#peraltiagoau

37: “What did you break this time?” and 64: “You know, it’s a really long story.”

@b99peraltiago Adele, I’m very sorry to be so late with this ... but I’ve combined the two into an AU that I hope you enjoy!  

crash into you 

Series 3 of her favourite podcast, Lingthusiasm, is playing at just the right decibel through Amy Santiago’s earphones as she diverts her Thursday afternoon walk to a soft patch of grass in order stretch out her aching muscles.  According to the majority of her research, a steady pace of 3 to 4.5 mph was the optimum standard pace to maintain fitness.  In order to excel, she had increased to a regulated 5.5mph over the past few days, and her body was not being subtle in its protest.  

She’s not to know it yet, but in the coming days she will be grow to be beyond grateful for the existence of said earphones  - as they act as a complete distraction to her surroundings - and as a result Amy does not sense any impending danger until a shrieking “EEEEEEE! WatchoutIcan’tstopIcan’tstopOHGODICAN’TSTOP!” manages to cut through the otherwise dulcet tones of the host Gretchen’s voice.  

A mere second later, she finds herself falling to the ground as a confusing mixture of weight, cologne and wheels crashes into her, an unfamiliar pair of arms wrapping themselves around her middle as they attempt to absorb the brunt of their descent.  

The blades of grass are cold against her bare arms as she struggles against the sudden oppressive weight, the scent of dirt mixing with this mysterious cologne as she throws her head side to side.  “What the …?”

The weight is lifted as suddenly as it arrived, a steady hand planting itself into the ground next to her neck as the rest of Amy’s senses finally begin to regain control.  With her sunglasses knocked off during the fray (and therefore temporarily out of reach), she squints against the bright rays of the sun, struggling to make sense of what on earth just happened.

Obviously, somebody had crashed into her.  But she still wasn’t sure of the who or the how - or the why, really.  

But what Amy could be sure of, as her mind slowly began to focus on what was directly in front of her, was that she was currently looking into the most expressive pair of eyes she’d ever seen in her life.  Coupled with a prominent nose, strong jawline and tousled brown hair - it’s messy curls almost begging to be toyed with - the sight was distracting, to say the least.  

There’s a dull sound in the back of her mind, a soft baritone that she doesn’t recognise, and as her brows knit with focus Amy realises that the beautiful stranger above her is talking.  Tearing her attention away from the warm gaze in front of her, Amy shakes her head in obvious confusion.  “I’m sorry, what?”

“Are you okay?”

It’s a simple question - one that should come with its own simple response.  She thinks she’s okay - her breath is a little shaky from the shock, and her ankle is throbbing a little from the thwack of what she suspects might be roller skate wheels against her skin, but nothing feels broken.  Her voice seems to be coming and going as it pleases, though, and Amy doesn’t quite trust herself to speak more than a few words, and so she gives a feeble nod.

With a relieved sigh the man shifts, moving to sit slightly upright on the grass next to her.  “I’m so sorry about that.  I called out as loudly as I could, but I don’t think you could hear me until it was too late.”  Shaking his head, he gestures down towards his feet, and Amy lifts her head just a little, taking in what she had correctly suspected - a pair of roller skates, strapped to his feet with bright pink and yellow laces.  

Clearing her throat, Amy slowly props herself up onto one elbow, angling herself towards her assailant.  Her heart still felt like it was beating a little erratically, but no longer seemed to be lodged in her throat, and so she tries speaking something more than just a few words.  “I heard …something, but you’re right.  It was definitely too late.  Maybe a little of ‘I can’t stop’?”

The man nods, changing the motion to a shake immediately after as he reaches down and begins yanking the laces undone.  “There are literally no brakes on them.  Man, I am truly terrible at this.  I haven’t done it in years, and I guess some skills just don’t stay with you over time.”

“Unca Jaaake!”  A tiny voice appears, seemingly from nowhere, and Amy props herself up onto both elbows to gain a better view.  Skating effortlessly towards them was a young girl, no more than six years old, with soft red hair and a bright smile.  Bending her toe towards the sidewalk as she nears Amy and the stranger (Unca Jake seems like a pretty good guess), she comes to a smooth stop in front of them.  “You went off so fast! I couldn’t keep up.  Isn’t this FUN?!”

“TOTALLY fun, Iggy!  So much so that I swept this woman off her feet with all my awesomeness.”  Wincing, he looks back over at Amy.  “I really am sorry, Miss …?”

Smiling, Amy shifts herself into a half-sitting position before offering a hand to shake.  “Santiago.  Amy Santiago.”

His hand feels warm against hers, covering her palm with his gentle grip as he responds politely.  “Jake Peralta.  Or ‘Unca Jake’, as this one likes to call me.”  Returning his attention towards the skates, he yanks each one off of his feet with a triumphant shout.  “She and I thought it would be a great idea to go skating in the park.  Obviously, a better decision for one more than the other.”

Looking up, Amy watches with a grin as the girl in front of them launches into a series of twirls, holding both arms out in the kind of carefree manner that only a happy child can do.  “Yeah.  I hate to break this to you, but I think she might be a slightly better skater than you.”

“Oh my god, what did you break this time?!”  A new, definitely more mature voice cuts into their conversation, and from beside her Jake sighs.

“She didn’t break anything, Gina.  This was all me.”

A tall redhead screeches to a stop in front of the two of them, one hand reaching out to adjust the strap on her elbow guard as she throws Jake a withering stare.  Her eyes flit over towards Amy, her calculated glare making Amy feel oddly self-conscious, and with a roll of her eyes she returns her attention back to the man beside her.  “I’m not talking about Iggy, you doofus.  I know it wasn’t her - my girl can glide like an angel.  Clearly, if anybody was going to break anything today, it was you.”

“Wish somebody had thought to tell me that,” Jake mutters, balling his hand into a fist and pushing it into the grass as he lifts himself up.  Once standing he turns towards Amy, offering her his hand, and she accepts with a smile.  His hand really did feel nice and welcoming. 

“So you’re just going around knocking down strangers now, huh?”

“You know it was an accident, Gina.  I’m just thankful that nobody ended up hurt.  This is Amy, by the way.”  He gestures towards Amy, and she waves at the redhead in response.  “The lovely woman who was innocently walking through the park before I appeared out of nowhere and bowled her over.”

Reaching out her hand, Amy takes a step towards the other woman before stopping in her tracks with a sharp intake of breath.  “Ouch!”  

Jake is front of her in an instant, reaching out a comforting hand and resting it on her upper arm for support.  “Whoa, did I hurt you after all?”

Using her free hand to shield her eyes from the sun, Amy looks at the man in front of her, once again picking up on the obvious concern in his eyes.  She gives her ankle a little test wriggle, grimacing slightly as it throbs again in protest.  It’s definitely angry; but she can still move her foot without impediment, and so she shakes her head, offering Jake a comforting smile.  “No, I think my ankle’s just a little irritated, post-skate attack.  Nothing a little ice and elevation can’t fix.” 

His hand remains on her upper arm - a fact that Amy is becoming increasingly aware of - and Jake’s eyes watch her carefully as she gives him a friendly shrug.  “Are you sure?”

“Moooooom … I’m bored!”

“Me too, Iggs.  Me too.”

Holding back a laugh, Amy nods.  “Yeah, I’m sure.”

Reluctantly Jake pulls away, throwing a quick glare in his friend’s direction before returning his attention to Amy, patting the pockets of his jeans.  “Okay, uh … look.  I’m a doctor.”  Fishing a card out of his back pocket, he smooths the worn edges before handing it to Amy.  “If you start to feel worse at any point in the next 24 hours, I want you to call me, okay?  Any time, day or night.”

Plucking the card from his outstretched hand, Amy reads the inscription with surprise.  Jake Peralta: Oncologist.  Who knew her routine walk would ever be interrupted by a roller skating oncologist?  She grins, holding back a giggle as she looks back up at the man in front of her.  “Okay.  I’m pretty sure I’m fine, but … thank you.”

“Day or night.  You could have a concussion, or bruised ribs … I’d hate to have you hurting.  So, you know.  Call me if you are.”

Amy nods, bidding her goodbyes as she slowly begins to step back, snatching up her sunglasses and trying her very best not to limp in any obvious way as she goes.  “Will do.  Thanks for the card, and … hope you get better at roller skating.”

Jake’s blindingly bright grin is the last thing Amy sees before she turns around, missing his raised hand’s departing wave as she begins to make her way home.  It was ridiculous, but part of her couldn’t help but notice the tiny butterflies that began fluttering through her stomach the moment that man had smiled at her.  Not to mention the way his hand had felt so perfectly warm against her own.  

Or his kind eyes that seemed to absorb everything she said, when really she hadn’t had much to say at all.  

Shaking her head, Amy digs her house key out from its hidden pocket in her leggings, unlocking her front door and heading straight to the kitchen for an ice pack and a glass of wine (in that order).  It made absolutely zero sense, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she had just developed a massive crush on an absolute stranger.  

And she had no idea what she was going to do about it.

*

As it turns out, a few glasses of wine with your ankle propped up on the couch gives a normally shy woman a certain amount of courage; and so later that very night Amy sent a polite thank you text to the number on Jake’s business card.  (She is, after all, a massive advocate for thank you notes - or any kind of well-mannered correspondence, for that matter.)

Responding within minutes, Jake is obvious in his relief: thankful that he hadn’t left her completely damaged after his horrible attempt to keep up with a six year old.  

I honestly would have felt like the worst person ever, his text read, and Amy smiled at his candour.  Her thumb is still hovering over the keyboard, trying to figure out a casual way to keep the conversation going (even though it has only just begun, she really doesn’t want it to end just yet) when her phone vibrates again in her hand - this time with a photo of Jake on the ground, obviously having fallen again on his way home.  She’s replying with the laughing emoji before she can stop herself, and when he responds with a facepalm and a longwinded description of just how he managed to stack it on the concrete path near his house, Amy gets that warm feeling all over again - like they’ve known each other for way longer than just half a day.

Before she knows it, over half an hour has passed, and her phone has had a steady run of Dr Peralta messages the entire time.  Her eyes are still sparkling from all the laughter when the texts seem to pause for a minute or two, and with her heart leaping out of her chest Amy reads his latest message - a shy fragment of sentences, asking her to dinner the following evening.  

It’s all she can do not to respond with a oh gosh yes! - choosing instead to type out a less manic version of I’d love to, adding in the blushing emoji and ignoring the throb in her ankle as she begins a happy celebratory dance in her living room.  

It’s hard to explain, this feeling she gets whenever they speak, but Amy has the strongest instinct that this could be the start of something amazing.  

*

Jake sits across from her the following evening, the nerves obvious on his face as he fidgets with the napkin on the table, and Amy would like to say she’s faring a little better, but she definitely isn’t.  

Smoothing her hands against the red dress she’s had hanging in her cupboard for months now - waiting for just the right occasion for it’s debut - Amy wills her legs to stop bouncing with restless energy as she waits for the waiter to finish taking their order.  There’s a glass of white wine to both of their lefts, and while part of her is dying to empty the glass right away, there’s another part that wishes they had just ordered a bunch of shots instead.  According to her oldest friend Kylie, her reactions seem to vary dependent on the amount she consumes, but there’s something to be said for the influx of Liquid Courage.  

He’d told her she was beautiful when they’d met outside the restaurant earlier, his eyes so wide and sincere that all of the first date jitters that had been simmering in Amy’s stomach on the walk over had immediately turned into an inferno.  Had held the door open for her, giving her a gentle smile as she passed him by, and when she caught a whiff of the same cologne she’d noticed the day before, her heart had skipped a tiny beat.  

It was ridiculous, this pull she felt towards somebody that had literally been a stranger two days ago, but Amy wasn’t even slightly interested in stopping it.

Handing over his menu to the waiter as he departs, Jake flickers his gaze in Amy’s direction, raising his eyebrows slightly when he notices Amy is already looking his way.  His hesitation is obvious as his nerves get the better of him, opening his mouth before closing it just as quickly, and Amy - the woman who has attended more Toastmaster courses than most - decides to pull him out of the deep end.

“So … you’re an oncologist?”

He nods, a tiny smile of relief growing on his face.  “Yeah.  I’m based at Brooklyn Methodist most of the week, and every other Friday I do a little pro-bono work for community health.”

She nods, already invested in hearing more.  There was a handsome man sitting across from her in a pale grey shirt, a dark grey blazer and a smile that rivalled the lamp on every table for brightness.  He could start reading from the paper, and she’d be invested.  “That’s an interesting field to go into.  What led you down that path?”

Amy watches as the slightest tinge of pink begins to creep over his cheeks, and damn it if it isn’t incredibly endearing.  He hesitates for a moment, eventually raising his hand in a half-dismissive wave.  “You know, it’s a really long story.”

She waits, cocking her head slightly to the side, and after a minute Jake breaks out into a grin.  

“Okay, fine.  It was just me and my Mom growing up, and she was working two or three jobs to pay bills and whatever, so a lot of the time I would stay at my Nan’s until I was old enough to stay on my own.  We got really close, because my Nan was awesome, and when I was in my sophomore year of high school she got really sick.”  His face falls slightly, and he reaches for the glass of wine to his right.  Letting the wine trickle down his throat, Jake studies the glass a little more than necessary, and when he finally turns his attention back to Amy the look on his face makes everything else in the restaurant turn dim.  “We couldn’t afford a lot, but we went to so many doctors, trying to find answers, ya know?  And nobody seemed to be able to help.”

Amy’s hand seems to move of its own accord, reaching across the table to rest against Jake’s wrist before she even realises what’s happening.  His eyes flickers down to her touch before returning to her eyes, and the softness of his gaze only makes her squeeze gently in silent encouragement.  

“And … you know, this was a time before Google made everyone doctors, or even a reference point like WebMD, so it wasn’t too long before I found myself down at the local library - literally any chance I could get - just reading and studying and …. I dunno, trying to figure out what I could do to save her.  I was just completely in the zone.  Honestly, the library lady thought that I had been possessed by some other kid.”  Rolling his eyes, he gives a little shrug.  “They weren’t entirely wrong, if I’m being honest.  I simply couldn’t bear the thought of sitting back and just … waiting for this thing to destroy somebody I loved.”

Nodding slowly, Amy leans forward and uses the leverage to start a soothing stroke up and down her date’s forearm.  This is far more contact than she would normally offer on a first date - heck, maybe even more than a second date - but she cannot ignore this instinctual need she has to comfort the man across from her.  

Out of the corner of her eye she notices their waiter walking towards them, bottle of wine in hand ready for the pour, and she gives him a subtle shake of her head.  There was a story to tell here - she could see it in Jake’s eyes - and even though she’s fairly certain she knows where it’s going, she has no interest in rushing him through it.

Bringing his right hand up to the table, Jake fiddles with his dessert spoon, tracing the smooth outside edge with his thumb as a distraction.  “Anyway.  Despite all my hopes of becoming some kind of overnight Doogie Howser, things just kept getting worse for Nan, and … yeah.  Too little, too late.”  Scooping the arm of the utensil up with his fingers, he flips it over a few times, keeping his eyes locked on the flashes of metal against the beige tablecloth.  

Taking a deep breath Amy stills her hand on Jake’s arm, waiting until he’s looking back at her before continuing.  “I’m really sorry to hear that, Jake.”

He smiles, an action that barely meets his eyes, his face so soft it makes her heart ache.  “Thanks, Amy.”  His hand stills, foregoing the spoon to scratch an itch along his jawline.  “Anyway, by the time all that happened I was like … two months away from graduating school, and medicine had pretty much become the only thing I knew.  Add that to a surprisingly good SAT score, and next thing I knew I was on my way to medical school.  Broke as hell, studying during the day and working through the night, but … what little inheritance we’d gotten from Nan, my mom insisted it go towards my education, and I was not going to waste that opportunity.”

Chewing slightly on her lower lip, Amy studies the man in front of her.  “I think it’s amazing that you’re able to help so many people now, Jake.”  He shrugs, and she continues.  “No, really.  It takes a special kind of soul to be able to take the pain and make it into something stronger.”  

“I mean, it’s not all perfect.  I’m still paying off the tuition fees, to this day.  My da- someone was going to help me with it, but that’s a whole other story.”  He sighs, pursing his lips slightly before continuing.  “In saying that, I’ve think I’ve been able to help a decent amount of people.  And Gina - the woman I was skating with yesterday? - she’s been my friend since childhood; and now she’s my administrative assistant.  She has a surprisingly great way of sensing what my patients want to hear while they’re waiting for their appointment, and just provides the perfect distraction every time.  So yeah, I think it’s turned out kinda okay.”  The table falls silent for a moment, and just as Amy is about to break the hush, Jake blinks rapidly, shaking his head.  “God, I’m sorry.  I just blurted out like … half of my life story to you.  I don’t even know where that came from, I’m so sorry.”

Tightening her grip on Jake’s arm, Amy shakes her head quickly.  “No, please don’t apologise.  I really loved hearing about it.”  Slowly, she began to pull her hand away.  “And for what it’s worth, I bet your Nan would have been really proud of you.”

Watching as the blush returns to his cheeks, Amy takes a deep breath in as Jake’s smile begins to return.  He nods, his voice suddenly a lot softer.  “Yeah, she definitely would be.”

Glancing around the room, his hand runs down the middle of his dress shirt, fingertips skimming over the pale coloured buttons as he gives Amy a sly grin.  “I should probably confess something, though.  I was really, really glad when you texted me to say you were feeling okay - and not just in the ‘thank god I didn’t break a stranger’s ankle’ kind of way.”

“Oh?”

Jake’s still-fidgety right hand runs through the back of his hair, his expression turning sheepish.  “Yeah.  I mean, obviously I would have had you come in right away, strapped up your foot or whatever, but … it also would have meant that you’d have become my patient.”  He pauses to swallow, rubbing the underside of his ear.  “And if you were my patient, I technically wouldn’t have been allowed to ask you out, and that’s just … I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’m really happy that we were able to do this.”

The tip of Amy’s ears begin to heat up and she ducks her head slightly, quickly tucking her hair back before looking back up at Jake with a smile.  “Me too, Jake.”

Grinning, Jake’s teeth dig slightly into his bottom lip, and he nods.  “Anyway.  Enough about me.  I’m dying to know more about you.  What do you, when you’re not getting barrelled down by lunatic doctors in open fields?”

Chuckling at her date’s description of yesterday afternoon, Amy sits up slightly as she answers proudly - “I’m in the NYPD.  A detective, actually.”

“No way!  That’s so badass.  I bet you kick butt.”  Jake’s eyes light up, and he leans in closer, arms brushing against the edge of the table as they are relegated to his lap.  “Die Hard was not-so-secretly my favourite movie growing up, and for the longest time I was certain I was going to be a cop just like John McClane.”

Amy nods in understanding.  At least two of her brothers counted Die Hard as one of their all-time favourites, and she has spent many an evening stuck on the couch, watching the action thriller.  “Ah, I see.  Well … I’m sorry to tell you this, but I haven’t once jumped off the roof of a burning building.  Or climbed through ventilation ducts to save a bunch of hostages from certain death.”

“Yet.  You haven’t jumped off the roof of a burning building, yet.”

She laughs.  “You’re right.  My mistake.  I’ll be sure to call you when I do.”

He beams.  “I hope you do.”

To the approaching waiter they must have looked particularly odd - the two of them sitting in total silence as they smiled at each other from across the table - but Amy genuinely cannot remember ever feeling as comfortable on her first date as she does right now.  

Their easy conversation rolls on throughout their meals, ranging from stories about Amy’s most memorable collars to the patients that Jake has never been able to forget, and Amy is halfway through a story about which brother gave her the scar on her right elbow when the waiter reappears, quietly letting them know that several hours have passed and the restaurant was now ready to close.

She’s still blushing slightly as Jake pays the bill, smiling apologetically at the staff as her date holds out her coat.  In the blink of an eye, they had managed to spend the entire night talking, and yet somehow she still wanted to know more.  

Jake’s touch feels light against the small of her back as he leads them towards the exit, and as they step out into the night Amy leans her head back to take in the peppered light of the stars above.  She’s never been one to believe in fate, but maybe when it came to this, she needed to make an exception.

His hand reaches for hers after the third or fourth block, and as they walk together Amy begins to realise that of all the years she’s spent as a detective solving puzzles, she’d never actually found her own missing piece - and maybe, just maybe, the sweet and charming man beside her was going to be the perfect fit.  

They walk for longer than either of them intended, the stories from earlier in the evening picking up as though they were never interrupted, and when they finally end up outside Amy’s apartment she cannot hide the sadness that begins to wash over her. 

He kisses her goodnight, and it’s the kind of kiss that begins so soft and delicate, before turning into so much more … even though she knows it’s impossible, Amy swears she can hear the fireworks sparking above them.  His arms keep her close to his chest as they both lean in for another, the pounding beat of both of their hearts fighting through the fabric of their coats, and when he finally bids her goodbye, Amy knows that already she is falling, falling, falling.  

By the end of the following week, there have been two more dates (and perhaps one sleepover), and in a few years time Gina will tell an entirely different version of how they met to their family and friends at their wedding reception.

It will be a couple more years before their family begins to expand; but as they grow, Amy is always happy to remind their children that her knight in shining armour turned out to be a doctor with ill-fitting skates - and that sometimes, you just have to let your future crash into you.