Chapter 3: Ten Kids

It was that easy for both of them. They quickly got back to work, readjusted to life in Seattle, and found a donor; within three months Arizona was pregnant with Callie's baby. The pregnancy was as smooth as could be expected at Arizona's age. They had ups and downs and disagreements about names and color schemes but most of the time, pregnancy hormones or not, Arizona remembered they were in it together, and nursery wall colors didn't really matter all that much.

Almost a year to the date of their arrival back in Seattle Arizona gave birth to a beautiful, slightly dark skinned baby girl with a really health set of lungs and dark curls just like her Mami. Callie and Arizona finally decided on a name days before and Arden Christiana Robbins-Torres was perfect.

Arizona and Callie spent the next few months finding the perfect house to continue to raise their family in; big but not too big, with a back yard for their kids to play in; a master suite that they could treat each other like queens in. And almost as soon as they were settled, Arizona went back to work and they found a very happy balance between work and their family. The managed to get individual time in with Arden, while managing time the three of them could spend together, and though they were fewer than the former, they did still manage time for just them.

"Mama! Mama, Maaa Maaa!" three year old Arden yelled from her play room.

"What baby?" Arizona half-yelled as she ran into the play room, afraid of what was making her little-Latina-love scream her head off.

"Mama!" Arden chuckles when she sees the look on her Mama's face, "Oh, hi Mama."

"Arden, baby, don't yell like that unless there's something wrong okay, sweetie," Arizona says sitting on the floor and cupping Arden's face in her hand. "You scared Mama, I thought something was wrong."

"Something is wong, Mama." Arizona gives Arden her best you-better-have-an-explanation look before her three year old continues. "Mama, why don't I have a little bwoder or sifster like you and Mami did? I don't want to be an only. Can't we pwease have another baby?"

Arizona giggles a little her daughter. "Baby, that's something Mami and I have to talk about, okay? It's a big decision and it's something we don't want to be wrong about."

"Mamiiiiii!" Arden screams, as she gets up and runs to Callie who had just entered the room.

"Hi baby," Callie says picking Arden up, "What did Mama tell you about inside voices?"

"Sorry Ma'am." Arden says quietly.

"Thank you," Callie and Arizona say in unison. Arizona stands and walks over to her best girls.

"Hi baby," Callie says now to Arizona, placing a quick kiss on her lips.

"Hi." Arizona replies, her smile growing wider by the minute. She takes Arden from Callie and places her back in front of her toys on the floor. "Arden, why don't you play for a few more minutes and then wash your hands for dinner, okay?"

"Otay!" Arden shouts. "Sorry ma'am; inside voice."

Callie and Arizona both shake their heads as they leave the room hand in hand and head to the kitchen.

"So Cal, guess what Arden asked me today," Arizona says while preparing a salad. Callie, unable to read Arizona's eyes with her back turned can only tell by how hesitant her voice sounded that this wasn't a throw away question. Getting no answer, Arizona stops prepping the salad and turns to her. She sees the apprehension on Callie's face but continues anyway. "Calliope, she asked me when we were going to have another baby."

"She what?"

"She said she doesn't want to be 'an only,' I guess she meant only child. And said that it wasn't fair that I had a 'bwoder' and you have a 'sifster'." Arizona explained.

"Well at least her s sound is getting a little better…" Callie joked.

"Calliope, this is serious, maybe she's right. What have we been waiting for? We're not getting any younger."

"I know, but can we talk about it later, I have a feeling there are little ears in the vicinity." Just then Arden rounds the corner a little too quickly for her Mami's liking.

"Arden, what did Mami tell you about running in the house?"

"Not to. Sorry Mami. What is vin-cin-ity?" Arden asks. Callie gives Arizona her told-you-so eyes before setting the last of their dinner on the table.

"Mama, is vin-cin-ity something big you have to ask Mami about like our new baby?"

"Arden, I told you earlier, Mami and I have to talk about a new baby. When we make a decision we'll let you know, but until then I don't want any more questions about it, okay?"

"Yes ma'am," Arden says quietly.

"And Arden baby," Arizona says kneeling down next to her chair, "We need you to be okay if we decide not to have another baby, okay?"

"Yes ma'am." Arden responds with sad eyes that match her Mami's.

Dinner passed quietly; baby thoughts filling the air around everyone. Arizona and Callie both consumed with questions as to how their lives had brought them so far without ever talking about another. If they were honest with themselves, they'd both say they were just so busy with Arden that another baby was never factored in. But honestly, they also both worried that the other had changed their mind. Callie was so afraid that Arizona meant what she said to Arden about them not having another. And Arizona was petrified that Callie wasn't excited by her earlier announcement.

Arden was quiet the rest of the night, afraid that if her Mama and Mami decided not to have a baby it was because she was being bold, and she promised herself she'd try to be good-er.

Having put Arden to bed a little early, Callie met Arizona in their bedroom and slowly climbed onto their bed sitting next to her.

"Arizona, can we talk now… about the baby."

"Calliope, do you not want another baby?" Arizona asks, looking up from her book.

"What? Why would you think that?"

"I don't know; you just seemed so… so nonchalant about it earlier. I thought you'd be excited about it."

"Are you excited about it?" Callie asks her, ignoring her inquisition; honestly, she'd just been caught off guard earlier. She hadn't processed it yet, another baby.

"I am, Calliope. I really am." Arizona responds slowly, afraid that it was the wrong answer.

"You are?"

"I think life just happened to us. More kids was always the plan, wasn't it? I mean we may not be able to carry the rest of our kids, I mean we aren't spring chickens anymore, but I definitely want at least one more baby with you Callie. You changed my life, changed my dreams. I want this; I don't want us to have 'an only'." Callie chuckles at Arizona quoting their three year old daughter.

"Okay."

"Okay?" Arizona asks apprehensively.

"Yeah, I mean you promised me ten, but two will be a nice start," Arizona rolls her eyes at Callie's obvious inability to have a serious moment. "Hey, listen," Callie says grabbing Arizona's hand to tell her she really was listening, "I would love to have your baby, if that's still the plan, and if we both decide after this one that there are more in the cards, we'll talk about it, okay? Instead of waiting three years between each so we're 80 and still popping them out?"

"Okay. Yes. Calliope, I would love it if you would have my baby."

"Same donor?" Callie asks.

"Obviously." Arizona agrees.

"Don't start with the baby name thing until you knock me up though, because I can't handle that argument tonight." Callie teases.

"Why don't we just use the name you picked out if it's a girl since Arden was my pick originally?"

"Cadence."

"Cadence; and if it's a boy we'll name him Mark." Arizona says.

"What?" Callie chokes out.

"Nothing, it was a joke. You were being such a comedian earlier I felt like I needed to add some humor to the equation."

"Not a funny joke though, he would like that way too much." Callie admits.

"I might name my baby Mark if our lives depended on it, otherwise, hell no."

"Your baby?" Callie says, mocking offended.

"Our baby." Arizona corrects.

"Our baby," Callie reiterates before placing a kiss on her wife's lips. "I love you."

"I love you too, Calliope.