Notes: From the Robbins to Carlos. A very different visit from the head of the Torres family.
/ /
Once Callie and Arizona decided they wanted to buy a house, the hunt was on. It had taken a few months but one March morning they met with their realtor in front of a house sitting on a corner lot.
The house, a bluish green with a porch that wrapped all the way around, was only a seven minute drive from the hospital for the times they needed to get there quickly.
The front entryway had a large living room on one side and a formal dining room on the other. Just past the living room sat an office large enough for Callie and Arizona to both have their own desks and a couch when they didn't want to sit in office chairs anymore. Connected to the formal living room was the type of kitchen Callie could see making large meals for years to come. There was a bathroom and a set of stairs that went up to the second floor and another that went down to the basement, just off the kitchen.
The second floor had the master suite, Sofia's room, and another with a shared bathroom. The basement had two more bedrooms, a bathroom, a game room with a projector TV and a large couch they often used for movie nights.
The wrap-around porch had a hot tub in the back, which Arizona and Callie used as often as they could, and a large fenced in backyard.
It was their dream house.
By the middle of April, they were settled in. Returning there at the end of every shift put a smile on both of their faces.
"When we get home, I'm going to open a bottle of wine, do you want me to open one of yours?" Callie asked as Arizona drove them home.
"I would love some wine tonight," Arizona smiled over at Callie before putting her eyes back on the road. "Miss Sofia needs to eat and then have her bath, but I really like the idea of putting her down and then you and me watching a movie together and vegging out."
"I love the sound of that," Callie agreed. "I'm making chicken quesadillas, I think. I have a ton of leftover chicken from grilling Sunday."
"Yes you do, grill master," Arizona chuckled. "Plus, Sofia loves the mini quesadillas you make her."
Arizona pulled them into the driveway, but didn't put the car in the garage. Sofia was half asleep when Arizona got her out of her carseat while Callie grabbed their bags. The three of them headed toward the house when Arizona suddenly stopped and let out a low growl.
Someone was on their front porch.
Arizona quickly handed Sofia off to Callie before putting herself between Callie, Sofia and whoever was waiting for them.
"Who's there?" Arizona asked in a low voice.
Carlos Torres stepped out of the shadows and looked at his daughter, granddaughter, and the woman he barely had been told about.
"Calliope, I think it's time we had a talk," Carlos said in a tone that gave no room for argument.
"Daddy?" Callie stepped forward as soon as she saw her father in front of her. "What are you doing in Seattle?"
"I think we should speak inside," Carlos said as she moved to the side to allow Arizona to unlock the door. He followed in behind Callie and stood by the door, while Arizona took Sofia back, so Callie could set down the bags.
Arizona felt on edge, and it wasn't going away with the way that Carlos was looking at her. She didn't have a good feeling about her and Callie's quiet evening happening anymore.
"Daddy, this is Arizona Robbins, my girlfriend and Sofia's mother," Callie said as she introduced two of the most important people in her life to each other. "Arizona, this is my father, Carlos Torres."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," Arizona said as she switched Sofia to her hip so she could hold out her hand.
"Calliope mentioned she was seeing someone." Carlos shook her hand briefly. "She didn't mention she was taking millions out of her trust fund to buy a home with that someone, nor that she legally added that same someone to Sofia's birth records."
"The trust fund is mine to do with what I want," Callie countered as she guided her father deeper into the house toward the kitchen. She was hoping if she kept the peace between her father and Arizona things would turn out alright. "I rarely use it but this house came up on the market, and it was easier to buy it outright."
Arizona stood watching Callie guiding her father toward their kitchen for a long moment before joining them with Sofia in her arms. For now, she was using her daughter slightly as a shield. She didn't feel great about herself for that, but she was willing to deal with that later.
"I'm making chicken quesadillas, Daddy, do you want one?" Callie asked before opening the wine fridge to pull out a bottle of red and a second bottle of blood wine.
"Calliope," Carlos said in a warning tone.
"I need to eat and so does Sofia," Callie said in her own warning tone. "After she goes to bed, the three of us can sit down and talk. I'm not doing this when she's awake. You might be my father, but I'm her mother."
"Fine," Carlos said before sitting at the island to watch Callie cook. "I'll have one, thank you."
Arizona stood awkwardly with Sofia in her arms as she watched the exchange. She had no idea what to do, but she was glad Callie put her foot down about waiting for dinner to be over.
"Honey." Callie looked up and connected her eyes with Arizona's. "Will you grab some wine glasses?"
"Of course," Arizona said. She put Sofia in her highchair to give her two free hands before she grabbed three wine glasses and uncorked the bottles while Callie started to make dinner.
"You are a peds surgeon, Dr. Robbins?" Carlos asked after the wine had been poured.
"I am," Arizona said. She was leaning against the counter so she could watch Callie cook, Carlos brooding, and Sofia munching on some dried fruit snacks. "I'm the head of the department."
"Is there much money in that?" Carlos asked.
"Daddy," Callie snapped slightly.
"I make a very comfortable living, Mr. Torres," Arizona replied. She looked down when her cell phone went off and saw it was Alex. "I need to take this in the office, excuse me."
"Daddy," Callie sighed when she heard the office door shut. "Please save it until after dinner?"
"Alright." Carlos held his hand up in resignation at having to wait to get everything he had on his mind off it. He was not a man who waited, but this evening he didn't really have a choice.
Arizona didn't come out of the office until the others were nearly done with dinner. Callie could tell it hadn't been a chat to avoid spending time in the kitchen by the look in her eyes.
"We need to drive separately tomorrow. I'm going to have to work late," Arizona said before sitting at the table next to Sofia's high chair. "We're getting a transfer from Seattle Press in the afternoon."
Callie reached across the table to take Arizona's hand. She squeezed it tightly in support. She knew some of the cases that Arizona had took a lot out of her. This seemed to be in that same vein.
"I'm going to go give Sofia her bath and put her down," Arizona said as she got up again. She needed a bit of time to gather herself, and it would give Callie and her father some time alone to kick off the fun she was sure this talk would be.
"Is she alright to be alone with Sofia?" Carlos asked after Arizona went upstairs.
"Arizona is Sofia's mother, Daddy, of course it's safe for Arizona to take care of her," Callie sighed as she gathered the dishes to go wash them. She took her time to wash everything before refilling her glass and then her father's. "Come on, the living room is more comfortable."
The pair walked into the living room and sat down on different ends of the couch. Callie tucked one leg under her as she sat sideways to look at her father.
"You didn't tell me about her, Calliope," Carlos said once he was seated. "You didn't tell me anything more than you were seeing someone who made you happy."
"I am seeing someone and they do make me happy," Callie replied. "The fact Arizona is a woman and a vampire doesn't change that."
"This is a sin," Carlos said after a moment.
"Her being a woman or a vampire?" Callie asked calmly. She knew this was coming as soon as she saw him on the porch.
"Both!" Carlos hissed. He pulled a card with quotes written down on it. "Leviticus says 'Thou shall not lie with a man as one lies with a female, it is an abomination', Calliope."
Callie sighed as she rubbed her temples. "Don't quote the bible at me. We both know that I know it better than you do."
Carlos stood up and looked down at his daughter with judgment written on his face. "The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and the sin is exceedingly grave."
Callie scrambled to her feet. "A new commandment that I give unto you, that you love one another," she shot at her father.
"Romans: but we know that laws-" Carlos started but was cut off.
"Jesus: he, who is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone…" Callie said before her father could get his quote out.
"So you admit it's a sin?" Carlos asked like he won something for Callie using that quote.
"You want to quote from the bible to show how Jesus feels about me?" Callie growled at him. "Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy! Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God! Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven! Jesus is my savior daddy, not you! And Jesus would be ashamed of you for judging me! He would be ashamed of you for turning your back on me. He would be ashamed." She walked over to the window and looked out over Seattle with her arms wrapped around her middle.
Carlos took a big drink of his wine. "Calliope, come back to Miami and let your mother and I help you get back on the right path."
"What path is that?" Callie challenged as she turned from the window. "The one where I marry the son of one of your business associates while Sofia is sent to boarding school somewhere so he doesn't have to deal with my 'little bastard'?"
"Your mother apologized for calling Sofia that," Carlos protested.
"Sure she did," Callie snorted.
Carlos looked at the marks on Callie's neck and then her wrist for a long moment. "Is she keeping you against your will, Calliope?" He whispered a dark fear to her.
"No," Callie said coolly. Her eyes narrowed and her jaw set as she tried to process the question. "No, the woman I love and the mother of my daughter is not charming me. She's not a monster, Daddy."
Carlos set the empty wineglass down on the coffee table before stepping closer to Callie. "Calliope, how can you expect me to support this?"
"The truth is I don't expect you to support it," Callie said in a calm tone but there was fire just under the surface. "I don't expect you to understand the fact I can love a woman or a vampire. Which is why I didn't tell you. Because your judgment isn't going to change my mind. Your condemnation isn't going to send me running back to Miami to please you."
"You would cut your family off for her?" Carlos asked in a tight voice.
"Mom cut me off years ago," Callie pointed out. "Aria and I barely have a relationship. You and I talk, but you don't believe I'm capable of deciding for myself who I should and shouldn't have a relationship with. I talk to Uncle Berto who you pretend is single and who has had to hide himself. At some point, Daddy, it's not me pushing you all away, it's you all walking away. You are pushing Sofia away with me."
The last thing Carlos wanted was to be cut out of Sofia's life. And in a second he remembered that Callie controlled his access to her. "She treats you well? She doesn't put you in harm's way? She loves you?"
"She is so good to me," Callie answered with a hesitant nod at his shift. "She loves me, Daddy. The kind of love that makes every bit of my life better because she's in it. She is an amazing partner, and the best person I could ask to raise Sofia with."
Carlos breathed out slowly. "I will try," he said after a few moments of thinking over his options. "I can't lose you or Sofia. I don't want to."
"Then you have to give her a chance." Callie walked back over to the couch and sat down. "You have to give her a real chance."
Carlos nodded slowly. "I would appreciate you not sharing this conversation with her."
Callie just snorted. "She can hear us, Daddy."
"What?" Carlos asked.
"She's a vampire. She has enhanced hearing." Callie looked up at the ceiling.
Carlos shifted on the couch and wore a clear look of being uncomfortable. "A little warming would have been nice."
Callie just shrugged. "This is Arizona's home. If I had asked her not to listen, she wouldn't have. I'm sure she focused more on Sofia than us, but she wants to make sure I'm alright too. She's protective."
Carlos shook his head and sighed. "Another glass of wine if you would."
"I'll go refill our glasses and get Arizona. Sofia should be down by now and the three of us can talk," Callie said as she got to her feet. She grabbed the two glasses before heading to the kitchen.
When Callie entered the kitchen, Arizona was standing by the sink. Her arms crossed over her chest as she glared past Callie's shoulder and into the living room.
"This is not how I wanted to do this."
Arizona didn't reply as Callie set down the wine glasses and moved closer to her. As Callie stepped close to her, she extended her arms to bring Callie in. She trapped herself between Callie and the counter with her face pressed against Callie's neck.
"He thinks I'm a monster," Arizona whispered against Callie's neck.
"If it makes you feel any better I think he's more upset with the woman thing," Callie muttered.
"Great," Arizona said dryly.
Callie held Arizona tighter in her arms as she sought the words she needed. "Nothing that happens tonight is going to change the fact I'm going to bed next to you. Nothing changes the fact I'm in love with you. Nothing changes the fact we have a daughter who loves you so much."
Arizona relaxed slightly against Callie's arms. She knew that. She did. But Carlos was important to Callie. She just couldn't help but be thrown off with how he arrived. "Pour the wine, we can't hide in the kitchen all night."
Callie refilled the two wine glasses, while Arizona poured herself her own glass of blood wine. After sharing a quick kiss, they headed back to the living room.
Carlos was standing when they came back in. He was looking at a wall of photos in the corner of the living room. Family and friends all featured with Sofia making up a good bulk of them. His finger traced over the frame of one of the photos that showed Sofia and him at her first birthday party.
"That's one of my favorites," Callie said. She crossed the living room to hand him his wine while Arizona took a seat in a chair facing the couch.
"She looks so much like you when you were that age," Carlos whispered.
"She has Arizona's smile though," Callie said with one of her own. "Her nose too. I see more and more of Arizona in her every day."
Carlos took a drink before heading back to the seat he had before on the couch. He sat before looking at Arizona. "I don't know you, Dr. Robbins. But I would like to."
"Please call me, Arizona."
"Arizona."
Callie watched the way her father and the woman she loved sized each other up. She was determined not to step in unless she had to. She knew Arizona needed to figure out her own relationship with Carlos out on her own.
"What are your intentions with my daughter, Arizona?" Carlos asked as he sat up a little taller.
Arizona took a sip of her blood wine. Her eyes flicked to Callie for a moment before they went back to Carlos. "I intend to make her my mate, to marry her, have more children with her, and love her for however long as I am on this earth. My intentions are to give her everything I have the power to."
Carlos was taken aback with the conviction in Arizona's words. "However long you're on this earth?"
"If I make Callie my mate, her lifespan will extend to match my own," Arizona said honestly.
"What does that entail?" Carlos was not a fan of the idea of Arizona making Callie anything to do with her vampire self.
"It would bind us together," Arizona said as her eyes flicked to Callie again. "Stop her aging, enhance her body to allow for more robust feedings, and generally make her strong, and allow her to feel things like how far away I am."
"You would condemn her soul to Hell?" Carlos gasped.
"I can neither condemn her soul nor offer it salvation," Arizona shook her head. "It's her choice and hers alone if she wants to be my mate."
"I do, Daddy," Callie stepped in before her father could start quoting the Bible at Arizona. "Arizona and I being together also doesn't change who I pray to. Arizona has never had a problem with my faith."
"How is it possible?" Carlos asked as he held tight to his wine glass.
"I'm not her keeper or her master. If she wants to stay a practicing Catholic, that is up to her," Arizona said calmly. "I don't go to church as the experience is uncomfortable for me, but I have never stopped Calliope or Sofia from going."
Carlos downed the rest of his wine as he tried to process all that he was hearing tonight. "When I was alerted to Calliope taking money out of her trust fund, I worried. Was she in trouble, was she sick, was Sofia?" He looked up at Arizona and then to Callie and back again. "When my investigator turned up the deed to this home and then found the paperwork to amend Sofia's birth certificate. A background check was performed, of course."
"Oh, of course," Callie groaned. "You didn't think to just call me, Daddy?"
"I was worried," Carlos defended his actions.
"There is nothing in my background to turn up," Arizona said. "I'm the daughter of a Marine and then I spent years working to be a doctor. I didn't have much time for anything more devious than being a lesbian."
"That's what my investigator turned up as well," Carlos admitted.
"Great, so can the interrogation end now?" Callie nearly begged.
"We need to talk about money, Calliope," Carlos said firmly. "If the two of you do ... marry … then I must insist on a prenup."
"Which would be useless," Callie sighed. "Daddy, mating with a vampire is permanent. There is no divorce. When Arizona and I decide to do it, the two of us will be together forever."
Carlos shifted at the news. "That does change things," He admitted as all of his plans shifted. "I am going to need to speak with some of my people."
"Sir," Arizona leaned forward slightly. "I'm not after your daughter's money. I'm not after yours. I make quite a bit of my own. We have someone who handles the money for us so we can focus on our family and our jobs."
"Arizona makes more than I do. She isn't dependent on me for the family money, Daddy," Callie added. "I bought the house, because it was faster. It was my choice. Arizona supported it, but she left it to me."
Carlos breathed out and ran a hand over his face. "Your whole life you have walked high in the clouds. It's been my job to be the one on the ground to catch you if you ever fell from high. I'm starting to understand that I am not the one who will catch you anymore."
"I will always catch her if she falls," Arizona promised without missing a beat.
Carlos stood up and looked at his daughter and then at Arizona and back to Callie. "I should get to my hotel and get some sleep. I would like to see Sofia tomorrow if it's possible."
"Of course," Callie stood up. "You can stay here, you know?" She offered. "We have a guest room upstairs, and if you wanted you could spend the morning with us before we go to work."
"I don't want to impose," Carlos said.
"Please." Arizona gave a smile. "Sofia would love to see you in the morning, and you aren't here for long. You should say here."
Carlos paused a moment before he nodded. "I have a bag on the front porch."
Callie opened the front door and grabbed the small carry on that her father always had when he traveled. She brought it to him before gathering him up in a hug.
"Thank you for staying."
"Thank you for letting me."
After showing Carlos to the spare room, Callie and Arizona went to their bedroom and shut the door. Arizona gathered Callie in her arms and held tight to her, nuzzling her neck. Callie wrapped her arms around Arizona to hold her as close as she could.
"Thank you for not ripping his throat out," Callie said against Arizona's temple.
"It was tempting when he was quoting bible verses at you in our home," Arizona admitted. "But he is your father."
"He is my father," Callie agreed. "But you are my partner and Sofia's mother. I'm not willing to give this up because he doesn't like it, Arizona. I can't pray the gay way anymore than I can pray to have you turned human again. You are who you are, and I love that person."
Arizona kept her arms around Callie as she pulled back to look into Callie's eyes. "I love you, Calliope," She whispered. "Can we just undress and get into bed? I need your warmth tonight."
Callie pulled back enough to undress without stepping farther away from Arizona as she needed. She felt the body blows her father landed ached more deeply now. She pulled the blankets back on the bed before sliding in and getting comfortable. When Arizona joined her in bed, she wrapped both of her arms around her as Arizona's head tucked under her chin.
"One day I am going to be your mate," Callie whispered in the darkened bedroom.
"One day I'm going to be your wife," Arizona whispered against Callie's throat.
Callie stroked down Arizona's bare back to let the warmth of her hand transfer to Arizona's cool skin. This might be how she wanted every day to end, her and Arizona in bed holding each other, but the mental stresses on her mind wasn't.
"Goodnight, Calliope. Sleep well," Arizona said after a few quiet moments.
"Close your eyes, Arizona," Callie said even if she knew Arizona didn't need to sleep. "Don't play it over and over in your head all night. Just rest too."
"I'm thinking about work," Arizona promised. "The case tomorrow is going to be a tough one, but I think Alex and I can figure it out."
"If you need to talk it out, I'm here," Callie promised before yawning.
"Sleep," Arizona said firmly. "Tonight wore you out. And it isn't even the fun kind of being worn out."
Callie chuckled softly at the attempt at a joke. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Arizona whispered. "I love you."
"Still?" Callie asked.
"Always." Arizona nodded.
"I love you too," Callie promised.
/ /
"She believes you," Arizona said to Carlos the next morning after Callie left. They were sitting at the kitchen table with Sofia in her highchair eating her eggs and bits of sausage. "She believes you're going to give me a chance. I don't. I don't think you believe the words coming out of your mouth either. But Calliope controls if you see Sofia. And you know that. I do too, but I would never ask Calliope to not let you see her. Which I think you're banking on."
"I am banking on that," Carlos admitted. "I don't trust that you're what is best for my daughter, but I also have very little say in what she does anymore."
"I'm not asking you to like me, but I am asking you to be civil. Because you might not think I'm best for your daughter, but I will not let mine around someone who can't act civilly towards Calliope or me." Arizona turned from Carlos a moment to wipe Sofia's face before adding a bit more sausage and eggs for her to eat.
"I know people who make a good living ruining people who need to be made to go away," Carlos said with a steady gaze.
"So do I," Arizona countered with the rise of an eyebrow. "But I am not calling them because all it will do is hurt Calliope and Sofia. I think you and I can agree that the two of them being happy is the most important thing."
"We can agree on that," Carlos said. He had sat at many tables with many people for negotiations, Arizona would have done well with a career in law.
"So, I don't push you to accept me, and you don't try to push me out of your daughter's life," Arizona said with a steely gaze at Carlos.
"I agree to that," Carlos said with a nod. "I want Calliope and Sofia to be allowed to come to Miami once a year to see her family."
"I don't control her comings and goings," Arizona snorted. "If Callie wants to go to Miami, she can. If she wants to take Sofia, then she and I will talk about it and plan accordingly."
Carlos sipped his coffee. "A truce I can live with. But Calliope doesn't need to know."
"No," Arizona said with a shake of her head. "She doesn't."