Disclaimer: The characters used in this story (except for Lureen) are the property of Janet Evanovich and are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
Characters: Stephanie, Eddie
Rating: Suitable for all ages
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Loyalty
By TT

Stephanie looked around the bar-b-que. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy picnics, but this particular one was the brainchild of her mother and her Aunt - a family reunion.

She had almost gotten out of it. Ranger mentioned he would need to stakeout one of his skips and Stephanie had volunteered to help. She must have sounded a little too anxious to help, given Ranger's suspicious look. Eventually, he had gotten out of her that she was trying to avoid her family reunion. He had just smiled, tugged one of her curls and told her that family was important and she should go.

Her next plan was to try and set up something with Joe, but, though he was happy to go out with her, he had to work during that time.

So, here she was, surrounded by her family. The only saving grace she had was that Eddie was here as well. Though, she was never particularly fond of her cousin and she was sure that Eddie and Shirley's children were demon spawn, it was nice to see a friendly face.

Currently, though, Eddie was off with the other men and the kids playing softball.

Stephanie had volunteered to Umpire the game, but discovered her father had already taken that role. She offered to play on one of the teams, but that would leave an uneven number.

So, here she sat at a table with all of her cousins and cousin-in-laws as well as her sister Valerie. There were babies all around the table and toddlers too small to play ball wandering around.

"So, when are you going to settle down and have some kids," one of her cousins asked.

Stephanie tore her attention away from her car and the escape route she was planning and looked at the speaker. "When I'm ready," she replied, trying to ignore the pained look on Valerie's face. "If I'm ever ready," she added quietly to herself.

"I don't blame you a bit for needing to get out there and do your own thing after Dickie... well... you know," Shirley's sister-in-law said. "But for all the fun you're having, you could be having a lot more if you settled down and had a few little bounty hunters of your own."

A chill raced down Stephanie's spine as a shudder raced through her body. She was not ready for children. In fact, more than an hour with her nieces was usually more than enough to cure any maternal instincts that tried to rear their ugly heads.

"Besides, your body isn't going to last forever," Shirley added. "Your figure might, but I know how hard the physical side of the job is on my Eddie."

Stephanie couldn't deny the fact that she tended to wake up sore some mornings and Shirley did have a point.

"From what I hear, you aren't that good anyway," her nasty second cousin Lureen threw out. "Maybe you should just give up now and find something more suitable."

Pink tinged Stephanie's cheeks, the flush was from anger, though, not embarrassment. Before she could open her mouth to defend herself, another voice piped up.

"Let it go," Eddie interjected, leaning over to swipe Shirley's drink and quickly finishing it off. "Steph may have a few hiccups along the way, but she was made for skip-tracing. There aren't a whole lot of people out there who could bring in some of her skips without hurting them or causing other problems." Turning to look into Stephanie's eyes, he added, "I know you don't hear it often, and I know we joke about you a lot, but everyone at the station thinks you're good at what you do."

Stephanie's eyes widened in surprise as a smile appeared on her face. "Thanks, Eddie," she replied softly.

Eddie smiled, nodded, and headed back to where the men were gathered.

After he left, Val stepped in and began a discussion on child-safe paints.

Unable to stop smiling, Stephanie thought of a way to thank Eddie.

Monday morning Eddie stepped out of the locker room and headed toward his desk. The reunion had been a lot of fun. It was good to see everyone together. It also gave him and Shirley a chance to exhaust their boys without hiring a baby sitter.

As he reached his desk, he stopped and stared for a moment. There was a pastry box on his desk. He glanced around the nearly empty room, curious as to who could have left it. After all, everyone knew Shirley had him off of donuts and none of the boys wanted to face her wrath.

Moving closer, he spied the envelope on the top. Opening it, he quickly read:

Eddie, “One loyal friend is worth ten thousand relatives” - Euripides Thanks for having my back. Steph P. S. Don't tell Shirley about the donuts.

A soft chuckle escaped him as he smiled. Setting the note and envelope on his desk, he quickly flipped open the lid of the box and licked his lips. Steph always knew his favorites.

Reaching into the box to retrieve his first treat, he settled into his chair and reflected on the lifetime of friendship he and Stephanie had shared, all the things they had been through, all the times they had gotten each other's backs even when their families hadn't agreed with their choices.

He found he agreed with the sentiment in her quote. His friendship with Stephanie Plum had been and still was the most valued in his life, after Shirley and his kids. Reaching into the box to retrieve another donut, he smiled and decided to let her know more often.

End.

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