The garbage can was full of calendars, store bought calendars, printed calendars, and hand-made calendars now filled the metallic garbage can in Jake and Amy's room to the very top. Amy had been ordered to bed rest two weeks before she had planned to start her maternity leave. Amy's blood pressure started to get on the high side again and the Dr. felt that with her early delivery and C-section with Carmen that it wise to err on the side of caution.

Jake was glad that it was the calendars and not him that were receiving Amy's wrath. Holt had just hired two new detectives at the nine-nine as things had been busier than normal, so it was the perfect time for Jake to start his paternity leave and stay home and help Amy. One of the new detectives was a friend of Terry, Detective Hemmings, the other new detective was brand new hire, no experience, Detective Alicia Reyes. Everyone at the nine-nine immediately liked her as she had broken Hitchcock's toe when he kept dropping change to try and look up her skirt. When Hitchcock came in with the x-ray, he added it his to his file of injury x-rays due to creepiness, no one could believe how thick the file was.

Jake started his first day of leave by planning a Harry Potter movie marathon with Carmen and Amy. Amy was angry and didn't want to come out at first, protesting her forced bed rest, but when Jake sent Carmen in the room dressed like a mini female Harry Potter, complete with glasses, lightning scar, and Gryffindor robes, she could no longer refuse or be angry. When Amy got off the bed, with great effort, as she walked into the family room, she saw that Jake was also dressed for the occasion, he was wearing a red wig and Gryffindor robes. As she made her way to the couch, Jake stood up and placed a Hermione wig on her head and placed a Gryffindor robe on her shoulders. She had to smile even though she was still frustrated with being on bed rest.

Into the third movie, Carmen was asleep on a blanket on the floor, Amy had been nodding off and woke with a start and saw that Jake was looking at a notebook. "Jake, what are you doing?"

"That would be stop secret. Making some plans for our anniversary, or have you forgotten?"

"Jake, it's in two weeks and I'm under house arrest and as big as a house."

"Don't be so grumpy, Lumpy, you are still hot, the Dr. wants Reina to be healthy, and we can still have a great anniversary."

Amy sighed, she didn't want to be negative, but she didn't feel like being happy and she was disappointed, "Jake, I had awesome plans for our anniversary, you definitely won last year, and I wanted to win this year."

"Ames, I don't think the anniversary is win-lose situation."

"Tell that to Kevin and the captain, but mostly I just wanted to something nice for you. It's been a tough year for you , Pineapples."

"Never call me that, and I'm fine, you are pregnant, you are stuck here, so let me do the honors this year."

"No way, Peralta," she was now smiling, with a hint of mischievousness, "let's make a competition, I'll use Charles and Rosa to help me, you have to do it on your own, best anniversary gift wins, and the winner gets a trophy."

Jake shook his head in disbelief, "Okay, I give, we can compete, but I do think it's a little crazy to make our anniversary a competition."

Amy tilted her head from side to side considering what he had just said, "I know, but I have to stay home, I mean I love being with you and Carmen, but with all that's happened to us, I've used work as my stress relief. I just need something to keep my mind occupied."

"That's cool then, best gift wins. How do we decide?"

"It should be obvious, but if we disagree, Terry is the tie-breaker."

"Agreed."

Jake was amazed over the next few days how much happier Amy was while planning for their anniversary to occupy her time. Jake was running his own errands for the competition and taking Carmen with him, so Amy could get actual rest when he was gone. When Jake and Carmen would get back from their errands, Carmen would shout, "Dadoo win, dadoo win!" When Amy asked her where they went and what they got her, Carmen would hold her finger up to her mouth and loudly say "shhhh."

Amy required Jake and Carmen to be out of the house at certain times so her outside helpers could bring in items for her part of the celebration and to plan the rest. Jake was happy that this had given her some purpose and took her mind off of being away from the precinct, but he also loved his time with Carmen, even when she was grumpy, and he was looking forward to Amy's reaction when he gave her his gift to her.

The day of their anniversary had finally arrived, Jake and Amy had acted nonchalant all day long, and when the time arrived, they met at the dining room table each dressed in their best. Amy was in a maternity dress, Jake truly thought she looked beautiful, but she hated it. Jake was in a suit, and it was even pressed and clean.

Amy spoke first, "Jake Peralta, I will go first. Sit down please. The first part of your gift is your favorite meal, and no, not gummy things stuffed in other gummy things, but your mom's brisket. For drink, orange soda, and for dessert, candy apples."

Jake was smiling, and now very hungry, she nailed the dinner part. "For the part two, open the box on the table with your name on it."

Jake opened the box, inside was large frame with two pictures in it, one of Jake, his mom, and his nana when he was a baby, and the other one of Jake, Amy, and Carmen."

"This is awesome, thanks, Ames, this is great. I don't have any pictures of my nana, and I hated myself for it. Thank you."

"Hold on Peralta, one more gift, in the box marked perishable goods."

Jake opened the box, there was a lot of tissue paper, he felt something heavy inside, he pulled it out and it was four bronzed tiny sneakers attached to a stand, there was a plaque as well, its inscription read, "Jake Peralta's first dope kicks : 1978 Vans SK8," the other side read, "Carmen Peralta's first dope kicks, 2018 Vans SK8."

Jake didn't understand why he loved it so much, but he did, in this gift he had a clear connection to his daughter, and he couldn't believe Amy had talked his mom out of his first awesome shoes, of course he was six months old she got them for him.

"Ames, this is awesome, so great, combines my love for sneakers and my daughter who has way too many sneakers because of my addiction. Pretty good, Sergeant Santiago, pretty good, honestly, I love all of it, but now it's your turn."

Jake walked to the other side of the table and lifted up the lid off a dish and took out what looked like a sandwich. "Ames, this is a medianoche, made by your Aunt Lucia, today. I understand from talking to your mother, it is your all time favorite sandwich, but you hate to eat it unless done exactly right. I flew her up from Miami so she could make it for you, and your parents and brothers were happy because they got to visit with her."

Amy took a bite of the sandwich and her eyes said everything, she approved. "Next part Ames, is in your diaper bag."

Amy shot Jake a strange look, but Jake had her, she hadn't needed the diaper bag since she couldn't' go anywhere with Carmen, so it had been there for a few hours. Amy reached in and pulled out a small package, she opened it and gasped and cried a little. "Ames, before you is Carmen's first library card. Now for part three. Please go to the drawer where we keep the cork screw." Amy opened the drawer and pulled out a box, she opened it and then looked perplexed.

"Jake, a crossword puzzle?"

"Yes, Ames, a crossword puzzle, but a puzzle only you shall ever see. I gave a butt load of personal information to Vin, and he made it for you, well for me, I'm giving it to, name of our, well never mind, trying to keep things romantic styles."

"Jake, this is incredible, I can't believe what you did, these gifts are all tailored to me so well."

"But I am not done. There is one more. Please go to the bookcase and next to my collector's edition Harry Potter series is a leather book, it is yours."

Amy walked to the bookcase and took out the book. She opened it and looked to Jake for an explanation. "Ames, this book contains things I wrote but never sent you in prison. I-I-I was nearly literally dying from not being with you, and every day and many nights, I would write down the reasons I missed and loved you. These were written on a lot of scraps of paper, even in some other books, and you know my handwriting, only I can truly read it, so I typed up everything I wrote and had it printed in this book. The things in this book kept me sane in prison. Like Sirius Black whose innocence kept him sane in Azkaban, knowing you loved me, knowing you believed in me, knowing you were fighting for me, that kept me sane and allowed me to fight for myself and survive an impossible situation. I was embarrassed by these at first, they are not elegant, but I thought of the most personal thing I could give you, and this was it. You and your love for me are why I am still here, and this book is that proof. Again, it is cheesy and maybe explicit in spots, but writing down every reason why I loved and missed you gave me the power to continue."

Amy nearly collapsed onto him, she was bawling now, her mascara running, "Dammit, Jake, you win. This is amazing. There is nothing more personal or important to me. Thank you."

Once Amy had composed herself, she went to a cupboard and pulled out a small trophy which read "The Peralta Cup: Awarded to the Winner of the Annual Anniversary Competition. Jake smiled and set it on his shelf with his books.