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What was Callie's response?

"If this, us, is too much for you, then I understand" the blonde said holding her breath waiting for an answer, searching the brunette's face for clues as to her possible answer. Arizona hoped Callie would recognise what they had and see the potential in their relationship. Sure it was early days, but Arizona's feeling towards Callie were strong and she had meant what she had said the day before about falling in love with her.

After what seemed like the longest time, Callie closed her eyes and slowly shook her head whispering "I'm sorry. I think it is too much...I...I don't think I can do it." Callie said holding out the flowers for the blonde to take.

Shit! Arizona felt her throat tighten and tears spring to her eyes with emotion at the American's words. How had this all gone so wrong so quickly.

Arizona slowly took the flowers and took a deep breath trying to avert the tears that had formed. In that moment two Arizona's existed. The vulnerable one that wanted to grab the brunette by the shoulders and plead with her not to walk away; and the proud Arizona that had caught her wife in bed with another woman and wasn't going to let another woman hurt her. If Callie wasn't able or willing to take the next step, then surely it was better to find out now, before her emotions developed further.

Callie looked at Arizona and saw the tears in those blue eyes, but stayed strong "I know you probably want to talk, but I can't OK, so I'm just gonna go back to the house. You should still go, spend time with your parents. Please send my apologies. They umm, they seemed like nice people." Callie turned and started walking back towards the house.

Vulnerable Arizona went to call out "Please don't go…we can work this out!" but proud Arizona wouldn't let her speak. Instead she stood there and watched the American walk away from her.

—-

Jan Robbins opened the door with a big dimpled smile which quickly vanished when she saw her daughter was on her own.

"Where's Callie?" the older blonde asked as she gave Arizona a kiss on the cheek as she entered the house.

"Umm she's not feeling too good" Arizona lied as she took off her coat and kicked off her shoes.

"Hello darling" David Robbins said as he came downstairs happy at the sound of his daughter's voice "Where's Callie?" he asked innocently.

Jan spotted the tension on her daughter's face and quickly picked up that all was not good.

"She's umm not feeling well" Jan informed her husband so that her daughter didn't have to explain things again.

"Oh what a shame." David said genuinely before turning to look at his wife "Do you think you should pop over and check on her?" he suggested.

"NO!" Arizona shouted causing her dad to jump at his daughters over the top reaction to his suggestion.

The physio closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She shouldn't have shouted at her dad, it wasn't his fault Callie had ended things.

"I'm sorry dad. I shouldn't have shouted." Arizona said as she looked over in the direction of the former PE teacher, who by now had also picked up that all was not good.

"Truth is we had an argument on the way here and Callie decided to go back to the house" Arizona said embarrassed at having to admit what had happened to her parents "She umm, sends her apologies and wanted me to give these to you" Arizona said as held the flowers out to no one in particular.

Jan gave David a look that without words suggested he leave them to have a talk.

"Let me take them and put them in a vase" he said as he walked over to where his daughter was standing before wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head "Anyway, it's lovely to see you darling. Shall I make us all a cuppa?" David suggested.

Arizona squeezed her dad close and breathed in his familiar scent of his shampoo and deodorant. She smiled at his suggestion of a cup of tea. It had always been his solution to any problem. "A cup of tea would be great" Arizona replied softly as she smiled back at her dad, although she was secretly thinking that wine would have been her first choice.

Jan smiled as she watched her husband head into the kitchen and reached out and took her daughters hand. "Do you wanna tell me what happened?" the older blonde said as she led her daughter to the sofa.

Arizona nodded grateful for the offer. There wasn't much her mum hadn't experienced in her life and job, and Arizona always took comfort in her words.

The blonde tucked her legs up on the sofa and explained about seeing Billy on the beachfront. Arizona relayed the scene and how freaked out Callie had been at the fact that they had been holding hands and that Billy had recognised her and what Arizona had said.

"So Callie…she isn't out to her family?" Jan asked

"To anyone mum!" Arizona replied "oh apart from the American and Arsenal player Jess Woods who found out by accident."

Arizona paused before adding "I'm her first gay relationship…not that it lasted long enough to classify as a relationship. It's been about six weeks, and before you ask…" Arizona knew what her mum would be thinking "…no one at the club knows about it".

"So I take it you have something in your contract about no relationships with the players?" Jan asked gathering the facts.

Arizona nodded sheepishly.

Jan paused and thought through her response. As much as she wanted to give out to her daughter for doing something that could jeopardised her job, a job she said she loved, she knew that wasn't the advice her daughter needed there and then.

"So it's in both your interests to keep the relationship a secret then." Jan said thoughtfully.

"Totally! Having said that, I didn't feel holding hands whilst walking along Deal seafront at 6.30pm in December was exactly going public."Arizona replied "but it felt good mum. Obviously lockdown has limited our opportunities to do stuff, but to date everything has been behind closed doors at home, and then the first time we bloody hold hands, Billy comes along."

"Well Billy won't say anything" Jan added matter-of-factly.

"I know right" her daughter agreed "I tried to tell Cal that, but she wouldn't listen."

"Wouldn't or couldn't?" Jan challenged

"What do you mean?" Arizona asked confused by the question.

"OK so remember when you came out to your father and I, and told us that Helen was more than just a friend?"

"Of course!" Arizona recalled the day like it was yesterday. She had come home for a holiday from the US and had finally plucked up the courage to tell her parents about her girlfriend.

"OK well then you remember how nervous you were, even though you knew we'd love you no matter what." Jan said

"I know mum...and I feel really lucky how supportive you guys have been." Arizona felt tears start to form.

"Well what if Callie didn't listen to you about Billy because she is scared...petrified of the reaction of family, friends, sponsors even. What if the thought of people finding out and not accepting her is her biggest fear right now? You know how powerful fear can be, no matter how irrational it ends up being. Callie is scared of being seen differently, being rejected... and right now that feeling is drowning out any other feelings she might have...including how she feels about you."

"Arghhhhhhh" Arizona ran her hands through her hair "I've messed it up mum. I slipped up and now I've scared her off."

"You don't know that for sure sweetie" Jan said as she leaned over and took her daughters hand "maybe she just needs a bit of time to cool down."

"She walked away and I let her. I let her go because as much as I was starting to develop feelings for her..." Arizona brushed a tear off her cheek and took a deep breath.

"You don't want to get hurt again" Jan spoke for her daughter.

Arizona nodded, unable to speak.

"Oh honey...you've been through so much the past year, it's not surprising that you want to protect yourself after everything That happened with Alex"

"But Callie isn't Alex. She's already shown me that, yet I didn't try and stop her. Fuck!" Arizona groaned before apologising to her mum for swearing.

"Ha...I've heard a lot worse from you over the years!" Jan said smiling softly

"I know, but I'm sorry for offloading on you. I'm a grown woman...I should be able to sort my life out by now!" Arizona said

"Hey. You'll always be my baby girl...and you are always welcome here to offload any time. We've missed you" Jan said pulling her daughter in for a hug.

Just then David returned to the room with a tray and three steaming mugs of tea and handed one to Arizona.

"Thanks dad" Arizona smiled as she took a sip.

"Did you tell her?" He asked his wife who shot him a death stare that was spotted by Arizona.

"Tell me what?" The physio asked as she looked at her parents

"Oh it's nothing love. Now's not the time". Jan said trying to brush over the topic.

"Mum" Arizona said firmly "tell me!"

David sat down next to his daughter "I'm sorry love, i didn't mean to put my foot in it" he said

Arizona was starting to get annoyed "put your foot in what dad?" She stared at her dad "Oh for gods sake, will one of you just tell ME!"

"It's Per." Jan said pausing slightly before continuing. "He umm contracted covid and passed away last night."

David took over "Birgitta sent us an email this afternoon with the news. It ummm it all happened quickly."

"I can't believe it" Arizona said in a daze.

Per Andersson was her ex father-in-law. Alex's dad. Alex dad had died. As much as Alex had hurt her, Arizona had cared deeply about the rest of the Andersson family, and she knew her parents had kept in touch with them.

"Shit...I...I only saw her yesterday afternoon...at the game" Arizona said softly as she recalled their exchange. Arizona said as she wiped a tear away.

"They umm they're not sure if she'll be able get home for the funeral due to the travel ban" Jan added.

"Oh god...of course...How awful" Arizona said "I ummm should probably call her. Al...I should call." The blonde repeated still in shock at the news. Per had been so welcoming to Arizona when she was with Alex and had been the life and soul of any family gathering. When Alex and her had split up he had stayed loyal to his daughter, but had reached out and said how much he loved and missed Arizona. The blonde had had to grieve for the breakdown of her marriage, but also the loss of people that had become her family.

Fucking covid! Arizona had a strong desire to scream from the top of her lungs, but she resisted the urge. She could tell her mum was already worried about her as it was.

Hearing the news about Per made Arizona realise that life was too short, and if there was a chance of convincing Callie to give their relationship another go, then she had to try...even if it meant risking getting hurt down the line.

Arizona finished her tea and place her mug on the table "listen I think I need to go check on Callie. Can we take a rain check on that curry?" She said standing.

"Of course" David said "want me to drop you home?" He asked standing

Arizona shook her head "I'm good dad..I actually feel like running back...you know...just to..." Arizona stopped herself as her throat tightened with another wave of emotion.

"I get it honey." David replied who like his daughter often used running to help get his emotions in check.

"Bye mum" Arizona said as she hugged Jan goodbye.

"Call us to let us know you got home OK...and how Callie is." Jan said with a worried look on her face.

Arizona rolled her eyes at the request, but she was grateful to have someone who cared about her.

"I will." Arizona said softly as she pulled on her coat.

"And pass on our sympathy if you speak to Al" David said before giving his daughter a big hug.

"I will. Love you" Arizona said as she pulled the door closed behind her and started running down the seafront.

The cold numbed her face as she pushed against the wind and her lungs started burning with the effort as she ran as fast as she could.

—-

Arizona yelled out Callie's name as she pushed opened the front door and walked into a dark living room. She quickly ran upstairs and opened the bedroom door only to find an empty room and the brunette's things gone. A note was left on the bed.

I'm sorry Arizona. I'm not ready to be out…and you don't seem willing to be in ….so I just don't see this working. I've caught the train back to London. C x

—

OK so sorry for those of you who were liking the drama free element of this story, but this is my reasoning.

From a personal level, I really struggle to find the motivation to write happy chapter after happy chapter. (Ha - Not sure what that says about me!) When I get to a point in the story when they are together, that's the point I start losing interest. It 's all about how they get there for me.

At the moment I don't have any other ideas for a Calzona story so when Shooting Straight is finished, then I'm probably done. Therefore, I hope you will humour me and stick with this story, even though there is drama and things maybe won't work out how you want.

S x