Chapter 7

"Calliope, please…Let me come visit you. Let me take you on a proper date. Please…" Arizona pleaded, praying with everything that she had that Callie would give in.

…

Immediately after Arizona hung up the phone with Callie she booked her flight to Seattle. The days went by excruciatingly slow. Callie had indeed given in and allowed Arizona to fly out for a visit, on two conditions. 1.) They both must promise to resist any temptation and take things slow. And 2.) Sophia couldn't know that Arizona was coming. Callie hated keeping such a big secret from Sophia but she had to be completely sure that Arizona was all in before she got her daughter's hopes up. Over the years, Callie had had her fair share of women. One of the perks of having a child with your best friend…handy babysitter…but no one was every worthy enough to meet Sophia. Callie always was a little over protective of Sophia, as she knew a heartbreak for her could mean a heartbreak for her daughter as well. She didn't want her daughter to get attached and then things not work out. She also expected the same from Mark and any of this love interests. But…Hopefully, this go round with Arizona would be different. Very different.

Callie ran around the house like a frantic teenager going on her first date. After all, it was her first date, her first date with Arizona in almost seventeen years. She had a half an hour left before Arizona would arrive. Arizona insisted on tonight being a real date, she would pick Callie up at her house, take her out on the town, and drop her off at the end of the night. If she was lucky she might even get a goodnight kiss.

Callie stood in front of the mirror examining herself, "What if she doesn't find me hot anymore?" she muttered. She turned around to inspect what she was wearing from behind. In a panic, Callie peeled off all of her clothes discarding them on the floor and feverishly started rummaging through her closet…for the seventh time. When she emerged from the room she had two choices in hand. "Alright, Torres. Blue or Black?" she asked herself. 'Black' she decided as she pulled on the fitted ruched, strapless mini dress. Looking in the mirror and seeing how the dress complimented her caramel colored skin tone, "Damn, I still got it." She said aloud, happy with her outfit of choice and wanting to give herself a high five. She tousled her hair one last time before hearing her doorbell ring.

When Callie opened the door she was taken aback at the beautiful woman that was standing before her. "Arizona…" the lump in her throat would barely allow her to speak more than a whisper. "Hi…I'm so glad you're here." The blonde walked right into the hug that was waiting for her in Callie's arms.

"Good evening, Calliope." Arizona's eyes were as wide as saucers as she took in the sight of the Latina before her. "You look….amazing." she admired. "You ready to go?"

Arizona led Callie toward the car, placing a hand at the small of her stunning dates back. Once they reached the car, Arizona opened the door and looked at Callie and said "After you, Pretty Lady." Callie smiled at the overzealous behavior of her partner, "When did you become such a gentlemen?" Callie joked. "Oh, Calliope…there's a lot of new things you get to find out about me." Arizona replied with a wink.

Walking in to the restaurant Arizona couldn't help but think that even after all these years they were still a striking pair. Once inside they were greeted by the maître d' "Good evening Ladies. Welcome to Le Pichet de Rouge"

"Hi. We have a reservation at six for Arizona Robbins."

"Ahh…Dr. Robbins, it's a pleasure to have you dine with us tonight. Please, follow me." The two women followed the tall man through the dining room and to their destination, set off in the corner next to the window, offering them a great view of the city. Once at the table the man pulled out a chair for each of the women to sit and handed them both their menus. "Can I offer either of you a glass of wine?" he offered.

"Pinot Noir" both women said in unison. They both glanced at each other and smiled. Even after all these years they both felt as if they've never left each other's side…as one.

"Calliope…" Arizona took hold of the lovely brunette's hand that was sitting before her, staring into her heart melting, chocolate brown eyes. "You are just as beautiful today as the day we first met."

Callie giggled a bit but couldn't hide the crimson color that rose in her cheeks. "Ha! You're too kind but I bet I have a few wrinkles that may have to disagree with you on that." They both laughed at her comment. "Arizona, you said dinner. You didn't say you were taking me to the most expensive place in Seattle." Callie oozed with excitement.

"I just want tonight to be special. We have sixteen years to make up for…"

"Arizona… Don't…"

"Don't what?" the blonde questioned, a hint of fear in her voice.

"Don't keep thinking about the past and how much we need to make up for. Especially not tonight…" Callie squeezed Arizona's hand to reassure her. "We have a lot to talk about but not tonight. Tonight…let's get to know each other again. Let's enjoy ourselves. Enjoy us for…"

"Welcome Ladies. My name is Javier and I will be you waiter tonight." the young man smiled at women sitting before him. "Are you ready to order?"

Callie looked at the waiter trying to hide her irritation for his interruption.

Arizona took the moment to catch her breath. She couldn't believe that after sixteen years she was at dinner with Callie. Her Calliope. Her excitement was a little foreshadowed by the fact that she felt a bit anxious. Arizona had changed a lot over the years. Was she still the woman that Callie fell in love with so many years ago.

"Arizona?" Callie brought the blonde out of her thoughts. "Are you ready to order?"

"Oh…Oh yeah…" she did a quick once over of her menu hopefully her daydream went unnoticed. "Umm...I'll have the 'Fricassee de Poulet' please."

"Oui, Madame. Very excellent choice." Javier took their order and proceeded to take their order to the kitchen.

"So…Callie, I want to know everything. What have you been you been up to all this time?" Arizona asked.

"Not much. You know doing the whole Ortho thing. Oh, Dr. Chang retired about 10 years ago, since then I've been the Chief of Orthopedic Surgery."

"Wow! Callie, that's great!" Arizona celebrated.

"And when I'm not crackin' bones, I have Sophia to keep my hands full." Callie's face lit up at the thought of her daughter.

"Sophia… She really is an astounding kid." Arizona gushed at the thought of the teenager that had already made an impression on her. "I've only had a few interactions with her but I can tell she is a great young lady…And gosh, Callie she is beautiful. She looks just like you."

"Thanks. But she is still in the dog house with me." Callie laughed at the thought of her daughters shenanigans. "I can't believe she got you to fly all the way out here."

"What can I say?" Arizona asked. "The Torres women have a knack for making me want to hop the next flight out to come see them."

The women laughed in unison. "What about you?" Callie asked.

"Well, I've been watching over the tiny humans at Children's Hospital Boston for about fifteen years now." Arizona answered.

"How do you like Boston?"

"I love it. It's a great city. And I can't complain one bit about working at the best children's hospital in the nation. I just wish there was more…."

"Here we are, Ladies." Javier arrived with their meals. One again Callie had to fight to hide her annoyance at the man's presence. "Fricassee de Poulet for you." He said as he placed the plate in front of Arizona. "And Blanquette de Veau for you, Madame." He placed the plate in front of Callie. "Is there anything else I can get you, Ladies?"

The two thanked the waiter and locked eyes for a brief moment before starting in on their meals. Both were overly conscious of every movement that they made, careful not to spill or get a piece of spinach stuck in their teeth. With every bite they took, the butterflies in their stomach seemed to settle. It became easier. It seemed like they had been doing this for the last sixteen years…like they had never missed a beat. Arizona suddenly reached out to grab Callie's hand one more time…. "Callie, I love that you are here with me."

…

Walking hand in hand the two women slowly headed toward Callie's front door. Standing on the front porch, Arizona hoped the night would never end. She took both of Callie's hands into her own. "Calliope, I had an amazing night. I'm afraid if I blink I will wake up from this dream." Arizona said looking deeply into the eyes of the woman she had dreamed about for so many years.

"I know…" Callie reached up to wipe the tears that were forming. Finally happy tears… "I can't believe I'm falling for you all over again."

Arizona reached out to Callie, wrapping her arms around her waist to pull her in for a hug. "Calliope, I love you…I've always loved you." At that moment all sense of control was lost. Arizona leaned in capturing Callie's lips in a passionate kiss. Callie felt her knees buckle, as she felt those incredible lips. All of their love passed through their intermingling breath. They released their lips and leaned forward so their foreheads were resting against each other's.

"Forget about taking things slow…Come inside with me, Arizona."