Thank you guys!

A few people has asked about ideas and suggestions for the sequel. I have tons already, but my eyes and ears are open to what you'd like to see, so let me know.

Can I just say I thought Arizona was outstanding in that last chapter. She has depended on Callie for so long and now it's time for her to stand strong for her wife and she did a great job.

Let's see how poor Callie's getting along, shall we?

Chapter 116

After Callie cleaned up her mess in the kitchen, she joined her wife and daughter upstairs in their room. Laying down, she engrossed herself in the blonde by burying her face in her neck as she let her grief win out. Arizona was her sanctuary, her safe place to lay and right now, she was the only thing that was keeping her from losing it entirely.

Arizona softly caressed her wife's back while whispering encouraging words to her for hours until the brunette cried herself to sleep. She tried to get some sleep also, but her mind just wouldn't shut off at the moment so when Callie eventually rolled off of her and turned away unconsciously, the blonde took it upon herself to raise out of bed and call Carlos and Lucia in Miami. Even though it was past midnight on the east coast, she was sure they were up. After talking to her father-in-law about their flight details and also assuring him that Callie was okay for now, she hung up with the distraught man and went about packing her family. Carlos had informed her that his jet was going to be fueled and ready for them by seven in the morning so they weren't going to have time in the morning to throw stuff together. She made sure they had nice dress clothes and some summer clothes packed and then went on to pack for their daughter. She didn't know where to begin with Charlee's things because sometimes a baby could go through eight outfits a day. After a few minutes of blankly staring around the infants room, she decided to only pack the necessities for her. If she needed more things they could just buy them after they arrived on the east coast.

Every so often, Arizona would go into her bedroom to check on both of her girls, she didn't want the baby to wake up crying and in the process wake Callie up. So every fifteen minutes she would poke her head in to make sure Charlee wasn't stirring. She knew if the brunette were to wake up any time soon she wouldn't be going back to sleep and right now sleep was what Callie needed.

After packing and double checking, the blonde carried the bags downstairs and placed them by the door. There had been a few times during packing when realization hit her that she was packing to go say goodbye to Maria and when it dawned on her she became upset. She and Maria hit it off right from the start and she had grown close to the woman herself. The older woman's charm made everyone quickly fall in love with her.

Finally after packing and feeding the baby when she woke up sometime around two a.m. Arizona finally crawled in to bed with her wife again. Soon after she dozed off, she was woken by her wife's cries. At first she thought she had woken up, but upon further inspection she noticed that Callie must have been dreaming. She was torn. She didn't know if she should wake her up from the dream and make her face the harsh reality again or let her just dream it. Deciding the latter would be best, all she could do was pull her wife close and hold her tight because she didn't want her to be up all night crying.

She didn't get but maybe three hours of sleep that night between her wife's and child's whimpers. Waking up a little after five because the brunettes hair was in her face, she noticed that the infant wasn't in her bed. Raising up, she saw the two Latina's snuggled into each other. Callie must have woken up sometime in the past few hours and put her in the bed. Charlee had her hand lightly placed on the brunettes chin, their faces were basically touching and light snores escaped both their lips. Arizona swore that it looked like some photographer had placed them both strategically like that for a photo. It was pure picturesque in her opinion. Two beautiful human beings looking so natural. The smiled faded off her face when realization sat in that it was time to wake them up so they could get up and moving in time to make their scheduled flight. Sighing, she flopped back down on the bed, trying to will away the coming hours.

Before she knew it, they were up and ready for their trip. Callie hadn't said a lot since waking up, but she busied herself getting Charlee ready before having to rush out the door to their waiting ride to the airport. Getting the infant ready for the day helped take a little off the brunettes mind. She hadn't forgot about everything, but while getting the infant changed, dressed and fed it took her concentration away from the heavy subject.

Not long after Arizona woke her family up they were waiting for their flight. Callie didn't pay any attention to their bags being packed until they were out by the plane watching them load the belongings.

She couldn't ask for a better partner. Arizona had been so gentle and caring last night and even this morning. She couldn't thank her wife enough for being so patient with her. Coming up behind the blonde as she stood with their baby in the sling against her chest as she slowly slid her hand in the blondes just needing to feel connected to her. "Thank you." Callie whispered pressing her forehead against her wife's temple. She stayed in place trying to gather some strength from her wife before she had to really face the situation in Miami.

A shiver went down the blondes neck as the brunette accidentally grazed her lips across her ear. "For what?" She asked, squeezing her wife's hand in reciprocation.

"Everything." Callie said sadly. "You've did everything, Arizona." She gestured to the man who was loading their luggage onto her fathers jet. "You've packed and got us ready and it's not fair to you. You shouldn't have to do everyth..."

"I'll stop you right there. It's my job, Cal." She interrupted her. "You don't need to worry about the insignificant stuff. If I can help you in any way, I'm going to do it. I'm here to take care of you right now. That is my job, you're my focus right now." She said, hearing her wife sniff back tears. "I'm here baby, and whatever you can't do, I will. That's how this works. Okay?"

"Okay." She sighed, hugging her wife around the neck. "I couldn't do this without you, Arizona. I can't begin to tell you what it means to me that your here and being so patient."

"You're not in this alone, sweetie." The blonde said, rubbing her wife's back with her free hand. "We're in this together, in good times and bad. I told you I will hold you and wipe your tears away in times of sorrow and this is one of those times."

"I know." She whispered while caressing the baby's head.

"You've done it so many times when I had my moments with Tim. So don't think I won't do the same for you. It's going to be a hard few days, babe." Arizona said, wiping the tear out of the corner of the brunettes eye. "So you can cry, be angry and.. throw things all you want." She couldn't help but chuckle which caused the brunette to let out a sad laugh too. "If you need space, just tell me and I'll give you that and if you don't... I'm hear to lean on, kay?"

"Okay." Callie nodded, holding her wife's hand again. "Love you." She said, as she focused on their joined hands.

"I love you too."

"I think uhh... I'm going to lay down in the bed. I'm tired and I just don't feel like sitting in one of those chairs for six hours."

"Only after we're in the air."

"Yes mother." Callie rolled her eyes, and kissed her temple.

"You want some company in there?" Arizona asked, hoping she said yes. She wasn't sure if Callie just wanted to be alone or she was really tired. She was hoping the latter because she was exhausted herself, but she wasn't going to let her wife know that.

"Will you hold me?" She asked as they motioned for them to board the plane.

"Won't be happy until I do." She winked, placing her hand on the small of her wife's back to lead her onto the plane.

Within fifteen minutes of boarding the plane, they were on their way to Miami. Arizona made good on her promise and cuddled her wife as Callie did the same with Charlee. They all managed to get a few more hours of sleep before being woken a few minutes before landing in Miami.

Carlos had a town car waiting on them to bring them to the estate. After arriving in Miami, Callie became quiet again or should she say, even quieter than she had been. Arizona hated it, but she didn't say anything because she knew they all grieved in their own way and if Callie didn't want to talk she didn't have to. She wouldn't force her to open up in this subject, she didn't feel like it was right to make her talk about this. But that didn't mean the blonde wasn't keeping a close eye on her wife. Arizona didn't want to smother her, nor did she want her to feel all alone either.

Callie remained hushed as they got closer to her parents house. When they pulled down the driveway, Arizona noticed her wife had become more anxious as she nervously bounced her left leg. Coming up to the estate, she heard her wife begin to sniff back tears again, so she reached over the car seat in between them and placed her hand on her wife's thigh for comfort.

Callie's emotions were everywhere as they pulled into her parents drive. She watched as they passed the guest house her grandmother lived in. She couldn't help but noticed that everything looked the same as it did the last time she was here. One thing, only one thing had changed since she was last here and told her parents about her wife's pregnancy and that was Maria's presence. She hadn't even exited the car yet and she could feel that loss already.

The light and subtle touches from the blonde was what was keeping the brunette grounded. It was just enough to let her know she was there and right beside her without letting her feel smothered at the same time. Arizona seemed to know what she needed before she even knew what she needed. But then she remembered this wasn't the blondes first go around with this situation.

Callie couldn't have been more grateful that she had her wife to lean on right now. She had been so strong for the blonde lately and she loved being her shelter, but she had to admit that it felt good not having to be the one to hold it all together right now. Arizona had preached to her time and time again that she didn't always have to be the strong one and this time she was listening.

Feeling her wife squeeze her leg, Callie placed her hand on top of the blondes as she wiped away a tear that fell down her cheek before giving Arizona a sad smile as the car pulled to a stop in front of the house.

Taking a deep breath, they exited the car and walked up to the front door. With Charlee in her arms, Callie open the door and walked into her parents home as the driver retrieved their bags. Walking further into the house they met a few of her uncles and aunts that were all standing around in the kitchen talking. After they fussed over their nieces daughter Callie went about to find her parents and sister. Seeing people outside on the veranda, she decided to make her way out there. She knew that was probably where her mother and father were.

Carlos, Lucia, Aria and James were all sitting around the table eating a late breakfast when Carlos noticed his oldest daughter walk outside with her daughter and wife in tow. Wiping his mouth, he clearly saw the emotional and solemn look on her face. Standing up, he met her half way. "Mija." He said hugging her around the neck as he did the same to Arizona and gave a kiss to his granddaughter before excusing himself. He couldn't stand seeing the broken look on his daughters face.

Lucia and Aria both stood when Callie and Arizona walked closer to the table. "He's just having a hard time, honey." Her mom said as she walked around to her.

"Can I?" Aria asked as she took her niece from her sisters arms.

"How are you sweetheart?" Lucia asked, hugging her daughter.

Feeling her moms arms around her broke her wall down again. It was rare to see her mom without her grandma around close. "She's really gone?" Callie asked, not being able to keep her tears in any longer.

"She is, Mija." She said while her daughter cried into her chest as she and the blonde caressed her back.

After a few moments, Carlos gathered himself and came back to his family just as his wife and daughter broke their embrace. "Mija, Arizona join us for breakfast?" He pulled out seats for the two women.

"I'm not hungry." Callie sat down beside him.

"Callie, you need to eat something." Arizona leaned over and whispered. "You've not ate since yesterday afternoon. Please eat honey."

"My stomach is in knots. I can't eat." She whispered back.

Sighing, Arizona dropped the topic for now and grabbed a few pieces of bacon from the trey.

"So, sis." Aria said, trying to lighten the mood around them. "Mi sobrina looks so much like both of you, how did you manage that?"

"I have the magic touch." Callie shrugged, placing her hand on her wife's leg needing the contact.

"She's a muñeca bebé." (Doll baby.) she said, kissing the little Latina's cheek. "Her looks have changed so much since I saw her last." She said cuddling the baby."

"Thanks." Callie gave her a half smile, before getting quiet again as everyone around her finished their meal.

"I saw the picture you sent Nana yesterday morning." Lucia said, taking a sip of her coffee. "You have a beautiful little family, honey."

"You saw that?" She questioned, moving her hand away from her wife.

"Oh yes. Maria kept showing us over and over yesterday. She said she had never seen her little Calliope happier."

"Yeah well a lot can change in a days time." She whispered to herself before turning her attention to the crashing waves on the shoreline of her parents property.

Hearing her wife's whisper, Arizona placed her hand and on her shoulder and softly caressed the pad of her thumb over the exposed tanned skin.

"Oh, I think this one needs to be changed." Aria said, looking down at her shirt when she felt dampness.

"Oh no." Arizona stood and took her daughter from her sister-in-law. "Did we have an accident big girl?" She asked, bouncing the baby in her arms.

"I'll change her." Callie stood from her seat. "You eat."

"No, I'll get her. You stay and spend some time with your mom and dad. We'll only be a few minutes."

Walking into the front door, Arizona felt the heaviness in the small house. It had been a long time since she had last been here, but yet, everything still looked the same. When she went to change her daughter she was gone longer than she hoped to be because she kept getting stopped by Callie's cousins as they gushed over the cute infant. Finally returning back outside where she had left them, she noticed everyone had already dispersed. Lucia was now the only one outside and she was sitting in a lounger overlooking the ocean. It was something her and Maria did quiet often after breakfast.

Walking down the hallway, she came to the end where the bedroom door was cracked open. Slowly pushing it forward, she saw her wife crying as she sat on her grandmas bed clutching her pillow. "Calliope?" Her heart broke for her wife.

Looking up at the sound of her name, she saw her wife slowly entering the room. "She's.. she's really gone, Arizona." She said, squeezing her eyes shut as loud sobs escaped her lips. "She's gone."

"Oh, Calliope." The blonde quickly crawled on the bed and pulled her wife to her. "I know, I know, honey." She said, trying to smooth her wife's pain. "Shhh..." She rocked them as the brunette cried. "It's going to be okay."

"There was this small part of me.." Callie said after a few minutes. "I thought that if I came over here she would be cooking away in the kitchen or out on her balcony relaxing." She sniffled, feeling her wife kiss her hair as she held on to her. "But she's not, Arizona... she's not here."

"No, she's not." She hugged her tight. "But she'll live on through your parents and Aria. And especially through you."

"How so?" She mumbled the question into her wife's chest.

"Oh man. You don't know?" Arizona asked, pulling back from her wife to look her in the face. "You are so much like her Cal it isn't funny."

"You think so?" She sniffed.

"So much so that you would think she was your mom and not your Nana. You both love your family and would do anything for them. And yet, you both can be stubborn asses just to get a rise out of someone else." She chuckled.

"Only because I think you're cute when you get mad." She chuckled.

"I'm not cute, I'm hot."

"That's true." Callie agreed with a sigh. "She was something."

"She was." Arizona moved to lay down on the bed. "Come on." She motioned for her wife to lay down beside her.

"All my life I wanted to be like her." The brunette said, placing her head on her wife's chest as she snuggled in close. "She and my grandpa had this special relationship." She said, lacing her fingers with her wife's. "She talked about him all the time and all I could think about was wanting something like that. Someone that would invade every corner of my thoughts even when they're not around. I didn't think I'd ever find that, but then I met you and I couldn't wait to tell her about you, but I was scared that she wouldn't approve. After a little time to adjust, she realized you can't help who you fall in love with. She got to see that and I'm grateful she was around for that dream come true, but she won't get to see me pregnant or see what kind of moms we'll become."

"Yes she will." Arizona said, gently scratching her wife's back. "There were so many times that I wished Tim was here still. Like when we married and when we had Charlee. There was only one thing got me through all of that, and it was you. You kept telling me that he knew, that he was there. That helped so much, even if it's not really true, just the possibility that he could know was good enough for me. I think she'll be there and look over our babies."

"You think so?"

"Oh yeah, I do."

"I'm going to miss her so much." She whispered.

"I am too." The blonde said as her eyes welled up with tears. "But you'll get through. You have me and a beautiful little girl."

"Where is she?" She leaned up on her elbow and asked her wife.

"She's with your mom and dad, they wanted some time with her."

"Oh." She said, laying her head back down. "How did you know I was here?"

"I didn't, I thought this might be the first place you'd come too."

"Oh." She whispered, grateful her wife knew her so well. "I just needed to get away from everyone. We're all going through the same thing, but everyone keeps looking at me like I'm going to go crazy."

"Everyone knows how close you were with Maria."

"Yeah." Callie agreed. "You're a good partner you know that." She said after a few moments of silence. She loved how even though she was hurting, Arizona seemed to take her mind off things if only for a moment.

"It takes one to know one."

"I know." She shrugged, with a light laugh. "Will you stay here with me while I take a nap?"

"No place I'd rather be." Arizona said, rolling on her side to face her wife as they laced their legs together. "Get some rest, love." She said, kissing the brunette on her closed eye lids.

As of now, I have just finished writing the last chapter of this story (121) and I'm in the midst of the epilogue... EEEKK!