Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's Anatomy, I just borrowed the name of the characters for entertaining, no intention to violate any copyrights.

Chapter 74

The dinner wasn't as pleasant as Callie had in mind. The blonde was being very quiet all the way from their home to the restaurant. She had to carry the conversations between them.

"How is your food, honey?" The brunette asked lovingly.

"It's okay." Arizona shrugged a shoulder, cutting her steak absentmindedly. Her mind was full and putting food in her stomach was the last on her list.

Plump lips pulled down to a disappointed pout.

"Ma'am," Their waiter came to the table with a bottle of champagne, holding it toward Callie. "This is the one you ordered."

"Good-" Callie nodded her head of approval and gestured the waiter opening it, but was quickly stopped by the other woman on the table.

"Callie, I don't feel like having champagne tonight." Arizona shook her head and waved the cutlery between the 2 plates. "Let's just finish the dinner and go home, okay?"

"Arizona..." The brunette put her hand on top of Arizona's across the table. But the ivory hand withdrew subtly as the blonde reached for the wine glass bringing it to her lips. Callie turned to the waiter with an apologetic smile. "Sorry for your trouble but we don't want the bottle anymore. Thank you."

Arizona put her glass down, chewing the inside of her mouth. She knew she was being a horrible dining companion but she just couldn't help it.

"You know," Determined to lighten the mood, Callie brought up a topic that she found amusing. "Mark is really having baby fever."

"Yeah?" The blonde answered carelessly. She felt her blood started to boil hearing Mark's name on the table.

"We were talking about that before you came home. He wants to have a child so badly that he even considers breaking up with Lexie, finding another woman to have a baby with him right away. Can you believe that?" Callie said with a chuckle in her voice, but she didn't get the reaction that she was expected.

"No wonder..." Arizona murmured under her voice.

"Huh?" The brunette raised her eyebrows questioning, but Arizona just shrugged a shoulder and twisted her lips slightly. So Callie continued. "I don't blame him for having that idea though. I mean, look at Sofia. She's just so delicious."

"I can see that he's half way in his process." A contemptuous little laugh slipped through the pink lips made the brunette frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, he has inserted himself in Sofia's life." The blonde put down her cutlery and looked right into the brown eyes. She waited until the realization hit the caramel face. "And you're pleased with it."

"We've talked about this, Arizona. It takes a village to raise a child." Callie ran her hands thought her long hair heaving a sigh. "And we've set the boundary with Mark. He totally understands that."

"Yet, he's at our home looking after our daughter right now." Arizona wriggled her eyebrows smiled bitterly before picked up her wine glass again.

"Arizona, you're picking a fight because you're upset with the complaint, I get it." The brunette took a deep breath, trying to reason with the obviously upset woman. "I know that it was supposed to be your parents' night to be with Sofia but she's not feeling very well and being difficult-"

"She is a mother of 2 children, Callie." Porcelain face tilted up challenging the brunette. "You think my brother and I were never sick when we were young?"

"I'm not saying your mom can't take care of Sof, it's just..." Callie closed her eyes and exhausted deeply. The whole night she was liked talking to a brick wall, finally she got some reaction and it was not going to the right direction. "You know Sofia always looks for you when she wakes up in the middle of the night. You are always the one who would pick her up as soon as she starts crying."

"You're saying I am spoiling her?" Blue eyes bulged out as if she couldn't believe what she just heard. "Or the purpose of me existing in her life is to pick her up when she cries?"

"No, don't twist my words, okay?" Callie made her voice as sweet as she could, and pulled up the brightest smile she could manage in this situation. "I'm just telling you that Sofia knows you love her. And she loves you too."

Usually the compliment would bring a smile on her face. But right now, Arizona just felt it was rubbing her in a very wrong way.

"I'm really tired, Callie. Can we leave?" The blonde placed the napkin on the table and waved for their waiter.

"You barely touch your food. And don't you want some dessert?" Bright smile on the Latino's face fell. "You like their cheese cake."

"No, I don't have the appetite." Arizona reached inside her purse for the wallet, ignoring the pout on the other side of the table.

Mark tilted his head toward the door when he heard it opened. Then he turned to the wall clock...

"Huh, you gals are back already? It's barely an hour and a half." He rose up from the couch about to greet his friends with a celebrating hug, but stopped to a halt seeing the frosty pale face, and Callie shaking her head from behind.

"Yeah, I'm tired." Arizona answered coldly. "Where is Sofia?"

"She's sleep-" The man waved his hand down the hall, and Arizona took off before he even finished talking. "-ing. What's wrong with her, Callie?"

The brunette dropped her purse on the couch in frustration.

"I don't know. I didn't even have the chance to… you know. She was just... we kinda..." Sorrowful brown eyes looked down to the hallway. "I don't know."

"Because of the HR thing?" Mark rolled his eyes and sneered. "I've told her that there's nothing to worry about."

"No, it's more than that." The brunette took a deep breath. She was not going to tell her friend that he was the reason of their little fight. "I don't know. I need to talk to her."

"Good luck." Mark let out a sarcastic laugh while picking up his jacket. According to the look on Arizona's face, he knew this talk wouldn't be fun and he preferred not to stay for that.

"Hey Mark." Callie walked the man to the door. She leaned against the doorframe looking uncertainly. "Do you... are you wanting to be Sofia's dad?"

"What are you talking about?" The tall man was already a few steps down the stairs, but he stopped and facing his friend with a frown.

"You said that you want to raise her with me." The brunette swallowed thickly. She was afraid to know the answer but she needed to clear the air before talking to Arizona about this again. "And you are always here for her..."

"Listen. I suggested that because you were not sure that Robbins wanted this or not. You're my best friend and I will always be here for you." Mark went back up the stairs, standing right in front of the brunette saying sincerely. "Do I want to be a dad? Yes. But Sofia doesn't need a dad, she has 2 great moms."

"But you teach Sofia to call you dada..." Callie chewed the corner of her lips asking doubtfully.

"Because blondie hates it. I'm just messing with her. That's what we do... Well, before you entered her life." Never the one being call pretty and dumb, it was not so hard for Mark to figure out Callie's weird questions had something to do with Arizona's insecurity. "She was more fun back then. She takes everything serious when you're involved. Do you know that?"

"What?" A small frown formed between the brown eyes.

"I've known her for years, Callie. We're not closed like you and me but we're friends. We make fun of each other about… well, you know, the women." Mark tugged the side of his lips to his trademark smirk. "She'd never taken anyone of them serious except you. She'd changed ever since she met you."

"I don't want her to change because of me." Callie exclaimed quietly. "I want her to be fun, and happy."

"Well, change is constant. And it doesn't have to be a bad thing. In a relationship with you, being a parent is making her happy. No one can say otherwise." The man put a comforting hand on Callie's shoulder. "She lost you once. And now she has you back in her life, plus Sofia. I guess she's being possessive because she's afraid to lose you again. You know she loves you more than her life, right?"

"I love her too." The response came out in a heartbeat.

"Then go have that talk." The man cocked his head toward the door. "After everything, you know better to figure things out before it gets worst."

"I will." Callie gave the man a hug before letting him go. "Good night, Mark."

"Good night." Mark retraced his steps down the stairs, but he didn't forget to remind his friend. "Ask her to marry you already."

Callie smiled softly as she closed the door. Yes, she should just propose to Arizona already. Gently opened Sofia's bedroom door, to her surprise, the blonde mother wasn't in there. She walked toward the crib giving her daughter a tender kiss on the forehead, chuckled slightly when the little face twisted to a lopsided smile from the gentle touch. She could look at that angelic face forever, but right now, she needed to find the other angel in her life.

Walking in the master bedroom, she prepared herself for a sullen Arizona but the woman was not there, not even in the bathroom. Quickly walked back to the living room, the kitchen, even the hallway bathroom, but the blonde was nowhere in sight.

"She wouldn't..." Callie said to herself as she slowly pushed open the door to the guest room. Yeah, there was a lump in the bed.

Arizona could hear the footstep around their home. She knew Callie was searching for her and undoubtedly, she'd be found in here. She just wished the brunette would take the hint and leave her alone for the night.

But her wish wasn't granted. A body slipped under the cover and snuggled up to her back. She shifted to the edge of the bed but Callie's body followed her staying close.

"Why are you sleeping in here?" Callie nuzzled the blonde's exposed shoulder, asking in a whisper.

"I thought we're fighting." Arizona answered coldly. "It's better to give you some space."

"No. You picked a fight." The brunette propped her head up on the elbow and the other hand rest on Arizona's hip, saying softly. "I don't want you to hide away in the guest room."

The blonde bit her lips to a thin line, not going to response to this. So Callie started again.

"Mark isn't wriggling his way into Sofia's life, I've checked with him again." The brunette said sincerely, hoping it would be enough to sooth her girlfriend. "He is just so desperate to have his own child that he-"

"He isn't the problem, Callie. You are." Tired of hearing the brunette defending the third wheel in their little family, Arizona cut her off in a huff.

"What?" Callie pulled back slightly. She had never been more confused than now. "What have I done?"

"You… Forget it." The blonde heaved a sigh and buried her face further into the pillow.

"Arizona," Callie leaned closer, coaxing in her sweet voice. "Remember that we have agreed to tell the other what's in our minds?"

After a moment of silence, Arizona finally turned around, facing the questioning brown eyes hovering over her.

"The other day, you said you wanted to marry me but when I tried to talk about it, you changed the subject. And then you said to my face that you don't the ring from me."

"When did I say that?" Callie squinted at the blue eyes.

"Right before I was dragged to the HR." Arizona twisted her lips, hurt lingering in her voice. "You said you don't want my ring anymore."

"Oh, that..." Callie threw her head back to a small laugh, and that just infuriated the frustrated woman.

"I tried not to urge you resuming our engagement because I want to give you time." Arizona sat up on the bed with her back against the headboard, glaring at the smirking brunette. "You were hurt and I was hurt. I know that we need the time to heal so I... I let you set the pace. But apparently you want me to stick around just because I'm the one who can put Sofia back to bed in the night."

"Sweetie, this is ridiculous." Callie tried but the grin on her face was too big to suppress. She now understood why the blonde was being so weird on the dinning table.

"Is it?" Blue eyes were clouded with angry tears instantly. She was pouring her heart out but Callie was just laughing at her face. "You said to my face. You don't want my ring. You said you want to marry me but deep down, you want to leave your option open. And you pick Mark over me. Now he is saying that he'd break up with Lexie, starting a family with someone who wants to have children, and you-"

Arizona choked in her breath when the brunette jumped out of the bed and left the room. She was right. Callie didn't want to spend the rest of their lives together and now, she's going to run after Mark. The tears that was harboring in her eyes falling down freely as her heart was clenching painfully hard.

But mere a second, Callie stormed back into the room with her purse in hand. After turned on the light, she held the bag upside down, emptying everything inside it onto the bed with a beaming smile on her face.

The items fell on the bed one after the other. Arizona's eyes widened seeing 2 little black velvet ring boxes appeared among the other stuff that was inside the purse.

"Another lesson of don't ever try to surprise you." Callie sat on the bed, picking up one of the ring boxes. She opened it and put it back down, then handed the other to the blonde. "I was going to give you this during dinner. I said I don't want that ring because…"

"You… you found it?" Arizona took the box with shaky hand. She didn't dare to open it yet.

"Don't be silly. Who can find a tiny ring in the freaking woods?" The brunette waved a hand gesturing the box. "Open it."

Taking a deep breath, Arizona opened the little velvet box and she gasped.

"This was..." Blue eyes looked between the content in the box and the woman before her. "This was my grandmother's ring. How... why...?"

"Your grandfather gave your nana this ring before he shipped off to Pearl Harbour." Callie reached out a hand, tenderly wiping off the tear stain on the porcelain face. "You loved to sit on her laps playing with this on her finger, listening to the stories about her and your grandpa."

"My mom told you that?" Arizona asked with a smile. She remembered the time she had with nana vividly.

"The colonel. I went over to your parents one afternoon, trying to apologize to them for hurting you…" The brunette let out a dry laugh. "It was tough, I'm telling you."

"He... he gave you a hard time?" Knowing her father, Arizona couldn't help feeling sorry for the brunette for facing the lion alone.

"I deserved it. He just wanted to make sure that I won't hurt you again." Callie shifted on the bed, moving closer to the blonde and clenching her free hand tightly. "I told him that I'm going to propose to you again, then he showed me the ring. He told me the story behind it. And how nana gave it to your mother on her death bed, saying that she hoped in one day, you'd give this to the woman that worth it."

"I always had a special bond with nana." Another wave of tears formed in the blue eyes but for a whole different reason. "When I told her I like girls, she had this big smile on her face. I was so afraid that she wouldn't understand, but she told me... she told me that I was still her darling little girl no matter I like boys or girls."

"This ring represents the undying love of your grandparents, and the love she had for you." Callie looked deep into the blue eyes. "I said I don't want the ruby ring that I threw into the woods because... I love that ring but it carried a bad memory, the terrible memory that we should never re-visit again. I want this one. I hope that I'm worth it for you to put this on my finger."

Pale face spread to a tearful smile. It was never a question. Arizona wouldn't dream of putting this meaningful ring on anyone other than this woman that held her heart. Despite all the ups and downs in their lives, Callie was the love of her life and she wouldn't think twice of putting nana's precious ring on the tanned finger.

Picking up the ring from the jewelry box carefully, the blonde brought it to her lips for a kiss and then slid it on its rightful place - all the while, Callie was wearing a wide grin on her face.

"See? We could do this in a more romantic place. Under the candle light in your favorite restaurant. But no, you had to pout the whole night and hid in here." Looking down at the ring on her finger, Callie couldn't help to tease the blonde.

"Shut up and kiss me." Arizona glared at her once again fiancée playfully. And the brunette gladly brought their lips together. But the blonde pulled back abruptly before Callie was able to deepen the kiss. "What's in the other box?"

"Oh, that." Callie picked up the other ring box with a smile. "It doesn't hold a big story as your nana's, but it's still pretty cool."

The brunette opened it and turned it toward the blonde. It was a simple white band with a teeny tiny diamond. Not fancy nor luxurious. Blue eyes gazed at brown in confusion.

"This was the engagement ring my father gave my mom when he proposed. You know, my mom came from money but my dad had just started his business. Money was tight and this was all that he could afford at the time." Callie looked at the ring lovingly. "Of course, throughout the years, my dad is able to buy her much more expensive jewelries. But to my mom, this one is heavier than anything."

"But why…" Blue eyes stared at brown still confused. If it held such important meaning to Lucia, why would she give it to Callie?

"When I told them that I decided to come back to Seattle, my mom gave it to me. She has no doubt that I'll get back with you because she knows how much I love you. She wants me to give this ring to you when the time came. This was her way to tell me that I have her blessing to marry the person that I want to spend my life with, even though it's a woman." Callie took the ring out of the box, smiling sheepishly. "It's small and plain, but this means a lot to my family. I'll get you something more... modern and beautiful later, but I really want to propose to you with this-"

"No, I don't need another ring. I love it." Arizona cupped Callie's ring holding hand with hers and looked deep into the soulful brown eyes. "I don't need a fancy big diamond ring, Callie. This one is perfect."

"Yeah?" The brunette returned with a heartfelt smile. Taking a deep breath, she readjusted her hands to hold Arizona's in hers. "Maybe I haven't done enough to show you how crazy I am for you, but please never doubt that I don't want to spend our lives together. I know that I'll regret it for the rest of my life if I don't ask you to be mine. Imagine my life without you terrifies me, Arizona Robbins. You are the only one for me. So I have to ask, will you marry me?"

"Do you think I'll say no?" Blue eyes twinkled with a mischievous smile. "You already had my nana's ring on your finger."

"Nope, but I'd really like to hear the answer from you." Callie glared at the woman with a feign annoyance made the blonde chuckle aloud.

"Yes, Calliope!" Withdrawing her left hand from the brunette's hold, Arizona spread her fingers with a dimpled smile. "Of course I'll marry you."

Carefully slid the engagement ring onto Arizona's fourth finger, Callie gazed into the pool of blue and saying from her heart. "I love you, Arizona. More than you know."

"I have a pretty good idea, because I love you as much, Calliope Torres." The two sealed the deal with a tender kiss. After the lips parted, Arizona let out a satisfied sigh. "I can't wait to be your wife. What do you say we go to the city hall tomorrow?"

"As much as I want it to happen soon, I want a wedding. I want to share this with our friends and families." The brunette caressed the beautiful face before her with a smile. As much as she wanted to marry this woman right away, she wanted this to be perfect and memorable. "I've thought about it. We can have our wedding in the coming summer, after the fifth years finished their board exam. You can have Karev overseen the PEDS department after he started the fellowship. Then we can take a longer holiday in LA for our beach wedding and honeymoon."

"You really have thought about this." The blonde was impressed. She didn't know Callie really had put some thought on it.

"Of course I have. This could have gone even more smoothly if you didn't throw the tantrum tonight." Callie stood up from the bed and pulled the blonde on her feet. "Come on, let's get out of here. I need to bring my fiancée back to our bed."

Followed out of the guest room, Arizona let out a squeak when the brunette attempted to pick her up.

"No, Callie. You're going to drop me." The blonde laughed out loud as she wriggled her body trying to get away from Callie's firm hand around her waist. And Callie was laughing as hard, bending down about to lift the wriggling woman off her feet with the other hand under her knees.

"I won't drop you. Do you know how many cases of beer I'd carried when I was working at the pub? I've told you that I'm going to bring my fiancée to our bed. So I'm going to-"

The playful antic stopped to a halt when an unmistakable bawl coming through Sofia's closed bedroom door.

"See? You have woken up our daughter." Playfully smacked at her fiancée's shoulder, Arizona giggled seeing the pout on Callie's face.

"Me? You're the one screaming." Callie wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist from behind and rested her chin on the ivory shoulder. Both of them looked toward the baby's bedroom hopefully. "Maybe she'd get back to sleep."

Well, they didn't have such luck. Especially since Sofia wasn't feeling that well tonight.

"I'll go get her." Turned to kiss her fiancée's cheek, the blonde was about to stride down the hall but she was spun around by a hand on her waist.

"No, I'll go get her. You wait for me in our room." Giving a little peck on the pink lips, Callie walked toward Sofia's room instead.

"But... as you said, Sofia wants me when she wakes up crying." Arizona asked with a little concern in her voice.

"Yeah, I said that to boost your ego, Arizona. Our daughter wants the both of us equally." Callie threw a flirty wink to the blonde before disappeared into the little girl's room.

Settled in their bed listening to the baby monitor by the nightstand, Arizona couldn't hold her smile.

"I am so sorry that mammy wakes you up, baby girl. Bad mammy, huh?" Callie was pacing back and forth with the whimpering baby in her arms. She could feel her daughter was getting calmer and calmer under her voice by the second. "But we love her, right?"

Sofia chose this time to let out a hiccup that made the mother shook from chuckling.

"Okay, I'll take it as a yes."

Still smiling from the one side conversation through the monitor, Arizona was surprised to find Callie entered their bedroom with their daughter still in her arms.

"I think she's a little warm, Arizona." As a doctor, she knew the low fever was unavoidable while the baby was teething. But Callie also knew that the blonde would like to check it herself.

Sitting up from the bed, Arizona opened her arms to take the baby. She pressed her cheek against Sofia's forehead and frowned slightly.

"A little. But not so high."

"Should we give her something?" Sitting down on the bed, the brunette mother placed a hand on their baby's back stroking tenderly. The women smiled seeing their sleepy baby snuggling cozily against mammy's chest. She was content of being close to both mothers.

"She's not there yet. Maybe wait till the morning see if it came down." Arizona said softly. Nuzzling the soft dark hair, breathing in the intoxicating baby smell, blue eyes looked up hopefully. "But we should keep a close eye on her tonight."

"I know it's not a good idea to bring her to you." Knowing what was in the other woman's mind, Callie shook her head with a smirk. "She can sleep with us. But you know that means there is not engagement sex for you tonight, right?"

"Oh don't worry." Lifted a hand to bring the caramel face closer by the neck, Arizona whispered against the full lips. "We have the rest of our lives together for that."