Two weeks had passed since the Captains and Agent Alvarez had offered the new operation to Jake and Amy, and thus far, life had been boring, for which they were both somewhat thankful. They made the offices of the parole office their own, Charles was settling in nicely as the office manager, and all three could easily slip back and forth unseen between the parole office and the old office next door which had state of the art equipment and other officers working surveillance.

Today would mark the beginning of their meetings with their parolees, all of today's would be at the office but some later meetings would be in other places as well. Jake knew Amy was happy to be useful and not be trapped in the office, which he was as well, but in the back of his mind he still worried about the inherent danger of their jobs.

Jake had the first meeting, officer Enrique Palacios, who had been undercover in prison for two months, they posed it as a transfer, and then planned his release when he found connections into the Gallos Locos. Enrique was intimidating in his appearance, he wasn't very tall, but he was in very good shape and was covered in very convincing fake tattoos that no one would suspect to be fake.

Jake didn't know what to think of Palacios, he seemed to be professional, but he wasn't particularly warm, which Jake supposed was necessary to do what he was currently doing. Palacios told Jake that the Gallos Locos were very secretive in all they did, but they also didn't allow mistakes, so he had to be extremely careful with every question he asked. While he was in the office, he wrote down his mom's number and told Jake to call her should any harm come to him. It was a somber moment for Jake who felt guilty for questioning his own dangers when the men and women he and Amy were meeting with were facing the true danger.

In his next meeting, Jake met with Tino Valdez, he was about Jake's height, but his muscle build was significant, and he also had some fake tattoos mingled with his own, from a youthful indiscretion as a gang member. Jake immediately drawn to Tino, he was funny, outgoing, and seemed to be very intelligent. He told Jake who he thought was running the show, writing down the names and including descriptions of the men.

Tino had waved at Amy when he entered the office, he kept looking at the picture of Jake and Amy on his desk in his small office. "Are you married to Santiago?"

"Yeah," Jake replied, "married and work together, not a bad set up."

"I knew her, when she was a rookie, I don't think she remembers me, I look very different. She never saw me out of uniform. I still had tats, but I wasn't as big in the arms and shoulders like I am now. I really kicked that up before I went to prison."

Jake nodded, "you knew the captain, Groves?"

Tino nodded grimly, "yeah, he was a straight up dick. Always hit on lady cops, but few noticed it. I heard a little about what happened, but I do mostly undercover shit, so I don't always hear everything."

"Yeah, it was a cluster fuck, for sure."

Tino laughed, "I've heard of you too man, I hope you guys aren't too high profile to be posing as parole officers, but then again, they want the best people working this."

Jake nodded, he was thinking of just saying his goodbyes and dismissing him, but his curiosity got the best of him. "Tino, mind if I ask you something personal?" He felt very nervous now.

Tino sighed, "About how a nice guy would want to go to prison and then work for murderers for his job?"

Jake smiled at his perception and humor, in spite of everything. "Yeah, man, how the fuck do you manage?"

Tino grinned, "I try to just keep my head down. It helps that I was in that gang as a dopey kid, I know how to look exactly like a good soldier should. I just do my job, I don't ask questions, I also try to seem kind of stupid and take in all I hear. It's helped a lot so far."

"You don't worry…" Jake regretted saying it immediately.

Tino shook his head, "not really, it is what it is man. I know there's danger, but I know what these cartels are capable of and the bad they do."

Jake nodded and quickly finished the interview, letting Tino go, but he still felt badly that Tino had to put himself in such danger. Jake had seen too much go wrong to not worry, especially about someone as nice as Tino.

His last meeting of the day was with Diego Mendoza. Diego was half Dominican and half Puerto Rican, so many people assumed he was black, but he had an accent and spoke Spanish fluently. Jake thought he looked the least likely to be a gang member or work for a cartel of the three, but he was a smart guy and Jake liked him.

Diego said he'd run into Tino several times, the three male moles all knew who the others were, to avoid getting close, they were told to avoid each other when possible. He said he hadn't heard much, but he had made a friend who was terrified of ever crossing the cartel because he'd heard some crazy stories involving kidnapping, torture, and some other nasty techniques that Jake was sure would keep him awake tonight.

Amy's first meeting of the day was with Bela Guzman, a fairly short and very stout, strong, and tough looking woman. She was also covered in tattoos, most of hers were real, she joined to the force to take on the drugs that had invaded her neighborhood as a kid. She wasn't rude, but she was very to the point and was nervous about being there, not wanting to be suspected of anything.

Amy wrote down what she had seen, but it wasn't much. Amy wondered if her demeanor with Amy was so she wouldn't fall into bad habits later, around the people who would kill her without a second thought if they thought she was a cop. Amy dismissed her and filed her report, waiting for her next appointment.

When Amy's next appointment entered her office, she was taken back by how young the woman was, Amy glanced at her paper again and the age was listed as twenty, she wondered if she was really that young and on such a dangerous assignment. Anastasia Santos was young, but she seemed very dedicated and Amy instantly liked her as she was as detail oriented as Amy, able to list off many things she had witnessed during her time with the Gallos Locos.

After Anastasia left, Amy was waiting for her last appointment, she was craving a cigarette for the first time in a long time, but she could never bring herself to smoke while pregnant. She sighed as she pictured the smoke leaving her mouth. She was lost in these thoughts when Rosario Torres entered her small office.

Amy's first reaction was to be taken back by her beauty, she'd seen pictures of Rosario, but for lack of a better term, Amy could only think of stunning to describe her, and she was dressed very casually, with a beanie and torn jeans. Amy could immediately see Rosa's attraction as they began talking, she was funny, in a smart way, Amy would have never thought she was the sister of gang leader or involved in anything illegal.

Rosario bit her lip as they spoke, "um, Amy, do you mind if I ask you…no, never mind."

Amy wasn't sure what was wrong, "No, please, I'm here to help, with anything, ask whatever you need to."

Rosario sighed sadly, "I don't know if need is the right word, I , I uh wondered how Rosa's doing. It nearly killed me when she was injured."

Amy felt like the wind was knocked out of her as she heard Rosario and saw the sadness in her eyes, knowing how hard and even impossible it might be for anything to work between Rosa and Rosario.

"I saw her when she left the hospital and have seen her twice since then, she's great. Doing great." Amy paused, taking a deep breath and wondering if she should say what she was thinking. "I know she misses you. She opened up to me about how she felt about you at my wedding."

Rosario wiped a tear from her face and looked away, "thanks, I know, we don't make sense, but I could tell she was so much deeper than she played up when I first met her."

Amy reached out, placing her hand on Rosario's, "I can't imagine how difficult this must be for you."

Rosario nodded, "I was stupid, I should have never returned home, I didn't plan on staying, but between my idiot brother, my mom, and meeting Rosa, I couldn't leave. They told me that by doing this, I'll get my record expunged, I can only hope."

Amy took her hand back and felt a deep concern for her, "My biggest concern is your safety, that should be our number one priority, and I think everything can work out."

Rosario laughed as she shook her head, "I wish that was true, maybe, but there's so much fucked up about this. I have a college degree, I never told my brother, he wouldn't have approved."

Amy sighed again, wishing she could help her more than she was currently able, "Hey, I know a lot of people around Brooklyn, I will do all I can to help you find a job or whatever when this is finished, just stay safe right now."

Rosario offered up a slight smile, "thank you for everything Amy, I was afraid whoever did this would treat me different because of my past, you've been great."

Amy looked at her directly, making sure Rosario didn't miss any of what she was about to say, "Rosario, you are so incredibly brave. I don't care what you did, this is not easy, and you are obviously a great person if Rosa took an interest in you."

Rosario nodded as she stood up, she moved to leave, then turned around holding a folded-up paper in her hand. "Hey, I don't know if you're allowed or not, but if you can, please give this to Rosa. It says what I've wanted to say to her. I really do get it if you can't."

Amy tried to fight her own emotions, she wasn't expecting this meeting to be this emotional, whatever had happened between Rosa and Rosario, it was real, and it felt deep. "I will find out and if I'm told not to, I'll try to talk them into it."

Rosario thanked Rosa and left, Amy left her office a minute later, Jake walked over to her, "Ames, how'd it go?"

Amy shook her head, "it's crazy how dangerous this is for these people, I think they all know it, even if they don't say it out loud."

"I know, even Tino with all the jokes and stories, the shit is real."

Amy leaned her head against him, "the last woman, that was Rosario, you know, the one that was with Rosa."

Jake's eyes immediately got huge, "no shit? She was pretty, she looked so sad, coming and leaving."

Amy took a second to reply, "she loves Rosa, but she fears they might not ever get the chance to be together. She's doing this to get her record cleared, I just hope nothing happens. She's great, and I know Rosa truly cares for her."

Jake helped Amy to sit down, he could tell she was a little shaky, he sat down next to her, "when we do these things, we get so focused on what it means to us, but so many people put their lives on the line every fucking day. I didn't think I'd get so attached and all that on the first day."

Amy grinned, "it's called vested, and yes, I agree. They're incredibly brave and they are all putting their lives on the line to fight what the drugs do in their neighborhood."

"I know, the fucking war on drugs, I just hope it's worth it."

Amy glanced at him, "I know, I think there's got to be a better way, but the people who are running these cartels and gangs, they're opportunists who would find a way to make their negative mark one way or another."

The next week was spent working with the information they'd received and video conferencing with Holt, McGinley, and Alvarez to talk next steps and what they could do to help the undercover officers and Rosario stay safe. Amy passed the note given to her by Rosario to Charles who gave it to Captain Holt who told Amy he would give it Rosa. Amy agreed with him when he told her both Rosa and Rosario had done too much to follow every rule and not allow them this secretive correspondence.

The next week, Amy and Jake met with their parolees at restaurants around Brooklyn. Amy was glad she was able to tell Rosario that Rosa would or had received her note. Rosario seemed happier this visit than the past, Amy knew that her knowing Rosa could read whatever she wrote to her. All three of the undercover women told Amy they'd heard more and more murmurings of more violence happening, but they didn't have anything specific, only hints at what had happened.

Jake's experience was the same in his first two appointments with Diego and Enrique, each had heard talk of violence, but they knew nothing specific, only that there was a lot going on that most of the crew wasn't being told. Jake and Amy had been texting back and forth, so he knew she was hearing the same thing, which didn't make either of them feel any better about their undercover charges and the dangers they were facing.

When Tino arrived, Jake could immediately notice a difference, his huge smile wasn't as genuine, he still smiled and tried his best to be himself, but it seemed to be a deflated version, Jake could tell something had gotten to him. They talked for a bit, then Tino rested his head in his hands.

"Jake, this shit is getting ridiculous. I overheard something I was most definitely not supposed to. Marcos and Abel, they're two pretty high ups, but I was nearby, they all think I'm big and dumb, but I heard that the cartel, away from all of us, is kidnapping people. They specifically said cops, they also said lawyers and other drug competitors, but it's how they talked about it."

Jake shifted uncomfortably in his chair, "what do you mean?"

Tino shook his head and looked around him, "Those two sadistic bastards laughed about how the way that they kidnap. They don't torture, not usually, they leave them, with minimal food and services, no idea where, but they leave them there, so that when they do reach out to the cops or families, everyone will know they're serious and are the ones in control. I mean, that's bad, but what's worse is the way they joked about it, so casually, like it was a ballgame or something."

"I'll let everyone know, we'll all be on high alert, I know Alvarez and Holt will do all they can to ensure your safety."

Tino nodded, "I know, I don't get spooked Jake, I just don't. I'm good at what I do, but now, I'm freaking, these guys aren't human."

Jake did all he could to try and make Tino feel better, and as they talked at the restaurant, Amy was calling Holt to relay the information Jake had just received. To say that Jake was shaken was an understatement, he felt like he was ill, he couldn't clear his mind.

As he and Amy ate takeout at home, Amy tried to steer clear of the operation, then she glanced at the calendar and swore, "dammit."

"What's up Ames?"

"We forgot, tomorrow, my ultrasound. I'll text Holt, we weren't doing anything big, but I hate that I forgot to let him know about it." Amy quickly texted their captain as Jake took a deep breath.

"That will be good, replace the bad with some good news. This time, we get to find out, right, you know, whether it's got balls or not?"

Amy rolled her eyes at Jake, "I'll let this pass this time, you're stressed, but yes, we get find out the gender of our child." She smiled as she said it, the excitement hitting her as she and Jake had been so wrapped up in their work. "I'll be glad knowing, you know me and preparation."

Jake stood up and moved to her, embracing her, just happy to be wrapped up in something other than drug dealers and impossible odds. "I love you Ames."

Amy smiled as she looked up at him, "I love you too, babe."

The next day, as Jake looked around the doctor's office, he felt both excited and nervous. He and Amy had both talked about whether each wanted a boy or girl, Amy didn't care, and Jake wanted a girl. He told Amy this morning as they ate breakfast at the diner by their house that he was terrified of becoming his father and that if he had a son, he'd be worried all the time about that very thing happening. Amy tried to calm him down, but she could tell he was still nervous as he bounced his leg up and down.

When they entered the doctor's office, Jake stood back and watched the doctor enter quickly as she and her nurse set up the ultrasound. Amy had her normal laser like focus, she knew Jake might struggle if they were told they were going to have a boy, but she was ready for either, she just wanted to start her planning.

Each one was focusing on the other when they heard the doctor's words which broke through their thoughts, "it's a boy, one hundred percent."

Amy felt fine about, excited even, but the car ride home was a little tense at first as she had to let Jake vent about his lack of abilities.

"I mean it Ames, I'll be shit, the men on my dad's side of the family don't raise men well. My grandpa was supposedly a dick, especially to my dad. My dad was a dick to me, I mean, it's genetic. You can't fight genetics Ames; you can't fight genetics. It's not Gattaca, no fancy doctor to alter the badgenes, I wish we had that."

Amy laughed quietly, "that really wasn't the point of that movie, Jake. You will be a great father to our baby boy. I know it."

Jake glanced at her as drove, "how though, Ames? How do you know?"

Amy rubbed his shoulder tenderly, "I know because you weren't supposed to be good to me, remember? Yet you turned out to be the best surprise of my life. You get to choose Jake, not genetics, you."

Jake moved his head back and forth and side to side as he considered his pregnant wife's words. "I guess there's truth there, but I'm still scared Ames."

"I know babe, but we're a team, and we make a very good team."

Jake nodded, "hells yeah we do, that does make me feel better, but only because you're a part of it."

Amy grinned, "well, that's a start, babe, that's a start."