A/N: A moment of gratitude for all of my faithful readers and reviewers. Thank you. Writing these stories wouldn't mean as much to me if I had no one to enjoy them. Thank you for waiting patiently for me to finish this story...still a couple more chapters to go. A big thank you to my most recent reader "KellyGirl." Also to VulcanRider who sent me a PM wishing me well and asking for the concluding parts of this story. It is wrapping up and as always, it will be finished. Please enjoy this short chapter and hopefully I'll have the next one out soon. Please review and let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Rise Up by Andra Day

"And I'll rise up

I'll rise like the day

I'll rise up

I'll rise unafraid

I'll rise up

And I'll do it a thousand times again"

Defining Moments

Chapter 20: Proud of… me

Steph's POV

"Come on Steph!" Quinn cheers from the sidelines. I look over at my judge, jury, and executioner. Sharon is the Bureau's tester. She's a total hardass too. Sharon made disapproving clicking noises with her tongue throughout my push-up test. The sit-ups she looked bored and kept rolling her eyes. I swear, if Quinn weren't in the room cheering me on, I might have given up. I'm on the final stretch of the 1.5-mile run. The FBI really has everything as I'm on the indoor track. Honestly, I'm not sure how much running on a flat track with no obstacles tells about my ability to do my job as an agent, but here I am. I'm not even winded which I find to be a miracle considering not even a year ago I could barely go half a mile. I'm close to the end so I pick up my pace. My legs are strong beneath me as my feet hit the pavement, my arms pump back and forth as I gain momentum. Sharon's standing at the end with her stopwatch, her beady eyes not even looking away from the numbers ticking away. That image fuels some anger which gives me another burst.

I fly past Quinn and Sharon. My heart is racing, and the last stretch worked up a bit of a sweat. Still, I'm not dying and I actually feel a bit invigorated. I've found that I enjoy running. Who am I? I smile as Quinn comes towards me and wraps me in a hug despite my sweatiness. He picks me up and spins me a bit.

"You did it!" he exclaims, "you're in the FBI!" I laugh. Sharon is busy scoring things on her clipboard. She pushes her glasses back up on the bridge of her nose. She looks over at us.

"You passed," she states in a monotone voice. Jeez, the Bureau needs to get someone with more enthusiasm in this role. She makes it seem so un-noteworthy to pass these tests. I feel giddy with excitement. I'm glad I have Quinn here with me. It's only right that the person who got me into this be there for my triumph. After all, I never would have believed I could do this if it weren't for him. Sharon stalks off hopefully to go put this information in my file.

"Okay, sweetheart! It's time to party like it's 1999," Quinn says slinging his arm around my shoulder. I laugh as I send a text to my Merry Men. As soon as "I did it!" has sent my phone starts ringing. I answer quickly and press the speaker button.

"Congrats Bomber!" comes a chorus through the phone. I feel my heart swell with pride and I tear up a bit. I'm truly lucky.

"Get ready for tonight!" Les's voice comes through, "we're celebrating!" I groan with a smile on my face. The last time we went out was baaaad. I wonder if Ranger will be there…

"See you soon!" the group of Merry Men says before the line goes dead. Typical. Quinn looks over at me with a grin.

"Go get showered," he says nudging me towards the bathroom. Even after all of the exercise, I find I am full of energy and skip to the bathroom. Funny how I just changed my thought processes and set a plan for it to fall into place. I put into the universe what I wanted and I achieved it. I really can do anything. I take a quick shower and enjoy the hot water on my muscles. After I finish up and dress, I head to the hall. Quinn is leaning against the wall waiting for me. He smiles as we head out. We make a stop by Xandra's office. She grins and gives me a tight hug.

"Congrats Steph! We knew you'd do it," she exclaims, "can't wait to celebrate tonight."

"Thanks, hun! It means the world to me knowing I have your support," I reply.

"Quinn and I got you a little something," she says as she grabs something from behind her. She hands me a white envelope. They both nod at me to open it. I gently tear into the paper. Inside is a coupon for a spa day...dated for today.

"Thank you two so much! I seriously would not be where I am if it weren't for your support and encouragement," I state thinking back to the self-deprecating thoughts I had in the beginning. They take turns giving me hugs.

"Alright Sweetheart, we better go before the coupon expires!"

Quinn drives me to the spa and I'm happy to see Lula, Connie, and Mary Lou waiting for me. I look over at Quinn and he shrugs. Seriously, how did I get so lucky? I have such a thoughtful partner. I turn and give him another hug. My face is pressed into his chest and I breathe in his unique Quinn smell. His arms wrap tightly around me.

"Thank you, Quinn," I say quietly, "truly, I don't know where I would be if it weren't for you." He squeezes me more.

"You have to give yourself more credit," he states simply, "but I'm glad I was able to help." I smile and he pushes me towards the girls. We head in and I relish in a day of pampering. We get the full treatment. Five hours later, we emerge fully waxed, shiny, and feeling like a big pile of relaxed goo. I'm surprised when all of the girls pile into one car and there are bags in the back.

"Let's go get ready!" Mary Lou says excitedly as she gets behind the wheel of her minivan. We get to my apartment in record time and there is a spot right in front. I grin. At this point, I don't think anything else could surprise me. By the time we get to my apartment, I'm not even fazed to see Sally standing at the door with his makeup kit in hand.

"Make-up time!" he shouts raising his arm with the makeup bag. The bag is actually a sturdy metal box with a handle. I open the door and we pile in. Lula blasts some music off of her phone, Connie produces glasses of champagne for everyone. I look around at the girls laughing and a small smile finds its way on my face.

I am truly blessed. I wonder as my mother often says, "Why me?" What did I do to deserve this? I'm surrounded by people who support and believe in me no matter what. I have a good job. A feeling of contentment settles in my chest. If someone had told me one year ago that I would be single and thriving, I wouldn't have believed them. I would do it a hundred times over if it meant getting to this same place.

A realization hits, Quinn finding me wasn't the big moment. No, realizing that I wanted to change and then sticking to it-that has been the biggest defining moment of my life.