A/N: I've been so tired lately. My sleeping schedule from 2 am till 11 am apparently isn't working. I've been doing a Grey's Anatomy marathon starting at season 1 and it makes me so angry that Callie's character was written to be disliked when right now she's one of the best ones. Character development done right. And I forgot what an ass Alex used to be. Denny Duquette still makes me cry.
Arizona was finally settling into her old life, with addition of Josh, and she couldn't be happier about it. Callie was there for her. And she felt like she was being there for Callie too, talking to her even when she wanted to scream and yell at the world. It was a rainy Saturday, Josh being bored out of his mind was spread on the couch in her office in his marine camouflage sweatpants and wildly hitting the remote control to his play station. "Hey, bud want to play some board games?"
"No," Josh replied and groaned after he seemed to lose the game, yet again. "I wanna go outside," he whined.
"I know baby. I wish you could go outside too because you're a pain in the butt," Arizona teased.
Josh giggled. "I'm not," he defended himself.
Arizona tickled him on his side. "You are. But it's okay. I know you're bored. Want me to call Sofia and see if she can come over?"
Josh's eyes lit up. "Can you mama? I really want to do something."
"Sure I can," she assured him. She pushed his leg off the couch's armrest making him giggle. She grabbed her phone and speed dialed Callie's number. She smiled as it didn't take more than two rings for Callie to answer. "Hello Calliope," she said excitedly.
Callie laughed. "Hi Arizona. To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"You're not really busy are you?" Arizona asked, suddenly blushing in embarrassment even though Callie couldn't see her. "Because Josh has been cranky the whole day and it's raining and I thought maybe you and Sof could come over and we could play board games."
"I'm not busy," Callie replied. "And Sofia's the same. She's been hitting on that god damn Frozen keyboard since she woke up and it's giving me a headache. Give us 15 minutes and we'll be there."
Arizona let out a breath. "Good, that's good. Should I order something or are we cooking? Because kids get hungry when they're cranky."
"Cook," Callie replied. "I'll share some of my knowledge with you. See you soon."
"See you soon," Arizona repeated and waited for Callie to disconnect. She smiled widely as she walked back to Josh, once again pushing his leg off the couch's armrest. "Sofia and Callie are coming over."
Josh smiled, pressing the buttons on his controller. "I finally beat this level," he said excitedly. "Can Sofia and I play video games?"
"Sure," Arizona replied. "As long as you're nice to each other and until dinner's made. Afterwards we're bringing out the old board games."
Josh just shrugged, his attention away from Arizona already.
Arizona could hardly sit still and wait for the doorbell to ring. She was at the door the second she heard Callie's car pull up in her driveway. She was dressed rather comfortable. A pair of old washed out jeans and a casual white t-shirt. She opened the door before Callie and Sofia could even ring the bell.
"I see you're excited," Callie said, laughing as she lead quickly Sofia to the front door with her hands on her shoulders to avoid getting wet.
Arizona blushed. "I'm sorry, I was expecting you too eagerly I guess," she said and shrugged. She let them inside and passed a pair of slippers to Sofa. "Josh's upstairs, first room on the left," she said. "He's playing video games, you can join him. Make sure he gives you the second controller."
Sofia nodded, already halfway upstairs. "Thank you!" she screamed.
Callie chuckled. "God, this kid," she muttered under her breath.
Arizona laughed. "Shh, she's wonderful. I've had like four arguments with Josh today already. And two were about food," she said. "They're bored."
"I need sunny days," Callie breathed out. She reached up with her hand to tuck a strand of blonde hair behind Arizona's ear. "Hi," she said, leaning down and quickly pecking Arizona's lips.
Arizona smiled, holding Callie close to her. "Hey," she said back and brought her lips back for another kiss, this one longer. She loved the warm feeling in her belly along with the butterflies and it felt like the rest of the world was fading away and she was there with Callie and that was all that mattered. "Do you want some coffee?" she whispered once they pulled away.
Callie nodded, just blinking at Arizona. Then she felt a tug on her hand and she followed Arizona in the kitchen. She settled against the breakfast bar. "So how have things been?"
"Great actually," Arizona said, for once excited to answer that question. "No nightmares. I slept longer than Josh today actually. And Teddy hasn't told me that I look tired in like four days," she said and laughed.
Callie laughed too. "That's really nice to hear. What about police?" She didn't want to pry but Arizona wasn't willing to talk about it on her own.
Arizona chewed on her bottom lip as she used her coffee machine to make some instant. "Uhm, they haven't really contacted me. They have my new statement, Josh's DNA and I think that's all they need."
Callie nodded. "That's good enough," she responded. "So what really is our plan here for today?"
"Let them play video games until their brains get fried?" Arizona suggested with a smirk.
"Not that I'm against that idea but my dad has very high expectations about Sofia's education," Callie said and laughed. She was sure her dad already had a spot for Sofia in his business.
Arizona smiled. "Well I actually thought that they would play those stupid games while we, and I mean you, make dinner and then we could play some old board games. I have Activity and UNO and Monopoly and Pictionary. Maybe more. And they're all suitable for Josh and Sofia."
"Pictionary? Really? I've seen your art skills," Callie teased. Before Arizona left and everything bad happened they got drunk with Cristina once and ended up playing tequila version of Pictionary. Instead of a hat Arizona drew what looked like a boat.
"Hey!" Arizona whined. "I was drunk. And I just kept thinking about a boat because everything was spinning and I was dizzy."
"Do you have Twister?" Callie asked after a few moments of silence.
Arizona furrowed her eyebrows. "I think so. Why?"
Callie smirked. "We could play that. You know, exercising and everything."
"You just want to get into an inappropriate position with me," Arizona huffed. "So we won't be playing Twister today. Unless you're the one spinning."
Callie feigned being hurt. "Oh well, I'll just make dinner now," she said. "Wait, what did you even want to make for dinner?"
"I stocked my fridge yesterday, so surprise me." They changed their places so Arizona sat down by the breakfast bar and watched while Callie moved around the kitchen to see what Arizona had.
Callie was honestly surprised by how full her fridge was. Before kids their fridges only had like eggs, milk and maybe a yogurt. "Risotto with mushrooms? Or pasta with kidney beans and corn in tomato sauce? Or do you want something else?"
"No, the pasta sounds great actually," Arizona said and leaned on her arm. She watched Callie cook the entire time, barely saying a word. The silence was comfortable and she loved watching Callie shimmy her hips when stirring the sauce.
Callie turned around at the sound of Arizona's laughing. "What are you laughing at?"
Arizona giggled. "Nothing. You just seem very comfortable in my kitchen, that's all."
Callie leaned over the counter to kiss Arizona, making both of them smile. "Don't get used to it. This is a special privilege."
"I don't doubt that," Arizona replied. She waited for Callie to finish with pasta and then set up the table. Her and Josh usually ate behind the breakfast bar because they just didn't feel like using the whole table. But now Arizona even set up the place mats she got from her parents before she moved back to Seattle. It was really just for Josh because they had zoo animals drawn on them but she didn't mind. "I'll go get the kids." She jogged up the stairs and peeked into her office. Josh was laying on the couch, his leg thrown over the armrest and Sofia was laying on her tummy on the floor over a soft carpet. Both very focused on the video game. "Hey, dinner's ready," she said.
Josh quickly paused the game. "What's for dinner?"
"Pasta," Arizona replied. He and Sofia excitedly ran downstairs and Josh showed Sofia where the dining room was. Arizona stopped Josh before he could sit down to make sure he was getting his insulin before meals.
They ate in silence, this one was however slightly uncomfortable. At least for Arizona. She kept squirming in her seat and couldn't comprehend why she would be uncomfortable. Because Callie was here. Josh was here. And Sofia was here. And then she realized that maybe because they were all together doing something so family like, eating dinner together in silence that it made her realize how this could be her future. She was nowhere near being ready to assume her relationship with Callie would be forever but she certainly made an effort to make sure it would last.
Callie gently nudged Arizona. "Are you okay?"
Arizona nodded. "Yeah, I was just thinking about stuff."
Callie didn't push her. Instead they finished eating and Arizona put the dishes in the dishwasher. "Okay, so what kind of games do you have?" Callie asked.
"Open the cabinet next to the television," Arizona said and settled on the couch with Sofia on one side and Josh on the other.
Callie opened it and looked through the board games. She had to admit Arizona had a lot of games, she just hoped that kids of this generation would be interested in. "Let's play pictionary." She took out the box and put it on the coffee table.
"Can I play with you, Callie?" Josh asked with a smile.
Arizona gasped. "Why not me?"
"You're bad at drawing," Josh stated and giggled. He quickly jumped up and went to Callie's side to protect himself.
Arizona crossed her arms over her chest and looked at Sofia. "But that doesn't matter because we're still gonna win, right?"
Sofia grinned and nodded. "I always win."
Arizona got the papers and pencils while Callie set up the game. Josh and Callie were first, Josh throwing the dice with the higher number. They started playing the game and got really into it. Sofia and Arizona made a great time and even though Arizona's art skills weren't at its finest the game was easy enough that she was able to draw birds and sun and house. Their intense game was interrupted by Arizona's phone ringing. She jumped up from the couch and rain upstairs to her office to grab it. She was lucky enough she didn't forget it on silent mode again. She didn't recognize the number. "Arizona Robbins speaking," she said. She has learned to answer with her full name to unknown numbers because sometimes parents found her number online and wanted to talk about their kid's illness with her. Arizona's eyes widened when she realized the person calling was the officer who was investigating the assault. She hasn't gotten any news in weeks and she assumed it was over.
"Do you have a lawyer?"
Arizona frowned. "Uh, yes. Why would I need a lawyer?" She's had a lawyer for quite some time now but never contacted him. It felt like being a surgeon she would need one in case of getting sued.
"Because he might try to fight for your son's custody."
Arizona's throat closed. She couldn't breathe. Everything felt numb. Her legs failed her and she crumbled down to the floor. "You.. He.. You said he was in prison," she choked out as tears burned in her eyes.
"He is. He's being held until the court hearing. You should contact your lawyer just in case."
"H-hearing?" Arizona weakly asked. "So I will have to testify?" She heard a confirmation over the phone and let out a breath. "Is there a way for me to do it without having to see him?"
"I'm afraid not miss Robbins."
Arizona swallowed. "Uhm thank you for your call. I'll contact my lawyer." She hung up quickly. She couldn't hear another word. It was all too much. She saw him. She kept seeing him and she couldn't catch her breath as she sat on the floor with tears in her eyes. And then the sound of children's laughter brought her back to reality. She looked around her office and wondered how quickly could she leave. Just grab her things and Josh and run away. But she already left Seattle once and she would hate to leave Callie again, not now that she finally got her back. She sighed and picked herself up. Arizona has been avoiding this talk with Callie but it was going to have to happen tonight. She returned back downstairs, plastering a smile on her face. "Who's winning?" she asked loudly.
"Me and Callie. mama," Josh replied and pointed towards the big pile of paper and drawn pictures.
Arizona sat down and just watched for a few minutes. Callie placed her hand on Arizona's knee. "Are you okay? What happened?"
"I'll tell you later," Arizona replied, trying to smile but her lips merely trembled.
In that moment Callie didn't care how Sofia and Josh would understand their relationship. She wrapped her arm around Arizona's lower back and Arizona pressed herself in Callie's side. "Hey, would you mind playing alone for a few rounds? Old people need to rest," Callie said with a bright smile.
Arizona buried her face in Callie's neck while her arm moved over Callie's stomach to her hip. She wasn't going to cry. But she needed to feel safe and Callie provided her that feeling. She sat there taking deep breaths for a few minutes before pressing a gentle kiss on the spot where Callie's neck met her shoulder and pulled away. "Thank you," she muttered quietly.
Callie smiled sadly. "Any time."
They joined in the game but soon Sofia and Josh grew tired of drawing and guessing and have gotten cranky. "Okay kiddos, how about we play something else? Monopoly?" Callie asked.
Josh shook his head.
"Okay, how about UNO?" Callie tried again.
This time Sofia shook her head.
Arizona looked towards the radio. "Do you want to dance maybe?" Sofia giggled and nodded and Arizona stood up turning up the radio. She left it on a pretty popular station with pop songs. Josh and Sofia started jumping around while she offered her hand to Callie who took it. They started dancing, their hips moving to the beat. Callie chuckled as Arizona tried to spun her but since she was taller their hands got tangled. Callie decided to dip Arizona, making her lean back until one of her legs lifted. Arizona gasped as suddenly the only thing keeping her from falling was Callie. Ironically in that moment when their eyes met she fell even harder for her.
"Kiss her," Josh said loudly and giggled.
Sofia jumped, nodding. "Yes. Kiss her."
Callie made sure Arizona was completely okay and when she earned a slight nod she leaned down and kissed her. Both set of eyes fluttered close and they enjoyed the brief tingling before separating. Callie made sure the kiss didn't last too long and that it was appropriate for the prying eyes. Callie grinned as she watched Arizona's eyes slowly open. She straightened her back, pulling Arizona with her.
Arizona took Callie's hand and intertwined their fingers, not caring about what their kids thought in that moment. She was Callie's, Callie was hers and each had a beautiful child and that was all that mattered in that moment.
It was a few hours later when Arizona emerged from a pillow fort she built with Josh and Sofia. They were both fast asleep and now she needed to talk to Callie. About everything, really. She smiled at her as she walked in the kitchen, accepting a hot cup of tea. "Thank you," she said softly.
"You're welcome. Is everything okay with Josh and Sofia?" Callie asked. Based on Arizona's expression she felt like something was wrong and she knew that this time she had to push Arizona.
"Yeah, they're great. Sleeping actually," Arizona quickly replied. She played with her cup for a while before taking a long sip. "I got a call from the police officer during the game. And he said it's for the best that I contact my lawyer in case he would want to fight for custody."
"He knows? I thought you said he wouldn't find out." Callie was confused.
Arizona shrugged. "Apparently he found out. And I have to testify. Which means I have to see him. I don't know when but he said I need to keep my schedule opened. I'm just so scared. I keep having this feeling that one day he'll come in and take Josh away and I'll lose everything."
Callie sat closer to Arizona, her hand rubbing comforting circles on Arizona's back. "He won't. I mean he's a rapist and probably a lot more than just that. There's no way they'd give custody to him. But if you want.. I'll be there."
Arizona looked up at Callie, surprised. "You will?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't I? You're important to me Arizona and if it means I'd have to call in sick that day I will," Callie said sternly, almost as if she was making a point.
"Thank you," Arizona whispered as she took another sip of her tea.
Callie just squeezed her thigh in return. "So no regrets about kissing in front of the kids?" she couldn't help but ask.
Arizona's eyes widened. "Regrets? Absolutely not. Beside I talked to Josh already and he adores you. There's only so much coolness his mom and auntie Teddy can have," she said teasingly, making both of them laugh.
"He's a great kid," Callie said honestly, taking one of Arizona's hands in hers.
"Sofia's wonderful too. She has a lot of your sassiness in her. And some of Mark's confidence I must say," Arizona said and laughed. Although Sofia looked a lot like Callie she noticed a little bit of Mark in her.
Callie chuckled. "Yeah, he was a great a dad. And a good friend. I miss him sometimes." She grew quiet and took a sip of her tea.
Arizona chewed on her bottom lip. "Mark and I had our differences but I did like him. Or at least I respected him. He probably didn't like me much, even more after I left."
"He wasn't your biggest fan. But he also never resented you," Callie said and shrugged.
"Well he got all the angry sex with you after I left," Arizona said and she didn't mean it in the accusing tone but somehow that's how it sounded when it left her mouth. She cringed. "I didn't mean it like that. I mean I don't blame you or accuse you. We were broken up."
Callie looked at Arizona. "I know you didn't like the fact that he's seen me naked and I dated other men during our break up. And women too. But if we ever got pass the 'I have a child' date it was always me who ended up freaking out."
Arizona wasn't pleased with Callie's dating history but she didn't let Callie know. She had her attempts at dating as well. "Freaking out?"
"Well after two dates all women wanted to know if they would carry our next child or if we should adopt. So this time it was me freaking out over kids," Callie said and laughed.
"U-hauling," Arizona sang song. "Although I was never asked how I ended up alone with Josh. I think they all assumed I was so lonely I got a baby, instead of a cat or a puppy." As she said the word cat Oreo came in the kitchen with a meow. "Well now I have a baby and a cat," Arizona said as she bent down to scratch her cat under its chin.
Callie smiled. "I would get a puppy if I had more space. But right now I think Sofia's enough."
Arizona laughed. "You said it like Sofia's an animal."
"You should see her when my dad lets her drink soda." Callie finished drinking her tea and rinsed her cup and then Arizona's as well. "We should head to bed."
Arizona nodded. "Well considering we're standing in my kitchen in pajamas, yeah." They showered a little after Sofia and Josh because they were finger painting and yet paint was everywhere but on their fingers. They did make a few beautiful paintings that were going on the fridges. They walked up to Arizona's bedroom and settled in her bed, Arizona immediately rolling over to wrap her arms around Callie as much as it was possible. "I would totally u-haul with you. We could adopt," she mumbled in Callie's neck.
Callie laughed. "Okay, we'll adopt." She kissed Arizona's forehead, then the cheek that wasn't buried in the pillow and then her lips. "Sleep well."
Arizona smiled, her eyes already closed. "Sweet dreams."