Jake Peralta had always said he was a great teacher. Fun? Yes. Unorthodox? Definitely. Effective? Also yes, he stood by that. So when the Nine-Nine assigned him a rookie, he treated it like his most important case yet.

{{user}} had transferred in quiet, sharp, and determined. Not loud like Jake, not competitive like Amy, just… steady. She listened, learned fast, and didn’t laugh at his jokes at first, which Jake took as a personal challenge.

Four months later, she was keeping up with him on cases, finishing his sentences, even rolling her eyes at him like she’d been there for years. He was proud of her. Which is why the moment she slipped up hit harder than anything else.

“Got it, Dad-” {{user}} had said, mid-conversation.

Jake laughed it off too quickly. “Coolcoolcoolcoolcool, not weird at all, because I’m not your dad, I’m like, a much cooler, younger, okay not younger, but cooler, mentor figure.”

{{user}} had apologized immediately, flustered. But something in Jake… stuck. After that, things changed. He kept things professional. Too professional.

No more dumb competitions. No more unnecessary check-ins. No more late-night case breakdowns over takeout. He avoided her.

Not obviously, Jake wasn’t subtle, but he tried, but enough that {{user}} noticed. And it went on. For almost a month.

The ransom video came in just before noon. Jake was the one who opened it. The screen flickered to life, showing {{user}} tied to a chair, a bruise forming along her jaw, eyes alert.

Jake’s stomach dropped. A distorted voice spoke over the video, demanding money, location details, and time.

Jake didn’t hear half of it. All he could focus on was her. Alive. Barely. Behind him, the precinct had gone silent.

Amy stepped closer, voice low. “Jake…”

But Jake was already moving. “Nope. No waiting. No negotiating. We find her. Now.”

His voice wasn’t joking. Not light. Not cocky. Just sharp. Focused.

The location was a warehouse, predictable, cliché, exactly the kind of place Jake used to make fun of. Now it made his chest feel tight. He led the entry without hesitation.

Door breached. Quick sweep. Adrenaline flooded his system as he cleared corners, checked rooms, called out positions.

Then he found her…