AN: After two quick chapters, the updates are going to have to slow down again. I was just about to say that I finally had time off to write, AND THEN COLLEGE RESUMED. I had a 2 and a half hour Chemistry class today and I honestly feel like I am beginning to die on the inside. LET ME LIVE.

On another note, I've finally finished editing. Aaaand it's midnight. I'm gonna put this up now, and then I'm gonna fling myself onto my bed because I can no longer deal with this day. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Good night.

25 December, 7:30AM

The sound of the morning alarm filled the room, and Jake opened his eyes. He felt groggy, and his neck felt weird He flipped sideways and buried his head into the pillow. It was pitch black, and silent except for the horrible beeping noise that just wouldn't stop. He stuck an arm out and it hit the frame of his bed, reminding him that he had been sleeping on the hardwood floor the night before, and all about the 'great speech' he had delivered last night. Still reeling from embarrassment, he retracted his arm and tucked himself back in. He could hear shuffling, before the sound of a hand slamming onto the snooze button. Amy's.

She cleared her throat.

"I think," she said, sliding off the bed from the other side, "it's time to get up."

"What time is it?" Jake asked, his eyes still closed, with no intention of carrying out what she had just said.

"7:31." She read from the clock, combing her hair. She put down her brush and grabbed a towel from the shelf nearby.

"AM?"

"Well."

He couldn't see her, but he knew the exact expression he was pulling. The annoyed, irritated glance she had always used with him.

"This is too early," he whined. "I have never woken up this early in my life, ever."

She looked at him, appalled.

"Ever?"

"Ever," he mumbled. She ignored him and opened the door to the bathroom. A bright stream of light poured into the bedroom. He shrieked like a banshee, and she nearly dropped her towel. "Close the door! Close. The. Door!" he said with urgency, and she rolled her eyes, letting the door stay open for just a while longer to irritate him while he sneaked under his blanket, shielding his head from the light. "I'm trying to sleep here."

"Well, tough. I'm going to shower, and I'm going to make as much noise as I possibly can," Amy said, looking at him indifferently, who was just a lump on the floor now.

"'I'm Going To Make As Much Noise As I Possibly Can' - name of your sex tape," Jake called out, and she took this as a cue to leave him alone. She closed the door, clicking it shut with a lock.

8:45AM

"Quick, do I look okay?" Amy asked Jake, this time with her sticking her head around the bathroom door. He was washing his face, and she waited for him to look up. He did, and he squinted, looking at her from the reflection in the mirror like she was a speck of dust on a lens.

"Yeah," he said without a second's hesitation, proceeding to scrub foam cleanser on his face before turning on the tap to wash it off with the warm water again.

"'Yeah'? That's all you're going to say? Not even... I mean, you don't think this is too much?" she asked, pointing at her dress, which was in a rich shade of wine red. "And this?" She pointed to her mascara. "None of this is too much? Be honest."

He looked up again, this time turning around to get a better view. She looked immaculate, her look all prepped and polished, as always. He frowned, and she stared at him, before he shrugged casually.

"No, it looks fine," he said, and her heels caught his eye. "Don't wear the heels though."

"But you said-"

"But you're pregnant," he said, "or you're supposed to be. If my mum sees you wearing them, she'd make you take them off anyway. Trust me."

She was about to argue, but she took off her heels in the end, knowing he had a point. She was supposed to be pregnant.

"So I'm supposed to walk around bare feet?" she asked, feeling weird about abandoning her heels just by kicking them off to the side of the room. She felt compelled to pick them up and repack them in the shoebox she had brought with her (she kept all her shoeboxes, because she always thought they'd come in handy someday), or at least put them aside neatly. But a thought struck her. She was in Jake's house. There weren't any rules here - she knew that because he had always emphasised on this special style of upbringing when she talked about her own disciplined childhood. She could set her heels on fire for all she cared.

Okay, she wouldn't really. They cost her half a grand, and even though she had never been big on footwear, she knew she had to own this very pair of heels the second she saw it in the shop window. She had been tired, worn out from staying late at the precinct once again. She remembered feeling irritated that she had to walk home - Jake had murdered the material of her shotgun seat by dropping his infamous powdered doughnuts everywhere, and she had to send her car to a garage to get it cleaned up professionally. Her heart was swelled up three times its usual size that night, with all the annoyance and disdain she harboured for him, when she saw the pair of heels sitting nicely inside a vintage shop window. They had caught her attention, and suddenly, her bitter anger had somehow managed to fade away almost entirely. She knew they wouldn't be cheap, but she was determined to come back the next day to get them anyway. And she did.

Though she would never tell Jake this story, because he would just brag about how in a way, she owed it all to him. That he was the cause of this whole string of events, and instead of thanking her lucky stars, she should have thanked him instead.

Amy smiled at her heels, zoned out, and she didn't snap out of her mind until he placed a palm directly in front of her face.

"As I was saying, you can wear the pair of slippers over there," he said, gesturing to a pair of brown slippers at the back of the room, something she hadn't noticed the night before. She walked over and slipped them on, staring at him as he hung his towel on the rack and stepped out. "And... we'd better head down for breakfast."

"Wh- what are you going to wear?" she asked as she eyed him suspiciously. He was in a T-shirt and sweats, and he shrugged. "This? You're going to wear this?" she asked, feeling faint. "While I wear a dress and put on eyeliner and mascara and try so hard and-"

"Relax! It's okay. My sister will be doing what you're doing," he said, and then paused. "I think." She nodded, though not entirely trusting him. It had only been a day but things had been wholly unpredictable so far. They unlocked the door to go downstairs, but she stopped in her tracks.

"Wait - your mum's peppermint tea," she recalled, her eyes widening, before hurrying to her bag and taking out a brightly wrapped package, tied together immaculately with a golden ribbon.

"You didn't have to-" he started, but she cut him off.

"But I did anyway, because Santiagos are polite and good at picking gifts," she said, giving him a confident smile. "There. Finished your sentence for you."

"Hey, not cool! That's my signature move!" he complained, feigning annoyance, and they went downstairs, both of them in high spirits over the fact that it's Christmas Day.

11:00AM

After a hearty, homey breakfast and some gift-exchanging, Josh had suggested they went outside for a snowball fight, to which Jake responded positively and enthusiastically, running upstairs to put on a thick coat and some proper trousers. He dragged Julie along, telling her that it was 'going to be awesome' and cooing her to join the family fun until she eventually gave in and agreed to go outside. While everyone was busy wrapping up, Allie had been the only one to notice the look of dread on Amy's face as she looked at the snow, and then at her crisply ironed dress, and Allie laughed it off as she told the boys to have fun while she was to stay inside to have some 'girl time' with Amy.

Moments later, the two of them were perched on the edge of the couch with a hot mug of peppermint tea - Amy's gift - while they looked out the window to see a yelling Josh chasing a screeching Jake, with Julie laughing at the sight, holding out a camera to capture the moment. Amy smiled at their heartwarming immaturity, and Allie looked at her with a prompting curiosity.

"So are you really pregnant?" Allie asked, genuinely eager. "I mean, this is just what I heard, and I knew at once that I needed to ask you firsthand, because mum can be so dramatic sometimes-"

"No!" Amy said quickly. "No. I am... completely un-pregnant. Jake just blurted it out because 'his brain was confused' - those were his exact words, and now I don't even know how we're going to pull this one off."

Allie nodded, a strand of her brown hair falling in her face. She tucked it behind her ear.

"You and Jake, huh."

She had a look on her face that Amy didn't know how to interpret, so she just mumbled a 'yeah' in response, hoping Allie'd move on to another topic. But she didn't.

"You know, I was surprised when you told me you guys were only pretending," Allie continued. "Not to make you uncomfortable-"

"-no, don't worry-"

"-but I just thought you guys look... pretty good together. You are so natural and at ease with each other. And that's actually something that I really struggled with when I first met Josh," she said seriously. "We just... we were so completely out of sync with each other, even though we were so smitten. We were crazily chaotic, but also madly in love." She shrugged, sipping a mouthful of tea. "Just, you know, your average twenty-somethings." She loosened up and laughed.

"I think a lot of that co-ordination comes with working with each other," Amy replied before she could even think it through properly, and Allie nodded, nudging her to go on. Amy could see a look of sincerity on her face, so she decided to keep talking. "I think I've known Jake for a few years now, and just seeing each other day in, day out kind of gives you that ease that it may be hard to find with someone you, say, meet at a later time and go on a date."

"Yeah, I get where you're coming from. Josh was this guy working in the building across me, and the streets... the streets were so narrow. And I could see his cubicle from where I was sitting, behind these giant, glass windows, and he could see me from where he was sitting behind his own set of giant, glass windows, and... it's a bit like a modern love story, because one day we just looked at each other - we somehow managed to make eye contact - and it felt right. And we just knew. And we just wanted to know each other better."

"Wow," Amy said. "That's... I wish I had that meet-cute story to tell people. It's sweet."

"It is, but then it took ages for us to finally meet, still. And when we did, we didn't know what to say or how to act. We just felt weird and, like, we wanted the other person to feel the same way, but we were too awkward to actually put it to action."

"I can't imagine that. I mean, you're both so friendly." Amy said. "Unlike me, who is... kind of awkward all the time. To the point where I'm pretty sure I'll never find love because I'd just scare everyone away when they discover who I really am," she drifted off, but managed to catch herself. "So what happened?"

"No, you aren't. It's just the jitters," Allie reassured her. "And - yeah, me and Josh - with each other for the first few times, we just shut down. He had that effect on me. He still does," she said, eyeing Josh from the window for a few moments before turning back to Amy. "So, enough about my boring story. You seeing anyone? Or you have anyone in mind?"

"No, don't say that," Amy said, and pondered. "No. I don't think so, no."

"That's a shame."

"It's not. Not really. Love's not really my priority right now," Amy paused. "And I don't think it's ever been, to be honest."

"What's been your priority all this while?" Allie asked.

"My job, I guess."

"Makes sense. Jake says the same thing. I know he fools around a lot, but I can tell he loves his job a lot, too. I feel like you guys should just make a pact or something, so neither of you will end up alone."

It was a joke, dished out in a lighthearted manner, but it caused Amy to pause. She then gave a small, hollow laugh. "Me and Jake? No. We'd never-"

"No, you should never settle with him," Allie interrupted, worried she had given off the wrong vibe when she saw the look of confusion mixed with horror on Amy's face, "because he's such an immature man-child that he'd have you screaming at him to pick up his clothes off the floor. I know that, because as his big sister, I've lived through it all my life."

Amy chuckled, staring at her fingertips as they soaked in the heat from the ceramic mug, still not sure what to say, though not quite wanting their discussion to end just yet.

"How is he at work, though? I always try to be a caring sibling and ask about stuff like that, but he never tells me. He just makes up all these names for his co-workers and talk about them, but never about himself."

"He makes up names for his coworkers?" Amy asked, her eyes lighting up. She was interested in what Allie had to say about this topic, and interested to know what her nickname was in the Peralta family. What she was known for, and whether he spoke of her positively.

"Yeah. But I never know who is who, because he never gives me any real names."

"Hey," Amy said. "Fire away. I can piece them together for you."

Allie looked at her for a moment, and then grinned.

"Oh yeah. You're a detective. You're good at this. Well, Jake talks about his coworkers a lot, and I can tell he loves them like family... I try to put in effort to get to know everyone, but it's so difficult sometimes. I know Gina - we grew up together, so that even though he calls her all sorts of weird names, I'm able to link it back to her. And I know he calls the captain, well, The Captain, so that isn't a problem either. He calls someone 'Yoghurt'-"

"That's definitely Terry Jeffords. Sergeant." Amy pointed out, then smiled. "This is fun."

Allie nodded, and carried on.

"I do recall someone being called 'Leftover Chinese Food' and-"

"Scully. Or Hitchcock. Or maybe he's referring to the both of them - I don't know."

"The both of them, I think. He uses it as a term for two people," Allie said. "And I know there are three ladies at the precinct, one of them being Gina... and now, one of them being you. And one more dude. Now if I'd just figure out who's who..."

"Does he call anyone something like... The AK-47? The... raven? Falcon? Something dark and twisty, but also somewhat heroic and dominating?" Amy asked, but Allie shook her head. She thought harder. "What about something about fire? Or anger? Needing anger-management? Or... anything edgy - sharp? Weapon-related?"

"Oh yeah. There's one," Allie said, her eyes lighting up, too. "I think there's one called the... shotgun. Knife? The Dagger - that's it. The Dagger."

"That's Rosa! She's one of the detectives. She's awesome."

"Rosa," Allie echoed. "You're good at this. And, well - there's you. You are Detective..."

"Santiago," Amy filled in, and Allie looked at her in surprise.

"You're Santiago?"

Amy blinked.

"Well, yeah. Is there... something wrong?"

"Oh, no. Nothing's wrong. I'm just surprised. It's... well, I've always thought Detective Santiago was a man, from everything that Jake has said about him," Allie said, and then corrected herself. "Her. You."

"That's, um, that's Charles. Charles Boyle. The man you thought - yeah. I'm Santiago," Amy said, confused, her brow furrowing, wondering why he had not given her a nickname like he had done for everyone else. "What does Jake say about me?" She hoped she didn't sound too eager, and she hoped it wasn't anything bad.

"He just always complains about Santiago getting his paperwork done before him and being really good at arresting bad guys. He always said, 'Santiago did it again, out-Jaked me.'" Allie said. "So naturally I assumed he was this alpha, extremely handsome and tall, capable man who was really good at getting his shit done and making him feel inferior... but now I know that I've been completely wrong. This is why I'm not a detective."

"Making him feel inferior?"

"Incompetent," Allie said, and when she saw Amy's worried expression, she smiled. "But don't fret. I've always secretly rooted for Santiago for making Jake work harder. He is clever, but he's so lazy. He needed a good push once in a while, and Santiago always delivered. Plus now that I found out 'Santiago' is, in fact, a girl, I'm even happier. It makes everything way more awesome knowing my brother has been getting his ass kicked by a girl." She laughed, and Amy did, too.

"Girl power."

"Totally."

5:00PM

The rest of the day had been filled with a feast of a lunch, egg nog, pudding, and board games. Amy was still a little bit annoyed about not being able to drink, but managed to sneak in a couple of sips from Jake's glass whenever Julie turned around to busy herself with the festivities. He always protested - "Your saliva is disgusting!" - and he reasoned - "Watch it, Amy. You can get a little spacey... or loud. Or pervy. Any way, it's not a good look." But she gave him a death stare every time to remind him that it was his fault she couldn't have her own glass, and that silenced him. Allie and Josh were cosy, sitting on the carpet and sharing each end of a wool blanket as the four of them sat around the coffee table playing Scrabble - one of Amy's all-time favourites.

So far, Josh had won five games, Amy four, Allie two, and Jake, to nobody's surprise, none. He was appalled when he learned that Amy and his sister had bonded and become good friends, pretending to concentrate on aligning his tiles along the plastic holder while he eavesdropped on their girl-talk.

"Jake, it's your turn," Josh said, giving him a nudge on the arm. He looked up, and was met with three expectant faces, one of which was smirking - Amy.

"Uh, sure," Jake said, surveying the board, and then glancing at his tiles. They were at the part of the game when most spaces were filled, and you really had to think hard and long only to be able to form short, three, four lettered words. "Got it." He announced proudly as he picked up two tiles and placed them neatly.

"CAT," Allie read upside down, and shrugged. "Fair enough. Josh?"

It was finally his turn, and Josh grinned childishly. "Okay - get this." He picked up his tiles in a hurry and placed them on the board hurriedly, prodding them slightly to straighten it up afterwards. When he was done, he looked victorious. "Allie, your turn."

Jake looked at the board, and then at his brother-in-law. "What kind of a word is tetrastyle? How do you even know this? How does anyone even know this?" he whined, eyeing each of them, feeling defeated as he felt a sense of defeat kick in again. He took two huge sips of his sherry, ignoring Amy's silent protests as she stared daggers at him by avoiding eye contact.

"You're having my part of the sherry," Amy whispered when he wouldn't look at her, hyper aware that Julie was sat on the couch, just a couple of feet away from them. She was chatting with a distant relative on the phone and she seemed to be in the zone, but she snapped out of it every so often, and glanced over at the group from time to time. Amy didn't want to risk letting her hear what she had just said. She had let her guard down a bit more now, but she still needed to put on a good show.

"Honey, you can't drink. You are pregnant, remember?" Jake said loudly as Julie looked over, and he smiled at his mother, pulling the glass of wine away from Amy in an exaggerated manner. Amy pinched him under the table discreetly, twisting his forearm, and a red mark appeared upon her letting go. He tried to keep his face neutral, but the second Julie looked away, he pulled a face. "Ow. You need to stop physically abusing me for helping you make the right decisions to a healthy embryo."

"I'm not even pregnant!" Amy hissed, annoyed with his childish behaviour. "I just want a drink."

"Hold it - you're not pregnant-" Jake said, and she cut him off.

"Thank you."

"-with my child," he finished his sentence, and her eyes boggled. "Darling, we haven't been physical for months!" he harped, clearly enjoying himself as he indulged in his Nicolas Cage voice. "Who is the real father of your child? Pray tell. I need to head over to burn his house down, then beat the crap out of him."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Nobody. Nobody impregnated me."

"Aha!" Jake raised his voice, causing Allie to jump. She had been trying to focus on the game, but all she could hear was Jake and Amy squabbling, their wordplay bouncing off each other back and forth. It was like trying to keep an eye on the ball during a heated tennis match. "'Nobody Impregnated Me' - name of your sex tape, with guest star Nobody, who, for the record, impregnated you, because you forgot your birth control," he dished out smoothly, pleased with himself. She sighed, and he carried on. "And now the world knows, Ames. But that's okay. There's no shame, because I'm going to-"

"Jake, shut your gob! I'm trying to think," Allie interrupted him, giving him a pained look as she played with her tiles on one hand, her head propped up by her right arm. Amy couldn't help but notice that Allie, too, like her, was left-handed. She smiled to herself at the uncommon trait they shared. Allie carried on, her head still down as she tried to figure out what words she could make with the two Fs on her hand. "You're so annoying sometimes. This is why you're single."

This remark was unflatteringly honest, and it left both Josh and Amy smirking on the opposite ends of the table.

"That hurt, but I'm going to pretend it didn't and just keep smiling," Jake said. He was no newbie to his sister's offhand comments. Most of the time, they were uncalled for, but in all honesty, he knew that however negative she portrayed him to be, she would always be the first to defend him should the same words come from someone else's mouth. Sibling rivalry, he guessed. Or whatever.

"'That Hurt, But I'm Going To Pretend It Didn't And Just Keep Smiling' - name of your sex tape?" Josh wondered out loud and raised an eyebrow. He was quickly catching onto the bandwagon of inappropriate jokes.

"It would be, if he had someone to make a sex tape with in the first place," Amy added, and they high-fived.

Jake rolled his eyes. "You guys are so immature."

"Coming from you," Allie mumbled, placing her tiles to form the word TRAFFIC.

"Nice one," Josh said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. He turned to Amy.

"Oh, I've got this figured out," Amy grinned, putting her tiles down neatly and slowly, showcasing her word at the end. RECOVERY.

"Impressive," Allie commented, and then looked at her brother. "Jake."

Jake looked at the board, and then at his tiles. He pondered for fifteen seconds and threw his hands up in the air. "I can't do this anymore. I quit. I eject myself from this game."

Josh scowled. "You can't do that."

"Yeah, I can. And I'm doing it right now," Jake said. "I'm the youngest here, so naturally, I have the smallest brain capacity because I haven't finished developing-"

"Hey," Amy looked at him. "I'm four years younger than you."

"But you're mentally eighty-six, so you don't count," he brushed off, and instead of arguing, she let his comment slide.

"Fine," Allie said, picking up the wool blanket as she got up from the carpet. "But you're clearing up because you've lost nearly all the rounds."

"Why? Shouldn't Amy clear up instead, because she's the oldest and wisest amongst us? Emphasis on oldest."

"No, Amy's going to hang out with me, because we haven't discussed Taylor Swift's new hairstyle and that conversation needs to happen right away." Allie said, reinforcing her authority as the elder sister. Jake obliged as he tried to pour the little tiles from the board into the bag. In doing so carelessly, he spilled everything onto the carpet, and the three of them stepped over the mess he made; Josh going upstairs, and the girls slinking into the study, chatting and whispering like teenagers.

Jake stared at the sliding doors that separated the living room and the study, wondering what the hell had happened in the afternoon that had caused the two of them to bond so quickly. He was good at solving cases, but he just couldn't figure this one out. He decided that he would never be able to comprehend the female brain, and then he decided that it didn't matter to him anyway. He was just glad that Amy was having a good time.