Carlos shut his eyes. "Calliope, what are you saying?"

"Callie…" Arizona warned. She knew this might not end well. She didn't want Callie to get hurt.

Callie gave her one last look, squeezing her milky hand in reassurance. She met her mother's eyes. "Arizona's the person I've been seeing. We're in love."

A moment of silence.

Then, Lucia gesturing toward them both. "You are in love…with each other?"

Callie nodded.

Arizona gulped.

"You mean…romantically?" Lucia processed.

Callie nodded. "Yes, Mom. Romantically."

Carlos blinked at Arizona. "You were talking about Calliope, when we asked about your girlfriend?"

Arizona hesitated. Then: "Yes."

Slowly, Carlos's lips formed a smile and, then, his throat wrapped around a laugh.

Callie, Arizona, and Aria stared at him in confusion as his face turned red and his eyes began to water, he was laughing so hard.

"Daddy," Callie interjected, ready to burst into tears, "please don't laugh at me."

At that, Carlos attempted to sober up. "Oh, mi amor, I'm not laughing at you. This is just…such happy news."

"What?"

He set his hand on Lucia's knee, a united front. "Back when you were in high school, your mother and I used to talk about how great it would be if Arizona were a man. We thought you'd be perfect for each other!"

"It's true," Lucia admitted, a hint of a smile on her lips.

"And, now, we learn that she doesn't have to be a man, because you love her as is."

Callie's eyes widened. "So you're…not mad?"

Lucia offered her daughter a reassuring smile, genuine and bright. "We're not mad, mija."

Instantly, Callie felt all the stress and tension her body had been harboring dissipate. Her shoulders drooped, an audible sigh escaping her lips. "Really?"

Arizona squeezed her hand.

Lucia nodded. "Like your father said, this is happy news." She turned to Aria. "Aria, why don't you get us all some champagne instead? Let's celebrate! This is cause for celebration."

That night, Callie slept better than she had in years.

The next morning, after a late brunch, Callie felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. Hey. She could hear Arizona's smile, even over the phone. Wanna come over?

Twenty minutes later, as she watched Callie walk up her porch steps, Arizona didn't know if she'd ever been so happy. How nice it was, to be with Callie and to be able to share that joy with the world—to have the Torres family's blessing.

Callie leaned in for a kiss. "I can't get over last night. I knew my parents were good people, and that they loved me, but in the back of my mind, I still was so afraid they'd reject me."

Arizona reached for Callie's hand. "Well, they didn't."

"I know," Callie grinned, almost giddy. "What should we do today?"

Arizona made a face. "I should probably do some picking. Care to help?"

They grabbed a few crates to carry the peaches in and then set off into the orchard, the grove growing thicker the further they walked. Finally, Arizona stopped at one of the larger trees and set down her crate. "Start here?"

Side-by-side, they picked peaches in silence, migrating from tree to tree until the fruit filled the crates to their brims.

Falling victim to the heat of midday, they collapsed under the shade of a tree. "Here." Arizona tossed Callie a peach. "Don't get dehydrated." She bit into her own, the juice dripping down her chin and onto the soil below.

"Thanks."

Arizona's eyes were on Callie as they ate: how her lashes cast shadows over her cheeks, her nose spattered with freckles. She felt want clench within her.

Callie blushed. "You're staring."

"You're beautiful."

Callie felt her heart speed up, a warmth spreading through her. She hid her face behind her hair.

Arizona laughed.

Callie smiled at the sound, her eyes taking in the perfect pink of Arizona's lips, her square jaw. "Tell me what you're thinking."

Arizona lay back against the soft earth, and Callie mirrored the movement. "I'm just happy."

"Me, too."

"I'm glad your parents took the news so well."

Callie nodded. "I know. I never would've guessed that they'd react like that."

Arizona shrugged. "Well, they love you."

Callie took the final bite of her peach and then tossed the pit behind her. She wiped her hand on her pants. "I'm sticky now."

Arizona raised herself up on her elbow and leaned down to kiss Callie's lips. She lingered there for a second longer than usual, humming contentedly. "You taste good, though. Like a peach."

Callie chuckled. "So do you." She lifted her hand to Arizona's hip, not letting her move even an inch away.

Arizona moved her lips down Callie's jaw, tongued the place beneath her ear.

Callie's breath shuddered out.

Arizona smiled at the sound, her lips fixed to the hollow of a throat. "You said you were in love with me."

Callie could hardly focus. "What? When?"

"Last night. To your parents." She sucked on Callie's neck.

"Oh, yeah."

Arizona pulled back, her hair forming a curtain around their faces. "Did you mean it?"

Callie nodded. "More than I've ever meant anything."

"Good." Arizona ducked her head, her peach-rimmed lips finding Callie's again.

Callie groaned in response, her arms wrapping around Arizona's back and pulling her in. Her skin felt soft as a ripe pear.

Arizona shifted her position, falling between Callie's legs. Even holding most of her weight on her arms, she felt their breasts brush with every movement.

Callie growled at the sensation, overcome with want. She pulled Arizona tighter against her, their pelvises flush, the pressure instantaneous.

Arizona's breath caught in her throat.

"Is this okay?"

Arizona offered something between a laugh and a moan in response. "It's more than okay."

Callie bent her legs at the knee and reached for Arizona's ass, pulling her impossibly closer, the pressure delicious against her center.

Unable to help herself, Arizona thrust her hips, pressing herself down against Callie's heat.

"Oh, god." Callie's eyes fell shut.

A second later, Arizona rolled her hips again, and—this time—she felt Callie raise her own in response, establishing a slow and easy rhythm, their movements so small they were almost microscopic.

In the spirit of the lazy day, the humidity and the heat, Callie and Arizona made love slowly. Fully clothed, they jerked their hips against each other gently and slow, relishing in the sensations, the zippers on their jeans creating further pressure.

"Arizona..."

Arizona stomach lurched at the way Callie said her name—something between a plea and a groan, so quiet and breathy that it sounded almost reverential. She brought her lips back to Callie's and brought her hands up her sides, thumbs running over hardened nipples. She could feel them even through Callie's shirt and bra.

Callie's lips parted in a silent moan, her eyes opening to meet baby blues.

"Say it again," Arizona panted between kisses. "Say you-" She cut herself off with a loud groan. "God, Callie."

Callie smiled, continuing their slow and steady movement as Arizona lost focus. "What do you want me to say? That I love you?"

Arizona groaned again, tucking her head into Callie's damp neck.

Callie reached for Arizona's cheeks, guiding her face to hers: their lips pressed hard, hurried breaths exchanged. Arizona whimpered.

Callie's hips jerked up faster in response to the sound.

"S-say it," Arizona pleaded.

Callie bore her eyes into Arizona's, her movements becoming arhythmic, frenzied. She forced herself to stay focused—just a second longer. "I. Love. You."

And that was all it took: suddenly, Arizona was flung head-first into an orgasm, shuddering and spasming against Callie, who—at the sensation—tumbled into her own climax. They fumbled for each other as they continued their steady grinding, lost in the waves of pleasure that washed over them.

After another minute, Arizona collapsed beside Callie with sweat on her brow and her face flushed red.

Callie turned her head to look at her, still out of breath. "That felt so good."

Arizona grinned, then ducked her head down to kiss Callie's shoulder. "Say it again."

Callie laughed, giddy with love and glutted on pleasure. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

After lunch, Callie and Arizona got the old wooden paddles out of the barn and took the rowboat out on the lake.

Arizona paddled them out toward the center, and Callie's eyes fixed on her toned arms, the lean muscles visible beneath her thin t-shirt.

Arizona looked up toward the clouds. "It might rain. Do you want to go back in?"

Callie shook her head. "I don't mind rain when I'm with you."

Arizona dimpled back. "Say it again."

Callie affectionately rolled her eyes. "Again?"

Arizona nodded, her smile expanding.

"I love you, you goofball."

Arizona's eyes sparkled. She'd wanted this for so long.

Callie was quiet for a second, looking down at the water, the way it rippled, the lily pads bobbing each time the paddles hit the water. Then, she turned back to Arizona. "I mean it, you know. I'm in this now. I thought I'd been in love with people before, but now I don't know. It's never felt like this."

Arizona nodded. "I know." With Callie, it had always felt different.

The day began to darken as a cloud shrouded the sun, and Arizona began to turn the boat around. "It's definitely going to rain."

"Here, let me row for a bit." Callie held out her arms for the paddles. She began to paddle them back toward the shore, her lips pursed in concentration. Progress was slow, though—she couldn't seem to get both paddles to move at once.

Arizona giggled—they hadn't moved more than a few feet. "We're going to get rained on."

Callie laughed with her. "Hey, I'm a swimmer, okay? I'm not athletic in any other way. I miss my YMCA." She felt a drop of rain hit her forehead.

Arizona sat back against the hull of the boat, theatrically folding her hands behind her head. "Ahhh. I could get used to this."

"What? Getting escorted around your lake?"

"Mm-hm." Arizona felt a drop of water hit her arm, then another against her scalp. And another. And then a whole rush of them, drop after drop after drop pounding against everything in sight. "Another flash-flood!"

Callie screeched, dropping the paddles into the boat and looking up at the sky. It was no drizzle—buckets of water hit them head-on, a cloudburst christening the town. "I can't believe I forgot about this!" Callie had to yell to be heard over the sound of rain pounding the tin boat and lakewater.

Arizona pushed her hair out of her face. "I'm already soaking!"

"Can we get in?"

Arizona's eyes widened. "You want to swim? Right now?"

Callie grinned. Then, adorably, she worried, "Will your prosthetic leg be okay left out here in the rain?"

Arizona was already rolling up her jeans to remove it. "Yeah, it's waterproof. Just give me a sec."

After she removed her prosthetic leg, Callie helped her up and wrapped an arm tight around her back. "Okay, we're jumping in on three. You ready?"

"Ready."

On three, they jumped into the water, the movement pushing the boat back further behind them.

Arizona came up for air a second later and saw that Callie was still underwater, twirling like a sea nymph, completely in her element. She did a somersault of her own and then floated on her back, eyes shut, letting the rain hit her face.

When Callie emerged, she looked over at Arizona—wet clothes sticking to her curves—and found herself envying the water: how it could touch Arizona everywhere all at once. She breaststroked toward her.

"This feels straight out of a dream," Arizona mused, eyes still shut, once she felt Callie's body beside her.

"Like something out of The Notebook," Callie agreed.

Arizona reached out, entwined their hands.

Swimming gave way to showering, which gave way to talking, which gave way to dinner, which gave way to more talking. When Callie's cellphone screen lit up with a missed call notification—the screen informing her it was already eight o'clock at night—she realized suddenly that she'd spent the entire day with Arizona. And she'd loved every second of it.

They were sitting together on the couch, a blanket draped over their legs, an old Friends episode on low-volume on the TV. Callie's arm was wrapped around Arizona's shoulder, her fingers absentmindedly playing with damp blonde hair. Really, though, she was solely focused on the laptop sitting on Arizona's lap, her browser open to the local school district's job postings page.

"Okay," Arizona offered, continuing their conversation, "it looks like the middle school's looking for an English and history teacher."

Callie made a face. "Middle schoolers are hard to work with."

Arizona raised an eyebrow at her.

"Too insecure and horny," Callie explained.

Arizona laughed. "Fine. Let's see what the high school needs…" She paused, scrolling down the page. "Okay. There's a secretary position. A…chemistry teacher."

Callie frowned. "I'm going to move here and be unemployed."

Arizona's hand found Callie's thigh. Reassuringly, she promised, "You will be fine."

Callie pouted out her lower lip. "I don't know anything about chemistry."

Arizona kissed her cheek then shut the laptop, setting it on the coffee table in front of them. "Let's take a break from job searching for the night," she suggested. "There will be more postings soon. Someone will get sick or have a baby or die o-"

"Oh, that's nice," Callie laughed.

Arizona smiled. "I'm not saying I want someone to die. I'm just saying that things happen. There will be something for you. Come on," she turned up the volume on the TV, "don't think about it right now."

For a few minutes, they focused on the show and the characters' predictable shenanigans. When a commercial came on, Callie muted it.

Arizona turned to her, taking in that soft profile, those soulful brown eyes. She bit her bottom lip. "I still can't believe it's real, you know. Being with you, like this."

Callie's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Arizona laughed a little, suddenly shy. "I just…wanted you for so long. And now you're here, and you're staying, and…"

Callie leaned in, kissing Arizona's top lip, and then the lower one, giving each one its deserved attention. "I've wanted you, too. And the weird thing is that the want isn't fading. I always get butterflies, being with you."

"Me, too," Arizona grinned. "And guess what?"

"What?" Callie played along.

Arizona pecked her lips. "I," kiss, "love," kiss, "you."

Callie finally got home around nine and listened to her new voicemail as she got ready for bed. It was a missed call from her boss—the high school principal—telling her to call him ASAP. It was still early enough in California that he'd be up, so Callie tapped "Call" and lifted her phone to her ear.

Hello?

"Pete? It's Callie, calling back. Sorry about missing your call earlier."

"Oh, Callie! Yeah. I just wanted to give you a heads-up that I've just accepted a job as an administrator at Saint Mary's College, so I won't be coming back to school in the fall."

"Oh, wow."

"I'm sending an email to all the faculty soon—and of course the Board is already planning interviews—but I wanted to let you know as soon as possible since you expressed an interest in becoming a principal at some point in your career."

"I, uh, I did." Callie paused. "Thanks for the heads-up."

"Actually," Pete cleared his throat, "I already put in a good word for you with the Board, and they're hoping to interview you next week."

"Um. Wow. That's, uh." Callie laughed awkwardly. "That's fast."

Pete sensed her hesitation. "Was I…wrong to assume your interest? I hope I didn't overstep…"

"No! You didn't overstep. I really appreciate that you recommended me." Callie began to pace the length of her bedroom. "I just, um, am visiting family right now. I've actually been thinking about making a job transition myself."

"Well, becoming principal of a high school would certainly be a transition," he reminded her.

Callie nodded. "Right. Of course."

"Well, let me give you Arnold Johnson's number—he's on the Board. You can think about it and then, if you decide to call, you'll know they're already interested in you."

"Okay. That sounds great. Thanks, Pete."

"They were hoping you might be available on Thursday or Friday to meet.

Callie nodded. "Thank you so much for this, Pete. And congratulations on the new job! You deserve it."

"And you deserve this!" he countered. "I hope you'll do the interview. You've got nothing to lose."

"Wake up, sleepyhead!" Aria flung open Callie's curtains, waking her from her deep sleep.

"Go away," Callie groused, throwing a pillow over her head to block out the light.

Aria came to sit on the edge of her bed. "It's after eleven already. What are you, a teenager?"

"No."

Aria laughed. "You're a moody teenager, then."

Reluctantly, Callie exposed her face, blinking her eyes open. "What do you want?"

"To bond. Mom's out shopping and Daddy's watching an old movie. I'm bored."

Callie growled. "I was sleeping."

Concern suddenly colored Aria's features as she looked at her younger sister's face. "You okay? You never sleep in."

"I went to bed late," Callie admitted.

"Why? Fight with Arizona?"

"No, of course not. Nothing like that." Callie sighed. "My school principal's taking another job. He thinks I have a shot at taking over for him."

Aria's eyebrows flew up. "That's what you've wanted."

"I know. But I want an admin job here."

"Ah, yes. You're moving here," Aria remembered. "Because you and Arizona are in love."

"Yeah," Callie blushed. "So I need to resign, right? I'm making myself stressed out over nothing."

Aria shrugged. "It might be worth interviewing. You have to move out of your apartment, anyway, so you can already be in town—it's not like it'd be an extra trip. And then, when you apply to be principal around here, you'll know what to expect from that interview."

"That's true."

"It's not a big deal," Aria assured her. "Now, come on! Buy your plane ticket and then let's go make mimosas."

That night, Callie slept over at Arizona's. A little after three in the morning, though, Arizona was jolted awake, the pain in her foot debilitating. She sat up in bed, biting back a cry. Shit. "Shit, shit, shit." She threw back the blankets to look at her left foot—surely a bear had bitten it clear off—when, again, she remembered her left foot was gone. Her left leg was gone. The pain was as real as anything, but her foot was no longer there. "Shit."

She grabbed her prosthetic leg from where it leaned against her side table and attempted to don it. But it was dark, and her hands were shaking from the pain, and her foot hurt.

Callie stirred, and Arizona froze, not wanting her to wake up.

"Arizona?"

"I'm fine," Arizona lied, her voice raising an octave in her weak attempt to sound unbothered. "Go back to sleep."

Callie ignored her, reaching for the lamp, her sight still blurred with sleep. Finally, she switched it on and blinked into the suddenly light-filled room. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

Callie sat up in bed, still groggy. "What are you doing?"

"I-" Suddenly, another wave of pain washed over Arizona, and she couldn't form words. She squeezed her eyes shut, her fists clenched so tight that her knuckles turned white.

"Arizona!" Callie worried, wide-awake at the troubling sight. "Are you hurting?"

"I'm sorry. I just-" Again, Arizona froze.

Callie's hands flitted like birds above the blonde, her frozen form, wanting to provide some sort of comfort but not knowing how to help. "What do you need?! What can I do?"

Arizona's breath stuttered out. "Can you, um. Can you get my tennis shoes out of my closet? And go downstairs and grab a steak knife from the kitchen."

Callie's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but she didn't waste any time. She rushed out the door, down the stairs, into the kitchen, and found a knife. When she came back into the bedroom, she opened the closet door and saw a pair of ratty sneakers on the floor. She grabbed them and rushed to Arizona. "Here." She paused. "What can I do?"

Arizona's lips were pursed tight, her eyes squeezed shut. "Put the shoe on my prosthetic foot. Please."

"Okay." Callie did as she was told, guiding the plastic foot into the shoe and tying the laces. The fabric was full of holes. "What now?"

Finally, Arizona opened her eyes, looking down at her foot. "Now grab the knife."

Callie grabbed the knife. "Okay."

"Now stab me in the foot."

"Oka-. Wait, what?"

"Please." Another wave of pain washed over her, and Arizona dug her nails into her palms. She'd passed out before because the pain had gotten so intense.

"Arizona, what do you m-"

"Callie. Stab me. In the foot. Hard. I need to see it."

"You want me to s-"

"Callie!"

Callie met crazed blue eyes that revealed her desperation for an end to her suffering and, finally, she gripped the knife tight and stabbed it through Arizona's sneaker, creating another hole among many.

Arizona exhaled a shaky breath in relief, eyes on her shoe, her plastic foot, her brain finally soothed by the idea that there was a cause for her senseless pain.

"Arizona…?" Callie worried, her hand hesitantly hovering above a bony knee.

Arizona shut her eyes, steadying her breathing. "I'm…good."

When she finally opened her eyes, seconds, minutes, or even hours later—she didn't know—Callie was looking at her with that same concern, unblinking. "What just happened?"

Arizona tried to smile. "It's just something that helps me. It makes the pain make sense." She sighed. "Sorry. If I scared you."

Callie shook her head. "Don't be sorry. It's not something you can control."

"I know," Arizona frowned. "But thank you. For helping."

Callie nodded, her eyes still searching Arizona's face, wanting to make sure she was okay.

"I'll be fine," Arizona promised. "Go back to bed."

"Are you going to be able to sleep?"

"Yeah. I'm good, really."

"Okay." Callie worked to keep her expression neutral and walked back to the other side of the bed. She lay down and shut off the lamp. She looked over at Arizona and watched her lie flat on her back, eyes on the ceiling. "Can I do anything else to help?"

Arizona dug her nails into her skin again, not wanting Callie to know how much pain she was in. She shut her eyes, worked to steady her voice. "No. I'm fine. Goodnight, Callie."

"Goodnight, Arizona." Callie turned on her side, pretending to sleep but, really, she was wide awake. Even without looking at her, she could tell when Arizona's pain was overwhelming: her breathing would speed up, or become louder, until the pain subsided. And then, finally, her breaths became even, slowed by sleep.

At the sound of her sleep, Callie turned onto her other side, studying Arizona's face. In the darkness, it was hard to make out each feature, but Callie had already memorized every detail of her. And then she couldn't help but reach toward the blonde hair splayed across Arizona's pillowcase, her fingers running over the strands with a feather-light touch. In sleep, Arizona looked at peace—her sleep was painless, and Callie was grateful that the agony had subsided at last.

"I love you," she whispered. "Goodnight."