A/N: Here's my Christmas case contribution to the L&O fandom. And there will be some Mike/Connie lovin' a little later! It always makes me happy... and that's what Christmas is all about, right?! Particularly since tomorrow (12/16) is my birthday, so consider this my birthday present to you. So leave me some birthday presents in the way of reviews! Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Disclaimer: We all know I don't own this thing. If I did, I might actually be able to afford my Christmas presents...


Chapter 1

December 14

Linus Jenkins smiled happily as he wound his way through the crowds on Forty-Second Street. Just two weeks before Christmas, and there was this aura of joy in the atmosphere. Even in New York City, the city that never slept and never stopped, people seemed to be getting in the holiday spirit. So what if the stores were jam packed with people shoving and shouting their way to the front?

Okay, so he was a little naïve. But he knew it. And he didn't care. Christmas was his favorite time of year. A time to celebrate the coming of a Savior. A time of peace on earth and good will toward men. A time for turkey and dressing and all the trimmings. A time for singing Christmas carols and marveling at the beautiful lights that dotted the city.

But the thing that Linus Jenkins loved most was seeing his boys' faces light up as they opened their presents on Christmas Day. Linus ran a home for boys on the Upper West Side. The dilapidated old house in the middle of the city was filled with thirteen boys, ages five to fifteen, abandoned by their parents and left to fend for themselves in the cold streets of the city. Most of them had been bounced around in the foster system for a couple of years before they came to Linus. Most of them had had behavioral problems. But Linus's philosophy was that with some firm love and care, they would grow up to be good men. And, for the most part, his philosophy worked.

He pulled the huge bag of gifts tighter to his chest. Each one had been carefully selected for each individual boy and wrapped beautifully. This was the only time of year they got gifts. Because the house was practically falling apart around them, money was pretty tight. But it was the only real home most of the boys had ever known.

A smile spread across his face as he imagined the looks on their faces when they opened the presents. Come Christmas Day, he would make them a special breakfast of pancake and eggs, dress up as jolly old Saint Nicholas, and gently shake the boys awake. They'd sing a Christmas carol and read the story of the shepherds and wise men. And then… then, they'd open the presents. Their faces would light up at the sight of all the toys and music. They'd sing and dance and play with all the toys. He'd put on some Christmas music and laugh like Santa. "Ho, ho, ho!" he'd say as the kids laughed. Even the older boys would play with the younger boys.

Linus glanced up at the thick clouds hanging over the city. They were heavy with the snow that had been promised by the weathermen on TV. For once, it looked like they were right. His smile got even bigger. Maybe this year they'd have a white Christmas. They'd go out into the tiny yard and have a snowball fight or make snowmen. The boys would love that.

He turned into a costume store on Fiftieth Street, the sound of Christmas carols floating out into the street. "Hey, Brittany," he greeted the cashier with a smile.

"Linus!" she said, coming out from behind the counter with a wide grin on her pretty face. The man had become a regular in the three years she'd worked at the costume store, and she always loved talking to him when he came in for his annual Santa costume. "I have your Santa suit all ready to go for you."

"Great. I've got to get back before the blizzard starts."

"I'd heard it was going to snow tonight." Brittany went back to her place behind the counter and pulled a Santa suit off the rack. She checked the tag and handed it to Linus with a smile. "Here you go. Boys all ready for Christmas?"

"Oh, definitely. Jason and Wally put up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving." He shook his head, amused at the memory of the two eight-year-olds trying to put the star on the top of the tree. "Let's just say it was a little bit of an adventure."

"I'm sure it was. Did you have enough this year to get them some good presents."

"Yes, thank God. One of the churches gave us some money at the beginning of the month."

"Good. I was hoping you would."

"I'd hate for the boys to go without gifts this year. They've been really good."

Brittany smiled. "So would I." She glanced outside at the darkening sky. It wouldn't be long before the snow started coming down. "You'd better get moving before the snow starts."

Linus turned around and groaned. "Guess I'll have to take the subway." He grabbed the Santa suit off the counter and gave Brittany a big smile. "Merry Christmas, Brittany."

"Merry Christmas, Linus."

*****

Homicide Detective Cyrus Lupo screeched to a halt next to the cruiser parked outside the dilapidated brownstone. Snowflakes hit his windshield, leaving trails of water as they melted against the heated glass.

A blast of cold wind hit his face as he pushed open his door, and he groaned. He'd never been a big fan of the cold. That had been one of the few pluses of spending four years in the Middle East tracking down terrorists. It had been cold, but certainly not this cold. He wrapped his coat tighter around his body and wound his way through the maze of police cars and tech vehicles.

Dying at Christmas. Didn't get much worse than dying at Christmas. It was more awful than dying at any other holiday in the year. Christmas was supposed to be a happy time, no matter what religion you were. It was a time for family and friends to gather together and celebrate – peace on earth, that whole bit. Definitely not for a guy to be murdered in his own home. Lupo shook his head and ducked under the yellow police tape that curtained off the crime scene from the prying eyes of the neighbors. They'd already gathered in the street outside the brownstone, rubbernecks more interested in gossip than a person's life.

He passed a CSU tech coming out of the house. "Upstairs, Detective," the tech said, pulling off a pair of bloodstained rubber gloves and shoving them in his pocket.

"Thanks," Lupo said, watching as the tech walked down the stairs and around to the back of the house. "That's real sanitary," he muttered with a shake of his head.

He walked into the darkened parlor. The brownstone was certainly old, and it looked like its age was catching up to it. His observant eye spotted a couple of cracks running along the ceiling toward an old chandelier, and he scratched his beard absently. It could definitely use quite a bit of work.

As he turned to head up the stairs to his left, he spotted a group of kids sitting by themselves in the living room. Every pair of eyes watched him carefully, studying his every move. Lupo stared back at them for a moment, his dark eyes narrowing a little. He wasn't a big fan of being scrutinized like that, particularly by a group of boys.

A uniformed officer passed by him on the way out the door, and Lupo quickly grabbed his arm. "Hey, who're the kids?" he asked.

The officer twisted his head to look over his shoulder. "Oh, they're the kids that live here. The vic ran a home for boys."

"A home for boys?"

"Yeah. Boys that were abandoned or neglected." The officer shook his head. "Don't know what's going to happen to them now. The housekeeper's going to stay with them until they can figure out what to do about them."

Lupo looked back at the boys and nodded once. "Thanks." The officer disappeared out the door, leaving Lupo alone with his thoughts. That made the whole situation ten times worse than he'd thought. A group of unwanted kids left all alone right before Christmas, their only caretaker stolen from them. It didn't make any sense.

His mind was still whirling as he climbed the steps to the upstairs bedrooms. All he had to do was follow the bustle of CSU techs, medical examiners, and uniformed officers to find the crime scene. He squeezed past a pair of techs chatting in the hallway and finally entered the master bedroom.

The bedroom was a mess. A gray-haired man in his forties, clad only in a pair of boxers and t-shirt, lay on top of the covers. From Lupo's vantage point by the door, he could count at least five stab wounds on his upper chest. The white sheets on the bed were saturated with blood, and the room was freezing cold from the open window on the opposite side of the bed.

Detective Kevin Bernard, a heavy-set African-American in his thirties and Lupo's partner, stood on the other side of the bed, taking notes in his notepad. "Silent night, right, Lups?" he asked wryly as Lupo came further into the room to stand by the bed.

"Something like that," Lupo muttered back.

Bernard gestured toward the victim with his pen. "Linus Jenkins, aged forty-four. Ran a home for boys that the foster system lost. M.E. says he was stabbed to death."

Lupo shook his head. "Can't get much worse than that."

"One of the boys found him like this."

Lupo's eyes lifted from the body to meet his partners. "I stand corrected." He walked around the foot of the bed to the open window. "He come in through the window?"

"That's what it looks like. CSU printed the window and came up with a couple of partials. They're going to print the boys just to rule it out."

Lupo bent over to examine the underside of the window. "Doesn't look like it was forced. Robbery?"

"The housekeeper says it was broken before this happened. She said she's gone through the room and nothing's missing. And the M.E. says he hasn't been dead that long."

"So it would have to be someone that knew it was broken."

Bernard shrugged. "Or the perp brought stuff, found it open, and just slipped in."

Lupo stuck his head out the window, a shiver running through his body as the cold wind stung his face. He looked down to the ground and then glanced up and down the side of the house. An old rose trellis leaned up against the side of the house. "Must've climbed up this trellis to the window." He pulled his head back in and shook the snow out of his dark hair. "Pretty strong fella to be able to do that. It doesn't look like the sturdiest thing in the world." He turned around to see Bernard staring at something in the closet. "What is it?"

His partner let out a big sigh and moved away so Lupo could look inside. A stack of brightly-wrapped presents sat neatly stacked on the floor of the closet. A Santa suit hung in the back corner, tucked safely away until Christmas.

"Damn," Lupo swore softly.

"Merry Christmas to all," Bernard said quietly, giving his partner a meaningful look. "And to all a good night."