Chapter Twenty Five

Gina came over to sit on the edge of Jake's desk. "Whatcha doin'?" She said slowly.

"Working."

"W-ow, I guess couples really do start to look alike."

He threw his pen down. "I am not turning into Santiago."

Gina looked at Amy who was bent over her work sitting in pretty much the exact same pose Jake had been in only a second ago.

"What's your point?"

"You need to have fun – we should all go out tonight we haven't done that in ages."

He sighed, he could think of one particular thing he'd much rather be doing tonight. "I don't know…"

"Okay Santiago, I guess I'll just go ask one of the cool kids."

"Huh?" Amy said at the sound of her name.

"We're going out for drinks tonight. Make sure you use whatever powers you have wielded over this man to get him there." Gina hopped off the desk and went over to tell Diaz the plan. As soon as she agreed of course Charles did too.

Amy and Jake looked at each other and made the face that all couples make when they're forced to go out to bars full of single people.

They headed back to Amy's apartment to get ready swearing to Gina that they would come and that she didn't need to go home with them.

"I don't really have to wear heels do I?" She groaned looking at the shoes in her hands as if they were a form of torture.

"As long as you don't make me wear a belt." Jake replied looping it around him and gingerly tightening it.

"Urgh god we are boring aren't we? We don't even want to go out for a couple of drinks anymore."

"In all fairness you never wanted to go out for drinks when you were single."

He looked at her expression and backtracked.

Jake scoffed. "I meant that we are not boring. We just don't want to go because we'd rather be here. Mocking crappy TV and having ridiculous amounts of sex. The only reason everyone's giving us such a hard time is because they're jealous of all the regular sex we're having. While they mill the bars and get chatted up by drunk weirdoes we know we get to go home with someone who isn't repulsive and who we won't regret tomorrow morning. Up top." She gave him a half-hearted high five.

"Besides, we'll only go for two drinks. Terry won't be staying long, we'll leave the same time as him."

"We always mocked Terry when he left early."

"O-kay maybe three drinks?"

They sat close by each other as the club lights whirled around them, watching as Gina and Rosa grinded up against some strange men who were both wearing way too much hair gel. Charles, who by this point was totally wasted, was talking the ear off of the poor bartender who looked like he was about to commit ritual suicide just to get away from him.

Amy's head lolled back on her shoulders. "Oh god what time is it?"

Jake eagerly looked at his watch and Amy watched his face fall in disappointment. "Ten thirty."

She put her head on the table and the sound of her groan was drowned out by the ridiculously loud music that was making her head pound. She felt Jake run a hand through her hair. She turned her head to look at him and gave him a smile.

Gina appeared out of nowhere. "Jake – need to borrow you." She said and yanked him away to another table by the door which led to a courtyard area. Rosa sat herself down next to Amy and resumed drinking her beer.

"Don't you have a boyfriend?" Amy asked propping her head up on her hand.

"Maybe."

"Then why are you still here?"

"Why are you here?"

"We don't want to be the boring couple."

"You don't want to be a boring couple, or you don't want people to think you're a boring couple." She said in a way that made it clear she wasn't asking a question. She already knew the answer.

"The truth is I would rather be sat at home with Jake watching crappy late night television and go to sleep sometime before eleven."

"So – go home."

Amy pointed at Jake who looked like he was in deep conversation with Gina.

Rosa slapped her on the back and pushed her a shot of what looked like tequila. "You drink. I'll take care of Gina."

"So then Jake." Gina said pushing him into a chair. They were sat at a table where the music was a little less loud although they still had to yell at each other.

"What?"

She pursed her lips. "Do you remember the pact we made five years ago?"

He racked his murky brain before his head fell in his hands. "You don't mean…"

"Yep. And before you say anything remember, we pinkie swore so no backsies."

If Jake remembered correctly he'd been drunk that time too. "Yeah but I didn't think I'd be, you know, in a relationship. Let alone with Santiago." Not that he hadn't thought about boning her a couple of times over the years but a relationship five years ago would have scared him out of his skin.

"Nevertheless we had a promise."

They'd made a stupid deal five years ago that if Jake ever got into a relationship that looked in anyway serious he had to set Gina up with someone. Apparently it stemmed from a drunken idea she'd had that they had to have a double wedding – because Amy would love that.

"And according to that promise I get to choose who I want to be set up with."

"I'm telling you right now Terry is off the table."

Gina rolled her eyes. "No – I want you to set me up with one of Amy's brothers. I don't know which house the stork was supposed to deliver her to but her adopted family is full of hotties."

Jake scowled.

"Oh relax I'm sure if I was a man 'I'd want to hit that booty' but let's focus on this."

He sighed, "I don't know any of her brothers."

"So Amy can do it."

That made him laugh. "Hell no – she wouldn't go for that in a million years. She loves her family too much to set you on them."

Gina slapped his arm.

"Ow – what is it with the women in my life hitting me?"

"You know the cost."

Jake sighed. Between the punishment for failing to agree to the terms of the bet and upsetting Amy it was pretty much looking like being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

As soon as Jake gave his answer feeling very depressed Rosa came over and punched him in the gut.

"Ow!"

"Go home. Now."

"Okay, okay." Jake said and half ran to Amy who was giving Rosa a thumbs up.

Amy sat at her desk having come in by herself this morning. Jake said he had to run back to his apartment for some fresh clothes although she was pretty sure there were some clean shirts he had at her place.

Gina whistled and the rest of the precinct started catcalling at someone who had just walked into the pen.

Amy got up to see what was going on and felt her jaw drop.

Jake was stood in the entrance wearing a green dress and a tie with very bad makeup on and fishnet tights scowling as Gina took his picture.

When he saw her face he said, "You have no idea how much you owe me!"