Callie Torres hummed along to the radio as she cleaned the kitchen to give her something to do. She had an early shift today which allowed her to pick Sofia up from school herself and cook dinner at a more reasonable time than her schedule usually allowed. Arizona however had a consultation that she couldn't miss that made her miss family dinner.
"Hey," Arizona used her key to enter their shared apartment.
"Hey, how was your day?" Callie asked. She leaned back against the counter with a dish towel slung over her shoulder.
"How do you introduce me to people?" Arizona asked once she shed her jacket, her shoes and set her purse down as she ignored Callie's question.
"What?" Callie asked with a tilt of her head.
"When I'm not with you and someone sees a photo in your office or something and they ask who I am," Arizona clarified. She walked from the living room to the kitchen to lean against the counter opposite Callie to get some weight off her leg.
"Well, it depends on the context," Callie said. She pushed off the counter to cross the kitchen. Her hand found Arizona's as she bent down to kiss her, a smile on both of their faces. "If it's somebody that I probably won't see you again I just say you're my girlfriend. If it's something at work I tend to use partner and Sofia's mom so they know you're not just a colleague. If it's somebody that I like and want have them know more, I'll say you're my ex-wife, my current girlfriend and my daughter's mom," she explained as she tugged Arizona over to the couch.
Wordlessly Arizona took her pants off and tilted to allow Callie to remove her prosthetic leg. With a little help from Callie, she sat down on the couch. Her right leg moved to let Callie sit in the middle of the couch before resting on her lap.
"I called you my wife today. Somebody I knew from med school came in with their daughter who I'm going to be treating. They saw a picture of us, the one of you, Sofia and me from last December when we went to the ballet, and asked who you were. Without even thinking about it I said that's my wife and daughter. I don't even remember the rest of the conversation until I did the exam," Arizona admitted.
"Arizona," Callie smiled at her. She reached out to rest her hand over Arizona's as her hands fidgeted in her lap.
"I know I shouldn't have done it and I should've corrected myself once I did," Arizona said guiltily. "We haven't been married longer than we were married in the first place."
"It's alright. It's alright that you told somebody that you know from med school and who you're treating the daughter of that I'm your wife. It's alright," Callie promised her. "Explaining who we are to each other can be complicated."
"Why aren't you? Why aren't you my wife?" Arizona asked without meeting Callie's eyes.
"Did you hit your head today?" Callie questioned.
"No. I know why we got divorced," Arizona looked up at her.
"Then I'm not sure I understand the question," Callie said. She was not going to make this easy for Arizona because she knew where this was going.
"I've been in New York for four years. You and I have been dating for almost three and a half of them after six months of being friends and learning how to support each other without bringing a romantic relationship into it," Arizona said as she turned her hand to lace her fingers with Callie. "We've lived together for almost two and a half. We have a daughter together who somehow manages to look more and more like you and act more and more like me every day. We share a bed, bills and even a blow dryer. Why aren't we married again?"
"You haven't asked."
"I haven't asked?"
"After everything that happened between us I wanted to make sure that you were ready before we did anything," Callie said. She ran her hand through her short dark hair while looking at the woman she had loved for over a decade. "You're the one that asked if I was your girlfriend again. You were the one who asked if you could move in. I've let things happen at the pace that you're ready for. You know me. You know I jump in too fast and too hard, and I didn't want to cannonball in and wreck things the way that I sometimes do."
Arizona thought for a moment before getting one of her double dimpled smiles. "Thursday would be our 11 year anniversary. The first time took extra paperwork and steps but now you and I can go to the courthouse and you can just be my wife without the extra paperwork or steps."
"Are you asking me to marry you?" Callie asked.
"Marry me, Calliope," Arizona smiled her dimpled grin.
"A marriage proposal usually comes with a speech, doesn't it?" The corners of Callie's mouth turned up as she spoke.
"Oh, is that how we're playing this?"
"Yup."
Arizona shifted a bit before tugging at Callie's hand. Callie got the hint and moved so her back was against Arizona's front as she laid in Arizona's arms on the couch.
Arizona rested her chin on Callie's shoulder before she started to speak. "I am amazed by you. I am in awe of you. You are the person that I reach for and I run to and I lean on. We have put each other through hell. We have walked through fire both together and separately to get to the other side. And we're on the other side and the only person in the entire world I want to be standing here with is you. Because you are it for me. Marry me, Calliope?"
Callie turned to face Arizona with a smile on her face. She leaned in and kissed her firmly before getting off the couch to head down the hall toward their bedroom.
"Where are you going?" Arizona asked in shock.
"I called your father two weeks ago and he drove up for the day," Callie said. She sat back on the couch in Arizona's arms. She held up a small ring box, flicking it open with her thumb.
"That's my grandmother's engagement ring," Arizona whispered.
"It is," Callie confirmed. "We didn't do things right the first time. We were happy and we wanted to be together and we did things rushed and in the middle of it my recovery because we just wanted to be together. But this time I wanted to do it right. So, I asked your parents for their blessing, and I got your grandmother's ring. I was going to ask you on Thursday and spend the next year planning a wedding with you," she laid out the plan she had been working on for a few months out to Arizona.
"We've already had a wedding," Arizona rested her forehead against the back of Callie's head. "I don't want a wedding. I just wanna be your wife."
Callie turned around again in Arizona's arms. She took the ring out of the box before tossing the box on the coffee table. "Give me your hand," she requested.
Arizona held her hand out, her breath catching when the ring fit perfectly on her finger. "Calliope, you are wonderful."
"Addison's in New York City this week and it's only a couple hours on the train or in a car for April if she can get the day off," Callie said with a wide smile. "I want Addison to stand up for me and I know how close you and April are."
"Are you asking me to marry you in a courthouse on Thursday?" Arizona asked with a smile so wide it almost hurt.
"I don't need a wedding either," Callie nodded. "We already had one of those and I danced with my father and you danced with yours and Mark gave me away. We've had a wedding. I don't need another wedding. I need a marriage. To you. We had one of those too but I think we're gonna do a whole lot better job this time around don't you?"
"I know we will. I know I will," Arizona vowed.
"I think we should take tomorrow off and Friday too. We can go shopping and get something to wear and take Sofia with us. We can get a hotel room for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and enjoy a few nights together not doing anything but each other," Callie said with a look that made Arizona let out a soft whimper.
"Should we ask our parents to fly in?" Arizona asked, trying to think about logistics and not just the ring on her finger and the look on Callie's face.
"In a few weeks we can invite them in," Callie suggested. "My father's in Europe this week and your parents are in San Diego seeing his Marine buddies."
Arizona leaned forward to kiss Callie. "Sofia is sleeping already, right?" She asked as she checked the time.
"She was out when I checked on her just before you got home," Callie nodded.
"Take me to bed?" Arizona asked. "Carry me if you aren't too tired from work?"
"You know I love carrying you," Callie grinned at the offer. "Especially to bed." It had been a big thing once, Callie wanting to help Arizona move around and Arizona rejecting it. Things had gotten much easier in the last several years which trickled down into almost everything being easier.
Arizona wrapped her arms around Callie's neck when she bent down to pick her up. She left her leg, she could use the crutch to get it later or Callie would if she asked.
"I love you," Arizona whispered.
"You do?"
"I do."
"I love you too," Callie bent to kiss her before carefully sitting Arizona on their bed.
/ /
May 5, 2022 was a bright, sunshiny day. A perfect day for a wedding.
"You ready for this?" Callie asked as she and Arizona sat waiting for names to be called to walk into the judge's chambers. They were both dressed like they had an important meeting at work instead of in wedding dresses like the first time.
"I am so ready to be your wife again," Arizona nodded with a smile.
"This is so cool," Sofia said from across from them.
"Your moms like to take their time but they always get to the right place sooner or later," Addison said to Sofia. She was on one side of her while April was on the other.
"I love weddings," April looked up at her husband. She and Jackson had been remarried for about a year. He was standing with their five year old daughter Harriet in his arms. "Love is awesome."
A moment later everyone was called into the judges chambers. It was a far cry from where they had been married the first time, but Callie and Arizona didn't look anywhere but each other.
It was a simple service but both had tears in their eyes as they said their vows to each other.
"Do you, Arizona Robbins, take this woman to be your wife, to live together in matrimony, to love her, to honor her, to comfort her, and to keep her in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?"
"I so, so do," Arizona nodded with her voice cracking.
"And do you, Calliope Torres, take this woman to be your wife, to live together in matrimony, to love her, to honor her, to comfort her, and to keep her in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?"
"God, do I ever," Callie grinned back at Arizona.
"Then by the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you wives. You may kiss each other," The judge said.
Arizona tugged Callie to her by the lapel of her jacket. They shared their first kiss while their friends, Sofia and even little Harriet cheered on.
