By the time Holt and Kevin decide to (finally) renew their vows after years of talking about it but never getting the chance to do so before this particular day of the anniversary of their encounter, little Ana Santiago Peralta is already 5.
She's supposed to be playing with the other children invited, mostly all of the (ever-growing) Nine-Nine progeny, under Charles's son and Terry's twins supervision, leaving her parents some (so rare, now) time and space to enjoy for themselves, swaying around the dancefloor at a slow pace, wrapped up in a tight, loving embrace with their eyes half-closed and foreheads resting against one another when Cagney suddenly comes and disturbs their quiet moment.
"Your daughter's calling for you," the girl informs them, wearing an apologetic look on her face when the couple stops still in their movements and turn in her direction, a same frown drawing itself on their own features in confusion.
"What's going on?" they ask in one voice, Jake's hand curling around Amy's waist and hers softly squeezing his shoulder while they stare at their colleague and friend's child, waiting for an answer.
"I don't know," she acknowledges with a shrug. "We were all dancing together when she just stopped all of a sudden and started crying. We asked her if she hurt herself but she won't answer us, and won't calm down either. She just keeps saying she wants you."
The two cops don't need more explanation; they exchange a quick, knowing nod then follow Cagney where all the children are gathered together in a corner of the room. They spot their daughter right away, hunched up against a wall in her cute blue dress with Nikolaj in front of her trying to talk to her, her curly raven hair the only visible feature of hers, with her head hidden between her tiny legs.
They slowly approach the pair, stooping down to her level once by their side. Charles's son barely contains his relieved sigh when he stands up, more than happy to leave it to the girl's parents to take care of the situation by stepping aside and offering the little family some space.
"Hey, Anana," Amy puts a hand on the child's arm and starts stroking gently when she calls her name once they're all alone. Recognising her mother's voice, the girl immediately looks up at her, showing her redden eyes from having cried too much and her wet, rosy cheeks. The woman feels her heart clench in her chest at the sight – it's always hard, seeing her only child being sad.
"What's wrong, baby?" she tries not to linger too much on that and gently asks, offering a gentle, inviting-to-confess smile.
Ana doesn't reply right away; she throws herself into her mother's embrace first, in need of a hug, new tears falling onto Amy's dress until she's calmed down a little. Only then does she draw away and, while the newly-graded Captain softly removes the remaining salty pearls on her face with her hand, she eventually talks, hesitant, barely watching her parents as he does, her voice still filled with tremors.
"Iggy doesn't want to dance with me anymore. She says I'm bad at it and I stepped on her feet and hurt her."
Tears threaten to leave her shiny brown eyes again when she shuts back her mouth, done with her explanation, her chin trembling slightly.
This time, it's Jake's turn to speak with her, tenderly skimming his thumb over the little girl's cheek, a small smile lighting up the corners of his lips – truth to be told, if it weren't for Ana's sad pout right now, he would be fully laughing at her comment, reminded of another bad at dancing, stepping on feet Santiago. It seems like the 'like mother, like daughter' adage is true for these two.
"You know who else was bad at dancing too?" He tells her then, trying to hide his amusement the best he can, not to offend her with his reaction.
Ana shakes her head, clueless.
"Your mom." The man's fully grinning now, unable to keep it to himself anymore, even more so when he turns to his wife and she shoots him a glare in return.
She can't be mad at him for mocking her like this in front of their daughter for too long, though, because soon enough the girl is looking at her too, and there's not a trace of sadness left on her face, only curiosity, when she asks with a frown, "Really, mommy?"
"Yes," Amy has no other choice than to admit, remembering that one time all these years ago when her husband, who was still just a friend and colleague at the time, got to witness that she didn't have, indeed, no sense of rhythm at all in her core.
(Good thing he knew what they were doing and managed to show her how everything was properly done, making all the stress she was feeling until then go away at once, wrapped up in his arms and moving along with him, eyes locked together and a smile never leaving her features while he expertly led her around the other couples competing against one another that day.)
"But now, thanks to my very expert skills, she's not so bad at it," he can't help but teasingly brag, a huge beam covering his face when he watches the woman next to him that she soon returns despite herself, chuckling at his words. Jake quickly brings his whole attention back on his daughter, though, and adds, his grin only growing bigger as he talks, "If you'd like, I can teach you too?"
It's all it takes for Ana's face to lit up again, suddenly standing up in excitement at her father's words. "YES!" she enthusiastically answers him, her tiny hand coming to grab his own, wasting no time and already inviting him to join the dancefloor. Her mother lovingly watches them leave her side, her heart filling with bliss at the sight of the two persons she loves the most mingling with the other people already slow dancing together to the song currently playing.
"Okay Anana," Jake stops in the middle of the room, looking very serious when he bows at the little girl and offers her his hand. "Shall we, m'lady?"
His silly attitude and words make her let out a loud giggle, the sound of it resonating on the walls, and she's still laughing when she dutifully climbs on her father's feet and he starts making her move around.
(Jake perfectly remembers the very first time he made her laugh, those few years ago, when she was only a baby, and how it immediately became their life's goal, with Amy, to hear their daughter laugh as often as possible – it's the best music they've ever come to hear in their entire existence, and they're pretty certain nothing will ever top that. Making their child happy has truly become their #1 priority, ever since she was born in this fine June afternoon of 2020.)
For a while he goes on like this, making Ana joyfully turn and turn on the crowded dancefloor, showing her the moves, the both of them wearing a huge amused grin on their faces as they foolishly dance around. From time to time the girl looks away and waves at her mother, who's still watching them from afar, never leaving their sight, shooting her some Look, mommy, I'm doing it! with pride, making both her parents chuckle, her visible recovered happiness warming their hearts.
"Can I have a dance too?" Amy suddenly appears next to them after some time, deciding she's been staring for too long and wanting to be part of the fun as well now, gently stroking her girl's hair before holding out her hands in her direction when both she and Jake stop in their tracks upon the woman's arrival. He offers his wife a soft smile matching her own and lets go of his daughter, who's quick to agree to the invitation and jump off her father's feet to climb on her mother's instead.
Jake doesn't stay aside for too long – he comes to wrap his arms around the two loves of his life, taking Ana in-between her parents' embrace, and the little family soon begins to happily dance together among the other couples.
(Later in the night, the child even manages to steal a dance to one of the two men of the day, pretending she wants to show him what her 'daddy taught her earlier' but in fact quickly falling asleep in her 'grampa Ray''s arms, like she calls him, rocked by his slow movements, her parents watching them while back at dancing alone together too, tears prickling in their shining eyes at the sight of their daughter and ex-Captain sharing such an adorable moment together.)