Shortly after having breakfast at their favorite little café, the family found themselves in a local department store looking for a birthday present for Jess before they dropped Sofia off for the day. Normally when there was a sleepover, they wouldn't drop her off until later in the afternoon, however Stevie planned an extra special surprise for Jess and invited Sofia and Bella along to take them horseback riding since they all enjoyed it so much at camp and it got overshadowed by the events that happened afterward. Though they would miss their daughter dearly, the newly married couple wouldn't look the gift horse in the mouth…pun intended.
Sofia walked down the aisle looking at all the dolls and accessories, trying to decide which one she should get Jess for her birthday. She knew all the toys she had and all the ones she wanted; she just didn't know if it was okay to get Jess a toy. There would be other kids at the birthday party, girls from school and from camp and not all of them still played with dolls and toys. Maybe she should get her something different. Callie and Arizona watched on as their daughter bit her bottom lip and nervously shuffled her feet as if she were waging an inner battle. They weren't quite sure why exactly, but it looked like she was trying to decide if she should buy her friend the doll or not. They knew all three girls carried their baby dolls around like they were their real children. Between the three of them, they had babies that cried, ate, drank, peed, and pooped. They fed them, changed them, had strollers, swings, and an entire wardrobe of clothing. Their baby dolls had things most real babies didn't. Most of the time, their little girl would walk straight to this section and know exactly what she was aiming for.
Looking at one another curiously, Callie asked, "Sof, sweetie, did you find something you think Jess would like?" The smaller version of herself pursed her lips twisted them to the side and shrugged her shoulders. Arizona narrowed her eyes and asked, "Is something bothering you big girl?" Sofia looked around the aisle and declared, "Maybe I should get her some makeup or jewelry or something. "She's older now, that's what the older girls are into." The two women looked at one another, wondering where this was coming from. Just last weekend they were all playing with dolls and Barbies with Zola and even Henry and Bailey joined in. Callie turned to Sofia and asked, "Is that what's bothering you? Do you think now that Jess is older she won't want to play with dolls or she will think she's too old to play with you?" The little Latina shook her head and Callie arched her brow in question. Sofia sighed, dropped her shoulders and explained, "We like playing with dolls and I know I'm her best friend, but…" Arizona nodded in understanding and finished, "But you're afraid what the other kids will think and don't want them to laugh at you, or at Jess?" Sofia nibbled on her lip, nodded, and kept her head hung low as she added, "Some of the girls at day camp, the popular kids, they were talking about how they gave their toys away and play video games or just watch tv or listen to music and they were wearing makeup and they said toys were for babies."
Callie squatted down so she could look her daughter in the eye and asked, "What do you think? Do you think dolls and toys are for babies?" Sofia shook her head and responded, "No, we think it's fun. We use our imaginations and play make believe, we dress up and give our babies names and make them act a certain way or do silly things. It's almost like they are real characters." Both women smiled at that. They really weren't ready for their daughter to grow up, they also knew the day was quickly coming that she would be asking for makeup and giving her toys away. Callie took her daughter's hands in hers and shared, "You know, being popular isn't everything. Having good friends is what is most important. You have great friends and attract people because of who you are. You're the kid who stands up for your friends and for us. You're the one who helped everyone stay safe in the woods. You're the one who got named Hero of the Week. Everywhere we go, someone says hi to you. Before you came along, Mommy and I were these big deal doctors. Now when we go somewhere, we hear, "Hey there's Sofia's mom!" The little girl giggled at that and Arizona smiled and added, "There are way more 9 year old's who play with dolls and toys than you might think. Yes, you are getting older and soon you will like different things, but you are allowed to play with toys, and believe in magic, and wish on stars, and do all the things that kids do for as long as you want to and if people want to laugh at you…" Callie cut her off and finished, "You just do what mommy does and stick your tongue out at them." Arizona glared at her wife, stuck her tongue out at her, then winked at her daughter when she broke into another fit of giggles.
Callie looked at her wife then her daughter and revealed, "Before mommy got hurt, she used to skate at work. What she doesn't know is, it's one of the things I loved most about her because she didn't care what people thought; she liked it and it made her patients happy, so that's what she did." Arizona looked lovingly at her wife, rested her hand on her shoulder and Callie continued, "We learn new things no matter how old we are and I just learned that it's important to always be yourself, to always be able to look in the mirror and be happy with the person you see looking back at you, to be true to who you are." Arizona cut in, "We both had to learn that." Callie smiled up at her, took her hand from her shoulder and intertwined their fingers, and Arizona finished, "So if you want to buy Jess a doll and you know that she will love that doll, then you go pick the one you know she wants. If you think it would embarrass her to open a doll in front of those kids, then you give it to her when it's just you and her. But don't let other people stop either of you from being who you are or doing what you like." Callie nodded and added, "I know for a fact though, that Jordyn and Stevie wouldn't allow anyone to laugh at their daughter just like mommy and I wouldn't let anyone laugh at you." Arizona supplied, "We also know that you, Jess, and Bella are very wise and you surround yourselves with good people, so I am pretty sure the kids at the party wouldn't laugh or make fun of anyone." Sofia looked to her mama then her mommy and knew they were right. She was allowed to be whoever she wanted to be and people would still like her, they were living proof of that.
Sofia nodded, walked straight to the doll Jess said she wanted more than anything else, picked it up, put it in the cart, and declared, "Jess doesn't care what people think and I don't either." Arizona asked, "Is this the one she was talking about last week?" Sofia's mini-mega-watt smile bloomed across her face and she bounced on her toes and exclaimed, "That's the one!" Arizona nodded and offered, "Let me text Jordyn and make sure they didn't buy it okay?" The little girl's eyes bulged, she never thought of that. She nodded her head then waited nervously for a response. While they were waiting, Callie pulled out her phone, opened her camera and suggested, "Why don't we get a head start on your Christmas list since we are here." Sofia jumped up and down and pulled her mama through the aisles showing her everything she wanted and Callie snapped pictures of all the items so she could send them off to the grandparents and now to Tia Aria as well. She and Arizona already had a plan for Christmas. Just as they turned the corner to return to Arizona, Sofia stopped in her tracks when she saw her friend Kayla and her dad coming towards them. Kayla was one of the older girls from camp; she was almost 10 and was going into fourth grade. She looked up to Arizona and greeted, "Hi Sofia's mom," making the blonde giggle as Callie's words came to life, then watched the little girl run to hug Sofia and ask, "Hey are you going to Jessica's birthday party too?" Sofia started to stiffen, worried for just a second about what the girl would think, then remembered what her mommies said.
The little brunette stood straight and tall and replied, "I sure am. I can't wait to give her my present. She's wanted this doll since it came out." Arizona informed her, "Jordyn said we are good to go." Kayla looked at the cart then to her dad and nervously revealed, "Uh, I don't know what to get her. I was going to buy her makeup but my dad said her moms might not like that. Aren't we too old for toys? I don't want people to laugh at me if I get her a toy." Sofia smiled, looked at her moms then at her friend and responded, "I don't think we are too old. I want to be a kid as long as I can be. We still play with dolls, and she has all kinds of Barbies. Come on, I'll show you which ones she doesn't have." When the two girls walked away arm in arm, the man asked, "So that's Sofia?" Both women nodded proudly and Arizona confirmed, "That's Sofia." The father smiled and offered, "Now I see why the kids speak so highly of her. You've raised her well." Without waiting for comment, he followed the two girls to the next row of toys. Callie walked up to Arizona, put her arm around her and commented, "We did do a pretty good job didn't we?" The blonde nodded and responded, "We really did." Callie rested her other hand protectively over Arizona's abdomen even though neither of them knew if there was anything there or not and remarked, "She's going to be an amazing big sister." Arizona covered the tan hand on her stomach, kissed her wife's cheek and whispered, "That she will."
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After dropping Sofia off, Callie pulled her SUV into the garage and noticed Arizona eyeing her thunderbird. They haven't taken her out for a drive together since before Sofia was born. Arizona was never into cars, but she loved that one. Turning to her wife she asked, "Wanna take her for a spin?" Arizona's eyes sparkled and her dimples popped as she nodded enthusiastically and answered, "I was just thinking about our second date. I was wondering if we could recreate it." Callie's smile instantly grew as the memory flashed in her mind. She took a pale hand in hers, linked their fingers, and asked, "The one where I totally impressed you by picking you up in my baby, packed a picnic, and took you to all my favorite spots in and around Seattle?" Arizona kissed the back of her hand and nodded, "Yeah, that one. I loved seeing all those things, hearing your little stories behind them. I felt so much closer to you after that, like I knew the real you." Callie chuckled and responded, "I'm pretty sure you know everything there is to know about me." Arizona turned in her seat, took Callie's left hand in hers as well, turned her wedding ring in her fingers and responded thoughtfully, "I do…mostly, but since we've been here, you've only taken me to places you knew I'd like; you even made a list for me. You've lived here for two years, there has to be places you like; places you go when you want to get away from the city and think, your favorite place to eat, or just hang out. Where's your list? I want to know what took your breath away the first time you saw it. I want to know the places that made you feel like you were home. Like that day I texted you and told you the movers just left and you said you were going for a drive, where did you go, where do you go when you just drive? I want to learn more about you, the new you. I want to know about New York Callie."
While Arizona was speaking, Callie felt a lump forming in her throat and those butterflies fluttering around her stomach. She knew it shouldn't surprise her by this point, but she always felt a little tingle when Arizona veered from the norm, from what had become the norm after the crash rather. This Arizona was so much more open with her feelings and never hesitated to tell her how beautiful or sexy she was, or how she thought about her at different points in the day. This Arizona sought her out to take a nap with her, to be close to her. This Arizona planned the most perfect date she'd ever been on and now she wanted to recreate a date Callie had taken her on, one she never before mentioned that meant so much to her. A date for the sole purpose of learning more about who she had become, what she likes now, what she does or did in her free time when they were apart.
Lifting their entwined hands to her lips, she kissed the back of Arizona's hand and husked out, "I'd love to share those things with my wife. Let's go pack a few blankets, and warmer clothes." Arizona bounced in her seat excitedly and proclaimed, "Ooh it really is going to be a recreation of our second date." Callie tugged on their hands which were still connected, pulled her wife closer and murmured, "Except this time I won't be dropping you off at your door with only a few kisses." Arizona's gaze dropped to plump red lips, she leaned forward and asked, "Hmm what makes you so sure I'll put out?" Callie barely brushed their lips together and whispered, "I have a wedding ring that pretty much guarantees it." Arizona swiped her tongue along Callie's top lip and asked, "Is that so?" Callie nibbled on Arizona's bottom lip and mumbled, "That's exactly so." Arizona arched her brow, then pulled her wife in for a long searing kiss, both of them giving the other a preview of their plans for the end of the evening in just the movement of their tongues.
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As soon as Arizona brought up her desire to recreate their first date, Callie began to develop an entire plan in her head. She knew exactly where she wanted to go and was getting rather excited about sharing these things with her wife; more so than she was all those years ago when she opened herself up to the blonde peds surgeon. While Arizona was changing and packing a picnic basket with snacks and a small cooler with water, juice, and pop, Callie loaded the car with blankets and a change of clothes for both of them. She got in the car and pulled it out of the garage so she could activate the convertible top. It was exceptionally hot out today and since there was no air conditioning, they dressed for the warm weather and would get plenty of air from the breeze. When Arizona came out of the house with her arms full, Callie rushed to take the items from her arms and carry them to the car then ran to the passenger side to open the door for her wife.
Before Arizona could get into the car, Callie eyed her wife from head to toe. She smiled when she saw the cute leather sandals she was wearing, which must be the fifth pair she'd seen since Arizona started wearing her new leg, Arizona loved shoes and she was happy she had choices again. Following the pale sexy legs upward, she encountered a pair of faded jean shorts that a were tad bit higher than mid-thigh and had manufactured tears in just the right places. Lifting her gaze, she found a tight, pale pink, ribbed tank top tucked into the loose waistband of the shorts. In a word, her wife looked hot. Lifting her hands, she tugged on the two pigtail braids, lifted the sunglasses that were hiding those gorgeous blue eyes, and breathed out, "God you are sexy as hell." Arizona lifted her hands to Callie's warm bare shoulders, popped up on her toes, brushed their lips together and replied, "Look who's talking." Arizona ran her hands down the front of Callie's black tank top, curled her fingers into the waistband of her black jean shorts, tugged her closer and deepened the kiss, moaning when their tongues tangled together.
Callie pulled back, took a deep breath and murmured, "You need to get in the car before I carry you back in the house." Arizona stepped back and answered, "Normally, I wouldn't mind, but I've been dying to ride in this baby again for years." Callie smiled, waited for Arizona to climb into the car, bent down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips, closed the door and as she walked around to the driver's side, she responded, "I get it, after I sent her down so daddy could put her in storage after the plane crash…" "I never asked, why did you do that?" Arizona asked quietly. Callie turned to look into clear blue eyes and noticed the expression was questioning but non accusatory and responded, "Well, immediately afterward, we needed a wheelchair when we left the house and um…" Arizona finished, "I wasn't really leaving the house, especially not for joyrides." Callie nodded sadly and answered, "That and even if you did, there was no trunk space. It just, it became less of a priority and something else to keep up with and I knew I didn't want to just let it sit, so I sent it to daddy so he could have it maintained regularly and it could be in a less hostile climate. When I bought the house, it was the first thing I sent for. When she got here, I took her out for a whole day. She lived here before I did." Callie chuckled, started the engine and pulled out of the driveway. Arizona realized it was just another sacrifice Callie made for her and she never acknowledged it and Callie didn't seem upset by it, just stated it as a fact.
Driving through their neighborhood, Arizona pondered Callie's words for a few minutes then asked, "You haven't…you never…" Callie glanced at Arizona and saw the confusion on her face and asked, "Did I ever take Penny out in this car?" The blonde furrowed her brow at just the idea of it and let out a gust of air when Callie laughed and revealed, "Honey, I don't think she even knew I owned this car. Hell, she never even met daddy. He refused. Nope, the last butt to ever hit that seat was yours." Arizona smiled her super-magic smile, wiggled her butt happily, then her face dropped when Callie smirked and corrected, "Oh wait, there was this cute little brunette once. Petite little thing, dimples, huge…" Callie glanced at her wife and could see her nostrils flaring and temper rising and finished, "Brown eyes, long wavy brown hair, feet didn't even hit the flo…OUCH! Damn it Arizona that hurt." "Good, that was mean, trying to make me jealous of my daughter," Arizona huffed, folded her arms and poked out her bottom lip.
Callie pulled over to the side of the road, put the car in neutral, pulled up the emergency brake, took Arizona's hand in hers and pleaded, "Arizona, baby, look at me." Arizona tried to stay strong, but she knew she was being ridiculous, she glanced at Callie and couldn't help but smile at the pitiful look on her wife's face. Callie caressed her cheek and soothed, "You know how important this car is to me, so you have to know I wouldn't let just anyone ride in it. Even with all the begging, I never let Mark anywhere near it. But you…it only took you one date for me to realize that I wanted to share it with you. Sofia only got to ride in it because we were visiting daddy one time while mami was out of town and it was time for a tune-up so I let her ride to the shop with me. That seat right there, that's been yours since the first time you sat in it. It will always only be yours and I was pretty sure you wouldn't mind sharing it with our daughter, but I had to tease you." Arizona smiled, leaned in and brushed their lips together then responded, "I know it's silly, but because she's so important to you, I just…it's something I…" Callie nodded, she understood, "It's something you hoped I kept sacred, just between us. I did honey. I did."
Callie pulled back into traffic and Arizona covered Callie's hand on the stick shift feeling the power of the engine and asked, "Will you tell me the story? The whole story?" Callie's heart swelled; she rarely shared the whole story. When she first introduced Arizona to her car, she only told her that her abuelo gave it to her for her birthday and it was special to her. Arizona claimed she knew there was more to the story than that but she would allow Callie to keep her memories to herself. Lifting the hand resting atop hers to her lips, she kissed the rings on the third finger and replied, "I think you've earned the whole story." When she brought their hands down, Arizona clapped her hands together, bounced excitedly and exclaimed, "Yay!" Callie shook her head at the blonde's exuberance and realized she wouldn't have her any other way.
Turning onto the ramp for the highway leading into the city, Callie explained, "My abuela and abuelo Ortiz, mami's parent's, they lived on Stone Island, a tiny peninsula in the southern portion of Mazatlán Mexico." Arizona's whole body trembled and she flirted, "God I love how you say that. It turns me on every time. Say something else." Callie wiggled her eyebrows and replied, "Necesito lavar mis calcetines cuando lleguemos a casa. (I need to wash my socks when we get home.)" Arizona swooned and asked, "What did you say?" Callie smirked and replied, "I said, there's more where that came from, I'll show you when we get home." Arizona kissed her cheek and ordered, "Okay, continue." Callie nodded and added, "Mami was the only one who moved away to go to college where she met Aria's father. Her three sisters married fishermen and opened a restaurant together and uncle Berto, I told you about him, he stayed and helped abuela and Papi – that's what everyone called him, with the land. Berto's the caretaker now. Every year we would go down and visit for a few weeks in the summer. Sometimes we would go at Christmas time or for special occasions like my cousin's quinceanera – a 15th birthday party. Occasionally, I got to go by myself and spend school holidays with them. I told you how I'd spend so much time in the kitchen with abuela, but when I wasn't with her, I was in Papi's garage. He was the local mechanic, electrician, repair man, construction type guy. If it needed to be done, Papi could figure it out."
Arizona looked at her wife thoughtfully and proclaimed, "So that's where you get it." Callie furrowed her brow and asked, "What?" The blonde explained, "It sounds just like you. You don't rebuild cars or fix lights, you create cartilage from Jell-O, make legs from scraps of metal, build necks, graft nerves, rebuild bodies, create robotic limbs, if it can be done, you figure out a way." Callie's grin began to grow and her eyes sparkled behind her sunglasses, she never thought about it that way, but it made sense. Nodding her head, she agreed and continued, "Yeah, I guess you're right. He also taught me everything I know about cars and got me interested in the older models. They were a little more behind the times there and to them the classics weren't classics, it's all they had. There was this local guy, Papi was always doing work for him and he would take me out to his farm and while he was working on his tractor, building a deck, doing whatever he needed done, I was admiring his car. I'd offer to wash it, change his oil, clean it out, anything I could do to get my hands on it." The blonde nodded indicating she was listening; she was pretty sure she could tell where this story was going.
Once Callie got to a respectable speed and was comfortable she wouldn't have to shift anytime soon, she turned her hand, linked their fingers and went on, "Fast forward to my 16th birthday, my parents insisted on throwing me this huge birthday party ,even though I didn't have any friends, not any that I wanted to invite to my huge mansion and make me more of an outcast when word got out that we were rich. Mami invited people from her church group and their children, people from the country club and their children, Daddy invited men from work, Aria was 21 and didn't even come. Anyway, we were halfway in and the doorbell rang. Mami insisted I greet every guest and thank them for coming, so I went to the door, opened it, and sitting right in front of the door in the circle drive, was this baby all cleaned up looking brand spanking new and running like a dream." Arizona could see how choked up her wife was getting and felt the hot tears running down her own cheeks. She knew Callie's grandparents played a very important role in her life, both sets of grandparents did and understood a little better how hurtful her mother's actions were, not just for her, but for what she wanted for their daughter.
Moving her hand to Callie's leg, she traced calming circles, silently prompting her wife to continue. Callie chuckled, "I forgot the whole prim and proper, impress these people directions I had been given and started screaming and ran outside just circling her, looking around for my grandparents. I knew this was their doing and I also knew their dumb excuse about not having money to make the party was a lie. That's when Papi and abuela came out of hiding with a video recorder and told me she was mine and explained the whole story." Arizona looked at Callie curiously and asked, "Is it too private? Will you tell me?" Callie glanced at the blonde and smiled, "Nothing is too private to share with my wife. I was working in the garage on the car when I was about 10 and first showed interest in it. The man later told Papi he was having us fix it up to sell it since he never drove it. They made a deal that if Papi kept up the maintenance on the car and did odd jobs, keeping a running tally of what he would charge for each task, he'd allow him to work off the cost of the car. He'd paid it off by my 14th birthday and only took me out to see it and care for it while he pretended to work. I thought the man was being nice when he let Papi teach me how to drive in this car at 15 years old on the old dusty back roads of Mexico. Nobody had any idea they were coming and they drove it from Mexico to Florida so I could have it for my 16th birthday. When I was in Botswana, Papi took sick and they debated on whether or not to contact me. By the time they decided they should, it was too late, he died two days later and the message didn't even get to me until after the funeral was over." Arizona squeezed Callie's hand tighter and both women had tears streaming from under their sunglasses.
Callie chuckled and asked, "See why I didn't tell you all that on our second date? Not really wooing type material." Arizona wiped her tears and offered, "I see why you didn't tell me, but I'm sad I didn't ask when we got to know each other better. I'm sad it took me ten years to ask. I just…" She stopped and inhaled deeply, she knew this was one of her biggest failures in their relationship and what bothered her the most was…first and foremost she had to say these things, not just think them. Tilting her head, Arizona admitted, "You were right you know, that I never told you things, I never asked you things…and…and that really bothers me. Not that you were right, but that I didn't do it. It's not like I didn't want to know, I wanted to know everything about you, I still do. I loved it when you would tell me stories about your past and your family, but I never asked and I don't know why. I want to hear the funny stories about you growing up and I want to tell you mine. I want to tell you how my body tingles when you walk into a room or when I wake up and see that smile, or…or…how I get wet when I watch you drill in a pin or saw someone's cast off, the look of concentration on your face, the way your muscles ripple, the way you stand with your feet almost exactly two feet apart, all the little things I notice that you do. The pride I feel when I see a patient walking out of your center with a smile on their face. The joy I feel when I say I am going home and I know that you'll be there, that you are my home. The absolute…awe that comes over me whenever I look down at my hand and realize that you picked me, not once but twice. I want this time to be different. I knew I was loved and cherished and I know you did for a while, but that's not good enough. I want you to know every minute of every day for the rest of your life."
Callie couldn't stop the tears from falling, the more she wiped at her eyes, the faster they fell. Arizona passed her a napkin from the glovebox, that's one thing she did know, Callie always had napkins and ibuprofen in her glovebox. Finally getting her tears under control, the brunette lowered her sunglasses and her voice cracked when she said, "Damn Arizona Robbins-Torres speeches." Arizona shrugged her shoulders and offered, "Sorry?" Callie took her hand and replied, "No, don't be, that was beautiful. This time will be different, it already is because we are different. I knew you loved me, but this you, this version of you, you never let me forget it, you never let me doubt, you never make me question it, you show me, you tell me, you remind me every day with your words, your actions, your presence. No more guilt, no more sadness, no more tears for the past. We buried all of that and we started fresh last week when we put these rings on each other's fingers." Arizona giggled and commented, "Add Robbins to her name and all the sudden she thinks she can make speeches." Callie chuckled and retorted, "Hey! That was a good one." She looked up and pointed at a sign then said, "Oooh, we are coming up on the exit I would get off if I am just driving to just drive. There's this little drive up coffee shop that has the best Caramel Frappuccino's. So I get off, drive through and get one, then hop back on the freeway and go home. I usually stop at the carwash that's around the corner from the house, give her a good wash, then go home. That's what I did the day I sent you that picture." Arizona squeezed her leg and asked, "Will you take me?" Callie nodded, turned on her blinker and switched lanes."
After getting back on the highway, Arizona took a drink of her peach smoothie and grunted, "How is it you get coffee and I get this peachy fruity crap?" Callie eyed the grumpy blonde and asked, "Would you have preferred green goo?" Arizona smiled, stuck the straw in her mouth and sucked down the peach flavored smoothie and responded, "Mmmm yummy." Callie laughed and reminded her, we agreed to one cup of coffee for right now. Arizona slumped in her seat and answered, "I know, and it's a good plan, just a hard one." Callie nodded, "It is, but I promise, as soon as physically possible, I will make you the biggest, creamiest, sweetest mug of coffee you've ever seen." Arizona's lips twitched through her pout and to distract herself she asked, "So where are we going now?" Callie looked up at the signs to see how much further they had to go and responded, "Times Square. There's this really cool place, well two places, I want you to see. I found them by accident." Arizona arched her brow in question and asked, "By accident?" Callie nodded and responded, "Code for I got lost. When I first got here, I hadn't been in New York in so long and kept getting lost. I mean the last time I really spent any time here, I was with my parents and they did all the navigating." Arizona threw back her head and laughed. Callie glared at her and poked her in her ribs making her squeal.
Arizona calmed down, took a drink of her smoothy and asked, "So how did you figure it out? You seem to know your way around pretty good now." Callie chuckled, shook her head and responded, "The first time I tried to take Sof out to see the sights, I got so turned around, I had to facetime Addie and show her the signs and she helped me at least get back to something that looked familiar and I was able to find my car." Arizona laughed out loud at that and asked, "Why Addie?" Then she remembered, "Oh, she used to live here." Callie nodded then scolded, "Don't laugh at me! I was freaking out like, 'Oh great, I'm never going to find my car, I'll have to buy a new one and just leave it here in a parking lot to get painted and have the tires stolen.'" Arizona chuckled again, and asked, "So then what?" Callie blushed slightly and responded, "So I started taking tours. Like the ones I took you on. I had Tuesdays off and Sof was in school then went to after school programs and I really didn't know what to do with myself. I would find a tour, hop on the subway, and check out the city. I kind of liked them and saw some cool things. So this one time, I found myself in Times Square in the Theater District and we were visiting local restaurants people went to before or after shows. I was so busy looking at everything I took a wrong turn and lost the group. I wandered into this one place that looked kind of cool and stopped for lunch. It's called Lillie's Victorian Establishment." Callie veered off the exit and merged into traffic. When she started to pull into a lot, she asked, "Is it okay if we park here and take the subway?" Arizona smiled and responded, "Of course it is. This is your day." Callie pulled into a parking garage, found a spot near the attendant's booth, both women got out, and she activated the roof.
Arizona immediately went to Callie's side and linked their fingers together. She leaned up, kissed a soft tan cheek and whispered, "Lead the way Dr. Robbins-Torres." Stepping outside of the parking garage, they were met with stairs leading to the subway tunnel and apparently reached it just in the nick of time. Hopping on the train before the doors closed, both girls were giggling and lurched as the train started speeding forward. Callie wrapped one arm around Arizona's waist and the other around the nearest pole keeping them upright. The blonde relaxed into the warm body behind her, brought her hands up to grip the strong tan arm that held her close and shivered when soft moist lips grazed her ear. Callie loved the anonymity of the subway, odds were that they would never see these people again, so if she wanted to be affectionate with her wife, she would do so. She wouldn't be blatant about it, but she didn't see anything wrong with a few chaste kisses. She turned Arizona's body so she was sandwiched between the pole and her own body and bent down to brush their lips together. Arizona wrapped her arms around Callie's back and rested her head on her chest. They both lurched when the car came to a stop and the blonde lifted her head to look into dark chocolate eyes. Callie shook her head and whispered, "Next stop."
Arizona nodded and asked, "Tell me something." Callie arched her sexy brow in question and Arizona shrugged, "I don't know, anything. Something I don't know." Callie smirked and asked, "Remember that game we used to play? The one I laughed at you about?" Arizona nodded and asked, "The one where we would make up stories and dialogue about people?" Callie nodded and explained, "One day, after I finally admitted everything to myself, after I sent Sof to stay with you, I'd had a particularly rough day in therapy and at work, so I hopped on the subway and just started watching people and making up stories in my head about where they were going and when I saw people on the other end of the train talking, I'd make up their conversation. It made me laugh and it made me think of you, of our good memories. That's when our good times started coming back to me and replacing all the bad." Arizona lifted her hand to rub at the stubble on the side of Callie's head and rather than dwell on the bad, rather than apologizing again for the bad, she replied, "We had a lot of great memories." Callie kissed her softly and responded, "We really did and I cherish every one of them." They lurched again and Callie tugged on her hand and added, "Let's go make some more." Arizona nodded and excitedly followed.
Halfway up the street, Arizona saw two ornate wooden doors that looked like they could have been from the Victorian Era next to a large glass window with a display that also held several items reminiscent of that time period such as an old oil painting of a woman in period dress and hats and other accessories, making her think this was some sort of vintage store. When Callie stopped and opened the door, she became a little confused since this wasn't exactly her wife's taste in style or décor. Once she walked inside, she gasped at the vision before her. It was like they had stepped back in time to a Victorian Era Old English Pub. The high ceilings were hand carved out of wood with ornate marble tiles in the center of each one, there was a large marble globe right in the middle of the ceiling, all the furniture was vintage, the staff was in period clothing, the bar reached from one end of the room to the other and the shelving of liquor was floor to ceiling with a gorgeous framed mirror in the center. The lighting was dim, and the smells coming from the kitchen were absolutely divine. If it weren't for the patron's clothing, you wouldn't know what century it was and Arizona knew instantly why Callie loved it. Though she wasn't into vintage décor, she was a massive history buff and this would be something that fascinated her. She turned to her wife whose grin was nearly splitting her face and her eyes were dancing with excitement and asked, "Where do you usually sit?" Callie smiled and pointed to the end of the bar and responded, "Over there so I can see everything, but I'm always alone when I come, we can get a table if…" Arizona shook her head and responded, "Nope, there's two seats right there." Callie smiled, took her wife to her usual spot and pulled out her stool for her.
When the barmaid came over to take their order, she leaned forward on her elbows and both women were graced with an eyeful of full plump cleavage as she smiled and greeted, "Hey Doc, haven't seen you around in a while." Callie took Arizona's hand in hers and showed off their wedding rings and responded, "Been kind of busy getting married." The young woman quickly stood up and if Arizona wasn't mistaken looked just a little disappointed and her sweet naïve wife was none the wiser. Pulling out her tablet, she asked, "Would you like your usual?" Callie shook her head and responded, "Not today, I think I'll have the Florence Welch again, that was pretty good." Arizona tilted her head in question, Callie showed her the drink menu and pointed to the one she just ordered and explained, "This is nonalcoholic, I get this when I am driving or have to go back to work, it has pineapple, tangerine, and orange juice with agave and grapefruit soda. I usually order a Misunderstood Miranda, it has Cherry infused Peloton De La Muerta, Campari, Amaro Nonino and Mozart Dark Chocolate. The first time I got it was just because of the name, I thought it was funny, but it's really good." Arizona giggled and answered, "I probably would have ordered that too. I'll have the same as you, I'm not sure I'm ready to drink flowers just yet." Callie chuckled and the barmaid smiled at the pair and left to make their drinks. Looking at the menu Callie asked, "You don't want hibiscus infused lemon seltzer?" Arizona made a face, took the drink menu and turned it over, effectively ending the conversation.
When the barmaid was out of earshot, Arizona teased, "Hmmm so you sit here for the view do ya?" Callie nodded and replied, "You can see everyone coming and going." Arizona nodded toward the woman who just left them and was now bending over for a glass and responded, "You can also see right down her top and right up her skirt." Callie smirked and answered, "I'm a married woman, I don't notice those things." Arizona laughed and teased, "You weren't married the last time you were here." Callie kissed her cheek and replied, "Nope, but I was in love. I can't lie and say the attention didn't do wonders for my ego though." Arizona laughed and replied, "You're such a tease Torres." Callie kissed her chastely, lifted her left hand and corrected, "Robbins-Torres, if you please." Arizona looked at the young woman and observed, "She looked a little disappointed when you introduced me as your wife." Callie furrowed her brow and asked, "She did? We never flirted or anything, I mean, she's like half my age." Arizona shook her head, sighed, and explained, "Oh honey, you have no idea what affect you have on people." Callie leaned closer, nipped at Arizona's earlobe and whispered, "I know what I do to you." Arizona shivered, slapped her thigh and whispered, "Be good." Callie sat back just in time for their drinks to be delivered and since Arizona hadn't even attempted to look at the menu, Callie ordered Shrimp Caesar Salad and Grilled Chicken with Roasted Broccolini for the two of them to share.
While they were eating their dinner, Arizona heard the bell above the door and looked up to see a nicely dressed couple come in and figured they were either just leaving a show or just about to see one and asked, "So which Broadway shows have you seen so far?" Callie's shoulders slumped and she sighed, "None. Can you believe it? I was so excited to get out here and see all the shows and all the things, but…well Penny wasn't into any of that, most of them weren't appropriate for Sofia, and no one else was interested. Lorraine said she'd go if I couldn't find anyone else, but how much fun would that be? I knew I could go alone, but Broadway, that's something you share with someone who loves it as much as you do." Arizona could see the disappointment and excitement dueling within her wife, something she loved was within reach but just out of her grasp. She was determined to change that. Without giving her entire plan away, she patted her wife's hand and responded, "We will have to fix that now won't we?" Callie's smile lit up her face and she asked, "Really?" Arizona nodded and answered, "Really." She looked at their empty plates and asked, "Are we ready to continue our adventure?" Callie passed her credit card to the barmaid, stood and helped Arizona to her feet, signed the bill and the couple made their way out the door.
As they were walking to their next destination, Arizona commented, "I really like that place, the food was excellent and the staff was really nice. But the décor, the furniture, it's like you were in a time machine. I can see why you like it. All the little pieces of history you only get to see in museums were up close and personal." Callie nodded and responded, "I knew you'd get it. But this next place, you'll probably laugh at me." Just as they turned the corner, Arizona heard it before she saw it, a loud rushing of water coming from somewhere. Looking all around, she finally saw Callie's arm extending out to her right and saw a waterfall that looked as if it were extending from a building and over a tunnel. Getting closer, she realized that's exactly what she was seeing. Callie explained, "This is McGraw-Hill Park and that's a glass tunnel." Arizona looked at her excitedly and asked, "Can we go in there?" Callie smiled and nodded, "We can." Once they entered, Arizona looked up in awe and realized it was remarkably like standing on the catwalk at Grey-Sloan and watching the rain pelting the windows. Looking to her wife she stated, "This is where you came when you missed home." Callie leaned against the building, pulled Arizona in front of her, wrapped her arms around her middle, rested her chin on her shoulder and confirmed, "It is, sometimes I would just stand here and think about all the rainstorms we watched together from the catwalk. Other times I would think about being cuddled up on the sofa looking out our big living room windows in the apartment. If only for a minute, it made me feel better, not so alone." Arizona turned in her arms and replied, "I don't think it's stupid or funny. I think it's sweet and I'm glad you had a place that reminded you of home and made you feel safe until this started to feel more like home." Callie kissed her nose and said, "We'd better go, next one is a longer drive." Arizona nodded, linked their hands and walked out of the tunnel.
XXXX
Both women were content driving down the highway singing along to whatever song popped up on the staticky radio which neither of them were used to doing since they both used their Bluetooth in their cars, but Callie kept this car in its original condition so they did their best with what they had. When a news show came on, Arizona turned it down and asked, "So where are we going now?" Callie switched lanes and answered, "A little town called Beacon. When I first got Baby home, I just hopped on the freeway and drove. I stumbled across it when I stopped to get something to eat and fill up the gas tank. I ended up spending the whole day there." Arizona smiled knowing when they got off the exit, they would find this quaint little town with a main street, family owned shops that were passed down through the generations, and a local farmers market. She never understood it, Callie lived in big cities all her life but always had a fascination with these small towns. When they pulled off the exit and turned onto the main road, Arizona looked around and gasped when she saw that they were at the top of a hill and with the leaves just starting to change colors, it was one of the most magnificent sights she'd ever seen and in the valley at the bottom of the hill was a cluster of houses which must be Beacon. Callie shifted gears, smiled and asked, "It's beautiful isn't it?" Arizona nodded and whispered, "It's amazing. I almost forgot there were actual seasons." Callie chuckled and responded, "Me too. Just wait, it gets better."
Arizona wanted to laugh when true to her thoughts, they drove into a small town just like the one she had envisioned, almost. This was a combination of small town meets art district and it was fascinating. On one side of the street there was a farm to table restaurant and old fashioned type pharmacy and on the other side was a theater for performing arts and a glass studio. She waited for Callie to open her door for her, activate the top of the car, then looked around the little town in awe and could only stare at everything she saw. There were old men in denim overalls coming out of a farm and tractor store and two young girls in leggings and tunics coming out of an old warehouse turned art gallery. Callie took her hand and guided her into the glass studio. They were met by a tall thin man with dark brown hair and a goatee with tattoos on every visible part of his skin. He smiled and greeted, "Good afternoon, I'm Chris, what can I do for you today?" Callie returned, "Hello Chris, I'm Cal and this is my wife Arizona and I was hoping we could find something for her new office. She just opened a center for maternal and fetal surgery and I'd like to get her a good luck gift." Arizona smiled brightly at Callie and murmured, "You don't have to do that." Callie put her arm around the blonde and responded, "I know, but I want to and Chris does amazing work, I've come to a few of his demonstrations. I watched him do that dragon over there. I almost bought it."
Chris chuckled and remarked, "Ahhh, a groupie, well that deserves a special personalized gift. So tell me more about Arizona the fetal surgeon." Arizona just blushed and Callie looked up to the ceiling and replied, "She's perky, always happy, when you look at her you just want to smile, she has this magic about her that just makes you feel calm in her presence, she also has this great childlike quality and believes in fairytales and wishes and make believe and she's one of the most loving and caring people you'll ever meet." Chris smiled and nodded, "I got you. Come on back." He gave both women a pair of darkened goggles, told them where to stand and got to work making their specialized piece. Because everything was glowing red from the heat, they really couldn't make out the colors, but they could see the form starting to come together. After about an hour, Chris carried the sculpture to a large white box and explained, "I just put it in the annealer which will gradually cool it down so it doesn't break or crack. I close up shop at 7:00 pm. Can you swing by at about 6:45 pm? That should give it plenty of time." Both women smiled and Callie asked, "What do I owe you?" Chris shook his head and answered, "Nothing yet, we always wait to see if the customer is happy first." Callie nodded and replied, "Fair enough. Thank you for letting us watch." Arizona added, "That was truly fascinating." The man waved and Callie and Arizona left the shop.
When they stepped onto the sidewalk, Arizona wrapped her arms around Callie's neck, nibbled on her bottom lip and drew her in for a long sensual kiss. When it came to its natural end, they rested their foreheads together and Arizona whispered, "Thank you for sharing these places with me and for my gift." Callie rubbed her hands up and down Arizona's back and asked, "Did you learn anything new?" Arizona thought for a minute and answered, "Yes and no. I mean, I knew you loved historical things so it didn't surprise me that you liked Lillie's and I know you have a fascination with small towns like this, so that didn't surprise me, but I was a little surprised and happy to learn that you found them by yourself and that being alone didn't keep you from enjoying them." Callie nodded and agreed, "Before, the old me, I don't think I would have ventured out on my own to even find these places and in Seattle, I never went anywhere alone, I always needed to surround myself with people. I figured out in therapy that I kept myself from doing a lot of the things I liked to do because, except for you, I never shared these things with anyone else for fear of being laughed at. It took a long time, but I had to learn to love my own company and realized that until I did that, no one else would. It means a lot to me…actually, it means everything to me that you asked to see these places today." Arizona brushed their lips together again and responded, "It means everything to me that you shared them with me." Looking around, she asked, "Does this place have an ice cream parlor and a park?" Callie chuckled and replied, "Actually it has both and they are across the street from each other." Arizona smiled brightly and suggested, "Let's get the blanket, go grab a sundae and hang out in the park for a while." Callie nodded her agreement and did as her wife asked.
Callie spread out the blanket in the park and sat drinking a bottle of water watching her wife as she waited in line at the ice cream parlor across the street. You'd never know just by looking at her with her hair done up in braids with little wispy curls springing free, in her tank top, holey jean shorts, and sun kissed nose and arms that she was a world renowned surgeon. Callie smiled when Arizona bent down to talk to a little boy and helped him tie his shoe. She couldn't help but hope that this time next year there would be a baby carrier sitting next to her and she would be waiting to give her son his first taste of vanilla ice cream. Trying not to dwell on the subject, her mind wandered to the brief conversation they just had and their day as a whole. It wasn't anything fancy or planned out in advance, yet it was one of those impromptu, spur of the moment surprises that they would keep with them for years to come. The fancy dress up romantic dinner dates were fun and important too, but these days, the day dates where they just talked and shared stories and did whatever they wanted to do, these were the foundation their relationship was built on. This was what she pictured married life to be all those years ago. "What are you so deep in thought about over here?" Arizona asked as she passed the ice cream sundae to Callie who took the bowl, sat it out of the way and helped Arizona sit sideways between her legs so her back was resting on one while her legs were draped over the other.
Callie passed the bowl which held two scoops of vanilla ice cream, one covered in chocolate and the other in strawberries, took her spoon and replied, "I was just thinking about you and our day." Arizona swallowed her mouthful of ice cream, licked her spoon and asked, "Care to share?" Callie took a spoonful of the chocolatey goodness, deliberately stealing one of Arizona's strawberries earning a cute little glare, stuck it in her mouth and responded, "Mmmm, I was thinking how I love our fancy dates, but these impromptu days, where nothing is planned and we can just jump in the car and go, these are some of my favorites." Arizona leaned in and licked the remaining chocolate from Callie's upper lip and replied, "Mine too, and I love this place, getting out of the city is nice and it's not too far." Callie put her spoon back in the bowl, laid her hand on Arizona's stomach and admitted, "I was also watching you with that little boy and thinking about how, hopefully, next year, I'd be sitting here with a baby carrier waiting for you to come back with ice cream and how we would give our son his first taste." Arizona smiled at the image and asked, "What makes you so sure I'll be the one getting the ice cream? I mean, I'll have just had a baby and you're going to make me walk across the street and carry ice cream?" Callie chuckled, kissed Arizona's temple and retorted, "I'll be too tired from waiting on you hand and foot for nine months and getting up with the baby all hours of the night so you can sleep." Arizona narrowed her eyes and responded, "Hmm good answer." She scooped up another spoonful of ice cream, giggled when Callie opened her mouth and batted her eyelashes, and gladly fed her wife the creamy goodness.
After finishing their ice cream and sharing several not so chaste kisses, the two women noticed the time and returned to the glass shop just as Chris was closing up. He opened the door for them and offered, "I wondered if you'd make it." Callie answered, "Sorry, we lost track of time." Chris smiled and said, "Well, come take a look." When they reached the counter, Chris unwrapped the bundle that was waiting for them and both women were speechless when they saw it. It looked nothing like what they pictured because it was just too hot the last time they'd seen it. There was a heart-shaped cloud with a bright colorful rainbow sprouting from the top of it and at the end of the rainbow was a tiny baby boy with bright blue eyes and a full head of blonde curly hair in blue footie pajamas with a flap in the back. Both women looked at one another with tears in their eyes and neither had to verbalize that they saw this as yet another sign. Chris smiled at their response and asked, "So do you like it." Arizona nodded her head fervently and responded, "Its…Its awesome!" Callie answered, "You did an amazing job. We love it." She took out her wallet, handed him her card and Chris chuckled, "You don't even know what I'm charging." Callie looked to her wife and revealed, "That smile right there is priceless." Chris nodded, rang up the sale, handed Callie her card, and offered, "Well, I'm glad you both love it, but the piece was only 75 dollars and why don't you take that dragon with you too. He's been collecting dust for nearly a year." Callie looked from the man to the dragon that she completely fell in love with and answered, "No, I couldn't." Chris nodded, "Please, I feel like I'll see you again." Callie smiled and replied, "Oh you definitely will." Chris wrapped both sculptures and the women carried them to the car.
When they got in the car, Arizona asked, "Aren't you going to put the top down for the ride home?" Callie smirked and replied, "We have one last stop before we go home and I definitely want the top up for this one." Arizona looked at her curiously, rolled down the window so she could get some fresh air and laughed giddily when she saw where her wife was headed. They pulled up to the small booth, Callie took out her wallet, paid for their tickets, then found the perfect parking place right in the middle, away from the other cars. Arizona took off her seatbelt, turned in her seat and asked, "A drive-in movie? Is that why you had me pack the snacks and a cooler?" Callie reached behind her, moved a few things around in the back seat, reclined her own seat then pulled Arizona into her arms and answered, "That's exactly why I had you do that." Arizona snuggled into Callie's arms and asked, "What are we watching?" Callie started making a trail of open mouth kisses along Arizona's neck, nibbled on her pulse point and murmured, "Does it matter?" When she felt Callie unbuttoning her shorts and her hand dip into the waistband of her panties, she whimpered, "Mmm, oh God, nope, doesn't matter at all." She turned her head and captured full red lips with her own and neither woman could repeat a single word that was uttered throughout the entire movie.
A/N: Thank you all for the amazing reviews as usual. This was another one of those chapters where the girls led me where they wanted to go and apparently, they just wanted to hang out for the day and enjoy being a married couple. We never really got much of a back story on either of the girls so I am trying to build as I go. I hope it makes sense. So Lucia's family still live in Mexico and Carlos' family moved from Mexico and were the ones who started the hotel chain with just one hotel that Carlos' father purchased from his employer when he retired (Callie revealed that right after she proposed in the park).
Also PattyMiller7 – This is not the story in which Julia had a social worker contact Callie and Arizona. That story is called Love Dies Slowly – Until Its Gone, There's Still Hope by Justforfun28. It is an amazing and beautiful story, so if any of you have not read it yet, please go read it.
Finally, I have some news and I hope it's not bad. I have carpal tunnel in my left hand and a pinched nerve in my left elbow which also happens to be my dominant side. I will be having surgery to correct both of them on Tuesday of this week. The surgeon said it shouldn't affect me too bad where writing and typing are concerned, just no heavy lifting. I mean, I have been pumping out 10,000 word chapters nearly every week in excruciating pain, so hopefully I'll be able to update next week. But if I don't, please know I haven't abandoned you or the story, I just physically am unable to do it. I hope you enjoy this chapter.