Chapter One: Taking Flight

"Now boarding flight number 4572 for New York departing at 19:00 hours." The voice over the intercom pierced through the worries in the pit of Arizona's stomach, bringing her mind back to the present.

"Is that us, Mommy?!" Sofia asked, bouncing in the seat next to her with excitement.

"Mhm!" Arizona responded with fake cheeriness to mask the growing panic she felt about boarding a plane and entrusting her life to a pilot she didn't even know yet again. "Let's go kiddo!" Sofia jumped up and grabbed her carry-on bag, looking back expectantly as Arizona fumbled with their boarding passes. The line dissipated quickly and soon she was handing the flight attendant their tickets.

"Is this your first time going to New York, honey?" The airport personnel asked Sofia with a pleasant smile, noticing the little girl by Arizona's side bouncing on the balls of her feet energetically.

"No, ma'am! Mommy's coming back to live with my other mom and me," Sofia explained, "I'm going to show her my room, my favorite ice cream place, how good I've gotten at skating, mama's new hospital with -"

"Well that sounds very exciting." The older woman interrupted gently, gesturing them to head forward onto the tarmac.

"Thank you." Arizona said, mouthing an apology over Sofia's head before turning to walk down the ramp. She tried to take a deep breath, but her lungs couldn't seem to get enough air. Each step took her closer towards the plane and tingling sensations of pain had already begun in her left leg. Slowing her pace, she called out to Sofia, who had run ahead.

"C'mon Mommy the plane is leaving!" Sofia complained, walking back to her blonde mother and taking her hand.

"I know, Sof, I know." Arizona murmured, trying to get control of her racing heart. "Remember the big scary plane crash Mommy was in?" Sofia's dark brown eyes grew somber and she nodded solemnly. "Right now my body doesn't realize this is a safe plane to go on and I'm in a bit of pain. Can we take some slow steps to help my body know that it's okay this time?"

"Yeah," The little girl agreed, hugging her mom's middle tightly. "This is a good plane, it's okay." She whispered into Arizona's left thigh. Even though she was talking to her injured leg, the blonde peds surgeon felt a little reassurance at her daughter's words. This is a good plane. She repeated in her mind as she walked down the ramp and passed into the plane. Arizona hefted their bags into the baggage compartment above their seats before settling down next to her daughter. As they began to taxi down the runway, Sofia grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight. Arizona squeezed back.

"I love you Mommy." Sofia whispered, leaning her head against the blonde's shoulder.

"Love you too baby." Arizona gently pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Sofia was why she was doing this, after all. A flutter of butterflies in her stomach reminded her that perhaps her daughter wasn't the only reason. As the cabin lights dimmed, she leant back in her chair, closing her eyes though she was too tense to sleep. Sofia nodded off in her lap and Arizona absentmindedly stroked her hair as she thought about all that their move meant. She was really doing this. Uprooting her life for Callie again. Flying across the country to get to her. Again. Why was she always the one closing the distance between them? Because you flew a whole world away, Callie's voice echoed in her mind. But not this time. Callie had left her. For Penny. They hadn't even been dating that long and Callie had moved across the country for her. That's so Callie, Arizona thought, shaking her head. That was her Calliope, skipping steps and jumping in for the sake of love. Sofia shifted in her sleep, her mouth hanging open just like her ex-wife did. The sweet memory caused a twinge of pain. Would they ever get back to normal or was it really and irreparably too late?

. . .

The airplane's tires hitting the runway jolted Arizona from her hazy reverie in a panic before she remembered where she was. A glance out the window brought the cityscape of New York to view. They had made it. She'd be able to get off the damn plane in a few short minutes. Finally.

"Sof," Arizona whispered, gently nudging her daughter's sleeping form. "We're here." Sofia moaned and snuggled in deeper to her lap. She was not a morning person, at all. Possibly worse than Callie, who hated waking up early with a passion.

"We're going to see Mama soon," The peds surgeon tried again. "She'll be so sad if you're asleep." Sofia stretched and sat up slowly.

"Mama's here?" The little girl asked, rubbing her eyes as she scanned the airplane cabin for her mom.

"Almost." Arizona promised, gathering up their stuff and unbuckling. People slowly shuffled off the plane in an early morning daze. Walking out into the airport, Arizona scanned the signs for an indication of where the baggage claim was. The place was packed despite the early morning hours and bits of foreign languages buzzed all around the blonde, not helping her headache at all.

"Okay, Sof," She encouraged the sleepy girl limply holding her hand, "Let's go find Mama." Navigating the crowds with a severely sleep deprived brain was agonizingly slow. Eventually they found the baggage claim and retrieved their luggage. Arizona scanned the crowd for her ex-wife, willing her eyes to stay open. Her left leg was killing her. It had been chafing the whole flight but she couldn't just take her leg off in front of a plane full of strangers. She began tapping her good foot against the floor willing herself to stay alert. Scanning the room for the umpteenth time, her breath caught in her throat as she saw a familiar mop of dark hair. Brown eyes met blue and Arizona felt frozen to the spot. They'd seen each other in facetimes and been more friendly lately but the brunette was so...stunning in person. The blonde cleared her throat and nudged her daughter.

"Look!" She exclaimed, rousing the little girl's attention. "There's Mama!" Sofia snapped awake in an instant, running up to her other mom with a squeal. Arizona smiled softly and brushed her bangs back from her eyes, wishing she'd taken time to freshen up. She was sure she looked like a wreck in her trashy joggers and sweatshirt. Callie looked up from Sofia, making eye contact that elicited another flurry of butterflies. The blonde peds surgeon broke off the contact, looking down at their baggage instead as she awkwardly pushed it all towards her waiting daughter and ex-wife.

"Here, let me help you with that." Callie insisted, pulling the handle of a large bag out of Arizona's grasp, their fingers brushing for a second and sending tingles up her spine.

"Thanks." She replied, too exhausted to think of something more eloquent to say. Callie simply nodded and began steering her tired little family through the airport to the parking. I should be saying something. Arizona thought as she meekly followed her ex-wife through the crowds, trying not to stare at Callie's ass in her tight skinny jeans. Get it together, Robbins! She sternly ordered herself as they entered the drafty parking lot.

"I'll help Sof." Arizona offered as Callie wrangled their bags into the trunk. She guided her daughter into the car and fastened the seat belt as Sofia tried to keep her eyes open.

"It's okay, you can sleep-" Arizona said, noticing her daughter's struggle.

"But I wanna show you my room." The little girl interjected, her voice thick with sleep. Arizona tucked a blanket around Sofia, smiling to herself.

"I'll be here when you wake up. And tomorrow. And the next day." The surgeon reassured her daughter. "I live here now, remember?" Sofia smiled sleepily and nodded. The car door opened as Callie climbed into the front and Arizona joined her in the passenger seat.

"Long flight, huh?" Callie commented, turning the keys into the ignition before backing out of the parking space. Arizona hummed in agreement, massaging her hurt leg in an effort to stay awake.

"You are going to LOVE Sofia's school," Callie began again a few moments later, "Even if the moms are super bitchy and stuck up. You should have seen the bake sale they had last week. I had back to back surgeries so I barely made it and of course I was like half an hour late. Could you believe Mrs. Perkins had the gall to-"

"Callie." Arizona interrupted, exhaustion heavy in her voice. The brunette looked over at her in concern before turning back to the road. "I hear you but I'm so tired I have no idea what you're saying. I barely slept on the plane so don't take it personally. I am interested, I swear I'm just...so tired."

"Oh yeah, of course" Callie agreed quickly, "Don't worry about it. I'll wake you up when we get there and you can crash in my guest room." Arizona nodded her thanks and the rest of the ride passed in silence. Callie couldn't help but sneak glances at her sleeping ex-wife. God I miss watching her sleep. She thought with a twinge of pain. How could I be so stupid? The blonde shifted in her sleep, twisting onto her side. Soon enough they pulled into Callie's parking spot and she shifted the car into park.

"Hey," Callie murmured softly, wishing she could soak in this moment forever. Arizona made no response so the brunette reached over to tousle her golden curls.

"I'm up, I'm up!" Arizona exclaimed, bolting upright and looking around in confusion.

"We're here." Callie smiled and gestured towards their daughter. "I'll carry her, you just bring your purse okay?"

"Yeah." She took a deep breath, willing herself to get up. "Yeah, okay." Arizona repeated sleepily, pushing open the car door. The ortho surgeon slipped her daughter out of her seat belt, picking her up gently. She fumbled to lock the car then led her ex-wife over to the elevator. The doors opened to her floor, and she wordlessly headed over to her apartment, unlocking the door and stepping inside. Arizona followed, taking in the room. It was a chic industrial design with deep tones, but not as dark and edgy as their apartment back in Seattle. She vaguely wondered if the design change was for her as she wandered into the room Callie pointed her towards. Dropping onto the bed with a deep sigh of relief, she wrestled her prosthetic leg off, finally alleviating the throbbing pain. She used the last of her energy to prop the prosthetic against the nightstand before immediately falling asleep, too tired to even slip under the covers. She was home.