Just a short one shot fluff for all you cupcakes out there.

I hope you like it and welcome any and all reviews (hint, hint, nudge, nudge)

Spoilers: None

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: They're not mine, you know that. All hail JE…

Forever is Forever

"Joe?"

"Hmm?"

"Wake up!"

"What is it? What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, I need to ask you something!" I put my arm on his chest and pushed lightly. "Are you up?"
"Jeez, Steph, what time is it?" He turned his head to see the alarm clock on the bedside table "It's three AM!"

"I know, I couldn't sleep."

"So what is it?" He asked, a little irritation creeping into his voice.

"Why do you love me, Joe?"

"What?" He sat up and leaned against the headboard.

"You love me, right?"
"You know I do."
"Well, why do you love me? And how do you know?"

Joe shook his head in utter disbelief. He put an arm around my shoulder and pulled me close.

"I guess I've loved you ever since I opened the door and you stood there."

"Can you vague that up for me? Where was this?" I frowned at him.

He chuckled "You had just been appointed by Vinnie to bring me in, and somehow you'd tracked me down. I had no idea it was you when I opened the door, but there you were. I thought you must have heard the crack of lightning."

I remembered that time. "You didn't even recognize me!" I slapped his chest in mock anger. "It took you the longest time to say my name! And when you did, it sounded disgusted!"

"Well, okay." He amended "It did take me a moment, but as soon as I realized it was you, all the memories came rushing back."

"Playing choo-choo in the garage?"

"Yup."

"Seducing me behind the éclair case?"
"Uh-huh."

"Being run over by a Buick?"

"That too."

"Which of the memories endeared me to you?"
"All of them. I suddenly didn't know why I'd stayed out of your life for so long."

"I don't believe you. You were probably just horny."

"Cupcake, I'm always horny. That day was no different than this moment."

"And when did you say to yourself 'I love this woman'?"

Joe smiled "I don't think I ever said that to myself."

"You know what I mean!"

He was silent for a minute. Then he frowned. "When you got shot. I imagined my life without you and I didn't like it."

"When I got shot by Ramos?" I remembered Joe telling me his heart had stopped on the way over to the hospital to see me.

Joe shook his head. "No, when you got shot by Alpha. The boys told me when the call came in and for a split second, I thought I'd lost you." He hugged me closer. "I guess that's when I knew."

I was surprised. That was years before I realized I loved him. Not that I would say that out loud. I just hadn't thought he'd been so sure this whole time.

"Then why did you keep breaking up with me?"

"I broke up with you? I seem to remember it the other way round, Cupcake."

"Either way then, why'd you let me break up with you?"
He shook his head again "You know you're not making any sense now, right?"

I slapped his chest again and he sighed.

"Because you scared the hell out of me! It scared me to imagine my life without you, and it scared me to imagine my life with you!"

I knew what he meant. I'd felt the same way. In a way, we'd both known we were destined for one another and the finality of it had scared us.

"Are you still scared?"

"Every day of my life."

"That's not a nice thing to say, you know."

"I'm not scared of you anymore or of my life with you. Now I'm scared I could lose you, this life could end at any moment."

He was such a sap deep down. We never took much time to talk about our feelings, but when we did, they were downright romance novel material.

I lifted my head and kissed him.

"Is that why you keep asking me to give up my job?"

"Yeah. You get shot, you keep getting kidnapped and my heart stops any time that happens. I never know when I will have woken up the last time with you by my side."

He was going to make me cry any moment now.

"But I don't scare you anymore?"

He chuckled again "No, I'm used to you now."

"Bet I can still scare the crap out of you."

"Try me." He said calmly.

"It's time."

"Time for what?"
"That time, Joe. It's time to go to the hospital. Junior wants to come out."
"HOLY SHIT!" And he was out of the bed and half dressed within half a minute.

I grinned at him, still lying in bed.

"Told ya!"

"Stephanie Morelli, if you don't get your ass out of bed in the next ten seconds I'm going to spank it all the way to the hospital!"

I laughed when he threw a t-shirt at me.

"You were scared! I win!"

"Yeah," he conceded "You win."

"Score!" I yelled, pumping my fist. And then I gasped when another contraction hit me.

R&R please…