Callie had felt bad not giving Arizona's house a tidy before taking her back there but she hadn't been thinking straight all morning. She was feeling the worst of her anxiety pooling in her stomach, they were two blocks away from the house, the house that Arizona probably wouldn't remember, full of her things that would feel only half familiar. Arizona had already asked why they had driven past Callie's old apartment and then asked why she hadn't seen Sofia yet. Callie struggled to explain that Sofia knew more about Arizona than Arizona knew about her. Her own mother not recognising her could be very confusing and Arizona not being able to spot her own child could shut her memory centres down completely. They couldn't rush or risk any negative factors.

Callie had parked on Arizona's driveway, next to Arizona's red Porsche and helped the blonde get comfortable on the couch.

"Are you hungry?" Callie asked, it was mid morning and thought maybe Arizona would like something to eat, " no, I think I'll take a nap here for a bit" Arizona replied laying her head down on the arm of the couch.

Callie used this opportunity to clean Arizona's room, she'd put on a load of laundry with a second load waiting in the basket. Changed the bed sheets on Arizona's bed and brought down a stack of half empty glasses of water from Arizona's night stand. Callie hated dirty dishes and Arizona's kitchen countertops were full. It didn't take long to load the dishwasher, but she didn't put it on yet, she didn't want to disturb

Arizona's sleep. She looked peaceful for once, like she used to all those years ago, before the divorce, and before the crash, she just seemed like the old Arizona.

Callie spent most of the morning and early afternoon doing chores around the house, cleaning every surface while making sure not to be too loud. It was 1pm before Arizona stirred on the coach, she fluttered her eyes open and groggily rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Well good morning" Callie quietly spoke,

Arizona smiled. " nice nap?"

"Yeah actually" Arizona yawned and sat up "I'm kind of hungry now though" she said placing a hand on her stomach.

"I can get you some lunch, what do you fancy"

"Nothing too heavy"

"Soup?"

"Soup!" they both smiled, and Callie turned to the kitchen, Arizona always had soup in her cupboards. It's like she was addicted to the stuff, soup and noodles but she was never a very good cook.

Within five minutes Callie had heated through a can of tomato soup and brought it over to Arizona on the couch.

"Don't eat it yet it's-" hot. Too late. Arizona had burnt her tongue. "Somethings never change, you're always eager for my cooking and never had any patience"

"I don't have patience?" Arizona stopped and pinched her tongue before continuing. "how about when we were at that restaurant after we bought the hospital, you created a scene over bread" Callie was blushing, "Derek just laughed at you and you snapped at me for telling you to wait" Arizona's eyes widened giving Callie the look of 'don't you remember?' But Callie remembered fine. She was more amazed by Arizona's recollection of the story.

"Out of all the things you remember, you remember us having a domestic over some bread?" The pair laughed in unison "I love you". Shit. Callie felt the redness rising from her neck almost become the colour of Arizona's soup. "I love you too, calliope" Arizona said back, not looking up at Callie as she was now too focused on blowing at her soup. Callie knew she shouldn't get too attached to this Arizona but this was pre-crash Arizona. The Arizona that she had fallen in love with but all the ugly truth had to come out again at some point, maybe they could start again after that. Arizona's memories were coming back, Just not in any kind of order.

Once Arizona had finished her soup, Callie finally put on the dishwasher. They spent the afternoon watching American bake off curled up together on the couch.

"I really would like to see Sofia soon Callie" Arizona said during one of the ad breaks.

"I know, and you can soon, maybe give it a week, she's okay with Meredith"

"Okay" Arizona paused disappointedly. "So this is a nice house, it has a yard, I always wanted Sofia to have a yard"

"I know, we bought it after the crash"

"The plane crash? Where lexie and mark died"

"Yeah, that crash, you were upset in the hospital, you'd just seen Sofia and you asked me-"

"I asked you if we could buy a house," Arizona interrupted. "Because I didn't want Sofia to be stuck inside all day and I asked you to take her to the park… did you" Arizona was staring blankly speaking her thoughts aloud.

"Did I what?" Callie questioned

"Take her to the park"

"I did, she loved it and asked if you could take her next time" Callie smiled remembering their trip to the park that afternoon.

"An-and did I… did I take her?" Arizona stuttered, Callie could sense this was maybe becoming too much for her.

"You did, not straight away but you did" Callie replied with a reassuring smile. "You look tired, you've made a lot of progress today"

Arizona sighed, she wanted all her memories back, all the missing pieces of her that were just floating around. She trusted Callie, she was her wife but she was scared to show her full vulnerability, she was trying so hard to be the wife that Callie knew but she was finding it hard to process. "I am tired" she finally let out.

"Do you want to go to bed, I know you've not had dinner yet but I can make something for you when you wake up, or in the morning," Callie said, caressing Arizona's face with her soft hands, Arizona leaning into her touch.

"Can you come with me" Arizona's eyes were pleading with Callie's, working overtime when really they didn't need to, Callie was there, she was going to stay. She hadn't planned on it, on any of this, but every moment longer with Arizona made it harder to believe they ever went through any of the bad stuff, she was healing like she was before, but Arizona was different this time. She wasn't angry or closed off. Arizona had lost her leg, and still was acting like regular Arizona. Why this time? Why not the first time? Callie thought. Why did everything have to fall apart?

"I'll come to bed with you," Callie said, pushing back her train of thoughts and carefully helping Arizona hobble down the hallway into the guest bedroom. It was a large room, with an en suite and much reminded them both of the bedroom they shared in Callie's old apartment. One of the reasons they had bought the house in the first place. "I'll grab you some pyjamas from your room" Callie said, sitting Arizona on the bed before walking to her bedroom and bringing some shortie pyjamas. She didn't want to stay in Arizona's room, too much too soon she thought. The tiredness was present on Arizona's face, Callie had helped change Arizona countless times after the crash, and was no stranger to undressing her in the other sense too. But this knew Arizona felt so familiar yet so alien to her at the same time she was somewhat nervous around her but was grateful for Arizona being far too tired to notice.

She'd helped Arizona into her pyjamas, pulled the curtains close and turned on the lamp on the nightstand. Her wife laid under the covers waiting for Callie to join her. Callie quickly changed into her own pyjamas and was glad to be joining Arizona in a bed much larger than the hospital bed they had shared the last few days. She turned out the lamp and made herself comfortable. They laid looking at each other for a few moments before Arizona leant in and placed a soft kiss on Callie's lips. Callie tingled, Arizona tasted like magic, she always had. She wanted more, more of Arizona but she couldn't, she had to have control. Arizona made herself comfortable as the little spoon and drifted off to sleep faster than any night so far.

Callie laid there for a while, she couldn't sleep straight away but was glad the fragile blonde had been able to so quickly.

Callie pondered on her thoughts for a while, the sweet scent of Arizona shampoo pleasured her sense and she nuzzled into Arizona's hair and long before not she had also fallen into a deep sleep.

——————————

crash*

Callie jolted awake and quickly reached for the lamp on the nightstand, she turned back in her sleepy state, looking up and down the bed where Arizona once was, she wasn't there. Panic rose within her, had it all been a dream?

"ARIZONA"