Author's Notes: This was planned to be a casefile story, but it turned more into a romance story. I hope you don't mind. But I always kind of liked the pairing, and so I thought now was the time to write this.

Since I forgot the disclaimer at the beginning of it; I just wanted to make sure that everybody knows, I am just borrowing the characters because if they were mine, they might have got together a long time ago...

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Chapter 3

Martin had been pacing the hospital corridor for ten minutes now, not caring that Jack kept shooting him annoyed glances. They had received a phone call from the NYPD earlier, telling them that the hospital had called to let them know they thought they may have the missing boy. The story about the kidnapping had been all over the news and they had all hoped for something like this to happen.

Martin sighed; he knew they would all feel better once they could confirm that it was the boy they were looking for, but when he, Jack and the anxious father had arrived at the hospital they had been told that the boy was being examined and they'd have to wait until the examination was finished before they could see him.

Martin heard Mr. Lucas sigh nervously and saw Jack look at his watch again.

"Hey!"

Surprised, Martin turned around to see Sam and Danny coming down the corridor toward him; they were both looking as surprised to see him.

"What are you doing here?" Sam asked and when Martin told her, she smiled.

"So, they informed you, too? Guess, everything is a little chaotic today, isn't it?"

Martin nodded. He was glad to see Sam and Danny. The good mood he had had that morning had vanished over the day, as more and more time was passing and they weren't able to find the missing boy, and now he was so anxious it was good to have his co-workers around. They were probably the best friends he had.

But he could sense some sort of tension between them, a tension that hadn't been there earlier, as if something had happened; something he didn't know about.

Knitting his brows, Martin shook his head at himself. No, he was probably just imagining it,

but he noticed that when Sam walked over to Jack, she avoided looking at Danny. And Danny was behaving somewhat strangely; when his eyes met with Martin's he quickly broke the eye contact to look at his watch and asked: "What's going on here?"

Before anyone could answer a young doctor approached them. Martin guessed her to be about thirty years old; she was very pretty and she was smiling at them.

"You can come and see him now", she said to Jack, guessing that he was the one in charge.

Jack nodded and turned to the father. "Look, I think it's best I go in first and make sure that it's him, and find out what happened here, okay? As soon as we know for sure you can come in too."

Mr Lucas rose from his seat shaking his head. "I want to see my son now!" he demanded and Martin couldn't blame him.

Jack remained calm. "You will, as soon as I know this isn't a mistake." When the man looked about to protest Jack added: "Mr Lucas, I am almost sure it is him, but there is a sick child here, who is being examined, and it's always scary in a hospital for a kid, and if it isn't your son, the last thing he needs is another bunch of strange people staring at him"

Finally Mr Lucas nodded, but he didn't sit down again. "Okay, but please hurry – all this waiting makes me…" his voice trailed away, and something bad happened; something Martin hated to see; a grown man was crying.

Jack nodded and he and the doctor walked down the corridor to the boy's room and closed the door behind them; a moment later it opened again and Jack came out.

Everybody was staring at him as he smiled and nodded, and Martin felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his chest. He felt the beginnings of tears in his eyes as he watched the father rush towards the room; he, Danny and Sam all craned to see the reunion of father and son.

………………

This was the hardest case Sam had ever had to work at Christmas, and she couldn't have put into words how relieved she felt as she stood in the small examination room, watching the father hold his son in his arms crying happily.

Fortunately, she didn't have to.

They were all gathered around listening to the young doctor: "We examined him and it seems that he is totally healthy; I can't explain why, though, because we were told has cancer but he doesn't."

There was a window at the back of the room and a chair next to it. On the chair sat a woman who Sam recognised as the boy's mother. She had a smile on her face, not caring that her hands were cuffed.

When she noticed Sam looking at her she smiled; "It's a miracle isn't it?"

Sam nodded, aware of the lump that had appeared in her throat, and feeling as if she was about to cry, too. She felt an arm being wrapped around her shoulders as, wordlessly, Danny pulled her close to him. She couldn't believe how angry she had felt earlier, and now all of those feelings had vanished. She slipped her arm around Danny's waist as she broke eye contact with the mother, and stared out of the window and into the dark winter sky. It had begun to snow again; Sam was overwhelmed by it all and couldn't hold her tears back any longer.

"I guess…", she was finally able to say in a throaty voice, "…I guess, there still are miracles happening…" Her eyes wandered back to the woman by the window.

"It's Christmas", she said and Sam nodded.

Danny pulled her even closer, and she snuggled deeper into his embrace until Jack spoke.

"C'mon lets go", he said as his eyes lingered on the sight of Sam and Danny in each others arms, "Let's give them some time on their own."

Once they were all out of the room Jack turned to the young doctor: "Is there a cafeteria or something?"

She nodded. "What about the mother?" she asked.

Suddenly Sam started to feel very sorry for the child's mother. After all, she had just tried to help her son; no, she had helped him, although Sam still found it hard to believe what had happened. Nonetheless she was sure that it was all due to the child's mother, who had even risked being arrested just to be there for her child. Sam looked at Jack, waiting for his answer:

"I am going to place a police officer in front of the room to make sure she stays where she is. She kidnapped the boy, we can't just let her go, but for now I think we should give the family a moment alone."

"But Jack she was just…"

He interrupted Sam before she could end her sentence. "I know, Sam, and I am sure they will figure out a way to keep her from being punished for that… but it's not our decision to make. We just follow the law."

Sam nodded.

"Let's go", said Jack.

Soon they were all sitting in the cafeteria, sipping coffee. It was late on Christmas Day and the place was almost empty. When Danny excused himself, saying he needed to use the bathroom, Martin and Jack both stared expectantly at Sam.

"Don't ask", she said. "It just happened."

"Today?" Martin wanted to know.

"Yes, today."

For a long moment none of them said a word. The doctor, who had joined them while she was on her break, stood up and excused herself, giving Martin a lingering look and a smile before she left, and then the three agents were alone. Finally Jack sighed and spoke:

"Is it serious?"

Sam shrugged and shook her head. "I don't… I mean, we don't know yet, but I am dying to figure it out."

Jack nodded. "Yeah, you should." He paused then added: "I am happy for you; what ever you decide is right for you two."

"So am I", Martin agreed his voice firm and honest, and Sam had never felt so happy.

When Danny returned a few moments later he was talking on the phone. He walked over looking down at Sam and interrupted his call for a moment to ask: "You up for some dinner and a little family Christmas celebration?"

Sam nodded and Danny spoke into the phone: "Erm… Sylvia, would you mind if I did bring a guest?"

"I hope she has enough food; I mean she didn't expect me, did she?" Sam asked, after Danny had ended the call, and had sat next to her.

"No, but I am sure there'll be enough food, and even if not; I'll be more than happy to share mine with you…" He looked up and at Jack and then at Martin. "I take it you know…"

"Yeah, well, kinda hard not to notice", Martin said, a grin spreading across his face.

Danny just smiled, finished his coffee and rose, reaching out his hand to Sam "We have to leave", he explained.

Sam had never felt so happy, as she grabbed his hand and let herself be pulled up by him, before they made their way towards the door. When they were almost outside she heard Martin call after them: "Merry Christmas!" and she turned around one last time to wink before she and Danny walked out of the building into the cold night.

………………

"Well, I better get going, too", Martin said to Jack; they had sat silently at the table since Danny and Sam had left.

"You got plans?" Jack asked.

"Other than to go and try find that doctor again and maybe ask her out? No." Martin said, laughing.

Jack grinned. "Maybe you should do that. It was obvious she was interested."

Thinking for a while Martin finally shook his head. "Nah, I am happier alone at the moment."

Jack looked doubtful but left it at that. He waited a moment then he asked: "By the way, how do you feel about Danny and Sam? I mean, you and Sam… you once were…"

"That's the past, Jack", Martin interrupted his boss, quickly. "Sam and I – that was… well, not a mistake, but it's over, and that's good………..for both of us. I am happy for the two of them, I really am."

Jack nodded, slowly. "So am I, I think. – Okay, let's go then. You gonna drop me of at the office?"

"You wanna go back to the office?" Martin asked.

"Just to get my car."

"Oh – alright."

Martin took Jack back to the office as he had said and then drove on towards home. It was snowing and he had to drive slowly, but that didn't keep him from being in a good mood. He turned on the radio, listening as they played: "Have yourself a merry little Christmas…"

And that was exactly what he wanted to do tonight.

He considered passing by the hospital the next day to see, if the young doctor was there…

His thoughts were interrupted by his phone ringing. He answered it cheerfully expecting it to be anybody but…

"Martin, it's your father."

Damn.

"I just spoke to Jack Malone and he said your case was solved. He also said, that you're going to get tomorrow off, no matter what happens so… I am expecting you to be here later tonight."

"Dad, I missed the flight."
"I know. That's why I did everything I could to get you another one. You will have to hurry."

For a moment Martin considered refusing, but he knew how senseless it would be and so – with a sigh – he agreed. Being with his family may be difficult, but how bad could it be?

It was Christmas, after all.