EDITED A/N: I know, another late one. I'm so sorry. Hopefully my little block has passed now and I can go back to my regular routine.
As always I appreciate your reviews and support. I love the feedback and do my best to include suggestions or explain something in the story. I have recently received two reviews that have cause me to question whether or not my intent is coming across clearly. First, I was told by a guest that I am ruining Callie and Arizona's story by promoting homophobia. I am truly at a loss as to what that means and no other information was shared. Can someone please explain this to me because it is clearly not my intent. Secondly, I was told this story is no longer enjoyable because there is too much sex. What are your thoughts? Is the sex getting in the way of the story or could this just be the opinion of a choice few...well two readers?
I have rated this story M from the beginning and have warned of smut. While I will not remove the scenes altogether, I could provide warnings at the top of the chapter or something similar.
I hope you enjoy this chapter. As always, the characters do not belong to me.
Callie's eyes snapped open the moment she heard the first whimper. It was a sound she had become accustomed to and one of few that would have her awake and alert in an instant. It was an indication that Arizona was either in physical pain or having a nightmare. Without opening her eyes, she knew it was the former because she could feel the tension and agitation in Arizona's stiff body as her overheated residual limb slid back and forth across her own thighs seeking a comfortable position. Without hesitation, Callie lowered her hand and slowly began massaging the knots in the slightly swollen leg, pressed her lips to a clammy pale forehead and whispered, "It's okay baby, I'm here, I'm right here." After only a few minutes, the small body in her arms began to relax, the restless movements ceased, and Arizona released a contented sigh of relief allowing Callie to let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding. She no longer felt the fear that used to come with even talking about the leg, not consciously anyway. But for so long after the accident she was conditioned to roll over and try to pretend the love of her life wasn't suffering. She wasn't allowed to acknowledge, soothe, or share in this pain in any way. But that was the past, that was angry traumatized Arizona, who she now understood believed her wife cut off her leg. This was now, the new them; this was a healed peaceful Arizona who was more open to sharing her pain.
Though she could hear the blonde's breathing even out and the soft snores resume, Callie continued tending to the injured area. She wanted to kick herself for not thinking about this last night before they fell asleep. She knew Arizona was in pain and should have insisted on taking preemptive measures. But the look on the blonde's face, her need to not make the night about her leg, it stopped Callie in her tracks. She couldn't deny Arizona that one thing, she worked so hard to make the night all about Callie, and though it felt selfish now, she would never forget the look of gratitude and relief Arizona gave her when she chose to ignore the obvious and comment on her age instead. It was such a divergence from where they once were when everything was about the leg. But she knew now, she recognized that Arizona had to work at her own pace to figure out how to get her life back and sometimes not always recognizing it, not focusing on it was exactly what she needed. Knowing that, acknowledging how hard she pushed in the beginning, made Callie even more determined to watch and listen for what Arizona needed, what she might not be saying and to act accordingly. Unfortunately, the pain would still come, but she would be there to help her through it.
Glancing down at the gorgeous face she loved so much, Callie was relieved to see it was neither contorted in pain or anger nor did it appear to be haunted by old ghosts. Studying the peaceful expression on the beautiful porcelain features, she couldn't help but smile herself. She had missed waking up to that face so much, not just during the time they were apart, but after the crash and throughout the last years of their marriage. Even in sleep, Arizona was haunted by physical and emotional pain, recurring nightmares, phantom limb pain, and it showed on her face which was always contorted and tense. But now, she had finally gotten the help she needed, found the acceptance of herself she sought, and dealt with her demons and she was able to live and sleep peacefully once again, even in pain. She was able to fight past her fears and reclaim her life which she seemed to be doing more every day.
Callie smiled at that thought as memories of last night played in her mind. While the entire evening was magical, watching Arizona dance again had to be one of the greatest joys in her life. The smile on her face, the confidence, and sense of accomplishment were all proof that Arizona knew she had reclaimed another piece of herself. Just knowing that was enough, more than enough to fill her heart with love. But knowing Arizona took that step for her, planned an evening of dancing, took lessons to learn the steps and ensure she could physically do it, that made it even more special. Arizona was sharing herself again, she was taking risks, she was proving it wasn't about the leg and doing things almost in spite of it. Feeling so full of love and unable to hold back, Callie closed the few inches between them and placed a soft kiss on warm, dry, pink lips. Her heart flipped when Arizona's mouth bloomed into that super-magic smile and drowsy blue eyes made their first appearance of the morning.
Arizona kicked off on a shaky leg and found herself gliding forward, feeling more free than she had in over a year. Her twinkling blue eyes were shining with a mixture of fear and excitement as she kicked off once again. "Yesss, that's it!" Callie encouraged, beaming at Arizona, holding tightly onto small pale hands as she walked backward keeping them both steady. "Calliope!" Arizona called out when she stumbled, only to find herself enveloped by strong arms waiting to hold her up. She looked up to find loving brown eyes staring back at her. Callie smiled brightly and said, "See, you shouldn't have to give up anything. You can do whatever you set your mind to and I'll be here to catch you." Arizona nodded, looked down at her black and purple wheely-sneaks, and watched as they morphed into cherry red high heels and found herself being spun across the dance floor. She turned and twirled and shimmied and sashayed under the bright lights. If she felt free just moments ago, she felt unstoppable in that moment, she was doing things she never thought she would do again. Almost as if she jinxed herself, she stepped forward on her left leg and felt a twinge of pain. She stood in the middle of the dance floor and braced herself, waiting for her leg to shatter and fall out from under her as it had so many times before. As if to will it to just break off, she started moving it back and forth, waiting… Hearing the first crack, she whimpered in anticipation of the pain that was about to come. Anguished blue eyes looked up, searching frantically for those dark eyes, for the person she was dancing with, and before one crack became two, she was enveloped in strong arms once again, felt a kiss on her head, and heard the deep affectionate voice whisper, "It's okay baby, I'm here, I'm right here." As quickly as the pain came, it left again, leaving a soothing pressure in its place as she found herself being swept across the dance floor once again in the arms of the woman she loved. Her entire body relaxed as she melted into the safety of Callie's arms, the two of them laughing and smiling for the remainder of the dance. As the song came to an end, she was dipped backward and felt warm lips covering her own. Her face bloomed into a bright smile and her eyes flittered open to see those amazing dark chocolate orbs smiling down at her.
Arizona smiled brightly, realizing her dream had become a reality and she was in fact looking into her lover's eyes. Lifting her hand to tame the unruly black hair she greeted, "Mmmm good morning gorgeous." Callie leaned forward and brushed their lips together once again then pulled back and murmured, "Good morning to you pretty lady." Callie stared into crystal blue eyes searching for signs of pain or distress, relieved when she saw only love and now curiosity shining back at her. Seeing the flicker of concern in Callie's eyes, Arizona tilted her head and asked, "Callie, what is it?" Callie smiled softly, caressed Arizona's shortened limb and responded, "You were in some pain earlier, I was just…I was worried." Arizona furrowed her brow and suddenly remembered her dream and realized more than just the kiss must have been real. She nodded then confirmed, "I was having this dream that I was dancing and started to feel pain and I remember waiting for it to get worse, then you came up and held me and told me…" She trailed off when Callie finished, "It's okay baby, I'm here, I'm right here." Arizona smiled and nodded, "Yeah, did I cry out or something?" Callie shook her head and responded, "No, you whimpered and were just a little restless and I could feel how warm and swollen your leg was, so I started massaging it and you calmed right down." Arizona placed her hand on a soft tan cheek and guided Callie down so their lips were nearly touching and whispered, "Thank you for taking care of me." She then swiped her tongue across Callie's lower lip and immediately gained access to deepen the kiss. Both women whimpered as their tongues met in a slow sensual dance.
As the languid kiss continued, Callie's hand became more intentional in its touch, smoothly transitioning from a soft and gentle soothing caress to a firmer stroke meant to arouse and give pleasure, sliding upward just a little further each time until a tight round ass was included in the ministrations. Arizona arched her back effectively brushing their breasts together while her hand slipped around Callie's waist and lightly raked her fingernails up and down the strong tan back. Swiping her hand down the curve of Arizona's ass, Callie brushed an extremely sensitive area causing the blonde to start just enough for her to become concerned and break the kiss. Breathing heavily, trying to regain her wits, Callie sat up, lightened her touch and nervously asked, "Did I hurt you? Are you still in pain?" Arizona felt a jolt of pleasure shoot straight to her core as that talented hand rubbed on her upper thigh just below her ass and then blinked twice, trying to figure out why Callie stopped and was asking if she was in pain. Realizing her girlfriend read her reaction wrong, she started to answer until another thought came to her.
Deciding to play on one of her favorite memories, Arizona got a mischievous glint in her eyes and asked, "Could you um…massage my leg again?" Hearing those words, Callie was overcome by an overwhelming sense of déjà vu. Looking into Arizona's eyes, she didn't see a hint of the pain she was expecting, it was the complete opposite actually. The navy blue eyes full of desire and just a hint of playfulness had her heart practically beating out of her chest. The same feeling she felt the first time this happened. Smiling brightly, she nodded her head and responded, "Un huh, Yeah." She couldn't keep the grin off her face as she placed her hand on Arizona's inner thigh, gave it a firm squeeze, tilted her head to the left and raised her brow in question. Arizona pursed her lips, rolled her eyes toward the ceiling and directed, "A little higher." Callie slid her hand upward a few inches until she could feel the heat of Arizona's sex, tilted her head to the right and asked, "There?" Arizona pretended to think about it, pursed her lips, lifted her head up, and answered, "Hmm…nope…higher." Callie smiled, nodded, squinted her eyes, and moved her hand only a few centimeters higher so her forefinger just barely grazed Arizona's lower lips causing the blonde to inhale sharply. Deciding to up the ante and veer from the script a little, Callie asked, "Why don't you show me?" Arizona smiled, almost expecting the minor rebellion. She knew what Callie really wanted her to do but decided to turn the game back in her favor. Reaching out with her left hand, she placed just her fingertips on Callie's inner thigh and slowly dragged them upward until her hand was in the same position as Callie's on her own leg.
Callie watched as a delicate pale hand painstakingly made its way up her leg leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake. She half expected Arizona to take her own hand and move it to where she wanted it, but she was liking this demonstration much better. Both women stared into the other's eyes, sliding their first finger up and down the outside of their lover's slit, each waiting for the other to make a move almost as if they were playing an erotic game of chicken. Callie could feel her juices seeping out of her and knew it was just a matter of time before Arizona felt it as well. Arizona's eyes rolled to the back of her head as she willed her body to remain still and not buck forward seeking Callie's touch. Arizona narrowed her eyes in that sexy squint Callie was helpless to ignore at the same time a perfectly manicured brow arched above a nearly black orb. As if drawn by magnets, the two women leaned into each other and murmured against the other's lips, "Higher." Their tongues met in a searing kiss as both hands did indeed move higher causing a long tan finger to slip between moist rosy pink lips at the same time a talented pale finger swiped the length of glistening mocha lips evoking pleasurable moans from both women.
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"Mmmm, that feels amazing." Arizona closed her eyes allowing the heat of the bath water to soothe her aching muscles as Callie slowly caressed her back with the soft soapy bath sponge. She nearly moaned in ecstasy as strong fingers pressed firmly on her shoulders, massaging and kneading away the knots of tension that accumulated over the past week. She did moan when she was guided backward to lean against Callie's bare breasts and those talented hands were replaced by equally talented lips, leaving a trail of hot wet kisses along her shoulder and up her neck. She watched intently as Callie lifted her favorite body soap and lathered up her hands leaving the discarded sponge floating in the water next to her. She was mesmerized by the sight of caramel tan hands against her milky white flesh as Callie meticulously tended to her breasts. The touch was intimate and sensual, but it wasn't sexual in nature. Her girlfriend wasn't trying to arouse her or initiate sex, she was touching for the sole purpose of caring for her, pampering her. Arizona laid her head against Callie's shoulder and smiled at the thought of their amazing morning.
After bringing each other to orgasm, first with their hands, then with their mouths, Callie insisted she give her a proper massage and wrap her leg to ease the swelling. She was then served breakfast of fresh fruit, a bacon and cheese omelet, and toast in bed, before she was carried into the steaming hot bathtub where she was currently being bathed ever so gently. Callie noticed the bright smile and content expression and asked, "What are you thinking about?" Arizona tilted her head back, kissed her softly and responded, "Just how amazing my girlfriend is and how much she loves me." Callie smiled brightly at that, returned the kiss, and answered, "I do love you more than I could ever put into words." Arizona looked deep into the dark chocolate eyes and could see all that love shining back at her. Bringing her hands up from where they rested on Callie's thighs, she linked their fingers together on her abdomen and returned, "I love you too, I didn't know it was possible to fall more in love with you, but I do, every single day." Callie tightened her hold on Arizona's waist and agreed, "I feel the same way. You don't even have to do anything special; I just look at you and my heart flips all over again and it feels fuller than it did just seconds before." Arizona nodded in understanding; she couldn't have explained it any better herself. All these sweet gestures were nice and amazing and heartwarming, but all Callie had to do was exist and she would love her more every day.
The two sat quietly cuddled together just enjoying the company and the silence before Callie continued with her ministrations. She lifted her hands to Arizona's hair and started unraveling the now mussed braid and asked, "Did I tell you how gorgeous you looked last night? You truly took my breath away." Arizona bent her head forward relishing in the feel of Callie's hands in her hair and chuckled as she answered, "I'm not sure you actually got the words out, but your reaction said everything." Callie shook her head still trying to find the right words to describe how she felt about their date, swallowing thickly she tried, "Arizona, honey, I don't think I will ever be able to express how much last night meant to me. You made me feel so loved, and seen, and important, and…and just…everything, the flowers, the cruise, the food, it was so amazing and thought out and the fact that you…you danced, you took lessons…for me, for us. I am so proud of you, so thankful. Just watching how happy you were, made me so happy. Aside from our wedding day, it was the most magical, romantic, sexiest evening of my life. It was just…it was everything." Arizona could hear the tremor in Callie's voice and turned to see the single tear flow down the beautiful tan cheek and leaned in to kiss it away.
Arizona had to agree, last night turned out even better than she had planned and to her, it ranked right up there in the top three as well, right next to their first night together and their wedding night. Taking Callie's face in both hands she whispered, "Calliope, you are…you are so precious to me and I wanted you to feel that, to know that I do see you, you are important, I love everything about you and I want us to share those things, the things we love most with the person we love most." She then leaned forward and connected their lips in a kiss that demonstrated everything she just said and more. Pulling back, she continued, "And you looked…God, that suit and this haircut." She stopped as she ran her fingers over the razored design and continued, "I thought I couldn't keep my hands out of it before. You looked beautiful, handsome, chic, and dapper all at the same time." Callie smiled her gorgeous mega-watt smile, murmured, "Thank you." then captured full pink lips with hers, this time she took control and poured all the love she was feeling into the searing kiss.
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After several more kisses, reheating the water, washing each other's hair and many more-than-intimate touches, the two lovers emerged from their bedroom fully dressed and ready to join their daughter and friends for a family day at the zoo. Walking into the living room, Arizona let out a bark of laughter as she took in the sight of their living room. Callie had warned her it was bad when she returned from collecting her leg, but she had no idea they caused this much carnage in their heated race to satiate their sexual appetite. Looking around the room, the first thing that caught her attention was the bright red bra hanging from the corner of the flat screen television, then there was Callie's shirt and vest in a tangle in the middle of the coffee table that had been pushed into the center of the room, one shiny red heal sitting perfectly upright on the back of the couch, the other on the floor by the end of the couch, Callie's pants, underwear, and shoes in a pile at the other end, and finally a thin scrap of shimmering red silk pooled just inside the entryway from the foyer. Looking down at the couch, she saw further evidence of their lovemaking in the form of a large sticky stain on the black leather cushions. Shaking her head, she commented, "It looks like a tornado went through this place." Callie came up behind her with a roll of paper towel and container of disinfectant wipes and smirked as she corrected, "More like a sex cyclone." Arizona snorted, walked to the television to collect Callie's bra and responded, "Well, whatever it was, sure was fun." She winked at Callie who was scrubbing away at the sofa. Walking to the other side of the room, Arizona picked up her dress then went to the couch to grab her shoes and realized Callie was standing in the exact position she herself was in last night. In that moment, all she could see was visions of her doing to Callie what she had done to her and bringing her to ecstasy in the most delicious of ways.
Callie could feel Arizona standing behind her as she bent over the arm of the sofa, turning her head she could see her eyes darkening with desire, focused on some unseen image. Standing up slowly, she started to turn until Arizona wrapped her hands around her waist, slipped them underneath her shirt to stroke the soft skin of her stomach, leaned forward, nipped at her sensitive earlobe and whispered, "I was just thinking about how good it felt when you bent me over and fucked me from behind and all I can think about is how much I want to fuck you like that." Callie's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she pressed her ass into Arizona's mound groaning at the sensation, the heat she felt. She had been trying to fight the images in her own mind, trying to fight her desire to just take her girlfriend and relive their evening. Apparently, Arizona had no such qualms and had her own plan. Arizona kissed and licked at the soft spot behind her ear, slipped her right hand into Callie's waistband while undoing the button and zipper with her left, allowing her hand to dip lower until she could feel the moist heat radiating onto her fingers. She snaked her other hand back under the hem of the soft t-shirt, up strong muscular abs, and ran her fingertips along the bottom of the silky bra, tracing the lower curve of each breast. Hearing the hitch in Callie's breath, she licked the shell of her ear and asked, "Will you let me do that Calliope? Will you let me fuck you like you fucked me?" She slid her hand downward, lifted her middle finger and easily slipped it between Callie's outer lips, swiped it through the moisture and slowly began circling the hardened clit causing her to buck forward.
Callie whimpered when that single finger continued to make patterns around her clit, slid back to circle her opening, then came forward once again, never touching her where or how she wanted to be touched. If that wasn't enough, Arizona whispering dirty things in her ear turned her on even more. She loved it when Arizona talked dirty to her, telling her what she wanted to do to her, it was almost more than she could handle. Arizona nibbled on her pulse point as she brought her left hand down, slipped it into the back of Callie's shorts and underwear, and used both wrists to push on the fabric until it pooled at her feet. Turning Callie sideways, she continued her ministrations with her right hand while caressing her tight ass with her left. Seeing the effect she was having, feeling Callie's hips begin to move against her hand, she trailed her middle finger down to gather moisture then back up between two tight cheeks, circled the puckered opening and asked, "I want to fuck you here, I want you to know how good it feels when I fill you from here. I want to feel what you feel when you're thrusting into me. Do you like it when you fuck me this way baby?" Callie dropped her chin to her chest, pushed back against the finger in her ass causing the finger in her sex to brush across her clit making her cry out in pleasure. Callie could feel her body trembling with need. She never thought either of them would be interested in ass play, but she was sadly mistaken. She wasn't sure she had the courage just yet, but God, what Arizona was doing felt so good. They were always sexually active, always exploring, but they had been even more so since their reconciliation. To her it was as much about the level of trust they had for one another as it was about the act itself. Licking her lips, she made her decision and moaned aloud when that finger edged its way in just a little further.
Breathing heavily, she could only nod, all her attention focused on her core, on the pulsing sensation in her ass and her clit. Arizona licked her neck and directed, "I need words Callie, do you like it when I press into the tight opening of your ass? Does it feel good? Will you let me fuck you like this?" Callie turned her head to face Arizona, heavy lidded eyes barely able to focus on her lovely porcelain features and husked out, "It…mmm…" She pushed back once again as she felt the pressure increase, swallowed and continued, "It feels so good, please fuck me Arizona." Slipping her forefinger between slick warm lips to join her middle finger, she circled both openings, slowly, gently at first, watching the expression on Callie's face the entire time. Her eyelids were fighting to remain open; her lips were sucked between her teeth in anticipation of what was to come, that first little jolt of pain before the pleasure all but consumed her. Carefully increasing the pressure, Arizona entered both openings at the same time watching as Callie threw her head back, sucked in a gulp of air, then cried out, "YES! FUCK YES!" Arizona was starting to understand how Callie came without even being touched, watching how turned on Callie was got her so excited she could feel her own arousal pooling between her legs. Nearly vibrating with her own need, Arizona struggled to hold her hands still while giving Callie time to adjust.
Callie rolled her hips and felt the fullness, the tingling up her spine and in her abdomen, she couldn't believe how good this felt. Having Arizona touch her, being inside her like that, it felt intimate yet dirty at the same time. Needing more of this feeling, she nodded her head to indicate Arizona could move now. Remembering how much she liked what Callie was doing last night, Arizona pulled her left hand almost all the way out, pushed forward and as her middle finger entered her ass, her other fingers pulled out of her pulsating channel. Callie hummed in delight, "Mmm just like that baby, faster." Arizona picked up her pace and repeated the pattern in the same way until Callie took over and was essentially fucking herself on her hands provoking her to encourage, "That's it baby, take what you want." Callie reached out and steadied herself on the arm of the sofa and rotated her hips, thrusting back and forth relishing in the sensation she felt no matter how she moved. Arizona loved watching Callie give up control, being this uninhibited, this open and free. Feeling the tight slick walls grip her fingers, Arizona knew her girlfriend was close and slipped her thumb between drenched lips and flicked at the sensitive nub to help her find her release. Callie could barely stand up, her legs were like mush, she felt like she was about to fly into a million pieces when Arizona's thumb grazed her clit, causing her to scream out, "Oh shit…fuck Ari…zo…I'm…AHHHHHHH." She bucked her hips at lightning speed then melted into Arizona, certain the little dust particles she could see in front of her face were actually parts of her soul because there was no way she was still alive after that.
Arizona guided Callie's nearly lifeless body around and propped her on the arm of the couch, stepping between her legs and wrapping her arms around her to hold her steady until she came down from her high. Still trembling from her own surprise orgasm that hit as she watched Callie come apart, she smiled at the adorable goofy grin that spread across the luscious red lips and couldn't help but lean in and capture them with her own. The two stayed in silence, only the sound of Callie's labored breathing filling the room. When she finally felt she could lift her head, Callie looked into sparkling azure eyes and asked, "What the fuck was that?" Arizona giggled, looked down to the floor between them and responded, "Well, from the looks of it, I'd say I fucked you exactly like you fucked me last night." Callie followed her gaze downward noticing how wet her legs were and gasped at the tiny puddle near their feet and asked, "I did that?" Arizona nodded, smirked, shrugged her shoulders, and chirped, "I helped." Callie laughed and reached for Arizona to pull her closer then noticed the dark wet spot on her jean shorts, lowered her hand to cup the moist area at the apex of her thighs and husked out, "Looks like it had the same effect on you that it had on me." Arizona closed her eyes at the feeling of Callie's hand on her and nodded, "Watching you was totally hot." Keeping her hand where it was, Callie pulled her closer, kissed her lips and whispered, "Looks like we have to shower again." Arizona wrapped her arms around Callie's neck, gave a fake pout and responded, "Hmmm what a shame." Stepping back, Arizona helped Callie stand and said, "Let me pick all this up and I'll join you in a minute." Callie nipped at her bottom lip and answered, "Hurry, we're going to be late as it is."
Both women were freshly showered and ready to go once again when they stepped into the dining room and Arizona suggested, "Since we are already late, how about we stop at that little shop up the street and I buy you that iced drink you love so much." Callie leaned forward and placed a smacking kiss on her lips and answered, "That sounds amazing. Let me just grab my keys. I dropped them by the door I think." Reaching the foyer, Callie looked around on the floor then noticed the small table was slightly askew and couldn't contain her laughter when she saw what was sitting next to Sofia's homemade princess bowl. It almost seemed sacrilegious. That thought just made her laugh harder.
Hearing the deep belly laugh, Arizona furrowed her brow and asked, "What's so funny?" Callie returned to the living room still laughing hysterically and responded, "Apparently I accumulated a new keychain last night." Looking up, Arizona let out a bark of laughter when she saw that Callie was holding out her hand with her forefinger looped through her keyring which was now attached to a lacy black thong. Looking at the tiny scrap of fabric she said, "I guess that's done for, let me throw it in the trash." Callie looked down at the sexy thong and smiled lasciviously at just how it ended up in her possession, shook her head and argued, "Oh no, I'm washing this bad boy and then it's going in my box." Arizona huffed and whined, "You are not putting my thong in your memory box!" Callie arched her brow and bargained, "It goes in my box or it remains as my keychain, your choice." Seeing the challenging look in deep brown eyes, Arizona knew she was fighting a losing battle. Tossing her hands in the air, she relented, "Fine, put it in your box, creeper." Callie chuckled, pulled Arizona into her arms, and said sincerely, "I may be a creeper, but that is the hottest thing that has ever happened to me aside from being accosted in a bar bathroom by a sexy blonde, so I'll be damned if I just throw it in the trash." She then captured Arizona's pouty lips in a hot searing kiss.
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Walking into the 5th Avenue entrance of the Central Park Zoo, Arizona stuck her phone, credit card, and lipstick in Callie's leg pocket provoking her to complain, "Seriously Arizona, lesbian man purse is not a thing." Arizona shrugged and asked, "Then why are there so many pockets?" Callie furrowed her brow, opened her mouth to answer, then snapped it shut again when she couldn't think of a logical explanation. She shook her head when she saw Arizona's smug expression and bent down to kiss it off her face when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and heard her dad's ringtone. Looking up she said, "It's daddy, I should probably take it, do you want to go to the information desk and grab our tickets? Stevie said they put them under Cal." Arizona nodded, pecked her on the cheek and disappeared into the crowd.
Fumbling for her phone, she answered it just before it was about to send her father to voicemail, greeting cheerfully, "Hi daddy!" She could hear the smile in the returned, "Mija! I'm so glad I caught you, are you busy?" Callie looked around the zoo that was crawling with people trying to get a glimpse of her girlfriend, smiled when she saw blonde hair cutting through the crowd and responded, "Just a little, Arizona and I are meeting up with Sof and some of our friends for family day at the zoo. Do you need something daddy?" She knew her father was in Europe and wouldn't be back until the first of the month, so he couldn't want to meet up with her." Hearing him clear his throat, she knew he was about to ask a favor she wouldn't be comfortable with. "I…um…I need some paperwork signed on my behalf at The Aria for the board meeting tomorrow afternoon and I was hoping you could get over there and take care of it for me. I already spoke to my lawyer who will have to notarize it and he said he could go any time you were able to meet him today." Her father knew she didn't want anything to do with the hotel business, but he insisted on naming her on all the paperwork for The Aria since she was living so close now. She agreed with the understanding that she would only step in when absolutely necessary. Seeing that he was out of the country, apparently this was one of those instances. Sighing heavily she agreed, "Okay daddy. I can do that. Let your lawyer know we will be there between 5:30 and 6:00." She smiled when she heard his relieved sigh, "Excellent mija, thank you. I will let you get back to your family. Give Arizona my love." She still couldn't believe how easily her dad accepted Arizona back into her life, though he was quite angry when she walked out on her marriage and kept urging her to try again. Nodding as if he could see her, she responded, "Will do dad. Be safe." She then disconnected the call and summarized the conversation for her girlfriend who was now stood before her looking at her questioningly.
Making their way through the crowd to the Central Gardens, the two women finally spotted their group waiting for them outside the sea lion exhibit. Actually, their attention was drawn to their group as they heard their daughter's shrill squeal, "There they are! Mama, mommy, over here." Walking in that direction, they saw their daughter break free from the group and Callie nudged Arizona and whispered, "Tree meet apple." as she saw the little girl running at them with pink and purple paint in the shape of a butterfly masking her beautiful little face. Arizona just smiled and said loudly enough for their daughter to hear, "Oh look Callie, a beautiful butterfly. I love butterflies, can we take this one home?" Catching on, Callie responded, "Hmmm, I don't know, this one's kind of big, where would it sleep?" Arizona smiled at the giggling girl who was bouncing in front of them and teased, "Well, I don't see Sofia anywhere around, maybe it could sleep in her room." Callie laughed as the little girl huffed and crossed her arms and Arizona mimicked, "Tree meet apple." She then played, "Oh that's a great idea, do you think it eats the same snacks?" Sofia jumped up and down and declared, "It's me! I'm Sofia! You can't give my room away." Both women feigned shock and Arizona looked to Callie and asked, "Did you know that was Sofia?" Callie eyed the little girl and said, "I don't know if I believe her. Sofia's hair is long and curly, this butterfly's hair is in braids and pigtails." Arizona ran her hands through the soft hair and nodded then demanded, "Smell it. Sofia smells like baby powder and apples. What does this butterfly smell like?" Without hesitation, Callie scooped up the little girl making her squeal and brought her between them where they both nuzzled and tickled her then Callie put her down, widened her eyes and exclaimed, "Sofia!" Jumping up and down Sofia clapped and said, "I fooled you." Arizona nodded and smirked, "You sure did big girl. Give us a hug, we missed you." Sofia wrapped her arms around her mothers and giggled when they both showered her with kisses once more.
Apparently already bored with her parents, Sofia ran back to Jess who was sporting the same hairstyle and the two began chasing each other around a nearby tree. Stevie approached the two, gave Arizona a hug and extended their hand to Callie who looked offended and teased, "What no hug for me?" Stevie laughed, tugged on their hands which were still entwined from the handshake and pulled Callie in for a one armed hug then answered, "That's all you get, I reserve my real hugs for pretty women." Callie chuckled and stepped back then asked, "Speaking of, where is your better half?" Jordyn appeared behind the trio with Stephen, whose face was painted like a monkey, in her arms, "Right here, it took us a little longer to keep him still. Hand me my phone babe, I want to get a picture of all the kids." Stevie reached in the side pocket of their shorts, pulled out a sparkling pink phone case and handed it over, then took the credit card that was offered and slipped it in the same pocket.
Callie watched the interaction and groaned internally, she knew if she looked at Arizona just then, she would see that damn 'I told you so' expression her girlfriend always got when she was right. Arizona smirked as Callie rolled her eyes and couldn't help but tease, "See, lesbian man purse!" Not giving up without a fight, Callie threw up her hands and argued, "That's not a thing!" Stevie let out a howl of laughter, clapped Callie on the back and stated, "I'm sorry to break this to you Cal, but it's a thing." Callie looked at her three companions and growled, "Fine, it's a thing, but next time we go out, you're carrying your purse and I'm putting all my shit in there." Arizona giggled, kissed Callie's pouting lips and agreed, "Deal." Pulling back, she turned toward the group of kids with Jordyn, snapped her head around making her blonde curls dance about her face, gave a saucy wink, and added, "Unless you're wearing your man purse pants." She let out a loud laugh when she heard Callie growl at her then said, "Come on kids, I think I just heard a tiger. Let's go see if we can find it." Stevie tightened their grip on Callie's shoulder and urged, "Come on tiger, let's go wait with the others. Tracy asked us to come to the first show which starts in just a few minutes." Callie nodded then went to greet Jo, Becca, and Ramona, who she assumed was going by Rae today as they were dressed similar to herself in shorts and a t-shirt and their long hair was tucked under a baseball cap.
After rounding up all the kids and taking a few group shots, Callie put her hand on the small of Arizona's back and introduced, "Arizona, this is Rae, they own the little bookstore and coffee shop I was telling you about." Arizona shook Rae's extended hand and greeted, "Hi, it's so great to finally meet you. Cal and I have been trying to find an evening to come to one of the poetry readings but I've been so busy trying to get my clinic off the ground." Rae smiled and answered, "Well you are welcome any time, but I would certainly encourage you to try to make one of the readings." Arizona tilted her head and thought for a minute and responded, "Actually, I'm going to try to make it in this week, I'd like to talk to you about ordering some books for our library and resident program and I'd much rather go through someone we know." Rae smiled and welcomed, "Well, there's no way I would turn down the business, just give us a call first to make sure I'm in." They then pulled out a business card and handed it to Arizona who smirked and slid it into Callie's pocket. "Honey, this is Jo, I'm not sure if you remember them from the store we went to a few weeks ago." Arizona nodded, extended her hand and said, "Hi, I'm Arizona, it's nice to formally meet you." Jo smiled, put their hand on their wife's shoulder and introduced, "This is my wife Becca." They then bent down, patted Becca's barely protruding belly and added proudly, "And this little guy is Jonah." Becca laughed, brushed Jo's hands aside and corrected, "Her name is Noel." Arizona laughed, tilted her head as she studied the mother to be, and commented, "I'd say you're at about 13 weeks, so you've got another 5 to 8 weeks before baby tells you for sure." Becca nodded and complimented, "Wow! You're good, I'm 13 weeks and 1 day. Oh yeah, Jo said you were a fetal surgeon." Callie put her arm around Arizona and bragged, "She's the best there is!" Arizona felt a warmth wash through her at Callie's praise. Leaning up on her tip toes she kissed Callie on the cheek and whispered, "Thank you." Callie smiled down at Arizona, winked, then clapped her hands and started to say something when she was drowned out by two little boys barreling through the group.
Arizona smiled at the two identical little blonde haired boys who couldn't be more than six, ran to Rae and started talking at the same time. "Mada look! I'm a monkey. Ooh ooh ooh." The taller of the two boys said proudly and the other quickly cut in, "I'm a bear! Grrrr." Rae shook their head and spoke up, "These twin terrors are Trevor and Trey. Boys, say hello to Dr. Cal and Dr. Arizona." The boy painted as a monkey squinted his eyes at Arizona and asked, "Like the ship? My grandpa loves boats and he has a picture of a ship named Arizona in his office." The second boy piped in and argued, "It's not a boat Trey, it's a battleship! There's a difference." Slightly surprised at the boys' knowledge, Arizona bent down so they were eye to eye and answered, "As a matter of fact I am named after the USS Arizona." She then widened her eyes and said, "My grandpa was a sailor on that battleship." Both boys stared at her awestruck and slack-jawed as they whispered, "Wow!" Rae shook their head and laughed as they warned, "Well you just won yourself friends for life." Arizona stood and responded, "We can never have too many friends and who doesn't want to be friends with a bear and a monkey?" Just then Stevie walked up and asked, "What is it with you and animals? Dating a tiger, friends with a bear and a monkey, what's next?" Callie smirked at her friend and mumbled, "Well, now she's talking to a jackass, so…" All the adults laughed and fortunately the boys found something more exciting and were out of earshot before Callie made her comment.
As the crowd started moving into the entrance of the sea lion exhibit, everyone gathered their kids and joined the line. Since they were all wearing wristbands indicating they were guests of a zoo employee, they were seated in a special section and were able to sit together in the outdoor seating area. "Look! There they are." Sofia pointed to the large pool, drawing everyone's focus to two sea lions swimming and flipping through the water. After a few minutes, a voice came over the loudspeaker and introduced the animals by name and a person in wading boots and the traditional zoo employee uniform of beige cargo shorts and button down shirt walked across the rocks that were strategically placed in the pool. Callie leaned over to Arizona and whispered, "That's Tracy, the person who invited us and gave us the passes." The blonde nodded and smiled as her eyes darted between her daughter's excited face and the clever animals doing tricks in the water.
As the show came to a close, the speaker, who they now understood to be Tracy, went to the edge of the pool and announced, "Just like everyone else, our stars get hungry after a long day of working and since I'm a little tired myself, I've invited some friends of mine to help me feed them. John, could you help my friends from their seats and bring them in to help me please?" A man who was standing by the edge of the crowd started walking toward the special section when Tracy continued, "Everyone, give it up for my friends, Jessica, Sofia, Trevor, and Trey!" Hearing their names, all four kids popped out of their seats and turned wide-eyed looking for their equally surprised parents' approval. "They said my name! Can I go mada?" Trevor hollered. "Me too, me too!" Jessica reminded. "Mommies can I please?" Sofia begged. All three sets of parents looked at one another knowing none of them had the guts to be the bad guy. Finally, Callie stood and said, "You can go, but I'm coming too. How's that?" She looked at the parents and kids and saw several heads nodding their agreement. Once they were led to the pool area, all four kids were given life jackets and clear directions about how to feed the sea lions. Meanwhile, Jordyn, Arizona, and Rae were all standing with their cameras at the ready waiting for their child's turn to feed the friendly animals. After each child got their turn, Tracy looked to the sea lions and asked, "What do you think? How did they do?" The animals reared back on their tails, clapped their fins together and barked at the children leading the audience in a round of applause for the four helpers. Their parents' screams and whistles could, of course, be heard above all the noise.
As everyone filed out of the exhibit, the kids circled around Callie and thanked her for taking them into the sea lion pool then continued their conversation about who had the bigger fish. The other adults thanked Callie as well and Arizona sidled up next to her, kissed her lips sweetly and purred, "Thanks tiger." Callie let out a bark of laughter and corrected, "Okay, THAT will not be a thing." Overhearing the conversation, Stevie winked at Arizona and piped in, "Too late tiger, it's already a thing." Jo nodded in agreement and said, "It kinda has a ring to it, come on tiger, let's go see if we can find any of your family." Arizona threw her head back and let out a howl of laughter when Callie glared at her causing her to scurry away.
Thanks to Tracy's special wristbands, the kids were gathered around a trainer who was holding a baby snow monkey telling them all about their natural habitat. Arizona stood watching Sofia pet the tiny primate and couldn't control the tears that sprang to her eyes as a bitter-sweet memory invaded her mind. A memory she had kept to herself for nearly seven years because it occurred during the four days she still hasn't spoken of to anyone but Dr. Dawson. She wanted to share what she was thinking but didn't know if she could in that moment and didn't know how Callie would respond to it. She wasn't sure what surprised her more, to be honest, the fact that she allowed the memory out of its little box, or the fact that she wanted to share it. Glancing over at Callie, she realized that suddenly sharing those memories didn't seem as scary as it used to.
Callie looked up from the conversation she was having with Jordyn to see Arizona standing alone with her arms wrapped around her middle seemingly lost in her own thoughts. Her heart broke at the sadness she saw in those azure eyes. Excusing herself, she walked up behind her girlfriend and wrapped her arms around her, grateful when the smaller woman relaxed into her touch. She wanted to ask what the blonde was thinking about, but her gut was telling her to just be a silent support. Arizona took a deep calming breath when she felt Callie's warmth wrap around her. She knew she could tell something was on her mind and waited for the question to fall from those luscious lips. After a few minutes of Callie swaying them back and forth in silence she said, "By the third day, we were sure we weren't going to make it, but no one wanted to say anything. Mark and I…we were lying on the ground together and to keep each other awake, to stay positive, we made promises to each other, about the future, and he promised me…" She stopped and took a deep shaky breath noticing that Callie stood stock still behind her, probably afraid to move in fear of interrupting. Closing her eyes to blink back the tears, Arizona continued, "He promised me that I was going to walk again, that he could see it. You and I would take Sofia to the zoo to see the monkeys because they were her favorite. We would be walking hand in hand and she would be running ahead of us yelling for us to hurry." She went quiet again, almost feeling relieved to have shared that piece of herself. It seemed to be getting easier to open herself up as each day passed. Feeling Callie pull her closer, further confirmed she did the right thing.
The lump in Callie's throat was so big she was certain she would choke if she tried to swallow. She focused on her daughter who was laughing with the rest of the children as the monkey climbed over the trainer's shoulder and willed her tears not to fall. It felt odd that she could feel joy and sadness at the same time. She had waited so long, so very long for Arizona to talk about this, to trust her enough to share what happened on that mountain. She was thrilled to know they were finally in that place. But that joy was overshadowed by the sadness she felt for all of her loved ones, the despair and turmoil they must have experienced. More specifically, her heart broke for her wife and best friend who, even near death, tried to find something positive, tried to carry each other through, and she knew it was for her, they both loved her so much, they wanted the other to return for her. She wanted to know more, she had so many questions, but she had gotten more today than she ever had, so she could wait. She would be happy with what she was given. She kissed Arizona's temple and whispered, "Thank you. I know that was hard for you." Arizona nodded and returned, "I…I never talked about it. Most of the memories are bad. But that was a good one and I thought you should know, we thought about you, you and Sofia. It kept us sane." Not knowing what to say, how to respond, Callie nodded, swallowed thickly and said, "I love you." Arizona turned so they were face to face, wrapped her arms around Callie's back and returned, "I love you too." She brushed their lips together in a sweet chaste kiss then rested her head against Callie's shoulder just above her heart as they both watched their daughter, thinking of how one of Mark's dying wishes came true today.
After walking through the entire zoo, they still had nearly an hour to kill before it closed and Callie had to be at the hotel. Deciding they were hot, tired, and thirsty, the adults voted to get cold drinks and some snacks and let the kids run loose in the children's petting zoo for the rest of the afternoon. Callie smiled as she watched Arizona being pulled by all four kids to help them feed the goats. She was happy to see that smile on her face again. She was worried the memory may have lingered and brought up more, but her perky blonde bounced right back. Feeling someone sit next to her, she looked over and smiled at Jordyn who was also watching Arizona and the kids and asked, "Is she okay?" Callie smiled, grateful that Arizona was making friends who cared about her well-being. Nodding, Callie responded, "Yeah, she's good." Jordyn watched her new friend run around with the kids and observed, "She seems to be settling in well." Callie smiled and responded, "Better than I ever could have imagined. Thank you for being her first friend." The smaller brunette put her hand on Callie's and squeezed then commented, "You both deserve all the happiness in the world Cal. I'm so happy for you. She's great, I love hanging out with her." Never taking her eyes off her blonde, Callie laughed when the goat got a little too aggressive and started chasing the kids for more food and they all ran behind Arizona for protection. She could swear she fell just a little more in love when Arizona put her hands on her hips and looked as if she was scolding the goat. She nodded and replied, "She's amazing."
XXXX
"There's my beautiful girl!" Arizona exclaimed as she washed the remainder of the pink and purple paint from her daughter's face. While the majority of the butterfly image was wiped or sweated off, Arizona figured while they were waiting for Callie to finish with Carlos' attorney, she may as well clean her daughter and herself up in the restroom. Sofia smiled and asked, "How much longer mommy? I need some real food." Arizona bopped her daughter on the nose, opened the door, and responded, "Just a few more minutes I'm sure." As they entered the main lobby, Sofia broke free from Arizona and rushed toward the door. Looking up, about to scold her daughter for running, she saw that an older woman was bent over an apparently broken shopping bag and her big-hearted daughter had rushed to help her.
The older woman looked up when she saw a little hand reach toward her holding one of the blouses she had just purchased and nearly cried when she looked into the little face that was sporting a beautiful wide smile and big brown doe eyes shining with joy. "Here you are ma'am." The lady smiled brightly and asked, "Well aren't you just the sweetest thing. Thank you." The little girl's grin grew if that was even possible and the woman felt a familiar pain in her chest. She knew it wasn't real, it was born of longing and sadness. She looked up again and could read the concern in those big pools of emotion. "Are you okay? Do you need a doctor? My parents are doctors." The little girl offered. Furrowing her brow, she wondered why the girl was asking that question when she realized she was clutching her chest. Before she could answer, the sweet child was waving in her direction and called out, "Mommy come here." Seeing the concern on her daughter's face, Arizona rushed to her side and helped the older woman to her feet. Arizona smiled brightly about to introduce herself and her credentials when she finally got a good look at the face of the other woman. She had only seen the woman a handful of times, but she would know her anywhere. Keeping her smile plastered to her face, she looked to Sofia and said, "So—sweetie, would you go sit over there and wait for mommy please? I just have to help your new friend for a minute." Sofia nodded and skipped away doing as she was asked.
The woman smiled at the pretty blonde and complemented, "Your daughter is so precious, so beautiful, she reminds me of my youngest when she was that age." Realizing the woman didn't recognize her at all, Arizona bit back her anger, took a deep cleansing breath, exhaled through her nose and explained, "Well there's a reason she looks like your youngest daughter." The woman furrowed her brow at the cold tone, looked up in question and asked, "And what would that be?" Neither woman noticed the person who had stepped up behind the blonde and both were shocked to hear the deep timbred voice say coolly, "Because she is mine. Hello mother."