A/N: Here it is, the high anticipated sequel to You're the One That I Want... No? Well here it is anyway. I really struggled naming this one, so sorry if it sucks. It was the best I could come up with.
This chapter picks up basically where we left off in YTOTIW, but chapter two will be ten years into the future. Enjoy!
Chapter 1
"We're home," Callie told her wife softly as she ran her fingers through the blonde's hair, gently waking her from the light nap. "Come on, sweetie. Let's get you both inside."
Slowly opening her eyes, Arizona tried to wake herself up. Opening the door, she mindfully slid out of the SUV, careful not to jar her already sore body. She was just about to open the back door, when Callie blocked her path.
"I got her. You need to take it easy," Callie reminded her. Picking the carseat up out of its base, Callie used her free hand to hold her wife's as she led them to the side door. As soon as they were standing in the kitchen, they were greeted by a very excited three year old.
"Mommies are home," Amelia squealed.
Getting down on her knees, Arizona caught her daughter, pulling her into a tight hug. "Yep, we're finally home," she smiled. To the blonde, the last couple of days spent in the hospital seemed to last forever. She was never more grateful to be home.
"Sissy home too?" Amelia asked, eyeing the seat in her mother's hand that was turned away from her.
"Yes, your sister is right here," Callie answered, turning the baby around so that Amelia could see the sleeping baby inside. "Say, 'Hi Alexia'," she instructed knowing their newborn would likely sleep through it anyway.
"Hi, Wexia," Amelia tried, bending over the carseat so she could get a better look at her new little sister.
"Close enough," Arizona laughed. "Should we go down and show her your room?" she suggested.
Amelia nodded her head excitedly as she grabbed her mama's hand and drug her down the stairs towards their basement apartment. Jumping down the last step, Amelia let go of Arizona's hand, racing for her room. Instead of following, Arizona waited patiently at the bottom of the stairs for Callie and Alexia to join them.
Amelia pushed open the door to her room and began turning in circles taking everything in. She couldn't decide what to show her new sister first. Should she show her the big toy box full of fun toys? Or maybe the bookshelf that her mommies took a book from every night to read to her.
Bored with waiting, Amelia walked over to her bed, climbed up, and began bouncing on it. Her feet never left the bed but it was still more fun than waiting for everyone to get in there.
"Amelia Robbins, get down off that bed right now," Arizona chastised. "You know better than that."
Not caring in the least that she just got yelled at, Amelia jumped off the bed and landed on her feet. "This is my bed, sissy," she announced, patting her purple comforter. "And this is your bed," she told the infant as she walked across the room and pointed at the crib that had once been Amelia's.
The one drawback to their little apartment was that there were only two bedrooms. While Barbara had pointed out that there were several rooms upstairs that were available, neither Callie nor Arizona wanted their daughters that far away from them. Besides they'd likely be moving in a couple years anyway for med school, long before Amelia and Alexia were old enough to care about sharing a room.
"Yes, that's Alexia's crib, but she won't sleep in it for a couple weeks," Callie told their oldest child.
"How come?"
Bending down so that she was eye level with Amelia, Arizona started to explain. "Right now she's too little to sleep all the way through the night like you do. So she'll sleep in Mommy and Mama's room so that she doesn't wake you up. That's why we have the bassinet set up in there."
"Oh," was all Amelia said.
After leading them on a thorough tour of their room, the four of them returned to the family room slash kitchenette so that Callie could begin to fix something for lunch. While they typically spent breakfast and lunch down stairs, dinner was always shared upstairs with Barbara and Daniel.
While they ate, Amelia chatted endlessly about all they had missed by being away. Her grandmother had clearly tried hard to keep her entertained so that she didn't miss her moms so much while they were gone. According to the little girl, however, the best day was when Grandpa Carlos came to visit and took her out for ice cream and let her pick out anything she wanted at the toy store.
Callie made a mental note to have a talk with her father. It was only bound to get worse now that he had two granddaughters to spoil.
A little whimper followed by a full out wail broke them from their conversation, turning all eyes to the infant swing that currently held Alexia. "She's probably hungry," Arizona told Callie.
"You go feed her then. We'll finish up lunch then I'll get Amelia down for her n. a. p."
"I know that means nap, mommy," Amelia rolled her eyes. Sometimes their little girl was too smart for her own good.
"Yes, it does," Callie admitted, not about to lie to her daughter. "But you're still taking one."
"Bummer," Amelia groaned.
"You really need to quit picking up words from Uncle Mark," Arizona laughed as she settled on the couch to nurse Alexia. The first time Amelia had come to the hospital to meet her baby sister Arizona had been in the middle of feeding the newborn. Callie and Arizona both tried to figure out how to explain to their little girl what Alexia was doing on Arizona's chest. It was a conversation they barely managed to get through with a straight face.
Just as Callie was leading Amelia towards her bedroom, Barbara came down the stairs. "You girls have a visitor," she announced.
"Who is it?" Callie asked curiously, not knowing of anyone who would even know they were back home already.
Barbara hesitated, "It's your mom, Callie."
"My mom? As in Lucia Torres, my mom?" Callie asked floored with the possibility. The last time she'd spoken to her mother had been the night before her wedding almost two years ago. She couldn't imagine why the woman would be showing up now.
"Yes. And Callie, she looks really nervous," Barbara told her. She knew what Callie must be feeling right now. Callie had been a second daughter to her for almost three years now, so protectively, she wanted to throw Lucia out on her rear. But the woman's body language suggested that maybe things would be changing soon. "Do you want me to send her down here?"
"I um," Callie hesitated, not knowing what to do. Looking over at Arizona, she searched her wife's eyes for any answer. Arizona just nodded her head, letting her know she'd be there for whatever she needed. "I guess."
"How about I take Amelia upstairs then? Want to take your nap in grandma's bed?" Barbara asked the three-year old.
"Yes!" Amelia squealed, thinking she could easily get out of a nap with her grandmother.
"Alright go pick out a book to read," Barbara smiled, easily reading the grin on Amelia's face. "Don't worry, I'll make sure she actually falls asleep," she told her daughters after Amelia was out of earshot.
"Um, hello?" a hesitant voice called down the stairs almost ten minutes later. Callie would recognize that voice anywhere. She could also hear the nervousness Barbara had been talking about.
"Come on down," Callie invited, sitting beside Arizona on the couch. She checked to make sure the blanket was covering everything Arizona wouldn't want Lucia to see. She'd tried to suggest Arizona go in the other room at least until Alexia was done eating, but her wife was determined to be there for her.
Standing at the bottom of the stairs, Lucia looked around the small space that her daughter now called home. It definitely wasn't anything like the home they'd raised Callie in, but her daughter seemed more comfortable here than she ever did growing up. "This is nice, cozy," she tried to compliment, not sure how to begin the conversation she wanted to have.
"We love it," Callie told her with a hint of warning in her voice. She wasn't about to let her mother insult the home she'd built with Arizona.
"I can see why," Lucia told them, trying to help them see she wasn't there to fight. She really had come to make peace with Callie, to explain about her actions over the last several years. It was way overdue.
"Why don't you sit down," Arizona suggested, trying to make the older woman feel more comfortable. She was hoping this would go well. She knew how much it would mean to Callie to have her mother back in her life.
"Ah, thank you," Lucia said. She moved over to the small loveseat adjacent to the couch and hesitantly sat down so that she was barely touching the seat.
Callie and Arizona exchanged a look at how uncomfortable Lucia seemed to be, but didn't comment. Instead they waited to see if she'd give them any indication of the reason for her visit.
Gathering her courage, she knew it was now or never. "I wanted to apologize to you both for how I've treated you. There are reasons for my behavior that I'm now only coming to terms with. It doesn't make what I said and did okay. But I'm hoping if you let me explain, you'll at least understand."
Callie couldn't imagine what Lucia wanted to tell them that could ever explain away her behavior. She nodded her head anyway for her mother to continue.
"Recently I've been going to therapy," Lucia started, causing Callie to look at her with disbelief. The woman who raised her wasn't one to accept she needed help for anything. "Really I have," she told her daughter, seeing the look on her face. "Losing you was harder than I was willing to admit and I knew it was time I made a change."
"Sorry, don't want to interrupt, but Alexia is done eating," Arizona said, turning to Callie so she could take the baby while she fixed herself back up. Callie slipped the baby into her arms with barely a fuss and raised her to her shoulder to burp while Arizona closed her bra and shirt back up.
Lucia watched the two girls work as one, amazed at how instinctively they knew what the other was thinking and doing. She saw wisps of dark black hair on the baby, but before she could see anything else the baby was settled on Callie's shoulder, curling into her mother.
"Please continue," Arizona encouraged.
"Right," Lucia said, trying to remember what she was going to say. "There is a lot about my past that you don't know. Things even your father doesn't know. I've tried to make myself forget, but you never really forget."
"What are you talking about?" Callie asked, her interest now peaked.
"When I was 15, I met this boy and instantly thought I was in love with him. He wasn't exactly what your grandparents would approve of, but I thought for sure he was the love of my life. So we kept our relationship a secret and it worked for awhile. Until I got pregnant that is."
Callie's eyes widened at the reveal. Her mother had gotten pregnant as a teenager? Then why was she so critical of Callie for doing the same thing?
"I know what you're thinking and that's why I need you to listen to the whole story," Lucia told her daughter. Callie nodded her head, showing she was ready to listen, letting her mother tell the story.
"My parents were furious when they found out I was pregnant. I thought I'd at least have Miguel, that was my boyfriend's name, but as soon as I told him, he broke up with me and I haven't heard from him since."
Her story continued on as the girls sat there listening in silence. Lucia's parents had decided the best course of action was to send her to live with an aunt. They couldn't let anyone in their church know their daughter was pregnant. It would be such a scandal. "It was the 80's, not the 50's, but you wouldn't know it by my parents' reaction."
Lucia had spent the next seven months with her mother's sister, who wasn't a very nice person, basically locked up in the house. Even though she no longer had Miguel, she looked forward to the birth of her child, loving the feel of it growing inside of her.
"The day I went into labor, my parents showed up at the hospital. They forced me to give my little girl up for adoption. I wanted to run away with my baby and never look back. The hospital handed her off to the couple my parents had handpicked before I got to say so much as a goodbye."
"Oh my gosh, that's so sad," Arizona said.
Callie on the other hand was having a hard time processing what her mother was saying. Her mother had another child out there? A child she didn't even get to hold. She couldn't imagine someone taking Amelia or Alexia away from her without a second thought.
"When I got pregnant with you, it was bittersweet for me. I wanted you so much, but at the same time I was so scared I was going to lose you too. I tried my hardest to forget the past and just focus on you, but I know I didn't always succeed." Lucia paused, knowing they were just about to get to the hard stuff.
"When you told us you were pregnant, everything came rushing back. It brought up all those old memories again. And I was jealous that you got to keep your baby when I never got to keep mine," Lucia admitted.
"I'm sorry. I can't even imagine," Callie told her mother honestly.
"I wasn't dealing with my past, which is why I reacted so harshly to everything. Now that I've finally been working through it, I finally feel more like myself than I have since I was 15 years old. As I said earlier, I know it doesn't make it okay, I just hope you can understand."
Callie paused, unsure of what to say. She did have a better understanding now, but at the same time it was all still so confusing. "Okay, I can kind of understand your reaction to Amelia now. But what about Arizona and me? You were pretty nasty about that too. She's my wife, that's not going to change."
"I can't say I understand your relationship, but I do accept it. The night before your wedding when we argued, I couldn't say it then, but I was impressed. You also really made me start to think, that night, about everything I was doing wrong." Lucia sat there trying to decide if she should reveal the one thing she'd managed to hide for two years. "I was at your wedding. I stood hidden, so no one would see me, then hightailed it out of there when it was over. It was beautiful by the way."
"That explains the necklace," Callie realized out loud. Sticking her hand down her shirt, she pulled it out to show her mother she was currently wearing it. In fact she wore it more often than not, knowing it was the only tie she had to the woman sitting before them. "I'm willing to forgive and try to move past this with one stipulation. You get one chance, you hurt me, Arizona, or my kids and we're done for good."
"I understand," Lucia agreed. She knew it would probably take a while for Callie to trust her again, but she hoped with time she could build a relationship with her daughter again. She'd seen how Carlos changed and she wanted the same. "Can I see her?" Lucia asked pointing at the baby sleeping in Callie's arms. She didn't dare ask to hold her.
"Oh, sure," Callie said holding her up so that her mother could get a better look.
"Do you want to hold her?" Arizona asked, seeing the longing in her mother-in-law's eyes.
"Can I?"
"Oh, um sure, I guess," Callie responded, still not sure about her mother. Arizona put a comforting hand on her arm, telling her it was okay. As Callie scooted closer to her mother, Lucia slid back on the couch finally getting comfortable. "Here ya go. Her name is Alexia Sofia Robbins," Callie told her, not sure if her mother knew that or not.
"She's so beautiful," Lucia exclaims in awe. "She looks so much like you, Callie. It's amazing."
In that moment Callie figured her father probably never told her mother how they had gotten pregnant. She knew her parents didn't really talk about her these days, but they were still together. "That's because she is mine," Callie tells her.
"I don't understand, Arizona's the one that was pregnant," Lucia says. Obviously that was so since Arizona was the one breastfeeding. Plus Carlos had told her Arizona was the one pregnant when he'd informed her of their daughter's growing family.
"She was. But she was conceived through in vitro. It was my egg," Callie explains.
"But she looks so much like Arizona too, especially the dimples."
Callie turned to Arizona then, asking her if she wanted to explain the rest. They shared a silent conversation before Arizona turned back to the elder woman. "Mrs. Torres…"
"Please, call me Lucia."
"Lucia," Arizona says, trying it out. She never thought she'd see the day when she'd be calling her mother-in-law by name. "My brother was the sperm donor. He offered to do this for us so we could have a baby as genetically close to ours as possible. Although just so there isn't any doubt, I don't love Alexia any more than I love Amelia. They are both mine."
"You don't have to prove anything to me, I can see it with my own eyes," Lucia smiled for the first time since she had arrived. She might not have chosen this life for her daughter, but clearly she was happy and that was all that mattered.
The three women chatted for a long time after, long after Amelia had woken up from her nap and come down to rejoin them. Lucia spent some time getting to know the little energy ball that was her granddaughter, before finally saying goodbye around dinner time. She wasn't ready to intrude on their family time just yet. She still had a ways to go.
It wasn't until later that night when Callie and Arizona were laying in bed that Callie realized the other truth of what Lucia had told them earlier, something that hadn't occurred to her when her mother mentioned another child.
"I have a sister."