It was still dark outside when the emergency alert started blaring from both phones on either side of the bed. Callie shot straight up out of a sound sleep and looked around wildly for the source of the unfamiliar sound. Reaching to her left, she sighed in relief when she felt Arizona still lying in the bed next to her. "I'm right here honey," Arizona groggily assured, while linking fingers with her wife's roaming hand and bringing it to her lips for a soft kiss. She may be cranky and sleep deprived, but she will never tire of knowing that she is literally Callie's first thought when she wakes up. Brushing the tangled curls out of her face, she asked, "What was that noise?" Callie yawned, rubbed the sleep from her eyes and replied, "I'm not sure. I think it's the statewide emergency alert. It's probably about the storm." Reaching to turn on the bedside lamp, she warned, "Cover your eyes." Even with fair warning, both women groaned in displeasure as their eyes adjusted to the light. Arizona blinked a few times and asked, "Could the storm have gotten that bad already?"
"It was coming down pretty hard," Callie replied and started to reach for her phone when she felt movement in the bed. She glanced to her left, and if she weren't certain she'd get into trouble for it, she'd laugh at the adorableness of watching her grumpy pregnant wife wobble from side to side as she tried to sit up. Arizona glared at her and groused, "Don't just sit there with that stupid grin on your face like you're watching a roly-poly try to right itself, help me up Calliope!" Callie couldn't hold back her amusement and laughed at the analogy, then quickly sobered and apologized, "I'm sorry, you just looked so…" "I swear Calliope, if you call me adorable one more time…" Arizona stopped midsentence when the alert rang out once again, as if to remind them why they were up in the middle of the night. Arizona reached over to her bedside table, grabbed her prosthetic, handed it to Callie and waited for her to put it on, then slipped out of the bed as soon as it was secure, muttering, "How many times does mommy have to tell you my bladder is not a football little ones?" Callie smiled brightly when she heard how soft Arizona's voice became, even when scolding their unborn children, then shook her head and chuckled when she heard the now all too familiar sigh of relief coming from the bathroom.
Picking up her phone off the bedside table, Callie read the message loud enough for Arizona to hear it, "Due to the on-going snow and ice storm, whiteout conditions, and dangerously cold temperatures, travel over the next several days will be highly dangerous. New York State Police strongly advise that you shelter in place and motorists drive for emergency purposes only." Arizona walked out of the bathroom, went straight to the dresser to grab them both some clothes and asked, "Has this ever happened before?" Callie reached out to catch the t-shirt and sweats being tossed in her direction and answered, "We had a couple really bad storms last year and they shut everything down. Fortunately I was at the center when it happened." Arizona pulled the shirt over her head and asked, "Should we try to…" Already shaking her head no, Callie stood from the bed, pulled up her sweats, walked to the patio door, opened the blinds for Arizona to see, and proclaimed, "There's no way in hell we are going out in this. We can barely see the pool house from here." Arizona looked out the glass panes and sure enough, all she could see was a blanket of white falling from the sky.
Blowing out an exasperated breath, Arizona ran a brush through her unruly hair and suggested, "I guess we start by figuring out who is on duty, how many beds are available, and what services we can provide." Callie went to the other side of the bed, picked up her phone and answered, "I think that's best. The alert went out at 5:15 am just after shift change was supposed to take place, so if we are lucky, there may be extra hands on duty." Arizona nodded, started toward the kitchen and added, "We also need to put someone in charge and have them implement emergency protocols for inclement weather. After that, we send out blast emails to all employees saying that we are in a state of emergency and no one comes or goes and those who are currently there will be paid overtime and need to try to get as much rest as they can when they can." Callie went straight to the coffee maker and started making a fresh pot while Arizona put the kettle on the stove for her tea. Leaning against the counter, Callie proclaimed, "After we get that all figured out, we need to call 911 dispatch and let them know what we are able to take and suggest patients are rerouted if at all possible." Arizona crossed the room, wrapped her arms around Callie's back, and sighed, "It sounds like we have a plan then." Callie kissed the top of her head and stated, "We make a good team." Arizona leaned up on her toes, brushed their lips together, then huffed in frustration when Nicole's ring tone filled the air. Callie chuckled, started preparing both of their morning drinks, and carried them into the office to start her own calls.
Ten minutes later, Callie looked up when she heard her wife coming through the door and based on the agitated tone she was using, she guessed she was still talking to Nicole. Arizona looked at Callie, rolled her eyes and argued, "I know I am in charge of the medical side of things, I just assumed…Yes Nicole, I am well aware of the saying about assuming things." Callie bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing, she could only guess what the cantankerous woman just said, and based on Arizona's response, she knew she guessed correctly. Arizona plopped down in her office chair and snapped, "You know what? Forget I even offered to keep you posted and you can cancel your own damn lectures." Arizona jabbed at her phone to disconnect the call, looked at Callie and exclaimed, "It's times like this I wish I had a real phone so I could have the satisfaction of slamming the damn thing down." Callie chuckled and inferred, "I take it she wasn't much help." Arizona took a sip of her tea, shook her head and answered, "Not at all. She was just calling to make sure I knew about it. When I told her our plan and suggested I call her back when I was finished, she told me not to bother, the clinic was my baby." Callie stood from her desk, walked across the room, leaned her hip on Arizona's desk and offered, "At least she's not micromanaging and being a beast." Arizona snorted and replied, "That's true. I was actually worried about that when I first agreed to partner with her, but she's been really hands-off with the medical stuff." Callie leaned forward, brushed their lips together and declared, "That's because she knows you can handle it and you're awesome." Arizona smirked and asked, "Are you still trying to make up for watching me struggle this morning?" Callie started back toward her desk, shrugged, and tossed out, "Maybe."
Arizona opened her laptop to pull up her staff schedules and asked, "What did you find out?" Callie leaned back in her chair and explained, "When I called to check in, Lorraine answered the phone." Arizona arched her brow in question and Callie continued, "Apparently she, Maria, and Dee all talked last night and decided to go in before the storm got too bad." Arizona pouted and asked, "Why didn't they tell us? We could have…" Callie cut her off and replied, "That's why they didn't tell us. Lorraine said, and I quote, 'Dr. R doesn't need to be stuck here for God knows how long, running herself ragged. She and those babies need to be at home, safe and warm, with plenty of food and you need to be there with her, otherwise you'd both go crazy with worry over the other.' So apparently, we didn't have a say, but I agree, I'd much rather be here with you knowing you are safe and warm." Arizona didn't like not knowing what was going on at the center, but she also couldn't deny the fact that she was happy they were both together and safe. She nodded in understanding and replied, "Well, it makes me feel tons better knowing Dee is there to run the place." Callie nodded in agreement and added, "I also had quite a few nurses and a couple of attendings do the same thing. Maria said she saw Max getting out of his car when they pulled in, so you might want to give him a call first." Arizona nodded, then picked up her phone to call Max. She knew she'd be able to relax just a little if he was there to keep things running smoothly.
Nearly an hour later, Arizona closed her laptop and looked over to see Callie cuddled under a blanket, sleeping peacefully on the sofa after refusing to go to bed until she was finished and could join her. Arizona rounded her desk and was just about to wake her when she heard a soft moan and watched as Callie's arm moved lower. Even under the veil of the thin blanket, she could tell exactly what her wife was about to do. Without waking, Callie moved to her back, bent her left knee up so her foot was flat on the cushion, and caused the blanket to fall away. Arizona stood mesmerized while she watched the tan hand disappear under the grey sweats and Callie moaned, "God Arizona" as her fingers reached her sex. She could feel her own arousal pooling between her legs as she watched Callie pleasure herself while clearly thinking about her. They'd watched each other masturbate numerous times, sometimes they used it as a form of foreplay, but this, knowing what her wife was doing and not being able to see it, it felt sexier somehow, forbidden.
Callie's hips started to roll with the slow rhythm she had started and her moans and whimpers became increasingly louder. Deciding she no longer wanted to be a witness, but a very active participant, Arizona smirked to herself and rushed to their bedroom to grab one of their favorite toys. When Arizona returned to the office, Callie had worked herself up and was on the verge of what appeared to be a very powerful orgasm. Hearing her name fall from her love's lips repeatedly, only served to heighten her arousal and spur her into action. She lay the item she retrieved from their bedroom on the nearby coffee table, removed her own clothing, then bent down to slide Callie's pants down her undulating hips, careful not to wake her nor throw her off her rhythm. As Arizona painstakingly removed her wife's sweats, her breath hitched at the amount of creamy arousal that had pooled at her center and it took every last bit of willpower she had, to not lower her head and taste her wife's tangy essence.
All hope was lost when Callie gasped out, "Arizona please, I need you," and the blonde looked up to see sleepy, black eyes filled with desire looking down at her. Wasting no time, Arizona lowered herself to her knees, maneuvered Callie so she was sitting in front of her, lowered her head, nearly growled when she swiped her tongue through Callie's lower lips, greedily lapping at the juices that were produced just for her. Callie cried out, "Fuck yes baby," tossed her head back on the sofa, slid one hand under her shirt and pinched her own nipples, tugging and rolling them to bring herself even more pleasure, and buried her other hand in Arizona's hair trying to guide her wife's tongue to where she wanted it most. Callie wasn't certain at which point her dream became a reality, it was almost as if she sensed Arizona's presence, then opened her eyes to see navy blue eyes staring down at her. Arizona slipped both arms under Callie's muscular thighs, circled the opening of her tight channel with her tongue, then slipped it inside, moving it in and out, feeling the silky walls contract, while deliberately bumping her nose on Callie's clit to bring her as much pleasure as possible. She let out a low deep hum and Callie could feel it vibrating throughout her body. She was so close, she was close before her wife even touched her, but now, only the need, the desire to feel Arizona's mouth on her kept her holding on.
Knowing Callie was teetering on the edge, Arizona slowly slid her tongue upward, making Callie moan at the loss, only to hear a loud keening wail when she replaced it with two fingers, thrusting and curling, making sure to hit her pleasure spot each time, while firmly sucking her clit between her lips and flicking it with her tongue. Callie's hips bucked upward and the hand wrapped in Arizona's hair tightened almost painfully, only further encouraging her to continue her ministrations. Arizona glanced up from between Callie's legs and a shiver ran through her at the intensity with which her wife was staring at her. When Callie's tight channel gripped her fingers, not wanting to let go, her thighs started to tremble around her head, locking her in place, and her wife's breathing was reduced to loud cries and increasing moans, Arizona knew how close Callie was, knew she needed release, and was determined to give her what she so desperately needed. She kept her eyes locked on Callie's and murmured against her clit, "Come for me baby." That's all it took for Callie to give in to the pleasure as her body tensed, her back arched lifting her bottom half completely off the sofa, then her hips bucked wildly as she rode out her climax with black and white spots dancing before her eyes.
Watching Callie come undone almost pushed Arizona into her own orgasm. Not waiting for Callie to recover for very long, the blonde reached behind her, picked up the strapless dildo, ran the short bulbous end through Callie's seeping sex, then easily inserted it into her opening evoking a long moan of pleasure. Feeling something cool between her legs, Callie glanced down and watched while Arizona slowly and carefully penetrated her with the dildo and moaned when she realized what her wife was wanting. She leaned forward, helped Arizona off the floor and blinked when she realized for the first time that her wife was completely naked. Arizona climbed onto the couch, straddled Callie's lap, and was immediately pulled in for a long sexy kiss. She relished in the feeling of their bodies being so close, but needed to feel Callie's skin on hers. As if they had the same thought, they both reached for the hem of Callie's t-shirt and pulled it up, breaking the kiss only long enough to discard the unwanted item.
Callie's caramel colored hands explored Arizona's smooth alabaster skin, caressing her sleek back, unconsciously running her fingers up and down her spine, dipping lower each time until she massaged the two perfectly round globes of her ass, over her curvaceous hips, up the sides of her protruding baby belly, then finally landed on her swollen breasts, carefully flicking at her sensitive nipples. Arizona's body was putty in Callie's hands and all she could do was wrap her arms around her strong muscular shoulders and tangle her fingers in short black curls as her body moved rhythmically into each touch and their tongues danced together slowly, gliding back and forth, mimicking the act Arizona was now craving between her legs. When Arizona let out a soft whimper and started rolling her hips against the silicone phallus that stood erect between their bodies, Callie lowered one hand to prepare her wife and broke the kiss on a gasp as she murmured, "You're so wet." Arizona's heavy lidded eyes fluttered closed briefly and when she opened them again, she saw Callie sucking her two fingers, darting her tongue out to make sure she tasted every last drop of her creamy juices.
Arizona reached out, grabbed her wrist, lowered both hands to her mound, put Callie's fingers directly on her clit, then reached for the dildo, lined it up with her opening and slowly lowered herself down, tossing her head back and letting out a cry of relief. Callie watched with rapt attention as Arizona placed both hands on her shoulders and slowly began rolling her hips, effectively fucking herself, going after her own pleasure. Lowering her hands to those luscious hips, Callie steadied Arizona while she started moving her own hips then bent forward and took an engorged strawberry red nipple into her mouth. Arizona hissed, "Fuck yes," as she felt her wife's tongue swirl around first one breast, then the other, going back and forth, nibbling and sucking, bringing just a touch of pain with the pleasure. As their speed increased, so did Arizona's need, her need to be fucked, her desire to be taken, to turn her entire body over to Callie.
Callie watched in concern as Arizona's movements slowed to a halt, looked into ever darkening eyes, and knew with just that look, the expression on Arizona's face, she needed more, she wanted more, she didn't want slow love making in that moment, she wanted a hard and fast fuck. Nodding her head imperceptibly, she helped Arizona stand, guided her to the back of the chair facing the sofa, bent her upper body slightly so that she was resting comfortably, took the toy in her hands, swiped it through Arizona's dripping sex from behind, leaned over and whispered, "Is this what you want baby?" Feeling the head of the dildo prod at her opening, Arizona arched her back, whimpered when she felt the head penetrate her opening, reached backward, slapped Callie on the side of her ass and commanded, "Yes damnit! Fuck me." Needing no further invitation, Callie grasped both of Arizona's hips and began thrusting into her relentlessly, reveling in the sounds of pleasure emanating from her wife's mouth. Though they'd made love in the tub and continued in the bedroom late into the night, it felt like they could never get enough of each other, like Arizona could never get enough of her. She knew it was more than likely the second trimester hormones, but at this exact moment, seeing her wife bent over the back of a chair, watching the royal blue toy disappear into her hot tight channel, all she cared about was bringing her pleasure.
Arizona was in ecstasy, she dropped her head, closed her eyes and focused on nothing but her wife pounding into her, hitting her most sensitive area with each thrust. Reaching back with one hand, she found Callie's hand on her hip, covered it with her own, intertwined their fingers, and slowly slid their conjoined hands to her mound, lowering it until both of their fingers were touching her clit, rubbing and teasing, moving in unison, to bring her even more pleasure. She continued to meet Callie thrust for thrust, bucking her hips backward with each inward movement her wife made and cried out, "Yes Calliope!" when her wife's other hand began pinching and rolling her nipples once again. Arizona had a death grip on the back of the chair, grounding herself, bracing herself for that moment, which was quickly approaching, when she just flew the fuck apart. Callie's legs were burning, her hips moving faster than she could recall, and the faux penis was rubbing against her already sensitive clit in the most delicious way that she was certain she'd go over the edge before her wife. She was almost relieved when she felt Arizona's climax quickly approaching as her body shook, the grip on her hand tightened, and her movements became more and more frantic. Shifting slightly, to spread her legs and steady them both, she moved their hands in a circular motion, pressing down hard on the swollen bundle of nerves, licked and sucked at every inch of skin she could reach, then finally leaned forward, bit down on Arizona's pulse point, and held tightly to her wife as her legs seemed to give and her body began shaking uncontrollably, then finally she let out an ear-piercing scream like none she'd ever heard before, then heard only faint echoing sounds as she tumbled into her own euphoria.
Having barely enough strength to move, Callie reached down and carefully withdrew the toy, provoking them both to whimper at the loss. Holding her wife tightly, she took the few steps to the front of the chair and they both collapsed, Callie sitting in the chair, holding Arizona who was still trembling from the aftershocks rolling through her body. The two sat in blissed out silence for quite a while, caressing one another, sharing soft kisses, and whispering sweet words of love, until their bodies cooled down and the chill in the air became too much. Callie caressed Arizona's arms, trying to warm her up and murmured, "I think I'm going to like being sheltered in place with you Mrs. Robbins-Torres." Arizona lifted her head from Callie's shoulder, kissed the line of her jaw and replied, "Oh, I'm definitely all in for snow days if they are going to start like this." Callie kissed her forehead and asked, "Do you want to go lay back down for a while or should we start breakfast?" Arizona looked at the clock and declared, "We should probably start breakfast and get ready for the day, but I really just want to lay under the covers and cuddle with my wife." Callie arched her sexy brow and returned, "Since we really have no place to be, I think I like that idea." Arizona chuckled, started to move from Callie's lap, winced as their skin stuck together then suggested, "How about a shower first?" Callie helped her up, stood herself, wrapped her arms around her and whispered, "Even better."
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It was a little after noon when the two women emerged from their bedroom once again and headed into the kitchen. Callie went straight to the mudroom to let Tobin out when she realized he wasn't there. Hearing her wife's laughter ring out through the quiet house, Callie returned to the kitchen to see Arizona staring out the patio doors smiling. Walking up behind her, she wrapped her arms around her waist and just briefly wondered how long it would be before her hands no longer touched, then asked, "What's so funny?" Arizona pointed at Jake who was shoveling a path to their house, and replied, "Just watch." Callie looked on as Jake lifted a shovel full of snow, tossed it to the side, and seemingly out of nowhere, a ball of brown and black fur jumped up to catch the falling snow only to be buried underneath it until he wiggled his way out and waited for the next shovelful. Callie laughed, then frowned when she saw that Jake was making very little headway and suggested, "I should get out there and help him. The same people who do our landscaping usually do the snow removal as well, but I'm pretty sure even they won't be out in this mess." Arizona turned in Callie's arms and suggested, "Since I know my wife won't let me help with the snow, how about I make some lunch that will warm you up?" Arizona's heart melted as Callie's eyes lit up and her mega-watt smile bloomed across her face, making her look and sound very much like their daughter when she asked, "Oooh, are you going to make your chicken noodle soup with the sweet rolls that I love so much?" The blonde laughed, tilted her head, and returned, "Of course I am, and if you're good, I might make you some of mom's chocolate chip cookies as well." She then turned to leave and Callie pulled her back into her arms, capturing her lips in a long languorous kiss.
When the kiss came to its natural end and both women were breathing a little heavier, Callie murmured, "Based on your response earlier, I'd say I was already VERY good today." The blonde threw her head back in laughter, pushed at Callie's shoulders and confirmed, "Mmm that you were. I guess I have no choice." Callie kissed her on her nose, replied, "Nope," and yelped when Arizona swatted her on her ass when she walked away. Glaring over her shoulder, she quipped, "I'm not the one who has to worry about being good." Arizona smirked and retorted, "And I'm not the one who wants my mom's chocolate chip cookies." Callie hung her head to hide her grin, secretly she knew, that was exactly why Arizona was making cookies, her sweet tooth had been getting the best of her lately. After walking to the mudroom to grab her winter coat, gloves, boots, and hat, Callie returned to the kitchen to see Arizona had already turned on some music and was happily flitting about, gathering all of the ingredients she needed. She stood in the doorway for a moment, content to watch her wife move about so freely, so gracefully, even while four and a half months pregnant with their triplets. As if she sensed she was being watched, Arizona turned around, sauntered over to Callie, pulled her hat down a little further over her ears and suggested, "I'm sure Jake doesn't appreciate doing all the work while you ogle your wife." Callie laughed, pulled on her gloves, smiled when Arizona zipped up her coat and argued, "I wasn't ogling, I was appreciating." She then gave the blonde a smacking kiss and growled as she opened the door and felt the cold air hit her face.
Arizona laughed when Tobin came bouncing into the house, yipping and barking at her as if he were telling her how awful it was outside. She bent down to pick up the puppy, removed his coat and the little boots Aria sent to him, then dried him off with a tea towel before he could shake himself dry and get the dirty snow all over the floor. After making sure he had food and water and moving his bed to the living room where he could watch over her, Arizona washed her hands and proceeded to chop up vegetables and get the chicken stock started for the soup. Though her mother always put a whole chicken in and allowed it to simmer all day, Arizona chose to only use chicken breasts. She went to the cabinet to find some noodles only to come up empty. Quickly readjusting, she decided to make her own noodles, gathered flour, eggs, and salt, then opted to call her mother to get the exact measurements. Taking everything to the island and pulling out her measuring spoons and cups, Arizona commanded her phone to call her mother.
She was certain the phone didn't even finish ringing once when her mother picked up and without greeting questioned, "Are you all safe? Is everyone someplace warm? Please tell me you girls aren't stuck at work." Being a mother herself, Arizona realized the worry never ceased and while it once annoyed her, she found it endearing now and was quick to assure her, "Everyone is fine mom. We are all safe at home. The storm hadn't picked up yet when we went to bed and the emergency alert advising us not to travel came through long before we were supposed to be at work." Barb breathed a sigh of relief then greeted, "Well then, hello." Arizona laughed and replied, "Hi mom. I'm sorry I didn't think to call earlier, we were both busy trying to make sure everything at both centers ran smoothly." She could hear the smile in her mother's voice when she asked, "And my babies? How are they treating their mommy?" Arizona's hand immediately went to her stomach as she replied, "They are doing well, um…except for the weird cravings and treating my bladder like a toy." The older woman laughed and recalled, "Ah yes, the cravings. It won't surprise you to know you always wanted donuts, slushies, or cake." Arizona laughed and answered, "Nope, no surprise at all. It seems somebody in here loves all things spicy, but on the bright side, I won four hundred and eighty dollars thanks to them." Barb laughed and suggested, "You know you can't stop there; I need the whole story." Arizona went into great detail about her weekend, though she was certain her daughter had already given them the highlights.
After nearly thirty minutes of talking and her mother walking her through the making of the noodles as well as Callie's rolls, the two finally hung up with promises to discuss Christmas plans next time they talked. While waiting for the stock to simmer a little longer and the dough to rise for the rolls, Arizona set to work making chocolate chip cookies. She laughed when, almost on cue, Sofia and Henry burst through the patio door stomping the snow from their feet, and somehow she ended up with two little helpers flanking each side. Instead of trying to dole out the tasks fairly, Arizona decided to make two batches of cookies, one regular chocolate chip and the other chocolate with white chocolate chips, and gave each child their own utensils and recipes. Henry looked down at the recipe card Arizona set in front of him and groaned, "Ugh, this has fractions. I hate fractions." Sofia looked at her own card and complained, "Why is math everywhere?" Arizona smiled and asked, "Can I tell you a secret?" Both children nodded and Arizona looked around to make sure no one else was listening and whispered conspiratorially, "When I was your age, I hated fractions too." Sofia shook her head and argued, "But you're so smart!" Henry looked around and asked, "Why didn't you like fractions?"
Arizona shrugged and replied, "Because I learn best by seeing things and doing things with my hands and fractions weren't something I could see. They didn't make sense to me until one day my mama took me into the kitchen and asked me to bake bread with her." Henry furrowed his brow and commented, "I don't get it." Arizona nodded, went to the cabinet, pulled out another bowl and placed it in front of both kids. She then directed Sofia, "Take that orange measuring cup there, read the handle." Sofia picked up the cup and read, "It says 1 cup." Arizona nodded and confirmed, "Right, that's one whole cup. Now, fill your cup with flour all the way to the top, scrape off the extra, then pour it into this empty bowl." Sofia did as she was told, then Arizona looked at Henry and asked, "Now what does your cup say?" Henry grumbled, "It's a fraction. It says 1 over 2." Arizona nodded and explained, "That means one half. That cup is one half of a whole. So if you reach into the bowl, and fill your scoop to the top, you will have one half of what Sofia put in there." Henry did as he was told, held the measuring cup carefully so he didn't spill any, then watched while Arizona poured the rest of the bowl back into Sofia's cup. Sofia exclaimed, "Hey, only half my cup is full!" Henry's head snapped up and he excitedly yelled, "Two halves make one whole!" Arizona patted the little boy on the back and complimented, "That's exactly correct. That wasn't so hard was it?" Both children shook their heads and Henry asked, "What else ya got?"
Arizona laughed, figured out a perfect way to keep the kids occupied while she made the cookies and suggested, "Oh, there's all kinds of things you can discover. Let's bring this over here." She then picked up the bowl, all the measuring cups, handed over another bowl and poured some extra flour into it and offered, "How about you two figure out how many different ways you can make a whole cup of flour and I'll call you over when it's time to add the chips." Nearly ignoring her now, both kids nodded and were engrossed in trying to figure out this fraction thing. True to her word, Arizona called each child over to measure and pour in the chocolate chips, turning her back just long enough for each of them to snag a couple chips for themselves, then quickly formed them and popped them into the oven and went about finishing up the soup. She would occasionally glance outside and see Callie and Jake hard at work making a walking path from one house to the other as well as clearing up an area for Tobin to run.
Once the soup was all but finished with the homemade noodles added, the cookies cooling on racks, and the rolls in the oven, Arizona was ready for a much needed break. She had just sat down at the table with a glass of grape juice to watch the kids continue to make fractions with the flour, though she was certain more of the powdery substance had gotten on them rather than in the bowl, when she heard Callie, Jake, and Addie all enter through the mudroom. When Callie stepped into the kitchen, she was instantly hit with the savory aroma of the soup along with a hint of sweetness from the cookies. Going straight to the counter that held the cookies, she grabbed one of each, rolled her eyes and moaned in pleasure as the warm rich chocolate attacked her tastebuds and mumbled, "Mmm chocolate fudge with white chocolate chips. My favorite." Sofia put her hands on her hips and declared, "Anything mommy makes is your favorite and if we have to wait, so do you!" Callie took another bite of her cookie, looked over at her daughter and nearly choked on her laughter when she saw that both children were covered in flour. She put down her cookies, looked at Arizona, winked, and proclaimed, "Ooh you made a gingerbread boy and girl. Hmm which one should I taste first?" Sofia and Henry looked at each other in confusion knowing they didn't make any gingerbread cookies, then looked at Callie who was stalking towards them licking her lips, and took off running and screaming through the living room and down the hall with Callie in hot pursuit.
Addison shook her head at her friend's antics and called out, "Leave the teeth, I hear the tooth fairy is paying well these days." Her comment provoked further squeals and screams as both children ran back toward them with their hands covering their mouths. Callie finally caught them in the living room and allowed them to wrestle her to the ground. Arizona stood up to pour Jake a fresh cup of coffee, knowing he wouldn't ask, and offered it to him with a thank you for shoveling the walkways. Addison tilted her head and pouted, "Where's mine?" Arizona started cleaning up the mess on the table, lifted her hand to her shoulder, pointed her thumb behind her and muttered, "Still in the pot, you know where everything is." Addie huffed, crossed her arms and asked, "So how does he get special treatment?" Arizona carried the dishes to the sink, took a clean cloth out of a nearby drawer, wet it, and returned to wipe the table, while replying, "Jake is too polite, he wouldn't ask for it. You on the other hand just take whatever you want." To further irritate his wife, Jake took a long drink and let out a satisfied, "Aaah, this is so good," then quickly dodged the fist that he knew was coming in his direction.
Looking at the mess Arizona was cleaning up, the redhead asked, "What was going on over here?" Excited to share what he'd learned with his parents, Henry abandoned his wrestling match with Callie, bounced into the dining room and exclaimed, "We were doing fractions! I like them now, they're so easy." Sofia joined Henry and they both explained all the different ways they learned how to make a cup of flour using different fractions. Callie sat up on her knees and listened to the two kids excitedly chatter about doing math 'Arizona's way' and looked proudly at her wife who was seemingly unaware of the praise the children were giving her. Standing up, she walked into the kitchen, wrapped her arms around Arizona from behind and whispered, "You are amazing. Do you know that?" Shivering when Callie nipped at her ear, Arizona leaned her head back and admitted, "It was either make math fun or make yucky cookies." Callie laughed, squeezed her tighter and asked, "What's left to do in here? You need some rest." Arizona smiled and replied, "There's a couple more minutes left on the rolls, then everything is ready to serve." Callie looked into the dining room and asked, "Should we…" Arizona nodded and replied, "I made plenty for both families and some leftovers for you." Callie kissed her cheek, patted her behind, then suggested, "Go sit down, I'll take care of the rest." As Arizona walked away, she laughed when Callie called out, "Addison, get your ass over here and make yourself useful." Addie huffed, "Hey, I helped shovel." Jake glared at her and retorted, "You handed me the shovel Ads, that is not helping." Addison stood up, sighed and muttered, "Well you wouldn't have shoveled if I didn't hand it to you." Arizona shook her head and briefly wondered what the next few days would bring with them all here together.
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After they enjoyed their meal together, the kids making predictions about when they would go back to school, and the adults looking at the weekly forecasts on their phones, the kids ran off to play, Jake went back to the pool house to work on his research, and Arizona decided to lay down for a nap, leaving Callie and Addison alone to chat. Addison sipped on her coffee, looked at Callie and nonchalantly asked, "So, do you have names picked out yet?" Callie lifted her mug to her lips, answered, "Yup!" then took a long drink of the warm coffee, savoring the lingering flavor of the vanilla creamer on her tongue. Addison held her hands up and asked, "Yup? That's all I get?" Callie smirked, shrugged, and responded, "Yup, that's all you get." Addie huffed, blew her bangs from out of her face and whined, "Come on, I practically knocked her up and I don't get to know the names? Not even one? Not even a hint?"
Callie bit her bottom lip as if she were contemplating it for a moment and proclaimed, "Nope!" Addison growled, put her cup down none too gently and glared across the table at Callie as if that would intimidate her into giving up the names. Finally she conceded, "Well we did consider naming the girl after some of the women we know and are close to." Addie furrowed her brow in question and asked, "What like a mash up?" Callie shook her head, fought back her smile and declared, "Not exactly, it more encompassed all of your personalities, but we thought better of it because we didn't know how people would respond to her middle name." Addison picked up her cup again and muttered, "Oh, I'm afraid to ask." Callie shrugged and replied, "In the end, we decided to scrap it because Sarcastic Bitch just doesn't roll off your tongue you know." Addison spewed coffee all over Callie and herself, then laughed out loud declaring, "I'm guessing that was one of Arizona's suggestions." Callie threw a napkin at her friend and replied, "Yup!"
Giving up on trying to learn the names, Addison asked, "So what do you have up your sleeve for Christmas? If I know you, it's some grandiose gesture that will put the rest of us to shame." Callie puffed out her cheeks, blew out a frustrated breath and admitted, "I got nothing Ads. I can't think of a single damn thing." The redhead nearly choked on her coffee and asked, "Are you kidding me? You always have something big in the works." Callie shook her head and replied, "I know! Maybe I'm thinking too hard or limiting myself, I don't know." Addie tilted her head, studied her friend's face and asked, "What are you thinking?" Callie ran her fingers through her hair and sighed, "I think, maybe I'm projecting, but I can't think of anything I'd want more than what I have right now. Arizona and Sofia, us being a family, that's all I've wanted and now, now I've got it, with three more on the way and I'm just so damn happy I could burst. Arizona, she's never really been into all this material stuff so…there's that too." Taking a sip of her coffee, Addison commented, "So maybe you don't give her a thing. Give her memories to keep with her. Make this the best second first Christmas she could imagine." Callie smiled as an idea started to play in the back of her mind and she confirmed, "You know, I think you're right." Addie pointed at her and proclaimed, "I can see your mind working already, that means I'm going to have to be involved somehow." Callie smirked and replied, "Aww thanks for volunteering, that's sweet of you." Addison growled, stood from the table, dumped her cup in the sink and declared, "Come on Henry, we're going home before aunt Cal can talk me into anything else I don't want to do." Callie laughed and promised, "I'll make sure the costume fits." Addie turned around, gave her a death stare and warned, "You'd better be joking." The brunette laughed, then informed her daughter she'd be in the office in case she or mommy needed her.
While Callie and Addison were in the dining room talking and laughing, Arizona, who was supposed to be napping, was on a conference call with Lucia, Berto, an architect, and a contractor. The sale of the hacienda went through quite quickly, given the original owner's only living relative was a widow in her 80's and just wanted to get rid of the land since she was paying taxes and multiple fines for failure to maintain the property. Arizona felt guilty, as if she were practically stealing the place from her, but both her father and Carlos assured her it was still a good deal for the older woman and she would have one less thing to worry about, which was her whole reason for selling in the first place. Though most of the conversation was in English, they would sometimes slip into Spanish, especially when things got heated, apparently like what was happening right now. She jumped in surprise when she heard Lucia firmly demand 'No' followed by another string of angry Spanish, but she did pick up the words, my family, babies, daughter, and home.
After a moment of silence at Lucia's outburst, she declared, "My apologies Arizona dear. I was explaining to these gentlemen that though they were dealing with women, they were not dealing with stupid women and there would be no cost cutting or highballing of estimates. The Ortiz's practically built that town from the ground up and this is my family, my daughters, and their babies we are talking about. I assured them if Berto was not allowed to oversee the project and we didn't receive weekly updates, approve architectural changes, and see a significant amount of progress, we would take our business elsewhere and I would sue them and put them out of business." Arizona's eyes widened at the revelation her mother-in-law just made. Though making threats wasn't her way of doing things, it clearly got the point across to the properly chastised men who were now profusely apologizing in both languages and assuring her she would get photo updates at the end of every week.
Once the business portion of the call ended, Lucia remained on the phone and Arizona could tell there was something her mother-in-law wanted to say. After a few minutes of catching up, Arizona asked, "Is something on your mind Lucia?" The older woman cleared her throat and started, "Arizona, I don't think you are aware of how much it means to me that you are doing this for Calliope, Sofia, and our new grandbabies. I've always wanted her to find someone who knew how important family and her culture is to her, someone who will move mountains to give her what she wants and I don't just mean material things, I mean memories, love, happiness. Those things all seemed to allude her until she found you and you need to know, I see how much you love my daughter, how much you love and respect our entire family and there is no one I'd rather have by her side." Arizona swiped at the lone tear running down her cheek, she was at a loss for words.
Lucia had apologized and had gone out of her way to show her she accepted her and Sofia, but this, unprovoked…blessing, this meant the world to her. Sniffling, Arizona replied, "You don't know how happy it makes me to hear that. I only ever want what's best for Calliope and our family. Thank you." Lucia could tell her daughter-in-law was crying and was touched that her words meant so much to her. Deciding to change the subject and end the call on a happier note, she asked, "So how about those baby names?" Arizona laughed, then dodged the conversation until the older woman finally gave up and said her goodbyes.
Though she had escaped under the guise of taking a nap to make this phone call, the blonde realized she was exhausted and her back was starting to ache from spending just that small amount of time on her feet while she prepared the soup and made the cookies and rolls. Taking off her pants, she removed her prosthetic, leaned it against the wall, and climbed under the covers. Lying on her side, she squirmed around until she got comfortable, then would wiggle some more, huffing in frustration when she couldn't find the exact position she wanted. Looking over to the empty space where Callie normally slept, she realized she didn't have her human body pillow and would have to make do with what she had and moved Callie's pillows to where she wanted them. Finally resting comfortably, she smiled when she felt the little flutters in her abdomen, caressed her swollen belly, and whispered, "What's got you moving so much in there? Huh? Are you going to let mommy get some sleep or are you just going to play footsies with each other?" Closing her eyes, she pictured the position of each child, said their names out loud, and asked, "What do you think? Can you live with those names or are you going to be mad at your mommies your whole life, like we were with our names? I promise we tried to make sure no one would pick on you." Arizona's voice trailed off as she yawned and sleep finally settled in.
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It was late afternoon and the sky was getting darker when Callie emerged from her office and realized she hadn't heard a peep out of Sofia, Arizona, or even Tobin. She glanced outside to see if maybe Sofia had taken Tobin out for his walk and furrowed her brow in concern when she didn't see any sign of them. Walking further down the hall, she glanced into Sofia's room and saw that it was empty and briefly wondered if her daughter had gone to play with Henry. She quickly realized that Sofia would have asked and walked further down the hall to her own bedroom. Just as she reached the door, she heard whispering and leaned closer to see if she could make out who was talking. Poking her head in the room, she found Tobin lying at Arizona's feet, which he would be punished for later, and Sofia curled up under the extra blanket with her face close to Arizona's stomach like she herself had done nearly every day since finding out her wife was pregnant. The words she heard nearly brought tears to her eyes.
After Henry went home, Sofia was bored. She watched a show on her tablet, then the screen timer went off and she didn't want to play with her toys by herself. She sat at her desk and drew pictures of her family, tried to create an image of what her babies would look like, but all she could see in her head was that fuzzy picture Max gave her when she went to see the babies the first time. That wasn't very helpful because they didn't have hair and she couldn't see the color of their eyes or anything. All she knew was they had her nose. She wished they were there right now so she could play with them, even if all they could do was baby stuff. She turned and looked at her door, she knew she couldn't play with them, but she could talk to them. She quietly walked into her mommies' room, carefully climbed up on the bed, and covered up with the extra blanket that was lying on the little couch at the end of the bed. She noticed Tobin had somehow jumped up there with her and tried to shoo him away, but he looked like he was going to bark at her and she didn't want to wake her mommy.
She gently lay her hand on her mommy's belly, moved her face as close as she could get it and whispered, "Hi babies. It's me Sofia. I'm your big sister in case you don't remember. I was sitting in my room being bored and wished you were here already. I know we won't be able to play for a long time after you come out, but we could do other things and I wouldn't be bored. I could read all my favorite stories to you, sing you songs, and I'd even play with your favorite toys to make you laugh. I know there's a lot of years between us and you guys have each other, but I promise, I'll be the best big sister and you won't ever have to worry about me leaving you or letting you down. I know I'll have to go away for college, but that doesn't count cuz I'll be learning even more things I can teach you. Oh and when I get my car…um, if mommies let me have a car, I can take you for ice cream and pick you up from soccer practice or dance class. I'll try my hardest not to be one of those sisters who says their little brothers and sisters are annoying. I might feel that way some times and I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. But I really, really want you here and I've waited a long time, like my whole life to have my family be a family again and now we have you and we are growing. I wish I knew what you looked like though. I wanted to draw a picture, but I don't know what color of hair or eyes you have and I don't know what size you really are because last time mama gave me an avocado and said that's what size you were, but that's not very big and I can't draw three avocado babies. That would be weird. You're bigger now though I guess. Maybe I'll ask if I can come to the next appointment so I can see you again. I guess that's all I have to say for now…oh and don't make mommy eat all the chocolate chip cookies cuz I like them too."
Arizona opened her eyes when she felt the bed move and tried not to laugh when Sofia was telling Tobin to get off the bed before mama saw him. She was about to reach out to cuddle with her daughter when she felt her settle in to talk to the babies. Halfway through the conversation, she saw Callie creep into the room and they both stared at one another while listening to their little girl talk to her brothers and sister. The blonde could see tears welling in soulful brown eyes when their daughter talked about waiting her whole life to be a family and knew Callie still carried guilt with her over that. They both smiled when she started talking about drawing avocado babies and not eating all the chocolate chip cookies.
When Sofia was finished talking, Arizona ran her fingers through her hair and Callie climbed into the bed with them, effectively sandwiching the little girl between them. Sofia looked up at her mommy and asked, "Did I wake you? I'm sorry…" Arizona smiled softly and replied, "No baby, mommy needed to wake up and you never have to apologize for talking to your brothers and sister." Callie rubbed the little girls back and added, "I get caught talking to them almost every day." Sofia giggled then looked to Arizona for confirmation. The blonde nodded and explained, "Mama wakes them up and gets them all excited and that wakes me up." Sofia giggled again and asked, "How big are they now?" Arizona smiled and replied, "Well, yesterday was eighteen weeks, so they are about as big as a sweet potato now." Sofia scrunched up her face and replied, "That's still really little." Arizona nodded in agreement and added, "But this is a very important week because they are developing their hearing and now they can hear you for real and not just feel the vibrations of your voice, and they are developing their swallowing reflexes and can start sucking their thumbs or their little toes." Sofia laughed and asked, "Babies suck their toes?" Arizona affirmed, "They do. I have taken a lot of pictures of babies sucking their fingers or their toes."
Sofia tilted her head as if she remembered something and asked, "Weren't you supposed to get pictures taken?" Both women gasped as they had forgotten all about the gift Carlos and Lucia gave Arizona for her birthday and Callie replied, "I can't believe we forgot. We sure are big girl." She then looked at Arizona and informed her, "I'll call in the morning and see if we can agree on a few dates." Before Arizona could answer, her stomach started growling and Sofia erupted into a fit of giggles. Arizona playfully glared at her and declared, "That's all your fault, you had to talk about chocolate chip cookies." Callie caught her daughter before she could get away, smothered her with kisses and suggested, "Go check out the fridge and see if there's something quick and easy mama can make for dinner please." Sofia nodded her head, snapped her fingers for Tobin to follow, then left the room. Callie scooted closer to Arizona, kissed her softly and asked, "Did you have a nice nap?" Arizona cuddled into her wife's warm body and answered, "I did, but it took me forever to get comfortable without you." Callie looked at the pillows strewn around the bed and teased, "There's just no substitution." Arizona leaned in, brushed their lips together and somberly murmured, "No there isn't." Though Callie was being playful, she knew Arizona meant her response on a much deeper level and leaned in to deepen the kiss, leaving no question as to how that answer made her feel.
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After a few games of go fish and old maid, Callie tucked Sofia in for the night while Arizona sat on the sofa in the darkened living room staring at the lights on the Christmas tree. She smiled when Callie came into the room, crawled over the other end of the couch and lay her head in her lap. The brunette moaned in delight when her wife's hand immediately tangled in her hair and started massaging her scalp. They were both quiet, enjoying the glow of the lights and the peaceful time they had together when Callie started chuckling and Arizona looked down to her in question. Callie explained, "Addie asked me about baby names today. I told her we had considered naming the girl after all the women we knew but were worried people would make fun of her." Arizona laughed at that and proclaimed, "You didn't!" Callie nodded and admitted, "I did." The blonde asked, "What happened when you told her?" Callie shook her head and replied, "She spit on me, apparently she can't handle any drink, not just liquor." Both women laughed then Arizona growled in irritation when Nicole's ringtone went off and her phone started buzzing across the end table. She reached over to grab the phone and muttered, "This better be important."
Connecting the call, Arizona started to repeat her words when she heard, "Robbins! I'm standing in a puddle of water and it isn't from the dog." Able to hear the panicked tone loud and clear, Callie's head popped up and she stared at Arizona who mouthed, 'Addison', then tried to get a read on the situation. Before she could ask a question, she heard Julie screaming in the background, which answered her first question as to whether or not contractions started. Waiting until the screaming stopped, Arizona asked, "Okay, where is she? Where are you?" Nicole snapped, "She's pacing the kitchen, Kim is walking with her, and I'm…what the hell does that matter?" Arizona rubbed her face and asked, "You said Kim is there?" Nicole sighed, "Yes thank God, someone has to see this baby into the world."
Arizona sighed in relief, quickly ran through the list of things that needed to be done and asked, "Do you still have a med kit?" Nicole bit out, "Of course I do! Why the hell…Oh, oh med kit, okay. Kim, go into my bedroom and at the back of my closet, there should be a black leather bag, it's my med kit, bring it in here and you'll have to tell us everything that's in it." Arizona slowed her breathing and tried to stay calm as she reminded her friend, "Okay, I know it's been a while, but you have delivered hundreds of babies…" Nicole scoffed and asked, "Do you remember that time I said I could do this with my eyes closed?" Arizona rolled her eyes, expecting a sarcastic remark and was shocked at what came out of her mentor's mouth next. "Well I can't, I can't do it with my eyes closed, so I need your eyes." Arizona heard another scream, looked at the clock and realized it had only been fifteen minutes since the last contraction, then stood up, paced the living room trying to figure out the best way to see what was going on and hollered, "Eyes, right. Okay is Kim back yet?" Kim called out, "I'm right here Arizona." The fetal surgeon nodded and directed, "Okay, I need you to get Julie into her bed and make her as comfortable as possible, then I need you to set up her laptop at the end of the bed, near her feet, but up higher on a shelf or something, so I can see her at an angle over your head." Kim shrieked, "Over MY head?" Arizona looked up in time to see Addison and Callie run back into the house and calmly stated, "That's right Kim, both Addison and I are here to walk you through it over skype, but you are going to have to deliver Nicholas."
A/N: All these babies, but not the ones you want! I'm so sorry this is late coming out. I had planned for two chapters because we basically got a snow week, but my power decided to go out and well, at least I was able to finish this one. Happy reading and thank you all for being so dedicated and checking on me.