Chapter 9: Paint-by-Numbers – Jake

Jake felt like crap. No, he felt crappier than crap. He felt like crap that had been eaten and then crapped out again. Nobody really prepares you for how your body feels after it's been paralyzed for three days. His arms were like sand bags and his legs were rocks. Sitting up for meals was just as exhausting as running a marathon.

Worse than the uselessness of his limbs, was his boredom. No one was around and the TV had about three channels. Jake hated hospitals and he hated being cooped up in a small room with a bunch of wires coming out of every orifice. He couldn't complain too much though. He was alive. Three days ago he didn't think he would be.

Jake looked over at the "get well soon" gifts that started piling up on his bedside table and smiled. He wouldn't be bored for too long. His friends were coming. Jake looked at the clock and moaned. No one would be getting out of work for another two hours.

Jake sunk deeper into his bed. His mind wandered and he tried to think of all the reasons he was glad to be alive. Amy's face popped into his mind first and he smiled. No more holding back. He wasn't going to deny himself the things he wanted anymore. He'd spend his life with her, if she let him. If not, then Jake would be her partner and enjoy as much time with her as he could. Yes, of course he wanted to kiss and hold her, but he would be grateful just to talk to her and solve cases together with her. If that's all he got, then that's all he got. He wouldn't be ungrateful.

Jake wished she was here. He wanted to indulge in looking at her and talking to her. He wanted to drink her in and keep her all to himself. He felt anxious and restless, desperate to see her.

Then, like divine intervention, there was a knock at his door. Jake would have jumped had his bones not felt like they were filled with cement.

"Come in" he shouted, his heart pounding. He knew it wasn't a nurse or a doctor. Nurses never bothered to knock.

A huge grin he had no control over spread across his face as soon as he saw that his visitor was Amy Santiago. She matched his grin with one just as big and ten times as lovely.

"Hey" she said, beaming at him.

"Hey there!" he replied.

"Can I sit?" she asked, motioning to a chair placed on the left side of his bed.

"Yeah, of course" he said and she promptly put her things down before sitting down next to him.

"Thanks"

"Don't thank me just yet. I have some bad news" Jake said and distress filtered into Amy's eyes.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I kinda lost the flowers I promised you" he said with a faux-guilty face. Amy let out a sound that was half laugh and half sigh.

"You know, and here I was thinking that maybe a near-death experience would help you grow up"

"Never"

"Yeah, that was naïve of me" she said, a smile still dancing on her face.

"Very naïve. If it makes you feel any better, you can take one of the four bouquets Charles got for me"

"Ooh, how kind" she said and Jake realized that this was the easiest conversation they've had since he confessed to her before he went undercover.

"Hey, Amy?" Jake asked.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for getting the bad guy and, y'know, saving my life" he said.

"All in a day's work"

"No, but really, thanks Amy" Jake said and she averted his gaze, but quickly came back.

"You're welcome" She said and a comfortable silence filled the room. Jake held Amy's stare and tried to understand what she was saying with it.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, finally breaking eye contact.

"Oh, you know, other than my body feeling like it's made of anvils, great! The doc says I'll be at full speed in a few days. My legs are going to need a couple days to adjust"

"That's great!" She said and a funny look came over her. Her eyes glossed over and Jake couldn't hide his alarm.

"Amy! What's wrong?" Jake asked. The question made something in Amy snap. She quickly started smiling and wiping her eyes.

"Sorry, I'm really sorry. I just, uh, it looked like we were going to lose you there for a second and I, um—" she said, choking up, "I'm really, really glad you're okay"

"I'm glad I'm okay too," Jake said and they went for another round of 'staring into each other's eyes and smiling' for a couple minutes, "Hey, so did we ever figure out Archie's motive?"

"Oh, that? Yeah, I talked to John and his wife a couple days ago. What happened was that Archie worked for his dad as a toy maker, but he was good, better than his dad. Business was booming and the shop across the street was for rent, so John capitalized on it. He told Archie to run the flower shop, but Archie didn't want to because he loved making toys. His dad didn't care and told him to run the flower shop and they seemed to be all good, but then the mom told me something different. She told me that her son hated his father and would talk about how his dad was just jealous of his talents, stuff like that"

"Whoa, so all the showboating was just to prove something to his old man?" Jake asked.

"Seems like it" Amy confirmed.

"Whoa"

"Yeah, crazy right?"

"Yeah"

"Jake?" Amy asked.

"What's up?"

"You said before that you really needed to tell me something. What was it?" she asked with wide eyes. Jake's heart dropped to his stomach. He wasn't sure he wanted to do this now.

"Can I tell you when I can move my arms and legs? And when I'm wearing real clothes?" Jake asked. Amy nodded.

"That's fair" she agreed, "I want to talk to you about something too"

"Great. We'll wait" Jake said and his heart started fluttering, making him nervous.

"We'll wait" Amy said and the look in her eyes turned the fluttering in Jake's chest into full-on-humming-bird thrumming.

The rest of the precinct visited Jake over the next couple of days, Boyle most of all. Jake was always happy to see them. Each person was another reminder that he was still alive and another reason to be grateful. Holt even smiled when he visited. It was a momentous day.

Amy visited often, but usually with someone else around. During these visits, it was common for them to accidently lock eyes, but then forget to unlock them. There was a tension building between them that Jake could only chalk up to words left unsaid. The longer he waited to say it, the more anxious he got.

Each day he grew stronger. It took two days to be able to sit up without a nurse's help and three days before he could actually go to the bathroom by himself. By the fourth day he was taking little strolls around the hospital and cracking jokes with the nurses.

On his fifth day, the doctor said Jake could leave in the morning. The first person he called was Amy.

"I'm getting discharged tomorrow" Jake said, excited to tell her the news.

"What? You are? That's great!" she said.

"Yeah! Hey, I was wondering, could you, um, pick me up? Doc doesn't want me driving for at least another week and I didn't exactly drive myself here" he said. There was a short pause.

"Oh! Yeah, sure. It's my day off tomorrow. What time should I be there?" she asked and Jake thought she sounded nervous.

"Like nine in the morning?" he said.

"Okay, I'll be there"

"Sweet! See you tomorrow!"

"See you tomorrow" she said and hung up. Jake placed his phone down and sighed. Tomorrow. He was going to have to tell her tomorrow. He couldn't keep it in any more. It wasn't healthy for either of them. Every time he had a moment to himself he mauled over what he should say to her. Nothing ever seemed right. He even tried writing it down, but that made it worse. Part of him just wanted to wing it, like he always did, but the situation was delicate and he didn't want to make a wrong move. He wanted this to work.

He decided to try and get some sleep. Maybe his dreams would help him. Jake decided that planning this too much could ruin the spontaneity anyway. Some sleep could clear his mind.

His dreams consisted of a talking dog named Pepper who needed to raise money for his parent's laundry business. Suffice to say, his dreams weren't much help.

Jake woke up groggy and no closer to a solution than when he went to sleep. Butterflies filled his stomach as he started changing into the extra set of clothes Boyle brought him. It felt nice to be back in jeans and his leather jacket, but the butterflies were unwelcome. It wasn't fair that he was this nervous, but a small voice in the back of his head told him it was because it mattered. He sighed. He couldn't really disagree with that.

Jake checked out at the front desk and said goodbye to the nurses he knew. When he went outside, Amy's car was pulled in front of the roundabout. She rolled down the window and greeted him with a smile that sent butterflies in his stomach again.

"Hey! Look at you! Walking on your own two feet and everything" she said.

"I know, right? I'm an inspiration to all" he said as he put his overnight bag and a box full of "get well soon" gifts in the back of her car. He opened the passenger-side door, sat down, and buckled his seatbelt.

"Alright, ready to roll" Jake said.

"Your place?" she asked.

"Yeah," Jake said as Amy began driving out of the roundabout, "so how's the nine-nine been without me? Sad? Dull? Lackluster?"

"Productive" she said with a triumphant smirk.

"Isn't that what I said?"

"Boyle misses you," Amy said, but then after a beat, "we all do"

"Aww you missed me" Jake mocked. Amy scrunched her face and shook her head.

"Mm, no. No, I don't think I did"

"You just said 'we all missed you': we including you, Santiago" Jake said with a waggle of his eyebrows.

"I misspoke" she said simply.

"Uh huh"

"I did"

"I believe you"

"Good" she said, but Jake still had on a cheeky smile.

Amy snagged a parking spot right in front of his building and turned off the engine.

"You want help bringing up your things?" she asked and a wave of nerves rippled through Jake.

"Uh, yes. Yeah, that would be great" He said and he got of the car. He grabbed his box and she grabbed his overnight bag. The walk to his apartment was torture for two reasons: 1. He was on the third floor and stairs were pretty rough on his legs and 2. Every step closer to his apartment was a step closer to his inevitable confession. He knew it was coming. He wasn't going to be able to stop it.

When they reached his door he thought he was going to throw-up on it. He told himself to breathe and to just open the damn door. He was able to open the door even with his hands shaking and he was pleasantly surprised that his apartment wasn't nearly as messy as it could have been. It was still messy, but it was better than normal, so that was something.

"Where do you want this?" Amy asked, holding up the bag. Jake put down the box on his kitchen counter.

"On the couch is fine" Jake said and she complied.

"So…" Amy started and they stood in a long pause. Tension filled his apartment like tear gas, but twice as thick.

"Hey, you want to stay and have some coffee? Or something?" Jake asked.

"Okay" Amy said and nodded. Jake quickly got his coffee maker running. He realized that he was out of clean mugs and hastily washed one in his sink for her. He poured the coffee in her mug and grabbed the creamer out of the fridge. He handed it to her and nearly dropped it because his hands were beginning to shake again. Amy took one look at her coffee and put it down on the counter.

"Jake" she said and his heart beat faster.

"Yeah?"

"I think this might be a good time to talk" she said. Jake mentally prepared himself. This was it. Well…eyes closed, head first, can't lose.

"Yeah, yeah. Um, yeah, I should, uh, I should go first" Jake said, having a hard time finding words.

"Okay" she said with expectant eyes.

"Okay, here it goes. Amy, I am an asshole. Um, what I mean to say is that three months ago I was an asshole. Because I said some things about the job and how it would be hard to work with you and yada yada yada. But that wasn't entirely true. The truth was that I was scared. Crazy scared. It started to look like we could be something and I ran away because at some point, I knew you would realize you're way too good for me and I'd never get over you—"

"Jake…"

"No, it's true. I was being a coward and then, to top it all off, I ignored you for three months. It's not like it did any good though because all I did was think about you and steal glances at you when you weren't looking. So, I—I wanted to say I'm sorry. I was a real dick" Jake said, his heart beating at dangerous rates. Amy looked at him and she almost looked disappointed.

"Oh, oh it's okay. I forgive you. Was that what you really needed to tell me?" she asked, searching his eyes.

"Yes. No! No, no there was something else—oh god, okay. Okay, Amy, the thing is—the thing is…screw it! Okay, Amy, I'm in love with you and I've been in love with you. I'm starting to realize that I'm not going to live forever and that the time I do have is a big deal. When I think about how I want to spend my time, I think about you and I just want to be with you. My best days are when we work a case together, because Amy, you make me better. And I know I've been an idiot and I know I'm kind of a mess, but if you still maybe—"

But he was interrupted by a pair of lips crushing against his. Amy had wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him close to her. Though shocked, Jake responded quickly and placed his hands on her hips, holding her to him. The butterflies in his stomach went into frenzy mode and he swore he saw swirling colors with flashing lights. She put her hands through his hair and shivers went up his spine. Still moving his lips with hers, he reached a hand to her cheek and slowly separated from her.

"Amy, I—"

"I have something to tell you too: You're an idiot," she said and there was nothing Jake could do but smile, "and I'm really in love with you too"

Jake's smile disappeared and he studied her face.

"You are?" he asked.

"Yeah, I am. I want us to be together too. We can figure out the work stuff later. I want to give this a shot" she said and her eyes were full of determination he had only seen in her once before. She loved him back and joy filled him. The only logical thing to do next was kiss her.

This time, adrenaline kicked in, and he picked her up and placed her on the counter. She placed her hands on his cheeks, while his hands found home at her thighs. He kissed her fiercely like it was the last time he would get to. Then, Jake felt a gentle pull at his jacket. He understood the request and quickly began shedding his jacket. Amy responded with fumbling hands unbuttoning her blouse. When she finally removed her shirt, Jake hungrily wrapped his arms around her bare torso, skin touching skin setting him on fire.

Jake took a break from her lip and kissed a trail down her collarbone. Amy let out a little sigh and he rushed back to her lips. Amy's hand began to fumble with his belt buckle and the nervous-excitement pulsing through him made him feel like a seventeen-year-old kid again.

With her successfully undoing his belt, Jake thought he'd try carrying her to the bedroom. When he was just outside of it he pressed her up against the hallway wall with her legs wrapped around his torso.

"Jake…" she said in a breathy whisper and a soft moan escaped him. Amy nibbled on his lip and it made him weak. Really weak, in fact. His arms gave out and Amy's legs slid to the floor, almost making her fall. She caught herself though and Jake cursed himself.

"Oh, crap, I'm sorry. Are you okay? I forgot that I'm still recovering from the whole paralysis thing" he said, getting embarrassed. Amy looked at him and just laughed, which caused them both to succumb to a giggle fit.

"I'll walk from here" she said with a daring smile. She took his hand and began backing into the bedroom, punctuating each step with another kiss. Jake shut the door behind him.

When Jake woke up he nearly jumped when he realized he had a warm body in his arms. He looked down at the cascade of shiny, black hair and delicate caramel skin, and then was hit by a wall of memories. He was with Amy. He had been with Amy. A sound that was a cross between a sigh and a gasp left him.

This caused Amy to look up at him from his chest. A tender, sweet smile illuminated her face. Jake's heart skipped a beat.

"Hey, you slept forever" she teased.

"Sorry, that was most physical activity I've done in a week" he said and she laughed.

"I exhausted you?" she asked

"A little bit" he said and this time, they both laughed, "Hey, so do you want to get dinner tonight?"

"Yeah, sure"

"I should warn you though"

"What?" she asked.

"I don't kiss on the first date. So, no getting fresh, Santiago" he said.

"Shut up" she said and promptly whacked him with a pillow.

Work the next day was interesting. They had both agreed it would be a good idea to tell the precinct a little later. They'd tell everyone eventually, but Jake and Amy were still figuring themselves out and the inevitable, constant teasing seemed a little overwhelming currently. It was kind of nice having a secret, though.

One of the highlights was the sneaky kisses in the evidence locker room. After one of their more lengthy sessions, Amy had some concerns.

"We should probably stop doing this" she said.

"Not one of your better ideas, if I'm honest" He said before trying to kiss her again.

"No, I'm serious. We could get caught" She said, but smiling despite herself. Jake surrendered and took his hands off her.

"Alright, but you're gonna miss it" he said with an eyebrow raise and a wink.

"I think I'll be okay" she said as she led the way back to the bullpen

If they weren't going to get caught because of their government-funded kisses, they were going to get caught because of Amy's lack of chill. Jake smiled even when he was upset normally, so no one really noticed the happy countenance on his face. Amy, however, was a different story. If they so much as locked eyes, Amy would crack a smile she had no control over. It warmed Jake's heart, but it had the opposite effect on Rosa.

"Santiago. I can hear you grinning from over here. What are you so damn happy about?" Rosa asked, looking up from her paperwork. Amy's face paled and a dumbstruck expression came over it.

"Uh, well, I, uh, checked my credit score today and I just broke 800. I officially have excellent credit" Amy said. Jake wanted so badly to make fun of her for it, but he didn't want to blow her cover.

"Whatever. Knock off the grinning. It's distracting" Rosa said before going back to her paperwork. Amy went back to hers with a steely face. Jake ripped off a piece of paper from a post-it note and threw it at her head. It hit her and Amy looked up, annoyed.

"What?" she mouthed.

"Good one" he mouthed back to her and she shook her head in irritation. Jake, with a mischievous grin, took a sharpie to another post-it note and quickly put it in a case file.

"Hey, Santiago, I need your signature for this" he said and handed her the case file.

"Why do you need my signature?" she asked confused, but opened it anyway. He smiled as he watched her read the post-it note:

Love you

She looked up at him with another big grin and a twinkle in her eye.

"Santiago! I don't care if your credit score is five million, I will slap that smile off your face if you don't quit it" Rosa said, her frustration growing. Jake suspected that her computer wasn't working and it caused her to be even more hostile than usual.

"Oh, sorry!" Amy said and then glared at Jake, before scribbling on her own post-it note and sticking it in the case file. She handed it back to him with a straight face. Jake opened it and found a note that said:

Love you too

(Asshole)

Jake looked up and flashed her a smile. He could see she wanted to reciprocate, but instead she just scrunched her lips together so she wouldn't disturb Rosa. Jake leaned back in his chair and watched Amy work. He mused at how fortunate he was. He looked around the bullpen and saw the faces of all the people that mattered most to him. He looked back at Amy with her hand furiously writing something down on her notepad. He thought about how he was going to hold that same hand after work and how he planned to hold it for a very long time.

He took in a deep breath and thought:

"Yeah, this can work"

And he got back to work.

AN: And that's a wrap! Thank you so much for reading and supporting the "We'll be Detectives, Ride Around Picking Up Clues" series! I know a lot of people were upset at the end of "Johnny and Dora's Fantastic Weekend Getaway", but I hope the second installment makes up for it.

The name for the series is a lyric from Hozier's "Jackie and Wilson". You should listen to it and then make gifsets of it because I think it describes Jake and Amy really well. And I want gifsets of it, dammit!

Let me know how you liked the ending and if you would like to follow me on tumblr my handle is talking-bird-jessie. I'm currently taking suggestions for fic ideas. Just fyi, I don't do smut and I'd like to work on a happy, fluffy AU so come at me, bro.

Hugs and kisses and so many thank yous!