AN : / Hi dear readers! This chapter is a little late, I'm sorry. But I was stuck in bed for a few days...
Anyway, I hope you will enjoy the first hours of the trip to Florida... A lot is going to happen! Stay tune! And as usual, let me know what you think is going to happen next ^^
...
Callie was sitting in a very comfortable seat on her father's private jet. Opposite her was her daughter who was snuggled up sleepily to her other mother. Arizona appeared to be asleep, but Callie could feel Arizona wasn't really sleeping, that way she didn't have to talk to her, and Callie didn't blame her.
After this past year, the view of them both was making her emotional. She felt so sick with guilt about what she had put them through for months.
She was now so ashamed of her own behaviour. How could she have been so selfish and blinded by her own needs to put them through all of that.
If she told the truth, there wasn't anything she could blame it on. It was just her being self-centred, not thinking what her family needed, just thinking of herself, it was her who had put her family through that, and she hoped that Arizona would be able to forgive her one day.
She had been so carried away when she was granted full custody of Sofia that she had for a moment forgotten about her other parent. And when she came back to her senses, she was too far gone and maybe a little too proud to acknowledge her mistakes.
That's when her father came into the story, blaming her for not letting him see Sofia as often as he'd like too. And then her mother was sick... It had been a rough period, and as Arizona had told her, she had been her whipping boy.
She shook her head nervously, trying to stop thinking about everything. She would make it up to her ex-wife. She didn't know how, but she would try. And to her daughter too, because the little girl had missed Arizona so much.
She stared at Arizona once again and couldn't help but think the woman was beautiful. She was casually dressed, wearing a pastel blue oversized shirt, simple dark blue jeans and yet she was stunning. Something felt a little different about her, but Callie couldn't quite put her finger on what had changed.
The plane would land in about thirty minutes, and she was growing more stressed and nervous each passing minute.
Once again, Arizona was right, her « plan » was lame. It was just a lie. A big lie that would affect a lot of people. It already had.
When she had announced to Penny what she was about to do, and that it was her ex-wife who had insisted she warn her, the young woman hadn't said a word.
She had just looked at her in a way she had never done before. She saw disappointment and sadness in her eyes.
Penny didn't know anything about Callie's relationship with her Parents.
She just knew her mother had disapproved about her wedding with Arizona and disowned Sofia, while her father had tried to understand but that she wasn't really close to him anymore.
Since then, the couple had been in a weird place. They hadn't shared any time together, they hadn't talked about it again, Penny refusing to hear Callie out.
They had remained neutral in front of Sofia, but when the little girl wasn't there, their conversations were awkward and uncomfortable.
And with Arizona, there had been some communication but only through email, she refused to talk on the phone or text.
Arizona had been really cold and more distant than she had been in the previous months, if it was even possible.
She had catalogued the things she would agree to do during the weekend for Callie's fraudulent scheme to work.
They could sit next to each other; they could exchange gazes and smile at each other.
They would talk mainly about Sofia and their jobs, try to avoid all personal subjects or intimate questions, even if they both doubted they would be asked.
Arizona had agreed that Callie could hold her hand if they were on long walks, or at the table during dinner.
She had agreed to a kiss on a cheek if felt needed. But just one, and Callie would do it.
There would be nothing more.
It was going to be a long weekend, but she needed it to work. She wanted her mother back in her life, and she knew the older woman would want to see her long lost daughter in a balanced and loving Family. If she was ready to accept her daughter being bisexual, she would give her the perfect family picture all mothers want for their children.
It had to work. She wanted her mother back in her life, she wanted Sofia to have another grandmother who would share secrets and tell her about her mother's childhood in Florida.
The little girl had been briefed and her mothers had explained everything to her, without hiding anything.
She knew it would be play pretend, she knew Arizona wasn't comfortable with this plan.
She also knew her grandmother was sick, and that Callie was really upset about it. So, she would do everything she could to make things work.
….
In the car, driving them to the Torres mansion, Arizona was on edge.
Since the big news about her having not one but two baby's growing inside her, she had been very emotional and stressed.
She had been feeling some pregnancy side effects for a few weeks like morning sickness occasionally, her breasts were sore but it was manageable.
Lately, she had also felt horribly horny.
It had been a long time since she had some adult interaction with another woman, and the hormones were not helping her growing libido.
She shook her head nervously and looked briefly at Callie who was busy showing Sofia some pictures on her phone.
God, she was so beautiful... Arizona had always loved Callie's body, her smile, her dark curls falling on her shoulders. She was a really beautiful and mesmerizing woman. And even after all the hurt, the anger, and the bitterness, she couldn't deny it.
But why was she thinking about that now, she was minutes away from playing her part in the biggest lie she had ever been a part of.
« Thanks again. » Callie said, breaking the uncomfortable silence Arizona had put between them. « I know it's just a simple word, but you don't know how grateful I am, really. »
« Listen, I prefer we keep the talking part to when we play house in front of your parents. » The blonde coldly replied.
« Mommy... » Sofia said as she stared at her. « Please, be nice. »
As Arizona was about to reply, the car stopped and the three of them immediately saw Lucia and Carlos Torres, standing in front of their gigantic house.
« Here we go... Callie said. « Thank you again... »
Callie opened the doors and walked up to her parents; she was really tense but was trying her best to hide it.
« Mija... » Lucia emotionally said as she walked to embrace the daughter she hadn't seen in years. « Thank you for coming. You have no idea what it means to me. »
« Hi mom... » Callie said, a tear rolling down her cheek as her mother pulled away. The older woman kissed her cheeks while Carlos approached her and hugged her.
« I'm happy you're here Calliope. » He whispered. « You are doing the right thing. Your mother is so happy... »
As the parent daughter reunion was going on, Arizona stepped out of the opposite side of the car with Sofia.
The little girl was anxious to meet the grandmother she didn't even remember meeting once.
She grabbed Arizona's hand and held it tight, Arizona doing the same.
The blonde was not really sure she was doing the right thing. Her daughter seemed frozen on the scene, and it was the same for her.
« Sofia! Look at you big girl! » Carlos said walking to meet his granddaughter. It had been nearly one year since Callie visited him with Sofia.
« Abuelo! » The little girls confusion faded away when her grandfather opened his arms to hug her. « I missed you! »
« I missed you too honey. So much! » The older man said as he stroked the girl's hair. « And I know someone who has missed you even more. Look, it's your abuela! »
Under her mother's worried gaze, Sofia looked at the woman next to Callie. She looked a lot like her mama, it was clear they were related. She gulped a little, under the pressure of meeting this old woman she had never really heard about.
« Ola Sofia. » Lucia almost shily said as Sofia walked toward her.
Callie's mother kneeled in front of her granddaughter and took a second to look at her.
She cupped her face and looked at Callie standing back up, tears in her eyes.
« Calliope, she's so beautiful, she looks just like you... » Lucia said as she embraced her daughter one more time, this time the pressure was too much for Callie and she let the tears she was restraining flow freely.
Feeling emotional as her mother was crying, Sofia grabbed Callie's waist and hugged her, Lucia put her hand on the little girl's shoulder, and the three of them stayed like that for a moment, under Carlo's upset gaze, and Arizona's uncomfortable fleeting eyes.
Her place was clearly not here. Seeing Lucia able to hug her and Sofia should have been enough for Callie. The older woman was clearly open to being back in their life, but Callie's cowardness to admit to her parents her marriage had failed had brought her here.
Of course, she was the one to blame first when it came to their divorce. She knew that too well, even if Callie was at fault too, she did the most damage to the couple.
But now was not the time to think about that.
« Oh, Arizona, I'm sorry, welcome to Florida! » Carlos apologized as he walked to embrace her, but Arizona cut him in his tracks by giving him her hand to shake.
« Mr Torres... » Arizona replied neutrally, shaking the stunned older man's hand.
The last time she had seen Carlos was a few months after Callie's malpractice trial. It was when they were looking for a house and he offered to help the couple.
« I'm glad to see you. It's been a long time. » Carlos said, trying to break the ice.
The blonde replied with a weak smile and a nod, just before the three generations of Torres women broke their emotional embrace.
Callie wiped away her tears while Lucia hugged Sofia one more time.
Callie took a step away from her family, she was worried seeing Arizona so cold and distant. But she was not going to put oil on the fire. She knew her ex-wife was doing her a huge favour by being here, so she would try her best to make her weekend easy.
She walked over to her and looked at her, putting out her hand to grab Arizona's but waiting for a positive signal from her. Arizona sighed, the blonde finally taking her ex-wife's hand, following her to meet her former mother-in-law.
« Ms Robbins... I am really grateful you're here. » Lucia genuinely greeted her. « I know I have been nothing but … disrespectful to you, to Calliope and to your daughter... I disowned your family for so long. But I have changed, due to my circumstances I deeply regret how I have behaved, I hope to make it up to you all. »
« I'm really happy you are welcoming Sofia into your life, and Calliope back. I hope you will treat them with love and respect. » Arizona said, Callie gulped, she was floored by the unexpected words she was hearing. « I'm not asking you to appreciate me. I am a grown up, I have my parents and their unconditional love to support me. So, you don't have to pretend you like me. I will just stand by my wife and daughters side, as I'm supposed to. But I am really grateful you invited me here. It means a lot to me. »
Lucia smirked, she knew Arizona was a proud woman, and she knew she was really protective towards her family. And this was something she respected and valued.
« So, how about I show you your rooms? » Carlos said, breaking the weird silence. « We have settled you in the purple room Miss Sofia, and you ladies are not too far away from your little girl in the blue room! »
….
A moment later, after an over-excited Sofia had discovered an amazing room full of surprises for her, Carlos and Lucia opened the door to their room.
Callie entered first and looked everywhere. Since her mother had been diagnosed, the older couple had decided to redecorate their house. It was helping Lucia focus on something else, and it had almost been therapeutic for her.
« Wow, this is truly amazing! You did it all by yourself? » Callie asked.
« Your mother did it. Of course, we hired professionals, but she chose everything. She put a lot of work into the project. » Carlos proudly said, as he kissed his wife's cheek.
Callie looked back over her shoulder and saw her ex-wife's unimpressed gaze. Arizona was still walking away from the group and not with it.
« Well, it's really beautiful Mom. What do you think Arizona? » Callie asked, walking over to her.
« It's really huge. And it's beautiful. ». The blonde replied, totally unfocused.
Callie looked at her, a little annoyed, but she didn't show it. Arizona was really pale. Her eyes were glossy and she was rubbing the base of her prosthetic. It was a gesture she did when she wasn't feeling well.
« Well, we'll leave you ladies to settle in, and we will wait for you, lunch in 30 minutes? » Carlos informed them before he grabbed his wife's arm and they left the two ex-wives, closing the doors behind them.
Callie walked around the room, looking everywhere and anywhere, still shocked by the new layout of her parents' house.
She turned and looked at a motionless Arizona.
Her skin was so pale, even paler than when she had noticed it.
« Arizona? » Callie asked, almost shily. « Are you okay? You are really pale... »
« I... I'm okay. Just impressed by your parents' house and everything. » Arizona lied. She knew she was going to throw up, but she would have preferred for Callie to be somewhere else.
« I'm going to use the bathroom, if you'll excuse me. »
Callie nodded silently, looking at the woman she used to love so much walking very fast to the bathroom.
Arizona locked the door behind her and immediately ran to empty her stomach into the toilet.
She tried not to make too much noise so she wasn't heard by the brunette.
On the other side of the door, Callie knew what was happening.
She was still able to feel when Arizona was sick.
It made her smile that she could still read Arizona, but she also felt a deep feeling of waste when she thought about how crazy about each other they had been.
Today they were only crazy at each other, and, as strange as it appeared to Callie, it was affecting her way more than she thought it would.
She was about to knock on the bathroom door to check on Arizona when the blonde opened it suddenly.
Surprised by the unexpected presence of her ex-wife behind the door, and still dizzy, Arizona lost her balance, and Callie was able to catch her before she fell to the ground.
« Oh my... I'm sorry... » She mumbled, helping the shorter woman sit on the bed.
Arizona quickly pulled away from Callie's helping arms. She didn't want to look at her, she didn't want the ortho surgeon to ask her any questions.
She was feeling better, but Callie's worried gaze on her was unbearable for her.
« I'm just sick from the flight, I guess. » She said. « So please, don't pay attention to me. I'm okay now. »
« Arizona... » Callie whispered. « I know this is a lot for you, and I am not going to ask any more from you but your presence. But if you're not feeling well, you can stay here and rest. »
« For your parents to not suspect anything and to find out that we are faking it and ruining everything now that I'm here, no way. I'm sure you wouldn't keep your promises about Sofia. I want my daughter back in my life, so I'm staying until the end. »
She stood up and walked to the door, clearly upset.
So, this is how it was going to be between them now. Callie bent her head in defeat. She had started this and she had no idea how to stop the damage.
« I'm going to see Sofia in her room, we'll meet you for lunch. » Arizona said as she walked out of the room, leaving a speechless Callie.
….
The lunch was going well. Sofia was very talkative, and her grandparents were really happy to listen to her talking about her friends, about her school and everything else.
Callie was thrilled to see Lucia really peaceful and really caring about the little girl. She was smiling and seemed very ready to be a real grandmother to Sofia.
Arizona was silently eating, trying to smile once in a while when one of Callie's parents' eyes fell on her.
She was not really hungry and was playing with her food instead of eating.
« You don't like the food? » Lucia eventually asked, out of nowhere. « You have eaten almost nothing dear... »
Taking the question as a reproach Arizona raised her head with a stern look.
« She's not feeling well after the long flight on the plane, are you honey? » Callie cut her off before she could say anything. « It is still not easy for her to fly. »
« Oh, that's right, your accident... » Lucia put her hand on her mouth. « I'm sorry for what happened to you. Carlos told me everything... »
« She's going to feel better soon, don't worry. Right darling? » Callie asked.
« Right. » Arizona nodded.
Callie let out a small sigh of relief. She had managed to avoid a crisis.
She was about to speak again when her phone vibrated. She didn't pay any attention to it, but it happened three more times and everybody around the table looked at her as she took her phone and read the texts she had just received.
She opened big eyes, and swallowed hard, shaking her head nervously.
« I... I have to make a quick call... » She said, standing up in a hurry, leaving everybody still sitting at the table.
Arizona bit her lip. There was no way she would sit here alone with her former in-laws.
She took advantage of the awkwardness of the situation and excused herself.
« I... I think Callie is going to need me. We'll be right back... » She lamely said, standing up and leaving Sofia with her grandparents, taken aback by what had just happened.
Arizona walked through the huge lobby, she wanted nothing more than to lock herself in the room and sleep for the next 48 hours.
She didn't know where Callie was, and she didn't care to tell the truth.
But as she was reaching her room, she saw her ex-wife crying in front of the doors to their room.
She was talking on the phone with someone, as she listened to what was being said it appeared to be Penny.
« Why would you do this! I turned my life upside down for you. And I told you this is not about you, this wasn't meant to hurt you... » Callie insisted.
Arizona stood in the middle of the lobby, not really knowing what to do.
« And who breaks up with her girlfriend by sending a text? Who does that! » Callie almost screamed. « Don't you dare say that! »
Arizona stepped back, understanding Callie was having a fight with her perfect Penny.
« What? You can't be serious! You can't even wait until I'm back so we can have a real conversation? » Callie reproached. « No! You know what Penny, you are right, we are over! »
And with that, she hung up and her furious gaze met Arizona's eyes.
Callie took a deep breath, Opened the door of the room and slammed it violently behind her.
Penny had left her and one more time it was her fault.