nurses there, they all look up to him as a good man and a great doctor. Here, he's just going to be known as evil spawn again. It feels like we're going backwards."

Callie looked Izzie in the eye, as she said. "Izzie, after you left I got to know Alex well and yes he slept around, a lot. But he was never happy. He treated women terribly, because he was clearly still hopelessly in love with you and I know he regretted not working things out with you, which is why he never settled for anyone else….So, move back here and let everyone see how much he's changed now and how happy you both are together again."

Izzie was a little surprised at Callie being so nice to her. As suddenly a thought popped in to her head and changing the subject completely, running her fingers through her hair a little anxiously, she said. "You don't by any chance happen to know a good OB/GYN here, do you?"

Callie grinned, as she replied. "Actually, yes I do."

Scrubbing out of the emergency surgery they had both been called in to, Arizona instantly felt better. She felt as though she'd released some built up tension. She was so excited about having her baby, but Arizona was starting to realize that she could never give up her profession completely. It was her passion.

"We rock." Arizona then said, smiling at Alex, as he stood scrubbing out next to her.

"Evil spawn is back in the building." Alex joked smugly, as he then added glancing across at Arizona. "So, you going to miss the buzz of surgery then, when the baby's born?"

"I am, so, going to miss everything about surgery." Arizona said sighing, as she added. "Oh, Alex, don't get me wrong, I can't wait to have this baby. But, what if it doesn't come as naturally to me as it did for me and Callie with Sofia? What if I don't love her as much as I love Sofia? What if I don't bond with her, and after I've had her, I actually find that I prefer being a surgeon to being a Mom at home with my baby all day…."

Alex looked at Arizona kindly as he said. "You can have both you know. You, Callie and Sofia have your own little routine now. So, you'll just have to find a balance that works for your new family with two kids, like Iz and I have…."

Arizona then laughed to herself. "What?" Alex said, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her, trying to work out what he'd said to amuse her so much.

"Oh, nothing." Arizona replied, and they were silent for a few seconds as Arizona thought back to the last time Alex had been working at Seattle Grace years before, when he had still been single and behaving like a complete douche.

...

Arizona had been so frustrated with Alex and his attitude back then, that over a drink one night she been brutally honest and she had told him that he had to stop sleeping around with interns. That he was one, cheap 'one night stand' away, from heading for a future as a lonely, middle aged sleaze and she knew he was better than that.

Alex had then looked Arizona coldly in the eye, as he had replied…"You think, I don't know what it feels like, to actually care about someone and to be in love. To love someone so much, that at times you feel like you hate them. To have your whole body ache for that one person, that one person, that you would do anything for, because you know the only time in your life that you'll ever be truly happy is when you're with them. Well you don't get to judge me, because you've got that with Callie and because I had a chance at that type of happiness and I threw it away. So, now, I have to live with the consequences the only way I know how."

Arizona remembered clearly just how taken aback she had been then, at how open Alex had been with her about the feelings that she knew he always kept so deeply locked away. She had then realized just how miserable he had been and how painfully in love with Izzie he still was. So then she had simply touched his hand and said. "Go and find her….She's still out there somewhere, Alex. You have to tell her how you feel. Because, there's a chance that she might just feel the same…."

Back then Arizona didn't believe in fate after everything that had happened to her. She was firmly of the belief that you got out of life what you put in. So, it was no coincidence that she didn't see Alex for a while after that. At first Arizona had presumed Alex had just been busy, the chief had said her had taken a few leave days. But, after a few unanswered phone calls, Arizona had started to worry. When she had finally spotted him again making his rounds in the hospital she had known straight away there was something different about him. She had marched straight up to him to ask him where he had been and to confront him about why he hadn't returned any of her messages and he had simply replied casually. "Relax, I've been in New York… with Izzie. She's working there now."

Arizona could still remember just how shocked and curious she had been after Alex had dropped that bombshell. She had responded straight away to him, smiling. "So, break up sex, or make up sex?" Alex had just shaken his head and looked down at the chart in his hand, as unable to stop himself from grinning, he had said. "We're trying to work things out. okay. But we're just taking it really slowly."

Arizona still always laughed to herself when she remembered Alex saying that to her. Because he'd then announced a few days later, providing that he had her blessing that he'd decided to take his transfer to Hopkins after all. Then it had been just a few weeks after he'd left, that Alex had emailed Arizona to say that he and Izzie were getting married again and were buying a house together in Baltimore. Then not long after that, Alex had excitedly called Arizona, to tell to her there was a baby on the way. The next time they'd met up, Arizona had never seen Alex looking so happy.

…

"You, going to tell me what's so funny then?" Alex said, snapping Arizona back in to reality, as still chuckling to herself she looked across at Alex now stood next to her in the scrub room and she took in the full extent of the transformation in him. He hadn't even so much as looked in the direction of any of the pretty young interns and residents, since he'd been back at Seattle Grace.

"Oh, just that I can't believe how much you've changed since we were last here." Arizona said, her brilliant blue eyes sparkling at him.

"Well, speak for yourself." Alex replied, as he glanced down at her pregnant stomach.

"Izzie said you still haven't signed the chief's contract yet?" Arizona then said, changing the subject.

Alex sighed, as he replied. "I will, but I still have to persuade, Iz, its the right thing to do. She loves it back in Baltimore."

"Well, why don't we have the boys tonight for a sleepover at our house? Give you and Izzie some alone time," Arizona said.

"You sure? You think Callie will be cool with that? Haven't you got your hands full with Sofia?" Alex replied, as he suddenly thought how a night alone with his wife in their hotel room, sounded like music to his ears. As much as he loved his kids, having them sleep in the same hotel room as him and Izzie, had some major disadvantages.

"Yeah, it will be fun. Callie will be cool and it will give Sofia a chance to practice being a big sister. Besides, we've got one kid so how hard can having two more for the night be?" Arizona said cheerfully.

Alex laughed loudly, as he said "You clearly don't know my boys. But, okay, if you're really sure, that would be great, thanks."

As they turned to walk out, Alex then turned to Arizona and said…."Oh and for the record, Arizona. I think you're going to be just as great a Mom to this baby, as you already are to Sofia."

Arizona lit up a little inside then, as she realized she was now actually slowly starting to believe that herself….

...