Thank you all for your reaction to part 1. I really hope you enjoy part two.

Trust me, alright?

/ / /

6 months later

/ / /

The Sloan family home sat just outside of Whistle Stop. It was an old brick home that no money had been spared on to update to the finest place for miles around. Lights in every room, indoor plumbing, the fanciest appliances that even people in the cities didn't have yet. It was a testament to the deep pockets the Sloan's had and liked to show off.

Coming into the kitchen one afternoon, Callie saw the mail on the table. Even six months in, seeing a letter to Mrs. Mark Sloan still made her feel as though she had lost a bit of herself.

She sat down and opened the letter from Teddy and read about the antics of the Robbins family. Teddy wrote about the local cafe closing, about Timothy and the boys building a new barn and a little of Arizona. Even though she was only a dozen miles away, she hadn't been able to visit them nearly as much as she hoped. As she thought of the Robbins, the thought of Arizona crossed her mind which brought a heaviness to her chest.

"Evening," Mark said as he walked into the house. He hung his coat before he walked to the kitchen where Callie was sitting still at the table.

"Hello," Callie tucked the letter back in the envelope to reply to Teddy later.

Mark dropped a kiss to the top of her head before getting a beer from the refrigerator. He sat down at the table and opened it before taking a long pull from it. His eyes closed as he savored the taste.

Callie looked at the letter again before her eyes lifted up to her husband. "I've been thinking."

"Well, that is a danger," Mark let out a chuckle as he opened his eyes to look at her.

Callie chuckled as she reached and took his beer to take a drink from the bottle. She took a long pull from it before sliding it across the table back to him. "I want something to do during the day when you're gone doing your business."

"And just what is it that you want to do during the day?" Mark asked with a tilt of his head.

Callie chewed her lip as she thought about the letter from Teddy. She hadn't given much thought but Mark had always been good at entertaining whatever she wanted to do. "The old Whistle Stop cafe closed. What if I bought and ran it?"

Mark raised an eyebrow and lifted the bottle back to his lips. "You want to run a cafe, Cal?"

Callie chewed her lip a moment as she nodded. "It'll give me a sense of having something of my own. And it'll create some good will for us in the town. People are nice to the people who feed them."

Mark thought over the argument as he took another drink before handing her the bottle to finish off. He crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head back. "This will make you happy?"

"I think it will," Callie answered. "When I taught the children in town last summer, I got to know several of the families. I like the people here. I want to build ties. I want to be one of them."

Mark nodded as he looked at her and the sincerity there. "When we married, I set aside the money your father gave into a separate account. I have my own money, do what you want with his."

"You mean it?" Callie asked with a wide smile.

Mark sat up and then leaned forward. "We've known each other a long time, Cal. You have always allowed me to find my happiness when I went looking for it. What kind of man would I be if I didn't allow you to find some of your own?"

Callie pushed her chair back to sit on his lap. She kissed him firmly as she ran a hand over the back of his head. "Thank you, Mark."

"Course," Mark said as he wrapped his arms around her to keep her pulled against him. He popped one of the buttons on the front of her dress and then another. He bent forward and pressed a pair of open mouth kisses there. "Dinner can wait. Let's go upstairs."

"It's not even seven," Callie said as she kept playing with his hair.

"Never stopped us before," Mark said before he stood up with his arms holding her up. He got a roguish smile on his face as he started them to the stairs. "A man's gotta eat, Callie."

Callie just laughed at him, shaking her head as he took them to bed.

/ /

The old Mrs. Webber who owned the Whistle Stop Cafe was willing to accept a fair price from Callie and the deal was closed in just about six weeks. Callie hired local men - like Alex and Timothy - to do some upgrades so the place was a little nicer without losing the charm that made it the heart of the community. The past owner was willing to sell her some of the recipes and she found some local women to work there as waitresses and cooks.

On a warm May day, the cafe officially reopened with much fanfare.

"Miss Callie, this Peach Pie is the best I've had," Colonel Robbins said as Mamma sat across from him in one of the booths. "Just like my momma used to make."

"Thank you kindly, Colonel," Callie smiled as she put her hand on his shoulder before pouring him and Momma some more coffee.

She headed to the front near the counter and turned to see the place full of people with big plates of food. The sound of laughing and forks against plates was music to her ears. She went back to the kitchen where her head cook Bailey was working on pulling a roast from the oven.

"This place is going to be the talk of the county," Bailey said as she checked the doneness before moving it over for Lexie to cut for the order she had taken.

"That's the hope," Callie smiled before she looked at the back door when she saw a flash of blonde hair. She saw a jar of something with a note, so she walked over to see honey in a mason jar.

"And where do you think you're going?" Callie called when she saw Arizona trying to duck around the side of the cafe.

Arizona froze before turning around and putting a hand on each of her suspender straps. She ducked her head before looking up at Callie with a shy look on her face. She had a fresh shinier on her right eye and a purple mark on her jaw. "Wasn't sure that you'd want an old scrapper here tonight."

"What happened?" Callie asked as she stepped forward towards Arizona. She put her hand carefully on her jaw and looked carefully at her injuries.

"New fella in town was bothering some of the women down at the encampment by the river," Arizona said as her head ducked down again. "Owen had a drink and told me to take care of it so he didn't have to. If he had to get involved it's a bigger can of worms we don't want to get messed up in."

Callie ghosted her fingers over Arizona's cheek and winced when she did. "Will you come back after we close? I can get you a plate of hot food and something cold to put on your cheek."

"It's been a few days, it mostly doesn't hurt no more," Arizona said as she looked up into Callie's brown eyes.

"Come back tonight anyway and let me feed you?" Callie whispered as she moved her hand from Arizona's jaw down to rest against her neck.

"Alright," Arizona whispered. "A plate of food and something cold to drink would be nice. I haven't been having dinner at Momma's since. I don't want to hear her go on about me fighting again."

Callie stroked over the smooth skin of Arizona's neck before she dropped her hand. "I'll leave the backdoor unlocked for you then. Everyone should be cleared out by nine."

Arizona nodded as she stepped back as if being this close to Callie was making her lightheaded. "I'll be back by then," she promised.

Callie watched her turn and walk away before stepping toward her again. "Arizona?"

Arizona turned and quirked her eyebrow.

"Thanks for the honey. You really are my favorite beekeeper," Callie said with a warm smile.

Arizona flashed her a dimple grin no matter how much it hurt. She winked with her good eye, walking away before she did something silly.

/ /

Arizona made sure that the cafe really was empty before she snuck around to the back door. She had gone from the cafe back down to the encampment to burn off the buzz that had been building up in her blood. She swam in the river to get the sweat off of her skin before redressing and coming back.

"You had quite the opening," Arizona said as she pushed the door open to see Callie sitting in the cleaned kitchen on a stool.

"It was a good night, a real good night," Callie said as she looked up to see Arizona standing there.

"You deserve nothing but the very best, Calliope," Arizona whispered.

"You deserve good things too," Callie whispered back.

Arizona just let out a nervous chuckle as she walked in and let the screen door shut behind her. She sat across from her and pulled the plate Callie made for her close.

"It's roast chicken with almond dressing and some candied sweet potatoes," Callie told her. "And I have some bread pudding for you too."

Arizona picked up the fork and started eating like she hadn't had a hot meal in a week. She looked up when half the plate was gone and blushed when she saw the amused look on Callie's face.

"Sorry, I haven't been eating much, not going over to Momma's," Arizona explained.

"I figured as much," Callie said as she got off the stool to go get Arizona a cold Coke.

"Thanks," Arizona said after using the back of her hand to wipe her mouth.

Callie got her a napkin with a roll of her eyes. "How's the encampment? Are the women safer now that the fella got taken care of?"

"It's alright," Arizona nodded as she forked a potato before lifting it up. "Been there more than not since you went off and got married. I don't know what else to do with my time," she said before shoving the potato into her mouth.

Callie's eyes grew sad at the thought of Arizona spending her time down there using drinking and the women who she paid for their time. She reached across the table and held on to Arizona's free hand a moment.

"I miss you too," Callie whispered.

Arizona ducked her head. "I'll come around more," she said no matter how much being around Callie hurt without having her like she had last summer would hurt too.

"That would be nice," Callie said as she rubbed over Arizona's left hand.

Arizona finished her meal and pushed her plate away. "He treats you good?" She asked to shift the conversation off of herself.

Callie blinked at the question before she nodded. "He does. He and I have been friends for years, so I knew he would."

Arizona wiped her mouth, with the napkin this time, before she took her dishes over and washed them up so Callie didn't have to. She sat back down and grabbed her Coke bottle with both hands. "I just want you to be happy."

"Happiness is as much a choice as anything else," Callie whispered.

"It is," Arizona agreed. She picked her bottle up and finished it when she saw lights from a car at the front of the cafe. "Looks like your ride is here."

"It is," Callie nodded. She got up and turned to grab her bag. "I'll see you tomorrow?" She asked before turning. When she did, she saw the door swing shut. Arizona was already gone.

Mark walked into the kitchen with a big smile on his face. "I heard things went well tonight," he said as he wrapped an arm around her.

"They did," Callie shook her head a moment before leaning up to kiss him. "Let's go home."

Mark locked up the back door before walking over to her again and wrapping his arm around her. "I'm proud of you, Cal."

"For what?" Callie asked. "The Cafe?"

"For finding your happiness," Mark smiled as he opened the front door for her to walk out first.

"Yeah, I think I have," Callie whispered as she locked the front door.

/ /

Tim Robbins was in his barn one warm September day working on a tractor when he heard footsteps behind him. "Are you going to stand there or come give me a hand?" He asked, knowing Arizona's walk anywhere.

"Well, between us we have two good ones," Arizona said as she pulled a stool over.

"Got into another fight? What's that the fifth since you've been sneaking to the Cafe after closing for supper?" Tim asked without looking up.

"I don't know no more," Arizona admitted as she handed him a wrench with her good hand. "Just been a lot of fellas who needed to be taught one thing or another lately."

"And nothing to do with your frustration at seeing Miss Callie and then her going home to her husband?" Tim asked as he finally looked up at her busted lip and busted right hand.

"She's married, but I can't quit seeing her. Even if that's all that we do. We look at each other and she feeds me and then she goes one way and I go another," Arizona said as she made a face at the thought of it.

"What has you so wrapped up in this one? You've always had a healthy streak of running from person to person so you didn't get trapped down," Tim asked as he sat back. He pulled a rag out of his pocket and wiped at his brow.

"She's just different," Arizona said without meeting his eye. "The last few months have been nice even if all we do is look and talk and eat."

"You feel like you're having dinner with your girl," Tim said in a kind voice.

"For an hour a night she is mine," Arizona whispered. "For an hour, I can just pretend she doesn't have someone else to go home to, and I don't have to pay for someone to bunk up with."

Tim stood up and walked around to wrap his arm around his sister. He kissed the side of her head and just held her a moment. "I love you, Arizona. More than Coke and chocolate and all the peach pie in Georgia."

"I love you too," Arizona sniffled as she leaned back against her brother. "I just wish I didn't love her too."

"You don't mean that," Tim said in an understanding way. "Because not loving her would just take a little love out of the world and we need more of that, not less."

"It hurts," Arizona whispered. "So bad, Timmy. And I don't know how to make it stop. I didn't see her for months and the first chance I got I went out and got her honey because I know she likes it. Then I keep going there night after night. Even when I say I'll stay away."

"It's alright little sister," Tim whispered. "It will be alright."

"Will it?" Arizona asked with a tear rolling down her cheek.

"It's got to," Tim whispered. He kissed her head again before taking a seat on the other side of the tractor again. "Now, quit moping and help me make this tractor run. Got it?"

Arizona wiped at her eyes before she nodded. "I can do that," she said, trying to forget the weight in her chest.

/ /

"Happy Sunday," Teddy walked up to Callie after Church on Sunday about several months after the cafe opened near mid October.

"Happy Sunday to you," Callie smiled as they stood just outside the church as some of the older ladies were setting up an area for food and drinks to be served. "How are you feeling with that belly of yours?"

Teddy rubbed her hand over her baby bump. "Another few months and Tim will have his first little one in his arm and I will finally be able to see my feet again," she laughed softly. "I'm looking forward to it, I'll tell you that."

"I can't wait to see them," Callie said as she reached to hold Teddy's hand for a moment.

"Tim and Arizona have been working on a new crib for them. She has been coming around more than ever to make sure that he has help on the farm and to make sure I'm not overworking myself," Teddy said.

Callie, who had seen Arizona every night for dinner when the cafe was opened, just smiled. "Arizona cares very much for her brother and for you. I can't wait to see your little one riding on her shoulder through town."

"Me either," Teddy laughed at the very idea of it. "How are things with you and Mark going? How is married life treating you?"

Callie smiled as she reached her right hand to her left to play with her wedding ring. "Good," she said honestly. Because other than the ache she felt when she saw Arizona her marriage was going well. As well as she could ever hope at least. "We're happy and he loves that I'm happy with the cafe."

"Good. Him being supportive is wonderful. Good on him," Teddy smiled as she felt a strong arm around her waist. "Why Tim Robbins, what are you doing?"

"Just giving my wife a fitting and proper hello," Tim said as he kissed her cheek. "Hello, Callie, how do you do?"

"I'm well Tim," Callie smiled. She felt a hand on her back and turned to see her husband beside her.

"I thought the sermon was uplifting today," Mark said after greeting Tim and Teddy.

"It was," Tim agreed. "This new pastor is very hopeful. I like that more than the brimstone."

"Honestly, it's refreshing not to hear once a week about the hellfires," Teddy agreed as she leaned slightly against Tim.

Callie half listened to the group as her eyes caught Arizona out at the edge of the field. She watched her for a moment as she watched the group before turning and heading into the woods in the direction of a path that would take her not far from the church. A path that Callie had taken more than a few times back towards the Robbins farm when she was doing church school.

"I think I see Old Mrs. Herron, excuse me for a moment," Callie said before slipping away.

She slipped down the path into the woods and walked a few hundred feet until she saw Arizona sitting on a branch of a tree with its fall leaves all brilliant colors, a deep curve about seven or eight feet off the ground.

"What happened this time?" Callie sighed as she saw the fresh evidence of a fight on Arizona.

"Someone said something about Timmy who didn't know no better," Arizona said as she leaned back against the trunk as she took a knife out of her pocket to cut up an apple she had in her hand.

"You can't just go around beating up on people," Callie said as she crossed her arms.

"Can if I want," Arizona said even if she didn't look Callie in the eye as she said it.

"Arizona," Callie said before she let out a sigh. "Why are you doing this?"

"Makes for a good story," Arizona said before taking a bite of a piece of the apple she cut off.

"You have a million good stories," Callie countered. "You always tell me the most wonderful stories without getting beat up and scaring me half to death."

"Name one story I ever told you," Arizona said as she played dumb.

"The one about the lake," Callie said as she dropped her arms down and stepped closer. "When the geese flew down in December and got trapped."

Arizona took another bit from the cut apple before rolling her eyes. "It wasn't geese, it was ducks and it wasn't December, it was November."

"Oh yeah?" Callie said as it was her turn to play dumb. "Tell me it again so I remember it."

Arizona knew what Callie was doing but still the corners of her lips turned upward. "One time there was this lake. And it was right outside of town. We used to go fishing and swimming and canoeing in it. And one November, this big flock of ducks came in and landed on that lake. And then the temperature dropped so fast that the lake just froze right there. And the ducks flew off, you see, and they took that lake right with them. Now they say that lake is somewhere over in Georgia. Can you imagine that?"

"I can see them all flying off with the lake stuck to them," Callie said as she got closer to the tree. "Will you come down here now, so I can look at your eye and hand?"

Arizona made a face before pocketing the knife after wiping it on her dirty old paints. She tossed the apple before managing to climb down. She leaned back against the tree and Callie came close.

"Why can't you just stay safe?" Callie asked as she pulled out a handkerchief and tried to clean some of the blood off of Arizona's skin that seeped from the cut.

Arizona didn't answer just then as she felt Callie's hand on her cheek as she worked to clean her up. She could feel her breathing coming faster now, but it let her smell the perfume that Callie always wore on Sundays.

"Because I love you and you're another man's wife," Arizona whispered with her eyes closed tight.

"I am," Callie whispered but didn't pull back.

"So, until then I'm going to get in fights and spend my nights down at the river. I'll help Timmy and Teddy with the farm and help Momma peel potatoes and whatever else I have to do. And I'll have dinner with you and for an hour I'll pretend I'm coming home to you. And you'll clean me up when I need to and you'll make sure I'm okay. But you'll be his wife while you do it," Arizona said in a pained voice as she opened her eyes to look into Callie's.

Callie cupped both of Arizona's cheeks in her hands and looked into her blue eyes. "If you get yourself killed, I will never forgive you, Arizona Robbins. I will never recover if you leave this earth. Do you hear me?"

Arizona's tongue poked out as she nodded slightly with her cheeks still in Callie's hands. "I'll quit fighting unless something says something about you," she vowed.

"Thank you," Callie whispered. She leaned in and kissed her good cheek, lingering there for a long moment. "Thank you for keeping my heart safe. Because my heart doesn't live in my chest no more Arizona. Last summer it started living in yours. So keep it safe for me."

"Okay," Arizona whispered with her eyes closed at the feeling of Callie so close to her. "I'll quit it. I swear it."

"Thank you," Callie whispered as she stepped back. She put her handkerchief in Arizona's hand. "Clean yourself up. Mark and I are having Sunday dinner at Momma's tonight. She asked us before church. I expect to see you."

"Alright," Arizona said as she kept her back against the tree. "I'll be there."

"Good," Callie said. She looked at her for a long moment before she turned and walked back to the fellowship hour with the others.

/ /

The end of November wind blew against the windows as Callie walked from the bathroom back to bed with Mark laying bare in the sheets, the same as she was. She slipped back between the sheets and felt Mark pull her back in to press a series of kisses over her shoulder.

"Are you happy?"

Mark looked up from where he had been kissing to look at her face.

"I am currently very happy," Mark said with a low chuckle as he cupped her right breast in his hand and rolled his fingers over it. "Aren't you?"

Callie pulled back from him and rolled over to look at him. She raised her eyebrow to let him know she was serious and not simply teasing him for her own amusement. "Are you happy?" She asked again.

Mark pulled the blankets up to his mid chest as he came to understand that they wouldn't be having a round two right now. He knew that eyebrow raise better than anyone. "I have my work that my father is finally untangled from, I have a wife I don't dread spending time with, I have my friends, I have a good life."

"That wasn't the question," Callie pointed out as she reached her hand out to stroke his cheek. "We've always been honest with each other haven't we?"

"More or less," Mark whispered as his eyes didn't meet hers.

"What does that mean?" Callie asked with a wrinkled brow.

Mark lifted his hand to her cheek and brought it down to his chest. "You have your outside affections and I have mine."

"Oh do you?" Callie asked in a low voice.

"Nothing has happened, hand to God himself," Mark said before Callie could smack him in any part of himself that he cared about. "But there is someone I have feelings for, yes. You and I are friends who knew their daddys wanted to make a good deal. We're not in love, and we never pretended to be. Don't play the aggrieved woman now. That dress don't fit."

Callie breathed in through her nose before letting it out through her mouth and nodding. "You seem to know more about mine than I know about yours."

Mark shifted closer and rested his head against her shoulder as she started to comb his hair with her fingers. "She's a local girl that I knew of growing up here even if I didn't know much more than a name and a face to go with it. But then I moved away and we were to be married. She wouldn't have passed my father's standards in any case."

Callie stroked through his hair and down to the back of his neck. "Who is it, Mark?"

"Lexie Grey," Mark whispered.

"Lexie? The girl who lives with the Robbins?" Callie asked in surprise. "Who works at my cafe?"

"Yes," Mark whispered.

"And you love her?" Callie asked as she rested her head to his.

"If I just wanted to take her to bed, I could have a dozen times over now, Cal. But she deserves more than to be a mistress and you deserve more than a man who would have one. I might not be all that honorable of a man but the two of you are honorable women," Mark answered.

Callie laid there and thought of what they could do. She didn't want to be encased in a marriage where both of them pined for people not included in their marriage. But the exit plan would have to be laid perfectly in order to minimize the harm done.

"There is a small house just behind the cafe," Callie whispered as she rubbed her thumb into his neck. "It wouldn't be hard to fix it up, so it would make a good home for the owner of the cafe."

"Cal?" Mark questioned as he sat up.

"There are three rooms that could reasonably be bedrooms on the second floor, a small parlor, kitchen and bathroom downstairs," Callie added as she laid there with her eyes closed. "It would be tough, but the town would accept it I think."

"Callie, what are you talking about?" Mark asked. His heart rate sped up and his hands started to sweat slightly as his mind raced to what she might be talking about.

"Divorce isn't an option. My father would be here before the week was out if we did that," Callie said as she toyed with the simple band she wore on her left hand. "But if I move into that little house and we tell people it's because it's easier with the cafe, you'll need someone here to keep the house. Lexie could keep the house and you. Arizona could stay in the spare room at the little house with me and be the handyman that helps around the house and cafe."

Mark rubbed a hand down his face as he thought about Carlos Torres and what would happen if he got wind that he and Callie divorced. "So, you want Lexie and Arizona to bind themselves to two married people?"

"I want you and me to agree to let the other be happy," Callie said as her hand lifted to his cheek. "And yes, you'd be with Lexie, and I'd be with Arizona. Yours more of an open secret and mine less open. But Mark, what options do we have if we don't want to pine for the rest of our lives?"

Mark rolled to his back and looked up at the ceiling. He thought of the times he had Lexie in his arms and stopped himself for her and Callie's sake from doing what he wanted. He thought of the moments where he and Callie felt more as friends than how a husband and a wife felt. And he thought of the way Arizona looked at Callie when she thought no one was looking at her. It all felt like a weight on his chest he desperately wanted off.

"You talk to Robbins and I'll talk to Lexie," Mark whispered. He rolled himself to his side before he looked at his wife's face. "Once we do, will we figure out a plan to make it happen?"

"Really?" Callie said with a wide smile forming.

"You and I deserve to be happy," Mark said with a slightly more careful smile.

"Thank you," Callie said before leaning down to kiss him.

"Don't thank me until it's all settled," Mark said. He pulled Callie close to him and kissed over her collarbone. "And you should at least thank me properly for being such a devoted husband."

Callie rolled her eyes before she tugged him closer and kissed him deeply.

/ /

The sun was shining on the backyard of the Robbins family home as Lexie hung up the wash on the line. It was almost too cold to do this but today was a nice day for this time of year. Momma and the Colonel were in town for the afternoon and the rest of the family was here or there for the afternoon.

"Good afternoon, Miss Grey," Mark said as he stepped from the other side of one of the hung sheets.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Sloan," Lexie said with a slight blush on her cheeks. She had a habit of blushing anytime Mark was around her.

"I was on my way over when I saw these," Mark said as he pulled a small bunch of late season wildflowers out from behind his back.

"They are beautiful. Thank you," Lexie said warmly. She accepted the flowers and brought them up to her nose to take a sniff from them. "Come inside while I put them in water? I'll get you a cup of coffee?"

Mark followed her inside with his eyes moving over her back as she walked. He shut the kitchen door once they were inside and took his hat off, setting it on the table before he sat down.

"Callie and I had a conversation a few days ago," Mark said after Lexie set a cup of coffee down in front of him and took a seat of her own.

"Did you?" Lexie asked nervously.

Mark took the cup in hand and lifted it up to his lips. He took a gulp before setting it back down to calm his own nerves at having this conversation. "She and I both have ideas for what we want our future to look like."

"Do you?" Lexie said, unsure of where this was going.

"She is going to be moving to the house next to the cafe and enjoying the freedom there even if we'll still be married," Mark said as he swirled the coffee in his mug. "And I will need a housekeeper to make sure the big house is kept up."

Lexie's brown creased a little. "She's moving out?"

Mark ran a hand through his short hair. "She knows what I feel for you, Lexie. And she has her own feelings that lay elsewhere."

"Oh," Lexie said before her eyes widened slightly. "Oh."

"Yes, oh," Mark said as he looked at her. "It won't be as public as you deserve, but it will be a way for the two of us to have each other."

"So, I'd keep your house, warm your bed, and she'll stay your wife?" Lexie asked as she looked down at her hands in her lap.

"Yes," Mark answered. "I can't divorce her. I won't do that and leave her unprotected from her father remarrying her and taking her away from Whistle Stop. But she and I can make our own lives with who we want."

Lexie reached over and took his coffee cup from him and drank out of it before she set it back down. She thought a moment of the life she could have if she turned Mark down. Maybe she would find someone who would marry her, have a few children with her, build her a home. But they wouldn't have Mark's blue eyes or make her heart skip a beat with a simple smile. They wouldn't be him no matter whatever else they could offer.

"Okay," Lexie said as her eyes met his.

"Okay?" Mark asked.

"I'll be your housekeeper. If Callie knows and is okay with it. She has to know. I like working at the cafe, and I like her," Lexie clarified.

"This was her idea," Mark admitted.

"It was?" Lexie asked in surprise.

"Let's just say that she had someone picked out to fill my role as much as I have you to fill hers," Mark said, not wanting to say more out loud here.

Lexie nodded before she reached across the table. "When do I start working?"

"Once her house is redone and she moves in. I'd have you there sooner, but I don't want to have you both in the house at the same time. This is her plan, but that seems unwise," Mark explained.

"Alright," Lexie nodded as she checked the time. "Momma and the Colonel will be back soon and I have to see to the wash still."

"Do you want help?" Mark asked with a shy smile.

"If you're here when they get back, there will be questions I don't think either of us want to answer," Lexie pointed out.

"Alright," Mark said before finishing his coffee. He put his hat on before he stood up. "I'll see you tonight at the cafe when I come for dinner?"

"I'll save you a piece of pie," Lexie said with a smile.

Mark bent down and kissed her cheek before he saw himself out.

/ /

The evening just after closing but an hour or so before Mark would return to drive Callie home, Arizona came to the backdoor like she did every night. She smiled when she saw Callie in the kitchen making some coffee to go with the dinner she already made.

"Evening," Arizona said as she shut the door behind her.

"Evening," Callie said as she turned and brushed her hands over her apron. "Sit and eat while it's warm. I have an apple crisp in the oven warming for you too."

Arizona walked over and pulled a stool out and looked down at the plate of pot roast with vegetables with a bit of steam rising off of it. She tore a bit of bread and sopped up some of the gravy.

"This is great," She said after her first bite.

"I know it's one of your favorites," Callie smiled as she made them each a coffee and took a seat across from her. She felt the nerves well up in her as she tried to figure out how to talk to Arizona about her conversation with Mark.

Arizona dug into her plate but as the moments stretched on she seemed to sense Callie's anxiety and reached out to squeeze her hand in reassurance. "What is it, Callie?" She asked gently.

Callie hesitated for a moment as she gathered her courage, then began. "I had a conversation with Mark earlier in the week. About if we're happy and what would make us happier."

Arizona tilted her head as Callie went on. "You aren't happy?"

Callie squeezed her hand. "Finish your dinner and then I want to show you something before dessert."

Arizona nodded as she looked down at her plate. She didn't rush eating, but she didn't linger as she wanted to see whatever it was that Callie wanted to show her. She took a final drink of her coffee before giving Callie a raised eyebrow.

"You never were very good at waiting were you?" Callie asked as both got off of their stools.

"Nope," Arizona said while popping the p.

Callie slipped on her coat to warm off the late fall chill and brought Arizona from the warmth of the cafe across the backyard to the house on the same property. She unlocked the door and brought her into the parlor.

"What are we doing here?" Arizona asked once they were inside.

"Mark and I have been friends for a long time, and our marriage feels like a friendship," Callie explained as she put her hands in her coat pockets. "I am moving out of the house and into here under the reasoning that it's easier with the cafe. We're not divorcing, but we're allowing each other to live the lives we want."

Arizona crossed her arms over her chest as Callie went on. She wasn't sure she liked where it was going, but she also wasn't sure there would ever be something involving Mark she liked.

"You and me, we'd never be accepted or allowed if we were public. You know that as well as I do. But if you are here as my handyman and friend, then people won't ask, because they won't think to question it," Callie went on as she looked at Arizona. "It's not what I wish we could have, but it's what we can have."

"Calliope," Arizona whispered. "You're his wife. You want me to just accept us playing house with you as his wife?"

"What choice do we have? I can't divorce him without being dragged back by my hair to Atlanta," Callie said as she moved closer to Arizona. "This place could be ours. We could have a life here instead of just an hour for dinner six nights a week."

Arizona ran a hand through her hair as she walked around the empty parlor room. "This house is going to need a lot of work. It needs time to have it done. You're just going to live with him while he fixes this up for you?"

"Yes," Callie whispered. "I am hoping to be here by spring. And there are three bedrooms so you'd have your own if anyone asked, but I hope you don't use it personally."

Arizona looked out the window that faced the railroad tracks. She closed her eyes a moment and tried to fight the urge to go find Sloan and beat the piss out of him for marrying Callie. But if he hadn't, she'd be a rich man's wife in Atlanta.

"His money doesn't fix this place. If it's going to be ours, then let me fix it up. I can get Timmy and Alex to help with it this winter when they have less work to do," Arizona said as she turned and looked at Callie.

"You mean it?" Callie asked with a bright smile.

"I don't like it," Arizona said bluntly. "But I don't have much choice if I want to have you as even half mine."

"I'm a lot more than half yours," Callie said as she moved closer to Arizona. "A lot, Arizona. This is the option we have, not the one any of us want."

"And while you're here with me, who is going to be keeping your husband warm?" Arizona asked as she wrapped her arms around Callie's waist inside of her jacket.

"Lexie Grey," Callie answered.

"Lexie?" Arizona asked in a sharp tone.

"They haven't done anything," Callie said as she held on to Arizona to keep her from rushing off to bust Mark's nose.

"She is as close to a sister as I got," Arizona said as she dropped her head to rest on Callie's shoulder. "The idea of Sloan and her makes me want to bust his lip. I don't want her to get hurt."

"He isn't going to hurt her," Callie said with more confidence than she felt about any of this.

"He best not," Arizona said as she kept her head down.

Callie held her for a few more minutes before she pulled back. "Come and let's go see the rest of the house before you get your apple crisp."

Arizona followed Callie around the first floor of the house, taking note of how much work it needed, and already making a mental list of things they would need to get done. She could do most of it herself but Tim and Alex would be welcome help.

They headed back to the cafe after they saw the house. Arizona sitting and Callie giving her the dessert she promised her.

"What are we doing with the third bedroom?" Arizona asked.

"Well," Callie said in a soft voice. "In the summer, there will be a third person in the house," she said as she rubbed over her middle.

Arizona's eyes widened as the spoon was held just in front of her mouth. "You're pregnant?"

"Yes," Callie whispered. "It doesn't change anything, does it?"

"It changes a lot," Arizona sighed as she sent the spoon down. "But it doesn't change that I want to be as much yours as I can be."

Callie gave a soft smile. "Thank you."

Mark's car pulled up in front of the cafe a short time later. He didn't come inside as he had a feeling that he would be interrupting something he had no part in.

"He's here for you," Arizona said as she looked through the main room of the cafe at the man standing outside of the car.

"He is," Callie said with a nod. "But I'll see you tomorrow."

"Is it strange that even with all that's changing between us, I'm still jealous?" Arizona asked as she ran a hand over Callie's cheek.

Callie shook her head before she brought her hand up and cupped Arizona's chin. "It doesn't make you any less mine."

"Good," Arizona said before she leaned across the table to kiss Callie softly. "I'll lock up after I finish and wash the dishes up."

"Thank you," Callie said as she put her coat back on.

Arizona couldn't help but sit there unmoving as she watched Mark's car pull out of the front of the cafe. She finished eating before washing up. After checking the locks on the doors, she went back to the house. She had work to get to.