[Ok so here is the final chapter, I may be tempted to do a chapter set in the future but not 100% sure because I'm quite happy with where I've left it. Thanks again for reading and reviewing! I've never wrote something like this before so I appreciate it :) Hope you enjoy this chapter]
There's somethin' in your voice,
Makes my heartbeat fast.
Hope this feeling lasts,
The rest of my life.
If you knew how lonely my life has been,
And how long I've been so alone.
And if you knew how I wanted someone to come along,
And change my life the way you've done
It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me.
It feels like I'm all the way back where I come from.
It feels like home to me, it feels like home to me.
It feels like I'm all the way back where I belong.
- Feels like home, Lisa Lois
Arizona woke feeling content, almost at peace. Feeling Callie wrapped around her was so comforting and she felt like no time had passed since they woke up like this every morning. Arizona knew that she wanted every morning to feel like this. She stole a quick glance at Callie, there was that big smile, was it possible that her smile seemed bigger than it had done before or was that just wishful thinking. Some might find it weird waking up to someone smiling in their sleep, but Arizona had always found comfort and joy in it. She turned back round, nestled back into Callie and fell asleep once more.
Callie woke up, disorientated but also feeling elated. She was wrapped around Arizona, who was sleeping softly. God she was beautiful, she had always been in awe of how flawless she was, how naturally beautiful she was.
'But you, you are so beautiful. Yeah people stand next to you and immediately feel bad about themselves. It's a public service that you are a couple of inches shorter. It is a kindness to every other woman at that wedding that you are one tiny bit less beautiful'
Callie gently prised herself away from Arizona, making sure she hadn't woken her. She grabbed her phone and put on her robe and headed downstairs. As she was putting on the coffee machine her phone started ringing it was Sofia.
'Hi Mama! Did you win? did you win?' Sofia babbled down the phone
'Hi Baby, how are you? I did'
'SUPER AWESOME!' she exclaimed down the phone
'I'm going to tell everyone! All my friends will be so jealous that you are famous!'
Callie laughed 'I'm not famous Sof, but you can tell your friends that I am. Are you having a good time?'
"Yeah, it's been super fun, we made forts, ate loads of sweets and popcorn and tried to stay up all night! I miss you though"
"Oh, wow sounds super fun! I hope you got some sleep though little Miss. I miss you too, but I will see you tomorrow and you can tell me everything!"
"Mama?"
"Mija?"
"Is Mommy there?"
Callie hesitated "Yeah, but she is sleeping at the moment… why would you ask if she was here?"
"Mommy told me that she was going to surprise you by coming to the awards, she made me promise not to tell. Are you mad at me?"
"No, Mija of course I'm not mad. I'm happy your Mommy was there too"
"Did you like Mommy's dress? I helped to choose it' Sofia claimed proudly 'I'm happy that you and Mommy had a sleepover like me'
So, Sofia had been in on the whole surprise and she had helped choose that dress. A flashback to the night before of Callie ripping that dress of Arizona sprang to mind, she shook her head this was not the time to be having those thoughts again.
'I loved the dress, your Mommy looked beautiful in it'
'I know right, Mama Danielle's Mom is calling me. See you tomorrow. Love you lots and lots'
'I love you too, bye sweetie'
After the phone call Callie resumed making the coffee.
"Hey, you making one of those for me?" Arizona questioned as she stepped into the kitchen
"Hey, sorry I was going to bring you one in, I didn't want to wake you…"
It was surreal to see Arizona stood in her kitchen, in her underwear and one of Callie's t-shirts.
'Obviously I wont be wearing it with a T-shirt and underwear'
'Oh no, you should only wear it with a T-shirt and underwear or, nothing would be even better'
"I grabbed one of your t-shirts I hope you don't mind'
"No course not, they always looked better on you anyway…"
Callie suddenly felt self-conscious.
"Sofia just called, she was happy about me winning and now thinks I'm a celebrity" Callie laughed "Sorry I should have woke you to speak to her"
"Don't worry, I will see her tomorrow and no doubt she will have lots to tell me tomorrow"
"Oh yeah, no questions about that…" Callie cleared her throat "Arizona, about last night. I'm sorry I was just caught up in the moment, with winning, you being there, the champagne. We've come so far over the past year and I don't want last night to ruin that. So, let's just say it was a onetime thing, lets just say that it didn't mean anything" Callie blurted out, in her usual rambling style.
Arizona stepped towards her ex-wife putting her hands-on Callie's waist, she slowly moved her hands until she was undoing the belt on her robe. She put her hands inside Callie's robe, feeling her warm skin beneath her palms.
"What if I say that it's not just a one-time thing, what if I say I don't want it to be a one-time thing. What if I say that it did mean something? That this does mean something' Arizona's hushed words were making the hairs on the back of Callie's neck stand up and she had to do everything in her power to control her impulses.
Arizona's eyes stayed fixed on Callie's whilst her hands travelled down Callie's body.
"I want you, Calliope. And you want me"
'You don't get to tell me that were not together, we are together because I love you and you love me and none of the rest of it matters. We are together'
XXX
"Callie, what is it?"
"I just don't understand"
"Understand what?"
"I left you… twice. I gave up on us, on you. Even when I promised you that I wouldn't leave you that I wouldn't run away, I did, more than once. I can't forgive myself for that, how can you?"
"Don't ever leave. Promise me that right now"
"I'm not going anywhere I promise"
"Please don't run. It's all been awful, and I've been awful but I'm finally starting to feel like myself again. And I know not everything can be about my leg and I don't want it to be, but right now, it is. But I can't lose you so please don't run"
"After the car accident, you never left my side, not once. There's no way I'm leaving yours"
"Callie, you stuck by me after I left for Africa without you, you stuck by me after the plane crash, you cared for me, you took all the abuse I hurled at you, you protected me. You stuck by me when I cheated on you and caused you so much pain. Then the fellowship happened which took over my life and I didn't listen to your needs, I pushed you to your limit and you couldn't handle it anymore. At the time I couldn't see that I felt like you abandoned me, that you just gave up. I blamed everything on you, which was unfair because it was both of us. There are a number of things we shouldn't have done and there is a list of things that should never have been said but the things I will never, ever regret is kissing you in the bathroom at Joes, is asking you to marry me, is choosing to be Sofia's parent. Life without you sucks.'
'I love you Calliope. I love you. Life without you terrifies me'
'The thing I need is my anchor, is you. I need you'
'Arizona'
'No, let me finish, please'
'Neither of us are perfect, we have both made mistakes, we both have faults and I think we can accept that now. And we can't change the past, we can't undo the mistakes, we can't undo all the hurt and the pain, but we can turn it into something beautiful. I love you Calliope Torres, I have loved you ever since I saw you, I haven't ever stopped loving you"
'I feel like everything is going wrong and I have no idea what to do about it'
'I feel, like every single thing I am doing is wrong'
'You will figure it out, you will'
'You will too'
'I love you too. I also never stopped. I tried to push my feelings aside, I tried so hard. When I walked out of that therapy session, it took me less than an hour to realise the huge mistake I made but I was too damn proud and stubborn to admit that. So, I thought maybe it was the best decision, maybe it would be best for both of us to move on. I spent so long convincing myself I had made the right choice. Then I met Penny and I thought maybe she was my second chance and she did make me happy, for a little bit anyway but she wasn't you. Coming to New York was running away, I will admit that. I couldn't face seeing you every day, I couldn't face realising what I'd lost, what I'd chosen to give up. I thought I would be able to convince myself that I was over you, but it didn't work. Penny broke up with me because she said that I wasn't in love with her and she was right, because I am in love with you. It's you Arizona, it will always be you'
'Look you don't want 50 years to go by and then realise you let the love of your life get away, so go, try'
'Callie, you don't know how I've longed to hear you say that. After you left for New York I thought I had lost you, like even though we weren't together when you were still in Seattle, you were still there. Despite all the traumas we've been through, watching you fall for someone else was actually the hardest thing I've ever experienced. I thought I would never find love again, not anything real or true. I believed that I had it and I screwed it up and I was right because even though I tried to find love again, I really did, I knew nothing could or would ever compare to what we had. Even though it got messy, complicated and dark I knew deep down nothing would ever come close to the way I felt about you. You are my epic love.'
'I'm here now and I'm staying and I'm going to fight to make sure you know I'm committed to this thing. I am in love with you Calliope and you are in love with me and all I am asking is for one more chance.
Callie's face had softened, the exact same way it had done when Arizona had told her she loved her for the first time. How was it the woman still had the same effect on her
'I, I'm awake, I'm totally awake. There's hats and gifts, and donuts, and lingerie… really?'
'I love you'
'You do?'
'I do.'
'I love you too'
Callie swallowed back the emotion that was threatening to spill out
'So, what we gonna do now?'
'Well, if you're up for it I would like to take you for dinner?'
Callie smiled at the parallel of when Arizona asked her out the first time.
'Maybe…' Callie shrugged as Arizona rolled her eyes and just like before she immediately backtracked 'No, I'm just messing with you, I would love to go to dinner with you'
'It's a date then'
'Yeah, a first date re-do I suppose'
'Sounds perfect to me'
XXX
'But what I've learnt is that I don't need much, I don't need much to be happy. But I do need you, I need Sofia and I need you'
So, they went on their (second) first date and as they say the rest is history. It took a long time, several months of successful therapy sessions and a shared commitment to trying again and making it work. They worked through their past mistakes and emerged a stronger couple. Once again, they became a team. They both realised that all they needed to be happy was Sofia and each other.
Sofia's POV
When she had returned to Seattle, she knew her Mommy was missing her Mama just as much as she was. She wanted to try get them back together, so they could be a proper family like her friends at school. Obviously, her family was more special because she had two amazing Moms rather than a Mom and Dad, she did wish she had known her Dad but her Mom's always told her how brilliant he was which made her happy. She knew that if she acted up when she was back with her Mommy and if she acted really sad then maybe there was a chance, they could all be in New York together. Things weren't working at first, so Sofia had to be more creative, so she stole the field trip money. She really didn't want to do this, but she saw it as the only way… and it worked. It had made her Mommy move with her back to New York. She could see that her Moms were happy when they were together, they looked at each other weirdly, Sofia was pretty sure that is what love looked like. After a few months of them being together in New York something changed, Sofia knew that they were going to get back together and she was super excited when they eventually told her they were trying to make it work between them again. Finally, things were back to the way they should be. Finally they were back together.
