99th Precinct

February 12th – 8:10 am

"Detective Peralta, come to my office." That's the first thing Jake hears right when he arrives to his office. "Well, good morning to you to Captain." He jokes while leaving his breakfast on his table. Jake heads to Captain Holt's office while greeting his co-workers along the way.

"Need to see me Cap?"

"It's Captain, and yes Detective Peralta. In fact, I need to ask you a favor."

Jake makes his best surprised/shocked face to Captain Holt who, obviously, doesn't show any reaction to his joke whatsoever. "So, what will it be?"

"Perhaps you're familiar with the holiday which is coming up this week, correct?"

"Oh yeah, Valentine's Day. Of course."

"Well, it came to my knowledge that only two of my detectives will be, let's say, available on the 14th."

"Oh my God Captain! Are you asking me out?" Jake jokes and, once again, doesn't see any signs of amusement in Captain Holt's expression.

"Don't flatter yourself detective. I'm in fact requesting you to work late on said day."

"What, c'mon Cap. Why me?"

"Because I need someone competent here..." Peralta smiles full of himself, "...besides, according to the information I received from Gina, you're the only person available on this day. I'm sorry Det. Peralta, but I need someone here."

"Alright. I'll do it." Jake says, not sounding so convincing for once.

"Great. And if you think this could be a two men job, I can request Det. Santiago to stay as well since, again according to Gina, she's the one person who isn't in a long-term relationship. I'm positive she'll rather serve this division than go in an occasional date."

He must admit having Amy with him would for sure make things in 'the most boring night of the year in the division' less unbearable, so Peralta actually consider the idea, but not for long. He just can't make himself ignore the fact that Amy is talking non-stop for two days about her 'Valentine's day dinner and movie' plans with that Handsome Luke guy.

"No, thanks Captain Droid, but she is really looking forward to having a date on Valentine's night since, probably, forever. So, no. I can do this by myself with one of my hands cuffed to the toilet's pipe."

"Good. And don't worry, you'll obviously be receiving a resting-shift to make up for this extra one you'll be working, just like the protocol indicates."

"Yeah, great. Does the protocol says something about me getting a date with a hot blond to make up for my troubles as well?"

Hoult just stares at him, expressionless, before adding "You may leave now, detective. I'm sure you have plenty of paperwork to do."

"Yeap. I knew it. I knew I shouldn't have said that." Peralta says, more to himself than anything, while leaving Hoult's office.

99th Precinct

February 14th – 18:00 pm

"Yes!" Amy says a bit louder than she meant.

"Why so excited Santiago? It's just a date, is not like you're gonna marry the goddamn guy tonight." Rosa says while rushing toward the door to be on time for her on date.

"Don't mind her, Amy. It's okay to be excited. I myself almost can't handle my joy to be seeing Vivian tonight." Boyle says, trying not to care about Rosa and rather concentrating in being happy for himself on his new love affair.

"Well, I won't mind her at all. I just happy I finished everything in my schedule in time so I can go home and got dress for..."

"Wait!" Peralta interrupts her middle-sentence. He opens his drawer and takes out a notepad and a pencil. "Let me write down all this relevant information about your date tonight with Mr. Handsome Luke, 'cause I'm afraid I couldn't catch up everything on the last one gazillion times you said it."

"Ha-ha, very funny, Peralta. What are you still doing in the police department? You should go and try to become a comedian or something" Amy says sarcastically while heading to the door.

"You know what? Maybe I will!" Peralta shouts at her, but Amy doesn't even bother to look back.

After pretty much everybody already had gone, Boyle goes to Peralta's desk to figure out what's going on. "Jake. Everything alright?"

"Yeah, sure. Why?"

"Well, we are the last ones here and I'm the one heading to a date, isn't this odd for you? What are you still doing here?"

"Hmm... Captain asked me to stay late tonight, he needs someone here to make all those boring paperwork."

"And you're fine with this?"

"Sure. Why not? It's just one stupid night. What is so special about it? It's not like I can't hook up with anyone the others 364 days of the year."

"Okay. If you say so." Boyle is still a bit concern for his friend but, in the end, there's nothing he can do about it. "So, I'm going. Wish me luck!"

"See you tomorrow Boyle, good luck."

99th Precinct

February 14th – 21:00 pm

Peralta had been sitting at his desk for the last almost 3 hours finishing up all the paperwork he had left to do. He was extremely bored and still had 3 more hours to go until the guys from the next shift arrive. For some reason, Valentine's night was always the most boring night to work late in the precinct. It always seemed that, in this particular night, all the bad guys would take a break for being, well, bad guys and decide to enjoy a pleasant evening with some hookers, weed and cheap beer.

Jake was pretty sure he was sleeping with his eyes open when he heard behind him Amy rushing inside the precinct and going straight to her desk.

"Santigo?! What are you doing here?"

Amy stoped for a moment and looked at him seeming surprise by his presence.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't knew you were here. The thing is I'm kind in a rush here and can't explain right now but... you think you can help me out with something?"

"Okaaay." Jake says, still a bit confused with all that. "I'm in. What is it?"

"Do you remember Luke, the guy I was in a date with tonight?"

"Oh c'mon, is it really what you wanna talk to me about?!"

"No, Jake! Listen..." Amy says and, for the first time since she arrived, she stops typing on the computer and actually looks at him "The guy is in his way to the hospital right in this moment."

"What? What happened? What did you do to him?" Jake says with a shocked expression.

"Shut up, I did nothing!" She answers kinda offended. "I can't really explain now, I just need you to help me find any information about his family so I can call someone."

Peralta doesn't ask anything else, he can see the worry in her eyes and realizes that this is no time for jokes anymore. "Ok. I'm in it."

All it takes is a few minutes till Peralta finds Luke's family number in the files.

"Found it!" He shouts while writing down the number and passing it to Amy. She takes it and heads to the break room to make the call, shuting the door behind her. Jake sits at his desk and wait, trying to figure out what the hell could possible had happened in this date.

99th Precinct

February 14th – 21:48 pm

More than half an hour passed when Santiago finally exited the break room.

"Everything fine?" Jake tacitly asks.

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, his mom wasn't very happy to know she would have to pick her son up in the hospital on Valentine's, but other than that, yes, everything is fine now. He will be fine." Amy answered sounding tired.

"Hmm.. good, good. So, I think now is finally a decent time to ask you what the hell happened there?!"

"Oh God, really?"

"Yes. Really."

"It's just... so embarrassing."

"C'mon Santiago, it's you. I already expecting to be embarrassing. Besides, if you don't tell me what really happened I don't even wanna tell you all the crazy things that will go through my mind."

Both Jake and Amy sit down at their desks so she can start telling him how her date with dreambo Luke turned out to be a major Bad Date List material.

"The movie we wanted to watch was supposed to start at 7 o'clock, so we decide to first go to the movies and after that have dinner." Peralta can feel the discomfort in Amy's voice while she procede in telling him what happened. "So, as usual, before going to our seats he decide to buy some chocolate at the bomboniere, and that was the night biggest mistake."

Amy was looking down to her hands on her desk and could sense Jake's stare on her. She only couldn't figure out if he was actually paying attention to her or just trying to came up with some stupid joke on her expense. "He asked me to choose the chocolate and so I did. I chose a chocolate with some tree nuts on it..."

"Oh, I see." Jake says, interrupting her. Apparently he was paying attention. "The guy was allergic to some of the nuts and didn't know about it till tonight." He says with a smirk in his face. The same smirk he uses when he figures out the leading solve of some case.

"Exactly, detective." She looks at his smirking face a little too deep before adding "So the movie theater staff called an ambulance and, as I'm not family, I couldn't go with him, so I came straight back here to find a way of warning his family. And the rest of the story you already know."

"I think I do." Oh no, and here they are again staring too long into each other's eyes, then lips.

"So..." Amy says looking away "Thanks for helping."

"You're welcome. But, I need to ask the favor back."

"What?!" Sure, this is Jake Peralta, of course he needs to ask for the favor back.

"Don't look me like that. I just need you to help me find the bottle of wine I know Scully has hidden here somewhere."

"Seriously Jake, what do you need wine for?"

"What do you mean 'what for'? You don't want to eat the pizza I'm about to order for us with coffee, do you? Sal would be disappointed."

By the time the pizza arrives Amy and Jake had already found Scully's 8 dollar wine bottle and picked up two NYPD mugs.

"Right on time, pizza-boy." Jake says, grabbing the pizza from the delivery guy and putting it on one of the desks.

"Oh no. Hmm.. Amy." He calls for her.

"Yeah?"

"Shit, this is awkward." He pauses for a moment "But would you have some, let's say, 5 dollars and 80 cents to help me out here? I'm kinda short on money today." Peralta says, blushing.

Amy tries not to laugh at his adorable dorky blushing face, but he has being so nice to her tonight that she can help to do so. "I only have 10 bucks." She says, giving the money to the delivery guy "I guess you can keep the change."

"Thanks ma'am." The guy says, already leaving.

"Yeap, thank you ma'am. And sorry about that."

"It's okay Peralta, really."

"Thanks." Great, now he can't look at her without blushing. "You know what? To compensate that I'll give you the honor of my company at dinner in the rooftop!"

"So that means you are not paying me back?" She laughs.

"Ha-ha." He ironically laughs back at her. "C'mon, let's go. This pizza will be so much tastier up there with the city view. Peralta guarantee."

"Great, that usually means I don't have a choice. So, yeah, let's go."

99th Precinct – Building's Rooftop

February 14th – 23:12 pm

They eat the whole pizza and drink half of the wine bottle alternating every slice with some small talk and every sip with a glance. And, Amy hates to admit but, for the record, Peralta was right. The rooftop idea was actually really good. And not at all because it reminds her of this one other date she had, of course not. The view is nice up there. It's a shame she's wearing just a dress with a light cardigan on top of it 'cause it's starting to get cold.

"Hey Jake, give me your jacket."

"What? It's freezing here."

"Oh, you don't say! That's why I asked." He's laughing at her slight angry face.

"Sorry, it's just I was waiting since we got up here for you to ask that and I was almost thinking you would rather freeze to death than ask for my jacket."

"Jerk!" She says, hitting his arm. He just keep laughing.

"Here." He says, taking out his jacket and putting on her shoulders. "Better?"

"Yeah, much better. Thank you."

"Hey, come here." He says, getting up from the benches they were using as table and chairs. He offers her his hand, she takes it, and walk with her to the ledge. They bth lean against the almost 4ft tall wall, side-by-side. Extremely, probably closer than they should, side-by-side.

"Can I ask you something?" Amy says turning to face him, moonlight illuminating his features.

"Go ahead, make my day."

"'Darty Harry', nice reference." She says, smiling at him. "I know." He answers smiling back. "But seriously, go ahead and ask."

She wanna ask him about their date, about that night in the rooftop. She wanna confront him on why he refuse the relief team that night. Why, if he knew he would be losing so much money by doing that? Why if he knew he was losing the chance to make her feel incredibly embarrassed. And, most important, why he never said a word about it?

She wanted to ask him all that, but how could she? He was looking at her in a way that he never did before. Hell, in a way that she didn't recall anyone doing before. And, after all, they were good, talking, drinking wine, having fun. God, she wasn't even thinking of Luke any more, or to be more honest, she wasn't even thinking of that annoying guilt feeling for him to be in the hospital anymore. So, instead of bringing their bet date up, she just looked at him once more. She just let herself enjoy his company and the warm feeling that was radiating from him.

"What time is it?"

He looked at her confused. "Hmm.. really? That was what you wanted to ask me?" No. It wasn't. But he doesn't need to know that. Someday she'll ask him all about it, but something in her guts are telling her that not tonight.

"Yeah. You're the one who made a big deal out of it. C'mon, what time is it anyway?"

"Almost time to go home. 20 minutes to mid-night."

"Good. Valentine's day is almost over."

They stayed there quiet, still side-by-side, for some more 8 or 10 minutes.

"So, I guess we should go back. The night shift guys will arrive pretty soon now." Jake says, locking his gaze into hers.

"I guess." She answer. But she doesn't move. None of them move much. They just stare at each other. Until they don't anymore.

Jake is the one who moves first. He puts his left arm around her shoulder and push her closer while leaning in her direction. Before Amy can actually realizes what his doing, he's already there, pressing his lips against hers. Yeap, it's official, she must be out of her mind 'cause she's kissing Jake Peralta and liking it. Like, liking it liking it. The kiss is gentle, his lips are soft. And them, they're gone.

"Happy Valentine's day, Detective Santiago."

She wants to grab his collar and kiss him again, but instead she just says "And to you, Detective Peralta."

They go back downstairs bringing their mugs, empty bottle of wine and box of pizza with them. The night shift guys are already there, so they both just grab their keys in their tables and leave the building.

"So, thank you for the help tonight. And thanks for dinner as well." Amy pauses for a second pondering if she should say what she's about to say. "And also for being my Valentine, even if involuntary." She laughs at that last part, trying to make her comment sound casual and goofy.

"You're welcome. Just let me know if this is going to the Good Dates List or to the Bad Dates List, okay?"

"I'll make sure to send you a memo. Good night Peralta." Amy says before entering her car and going home. Jake stands there, watching her go. He has no idea what was all that, the kiss, what it meant. All he knows is that this stupid Valentine's day sucked a lot less 'cause he got to spend it with Santiago, and for now, that's all he needs to know.