Jake

Jake had never had blackouts or times in his life he forgot save a few nights where he drank way too much, but for the fourth or fifth time since Amy was taken he found himself somewhere without realizing how he even got there. The stress and worry were weighing on him more and more as the evening continued. It was three in the morning and he couldn't fathom how it had been less than a day since Amy was kidnapped, it felt like an eternity to him. He was sitting next to Captain Holt in an unmarked police van as a team of officers in street clothes teamed around the alleged hideout of Geoffrey Hoytsman, the same man who once kidnapped Jake and the man who helped the Genovese family take Amy to get to him.

Jake felt nothing but the normal worry he had felt all afternoon and evening as the team broke through the door, everything seemed to move in almost a slow motion as he saw Hoytsman drug out of the motel room, he was screaming and trying to fight, cowards always made the most dangerous enemies, they'd hurt anyone to save themselves he thought as he fought the growing urge to leave the car and beat the shit out of this man until his wife was safe in his arms. Hoytsman was loaded into a squad car and they proceeded to Nine-Nine.

Amy

Her wrists felt raw against the ropes that bound her, she was surprised and almost laughed at herself as she wondered how she could even notice that when her stomach and sides also ached, not to mention her face. She spit and knew that it was still probably bloody, she felt around her mouth with her tongue to probe if any of her teeth had been chipped or loosened during her ordeal. She felt a calm she didn't understand, she knew that two outcomes would happen, her husband would find her or she would die, no one else would be able to do this, she knew it, she hoped now that Jake knew it and was doing his normal routine of sticking his nose where it didn't belong and ignoring the powers that be and taking charge of the investigation.

She tried to move her hands slightly to take a little of the pressure off where the ropes cut into her wrists when she felt her wedding band and engagement ring. Immediately a conversation she and Jake had after they got engaged played out in her mind.

"Ames, it's okay, I saw you had taken it off, I just asked why, but really, I'm okay." He had smiled, trying to convince her it was okay, but she knew differently.

"Jake, it was stupid, I just thought it might cause more problems with perps if they saw it, but really, I want to wear it."

Jake sighed, "I'm fine, honestly, it's just a ring, I know you love me, that's good enough."

Amy cupped her hands against cheeks and smiled, "no, it's not, I want to wear it, you know I could not be happier marrying you and I don't care if the world knows it, it was a stupid thought and I've changed my mind."

Amy thought how stupid that was, rings or not, people would know they were together, and now she was in danger and her husband was probably drowning in grief and worry trying to find her and fighting off his insecurities and doubts that plagued him as he tried to find her. Jake had told Amy several times that while he was in prison, he worried about her a lot and he she was holding up, she thought he was crazy and maybe exaggerating, but now she understood as her thoughts concentrated on him and what he was currently going through despite her own bleak prospects.

As Amy thought of Jake, she began to wonder what life would be like if they had children, would the worry be worse? Her dad was a great detective and had eight children and it didn't seem to affect his work, yet her dad didn't have Jake's bad luck when it came to cases coming back to haunt him. They had briefly mentioned to each other that maybe someday they'd start a family, but always in passing and never a concrete plan or even a strong desire, she had always thought that eventually, yes, she'd start a family. Doubts crept into her mind as she wondered whether she could ever start a family knowing the dangers she and Jake had faced in their three years together, the threats, physical harm, emotional harm, that would be a lot to put on a baby. As she drifted off to sleep again, her mind was made up, she couldn't do that to a child.

Jake

Screaming, all Jake could hear was screaming from the interrogation room as Hoytsman screamed and cried. Jake wanted nothing more than to go in the room and slap him until he stopped, but his lawyer had already left and told him he was on his own as even Terry looked like he might cause him physical harm. Holt entered the interrogation room and began his Jedi mind tricks on Hoytsman.

Jake's attention was on Holt, not Hoytsman, as he thought about a conversation with Amy a few weeks before their wedding.

"I'm just saying, if we ever have children, if, I think either Ray or Holt would be a good first name, or middle name." Amy smiled as she brushed her hair, Jake only shaking his head as she seemed so content linking her personal and work life.

"When we have a kid," Jake interjected, "McClane for a boy, Holly for a girl. End of discussion."

Amy turned, pointing her brush at him in a threatening manner, "no way in hell, IF we have kids, no Die-Hard names, that's the end of the discussion."

Jake allowed a small grin to form as he thought of his wife's love and admiration for their captain who was doing all he knew how to find her, even working with Jake and keeping him involved, which he didn't have to do, and maybe shouldn't have, but Jake was grateful, if he wasn't working on this, he would be self-destructing, for sure.

Holt left the interrogation room after ten or so minutes and entered the observation room, "Peralta, he may not cooperate, he is hostile and unstable, I don't know if he will help us, at all."

Jake sighed, he felt the rage rising again, he fought it, but thoughts of his wife pushed it forward, not about her danger per se, but even more the memories of small intimate moments together, of talking and sharing, and the thought that they might no have more of those pushed him out of the calm stupor he had been in.

"Let me face him captain, give me two minutes, no cameras, no lawyers, no one else." Jake did not make eye contact as he said this, he meant it, but he also knew it was coming from a desperate place.

Holt exhaled slowly, "Jake, you are a good detective, that would tarnish your reputation and could negate any evidence we get from him, I know this is excruciating for you, but we have to do this by the book, it is crucial, and he is unhinged enough I doubt even the worst of threats would work on him."

Jake threw up his hands quickly and in an animated fashion, "well fuck, I guess we'll never know, I need a soda…" Jake paused as he exited the observation room and thought about saying something else, but he just shook his head and moved quickly to the vending machines.

Rosa was in the break room, she nodded at him as he entered, conversations with Rosa were awkward on normal days, but in times of crisis they were worse.

"Rosa, go in there and beat it out of him, they won't let me near him." Jake grabbed his soda as it fell.

Rosa shook her head vigorously, "Jake, c'mon, you know that won't help with this creep. He's smart, despite the stupid shit he's done. Trust the captain, he will get Amy back."

Jake slammed his palm against the soda machine, "will he? the clock is ticking, and we know so fucking little, I've stood back and been the good cop, maybe that's the problem."

Jake moved towards the door and Rosa stood up, "Jake, don't do anything stupid, that won't help Amy."

Jake turned to face her again, "Really? The truth is we don't know what or if we can help her, we know nothing because that dumb shit won't talk, so don't tell me to calm down, I will not be calm or anything until my wife is safe." With that Jake threw his soda across the room and left, leaving a stunned Rosa, who was shocked enough that she didn't react in anger.

AMY

The sound of the door opening jostled her awake, she didn't know how long she had been out, but she doubted it was long, one of the tactics of interrogation was to make the person unable to tell how long they had been there, robbing them of their sense of time created alarm in them and made them more susceptible to questioning. Amy took a deep breath, expecting the worst, maybe another beating, though she had been waiting for questions and she felt that now was that time.

A hand touched her face and lifted the blindfold up, as her eyes adjusted, she was facing Swayze again, the leader of the kidnappers wearing a Reagan mask. "Amy, time to talk. Listen first, we are confident the police cannot find us, we have no connections to you or the people who hired us, so finding us will be impossible I'm afraid, so you need to change your mindset. You cannot escape, you've seen what that brings, so listen to my questions and consider helping us, because that's the only way you can truly help yourself.

Amy simply nodded, she wanted to speak as little as possible as to not give them anything they could use. "Your husband, Jake Peralta, he has recently begun investigations into some people tied to my employer, they need him to back off. Now, I'm not a fool, they aligned themselves with some people who will talk and might give information, so I don't doubt that the NYPD will know my employers are involved, but that doesn't change the fact that your husband could still be of use to them. Has Jake ever mentioned a Louis Iverson?"

Amy shook her head, she would remember the name, she was good with names and Jake was terrible with names and often used weird physical traits or personality quirks to describe the people he investigated. Recently he had investigated Sir Sweats a Lot, and English guy who sweat every time he saw Jake, Lispy Joe, an accountant with a lisp and a tie to some shady people, and Misty Meadows, a name he gave the alleged girlfriend of a mobster who looked like a stripper and cried a lot, hence the name which had made Amy roll her eyes.

"Mr. Iverson runs a local business crucial to my employer, and your husband was investigating him for different reasons, but he is still too close. What I need from him is this, I need him to agree to back off the cases we tell him to. He can still be a great cop, doesn't have to give us any information, you must merely give us your assurance that he will play ball and not thoroughly investigate the few names we will give him from time to time. Can you do that?"

Amy knew this could be her out, she could be released and simply worry about things later, Jake would do anything for her, but she was Amy Santiago Peralta, and she could never live with herself to negotiate her release to let her husband be on the hook to criminals. Amy contemplated her situation a moment longer and then shook her head no, saying nothing.

Swayze nodded, "unfortunately, I thought you would say no. I will have to contact my employers, they will no doubt tell us make things worse for you, and I do mean worse, so please consider your possible outcomes, don't protect your husband at the expense of your life. My clients will get away with this, they always do, my crew and I will disappear, to different cities, and no one will know where to look or where you were laid to rest. We don't leave clues or evidence."

Amy took a deep breath, she was risking a lot not cooperating, but her instincts told her she could be in danger either way, so she might as well go out with her ethics intact. She thought about the questions and statements made by her captor and a notion came to her. "How long ago did you leave the force?"

Swayze shook his head, "don't try to understand me Amy, it won't help, kudos for noticing that, but it won't help you, not even a little. Word to the wise, I wouldn't mention that to the others, they would get too nervous and could get more desperate."

Amy inhaled and tried to maintain her composure to seem unphased and calm, "you don't trust your crew? That seems like a gamble."

Swayze pointed at her, "you are good, they warned me you were intelligent and that your husband was a great detective, but damn, you are good. I trust them, but I also know them. When working outside of the law, one must often make sacrifices in certain areas, despite what people claim, if you're outside the law, it's for a reason. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to call my employers, I don't like the idea of causing you further harm, but I fear that's out of my hands."

Swayze leaned over and replaced her blindfold and she heard the door close, she was alone again, she didn't know how she should feel, she was figuring things out and had obviously made a connection no matter how small with the leader, but was it enough to help her?