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It started because of the armchair Scully and Hitchcock found. It was a deep chocolate brown color and made from the smoothest, shiniest leather anyone had ever seen on a chair. But more importantly, it was the most comfortable chair anyone had ever sat in ever.

“I don’t believe you just found this,” Amy said, arms crossed and a frown on her face, when Scully and Hitchcock dragged it in to the station and put it down next to Gina’s desk. “Did you steal it?”

“We don’t steal!” Scully and Hitchcock both protested.

“No one throws away a chair this nice,” Amy argued. “What’s wrong with it? Are their rats in it?”

But Amy was the only one questioning the chair. Because Gina had sat it in while she was talking and declared it “the most perfect chair paradise, like the throne I was met to have,” and then everyone else was lining up and no one seemed to care where it came from because it was perfect.

And because of its perfectness, the chair itself seemed to inspire better and deeper thoughts in people.

Which was really how it started, because Jake was in the chair and he was deep in thought. Very deep in thought. So deep he wasn’t even paying attention to Gina’s running commentary about her Twitter followers.

“You know what we could use,” he said suddenly, sitting straight up, eyes wide.

Gina didn’t even look up. “A new coffee maker,” she said. “Great idea. We could definitely use one. I think Amy touched the old one and broke it.”

“No!” Jake said, suddenly leaping out of the chair and to his feet, spreading his hands around like he was about to make a huge announcement.

Gina kept ignoring him.

“A road trip!” he exclaimed.

“Sure,” Gina said, still not looking up.

Jake was not deterred by her lack of enthusiasm. “Just picture it,” he said. Again he waved a hand, like he was painting a picture on the horizon. “A Nine-Nine road trip.”

“I said sure,” Gina said. She moved her phone closer to her face, scrutinizing it. “Did you not hear me?”

“I thought you were saying that just so I’d shut up.”

“I was.”

“So you don’t want a special Nine-Nine road trip?”

“No, I do.”

Jake shook his head. “Why can I never understand you, Gina Linetti?”

Now Gina put down her phone. “Ah, Jake,” she said. “Now you get it. No one can understand me. It’s my charm.”

“But road trip?”

“Leave it to me. I’ve got this covered.”

•••

Gina looked around to make sure no one else was watching. (Of course no one else was watching. They weren’t even in sight). Then she leaned back in the armchair to get a better view of Rosa at her desk to make sure Rosa was definitely watching. (Of course she was watching. She had been scowling at her for the better part of an hour after Gina had deliberately turned up the volume of her phone so the click-clacking as she slowly typed her tweets, and then deleted and re-typed them, would be supremely annoying.)

It obviously had worked as Rosa’s scowl deepened once she could make eye contact with Gina and she finally broke.

“What?” Rosa practically hissed.

Gina shrugged, like it was nothing. “I’ve got a stash of alcohol at a beach house in Long Island,” she said.

Rosa didn’t move a muscle. “So?”

“So I was thinking girl’s night gossip sess after the boys are passed out.”

“What are you talking about? Gossip is for sissies.” Rosa wrinkled her nose at the thought.

“You don’t think the Nine-Nine needs another road trip?”

“To Long Island?” Rosa’s tone of voice didn’t even change. “No.”

“Come on,” Gina tried not to sound like she was pleading, while pleading just enough for Rosa to think she was pleading. “Just think about it.”

“No,” Rosa said bluntly, but the seed had been planted. That was all Gina needed.

•••

“And how is everything?” Holt glanced over his glasses at Gina, as he leaned back in his chair. He had learned that a great leader took a personal interest in his employees, and Gina was the best at assessing the personal needs of everyone in the Nine-Nine. He did quite enjoy these sessions they had where she shared with him these various needs and they discussed ways to handle them.

Like Scully and Hitchcock’s frustration that the vending machine no longer gave out free cookies, so Gina had gotten Terry to fix that last week by rigging the machine to give out free cookies and free chips. Or Amy worrying about her mentor sessions with Holt, so he had made sure to schedule some extra time in for her during lunch breaks.

It was very good, these sessions with Gina. Truly helpful in the long run.

Today, though, Gina looked almost worried. More concerned than she normally appeared. He wondered if perhaps there had been a crisis he had overlooked. That would not be ideal for morale.

“The in-fighting,” Gina finally said. “It’s gotten bad. The stress of the night shift is getting to people.”

“Hmmm.” Holt pondered this. “Yes,” he said. “Yes, I can see this.”

“I was thinking maybe we need to have some team bonding,” Gina said. “Do something fun together so people remember how much they like each other.”

“Fun,” Holt mused. “Yes. I suppose. Like a trivia night on historical figures from the 1800s, hosted at my house where everyone brings a cheese plate and a vegetable.”

“Umm, Sir,” Gina said. “That sounds great, but I actually had another thought …”

•••

Holt was still pondering Gina’s suggestion. It was crazy.

No, he corrected himself, it wasn’t crazy. It was beyond crazy. It was most definitely beyond crazy.

“What do you think about morale?” he asked Rosa, who was sitting at her desk. He had taken a seat in the new armchair, hoping to gain the insight that seemed to come from within its comfortable seat.

She didn’t look up.

“Overrated,” she said.

“I agree,” he said. He pressed the tips of his fingers together in order to better concentrate on the task at hand.

“These other idiots think it’s important.”

“I’m aware.”

“Whatever. What do they know anyway?”

“They do not understand,” Holt said, “like we do.” He sighed. “Can you imagine taking a — what did Gina call it? — a ‘road trip’ with all of these people when we have work to do? We’re a police station, not a vacation rental.”

“Totally agree, Sir,” Rosa said. “Very stupid idea.”

“So you would go then?”

“Of course I would go, Sir. Can’t leave them all on their own without supervision.”

“Good point, Diaz. I like the way you think.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

•••

“Here.” A voice appeared out of nowhere behind Jake, followed by a manila folder stuffed full of papers appearing also from nowhere to land with a smack on his desk, right on top of his peanut butter and banana sandwich.

“What is this?” he mumbled around the bread stuffed in his mouth, twisting around to see Rosa glaring at him, arms crossed.

“A case,” she said. “What do you think it is?”

Jake turned back to the folder, flipped it open, read the first couple paragraphs on the first piece of paper. He looked back at Rosa, who hadn’t moved from her position.

“This says the leads for the case are in Long Island.”

“Yeah.”

“We’re in Manhattan?” Jake thought that was kind of obvious.

“So?” Rosa said, like that didn’t matter. “I know how you get bored, even on vacation. I thought you’d be happy.”

“Vacation? Who’s going on vacation?”

“The Nine-Nine.” Rosa frowned at him like she thought he was the world’s biggest idiot. She probably did.

“Keep up,” she said. “You’re smarter than that. Duh.”

She walked away.

Jake just managed to wait until she disappeared from view before letting out a very high-pitched but still very manly screech of excitement.

•••

Jake stopped Gina in the hall.

“You did it!” he hissed, his face alight with excitement.

Gina rolled her eyes. “Of course I did,” she said. “I’m hurt you doubted me. Now pack your bags. We have a road trip to leave on.”

Later that night, when no one was looking, Jake patted the shiny brown armchair on the top of its super soft padded back.

“You did this,” he whispered. “You are the best armchair.” He looked around the station. “Now where are Scully and Hitchcock? We aren’t leaving on vacation without our favorite chair!”

After all, who knew how many other fabulous ideas were waiting just inside its clutches?