A/N: This chapter contains some slight spoilers for 14x24 'All of me'

Thank you all for sticking with me. I promise the wait will be over soon. We will finally get to see Arizona, Callie, and Sofia all in one city. How will our favorite pair fare with co-parenting and spending more time with each other? And will they admit to their feelings? Or will it just be 'all smiles'?

Thanks to Callzona for beta reading and general support. I would also like to thank Babyjamo for being critical and nice at the same time ;-)

Ortho Goddess: Chapter XXXI

Callie looked at her phone and smiled. Arizona had just messaged her with a photo of her and Sofia, ready for Alex Karev's wedding. The both of them looking radiant and beautiful, but Arizona's dress made her look like something else. It was almost like she was seeing her ex-wife for the first time. So much so, it caused a funny feeling in the pit of Callie's stomach. It was a shame she could not be there, but she had only just gotten out of a brutal 24-hour shift and it just did not feel right to be present at his wedding anymore. She had not really talked to Karev since she left Seattle, apart from the few times she had visited and ran into him.

She was sitting next to Emma at the bar, the both of them nursing a glass of wine. They were too tired to switch to the hard alcohol and had stuck with wine and a big serving of nachos. The blond was eyeing her suspiciously, but Callie was oblivious to it. Her head and eyes were focused on her phone.

"Hmm, maybe three exclamation marks is a little too much," she more said to herself than anyone else. She pressed the backspace button, re-read her message for the umpteenth time, and sent it off to Arizona.

Can't wait to see you!

Emma chuckled. "You're talking to yourself," she said before taking another sip of her wine. The dark circles around her eyes gave away just how tired she was.

"Sorry, I'm just…." Callie paused. Yeah, what 'was' she? Excited? Happy? Giddy? Nervous? Petrified? All of the above?

"Don't sweat it," Emma replied. "I was just teasing you." She leaned her head on her hand, her arm propped up on the bar. "You look happy though. Tired, but happy."

"I guess I am. But I'm also nervous…..or something." Callie's eyes darted from her phone to Emma and back, constantly checking if Arizona had responded to her message. When the time had passed and there was no response, Callie figured the ceremony had started.

"You know what….if I were in your shoes, I would probably be nervous too. I mean…if I had Anne and Brayden back in my life like that…I'd be afraid to mess it up I guess," Emma mused.

Callie smiled. She knew she had her weird ways of dealing with stuff and it was nice to hear someone understood her way of thinking. She was definitely afraid of messing things up. It had literally taken years for Arizona and her to get to where they were now, but it still felt fragile. Like the simplest error could cause all of it to go to crap in a matter of seconds.

"Do you think that would be an option for you?" Callie asked. They had not really talked about anything profound lately and even though she considered Emma a good friend, she had no idea what was going on in the blonde's life.

"No, that ship has sailed. I actually think Anne is dating or something, she's been incredibly perky lately and for some reason, she stopped paging me for every single Ortho consult." Emma took another sip of her wine.

"That's good, right?" Callie said, looking at the blonde to try to figure out what was going on in her head. She eyed her intently, but she could not get a read on Emma. Which was particularly annoying since the blonde always seemed to know what Callie was feeling.

"I'm actually happy about that, you know. It makes me feel…free, I guess. I want her to be happy, she deserves that. I know I said some harsh things about her and she might not always show it, but she really is a good person. But….," Emma's green eyes locked with Callie's brown, her voice trailing off.

The dark-haired woman could see something going on in Emma's brain. Did she feel jealous? Envious? Callie still had no idea, but it did feel like the blonde needed a friend.

"Yeah, I get that. But still, it kinda sucks, doesn't it?" Callie suspected that she was probably the jealous one out of the two of them, but she could imagine that even though things were done between Emma and Anne, it would still spark a little bit of jealousy to see your ex dating someone. Callie herself had sure felt it when she found out Arizona was dating.

The blond sighed and let out a sarcastic chuckle. "You're right, I have no right to be jealous though and I'm not….not really. But there is…I don't know…a tinge."

"It doesn't make you a bad person, you know," Callie replied with a shrug. "Feelings don't always have to be rational. They're just there."

"Yeah, you're right." Emma lifted her glass and smiled at Callie. "To jealousy."

They toasted and both downed their glasses.

Emma sat silently playing with her wineglass avoiding her friend's concerned gaze. Callie waited. She could see Emma was processing her feelings, and after a short moment of silence, the blonde finally spoke. "I feel so disposable Callie like I'm not worth the effort."

Finally making eye contact with the blonde, Callie saw just how upset and vulnerable Emma was and instantly understood what her friend was going through.

Emma shook her head in frustration "For months Anne has been trying to mend things between us. She said things…..God, if she had said those things while we were still together…..things could have been very different." The blonde sighed and bit her lip, a lone tear escaping her eye. "She was FINALLY fighting for me, Callie….I see that now...it was too late, but she was fighting. In her own way, she was showing she cared….like, enough to make a fool out of herself. She kept trying when I shut her down. It might sound stupid, but it felt good to know she cared."

Emma took a deep breath and quickly wiped away the tear that had escaped. Callie saw in that small gesture her friend was already rebuilding those walls she kept around her. Walls she used to protect herself from getting hurt.

"And now all of a sudden it's gone." Emma said, taking a swig of her wine "She doesn't even care enough to page me for a consult," she sighed and shook her head. "Jesus, this is so stupid. I'm sorry. I sound like a freaking teenager…I just….I know it was my choice….I didn't think I'd be so easy to replace."

Callie couldn't help but feel a little responsible for how Emma was feeling. Sure, they were sitting here talking about Anne moving on, but it was only a little while ago that Callie had pushed the blonde away herself. Callie put her hand on Emma's shoulder, squeezing gently. "You are not stupid, Emma. I get why you feel this way." Now Emma had spoken up, Callie could finally understand what was going through the other woman's head. And she truly understood. It reminded her of the time during their month-long separation when Arizona had come to the hospital looking for her when she hadn't come home that night. The fact that Arizona, who had wanted the trial separation, seemed jealous, worried that she had slept with someone else, well, it made Callie feel visible again….cared for. No matter how fucked up it was in hindsight. Losing that feeling, when someone is over you, that stung. She totally understood.

The blonde looked at Callie and smiled softly. It was reassuring to hear that she wasn't crazy for feeling this way. That she wasn't the only person in the world that, for not wanting someone, still missed them when they had moved on.

Callie smiled at her friend "I really do understand, Em. I felt that way too. So if feeling like that makes you stupid, I guess I'm stupid too." Callie caught the blonde's gaze to make sure she understood what she was saying, that she was not alone in this. Hell, maybe it was even natural to feel that way.

Emma chuckled at Callie's words. "I thought you were badass."

"Nothing beats stupid badassery, Caplan," Callie replied. She gently squeezed Emma's thigh again before retreating her hand. "It's badass to not be perfect all the time. Perfect is boring."

The blonde's lips curled into a genuine smile. She pointed at her wine glass and when Callie nodded, Emma ordered another round of drinks.

Their conversation continued on a lighter note and Callie went out of her way to try and make Emma feel better. She knew there was really nothing she could say to change the way the other woman felt, but she could just be there. It seemed that this situation had been weighing on Emma and Callie was a bit angry with herself for not noticing sooner. She really had been too self-involved to be a good friend and that had to change. Emma had been there for her and Callie prided herself in being a good friend to others. The blonde deserved better. Certainly after what had transpired between the two of them. The passion, the sexual tension had died down, but Callie genuinely cared for Emma. She wanted them to be friends, next to being co-workers.

"I better get home," Callie said while putting her now empty glass back on the bar. "I should catch some sleep before I have to go pick up Arizona and Sofia."

Emma put her hand on Callie's arm and gently squeezed. "Thank you, Torres. And good luck. You know….you're not going to mess this up. You are a wonderful person and you're not who you used to be, you won't make the same mistakes again."

Callie felt her eyes starting to water. Whether it was pure exhaustion or Emma's words, or a combination of both, she did not know. But she did know it was time to get out of here before she got all emotional. When she got up, Emma did too and Callie gave the slightly smaller blonde a tight, warm hug. "You're a good friend, Caplan."

"I know, right?" Emma said with a smirk when she pulled back from the hug. "So much so that I've got this bill, ok?"

"Thanks."

"Hey Torres," the blonde called after her. Callie stopped and turned to look at her friend. "You're a good friend too." Emma flashed Callie a warm smile.

Callie could actually feel those words and returned the smile. It was good to hear, especially since she had been wondering if she was being a good friend to Emma. She had been selfish lately, focusing on the huge change that was about to happen in her life. It was good to know the other woman understood and had given her the space to figure things out. She waved at Emma before leaving the bar and heading home.

No matter how exhausted Callie was, it was hard to fall asleep. She really could not wait to see Arizona and Sofia and even though her talk with Emma had made her feel somewhat better, she still worried that she would do something stupid to mess the whole thing up. She really wanted to make it work this time around. She wanted to work together with Arizona so they could raise Sofia in a happy, loving environment. Not one that was tainted by arguments and disdain. But somehow it still felt like maybe she would find another weird way to break down whatever Arizona had carefully built up the past year. It made her nervous and slightly scared. She so, so wanted everything to work out.

She wanted to spend more time with Arizona since her ex-wife had made her feel good lately. But on the other hand, she wanted to keep her distance. Callie knew that spending too much time with Arizona would probably incite a whole world of feelings, old and new, that would be clouding her judgment. All of a sudden, the phone Arizona had sent her earlier today popped up in her head and again, she felt something happening in the pit of her stomach.

"No," she whispered to herself. "Do not go there, Torres."

Callie once again found herself at the Arrivals hall of JFK International Airport, feeling jittery and like she was suffering from a bad case of déjà vu. It was different this time though. Arizona and Sofia were coming to stay. The last truck from the moving company would arrive early the next morning.

She had really managed to stick to the plan, even though it had not been easy. She had let Arizona lead the way when it came to the apartment. It was weird to have to put everything in place in her ex-wife's bedroom, but she had happily obliged. At least, Arizona would be able to sleep in the new apartment tonight. She had wanted to make sure of that.

"Mama!"

That voice was like music to her ears. No matter how she felt, her daughter's voice always made her feel better. She smirked at her own thoughts when she remembered that she had once called Sofia her 'crack baby'. She still was though, although she would not say that out loud again.

"There she is!" Callie crouched down to engulf her daughter in a big bear hug, secretly smelling the little girl's hair. "How was your flight, sweetie?"

"It was good. I got to eat mommy's peanuts." Sofia buried her face in her mother's neck and sighed happily.

"We're here," Arizona said with a smile.

Callie could sense she was not the only one that was slightly nervous about this. And somehow it felt like a relief. Arizona looked stunning in her dress, which she probably was still wearing after attending the wedding earlier today.

"You are," Callie replied while getting up and moving to hug Arizona. "I'm so happy you are," she repeated quietly as she squeezed Arizona tightly for a moment.

The drive to the apartment would have probably been spent in silence had Sofia not been there. The little girl ranted a mile a minute about all the things that had happened today. "And then Uncle Alex and Jo were missing! And then mommy and I watched April and Matthew get married! Can you believe it?"

Callie raised her eyebrow in disbelief. Nothing in Seattle ever seemed to go as planned. "Wow, that's quite the story!"

"But it was beautiful," Arizona mused. "Sometimes things don't go the way you plan them, but they can still be beautiful."

The blonde's blue eyes briefly met Callie's brown and they shared an intimate look. Both found their own meaning behind Arizona's words before Callie turned her attention back to the road. When they pulled over into the parking lot next to Arizona's apartment building, Sofia all but jumped out of the car.

"Hey!" Callie called out. "Always keep your seatbelt on until the car engine is off, young lady."

"Sorry, mama." Sofia quickly buckled herself back in until Callie took the keys out of the ignition. Once her mother turned around to face her, she took her seatbelt back off again.

Arizona had quietly watched the interaction and bit her lip, preventing herself from reacting. In a weird way, it was amusing to watch.

Callie ceremoniously handed Arizona the apartment keys and let her lead the way into her new place. While she followed her ex-wife and their daughter up to the apartment, her heart was beating loudly in her chest. She was so nervous, hoping so much Arizona would like the place. It was not like the blonde had not seen it, Callie had carefully documented everything. But still, she was just nervous.

She patiently waited in the hallway while Sofia and Arizona went around the apartment, both oohing and aahing at seeing the final result. When they returned to the hallway, Arizona was practically beaming. "Thank you so much for taking care of this, Callie."

The raven-haired woman let out a sigh of relief, finally feeling like she could sort of relax. "You're very welcome."

"Mama?" Sofia said, her voice high pitched, indicating that she was going to ask for a favor.

"Yes, baby?"

"Can I stay with mommy tonight? I want to sleep in the new apartment too."

Callie looked at Arizona, who nodded at her. "Sure," she replied. "But your bed won't get here until tomorrow."

"I can sleep with mommy, she has a big bed."

"Yeah, Callie, it will be a 'welcome to the new house sleepover'," Arizona chimed in. Her voice was high-pitched as well, probably from the excitement she was feeling. Or maybe she was trying to get her way as well.

Callie chuckled. With Sofia and Arizona teaming up against her like that, she stood little to no chance. That was one sleepover she would have loved to join in on. But she was not going to impose.

"That sounds great, ladies. I guess I will leave you to it."

Arizona smiled once again. "Thanks for picking us up. I really appreciate your help."

"Anytime," Callie felt she needed to say that, to remind Arizona she would always be there for her. It might have been a simple word, but the look in her eyes conveyed a much deeper meaning. And she could see that Arizona was picking up on it.

"So, we'll see you on Sunday? What time do you want to pick Sofia up?"

"Just let me know how things go. You two focus on the apartment." She was not going to be a stickler for the rules now. This was something they had discussed at length on one of their earlier phone calls. Arizona had made a major change in her life and Callie was going to do everything in her power to accommodate the blonde when it came to the arrangements with Sofia.

"Alright. Sofia, come say goodbye to mama."

The little girl had left her mothers in the hallway and was running around the apartment like a puppy trying to sniff every new corner. When Arizona called out for her, she came running and latched herself onto Callie.

"I'm home, mama."

Callie bit her lip to bite back the tears in her eyes. It was so silly, but she felt very emotional right now. "Yes, you are." She kissed the top of Sofia's head and got back up.

"Have a good evening. See you soon." Callie's eyes met Arizona's and for a moment she thought she saw something change in the blonde's gaze. But it might have been wishful thinking. Arizona was probably just happy she was home and could start her new life here. It probably had nothing to do with Callie.

When she left the building, the raven-haired woman felt content. This had gone over well and she was handling it.

She was, right?