A/N: Thank you for sticking with me on the long wait! I promise this story will be finished. I only plan for several more chapters before it's all wrapped up. Please leave a review and let me know what you think! Thanks for the support! Enjoy!
Good as Hell by Lizzo
"Woo child, tired of the bullshit
Go on dust your shoulders off, keep it moving
Yes Lord, tryna get some new shit…
I do my hair toss
Check my nails
Baby how you feelin'?
Feeling good as hell...
Boss up and change your life
You can have it all, no sacrifice"
Defining Moments
Chapter 18: Surprise
Steph's POV
Leaving the Cop shop with Ian Bianchi in tow, I can't help but smile. My shoulders back. All of my hard work to show the people of the Burg they were wrong about me...and more importantly to show myself that I just needed to follow my passion instead of caving to the pressure. Without much thought, I silence my cell phone. I don't have time to be distracted when we finally have this scumbag in custody. Now we have to get him to the Newark office. It's been a long night and it's turning into an even longer day yet I wouldn't trade this for another day of rolling in garbage and struggling to pay my rent.
We secure Ian in the back of the car and I hop in the passenger seat. Capturing Ian is a big deal for us...and is the beginning of the rest of my career in the FBI. Quinn starts the car and looks over at me.
"We did it, Sweetheart," he says with his dimpled smile. I grin back at him. I couldn't have asked for a better partner. Ian makes a disgusted sound.
"Please don't gloat," Ian mutters, "you're lucky I didn't kill you when I had the chance." I roll my eyes.
"Quinn, did you hear that?" I question innocently, "sounds like Ian here just threatened a Federal Agent." Quinn looks at me his blue eyes sparkling. I think we're both riding this high.
"Special Agent Plum, I believe he just threatened, not one, but two federal agents," Quinn replies before his gaze turns steely and he pierces Ian with a look that says 'shut the hell up or we'll figure out how to make the charges worse.' Ian rolls his eyes but stays silent.
The drive to Newark is smooth. Somehow, Ian manages to fall asleep which would have been welcomed but he decided to snore. A couple of 'gentle' wake-ups made sure he wasn't disturbing our otherwise normal Jersey drive. We arrive at the building in record time and head inside with Ian in front of us. We will be turning Ian over to some expert interrogators to ensure we get all the information he may have. Xandra is waiting for us after we drop Ian off. She's wringing her hands and looks upset.
"George Cooper passed away at 5 am this morning," she informs us with a frown. It takes me two seconds to recall that George Cooper is the DEA agent Ian beat...now beat to death. At least George Cooper's death will not be in vain. I'm sure we will be prosecuting Ian to the full extent of the law. I hope he will get life without parole so he can live out his life in chains. Ian does a sign of the cross. I look over at Ian and mentally decide for us that we'll be attending the agent's funeral.
"Deputy Director Booth wants to debrief with both of you at 11," she lets us know. I'm guessing the debrief is normal, but it will be my first one. Quinn gives me a look.
"Let's go burn some energy," he says with a grin. We have an hour to kill before the debrief. I know he wants to do some exercise. I'll have my official testing now that our case is closed. We head to the gym after changing. I smile when I see Marco. He grins back at me and hugs me.
"Congrats on cracking the case, Plum! Now we'll really put your training to the test," he says with a grin as he releases me back to the ground. Quinn comes up.
"Hey, and what am I? Chopped liver?" Quinn asks sounding offended, "she didn't do it all by herself." He grins letting us know he's kidding.
"Jeez Quinn, did I bruise your ego?" Marco asks draping his arm around my shoulders.
"Maybe you two should work this out on the mat," I suggest, slinking off to the treadmills while the boys square up. I steadily speed up to my running pace and watch as Quinn and Marco spar. Before I know realize, I've been on the treadmill for 30 minutes and have gone three miles. Quinn and Marco are cooling down. I slow down and get off. I drink some water and wipe off with a towel.
"So which of you two won?" I question with a grin before taking some more sips of my water. The boys give each other a look before saying "me" at the same time. I chuckle.
"Sounds like a tie to me," I reply with a smirk, "now we should get cleaned up before the debriefing. Quinn and I head our separate ways to the lockers. We meet back in the hallway in 15 minutes. Butterflies are doing loops in my stomach as we head up to Deputy Director Booth's office.
Two hours later Quinn and I are descending back to the first floor. The debriefing was less intense than I thought it would be but still lasted a while. Quinn and I are officially on vacation. Apparently, it's the protocol to have two weeks off in between cases unless something dire pops up. During these two weeks, I will have to complete my testing in order to remain in the FBI. Quinn assures me that I'm ready. I also plan on finding a new place to live. I'm thinking a nice townhouse to fully become the grown-up, badass Stephanie Plum.
Quinn and I head out. He drives and I finally take out my cell phone. I groan to see over fifty missed called and many text messages. As if my mother has psychic abilities her picture pops up on the screen as she calls for the hundredth time. I sigh as I swipe to answer.
"Stephanie Michelle Plum!" comes the screeching slur. "How dare you ignore your mother all day!" Yeesh, she acts as if she's the center of the universe.
"Been a little busy, Mom," I state in a flat tone. Quinn cuts his eyes to look over at me. I shrug.
"How could you not tell us?! We're your family," Mom says unhappily, "We found out after the whole neighborhood. Do you really think so little of us?" Her words hit me in the gut. She sounds disappointed and not because her daughter is a disaster. I didn't realize they would care so much.
"You and Quinn better be coming for dinner," she sighs heavily, "we at least need to talk." I gulp as I feel a sudden rush of emotion. I just figured she'd be calling to berate me for making a scene in the burg and for not settling down and marrying. I hang up feeling upset with myself.
"You okay, sweetheart?" Quinn asks when I don't say anything.
"I'm not sure. You up for dinner at casa de Plum?" I question as I try to shake off these feelings. I did a good thing. So what if my family isn't ecstatic on how they found out? If they had been more supportive throughout the years maybe they'd understand my thoughts. Quinn grabs my hand.
"You know I wouldn't let you suffer through it alone," Quinn says with a small smile. The rest of the drive passes in easy silence. I honestly could not have asked for a better partner. How did I get so lucky?
As usual, my mom and grandma are standing on the porch exactly as we pull up. I'll truly never understand how they just seem to know. Grandma looks the same as usual except for the big grin. Mom looks more pinched than normal. Ugh, I'm not looking forward to this.
"Good looks, baby granddaughter!" Grandma Mazur cackles gleefully, "and with a looker of a partner too." She gives a conspiratorial wink. I feel Quinn falter beside me. What can I say? Grown men quiver in fear of my grandmother. I feel oddly proud at that yet slightly disturbed. Is that what I have to look forward to when my boobs sag to my knees?
"I'm glad you could make it Stephanie," my mother says stiffly and with a brief smile to Quinn. A pit forms in my stomach. Did I really offend my mother so much? At least she still wanted us to attend. My mom turns to go inside and waves us through first. Grandma has a devious smile on her face. I make sure I'm on the side of Quinn so she can't get a shot in. Quinn notices and smiles at me gratefully. As we head into the foyer I'm puzzled because it's slightly dark. Before I can even ask my mom a shuffling noise catches my attention, the lights go on and a loud, "Surprise!" is shouted. I blink and step backward. A banner is hanging over the living room and it says "Congratulations." I look back at my mom and Grandma with a questioning look. My mom's face has completely changed and she's smiling softly at me. I see something in her eyes...and I swear she's proud of me. I can feel my tears well up at the sudden onslaught of emotion. I swallow thickly and take a moment for the emotion to pass. I turn back to the crowd. I see Valerie, Albert and the girls along with Eddie and his wife Shirley. Mary Lou, Robin Russell, and even Joe. I'm even more shocked to see Lester, Tank, and Bobby in the corner standing by my father.
Quinn squeezes my hand and grins at me. Wow, I cannot believe my parents did this. Someone hands Quinn and I a beer and we get sucked into the crowd. Everyone is congratulating us. I can see Joe with a smile on his face, but I know him well enough to see the annoyed look under his mask. After twenty minutes, someone starts tapping their glass.
"Attention!" My mother shouts. I look to see her and my father standing in the entrance to the kitchen. My father clears his throat.
"Thank you all for coming today! We are celebrating our youngest daughter Stephanie Michelle Plum for not only getting her man but also for joining the Federal Bureau of Investigation," my dad, usually a silent one, says, "please give her and her partner a round of applause for keeping this country safe!" I'm touched to my very core. Did aliens come and replace my parents? Neither of them are acting like they normally would.
"Now, the food is ready in the kitchen," my mother says, "Buffet style. Help yourselves." The crowd slowly forms into a line for food. I walk over to my parents. They each give me a hug.
"We're so proud of you Pumpkin," my dad whispers, "although we wish you would have told us yourself." I nod against his shoulder.
"Thank you both! I'm sorry I didn't tell you myself," I apologize, "Everyone else only found out because of the station. It wasn't intentional, I promise." They both nod.
"I know I haven't always been the most supportive," my mother starts, "but I extremely am proud of you." I can see a tear in her eye
"Now go eat!" She pushes me towards the line. This is the normal mom I know. Using food to cope with her feelings. Quinn and I each get some food and I'm happy to see my mom even made pineapple upside-down cake. As I eat my meal I make rounds and say hello to everyone.
The party is winding down. I head to the kitchen to serve myself a second piece of cake. Of course, Joe chooses this moment to approach me.
"Soooo Special Agent...Cupcake, huh?" he questions with a bitter tone. I'm on the defensive. I never know which version of Joe I'll be getting.
"Yes FBI, Joe," I state before stabbing a piece of the cake and taking a bite. I don't want to deal with him anymore.
"What? Were they dumpster diving and found you?" he sneers, "I've applied five different times." I'm hurt at how rude he is, but I know he's just jealous.
"That's rude and hurtful Joe. So uncalled for," I reply, remaining calm, "maybe if you changed your attitude you'd be considered." He glares at me and clenches his jaw. His expressive eyes are hard and he takes a deep breath to calm himself.
"It's just not fair," he grumbles before turning and walking away. I stay in the kitchen letting my heart rate return to normal after that confrontation. I'm halfway through my piece of cake when Quinn finds me. He looks me up and down.
"What did that prick say?" he questions, obviously picking up on my mood. I shrug.
"Not much, he's just upset he never got into the Bureau," I reply. Quinn lets out a loud, long, throaty laugh.
"Yeah no way," Quinn says as he still chuckles, "I've denied that guy all five times. He doesn't have the personality temperament for the job. Might be a decent cop, but not Bureau material." My eyes widen. Holy shit. I grin. I guess what's meant to be always finds its way. Quinn slings an arm over my shoulder.
"Come on, let me drive you to your apartment so you can have a nice quiet evening to kick off vacation." I nod. We say our goodbyes and I'm excited to sleep late.