Chapter Text
“Have you ever thought about the fact that our captain is married to an actual NYPD legend ?” Daisy asks dreamily.
John glances up across their desks and smirks at his partner, who’s leaning back in her seat and absently tossing a rubber band ball from one hand to the other. Ever since Captain Santiago announced that her husband - Sergeant Jake Peralta - would be in the precinct during lunch hour, Daisy has been practically catatonic in her excitement. She gazes up at the ceiling thoughtfully (and, he realizes, she’s more still than she’s been all morning) and John returns to his report.
“Captain Santiago is a legend, too,” he says as he writes.
“Yeah, but not like Peralta ,” Daisy says the name reverently and turns to fully face John. “I heard he once chased a perp into traffic on a broken ankle, got hit by a car, and still made the arrest.”
John rolls his eyes. “You and I both know that’s not accurate,” he says to his report.
“Could’ve been. I heard he went deep undercover with the Ianucci Crime Family for, like, two years .”
“It was six months, Daisy.”
“ And he had to shoot four guys in the head while he was undercover!”
“That’s not even close to -”
“ Ugh , can’t you just let me be excited to meet my hero for five seconds without going all Morrissey on me?”
John smirks. “Sorry. I forget he’s your role model.”
“Yeah, well, I forget you’re basically Captain Santiago’s stalker.”
“She’s an incredible detective, Schmidt, and we’re lucky to have her as a resource and leader -”
Daisy’s got that stupid antagonizing grin on her face and John feels his frustration mounting quickly. He drops his pen, sharp comment ready to roll right off his tongue, but before he can get it out the air is pierced by the shrill voice of a small child.
Daisy whips around just as John cranes in his seat toward the source of the noise. A little girl with bouncing brown curls and a Star Wars t-shirt bounds into the bullpen, eyes wide and wandering as she takes in her surroundings. John rises out of his seat as Daisy quickly approaches the little girl, crouching down to get on eye-level.
“What’s your name?” Daisy asks, her voice gentle and warm.
“Maya,” the little girl says bashfully.
“Peanut?” A man in a leather jacket with a child’s backpack slung over his shoulder appears, looking slightly frazzled. Daisy straightens as Maya whips around and hurries toward him to hide behind his leg. “What’d we say about running out in front of dad?” He asks the top of her head patiently.
“To not.” Maya says in a small voice.
Maya’s dad shoots Daisy an apologetic smile. “She gets really excited when she sees cop uniforms,” he explains as he twists around to grab Maya’s hand.
“Oh, no worries. Is there anything I can help you with today?” Daisy asks in her professional dealing-with-a-citizen voice.
“Nope! I’m good. We know exactly where we're going.”
John furrows his brow as Daisy tilts her head to the side curiously. “Are you -”
Captain Santiago’s office door opens behind them and Maya shrieks “ MOMMY !” and darts around her father’s leg.
John turns numbly and watches Captain Santiago’s face soften as she kneels to hug her daughter. Her daughter. Which means the man with the tousled hair and the child-sized Star Wars backpack over his shoulder is -
“Have you had a super fun day with Dad?”
“I drew a picture of Grandpa Ray!”
“You did ?”
Sergeant Jake Peralta nods politely to Daisy, a broad smile already splitting his face, and moves to stand closer to his family. “She did,” he confirms when Captain Santiago glances up at him.
“Well, I can’t wait to see it.” Captain Santiago hoists the little girl up on her hip and reaches toward Sergeant Peralta to squeeze his upper arm in greeting. John catches a soft smile flash across Sergeant Peralta’s face in response. “Team,” she calls as she steps around Peralta. The precinct pauses. “This is my husband, Sergeant Peralta, and my daughter, Maya. We will be eating lunch in my office. Please hold all non-emergency interruptions until after lunch.”
The door closes and the bustle of the precinct picks up but John and Daisy remain motionless. “That was…that was -”
“Your hero...wearing a Star Wars backpack,” John finishes, feeling just as dumbstruck as Daisy sounds.
“Did it have Rey on it?”
“I think so.”
“That…is so… cool !”