Amelia POV
The beeping of an alarm clock should be considered a rude awakening. I roll over to wake Arizona, to tell her to snooze the alarm, but to my surprise my body is only met by cold sheets. I open my eyes to locate the phone, swiping my hand across the screen. 8:30am. I never sleep in for this long. My mind flashes back to the events of last night, the emotions, the pain. Shivers shoot through my body but I shake it off. I'm okay. I put on a jumper and sweatpants to head through to find my girlfriend and to make coffee.
To my surprise, Zola has not yet woken up. Normally she is woken by Ellis or Bailey but apparently not today. Ellis is sitting in Arizona's arms as my girlfriend is reading her a story.
"Morning" I say quietly as to not interrupt the story, placing a light kiss on the top of Arizona's head.
"Aunty Melia! You're up!". Ellis squeals, climbing over the back of the couch to wrap her arms around me.
"I sure am. Have you been good for Zona?"
"Yep. We eated, then played, and then Zona read me a book." She lists, counting each event on her fingers.
"You did? And I missed all the fun." I say, faking a frown to create giggles from my neice.
"Zona said to let you sleep."
"I thought you needed it." Arizona says with a small smile, hinting at the events of last night.
"Yeah I did. And evidently Zola did too. I'm going to go wake her, we have to leave at 9 right?"
"Yeah, Sof's plane gets in at half past."
I head through to Sofia's room, seeing Zola fast asleep. I whisper her name softly until she begins to squirm.
"Hey kiddo, time to get up." I say quietly, placing my hand on her arm as encouragement.
"Do I have to?" She mumbles sleepily, pulling the blankets higher over her sleepy body.
"No, I'm sure Arizona could go alone but I thought you wanted to go pick Sofia up?" I ask carefully, worried that something may be wrong. Maybe she has caught the flu from Bailey.
"Sofia." Zola announces, sitting herself up in bed. "I forgot. I wanna come." She mumbles as she climbs out from the blankets. She rubs the sleep from her eyes, pulling her hair back from her face.
"Did you not sleep well last night?" I ask, watching her yawn for the third time since wakimg up.
"Ellis kicks."
"I thought she slept on the camper bed?" I ask my niece, Ellis seemed very happy to have her own special bed.
"She kept climbing in with me. I put her back a couple times before giving up."Zola explains, leaning into my side and I wrap my arm around her small body, placing a light kiss on her head.
"Sorry kiddo. If you stay tonight as well I'll talk to her. What do you want for breakfast?"
It doesn't take long to get to the airport. Surprisingly they let the kids come through with Arizona and I to meet Sofia at the gate. We had expected I would have to wait with the girls in the regular arrivals lounge. Ellis is overly excited with all of the people and the noise of the airplanes so I offer her a piggy back to stop her from wandering off.
"It's weird being at the airport. Mom hates planes, she is scared of them." Zola says to Arizona and I.
"That's okay. I'm still scared of them too, but that doesn't mean that you should be. Sofia loves going on the airplanes." Arizona explains to Zola.
"Was the crash really scary?" Zola asks Arizona. I understand that she is curious, but I know this is a difficult topic for Arizona to talk about.
"Zola baby, you remember how I told you I didn't like talking about my dad dying because it was scary?" I ask my niece and she nods. "Well, it's kinda the same of Arizona and the crash, maybe try not to ask too many questions." I explain, ruffling her hair a little.
"Sorry Zona, I just wondered because Mom won't say anything about it."
"Don't worry about it, you didn't know. Yes it was scary, but your Aunty Melia is right, I don't really like to talk about it."
"Would a hug help?" Zola asks with a grin, and Arizona bends down to her height for a hug. A few moments later I see Sofia charging towards them, not that my girlfriend nor my niece saw her coming. Sofia's arms wrap around her Mom and her best friend, joining the embrace.
"Mom, you brought Zola! This is the best surprise ever!" Sofia exclaims, unraveling herself from her mom's and friends arms. "Hi Amy! Did you and Mom have fun while I was gone?" Sofia asks, running over to wrap her arms around my waist.
"We sure did kiddo. Come on, let's go home".
Arizona collects Sofia's suitcase from the conveyor belt, allowing her daughter to walk hand in hand with Zola while I still have Ellis on my back.
It feels right now Sofia is back. I know that when Arizona and I met, Sofia wasn't really in the picture, but since she moved home our relationship has only grown stronger. I have become a stronger person. I have always been in Zola, Bailey and Ellis' lives, but I've just been the cool aunt. Sometimes Mer allowed me to watch the kids for an afternoon here or there, but I never felt fully trusted. Not until Arizona let me take care of Sofia the day after she came to live in Seattle. I barely knew Sof at the time, but Arizona trusted me, and since then Meredith has started to trust me too.
"Amy can you put the wicked songs on?" Sofia asks as we get to the car.
"You really enjoyed that show, didn't you?"
"Yep. I want to see more shows too."
"What was it about Sofia?" Zola asks her friend, and Sofia launches into a full monologue. She goes into a lot of detail, describing every aspect of the show, making sure not to miss any scenes. I can see Zola listening intently, and I look to my girlfriend to see she is listening just as hard. It doesn't surprise me, from what Arizona has told me, she has very little knowledge about the show, and if it's something Sofia is interested in, Arizona will want to know just as much to be able to keep up a conversation.
When we arrive back at the apartment, Zola runs straight to her friends room, telling Sofia to follow. "Can we go play Mom? I'll spend time with you and Amy tonight." Sofia reassures us. Arizona and I look at each other smiling before looking back to the girl.
"Sure, have fun." My girlfriend says, her smile not leaving her face.
"You coming Ellis?" Sofia asks, holding her hand out for my younger niece. Ellis takes Sofia's hand, climbing out of my embrace to go play.
"This feels right, doesn't it?" I tell my girlfriend.
"Hmm?" Arizona asks, looking up from her phone.
"This. Our family. It feels right." I repeat, this time opening my arms to invite her to come sit with me.
The girls have been playing in Sofia's room for several hours, and apart from a few giggles here and there, we have barely been able to hear them. Arizona is laid in my arms with her head rested on my shoulder, the TV is turned on quietly and we are just relaxing. While we have been alone, Arizona asked me about yesterday, she wanted to make sure I was okay, and truthfully, I am. A whole lot of stuff happened yesterday, and it was a lot to deal with, but I'm okay. We handled it and looking back, I think we handled it better than anyone could have expected. Arizona was kind and caring, she understood that I knew what I needed best and helped me achieve that.
"Aunty Melia" We hear Zola yell as she runs through to the living room. "I have a question." Arizona and I both turn to look at Zola who is approaching us while Sofia waits at the doorway, fumbling with her hands as she watches her friend.
"What's up kiddo?" I ask my niece. Initially Zola seemed to be confident, but as she got closer I can see her worry slightly.
"It's a sex question." she states simple, her eyes flicking to Arizona and then back to me.
"I can leave if you want?" Arizona offers, understandably anticipating Zola to be anxious around the topic, but to our surprise she appears confident and shakes her head, indicating that isn't necessary.
"How do two girls know whether they have had sex?"
"What do you mean?"
"Like with boys and girls there is a definition of what is sex and what isnt but there isn't with two girls."
"I don't think there is an easy answer to that one kiddo. I think you just know. If it feels like sex, then it probably was. I think people probably have their own definitions."
"Oh. How did you know?" Zola turns to ask Arizona who based on her facial expression, hadn't expected to be brought into such a conversation.
"It took me a while to figure out, but I think to me sex is anything including penetrative actions. But not everyone has the same ideas, it's subjective, it depends on the person."
"That means putting something inside right?" Zola asks to clarify.
"Yes, it does." I confirm.
"Oh. Okay. Thank you."
"No worries, you know I never mind answering your questions. Is Ellis okay?" I follow up, slightly concerned that Zola and Sofia may have been discussing adult topics with the young girl nearby.
"She fell asleep. She was awake most of last night so we just left her to sleep."
"Okay. Don't let her sleep too long - otherwise she won't sleep tonight either." I instruct.
"We won't. Are we going home tonight?" She asks, leaning into my side for a quick hug.
"Yep, but not until later, so you and Sof have more time to play." I tell her, placing a small kiss on the top of her head before looking back to the doorway where Sofia had been standing just a few moments ago but has since left. "Go. Have fun."
"Sorry. I didn't think she would ask you questions too."
"It's okay, it was just a bit of a shock. I think I may have to talk to Sofia."My girlfriend says with a quiet sigh, returning to our position from before being interrupted.
"What do you mean?"
"I've never actually spoken to her about sex, and I don't think Callie has either. Zola seems to know a lot and it's pretty obvious they have been discussing the topic. I think I need to talk to Sof properly, I don't want her to be making Zola ask the questions for her."
"What?"
"That question was from Sof. When she was standing at the door, I could see it on her face. She was too embarrassed to ask herself."
"I didn't notice. I'm honestly just used to Zola just asking lots of questions."I say simply, running my fingers through her blonde hair.
"It's fine. Can we talk to her tonight?." Arizona asks, telling me she wants me to be a part of this too.
"We? Together?"
"You're better at this than I am. You're so good at explaining things to Zola."
"It took time. The first time she asked me if we had sex I choked and couldn't get words out. It'll be okay, we can talk to Sof together."
"I don't know what I'd do without you." Arizona says, letting her body flop completely into my embrace, her head resting on my legs and I run my hand up and down her arm."This okay?" Arizona follows up. She just have felt me flinch at the contact. I nod indicating I'm okay before beginning to speak.
"You're an amazing Mom, and I have no doubt you would have dealt with it alone. But I am here, so you don't have to."
"Sof, can you come in here?" Arizona asks. The day has been fairly uneventful, Sofia and Zola played, Ellis joined in for a bit before coming to watch TV with Arizona and I. We have dropped my nieces off at home and the plans to have the sex talk with Sofia are underway.
"Yeah?" Sofia asks as she walks into the living room. She has changed into her pyjamas and unsurprisingly has a book in her hands.
"I just want to have a little talk that's all. Come sit down please." Arizona instructs softly.
"Am I in trouble?"
"No. Nothing like that." My girlfriend reassures, not wanting her daughter to feel like she had done anything wrong.
"Then what?"
"You know if you ever have questions about anything, you can come ask us right?" My girlfriend asks and Sofia nods her head. "You don't need to get Zola to ask your questions for you. You don't need to be embarrassed to talk about sex. It's totally normal to be curious." She tells her daughter, and I see the realisation occurring to Sofia, that her mom knew what had happened earlier this afternoon.
"Mom do we really have to talk about this?"
"Yes, we do. I'm sorry hun, but it's important."
"Amy?" Sofia looks to me, pleading for me to disagree but I shake my head.
"Sorry kiddo, but your Mom is right, it is important."
We discuss the basics of sex with our daughter. She has been taught about puberty at school, and has also been taught about the human reproductive organs, and how you need an egg and a sperm cell to make a child, but no more information. The knowledge Sofia has gathered has mostly come from Zola, who I'm sure tried her best to explain but had left some gaps which lead to uncertainties for Sof.
We discuss the physiology of sex, the basic actions, that it isn't just for reproduction, but also is pleasurable. We talk about safe sex, how important it is to use protection and Arizona tells Sofia at least 10 times that she is nowhere near old enough to have sex, but that she wants her to be prepared. The young girl's initial anxieties toward the topic slowly decrease as she opens up a little more, asking follow up questions and such. She stays leaning into her mother's side, choosing not to look at me throughout the conversation, I have offered to leave if I was making her uncomfortable but Sofia has told me it's fine, telling us it was going to be embarrassing either way.
Despite learning it in school, Sofia makes some connections within the conversation about periods and sex, things that she had not linked together before. We watch as the information registers on her face. It's almost as though she has gone form child to teenager over the last few hours. It's scary, and I can tell Arizona is worried about her growing up too fast too.
"Can I ask a question?" Sofia interrupts when there is a moment of silence.
"Sure, go ahead." Arizona replies quickly.
"How is it different when you do it with a girl from a boy?"
"Well a girl doesn't have a-" Arizona begins but Sofia interrupts.
"No. I know that. I mean does it feel different? Not physically, just feel?"
"I have never had sex with a boy, so I don't really know the answer to that. Amelia? You want to take that question?" Arizona says, offering a small nod and Sofia turns to look to me.
"In my experience, it's different physically and emotionally. Girls are normally a little bit more gentle, and because they know what feels good for them, they tend to know what feels best for their partner. With boys, especially at the beginning, for me it felt more natural, it is what the body was designed to do, it's how we all exist, but over time, girls started to feel natural too, and I think I prefer being with girls. But everybody is different Sof, not all boys will do the same thing, and not all girls will either. It's just a matter of exploring, then finding what's right for you. "
"How did you know you like boys and girls?" Sofia follows up, and for some unknown reason, this question caught me off guard, it takes me a moment to think of my answer.
"I'm not sure, I just did. Do you know who you like yet?" I ask, suddenly worried that this is why she had Zola ask questions for her.
"Nobody. This is all gross." Sofia expresses with a grimace, and I see Arizona take a sigh of relief at the same time I do.
"I'm happy you think so, it gives me a few more years before I start to worry." Arizona says with a small laugh.
"Can I go now?"
"Sure honey." My girlfriend nods.
"We love you Sof." I follow up.
"Love you too."
Sorry it took a while, I have had exams and writing a dissertation is stressful. That being said, I'm currently in a writing mood so hopefully you won't have to wait too long for the next chapter. Thanks for reading!