Here you are the second chapter!
I hope you'll like this one as well and I am really flattered that you liked this story so much.
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Holidaze
December 2029
Callie is trying to get to the security check point at Sea-Tac Airport, continually checking the screens for updated information about the flight from San Francisco. She isn't going to lie; Callie is very excited to see again Sofia for her first visit back from college since they dropped her off in August.
Always being fascinated by science and nature Sofia decided to apply for the best college for biology in U.S. and she enrolled in the undergraduate program in Biology at Stanford. In this way, she will be able to apply for medical shool too,if she changes her mind.
Callie is very grateful it is on the West Coast. At least, she isn't so far from Seattle.
So, after her first set of college finals, she is eventually able to come back home for the winter break.
"Do you think she looks different?" Arizona asks, tucking a lock of her now greyish blond hair behind her ear.
They finally stop, standing against one of the large pillars with a perfect view of the airport terminals past security.
"What do you mean, Arizona?"
"I don't know. Maybe she dyed her hair or… What if she's got a tattoo?"
Callie starts laughing slightly. "I guess Mark wouldn't be pleased if she did something like that," then she shrugs: "Anyway, why would Sofia get a tattoo?"
"She is in college now, Calliope. People change in college."
Callie can't help but frown, shaking her head.
She then looks again for Sofia and there she is.
Thank God, she still has her dark wavy hair, now knotted at the base of her neck, and no visible tattoo. She seems to have lost weight and both Callie and Arizona notice that. They don't like that at all. Sofia has always been a tall shapely girl, just like her mother.
"Sofia!" Callie shouts and leaving Arizona's side, she tears through people and, as Sofia has walked past the last security checkpoint, she hugs her tightly, closing her eyes. She missed her a lot.
"Hi, mama."
"Welcome back home, Sofi." She says, rubbing a hand on her back. "Do we have to go down to the baggage claim?"
"Nope, almost all my winter clothes are here in Seattle, you know I don't need them in California." She shakes her head, stepping back from her. "So, my handbag is full of presents for you." Sofia smiles. She is wearing blue jeans and a Stanford Cardinal hoodie under her black leather jacket. She has a messenger bag slung across her chest and is dragging a wheeled suitcase behind her.
Though she is smiling, Callie notices she looks sad. She knows that asking her would be a waste of breath, Sofia wouldn't talk about it unless she wants to.
Arizona comes to them smiling and when Sofia sees her, she breaks away from Callie and steps into her mother's open arms, the two embrace one another tightly.
"I've missed you so much," Arizona whispers to her and Sofia, unable to keep it in, begins to cry. It's too much.
Feeling her body start trembling, Arizona widens her eyes and she squeezes her arms around her daughter. Sofia rarely cries. She gives Callie a worried look and her wife shrugs, concerned as well.
"I am so happy to be here." Sofia says, as she breaks away from Arizona.
"We are so glad you are here too, Sofi." Callie agrees, brushing her wet cheek.
She takes the suitcase from her daughter and they begin walking through the crowded airport towards the exits that lead to the parking garage.
"So, we are going to pick up a large pizza from Domino's on our drive home. And then we can watch whatever you want!" Arizona exclaims cheerfully, trying to lighten the mood.
"Actually, I am really tired." Sofia says, getting in the car. "I think I'm going to bed early tonight. I am sorry."
"Oh, don't worry honey." Callie reassures her, taking her seat behind the wheel. "You don't have to feel sorry, you must be so exhausted. First semester could be hell!"
"Yes, Sofia." Arizona agrees. "We are both on call tomorrow night, unfortunately. But we have all winter break to hang out together. And your dad and Lexie are so eager to see you, too."
"I know." Sofia says. "Lexie invited me for breakfast tomorrow morning, indeed. And I thought I could stay with them until Sunday."
"I definitely agree and honestly I wished you'd say that. You may be in college but I don't like the idea of you being all alone at home." Callie confesses and Sofia chuckles. She would always be her mother's little girl.
As Callie finally turns the engine on, she asks: "But what about you? How were classes? And finals?"
Sofia's smile fades and she answers softly: "Classes are fine."
Callie raises her eyebrow, while Arizona bites nervously her lip. The strands of worry on the back of their necks begin to spread throughout the rest of their body. Sofia is usually chatty and cheerful, and she would have spoken for hours about college and classes and all she has been able to learn for the past months. Something is obviously going on with her.
At dinner Sofia hasn't eaten very much and after helping her mothers to upload the dishwasher, she has gone to sleep.
Callie brushes her hair, standing on the threshold of the bathroom attached to their bedroom, as Arizona is lying on the bed, sat against the headboard.
"What's wrong with Sofia?" She asks and Arizona shakes her head.
"I have no idea."
Callie sits on the bed. "She barely spoke during dinner and she didn't eat very much. And she is so thin. I am worried, Arizona," Callie frowns and sighs: "What if she is sick? Or failing classes?"
Arizona: "I am sure she is only very stressed with college. It's her first semester."
"Oh my Goodness!" Callie gasps suddenly. "What if she is pregnant?"
"Calliope!" Arizona exclaims, widening her eyes. "She cannot be pregnant! She is too young, she doesn't have a boyfriend and she hasn't had sex yet."
"She may have a boyfriend, indeed. And I was sixteen when I had sex for the first time." Callie interjects. "Teenagers don't speak about that stuff with their parents. Oh my God."
Arizona grimaces. "Sofia is a responsible girl and she tells us pretty everything, I am sure she doesn't have a boyfriend and she wouldn't have sex with just anyone."
"You are probably right. But if she keeps be so quiet and sad, I'll speak with her." Callie agrees, in the end.
Lexie absolutely loves Christmas and her house surely confirms that.
There are decorations in almost each room, lights on the polished wood stairs railing and an elegant wreath on the front door. Not to mention the huge Christmas tree, set beside the fireplace in the family room.
Recently showered and already dressed in dark jeans and a black sweater after his morning run with Nate, their second-born, Mark pours some freshly brewed coffee into his mug. "Sofia hasn't come yet. It's strange! She usually gets up very early. Maybe I should pick-"
Lexie, still in her pajamas, which consists in a pair of yoga pants and an old Harvard t-shirt, cuts him off. "Mark, I know you missed her. I missed her, too. But she is probably exhausted, let her sleep."
She bites softly her lower lip, thinking about Callie's words.
Callie has called her just an hour before and she seemed worried about Sofia. Apparently the girl looked tired and sad and she lost some weight too. Not to mention Callie rambled about tattoos, sex and even likely pregnancies.
Lexie didn't tell anything to Mark, knowing he would probably overreact. He is usually so protective toward his children.
She only hopes everything is right and they are worrying for nothing. Maybe she can talk with her later.
As Sofia has been growing up, their relationship got better and better and the young girl has always considered Lexie as another parent to her. Honestly, Lexie is like the cool and open-minded aunt who always gives her the best advice, without judging her. Sofia knows she can tell her everything, without feeling shy nor embarrassed.
Lexie is currently whisking the batter to make chocolate chips pancakes. Even if she can't have them because of her allergy to eggs, her kids and Mark absolutely love them. And they are Sofia's favorites, too.
Actually, Lexie has prepared a true feast to celebrate her stepdaughter's return to Seattle.
The kitchen table is set and covered with delicious food. There are harsh browns, muffins and bagels. Mark has even brought home some fresh flaky croissants and some Danish pastries from their favorite bakery and then they'll make toasts and scrambled eggs and obviously some bacon strips too. The Sloans are totally addicted to bacon and Sofia is no exception.
Mark goes standing just behind Lexie, wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling his nose against her jaw.
"Behave," Lexie warns him, though she is smiling. Then she adds: "I am so happy she is here now. We will have a wonderful Christmas."
Mark nods and says: "Yeah, but maybe I should call her, just to see if everything is alright."
Lexie rolls her eyes and leaving the whisk on the counter, she turns around to face him.
"Mark, I love when you are so caring but I am sure everything is alright. It's just nine o'clock. Tom is still sleeping too."
Mark laughs, caressing her cheek. "Yes, but our son is the laziest person I know. He would spend his life in bed, if he actually could. Sofia, on the other hand, has always been an early riser and-"
"And she has just come back home from college." Lexie interrupts him. She grins teasingly and continues: "I know you're too old to go back that far, but the first semester could be very hard. I bet you she is exhausted."
Mark smirks, leaning forward and his lips touch her ears as he whispers: "This old man takes your breath away damn near every night."
Lexie chuckles at that and she surprises him when she kisses him firmly on his lips. Mark instantly deepens the kiss, holding her tightly as Lexie scratches the hair at the base of his neck.
Some years ago, the 16-year age gap between them usually bothered Mark more than Lexie and it was the main cause of their problems and fights. Anyway, now they both live with it peacefully and Lexie can even joke about that without upsetting Mark.
Mark looks younger than he is, indeed. Yes, he may be sixty-one years old and his hair are now completely gray, but he is in perfect shape, still fit and extremely handsome. They are happy, they have a beautiful, and yet unconventional, family, and they love each other more than ever, so why should he worry?
Their unexpected make out session against the kitchen counter is suddenly interrupted by a giggle coming from the threshold. Seven-years-old Annabelle Joy Sloan, who appears to be the perfect copy of her mother, is staring at her parents.
Annabelle has definitely been their surprise baby. Lexie and Mark would have wanted another child after Thomas and Nathan, but it seemed that they weren't meant to have it despite their continual attempts – and they had sex constantly, and still have. Lexie even had a miscarriage and it was the most heart-breaking experience of their lives. So, just when they had abandoned the idea of having another child, Annabelle happened.
"Daddy, is Sofia coming?" She is completely fascinated by her big sister and literally worships the ground she walks on.
Mark and Lexie loosen their embrace and he smiles at her daughter. "Yes, Belle. She will be here in any minute now."
And just like that, the doorbell rings through the house.
Annabelle runs toward the door, followed by her parents and Nala, the family's golden retriever. As Annabelle opens it, Sofia is there, a toothy grin on her face.
There are hugs and kisses and greetings and Lexie notices that Callie was right. Sofia is thinner, indeed. And there is something about her look too, she somehow seems sad.
"Hey! I was trying to sleep here!" Thomas appears at the top of the stairs. He seems still asleep but as soon as he sees Sofia is actually standing in the hall he stops pouting and stumbles down the stairs.
Thomas looks like his father a lot, but he has Lexie's eyes and her gentle and shy nature. He engulfs Sofia in a tight hug and she lifts herself on her tiptoes to give him a kiss on his cheek. He is definitely taller than her now.
"I could use your help with the biology crap." Thomas states. He is very smart but doesn't like science as much as his sister. "Watch your language, Tom." Lexie scolds him. Though he is sixteen years old, drives and is sexually active according to the pack of condoms Lexie found once in the pocket of his jeans, he is still her son and she doesn't like that her children swear.
"No problem, Tommy." Sofia nods.
"Am I wrong, or my favorite big sister is back?" Nathan emerges from the bathroom, a huge grin on his face, as he approaches them. He is definitely his father's son, not only physically: Nate shares with Mark his blonde hair and his greyish blue eyes and the same level of confidence and cockiness. Lexie strongly believes he will be a regular heartbreaker when he grows up.
After Sofia has properly greeted Nathan, the family moves to the kitchen where they take their usual seats at the table.
"Are you hungry, sweetie?"
"I am actually starving!" Sofia exclaims. "Though you didn't have to do all this for me."
Lexie shakes her head enthusiastically: "I know I didn't have to, but I wanted to. It's not as your daughter comes back home from college every day!"
Sofia smiles. "Thank you."
"You're very welcome. And you have to tell us everything!" Lexie says, smiling around the rim of her coffee mug.
"Classes were okay?" Mark asks and Sofia nods. "And you survived your first set of college exams. Congratulations are definitely in order."
Sofia gives him a faint smile, remaining uncharacteristically quiet. Mark frowns and Lexie launches him a reassuring look.
"You did great, indeed." Lexie agrees and then she tentatively asks: "What about college life? Have you enjoyed it, so far?"
Sofia visibly tenses, chewing on a strip of bacon. "It has been good. I met all kind of different people. Though some of the girls in my dorm seem to be very emotionally unbalanced, if you understand what I mean." She shrugs.
Nathan leans forward and whispers mischievously: "They are easy?"
"Nate, for God's sake!" Lexie gasps. "What kind of question is that?"
"What?" He widens his eyes and keeps eating his third muffin. "It's not as I said Sofia is the easy one."
Lexie sighs and then she helps Annabelle cutting her pancake.
"Obviously Sofia is not easy, Nate!" Mark states and he seems clearly irritated by his son's suggestion. "Sofia is so much smarter and more mature than girls her age and she has been too busy studying to notice boys. Freshman year could be very hard and that's why she has to focus on-"
"Sofia?" Annabelle interrupts her dad, noticing Sofia is staring at her plate, silently crying. She strokes softly her sister's hand and then asks: "Why are you crying? Are you sad?"
"I-I'm okay." Sofia manages to say, wiping her cheeks. But tears keep coming and so she stands up and runs from the kitchen, leaving everyone confused.
Lexie feels sick at her stomach while Mark frowns, concerned.
"What happened?" He looks at his wife and she shakes her head. "I have no idea."
"Mommy! I am sad too if Sofia is sad." Annabelle whimpers.
Lexie takes a deep breath, ruffling her daughter's hair. "Don't worry Annie. I'll fix everything."
She stands up as well. "I need you all to finish your breakfast and then to clear the table, please."
"Got it." Tom nods.
"Now, I am going to talk to Sofia."
"I'll come with you." Mark instantly says.
"Nope," Lexie says firmly. "I think it's better I talk to her first. Maybe this might be something she can't talk with her father."
Lexie has been holding her stepdaughter, rubbing a hand up and down her back for almost twenty minutes, as Sofia keep crying. They are in Sofia's bedroom at Sloan's house, sitting on her bed.
"Sofia," Lexie whispers softly, whipping at her cheeks.
"I-I…" Sofia tries to say, but she is shaking and sobbing. "I am an idiot."
"You are not." Lexie shakes her head, running her fingers through Sofia's dark hair. "Breathe now. Just breathe."
The young girl listens to her stepmom and it seems she calms down a little.
"I am an idiot." She repeats. "Dad is saying how smart and mature I am and honestly I just feel so stupid."
"Stop saying that. You are not idiot." Lexie frowns and she keeps stroking her hair. "Did you do alright in your classes?"
Sofia closes her eyes and nods. "Yes. My classes were fine, I got almost all A's. They are not the problem."
Lexie panics a little, so there actually is a problem. She manages to say: "Okay. Now I'm going to ask you something and please, just be completely honest with me. Sofia, are you pregnant?"
Sofia widens her eyes, shaking her head vigorously and Lexie feels so relieved.
"So, I guess a boy is involved. Isn't he?"
"I am an idiot." Sofia says again, nodding slightly and shutting her eyes. "I thought he… I met him in my chemistry class and I helped him with his homework and then we went out a couple of times." She takes a deep breath and Lexie is listening to her attentively. "He was so handsome and nice and smart. I've never really liked a guy so much and I thought he liked me back but he obviously only wanted one thing and all my friends had already done it so I thought-"
"He didn't force you, did he?" Lexie murmurs.
"Oh no. Not at all." Sofia says and Lexie exhales a sigh of relief. "I just thought I was ready but I wasn't and I did it anyway. And it was terrible, Lexie. Really awful. And then he disappeared and hasn't talked to me since…"
Lexie hugs her tightly. "Oh, sweetie."
"And I couldn't talk about that with mom and mama because it somehow felt… weird."
Lexie nods in agreement and kisses tenderly her temple.
"I am so sorry if I disappointed you." Sofia whispers weakly.
"You did not disappoint me." Lexie affirms strongly. "I can't be prouder of you, we all are. Yes, maybe I wish you had waited and I am upset but only because your first time was like that. Sex is supposed to be wonderful and it is supposed to mean something."
"How old were you when… you know." Sofia lowers her gaze, feeling embarrassed.
"I was seventeen and I had my first time after being crowned Prom Queen. It was with my high school boyfriend who I had dated for two years. It was very clichéd, the whole thing."
"You loved him." Sofia assumes.
"Obviously I thought I did." Lexie smiles faintly. "I've never been the kind of girl to have casual sex. So, yes. I guess I had feelings with every guy I had sex with." She feels horrible for Sofia and remembers when Meredith mocked her about her heart living in her vagina. She was right, after all.
"But being in love… I realized what being in love actually meant only-"
"Dad." Sofia says softly and she smiles.
"Yes, your dad. At the beginning I couldn't stand him. He was so confident and cocky. And he treated all interns as if they were nothing. But I was intrigued by him and respected him. He was, and still is, like a surgeon-god. Honestly, when I went into it, it was the most casual I had ever been about sex. But then, soon after that, we fell in love."
Lexie eyes shine, thinking back on that night of those years ago. "But love isn't always a bed of roses. We had and still have our rough moments, sometimes."
She then reaches out and brushes Sofia's cheek. "I guess some people are able to have casual sex and it doesn't affect them. I don't think we are those people, by the way." She shrugs smiling and Sofia laughs softly, even if she is still embarrassed and on the verge of tears.
She leans in, embracing her stepmother. "I'm never having sex again."
"Oh, I'm sure your father will be so happy if you keep this promise." Lexie giggles, rubbing a hand on her back. "But I know you'll meet a man someday that will change your mind."
"I doubt it," Sofia mumbles against Lexie's shoulder, stubbornly.
"I think I should take you to a doctor... Maybe on Monday. Just to be sure everything is okay. If you go on Monday, I won't tell your mothers anything about this. " Lexie says and Sofia sighs.
"Yep, no problem." She eventually agrees. Sofia has never felt comfortable going to the OB/GYN.
"And you wouldn't have told them, anyway." She then adds, smiling ruefully.
"No, I wouldn't." Lexie sighs. Sofia knows her too well. "But you should. They are very concerned about you."
"I know. I'll talk with them after they pick me up tomorrow morning" She agrees.
"I won't tell anything to your dad, either. Otherwise, he would drive to Stanford and murder a freshman boy. And visiting him in prison every weekend would be so annoying."
Sofia chuckles and for the first time in weeks she feels lighter. "Thank you, Lexie. I love you."
"I love you too, sweetie."