#i wish the ny office a very get some work cell phones like normal people instead of having the fully insane setup we've had for 2 years!

[dying-suffering-french-stalkers]

the thousand injuries of this fucking job i had borne as best i could, but when it ventured upon insult, i STILL didn't quit bc i'm an idiot who hates job-hunting and now i'm just stuck here being annoyed by every little thing in this office

[amydancepants-peralta]

A surprise little update to my longest (and nearly oldest) fic - an AU called Brooklyn, in celebration of my 1 year writing anniversary.  ♥️🎄😁

(And a quick thank you to all of you who have supported me over the last year, whether it was letting me crazy rant about something that won’t write itself, or liking/reblogging my work.  There are some lovely people here, and I'm thankful for all your support. 🥺💕☺️)

Brooklyn.

Chapter Sixteen:  All I Want For Christmas Is You (ao3)

Jake taps his hand impatiently against the thin plastic armrest of his airplane seat, narrowing his eyes onto the screen in front of him in a desperate attempt to keep himself distracted.  It would appear that not even Die Hard, his favourite Christmas movie ever, could stop him from wishing that this plane would just hurry up and land.  

It was just under a week ago that he’d been pulled into Holt’s office, and requested by his captain to travel to Milwaukee for assistance with a case.  An elusive robber by the name of Dixon - whom Jake had caught two years prior, but thanks to a greasy lawyer had managed to walk away uncharged - had resurfaced in Wisconsin of all places, and their fellow members of the force were determined not to let him get away this time.  

Although reluctant to be away from his family for any period of time, let alone a week before Christmas, Jake also understood the need to finally see justice be served, and so he’d made his way to the Badger State.  Things had gone relatively well, with the quick thinking of the combined detectives, Dixon had been captured and charged within five days of Jake arriving.  

And then the airline that Jake had been booked on to travel home went on strike.  And, being Christmas Eve, all other flights were completely full.  

It had taken nine different types of prayer; seven confusing phone calls, a forty minute Uber pool with five strangers (one of whom had yet to discover the magic of deodorant), and a ninety minute train ride before he made it to Chicago, where he then begged and pleaded (literally, down on his knees) to be let onto the last flight to New York.  By the grace of all that is good in the world, there was one last seat on the flight, and in four short hours he would be home.

It was now three hours in to what would undoubtedly go down as the longest flight in the history of the world, and for the eighth time since take off Jake resisted the urge to call over a flight attendant and offer to get out and push the plane home, if it’d mean they would get there faster.  He’d felt off centre all week - like there was a part of him that was missing, and he was willing to bet everything he had that he wouldn’t feel complete again until he was home.  

Truthfully, he ached for Amy something fierce.  He missed the home that they’d made together, the feeling of her arms around him every morning when he woke up, and the smell of her perfume that always managed to linger on his pillow.  He missed their daughter, Mia - an endlessly beautiful combination of Amy’s smarts and Jake’s humour whose presence never failed to make Jake’s heart smile.  He missed his family - this world that they’d made of their very own, where nothing seemed impossible and love was the most valuable commodity.  

Sighing, Jake reaches into his pocket and pulls out his cell phone, activating the screen and staring at a photo of the three of them together for the umpteenth time.  Next time his captain asks him to leave his family before Christmas, he is undecidedly going to say no - repercussions be damned.  

“Is that your family?”  A voice pops up from his left, and Jake turns to his seat mate with a polite smile, nodding.  She was a mature aged woman with purple rinsed hair, wire rimmed glasses and a friendly face, and briefly he feels rude for not acknowledging her presence before now.  “You look very happy in that photo” she continues with a kind smile, and Jake nods again.  

“Yeah, this was the first time my wife and I had taken our daughter out to build a snowman.  It wasn’t the greatest result, but you can just tell this version of Frosty has a heart of gold.”

The woman laughs, asking another question, and before Jake knows it he’s retelling his and Amy’s entire story - and how one chance encounter over spilled coffee had changed their lives infinitely for the better.  

“We got married six months after that, in a quiet little chapel about an hour out of town, and I guess you could say that we all lived happily ever after.”  He still remembers the feeling of his heart leaping into his throat as Amy appeared at the end of the aisle, angelic in white lace with her father on her arm.  Her smile was tied to his own as she drew closer, growing larger by the second, and while he knows that there were vows - and quite sweet ones at that, if he does say so himself - all Jake can truly remember about the ceremony is the sight of Amy in front of him.  She was stunning (is stunning, after all these yeras) and in that moment Jake truly felt like the luckiest man in the world.

Four years ago, Mia had arrived, and then they had everything.  

The captain interrupts their conversation in what feels like only minutes later, announcing their descent into NY airspace, and with a quick glance at his watch Jake realises that he is now only thirty minutes away from Amy and Mia.  His heart skips a beat at the thought: finally, his world is returning back to normal.

*

Jake’s only just begun to stride through the arrivals hall, clearing through the automated doors when he first hears a voice he would recognise anywhere. 

“Daaaaddddyyyyyyyyyy!”

Tiny gold sparkly shoes slap across the tiled floor as his daughter comes barrelling towards him - and without hesitation Jake drops his backpack to the floor, crouching down to meet Mia’s outstretched arms with his own as she crashes into him.

She wriggles, clambering onto the knee that Jake has bent slightly until she’s resting against his thigh, wrapping her tiny hands as closely around her father’s neck as she possibly can and squishing her face into his chest.  A contented smile crosses over Jake’s face, both arms wrapping around his daughter as she nestles in, and with every passing second, he can feel himself begin to reset.  This is what he had been needing.  

Mia mumbles something about missing him, and making him a drawing, all of which is muffled by her position against Jake’s shirt, but he can’t bring himself to ask her to move.  It has been five days without his daughter, which is five days far too long, and there’s a part of him that is hoping that she’ll never want to let go.

“Welcome home, babe.”  The sweetest voice in the world pipes up, and Jake lifts his head from his daughter’s hair to smile up at Amy, craning up to meet her halfway with a kiss.  “Mia and I missed you so much, didn’t we cutie?”

Jake feels his daughter’s head shuffle up and down, still unwilling to move from his embrace, and his heart swells all the larger.  “I missed you two.  So, so much.”

Mia’s head pops up, enchanting Jake with those deep brown eyes of hers in the same way she’s been doing for the last four years -  a trick she undoubtedly inherited from her mother.  “Did you see Santa in da sky, Daddy?”

“Hmm,” Jake responds, stroking his chin as though deep in thought.  “You know, I did hear some sleigh bells, but maybe that was just the wind?”  She looks so crestfallen at his answer that Jake backtracks quickly, “It’s a little early for Santa, baby.  I’d bet he’s still at his workshop, putting together the last of the presents.”

Mia studies Jake’s response so carefully, and she’s so much like her mother it makes his heart ache at times, and slowly she nods - clearly accepting Jake’s suggestion.  When she turned into this little person, he’s really not sure, and when he turns to glance in Amy’s direction, he notices that she’s got a similar look on her face.  “Time to go home, bubba?”

Another nod, this one a little more enthusiastic as she tightens her grip around Jake’s neck, and he stands slowly keeping one careful hand on her back.

“You wanna show Daddy the drawing you did for him, Mia Moo?”  Amy asks, trying to catch the eyes of their daughter as she remained koala-gripped to Jake’s chest.

“Mmmfphff a prfffapa ofmus” is Mia’s muffled reply, and Jake shares a puzzled look with Amy before hooking one arm around her shoulders, pulling her in for a three-way welcome home hug.  

He has learned a little bit of Mia-ese over the years, and so he replies - “It’s a what of what?” 

With a flop of her dark curls Mia pulls herself away from Jake dramatically, giving him a Look before repeating “It’s a picshure of us, Daddy!”

Keeping her chuckle quiet, Amy reaches into the back pocket of her jeans, quickly unfolding the masterpiece for Jake.  And it’s a multi-coloured jumble of shapes and stick figures, with some fun bonus love hearts added in for good measure, and it may not be perfect but it’s the greatest thing Jake has ever seen, and he gives Mia a big thank you hug as the three of them walk through to the carpark.  He’d had to fight hard to find his way home today, but he’d do it all again in a heartbeat just for moments like these.  

*

*

The following morning is Christmas, and there are teeny, tiny little feet pattering down the hallway of the Peralta-Santiago home not long after the sun rises.  Jake can hear it, no matter how hard he tries to bury his head into his pillow, and from beside him Amy groans.

“Your child is awake, Peralta.”

Not yet willing to open his eyes, Jake wraps a heavy arm around Amy’s middle, pulling her closer and nuzzling into her neck.  “She’s your child too, ya know.”

“Not at this time of the morning, she isn’t.”

Dropping a kiss to Amy’s shoulder, Jake opens his eyes and lifts himself onto one elbow, keeping the other hand resting against his wife’s waist.  “Nuh-uh.  You can’t go making Lion King references against me on this, Ames.  No matter how good it is.”  He brushes away a loose section of Amy’s hair, revealing her smile as she tries so very hard not to laugh.  

She opens one eye, lashes fluttering as she focuses on Jake, closing it again quickly.  “I can’t help it if our daughter wants to watch Disney movies all. day. long, babe.”

“No doubt about it, the girl has good taste.”  Amy smiles in response, grabbing the hand from around her waist and holding it close to her chest as she buries her head back into the pillow.  They’d stayed up late last night, pulling out all of the presents they’d been hiding until the Christmas tree was well and truly stocked with gifts, setting the scene for Santa’s visit to keep the illusion alive.  

After Amy stole the cookie that Mia had left out for Santa before Jake had a chance to (which resulted in a vanilla flavoured kiss for him a few minutes later, so really - who is he to complain?), they’d taken advantage of their quiet apartment with a shared bottle of wine and hours of talking.

Moments of peace were so treasured amongst the two of them, even after six years together, and not for the first time Jake had felt bewildered that there was ever a time that he truly didn’t believe that love was real.  Amy had crashed into him one afternoon, never to leave again, and the thought of any type of life without her was simply unimaginable.  She was his best friend, and the greatest person he’s ever known, and now as the mother to their beautiful daughter she sparkled all the more.  

The footsteps grow louder again, this time paired with excited squeals as Mia obviously discovers the presents under the Christmas tree.  Within seconds she’s running through the entry to Jake and Amy’s bedroom, flying towards their bed with total abandon as she cries out “CHRIMMAS!!”, landing in between her parents with a flop.  

“Oof!” Amy cries out in surprise, her sleepy eyes now wide open.  Mia reaches for her mother, snuggling into her shoulder and whispering “Merry Chrimmas Mommy” before turning towards Jake and repeating the action, and it’s so adorable that both Jake and Amy pull her in for a hug, squeezing her tight as she giggles from her position between them.  

“Santa came, Santa came!”

“He did, baby?  That’s exciting!” Jake replies, and although he’d once sworn that he’d never teach any future child the myth that was Santa Claus, it takes one look at his daughter’s ecstatic face to know that sometimes the belief in a little thing called magic was worth holding onto while you can.  She grabs onto his forearm, pulling it with all of her tiny strength in a futile attempt to get Jake out of bed, throwing him a look before trying the same with Amy.  Her determination was second to none, and it made Jake endlessly proud whenever it was on display.  

Leaning in to place a gentle kiss to Amy’s temple, Jake shifts until he’s no longer under the covers.  “Pancakes, Miss Mia?”

Mia squeals again, wriggling her way down to the bottom of the mattress and taking half of the blanket along with her, racing towards the kitchen for the Santa Stylez Pancakes that Jake has been promising all week.  With a grumble, Amy slowly begins to untangle herself from the bed linen, and Jake leans in for one more good-morning kiss before heading into the kitchen, where an unattended Mia has the potential to lead to disaster.  

*

Within the hour the living room has turned into a scene of wrapping paper decimation, a kaleidoscope of colours and patterns covering the once clean hardwood floors.  There were new toys everywhere - dolls and toy cars, books and puzzles and everything in between, and Mia sits in the middle of her circle of destruction, currently fascinated by a talking bear plush.  

Amy sits to his left, one hand resting on his thigh as they sit together watching Mia play.  The new earrings he bought her for Christmas are sparkling gently against the lights on the tree, and around his wrist sits a brand new probably-too-fancy-for-him watch, the kind he’s always wanted but never dared to buy.  They’d spent the morning fielding phone calls from family and trying to negotiate their daughter into calmly unwrapping one present at a time, all plans of which flew out the window when she raced to the living room and turned into a flurry of wrapping paper and sticky tape.  There’s nothing quite like the enthusiasm of a child on Christmas morning though, and both Jake and Amy had sat back and let Hurricane Mia do her thing.  

Waiting until their daughter has turned her attention to a new puzzle, dumping out the pieces onto the floor with an already concentrated grin on her face, Amy leans into Jake’s side, dropping a gentle kiss to his cheek before whispering, “I’ve got one last present for you, babe.”

Jake turns towards his wife, momentarily struck into dumbfounded silence as he realises that even now: in her pyjamas with still messy bed hair, sitting on their living room floor surrounded by torn up wrapping paper, Amy is still easily the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen.  She raises her eyebrows at his silence, and Jake blinks rapidly as he backtracks his thoughts.  “One last present, hmm?”  He rests a finger underneath her chin and leaves a chaste kiss against her lips.  “Does it start with Sexy and end in Timez, I wonder?”

Amy furrows her brow, blinking in confusion.  “Huh?  Oh! … No.”  Shuffling slightly closer to the tree, she reaches in to the middle branches, pulling out a tiny rectangular box before returning to Jake.  “I mean, yeah - that’s totally happening later tonight, once our little munchkin is asleep.  But I have one more actual gift for you, babe.”

Jake takes the box from her outstretched hands, blushing slightly at his sex-related assumptions, and pulls Amy back in for another kiss.  “Thank you, Ames.  I already love it.”

She rests her forehead against his, closing her eyes for a moment.  “You’re such a smooth talker, Peralta.  But open the present, I’ve been dying to give it to you since last night.”

Eagerly pulling at the surrounding ribbon, Jake casts aside the lid of the box before pushing the surrounding tissue paper away.  And then he stares at the contents, and his heart skips a thousand beats.

“Ames?”  He looks over at her, tears beginning to pool in his eyes, and Amy bites down on her lower lip, nodding quickly.

His eyes return back to the gift in his hand.  Inside the box sat a tiny rectangular photo of a sonogram, resting on top of a positive pregnancy test.  They were having another baby.  

He blinks again, hardly believing it to be true.  They were having another baby!

A millisecond later, Amy is wrapping her arms around him, her own happy tears streaking down her face as she buries her face into Jake’s neck, and the two of them begin laughing happily as Jake holds her close to his chest.  “Ames, I … what?!”  He mumbles, still in shock that the little brother or sister for Mia that they’d been hoping for was finally going to happen.  

“I found out the second day you were away,” Amy answers, pulling back slightly to pepper tiny kisses all over Jake’s cheek, resting adjacent to him on the floor but keeping her legs draped across his lap.  “And it just didn’t feel like something you should find out over the phone.”  Jake nods, pulling her in for another kiss, a longer one this time as the elation begins to kick in.  “You don’t know how many times I nearly told you last night, babe.” 

“Probably a few million?”

“Try a hundred billion.  I’ve just been bursting at the seams, Jake.  I’m so excited!”  Her hands move to either side of his face, eyes turning gentle as they take in his own exhilaration.  “I love you so much, Jake Peralta.”

“I love you so much too, Amy Santiago.”  He pauses as Amy leans in for a kiss, running his hands gently up and down her back.  “You’ve made me the happiest man alive, and this is literally the best Christmas present I could ever get.”

From the other side of the tree Mia cries out in triumph as she slides the last puzzle piece into place, already taking after her mother with her impressive puzzler mind.  She giggles with joy as her parents applaud her, scrambling across the floorboards until she’s resting in Jake’s lap (it’s one of her favourite places to be). 

“We have to figure out how to tell her, next” Amy whispers into Jake’s ear, and he nods.  The birds and the bees talk seemed waaay too soon, but he knows Mia’s curious mind won’t take for just any old line for an answer.  He wraps one hand around his daughter, placing the gift in his left hand carefully on the floor beside him before pulling Amy closer, sighing in contentment as all three of them sit together in front of the Christmas tree.  Decisions like that could wait.  The whole world could wait, really - because he had everything he needed, right here in his arms.