Thanks so much for the reviews on the last chapter. Your feedback excites me to work on the stories some more.

As always, thanks to dbell99.

Please enjoy.

CHAPTER 6

Arizona spent the remainder of the day in somewhat of a daze. Callie returning had thrown her for a bit of a loop, and she was grateful when it was time to leave.

She walked in the door to the house, and was ambushed immediately by Sofia, who flung herself at the blonde and hugged her tightly. "Sofia!" she exclaimed as she somewhat awkwardly dropped to a knee and returned the hug, burying her face in her daughter's dark hair.

"Mommy!" the little girl squealed excitedly. "Mama and me are back now! We aren't going back to New York!"

"I heard! That's awesome!" She peppered her daughter with kisses. "I missed you so so much," she said as she again squeezed her tightly.

"I missed you too. Guess what?" Without waiting for a reply, she added, "me and Luke have been playing all day! We've had so much fun! Come and see!"

"Oh my goodness!" She pushed herself back to her feet and went with her, Sofia tugging at her hand as they walked. Entering the living room, she found Luke amidst the heaps of Legos. "Hi Little Bear," she said with a smile.

Luke looked up and grinned widely. "Hi Zoney. Me and Sof-Sof are building a rocketship, see?" He held up a collaboration of Legos for her to look at.

"Woah! That's so cool!"

Luke looked at Sofia and smiled, then stood up and wrapped his arms around Arizona. The blonde felt her chest almost burst with joy as his little arms wrapped around her and squeezed tightly. "Wanna see what else we did?" She nodded and immediately was pulled by the pair of them into the kitchen.

A sight met her eyes when she walked in. "Oh my." Alex Karev stood by the oven, a pink apron around his neck, hands clad in a pair of oven mitts. He pulled a tray from the oven, placed it on the stove top to cool and turned around.

"Oh hey, you're home." He gave her his lopsided smile, not even the slightest bit embarrassed by his frilly accessories.

Luke piped up "we baked cookies Zoney!"

"Oh yum!" she exclaimed. She took another look at her prodigy and laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Alex said good naturedly. "Wait until you taste one of these before passing judgement."

The blonde smiled, most of her crossness with him vanishing. She surveyed her kitchen, noticing the dishes had been washed and put away, and the only mess remaining was that of the cookie making.

Sofia tugged at her arm again, "we made dinner too! It's pizza!"

Arizona looked surprised, "oh my gosh, you're spoiling me!"

"I figured with two kids you might need a bit of extra help," Alex said with shrug.

"Thank you for everything Alex," she said. She hugged him tightly and walked him to the door. "I'd ask you to stay but I really just need time with my kids right now."

"Of course," he replied. "I'll see you at work. Call me if you need anything." He opened the door and left.

The blonde watched as he went down the driveway then shut the door, realizing that she had just referred to Luke as her kid. She rested against the door, lost in her own thoughts, when Sofia's voice broke her trance-like state.

"Mommy! We need a drink please! The pepperoni is spicy!"

Arizona chuckled softly and went into the kitchen. The sight of the pair of them sitting at the table made her smile. "What should we have?"

"Chocolate milk!" Sofia cried.

Luke mimicked her, "Chocolate milk! Yes!"

"With a straw?" she asked, making it.

"Yes please," Sofia chirped.

"Yes please," copied Luke.

"You should try some pizza mommy. We made it all by ourselves!" Sofia informed her.

"Oh wow. Uncle Alex didn't help at all?" Arizona carried over the plastic cups of chocolate milk and set them in front of the kids who both already sported tomato sauce on their cheeks.

"Well, maybe a little," Sofia said with a smile, shoving another bite of pizza in in her mouth.

Luke giggled as he ate his food. "He was silly. He got flour and cheese all over!"

Arizona gave a small smile, sitting across the table from the pair, completely enamored by them. "He certainly is a very silly man."

Sofia nodded, "I missed him. And Zola! When can I see her mommy?"

"How about tomorrow while Mommy works?" She lifted her slice of pizza to her mouth and blew on it before taking a cautious bite. She was surprised at how good it actually was.

Sofia grinned, "really? Ok!" She looked at the little boy across from her and her smile faded. "What about Luke though?"

The blonde swallowed and set her food down. "Luke has a nanny who comes here."

Her dark-haired daughter pouted, "oh. I want to stay with Luke instead."

Arizona was happy with how comfortable Sofia was with Luke already. "Okay. You know, Zola probably has school tomorrow anyways. But maybe we can see her in the afternoon."

"Okay!. When will I get to go back to school?"

"After Christmas we'll get you registered."

"Cool," Sofia said with a grin. "May I be excused? I'm all done."

The blonde nodded and watched as Sofia picked up her plate and took it to the counter. "Come on Luke!" she exclaimed. The little boy shoved the last bite of pizza in his mouth and Arizona helped him down off the chair. She watched as the two of them scampered off, Luke somewhat awkwardly, back to the living room.

Arizona took another bite of her pizza before gently nudging her plate away and leaning back in her chair. Alone with her thoughts, they began to wander back to Callie and the kiss. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to stop the memories from surfacing but it was of no use. With her ex back in town now, and their daughter at the house, she knew she couldn't expect not to have to deal with her. Before her thoughts wandered much further however, the shrill ring of her cell phone interrupted the quiet. She picked it up without looking at the caller ID. "Hello?"

"Hey. Are you okay?" April's warm voice caught her off guard and she burst into tears. "Hey, hey, what's going on?" When the redhead heard nothing but sniffles and sobs in response, she stood up. "I'm coming right over," she stated simply and within minutes was there.

April let herself into her friend's house with her copy of the key. Hearing giggles from the living room she peaked in and saw Sofia and Luke digging through piles of Lego, adding pieces to an obscenely large tower in the middle of the living room floor. Pleased that both kids were occupied she made her way into the kitchen to find her friend hunched over the kitchen table, cradling her head in her hands. "What did she do?" April questioned, already knowing exactly who had upset her best friend.

"She kissed me. She told me she wanted me back." Arizona almost laughed through her tears as she repeated it. How unrealistic it sounded. She lifted her head and slumped back in her chair again.

April exhaled and sat in the empty seat beside her, resting a gentle hand on her arm. "I'm sorry Arizona."

The blonde sniffled, "why do I still love her? After everything she's done?"

"I wish I could answer that for you. But I can't. If it helps at all, I do understand the feeling."

Arizona nodded, sniffling as tears streamed down her cheeks. She looked up as she heard small footsteps and saw both Sofia and Luke standing cautiously in the doorway.

April stood up and went over to them. "Hi Sofia, hi Luke." Do you guys need something? I can get it for you."

Sofia shook her head. "Why is Mommy crying?"

April looked at her and then at Luke, who was standing next to Sofia, holding her hand and looking concerned.

"She's had a really long day. And she's super sleepy. Like baby Harriett gets when she hasn't had a good sleep? Lots has happened in the last couple of days and I think she could use a good night's sleep and a big hug from both of you."

Luke immediately hobbled over and climbed onto her lap, throwing his arms around her. "Don't cry Zoney."

Arizona sniffled and kissed his blonde curls, putting her other arm out for Sofia, who easily climbed onto her lap and straddled her prosthetic leg. She hugged her daughter close and pressed a kiss to her head, smelling her hair.

"Yeah mommy. We can tuck you into bed and read you a story."

Arizona looked at them and nodded, melting at their sweet gesture, "I'd like that a lot."

"Ok," Sofia said with a small smile. "Go get your pj's on then and brush your teeth." She sounded identical to her mother and Arizona couldn't help but smile.

Exhausted, she stood up, got into bed and was promptly snuggled on one side by Luke and the other by Sofia. April sat on the edge of the bed as well, a comforting hand on Arizona's leg.

"I love you Mommy," Sofia said.

"I love you too Sof. So much. I'm so glad you're home."

Luke rested his head against the blonde's shoulder. "I love you too," he whispered softly.

Feeling tears spring to her eyes again, but this time out of happiness, she held him close, utterly amazed by the boy. "I love you too Luke."

Even April couldn't hold back a smile, "I'll be in the living room if you need me, ok?"

"Thank you April." She had no idea what she would have done without her. She closed her eyes and soon drifted off.

April returned to the living room and looked around. She tidied up, did the dinner dishes and called Jackson to check on Harriett. After checking in on Arizona and the kids, she retired to the living room, curled up on the couch and closed her eyes. It wasn't long before there was a knock at the door. She got up and padded over, looked through the peephole and sighed, swinging the door open.

"Callie, no. Now isn't a good time."

The brunette looked disheveled. "Why not?"

"Because she's asleep."

"April please," Callie begged. "I really need to see her."

April shook her head, "no," she stated firmly. "You can't just show up here unannounced and demand to speak with her. Call her tomorrow." Callie sniffled. She looked absolutely miserable, but April felt no sympathy. "What did you expect Callie? For her to welcome you back with open arms?"

"I just realized how much I need her April."

April huffed, "well she needed you too. But you left."

"I know, and I'm so so sorry" The brunette stood on the porch, wringing her hands anxiously knowing that she deserved the younger woman's ire.

"There's no sense telling me this Callie. It's Arizona you need to convince. And I suspect it's going to take a lot more than you just saying you're sorry."

"What can I do?" she asked pitifully.

April felt a twinge of sincerity in Callie's words but was far from trusting her. "Prove that you're serious. And give her some time. And space. You can't be expecting her to accept this overnight. She's confused. And rightfully so." The brunette looked down, her shoulders slumped. April sighed. "Look Callie. She obviously still has feelings for you. But you're going to need to give her some time."

"She does?" ask asked as she looked back up.

The redhead nodded. "She never wanted to divorce to begin with. You know that."

Callie sighed, "I do."

"I'll tell her you came by," April said as she began to shut the door.

Callie reached out and stopped her. "Do you think I even have a shot?"

"Honestly?" April asked. Ready to tell her that she didn't know, she saw the sadness in the brunette's eyes. "Maybe...just...give her some time, ok?"

Callie bit her lip, eyes filling with tears. She nodded, turned and left.

Arizona left for work when Angie arrived the next morning. She was more than happy to watch both Luke and Sofia, and they were already working on a craft as Arizona left the house. She arrived at the hospital, completed her few fetal consults, then made her way to the locker room to grab a set of scrubs where she found her shirtless ex-wife.

She stood frozen in the doorway. Once her initial shock wore off she spoke. "You were hired back…" she said, and trailed off, her train of thought gone as Callie turned around, revealing a lacy black bra.

"Hi...yeah. I was. This morning."

The blonde directed her gaze up to Callie's face to avoid further staring at the lack of clothing the brunette was in. "Well, congrats," she stated shortly and swiftly moved across the room to pick up a set of scrubs.

Callie pulled on her scrub shirt, unusually abashed by her nakedness. "Thank you."

Arizona nodded and went into the bathroom to change. As she pulled her sweater over her head she heard Callie speaking from outside the door. Slightly annoyed, Arizona called out, "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

Moving closer to the door, Callie replied, "I was just curious as to how Sof was last night."

"Callie I'm changing. Can't this wait?"

Callie frowned, "Of course. I'm sorry. I'll see you later," she said and left.

Arizona finished getting changed and went to the OR. The three-hour surgery for a sacral tumor on a fetus turned into a five hour one, and upon completion, she retired to the attendings lounge. Alex was there and looked up as she came in.

"Hey. Sorry... I wanted to join you. But I got stuck in the OR helping Hunt with a trauma. How did it go?"

"It was awesome!" the blonde exclaimed excitedly. "That baby is going to have no scar when he's born." She poured herself a cup of coffee and sat next to him, kicking her leg up on the chair in front of her.

The younger surgeon grinned, "that's great." He sipped his coffee. "I hear Torres is back here working."

Arizona nodded and took a sip of her coffee then winced as the bitter coffee burned her tongue , "yeah, I bumped into her already."

"If she bothers you, you let me know, ok?"

"Thank you Alex. But it's okay." She paused and then almost absentmindedly said, "You know...she kissed me yesterday."

Alex raised an eyebrow, "and?"

The blonde exhaled, "it sucked…not the kiss." She quickly clarified. "This whole mess. Cause I still felt that damn spark I felt the first time I kissed her."

"So, what are you going to do?"

Arizona rolled her eyes, "drink a lot?"

He chuckled, "well let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks Alex." She finished her coffee. "Your pizza was good, by the way. Who knew you could cook?"

Alex grinned, "I'm full of surprises. It was cool hanging out with the rugrats. Luke's certainly a different kid these days."

She nodded, "I love them both so much. I just have to keep him Alex."

"Chances are good that you will."

"I hope so," she said. She stood up, squeezed his arm and went back to her office where she found April on her couch feeding Harriett.

"Hey. I hope you don't mind. She was fussy and needed a quiet spot."

"Are you kidding? You're always welcome." Arizona sat next to her and cooed at the baby. "Gosh she's adorable."

April beamed, "thank you." She sat her up and started to burp her. "So?"

Arizona looked at her blankly, "so what?"

"Callie. Has she bothered you?" April had decided against telling Arizona of the brunette's late-night visit, desiring to spare her more angst."

"Oh, no. She hasn't."

April looked relieved, "good. How are you doing?"

"I'm good. I just…" she paused, stood up and set her coffee down on her desk and sat beside it. "I can't get enough of those kids."

"I know," April said with a smile. "Gosh, they're adorable. And the way Luke looks up to Sofia. It's so sweet."

The blonde chuckled, "I think she really likes having a sidekick."

"Oh, for sure." She scooped up Harriett and snuggled her. "Has anything moved forward with the adoption process? I know it's long and tedious, but I was just curious."

Arizona sighed, "Alyssa is trying to expedite it. My understanding of his limb difference, being a doctor, and a hospital owner all work in my favor, but being a single parent doesn't."

"I know. Hopefully they'll be smart and take the other factors instead and base it on what's best for Luke. You're perfect for him. He adores you."

The smile she had only brightened, reaching her eyes as she spoke, "You were there. He told me he loved me last night. I'm sure he only did it because Sofia said it. But it just...it made me melt."

A tiny squeal escaped April, "it's so nice to see you smile like that."

She put her hands on her cheeks and laughed a little, "It feels good."

"Doesn't it?" April grinned. "So, are we still good for dinner?"

"Definitely. You sure you're ready to meet Guy?" Arizona was almost giddy with the prospect of introducing her friends to each other.

"More than ready. I can't wait."

"You're going to love him."

"I hope so," April said with a chuckle. She stood up, "I should get this little munchkin back to daycare and get back to work. I'll talk to you in a bit!"

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