This is just a little fluff piece that came into my head the other day…

DECAF GINGER AND LEMON TEA

"Decaf ginger and lemon tea to go."

"Thanks," Amy said, trying and failing to inject any kind of enthusiasm into her voice. Decaf ginger and lemon tea. God, she missed coffee. Like,had daydreams about it, missed it. There were times you just needed coffee… which for her, was pretty much always.

"Amy? Amy Santiago?"

Amy turned towards the voice, her hand tightening on her so-called drink as a horrid suspicion crept over her. Was that… yes, of course it was.Hell, the universe had to be playing tricks on her.

It was Sophia Perez. Amazing Sophia. Amazing, smart, beautiful, Jake's girlfriend Sophia.

It had been five years, but she somehow looked younger and even more stunning than before. She was poised and elegant in a perfectly gorgeous grey silk pantsuit, and her hair was falling perfectly, framing her perfectly made-up perfect face.

Amy was suddenly very aware of how her hair was simply pulled back in a ponytail – a messy one – and there were several suspicious stains on her jacket. As for make-up, she was wearing mascara. Maybe. Did she remember to put mascara on that morning?

Amy forced a smile. "Sophia – wow, hi," she said. "How are you?"

"I'm great, thanks," she said, smiling back. "It's so nice to see you. How are things with you? Are you still with the NYPD?"

"Yeah, though I'm at the seventy-eighth now," Amy said. "I transferred a few years ago, when I made sergeant."

Sophia's smile and congratulations were completely genuine, but Amy still wasn't able to relax. She hated situations like this – it just felt too much like high school again - people said one thing but there was too much history and awkwardness for it to just mean what they said. And Sophia was just so… so frustratingly perfect, right down to being a genuinely nice person, and she'd been pretty heavily tied up with a time in Amy's life that she didn't like to think about. She hated that it still stung to think of her and Jake together, but it did. Not that she thought about it very often these days (or at all, to be honest), but it was a bit hard not to when she was standing right in front of her, being all… there.

"So what are you doing in the neighbourhood? Do you live around here now?"

"Er, no, I…" Amy hesitated for a moment before deciding – what the hell. They'd started telling people a few weeks ago after all, and she was too keyed up to lie convincingly. "My obstetrician is based the next block over, I had an appointment."

Sophia blinked at her. "Wait, are you…?"

Amy nodded, smiling properly for the first time.

Sophia grinned. "Congratulations! That's great news. Is it your first?"

Amy's smile widened. "Second – my first just turned two."

Sophia's smile turned a little wistful. "Look at this – the last time we saw each other things were so different," she said. "It's amazing the way life turns out."

The barista prevented Amy from answering – not that she'd had an answer ready or anything. "Cappuccino with extra shot to go."

Amy picked up the second drink she'd ordered and had to remind herself to literally think of the children when the heavenly smell wafted straight up. She sighed – five months to go. Well, at least she could escape now.

"So... that's me," she said brightly – too brightly – forcing a new smile. "I –"

"Wait, I can't let you go without asking… are you still in touch with Jake?"

Damnit. So close.

"Oh, um…"

"Sorry," Sophia said immediately, looking sheepish. "I just made things really awkward didn't I? It doesn't matter, but if you are, tell him I said hi."

Amy bit her lip. "Actually –" And, of course, that was when her husband walked in.

"Come on Ames! If we don't go now all the good animals will be gone!"

Even in her acutely uncomfortable state, Amy couldn't let that go unchallenged. "It's thezoo, Jake, they don't put the good animals away after a certain time!"

Since Jake was frozen to the spot, staring at Sophia, Amy doubted he'd heard her – but still, it had needed to be said. Sophia was staring right back, though her gaze seemed to be torn between Jake and the toddler in his arms.

There was a moment of awkward silence, and then Sophia started laughing.

Jake blinked and raised his eyebrows at Amy, who just shrugged helplessly.

Sophia grinned at Amy as she sobered up. "So… I guess you are still in touch with him, then?"

Amy gave her an embarrassed smile in return, relieved that Sophia was able to see the funny side of the situation. She felt Jake step up next to her and relaxed against his side, feeling marginally better now that the focus was no longer on her.

"Kind of, yeah," she said. Sophia shook her head, still grinning.

"Hi Jake," she said.

"Sophia."

"So, this is your little boy? Wow, Amy, he looks just like you," Sophia said.

Amy beamed proudly at her son, who was looking at Sophia with a curious smile. Sophia was right - he did favour her - but his expressions, his mannerisms and his personality were one hundred percent Jake.

"Yep, this is Benji," Jake said. "Benji, this is Sophia. She and Daddy used to, er, play together."

Amy kicked Jake in the shin. He was so inappropriate sometimes.

Sophia just laughed again. "Hello Benji," she said.

"Say hello, Benji," Amy prompted.

"Hello, pretty lady," Benji said with a big smile.

Jake snorted and Amy rolled her eyes at a wide-eyed Sophia. "He's a massive flirt," she explained. "Jake encourages him."

Jake let out an offended gasp and gave her a deeply wounded look. "I resent that!" He said, while at the same time raising his hand to Benji for a high-five. The boy complied with a big grin on his face.

"Oh god, you guys are so adorable," Sophia said, laughing. "It's actually kind of sickening how adorable you are."

"Yeah, we know," said Jake. "It's a burden." He grinned. "You're married now, aren't you? Do you have kids?"

"Not yet, we've been so busy with work, we've been putting it off," Sophia answered. She pulled a face at Benji, who giggled. "But this kind of thing makes me want to speed things up - that's how sickeningly adorable you guys are."

Jake grinned. "You shouldn't wait too long - it's never gonna be a really good time, you know?" He said. He smiled down at Amy, who smiled back. "But it's worth it."

"Urgh," said Sophia, sounding disgusted. She was still smiling though.

"Well, we'd better get going - we're going to the zoo," said Jake.

"Tigers!" Exclaimed Benji.

Sophia laughed. "Have fun," she said. "It was good to see you guys again - I'm really happy it's worked out for you. And good luck with the baby."

Amy gave her a warm smile, able feeling so much more comfortable now they were leaving. "Thanks - it was good to see you too."

"Yeah, take care," added Jake.

Sophia waved at Benji. "Bye Benji!"

"Bye, pretty lady!"

Amy rolled her eyes at Sophia again as she followed her husband and son out of the shop.

There were a few moments of silence as they started walking to where their car was parked.

"Well, that was… that," Jake said eventually.

"Oh god, it was so awkward until you came in," Amy groaned.

"Really? It didn't seem awkward… what did she say?"

"Oh, she didn't say anything to make it awkward," Amy said. "She didn't need to - I just hate things like that. Bumping into exes… I never know how to act."

Jake gave her a fond look. They'd reached their car, and Amy leant against the passenger door as Jake strapped Benji into his carseat, the little boy still talking happily about going to see the tigers. She took a sip of her decaf ginger and lemon tea - it was so not what she wanted right then, but it settled her stomach.

"How did you know Sophia was married?" She asked Jake after a few moments.

Jake shrugged as he adjusted Benji's straps. "Oh, you know, she messages me on facebook every now and then, usually about how her husband doesn't understand her like I did and she can't stop thinking about how things ended between us…" He straightened up with a smirk, but his eyes widened at the stricken look on Amy's face.

"She was wearing a wedding ring, Amy, sheesh."

Amy huffed. "I'm sorry! It's just… she's so… you know?"

"Suuuure…" Jake raised his eyebrows at Benji in what Amy recognised as his your mommy is crazy face.

"She's so perfect, like, all the time," Amy tried to explain. "It does things to my sense of reason."

"You have a sense of reason?"

"Shut up. I think I just forgot how pretty she is…"

Jake gave her an unimpressed look, and she gestured to the back seat with the coffee cup in her hand. "Even Benji agreed!"

Jake rolled his eyes, and then lowered his head to look down at Benji. "Benji, who's the prettiest lady in the whole world?"

"Mommy!" Benji exclaimed happily, without a moment's hesitation.

"Smart boy." Jake gave Amy a triumphant look and shut the car's rear door.

Amy rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "He's biased."

"He's right," Jake said, stepping closer to her and crowding her back against the side of the car.

"You're biased," said Amy softly.

Jake shrugged. "I'm okay with that," he said, before dipping his head to kiss her. Amy kissed him back as best she could, what with two travel cups in her hands and her purse starting to slip off her shoulder. Jake had no such restrictions, and his hands were spanned over her sides under her jacket, his thumbs drawing circles over her hips. By the time he pulled away, Amy was ready to admit that maybe it had been nice, and not atall uncomfortable, to bump into Sophia.

Jake dragged his hand round to rest on Amy's stomach as he stepped back, caressing the barely-there bump. He smiled at her, and she returned it before pulling a face.

"God, we really are sickening, aren't we?"

Jake laughed. "I think we might be," he agreed. He took his coffee from her and headed round the front of the car to the driver's side - Amy pouted enviously as she watched him take a swig of the coffee, before sighing and getting into the car.

Jake slid in a second later and grinned at her. "Come on, let's go be sickening at the zoo," he said.

"Tigers!"

THE END