Chapter 1 - This Will Be

Callie rushed home before she got paged for another ortho consult. If she gets into another case, it could turn to rushing yet another patient to an OR again. This has happened countless times already today. She no longer feels human. She can't even feel her feet anymore after standing for hours after hours in the OR and running around for 9-1-1 pages here and there. The ortho surgeon has been working her ass off since losing Sofia's custody. It is all too much to bear. Her work is the only thing she could still be good at. Saving lives makes her forget what she lost. And then she had to make the decision to break up with Penny. It came down to choosing between staying in Seattle and being with her daughter, or fly off to New York and be with the woman she began to love. Of course, Callie chose Sofia in a heartbeat. But losing Sofia over the custody battle still hurts like hell — it's a different kind of heartache all together.

Finally, she's home. Exhausted. Callie closed the door behind her, kicked off her shoes, dropped her keys on a kitchen counter, toasted her purse and jacket on the couch, walked towards the fridge, popped the cork off a chilled bottle of red wine, grabbed a wine glass, and then crashed her dead tired ass on the couch, and lifted her feet up on the center table. She thought to herself, "Oh fuck it! Forget the glass. Who am I kidding?" The ortho surgeon then chugged the wine straight from the bottle down to her throat, and then let her head drop back on the sofa's headrest while letting out a sigh of relief.

"IIIIIII'm so fucking wiped!" she yelled out loud. Her voice filled up the empty house.

Just when she thought the day couldn't be more interesting, Callie heard a knock on the front door, "Seriously? GO. AWAY." She groaned complainingly telling herself as she lazily got up and wondered murmuring to herself, "Whoever you are? You better have a good damn reason for making me get up the couch." Her body couldn't decide if it wants to sleep, eat, bathe, or do all these things at the same time.

The brunette opened the door. It was Arizona and Sofia. Instantly, her eyes landed directly on Arizona's gaze looking back at her…smiling. And then she turned her eyes to Sofia standing next to her ex-wife.

"Hi! Mama!", Sofia greeted her with sparkling eyes like a kid who just opened a present on a Christmas morning.

The young brunette rushed towards Callie and wrapped her little arms around her mama.

"Hi! What's goin' on?", the Latina said while hugging her daughter back puzzled. She can feel that there's something really important happening or about to happen that Arizona and Sofia had to be on her doorstep this late at night.

Sofia let herself inside Callie's house skipping like a kid who was promised to have ice cream before bedtime on a school night. Once their daughter faded into the living room, Arizona waited for Callie to turn her head back at her. The blonde is so nervous and hopes that her ex-wife wouldn't notice. Yes, they haven't seen much of each other despite working at the same hospital. Part of that would probably because Callie has been avoiding her — she does that sometimes and the ortho surgeon is very good at avoiding her when she wants to. But no matter how long they have not seen each other, Callie still makes her nervous — even the slightest sight of her or the mere mention of her name makes Arizona's heart beat fast.

Arizona pulls out an envelope from her coat's pocket as Callie watches Sofia settle on a couch in the living room, then turns her gaze back to the blonde who is still at her doorstep. Ignoring the cold breeze, Arizona cleared her throat and put up a smile to hide the nerves.

"Plane tickets." Arizona finally formed words as she stared back at the still confused brunette. The peds surgeon handed over the envelope to her. Callie questionably shocked her head in an attempt to wake her brain up. The Latina took the envelope being handed off by the woman across her.

Arizona continued, "Bring her back next weekend? And I want all summer and every other school year." Callie could barely hear her, let alone understand what the peds surgeon is trying to say as she opens the envelope in her hands. She begins to realize that her ex-wife is talking about the two plane tickets to New York that she booked and bought for her and Sofia.

"I want Christmas this time…" Callie shockingly looked straight back up to Arizona.

"Wait, what did she say? Is this real? Bring her back next weekend? She meant Sofia, right? Of course, stupid! Who else? Wait, was that a question for me? Am I supposed to answer that?"

Callie's thoughts were flooding and loud. She couldn't really believe what was happening as Arizona continued "…but you can get next time, and we'll figure out the rest of the details." Arizona said while staring at the woman in front of her, striving a nervous smile. The blonde took advantage of the moment. She stared so intensely at the love of her life while the brunette was still trying to piece all of what she just heard together. And then she took a second look at the plane tickets.

Callie's heart kept pounding like it wanted to get out of her chest. She could feel her pulse up her throat, for god's sake! She looked back up at the peds surgeon.

"What?"

"Are you saying…" asked Callie but Arizona cut her off.

"Listen. We did this wrong. We had a chance to do it right. And...we missed it."

Callie tried to form words as tears started to fall down her face and asked, "Are you saying…"

But Arizona interrupted her again, "I'm saying that…" the blonde looked up trying to pull back her tears.

"…Sofia deserves to have two happy moms." Callie nods, crying.

"I'm saying…let's all be happy." The blonde looks at Callie who's trying to hold her tears and calm her breath but fails to do so.

Arizona managed to gather the strength to not let herself cry because this moment isn't about her. It's about Callie. The peds surgeon just could not simply take Bailey's advice to let Callie Torres, the woman she still and will always be in love with, to be unhappy and just be okay with it. The Latina gratefully and quickly stepped towards Arizona and wrapped her arms around the blonde as she said thank you while gasping and trying so hard not to fall apart. Feeling her ex-wife's body this close to her again is enough to make Arizona feel how much Callie appreciated what she did for her, for their family.

"I want you to be happy, Callie. Whatever would make you happy will make me and Sofia happy too." Arizona continues while still wrapped up in Callie's tight embrace.

"Arizona, I don't know how to thank you. This is...this means so much." Callie said smiling while tears are still running down her cheeks.

"Maybe you could start by inviting me inside. It's freezing out here, Callie." Both women chuckled while pulling away from what seemed like the longest hug they've ever had since splitting up. Arizona wished they didn't pull away but she also doesn't want to freeze to death on that doorstep.

"Oh god! Yes! Sorry. Come in. Please." Callie rambled while gesturing to Arizona to step inside the house. The brunette closed the door behind them while the blonde took off and hung her coat on a hook by the front door, and then went all the way inside to find Sofia playing on her phone in the living room.

"Do you want a glass of red wine?" Callie offered as she noticed that Arizona's glance went from looking at their daughter to the wine bottle on the center table.

"That'd be great!" the blonde gladly accepted the offer.

"Mommy, did you tell Mama about the tickets?" Sofia asked and put down her phone and jumped out of the sofa to wrap her arms around the peds surgeon. The young Latina continues, "Mama, did we surprise you? Did it make you happy?" Sofia asks while Callie grabs a tissue to wipe off the tears from her face, and then reaches out for a wine glass from the overhead kitchen cabinet. And then turns her gaze towards her daughter.

"I am more than happy, Mija. Why don't we talk about it more tomorrow after school, okay? For now, will you be a good girl for me and mommy and get ready for bed? It's way past your bedtime, honey."

Being the good kid that she is, Sofia kissed her moms good night and gave them both tight hugs before skipping her way to her room. The young brunette knows she did well. She helped her mommy with a surprise. Sofia couldn't bear seeing her mama so sad like she has been for weeks since Penny left for New York.

As soon as Sofia went inside her room. Callie poured wine into a glass for her and handed the other one over to Arizona and asked, "So, you had a little partner in crime huh?" The blonde chuckles and nods. "I might have taught our daughter how to sneak into your personal files to pull it off." She told Callie playfully, smiling, flashing off her dimples.

"Nah! That's fine. I taught her how to do the stare 'em down thing — I wish I didn't though. It gets me every time like karma." That made Arizona laugh infectiously that it made Callie giggle too. They both shared a few seconds of silence while they enjoyed sipping their wine.

"I know you didn't come to this decision lightly, Arizona. Being apart from Sofia is not easy. You'd miss her when she's not there, and you'll never get enough of her when she is. I know. Been there. Done that." The brunette told Arizona.

"It's a little price I am willing to pay. [Sigh] You see. Sofia has been worried about you. And I am worried about you. I've been catching you across the halls of the hospital grumpy and sometimes sitting in just plain silence on your own. Sometimes I hear you speaking to the nurses, giving them instructions like a robot." The peds surgeon blurts out her observations in a soft voice so Callie won't feel judged or criticized.

"What?" The brunette chuckles, "Like a robot? Really?". Arizona continued raising her voice unconsciously and defensively, "You - you didn't even go to Owen and Amelia's wedding." The blonde raised an eyebrow trying to make a point.

"And Owen is like your…I don't know…like you work-husband or something." Callie smiled a little while Arizona continuously rambles "You both have been working a lot together lately. I mean…you should've been there." The Latina nods in agreement. Of course, her ex-wife was right. She should've been at the wedding to support Owen. She was the closest thing to a friend to him. Feeling defeated, Callie admitted.

"I know — I know I should've been there. It's just…[exhales sharply] It's too much. I couldn't let myself be surrounded by together-people. You know? I mean…" Arizona interrupts and finishes Callie's sentence, "…it reminds you of your break up with Penny. I get it. I do."

Then out of the blue, the Latina thought to ask the blonde, "Do you want to come with us to New York? I mean…I know this is sudden but…I - I - I think it would be easier for Sofia to settle in if you are with us. I know - I know you have a job and patients and - - and you can't just take a time off. But - - but you're close to Webber, right? Right? He'll back you up. I mean… just for a few weeks. That's all. We'll pick schools for Sofia. Check out apartments. With maybe an extra room…for you…you know? In case you want to get away from Seattle and hang out with me and Sofia there."

Arizona put her hand to Callie's arm giving it a little squeeze to stop her from rambling. "Callie? Callie…Callie! Stop! Yes, I would gladly join you and Sofia in New York. JUST until everything is settled for her." The brunette made that crazy big smile and pulled Arizona for a hug. Arizona couldn't help but give her a lingering embrace. She loves this woman so much. She'd do anything to see those crazy big smiles as often as possible.

Now, Arizona has to figure out how to make this work. She certainly has to move things around. She needs to hand over her patients to Karev, talk to Bailey about her time off then of course pack up her stuff.

"…maybe 3 weeks? Would that be enough?" Arizona talks to herself out loud inside her car before pulling off Callie's driveway. "Do I have to bring nice clothes? I mean…in case Callie decided to have lunch or dinner with just the two of us. Oh god! What was I thinking?" The blonde tells herself while her face is in her palms. "I don't even know if Callie's thing with Penny is really over…over. She's still moving to New York. She obviously wants to save their relationship!" Arizona leaned forward resting her head to the steering wheel, and then looked at her reflection on the rearview mirror, "OK. Arizona, keep it together. You are going there for Sofia and not to try to win Callie back. OK? Maybe? I could try, right? It's not like they're married. Right? Ugh!" Before totally losing it, she gathered herself together and pulled off from Callie's driveway.

Author's Note: Please please please leave your review/comments.