Thanks for the awesome response to the last chapter. Good to know that you lot have waited around for me. I'm grateful for that.
I own nothing. All characters/storylines belong to Shonda. I'm simply 'borrowing' them.
I Will Be
Sat with their arms wrapped around each other, neither woman had moved since Arizona had dropped the kid's word. Callie couldn't quite believe that she had brought it up, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't relieved. She had grown up always wanting children and a marriage. Yes, as a child she imagined herself to have a husband, but that had all changed when she found another woman attractive and accepted her proposal. Sure, it may have turned out to be the completely wrong decision, but Callie had always been a firm believer in everything happens for a reason. Well, not spousal abuse, but being with Suzanne had led her to Arizona. Right now, that was all that mattered.
Would they have been drawn to each other under different circumstances? Probably. Would she have still fallen head over heels in love with Arizona? Highly likely. It had happened in the way it had, though, and nothing could change that. Tears filling beautiful brown eyes, Callie held back a sob. She wasn't upset, far from it actually. She was relieved. She was hopeful. She was happy. She was loved. It had simply become too much for her.
"Hey, you okay?" Arizona turned in her seat. "Talk to me, Calliope."
"Sorry, I just, I'm happy, Arizona. For the first time in what feels like forever, I'm the happiest woman in the freaking world."
"It was the kid's thing, wasn't it?" Arizona smiled.
"Truthfully? Yeah." Brown eyes dropped their gaze.
"I thought so. I could see how much it meant to you when you almost slipped up." The blonde giggled. "Baby, don't ever hold anything back from me. Please."
"I'm sorry. I never meant to. I just wasn't sure if now was a good time to mention it. I guess I didn't want to have my dreams crushed if it wasn't what you wanted."
"What would you have done if it wasn't what I wanted?" Blue eyes narrowed.
"Honestly? I don't know. I'd have been choosing between the love of my life, and my dream." Callie gave a sad smile. "Wait, you didn't just tell me what I wanted to hear, did you?"
"No, Calliope. I want your babies." Arizona pressed a kiss to red lips. "Every freaking one of them."
"You're sure? I mean, it's not like it's going to happen anytime soon. We have so much to do together, but you'll tell me if you change your mind?"
"I won't change my mind." Another soft kiss was planted on red lips. "I can promise you that."
"Well well, look who it is."
Arizona froze mid-kiss. She knew that voice. That voice had just sent a shiver down her spine and caused a lifetime of memories to come flooding back. Not wanting to turn around, she continued to kiss Callie. It was clear that her girlfriend could feel the tension building inside the blonde. Pulling back, she looked into hardened blue eyes and smiled. "Baby, I think you have a visitor?"
"No, not my visitor." Pale shoulders shrugged as she refused to leave Callie's gaze.
"Well she certainly ain't my visitor, so she must be yours." The brunette stated as she switched between Arizona and the unidentified brunette standing on the Robbin's lawn. "Baby?"
Dropping the volume of her voice, Arizona tightened her grip on Callie's hand. "I really don't want to turn around."
"I know, but it's better to get this over with now. Don't you think?"
"I guess." Arizona sighed as she turned in her seat. Her vision fixed on the wooden porch beneath her feet, she cleared her throat. "Hi, Natalie."
"Oh, so you finally came home?" The other woman scoffed.
"Home? This isn't my home anymore. Why do you care where I am?"
"Of course I care where you were, Zo." Natalie's features softened. "I tried calling you."
"I know you did." The blonde stated. "I didn't answer for a reason."
"So, are you going to introduce me to your friend?"
"Sure. Callie, this is Natalie. Natalie, this is Callie. My girlfriend." and the mother of my future children.
"Nice to meet you," Callie said, bluntly.
"Mm, you too." The other brunette gave a fake smile. "So, you didn't collect any of your things."
"Bin them," Arizona stated as she stood and pulled Callie up with her. "I don't need them. I'm sure Julie will help you get rid of it all."
"Didn't you hear?" Natalie furrowed her brow. "That, what happened? It ended before it even began. She um, she was devastated when she realised what she had done. I haven't seen her in almost a year. She moved away. I don't know where."
"Wow." Arizona scoffed.
"That's why I tried to call you. What happened was a mistake, Zo. A huge mistake. Moment of weakness. Whatever you want to call it. I wanted you to come home. To me. To us." Natalie's voice broke.
"Seriously? You think I'd come home to you after you did…. Julie?"
"Arizona, I'm going to head inside. I'll see you when you've finished whatever you have going on here, okay?" Callie interrupted their conversation and released her grip on the blonde's hand.
"No, I'll come with you." Arizona turned to leave.
"Arizona, stay and sort out whatever this is. Please."
"But-" The blonde tried to argue but was cut off.
"Please. I'll just be inside with your mom."
Before Arizona could reply, Callie was gone. An immediate worry settling in the blonde's body, Arizona knew questions would be asked when she went inside. Just when things were good. Just when I thought we would live happily ever after. This bitch makes an appearance. Turning back to face her ex-girlfriend, Arizona glared at her.
"Now that she's gone, we can get back to our conversation." Natalie approached the steps leading to the porch.
"I've no reason to hold a conversation with you, Natalie. You lost that right when you fucked my best friend. I have to go." Turning her back, Arizona was stopped by a hand gripping her arm.
"You have to come by and collect your things, Zo. If you don't, I'll continue to wait for you like I have this past year. If you want to work things out then we will, but if you don't, you have to collect your things."
Shaking her wrist and losing the grip of her ex-girlfriend, Arizona turned once again to face the other brunette. "I told you… bin it all."
"I can't. There are pictures of Tim. I won't be responsible for doing that."
"Fine. Put the pictures of my brother to one side. The rest can go. I've done without it for a year, I've no use for it anymore. Goodbye, Natalie."
Stepping inside, Arizona closed the door behind her and pulled the bolt across. "Hey, Mom."
"What was that about, young lady?" Barbara gave her daughter a hard stare.
"Oh, just Natalie trying her crap, again."
"Language, Arizona." The older Robbins moved around the kitchen island and towards her daughter. "What did she want?"
"Where is Callie?" Arizona questioned as she glanced around the lower level of the house.
"She said she was going to wash up before dinner," Barbara replied. "Is everything okay?"
"I don't know, Mom."
"What do you mean, honey?" Her mother furrowed her brow.
"We have just had a great day together. Took her to Janey's for lunch. Sat around talking. We got home and we've sat on the porch the last few hours."
"I know, I seen." Barbara smiled.
"She, I, I mean, we talked. We talked about the future. You know, kids and houses and whatever else?"
"Oh, you did?" Older blue eyes widened. "H-How did it go, honey."
"Perfect, Mom. She wants it all. I want it all. With her. No one else."
"Oh sweetie, I'm so happy for you both." Barbara wrapped her daughter up in her arms.
"And then she turned up." Arizona spat as she pulled away from her mother. "I hate her, Mom."
"I know you do, but we live close by so you are going to see her around."
"Yeah, and that is okay. What I don't need is her asking me to go back to her. Telling me what she did was a mistake. Julie left her. It didn't work. That doesn't mean I want her back."
"I know it doesn't. Is that what Callie thinks?" Barbara furrowed her brow.
"I don't know. She just got up and told me she would see me back in here. But she's not here. I just, she's had a hard year. Well, a hard few years actually. I don't want her to run. She can't run. I don't want to lose her."
"Oh, Arizona. I'm sure that won't happen. It can't be that bad."
"Can I tell you something in confidence? Can I trust you not to breathe a word of this to anyone else? Callie definitely can't know that I've told you."
"Of course." Barbara lowered her voice and pulled her daughter into the living room. "Come on."
"She, um, God." Arizona rolled her eyes. "This isn't even for me to say. This is not my business to tell. She, her fiancé, she used to, um-"
"It's okay, honey. Take your time." Barbara could see the struggle in her daughter's eyes. "Take your time."
"She used to um….beat her. She used to beat Callie." Bile rising in her throat, Arizona closed her eyes and tried hard to stop the tears from falling. "It was bad."
"Oh, Arizona." The older Robbins gasped at the information she had just received. "I'm so sorry."
"She came to me. She called me. Asked me to kick down her door. I took her to my place."
"You saved her." Barbara gave her daughter a sad smile.
"Yes, but that isn't why we are together. I don't feel sorry for her, Mom. I love her. More than I've ever loved anyone. I didn't save her to look after her. I've worked with domestic violence victims before, Mom. I didn't know. I actually tried to get close to her at the bar close to the hospital, but she had a fiancé, so I left it. I left it alone. I'm not a home wrecker, Mom."
"I know, sweetie." Barbara smiled. "You are a good person, Arizona."
"I'm just worried that this will set us back. You know, Natalie? I've never been in this situation with Callie so I don't know how she is feeling right now. She probably hates me for even giving Natalie the time of day."
"So, go and speak to her. Go and see that she is alright."
"But I'm scared. I'm scared that I'll get upstairs and she is packing her bags." The blonde's voice broke.
"You weren't raised to be scared, Arizona. You were raised to face your problems. You will go upstairs and that wonderful girlfriend of yours will be waiting for you. I know it. I've seen the way you look at each other."
"You have?" A dimpled smile appeared when Arizona thought about her girlfriend. She did truly make the blonde's heart sing. She could positively, 100 percent say that they were made for each other.
"Your father has too." Barbara gave her daughter a nod. "Now, go and see to your girl. She may be a little shocked that Natalie showed up here, but I'm sure she trusts you. She loves you, Arizona. Anyone with eyes can see that." Slapping the blonde with a rag she had in her hand, she ushered the blonde away and up the stairs. "And Arizona?"
"Yeah?" She turned around to face her mother.
"My lips are sealed." Older blue eyes threw the blonde a wink.
"Thanks, Mom."
Standing outside the old bedroom door, Arizona felt a wave of anxiety hit her. What if she doesn't want to be here anymore? Oh god, I've messed this up. Natalie being here has messed this up. I should have told her. I should have told her my parents lived so close to her. Now she will think I'm here for Natalie. She will think this was all just a reason to get me here. She knows Natalie wants me back. She knows she wants an 'us' again. She doesn't know that I don't want that, though. She doesn't know that she is the only woman I will ever love. Oh God. Why am I feeling like this? Why do I feel like I'm about to lose her? Why does this feel like the end? I'm about to lose her. I know I am. Crap!
Knocking lightly on her own bedroom door, Arizona took a breath before entering. Finding her beautiful girlfriend sat on the edge of the bed and staring out of the window, her heart broke. "Hey, um, can I come in?"
"Sure." Callie turned and faced her girlfriend. "It is your room, Arizona." The brunette furrowed her brow. "I-Is everything okay?"
"I think so." Arizona sighed. "Are you okay?"
"Fine. Why?"
"That, back there? It um, it wasn't supposed to happen. I understand if you want to leave, and I wouldn't stop you. I just, I didn't expect that. I didn't expect her to say the things she did. If you plan on leaving, I only have myself to blame. I just need you to know that I love you more than anything in the world, Calliope. You are amazing and strong, and I love everything about you. I love how you spread out in the bed and almost kick me out. I love how you have terrible coordination in the morning when you first wake. I love that you need at least three sugars in your first coffee of the day. How you sing and hum while you cook us a beautiful dinner, I just, I love everything about you. I'm sorry, and I understand if you don't want to be here anymore. If you want me to take you to the airport, if you don't want to travel back with me, just say the word and I will pay for your flight."
Standing from her spot on the bed, Callie moved towards her girlfriend. Confused by her rant, she gave the blonde a look.
"I mean, you just, you don't deserve that. I don't deserve you. You deserve more than that. Better than me. I just, I hate her, but we live close by. I don't want her, though, Callie. Before you leave, you have to know that I don't want her. I'll never want her ever again. It's only you. You are the one that stops my heart. You are the one that makes love to me like no one ever has before. You are beautiful and I'm sorry."
"Arizona?"
"Yeah?" The blonde swallowed hard. "I'm sorry, Calliope."
"What happened down there when I left you both?" A sinking feeling settled in the brunette's stomach.
"She said she wanted me to go back to her. That we could, or we should work things out. I don't know, I wasn't really listening."
"Why do you keep apologising?" Callie questioned.
"Because she showed up at my parent's house. While we are both here. That can't have been very nice for you."
"Did she try anything? Did she kiss you and you kissed her back?" Brown eyes narrowed.
"What? No! No way, Callie. I swear." Arizona placed her hands over her heart.
"Then I don't see what all of this fuss is about." Callie smiled. "Why are you freaking out? You are liked a crazed lunatic right now."
"But you walked away. You left and went inside. I figured you were pissed at me." Pale shoulders shrugged. "I thought I'd done something."
"No, I just didn't think it was my place to be there. It wasn't my business and I felt as though I was intruding. You had a long term relationship with that woman. She went through Tim's death with you. The least I could do was give you both a little privacy. I don't know what she said, or what she did, but I trust you, Arizona. You know that, right?"
"Wait, you're not mad?" Arizona furrowed her brow.
"Why would I be mad? She was a big part of your life. I know that. I understand that." Callie asked, a little unsure of why Arizona was so upset by what had happened. "Baby, are you okay?"
"Yeah." The blonde rubbed her forehead. "I just, I came up here thinking you were about to leave. I thought you had left me on the pitch because you didn't want this. Us. Not with Natalie around anyway."
"Arizona, I have just endured two years of Suzanne. Natalie will be like a walk in the part." The brunettes megawatt smile appeared and Arizona melted into her arms. "Really, everything is fine."
"Oh thank God. I really thought I was about to lose you. I even freaked out to my Mom."
"No need to freak out. You should probably go tell your Mom that everything is okay. She will be worrying." Callie suggested as she ran her fingers through blonde curls.
"No, I'm not leaving this room until dinner is ready. We have at least an hour. Maybe a little longer. I just want to be with you. Please?" Arizona had a pleasing tone in her voice. She desperately wanted to remove all thoughts of Natalie from her mind. Holding onto her girlfriend as tight as possible, the blonde ran her hand up and down a tanned, strong back. "I'm not leaving this room, Calliope."
"Okay, okay. That's fine. We won't leave the room." Callie pulled back and smiled. Placing a light kiss on pink lips, she swallowed a moan and sighed. Foreheads pressed together, brown eyes locked onto blue. "I cannot believe you thought I would leave."
"I'm sorry, I just panicked." Arizona smiled. "It's one of my weaknesses. I worry too much."
"We all worry, it means we care, right?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right. I just couldn't imagine losing you. You walking away from me would have been so much worse than when I walked in on you know what."
"Really? It would bother you that much?" Callie furrowed her brow.
"Yeah. You mean the world to me, and losing you would have killed me slowly. I couldn't take it, Callie. I couldn't bare to watch you go."
Guiding the blonde's body back towards the bed, both women hit the plush material beneath them with a thud. "Let's rest for a little while, huh? It's been one hell of a day and it's not even five in the afternoon yet."
"Okay, I just, I need to ask you something." Arizona sat up a little. Resting on her elbow.
"Sure."
"Natalie has some of my things at her place. I told her to throw everything in the trash, but she has photos. Of Tim."
"Then you should go and get them from her." Callie stated. "You have to get them from her."
"I do?"
"Well, yeah. What are we supposed to frame when we buy our house? If you want them, go and get them."
"I love you, so freaking much." Arizona's voice broke at the thought of seeing her brother's photos again. Sure, she had many others, but the ones at Natalie's place belonged to her, and only her.
Suddenly it hit her, she had told her mother about Callie's past. Not in so many words, but she had told her nonetheless. "Callie?"
The worry evident in the blondes voice caused Callie to sit bolt upright. "What's wrong?"
"I, um, when I was panicking before I came in here, I kinda told my mom something. Something that wasn't mine to tell and I'm so sorry. I didn't tell her everything but I told her a little."
Head in her hands, Callie sighed. "You told her about Suzanne."
"Yeah. Please don't hate me. I'm sorry. It wasn't my place to tell her, and I know I shouldn't have. Please forgive me."
"I didn't tell her everything. Not everything that has happened. Just that you had been in a bad relationship. I didn't go into major detail, but I did mention it."
"It's okay." Callie gave a sad smile as she took in the information. "Everything is okay, right?"
"Sure. She didn't ask, and she didn't push me for more. She just told me to come up here and check you were okay."
"D-Does she think that I'm some sort of sympathy case of yours? Is t-that what I am, Arizona?" Brown eyes dropped their gaze.
"No, Callie. Please don't ever think that. That has never been how I've seen you. You are equal. We are equal. Mom just didn't understand why I was so worried. I explained that we had never been in this situation. It just kinda slipped out. She doesn't think you are anything other than my girlfriend. I promise."
"Okay." Callie continued to tug at her fingers. Unsure of what to do, she fixed her gaze on the window to the right of her.
"Baby, please look at me." God this is so messed up. How did I fuck this up like this? Curling her fingers she lifted the brunettes chin. "Callie, please?"
"It's okay, Arizona. Just please, don't think that I'm sensitive. I just want a normal relationship. Don't think that because I've been through some shit, you have to tiptoe around me. I'm not like that. I'm not about that. I'm normal. Just like you."
"I know you are. It was just my own worries getting in the way. I'm sorry. Please believe me. My mom doesn't see you any differently than she did when you walked into our home. She loves you more now, but that is because you've shown her how amazing you are. That has nothing to do with what you have been through. I promise."
"If you're sure." Tanned shoulders shrugged.
"I am. I'm more than sure." Arizona smiled as she ran her thumb along a caramel cheek. "I love you more than anything, Calliope."
"I love you, too." Callie smiled. "But please, don't ever worry about me. I'm a big girl, Arizona."
"I know. It's a weakness I must work on." Pink lips pressed light kisses along a tanned jawline.
Tonight she would enjoy a beautiful dinner with her girlfriend and her parent's. Tomorrow? Tomorrow she would make her way to her ex girlfriend's place and collect what belonged to her. Say her final goodbye. No messing. No mixed messages. Her belongings and nothing more. Then her life, their life, could truly begin. Her life with Calliope Torres was all that mattered.
Time to check out some Seattle homes.
Thanks for reading, guys. I look forward to your reviews. They inspire me and keep me going. Take care.