Authors Note: LONG TIME NO SEE! I want to sincerely apologize for my ridiculously long absence… nursing school was kicking my ass year before last, and I also met a girl and went through a bit of shit with that! Even so, since I saw y'all last, I graduated from college with my nursing degree, got a new job—in Australia of all places—and recently moved there! So, with everything going on and trying to piece my life back together here, I decided I was finally in a good place to begin my writing once again! I will be finishing this story (eventually I promise ) and won't abandon it or y'all... just please be patient with me! I've had the storyline written out long before I stopped writing, so I'll be picking up right where I left off. I hope y'all are still willing to come on the journey with me—let's hit it.

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Chapter Nine: Cleaning this Gun

The smell of bacon frying in a cast iron pan surrounds Callie Torres' apartment on a chilly December morning. She smiled to herself as she heard the water begin running in her shower, knowing that meant her girlfriend, Arizona, was beginning to get ready for her day.

My girlfriend. Holy shit, I can't believe she's actually my girlfriend.

She smiled even bigger when she thought about the night before. She had actually gotten on stage at Joe's, in front of a particularly busy crowd of people, and sang. It had been years since she had done that in front of anyone. On one hand, she couldn't believe she had actually done it, but on the other hand, she knew in her heart that she would do anything for the beautiful blonde woman—that thought alone scared her more than she wanted to admit. Callie was broken out of her thoughts by the shrill ring of a cell phone coming from her bedroom.

Callie quickly took the bacon off the stove and ran into her bedroom, where the ringing got louder. She then realized it was Arizona's phone and knocked on the bathroom door before sticking her head in and yelling, "Babe! Your phone is ringing."

"Can you answer it, Calliope? It's probably Lexie!"

The brunette assumed Arizona was right and picked up the phone without looking. She was greeted by an unfamiliar, chirpy voice.

"Hello, my beautiful butterfly! I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me."

Callie stopped dead in her tracks and quickly removed the phone from her ear to view the caller ID—realizing she was on the phone with Arizona's mother. She stared at the phone for a few moments, hearing a few muffled 'Hello's?' coming from the phone in her hand.

SAY SOMETHING! Literally, say anything.

"Hi, um, Arizona can't come to the phone right now, can I please take a message?" For the life of her, the Latina couldn't figure out why she was so nervous, but her palms were getting sweaty.

"Well, hello. I'm Barbara Robbins, Arizona's mother. May I ask with whom I'm speaking?"

"My name is Callie. I'm Arizona's—," Callie cut herself off before she said anything further. They had just become girlfriends, and the brunette figured that Arizona probably didn't get a chance to relay the news to her family regarding her or the situation just yet, "Um, friend. I'm Arizona's friend."

"AHA! I knew something was up. A mother always knows."

Shit. Nice going Callie.

Before Callie could dig herself in any deeper, she noticed the frame of her girlfriend coming from the bathroom. She was relieved for only a moment before her breath hitched a little—nearly causing her to drop the phone that was currently in her hand. Arizona had glided from the bathroom with only her hair wrapped up in a towel; the steam from the bathroom following as her body was bare and glistening with water droplets. "Fuck."

Before Callie's brain could even attempt to catch up to her body's involuntary reaction, the amused voice of Mrs. Robbins broke her out of her trance. "I'm sorry, dear? What was that?"

Oh my god. I did not just say that out loud…

Callie's eyes widened as Arizona giggled before lightly removing the phone from the brunette's hand, kissing her on the cheek and whispering, "I've got this love, go finish breakfast and I'll be there in just a minute."

Arizona watched her girlfriend's hips naturally sway on her way out of the bedroom and bit her lip before remembering that her mother was still on the phone. "Hi, Mom."

"Who is she? I want to know everything about her. When do your father and I get to meet her? Is she your girlfriend? Why haven't you said anything to me about it? Oh, my stars, wait! What's her last name? I can look her up on the Facebook!"

"Mom, breathe! And by the way, it's just Facebook, not THE Facebook, and I'm not giving you her last name so you can stalk her before you even meet her." Arizona laughed at her mother's rapid-fire questioning. "Slow down, slow down. One question at a time. Her name is Callie. She's this miraculous, breathtakingly stunning woman that I recently met. Oh! And last night, she asked me to be her girlfriend." The blonde smiled before continuing—that's the first time she has said that out loud. "I'm not sure when—"

"So, she is your girlfriend! Really? Butterfly, we have to meet her!"

The blonde woman smiled; she really did miss her mother. It had been far too long since she had seen her. "Yes mom, girlfriend. I really like her, and she's very special." The thought of Callie making her smile even bigger.

"What about this weekend? Please? Your father has a four day and we could all spend a bit of time together before Christmas. We miss you, Arizona, and we would really like to meet this Callie of yours."

Arizona's heart sunk a little bit at that—she had been so wrapped up in her business that she really hadn't taken the time to call, let alone visit her parents. She really would like to see them and introduce them to Callie. She wanted everyone to meet the Latina that had changed her world the past few weeks. "That actually sounds like a wonderful idea, Mom. I'll have to talk to Callie though, she may not be able to get off work on such short notice."

"I understand, baby. What does she do?"

"She's a doctor—a surgeon, actually. That's why it may be difficult to just up and go this weekend, but we will talk today, and I'll let you know very soon."

"You sound really happy, butterfly. We can't wait to meet her."

Arizona grinned. "She makes me very happy mom, and I can't wait for you both to meet her. I'll call you later?"

"I will look forward to it sweetheart. I love you."

"I love you too. Bye, Mom."

Arizona threw her phone back on the bed before rummaging around a drawer—well, her unofficial drawer at Callie's apartment. She grabbed a pair of underwear and then searched through the brunette's drawers until she found her favorite oversized shirt of Callie's—a faded, orange one with 'University of Miami' scripted on the front. Once she slipped it over her head, she unraveled her hair from the towel and tousled it between her fingers as she walked out of the room.

She was met by the smell of French toast, eggs, and bacon as she made her way into the kitchen—Callie having just finished pouring two cups of piping hot hazelnut coffee. Arizona walked up behind her, wrapping both arms around the Latina's waist and leaning into her.

Callie smiled when she felt the familiar embrace of her lover and spun around to face her. Before she could say anything—Arizona leaned in and placed a kiss on her lips.

"Mmm," Callie hummed with a smile, "what was that for?"

"Can I not just kiss my girlfriend whenever I want?"

Callie giggled. "Kiss away." The brunette let out a small moan when the blonde's lips met hers once again, only this time she gently parted the woman's lips with her own. She began running her tongue along Arizona's bottom lip and lightly biting it. She felt the woman's grip tighten at her advances and pulled back. "Breakfast is getting cold, love."

"Ugh. Fine. Food first, sex later."

The brunette couldn't contain her laughter, "You're insatiable, Arizona."

"Only for you, Calliope." The smaller woman said with a wink.

The two women fell into a comfortable silence at the kitchen bar, enjoying the company of one another, as well as the breakfast Callie had made for them when the brunette broke the silence.

"So…about your mom?"

"'Fuck'?" Arizona playfully impersonated Callie from earlier; barely able to stifle her chuckle.

"HEY! That's not funny." Callie deadpanned. "I didn't mean to say that out loud… my brain completely forgot the fact I was on the phone with your mom the second I saw you walk out of that bathroom. What did you expect? You literally had water dripping off your naked body—honestly, we're both lucky I didn't say worse."

"You still made a good impression, babe." Arizona smiled big enough for both dimples to pop before adding, "As a matter of fact, she asked if we could come to visit this weekend. Do you think you may be able to take a four day?"

Callie thought it over for a second. "I don't have any scheduled surgeries off the top of my head, but since it's Wednesday already, I'll still have to ask the chief and make sure one of the other ortho surgeons can be on call."

"That's fine, love. Just ask him when you head into work." Arizona stood up and kissed Callie on the forehead, gathering their dishes to put in the dishwasher. "I'm off today, so I'm going to head home in a bit to clean up and pack. I'll probably go regardless…it's been a while since I've been to see my parents, and I'd really like to see them in general. Although a trip across the country with you would be really fun."

"That sounds like a plan. I know you've already taken your shower this morning, but I thought you might want to jump in with me before you go?" As she spoke, those tanned fingers lifted the hem of her shirt up and over her head with one swift movement. She turned and walked, hips begging Arizona to follow. She stopped in the doorway of the bedroom and turned around, "It's up to you of course, but I could always use a little help washing my back." She added with a wink.

Arizona stood up and walked towards the Latina, slowly pushing her backward by her chest onto the bed. "Oh, I'll help, because we will both definitely need a shower after this."

o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•

Callie awoke in a startle as the wheels of the plane touched down on the tarmac. She was immediately met by the smirk of a very amused blonde.

"Doing okay there, sleeping beauty?" Arizona said as she quirked her head to the side.

The brunette smiled and started to speak —before the realization hit her. They had just landed in Quantico, Virginia, where she would be meeting Arizona's parents today. Luckily for her, it had been a slow week for her surgical schedule as far as appointments were concerned. She had a fellow orthopedic attending that owed her a favor and had decided to take him up on it in order to secure the four-day weekend with Arizona. She had been nothing but excited for a little get away with her girlfriend up until they landed, but now that the reality of it all sank in—she was just nervous.

The blonde sensed a change in the Latina's body language and knew exactly what was bothering her. "Calliope, they're going to love you. Will you please stop worrying?"

Callie was unimpressed with the blonde as she began removing their carry-ons from the overhead bins. "They are your parents, Arizona. This is a big deal to me. Especially considering I already said 'fuck' on the phone with your mom, and your dad just happens to be a freakin' Marine!"

"She thought that was funny!" The blonde giggled when she only received a deadpan look from her girlfriend before they stepped off the plane and into the jet bridge. "All Dad will probably do is give you his little 'don't hurt my daughter' speech while he's cleaning one of his guns—but you'll be fine! It's just a scare tactic."

"He has GUNS?! Like, plural?!" Callie's eyebrows flew to the top of her forehead as she stopped dead in her tracks in the middle of the airport terminal.

"Oh my god. Babe." The blonde couldn't suppress her laughter any longer. "First of all—I am about 100% sure that it is frowned upon to scream anything about guns in the middle of an airport. And second of all—you literally just got through saying he's a freakin' Marine. Of course, he has guns."

After Callie rolled her eyes at the blonde for good measure, the two women retrieved their luggage from baggage claim and began wheeling them towards the exit. When they made their way through the automatic doors, they were met with an excited scream.

"BUTTERFLY!"

Callie took in the sight before her and couldn't help but smile. There, in the pickup lane was a black, Ford truck. Standing in front of the truck were Arizona's parents—Callie could tell. She first noticed Arizona's dad. He wore a light blue button up dress shirt with a pair of ironed khaki pants. He didn't have a hair out of place and if she didn't know he was in the military before, it would be a dead giveaway now as he stood completely straight, staring what felt like daggers through Callie. She stiffened before taking a deep breath to steady herself, ready for anything. She then carried her gaze to a middle-aged woman that was unmistakably Arizona's mother—instantly relaxing. She was a little shorter than Arizona herself and she had the same curls, only they were beginning to slightly gray with age. When she smiled, she knew immediately where the Robbins' dimples came from, and she had a presence that made Callie feel loved. At the present moment, she was bouncing up and down while holding a sign that said, "Welcome home, Butterfly (and Callie )". It warmed her heart so much to see Arizona's beaming smile as she ran towards her mother.

"Mom! It's so good to see you!" The blonde said as she squeezed her mother tight.

Tears ran down Mama Robbins face as she held Arizona close before she pulled her back. She held the blonde's face in her hands as she gave her a once over. "Just let me look at you, baby! I feel like I haven't seen you in forever! First things first—we will all go home, and I will cook a big supper for you both." With that, Barbara looked a few feet behind Arizona where Callie was waiting patiently—not wanting to ruin their moment. "And you must be Callie?"

"Yes ma'am, I am. It's so nice to meet you, Mrs. Robbins." Callie said politely.

"Oh, now dear, you can call me Barb! And I give hugs." The shorter woman stated as she pulled Callie into one of the warmest and most comforting hugs she had ever received. "It is nice to finally meet the woman who has made my butterfly so happy.

Callie smiled, thankful that she was making Arizona happy. She made a mental note to ask Arizona why her family calls her butterfly. It suited her and it made a bit more sense as to the reasoning behind the butterflies all over Tease.

While Callie and Barbara were talking, Arizona made her way over to her dad. "Colonel." Arizona nodded. Greeting her father with a big smile.

"Butterfly." He nodded back; serious expression unchanging for a moment until he let out a small smile and wrapped his arms around his youngest. "It's so good to see you, baby. We sure have missed you."

"Well then!" An excited Barbara said as she pulled Callie along with her luggage towards the truck. "Let's get home so I can start cooking!"

Arizona laughed as Callie ended up in the backseat with her mother, brown eyes wide and questioning as she passed Arizona, not even having a chance to introduce herself to Arizona's father. This was going to be an interesting weekend; she could already tell.

o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•

The drive to the Robbins' house was very peaceful for Callie. Most of the trip took place along the riverside of the Potomac and the view was breathtaking. In some ways, it reminded Callie of her past in Miami. Even in the winters there, being near the water was always one of the few things that made her feel at peace when home got a bit too much. She wondered how different Arizona's childhood was to hers; she wondered whether constantly moving brought them closer together, or if with all of the traveling her father did, they grew apart as she and her family had.

She was broken out of her thoughts as they made it to the house. It was what she imagined the quintessential American family home would be. It was a white two-story house with light blue rocking chairs on a porch that seemed to wrap all the way around; there were beautiful, barn wood shutters that looked to be homemade. It had a cobblestone walkway leading to the stairs that were lined with rows of white and yellow daisies. A bright and beautiful American flag was lightly blowing in the breeze from where it was fastened on one of the front columns, and you could hear the sound of the river current rushing softly in the background.

Arizona opened the car door for Callie, earning a chaste kiss from the brunette before they both went to get the suitcases from the bed of the Colonel's truck. The blonde let the tailgate down before she felt Callie's hands on her own.

"Go ahead inside to help your mom, babe. I've got these." She said with a smile.

Arizona smiled up at her girlfriend, giving her another quick kiss before she went inside, knowing her mother would be ecstatic to have her in the kitchen to help like she did when she was growing up.

Callie lightly removed both suitcases from the bed of the truck, sitting them on the ground for a moment before readying herself to carry them up to the stairs and onto the porch. Before she could lift them, she heard a gruff cough from the front of the house. The Colonel was standing there, waiting.

"Let me help you with those, young lady."

"Thank you, Colonel Robbins, sir. I appreciate the help." Callie smiled softly up at the man. She had seen him silently watching her exchange with Arizona a few moments before and knew she was being sized up, but she kept her composure—remembering what Arizona said. He just wanted to make sure Callie could handle herself, so that's just what she was going to do.

The pair then made their way inside, where there was already a chorus of pots and pans being shuffled around the stovetop, getting ready to prepare a meal. Callie helped Colonel Robbins move the luggage by the bottom of the staircase and was just about to ask where he'd like her to take them when he spoke.

"Miss Torres, you'll be in the guest room." He began wheeling her suitcase down the hallway. "It's just through here, second door on your left."

"Thank you, sir, but please, call me—" the brunette was cut off abruptly before she could finish her sentence.

"What do you mean guest room?" Arizona popped out from the kitchen wearing a red and white checkered apron that Callie would most definitely have commented on if she had been wearing it anywhere else. "My room is big enough for both of us."

"You know the rules, Arizona," The Colonel chastised as he began making his way into the den. "No sleeping in the same bed unless you're married. It's no different now than when you were sixteen."

"Dad. That is ridiculous! I am a grown woman and I would like to share a room with my girlfriend." Arizona stated adamantly.

"Arizona, it's okay. The guest room will be perfectly fine for me." The brunette said with a smile. She was a bit disappointed that she wouldn't get to snuggle with Arizona that night, but she wanted to be respectful of her father's wishes.

Arizona crossed her arms and pouted, "It may be perfectly fine for you, but I don't like it. I wanted to cuddle."

"You're really hurting your 'I'm a grown woman' defense with your lip sticking out that far, baby." Callie teased.

"Well, if I were sleeping in bed with you tonight—I could prove just how grown I am, now couldn't I?" taunted the blonde.

Callie's breath hitched at the blonde's insinuation for a moment. She could feel her face instantaneously growing a deep shade of red before a voice broke through the tension, making the brunette contemplate actually walking all the way back to Seattle out of embarrassment.

"Butterfly, I really didn't need to know that." Barbara rounded the corner sporting a red and white checkered apron that matched the one Arizona was wearing. She was carrying a wooden spoon that was now pointing back and forth between the two women. "And I'd say that is why your father has that rule in the first place, don't you think?" she added with a smirk and made her way back into the kitchen.

"Arizona!" Callie said, lowering her voice after Mrs. Robbins left so only the blonde could hear her. She could only shake her head at her girlfriend that was smiling sheepishly and retreating back to the kitchen.

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While Arizona was making dinner with her mother, Callie decided to go to her room and freshen up a bit before they ate. She originally planned to ask whether the pair needed help cooking but ultimately decided against it so that they could spend a bit of one on one time together. The brunette slowly made her way through the house to the guest room she would be staying in for the night, taking everything in around her. This house was so different to everything she had experienced growing up; it was like from the moment she walked in, she felt as though she was at home. Everything about it made her feel safe. In the den, there were throw pillows on a couch that looked like it had been well worn with time. Next to it sat a recliner she assumed was the Colonel's. There was a large case she noticed in the corner that had lots of medals surrounding an American flag. It was inside of a framed black shadow box that was in the shape of a triangle. There were lots of framed family photos and quotes scattered along the walls. Callie decided that Mrs. Robbins must love plants because there were displays of beautiful flowers in various spaces in the den.

As she made her way through the cased opening that separated the den from the hallway, something on the trim caught her eye because it didn't match. The wood on the left side was a lighter shade of white than the rest of the opening—it seemed to be more faded and weathered with time. It stuck out a bit more than it should, almost like it had been added on after the opening was actually built. She knelt down to run her hand along the wood when she saw why, smiling lightly as she took the memories in for herself. Arizona, Age 2 was the first thing she saw on the left-hand side of the trim, written in pink marker; it had a small line next to it to show how tall she had been that year. Just a touch above that along the right side of the trim, she saw Timothy, Age 2 with a similar line in green to show how tall he had been. She followed it upward, running her hand along their names. They grew further apart in height as they grew in age, both charts stopping when the kids had reached 18 years old. It was such a beautiful testament to how tight-knit the family was. They had moved around throughout their entire childhood, and this piece of wood had always gone with them. It spoke volumes about Arizona's family, and Callie teared up a little bit at the thought behind it. The children had moved to so many places while the Colonel was shuffled from duty station to duty station—but every house felt like home because of the family inside of it; because of things like this growth chart. Familiar things to ground them.

Callie continued through the cased opening into the hallway where she saw more family photos lining the walls. There were a few that she could tell were school photos of a younger Arizona and there were a few of a blue-eyed, blonde-haired boy with matching dimples, that she knew had to be Arizona's brother, Tim. As she walked onward there were many photos of them together, a few happy occasions like high school graduations and a few of Tim in his Marine dress blues. They all made her smile, but mostly they made her want to know a little bit more about Tim. She made a mental note to ask about him sometime soon, along with the butterfly thing.

"Nearly identical, weren't they?" Barbara's voice startled Callie as she had become engrossed in the pictures along the wall. She sounded a bit sad as she spoke, so Callie just decided to listen. "When they were growing up, everyone that met them thought they were twins because they were so inseparable. Since we moved so much, they were closer to one another than other children their age. You would hardly know that there were three years between them in age." Barbara recalled with a small smile.

"They do look identical—it honestly took me by surprise when I saw. I love seeing photos of her so little; along with seeing things like that growth chart. Getting to look into Arizona's past is so special to me." Callie told Arizona's mother honestly. She wanted to know everything about the blonde—she just couldn't get enough. However, she decided to tread lightly about Tim with Barbara since there was obviously something involving him that nobody wanted to speak about openly.

Barbara's face lit up, "If you like those, you will love the albums I have stored in the back. I'd be happy to get them out for us to look through after dinner."

Callie smiled right back at the smaller woman, "I would absolutely love that, Barb. I'm going to go freshen up a bit before dinner is ready, and I'll see you in just a bit."

And with that, the brunette left Barbara alone with the photos in the hallway. As she made her way into the guest room, she felt a little calmer. Arizona's mother seemed to like her so far, and Callie was looking forward to learning a bit more about her bubbly blonde's past.

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The Latina was mostly dressed when she heard a small knock on the door.

"Calliope?" Arizona's voice came through. "Can I come in?"

"Of course, love," Callie responded sweetly. She was glad Arizona came back here and not her mother, because she wanted the blonde's approval on the dress she decided to put on for dinner. It wasn't anything fancy, just a simple maroon sundress, but she packed it specifically for this occasion. She wanted to be wearing something a little nicer than ripped jeans and a leather jacket for her first meal with the Robbins' family, even if it was freezing outside.

"Fuck, Callie." Arizona looks adoringly at the brunette. "I really don't understand how someone can be so beautiful."

She blushes as Arizona walks up to her, resting her arms lightly behind her neck. "I could say the exact same thing about you, you know," Callie states honestly.

"Yeah, you could, but we're talking about you right now," She pauses to place a light kiss on Callie's lips, "and I could go on all day about how beautiful I think you are, but we would be very late for the dinner that Mom and I have just finished cooking—she absolutely adores you, by the way." The blonde places one more quick kiss on the brunette's lips before she separates herself and pulls the Latina by the hand towards the kitchen.

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A few hours, a delicious, home-cooked meal, and lots of laughs later—Colonel Robbins had retired to his office. He said he had to finish up on some things for work and wanted to leave the ladies alone to chat for a little while. The three women at the table were currently each enjoying a cup of coffee and a slice of pound cake that Mama Robbins had whipped up the day before the girls had flown in. Mama Robbins' idea to take a lighthearted stroll down memory lane had been well received by everyone, except for Arizona that is. They were presently in the middle of opening the fourth photo album of the night, much to Arizona's dismay.

"Mom! No." Arizona groaned at her mother, who was beaming with pride. "I could deal with the Halloween photos from when I was four and even the naked baby pictures just fine—but I am putting my foot down at my girlfriend seeing the frizzy-haired, braces-clad, pre-discovering contacts disaster that was middle school. She doesn't want to see that!"

"Oh yes, she does! Please lead the way, Barbara." Callie laughed. She was enjoying the hell out of seeing all the photos of Arizona. Her mother had shown her lots of albums already—but the picture she had just found of an awkward, adolescent middle school Arizona wearing a tacky Christmas sweater and sitting on Santa's lap was her favorite so far. "Oh my god, this is adorable."

"Oh! that was one of the best years! She was so mad at me because she didn't want a picture with Santa—she was apparently too cool for it that year and said that she was 'about to be a 9th grader, and nobody in the 9th grade would be caught dead sitting on Santa's lap'."

"I still can't believe you made me do that, Mom. I'm fairly sure I tried to burn that sweater when we got home that day." Arizona jokingly rolled her eyes at her mother. Barbara Robbins loved nothing more than embarrassing her children, that's something that hadn't changed too much over the years apparently.

"I thought that was a perfect sweater for you that year! I bought it after you finally told your father and me that you were gay." Barbara said, smiling proudly.

"Wait, wait, I can't tell what it says from this picture. What did it say?" Callie excitedly questioned Mrs. Robbins.

"Mom. Don't you dare even think about—" Arizona began before her mother interrupted her

"It said 'Single and ready to Jingle!'."

"MOM!"

"Oh my god, that is the most fantastic thing I have ever heard in my life!" Callie's cheeks were actually sore from smiling as she kissed a very embarrassed Arizona on the cheek.

"What, baby? It was true! And it was all in good fun.," Barbara began. "Speaking of Christmas, what do you two have planned?"

The pair looked at one another—they hadn't actually talked about their Christmas plans yet. Arizona wasn't sure if Callie had wanted to spend Christmas with her or if she was planning on going to see her own family for the holidays. They eyed each other for another moment or two before Callie spoke. "Well, we haven't actually talked about it yet, but I'm not scheduled for Christmas this year—I'm just on call. The doctors that I work with and I normally go to the bar across the street from the hospital the night of Christmas so that everyone can get together to have a few drinks and exchange gifts. It's a bit of a tradition since none of us ever get to go all the way home for Christmas—and I was hoping that Arizona would want to be a part of it this year." The brunette turned back to smile at her girlfriend.

"I'd love to, Calliope." Arizona leaned in to give Callie a kiss, before intertwining their fingers and laying her head against her shoulder.

Mrs. Robbins looked at the pair with a knowing smile, before continuing to flip through the old photo albums. Her smile slowly changed as she turned to the page, it was still there but with an overwhelming twinge of sadness surrounding it. "Look, butterfly. This is my favorite picture that I have of you and Timmy."

Callie felt Arizona's entire body stiffen. There was a palpable tension that quickly filled the room, and Callie couldn't figure out why. She looked at the photo and noticed it was a smaller copy of her favorite one from the hallway. It had what looked to be a 15-year-old Arizona wrapped around what would've been an 18-year-old Tim's back. He was pulling on one of two French braids that came down to Arizona's shoulders while she had him playfully pulled into the beginnings of a chokehold. His hair was sticking up everywhere from being tousled and they were laughing so hard that both had their dimples shining. It was a beautiful candid shot that showed just how close and playful the pair were.

"Yeah, I remember that," Arizona said very quietly, and almost stoically. "That was the day before he had to leave for basic training." The only sound that was made after that was the soft sound of Arizona lightly bouncing her leg, before she stood up abruptly, startling both her mother and Callie. "I'm going to go get some fresh air."

Just like that, she had made her way outside. Callie was immediately worried about her and was about to stand up and follow her when she felt a hand cover her own on the table. She looked down at Barbara, as she calmly shook her head no. "Leave her be for a few minutes, and let her gather her thoughts, sweetheart. None of us have been the same since Timmy died, but Arizona took it the hardest."

"She hasn't talked to me about it at all, so I don't know what I need to do for her. I want to help however I can." Callie stated—worry beginning to grow within her.

"She hasn't ever talked about it very much, dear, but I promise she will tell you when she is ready." Barbara looked at Callie very seriously, almost like she was deciding whether or not she should say something before she spoke. "Just so you know, Callie, as I said before, none of us have been the same since Timmy died—especially Arizona. I have been worried for years that I had lost her; that she would never be the same carefree little girl I've always known…but these past few weeks, every time I've spoken to her, I could tell something was different, even through the phone. It is almost like my old butterfly is back, and I think that has a lot to do with you. I know you say you want to help, and that you don't know what to do for her, but you are helping, more than you know—whether you realize it or not."

o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•

"Arizona?" Callie called out to the porch gently.

"I'm over here," Arizona said from the back of the house, where the porch wrapped around. She was sitting on a porch swing that looked out at the river, lost in thought.

"Are you okay, baby?" Callie began, hoping that Arizona might open up to her a little bit.

"I'll be okay, I just really don't want to talk about it right now." The blonde stated evenly, letting Callie know there was no room to argue with her about it.

"That's fine, love. We can just sit and enjoy the view for a while." Callie sat beside Arizona on the porch swing, wrapping her arm around her and pulling her into her shoulder as she placed a blanket across both of their legs. They sat like that for a while in silence, listening to the water move and the sound of each other's breathing until the brunette remembered that she had a question. "Hey, babe? Why do your parents call you butterfly?"

Arizona stiffened in response to Callie's question. She knew that it was undoubtedly going to come up because that's virtually all her parents call her, but there was no way she could tell that story right now. She didn't know what to say to Callie, because it should've been a simple question. It was just a nickname after all. "I don't want to talk about that either."

"Well, what do you want to talk about?" Callie said carefully, not knowing how lightly she needed to tread with the blonde.

"Nothing, Callie. Please. Just sit here with me or go back inside." The blonde said bluntly.

Callie winced a bit at the blonde's tone but wanted to make sure she knew that she would be here if she wanted to listen. "Arizona, you know that you can tell me anything, don't you? I'm here for you."

"Callie, please, just drop it. I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay, I'm sorry, I just wanted you to know that—"

"I told you to drop it. That's the end of it. Okay?"

"Okay," Callie said, not wanting to push Arizona any further. The blonde had never spoken to her that way before, and as much as she didn't want to take it personally, it gave her an uneasy feeling in her stomach.

The two sat there, silently swinging back and forth for a little over an hour. Nobody speaking of what had happened earlier. Callie could feel the stress radiating from Arizona and knew that whatever she was holding onto was eating at her in some way. Callie knew she was in pain, and all she wanted to do was make it stop. The Latina looked down at the blonde's face when she felt her breathing change just slightly. She noticed a single tear began to fall lightly across Arizona's cheek before she took a deep breath.

"I promise I will tell you, Callie. I just can't tonight."

Callie just squeezed the blonde a little bit tighter, kissing the top of her head, and letting the blonde know that it was okay.

o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•o•

The rest of the night had gone by slowly. Callie had finally gotten Arizona to come inside so that she could make her way upstairs for a hot shower and a good night's sleep. Arizona was leaning over the stair rail while Callie was on the ground below her, neither wanting to say goodnight.

"Thank you, for putting up with me tonight, Calliope," Arizona said, softly. She was embarrassed about the way she spoke to Callie, but she just can't talk about Tim. She can barely look at photos of him; even after all this time. She had been so excited to introduce Callie to her parents that she hadn't thought about the memories being home would dredge up. She knew she wasn't handling it very well, but denial had worked for her thus far.

"I never put up with you, Arizona. I care about you so much, and it is more than okay to tell me that you need time for certain things. Just never forget that I'm here for you, okay? No matter what." The brunette looked up at her, nothing but seriousness laced throughout her tone. She leaned up as the blonde leaned down, and they shared a goodnight kiss. "Please, get some sleep. I've got my phone—so I can text you until you fall asleep if you don't want to be alone."

"Okay." Arizona smiled at the beautiful, selfless woman below her. She doesn't know what on earth she did to deserve her, but she wanted to make sure she didn't do anything to mess it up, that was for sure. "Sweet dreams, Calliope."

"Sweet dreams, baby."

With that, the blonde made her way up the stairs to her bedroom. The brunette stood there a minute, trying to gather her thoughts after all of the night's festivities before she started to move through the hallway to the guest bedroom once again. She had just passed by the first door when she heard a hushed voice coming from inside it. The door was cracked, and a small amount of light was glowing through it.

"Miss Torres?"

"Yes, sir?" Callie answered; slowly opening the door and making her way into the room. There sat Colonel Robbins at a very large oak desk; he was wiping what looked to be the barrel of a small handgun with a light blue microfiber cloth when he gestured for her to take a seat in a chair at the front of his desk.

As she made her way inside, she looked around the room—it was filled with so many patriotic things. There was both an American and a Marine flag standing at attention behind Colonel Robbins, as well as multiple cases filled with medals and awards for valor. The walls were lined with framed newspaper articles and photographs of award ceremonies. The first thing she noticed was that they weren't all about him. Most of them were about his son, Tim, but the one that caught her eye was an old article from The New York Times titled "2nd Lt. Robbins of USMC laid to rest; sacrificed life for brothers in arms". She got closer to it to see the date, which read December 10, 1941. Callie knew that the article was written about his funeral—three days after he had died, a hero, at Pearl Harbor. He had saved nineteen of his men on the U.S.S. Arizona—sacrificing himself in the process. It was the story of where Arizona's name originated—she could never forget. Her grandfather, her father, and her brother—they risked their own lives numerous times for their country, and she had an unprecedented level of respect for them all.

Colonel Robbins watched Callie carefully as she made her way through the room, he saw her take in the room gently, methodically even—until she came to rest on the article he knew to be about his own father. If it caught her eye, it was because Arizona had told her the story. He knew then just how much this woman meant to his daughter. She trusted Callie, so he knew that he needed to talk to her. He waited until the woman turned around before he began, gesturing once again for the chair in front of him as he spoke.

"Everything I have ever done in my entire life has been about honoring my father's sacrifice. I raised both of my children to be good men in a storm. I raised them to love their country—but to love their family even more. I raised them to protect those they love most over anything else." Colonel Robbins stated evenly, still polishing his pistol.

Callie nodded and sat silently in front of Colonel Robbins, hanging onto every word.

"When my daughter was 15 years old, she sat in the same chair you are sitting in right now. I could tell she was nervous about something and had been crying. Her brother had left for basic training earlier that same day and I had expected it to be about him leaving, but that wasn't why she had come into my office. She sat there, very obviously terrified, before she took a deep breath. She stood before me, not only her father, but a Colonel in the United States Marine Corp, and said, 'I am a lesbian,' even though she knew there was a chance that everything would come crashing down." He put the gun down on the table and looked Callie directly in the eyes. "She stood in front of me, and faced her biggest fear, because she wanted to show the same kind of honesty and bravery her brother had earlier that day, in her own way. I have never been prouder of my daughter than at that moment because she was exactly who I raised her to be. She is strong, and caring, and honorable—she's as stubborn as her mother and as brave and fearless as my father. She always tries to do the right thing because she has a big heart—just like her brother did. She is a good man in a storm. I love my daughter, Miss Torres. And I protect the things that I love. Not that I need to a lot of the time, she hardly needs it. Because she is exactly who I raised her to be." He spoke softly, emotion flooding his tone.

"If I may, sir—your daughter… she is the most remarkable woman I have ever had the privilege of meeting. She is strong, and caring, and honorable. She has a heart of pure gold and shows it to everyone she meets. I consider myself lucky every day to be around her, to be able to be there for her." Callie paused quickly, regaining her composure, as the man in front of her nodded for her to continue. "She saw me at a moment in my life when I couldn't even see myself, sir. Meeting her was like finding the rainbow after that storm. Look, I'm honestly not very good at this and I know you don't know me, Colonel Robbins, but one thing you will quickly learn about me is that I protect the things that I love, too. She is the most important of those things, and I will be here as long as she will have me. I promise you that I will do everything in my power to make sure she doesn't get hurt; you have my word." Callie took a deep breath before she paused. She backtracked everything she just said and realized she had told Arizona's dad that she loved her. Holy shit. I love her. That's terrifying. Perfect timing for this revelation, Torres.

"Thank you." Colonel Robbins said, nodding again at the brunette in front of him, realizing the gravity of her words. "She is special, Miss Torres, and she deserves someone that will treat her as such."

Callie smiled, thinking about the curly headed blonde probably fast asleep upstairs. "She is special, Colonel Robbins. And I intend to make sure she knows every single day, just how much," the brunette began, reaching her hand towards the man in front of her, "also, please—call me Callie."

The man looked at the woman once more, a small smile adorning his features, before taking her hand and shaking it slowly. "It has been a pleasure meeting you today, Callie. Please—call me Daniel."