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"I had fun tonight" Arizona grinned as she stood in Callie's bedroom. They'd had sex twice, each time was just as pleasurable and exciting. Callie wasn't surprised that Arizona was good in the bedroom, in fact with the big headed manner she'd been displaying the last couple of weeks she almost expected it.
"I think you should leave" Callie replied, not being able to look Arizona in the eye. Sofia had texted her mum and Casey had texted saying that they were getting home a different way so now Arizona didn't have to pick them up anymore.
"Why?" Arizona began to frown. "Was it not good?" she asked.
"No..I erm…Sofia's probably going to be home pretty soon" Callie replied.
"Yeah, so what?"
"Are you serious?" Callie questioned. "Do I really have to explain that one?"
"You don't want Sofia to see you with me because what? You think I'm a criminal or you'll think it'll make you look like a hypocrite when you told her to steer clear of Casey?"
Callie didn't answer.
"Or do you still have a problem with Casey? After what happened today?" Arizona raised her eyebrows. "You can't stop them seeing each other" she told Callie referring to Casey and Sofia. "They'll find a way to be together and you trying to force them apart will make things worse, not better"
"Then promise me your brother had nothing to do with the liquor being stolen?" Callie told Arizona. "Make me believe it"
"I can't" Arizona shook her head. "Because I don't know, Tim never tells me anything" she added. "Does Callie the cop ever switch off? Are you ever just Callie?"
"Callie the cop and Callie off duty are the same person" Callie argued.
"You see; I don't think that's the case. I have no problem telling the two of you apart. Maybe you should try it sometime. You might get along with Sofia a lot better if you're not constantly reminding her of her boyfriend's surfer gang family".
"Okay, just leave" Callie had decided she'd had enough. "This, us…was a mistake and it won't happen again"
"I don't think for a second you believe that yourself, Calliope" Arizona replied. "There's something between us, I can feel it and I know you can feel it too"
"You know just as much as I do that this can't happen, Arizona" Callie told her. "What would happen if your brother found out you'd slept with me because I imagine he wouldn't be too happy"
"So what? We pretend it never happened?" Arizona asked.
"That sounds like a great plan" Callie muttered. "You should really leave before Sofia comes back"
"Fine, I'll go" Arizona snapped back. "So I guess you won't be coming to Ma Robbins' barbeque then?"
"Excuse me?" Callie asked, having heard nothing of such event.
"Mum invited all of us round for a Barbie, you included" Arizona sighed. "She was really looking forward to meeting you and Sofia"
"Your mum wants a police officer round at her place?" Callie questioned. "Besides, isn't it a little too early in their relationship for the parents meeting each other"
"Is it?" Arizona replied. "Because I know Casey cares a lot for Sofia and I think she cares a lot for him too"
"I don't think me coming to your place would look good right now" Callie told her. "Not when your brother is under suspicion"
"For what exactly? Angelo's was clean, did you find anything incriminating there at all?" she waited for a second for Callie's answer. "Actually, I don't think we want you there either" she continued. "You know what? I like the other Callie a whole lot more so do me a favour and let me know when she's back" Arizona sighed, barging past Callie and slamming the door shut behind her.
Sofia arrived home shortly afterwards, completely sober much to Callie's relief. She climbed into Callie's bed beside her, the same bed Arizona was in just a couple of hours earlier.
"How was your party kiddo?" Callie asked.
"So good" Sofia's eyes were gleaming.
"Did Casey and all of your friends have fun too?" Callie asked.
"Yes" Sofia smiled. "I really like Casey mom"
"I know you do sweetheart" Callie smiled, kissing the top of her daughter's head.
"Do you think you'll ever get along with him? I know his brother is supposedly a bad guy but Casey and Arizona are good people"
"If your happy and he doesn't hurt you and you're not in any danger from being in that relationship then I'm sure I can support it" Callie replied. "Just don't push it Sof, Tim Robbins is under suspicion for almost killing a man and robbing liquor from his store. When I say he's a bad man, I mean it".
"Just because they share the same DNA doesn't mean they're going to all be the same" Sofia pointed out. "I'm nothing like my father"
"I know" Callie told her. Once Sofia turned sixteen Callie told her the whole story, all about Mark and what he did. Sofia was horrified. Callie took that time to tell her that she both looked nothing like her father or acted like him either. Just because they shared the same biology didn't make them similar at all.
"It's a shame you're pretty much always in cop mode. I know you say they're a dodgy family but his sisters really nice, don't you think?"
"I guess, I mean I haven't really spoken to her enough to have a judgement on her character"
"All I'm saying is that it would be nice to have a mom who didn't act like a cop all the time"
"I don't act like a cop all the time" Callie insisted.
"When was the last time you did anything fun?" Sofia sat up and asked. "Speaking of fun, Casey's mum has invited us over for a barbeque tomorrow night"
"You and me us?" Callie questioned, trying to let on that she hadn't already heard the details of the barbeque from Arizona as well as being seemingly uninvited.
"Yes, you and me us" Sofia rolled her eyes. "And I know you have the day off tomorrow so really you have no excuse not to join"
"Actually Sof, I have a lot of paperwork I should probably catch up on" Callie replied before seeing the disappointment on Sofia's face. "But I'll see what I can do" she sighed, even if it meant talking to a woman she'd rather avoid for a long long time.
"You're the best" Sofia beamed as she hugged her mother. "This is going to be so much fun"
"Tim, what is this?" Arizona arrived home to see her brother in their living room with a couple of his mates looking over bottles of alcohol. "Please tell me this isn't what I think it is" she added.
"You mean the stolen booze the cops are looking for?" Tim smirked. "I think it is"
"You left a man for dead!" Arizona raised her voice.
"Jesus, keep it down will ya. That copper Torres is always around I'm surprised she's not hiding in the bushes waiting for a confession"
"And what happens when the police arrive with a warrant to search this place tomorrow?" Arizona sighed. "I thought this was our fresh start, I thought buying the restaurant and having a steady income meant we didn't have to do this stuff anymore" she gasped as tears came to her eyes.
"I know you don't like it sis" Tim told her as he wrapped his arms around her. "But it's good easy money" he added. "Besides we're not going to get caught, we have a buyer for the lot and Brody's doing the deal tomorrow"
"I'm going to bed" Arizona sighed. "I'll catch you in the morning"
"Wait a sec. How was singles night?" Tim asked. "Meet any hot chicks?"
"Nah. It was a bit of a flop actually" Arizona frowned. "Make sure this is gone tomorrow before the cops come here sniffing around" she ordered her brother.
"Consider it done" Tim promised her watching Arizona going up the stairs.
The next day, Arizona was in a really bad mood. Hurt at being rejected by Callie, hurt by her brother breaking his promises again and again. She was drying the dishes early morning before they opened, slamming the dishes down each time she had finished drying one.
"I know I said I was alright about you smashing the plates, but let's not make it a habit" Angelo smiled as he walked into the back of the restaurant. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked. "You seem kinda pissed"
"I'm fine" Arizona lied, putting on a fake smile to prove it.
"Well if you need to talk then you know where I am" Angelo told her. "I've got to nip out, you sure you'll be alright here on your own?" he asked.
"Sure" Arizona smiled as they heard someone out front. "You go do whatever you need to do, I'll deal with the customer" she added before walking out to the front to see Callie with a sheepish look on her face. "Do you want to make a reservation?" she questioned, hearing the back door slam shut as Angelo left the restaurant. She couldn't look at Callie just yet.
"No, actually I came to apologise" Callie said taking a couple of steps closer to Arizona. "I was out of line and I shouldn't have said what I said"
"Well,I already knew that" Arizona muttered. "No need to come over and see me personally, I'm sure I'll be fine avoiding you for a long time too"
Callie nodded, standing still in her spot. She wasn't prepared to grovel, she had never grovelled to anyone in her life before and it was proving a lot more difficult than when she practised in the mirror this morning. She took a deep breath.
"Is there something else?" Arizona asked, her eyebrows raised.
"Yes…I've been thinking and I would really like to come to the barbeque and meet your family properly" Callie revealed.
"Yeah well you see, you're not invited" Arizona shrugged her shoulders as though it was out of her hands. Callie could see the little smirk on her face proving that Arizona was enjoying every second of this.
"Right" Callie nodded. "Because you uninvited me"
"That's right, yeah" Arizona nodded, the smirk on her face growing even wider.
"So" Callie pursed her lips. "You could un-uninvite me" she stated.
"That's right too" Arizona replied.
"You're loving this aren't you?" Callie asked Arizona.
"You're right" Arizona laughed. "You can come. I know it's probably what Sofia wants" she told Callie.
"Thank you" Callie replied, relieved it had gone well. "I'll see you tonight"
"How hard is it to make a cake?!" Callie sighed in exasperation as Meredith and herself stood in the kitchen trying to make sense of a recipe.
"Harder than being a surgeon or a police officer apparently!" Meredith added. "Why are you going to such a great deal, it's only a barbeque"
"Because I haven't exactly been civil with Casey or his family, I just want to make the right impression" Callie sighed. "At this rate, I'll be turning up with a bottle of wine and drinking the lot just to forget I'm there"
"They don't even seem that bad" Meredith offered. "From what I've seen of them anyway"
"Well the elder brother is currently under suspicion for assault and theft" Callie rolled her eyes. "I mean I'm a cop, I'm supposed to be upholding the law and setting a good example" she continued.
"Not hanging around with shady characters" Meredith finished her sentence for her.
"I mean I would love to be everyone's best friend but as Sergeant Callie Torres I can't. I'm a cop first and a friend second and people need to understand that home Callie and work Callie are actually the same people. I mean I'm not wonder woman I can't fight crimes through my alter ego"
"You're really worked up about this party!" Meredith laughed. "I'm sure your bosses won't go crazy at you for hanging out with them one night. You might even get the information you're looking for if you're so sure Tim Robbins is your culprit"
"I don't think I can do this Mer" Callie told her. "I can't go over there and pretend I'm there for a social occasion when I'm secretly snooping around"
"Yeah thinking about it, I can't imagine it would go down too well if you were caught" Meredith added. "So what are you going to do?"
"I don't know" Callie sighed. "But I have to think of something" she glanced round at the baking ingredients in the kitchen. "I suppose I shouldn't really let Sofia go empty handed"
"Or we could buy a cake from the diner and pass it off as your own?" Meredith suggested.
"This is why we're best friends" Callie smirked. "Come on, we can grab some lunch whilst we're there"
Once Sofia came home from school, she found Callie on the couch clutching her stomach.
"You okay mum?" Sofia asked, placing her bag on the table.
"I think I'm coming down with something" Callie lied. "Must have ate something dodgy earlier when I went out for lunch with Mer" she sighed.
"Do you think you can still make the barbeque later?" Sofia frowned as she crouched beside her mum. "You look awful, in fact, maybe you should miss it"
"I feel so bad" Callie told her.
"No don't. I'm sure they will understand" Sofia smiled. "I've got to do some homework and then I'll get ready" she added.
"I brought a cake for you to take over" Callie told her. "It's in the fridge, tell his family I'm sorry I couldn't make it"
"I will" Sofia smiled. "Now you rest up and I'll see you when I get back"
Callie was watching TV when the door rang again. Sofia had been at Casey's for a few hours, after getting a lift over from Arizona. Callie wondered how she was doing meeting her boyfriends mother for the first time. She was pretty nervous when she met Felicity's parents and Bianca's parents, so knew Sofia would probably be freaking out a little bit. Callie went up to answer the door.
"You know" Arizona told her. "I'm not sure about Summer Bay but in Mangrove River when someone can't make a dinner they've been invited to; they usually call"
"I told Sofia" Callie bowed her head. "Where is she?"
"Still at mum's place" Arizona replied. "She tried to make it out like she wasn't upset that you didn't show but I could see that she was. Mum was pretty upset too"
"I really didn't feel well"
"Sofia did mention your excuse" Arizona narrowed her eyes. "But I think we both know that it's not to do with my family or your pretend illness, is it?"
"I just thought, all things considered, that it would be best this way" Callie replied.
"I thought all this considered the opposite would be true" Arizona sighed. "You came to me and you asked to come like you actually apologised because you wanted to come along. What happened?"
"I told you I didn't feel well" Callie gritted her teeth.
"Well, you seemed fine this morning. And last night, actually you seemed more than fine last night" Arizona smirked whilst Callie shot her a look indicating that she wasn't impressed. "Oh come on Callie" Arizona sighed. "We can't pretend it never happened or are you just that sort of girl who sleeps with someone…"
"No" Callie interrupted. "Of course, I'm not"
"Then what?" Arizona asked, using her finger to tilt Callie's chin her way. "Callie?"
"It just wouldn't work" Callie told her. "This…us"
"Well, it seemed like it would last night" Arizona replied. "You knew it was right then, you knew it was what you wanted. What we both wanted. What we both still want now"
"I'm sorry" Callie told her.
"It took us so long to even get to here" Arizona replied. "Hey, look at me"
"You should go" Callie told her. "Please just go"
"Okay" Arizona nodded slowly. "But I know you want this just as much as I do" she told Callie who bowed her head and didn't look her in the eye. "Goodnight, Calliope"