After less than a day in New York, Ivy quickly realized that the city was far different from any place she'd lived before. Growing up in San Francisco, and living in D.C. now, she was pretty familiar with the ins-and-outs of a big city.

New York was something altogether different. It was more. It was the big city.

Traffic was one thing, she realized, that was especially different from either San Francisco or Washington. In D.C., although she often utilized public transportation, Ivy could still drive from one place to another and not reach the brink of insanity. New York was not so tame.

Detective Peralta drove Ivy through the borough, in search of the new apartment she'd call home during her time in the city.

"Wow, this is ... quite the neighborhood," Jake quipped as the two watched the building numbers for the address provided to Ivy by Geoff. "Nothing like where I live."

Ivy nodded in agreement, knowing nothing she could afford on her meager salary would come close to the high rise buildings in this area of Brooklyn. Good thing the government was paying for it.

Ivy's bags were in the back of the cruiser, along with the binder Detective Santiago made for her. The detectives at the nine-nine were extremely welcoming, and Ivy was grateful for their hospitality. She wasn't there to make friends, though. She was there to solve the case.

"Do you have plans for the evening?" Peralta asked, looking over at Ivy.

"Unpacking, mostly," Ivy replied. "And reviewing the material you and Detective Boyle provided me," she said, holding up the file folder Charles had given her.

Jake nodded. "Well, if you have any spare time, some of the detectives and I, we usually hit up this bar called Shaw's, just down the street from the precinct."

Ivy appreciated the offer, but she had work to do. She didn't need to bond with the detectives on a personal level. She just needed to work the case with them. "Thank you, but I think I'll pass."

Jake nodded, and they remained silent as they watched the street.

"Wait, 317, right?" Jake said, slamming on the breaks as he pulled the car over to the side of the road.

Ivy checked the message on her phone one last time. "317 St. Anne's Place. Yeah, this is it," she said, unbuckling her seatbelt as she peered up at the tall building. "Thank you for the ride," she said, opening the car door.

"Wait, don't you want help carrying your things up?" Peralta asked.

"No, I'll be fine," Ivy said, getting out of the car and opening up the door to the back seat, where her belongings sat.

"Are you sure?" Jake asked, peering up at the tall building that was to be Ivy's home for an indiscernible amount of weeks.

A smirk flickered to Ivy's face. It was clear that the detective just wanted to see what the fancy apartment looked like. "Actually, yes. Detective Santiago's binder is quite heavy, and I have all the case information from Boyle."

"Great!" He parked the car and hopped out, rushing over to help Ivy with her things. "Amy does tend to go a little binder-crazy," he said, taking the large book.

He locked the cruiser and they headed towards the building. A burly doorman greeted them, pulling a piece of paper from his pocket. "Name, please?" He asked in a gruff voice.

"There's a doorman!" Jake happily whispered beside Ivy, a grin on his face.

"Ivy Auden," Ivy replied. "I'm moving today."

The doorman nodded and said, "Welcome Ms. Auden." He turned to Jake, looking at him expectantly.

"Oh, me?" Jake said, continuing to grin ear-to-ear. "Jake Peralta. I'm not on the list. I'm just with her."

The man nodded and pulled out a pen, seemingly scribbling Jake's name down on his sheet. "Do you need assistance with moving your luggage, Ms. Auden?"

"I think we'll be alright, thank you," Ivy replied, heading inside as the doors opened.

"Welcome to the Greenfield, Ms. Auden."

Ivy didn't surprise easily — she always expected the worst and ran through every possible outcome she could conceive in almost every situation she undertook. However, as she and Jake stepped into the lobby of her new building, her jaw dropped.

The arched ceiling was blanketed by a deep blue and decorated by bright gold starbursts. A large chandelier hung in the center, casting light over the meticulously tiled floor, which featured an intricate and colorful design that led Ivy and Jake directly to the elevator. The Greenfield was any art deco fan's wet dream.

"It's so beautiful," Jake said, sniffling. "I could almost cry."

Ivy turned to look at her new colleague, a bit concerned. He was an eccentric man, that was for sure. The entirety of the nine-nine's investigations department seemed to be, though.

"I'm on the twelfth floor," Ivy said, wheeling her suitcase towards the elevator. Jake followed her inside, and they shot up almost immediately to the twelfth floor.

"My building doesn't even have twelve floors," Jake said, looking at the buttons in the elevator. "And this one has ... twenty seven."

"My apartment back in D.C. is on the second floor, and that's the top," Ivy noted as she led Jake out of the elevator, looking for apartment C.

She found the door and she dug out the key she'd been provided, inserting it into the lock. She pushed the door, using her foot to prop it open so she could wheel her suitcase inside. She was greeted by the tallest ceilings she'd ever lived under, and the widest windows she'd ever seen. An electric fireplace graced one wall, along with a mounted television, and a plush, deep blue, velvet couch sat in front of it. A dining table sat a few feet behind it, complete with a matching set of chairs and a hutch full of dishes.

The kitchen laid beyond it, tucked behind the entryway. Dark gray cabinets sat amongst a white granite countertop, which contained a variety of mini appliances Ivy didn't dream of ever using. Her eyes locked on a coffee maker, and she knew that, along with the toaster, would be the only parts of the fancy kitchen that would probably see any usage during her stay in New York.

"Wow," Jake sighed, echoing Ivy's own thoughts exactly.

Ivy set her things down and looked over at Jake awkwardly as he gawked at her new home. His eyes caught hers and he flushed, immediately setting the items he was holding down on an end table.

"Thank you for your help," Ivy said, pocketing the set of keys she was holding.

"Of course," Jake said, offering a friendly smile. "I should get going. See you tomorrow, Agent Auden — Agent Ivy — Ivy."

Ivy smiled slightly as the detective turned away and left the apartment, closing the door behind him. She checked to make sure the door was locked before grabbing her bags and heading for the bedroom, which she still hadn't seen.

The largest mattress she'd ever seen welcomed her in the bedroom, and after the long day she had, it was a sight for sore eyes. She dropped her bags and face planted into the comforter, which was soft against her cheeks.

Knowing she had a lot of work to do before she hit the hay for the night, Ivy forced herself off of the bed and grabbed her suitcase, setting on a bench that sat at the foot of the bed. She unzipped it and began hanging up the clothes inside, hoping that nothing had gotten too wrinkled. She spotted an ironing board and an iron in the back of the closet, so at least if it did, she could fix it. Knowing Ivy, even if she didn't see any noticeable wrinkles, she'd probably iron her outfit in the morning anyway.

After finishing with her unpacking, Ivy changed into a pair of sweats and grabbed her case files, along with Amy's binder, and headed to the living area. She plopped down on the sofa, searching through the binder for something to eat. Her stomach was growling, as all she'd eaten since arriving in New York was coffee and a hot dog from the stand outside the precinct.

Santiago had arranged the order-out section by food type, and Ivy was grateful. The only thing on her mind was bulgogi, a Korean dish of thin, marinated beef slices grilled and served over rice. She doubted anything would compare to her usual takeout place back home, but she was starving, so she didn't care.

She found a Korean takeout place and called in her order, then settled in on the couch, the case files from Jake and Charles spread out around her. They'd already talked over the case pretty thoroughly, but Ivy had to be on her A game if she was going to solve this case. She didn't want to miss a single detail.

As she leafed through the crime scene photos, she couldn't help but be transported back to a different time.

Ivy sat in the car with her mother and younger siblings, a mere ten years old. They were at her aunt's house, waiting in the driveway for Helen to come outside. They'd made plans the previous day to get lunch, as Helen had just been promoted. They were going to La Ranchera, a Mexican restaurant that was one of Ivy's favorite places to go. Plus, whenever Aunt Helen was along, she always spoiled her nieces and nephews to fried ice cream.

"What is taking her so long?" Vivienne asked, looking at the silver watch on her slender wrist.

"Maybe she's pooping!" Six-year-old Owen suggested, laughing in his car seat as he played with his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures.

"Owen," Vivienne scolded from the front seat, watching the front door of the home for her sister-in-law. She turned to Ivy, her oldest daughter, who sat behind her. "Ives, why don't you go check on Aunt Helen? She's probably just running late, like she always is."

Ivy nodded and smiled, eagerly unbuckling her seat belt. Aunt Helen was her favorite, and she adored the woman's home. She had so many neat things, and unlike most old people, she actually allowed kids, especially her beloved eldest niece, to touch them with her clumsy ten-year-old fingers.

"Oh wait, take these," Vivienne said, grabbing a bouquet of daisies off of the passenger seat and handing them to her daughter. "She can put them in a vase before we go to lunch."

Ivy hopped out of the car, skipping up the sidewalk to the front door, flowers in hand. She knocked once, her small knuckles rapping on the door as she realized that it was already open, so she stepped inside, a smile on her face.

"Aunt Helen!"

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ author's note ✫・゜・。.

we get a bit more of a glimpse of ivy's life as a child. i'll be continuing these flashbacks throughout the story, i think they add a lot to the plot :)

as always, thank you SO MUCH for reading! please leave a comment and vote if you wouldn't mind ...

xx,

madi