Just another pregnancy fic inspired by an ask sent to fourdrinkamy on Tumblr.
Sitting in front of Amy, the both of them having dinner at a restaurant, pretending to be other people on a date while undercover to bring down some perp, Jake gets a sense of déjà-vu.
They've already been in such a position, a few years back, when his partner and he became Johnny and Dora for a night, a newly-engaged couple coming to celebrate the joyous event at the place where they supposedly had their first date. They've already been in such a position several times, to be honest – acting like a couple to help their case and arrest yet another criminal.
The night they played Johnny and Dora remains the most iconic time of all for them, though, pushing them to acknowledge their feelings and get their relationship to another level, the start of something beautiful – their greatest love story.
But, despite the obvious similarities between their past mission and this one – they even brought their personas back to life, now freshly married after a (rather long) engagement period and celebrating their one-month union, for the sake of it –, some crucial things have changed, ever since that 'date' they shared.
Indeed, what is different, now, is that Jake doesn't need to hesitate, when their criminal's girlfriend asks them about what made them realise they were 'the one' for each other – he can rant about how great his wife is without fear of sounding too suspicious to her ears that he's totally head over heels for her, because she already knows that and even shares those same feelings towards him.
What is different, now, is that they don't have to come up with lame excuses, when the other woman wants to see their rings, because they're already proudly shining on their left ring fingers, in a matching form and golden colour.
What is different, now, is that they have real stories to tell, because what is different, now, is that they might be playing a game, but in the end, much like these two characters they invented, they're really married too.
(Have been for more than a year, even, on their part.)
"Here, let's drink to your first-month anniversary, hoping for many more to come!" Their perp comes up to fill their glasses with the expensive champagne he bought for his own date when Jake and Amy are done relating Johnny and Dora's (their own) perfect honeymoon. The sergeant watches him do with her mouth half-open and eyes growing bigger, eyes stuck on the bottle of alcohol, suddenly feeling nervous.
Eventually, when he reaches her own glass, she stops him from pouring anything inside with a gesture of her hand. "Not me, I'm pregnant," she quickly finds an excuse not to have to drink anything.
She offers him an apologetic smile before turning her gaze towards Jake, who's watching her with confusion in his eyes. He doesn't say a thing, though – doesn't have the time to, anyway, since the criminal's girlfriend is soon to react to this new piece of information given to her. "Really?!" She squeals, apparently very excited for the couple. "Congratulations! Is it your first one?"
"Yes," Amy is the one who answers, her hand coming to cover her (still very flat) belly instinctively. "It's like… the gift we brought back for ourselves from our honeymoon," she jokes, but there's something in the way she exaggerates her laugh that sounds weird – stressed out, almost panicking –, which doesn't go unnoticed by her husband.
Nonetheless, not to blow up their cover with his concern, he plays that game she came up with (probably because she didn't want the alcohol to prevent her from doing her job right, he figured, especially knowing how spacey 1-drink Amy can be) and replies to all of the woman's questions – and she seems to have a lot, getting really invested in the couple's story, having a child of her own.
With every new sentence he lets out, sharing about the blessing of pregnancy and how a new addition to their family will change their lives for the better, the man can sense a new warmth taking over his heart.
He knows all of this is fake, that Johnny and Dora are expecting, not Jake and Amy but still, these baby talks, as if it were really happening to them, get to him quite easily.
(Deep in the back of his mind, he can't help but wish they were true too.)
"So… What's your take on the child's sex? Any intuition yet?"
The question is for the both of them, but from the way she stares at him, it's clear the stranger wants his answer first. In front of him, Amy's gaze is piercing through his core as well, waiting for his reaction.
Of course, they had that kind of conversation in the past – numerous times, even –, coming to the conclusion that they will have children together someday, yes, but not right now, the both of them being too focused on their career for that. In their fantasy world, though, when picturing themselves with their progeny, they never shared their preferences about the sex of their very first child.
They always assumed they would end up having both anyways.
"I–… I don't know," he says then, caught off guard, and a bit disturbed by both women's eyes on him to think correctly.
His wife seems somehow disappointed by such a vague reply, her beam fading a little at the corners of her mouth – not for long, though, instantly brightening back up when it's her turn to share her opinion on the matter. "A girl." She doesn't hesitate for one second, as if she's thought about it a lot lately, not once leaving Jake's sight as she speaks.
"I mean, I don't know because… I don't care," he suddenly feels the urge to add to his first comment, shrugging and looking at his wife when he does so. "Whether we have a girl or a boy, I'll just be happy to have a child of our own. Y'know, a mini-us to love and take care of." Watching him back, Amy can feel her eyes start to water at his heartfelt confession.
He's gonna be the best dad ever, she's so sure of it, her fingers gently and discreetly brushing her stomach over her shirt, overwhelmed by the words she just heard.
Conversations go on for a little longer, until their perp decides it's time for him and his girlfriend to leave, abandoning their new encounter after congratulating them one more time on everything.
"Great job there, mommy. Perfect cover to stay professional and sober on the field," Jake teases his wife when they're all alone, and she simply offers him a small smile in return.
Yeah, just a cover… she thinks.
They wait for several minutes before following their criminal outside, where they eventually manage to arrest him a few streets down the restaurant, having gathered all the information they needed.
Once back at the precinct, Amy excuses herself as soon as they enter the building, asking her husband to take care of putting the man behind bars and start on the paperwork without her while she rushes away without even waiting for his answer after telling him she had 'some quick, important stuff to do first.' When fifteen minutes pass and she's still not coming back, the detective starts wondering what's happening.
He abandons his paperwork then, and goes straight to her floor, in search of some answers to her whereabouts. "Have you seen Sergeant Santiago?" He approaches one of her officers.
"She came by a few minutes ago. I think I saw her enter the archives room."
Jake frowns, a bit confused – what's in there she could need right now? –, but doesn't make any comment, simply thanks the man before going straight to the location. He catches her seated on one of the huge cardboard boxes stuck there, with her head hanging low, intently staring at something she's holding in one of her hands.
When she hears someone coming in, she quickly hides it away, then lets out a relieved sigh when she looks up and recognises who's there.
"Hi," the detective approaches her, meeting her level and looking at her with a smile while taking the hand lying on her lap in his. "What are you doing here?"
"I… was just trying to think of the best way of telling you the news," she confesses. Her eyes are drawn onto him, mysterious and shining, her fingers curling harder around what she's hiding behind her back.
"What news?" Jake doesn't seem to understand what's going on with her. "Is there something wrong?" He studies her carefully, worry starting to build up in his core.
"Quite the opposite." Amy is quick to reassure him, her smile turning into a true beam when she hands him what she was holding: a pregnancy test, showing in black, clear letters the word Pregnant.
Staring at it, the man by her side remains speechless for a while, processing the whole revelation, feeling his heart clench in his chest in pure joy with every new passing second. It only takes him a moment before his eyes are back on his wife, already filling with tears. "You are…?" He's unable to finish his sentence, too overwhelmed with feelings, his gaze switching from the woman's face to her stomach.
"I am," she confirms, sensing her own eyes starting to water too.
Jake doesn't need more words to pull her in a tight hug then, both their tears falling onto the other's shoulder while they hold onto each other, happier than they've ever been in their whole life in that instant. Eventually, the detective draws away, only to kiss her breathlessly, his hands coming to cup her face and thumbs brushing her wet cheeks, keeping his forehead resting on hers when they part.
"So, earlier at the restaurant…" He trails off, talking through his never-disappearing grin again after a while spent in comforting silence. "You weren't playing pretend?"
He feels her answer before he hears it, shaking her head against his, her own smile growing wider. "No. That was real," she tells him. "Well, I wasn't sure yet since I only took the test when we came back, but… I had some doubts, yeah."
Jake lets out a content sigh after that, his chest filled with bliss. "We're gonna be parents…" he whispers in awe, still feeling like this is some kind of dream – a perfect dream.
"We're gonna be parents," his wife confirms, just as much shaken up as he is.
They stay like this for quite some time, wrapped up in each other and enjoying the intimate moment until they have to let go – they're still on duty, after all. But, as they pass the door of the archives room hand-in-hand after standing up from their spot, before joining their colleagues, Jake stops in his tracks, turning to face Amy, his blissful grin turned malicious, daring even, now. "So, you bet it's gonna be a girl?"
He doesn't have to say more for her to understand where he's going with that, a matching expression popping up in her own eyes. "Yeah," she replies, holding her free hand in front of her.
"Okay, let's bet for a boy then." He shakes it between his own fingers, his playful gaze never leaving hers.
(In the end, she wins, but Jake couldn't care less about that – he's too happy to welcome his little girl into the world, loving her so much already as he carefully holds her against his chest, to think about that silly bet they made months ago.)