A/N: Thank you all for the great feedback on the first chapter. I'm so glad that you guy like it.

123321 - Thank you for the compliment. Have you read Luxury? That one seems to have gone over well also.
Nyla - definitely won't be doing that ;)
logan - Luxury does need a rewrite if I'm going to get it published! I'm glad to see you again in my inbox :)

Enjoy :) And don't cry too much.

It's Sofia's birthday today. But it's still early so I have some time to myself before she wakes up. You've been gone for two weeks now and we haven't heard from you. Things must be crazy over there, or else they changed the rules since I was knee-deep in all that military stuff. At least that's what I'm hoping it is. I can't really stand the thought of it being anything else. Mark has been wonderful. He's let Sofia stay over here at night. I didn't even have to ask him, but I think your daughter is telling him secrets about me. The coffins are back, except these coffins aren't tiny. They're big coffins, polished and black, draped in the American flag and being unloaded from a jet plane. It's not every night, but it's been three times since you left.

I'm off track. Mark has been wonderful. I don't know if I could do this without him, but I suppose I'll have to soon. Sofia has done wonderful things for him, Callie. You would be proud of him. He's going to New York for a few weeks, to visit his parents. Something about a new beginning. He wants them to one day know his daughter. I think it's super, but Sofia will miss him. At least she knows that Daddy is coming back. She believes that you are, but sometimes, especially at night, I know she wonders. I wonder. Mark got engaged, I haven't been able to tell you yet. He proposed to Lexie a few days ago. She said yes immediately. She's been amazing with Sofia.

Everyone loves Sof at the hospital, they take such good care of her for me when Mark and I are both working. She and Tucker are the best of friends at day care. She's going to miss him when they go off to school in the fall. Oh Callie, you wouldn't believe how big he is now. He watches over Sofia like a guard dog, but she won't have any of it. Kind of like her Mama. But they can relate to each other I suppose; one mom who works all the time, part time Daddy. Bailey has Eli, and I've got Mark, I guess. It's not the same, but it's close.

I don't want to cut this short, but Sofia will be awake soon. She actually didn't want a party. She just didn't want to have to go to the hospital today; she spends so much time there. So I convinced Weber to let me off. We're going to the park, and we're going to ride around on the ferry, and I'm going to attempt to make tacos for dinner for me and her, and Daddy and Lex, and Bailey and Tucker. Eli couldn't get out of work tonight. She wants Mexican all the time now, Calliope. Anything to be close to you, she wants. That old blanket that you've had since you were a kid? She refuses to let me take it and put it away. She says she's going to sleep with it until you come home. She just wants her Mama back, Callie, and I don't know what to do anymore. It's been two weeks and I'm out of things to say. I'm out of reasons. Every day she asks me when you're coming home and why you had to leave. How do I answer a four, now five, year old when I can't even answer myself? Mark has run out of answers too.

I hear little feet. Me time is over. I'll write you again soon, Calliope.

I love you.

Not two seconds after she sat that notebook on the bed side table, her bedroom door was flung open and a sleepy eyed Sofia was climbing into her bed. Callie's blanket was tucked up tightly underneath her arm and her thumb was in her mouth. Arizona looked down at her. "Did we forget something, birthday girl?"

Sofia looked up with half closed eyes. "Good morning."

"Are we supposed to knock before we throw open doors?"

A yawn stifled Sofia's response.

Arizona laughed. Callie would have her head for the lack of discipline going on lately, but she couldn't help it. "I guess since it's your birthday, I can forgive you this once."

Sofia snuggled up to her mother. "Sleepy."

"Then what'd you get out of bed for?" Arizona asked.

"I thought Mama would be here. It's my birthday."

It made Arizona's heart break into a hundred little pieces. All Sofia wanted was her Mama. "Honey, I told you, Mama–" but she was cut off by the phone ringing. Confused by who could be calling this early, she picked up the receiver and checked the caller id. She didn't recognize the number, but she had a feeling. Looking at Sofia, she handed her the phone. "Answer it and say 'Hello, Torres-Robbins residence.'"

Sofia eyes the phone warily before pulling her thumb out of her mouth and doing just as her mother told her to do. Arizona fought a giggle as her baby tones came out of her sleepy mouth. But she saw it before she heard it. Sleepy eyes brightened and a super magic smile pulled at the corners of Sofia's mouth. "Mama!" the little girl squealed. "¿Comó estas?"

Arizona listened quietly to the one sided conversation as Sofia impressed her Mama with her Spanish and giggled.

"I'm five today!"

"I miss you, Mama."

"You safe? What do you do?" Sofia listened intently as Callie responded and Arizona made a mental note to ask her what Callie was saying.

"Can you come home soon?" Arizona watched Sofia's face fall. "Oh. Mmhmm."

"You promised you'd come home safe."

Sofia smiled again. "Okay. I love you." She held the phone out to Arizona. "She wants you."

Skipping a grammar lesson, Arizona took the phone. "Calliope?"

"Arizona, hey baby," Callie's birdsong voice greeted her ears. "How are you?'

"I'm great," Arizona lied. She knew better. "How are you, sweetheart?"

"Hanging in there," Callie sounded tired. "I called in a favor to be able to call her today. But I couldn't miss her birthday completely. It's not so bad out here. But it's not home. I miss you so much."

Arizona knew that Callie was lying too. It was bad there. She could hear it in her voice. "It means the world to her, Callie. You should see the smile on her face right now." Arizona was lying again. It did mean the world to Sofia, but the little girl had tears streaming down her face. Arizona sniffed back her own tears. "But I miss you more."

Callie wasn't fooled. "It won't be forever, baby. I'll be home soon. And then it'll be like you blinked."

"I hardly think it'll feel like that, Calliope. Just come home safe? Please. Please just come home safe," Arizona begged.

"I will, Arizona."

She couldn't stop the tears. She had to change the topic. "Mark got engaged."

"He did?"

"Yeah, Lexie said yes before he finished the question. It was cute."

"I'm proud of him, he finally grew a pair," Callie chuckled. "Tell him that I said hi and that I miss him. And I can't wait to tell him congratulations in person."

"I will."

"I have to go. I love you so much. And tell my little girl how much I love her."

"I will. Tell Teddy and Owen hello and that we miss them. I love you, Callie. We'll be fine. You worry about coming home as fast as possible."

"Goodbye baby."

"Bye, Callie. Be safe." She hung up the phone and set it down on the bed. She picked up Sofia's chin and wiped away the little girl's tears. She smiled through her own and pulled Sofia into her lap. "Good birthday present?"

Sofia nodded sadly. "She called me."

"She did," Arizona smiled. "She called just to wish you a happy birthday. She said she loves you more than anything." After some sniffles and tears, Arizona managed to get Sofia talking about what Callie told her and let her mind wander as the toddler babbled. She had lied to Callie about how well she was doing. She was miserable, but Callie didn't need to worry about her. Callie didn't need to worry about her being alone. Callie didn't need to worry about Sofia and her tears. Callie needed to know that she was loved and missed. Callie needed to worry about getting home safely. In some ways, it had been better when they hadn't heard from her because the pain hadn't been quite so fresh.

A knock on the door brought her out of her reverie. A deep bass voice made it past the closed front door. "Hey! I have breakfast for a birthday girl!"

"Daddy!" Momentarily forgetting that her Mama was gone, Sofia hopped out of the bed and ran to the front door to let her father in, Callie's blanket in tow. Mark strode over to the table, dressed in his pajama bottoms and a white cotton shirt, carrying the largest stack of chocolate chip pancakes that Arizona had ever seen in her life. He set the plate down on the table and then added a full bottle of syrup. Shrugging into her robe, Arizona reached the table just as Mark leaned down and pulled Sofia into a fierce hug.

"First present of the day," he smiled.

Sofia shook her head. "Nuh uh."

"Aww," he looked up in mock anger at Arizona. "Mommy beat me to it. What'd you get?"

"Not Mommy," Arizona said.

Mark looked down at Sofia. "Mama called," she whispered. Mark held her close as new tears sprang up from her eyes. He looked up again at Arizona for conformation.

She nodded, messy blonde curls shaking. "She said to tell you hi."

He nodded.

"You just missed her. She couldn't stay long," Arizona said. "She misses you."

He smiled. "We're fine. She just needs to worry about getting back here to our birthday girl. Right Sof?"

The little girl nodded.

Arizona admired the way he handled moments like that, because she could see in his eyes that he missed Callie too. And he was deathly worried for her. But he never let Sofia see. As they sat down for breakfast, Arizona caught Mark's attention. "You and Lexie are still coming over for dinner tonight, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it," Mark said. "What is Mommy burning tonight, Sof?"

"Tacos!" Sofia exclaimed. "Cuz Mama can't be here. And Mama loves tacos."

"Mama loves fajitas," Arizona corrected.

"But I'm not big enough for them yet. They're hot," Sofia told Mark as if he wasn't aware.

"Tacos it is then," Mark smiled.

Sofia was holding Arizona's hand as they walked through the park later that day. It was an overcast day and the threatening clouds looked as though they would spring a leak at any moment. But Sofia didn't mind and Arizona was just as happy as she was to walk around lazily. The atmosphere wasn't affecting her daughter in the slightest. After breakfast, she had perked up noticeably and the smile hadn't left her face. Something told Arizona that it was an act, but she wasn't willing to call her out on it just yet. It wasn't fair that she was having to grow up so fast and be so strong at just five.

Feeling cold drops of water on her neck, she looked up at the clouds once more. A sweet cool rain was falling down from the dark sky. She turned her gaze down to Sofia to ask if she wanted to leave and saw the little girl holding her hands out, catching the rain in her palms. The flowers that she had collected were lying haphazardly on the ground. "What are you doing?"

"Catching Mama's tears," Sofia said, as if it was simply the most obvious thing in the world.

"What do you mean?"

"Mama couldn't cry on the phone. So she sent the rain I could know she was missing me. When mom's and dad's go away, the rain is their tears because they miss us."

Arizona beamed at her child logic, but she knew that those words stemmed from Callie. Sofia took Arizona's hand and pulled her fingers out of their fist, spreading her palm out.

"Mama misses you too, Mommy."

They stood together, catching the rain in the palms and letting Callie shower their faces with her tears.