The 502 Stories

By AmboDriver

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own anything. I'm just playing around with them. They are owned by Shondaland, ABC, and probably a lot of other really rich folks.

A/N: So glad so many of you are following this and are enjoying it, so far. If you have a scene you'd like to see, PM me your idea. It's very likely already on my list, but maybe Lovegood41 and I forgot something. We almost forgot a biggie until I realized it was missing, so it's very possible.

Oh and for those of you waiting for the next chapter of No Matter of Chance, I promise I'm working on it every day (even if all I write is one paragraph), but there's a very good reason I don't write many sex scenes. They take me FOREVER!

Chapter 2 – At Last

At last,

My love has come along

My lonely days are over

And life is like a song.

Callie's eyes popped open as she fumbled for her phone at the sound of Etta James interrupting her sleep. Her heart began to race as her mind realized it was her ringtone for Arizona that had awakened her. These days Arizona never called unless it was an emergency. "What's wrong?" she said as the phone was barely near her ear.

"Don't you have to work today?"

"Huh?" Callie pulled the phone from her ear to see the time. It was already 7:35. She was supposed to be up an hour earlier. "Oh shit, yeah. Thanks for waking me."

"Sure," Arizona said curtly right before the phone went dead.

Callie frowned for a moment before shaking her head and letting it pass. She then started to get up from Mark's couch—where she slept every night because she couldn't handle the thought of sleeping in her dead best friend's bed—but her feet got tangled in the blanket and she cursed loudly as she fell in a jumbled heap, her knee crashing painfully into the corner of the coffee table. "Ow," she hissed out through clenched teeth as she finally extricated herself from the bedding and slid her feet into her slippers.

She quickly went across the hall, first locking Mark's apartment and then fumbling with her keys to open her own apartment door. When she came inside, she found Arizona standing in the kitchen, propped on one crutch as she stirred a coffee mug with her free hand. "Good morning," Callie said, refusing to give in to the general tension that always surrounded them of late. She wanted their lives to return to as normal as possible and so she risked a cold reply or even a burst of anger from her wife by greeting Arizona just as she normally would. "Thanks again for waking me up," she said as she started to look through the contacts on her phone so she could call the hospital and have her first surgery pushed back an hour.

"Morning," Arizona answered a little flatly. She then put the coffee mug on the breakfast bar. "I made you some coffee. If you get Sofia into her highchair, I'll feed her while you get dressed." There was a long pause and a pained expression came to Arizona's face. "What's she eating nowadays?"

Callie stopped and just stared at Arizona in shock. She had probably just said more civil words in the last few seconds than she had in the last month. "Um, well, yeah," Callie finally started to stutter out as she looked at the door to Sofia's room before looking back at her wife, who was starting to look a little impatient. "Cheerios and some fruit. I usually just cut up a third of a banana and a few strawberries. Just put it on her tray and make sure she doesn't make too much of a mess. And a sippy cup of milk of course."

Arizona's eyes dropped as she nodded. "I can manage that," she whispered so softly Callie wasn't even sure she really heard it.

"Thanks," Callie said as she went in to Sofia's room to get their daughter up, not wanting to lengthen the awkward tension that was starting to bubble up between them again by staying in the kitchen any longer. She smiled broadly as deep brown eyes poked out from under the sleepy mop of hair as Sofia stood in her crib, her little fists tightly wrapped around the bars to keep her upright. "Good morning, baby girl. Did you sleep well?"

Sofia bounced on her legs and laughed lightly. Callie had to join the laughter momentarily as she went over and picked Sofia up into her arms. She gave her a noisy kiss on her cheek and then took a deep breath of that clean smell that she seemed to have even first thing in the morning. Well, until she got a whiff of the dirty diaper Sofia was sporting. "Ugh, let's get you changed real quick and then Mama's going to help you with breakfast, okay?"

Sofia looked over at her with big eyes that must have mirrored Callie's when Arizona originally offered to help with the morning routine. "Yeah, trust me, I was surprised, too. But this is a good thing, right? It's a big step. And I know you've really been missing her." She leaned in to whisper in Sofia's ear. "So, be your usual adorable self and help pull her back to her old self, okay? There's no way she can really resist you for long if you put on the charm."

Callie quickly changed Sofia's diaper and put her in something suitable for daycare but that wouldn't be too ruined if Arizona wasn't able to keep Sofia from making a total mess of herself. As she brought Sofia over to her highchair, she smiled at Arizona, who was seated on a stool next to it. "She had a really disgusting diaper this morning," Callie said absently as she placed Sofia into the plastic seat and buckled her in. She then turned to reach for the bib, but found Arizona already leaning in to put it around Sofia's neck. "Okay, holler if you need anything."

There was tension in Arizona's voice when she said, "I can handle this, Callie."

"I know you can. I wasn't…" Callie trailed off with a sigh. It always seemed like she couldn't say the right thing these days. She wanted to say something to try to smooth things over, but instead just nodded to Arizona as she got up, grabbing the coffee Arizona had made for her, and went into their room to get ready for work.

After first calling the hospital to let the ortho department know she would be late, she quickly showered and got dressed for work. She took a few moments to blow dry the worst of the moisture out of her hair and put on a minimum of makeup before coming out and putting on her shoes. Finally, she started to walk out of the room that no longer really felt like she belonged in it, but she came to a stop in the doorway.

Arizona was leaning forward toward Sofia, tickling her cheeks and smiling as their daughter laughed. Arizona's eyes twinkled and both of her dimples stood out in surprising relief. It was a breathtaking sight and one that Callie thought she might never see again. But in that moment, as Arizona was unguarded with Sofia, Callie finally saw the Arizona of old. This wasn't bitter Arizona or hurt Arizona. This was happy and relaxed Arizona, the adoring mother of their daughter. She had missed her so much that it brought tears to Callie's eyes.

When blue eyes rose to meet her own, there was an instant change to Arizona's demeanor. She tensed and the smile quickly faded to a stony façade. "What?" she asked, a little harsher than her earlier words.

"Nothing," Callie said as she quickly rushed past Arizona and Sofia into the nursery to gather her daughter's items for the day. When she came back out again, Arizona was wiping Sofia's face with a soft cloth.

"She ate her whole breakfast and I've got her all cleaned up," Arizona said quietly.

"Thanks," Callie said as she held Arizona's gaze for a moment, seeing her wife relax just a little. "She's missed you," she risked adding.

Arizona's eyes fell and a little color of embarrassment came to her cheeks. "I know. I'll help out with her more. As much as I can."

Callie smiled brightly. "She'll love that." She came over and picked Sofia up, hesitating for a moment in discomfort as she didn't know how to act in this situation.

Luckily Arizona broke the tension as she reached out toward Sofia. Callie obliged by bringing her over so Arizona could place a gentle kiss on her chubby cheek. "See you tonight, Sofia," Arizona said, the affection clear in her tone of voice. Blue eyes then flashed up to Callie. "You too."

"See you then." Callie quickly gathered her purse and jacket and hurried out of the apartment, afraid to press anything else into their interaction for fear of losing the little hint of hope she felt after what she had just witnessed.

Once out in the hallway, she leaned back against the wall next to their front door and looked down at Sofia. She gave her daughter a noisy kiss on her cheek. She then looked at the closed apartment door and smiled brightly. "You got her to smile, didn't you? You were great, big girl. Really, really great."

TBC…