"Another case solved!" Jake held his hand up to Amy as they walked out of Captain Holt's office, waiting for a high-five.
"We make an awesome team," Amy replied, ignoring his hand, instead wrapping her arm around his waist and kissed him on the cheek.
Jake threw his arm around Amy's shoulders and pulled her in closer, kissing her on the top of her head before letting her go to her desk. He slumped down into his seat across from her, watching her delve right back into another case, mesmerized by her beauty and intelligence.
"We're still on for dinner tonight, right?" Amy asked, not even looking up from her work.
"Yeah, of course." Jake continued to watch Amy as he opened up the middle right drawer. He reached in, feeling for the small black velvet box he had hidden in there weeks ago. He grasped it and stealthily transferred the box from the drawer to his pocket. He stood up and walked over to the break room, slapping Charles lightly and lovingly on the head as he passed by, signaling for Charles to follow him.
"What's up buddy?" Charles asked as Jake quickly closed the door tight behind him.
"I know we planned for the proposal to happen next week, but I want to do it tonight. I can't wait any longer," Jake eagerly responded, unable to stop smiling.
"Woohoo!" Charles yelped, jumping for joy.
"Alright, calm down buddy," Jake half-heartedly reprimanded Charles, still smiling.
Over a month ago, Jake had recruited Charles, along with Terry, Rosa, Gina, and even the Captain, to help him propose to Amy. They had worked out a plan, set to be implemented next week. As Jake watched Amy after they solved this case, he was overwhelmed by his love for her, and decided he couldn't wait another week to be engaged to her.
"We make a great team," Jake explained to Charles. "Both in the field and in life. We just closed this really challenging case, brought a murderer down, and I couldn't stop thinking about how much I love Amy. She's so smart and savvy. She makes me a better person, in every way. I… I just can't wait to be her future husband, I can't."
"Alright pal, I'll let everyone know," Charles responded, wearing a smile almost big enough to rival Jake's.
…
Jake entrusted Charles with the task of informing everyone about the change of plans regarding the proposal. He went back to work, though, was unable to concentrate. He looked at a blank screen for several minutes, before remembering that he didn't have a case that he was working on and realized that he needed to pull a folder from the new cases pile.
Feeling anxious, Jake couldn't stay still. He got up multiple times and bought candy from the vending machine, kept shifting in his seat, and cursed very loudly when he realized he was mixing up cases he was working on. Several times, Amy asked if everything was alright, but Jake passed it off as he was worried about a case Charles and Rosa were working on. He could tell that Amy seemed skeptical about his response, but she didn't push him further, for which he was thankful – he didn't think that he would be able to contain his excitement, and feared that he would just blurt out "Marry me," if she pressed him further for information.
Finally, the day ended and Jake and Amy went home to get ready for their date. While Amy showered, Jake took advantage of the time alone to give himself a pep talk in the mirror, telling himself that he loved Amy and she loved him, and he didn't have anything to be nervous about, of course she was going to say yes. Even though he knew all this, he was still nervous.
Jake grabbed his phone and texted Charles: Getting ready…will let you know when we're at restaurant. Jake then put his phone in his pocket and grabbed the ring box out of the pants he was wearing earlier that day. He glanced at the bathroom door, double-checking that Amy was still in the shower, and put the box into his pocket.
…
Amy had wanted to keep the restaurant a surprise, and thus insisted that she drove. Jake was thankful because he was feeling too anxious and knew he wouldn't be able to concentrate on the road. As they pulled into a parking spot on the side of the road, Jake shot Charles another text, letting him know that they were parking. This was it. In about 15 minutes, he was going to be in the process of proposing to Amy. He smiled to himself and wiped his sweaty palms on his pants before stepping out of the car.
Jake followed Amy into the restaurant and right up to the hostess stand. "Reservation for Johnny and Dora," Amy told the hostess.
Startled by their false names, Jake stared at Amy, while the hostess checked their reservation on the computer. Amy raised her eyebrows and shrugged, giving Jake a half-smile. Jake looked around the restaurant and it hit him. "This is where we went on the undercover date!"
"Yes!" Amy exclaimed. "We never actually got to eat that night and I've been dying to come back. I thought it was only appropriate to use our undercover names."
"Yes absolutely," Jake laughed.
"Follow me," the hostess said, looking up from the computer. Jake took in the atmosphere, fondly remembering that night, the first night he kissed Amy, the night that set their relationship in motion.
"Here you go," the hostess said, pointing at a table for two. Jake pulled out the chair for Amy and pushed her in before taking his seat across the table. The hostess handed them each a menu and placed a wine menu in the middle of the table. "Your waiter will be right with you. Enjoy!"
Jake perused the menu, but could feel Amy staring at him. He looked up and saw Amy looking at him, an eager expression spread across her face.
"What?" Jake asked.
"Anything familiar?" Amy asked.
Jake looked around the restaurant again. The view seemed very familiar. "Is this the same table?"
Amy bit her lip and nodded. Jake looked at her, amazed. It was at this moment he realized that Amy was wearing the same top that she wore that night. "Is that the same top you wore on the undercover night?" Jake asked.
"Um, yeah, I guess it is," Amy shrugged.
"Are you trying to recreate our undercover assignment?"
"No. Not recreate it. I just wanted to enjoy this restaurant they way we should of that first night," Amy replied.
Jake looked at Amy, who now appeared to be very nervous about something. She was avoiding eye contact with Jake, staring intently at her menu and biting her lip.
"Ames, what's going on?"
Amy stayed quiet for several moments. She sighed. "It's just. I wanted this night to be special – "
Amy was cut off by Jake's phone ringing. "Sorry," Jake apologized as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He saw that it was Captain Holt calling, and showed it to Amy, who waved it off as if to silently say, answer it. "Captain!"
"Peralta. You know why I'm calling. I can't believe I was roped into this."
"Yes, yeah, sure," Jake responded.
"Good luck son,"
"Thanks Captain," Jake said before hanging up. He turned back to Amy and said, "Captain needs us on a stakeout."
"Can't Rosa and Charles do it?"
"You want me to call the Captain back to tell him we're disobeying a direct order?" Jake asked, shocked by Amy's suggestion to disregard the Captain's commands.
She opened and closed her mouth several times, before standing up and throwing the menu onto the table. "Fine," she huffed. "Let's go."
Jake followed Amy as she stormed out of the restaurant. He caught up to her and she slammed her car keys into his hand, still stomping as she made her way to the car. Jake rushed ahead of Amy to open the passenger door for her. She slid into her seat and pulled the door closed, not even thanking or acknowledging Jake. He quickly ran over to the driver's seat and took his place behind the wheel. As he drove, he caught a few glances at Amy who was staring fixedly at the road ahead of them.
"Here we are," Jake stated as he pulled over onto the side of the road. "Captain said that we're looking for a fake delivery, they have a truckload full of stolen goods. I think we'll have a better vantage point from the roof."
"Yeah, sure," Amy softly answered.
Jake sneakily sent a quick text off to Charles, letting him know that he and Amy had arrived at the location. He then quietly led Amy through an abandoned building up to the roof. Amy walked straight towards a ledge close to the edge of the roof and sat down, looking down on the street. Jake took a deep breath and joined her, sitting down next to her, close enough that his arm grazed hers. He felt electricity as their hands gently touched.
"I wish I had my stakeout bag," he said. "I'm feeling snacky."
He paused waiting for Amy to laugh or respond in some way, but she only continued to watch the street. Jake felt a pit in the bottom of his stomach. He was really looking forward to tonight and it had started off so well. Amy seemed really upset to leave the restaurant and he regretted messing up her plans. He was determined to turn the night around.
Looking around, as if he didn't know where they were, Jake turned to Amy and said, "You know what? I think this might be the same roof top that we staked out on when we left our date after you lost the bet."
"I don't really remember," Amy shrugged, seemingly not interested in what Jake was saying.
"That was the night that I realized I liked you." Jake went on. "When we stopped at the bar, Charles had made a comment about how I always teased you because I liked you – you know, like children. He implied that I was trying to impress you, that's why I shelled out all that money on a supposedly fake date. He thought I should just talk to you – get to know you. When we were up here, talking and goofing off, I started seeing you in a new light and I couldn't shake what Charles had said. Captain Holt had actually called to let us know that he had found a team to relieve us. But, I was enjoying hanging out with you so, I said we were fine so that we could stay here on our date."
Jake waited but Amy didn't say anything. He looked over at her and saw her gulp as she looked down at the street.
"Ames…" he whispered.
Amy reached up and wiped a tear away from her eye with a single finger. "I didn't realize I liked you until you told me you wanted something to happen 'romantic stylez.' I never thought of something romantic between us. But, then I started thinking of all the times we spent together, and I thought, 'of course.' We were always flirting and teasing each other. I thought about it so much while you were gone and I was afraid that I was making it bigger in my head because all I had to go on was my memories. After you came back, I stayed with Teddy because I thought we were romanticizing our platonic relationship – that it was all just in our heads"
"It broke my heart to see you with Teddy," Jake interjected.
"It broke my heart to see you with Sophia," she snapped back.
Amy paused and grabbed Jake's hand, interlocking her fingers through his. She gave his hand a squeeze and placed her head on his shoulder, still not looking at him.
"I knew you denied the relief team. Holt told me," Amy stated, still laying her head on Jake's shoulder and holding his hand.
Jake and Amy sat in a comfortable silence watching for the delivery. After a few silent minutes, a large truck drove down the road and stopped a few buildings away from where they were posted.
"Those are our guys," Jake said.
Amy let go of his hand and stood up. She started walking away and Jake continued to sit. He watched Amy as she turned back around and waved for him to join her. He stood up and walked over to her.
"What's our plan?" Amy asked as they made their way down the staircase.
"Just follow my lead."
Jake continued down the stairs and out onto the street, Amy following close behind him. As they approached the truck, they could see dark figures taking boxes out of the truck and placing them out onto the street. The closer they got to the truck, the faster the butterflies in his stomach flew. He could feel the sweat on his palms yet again and he furiously wiped his hands on his pants.
Just before they got close enough to see who was at the truck, Jake grasped Amy's wrist, stopping her from going any further. She turned towards him, a puzzled look on her face. Jake smiled as he knelt down on one knee and pulled the ring box out of his pocket.
"Why are fake proposals always our go to move?" Amy asked, rolling her eyes.
"Amy Santiago," Jake started, ignoring Amy's sarcastic comment. "You have made me the happiest man in the world. I love you so much. Will you marry me? You have to say yes."
Confetti started popping out of the boxes and fluttered down around them. Jake beamed up at Amy who stood there, staring at Jake in disbelief. Her quietness made him nervous. He was scared that he had been overconfident. Amy seized Jake's wrists and pulled him up to his feet.
"You jerk! You had to ruin my proposal with your own?" Amy laughed, shaking her head.
"What!?" Jake exclaimed as the rest of the squad began to walk over to them.
"I took you to the place where we kissed for the first time. I had requested champagne and oysters be sent over to our table and the champagne's label said 'Will you marry me?' I can't believe you beat me to it."
Jake looked at Amy who was shaking her head and laughing. He laughed as she placed her hand under his still holding the ring box. Jake hesitated a moment before taking the ring out and sliding it onto Amy's left ring finger and placed the empty box back into his pocket. Amy cupped his face in both hands and pulled him in for a kiss. Jake wrapped his arms around her waist as the kiss intensified.
"Yes!" Charles yelled and Jake pulled away from Amy, realizing the squad was now surrounding them.
"Of course I'll marry you, you idiot," Amy whispered, still cupping Jake's face in her hands.
Jake let go of Amy as the squad began congratulating them. There was a blur of pats on the back, handshakes, hugs, kisses on the cheek, people (Charles) screeching and asking to see the ring. Through it all, Jake couldn't take his eyes off of Amy who was beaming just as wide as him. He thought she was glowing, and it wasn't just because of the diamond that was now taking up home on her finger.
"Let's head to Shaw's, a round of champagne is on me," Captain Holt announced.
Jake and Amy followed the truck full of their coworkers back to Shaw's. Captain Holt ordered a bottle of champagne and gathered the squad around to pop the bottle and give a toast.
"Congratulations to Detectives Peralta and Santiago on their engagement. I wish you both the best."
"Classic Holt," Jake shouted out, holding up his champagne flute in one hand, his other arm wrapped around Amy's shoulder, holding her tightly against him.
Everyone stood around talking for a little while, but eventually everyone had to head back to the precinct or headed home for the night. Jake looked at Amy once it was down to the two of them in the bar. The smile that emerged when she said yes was still plastered across his face.
"I'm still hungry," he said to her. "We still haven't actually eaten anything yet. Should we head back to the restaurant?"
"Oh, we definitely won't get a table. It takes weeks for a reservation there."
Jake felt bad. "Sorry about that," he apologized.
"Don't worry about it," Amy said, shrugging it off. "Actually, I know somewhere else we can go."
…
Amy wouldn't tell Jake where she was taking him, but she insisted that he was going to love the place. They drove for about 15 minutes before she said that they were close. She turned a corner and Jake knew exactly where she was taking him. "We're going to the restaurant where we had our first date, aren't we?"
Amy just turned and stuck her tongue out at him, her eyes smiling. She quickly turned back to focus on the road again. Jake laughed as she pulled the car into an open spot against the curb. He climbed out of the car and waited for her to join him on the curb. She reached him and took ahold of his hand, pulling him towards the restaurant. Jake opened the door and motioned for Amy to enter first, following behind her, still holding her hand.
"Table for two," Amy requested at the hostess stand.
The hostess looked at them for a second and then gasped. "Hey! I remember you two! You came here on your first date and ordered all those shots. You're so much fun! Welcome back!"
Jake looked at Amy who was looking back at him. They broke out in laughter.
"We just got engaged," Amy blurted out, unable to contain her excitement, making Jake laugh harder.
"Congrats!" the hostess said. She turned to the bartender and yelled, "Hey Aly, bring these two four shots of tequila each – on us. They just got engaged!"
Jake and Amy took their shots and ate, talking and giggling the entire time. After their entrees, the wait service brought them another bottle of champagne and chocolate cake to share for dessert.
When they finished their meal, Jake was feeling very drunk. "I think we need a cab," he said, trying to hold up a slightly stumbling Amy.
"I concur," Amy slurred.
Jake hailed a cab and helped Amy into the back seat, sliding in after her. Jake slung his arm over her shoulder and pulled her into him and she nestled into his body.
"Let's go home and boink," she whispered, quiet enough for just him to hear.
Jake silently laughed and pulled her in even tighter. "I can't wait to marry you Detective Santiago."
"I can't wait to marry you Detective Peralta."
Jake beamed, looking down at his beautiful fiancé.
