Peraltiago-Too Late To Turn Back Now

1x01

"Santiago," He began. "I have a case for you." Holt slid the file across the desk and in front of her. Amy fumbled around with the edge of the cover, somehow managing to open it despite her quaking hand. She hastily scanned the document.

"Jacob 'Jake' Peralta—as in Jake Peralta, the guy that shot up that bank the other week? As in the guy that shot a guy in New Mexico and disappeared for 6 months, only to appear having been working in LA as one of those mascots at theme parks? As in the guy who-"

"Yes, Santiago, Jacob Peralta." Holt cast a stern glance at her. "Is there a problem?"

Her eyes quickly passed over the documents in her hand again. "You want me to... go undercover... Is this to get evidence that he did a ton of crimes? I thought we had all the evidence we needed for that, surely that's plenty enough to get him convicted, why do we need more?"

"We do not. We just need someone on the inside. We think he's up to something but we have no means to justify our hunches. There is absolutely no way he would confess to such a thing."

Amy's jaw tightened. "When do I start?"

"Tomorrow. Read the files tonight, Detective Diaz and I will help you go over your cover and by midday, the case will be underway."

~~

She read the case. Ohhh she read the case, alright. It was only about 37 pages long, full of pages of photos and evidence, Peralta's previous misdeeds, but Amy was through with it within an hour of being back at her apartment. She had several spider-diagrams giving her a full rundown of every aspect of her cover.

Amy Stanton, 32, school teacher. No children or significant other but she has a large family and she's very close to two of her seven brothers. Not technically a lie. It's easier if you don't lie, it's much harder to slip up and ruin the case if the only thing to slip up on is your surname and occupation. 

It's always been the rule with Amy, include as much truth as possible. Not only did it massively reduce the chances of her making mistakes, it also helps when trying to form some kind of bond with whoever you're lying to. The less lies, the more sincere; the more sincere, the more they trust you; the more they trust you, the quicker you get them locked up and the whole thing over with.

Jacob Peralta.

He'd done a lot of things: 27 counts of thieving, 8 counts of speeding, misuse of weaponry, 3 attempted murders, 1 murder. And many more suspected murders.

In short, he's not a good guy.

From his photos and what little footage Amy had at her disposal, he wasn't very muscly. Sure, he didn't look weak, but he was no Terry Jeffords. Amy guessed from her (limited) experience with men's physique that he had the beginnings of abs but a little tummy. She wasn't judging, she herself was hardly ripped. Her judgement suggested that he could totally beat her up if he wanted to, but she was probably smarter and she planned to use that to her advantage if it should be necessarily.

Amy found herself still pondering the files at 2am so she made an effort to pile them up neatly and leave them in the kitchen before heading to bed.

~~

Her alarm went off at 6:15am, waking her up from whatever case-file infused dreams she had been having. As per her routine, she snoozed her alarm once and dragged herself out of bed at 6:30. By 7:30, she was showered, dressed and yet again looking over the file.

She'd been told to get to the precinct by 8:30 so after a final scan of Peralta's records, she packed up and got in her car, making her way to work for the final time for the next few months.

The precinct seemed relatively empty when she walked in, Sgt. Jeffords gave her a friendly wave and Rosa nodded her head (Amy presumed that was basically the same thing), Charles Boyle shouted "good luck" across the bullpen from where he was getting his morning coffee, but other than that, the precinct felt eerily quiet.

Holt was waiting in his office like he'd told her he would be the day before. He gestured for her to take a seat.

"I trust you read the files thoroughly?"

She nodded, "Yes, sir. Several times over."

Holt dipped his head towards her and looked towards the door where a senior officer was stood. "I'll now pass you over to Agent Mundy to be debriefed before you go undercover." He and Amy both stood, but before she could leave entirely, he spoke again. "Detective Santiago?"

She turned her head as he continued. "I wish you all the best. I am certain that you are more than capable of completing this task."

Amy smiled before following Agent Mundy. "Thank you, Captain."

~~

Agent Mundy wasn't particularly friendly, but he was clear and got the message across so Amy didn't feel like complaining.

She was to meet with a handler every week.
She was to live in the safe house on the opposite side of Brooklyn.
She was to refrain from contacting anyone who is a part of her life now so not to compromise her safety.
Her family will be told she is away for work (Amy knew her father would gather she was undercover—it reassured the guilt in her stomach of not calling her parents last night).
Her friends at work will know she is away.
Her friends outside of work will be told nothing. Amy wasn't too worried, it was only Kylie and she understands that Amy's job means she goes off the radar every once in s while.

Amy Stanton put her foot on the gas and drove to her new home.