Today had been weird and overwhelming and confusing. When Amy first arrived at work, she tried to be extra casual with Jake in an attempt to make it seem like their last undercover assignment hadn't affected her at all. But of course, as it always went, acting extra casual never worked well for her.
Then the rug had been pulled out from under her. Her Captain, her leader, her mentor, her rabbi (okay, maybe not her rabbi) was leaving the precinct. Ray Holt was saying the most heartfelt words she had ever heard him speak... and then he was gone.
To top it all off, Jake had surprised her by finding her in the evidence lockup and drawing her in for a kiss. She should have been angry with him. They talked about this and this simply could not be happening. She should stop him. She really really should stop him... but, wow, this was their first real kiss. They were Jake and Amy, alone with no covers to keep. And she was enjoying the hell out the way he held her and the way his lips moved against hers.
When he knocked on her door later that evening, she wasn't really surprised at all. She had expected him to make an appearance and she had to admit to herself that she was really happy to see him. They stood in awkward silence for a few moments as she thought of how to bring up the events of the day. Before she could, he dropped a bomb on her.
"I'm going to ask to be reassigned."
"What... why would you do that?"
"I don't know. I guess it's like you said before, things are changing. Captain Holt is gone. Gina's gone. Maybe it's time I move on, too.
"Jake, you were there long before Holt was. We're all going to miss him, but just because he's leaving, doesn't mean you should."
"Listen, Amy..."
"Is this about our kiss? Because that's not a reason to leave either."
He took in a deep breath to steady himself. "I didn't respect what you wanted, okay? You wanted us to stay co-workers and friends. You didn't want it to get weird, but I blew it. Earlier today, I crossed the line."
"I think you're overreacting."
"No, I'm not. The problem is... I don't know if I can promise that it won't happen again. I have these feelings for you and they're not going away. Sure, we work well together, but things are changing and I don't think they can go back to the way they were. I know what you want and I respect you too much not to honor that. And in order for that to happen, I have to do this."
"But, this isn't..."
"I'm sorry, Amy. It's been great. I've had the most fun working with you. Please don't tell Charles I said that because I'm pretty sure it would kill him." He offered her a slight smile, while heartbreak was painfully obvious on his face.
He turned and headed towards the door. Amy was frozen in place, mouth hanging open with no sound coming out. She was desperately trying to sort through her thoughts and emotions as she watched her partner, her friend, her... she really had no idea what he was, but she knew she had to stop him.
"Jake, wait."
Mid stride, he turned towards her, with an adorably confused look that could rival any puppy.
"Don't leave."
"Don't leave what? The 99 or your apartment?" The smile on his face told her he was trying to make light of this serious situation.
She stepped closer to him. "Both."
"Amy..."
Before he could continue his half-hearted protest, she reached out and held his face as she brought her lips to his. And much like before all the reasons why this was a very bad idea flew from both their minds as they savored this kiss. He wrapped his arms around her, loving everything about having Amy Santiago in his embrace.
He broke the kiss, but kept his face close to hers. This time, instead of seeing a bewildered expression on her face, he saw an adorable grin, which made him feel a tightness in his chest. "So... tell me again. What about no dating cops?"
"Maybe what I really meant by that was... I don't want to date cops... that aren't you."
For once, Jake was at a loss for words.
"Don't think you have to do anything to protect me. Jake..." She ran her hands up and down his arms, much like she wanted to do in the evidence lockup (before they had been interrupted). "I have feelings for you, too, and I've been trying to avoid them for too long. I don't want to see you go just because you think it's what I want. Because it's not."
"Well, okay, about that... maybe if you had been clearer about the whole 'no dating cops except for the best one in the world' thing, then maybe we could have avoided all this confusion."
She laughed. "Sure, this is all my fault. I'm not the one who was ready to quit just because I kissed a girl."
"I Quit Because I Kissed A Girl. Title of your sex tape."
Amy shook her head, still smiling. "Oh, Jake, that one was weak."
"Yeah, that was embarrassing." He cringed. "I'm not proud of that one."
"So... you're not leaving?"
"Um... no, I guess not."
A grin spread across her face. "The 99 or my apartment?"
"Both."