I just came up with this pathetically short fic off the back of the Mark&Arizona scene in 'White Wedding'. I just loved how much the scene showed Mark had grown up :)

Review, please?

"My daughter walked into my house, sat me and my wife down, and told me she was a lesbian. She had the same look in her eye as she did when she was eleven, and punched the guy picking on her brother - five years older than her, I might add - in the face. Like she knew it was something I might disaprove of, but she's done it anyway. Proud, defiant and a little apprehensive. So I asked her a question; are you still who I raised you to be?"

Daniel Robbins held the gaze of everyone in the room, a stoic expression on his face.

"And I didn't even need to hear the answer. Because my daughter is the one who will ignore the odds, and fight for kids who can't fight for themselves, in a pair of heelies. She is everything I raised her to be, and more. I don't know Calliope very well. But I trust my daughter. And I know that she will take care of her, and fight for their relationship, because my daughter has excellent taste. And whoever may argue and say that they should not be together because their anatomy is too alike, I dare you to find a better fit."

Arizona sat back in her seat, trying to fight back tears as her father sat back down in his own seat looking satisfied at the tearful faces around. But she sucked in her breath as Mark stood up, ready to make his own mark (so to speak) on their day.

"Anyone who knows me knows I've spent plenty of time with Torres. More than is healthy, I think we'll both agree. She's the mother of my child, and I trust her without even needing to think about it. But do you know how I first knew Arizona? The paeds chick who kissed my friend in a dirty bar bathroom. Not the best introduction in the world, but true nevertheless. And Callie wouldn't risk herself again, until I told her to walk tall. She just had to be brave enough to put herself out there, and hope there was someone to catch her when she fell. Arizona caught her."

He smiled across at the blonde, hoping she wasn't cursing him.

"Callie... You're kind of my life. I'll do anything for you, and I'll do anything to protect you. Arizona... I didn't choose you to be my family, and you wouldn't have picked me if I were the last man alive. But we're a family, so I'll do anything for you, also. So I'm gonna lengthen this speech slightly. Robbins' dreams are coming true. And yet, something's missing. Something I can't change. But I'm gonna do my best."

Mark stepped towards Arizona, pulling her to her feet. "Robbins, get your ass on the dancefloor, pretend you like me and have a minute to miss your brother. Because I know for damn sure that he's here, looking down on you right now, telling you to dance so hard..."

Arizona took his hand, smiling as he led her onto the floor, some schmoozy song she was fairly sure he hadn't chosen filling the room.

"I don't need to pretend, Mark."

"What?"

"I like you, really. You're just... you have a piece of Callie's heart that I can't. A chunk, actually."

"I'm her friend, Robbins. We stopped sleeping together just before I got back with Lexie. She said sex with me just made her sad, because it made her miss you. Sophia was a happy accident of her failing to get over you."

"Oh." She should have said something more substantial, poigniant. But oh was all she could think of.

"Now shut up, and have a minute to miss your brother."

So she laid her head on his shoulder, trying not to cry because doing so would ruin her makeup and his suit, in which he looked rather dashing. If she were straight, she might even have liked him. But the point was, he cared. Enough to actually listen to her. So for today, maybe even until the next time they fought over Callie, or Sophia... he would take care of her.

Her own brother was gone, and there was nothing anyone could do about that. But maybe, Mark could do some of the duties a brother should.

Providing he didn't sleep with her wife, ever again.