On Sunday, the brunette woke up slowly to the sound of music that filled her ears. She squeezed her eyes tightly, groaned as she stretched her arms over her head to wake every muscle in her sore body. Yes, soreness, that was most likely the best possible way to describe the aching feeling. Her arms, sore. Her legs, sore. Her back, sore. And it didn't surprise her. Because ever since finding out that she was pregnant, Arizona had felt the need to celebrate, every night, multiple times. And she had not managed to stop her wife. The blonde had just this much power over her, that she wasn't able to stop her. Arizona would nip on her neck and it would make her tremble with anticipation, and that was only one way her lover knew how to make her knees go weak. Not that Callie would ever complain, she was just a little sore. That did not lower the hunger she felt for the blonde, though. And if this was the first trimester, she had no clue how the second would pay out.
Groaning again, she finally opened her eyes and let her head fall to her right, checking the time on the digital clock on her nightstand. It was three minutes to 11am and honestly, she could not remember a day she had been allowed to sleep that long, especially since their baby thought it was funny to make her sick from the moment she woke up to the time it was already acceptable to have lunch. But, even though she had jolted up and out of their bed at precisely 6.42 this morning, waking up because of a surge nausea, she had had no problem going back to sleep, which was very much appreciated. Even more so because today was the first day off, the first of twelve days without pagers, night shifts or being on call. Twelve days ahead of them with nothing to do but seeing their families and friends and she couldn't feel happier about it.
She sat up and flung her legs over the edge of the bed without much enjoyment, her bare feet meeting the relatively cold floor as she waited, giving her body some time to get used to the new position and seeing if the little one inside her would be against getting up. Nothing. Rubbing her eyes, the Latina waited some more. Still nothing. She felt good, hungry even, and for the first time in almost a week, she didn't feel sick while thinking of breakfast. "But no coffee", she reminded herself. Two days ago, after being on her feet way too long, working on various cases in the ER after a school bus collided with another and there were about thirty-five kids injured, Callie had found herself longing for the black gold. And before she knew it, she had caught herself on the way to their favorite coffee cart of the hospital and then turned on her heels to find her wife instead. Apropos, when had Arizona gotten out of bed? Reaching behind her, she felt cold bed sheets, so the blonde must be up for quite some time now.
Throwing an oversized college shirt over her head and covering her bottoms with a pair of green shorts, she scuffled quietly and still a little sleepy over the hard floor and out of the bedroom. Following the music into the kitchen her face broke into a million-dollar-smile when she found her wife shaking her hips to the rhythm of her ever beloved Disney songs. She stopped and leaned against the door frame, just watching the blonde's happy dancing, swirling the spatula in her hand and probably using it as a microphone. Callie would never be able to contain a smile in moments like these. It was the carefree, happy and bubbly side of her lover Erica had called annoying, but she found it endearing. It was one of Arizona's best character traits around kids and she had often witnessed it with Sarita and Milan or the children in the orphanage and frankly, she couldn't wait to see her with their baby.
Carefully, she made her way into the kitchen, trying not to startle the blonde wannabe singer until she could put her hands on her lover's body, grasping the magnificent hipbones. Feeling the form in front of her stiffen for only a second, Callie leaned closer, placing a kiss against one of the well-known soft spots of her wife's neck. "Good morning" she husked, enjoying the goosebumps her breath caused on Arizona's skin.
Letting her body fall deeper into the Latina's embrace, the blonde smiled and sighed, "Good morning." Her head fell back onto her wife's shoulder and she just reveled in the moment, the music around them and the smell of pancakes. She felt her heartbeat quicken when Callie's hand slid down to her naked thighs and up between her legs. "Calliope..." It came out as a moaned whisper as her body shivered. The brunette would easily be able to turn her around and have her way with her, it didn't matter how tired her body was, but she was making breakfast for them and that thought dragged her out if her lusty haze. "Stop", she said, "or I might burn the pancakes."
Resting her head on top of Arizona's shoulder, Callie eyed the still small stock of pancakes, but her eyes quickly checked the bowl with the batter and she licked her lips. Her wife was not a chef in the kitchen, but those pancakes were better than hers, with her mother-in-law's secret recipe that Arizona would not spill any beans about. "Mhmm", she hummed. "Pancakes."
"Yes. And I made a bowl of chopped fruit. Strawberries, apples and bananas. You two need a healthy breakfast and you deserve to be spoiled. So go, take a seat and just be your beautiful self." Wiggling out of Callie's embrace and hearing her lover laugh behind her, Arizona went back to the task at hand. Pancake after pancake made it onto the stock and the blonde smiled hearing the brunette's voice singing along to her favorite Disney songs. When she was done, she turned off the stove and set the table for both of them. She had even decided not to make any coffee for her either, instead she chose to put two cups of delicious cold cocoa on the bar. She didn't want the Latina to move a finger. The next days would be all about getting some rest, recharging their inner batteries, Callie even more than she.
"You know that I can help, right? I am six weeks pregnant, not sick", the brunette stated. Deep down, she enjoyed being spoiled by her wife, but she didn't want the blonde to turn into super-mom already. That could wait for the days when she would be too far along to move or when she would be tired. Today, she felt awesome. When Arizona sat down across from her, she took her lover's hand and caressed it with her finger. "Thank you."
Smiling brightly as she took in the sight of her wife and the freshly short hair cut, the blonde leaned over the breakfast bar to press her lips against Callie's, giving her a proper good-morning kiss. "You're welcome." Preparing two plates with pancakes and fruit, blue eyes flickered every so often to the woman she loved. She valued mornings like this, when there was enough time to have an unhurried breakfast together. It was rare, even on the days one of them would start late, the other mostly didn't so one of them always had to leave. And sometimes, that sucked. So, yeah, she was looking forward to their vacation. Which reminded her, "We still have to pack."
Nodding subconsciously because she had heard her wife's voice, Callie licked her lips. The memory of the taste of strawberries combined with chocolate sauce was just too good and her mouth watered immediately. But then she looked up and her eyes locked with the blonde's and she realized that she had no idea what Arizona had just said. Biting her bottom lip, she tried to suppress the blood from flooding her cheeks and tinting them red, but it didn't work. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"
The laughter that filled the air the next second was hearty and Arizona couldn't help but let it bubble up. She didn't mean to laugh at her wife, but the brunette looked flustered and it was a look she had always found beyond cute. "I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you, I swear", she said quickly when she noticed Callie's furrowed eyebrows. "You just look so adorable, love. It's one of the cutest things you do, when you just space out and don't get what I am saying." Apparently, the Latina did not share this opinion so she chose to stare at her plate. "Hey, none of that", Arizona encouraged and lifted her lover's chin with her fingers. "I only said that we still have to pack, but we've got time. Momma called earlier to say that we should be at their house at five instead of six, but it's still enough time to take a shower, pack and clean up a bit. Now, eat."
Blinking a couple of times, Callie visibly relaxed when her wife's words sank in. She had no idea why the laughter had gotten to her, maybe because of the hormones and the whole situation. Deep down, she knew that Arizona would not laugh at her, she had never done it, not even when the brunette had landed on her butt more times than she could count when they had gone ice skating, so why would she start now. It was an irrational thought and the brunette swiftly brushed it off as crazy hormones and dug in, a smile spreading over as she had her first bite of a pancake. "Perfect", she grinned and smacked her lips.
"I'm glad you approve", Arizona replied with a giggle. "And I am even more glad Baby lets you eat something today." Within the short span of five days, the blonde had started to refer to their child as 'Baby', since they didn't know the gender yet, so she just went with the genderless name. Not 'your baby' or 'my baby' or 'our baby'. Just 'Baby'. "I can't wait to feel the first kick", she said dreamily, thinking about how she would most likely stroke her hand over the brunette's belly and then feel it. "I can't wait for a lot of things."
"Me neither", Callie agreed. There was still so much time until these things would even happen, but she also knew that once they were back to work, time was irrelevant. It wouldn't matter because they would spend most of the day at the hospital anyway and she was fairly sure that they would be looking for a house and decorate a nursery before they knew it. "Did your mom say why we have to be over an hour before dinner?", she asked her wife curiously. Not that she minded. Just, something seemed off, she just couldn't put her finger at it though.
"Nope. Just that we should be there", the blonde shrugged. "Maybe she wants to catch up. We haven't had enough time to do that the past couple of weeks, with work and... the events. We also should preparesomething so we can take Magic with us. I already asked mom and she said it's easier for her when he's at their house so she wouldn't have to drive here every day." As if on cue, Magic meowed from his spot on the couch. "Yes Mister, I was talking about you", Arizona laughed. She would miss him while they were gone, of course. She loved his cuddles and although he was getting older and wasn't as kittenish as he used to be, he always came to her for cuddles.
Finishing her breakfast, Callie put her hands on her stomach. "I'm full. We're full", she stated and looked at the stock. There were two pancakes left and although it was truly tasty, she couldn't eat another bite. And with the prospect of a pompous dinner in less than seven hours, she let out some air. She waited for Arizona do be done as well and then raised a questioning eyebrow at her wife.
"What?", she asked, pushing the plate in the middle of the table, signaling that she was more than stuffed. But in her defense, it had been too good to stop.
"You said something about a shower...", the brunette drawled out. "Could you... maybe have been talking about a joint shower? You know, you and me, hot water running down our bodies and nothing but slick skin on skin?"
Gulping audibly, Arizona shook her head for a moment to clear it. Her wife was just too sexy and sometimes she just had to say a word and the blonde was a goner. Today was no different, apparently. And when she closed her eyes, she could still feel the hand between her legs, so she stood up and reached for the hem of her own shirt. "Do you really have to ask?" Pulling the fabric over her head, she threw it at her wife and made a beeline for the bathroom, hearing Callie's footsteps following her and she grinned smugly, knowing that this shower would complete the perfect start of their vacation.
A-C-T
At exactly 4.55pm, Callie parked the car in front of the Robbins' house, looking at her wife out of the corner of her eye. Arizona had Magic in his transport box resting on her lap, entertaining the cat because he had never been a fan of being in a car. "We're here", she reminded the blonde and unbuckled her seat belt, wanting to get out of the car and breathe in some fresh air as soon as possible. They had been running around the apartment all morning. Packing clothes for their trip to New York, packing a variety of bikinis for Miami and trying to get everything together for Magic's little vacation. "Are you positive you want to tell our families or did you change your mind?", she asked, just wanting to make sure that they were both on the same page.
"More than sure", Arizona replied, still cooing Magic and stroking his fur through the bars of his box. Her gaze found Callie's for a moment and the she looked out of the passenger window, narrowing her eyes in confusion. "Does Liam have a new car?", the blonde wondered when she noticed the strange car parked in her parent's driveway behind her father's anthracite Volkswagen. It wouldn't be unusual for the brunette's parents to park the car there, but the last time they all met, her lover's father drove a black Ford Fusion and she knew that Susan still had a white Ford Focus. The one in the drive though, was a silver Chevrolet. "Or did my mother say something about getting a new car?" She was confused. Her mother would have mentioned something to her, wouldn't she?
"Not that I know", Callie answered, also confused by the other car. Looking out of the windshield, she spotted her parents coming towards them, her mother's arm linked with her father's, her body leaning close to his, displaying the happy couple they have always been. "And apparently, my parents chose to walk here", she said, nodding her head in the direction of the older couple. "Grandpa Robbins?", she suggested.
Shaking her head, Arizona pressed her lips together and pursed them, her mind pondering about the strange car. Her grandfather was not even in Seattle, he was at the yearly veteran get-together in Massachusetts this weekend and he would never miss out on that. Still, she really couldn't think of anybody driving a silver Chevrolet.
"Let's just get inside", Callie urged when her parents were close to the car. She pulled the key out of the ignition and opened her door, quickly walking around the car to take Magic's box from Arizona's lap so she could exit the car as well. Her eyes followed the blonde's every move as she got out and smoothed the fabric of the white blouse she chose to wear. The material clung to her curvy body and the golden locks waved in the light early summer breeze. Clearing her throat and her head from the images of their morning shower, she turned around just in time to see her parents only a few feet away from them. "Mama", she called out and placed the cat's box on the ground. "It's good to see you."
Susan, letting go of her husband's arm, closed the distance between them with a couple of fast strides and pulled the Latina into a warm hug. "It's good to see you", she whispered. "You look gorgeous, Calliope." She let go of her daughter and held her at arm's length, really taking in the beauty of the brunette. Her high cheekbones, the shoulder length curls framing her face wonderfully. The rosy cheeks, all in all, the Latina looked very good. Seeing the color of her cheeks morph into a shade of pink, she said, "No need to blush, honey."
A smile appeared on her lips as she heard Arizona agreeing with her mother and it got even wider when her father put his arms around her, holding her close. "Your mother is indeed right. You get more beautiful every time we see you again. But you need to work on your free time, honey. It can't be that you spend more than seventy hours a week at the hospital, sometimes even two days in a row. You two are young, you need to live your marriage." He understood that a doctor's work was never truly over and he knew what he was talking about, being married to a nurse for the better part of his life. But he was a little worried about his daughters that they would keep running themselves ragged within a couple of years.
Chuckling, Callie stepped aside when Arizona nudged her hip, silently telling her wife that she wanted to greet her father-in-law too. "We should head inside, your dad is already looking out of the window", the Latina laughed and it got even louder when the blonde next to her groaned.
"Seriously? I am not a teenager anymore and you are not bringing me home right on curfew", Arizona said and rolled her eyes in mocked annoyance. "Let me carry Magic", she insisted when she noticed that her wife was about to pick up the box again. Blue eyes locked with brown and she knew that Callie wanted to protest, but Arizona was having none of that. She reached down and grabbed the box, walking up the stairs to the house she grew up in. This always felt like coming home.
Before she could ring the bell though, the door flung open and her mother welcomed her with a warm smile, similar to her own, with deep dimples popped into both cheeks. "Just on time, young lady", Barbara mockingly scolded and took the cat's box out of her daughter's hand, putting it on the floor and opening it. Magic rushed out of it in a split second and found a spot under the stairs. He would stay there until he was comfortable enough to stroll around and that was okay. He had never been a too fond of his transport box and from experience, they knew he would soon start to realize that he had been here a couple of times before. "That was fast", the elderly woman laughed and hugged her daughter. "Your father is in the living room."
"I know", the blonde replied, "I saw him standing there, spying on us through the window. Will he ever change?" Not getting an answer from her mom since Barbara was busy welcoming the rest of the guests, Arizona waited until the multiple hugs were shared and asked, "Whose car is in your driveway, mom."
"That's mine", a very familiar yet at the same time rarely heard voice sounded. "Well, not mine, it's a rental car, but since I am only here for a day, I didn't want mom or dad to pick me up. But I also thought, why Skype when I have the day off, so now I am here", Tim grinned, waiting for his sister's reaction which came promptly as the older Robbins' sibling spun around and jumped into her 'little' brother's arms. "Hey Zona", he smiled, hugging her tight, his eyes scanning the hallway, meeting a bunch of people. "Hey Callie, nice haircut", he winked, knowing that he would not be able to hug his sister-in-law anytime soon, because Arizona held on to him as if her life depended on it. "You do know that I won't magically disappear if you let go of me, right?"
The room was filled with soft chuckles as everybody watched Arizona clinging onto Tim. "I just missed you so much!", she choked out, fighting her tears with everything she had, not wanting to cry. But she was so relieved that he seemed to be in one piece. No crutches, no casts, no cuts. Still, she noticed the difference in his body. His arms seemed stronger, his torso harder and even more muscular than before. "Geez, one could think you are made of steel now", she said after pulling back, pinching his biceps before looking at his face. The childish features that had been in his face had completely disappeared now, but she was relieved that, when he smiled at her, the dimples were still there. "You're definitely a man now."
"Thank you", he said proudly, finally hugging the Latina and then saying hello to her parents. "Okay ladies, I have only this Sunday before I have to be back at the camp. You better fill me in on everything that has been going on."
They parted ways, Susan and Barbara went to the kitchen, getting the dinner ready. Liam and Daniel followed their kids into the living room, talking about work and how nice it was to have the whole family back together, even if it was for only one evening. And Arizona peppered her brother with questions until he cut her short and did the same to her, the blonde always reminding herself not to say anything about her wife's condition until they would hand over the gifts they had prepared. But she shot the brunette a smile every so often, or squeezed her hand, or rubbed a hand over her thigh, wanting to feel some kind of contact.
When dinner was ready, every conversation died down a little bit. Compliments about the delicious dinner were spoken out loud and while everybody enjoyed a glass of red or white wine, whatever they preferred that evening, Callie stuck to water, silently hoping that no one would notice it. But then Barbara served tiramisu for dessert, the Latina knew that they – maybe, just maybe – should tell their families. Especially when her mother eyed her. "Calliope, why don't you eat your dessert? You still love tiramisu, don't you?"
"Yes, mom. I'm just..." She felt her lover's hand that had been soothingly rubbing her thigh coming to a stop on her knee and it distracted her for a moment. "Uhm..." Her brain had turned to mush, apparently, she didn't know what to say to her mother. But she also did not want to ruin their surprise, it would be even better now that they wouldn't have to tell Tim through a Skype video call.
Arizona's brain reacted faster. She reached into her wife's large purse, fetching out the three boxes they had prepared this noon and placed one between her parents, one in front of her brother and positioned the last one between Susan and Liam. Sitting back down, she interlocked her fingers with her wife's and waited, theexpectation rising in both of them.
"Did we miss Christmas, Barb?", Daniel asked, making everybody giggle. He had a slight feeling of what could be in that box that would explain the Latina's behavior and the fact that she had not even sipped on her wine. Yes, he had noticed. "Go ahead, open it", he nodded and pushed the box over to his wife who eagerly lifted the lid.
Susan and Liam did the same, together, Tim following suit. His present wasn't as obvious since Callie had folded the shirt they had purchased for him with the print on the inside. As soon as the blonde heard her mother's gasp, she concentrated on her wife, wanting to witness the moment the smile would appear and even more so, when it got bigger and reached her eyes.
"Does that mean-" Barbara asked, staring at the baby shoes, one in light pink, the other one baby blue. "Oh my God, Daniel!", she squealed and clapped her hands and kissed her husband's cheek. "We're going to be grandparents!"
Brown eyes flickered to her parents, because none of them had said a word yet, but when Callie's eyes found Susan's, she saw tears glistening on her mother's cheeks, and a broad smile on Liam's face. "Mom?"
"I'm sorry. I'm just... I don't know what to say. How? When? Why didn't you tell us you were trying? How far along are you? Since when do you know? Oh my God I am sorry, I just... I'm... we are so happy for you." Standing up, she walked around the table, pulling the younger couple into a bear hug, kissing her daughter's cheek numerous times.
Liam stood back a little, letting his wife have this moment with the brunette. "I am impressed you didn't spill anything, Arizona", he chuckled, knowing all too well that his daughter-in-law was not the best when it came to keeping things a secret when they were little. That had definitely changed.
"Me too", the blonde laughed. "But let me tell you, it was hard. We know since Wednesday and I really wanted to shout it from the rooftops, but we decided to keep it low for now. Only our boss and you guys know. Well, we might tell Teddy and Addie, 'cause we're flying to New York tomorrow but they are our best friends, they need to know they're going to be Godparents."
"How far along are you?", Barbara repeated Susan's question, wanting to know when they could be expecting their grandchild. "You're not showing yet, Calliope."
"And I won't for another few weeks. I am only six weeks pregnant, so I guess we all have to wait a little bit", the Latina giggled. "But let me assure you, as soon as we know the gender, we'll call, I promise. Arizona would not be able to keep that a secret to save her life." The wink she shot the blonde told her wife that she was not fully serious about the comment. Although it might be partly truth. After receiving more hugs, she sat back down and smiled at her lover, "I love you."
"I love you, too" Arizona replied instantly and sighed into the kiss that was only cut short by Tim clearing his throat. Looking at her brother, her blue eyes immediately saw that he had changed his shirt. "That shirt sure suits you, Tim."
"You bet it does!", he stated, still grinning from ear to ear as he puffed out his chest, showing off the shirt that shirt said "Best Uncle of the World".
AN: To everyone that reads the Teddison companion piece, that will be updated at some point this week.