A/N: Smut warning in the middle of the chapter so if you aren't interested, read to the first set of XXXX then skip to the second set.
After picking up Sofia from Stevie and Jordyn's, Addison announced that she was dying for a real New York style pizza which got Sofia excited and the two sat in the backseat chanting "Piz-za, piz-za" until an order was called in. Callie leaned over to Arizona and whispered loud enough for their friend to hear, "Which one is the child?" Addison tapped the back of Callie's head then leaned forward and whispered, "You're the ones who want another one, I'm just giving you a taste of what it will be like." Callie whispered back, "None of our children will be as annoying as you!" Addison laughed, sat back in her seat, and continued to listen to Sofia ramble all about her day. Callie reached out for Arizona's hand, they smiled softly at one another and both knew the other was envisioning their future children playing and arguing in the backseat while they went on family trips.
As they sat around the table, Sofia was nearly coming out of her skin with excitement since she was promised the presents aunt Addie brought when dinner was finished. In between bites she asked, "Do you live by the ocean? Have you ever seen a shark? Why didn't Henry come with you?" Addison laughed at the girl's energy. Though it was still late afternoon her time, she had gotten up extremely early to make her flight and had been going all day, so she was fading fast. Addison looked to the two parents and asked, "Why haven't one of you geniuses figured out how to bottle that energy yet?" Without missing a beat, Arizona responded, "Too dangerous if it gets in the wrong hands." Callie eyed her girlfriend and retorted, "Says the energizer bunny herself." Arizona leaned over and whispered, "You never complain about my energy in the…" "Okay, I'm full!" Addison cut in, then continued, "Sof, how about we go check out those gifts?" Addison was certain she was about to hear something she didn't want to. The little girl was out of her seat and halfway down the hall before the redhead was even finished with her sentence. Addison laughed, took both of their plates to the trash and followed the little girl to the guestroom.
Callie started combining the left over pizza into one box and asked, "Why did you order so much?" Arizona smirked, shrugged and suggested, "I figured we might get hungry in the middle of the night." Callie grinned lasciviously, closed the lid and pulled Arizona into her arms as she murmured "Mmm good plan." She smiled as milky white arms immediately wrapped around her neck and pulled her in for a long deep kiss. Arizona pulled back far enough to nip at her bottom lip, soothe it with her tongue and moaned when Callie sucked it into her mouth and they found themselves entangled in a slow sexy kiss that had every nerve vibrating by the time they broke for air. Callie rubbed her hands up and down Arizona's sides and declared, "I've been wanting to do that all day." Arizona nodded, "Me too, I know we've spent most of the day together, but I missed you." Callie leaned in and brushed their lips together and agreed, "I missed you too. We haven't spent much time alone together this week." Arizona brushed her hands through Callie's hair and asked, "We've become one of those couples haven't we?" They jumped apart when they heard, "You've always been one of those couples, you were just more tolerable." Addison nearly laughed at the scowls on her friends' faces. Arizona stuck out her tongue and Callie flipped her off making her laugh even harder.
Callie looked around and asked, "What did you do bury our kid in presents?" Addison nodded, "Almost, she's taking them to her room to put them away, I think she has one more trip." Arizona rolled her eyes and muttered, "Good thing you had her other bedroom set brought in, between Addie and your parents, she can just set up both rooms." Callie chuckled then nearly cooed as Sofia ran out into the living room wearing a one piece hooded unicorn pajama shorts set. She had this thing for seeing kids in onesies and footie pajamas as she called them. She knew Sofia would soon grow out of them so she enjoyed it while she could. Sofia was bouncing up and down, "Look what Aunt Addie got me." Arizona smiled brightly and commented, "Aww that's adorable! Look at my little unicorn." She then suddenly remembered the image of a baby Sofia riding a unicorn on her NICU doors and she got choked up for the briefest of moments. Sofia broke her from her thoughts as she declared, "Aunt Addie brought me new chapter books too. She remembered my favorite series and I don't have any of those yet." She looked to Addison and asked, "You'll still read with me right?" Addison nodded and Callie declared, "Okay, well it's time for little unicorns to hit dreamland because we've got a big day tomorrow." Sofia pouted, then seeing the no nonsense looks coming from both parents, grabbed Addie's hand and tugged her toward her room.
Arizona saw the look in Callie's eye and teased, "You're already thinking about onesies and blanket sleepers and pajama sets aren't you?" Callie blushed and retorted, "You can't tell me you didn't just imagine a tiny baby in a matching sleeper." Arizona nodded and said, "I most certainly can, I was thinking about teeny tiny cargo shorts and little plaid button downs." Callie laughed and asked, "So it's a boy is it?" Arizona shrugged and said, "Maybe, maybe she will be a mama's girl and want to dress like you." Callie arched her eyebrow and Arizona caved, "Yes, I just keep seeing this little boy with messy curls." Callie pulled her closer and nuzzled her neck and whispered, "I need to knock you up first." "That was going to be my next question, how are we going to do this?" Addie asked from right behind them. Callie turned and glared at her friend and asked, "When did you become such a cockblock?" Addison threw her head back and laughed then teased, "It's not like it's hard with you two, do you have magnets in your pants or something?" Arizona groaned, mumbled something about dealing with those two all week then went to the kitchen to pour herself another glass of wine. Holding up the bottle, she asked Addie, "Would you like some more?" Addie just stared at her as if that was the dumbest question she'd ever asked, the blonde chuckled and topped off her glass as well. She then turned to the refrigerator, grabbed Callie a beer and suggested, "Let's take this conversation outside." The other two women shrugged, took their drinks, then followed her onto the patio.
Since it was starting to get dark, Callie flipped on the fairy lights and took her usual seat on the sofa where Arizona immediately snuggled into her side with her legs bent on the cushion beside her. Addison took the seat across from them and asked, "So, seriously, how do you want to do this?" Callie looked to Arizona then back to Addie and claimed, "You two are the experts here, I really don't know the options." Arizona nodded to Addie and asked, "Will you explain the IUI process and what our options for insemination are? That's not really my forte, I just know through patients and research." Addie nodded and smiled, that's one thing she respected about Arizona as a surgeon, she knew her knowledge and her limits and wasn't afraid to say as much. Taking a sip of her wine, she explained, "When Arizona starts her next cycle, she will start taking Clomid on day 3 and end on day 7 then she will need to take estradiol vaginally on days 8 through 12. During that time, we will monitor her LH levels for ovulation and she will need an ultrasound to measure the egg follicles. When they reach a certain size, she will need a trigger injection 24 to 36 hours prior to insemination and then a pregnyl shot will be given within 5 days after insemination." Arizona nodded in agreement and understanding and looked to Callie who clearly looked concerned. Wiping her hand down her face, she explained, "I don't remember having to go through all that before. I remember the clomid and the trigger shots, but…" Arizona took her hand and traced small circles on the back of it until she felt her relax and responded, "Some of this is to give us a better chance, I mean, that was 5 years ago honey and I'm older. My cycle hasn't really changed, but it's all safe, I promise." Neither fetal surgeon dared supply the fact that it could also increase the probability of multiple births.
Callie nodded for Addison to continue. The redhead went on, "This is where you decide how you want to inseminate. You can collect the um…gift, is that what we are calling it?" Arizona nodded and the other two women chuckled before Addie continued, "I made arrangements for it to be sent to a local Cryobank and I'll send you the information. Anyway, you can collect the gift from there and do it at home, or you can do it at the center with a fertility specialist." Callie looked to both women again and asked, "Uhhh how would we do it at home? What are the benefits of that as opposed to the center?" Arizona looked to Addison who was blushing and waved her off, "I've got this one." She then turned to Callie and stated, "Research shows that often times insemination is more effective after a woman climaxes, the contractions help with ummm moving things along. But also, it's more personal, it's like you are actually impregnating me." Callie furrowed her brow for a moment then said, "Oh…Ohhhhh. Yeah, okay we want to try that first." She then looked to Arizona and asked sheepishly, "Right?" Arizona nodded, "I would like to try it at home first. It was just so…clinical last time." Callie nodded her head in agreement. She then looked to Addie and asked, "You can monitor everything from California? Be at our initial appointments with us?" Addison nodded and explained, "I can and I brought a few resumes with me of specialists I intended to recommend to the center for hire and would feel perfectly comfortable with any one of them caring for you in my absence."
She then eyed her two friends and declared, "But, once you do get pregnant and closer to term, I need one favor." Callie and Arizona looked to one another then nodded at their friend who smiled and said, "I need to be the one to deliver. I delivered Sof, I kinda want to keep up the tradition." Both women let out a sigh of relief and instantly agreed. Addison finished her wine, stood up and said, "On that note, I think I will turn in myself since I got up at the ass-crack of dawn to come out here." Callie and Arizona laughed then the blonde offered, "The bathroom is fully stocked, but if you need anything, let us know and please feel free to help yourself to anything in the kitchen." Addison hugged them both, said her goodnights, and disappeared into the house.
Arizona took another sip of her wine, passed the glass over to Callie and rested her head on her chest just above her heart. Callie set the wine down on the table next to her beer bottle and pulled her girlfriend even closer to her lowering the hand that was resting on her shoulder to stroke her curvaceous hip. Arizona traced small patterns on Callie's thigh with her finger and asked, "Do you have any more questions?" Callie thought for a moment then replied, "Not right now, I may after I think about it. But, all those medications, they are safe for you right?" Arizona chuckled and answered, they are safe for me. There are extra hormones in them so I don't know how safe they are for you though." Callie kissed her forehead and teased, "So you get to be the hormone casserole this time. Oooh I need the recipe for the green goo and we need to buy decaf coffee and…" Arizona cut off her ramble by pulling her into a deep kiss. She chuckled as Callie tried to keep talking about caffeine studies. Pulling back, she nibbled on a full red lip and retorted, "That means I get my extra-special vagina vote." Callie laughed and noted, "We were so ridiculous." Arizona laughed and responded, "We were happy and excited." Callie agreed but pulled back and asked, "We're ready for this right? We're strong enough?" Arizona sat up to look her in the eyes, took both hands and answered, "We are strong enough, I'm healthy, both mentally and physically, and it's our time Calliope. No doubts. Understood?" Callie exhaled and allowed her body to relax and responded, "Absolutely no doubts. Positive thoughts." Arizona nodded, lifted her hand to caress Callie's cheek then moved it to the side of her head to pull her down into a long passionate kiss.
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By the time the kiss ended, Callie was lightheaded and breathing heavily and Arizona was dizzy with need. Standing up, Arizona held out her hand and reminded, "I believe I owe you a thank you and we definitely have some celebrating to do. What do you say we go start practicing the baby making?" Callie nodded her head furiously, took Arizona's hand, and the two quietly made their way into the house. Though they tried to be as quiet as they could, they stumbled through the darkened house unable to keep their hands or mouths off each other. Once they reached their bedroom, they shut and locked the door and Callie had Arizona's shirt off before she knew what happened. She then reached around and unsnapped her bra allowing it to fall to their feet. Just to keep things fair, Callie pulled her own shirt and bra over her head and the two women gravitated toward one another sighing in relief as skin touched skin and tongue slid against tongue.
They kicked off their shoes as they tumbled onto the bed in a tangle of arms and legs in a fit of giggles. Arizona found herself on her back and though she fully intended to take control, she reveled in the feeling of Callie's body on top of hers for just a little while. Still wearing their shorts, both women ground against one another while their hands cupped full breasts and rolled and pinched taut nipples between their fingers. Callie nearly growled as she felt the shock rush straight to her clit and warm arousal seeped out of her. She lowered her hand to dip under Arizona's waist band and gasped in shock when she ended up flat on her back with her hands above her head. Arizona broke the kiss and husked out, "Oh no Calliope, tonight is all about you. Now be a good girl, take off those shorts, and lie back down." Callie absolutely loved when Arizona took charge, smirked and replied, "Yes ma'am." She then quickly did as she was told and tried to see what Arizona was doing in the dark. She heard the drawer to the bedstand open and close and knew precisely what that meant. There was going to be some sort of toy involved and she was in for a long night.
Arizona knew exactly what she was pulling out of the drawer since she snuck in earlier in the evening and made sure the items she wanted were clean and ready to go. She slid her hand under her pillow to hide one of the items while keeping the others in her hand. Standing up, she took down her own shorts then climbed up the end of the bed kissing and nibbling on Callie's legs as she did so. Callie was mesmerized by the way the sliver of moonlight coming through the patio doors fell on smooth alabaster skin and her entire body hummed with excitement as she watched her blonde goddess slowly crawl up her body. Her curly golden hair was practically glowing, her muscles twitched and flexed with each move she made, her full breasts swayed slightly as she crawled closer and closer to where Callie needed her most. Long tan legs spread open and brown eyes clamped shut as she felt the warm breath and moist lips make their way up her inner thighs. She groaned as that clever tongue traced the crease where her right thigh met her pelvis, skipped her throbbing clit and followed the left crease all the way to her hip. She tried to hold her body still as Arizona kissed, sucked, and nibbled her way across her lower abdomen to the other hip bone only stopping to dip and swirl her tongue in Callie's navel causing her hips to buck upward. Arizona made her way back to the top of Callie's pelvic bone, brushed her lips down the small patch of tight curls following it to the crease of her sex where she could smell her heady arousal.
Arizona lowered her head and with her lips only millimeters away from Callie's drenched core, she whispered, "I love this smell. I love knowing I do this to you; I can make you wet without even touching you." Callie wanted to scream, she wanted to beg, but she knew the mood Arizona was in and it would only prolong the torture so she only whimpered and hoped to God Arizona didn't hear it. Arizona studied the glistening folds, felt the tremor in Callie's legs, knew she was restraining herself; she was almost certain if she teased much longer, a strong tan hand would be gripping her head tightly and pulling it to where they both wanted her to be. Inhaling deeply, she rolled her eyes at the glorious scent, flattened her tongue and licked up the length of the smooth outer lips of Callie's sex making them both moan loudly. She then slipped her tongue through the slit and repeated her action once, twice, and then a third stopping to circle the red and swollen bundle of nerves. She stopped and looked up into needy heavy lidded eyes, reached out her hand and ordered, "Put these on." Callie nearly cried as she held out her hand and took the vibrating nipple clamps from her girlfriend. Arizona watched as Callie applied each item to her tight mocha buds and demanded, "Tighten them." Callie whimpered as she felt the pinch on her already sensitive nipples. Looking down at Arizona, waiting for another command, she was surprised when her girlfriend reached up and tugged at the small chain connecting the two pieces and bucked her hips as painful pleasure shot straight to her core and she nearly screamed when her clit brushed against Arizona's chin. Satisfied with the tension on the clamps, Arizona pressed the small button on each one causing them to vibrate and making Callie's back arch nearly off the bed.
Instead of lowering her head and pleasuring her girlfriend as she was sure she was expected to do, Arizona decided to treat her and climbed further up her body careful not to dislodge the clamps and rested her knees on either side of Callie's head. She looked down into hopeful brown eyes and slowly lowered herself onto full red lips rolling her eyes in ecstasy as she felt the first swipe of Callie's tongue on her sex. Callie was in ecstasy, as needy as she was, there was nothing in the world she'd rather be doing. She slid her hands up Arizona's thighs and around to grip her tight round ass as she guided her in a slow teasing rhythm at first. She knew she might pay for it later, but her sex was on fire, she needed to cum and though she knew the nipple clamps would more than do the job, she wanted Arizona's hands, mouth, something on her, inside her. Deciding to take a chance, she slowly lowered one of her hands and figured she would do the job herself. Arizona lifted herself up, clamped her hands around both of Callie's wrists and brought them to her own breasts declaring, "These stay here." Callie moaned in despair, she was getting so close and just needed to be touched down there. Arizona lowered herself back to Callie's mouth and promised, "Be a good girl and I swear you won't regret it." Callie nodded and returned to her task of licking and sucking at Arizona's clit. It's not like it was a chore, she thought to herself as she tasted the salty-sweet arousal of her girlfriend on her tongue. Forgetting her own need for release or pleasure, she started kneading and pinching at Arizona's breasts while fucking her with her tongue.
Arizona knew this would only excite Callie more and prepare her for what she actually had in mind for her girlfriend. She could tell by Callie's erratic movements beneath her the nipple clamps were doing their job and she was close to climax. Closing her eyes, she allowed the pleasure she was experiencing to take over and soon found herself tipping over the edge and bringing Callie with her. Giving neither of them any time to recover, Arizona scrambled to the side, ordered Callie to roll over and reached her hand under the pillow. When Callie stayed where she was, breathing heavily still trying to clear the haze from her mind, Arizona tugged on the small chain causing Callie to cry out in pleasure as another jolt of electricity shot straight to her core. Arizona then leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Turn over baby and I'll give you what you really want." Arizona removed the nipple clamps causing Callie to whimper then helped her turn over. Callie could hear Arizona shuffling around behind her then let out a yelp when she felt a sharp slap connect with her left ass cheek. As she picked her head up to look behind her, Arizona's hand connected with the other side as she commanded, "Eyes forward. On your knees." Callie nodded in understanding, rested her head in her hand and brought her knees up under her. Arizona reached between her legs and spread them apart a little further and groaned as she stared directly at Callie's weeping sex.
Inserting the smaller end of the royal blue strap on into her own opening, she bit back a moan as she felt it brush against her g-spot. Seeing her bright red handprints on Callie's ass, she bent forward, licked one and then the other hoping to soothe the sting. Feeling the hot moist tongue on her burning ass, Callie pushed back into the touch. She expected another hard swat to follow, but cried out, "Oh fuck yes." as she felt the tip of the silicone phallus bump up against her clit. Arizona held the dildo in her hand as she teased Callie's clit then slowly swiped it through her lips gathering moisture. Callie was panting with need and struggled to stay still when she felt the tip at her opening. She wanted to buck backwards and take the whole thing at once even though she knew it would hurt. She couldn't remember the last time Arizona took her from behind with a strap-on. This used to be another of their favorite positions that was lost by the wayside after the accident. She knew once Arizona entered her, they would both lose control. For Arizona, it was the power, the feeling of strength, for her it was the opposite, the submission, the feeling that she was being taken and could lose herself in pleasure.
Arizona knew what Callie wanted and she was building herself up for it, she hated hearing that first yelp of pain, but she knew Callie loved it. Without warning, she buried herself to the hilt in her girlfriend's sex and was surprised when tan hands reached out to grab her hips and hold her still. Callie sucked in large gulps of air allowing her body to adjust to the fullness and moaned out, "Mmmm yes baby, fuck me, take me Arizona, make me yours." Arizona grabbed onto Callie's hips, pulled out, thrust back in, then increased her pace until she was pounding into Callie at lightning speed. Callie bit her bottom lip, buried her face in the pillow to muffle her cries of pleasure as she bucked back and met Arizona thrust for thrust. She could feel the tingle in her abdomen, the pulsing of her clit, the sting of her nipples brushing across the sheet with each move she made. Arizona could feel Callie's walls tightening on the silicone toy making it nearly impossible for her to continue at the same pace. Keeping one hand on Callie's hip, she reached around with her right hand and started making slow circles around her clit with her middle finger then added her forefinger and rolled the swollen nub between her fingers before pushing down directly on the bundle of nerves making quick hard circles that matched the rhythm of their thrusts. That was enough to push Callie over the edge as she started shaking and convulsing, screaming, "Fuck, fuck, fuck" into the pillow. Callie's movements caused the smaller end to push against Arizona's g-spot over and over until she too convulsed and fell on top of Callie, both of them gasping for air and moaning in pleasure as aftershocks racked one of their bodies causing the same in the other.
Arizona lifted her arms to move off of Callie causing the Latina to groan in pleasure as the phallus pushed deeper inside her. Arizona rolled her hips once again and this time Callie rocked back against her causing shockwaves of pleasure through her own body. The two continued to rock back and forth slowly, breathing heavily as Callie's movements pushed the toy into Arizona's sensitive core and pulled it across her clit and Arizona's movements filled Callie and bumped against her g-spot every time. Arizona was the first to reach her peak and arched her back as her entire body stiffened making the toy inside Callie push into the sensitive spongy spot just behind her pelvic bone throwing her into her own intense orgasm. Arizona rolled over onto her back, removed the strap-on and lay sprawled out across the bed. Callie tried to sit up and immediately fell back on her face as she whined, "I think I'm dead." Arizona chuckled and said, "You can't be dead because I'm dead and our daughter can't find us like this." Callie laughed and moaned as her sensitive nipples and clit brushed against the sheet. Trying again, she sat up on her elbows and looked down at her naked girlfriend laying spread eagle across the bed. She eyed her up and down and complained, "You know, if you didn't kill me, I'd be all over you right now." Arizona turned toward her, caressed her face, leaned in for a soft slow kiss and whispered, "I love you." Callie smiled softly and returned, "I love you too." She lifted her hand, caressed Arizona's naked hip and asked, "How about we take a quick shower and turn in for the night?" Arizona nodded and replied, "I say yes please." The two women slowly made their way to the shower, washed each other up, dried each other off, donned new night clothes and fell into bed cuddled in each other's arms. Both women lay awake staring at one another, Callie smiled and offered, "I'll get the pizza." Arizona kissed her nose and whispered, "Oh thank goodness."
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Addison sat on the patio sipping her coffee and reading her emails on her phone when she heard the back door open. Looking up to see who was joining her, she blurted out, "No! Just no. One of you go back inside and change." Arizona looked down at her red shorts, white tank top, and blue button down that was tied into a knot at her abdomen and asked, "What's wrong with this?" Addison replied, "There's nothing wrong with that, until you look at that." She pointed to Callie who was wearing navy blue cargo shorts, a white tank top, and a red button down that was left open. Addison sipped her coffee and said, "I refuse to allow you to be that couple and listen to the 'aww don't you look cute' all damn day when everyone knows they really want to throw up on you." Callie looked to Arizona, winked and said, "Fine, I'll go change." Addison nodded and said, "Thank you!" Arizona sat across from the grumpy woman and asked, "What got into you today?" Addie looked at her and muttered, "Not the same thing that got into her last night, that's for damn sure. Never took Cal for a screamer." Arizona started to feel embarrassed then looked her friend directly in the eye and retorted, "Oh, we were being quiet." Addison's jaw dropped in shock at her friend's frank response. She then turned to see Callie walk out the door and cursed, "Oh for fuck's sake." Callie shrugged and defended, "You told me to change." Addison looked at the two women who were now dressed identically, grabbed her coffee and stomped into the house leaving Callie and Arizona in a fit of giggles on the patio.
Arizona wrapped her arms around Callie's neck and informed her, "She's cranky because we were too loud last night." Callie furrowed her brows and responded, "We were being quiet." Arizona brushed their lips together, shrugged and answered, "That's what I told her." Callie laughed, looked around the yard and suggested, "How about we set up the decorations and do all the light stuff for now. Maria and Miguel will be here in an hour and they can help with the tables and chairs." Arizona nodded, "Sounds good to me, should we go ask Addie to help?" Callie chuckled and replied, "Maybe just one of us should ask." Arizona nodded and walked toward the pool house to get the decorations and tools they left in there when they finished decorating over the weekend.
Callie walked into the house and nearly died laughing when Addison came down the hall wearing red shorts, a white tank top, and a blue shirt tied at the waist. Arizona walked in the door and asked, "What's so fun…Seriously Addison?" The redhead shrugged and said, "When I packed it, I thought it was festive and would look cute, then you two had to go and ruin it, so now we all look ridiculous together." Arizona shook her head and asked, "Where's Sof? She was just eating breakfast." Addison replied, "When I came in she said she was going to get dressed and asked if I could braid her hair, I told her stitches I could do, braids not so much." Arizona went into Sofia's room and gushed, "Oh baby girl you look so adorable. I love that dress." Sofia smoothed out the red and white striped dress with blue stars across the top, spun in a circle and bragged, "Abuela picked it out for me. She said I would be the prettiest girl at the party." Arizona picked up the brush and sat on the bed motioning for her daughter to bring the small stool over and answered, "Abuela was absolutely correct." Then she set about braiding her daughter's hair.
While Addison and Callie were outside decorating, Sofia and Arizona were inside the house making sure they had everything and didn't need to run to the store. When the doorbell rang, Arizona said, "Sof honey, can you get that, it's probably Maria, Miguel, and Bella." Sofia ran into the house dragging Bella with her and informed her mommy they were going outside to play. Arizona looked up to see Miguel and Maria both carrying boxes in their hands and Arizona guided them to the pool house where they were keeping everything but the surprise cake that Dee would be bringing later. As everyone gathered together in the back yard ready to set up tables, Maria looked at the other three women and declared, "I'm not sure if I should be offended you didn't call me before school started or just pretend I don't know you all day." Callie laughed, explained the story to Maria then decided, "And we aren't changing because I find it oddly satisfying that it irritates you." Maria looked around to see where the kids were, flipped Callie off and walked over to help her husband set up tables. Once everything was set up and decorated, Maria asked, "Do we have a designated area for gifts or are we hiding them? I didn't really think about that." Callie shrugged and said, "We can just collect them as people come, Lorraine is expecting there would probably be gifts for Kim, so she won't be suspicious. I figured once the majority of people get here we could do the Gotcha Day unveiling, then just move on with our party." Maria nodded in agreement then remembered, "Oh, what about Julie, did she get the okay to come?" Callie nodded, "She did. Paul will be bringing her over in the van about a half hour after it starts." Maria smiled at that, looked around one more time then asked, "Is that the doorbell?" Arizona listened carefully then went into the house to answer the door.
Realizing they didn't want everyone traipsing through the house, Callie made a sign for the front door, letting everyone know to go around the back and opened the gate leading into the yard. As she went into the house to put the sign on the door, Callie noticed the visitors and asked, "Mami, daddy, what are you doing here so early?" Carlos responded, "It appears the hotel was making a very large ice delivery and we decided to bring it ourselves and see if we could lend a hand. Can we get a little help moving it into the house?" Callie turned and hollered for the others who carried it all into the pool house and started loading the coolers with ice and drinks and storing the extras in the freezer. After putting the sign on the door and locking it, everyone made their way outside and helped with the last minute details. Seeing her grandparents, Sofia ran up and threw her arms around Lucia who still was amazed at how much her heart swelled every time the little girl was near. She looked down and noticed the dress she picked out and commented, "Don't you look beautiful? How's mi linda nieta today?" Sofia replied, "Thank you, I'm good. I'm going to go play now." She then tore through the yard once again. Lucia turned and finally noticed Callie, Addison, and Arizona were all wearing the same outfit, looked at them with an odd expression on her face and remarked, "Don't you three look adorable?" All three women looked at one another and decided they did look rather ridiculous and went in to change. Addie kept her outfit on since she had fewer options than the others, Callie went back to the blue cargo shorts and white tank top, and Arizona found a blue and white sundress to wear. When they stepped back outside, Maria teased, "Oh thank God!" which caused the rest of the group to break into laughter.
Before long, everyone started arriving, bringing dishes to pass, gifts, pool gear, and within the hour, the party was nearly in full swing. The kids headed straight for the pool with parents taking turns watching over them. Lucia decided since she knew very few people, she would help direct where to put the food and other items people brought. Stevie and Jo unloaded case after case of fireworks into one of the rooms in the pool house to keep them safe. Carlos decided to take over the grill so his daughter could circulate amongst her guests and enjoy her celebration. Dee arrived just before Lorraine and Kim and they were able to store their surprise cake in the house without being seen. Callie and Arizona were standing on the deck watching their employees, friends, and families intermingle and smiled at one another as they understood another one of their dreams of having a place for everyone to gather had come true.
Looking over to the back entrance, Arizona beamed when she saw Nicole being escorted by Jeremy and what seemed to be a seeing eye dog. She knew her mentor had been training with one but wasn't sure when she would be able to bring him home. Walking up to her side, Arizona greeted, "Nicole, I'm so glad you could make it. Who do you have with you?" Nicole looked in the direction of the voice and replied, "You know Jeremy, you see him every day." Callie just shook her head and corrected, "I think she meant the dog." Nicole's expression changed to surprise, she still wasn't used to having her guide dog, and answered, "Oh, this is Shepherd, Shep for short." Callie furrowed her brows and observed, "But he's a yellow lab." Nicole retorted, "I know that. He's named after Amelia Shepherd, she took my sight, so it's only fitting this Shep gives it back." Arizona huffed, "Oh my God, I can't believe you!" Nicole tilted her head and supplied, "Well I thought about calling him Robbins, but that would be too confusing." Arizona snorted and directed Jeremy, "Take her over there to an empty table preferably so she can't offend anyone." The man chuckled and led Nicole away. Callie leaned in and whispered, "It is kinda funny." Arizona just shook her head and responded, "Because you have that same sense of humor." Callie shrugged then smiled as she saw Paul and Julie coming up the driveway and bumped her girlfriend's arm to get her attention.
As soon as the two made their way into the back yard, several of the Fresh START staff ran to Julie's side, excited to see her out and looking well. Kim noticed her best friend and nearly skipped across the yard to get to her. When she was by her side, she asked, "Oh my God! What are you doing here?" Not wanting to give away the surprise, Julie shrugged, looked to Callie and Arizona and replied, "My doctors decided to give me time off for good behavior, I can only stay for a while, but it feels so good to be out of there." Kim laughed then took her friend's wheelchair from Paul and led her to their table. Looking at one another, Callie and Arizona decided it was time to unveil the surprise and nodded to Dee and Maria who ran in the house to get the cake.
Even though these people were her employees, friends, and family, Callie already felt like she was going to puke and hadn't said a word yet. Gripping Arizona's hand tightly, she looked into her girlfriend's smiling face and started to relax. Clearing her throat, she started, "May I have your attention please?" Everyone settled down, took a seat, and directed their attention to the two women on the deck. Callie looked to Arizona again, received a little nod and continued, "Arizona and I would like to welcome all of you to our home and what we hope is the first of many celebrations together. Both of us came from a hospital where everyone is like family and we formed a village within our community of doctors and nurses. We are hoping to form the same type of family here, not just within our own centers, but among the two facilities as well. When we look around, many of us see co-workers who have become friends who have become family members. One of the reasons we are here today is to celebrate those relationships. I know most of you know Lorraine, the Administrative Assistant at Fresh START and many of you have become acquainted with one of our newest employees who shares her time at both centers, Kim Halston. Kim came to us as a patient and worked herself into our hearts and Lorraine has taken Kim into her family, which means she has become a part of our family as well. In the adoption community, there is often a celebration called, 'Gotcha Day'. It's a day that recognizes when a child has joined a family. Kim, Lorraine, today isn't just a 4th of July celebration, it is our Gotcha Day celebration, a day which we will celebrate the two of you becoming a family and a part of our family. So Kim, now that we gotcha, please know, you will always be one of us." She looked to Kim who had tears running down her face. The young girl had never had much of a family and now she had all of these people claiming her. She turned to Lorraine and buried her head in her shoulder and cried tears of joy.
Arizona spoke up then and said, "Kim, Lorraine, if you could both join us up here please. Everyone here today wanted to show you their love and welcome you to our extended family." She then turned to the house where Maria and Dee were bringing out a large cake, followed by Miguel, Jo, Becca, Jordyn, and Stevie carrying presents, cards, and envelopes. Both Lorraine and Kim hugged Callie and Arizona, then turned to everyone and said, "Thank you." Kim whispered in Callie's ear, Callie nodded, then got everyone's attention again. Kim looked to her best friend, then to the crowd of people who had all been so generous and said, "Most of you know, I lost my family at a young age and spent the majority of my life in and out of foster care and have been in the group home for a few years now. Julie there, she's been the only person I've ever considered my family. That is until I met Lorraine and all of you and you have been nothing but amazing to both of us. I just…thank you, thank you for giving me the family I always dreamed of having." She then threw her arms around Callie and Arizona and just kept saying thank you to them over and over again.
Once things settled down and everyone was told to help themselves to food and drinks, Carlos and Lucia approached the two young girls and Lorraine. Seeing this, Callie and Arizona made their way to the small group to see what was going on. Carlos looked to the older woman and said, "My wife and I, we know the stress of raising teenage girls and would like to offer you this small token, this reminder to take care of yourself. It's not much, but it's a certificate good for one year to take advantage of the spa services offered at any of our hotels as often as you need." Lorraine smiled at the older couple and thanked them for their generosity. Lucia turned to both Julie and Kim and explained, "Since you are a part of our daughter's family, that makes you a part of ours. We have a scholarship fund set up and have set aside resources for the both of you to attend any college, trade school, or program you would like. The details are all in this envelope and if you have any questions about any of it, Callie can help you or you can call the number on the paperwork." Both girls thanked the couple profusely and had tears in their eyes. They never could have imagined a tragic bus accident would lead to them finding a family and a home.
Callie and Arizona approached Lucia and Carlos and thanked them once again for their generosity. Lucia looked to the two women and said, "I was recently reminded by someone wise beyond her years that a person will always need their mother. I commend your friend for taking on that role; it isn't an easy one. As for those two girls, fate dealt them an awful hand and they shouldn't struggle to make something of themselves if they don't have to. They were brought into our lives for a reason and they are ours to take care of now." Both women nodded and watched as the older couple walked off to mingle with others. Callie looked to her girlfriend and commented, "It's almost like she's not even the same person." Arizona caressed her face and replied, "We both know how losing someone you love from your life can change you. I think nearly losing you, it made her realize just how precious family is." Callie brushed their lips together and answered, "That's what it did to me." Arizona smiled and replied, "Me too."
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Julie sat in her chair off to the side watching everyone mingle. It was hot and she would give anything just to be in the pool to cool off. She was so happy for her friend but couldn't help but feel a little sorry for herself despite just being gifted a scholarship. How would she even go to school with a baby? How would she get a job with a baby? Where would she live once she finally got out of the hospital? She knew for a fact that she didn't want to raise her baby in a group home and she was almost 18 and would be asked to leave soon anyway. She rubbed her growing stomach and tried not to let all of her worries consume her. She started to look around for Paul to tell him she was ready to go when someone bumped into her jarring her chair and sent a jolt of pain through her legs. Though she wasn't normally a mean spirited person, without looking up, she tossed out, "Watch where you're going!" She then heard a dog bark and looked down to see a yellow lab with a bright colored vest on, then looked up to see an older woman who was looking at her, but not directly and realized she just yelled at a blind person. Feeling her face heat up, she apologized, "I'm really sorry. I'm in a wheelchair and it kind of hurt when you ran into me. I didn't mean…I'm sorry, I should have been paying attention." The older woman laughed and asked, "Can you direct me to an empty seat? I shouldn't have been trying to fumble my way around."
Julie pulled out a chair for the woman and introduced, "I'm Julie and again, I'm really sorry." Nicole laughed at the girl, took her seat and replied, "Nicole and no harm done." Nicole tilted her head and asked, "Julie, the other girl from the accident?" Julie nodded then scoffed at herself and replied, "That would be me." The older woman asked, "How is your pregnancy coming along? Any pains?" The girl narrowed her eyes and asked, "How blind are you?" The older woman laughed, "I'm Robbins' business partner, she's told me all about you. I used to be a surgeon, now I have to live vicariously through her." The girl laughed and answered, "I'm doing well. Dr. Robbins says everything looks good. I just, I wish I could get up and do something, I only sit around all day worrying about what will happen after he's born." Nicole could relate. The time she spent in recovery, then just wallowing in her own self-pity took its toll on her. Off in the distance, she heard Jeremy's voice and it reminded her of something. Looking in the direction of the kid she asked, "Can you type?" Julie furrowed her brows and responded, "Yeah, I guess I'm okay at it." The older woman asked, "What about dictation?" The girl asked, "Like where someone talks and another person types or writes it down?" Nicole retorted, "Yeah, that's dictation." Julie responded, "Umm, I guess so. I mean, I've never done it, but it doesn't sound too hard." The older woman nodded then asked, "Do you see Robbins anywhere around here?" Julie looked up, saw the blonde surgeon talking to a redheaded woman and answered, "Yeah I see her." Nicole snorted, "Call her over for me."
The young girl waved at Arizona to get her attention then pointed at Nicole and gestured for her to come to them. Arizona walked to the unlikely pair and asked, "What is it?" Nicole ordered, "Julie here is going to be my new assistant. I need you to get her a laptop and get her all set up with anything she needs in her hospital room. Put her on our payroll and pay her what we are giving the other kid. I'll come by Thursday morning and we can work out all the details." Arizona and Julie looked at one another with shocked expressions on their faces then the younger blonde started nodding furiously. Arizona smiled and responded, "Done deal, welcome aboard Julie." Julie looked to both women and said, "Thank you, thank you so much. I'm going to tell Kim." Arizona smirked, sat next to her mentor and commented, "You do have a heart tin man." Nicole snorted and explained, "I remember what it was like, being laid up and not being able to do anything. To top it off, she has a kid coming, no way to make money, and just sits there day in and day out worrying about it. It's not good for her or the kid." Arizona agreed, "I see your point. Thank you for thinking about that. But what about Jeremy?" Nicole snorted and responded, "Enh, I'm getting bored of him, besides, I actually need someone who will work. I'll go to her until she's mobile again and go from there." Arizona just shook her head and started to leave when Nicole grabbed her hand, "Can you find Jeremy to take me home? I don't know how Shep will do with fireworks and I'm not too keen on hearing the loud noises if I can't see when they are going to happen." Arizona waved Jeremy over then said to Nicole, "He's on his way, thanks for coming. I'm going to hug you now." The older woman laughed and responded, "I wouldn't expect anything less."
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Callie sat on a lounger by the pool keeping her eyes on all the kids making sure they didn't play too rough or go too deep. They had decided to put up a rope to separate the deep end, but she knew that never stopped her when she was younger. She sipped on her beer and watched as Sofia and Jess played with Steven and the other babies in their floating devices. Though their parents were nearby, the two girls took it upon themselves to entertain the younger ones. She looked on as Sofia saw a baby starting to drift away from the group, ran over to pull the floatie back and then played with him splashing lightly and making him squeal into a fit of giggles. It wasn't lost on her that the boy was fair-skinned, had white blonde hair, and bright green eyes. She took another sip of her beer and was lost in thought about what their next baby would look like when she felt a shadow cast over her and heard a tiny voice declare, "I want one!" Callie furrowed her brow, looked to her daughter and asked, "A beer?" Sofia laughed and said, "No silly, a baby." Her shock turned to irritation when she felt a spray of something wet hit her back and she looked up to see her girlfriend standing behind her wiping water off her mouth and coughing. Callie and Arizona both looked to their daughter who was now glaring at them and asked, "Why can't I have a brother or sister?" The two women smiled at one another and the blonde answered, "How about we save this conversation for when there aren't so many people around?" Sofia looked at her moms then huffed, "Fine, but I won't forget." She then ran back to the pool and started playing with her friends again.
Arizona wiped the water from Callie's neck and commented, "Well that was unexpected." Callie chuckled and responded, "Just a little bit, but it answered our question." Arizona bent down to kiss Callie and replied, "It's kind of a relief." Callie nodded and agreed, "A big one." Callie scooted over and Arizona joined her. Taking her hand, she explained what just happened with Nicole and Julie and Callie grinned as she teased, "I think you are softening her up." Arizona laughed, "It was that or the rum I could smell on her breath." Callie laughed out loud and answered, "Well, we will just have to remind her." Arizona rested her head on Callie's shoulder and commented, "It's kind of sad isn't it? It took such a tragedy for them both to find a family." Callie thought about her mom's words and responded, "I think it's like my mom said, they were brought to us for a reason. They could have ended up at any of the other hospitals that day." Arizona nodded in agreement then saw that Paul was wheeling Julie toward the gate. She nudged Callie and said, "Let's go say goodbye." Callie agreed and the two went to the young girl.
As the afternoon light faded and the sun started to disappear, the kids were moved from the pool, put into dry clothes and sunblock was replaced with bug spray as they all ran off in different directions to play in the yard. Addison and Maria took it upon themselves to start cleaning up which spurred many of the other guests into action taking down tables, wrapping and putting away food, and collecting the garbage. If it weren't for all the guests who were still mingling about, it would be hard to tell a party had even taken place. As several people helped move the boxes of fireworks to a far corner of the yard, each family gathered in their own little area on a blanket or in chairs preparing to watch the display. Becca was sharing a blanket with Jordyn who was holding Steven in her lap. Maria had lost Miguel to the fireworks and was sharing her blanket with Bella, Jess, and Sofia; Addison Lorraine and Kim were seated next to them in canvas chairs with Carlos and Lucia behind them. Off to the side behind everyone stood Callie holding Arizona firmly to her with her arms wrapped around her middle. The two stood quietly just watching all of their guests as they enjoyed the light display. They knew they would always have a family in Seattle, but this was their new village, their new family and they couldn't be prouder of what they'd built or more excited to see what the future would bring them.
A/N 2: As always, thanks for the love. As I read through your reviews, I am writing down requests and ideas and trying to figure out ways to incorporate them into the plan I have drawn out for this story. I love some of the most recent ones and can assure you that you may see bits and pieces of them soon.
I struggled with this chapter just a bit since I was trying to include so many characters. I hope it came out the way it was intended.