AN; I know, I'm sorry. I hope this can make it for it a little. I just really wanted to get past a certain part of the story that I was struggling with, so hopefully all the good stuff I have planned after that part will speed along from now. I believe we're coming to the end of this story. But I will have another - let's say part 2 being published right after. Just have to find the time lol.

Enjoy.


Chapter 20: Don't Hurt Yourself

The man would just not give up.

"It's going to be great Robbins, we just finished renovating the bathroom, and there's this exquisite back splash Catherine had imported from Italy…"

"No offense Richard, but you're not really selling me on this dinner party. You do realize what happened the last dinner we had?"

"Now that's not fair, I wasn't there," he answered defiantly.

The blonde leaned back in her seat, staring intently. Richard had been at it all week, with everyone. She found herself feeling bad for the former Chief of Surgery. It must not be easy maintaining a bicoastal marriage to what she imagined, a very difficult and powerful woman. Catherine was coming into town this weekend, and her husband was determined to throw a swanky social gathering. A gathering that Arizona wasn't too fond of attending.

For one, she had accepted that dinner parties were just not okay. They never came to any good. And it wasn't just the most recent one featuring the debut of Penelope Blake. No, this went way back to Bailey's dad making a surprise visit and Teddy making googly eyes at a guitar-playing Owen.

It also wasn't the right time. There never was, but it was really not a good time.

"Maybe you should have been, then you'd know how much of a disaster this could potentially be."

"Come on, Robbins, where's your sense of occasion?"

"At the last dinner party I attended."

"Nonsense. You and Dr. Castro will be at my home at 7 tomorrow night."

"You got her to go?" All hope drained away.

Richard shrugged, "And it wasn't half as exhausting."

Arizona sighed, "Alright fine. But only for you."

He grinned, "That's what everyone else said."

The blonde sipped her cappuccino as he walked away, no doubt with more than enough time before his surgery.

Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad. Free food and drinks, extra time to gush over baby Harriet, didn't sound like a bad trade off. Cute babies always made her feel better.

"Whatcha smilin' at?" The husky timber sent shivers down her back. It was innocent enough, but it still put her on edge.

"Babies," Arizona answered. A familiar giggle followed. She met the shining face of her daughter, a small hand held dutifully in her other mother's. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Rachel's mom dropped her off after school and I wasn't sure if you were already prepping for your next surgery or not. We were just grabbing a snack before I take her over to day care," Callie answered, taking a sip from her own coffee.

"Yep, Mama let me get a brownie!"

"That sounds yummy. Sit down, I have a few minutes before I have to take off," the blonde offered. As weird as it was being around Callie she would deal with it for the sake of Sofia. She didn't want their daughter growing up with parents that couldn't even co-exist.

"How have your surgeries been so far?"

"Nothing too major, I should be getting out at a decent time so I can take this one home," Arizona winked to Sofia, who grinned before returning to her hot chocolate, the brownie nothing more than crumbs. "How have yours been?"

"I only had a knee replacement, the rest of the time I've been in the lab," Callie answered briefly, flipping her thumbnail on her to-go cup. She had been in the lab working on some other projects most of the day, with some time set aside to stare in misery at the master piece that might never be utilized. But she wouldn't mention that part.

"Can I play with my iPad?" Sofia asked, the dull conversation clearly not enough to keep her attention.

The two women looked at each other before shrugging. "Yeah, just make sure you don't spill your hot chocolate on it," Arizona warned. Sofia nodded before grabbing it out of her backpack, headphones in within seconds and the girl's latest TV show playing.

Arizona surveyed the cafeteria awkwardly, already wishing that she didn't agree to that. Now she was still sitting here with Callie and Sofia in another world. This was the moment she had been waiting for, a good time to get her ex-wife alone enough to let her know that she was in. But she was nervous. Truthfully, she didn't know why. Maybe because it was a big step. Or maybe it was because she bit Callie's head off the last time they had this discussion.

There was no uncontrollable anger to negate the awkwardness, or a raging hangover for that matter. Rip off the Band-Aid Robbins.

"Are you on-call this weekend?"

The blonde blinked, "What?"

"For Sofia's soccer game?"

"Oh – um, no, I'm not. Are you?"

"No. I was thinking we could go get a late lunch when it's over. You know, to celebrate after they crush the other team."

Arizona smirked, "You sound pretty confident that Sofia's team is gonna win."

"Of course we're gonna win, I haven't been kicking soccer balls around at all times of the day just for her team to lose," Callie rolled her eyes. Although it served as an exceptional tool to get the girl to sleep, she was so ready for this season to be over. And a Torres never loses.

"Okay, that sounds like a good idea. Are you going to Webber's dinner party?"

The brunette snorted, "I didn't really have a choice. I'm guessing since I met him out of the elevator that he talked you into it too?"

"Yeah," Arizona sighed, "I mean…it's Webber. You can't really say no in the long run, can you?"

"Nope. Meredith got a sitter for the kids so either of us can just bring Sof there beforehand. Hopefully it doesn't turn out like the last one."

Both women smiled grimly. Arizona didn't remember too much about that night, but it didn't matter. It still left a bad taste in her mouth.

"So," the blonde inhaled, "I've been thinking and – I think that I'm –" The ever-persistent shrill of a pager erupted from her coat. Arizona groaned internally, reaching into her pocket. This was not how this was supposed to go. But it's how it always went. The minute she finally grew a pair, something else got in the way.

"I gotta run," Arizona stated, finishing up her coffee. It would just have to wait. She pulled an earbud out of Sofia's ear before kissing her cheek, "I'll see you later, sweetie."

"Bye Mommy," Sofia answered, attention already back to her iPad.

Arizona smiled slightly at Callie, who gave a simple wave.

"I'll uh – I'll talk to you later."

The brunette sighed watching her leave.

###

Fortunately, there were no emergency traumas or any distressed babies to get in the way the following night. Or unfortunately, depending on how one looked at it. Arizona had secretly prayed for some sort of case to bring her away from engaging in small talk and awkward silences. As perky and friendly as she usually was, this was not how she wanted to spend her night. No, she'd prefer a night of takeout on the couch with some weird documentary, with no reason to dress up and be around people she already saw every single day.

"Did Webber ever tell you what this dinner party is about?"

She shrugged, "I guess since Catherine's in town and April had the baby he's been in a festive mood or something."

Richard was funny like that.

"I guess that's a good reason," green eyes glanced to her right, "Are you sure you're okay? You kind of look like you're dreading this."

"I guess we don't have a good track record when it comes to dinner parties, or any parties in general." Her surprise birthday party for example.

Natalie bit her lip, "Are you sure it's not because Callie's gonna be there?"

Arizona couldn't help but turn her head questioningly. "Why would it be because she's there? We do work together. I see her all the time as it is."

"I don't know, I was just asking," the brunette replied, pulling up to the curb of their destination. She unbuckled her seat belt and grabbed the expensive bottle of wine for Catherine while Arizona stepped carefully out, holding the fancy red velvet cupcakes she had begrudgingly picked up on the way home for Richard.

From the looks of it a few people were already there, including Callie. It was a simple question, but one that confused the blonde immensely. From the beginning Natalie had been pretty transparent with her feelings, and Arizona never got the impression that there was any bit of jealousy involved with her ex-wife. If anything, her girlfriend tended to defend Callie most of the time.

She couldn't figure it out, and it didn't sit well with her.

"Hello ladies, glad you could make it," Richard greeted cheerfully, already accepting their offerings.

Arizona rolled her eyes but smiled brightly.

As if they had a choice.

###

"And he keeps on staring at me with his stupid sex eyes and saying that I'm falling for him when all I want to do is punch him in his stupid face," Meredith hissed, taking another very long sip from her wine glass.

Callie shrugged, "Or sit on his stupid face."

"You're supposed to be on my side."

She chuckled, "I'm on nobody's side. And you need to admit that you like him. And you need to tell Maggie. Seriously Mer, she's going to be furious with you when she finds out. Geez, she already got turned down by him and still thinks she has a chance!"

It gave her old feelings of when George was cheating on her. And even though her and Meredith had become good friends since then, it made her wanna thump the other woman.

Meredith looked around frantically, "Shut up."

"It's not like anybody can hear me, we're outside." The general surgeon had dragged her to the deck out back once Riggs had arrived and had continued to berate the man for the past five minutes.

"Whatever. When's dinner, I need to eat and then leave," Meredith craned her neck to look through the window, "and it seems like almost everybody is here. Wonderful. This is good. So here's what I need you to do: keep me away from any conversation with Riggs and any conversation with Maggie about Riggs. Got it?"

Eyebrows knitted, "You do realize that there are plenty of other people that you can use to deflect?"

"But you're the only one that knows. Come on, I'll help keep you away from awkward exchanges with Arizona and Natalie," Meredith offered.

"I don't have a problem with Arizona, she has a problem with me."

Meredith rolled her eyes, "It's a problem regardless. Throw in her hot, brilliant girlfriend, and you have a shit show. So you might wanna cool it on the margaritas."

She stared plaintively into her almost empty glass. It was only her second one, along with a glass of wine when she first got here. It wasn't that much. She looked back up. "How are you turning this around on me now? You're the one with the shit show."

"Mine's just louder than yours."

Callie sighed, straightening the top of her black cocktail dress, "Alright fine. Let's just – let's go."

Riggs and Maggie were talking to Jackson, who was holding little Harriet with April. Amelia and Owen were strategically at the other end of the living room deep in conversation with Catherine. There were a few others from the hospital, including Bailey, Ben, and other senior attendings. Chefs in crisp white coats were bustling around in the kitchen, preparing nothing short of a delicious meal.

A well-dressed bartender was in the foyer surrounded by an array of different wines and liquor, where Natalie and Arizona had approached with Richard taking their coats.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. There were more than enough people to keep everyone distracted for the duration of the night. And knowing the Avery's, the food was probably to die for.

Meredith grabbed her hand and began to lead her towards the door. "I need another drink."

"Woah, wait," the brunette insisted, trying to break free but Meredith's bony hands just wouldn't let up, "you said I had to stop drinking remember?"

"I didn't say you needed one," the general surgeon commented, approaching the two other women. "Hey guys, you look great."

And they really did. Natalie continued to show off her impressive legs in a tight black pencil skirt with a burgundy blouse. The slight peek of cleavage beneath subtle ruffles made her want to throw up her margarita. She couldn't really tell what Arizona was wearing at first due to the blonde hunched over her very full glass of wine like it was the holy grail. But when she finally straightened up, the royal blue of her sleeveless peplum blouse undoubtedly made her eyes brighter.

Which also kind of made her want to throw up.

Natalie must have realized Arizona was preoccupied because she smiled, "Thanks, you too. This is a nice house, huh?" Her green eyes roamed the atmosphere.

And it really was. That was pretty much a no brainer, Catherine Avery was nothing if not detailed. Her part-time home was no different.

"I wish I could have a house like this," Meredith mused, looking up at one of the multiple chandeliers throughout the house, "but I have three kids."

Callie chuckled, "Bailey alone would crush this house in five minutes."

It was apparent a couple minutes in that the conversation was gonna have to carry on without the blonde's input. She continued to sip her wine every few seconds, twiddling her chunky party ring around one finger. Legs covered in tight black pants continued to cross every so often over the other. It was like she was in another world, blue eyes staring off into space and only smiling on cue. Something had been off the past couple of days, and Callie couldn't figure out why.

Not that it was her job to ask why, because it wasn't.

"Wilson isn't coming tonight?"

Meredith shrugged, "I think she's on call. I told Alex to come but…don't think he's gonna make it either."

"I can't believe he's working in the clinic. I almost forgot that place was still open most days," Callie commented, accepting a fresh glass of wine from the bartender and avoiding Meredith's judgey gaze at the same time. She was a grown ass woman, she could have a drink, or ten, without any repercussions.

Natalie chuckled, "I didn't even know that it was a place to be begin with."

Arizona blinked.

"When's dinner ready?"

###

Dinner was as exquisite as she thought it would be. A long table draped in a white tablecloth with fresh flowers every two feet ran down the center and red napkins rested on each lap. All Arizona wanted was more wine and another filet mignon.

Mention of Alex had put her into an even deeper stupor. She had tried to stay out of the situation, but it was damn hard when it had to do with her prodigy and her sweet roommate. Now with his career in jeopardy, he had been reduced to helping the clinic. Which from what she had heard was in deep peril. Must have been weird too since it was named after his ex-wife's dead ex-fiancé.

"Wow you and Owen are definitely in a race for the least interested at this party."

Arizona rolled her eyes, taking another sip from her glass. "I'm just – enjoying the food. You know, free five-star meal and all."

"More like enjoying the alcohol," Amelia smirked, "that's like the third glass you've gone through just sitting here."

"Okay sober Sally."

Not that she was drunk. Arizona was content to just sit through the rest of the evening and listen in on everyone else's conversation.

"Yeah, I'm sober therefore can tell how much you really don't want to be here."

"I'm here because Richard asked me and he's my friend and I respect him."

Amelia smirked, "And he was once the Chief and he still kind of scares you."

"Shut up."

###

Riggs wasn't making it easy to ignore him. Callie didn't have a problem admitting how attractive the man was. He had the looks, the brains, and the accent was just a plus. What made it worse was that he knew it, and he knew Meredith knew it. His eyes sparkled across the candle as he watched the general surgeon try not to look his way. All the while Maggie continued to engage him in mindless conversation.

It just wasn't right.

"He is insufferable."

Callie rolled her eyes, "This is getting uncomfortable. I feel like you might actually jump across the table and maul him, and not in a bad way."

Meredith picked at her potatoes, "He'd probably still enjoy it regardless."

"At least he's consistent."

"You're absolutely no help at all."

The brunette shrugged into her wine glass, done with this conversation for the next 15 minutes at least. Everyone else seemed to be having a good time. Amelia seemed to be teasing Arizona from across the table, and so far, Harriet hadn't woken up yet from her slumber, giving April some adult time, even though it was with Catherine and her ex-husband.

It was more normal than she was expecting.

Owen was in the middle of recommending good places to hike to Natalie, anything to get out of saying, well, pretty much anything to his former bestie.

"Where I parked the trailer had the best trails for anything," Owen stressed, "Every night after work I would just take a walk, listen to some music and clear my head."

Natalie nodded, "What about camping?"

Amelia snorted, "Well he kind of was camping."

"It's good for camping too. There's a lot of level ground to set up camp and then you could just hike further up to get higher ground. The views are amazing."

Natalie wiped her mouth delicately, "I love all my amenities but every once in a while, it could be good to just get out in nature for a weekend or something. Arizona got me into a cooking class so now I want to take her camping or something somewhere close but kind of away from the city."

She looked to the blonde, who smiled briefly before shoveling more mashed potatoes into her mouth. Callie's eyes narrowed discreetly.

Owen nodded, "That area would be a good place then."

"She hates camping."

Meredith's foot couldn't collide with hers fast enough. And Callie didn't even know she had spoken until a few pairs of eyes looked to her questioningly. She awkwardly took a chug from her water glass. Maybe she should lay off the alcohol for the duration of the night.

But it was true. Arizona hated camping. The woman wasn't very high maintenance to begin with, but still the blonde wouldn't 'rough it' if it wasn't necessary. She also hated bugs, but also possessed weird sympathy for them. Callie had to promise that she would put them outside and not squish them. But still, Arizona did not like camping.

"Well I was thinking I could change her mind," Natalie recovered, taking a sip from her own wine glass.

Classy recovery, Callie could admit. But it didn't mean she missed the slight iciness at the end.

"There's a first time for everything," Amelia shrugged. "I never thought I'd be married and sober but hey, here we are."

The rest of the table chuckled together.

Callie had never been more grateful for Amelia Shepherd.

###

Baby Harriet didn't stay awake for long. It's just what most babies did. But it helped that she was absolutely adorable.

Working with unborn babies gave great privilege but Arizona would be lying if she said she didn't miss little preemies. That used to be the highlight of her day, checking in on the ones that she saved and listening to their little heartbeat, knowing that they would get to go home and have a life. That she was the reason for that.

Plus they were super-duper cute.

Until they started crying.

Maybe it was because she was cranky to wake up and not have her mom or dad there, or maybe it was being around a lot of people at one time. But Harriet definitely was not enjoying it.

Jackson had her in his arms, slowly rocking her in the living room where everyone had retired to after dinner.

Owen and Amelia had already left, having a bit of a long drive ahead of them, and Riggs was on-call and had gotten paged. Of course Maggie had offered to go in case he needed a hand, which Meredith promptly shot down, since she had been drinking. It made her giggle. Some things were just too obvious.

"What's so funny?"

She turned her head to face Natalie, who took a careful sip of her coffee that had been expertly served to all the guests.

Arizona grinned, "Just the baby. I love babies."

April and Jackson had tried a bottle and even a little toy and pacifier but nothing had seemed to work so far.

"She just needs to get used to everybody around," Catherine commented, rubbing a little cheek lightly.

April sighed, "She's never been like this since she's been home."

"Just give her a few minutes," Jackson said, "she might just need to cry."

"Or maybe she just needs to Auntie Arizona time," Arizona chirped. She grabbed the hand sanitizer that was hanging conveniently from the diaper bag and squirted some on her hand. She saw Callie smirk lightly. Callie knew how much she loved babies.

"How much has Auntie Arizona had to drink?" April asked wearily.

Blue eyes rolled, "I'm not gonna drop your baby, April."

She held her hands out as Jackson exchanged the little bundle.

"Oh I know, there's a lot going on huh? It's okay, you'll get used to it," the blonde cooed. Harriet continued to cry and wriggle around, but Arizona persevered. "That's right, 2+2 is 4. Oh, you are so smart."

She wandered around the living room still rocking Harriet. At work Arizona held babies from a medical standpoint, making sure they were breathing and testing for normal brain functions. It was different than this. Something she had missed doing. The highlight of her day was holding Sofia when she was a baby. She would sit for hours and just stare, in complete awe that she was responsible for another life. She thought back to a time when this was the last thing she wanted. And now, it had turned into everything.

After a few minutes of the blonde's mindless chatter, the baby seemed to have calmed down, staring up at her intently.

"I thought she'd never stop," Jackson said quietly.

"Sometimes babies just need to cry," Arizona offered. "Or sometimes they just need to listen." The new parents nodded solemnly, a little wounded that they couldn't get their daughter to calm down initially.

"Don't feel bad," Callie added, "Arizona's the baby whisperer."

The blonde rolled her eyes as everyone laughed.

"No it's true," the brunette claimed, "Me and Mark couldn't get Sofia to go to sleep to save our lives, but once Arizona got home she would just hold her and talk about – well anything and Sofia would calm down and fall right asleep. And then it extended into eating and potty training."

"Well that's what happens when you're the good cop."

"She put the tights on, didn't she?"

"Yeah because you threatened to put her in time-out."

It was a long standing argument that would never really go away.

Callie shrugged, "It worked. She still likes you more than me anyway."

Arizona smirked.

"Well, I won't argue with that."

###

The drive home was even more uncomfortable than the drive there.

At first she had been dreading dinner and conversation and, everyone. And now she couldn't help but feel like she was in trouble. And Arizona didn't like being in trouble. It didn't matter how old she was, it still made her feel like she was 10 again.

They had stayed for another few minutes after Harriet had fallen asleep again in her arms. Due to the mouthwatering meal and the alcohol that accompanied it, the blonde was definitely ready for bed. But something told her she wasn't going to get off that easily.

Callie's sudden outburst at the blonde's hatred for camping was pretty much when it all went downhill. Although Natalie would never make it that obvious. But Arizona had known the woman long enough to realize that there was something else going on behind those emerald eyes. Something that she wasn't very familiar with.

"Catherine seemed to really like that wine you brought," she commented, looking aimlessly out the window.

"Yeah," Natalie replied simply, flipping her blinker on to turn onto the blonde's street.

Pink lips pursed to one side. Maybe this wouldn't be as easy as she thought.

"You're upset."

Natalie glanced sideways, "I'm not upset."

"Well something's wrong. Is it because I was a grouch earlier?"

"It's fine, Arizona. You can be grumpy every once in a while, I'm not gonna hold that over your head."

"Okay, then what is it?"

Natalie pulled up to the driveway and put the car in park before exhaling.

"You hate camping."

Blue eyes blinked. "What?"

Natalie glanced sideways again before unbuckling her seatbelt. "You hate camping, and I didn't even know that you hated camping."

Arizona slowly unbuckled her own seatbelt before getting out of the car. She wasn't sure exactly what happened. Maybe it was due to the wine, or the sense of aloofness she had been experiencing lately. She followed the brunette to her front steps, trying to piece together what was going on.

"Okay, that might have been something I didn't mention. But I'm not opposed to the idea. It's just not…on my bucket list or anything. And I was married to Callie, of course she knows that I'm not a fan of camping."

"I am reminded on a daily basis that you were married to Callie."

"That's not fair." The neurosurgeon had known that since the very beginning. She had been very clear about everything. But approaching her front door, she wasn't sure she had been clear enough.

"I know it's not," Natalie sighed. "And I've tried to ignore it, I really have. But it's like there's this other part of you that I don't even know about. And it doesn't help that Callie knows all those things and continues to stare at you like you're the center of the universe."

Arizona chuckled, her dimpled smile fading slowly when she realized that no, she was not joking. "Callie does know a lot of things about me. We were together for a long time. Just like I know a lot of things about her. But the whole staring thing, you've got that all wrong."

"I really don't think I do. I knew she still cared, and that's fine with me, I respect that. She wouldn't be a good parent if she didn't. You might not be able to see it, but I do. She still has feelings for you. And I can't compete with this," she shrugged, "love story that you guys had. I've heard it all, and I'll admit, it's pretty miraculous. But I can't win."

Arizona sighed heavily. She was more tired than she thought. A fair hand gestured to the top step. She settled down, rubbing her hands on her thighs. A few seconds later she felt the warmth of the other woman sit next to her.

"Callie…she – we took something from each other," she began, "and we've been through a lot. We've done more, and have done worse to each other than I'd like to admit. I made a lot of mistakes, and I can't deny that we have history…but that's over. We're always gonna care, but that doesn't mean anything other than that."

Natalie nodded, cracking her knuckles, "I've seen the way she looks at you. And the look in her eye when your name gets mentioned. There's still something there. At first I thought she was being protective, you know. And maybe she is. But it's more than that. Even if you can't see it."

"She left me. I was suffocating her, and she wanted to be free. Callie wanted out, and that's what she got. Whether or not she – regretted that at one point is no longer a concern to me."

A year ago she might have felt something, but things had changed. Arizona had accepted a long time ago that she would always love Callie Torres. But what she learned the most was that sometimes love wasn't enough. Maybe, in another lifetime, with two different people, it could have. But there was too much darkness after the light. The two would always be intertwined, and that gave her a little comfort knowing that she could still keep the woman close to her in some way.

But more importantly, she owed it to herself to try and be happy.

Natalie sighed, "I'm sorry. I'm not this – dramatic."

"You're not dramatic. It's a lot to be a part of. Sure you're still interested?"

"I don't know if you've caught on…But I'm kind of deep, in this with you. I hope I'm not alone in that." Her green eyes were usually very good with keeping things at bay. But tonight she could see the seriousness behind them. She really was in – with whatever it was or wherever it went.

"You're not."

###

Uncoordinated. They all were.

Apparently it didn't matter how many nights they practiced their drills, both teams sucked. Maybe that was the point of a little league soccer team, but Callie thought that they would at least show a little bit of competitiveness.

Certainly not falling over each other and laughing at the same time. The brunette shook her head. Sofia's team was still winning, probably on accident, but still.

"You're hating this right now."

Arizona snickered next to her, taking a sip from bottled water. She had been seated on the benches, watching in amusement as Callie continued to jump out of her seat and scream like the overbearing parent that she was. Sofia would listen and concentrate the first few times, but eventually she preferred to run around in circles with the other kids.

Callie rolled her eyes, but admired the way blonde hair flew in the wind. "I don't get it. They're kids, they're supposed to want to win."

"No, they're supposed to want to have fun. And look," she gestured, "they're having fun!"

"That one kid just got kicked in the head."

"But he laughed about it, so to him, it was fun."

"Then what's the point in all these practices if they're not gonna play the game?"

Arizona shook her head, "Calliope, sit down. They're young children, all they want to do is play with each other. It's just a little league game."

Somehow she found herself listening. Maybe it was the use of her full name from lips that had not called her that in eons, or maybe she accepted the fact that Sofia was still too young to care if she won or not. Perhaps it didn't matter, she was having the time of her life.

"Well – we're winning anyway."

"It's not about winning."

Callie snorted, "It doesn't matter now. But if she lost you know she'll be pouting over it for at least 24 hours. And I would have to deal with it since she's coming home with me."

"Okay fine," the blonde admitted. "Geez I think you're more worked up about this than anyone." She looked around at all the other parents in the bleachers. Some were just watching casually, some were eating hotdogs and distracted by their phones. All in all, no one was really paying attention to anything.

"I can't believe you're not, Miss Control Freak."

Arizona laughed freely, "I've calmed down in my old age. Plus, I knew this would happen so my expectations weren't very high."

Callie shrugged before playing with the loose thread from her jacket. The wind had picked up a little, not that it affected the little soccer players, if she wanted to even call them that. Brown eyes gave one last look to Sofia, who was showing a couple of kids how to do a cartwheel. She wasn't missing much.

"So… I didn't make things weird the other night, did I?"

It had been weighing on her conscience ever since. Amelia had done her a solid and redirected the awkwardness, but it wasn't lost on her how it might have looked. And she definitely didn't miss the look of death that Natalie had given her. It was only for a brief second, no one else probably noticed, but she did. Add that on top of sharing stories about when they were all one modern family could not have been too fun to hear either.

Blue eyes blinked slightly, but she recovered. "No Callie, it's fine."

"Because I really didn't mean to. I mean, you hate camping," the brunette mumbled.

"And now she knows that I hate camping. We talked, and it's fine. I explained to her that we were together for a long time, of course there's gonna be things that you know about me that she doesn't yet."

Callie bit her lip, digging her boot-clad foot into the dirt, "So she was pissed?" Yet. Things that Natalie didn't know, yet. There were a million things that the neurosurgeon didn't know, and probably would never know. But Callie knew all of them. Some she wished she could forget, and others that would forever remain.

Arizona shrugged a shoulder, "She was little – upset. I guess…it'll be hard for anyone that comes along after, right? You're not exactly insignificant."

A corner of her mouth curved slightly.

"Yeah," Callie exhaled, "you're not either." She would be the first to admit that she had spent some time trying, but still came up empty.

"I'm glad we agree on that," the blonde smirked. "So it's okay, Callie. Don't worry about it."

"I just –"

"Callie, stop. I said it's okay, so just let it go."

"Alright fine."

"If anything I owe you an apology…"

Callie blinked, shifting to face the blonde, "I think I missed the part where you did…"

Arizona fiddled with her watch, eyes towards the field, "I still feel really bad about showing up to your house super drunk like that. And then even more when I didn't even rem – oh my god Callie look!"

A small but very strong hand gripped Callie's arm, her other pointing towards the field. She swung her head just in time to see Sofia take off down the field, kicking the soccer ball with surprising grace. It got both women out of their seat. A couple of other parents had noticed that there might be an actual game to be had and started to pay attention.

Sofia continued to make her way down the field, gaining speed as she approached the goalie's net.

"Come on Sofia!" Arizona yelled, practically jumping in place. Callie smirked.

The little girl was able to dodge a couple of other players on the opposing side and expertly kick the ball. The goalie soared through the air to try and catch it, but it flew just under an arm before hitting the net. The other kids cheered as well around Sofia, who wore a triumphant smile on her face.

Callie laughed loudly, clapping her hands. She couldn't say her daughter never rose to the occasion. Arizona was grinning next to her, unable to stop at the fact that Sofia looked anything but interested five minutes ago before becoming a full-fledged athlete. Well, at least to her.

"I can't believe that just happened."

Callie chuckled, "She's going pro, I swear."

The excitement still ran through her. Yes, they would've won anyway, but to actually see Sofia running past all the others and scoring a goal was the best sight to see. And the fact that both of parents were there, cheering her on made it even better. It made her miss Mark, who no doubt would have already rubbed it into the opposing team's faces, regardless of them being kids.

And perhaps it was that moment also that she realized that maybe she was scared of all the wrong things. Yes, she and Callie were over, and yes, Mark was gone and everything had certainly changed. But they were still here. Callie was still here, and Sofia had defied all the odds to be here, living like any normal kid.

The referee had blown his whistle, signaling the end of the game. The kids all went to their respective sides to hydrate and celebrate with their coaches. And Arizona couldn't hold it in any longer.

She turned towards Callie, who was still facing the field. She inhaled.

"I want the surgery."

The brunette blinked before facing the blonde as well.

"What?"

Arizona wore that spectacular smile, dimples out in full bloom. "I want the surgery, the leg, all of it."

"Really?" Callie asked. She was truly awe-struck.

Arizona nodded, "I remembered what we talked about that night, well, only later," she scrunched her nose, "But I remembered. And I thought about it a lot and didn't want to say anything until I knew for sure that's what I wanted. And it is."

"You're really gonna do this?" the brunette asked.

The fetal surgeon giggled, "We are doing this. I trust Amelia, and – I trust you."

Callie exhaled. It had been on her mind constantly, and the fact that it seemed like Arizona would never remember their conversation made it worse. She made a promise to herself to not push it, even though it left unsettled. After all these years, the blonde still surprised her. And more importantly, she still trusted her.

The team had finished their little pep talk and Sofia was already barreling towards them with her gym bag.

"We'll talk more later, but I just wanted you to know," Arizona explained, smile never leaving her face.

"Mommies! Did you see me?!"

Callie grabbed the little girl and hoisted her up. "We did see you! You're the star of the whole team!" she exclaimed before putting her down.

"Calliope!" the blonde scolded while the two brunettes giggled.

"I want to be a soccer player when I grow up."

"What about being a doctor like us?"

Sofia shrugged, "Maybe after I'm done being a soccer player." They all laughed, the kid had lofty goals. Callie grabbed Sofia's gym bag and swung it over her shoulder.

"Okay Miss soccer star, where do you want to go for dinner?" Arizona asked as they made their way to the parking lot. Sofia had grabbed onto each of her moms' hands, swinging them every so often.

"Can we just have pizza to go?"

"You don't want to sit down anywhere? This is a celebration."

Sofia shrugged, "I just want us all to have pizza together." The two women met each other's gaze. Arizona squeezed her daughter's hand.

"I think that's a great idea."