A/N: Granger Clan Saga. Team Eppes spend Christmas on a case.
--"Merry Christmas, Daddy!"
Colby laughed as Keeley and the triplets jumped on him as he tried to get out of bed. Little two-year-old Verity wasn't far behind. Hannah smiled from the doorway.
"Don called," Hannah said softly, her heart aching at the look on Colby's face. "You weren't answering your cell. He wants you to call him back."
"I'm sorry, Hannah."
They all knew it meant he would have to work that day. The children looked wide eyed at their father.
"But it's Christmas Day, Daddy!" five-year-old Brandon piped up.
"I know, Brandon," Colby said gently. "But there's a little girl out there we need to find, so she can have Christmas with her parents. Okay?"
"Is she lost?" Tyler wanted to know.
I wish she was just lost, Colby thought sadly. The eight-year-old girl had been kidnapped by a known sex offender.
"Of course she's lost, silly!" six-year-old Keeley told her brother. "Or she'd be at home with her parents and Daddy wouldn't have to find her."
Colby met Hannah's eyes, relieved that he didn't have to figure out a way to explain the case.
"Why don't you go downstairs and wait while Daddy gets ready? You can open a present when he comes downstairs."
Giggling and laughing, and shoving at each other, they scrambled off the bed, and ran downstairs, with Keeley taking charge of Verity. Except for Cameron, who lingered, anxiety written all over his face.
"What is it, Cameron?" Colby asked gently.
"A bad man has her, doesn't he, Daddy?" Vague memories of being kidnapped made his dark eyes huge with worry.
Colby held his arms out and Cameron threw himself into them.
"Find her, Daddy. Promise?"
"I promise." Colby choked with emotion as he rocked Cameron who was now clinging tightly to him. He pressed a tender kiss on Cameron's temple. "I have to get ready, Cam. Why don't you join everyone downstairs?"
Cameron nodded, and ran off.
"It still haunts him," Hannah murmured.
"Probably will for a long while yet." Colby said sadly. "I'm sorry, Hannah. I know you had plans for today."
"Just find her, Colby," Hannah said softly, she couldn't bear to think of what the child's parents were going through. Her eyes gleamed with sudden mischief, "Your present will be waiting when you get back." And she laughed at the grin that lit his face.
----
"Merry Christmas." David's quiet, sarcastic voice greeted Colby when he got to work.
Colby sighed in agreement, but handed him a cup of coffee he'd picked up. "Merry Christmas to you too."
David inhaled the coffee with obvious pleasure. "A couple of new leads came up. Don and Megan are checking one of them out. We're to check out the other."
"Okay. At least we won't have a problem tracking people down at home today."
"Oh, good. An optimist." David said sourly.
Colby shook his head. He'd never seen the usually good-natured David quite so put out. Olivia must have lit into him.
"A registered sex offender moves into the neighborhood, and they don't keep a sharper eye out for their kids," David griped, still venting. Eight-year-old Audrey Sanders had disappeared three days ago. James Trenton, the sex offender was their most viable suspect, due to proximity. That plus he'd missed his last meeting with his parole officer.
Vent away, Colby thought, that's what friends are for. Still, he had to disagree. "It's not that easy, David, and you know it. Hannah was there and Demento still managed to grab Cameron."
David looked guilty, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply anything."
"No, no, I didn't take it that way. It's just really easy to be distracted if there's more than one kid." Colby tried to explain.
"How did Hannah take it when Don called?" Olivia had been most unhappy and had let David know it in no uncertain terms.
Colby shrugged, "Just told me to find her. She'll have her hands full with the kids. I think they're going over to Anneliese's later. You remember Hannah's sister?"
David nodded, wondering if Colby even realized how lucky he was. Sighing, he turned back to the paperwork. "Well, anyway, interviews with the neighbors finally turned up a few things. A few people vaguely remembered seeing someone matching Trenton's description. Some remembered a little girl with him, others didn't. One guy remembered the make and model of the SUV Trenton was driving because he was thinking about buying one of those. I've got a search started on the registrations for that model, and I've put out an APB on it. An older lady rented an apartment out to Trenton, Don and Megan's gone to check it out."
Colby nodded, "And we're to check motels and such to see if someone matching Trenton and little Audrey's description has checked in the last couple days."
David looked gloomily at Colby. Sighing again, they both turned and picked up their phones.
----
Don groaned with frustration when he and Megan finally got into Trenton's apartment. It was completely empty. Trenton had packed up and left, probably after snatching Audrey. He saw the stunned surprise in the landlady's face.
"Hope he's paid up for the month," he told her.
"Yes, he is. Plus there's the deposit." She paused, "I take it this means you'll need to bring a CSI team in?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so." Don replied quietly. "We need anything we can get."
She nodded, "Well, just drop the key off when you're done." She shook her head as she left.
Megan had already started to take a look around, "Matches, Don, to a Super 8 motel. Maybe David and Colby should focus on that chain."
Don rolled his eyes. There were probably hundreds of Super 8's in Los Angeles and the surrounding area. But it still helped if Trenton hadn't already skipped town. "What makes you think he's going to stay in the area, Megan?"
"Because he came back here, to the same area he used to hunt in, after he got out of prison. He's familiar with the area and he's not looking to set up some place new. There's every possibility he might have intended to move back in here when he was done."
Hunt. Don shivered, chilled at the image. Still, if Trenton stayed in the area, they'd find him. It was just a matter of time.
----
Hours later, all four of them were still in the office, sifting and re-sifting the evidence, making call after call to motels in Trenton's hunting ground and beyond.
"Go home, you guys," Don said quietly. Everyone ignored him. Sighing, he focused on Colby. The man did have five kids after all. What was Christmas without Dad?
"Go home, Colby," Don tried, noting the weariness in Colby's face.
"I can't, Don." Colby checked yet another file. "I can't face my kids, knowing this kid is still out there, in the bastard's clutches. Not when we're close. I just can't do it." Colby looked up from his files. "You can't either, so don't put any guilt trips on me."
Don sighed ruefully. Colby was right. That was why they were all still there, pushing yet another piece of paper around, hoping that the next piece of paper they pushed would lead them to Trenton. He looked up when Colby whooped.
"Front desk clerk of the Super 8 in Encino remembers checking in a man matching Trenton's description. She saw Trenton dragging the girl into the room, remembering it because the girl was so reluctant. At the time, she just thought the daughter was misbehaving. I faxed her a photo of Trenton and she's just given me a positive ID."
"Alright. David, get a warrant. Colby, put together a team. Megan and I will go scope it out"
----
They watched quietly from their positions outside the motel.
"We don't want to spook him. He might hurt her or use her as a shield if we do." Megan said quietly into her mike.
"And looks like a few of the rooms have occupants." David murmured.
"I'm going to knock, and get him to come to the door. Hopefully, he'll leave her to answer the door." Don threw a jacket over his kevlar vest and went to the door.
"Who is it?" a voice asked from inside.
"Manager. The clerk made a mistake and I need to check something with you." Don answered, hoping he'd struck the right tone.
Trenton opened the door, with the safety latch on, and Don's team rammed the door open, busting through the safety latch. Shouts of "FBI!" filled the air as Don shoved the surprised Trenton face down onto the floor. A little girl's screams rent the air.
"Easy, Audrey," Colby said gently, kneeling in front of her. His heart broke when she backed away from him with fear. "You're safe now. We're going to take you home to your mommy and daddy, okay? So you can spend Christmas with them, okay?"
She burst into fresh tears as she nodded.
"Shhh, sweetheart, it's okay." Megan wrapped a blanket around Audrey and cradled her close.
"Social Services on their way?" Colby asked.
Megan nodded, still soothing Audrey.
"Alright, I'll call her parents. Meet you back at the office." He smiled gently at Audrey. "Not long now, sweetheart." And left.
----
Several hours later, with all the formalities out of the way, Audrey left the building with her parents. All four agents smiled with satisfaction at getting Trenton, even though they knew it would take time for Audrey to recover from her ordeal.
"Merry Christmas, Agent Granger!" The security guard said as Colby left the office.
"Yes," Colby took a deep breath and looked around him with satisfaction, "It is. Merry Christmas to you too"
----
"Are they asleep?" Colby murmured, sighing with pleasure at the feel of Hannah's arms around him.
"They've in bed for about an hour. But I think I heard the boys knocking around." Hannah smiled when his eyes lit up. "Go check on them anyway."
Keeley and Verity were already asleep. Colby smiled tenderly. Verity was still tucked snugly under her covers, but Keeley had already kicked hers off. He tucked Keeley back under them, and kissed them both.
Only Cameron was awake when he went into the boys' room. Cameron's eyes lit up and widened when he saw his father. He stretched out his arms and Colby picked him up, hugging him tight. "You found her, didn't you?"
"We found her." Colby murmured, close to breaking down in tears.
"I knew you would!" Cameron arms tightened around Colby's neck as tears rolled down his face. "She's not scared anymore, is she?"
"No, she's home now. She'll have Christmas with her parents."
"Merry Christmas, Dad. You're my hero!"
Colby struggled to hold back the emotion that threatened to overwhelm him. "Merry Christmas, son."