AN: Hey guys :) I'm home not feeling well so I thought I'd post this one for you today. Thank you for all of your reviews, some of them made me blush. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Happy reading :)
Chapter Forty-Two
Arizona
Thirteen days later, Callie and Arizona were headed to Columbia, Missouri with Teddy, Nick, and Nora in tow for the wedding. They had two extra guests join them, Henry who Teddy had invited to be her plus one and Kacie who would be Nick's. Arizona and Teddy had gossiped shamelessly over the past week and tried hard to get Nick to talk about Kacie but he was tight lipped. Despite her initial reservations, Arizona quite enjoyed the quirky red head's personality. If nothing else, Kacie and Callie got along quite well.
"Calliope, let's go. I know you like to be fashionably late but today is not the day, we seriously are going to miss our flight." Arizona called up the stairs. Callie had convinced her to utilize her parent's private jet for this trip given Nick's comfort and their work schedules, it made everything much more convenient.
It had been a busy morning. Callie had worked the overnight shift the night before and Arizona knew the Latina was bound to be tired, hungry, and grumpy but it couldn't be helped. Her brother's rehearsal dinner was tonight and the wedding was tomorrow. The plane may wait for them since it was the private Torres jet but the rehearsal dinner would go on with or without them. Arizona had everything packed and ready to go along with a piping hot travel mug full of Callie's favorite coffee ready for her. She was trying to do everything she could to make it easier for the exhausted Latina.
"I'm ready." A rough looking Callie said, appearing at the top of the stairs.
"Awe, babe, I'm sorry you didn't sleep. Everything is ready, let's go, I'll drive so you can rest."
"My hero." Callie replied sarcastically. She wasn't really mad at Arizona, just mad in general. Her foul mood had everything to do with a busy shift with interns that irritated the crap out of her, lack of sleep, and the early hour.
Arizona made her way to the garage, handing Callie her cup of coffee as she got into the passenger seat. She leaned back and closed her eyes as Arizona drove them to the airport. It was still dark out and Callie had just worked a sixteen hour shift only getting home at four in the morning. It was now six and the power nap she had attempted to take had not done anything but make her more sleepy.
"Callie, baby, you can sleep on the plane. We're taking the private jet so you can do that and be more comfortable and we could avoid all the airport hiccups." Arizona said sympathetically, knowing how tired her girlfriend must be.
"I know what you're saying is true and you're trying to be supportive but your perkiness is annoying as hell right now so can you please just stop talking."
Arizona turned her attention back to the road as Callie turned in her seat trying to get comfortable. The blonde was hurt. She tried not to be and she understood Callie's exhaustion, she had been there herself countless times but she didn't make a habit of taking it out on Callie. Twenty minutes later, they pulled up to the airport and Arizona unloaded their luggage, waking Callie as she slammed the trunk of her car.
"We're here."
"Obviously." Callie replied, grabbing her suitcase from Arizona and rolling it toward the tarmac.
Ignoring the brunette's attitude, Arizona followed her onto the plane, handing their luggage off to an employee before climbing the stairs. They found the rest of their group already aboard the jet and chatting casually. The two of them greeted everyone and took seats next to each other though Arizona was noticeably more quiet than usual. Callie felt a little guilty for snapping at her but she was just too exhausted to care at the moment.
"Thank you so much for letting us fly with you, Callie. It is so much easier, especially for Nick." Nora said.
"The stairs were a bitch though, Cal." Nick said, looking up with a giant grin so she would know he was teasing even if the statement was an honest one.
"Nicholas!" Nora exclaimed in embarrassment.
"No, it's ok, I hate the stairs too. How's the new prosthetic feeling?"
"Great." Nick said with a smile. Everyone spoke excitedly as they hit the runway. Arizona's hand found Callie's, despite the tension between them, and she squeezed it tightly as the plane took off.
Fifteen minutes later, Arizona released Callie's hand and the brunette got up without a word and made her way to the single bedroom on the plane for a nap. Arizona normally would join her but the blonde was much too excited for the events planned for the weekend and she knew she would be too restless to let Callie sleep. And the ortho surgeon definitely needed some restful sleep if they were going to make it through this weekend without a fight. Thankfully, Callie was able to sleep nearly the entire flight. Arizona woke her up as the pilot made the seatbelt warning announcement for their landing and Callie returned to her seat and buckled herself in just before Arizona took her hand once again as they began their descent.
Daniel and his twin brother, Darrel were waiting for the group on the tarmac with the big conversion van the family sometimes used when they had large family gatherings. They called it a van but it really resembled a small bus more than a van. Arizona and Teddy were embraced tightly by each of the men and if Callie didn't already know the Colonel and how he liked to keep the army buzz cut along with his rigid stance, she wouldn't have been able to tell the two apart. Daniel embraced Callie, much to the brunette's surprise and when she finally pulled away, Arizona was standing with her Uncle, his arm slung around her shoulder.
"Calliope, this is my dad's twin brother, Darrel. Uncle Darell, this is my girlfriend, Callie Torres."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir."
"The pleasure is all mine, young lady. Is our little princess here treating you right?"
"Yes sir." Callie replied with a smile as Arizona blushed.
"Uncle Darrel, I'm nearly twenty-nine, I'm hardly your little princess anymore."
"Nonsense, you'll always be my little princess." Darrel said with a wink at his brother.
Aside from Barrett, Arizona was closest with her Uncle Darrel. As a child, he had sometimes been the only one who had been able to soothe her when Daniel was away. She had loved to come and visit both sets of grandparents and her uncles as a little girl. As an adult, she hardly ever made it back here but she was surprised how at home she felt the second she got off that plane. Of course, that could have been the fact that she was now back on solid ground.
The group piled in the van and began the half hour trip to the family farm just west of Columbia. Arizona was beginning to get excited to see her family and she chatted away with Teddy most of the way about who was going to be there. She wasn't giving Callie the cold shoulder exactly but she was giving her space until she was sure the brunette was done with the mood she had been in hours before.
"I'm a little nervous to meet everyone." Callie said, breaking her silence for the first time as they pulled onto the long gravel driveway leading to the Robbins farm. Arizona turned to her, a soft smile gracing her lips and she brought Callie's hand up and kissed it.
"They're going to love you, I promise. Just be yourself, ok?"
"I'm sorry I was grumpy with you this morning."
"It's ok, you can make it up to me tonight." Arizona replied with a smile and a wink before she pecked Callie on the cheek.
Callie looked out the window and got her first look at the Robbins farm. The house was a very large old farmhouse with a big wrap around porch completed with rocking chairs and a porch swing. It was like the farmhouses Callie had seen in the movies and she smiled. The house itself was pristine white, obviously well maintained and the shutters were red. She could see a large red barn, stables, a bullpen, and even a silo in the background. Other out buildings were scattered along the property as far as she could see before fields took over on one side and a wooded area was visible on the other side.
"This is The Robbins Farm. Pops and Grammy lived here until they died. Grammy had breast cancer and died when I was seventeen. Pops died of a heart attack less than a month later but my mom said it really was a broken heart. They were married for fifty nine years when Grammy died." Arizona explained as they got out of the car.
"Wow." Callie said, both in response to the story and to the property.
"You're here!" Barbara exclaimed as she ran out of the house, followed by Tim, Sara, and many other family members who came to greet them. Barbara threw her arms around Teddy, Callie, and Arizona before going to the other side of the van and assisting Nora with Nick.
"Barbara, this is Kacie." Nick introduced as they all came around the van together.
"Nice to meet you, Kacie." Barbara said with a warm smile and a hug.
"And this is Henry." Teddy introduced the nervous looking resident she was dating to her surrogate mother.
"Henry." Barbara replied with a smile and a nod. Even Callie noted the difference in Barbara's smile, maybe because it was so much like Arizona's smile but it was definitely her forced smile, not the warm motherly one Callie was accustomed to.
"What was that about?" Callie whispered to Arizona. Arizona turned to her with a small smile.
"Mama bear." Arizona whispered back.
"There's so many people." Callie whispered, feeling slightly overwhelmed.
"This isn't even everyone but don't worry, Calliope, there won't be a test."
Introductions were made all around and Callie's head was spinning with all the names and people she was meeting. The real introductions would come that evening at the rehearsal dinner when everyone arrived though. For now, the bulk of the family was working on their respective projects which meant preparing the food for the rehearsal dinner or decorating the barn for the wedding. Callie was quickly commandeered to help Barbara and Arizona's aunts in the kitchen much to Arizona's dismay.
After hours of stringing up fairy lights and setting tables with homemade mason jar candle centerpieces, Arizona made her way to the house to shower and get ready for the rehearsal dinner. The house was now as full as ever with people and food and it took Arizona a little while to find Callie amongst them. She found her laughing and chatting with her mom, Nora, and Sara who were all in the kitchen cooking and drinking sweet tea.
"Mom, can I steal Callie? We need to take our bags to our room and get ready for the rehearsal dinner."
"Of course, dear. Your dad and Uncle Darrel carried all of your stuff up. You, Callie, Teddy, Jessica and Kacie will be sleeping in the bunk room with Sara. I have Nick, Henry, and Tim down here."
"Mom…" Arizona started to protest but Barbara fixed her with a glare.
"Don't you start sassing me Arizona Monroe Robbins, you're lucky you're under the same roof let alone in the same room, you know your dad's rules. And your Uncles are worse, it's the best I could do."
"Fine." Arizona replied with an eye roll before turning and leading Callie up to the third floor of the house. Callie looked around and smiled. This had definitely been the grandkids hang out and where they must have slept. It was a giant attic room and four sets of bunk beds lined the walls. Sara had already claimed the bottom bunk on the far end of the room and Kacie and Teddy were unpacking their clothes for the party on the bunk next to it.
"Take your pick." Teddy said, pointing to the remaining two sets of bunks.
"Come on, let's take the one by the window. I know it's October but there's no air and trust me, it gets hot as heck up here at night." Arizona said, leading Callie to a set of bunk beds.
"Which one was yours?" Callie asked.
"This one." Arizona replied, pointing to the bottom bunk of the set they had taken. Callie could see AZ etched into the wood next to a horse sticker and she smiled.
"I'll take the top then." Callie said.
"I'm sorry about sleeping arrangements, babe. If I had known I would have offered a hotel."
"It's not that I won't miss sleeping next to you but it's your grandparents old home, I get it. And you will be right below me where I like you." Callie replied with a smile and a wink.
"So, who is Jessica?" Kacie asked.
"She is my little cousin."
"I thought you were the youngest and only had male cousins." Callie replied.
"Well, that's true but after Uncle Tim died and their four boys were older, Aunt Judy remarried and she and her second husband had a daughter, Jessica. She's almost eleven years younger than me so we weren't really close growing up. Don't worry, you will meet everyone and get a proper introduction soon." Arizona replied.
"Showers?" Teddy asked. Knowing she and Arizona were not as helpful in the kitchen, they had been put on barn decorating duty by Barbara and it had been a hot day, despite the time of year.
"There's two bathrooms up here. You can have dibs on one, anyone care if I take the other?" Arizona asked.
"I already showered." Sara replied. She had been prohibited from helping as the bride.
"Cool, then Kacie and I call dibs after you two." Callie replied.
Two hours later, everyone was showered and at the hall where the rehearsal dinner was taking place. Arizona's grandparents, Tim and Grace were sitting at the table with Arizona and Callie, along with Barrett, Lance, Teddy, Henry, Nick, and Kacie. Tim, Sara, Barbara, Daniel, and Nora were seated at the front of the hall with the pastor and his wife. Conversation was flowing and the dinner that Arizona's family had slayed over was delicious, she hadn't eaten like that in years and she was feeling pleasantly full. Tim and Grace were very interested in getting to know Callie, having never known their granddaughter to date or bring someone home coupled with the fact that she was a surgeon. Arizona could tell they were smitten with Callie and she was relieved that they were so welcoming.
The family slowly dispersed heading to the two separate ranches. Monroe Farms was a mile down the road and on the left from the Robbins farm where both her parents had grown up. The Monroe clan went to one farm while the Robbins clan returned to the Robbins Farm to partake in some more celebrating and a bonfire.
It was a little after nine when Arizona noticed Callie missing. She found Teddy sitting out by the fire with Jessica, Kacie, and several of her cousin's wives and young children. She noticed Tim missing as well but no one had seen them. Looking around, she didn't see a single one of her six male Robbins cousins. Also missing was Nick. As realization hit, she mumbled, "Oh, I'll kill them."
She was marching off to the creek where she assumed she would find her girlfriend, Henry, Tim, Nick, and all of her missing cousins when she was blocked by her father and her Uncle Darrel. They looked like they were quite enjoying themselves as they blocked her path, arms folded over their chests and amused grins on their identical faces.
"Where do you think you're going, Princess?" Darrel asked.
"Where do you think?"
"I can't let you do that, Squirt." Daniel added, blocking her as she tried to go around Darrel.
"Dad, seriously, let me through, I need to find Callie."
"Callie is just fine, Squirt. Tim is with her."
"Please tell me they are not putting her through any sort of ridiculous test." Arizona groaned as her fears were confirmed by her father and Uncle's identical guilty smiles.
"No idea what you might be talking about, Princess." Darrel replied, a knowing grin on his face.
"Mama!" Arizona yelled as if she were ten again, tattling on the boys for being mean.
"What?"
"Daddy and Uncle Darrel know where the boys took Callie but they're not speaking."
"Callie is a grown woman and Tim is with her, you just sit back and enjoy the party, dear."
"Mom!" Arizona replied, getting Teddy's attention.
"What's going on?" Teddy asked.
"Henry and Callie have been kidnapped to be put through some ridiculous test by my crazy ass family, that's what's going on."
"I'd hardly call it kidnapping, Arizona, stop being dramatic." Barbara replied.
"And watch your language." Darrel added.
"What?" Teddy exclaimed.
"Dad, where's Callie? This is not funny. She will not think this is funny. Do you understand what you're doing? She's in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of men she doesn't know."
"She's with Tim, I expect somewhere on the property. He will make sure she makes it back to you safe and sound, I promise you. Your mother and I would never let anything bad happen to Callie or Henry. Now, you two, come with me and Uncle Darrel, we don't want you spoiling all the fun." Daniel said, placing an arm around Teddy while Darrel placed one around Arizona and the two led the girls back to the bonfire.
Callie
"Tim, what the hell is going on?" Callie demanded as the blindfold was removed from her eyes and she looked around to see lots of blonde hair, blue eyed boys sitting on logs across from her. To her left, sharing a log with her, sat Henry, looking equally confused and slightly afraid.
"You're here to take a little test, Robbins style." Tim replied.
"And Monroe." Travis piped up, representing Barbara's side of the family.
"Arizona said there wouldn't be a test."
"My dear Callie, Arizona is not in charge." Tim replied with a smirk, knowing full well that there would be hell to pay when Arizona and Teddy found out about this.
"You're insane." Callie said, getting up to leave, but Tim gently put his hands on her shoulders.
"Now, as Arizona is the youngest of us and the only girl, us men decided many years ago as kids that any suitors she brought home would be asked some very serious questions and we would decide if he was good enough for her. If worthy, he would be initiated into the Robbins slash Monroe family. However, Arizona brought home a girl so we had a discussion about it and decided, it doesn't matter, we will treat you the same as if you were a guy. Being that you're the first person she's brought home, we feel it's our duty to follow through with our plans." Arizona's cousin explained but she couldn't tell Trent and Reese apart so she wasn't sure which one it was, though she was sure it was one of the Robbins twins.
"Henry here, is courting my dear adopted but equally beloved sister, Teddy so he has been sentenced to the same fate and will take the same test." Tim explained further.
"Do we have a choice?" Henry asked.
"You do." Tim replied, "Reese, explain the rules of phase one, please."
"You can choose not to participate and if you do so, you have to ride the mechanical bull, Big Red, and then drink all of us under the table. If you can walk back to the house, you are automatically one of us, if not, the wildlife gets an easy meal tonight." Reese replied with a grin.
"If you choose to participate then it goes like this. There's seven Robbins and four Monroes plus Nick who is an honorary brother. Each of us gets to ask you a question, Tim gets to ask two. If you answer satisfactorily for the person asking the question, then we move on. If the questioner is conflicted, we take a vote, majority decides if you pass or fail the question. If the question is answered unsatisfactorily then you take a shot of the alcohol of your choice. We have tequila, rum, vodka, and whiskey. If you choose not to answer a question, it is allowed but you have to take three shots to avoid a question. If you can walk out of here after the questioning, you're deemed worthy for phase two." Trent explained as he donned a cowboy hat.
"You guys are nuts." Callie replied, rolling her eyes at the male members of the Robbins family.
"Insulting us will cost you an extra shot. The first one is a freebee but now that you know, next time, it's a shot."
"Fine, let's do this." Callie replied.
"Henry?" Tim asked.
"Yea, yea, I'm totally in."
"As Arizona and Teddy's brother, I get to go first." Tim replied. "I choose to start with Callie. Henry, you wait over there next to Dougie. He's gonna give you a nice tattoo while we wait."
Henry looked around nervously to see if Tim was serious. Noting that he was, Henry got up and walked over to the low hanging tree next to Arizona's oldest and biggest cousin, Doug. Doug placed his thick arm around Henry's shoulder and offered him a beer which he accepted before he rolled up Henry's sleeve and started drawing on him with what looked like a sharpie.
"Now, Callie, what are your intentions with my sister?"
"Well Timothy, my intentions are to make her happy. I want us to have what you and Sara have." Callie replied simply, unafraid of this silly game, she was confident she would pass.
"Follow up question. Do you love her?" Tim asked.
"More than anything."
"Ok, I'm good with that." Tim replied.
"What do you love most about Arizona?" Nick asked.
"There are so many things that I love about her and it's hard to choose one. She's intelligent, beautiful, funny, sweet but I think what I love most about her is her heart. She's a brilliant surgeon and she is so great with her patients and it's because she is just a genuinely beautiful person with a giant heart."
A collective "Awe" was heard as well as a few retching noises from some of the more intoxicated cousins. Quinn, who was the youngest next to Arizona, asked his question next, "What's Arizona's biggest secret?"
"Even if I knew, I couldn't tell you." Callie replied with a smile, earning her a shot for a half answered question.
"How long did it take for you to know you loved my cousin?" Wesley asked.
"Honestly I knew right away that she was someone I could fall in love with. I can't give you an exact time that it happened but I remember waking up and realizing that I was in love with Arizona and life would never be the same after that. And it hasn't been." Callie replied, receiving many more "awe's" in return without the retching noises this time.
As Reese stepped up to ask his question, the Latina grew nervous. Aside from Tim, Reese and Trent were the two she was most concerned about impressing. They were Arizona's Uncle Darrel's twin sons and he was just as protective of Arizona as Daniel was.
"How do you intend to take care of Arizona?"
"She doesn't need to be taken care of. She's smart, funny, kind, and quite independent. She's a hard worker and a doctor so she doesn't need me, financially or otherwise, though I hope she always wants me anyway. Regardless, I plan on taking care of her by being there for her, supporting her, making her laugh, soothing her when she's ill, and just loving her."
"Good answer." Reese replied, unable to find a flaw.
"My turn." Dustin, who was pretty intoxicated, shouted and jumped up.
"How exactly do lesbians have sex?"
"You don't have to answer that." Tim said interrupted, shooting his cousin a nasty look.
"Yes she does or she takes three shots, those are the rules, Tim." Reese replied with a shrug.
"I'll take the shots." Callie replied.
"Pick your poison." Reese called, showing her the different alcohols. At least he let her choose this time. Quinn had just handed her a shot. Whiskey was not her poison of choice.
"Tequila." Callie replied confidently, without flinching. She watched as Reese poured three shot glasses full of tequila and she knocked each back without batting an eye. "Next question."
"How many women have you been with?" Travis asked, following the line of questioning Dustin had started.
"One."
"Really? That's interesting. How many men have you been with?" Thomas asked. He really didn't care and really didn't expect her to answer, he just wanted to see her get a little tipsy, mostly because he knew it would infuriate Arizona and they all enjoyed a riled up Arizona.
"Thirteen." She replied, her inhibitions slightly lowered due to the alcohol.
"Shot time. I don't like that answer." Thomas said, to which the other cousins, Nick, and Tim agreed, pouring Callie a shot which she gladly took.
"Have you ever been married or engaged?" Trent asked.
"Engaged, once."
"Don't like that answer either, shot time, sister." Trent replied, handing her another shot of tequila which she shot back without questioning his reasoning. She didn't like that answer either.
"Do you intend to make an honest woman out of the infamous Arizona Robbins?" Doug asked.
"Arizona is pretty much the most honest person I know. In fact, she is a terrible liar." Callie replied, trying to avoid the real answer he was looking for.
"Cute but your attempt to side step the question just earned you a shot." Doug said, handing her another shot of tequila before he continued, "Let me rephrase the question. Do you have any plans of proposing?"
"I already have a ring picked out, just waiting for her to be ready." Callie replied, revealing more than she had meant to but figuring it wouldn't hurt, especially with six shots of tequila in just a matter of minutes under her belt.
"So you plan to tie the knot with the hard to tie down, commitment phobe, womanizer, Arizona Robbins?" Jesse, one of the identical twins on the Monroe side asked.
"Well, we bought a house together so I think she's already committed but to answer your question, yes, someday, soonish, I hope we will plan a wedding."
"So you think my cousin is a womanizer?" Jesse's twin, Joey asked.
"Not at all. I think she is a person that enjoyed casual dating which included sex before meeting me. And if she were a man that would make her cool." Callie replied, feeling a little bolder with alcohol in her system.
"What do you think boys?" Tim asked.
"You get to move on to phase two, Callie!" Trent shouted and she was suddenly surrounded by the six Robbins cousins, four Monroe cousins, Tim, and Nick in a group hug.
"Now we all take a celebratory shot and you get to relax and get a free tattoo while Henry takes the hot seat."
They all took a shot, including Henry with his newly drawn tattoo of Teddy's face on his bicep. Doug was actually a great artist and it was a nice "tattoo" Callie thought. She sat listening while she drank a beer as they questioned Henry. Doug pulled up her shirt and started his handwork, drawing a tramp stamp on Callie's lower back with his trusty sharpie. She hoped Arizona's face would look as good on her back as Teddy's did on Henry's arm.
Henry answered two of their questions unsatisfactorily and refused to answer one, meaning he was five shots in plus the one he had taken with Callie. Needless to say, they were both pretty drunk. After yet another celebratory shot, Tim stood on a log and called for everyone's attention.
"What's phase two?" Callie asked, the tequila making her feel warm and fuzzy and much more confident about participating in a second phase.
"Phase two is trivia." Tim replied with a smile.
"Tim and I have concocted a series of questions regarding how well you know Arizona and Teddy. Every wrong answer, gets a shot. There's twelve questions, one from each of us. After that, you move on to the bonus round." Nick replied.
"Bonus round?" Callie asked.
"Lightning round. Name as many Robbins and Monroes in one minute as you can. Whoever answers the most correctly gets to choose one of us to take a dumpster shot with the loser." Reese explained.
"Dumpster shot?" Callie asked.
"All of the alcohol we have here mixed together." Tim replied.
"Ok, Callie, you go first. Ready?" Tim asked, his stock of flash cards ready in his hand.
"Ready."
"Arizona's favorite color?"
"Pink."
"Her zodiac sign?"
"Sagittarius."
"Arizona's horse's name?"
"Stetson."
"Arizona's biggest fear?"
"Flying."
"The pet she's always wanted?"
"Dog."
"Wrong. Reese that's one shot."
"Shit, chickens, I knew that." Callie realized, then added, "We are so not getting fricken chickens."
"Arizona's middle name?"
"Monroe."
"State she was born in?"
"Missouri."
"Arizona's favorite singer?"
"I hate to say it but Taylor Swift." Callie replied with an eye roll.
"Who was her first acknowledged famous female crush?"
"Cindy Crawford."
"What grade or grades did Arizona skip?"
"Oh crap, I know this...third and fifth."
"Poor shot number two, Reese. The correct answer is third and sixth."
"Name Arizona's favorite alcoholic beverage."
"White wine."
"Last question. On a scale of one to ten, how mad is Arizona going to be with our little initiation and your new ink?"
"Ten, you're all gonna be in deep shit." Callie replied, pointing to all of them with a laugh.
"Ok, come get your shots, Callie." Reese called, handing her the two glasses.
She felt the alcohol beginning to take their effect as she shook her head. It was Henry's turn for the hot seat and she wanted to watch him squirm. Wait, they were supposed to be on the same team, she reminded herself with a smile and shouted, "Go Henry!"
"Gold star, Cal." Doug said, sitting beside her on the log she had found and patting her on the back.
"No, Arizona is the gold star, though I think I stole it. Oh my God, I think I stole her gold star." Callie replied, feeling seriously anxious about it.
"Relax Callie." Doug replied, confused about what caused the brunette's sudden anxiety.
"You don't understand, Arizona loved her gold star and I think I stole it." Callie replied but the sudden eruption of applause grabbed her attention as Henry jumped up from the hot seat.
"Lightning round." Tim replied. At least Callie thought it was Tim. The tequila was really affecting her and there were so many blondes.
"I've never seen so many blondes in one place." Callie whispered to Doug who let out a booming laugh and assisted her up from her position on the log.
"Ok, Henry to keep things fair, you have to put a blind fold on again and ear plugs in while Callie gets her turn." Tim instructed and then turned to Callie and said, "Ladies first."
Tim made Callie close her eyes while Henry placed his blindfold on and put his ear plugs in. The Robbins and Monroe cousins spent some time running around each other trying to stand in a random order for Callie to have to pick them out. Tim joined them and once they were all situated, Nick instructed Callie to open her eyes. Lined up before her were eleven men, nine of them blondes. She quickly pointed out Tim and the two brunettes though how she got Joey and Jesse correct was beyond her as they were identical, it was a shot in the dark. Next she pointed out Doug, the biggest and eldest on the Robbins side. She found Trent and Reese, Darrel's identical twin sons, only telling them apart because of Trent's cowboy hat. Next she was able to point out Travis and Thomas who were twins but not identical plus she had spent time in Salem with them. Having succeeded in naming all the Monroe boys correctly, she focused on the three remaining cousins. She knew they were all three brothers and belonged to Arizona's Uncle Dave but she didn't know which one was which and only two of their three names came to mind.
"Dustin." She pointed to the tallest man. He was the one that had asked her about lesbian sex and she was sure his name was Dustin. Now all she had to decide was which of the remaining two was Wesley. The name of the other cousin was not coming to her intoxicated brain.
"Wesley." She said, pointing to the stockier of the two boys just as Nick yelled that time was up.
"Not bad, ten out of eleven." Nick replied.
"Henry's turn." Tim replied, the men all lined up in a different order and Henry's blindfold and earplugs were removed.
He pointed out Tim and Doug before pointing to the cousin Callie couldn't remember and yelled, "Quinn."
Henry didn't fare as well as Callie, earning himself the dumpster shot at the end of the round. Callie, as the winner, chose Tim to do the shot with him. By the time the two were done with the lightning round and the beer Tim insisted they drink in honor of him, the newly induced members of the Robbins/Monroe clan could barely stand.
"Thank you for attending my bachelor party and the first ever Robbins slash Monroe inquiry. For you two's sake, let's hope it's also the last Robbins slash Monroe inquiry because getting out will be much harder for you two than getting in was, especially if you hurt Teddy or Arizona. Anyway, I believe tonight was a success. Now, I think we should let Callie and Henry get back to my sisters while we start the real bachelor party at the cabin. Henry, Callie, good luck finding your way back." Tim announced with a laugh.
"Tim." Callie protested. She would slap him silly if she could figure out which one was Tim in the mass of blonde haired, blue eyes Robbins men.
"Don't worry, Cal, just follow the path up the hill, the house is just at the top." Tim whispered with a wink.
With them both leaning heavily on the other, Callie and Henry started their trek up the very steep hill. It took twice as long as they each took a tumble and the two had spent a good deal of time sitting in the dirt laughing at each other. When they finally made it back up the hill, Callie spotted the bonfire about a football field away and the two intoxicated and dirty friends giggled as they made their way over.
"Callie, dear, your knee is bleeding." Arizona's aunt, she forgot which one said, stopping them as she noticed them.
"S'okay." the brunette slurred.
"Oh boy, is my son one of the ones responsible for this?" The aunt asked.
"If he has blonde hair…" Callie started
"And blue eyes." Henry chipped in.
"Then yessss." Callie said, holding up a finger in exclamation. The aunt looked around for help and spotted Teddy and waved her over eagerly.
"There you are. Arizona is beside herself, are you guys ok?" Teddy asked, taking in the sight of them. The aunt walked away looking relieved for Teddy to take over.
"Yea, we're Robbins now, yay." Henry said, raising his fists in the air.
"Oh my God, you smell like a distillery."
"Vodka." Henry replied. Teddy looked at Callie.
"Don't look at meeee, I had tekillya."
"Wow, ok. Arizona is going to kill them. Come sit down, but not too close to the fire or you might burst into flames. I need to find Arizona."
"Mmmkay." Henry replied with a shrug of his shoulders as Teddy left them to find Arizona.
"Henry we can't be Robbins." Callie said suddenly, an important thought popping up in her head.
"N why not? We passssed their dumb test." Henry slurred.
"But they all have blonde hair."
"And blue eyes. You're right. They tricked us." Henry said, scowling. Clearly neither of them had blonde hair nor blue eyes.
"Them rat bastards." Callie replied to which Henry giggled. Callie joined in, forgetting why they were mad or why they were laughing. She really did enjoy Henry though, he was funny.
"We're pals now, right?" Henry asked.
"Bonded by booze."
"And blood." Henry added, pointing to Callie's knee and his elbow.
"To booze and blood." Callie shouted, as the two clinked abandoned beer bottles together that they picked up from the ground.
"Calliope! Are you ok? What did my idiot brother make you do?" Arizona asked, Teddy hot on her heels as the two ran over to Callie and Henry.
"We're Robbins now, yay!" Henry repeated once again raising his fist in the air for Arizona's benefit.
"We passed the test." Callie replied with a smile. Arizona really was so pretty when she was mad. Why was she mad though?
"What test honey?" Arizona asked, brushing a piece of hair behind Callie's ear as she took the beer bottle from her hand and sat it on the ground.
"A dumb one. And by the way, you told me there wouldn't be a test." Callie pouted. But then a smile appeared as she looked at Arizona and said, "You are really pretty. Like the most beautiful Robbins of them all. And some of the Robbins men are pretty gorgeous."
"Clearly it involved alcohol." Arizona replied, somewhere between annoyed and amused.
"Shots!" Callie shouted enthusiastically.
"Vodka!" Henry shouted, raising his fist up in the air again. Teddy gasped and walked over to him.
"Tekillya!" Callie added.
"Why do you have my face on your arm?" Teddy exclaimed, noting the tattoo.
"It'ssss my new ink." Henry replied proudly.
"That's not real right?" Teddy asked, looking at Arizona who quickly walked over and checked Callie's arms, sighing in relief when she found no tattoo.
"Cal my pal got a tramp stamp." Henry replied, popping all of his p's.
"Badass right?" Callie asked, turning and lifting up her shirt. Henry started laughing and Arizona looked like she was ready to murder someone.
"Why did they draw Tim's face on your back?" Arizona asked.
"What? No far, Henry got his woman." Callie whined and stomped her foot.
"Maybe it's cuz you wouldn't tell them about lesbian sex." Henry replied with a shrug.
"What?! I am going to kill them." Arizona said for the hundredth time that night.
"I don't feel so good." Henry replied, looking a little green.
"Ok, I think it's time to get you some aspirin and water and put you to bed." Arizona replied.
"I'd rather put you to bed." Callie said, wiggling her eyebrows.
"Teddy, a little help here." Arizona requested but the darker blonde was having her own trouble with Henry. Apparently Arizona wasn't the only one in this group that got handsy when alcohol was involved.
"Sorry, Arizona, I need to get Henry out of here before he gives everyone a very public show." Teddy replied as she fought off Henry's roaming hands. Callie giggled at the sight and looked at Arizona with an arched eyebrow.
"Don't even think about it, Calliope." Arizona warned, then spotting her cousin, Jessica, she called her over, "Can you help me get Callie upstairs please?"
The two petite blondes got Callie up to the third floor with a lot of coaxing that involved Arizona promising lots of things that she was sure were going to scar her very young and impressionable eighteen year old cousin. Jessica didn't seem too bothered by Callie's blatant requests though. Arizona was impressed that Jess never even blushed, just snickered and covered her mouth a lot. As soon as they entered the attic room, the younger blonde disappeared quickly though, leaving Arizona and Callie alone.
The blonde found some aspirin and handed two along with a bottle of water to Callie to drink while she rummaged through Callie's belongings for her bathroom supplies and pajamas. Finding what she needed, the two of them made their way to one of the two adjoining bathrooms. She sat Callie on the toilet and began riding her arms and legs of the dirt she had gathered there from her falls while climbing up the hill with a washcloth. She tended to the scrape on her knee and blue eyes turned full of concern when she looked up to see Callie crying.
"Calliope, what's wrong? Did I hurt you?" Arizona asked, bending over to inspect her knee more carefully.
"I'm so sssorry I sstole your gold star, Arizona." Callie cried, Arizona unable to discern if the stuttering was from the alcohol or her level of distraughtness at the moment, smiled gently at the intoxicated woman.
"Gold star? What? Callie, you're not making any sense honey."
"Your gold star, I stole it and you really loved your gold star."
"Callie, baby, I'm not sure what gold star you're talking about but it's ok, I forgive you." Arizona replied, thoroughly confused. This only made Callie cry harder as she pulled Arizona against her and cried into her shirt covered abdomen. Arizona tilted Callie's chin so her head was tilted up facing her.
"You're a lesbian and now you don't have a gold star."
"Callie, first of all, I would gladly give you my gold star because I love you. And secondly, I still have my gold star, you didn't take it. You're not a man so technically I'm still claiming my gold star." Arizona replied, a soft smile spreading across her face when realization hit her. Her heart melted a little at Callie's complete adorableness when her inhibitions were down. It wasn't often that Arizona got to see the brunette in such a vulnerable state as the brunette preferred the badass persona but she found this side of her endearing. Not to mention the woman had an alarmingly high tolerance for alcohol so she never saw her more than buzzed which meant her brother had been responsible for the brunette drinking a copious amount tonight.
"You're not mad at me?"
"No, Calliope, I'm not mad at you. I actually kind of like getting a glimpse at this side of you. It doesn't mean I'm not going to kill my brother and every single one of my cousins though."
"There were so many blondes." Callie replied. Arizona giggled a bit at the confused look Callie made, her nose and forehead scrunched up in concentration. Arizona pulled Callie to a standing position and assisted her into the bottom bunk that was Arizona's. There was no way she could safely get the brunette into the top bunk.
Callie climbed into the bed beneath the covers and immediately scooted over, making room for Arizona behind her. Her shirt rode up in the process and Arizona saw a sharpie image of Tim once again on Callie's lower back. Yep, definitely killing them all, painfully, she thought as she climbed in and wrapped her arms around Callie without hesitating. She squeezed her tightly and held her until her breathing evened out and she was sure the Latina was fast asleep. Arizona slipped out of bed carefully and made her way to the bathroom to change and complete her own bedtime routine as she considered what revenge would be painful enough for her brother and cousins.
Arizona
"It's his wedding day, are you sure you want to do this Arizona?" Teddy asked as the two climbed into Doug's truck.
"How was Henry when you put him to bed?" Arizona asked.
"He's going to be sore in the morning."
"Exactly. Callie is never drunk like this. I just hope tomorrow she sees the humor in it and isn't upset. I know Tim has some misguided thing about being the protective brother but he loves Callie so I know he wouldn't hurt her. But, she's my girlfriend, I feel the need to defend her honor right now."
"Ok, let's do this." Teddy replied.
The two drove to the secluded cabin that Henry had been talking about. Arizona knew her brother and cousins would have come here for poker after feeding Henry and Callie all that alcohol. If they were lucky, they would all be passed out by now. They pulled up to find all of their cars parked outside. She sincerely hoped that this was Tim's rental and not Sara's but it didn't really matter since Tim would be the one cleaning it either way. The two women set about shoveling the manure from the back of Doug's work pick up to the backseat of each car. They then saran wrapped the vehicles shut. Once that was completed, they set about placing their booby traps. Men were passed out throughout the cabin, it was one a.m. but the women had conspired and chosen to strike at this time.
Arizona set about greasing door handles with crisco while Teddy placed saran wrap over the toilets and rubber bands over the kitchen sink sprayer. Air horns were placed under rugs, under a chair cushion and strategically behind a bathroom door. Shaving cream was placed on pillows around heads and a few hands were placed in cups of warm water. It was completely juvenile as far as pranks go but it was the best she could do at the moment. The two snapped pictures of each sleeping man with the blow up doll that had been sitting at the poker table. Arizona's best guess was one of her cousins had bought it as a gag bachelor gift for her brother but she really didn't want to know. Either way, the doll's presence was to their advantage as she handed Teddy polaroid after polaroid of the sleeping men with the doll.
Their mission complete, the girls ran back to the house, leaving Doug's truck with a bag full of manure in his back seat and his doors saran wrapped shut as well. The mile run back was quick work for the avid runners and they tip toed up to the third floor without being caught. Arizona felt like a kid again as she climbed into bed next to Callie, her dad and Uncle's ridiculous rules be damned.
XXXXX
"Did you have a nice run?" Barbara asked, sitting on the porch with a cup of coffee the next morning. Arizona and Teddy had gone for an early morning run to spy on the guys when they discovered their pranks and the lack of sleep had been well worth it.
"Yea, the fresh air is the best." Arizona replied, a dimpled smile on her face.
"I made extra coffee for Callie and Henry. And you know my hangover cure, see if you can get them to eat the banana pancakes dry with bacon. There's some ready on the stove for them." Barbara replied.
"Thanks mom but I don't expect Calliope to be up for another couple of hours." Arizona replied.
"She's already up dear."
"What?" Arizona asked. She made her way into the house and found Callie awake and in the shower.
"Arizona?" Callie asked as the bathroom door opened.
"Yea babe, it's me."
"I feel like I got hit by a truck. What the hell happened last night? It's kind of fuzzy but I'm pretty sure your brother and cousins kidnapped me and forced me to drink copious amounts of alcohol."
"That would be correct. Don't worry, they got a rude awakening this morning. And if it wasn't Timmy's wedding today, I would have done far worse."
"Awe babe, are you defending my honor?"
"Always. Are you ok? Mom made you some of her hangover cure."
"I don't think I can eat but I'd love some coffee."
"Ok, I'll save you a cup and a plate just in case. It really does help. I don't know how she does it but I swear, it works every time."
"I'll think about it."
"Ok, take your time babe." Arizona replied as she left the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.
Callie appeared at the kitchen table twenty minutes later looking as beautiful as ever as far as Arizona was concerned. She picked up the mug of coffee, now slightly cooled and downed it in two large gulps. She eyed the pancake and bacon suspiciously but with the promise of another cup of coffee from the blonde, she sat down and took a few bites while Arizona disappeared into the kitchen and returned a few moments later with another cup of coffee for the Latina.
The couple spent the morning being lazy before taking a short walk along the property. Arizona introduced Callie to the horses in the stable, including her own, Stetson who was now over twenty years old. Once the tour of the Robbins farm was over, it was time for wedding preparations and Arizona had to kiss Callie goodbye as she was whisked off to get ready for the ceremony, leaving Callie with Kacie and Jessica to get ready.
The ceremony was short and sweet. Arizona walked down the aisle with Teddy, Arizona taking her position next to her brother in a fitted women's suit and heels while Teddy wore a flowy light orange gown and stood opposite of Arizona. Everyone's attention turned to the entrance of the barn as Nick and Nora walked down the aisle with Sara between them. Nick had been working hard to be able to walk without a crutch or cane and Arizona smiled brightly as she watched him take careful but sure steps down the aisle. Nick stood beside Arizona and Nora stood beside Teddy as Sara and Tim faced each other, reciting their vows. The whole ceremony was over in under half an hour.
After getting what seemed like a thousand pictures taken, Arizona was on the search for Callie. The reception would be held in the barn where the ceremony took place but everyone was still chatting and congregating in small groups as the bride and groom did photos with the photographer.
"You look extremely hot in this. How did I not know that you were wearing a tux?" Callie whispered from behind as she wrapped her arms around a slim waist. Arizona smiled at Callie's reaction to her attire, it had the desired effect and was partially the reason she hadn't revealed what she planned to wear as Tim's best woman.
"I thought it might be nice to surprise you." Arizona replied.
"Mmm, do you think anyone would miss us if we disappeared for a quickie?" Callie asked, tugging Arizona's earlobe into her mouth.
"I'm pretty sure as one of the four people in the wedding party, I would be missed but I promise a really amazing rain check."
"I'll be sure to bring an umbrella." Callie replied with a wink.
The reception was in full swing. Arizona was stuck at the head table between her brother and Nick while Callie sat at the table with her parents, grandparents, Kacie, and Henry. Arizona was sure to keep an eye on her in case her cousins came up with any more creative ways to "welcome" her into the family. Once the toasts had been made, the cake had been cut, and the bride and groom were on the dance floor dancing to their first song, Arizona was finally able to sneak over to sit with Callie. When the next song played, the married couple separated and Arizona found herself once again pulled away from Callie to dance with her brother.
"She's going to propose you know." Tim whispered.
"What? How do you know?"
"Callie, last night, she said she already has a ring picked out. She's just waiting for you to be ready. I thought I should let you know, give you a heads up. I'm either your best man or driving the getaway car so just let me know, ok." Tim replied, watching Arizona carefully for a reaction. Once the confusion cleared from her face, a dimpled smile broke out.
"She picked out a ring?"
"That's what she said, of course, she had a lot of tequila at that point."
"What exactly did happen last night?"
"We took them to the crick bed and made them answer some questions then quizzed them on the family. Callie did pretty well, I was impressed." Tim replied.
"You were nice to her, right?"
"Mostly but honestly, she can handle herself. I think half of our cousins are in love with her." Tim replied with a smile.
"She's an easy person to fall in love with."
"You're not freaking out." Tim observed. He had figured it was 50/50 on if he would have to be the getaway driver or the best man. He had been hoping for the latter but prepared for the other.
"Because for the first time in my life the idea of committing to someone isn't scary. Not when it's Callie. Besides, we live together, not only that but we bought a house together, we are basically already married." Arizona replied.
"Well I'm glad she passed the Robbins slash Monroe test then."
"I swear if you and any of our cousins come near Callie again, I will fight much dirtier than manure, fog horns, and shaving cream."
"I peed on myself by the way. Nice touch with the saran wrap over the toilet. Oh and even though you left the manure in the bag, the stench in the cars is just, wow, I think we should just light them on fire."
"Ha, good, serves you right." Arizona replied, throwing her head back in laughter.
"Mind if I cut in?" Callie asked, tapping Tim on the shoulder.
"She's all yours." Tim replied, placing a kiss on each of their cheeks before handing Arizona off to Callie.
"How are you doing? Is my family being nice to you?" Arizona asked, genuine concern in her voice. Her grandparents were a bit old fashioned but also southern and therefore too polite to be rude to your face.
"They have all been very welcoming, you don't need to worry. Aside from their tendency to kidnap people and get them ridiculously drunk, they're pretty mellow."
"I'm sorry about that. Have I told you how I'm planning to make it up to you?" Arizona asked sweetly.
"No but I wouldn't mind hearing about it."
"Well first…" Arizona started to whisper into Callie's ear only to be interrupted by her cousins.
"I do believe Callie agreed to a dance with each of us last night." Trent said as he attempted to come between the couple.
"No, none of you are getting anywhere near Calliope again. Now go and find your own dance partner, this one is mine." Arizona replied, daring him to challenge her. Trent sighed and started to walk away as Arizona shouted, "And spread the word, Trent, Calliope is off limits!"
"Wow, that was kinda hot." Callie said, a giant smile spreading over her face.
"The Robbins boys have nothing on this Robbins, Calliope." Arizona replied with an equally big smile.
"And here I thought you were all rainbows and sunshine but you have a dark side in you." Callie teased.
"I do when it comes to them messing with you."
"If you think about it, it was actually kind of sweet. They included me in this inquiry that they've planned since they were teenage boys even though you brought home a girl and not a boy as expected. Plus, they didn't make me ride Big Red."
"How do you know about Big Red?"
"Well, they said if we didn't do their phase one of the test then we had to ride Big Red, the mechanical bull. But I really thought they were just joking."
"They weren't. Doug broke his ankle riding Big Red and Trent his arm. Pretty sure Tim had a concussion. Boy did we all get in trouble despite our injuries over riding Big Red. My uncles and even my dad, once or twice, used to bull ride and they used Big Red to practice on. We knew we weren't allowed under any circumstances to ride it but that just made us want to that much more."
"You're speaking as if you rode it too."
"Calliope, I couldn't let the boys have all the fun. Besides, whoever stayed on the longest got all of our chore money that we used to bet. No one thought I could win. Even I didn't think I could but I wasn't about to let them count me out without trying."
"And did you win?"
"Heck no. I had just turned ten and was like sixty five pounds. I lasted exactly one second before it threw me and I landed in a pile of hay. It still knocked the wind out of me though. Pops was furious when he found out."
"Jesus, Arizona, you all could have been killed."
"Yea well we all got the spanking of a lifetime over that. Even Trent, Doug, and Tim who had to go to the hospital after pops spanked them because of their injuries from being bucked off Big Red. Wesley won all of our money. He was the only one who lasted eight seconds."
"Wow, I never had a spanking as a child."
"Pops is the only one who ever spanked Tim or I. Mom threatened to spank us a lot but she never did. About a month after that, we moved to Hawaii and Pops was so upset about spanking us that he showed up in New York the night before we were leaving for Hawaii and apologized and cried. Tim and I had already forgotten about it but my mom never liked it when Pops spanked us so I expect she might have given him an ear full. He raised four boys and dad has told some stories about the spankings they got. Pops never spanked us again after that."
"I can imagine Barbara not being happy about something like that. Your mom is a little scary. What are we going to do about our moms anyway?"
"I'm not sure. I think your mom and dad are going to have to admit they were wrong and apologize sincerely. She won't care that your mom gave me a necklace or that they're nice to me now. She and Tim hold grudges much harder than dad or I."
"Your cousins are all kind of sweet, you know. They love you and there's no hidden motive. In my family, there's always a motive, money. I can only imagine what Barbara would say if she knew about J.J."
"Well, I don't plan to tell her. There's no reason to. It was months ago."
"Right." Callie replied. She had neglected to tell Arizona the full story. She intended to but whenever J.J. was brought up, Arizona seemed resistant to talk about it. Still, Callie knew they would have to have that conversation and soon with the wedding coming up.
"Come on, let's go get more cake before the boys eat it all." Arizona replied, dragging Callie off the dance floor.
Hours later, having danced and laughed with their families, Tim and Sara left for their honeymoon. The couple was driving to a hotel for the night and then they were off to a resort in Florida for a week. Arizona hugged her brother and new sister in law fiercely as they left, she was beyond happy and excited for them. Not long after the newlyweds left, Arizona and Callie left to head back to the house but Callie pulled Arizona off the trail and into the woods.
"Dresses are so much more convenient but you look so hot in this." Callie replied, pushing Arizona up against a large tree.
"Oh." Arizona replied, a smile replacing her confusion. Callie made quick work of Arizona's tailored jacket and pulled her dress shirt from her pants as she fumbled with the buttons.
"Who the fuck puts buttons on the inside of pants?" Callie shouted with frustration as she fumbled with Arizona's pants. Arizona only giggled before turning the tables on Callie.
"You're right, dresses are much more convenient." Arizona replied as she pulled the hem of Callie's long dress up to her waistline and wasted no time plunging her fingers into Callie's panties. Callie moaned and unconsciously spread her legs further for Arizona's hand as she worked her fingers through Callie's folds.
"I was intending to do this to you." Callie said as Arizona leaned in and kissed her bare upper chest, her fingers working magic on her core.
"Yes and it was a brilliant idea, Calliope but lucky for me, you're wearing the dress tonight." Arizona replied. She captured Callie's lips in a loving kiss and focused her attention on her fingers. It took less than five minutes to get Callie pushed over the edge and quivering against the tree as she rode out her orgasm against Arizona's hand. The blonde smiled smugly at her as the brunette fought to control her breathing.
"Hmmm, sex against a tree is pretty good." Callie laughed.
"I enjoyed it." Arizona replied.
"How about you unbutton those pants and let me return the favor."
"Mmmm, I'd love to." Arizona replied, flicking her button and reaching for Callie's hand to bring it where she needed her.
"Wow, you really did enjoy sex against the tree." Callie said, her voice husky against Arizona's ear, her breath sending shivers down the blonde's spine.
"I really, really did." Arizona replied as Callie flipped them and her back hit the tree gently.
The couple returned to the house half an hour later, cheeks flushed and giggling as they passed several family members congregating on the porch and around another fire. Deciding to join the festivities, Arizona grabbed them each a cup of moonshine and sat down next to Callie by the fire. She put her jacket over Callie's bare shoulders and wrapped her arm around the Latina's waist as they sat together on a small log. Arizona laid her head down on Callie's shoulder and Callie rested her head against Arizona's. The blinding of a camera flash broke their moment of peace and they looked up to find Barbara grinning ear to ear at them.
"Maybe I'll get two weddings after all." Barbara said, her dimples popping as she handed Callie the polaroid she snapped and walked away.
Arizona looked at the picture of herself and Callie and smiled. Callie had a ring picked out. She didn't know if she had actually purchased it or not but according to Tim, she had picked one out. Arizona smiled at the thought. Maybe she should pick out one for the Latina as well. She would have to enlist Teddy's help or maybe Addison's. Maybe both of them. She would have to give it some serious thought.
XXXXX
"I can't believe Tim is married." Arizona said as she and Callie rode side by side along one of the riding trails on her family's property.
"It must seem strange. I know the idea of Aria getting married is still strange to me. Sometimes when I look at her I think of a little girl with missing teeth and pigtails." Callie replied.
"You two must have been quite the pair as kids."
"We were four years apart so we didn't play together much or have many of the same friends. The one friend we did have that was mutual was Selena. She was one of the maid's daughters at my grandparents house. The three of us got into a lot of mischief. She was two years younger than me and two years older than Aria."
"I've never heard you mention her before." Arizona replied.
"That's because we don't talk about Selena in my family. There's something that I need to tell you about before Aria's wedding."
"Ok." Arizona replied. She stopped Stetson, climbed off and tied him to a tree. She motioned for Callie to climb off the mare she was riding and tied her to the tree next to Stetson. Arizona and Callie sat on a low hanging branch that swung down and was only two or three feet off the ground. It had seemed so much bigger to Arizona as a child. Sensing that Callie was nervous, Arizona took the ortho surgeon's hand in her own and gave it a gentle squeeze. Callie looked up at her and smiled softly.
"When I was fifteen and Aria was eleven we went to stay with my grandparents for a week. All of my cousins were there. Our parents went on some retreat together for the week and my grandparents had agreed to take all of us. J.J. had just turned eighteen so he wasn't there the whole week. One of the nights, Aria, Alicia, and I begged Abuela and Selena's mom to let her stay the night with us. They let us girls camp out in the den and the boys were in their room upstairs. J.J. was there that night for some reason. Anyway, sometime during the night Selena says she got up to go to the bathroom and J.J. assaulted her. Aria woke up and walked in on them, stopping him before he could actually go through with what I'm scared he intended to do. Aria was eleven and wasn't sure what was happening so for her, it just looked like J.J. was tickling her or wrestling her or something. Selena was only thirteen."
"Oh my God, Callie. Did he...?"
" No, Selena says Aria walked in before he could but after that, Selena's mom wanted to press charges. J.J. insisted that it was innocent and Selena had come on to him but he had told her she was too young. I don't think anyone truly believed that but my Abuelo was a proud man. He built the Torres company from nothing and he couldn't have the name tarnished. So, he paid off Selena's mom and sent them both away. We never saw Selena again. I didn't know at the time. I was fifteen and my grandfather was my hero. I found out about it a few years ago and tried to reach out to Selena but I couldn't find her."
"Callie, that's awful, I'm so sorry."
"That's not the worst of it. Unbeknownst to my parents, this was not the first or the last of the time these indiscretions on J.J.'s part had been covered up and paid off. My own friend, Victoria, stopped talking to me when I went off to college. I thought at the time that it was just one of those things, high school friends growing apart after going to college. She is the one that told me about what J.J. did to her and that led me to question my parents about it a few years ago. There were also girls at J.J.'s own high school that had accused him. My Abuelo died when I was fifteen, just shy of my sixteenth birthday and he left in his will that he wanted his lawyer to handle the "clandestine" account and my mother could handle the rest of their legal assets. He also noted that Junior, J.J., and Juan would never be allowed to hold a position or shares in the company."
"So your grandfather, I mean your Abuelo covered all of this up?"
"He did. He hid it from my whole family, even my Abuela. He was so ashamed but he wanted to protect the Torres name. My Tia Paula is the youngest child and never had any interest in the company, neither did her husband. Tia Fatima is the oldest and was set to inherit half of the company until she married Junior. After that, Junior and Fatima felt that they and their two boys alone should inherit the company but Abuelo never liked Junior and in the end, he left the entire company to my father and Abuela. When Abuela passes, her shares will be split between Fatima and Paula under the stipulation that Junior, J.J., and Juan will not receive any shares with the death of Fatima. Her shares will then be split between Aria, Alicia, Mario, Dominic, and I."
"I bet that went over well with Fatima and her family."
"Junior and she almost divorced over it. It's clear he wanted one thing when he married my aunt."
"So, you're telling me all of this now, why? I mean not that you can't tell me your secrets, I want you to, including deep dark family ones, but why now? Why before Aria's wedding?"
"Well, I called my mom and told her what happened between you and J.J. at the engagement party. Only she wasn't shocked, she had already heard it from Aria. J.J. came to Aria and said that you came on to him. He wanted to be paid to keep his mouth shut. He knew better than to come to me or my parents about it."
"Oh my God, Calliope, I swear, I would never." Arizona replied, standing suddenly. Callie caught her by the wrist.
"Arizona I know that. So does Aria who told him just that. And my parents both believe you. We all have your back. I'm telling you because J.J. is dangerous and I don't want you to underestimate him. He won't like that you stood up to him or that we believed a woman over him. I'm telling you because I want to protect you."
"Why am I just now hearing about this, Calliope?"
"I was ashamed of what my Abuelo did but I still love him and I was afraid of what you would think."
"That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about the part where you knew what J.J. was accusing me of and didn't tell me. If I had kept something like this from you…"
"I know. I was wrong, I'm sorry. I just want to protect you, Arizona."
"I get that Callie. I wanted to protect you too but that didn't stop you from nearly ending things with me when I hid things from you."
"It's different."
"Is it?" Arizona asked, her blue eyes blazing as they glared at Callie.
"No, you're right, it's not, I should have told you." Callie replied, not breaking eye contact.
"I should be furious with you." Arizona said, she broke eye contact first and reached for Callie's hands as she stood in front of her. She raised her head up again and found Callie's eyes, "No more secrets ok."
"What about the good kind?"
"I suppose those are ok, especially if they involve surprising me with donuts."
"Thank you." Callie said, standing up and hugging the blonde tightly.
"Next time, I won't let you off that easily, Calliope."
"Noted but there won't be a next time, promise."
"Ok then, what do you say we get these horses back home and see what desserts my mom and aunts have laying around."
"Race you back."
"You're on, Torres. Loser is bottom for a week." Arizona said, jumping on Stetson quickly.