Her lips were still tingling.

It was the first thing Callie thought when she woke up, even before her eyes were open, and that had been nearly an hour ago. Her lips were still tingling from the kiss that she and Arizona shared. If she had thought that their first kiss all those months ago was seared into her memory – and it was – then this one was going to be imprinted right into it.

With a quiet groan, she threw her arm over her eyes and sighed, even though she didn't have to even really be quiet. Because for the first time since being on this trip, she wasn't sharing a room with Arizona. The house had three guest rooms – all rooms she assumed belonged to Robbins children at some point – and when they had returned inside from sitting outside last night and gone up to go to bed, Callie's suitcases had been put in one room, while Arizona's had been placed in another.

Another room as in at the complete other end of the hallway. Not that she'd specifically checked or anything, but there was a linen closet, a bathroom, and two bedrooms between them. Her grandparents must have thought it would be nice for them to get some alone time.

Yeah, that or they assumed you were going to be defiling their granddaughter if you shared the same room.

I – excuse you?!

You heard me. They're onto you.

There is nothing to be "onto!"

By my count there are two kisses, and a promise to talk.

… Regardless, I wouldn't have tried to "defile" Arizona in her grandparent's house.

You don't have to tell me; I've been trying to make you jump her bones for months and there are still no results.

I don't – I'm not –

We're past this whole denial thing. It's long gone, so don't even think about going back.

I wasn't. But I am done with you.

With that, Callie threw the blankets off of her and she sat up with a stretch. She wasn't lying to herself – whatever was going to happen between them, she wasn't running from it. However, she was completely unsure of how it was going to happen and what she was going to say, and what Arizona was going to say!

She could hardly confess to having these, these feelings towards Arizona for almost a year. Not only did just the idea of that make her stomach erupt in panicked, anxious butterflies, but for all she knew, it would make things weird between them.

Which, knowing herself, something was already in the cards to make things weird; that was just her luck.

And then there was Arizona. The blonde had a lot of experience with other girls – she knew that practically firsthand, and the thought made her grimace, a flash of jealousy kicking in. But the point of it all, was that Arizona had… experience.

She'd been with many other girls, and not one of them had lasted very long. None of them had even been dating. She had all of these feelings for Arizona, and she was only just figuring out how to deal with them; she didn't know where to go or what to do with that.

Added to the fact that she had no idea where Arizona was in all of this? It just made the whole situation seem that much more confusing. And a little daunting.

Which was why she'd stayed in the bedroom since waking up – waking up at a ludicrously early time in the morning for a morning when they didn't have any plans to be up early, she might add. Arizona had rubbed off on her, in a way that made her want to curse at the blonde, but all it really made her do was feel a warmth in the pit in her stomach.

Aaaand do you know the only way you're going to start to resolve these confusing and daunting feelings?

Don't even start.

That's right! By talking to Arizona. Ding ding ding, we have a winner! So get your ass up, stop putting off the inevitable, and start figuring this out.

Propelled forward by that thought, she stood up and made her way to the dresser, where she'd taken out some of her clothes, before she stood to look at herself in the mirror, hands dropping to the wooden surface.

Last night, she kissed Arizona. Or, Arizona had kissed her, but it was the same thing because she was a very willing participant. And she wanted that kiss again. She wanted more, and it was that realization that had kept her frozen last night. When she had felt Arizona's hand slip under her sweatshirt, she wanted to pull her closer, deepen their kiss; devour her whole, if possible.

Which had scared her, and given her pause. Given her enough time for her brain to catch up to what was actually going on, and she'd frozen.

But the world hadn't ended, and dark eyes ran over herself in the mirror.

Black hair, tumbled and messy from sleep, same as any other morning. Eyes, nose, ears, lips – all still the same. The sun was still shining outside, and she could faintly hear some birds chirping. There were sounds of life downstairs, muffled voices and the smell of food being cooked.

Everything was the same, even though she had kissed Arizona, and liked it, and not immediately tell herself that it was a mistake that she had to regret.

Narrowing her eyes at herself, she took a deep breath and held it in for a few seconds to try to quell her nerves before shakily whispering, "I like Arizona."

Of their own volition, her eyes darted around the room as if she was going to see the blonde pop up from somewhere, saying gotcha! Or as if one of her parents would emerge out of the blue, holding a bible.

Alas, nothing happened, and she took in another breath, feeling slightly less nervous this time, her hands unclenching. She looked herself in the eye, holding the gaze, as she murmured, "I like Arizona. Who is a woman. Romantically."

Even more of the weight that she had barely even realized was pressing into her chest – and she didn't know how long it had been holding her down there – lifted, and she found the corners of her lips pulling up into a smile, because it felt like she could really do this and things would be okay.

"I have… sexual desire for her," she managed to get out, still staring herself down, feeling triumphant when the lick of panic that shot through her was brief, and her urge to deny went away with it, "I kissed her, and liked it."

More like, loved it.

If only it were possible to buy your own inner voice a muzzle.

Just lending a helping hand!

She rolled her eyes at herself, "Fine, loved it. I kissed her and loved it, and I want to do it again." Her voice grew progressively stronger, until she was standing with her shoulders back, and she could see her own confident pose reflected at her, which gave her enough self-assuredness that her voice was steady and at a normal speaking volume, "I like Arizona. I am attracted to women, and I've acted on that attraction, but I'm still me and everything is going to be okay."

Feeling somehow calmed by this, she grabbed her clothes and nodded at herself again. She just needed to figure her shit out at this point, and that she couldn't keep going back and forth, and letting herself panic and freak out at the slightest bit of uncertainty.

There was still that part of herself that she could feel inside that was telling her she had to pull back and run; that was that panicky feeling. Run back into the safety of delusion, the easiness of pretending that there was no substance to the feelings that Arizona gave her.

But the part of her that had been smothered for so long was now active, and dominating that particular disagreement. The part of her that felt like the world fell away when Arizona had kissed her, the part where nerves were also excited thrills at the idea of she and Arizona being something more, that part had roared to life.

And it was refusing to be silenced anymore.

She was going to deal with that, and she repeated the same words she'd told herself in the mirror under her breath as if encouraging herself, before she reached out to pull open the door.

The upstairs was vacant – despite it only being just after nine in the morning – as she walked quietly down the hall and into the bathroom so she could shower.

And repeated her mantra in her head, to keep pushing her forward. It still didn't help her have any idea what exactly she was going to say to Arizona when they were going to talk, but it made her feel more confident that she wasn't going to completely freeze up when the talking was going to happen.

She took her time wondering through the house afterwards, before she made her way downstairs. Much of the walls were wood paneling, and littered with pictures. Along the wall down the stairs, there was a progression of photos that she'd noticed last night, but hadn't had the time to really look at.

In each photo was an assembly of what she assumed was the entire Robbins family. There were Arizona's grandparents in the center, surrounded by the three couples – Arizona's aunts and uncles – as well as two other sets of people, that she assumed were another aunt and uncle as well as Arizona's parents.

But she couldn't place who was who. Regardless, in front of all of them were a plethora of younger people. The grandchildren, she could tell. In the first picture she looked at, she couldn't help but smile. Arizona was in the bottom center, and she couldn't have been older than thirteen or fourteen. But she had blonde hair in braids and a big dimpled smile, her face youthful.

In Arizona's hands was a sign that read Robbins Family Reunion, 2006. And as she walked down the stairs, the signs progressively read 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2014, dating back to the previous summer.

She kind of wished she could take more time to just look, because these were things she wanted to know about Arizona – had wanted to know for quite some time. Things about her past, about her life. And there was photographic evidence right in front of her.

But she'd already taken a couple of hours to stay upstairs, and she didn't want to be found poking through the house, so with a deep breath, she followed the scents and the sounds into the kitchen.

Where Arizona was standing with her grandmother at the counter, their backs toward her, so she took the moment to just observe.

The blonde in question was dressed in a pair of short white shorts, leaving her toned, slim legs bare. Her feet were also bare, toes now painted red – she wondered for a moment when Arizona even was doing things like repainting her nails when they spent so much time together. She was wearing a cute, flowing baby blue tank top that left her shoulders and arms nicely on display.

Very nicely.

And a part of her wondered how in the world Arizona could put her hair in those pigtail braids that it was in right now, and just be so… so cute and yet not look like a child. It was almost mind boggling.

But not as mind boggling as it was to her how much she was getting the urge to walk right up behind the blonde and press a kiss right to the back of her neck. Which was such a weird thing, right? That wasn't a normal place someone wanted to kiss, right?

However, she did, and the thought made her suck in a deep breath as her cheeks flushed.

The sound drew attention of the two women who had previously been making small talk as they made what Callie could now see were pancakes. Her gaze first went to Arizona, who turned to look at her, and she felt her stomach erupt in butterflies as those pink lips tipped upwards into a grin, blue eyes sparking to life in a greeting smile.

And she swore that her voice was a notch lower than usual when she said, "Good morning, Calliope."

Even though the name didn't grate on her – maybe it was just because it was dripping from the lips that had been pressed against hers last night – she still purposefully frowned in exaggeration, but before her jokingly biting remark could pass through her lips, she realized that Arizona's grandmother was right there, and…

Okay, so she had no idea where she and Arizona stood, but whether they were anything, um, beyond friends or not – god, this would be so much easier if she knew where Arizona stood – but she felt this ridiculous need to make Arizona's family think well of her. She couldn't help it.

So she didn't let the retort about her name fall, and instead bit her lip and crossed her arms from the nerves in her stomach as she tilted her head, and forced a smile to her lips, "If you can classify waking up this early as "good" then, sure."

The way Arizona's eyes glinted at her with a silent laugh was more than enough to make her feel better though, even as her grandma turned around, wiping her hands on a dish towel as she did. Quickly, Callie's anxiety came back, full force.

There was absolutely no way she could forget the fact that the older woman had definitely been spying on them the night before, and had certainly seen that they'd kissed outside. She knew because Grace had made it no secret that she had been in the kitchen the whole time, nor did she even try to pretend she wasn't throwing them sly looks.

The memory of it made her blush even more – she'd nearly tripped over her own feet in panic at the idea that Arizona's grandmother had seen them last night – and she cleared her throat, "Um, good morning Mrs. Robbins."

Arizona's grandmother grinned widely, waving her hands, "Oh, this Mrs. Robbins business again! Don't be ridiculous; it's Grace. Nothing changes that," she added, inflecting her voice just so Callie knew exactly what sort of things she was talking about.

Callie bit down on her bottom lip, as her stomach clenched a bit tighter with anxiety. Maybe having their important discussion at Arizona's grandparent's house wasn't the best idea. Yeah, it should probably wait until she wasn't surrounded by all of Arizona's loved ones.

This morning was the first time she'd ever been able to admit that she had these feelings for Arizona out loud; it seemed a little fast for her to also know that the blonde's family knew – or, or thought they knew… what was between them.

Placing her hand on the counter next to her, she took a deep breath, and managed to smile, which wasn't that difficult even when she felt this uncertainty, because Arizona's grandmother was like, really sweet and kind of adorable.

And, well, it quelled the rest of those feelings storming around inside of her by the way Grace's expression was so clearly happy. As though it was a good thing Arizona brought her to meet them, a good thing that she'd seen them kiss.

Callie knew with certainty that her own grandmother wouldn't feel the same way. And this warm look of acceptance was making her feel a kind of comfort she didn't know she needed before this moment.

It made her breathe easier and the smile that took back over wasn't forced at all, "That's good to know."

The older woman lit up and opened her mouth to say something before Arizona cut in, "Grandma, didn't you want to finish knitting those booties for Caroline's baby shower? I can finish up breakfast with Callie."

It was only then that she saw the way Arizona was standing, shoulders tensed, and blue eyes cut to her grandma and then to the doorway. Huh – so maybe Callie wasn't the only one who wasn't sure about having what was between them known by the whole family?

She didn't know how that made her feel, exactly. But she was amused by the absolutely indiscreet way Arizona was trying to get rid of her grandma.

Who simply narrowed her eyes at her, "Sweets, I finished those this morning, before your sleepyhead was even awake. And while I know you can make Grandma's Pancakes –" she looked over at Callie with a small, affectionate smile, "I taught her how to make them myself," before she continued, " – it just wouldn't be right to make your girlfriend do the cooking here when she's visiting, especially for the first time."

The air she had just taken in caught in her throat at the word girlfriend, causing her to make a choking sound before Arizona crossed her arms, whispering, "Grandma, I told you, we aren't girlfriends."

But the older woman gave Arizona a placating smile, and reached up to gently pat her cheek, "Oh, come on. There's no need to hide here, you know that. I might be getting up there, but I know a relationship when I see one."

Callie took in the scene with wide eyes, and mostly found herself… fascinated, though still a bit anxious. And she did take relief in the way Arizona was also blushing, and the blonde threw her a look before shaking her head and letting out a sigh, "I'm not hiding anything. Callie and I are friends."

The moments of silence that beat between them after that were heavy with the knowledge that they were friends… who had kissed. And all three of them knew it.

But Grace didn't push anymore, and with a slight shake of the head, she gave Callie a soft smile, "Young people." She did so with a sigh, as she knew more than Callie and Arizona did.

And when she caught sight of the way Arizona had set her teeth and was now motioning for her to leave through the doorway again, her eyes widened, before she muttered – loud enough for Callie to hear, "If you wanted some alone time with your girl, you could have simply said so, Sweets."

The sly smile the older woman gave to her as she walked past Callie made her heart freeze in panic for another second. But the moment passed quickly, and she was calm again. Calm enough to talk, she thought.

She took a few steps closer – but not close enough to be able to be sucked in by the amazing way she knew Arizona would smell; she needed to be as clear-headed as possible because the idea of this talk was already kind of nerve wracking – and leaned back against the counter a few feet away.

For a few moments, she watched the way Arizona poured some pancake batter onto a griddle, with her eyebrow wrinkled in thought in this little cute way. But the silence was making her antsy – which was strange, because typically silence was a comfort for her.

Now, it was just weighing down because there was so much they had to talk about. So much, on her end, that she suspected Arizona didn't even know. Couldn't even know.

But she had no idea where to start with that, so she chickened out and figured it would be better to start on a much more neutral topic. With that, she cleared her throat, "So, what are the plans for today? After pancakes."

Arizona blew out a breath, and she gave Callie a look out of the side of her eyes, "Well…"

From the doorway, a southern twanged voice hissed out, "The baseball game!"

Callie jumped a bit and found herself chuckling as Arizona turned on her heel and Callie was certain very nearly stomped her foot as she huffed out a breath, "Grandma!"

"I'm going now!" she popped her head through the doorway with a grin and a wave, before she clearly walked down the hallway.

Finding herself somehow calmed by the interaction, she turned back to Arizona with a grin, "A baseball game?"

The blonde nodded, speaking slowly, "There's a minor league team here – the RockHounds – and my family likes to see their games. You said last night that you wanted to say goodbye to my family properly, and a lot of them are going to the game this afternoon. I mean, that's if you wanted to stay. If not, we can leave after breakfast and keep going," she finished, looking up hopefully at Callie, and the look made her chest feel all warm.

She thought about her sister's wedding, and the fact that they were going to be arriving only two days before it, given their original schedule. But… that still gave them another day, so it was fine.

Dark eyed narrowed in thought as she looked at the way Arizona had on that kind of nervous face, and she thought about the easy smiles and laughs that the blonde had had last night with her family, "You liked being here, with them." and it wasn't a question so much as an observation.

Arizona looked at her a little strangely, as she tilted her head, answering quietly, "Yeah. I mean, I get to see them – at least, my grandparents – a few times a year, but when I was little and we lived all over, I mostly only got to spend the summers here. And, I mean, they're my family."

She said it in such an obvious tone, that it made Callie wonder if there was any way that Arizona considered people who didn't like to spend time with their family. Not that Callie actively didn't like hers – she did – but sometimes it was nice to love them from a distance.

Callie watched her for another few seconds before shrugging lightly, "Then we'll stay. What's another night?"

Did she want to spend another day with Arizona's family? She didn't have anything against them, and she really had enjoyed spending time with them last night for the most part. They were funny, boisterous, and interesting. They gave her a key look into the woman that she really, really liked.

A look that she wouldn't be able to ever get anywhere else; quite literally, Arizona came from these people. Was shaped by them.

And one look at the way Arizona had been watching her, waiting for her answer – because Arizona was actually going to do what she said, even though the blonde clearly wanted to stay – well, that already gave Callie her answer. It didn't matter if it was what she wanted, because it was clearly what Arizona wanted, and Callie had found several times already on this trip that she wasn't that great at not giving in to what Arizona wanted to do.

It could become a frighteningly easy habit, if she let herself fall into it.

The way Arizona smiled at her, reflected in the moonlight was dazzling, and she kind of felt like her throat was all tight and it was hard to swallow, "Thanks!"

Those dimples popped and she hopped back, away from the griddle, and Callie found herself with her arms full of Arizona, as the blonde's arms looped around her neck in a hug. All of the air that was in her lungs rushed out at the feeling of Arizona pressed against her like this, and her own arms had hardly wrapped around Arizona's waist before she felt the blonde's breath hitch along her neck.

Her brain almost couldn't handle this – it wasn't right to be so affected by a simple hug, right? But these sparks shot through her every single time they touched, and always had.

What would it feel like when they got even farther?

She knew Arizona had to have felt her shudder, and those arms around her tightened just a bit and inched down, which made her freeze in the best way possible, because this whole physical thing between them? It was easy.

It was the talking part that she needed to woman up and learn to do, especially because she knew herself, and she knew if the talking didn't happen, nothing good was going to, either. And she might not know exactly what to say or how to say it, but she knew that she wanted this, and with that, she pulled back before she could get sucked in, and her voice was almost as hoarse as it had been after their kiss, "I –"

And when the back door slider opened, Callie's cheeks heated, and she jumped back, because getting caught in Arizona's arms in her grandparent's kitchen wasn't something she could handle.

Arizona huffed out a breath as she took a step back as well, blue eyes narrowing slightly at her grandfather, who lifted his eyebrows between the two of them, and then that gaze landed on Callie, and she felt like he was scrutinizing her, so she stood up straight and tried to appear innocent.

Which was crazy, because she was innocent, they'd only been hugging!

Then his gaze warmed as he moved it to his granddaughter, who was back to flipping the pancakes onto a platter, "Want me to get out the orange juice?"

She knew Arizona enough to know that the smile she gave her grandpa was strained, "Yes, please. The pancakes are almost done."

Callie was frozen at the counter, and she couldn't help but feel like she hadn't measured up. Which made her panic in a whole different way than she was used to – it wasn't a panic about liking Arizona, it was the next phase. The phase of, they were together and she wanted Arizona's family to like her.

Which was happening before they could even talk about whether or not they were even together!

A mess, she decided, this was turning into a mess.

When Arizona had told her earlier that the Robbins family liked to go see the games of the Midland RockHounds, she had been under-exaggerating. They all had actual fan-gear on. Shirts and hats, and they were cheering like crazy.

Callie would be lying if she said she was unamused by it all; they treated the game like it was the World Series.

The entire Robbins family that had been there last night weren't all at the game; one of Arizona's aunts and uncles weren't there, and neither were two of her cousins. But her cousin Jared was there, and she was sitting between him and the blonde.

Her entire attention was on the way they argued with one another, heatedly debating about the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Texans – which Callie was pretty sure they were both football teams, but she couldn't be positive.

Jared was nearly red in the face as he whisper-shouted, "You only like the Cowboys better because you're not a real Texan!"

Callie didn't think she'd ever seen Arizona's eyes roll so hard as she bit back, "I like them better because they are better!"

She was somewhat disappointed when their argument got cut off as something really good happened on the field for the RockHounds; she wasn't really into baseball or up on the rules of it, but everyone in their section was standing and cheering, so she made her own conclusions.

Instead of joining, she turned to look at Arizona with an uncontrollable smile pulling at her lips, and the blonde faltered in her clapping as she caught her. Arizona lifted an eyebrow in question, and Callie refused to look away, even though her first instinct when getting caught staring at Arizona was to look away and pretend she wasn't.

It was different, for her, but she found that the resulting thrill that shot through her when Arizona held her gaze and smiled back was so much better than looking away.

I like Arizona. I like this.

I've been telling you that for months. This could have happened – this new sense of excitement – months ago if you'd just listened to me.

Ughhh you're still annoying even after I've accepted that this is my lot in life.

The grin on Arizona's face was soft, much like her voice as she inquired, "What's with the look?"

Callie shook her head and shrugged, "It's nice to see you interact with your family like this. I don't know."

Smooth.

But Arizona gave her a confused look, that quickly turned sympathetic, "You don't get along with your family?"

She was quick to shake her head, "No, no, I do. I just don't have this," she gestured to down the row of Arizona's family, "You have this thing all together, and you are close with your cousins," she finished with a smirk, tilting her head at Jared, "Close enough to get into ridiculous arguments."

Arizona narrowed her eyes, "Oh, because you don't have any experience when it comes to senseless arguments!"

Callie lifted an eyebrow, "Not with my family," she murmured, before clearing her throat, "And definitely not with any cousins. They don't exist."

The blonde scooted closer to her, presumably so they could hear each other easier, but all Callie felt was the way she pressed against her so closely, and she shivered.

But Arizona didn't grin at the response to her proximity, but instead just looked interested, "You don't have any cousins? No aunts or uncles?"

"Nope. My mom is an only child, and my dad has a brother. But he's never been married or had kids," her parents like to joke that he was a perpetual bachelor. Callie used to do it, too, but the more she'd thought about it since having these feelings toward Arizona, the more she'd wondered if they were all wrong.

Or, if deep down, her parents knew but they purposefully ignored it because they didn't like it.

Which might be something they would do, she acknowledged, and she tried to shake off the gnawing feeling in her stomach, and instead only focus on Arizona.

Who was frowning a bit at her in sympathy, "Do you have any siblings?"

She imagined Aria – who was at this moment in Tijuana doing god only knew with her friends – and that feeling in the pit of her stomach dulled even more as she smiled, "Yeah, a sister. Aria. She's a few years older." Biting her lip, she thought back to the night before, and stated, "You have a brother, right?"

Which made Arizona beam, and Callie really liked being the cause of that smile, because it set off flutters inside of her, "Yes! Tim; named after my grandpa. He's a few years older, too." But before she talked more about it, she shook her head, "Are you close to Aria?"

Callie paused, before taking a few moments to answer, "We're not… not close." The dry look Arizona gave her made her chuckle, "We get along; we're just not best friends," she expanded, "Are you, with Tim?"

The answering soft smile on Arizona's face was more than the answer she needed even before the blonde answered, "Yeah, we were always really close growing up. I mean, that's the case for a lot of people who grow up moving from military base to base."

She ate the information up, just like she had days ago when Arizona had told her about the places her family had lived due to her dad's military career. Just like she had retained all of the information she'd learned about Arizona on this trip.

And just like she'd taken in any and all information about Arizona by living next to her and being in classes with her for the last year.

It was almost embarrassing how much she liked the blonde. Almost frightening – to herself, at least. She really, really liked Arizona. So much that she did know what she wanted from her, despite the confusion and the way she told herself she didn't know. She wanted to have more nights where she held Arizona the way she did that time in Chicago. She wanted to have more mornings where she woke up with her lips pressed against that soft, warm skin where she didn't panic.

She wanted to be able to kiss her under the stars and not have to talk about it afterwards, because it was all figured out. She wanted to have Arizona's family like her and refer to her as Arizona's girlfriend.

Callie wanted it all, with an intensity that couldn't be silenced anymore, and it terrified her. Just as it terrified her that she knew Arizona couldn't be feeling the exact same way she was, because she had been harboring these feelings for much longer.

With that in mind, she cleared her throat and shakily stood, pulling away from Arizona's warm and comforting body, despite the questioning blue eyes on her, "I, um, I'm going to get something to drink. Do you want something?"

"I can come with you?" Arizona offered, clearly confused, but Callie quickly shook her head.

"No, no, it's okay. You should enjoy the game. I'll be right back," she easily bypassed Jared, and made her way up the concrete stairs, trying to find her confidence from the morning.

I don't know what you're even freaking out about. Arizona clearly likes you.

But not – not as much as I like her. And I want to be with her, but then there's everything else.

Like what?!

Like… my family. Like telling people in general. I've been bullied enough for one lifetime back in school.

Callie. You –

The deep clearing of a throat behind her made her jump in surprise, spinning around with a hand pressed against her rapidly beating heart, to see that Arizona's grandfather had joined her. Joined her or followed her, she wondered.

Either way, he was standing there, all cowboy looking, and intimidating despite the fact that she is positive that he must be in his seventies.

His presence was not helping with the nerves, and she shoved her hands into her pockets, "Um, hi, Mr. Robbins." He nodded at her, still looking at her intensely, and she inched back as much as she could in the concession line, "Is there… something you want?"

He reached up to tug at the bill of his hat before nodding, and turning to look out at the field. As if this conversation was just a casual chat, "I have ten grandchildren – including Arizona. Did you know she was my first girl?" he asked, somehow both casually and not at the same time.

She really didn't know where this was going, and she shook her head, waiting for him to continue.

He nodded, his gaze turning back to her, "I had five sons, and Arizona's six older cousins are all boys. Now, I was worried about that; I've raised a lot of kids, but never a girl. But Arizona… I went to the hospital the day she was born, and held her in my arms. So tiny. She hardly ever cried, and she looked at me like she knew I was worried about her." He paused for a few seconds before saying lowly, "She's special."

He lifted his eyebrow at her, as if expecting something in response.

And Callie could herself blushing and this anxious feeling settle in the pit of her stomach as she nodded, "She is. I agree." And it wasn't surprising at all to her that she knew the words were ridiculously true, and that she really did mean them.

Which seemed to satisfy the older man, though he still stared her down, "You know what she was named after?"

She slowly shook her head – she's gleaned an embarrassing amount of information about the blonde in the guise of "being neighbors" but the story behind her name isn't something she could possibly know, "Uh, no, sir."

He lifted an eyebrow, nodding slowly, "My father served in Pearl Harbor, on the battleship USS Arizona. And on the night Pearl Harbor got bombed, he saved nineteen men before he died himself. I was just a toddler then. My mother raised me to never forget that sacrifice, and I did the same with my boys. Out of all of my boys, Daniel was the only one who followed in my father's footsteps in the military. And he named Arizona after the ship my father died on," he paused, and looked down at the seats, and when she followed his gaze, she saw it land on his family, before he continued, "It's a big name to live up to in this family. And that girl… she's been living up to it ever since the first time she smiled up at me, with those big blue eyes and dimples. She hasn't stopped living up to it ever since."

The story made Callie's chest ache with an emotion she's not even sure she can name.

Can? Or won't?

Either way, all she knew was that this old man who kind of scared the crap out of her in the abstract was actually a giant softie, and that she had the crazy urge to give Arizona a nice, long hug. Like to hold her and actually just enjoy it.

Instead, she averted her gaze and looked out to the seats in front of them, "I didn't know any of that, but I agree that she's… great." Which was an understatement.

But there was a part of her that felt like he was telling her this without knowing the whole story. She was hearing it under false pretenses, and she was somehow intruding on something when she and Arizona hadn't become Callie and Arizona – without even knowing if they would become that.

He gave her a speculative look, "I'm glad we agree…" he trailed off, but looked like he had more to say, and he didn't hold back, "To be perfectly honest, you seem like a nice young woman. You're in medical school, you've got manners, and several members of my family enjoy you. By all accounts, you have a good head on your shoulders. But of course I'm going to be skeptical about the first woman my granddaughter brings home."

Her eyebrows winged up at that, and it made her wonder more about Arizona's romantic past, but she couldn't let herself get too caught up in that, so she shook her head lightly to bring herself out of it.

With a deep breath, she tried to get rid of that intimidated feeling and lay it out, honestly, "I'm a decent person, Mr. Robbins. I mean, I made mistakes, but I'm – I like to think I'm a good person. And I think Arizona is… really awesome." Callie bit her lip, weighing her indecision before she just decided to be completely honest, "It's just, Arizona and I aren't – we're not actually together."

His eyes narrowed at her word choice, before his eyebrows lifted, "I seem to have walked in on a rather intimate embrace in my kitchen this morning," he reminded her – as if she needed it – before adding, "And my wife said she saw you two kissing in the backyard. Is that true?"

God, if she denied it he was probably going to think she was calling his wife a liar! She shook her head, feeling herself blush, "Well, yes we did – but –"

Mr. Robbins nodded resolutely, "You have romantic feelings for her. And I've seen the way she looks at you. I can go for months without seeing her, but I know that girl, and I know that she is looking at you like that because she has those feelings right back."

Even though she logically knew it was true, that Arizona had to feel it – after all, she was the one who kissed her, too, she didn't know it would be such a relief to hear it confirmed, and her voice was weak as she asked, "Really?"

He nodded, taking in a deep breath before continuing, "So maybe you aren't "official" or however it is these days. But there are a lot of feelings between you. And I've also seen how cautious you are. Which is why I felt the need to tell you that Arizona deserves to be with someone who isn't going to push her away or keep her in the shadows. That girl needs to shine."

Callie didn't have anything to say to that. Because he was right. Arizona did deserve to shine, and now, with the acceptance of her feelings toward Arizona, came the worry that she wouldn't be able to be what she needed.

They moved forward a couple of steps in line, as she chewed on her bottom lip, and worked up the courage to say, "Can I ask you something?" When he gave a nod, she took in a deep breath, thinking to her own family and upbringing, "You – and your family – are a southern, military-oriented family. Did that matter when Arizona…" told you she was a lesbian was on the tip of her tongue, but she was choking on it, "When you knew she was going to bring home girls instead of boys, how did you, um, react?"

His eyes narrowed a bit in thought, as he spoke slowly, "Well, it was a surprise. And at first, I didn't know how to take it, but my granddaughter was standing there in front of me, seventeen-years-old, telling me she was gay. Looking like a ray of sunshine, like always. Standing up for herself, just like always. Being brave, because I know it scared her, and I could see that she was the same girl she'd always been."

Her eyebrows furrowed in thought, picturing the scene. It was nice – comforting to know that. To know that this family who held "traditional" values could accept Arizona for everything she was, even if it wasn't something they knew.

And she didn't think she was that brave, to tell her own family.

Callie realized that something of what she was thinking must have been obvious on her face, because she felt a warm, calming hand land lightly on her shoulder, "I know this road isn't the easiest. But those are the ones that are usually worth it the most."

With a small squeeze to her shoulder – this interaction had taken an unforeseen turn – she was left alone again with her thoughts.

"Damn, that was a great game!" Jared exclaimed as the Robbins clan – and Callie – exited to the parking lot, and there were several sounds of agreement that followed his statement.

Everyone was heading back to the two cars they'd taken to get here, and she knew that the plan was to head back to Arizona's grandparents for some dinner and something about a game of charades.

But as she reached for the handle to open the door to the backseat of Arizona's grandma's car, she felt a hand – that she instantly recognized as Arizona's – on her arm, effectively stopping her.

When she turned to give the blonde a questioning eyebrow, she was met with a serious look that sent a shiver down her spine. A shiver that felt both good and bad, as Arizona informed her family, "Callie and I are going to walk back. We'll meet you there."

The drive to the place had been pretty short, so Callie knew it was only a couple of miles. She also knew it was time for the talk. Arizona's family gave them a knowing look, which just made her blush, especially when she heard a comment from one of her aunts about the "young lovers needing some alone time."

Callie cannot get the words off of her tongue that she has liked Arizona for so long. She can't do it, and she knows it's frustrating Arizona.

The first few blocks were done in silence, as Callie contemplated how to start this – what exactly Arizona wanted to talk about. Thankfully, she didn't have to wait long, as Arizona huffed out a breath, "This is ridiculous."

Her slight pout as they continued along the sidewalk made the tightness in Callie's stomach loosen up, and a slight smirk pulled at her mouth, "What is?"

"The fact that we are two grown women, and we can't even start a conversation about the fact that we've kissed," Arizona's arms flung out to the sides slightly, her voice exasperated.

And as much as she wanted to just be amused by the exasperation, she couldn't help but take in her words. They were two adults, who had something going on between them, yet were dancing around the issue.

Which, as much as it was her own fault, sounded stupid even to her own ears.

So she cleared her throat and rolled her shoulders, as if she was expecting a really tough conversation. And, well, she was, "What do you want to say about it?"

At that, Arizona paused, before she crossed her arms and threw Callie a thoughtful look, "Have you ever… been with a woman before?"

The question surprised Callie, but it was easier to answer than whatever she'd been expecting, so she just shook her head, her voice coming out lowly, "No, never."

She could see the appraising look she was getting, but kept her own gaze straight ahead, until Arizona asked, "Have you been with anyone before?"

The laugh that barked from her mouth couldn't be stopped and she turned to the blonde, lifting her eyebrows, "Yes, Robbins, several people."

Arizona held up her hands, "Okay, I just wanted to check!"

As they walked, Callie tapped her fingers lightly against her thighs, "Have you ever been with, um, a man?"

Now it was Arizona's turn to laugh, "No. Well, I did kiss one, once. He asked me to go to a homecoming dance with him, and it was before I came out, so I agreed. Let's just say… it wasn't a feeling I wanted to repeat."

Even though Arizona was joking, her words made Callie bite her lip in thought. She wasn't like that. She liked kissing Arizona – like, a lot – and for a few moments, her eyes darted to Arizona's mouth. But she'd liked kissing men in the past, too.

Which, that made sense, right? Bisexuality was a thing. And as much as she'd tried to deny it, she knew that it was most likely her thing.

Arizona clasped her hands in front of her, and that move coupled with her braids, made her look almost unbearably adorable, as she shook her head, "But – between us. We kissed."

Callie hesitated, but nodded.

And then the shorter woman added, "Twice."

Without having to explicitly say it, she knew Arizona was referencing that first time, months ago, at the party. But Callie didn't know if she could delve into that right now, so she kept her focus on the most recent, "About last night…" god, everything had felt right. She'd had Arizona right there against her body, and they were pressed so close, and the moment was just there. but she hedged, "What did you think?"

She couldn't stand how weak her voice was.

But Arizona regarded her with a dry, somehow amused look, "Calliope. What do you think?"

Dark eyes narrowed with frustration, because this was just going to go in circles, and she sighed, "I think that you… are a flirt sometimes, with women. I mean, we talked about it the other night at the pool."

Arizona's eyes narrowed back at her, tilting her head, "You're going to have to be a bit more clear."

She froze – she didn't want to be insulting, "I just mean, ugh. Are you – where are you in this?" she managed. And was pretty proud of herself for that.

The blonde's face was inscrutable and they walked in silence for a few moments before she answered, her voice low and honest, "I liked our kiss last night. I've liked almost everything on this trip with you. Except for the parts where…" she trailed off, and Callie cringed, absently rubbing a hand over her stomach where it tied itself in knots.

Because of course she knew what parts Arizona was talking about – the parts where she'd been a bitch. And she knew Arizona was waiting for her to speak, so despite the fact that a part of her wanted to just skip this part, she knew she couldn't.

Not if she ever wanted to get to the parts that were worth it.

Her hands tightened into fists at her sides as she forced the words to come out, even though they escaped in nearly a whisper, "I told you that when I get scared, I push people away," and she paused until Arizona nodded, waiting for more, before she blew out a breath, "And you make me really nervous," she admitted.

"So, it wasn't just the cuddling," Arizona surmised, "It was the cuddling with me," her voice was cautious, and definitely interested.

She chanced a look at Arizona, feeling her cheeks head, but she nodded, "I – yeah. I liked it, a lot. And it scared me, so I kind of acted like a bitch. It's what I do," she shrugged, but grimaced, "Not that it's a good thing, but, it's true. And I'm sorry."

The blonde accepted it with a nod, giving her a questioning look, "So you're not really freaking out today?"

Taking in a shuddered breath, and smirked down at her, "I wouldn't go that far, Robbins." She thought about how she felt when she woke up, "But… I'm accepting it – myself. Accepting myself," she corrected with a nod, and looked down at the sidewalk as they turned onto the street with Arizona's grandparent's house on it.

"So, you want to kiss me again, too?" Arizona asked, her eyebrow arching up.

Callie hardly managed to take in a deep breath, but she did, and with it, nodded, "Yeah."

"And… you're okay with that?" she questioned, and Callie dared to believe she looked hopeful.

Yeah, she really wanted more than anything to kiss her again. Like, now. Licking her lips, she found herself saying, "I'm getting there."

Arizona's grandparent's house was coming into view by now, and Arizona turned to look at her, "I want to know if you want to explore what's between us. Because there is something here, Calliope, and I know you've been fighting it. I get that you might not want to really explore it, but I like you. I like you a lot." Blue eyes rolled at herself as Arizona shook her head, "I like your smirks and your teasing and your bad attitude, even – when it's not actually directed at me. I just need to know if you like me, too."

And even though her voice was strong and sure, Callie could tell she was nervous about it. Not that she could blame her, because she kind of felt like she was on the edge of a cliff. But the only thing standing in her way was herself, because she had just gotten it – the reassurance that she wasn't alone here.

Arizona wanted this, wanted her, and not just physically.

They'd just reached Arizona's car, and Callie gave in to exactly what she wanted, as she reached out to trace her hand lightly over Arizona's, fingertips sliding over her soft skin until she could grasp her hand properly to stop her from walking forward.

It was still daylight, right out in the open, and Callie could feel anxiety slide through her quickly, and just as quickly it was over taken with a much more acute need, as she pushed Arizona lightly against the side of her car, and turned to face her, stepping in so closely that they were almost touching but not quite.

This was okay – Arizona wanted this, and so did she. Callie wanted this so much.

So she dipped her head and went in for it, her mouth first pressing a kiss against Arizona's jaw, brushing her nose against Arizona's cheek. And the doubt and the fear that was rooted inside of her was chased completely from her mind as she inched up to cover Arizona's mouth with her own.

It wasn't soft like the night before, or as hurried and needy as the first time she'd kissed her. The kiss was something new all on its own, and all Callie could consciously think was that it felt so good to have Arizona's lips against hers, her body arching closer, until Callie stepped forward even more.

Close enough to press the blonde's slim hips back against the car with her own, and she was surprised with her own forwardness, yet not at all because this was something she'd thought about for nearly a year.

At the move, Arizona's mouth opened against hers in a quiet whimper, and she felt her hands slide into her hair, one hand holding Callie against her, while the other tightened into a fist as Callie ran her tongue along Arizona's bottom lip.

She tasted good. So good, and Callie didn't want to have enough; wasn't sure if she could, and she reached her hand out to loop two fingers into the belt loop on Arizona's jean shorts, just so she could hold her there, as her tongue started to dip into the blonde's mouth.

It was the door swinging open feet away, just across the lawn, and a few voices of Arizona's cousins coming out that few them apart, and this time Callie didn't freeze. She didn't feel like she had to.

Arizona leaned back, and Callie could feel her soft panting breaths hitting her cheek, and those hands in her hair tightening ever so slightly in her hair, "Not that I'm against that, but I would like more words, too."

There was a teasing tone, but also an underlying seriousness that Callie understood. But before she could say anything, Jared noticed them, and jokingly called out, "Not together… right. Get your butts in here, dinner's being made and we're picking teams for charades. I call Callie."

She was torn between being amused and being annoyed, and it seemed that Arizona fell only on the annoyed side. Either way, they made their way inside, the backs of their hands purposefully brushing as they went.

At the dinner table, barely an hour later, Arizona's grandmother quieted down the conversation that was around the table, and then pointedly looked down the table to where Callie and Arizona were sitting, as she leaned forward with interest, "You know what I've been wondering? How you two first met."

Dark eyes darted towards Arizona, who rolled her eyes up at the ceiling for a moment, before she sighed, and Callie could tell that she was going to brush it off, much like she did with all of the other questions that were brought up about "them."

Not that she blamed her.

But before Arizona could say anything, all Callie could think of was how Arizona wanted "more words" so she took in a deep breath; she was Callie Torres, and she could do this. Especially because this was the start of something worth it – so she hoped – and after all of the times she'd pushed Arizona away and been rude to her, she figured she owed something back.

So, she chanted in her head be brave, be brave, be brave, and the memory easily came back to her, "Arizona and I first met last August. I was moving into my apartment – the one right next to hers – and I had stacked a few of my boxes up in the space between our front doors, as I went to check on something inside. Arizona accidentally knocked all of my stuff down –"

She was cut off by Arizona's grandma covering her mouth with her hand, "Oh, Sweets."

Arizona's cheeks reddened, "I didn't know any boxes were even there!"

Callie bit her lip to stop her smile, even as nerves swam through her, "It – it really wasn't her fault. I wasn't even upset about it, even though a lot of the stuff in the boxes broke. It… it was an accident, and I was honestly too flustered to even say much, anyway. Because the truth of it is that the day before I moved in, I went to check out the apartment. And that turned out to be the day Arizona was moving into her apartment. That was the first time I saw her."

She felt her heart start to race at the fact that she was telling this to anyone, let alone Arizona and her entire family over dinner, but it was too late now, and if she wasn't that great with her words on the walk, hopefully this would tell her enough on it's own.

Swallowing hard, she forced herself to continue, "I pulled up in the parking lot that day and got out, only to see this incredibly beautiful blonde, standing outside of her Prius, looking kind of frustrated at all of her boxes, and I just – froze. I couldn't even move for a few minutes, because I was shocked still. I've never… never felt that instantly attracted to someone. Instantly like I…" she trailed off, closing her eyes for a moment to gather enough strength to continue, "Like I wanted to know her. Everything about her. Like somehow, I was enamored with her without even knowing her."

God, she couldn't bear to look at Arizona yet, as her cheeks flushed, "I eventually got out of my car, when this blonde had managed to stack so many boxes in her arms to try to make less trips, that she couldn't even see over them. And I watched her right into the doorway of her apartment, so I ran over to her, not even really thinking about what I was doing, and kind of just… directed her in. She laughed and –" and the sound was… enchanting.

Callie's breath caught in her throat at the attention in the room and she dropped her eyes to her plate, a smile pulling at her lips as she thought about that moment in time, "And she thanked me, then that was it. But the next day, when it was her who knocked all of my stuff to the ground, I couldn't even be upset. I was just… glad that I learned her name."

At the time, she'd been embarrassed and her heart had been racing, and even know she knew the way she felt when she was developing an infatuation, she refused to acknowledge that was happening with Arizona at that moment.

After she stopped talking, it was silent, and she could feel her face burn – maybe there had been a good reason why she had kept that to herself all this time. Because it made her sound crazy.

It's sweet.

Apparently it's fucking insane!

Well, maybe because you've kept it in for so long that you might sound crazy. But… the sentiment behind it is sweet… right?

You would think these people would like it! They all think we're already dating!

Tough crowd.

Callie hoped that if she closed her eyes hard enough someone would pick up on the cue to move on. It was like she could literally feel herself closing up, about ready to say something snarky, like… somehow play this off like a joke.

Until Arizona's grandma let out a sigh, "That was the cutest story! Aw, honey!"

Her eyes snapped up, to find everyone in the room giving her warm, soft looks, that didn't make her embarrassment fade, but they did erase the panic. So, she managed a smile, even though she was sure it was a bit shaky.

And she nearly jumped when she felt Arizona's hand land on hers, gently entwining their fingers. Her own didn't tense – she just didn't have it in her after that – but she kept looking forward as the conversation slowly built up again around them.

Then the fingers on hers tightened, and she felt Arizona pull her hand into her lap, tugging on it a little bit more, giving her these warm feelings running up her arm. She knew what Arizona wanted, so after a few seconds, she took in a deep breath and worked herself up to facing the blonde.

Who was looking at her with those big baby blues. They were wide open, and she could see that Arizona was impressed and confused and mostly, she was looking at Callie with an expression she'd never seen before, but it was like Arizona could see her. See right through her, as her eyes bore into Callie's own. She knew that she'd just opened up a whole other subject to discuss, but she couldn't bring herself to really be upset about it.

Her heart skipped a few beats, but she maintained the eye contact, until Arizona broke it… and then a blonde head rested on her shoulder. It made her feel comforted. Soothed.

She'd admitted out loud to not just herself, but Arizona – and more – about just how long she'd had these feelings. And the world was still turning, still going the same as before.

Lightly, she tilted her head so she could feel Arizona's soft golden hair brushing her cheek. Maybe the world was even better than it was before.

Please let me know what you think! I love hearing all of your thoughts and opinions, thank you to everyone who already does so. I apologize for the length of this chapter; it got away from me! And thank you for reading.