Amy and Jake

"Jake, where is my badge?" Amy was in full uniform, her hair was up like he loved it, she looked gorgeous, but stressed.

"Ames, I don't know, you are the responsible one, your check list and all, remember?"

Amy groaned, "yes, I know, but I polished it and thought I put it back on my uniform."

Jake opened her nightstand drawer, "Ames, it's where you used to put it, when you were a lowly detective."

"Thank god, thanks, Jake." She took it from him and placed it on her uniform, "alright, how are you feeling, ready for the day?"

Jake shrugged, "I guess…I'm actually not nervous about the work part, it's the baby stuff, keeping it quiet, that will tough, like that meat you tried to cook for my last birthday tough."

"That's not nice Jake, it's the effort that counts."

"Tell that to my teeth."

The few days prior to their return date had been spent preparing for the baby and their return, with the focus on what they needed to buy and do, there had been very little worrying and stress. Amy already several check lists made and laminated and she had started the first pages of a binder for the baby preparations.

As Amy left the elevator for her floor, Jake tried to prepare himself for the reception he that greet him from Charles. He had barely had time to step out of the elevator before he was tackled from the left side, "Jake, I missed you!"

Jake moaned, "thanks, Charles, now I need to go on medical leave."

"Detective Boyle, kindly remove yourself from Detective Peralta and conduct yourself in the proper manner of a detective for the New York Police Department."

"Yes sir, sorry Jake." Charles stood up and Jake took Holt's hand to help him up.

"Welcome back, detective. How are you feeling today?"

Jake nodded, "good Captain, ready to do whatever you need me to, but I have a feeling knowing you and protocol, that will be desk duty."

Holt looked impressed, "very good, yes I'm afraid a week of desk duty will be necessary, then I will sign off on you returning to the field."

"No probs," As Jake said that he thought back to after Amy was rescued and she had leashed out at him for that mistake. He felt so relieved that they had made so much progress in the weeks that followed.

"You seem in good spirits, Peralta, how is Sergeant Peralta?"

"She is good sir, ready to work and ready to make her officers toe the line."

Holt paused, "is she ready for the stress it entails? I worry about her after all she has been through."

Jake smiled at his almost sentimental robot captain, "it was tough captain, not gonna lie, I was super worried, but we've gotten through and life is good."

Holt nodded, "I am impressed, Peralta, you seem very mature about this, not flippant and emotionally honest."

Jake stopped and looked at the captain again, "yeah, old me couldn't have handled this, but with all we've been through since we've been us, ya know, me and Amy, I know if I don't talk about the feelings and emotional stuff that we'll be in big trouble."

"It is called love Peralta, you change and adapt for those you love to help them."

Desk duty was uneventful, Scully somehow started a small fire in the bathroom and Hitchcock fell asleep in the evidence locker, but things were slow, and Jake was okay with that for his first day back. Charles and Rosa were investigating a series of burglaries at several local businesses, all small businesses with fairly low-tech security. By the time lunch rolled around, Jake was ready to see Amy but wondered how busy she would be after being gone for so long.

Amy was signing several papers and filing them, and the pile seemed huge to Jake as he watched her, "Sarge, that does not look fun."

Amy smiled, "come in detective, I don't mind, and you would find that this is no worse than regular desk duty which you currently have. I could teach you all about these forms and prepare you for a possible career path change."

Jake pursed his lips together, "hmmm, seems to me I evaded this conversation several times last week."

"Yeah, now you're cornered and can't escape, by bringing up our future," Amy winked, insinuating at her pregnancy, "or just start fondling me to distract me."

"Hey, those worked, especially the future talk." Jake made air quotes as he said future. "The fondling was genuine and didn't seem to bother you…"

"No, of course not, but my point is that I want to talk about this, I truly think you would be a great sergeant."

"Ames, I'm not the sergeant type, I'm a detective."

"All I'm asking right now is that you keep an open mind, in your mind you're the bad boy detective from your movies you love," her demeanor went slightly more serious, "but you and I both know based on what we have experienced that those are pure fiction or bygone elements of the old NYPD."

"Okay, I'll think about it, but I make no promises." Amy kissed him on the cheek, which was a good sign as she rarely did even that at the precinct. "Right now, though, lunch? Not street meat, I'm not ready for that."

Amy offered a small smile, "I know, but I'm not letting those bastards ruin my favorite lunch, we're just not going back yet."

"Pizza? It's quick and we can to your favorite place."

"Deal."

As they returned from lunch, Terry was waiting at the front of the building, "Jake, glad you're back, we have to take you off of desk duty, I need someone to come with me. We've had two more burglaries, by the same crew or crews today, Diaz and Boyle are on one, we'll cover the other one."

"Okay, let's do this." Jake said goodbye Amy and ran to the car with Terry.

Jake

Terry drove them to the latest store hit by the thieves, "This is a nice little store, shame they hit it. Fulmer's Formal Wear, I buy ties and suspenders here."

Jake and Terry surveyed the building, looked at the security footage and the burglars were impossible to see clearly, they moved quickly and seemed to know where all the cameras were, on the street as well as in the shop.

"Terry were the other burglaries similar to this?"

"Yeah, exactly like them. They know the where the cameras are, inside and outside, their cars seem to never be captured on tape, anywhere. We looked into ex-employees, security firms, even current and ex-cops, but we haven't found a good suspect with motive and means yet."

Jake texted Amy the particulars of the case, he loved bouncing ideas off of her and she loved a good puzzle, one of many things that Jake truly loved about his relationship was the way they could work together, the competitiveness of before was mostly gone and now they just worked well and loved to see the other succeed, especially on tricky cases.

The owners of the store were interviewed and Jake as thinking about what he wanted to make for dinner when his phone buzzed, he picked it up and it was a text from Amy.

Ames: Did you consider security salesmen, they ask what systems they have, look at what they have and could get a lot of information, easily. Just a thought.

Jake: Genius, thanks!

Terry called Rosa and within the hour, all of the businesses that had been robbed reported that they had been solicited by a security firm, they even had the business card, Sekuretech, the four detectives met at the address on the business cards and set up surveillance from a distance.

A small sedan with no plates honked its horn and was let into the secure garage. Jake and Terry left Rosa and Charles to enter through the main door. As they entered, there was no waiting area, just a room with a phone and a few chairs, both detectives drew their weapons, Jake texted Rosa and Charles to quickly and quietly cover the garage exit, as they entered a door to the garage, Jake heard shouting, on the floor were several bags of money, a few suspect tried to grab some money and run, but Rosa and Charles entered, their weapons drawn, Rosa barked some orders and the suspects all got on their knees with their hands on their heads.

Jake and Terry were making sure the area was secure when two shots were fired, narrowly missing Jake, Charles immediately fired his weapon and Jake saw a man drop to the ground from a shelf where he had been hiding.

"Damn, Peralta! That was close." Terry shook his head as he looked at the bullet holes behind where Jake had been standing.

"Thanks, Terry, way to calm me down."

Terry frowned, "sorry, Jake, but you look okay, you don't look freaked out."

"Yeah, I guess I'm better at hiding stuff with everything I've been through."

Terry placed a big hand on Jake's shoulder, "don't hide this from Amy, tell her sooner than later. I've been there, after Sharon was done with me I wish the bullets had hit me."

Jake nodded, "yeah, just not yet, tonight, at our place. We've been through too much, I don't want her worrying while she's working."

Amy and Jake

"Jake, why are you so quiet tonight? We worked together, and you guys brought in the group responsible for seventeen armed robberies."

Jake shook his head, "sorry Ames, there's something I didn't tell you." Jake set down his fork, he had made corned beef and cabbage for dinner, the one dish his dad taught him to make. He had tried his best to not act like something had happened, but the more he thought about it, the more it ate at him.

Amy eyed him suspiciously and set her glass down, "what is it Jake?"

Jake tried to smile, "well, we got the suspects, just I told you, but a shot was fired, at me, Charles brought the suspect down, I made the others promise not to tell you, that was stupid, sorry."

"Why would you keep this from me? Did you think I was too delicate or weak to handle it?"

Jake shook his head and averted her gaze, "no, I thought that it might be a lot with what you went through, I just wanted you find out away from others."

"Jake, you can't treat me like I'm going to fall apart, it's a part of our job, I know those things happen, but I will be furious with you if you don't tell me things or hide them from me."

Jake shifted uncomfortably in his chair, "like this?"

Amy nodded, "yes, like this. Look, we're cops, this will happen. Did you do anything you shouldn't have, or anything overly risky?"

Jake shook his head, "no, not at all. I was careful, Terry and I were making sure the room was secure and that we had everyone, a shot went by me, not super close, but close enough."

"Jake, you have to trust me and trust that I'm not so fragile or crazy that I'll fall apart anytime something happens."

Jake pushed himself away from the table a little, "Ames, it's not that, it's not that at all, it's just…"

"Jake, what?"

Jake exhaled slowly and deliberately, "look, between you being kidnapped and then the day that you left for your parents and left me the note, it scared the shit out of me. It showed me how much I have to lose, and I didn't want to freak you out like that, this is on me, not what I think of you."

Amy pursed her lips for a few seconds as she considered what he just said, "Maybe, but this involves me, I have a right to know and the right to decide if I freak out or not."

Jake nodded slowly, "I know, I know, I'm sorry, this is all new to me Ames. Before the kidnapping, things were easier, for me, I knew there were risks, but it never felt so real. Then you get kidnapped, I think you might leave me and then nothing made sense, and then we find out you're pregnant and I just keep thinking about how fragile everything is, how one little thing could fuck it up forever."

Amy stood up and walked over to him, she sat on his lap as she wrapped her arms around him, "I'm still not happy, don't leave me out of things, but we are in a new phase of our lives. Things will be scary, there are risks and consequences."

Jake pulled her tighter, "that doesn't bother you?"

Amy offered a slight smile, "yes, of course it does. Do you really think I want you to be shot at? Of course not, Jake, but it happens, it will happen. The important thing is that you're safe. Maybe now you can understand why I would like you consider becoming a sergeant."

"Yeah, I get it, I do. It's all a lot to take in, ya' know?"

Amy nodded, "of course I do, but the important thing is that we're in this together. Are you okay after everything today?"

Jakes rested his head against her, "I think so, maybe I was putting on you what I would have felt, what I was feeling. Everything we've done and gone through, it was always dangerous, the bad stuff sucked, but now, now we're married, no we have a kid on the way, it's crazy, one idiot hiding on a shelf and the lil' fetus has no dad."

"Jake, we will be okay, I promise, we have come out of everything fine, we have close calls, but we are still here, all of our limbs. We may be a little worse for wear, or more so sometimes, but we will make it."

Jake

The next day at work, Amy had to go with Holt and Terry to One Police Plaza for meetings, Jake and Charles were looking into a murder at a local liquor store. Charles was dusting for prints on the victim's body. "Jakey, how did Amy take the news they shot at you? Genevieve would have had crazy sex with me, she finds the danger to be a powerful aphrodisiac."

Jake made a face, "Charles, disgusting, c'mon man! Of course, Amy did not find it sexy, she worries, I worry, it's what normal people do. How am I going to keep going if I just worry all the time?

Jake looked for signs of a struggle around the store, Charles stood up, "Look Jake, you know me, I worry a lot, about everything, but I get through it because I trust everyone around me and I know others have my back."

"Charles, you got shot, that sucked, but I've been in prison, I've been followed several states away by gangsters and Amy was kidnapped, that's different, it's worse."

Charles picked up the bags of evidence they had, "Jake, I don't know what else to tell you, I know stuff has happened, but you are also the best, Jake, the best. No one does what you do."

Jake opened the door for Charles, "maybe that's the problem Charles, I do too much or am too crazy. Maybe it's time to reign myself in."

Charles grabbed his shoulder, "Jake, no, please no. You can't do that to the world."

Jake turned around, "Charles, I'm still me, just learning, and worried about my family, you get that Charles. I can't let Amy down and do something stupid that would leave her to…" Jake caught himself, "to have to deal with life on her own. We're a family, a team."

Charles hugged Jake, aggressively, Jake thought. "Jake, that was beautiful."

Amy

The car ride from One Police Plaza had been quiet, Terry was engrossed in a book he had just bought, Holt was listening to classical music as he drove while Amy stared ahead, deep in thought. She would have probably averted her stare from straight forward if she had noticed Holt glancing at her in the rearview mirror, "Sergeant Peralta, is everything alright with you? You seem a bit distracted, I hope your return has been a good one."

Amy tried to smile, "of course sir. There's just a lot to think about lately."

Terry turned around, "is this about Jake and what happened yesterday."

Amy felt herself turning red, "yes and no, I worry of course, but I think he's worrying more, and that's not like him. I of course want him to mature, but not worry needlessly and not hide things from me because he's afraid I'll react like he would."

Holt nodded as he drove, "that's understandable, you have both been through great ordeals and that would no doubt have consequences, it would have to."

"I know sir, it's just that Jake is starting to worry too much, and he is concentrating too much on what could be lost…sorry, rambling."

"Sergeant, it is logical he would worry about losing you, you were kidnapped, and he has been through so much as well. What else is he afraid of losing?"

Amy was silent, Terry looked back at her again, "you know, it reminds me of when, well when the twins were born, but…no, sorry, I'll be quiet." Terry returned to his book.

Holt looked at Terry and then glanced several times at Amy through the rearview mirror, "Sergeant, are you pregnant?"

Amy's mouth went dry, she felt like the car might be spinning, though she knew it wasn't. "Sir…what makes you…that's ridiculous…should I be offended?"

"Not if you're pregnant."

Amy hung her head, "YES! Fine, I'm pregnant!"

Terry turned around again, his eyes wide and a look of fear on his face."

"Sergeant Peralta are you alright?"

Amy nodded, "yes sir, sorry, I am. It has given me focus and helped me to embrace life rather than hide, but Jake is different, his childhood was a bit of a mess and he never thinks of himself as fatherly, but now he worries about not being around for the baby for different reasons."

Terry wiped away some tears, "I get it, I do, I've been there. The most important thing is that he knows everyone has his back and is there for him, professionally and personally. When I realized that, things improved, a lot."

Amy took a deep breath, "look, this was shocking news, I was pregnant while I was held captive, but didn't know it." She noticed Terry and Holt exchange glances, "we, Jake and I, we are happy, this is good news, I was thinking I didn't want a family and then I realized I couldn't let the bastards who tortured me rob me of my life as well."

"Sergeant Peralta, that is a healthy way to look at it. Are you sure you are fine with things?"

Amy smiled, "I really am, but I worry, about Jake, a lot, and some for myself." Her eyes went wide, "but you two cannot say anything, to anyone! Imagine if Charles found out! Terrance, I will tell Sharon about every dangerous thing you have done that she doesn't know about if you let it out to anyone!"