Title: Tonight's Stupidity
Author: lilyme
Summary: Set in New York. Throughout the entire eight months of their relationship... they had not fought one single time. Always been the perfect harmonic couple that probably everyone who had ever been in a relationship aspired to. But tonight it had happened.
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in this story, nor do I own any rights to the television show "Grey's Anatomy". They were created by Shonda Rhimes and belong to her and the ABC network. No copyright infringement intended!

She was unsure of what she would find upon pushing the door leading to the roof of her apartment building open.

It wasn't a place she went to that often. Having been here maybe two or three times since moving in.

But that was not the reason she was uncertain of what to expect.

The reason lay a good hour in the past now. And thinking back on it, she could only roll her eyes at herself. Or give herself a slap on the back of her head in disbelieve.

Because, really... it was a stupid reason.

A stupid fight about an everyday mishap.

And she was aware that a large part of the current situation – and the reason why she had to make her way up her in the late, late evening hours – was due to her overreaction about it.

Glancing around the roof, she did not find what she was looking for. But a feeling told her to look around the corner of the roof access.

And there she found her.

Arizona.

Sitting on an old, weather-worn metal box with her back against the wall. Looking over one of those typical vastly illuminated New York nights.

And... she was smoking. A sign that she was obviously stressed out.

"Hey," Callie said as carefully as she could as not to startle the blonde that until now hadn't taken notice of her presence.

But to no avail. Arizona jerked visibly, and looked between her and the half-smoked cigarette in her hand, hastening to stub it out.

Callie could see that this hadn't been the first one Arizona had consumed tonight.

"I'm sorry," the other woman said with a shaky voice, apologizing for this habit that overcame her in situations that affected her deeply.

Like this one.

"It's okay," the brunette placated and calmingly held out her hand in emphasis, despite Arizona not being able to see it, for right now her eyes were looking anywhere but at the other woman.

It was true that Callie hated smoking, and therefore naturally didn't approve of it in a partner. And it had lead to some discussion between her and Arizona years back.

But knowing these incidences were few and far between and that there was always a serious reason for when this happened, she had learned to accept it.

Of course preventing the events that led Arizona to live out her habit was preferable. But it wasn't always possible.

And tonight she played a big role in.. that not being possible.

"It's okay," she repeated, and this time referred to the situation at hand.

Yesterday she had asked Arizona to pick up some cocoa powder for the brownies she wanted to make for the festival at Sofia's school tomorrow. She had known Arizona would be done with work earlier today than she herself and would have more time to get the necessary item.

But the blonde had totally forgotten about it.

And when Callie had come home today at 10 pm to find out from Arizona – who had looked very guilty upon being reminded of the request – a discussion about something trivial had quickly deteriorated into a fight about not being reliable enough.

Callie couldn't even recall why it had gotten so out of hand. But the moment Arizona had stormed out of the apartment in an angry need to get away from her, she had known this night had taken an unintended turn.

When Arizona had failed to return to their apartment after a good forty minutes, Callie had become worried and had looked around the building. Praying Arizona hadn't gone far.

"Mrs...Mrs. Miller told me you went here," she informed as Arizona still wouldn't look at her. Their upstairs neighbor had stopped her and told her during her search. And while often times the older woman could a bit nosy and irritating, tonight Callie was thankful for her input. "Well, she's probably got something new to gossip about now," Callie shrugged jokingly as she shoved her hands into her sweat jacket pockets.

At her lover's presumption about their neighbor, Arizona briefly lifted her head to reveal a tiny smirk... and evidence that she was crying. And probably had been for a while.

"Hey...," Callie shook her head in anguish at the sight. Arizona crying was forever one of the most painful sights for her, "hey, don't. Look," she began as she neared her girlfriend, "I know this is bothering you. It's bothering me too. I'm sorry for what I said," she implored, and placed her hands on the blonde's upper arms gently. "I didn't mean it. And I really didn't mean to start a fight over this."

They had been together again for eight months now. For a little over a month living together in the apartment Callie had rented when moving to New York five years ago.

Throughout the entire eight months of their relationship... they had not fought one single time. Always been the perfect harmonic couple that probably everyone who had ever been in a relationship aspired to.

But tonight it had happened.

There was no going back and erasing this stupid event.

However, Callie also felt that there shouldn't be a need to go back.

"But chances are... we are gonna fight from time to time. It's normal for any couple, no matter how long they've been together or what they've been through long ago," Callie stressed, knowing Arizona very likely worried how fighting had eventually destroyed them the first few times. With their divorce and custody battle two very large memorials in their past.

But that was just it.

Their past.

They had had long talks about it.

And had come to terms with what had happened.

Now they were a new couple. A new and improved version that had learned from the past.

Which didn't mean that they were exempt from new and old everyday problems.

"Chances are we're gonna fight about stupid cocoa powder to make brownies again. About... I don't know... about forgetting to get that dress from the dry cleaner. About socks lying around. About which is the right way to hang the toilet paper," she laughed.

All these were arguments they had had in the far away past. Trivial things they back then had lived through. Had mastered. And would again.

She felt the coldness of Arizona's skin, as this one had been sitting out here only in her t-shirt for quite some time. She pulled off her sweat jacket and draped it around her girlfriend's shoulders.

"Chances are we're gonna fight about how to decorate once we get our very own New York town house eventually. Or about where to spend our honeymoon. Or what nursing home to move into when it's that time and we're still clear enough in our heads to make that decision," she concluded. She was serious about this woman, and about this new chance. And she needed Arizona to know.

Callie's words made Arizona finally look up into the soulful yet serious eyes.

A house. A wedding. And growing old together.

Callie had a vision of their future. A bright and promising future.

She gulped as a new set of tears threatened to overcome her. But this time it wasn't out of sorrow. It was because she wanted all this too. Needed this to happen.

But she was aware that it could go wrong again. And that little things could grow into big problems before you knew it.

"I just... I don't wanna ruin this," she confessed and grabbed Callie's right hand for comfort.

Callie shook her head with a little smile and used her free hand to comb a strand of hair behind Arizona's ear. "Don't even think you're ruining anything," she emphasized. "Tonight's stupidity is all on me. I had a rough day." A routine procedure at the hospital had led to the death of one of her patients due to a heart attack. "And again I'm very sorry. What's important is that we talk about it when something goes wrong between us, okay? Don't bottle it up. And if you need to go for a walk or a smoke to clear your head," she cupped Arizona's cheek and wiped off a last lingering tear, "then that's okay. Just... tell me where you're going, alright? I was a little worried".

"Okay," Arizona nodded and pulled Callie into a tight hug. The jacket threatened to slip from her shoulders in the process, but Callie grabbed the hood in time and pulled it over the blond head with a smirk.

"I love you. Never forget that," she sighed as she now too put her arms around Arizona and gave her a kiss on the cheek, the nausea of the cigarette smell evaporating from the blonde lessened by the certainty that a little fight like this would not break them.

"I love you too," Arizona returned and snuggled into Callie closer. "What are we gonna do about the brownies?" she mumbled into her partner's neck.

"Well, since chances are high Mrs. Miller knows exactly what we were fighting about, I might as well just ask her if she happens to have some cocoa around," Callie grinned as she released Arizona and helped her off the box.

Arizona laughed along and draped her arm around the the other woman.

"And if not, we'll change plans," Callie added. "I hear pound cake is delicious too," she teased and poked the blonde into her side as they made their way back to the roof access.

Arizona knew what she was referring to and which enormous relationship problems they had been facing then. Compared to that this little argument really was nothing.

END