A/N: Hey guys! This chapter is quite short, but I had a bit of trouble writing it /: The next chapter will be longer, I promise :)

Chapter 14

It was Christmas Eve, and as she walked the short journey to Arizona's house, Callie couldn't help but feel slightly nervous. For one thing, she wasn't sure if her and Arizona were buying each other gifts. Sure, she had often exchanged gifts with Addison during the Christmas period, but maybe Arizona would feel differently with the whole thing. She hadn't bought Arizona a present as she intended to get one in return, but she didn't want to make Arizona awkward if the other girl hadn't bought her something. The other thing was what should she get Arizona? They had passed the 'just friends' line, but they weren't girlfriends or anything else for that matter. They were somewhere in between, which made it all the more awkward. What could she buy that fell well into the 'in between category'? Was there anything that could fit into that category?

Callie had decided on something eventually, ordering it a few days ago, and the gift had only arrived early that morning. She had then put the gift in a thin blue square box, along with a white bow. It wasn't overly wrapped, just neatly, and she really hoped that Arizona would appreciate the thought behind the gift.

As Callie rounded the street on which Arizona's house was, she spotted Tim out the front, a shovel in his hand, as he cleared away snow. It had snowed the night before, not too much, but definitely enough to set. Callie wasn't used to the colder weather, especially snow, which was the main reason she had decided to walk to Arizona's house, as opposed to driving, even though men had been out in the early hours of the morning to grit the roads.

Tim raised his head, hearing footsteps approaching, and a large smile broke out on his face when he noticed Callie on her way towards him. It was scary how much Arizona and her brother looked alike. Callie and Aria didn't look too much alike, most people often thinking that Aria was the prettier of the two. Callie had to agree.

"Hey Cal! Enjoying the snow?" Tim asked, Callie stepping onto the drive of Arizona's house. The young man laughed at the slight grimace on Callie's face. It wasn't that she didn't like snow, or the cold, it was more of the fact that she didn't like dressing for the colder weather. Woolly hats and scarfs weren't her thing, and she wouldn't be caught wearing one. Arizona had a blue beanie that she had been wearing in the winter, the hat making her look cute and adorable, but that was just Arizona. Callie wasn't the same.

"Is that for Zona?" Tim asked, his eyes dropping to the package in Callie's hands. Callie's grip immediately tightened on the package, her head nodding. She ran her thumb over the smooth box. "That's a relief. She's only been panicking for the last few days or so." Before Callie could question what Arizona had been panicking about, Tim added, "The doors unlocked, you're free to go inside."

Callie walked up the steps to the door, feeling a little awkward as she raised her hands to push the door open. She knew Tim had said it was fine, but she still felt a little self conscious about just walking into Arizona's home without her knowing. She bit on her lip as the warmth of the house welcomed her. Peering round the door, not fully inside yet, she called out, "Arizona?"

A moment later, the blonde girl appeared at the other end of the hallway, wearing a red onesie, her curls hanging around her shoulders, the top of her head hidden by the hood of her outfit. Arizona's eyes lit up at the sight of Callie, and she moved quickly towards her.

Once she reached Callie, Arizona reached out and pulled Callie inside fully, her other hand reaching behind and closing the front door. The cold air was shut out, Callie immediately feeling much better. The cold air really wasn't her favourite. She took a deep breath, inhaling the pleasant smell of Arizona, which was blended in with what appeared to be cookies. The house smelled like Christmas; that was the only way Callie could possibly describe it.

"What are you doing here?" Arizona asked, her hand still holding onto one of Callie's. Her thumb ran softly over the back of Callie's hand, making the brunette shudder from something other than the cold. "Not that I mind, of course, you are always welcome, but usually you text first."

"I brought round your Christmas present," Callie replied, lifting up the gift in her other hand as evidence, causing Arizona's eyes to skip towards it. Her mouth broke open into a wide smile, and she reached for it, Callie handing it over. Arizona brought it up to her ear, and shook it, a pout forming on her lips when she didn't hear anything, which made Callie chuckle. "You do know you've only got to wait just one day, right?"

"Whatever, Calliope," Arizona mumbled, her eyes still transfixed on the present, as though she was trying to see through the box. After a nudge from Callie, Arizona finally pulled Callie further inside her house, and into the living room, where the family's Christmas tree stood. The smell of fresh pine filled Callie's nostrils, and she sighed in content. There were already many presents under the tree, and Callie smiled at the warm feeling she got from staring at it.

"You have a real Christmas tree," Callie said softly, stepping towards the tree, and running her finger along part of it. Callie and her family never had a real Christmas tree. Instead, they always used the same large fake one every year. Callie had always longed for a real tree. She had always found the idea of a real tree more homey and christmassy, but her parents had never shared her opinion.

"Yeah," Arizona answered, as though it was no big deal. She let go of Callie's hand and dropped down onto her knees, leaning forward, offering Callie a nice view of her butt, and Callie awkwardly averted her eyes. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the sight, it was that she really did appreciate the sight, and she really didn't need that distraction. Arizona placed her present from Callie on top of another larger one, and then began rummaging under the tree, apparently looking for something. After a few moments, she leaned back, a small wrapped up box in one hand. Standing up again, Arizona swung around grinning, offering the present to Callie. "Here you go! Merry Christmas."

Callie raised the present to her ear, preparing to shake it just as Arizona had done, but Arizona's hand shot forward before she could.

"No! You can't shake it. No," Arizona stammered a little nervously, her fingers curling against Callie's, preventing her from moving.

"Why not? You did."

"Just trust me?" Arizona asked weakly, her eyes pleading with Callie. Callie finally gave in, unable to resist the look Arizona was giving her, and placed the small box inside the pocket of her leather jacket.

"Happy?"

"Yes, thank you."

To show her gratitude, Arizona leaned forward, and pressed her lips softly against Callie's. Arizona's lips tasted slightly like hot chocolate and cookie dough, an irresistible combination that made Callie weak at the knees. Her hand reached forward, easing the hood off of Arizona's head so her fingers could tangle in the blonde hair she loved so much. After a few seconds, they both drew back, matching smiles on their faces. It was crazy how just one small kiss with Arizona made Callie's entire day much better. The smile on Arizona's face warmed her insides, especially as she knew that the smile was not only because of her, but for her. She ran her fingers along Arizona's cheek bone in a feather like touch, addicted to the smooth, soft skin there, and Arizona leaned into her hand.

"Where are your parents?" Callie asked quietly, enjoying the closeness. Arizona appeared to be enjoying it too, and stepped closer easing her arms around Callie's waist, pressing her head into the crook of Callie's neck, and humming in approval.

"Last minute Christmas shopping." Arizona's voice came out muffled, her lips brushing against the skin of Callie's neck as she spoke, eliciting goosebumps. "Dad always forgets something."

"Understandable," Callie said, her arms falling to Arizona's waist, her neck subconsciously tilting to the side. She felt Arizona's lips curve into a smile, before they pressed against the tanned skin, the kiss soft and sweet. The kiss marked the first time either of them had kissed each other somewhere else on their body, minus the few cheek or forehead kisses which were completely innocent. The kiss stirred something inside Callie, and she moaned, Arizona taking that as the cue to continue her actions. She placed another gentle kiss in the same spot, before moving her lips up and pressing another kiss in a new spot. With each kiss, her lips inched higher and higher up Callie's neck, Callie's knees feeling weak at the small touches. When Arizona's lips pressed behind her ear, her nose nuzzling into the skin, Callie whimpered, heat burning throughout her body. Arizona chuckled at the reaction, the action sending vibrations throughout Callie's body. Just as Callie felt the soft tip of Arizona's tongue caress the shell of her ear, the sound of the front door being swung open hit the two teenagers.

Arizona jumped back, her cheeks flushing a dark shade of red, and Callie was almost certain her own face matched Arizona's exactly. Tim trudged down the hallway, his hands ripping off his hat as he stepped into the living room. Callie awkwardly avoided the older Robbins' siblings eye, instead finding a thread on her jeans very interesting.

"You staying for dinner, Callie?" Tim asked, seemingly oblivious to the slight tension. However, the wink he shot Arizona when Callie wasn't looking let the blonde know that her brother wasn't stupid.

"No, I can't," Callie answered, allowing herself to finally raise her eyes. She felt immensely guilty when she saw the disheartened look on Arizona's face. "My family and I ate dinner a bit earlier because we have church this evening."

"You're Catholic, right?" Tim asked. He had flopped down onto the sofa, his feet up on the coffee table.

"Right," Callie confirmed, with a slight nod of her head. Her eyes skipped back to Arizona, and she offered a smile. "Walk me to the door?"

Arizona gladly accepted, and the two wandered down the hallway and back to the front door. Callie winced as she pulled open the door, the strong cold air hitting her full force. It was moments like this when she knew hats would come useful, but there was no way she was giving in.

"Call me tomorrow?" Arizona asked, her fingers finding Callie's. Their hands often seemed to drift towards each other's, both of them apparently loving and craving constant contact. Callie tightened the hold, giving a soft squeeze. Her body was still tingling from the moment they had shared just a few minutes ago.

"Of course," Callie replied, a smile growing on her face. She kissed Arizona's lips in a quick peck, wanting a small something for the road. With a final farewell, Callie ventured back out into the colder air.

And while she disliked it, Callie felt that having a colder Christmas somehow made the whole holiday more magical.

"I can't believe you called me to count down the minutes until Christmas Day. What are you, five?"

"Stop complaining," Arizona retorted, her cell phone pressed against her ear as her hands pulled back the sheets of her bed. Sliding into the fresh sheets, she sighed in content, falling back onto the pillow. Taking the phone in her hands, she caught Callie's reply.

"I'm just saying," came Callie's voice, and Arizona was sure she could hear the roll of Callie's eyes. "You are practically a child."

"Says you!" Arizona huffed, shaking her head. "The girl who called me at midnight on my birthday to sing to me."

If she was in the same room as Callie, Arizona was sure she would have seen the blush radiating off of Callie's cheeks.

"That was different," Callie mumbled after a second. "This isn't a birthday."

"It's Jesus' birthday!" Arizona defended herself, even though she knew that was stupid point. She didn't believe in God, and she knew that Callie knew that. The laugh coming from the other end proved it.

"Oh yeah, says the most Christian girl in the country," Callie shot back, slow chuckles still dropping from her lips. Arizona laughed a little herself, despite her attempts to try and contain them.

"Three minutes," Arizona whispered, breaking the moment of comfortable silence after her eyes darted to the clock on her nightstand. She felt the excitement build in her stomach, the smile on her face growing. She really loved Christmas, adoring the feeling of family and happiness that came with it. However, the realisation that it was her first Christmas without her Grandmother had hit her hard, making her sad, the whole family sharing tears and soft cries earlier that morning, even Arizona's Father, which had struck everyone. It was strange, how things could change so quickly. She had lost her Grandma in the same year she had found Callie. Someone who had comforted her in her time of need when no one else could have gotten through to her. Arizona was very grateful for what Callie had done, remembering the way the other girl had held her in her arms and helped her sleep.

"You still there?" Callie asked, snapping Arizona out of her thoughts.

"Yeah. Why?"

"I replied and then called your name three times," Callie laughed, the sound angelic.

"Oh, sorry," Arizona replied, shaking her head. "I was just thinking about things."

"Care to share?" Callie questioned, not in the patronizing tone her Mother used, but a soft, concerning tone.

"It's fine," Arizona said softly, glancing once again towards the clock. A sudden scream escaped her lips at the clock baring the numbers 00:00. "Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas," Callie repeated Arizona's words. Arizona smiled, unable to stop her smile. It felt special. The first person who had wished her a Merry Christmas was Callie, and vice versa. It was strange. Before Callie, she had never felt like she was the soft girl who liked romantic cheesy things. She was confident, and not giggly. And while she was still confident, and still very much like herself, she also found that she had changed. It hadn't been a sudden change. She hadn't even realised it. But slowly, it had happened.

"Does this mean I can open your Christmas present now?" Arizona asked, her fingers itching to open the box.

"Nope. You've got to wait until the morning."

"Callie!" Arizona whined, not expecting Callie to say no.

"It's only a few more hours," Callie reminded her, but Arizona huffed.

"Fine. I better get to sleep then so I can wake up and open it."

"Sounds like a good idea," Callie agreed, much to Arizona's disdain.

"You're going to let me go that easy?"

"Goodnight Arizona," Callie said quietly, a yawn following, causing Arizona to feel slightly guilty. "I'll speak to you later."

"Goodnight Calliope."

When Arizona awoke the next morning, and saw that the clock read 6:40am, the blonde bolted out of bed so fast that she fell over. Wincing at the slight pain that spread through her head, Arizona stood up and slowed her movements. All she wanted to do was reach the living room as soon as possible, and find out just what Callie had gotten her. She hadn't been expecting anything from Callie, not really. She had bought Callie a gift, yes, but that didn't mean she expected one in return.

Arizona had bought Callie a small crystal Dolphin. She had seen it in a jewelers while out shopping with her Mother a few weeks previously, and had known straight away that she wanted to buy it for Callie. It had been a reasonable price, something she could just about afford, but she hoped that the meaning behind the gift would make it worth it. Callie had said a few times how she missed Miami, and had talked about her love of Dolphins, so Arizona thought it was a nice idea. She really hoped Callie liked it, and the thought made her slightly nervous.

When she reached the living room, she saw her parents and Tim already sitting on the sofas. Her parents were each nursing a cup of coffee, while Tim was staring intently at the Christmas tree. His gaze was so hard Arizona was surprised it hadn't already burst into flames, as it seemed as though that was what Tim was trying to do.

"How long have you all been up?" Arizona asked, causing all three sets of blue eyes to drift towards her. Her somewhat loud voice in the almost silent household made Tim jump, and he cursed quietly under his breath, although not quietly enough it seemed, as he earned a sharp look from Barbara.

"Jeez Zona," Tim mumbled, running a hand through his hair and sending his younger sister a sharp look. "You can't just startle us like that."

Ignoring her brother's words, Arizona hummed happily, and walked towards the Christmas tree, falling to the floor and drawing her knees up to her chin. Her eyes skimmed the decorated tree as they had done for many days at a time. "Merry Christmas," she said softly, her heart warming. She really did love the holiday season.

"Merry Christmas, dear," Barbara said with a smile, placing her mug down. After a quick glance to Daniel, he did the same thing.

"Now that sleeping beauty is up can we finally open the presents?" Tim asked, his tone clearly pleading with his parents. Daniel grumbled in response, elicting a glee from the two siblings, who immediately dove under the tree, retracting presents and separating them into piles for each person. It didn't take very long to sort out, with Tim and Arizona acting like two overgrown children, and soon all of them had a reasonable size stash of presents before them. Arizona had purposely put Callie's at the bottom, wanting to save the gift from the other girl until last. As per tradition, the family would take turns to open one present in a circle, Arizona starting first as she was the youngest.

For the next 20 minutes or so, wrapping paper was discarded and thrown around the carpet of the usually tidy house. Arizona had unwrapped gifts from her parents, and her brother, as well as some from Teddy and some of the other girls on the cheer team. She had scoffed loudly at the 'How to get a girl in 10 easy steps' book Tim had bought for her, shoving it back at him and saying that he needed it more than she did. She had to bite her tongue to stop herself from mentioning Callie, knowing that would pique her parents interest and that it would make Tim feel smug.

Her Mother had made both her and Tim one of her famous hot chocolates, a Christmas tradition in the Robbins' household, which Arizona greedily slurped on as she watched her Father open his last present, a signature fountain pen that wrote in green ink.

"Is that all of them?" Barbara asked, her eyes peering around the room, wondering if there were any presents left. Tim, Barbara and Daniel had all finished with theirs. Arizona, however, had one gift left, that one being from Callie. She felt somewhat nervous about opening it. Of course she was excited, eager to see what the brunette had bought her, but it was in a mix with nerves.

"Zona has one left," Tim declared, having remembered seeing Callie give Arizona the powder blue box. "From Callie."

Rolling her eyes at her brothers constant nosiness, Arizona bit her lip as her fingers skimmed over the box. Taking a breath, she gently pulled the white ribbon, letting it fall into her lap. Her fingers reached the brim of the box, and she pulled the lid of, tossing it gently to the side.

Uncovering the sheet of snow white tissue paper, a gasp left Arizona's mouth as she stared down at the gift present in her lap. She shook her head, not believing that was actually sitting in the box before her. But it was. Her fingers reached down, and gently lifted the gift out of the box, her eyes growing wider.

"Is that-?" Tim questioned, but was cut off by Arizona.

"Yeah. Yeah, it is."

"An actual record. Of The Way You Make Me Feel by Michael Jackson. It's authentic? Like, actually real?"

Arizona just nodded, her fingers sliding over the title words of the record. The casing of the record was clearly old, the colours fading and disappearing. Peeking inside, her breath caught in her throat as she saw the large record laying inside. Of course she wouldn't be playing the record, but the memory of dancing with Callie to that very song as Homecoming made Arizona's day. The record was probably of a collectors edition, and she was shocked that Callie had been able to find it for her. Tears slowly began to gather in her eyes as she smiled, a choked laugh dropping from her lips.

Hearing her Mother say something, Arizona handed the record off to Barbara so she could inspect it. Her eyes fell back to the box, seeing a small piece of paper that appeared to have been torn out of a notebook. Picking it up, Arizona read the words in Callie's delicate script.

Dear Arizona,

Merry Christmas! I hope you have a great day with your family, and that the new year brings you love and happiness. I hope that you like your gift, and that it reminds you off our first dance at homecoming. I still can't believe you could do the moonwalk in heels, that takes some serious skill! Anyway, I don't want to ramble too much. I just hope you like it.

Love Callie x

Wiping away the tear that had dropped onto the paper before it could smudge, Arizona's watery smile grew wide. She hoped Callie was right and that the new year would bring her love and happiness. Love and happiness with Callie.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed it :) Next up: Bailey tries to convince Arizona to apply for Harvard, and Callie plays in her first basketball game.