I honestly don't know what the purpose of this fic is but it just came to mind and I went with it. Enjoy!!


"Doing okay back there?" Jamie asked, looking in the rear view mirror and looking at his wife who was staring out the window as she sat next to their four month old daughter.

She gave him a quick glance then went back to staring out, "All good."

"You sure? You've barely said anything during this four hour car ride."

Eddie looked back over at him and sighed.

A few weeks prior, Eddie had received a phone call from her mother, informing her about a family reunion that her aunt was hosting at her house in upstate New York and asked if she, Jamie, and Grace would attend. She was hesitant, and still was because it would be the first time that she would be seeing anyone from her extended family since her father's arrest so many years ago.

"Everything will be okay, Ed," Jamie reassured, reaching back and placing a hand on her thigh.

"What if they still hate me?" she questioned gently, covering his hand with hers. "My dad ruined their lives too."

"Why would they hate you for something your dad did? Do you think Lena would be going if they did? Or do you think that she would've even invited us?"

"That's true..." she trailed off with a nod. "I don't know. I know it'll be okay but I just can't help but be nervous."

"I know," he sympathized. "But if at anytime you get uncomfortable and want to leave, give me the signal and we'll hit the road. Or, we can just win them over with our baby's cuteness. No one can resist her."

Eddie chuckled and glanced down at Grace, who was chewing on her fist with a smile. "You're right. She'll win them over for sure."


A little while later, they pulled up to Eddie's aunt Gena's house in Penn Yan. There was a multitude of cars outside the house already, which made Eddie a little more nervous. Jamie saw her reaction and got her attention by grabbing her hand.

"Eddie," he said, looking into her eyes. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you or Grace. Ever. I promise."

She took a deep breath, "I know."

He leaned into the backseat and kissed her cheek, "You get the diaper bag. I'll get the baby."

She nodded. As soon as they got out of the car, they were greeted by Lena, who was walking down the front steps toward them.

"You guys made it!" Lena said. She greeted Jamie and Eddie with a kiss on the cheek then lifted the blanket that was covering the carrier to peek in on Grace. "How was the drive? How did my Grace do?"

"She was a trooper," Eddie replied fondly. "She was a happy baby the entire drive." She looked up at the house. "Who's all here?"

"Pretty much everyone. Your aunt Gena is so excited to see you guys. Let's go inside."

They followed Lena up the steps and inside the house. All of a sudden, Eddie let out a small umph as she was grabbed by her aunt Gena and pulled in for a tight hug.

"Oh Edit," she said. "I'm so glad you made it, dear. I've missed you so much."

Eddie smiled gently as she hugged her back, "I missed you too, Aunt Gena."

They let go of each other then turned toward Jamie and Grace. "Aunt Gena," Eddie continued as she stood beside them. "This is my husband Jamie and our little girl, Grace."

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Jamie," Gena said as she hugged him. "I've heard so many great things about you."

"All good I hope," he responded.

"Definitely. Lena raves about you any chance she gets." Then, she looked down at Grace, who was staring up at her curiously.

"Hi honey!" she exclaimed, reaching down and tickling her belly, which made Grace giggle. "Oh Edit. She's a sweetheart. She's a good mix of the two of you."

"Thank you," Eddie smiled proudly.

"I guess we should head to the backyard," Gena said. "Everyone's out there. They're so looking forward to seeing you guys. If you want to leave her carrier and diaper bag in the guest room, that's perfectly fine. That can be your base while you're here."

"Thank you," Jamie said. He took Grace out of her carrier and handed her over to Eddie, then followed Lena, who led him to the guest room. Gena put an arm around Eddie's shoulders and started to lead her and Grace outside.

"I'm so excited that you guys are here. It's been too long, honey. How's it been going? How's life with that little sweetheart?"

"It's been really great," Eddie said as she adjusted the baby in her arms. "Grace makes it really easy for us."

"Did you get the gift I sent with your mom for her?" she asked.

"Yes I did. You really didn't have to do that but thank you."

"I figured it's the least I could do. I was feeling guilty that we hadn't seen each other for as long as we have. I should've kept in contact more. I'm so sorry, Edit."

"Please don't apologize, Aunt Gena," she interjected. "It goes both ways. I should've kept on contact too. But I thought that everyone was still mad at my mom and I because of my dad..."

"Oh no dear. I can tell you for sure that I was never upset at you. Why would I be? You had no part in what your father did. But I understand why you felt that way. All of us have a lot of regret of how we acted during that time. I'm glad that we found our way back to each other now."

"I am too," Eddie responded.

"Promise me one thing, Edit," Gena said suddenly as she turned toward her niece. "Promise me that we'll never go that long without seeing or talking to each other again. I would love to be apart of your family's life and to see your little sweetheart grow up."

"I promise. I would love nothing more than to have you be apart of our lives," Eddie responded sincerely.

Gena reached out and hugged Eddie tight for a few moments while being mindful of Grace who was in between them, then opened the back door. "Go be with your cousins. They've been looking forward to seeing you. Show off that beautiful baby."

Eddie gave a smile as she stepped outside, "I will."


"I really appreciate you guys coming," Lena said to her son-in-law as they walked back down the hall. "I was very surprised that Edit agreed to come."

"She really wanted Grace to meet the family," Jamie replied.

"Me too. And I wanted her to see that everything was okay with all of us now. I'm sure Edit told you about how everything happened with my family after Armin's arrest."

"She did," Jamie confirmed.

"It was a tough time. I didn't mind them being upset at me but bringing Edit into it is what hurt me the most. I know she's had a lot of distrust with both sides of the family for so long. I hope after today, it's not like that anymore."

"I hope not either. For Eddie and Grace's sakes. I love that our daughter is close to my family but I always feel guilty that she sees more of my side of the family than Eddie's."

"Don't feel bad about that, dear," Lena said as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Please don't feel bad about that at all. I'm happy that my daughter and granddaughter have your family. You've given them so much of what we can't. I will always be grateful to you. Thank you for taking of my girls."

Jamie smiled gently, "No need to thank me. They'll always be taken care of no matter what."

Lena couldn't help but hug her son-in-law. Even though they had a slightly rough start, she couldn't imagine anyone better for Eddie.

"Let's get out there, shall we?"

Jamie nodded and offered her his arm. She took it gratefully and followed him outside to join Eddie, Grace, and the rest of their family.