Hey guys,

I've been wanting to write a fic following up on Arizona's exit from Grey's for quite some time, and it is finally seeing the light of day thanks to the nagging of a very persistent friend of mine. It's been a while since I've written anything fanfiction-related at all because I've been trying to focus on my original fiction projects. I have several incomplete fanfiction projects, which I will return to at some point.

This story will be Calzona end-game, but it also will take a while to get there. It's not all going to be rainbows and roses, because with everything these two have been through, I don't feel like that jumping straight back in and playing happy families is entirely realistic.

Rating will probably change from T to M at some point.

I hope you enjoy!

Leigh

BUILD IT BETTER

CHAPTER ONE

"Mommy, are we nearly there yet?" Arizona can feel the faintest strains of a headache beginning to brew near her temples because Sofia hasn't stopped asking since about halfway through their flight. Each time she's managed to occupy her attention with the in-flight entertainment, lunch and then the second Harry Potter book, but - almost 5 hours in - she's rapidly running out of distractions.

Thankfully, she's prevented from replying by the Captain's voice ringing through the cabin. "Ladies and gentlemen, we will shortly be landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport where the local time is 3:58 in the afternoon and the temperature on the ground is 71°F."

This is followed by an announcement from the flight attendant, which Arizona is barely paying any attention to. As the plane descends lower, from her window seat Arizona begins to check out her surroundings. She watches the Long Island beach dunes come into clearer focus and her stomach muscles tighten, feeling the plane shudder a couple of times and then tilt to the right. "Sof, is your seatbelt fastened properly?" She checks for what feels like the fiftieth time.

"Yes mommy," Sofia replies patiently.

Arizona tries to focus on the view outside the window. The plane is now flying over the Hudson and if she wasn't feeling so apprehensive - both about the flight and the sudden decision to pick up their entire lives and move - she'd enjoy the view of Manhattan from the sky. They drop beneath the clouds and now they're flying low enough to see the cars driving below.

"You can let go of me," Sofia complaining brings her back to the present and Arizona notices that she has her daughter's hand in a vice-like grip.

"Sorry baby," she lets go of her, inhaling deeply a couple of times and willing her body to relax.

"I'm not a baby," Sofia protests, "And I'm not afraid... I've done this a million times now," she exaggerates, rolling her eyes in a way that reminds Arizona of Callie.

"Okay Little Miss, that's enough from you!' She tries to look serious, but there's a gentle smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Let's tidy the rest of your stuff away, we'll be landing in a few minutes!" She puts Sofia's book and coloring pages in her sparkly purple backpack, just as the airline crew announces their final descent.

Sofia's face breaks into a wide grin and she launches herself awkwardly into Arizona's side, "Thank you, Mommy! I love you. I'm so excited."

"I love you, baby." Arizona pushes one of Sofia's dark strands of hair back from her face. Ever since she set the wheels of their move in motion, she's been silently having reservations but Sofia's excitement is reassuring and reminds her why she made the choice in the first place.

The plane touches down onto the tarmac with a slight jolt and begins taxiing towards the gate.

"On behalf of your captain and crew on board this flight today, we would like to welcome you to New York and to thank you for flying Delta Airlines. You may now remove your seatbelts, and move freely around the cabin. Please be mindful when opening the overhead bins, as your bags may have moved around during the flight." All around them people start standing and reaching across each other to gather their possessions. Arizona makes Sofia remain seated until the activity around them has died down. The passengers are starting to be ushered off the plane, from a door at the front. They are seated not far from the back, so they're the second last set of passengers to exit the plane.

Arizona steps down onto the concourse, turning to lift her daughter down off the step which is slightly too tall for her to reach the tarmac. Clutching Sofia's hand tightly in her own, and with her brother's old army kit bag sagging on the floor behind her, they make their way into the gate.

They navigate their way around a hoard of German-speaking tourists, waiting in the international border control queue - and to a thankfully shorter domestic arrivals line, which they clear easily.

They've traveled light, only bringing one suitcase. Anything which she knew Callie had no particular attachment to was either donated to thrift shops or rehomed by Alex and Jo. The rest of their possessions should be arriving at the new house by the middle of the next week, and half of Sofia's things traveled to New York with Callie the first time, so Arizona has packed just enough to tide herself over until then. They round the corner from the baggage claim hall. Baggage in tow, it means that Arizona struggles to hold onto Sofia's hand and they keep having to stop to readjust their bags. Eventually, when the crowd around them has thinned a little, she lets go of her daughter's hand. "Stay right in front of me Sof," she warns, pausing to hoist the kit bag further up onto one shoulder.

The anxiety that has been rolling over her gently since she woke up this morning is now coming in full force, like waves that are now crashing against the rocks at the prospect of seeing Callie again. It almost reminds her of the early days of their relationship. This will be the first time she's seen her in close to eight months, and though they've talked every day in the weeks its taken to sort out her transfer, she's under no illusions about their future. There's too much water under the bridge and they're not the same two people who once promised each other forever. Maybe this will work out or maybe it won't. Arizona unconsciously tucks a strand of hair behind one ear, momentarily abandoning their bags in the middle of the long corridor.

There are escalators and elevators to take them down to ground level. Given the bulkiness of the suitcase, the elevator would probably have been more practical but judging by the swarm of people crowding around it, they'd either be like sardines in a can or waiting for a while. Escalator it is then.

The arrivals lounge comes into view, people start lining either side of the walkway with welcome signs for their loved ones. Out of the corner of her eye, Arizona watches a young soldier being greeted by his family and she becomes teary. Tearing her eyes away, Arizona scans the crowd, searching for Callie. "Okay Sof, keep your eyes out for Mami!" She instructs her daughter as they walk through into the main part of the hall.

Frowning, she reaches into the side pocket of her bag, fingers closing around her cell phone and fishing it out. She waits for it to power on, so she can call Callie and let her know they've arrived. "Mommy, Auntie Addison!"

"What Sof?" Arizona replies distractedly, frowning at her phone's lack of connectivity to the network. "Have you found Mami?"

"No Mommy, but I can see Auntie Addison!" The little girl replies patiently.

Arizona's head shoots up from her phone and her gaze follows the direction of Sof's waving hand. Sure enough, Addison Forbes-Montgomery is stood leaning against the wall with a Starbucks cup in one hand and a serif-typed sign in the other. They're just about close enough to see that it reads Sofia's name. "Mommy, can I?" Sofia looks to her, asking permission to go to her. Arizona glances at the distance between them and Addison before allowing its. "Go on then!" She watches as Sofia almost trips over herself in her eagerness to greet Addison, chuckling slightly when she takes the redhead by surprise and forces Addison to readjust her grip on the coffee cup.

The lines on Arizona's forehead deepen. The last text she has from Callie - only a few hours previously - said that she couldn't wait to see her. And while they hadn't discussed their travel arrangements, if she's honest with herself, Arizona fully expected that it meant Callie would be there to meet them when they arrived.

Had she suddenly got cold feet about this entire move? Their exchanges over the last few weeks had been fun and familiar, but at the same time, it felt like there was something new between them. They'd kept it light and with no pressure on either side, but somehow without meaning to - and despite the logical part of her brain saying otherwise - Arizona realizes in that moment, she wants this to work more than she's been pretending. And even more so, she feels hopeful.

Swallowing down her disappointment, Arizona makes her way over to them. Sofia is chatting away animatedly to Addison so she just stands there, waiting for her to finish speaking or to pause for breath - whichever happens first. Eventually, Sofia runs out of steam.

"Addison, it's good to see you again," Arizona says awkwardly. Despite Addison being one of Callie's best friends, they've only met a few times before because Addison lives on the West Coast. She's seen her once since their divorce was finalized when Addison had been requested to operate on a former patient in Seattle.

If Addison detects the confusion in the blonde's voice she doesn't let it show, knowing she's the last person Arizona was expecting to meet them at the airport. "You too. How are you? How was your flight?"

"It was okay," Arizona offers with a shrug, "I mean - no one lost any limbs," she forces a laugh, noticing that Addison isn't sure whether she's supposed to be amused by it. It dispels a little of the tension in the air between them and Addison's face breaks into a grin. "What brings you to New York? Last I heard, you were enjoying LA."

"I'm consulting on a case at Mount Sinai. Quints at 18 weeks," Addison explains. "So all staying well, I'll be in the city for a few months. Actually, I was hoping you wouldn't mind taking a look with me?"

"Of course," Arizona acquiesces easily, knowing what a delicate balance it'll be for her keeping mom and all five babies healthy. "We've got a few weeks before the Robbins-Herman Center opens and once we're all settled, I'm sure I'll be climbing the walls."

"Mommy, can we pleaseeee go see Mami now?" Sofia interrupts their conversation with a pleading glance towards Arizona, who gives Addison a sideways look, inviting her to reply.

Addison tosses her Starbucks cup into the trash can next to them, "Let's get out of here."

They make their way out of the terminal, walking across three crosswalks and into the underground parking lot, stopping next to Addison's gleaming midnight-blue Lexus. She unlocks the car remotely and Arizona lifts her luggage into the trunk, while Addison checks that Sofia is safely fastened in the back.

"Okay, let's get this show on the road!" Addison starts the car and expertly navigates their way up to ground level. They exit the parking lot and immediately get stuck in traffic. "Welcome to New York," the redhead laughs.

'And to our new beginning' Arizona thinks with a quick glance back at Sofia, before leaning out of the window to fully take in her new surroundings.

Thank you for reading! :) Would love to hear your thoughts on this opening chapter - constructive criticism is completely welcomed!