A/N: G'day! Sorry for taking ages to continue this story, I certainly intend to finish it. Thanks for all the great and helpful reviews along the way and I hope it continues to remain interesting to you.

Previously in Santa's Suitcase: Teddy works at the DA's office and has a suitcase to give his co-worker Sarah, CCTV reveals that Teddy's suitcase gets swapped with an identical one belonging to someone (Jacob Marsh) dressed the same (in a Santa suit), an amateur shooter appears to retrieve the suitcase while Sarah gets the suitcase from Jacob, Jacob is shot dead by the shooter while Sarah runs away with some documents, the shooter grabs the suitcase and goes off. Teddy is missing and the detectives go to his and his sister's residence, only to find him walk through the door without a suitcase.

Chapter 4

Sarah's Suitcase

20th December

Theodore and Stacy Livvery residence

6.30pm

After everyone had calmed down, they all took seats in the living room. Ms. Livvery poured tea shakily and the fine china began to rattle uncontrollably. Ted gently laid his hand on his sisters trembling hands in attempt to comfort her. They both were just able to put the teapot down and to sit still.

"Anyone care to share what the heck is going on?" Ted laughed in nervousness.

"Long story, short. Mr. livvery we-" Lupo began

"Please, call me Teddy"

"Teddy, we thought you were murdered today outside the DA's office, at least we believe it was meant to look like you were.

"O…kay?," his eyes went shifty trying to absorb what he just heard.

"This must be difficult to take for you both, and we have asked your sister this already, but is there anyone who has a grudge against you, by any chance?"

"Uh, no, no one who I can think of. Everyone shows me great respect, actually."

"Fan mail, Ted," Stacy whispered to him with a confident smile.

"Oh, shucks, too much respect from people sometimes" He shyly added.

"Haha, I wish I had fan mail!" B smiled, and so did Lupo.

"Well, to be honest, I receive Santa's letters more than anything." Said Ted

B (cleared his throat) and continued, "So any odd ones or unusual ones, perhaps obsessive?"

"No, I don't think so"

"Ok Mr-.. Ted, we'll take a look anyway. Meanwhile, could you please go through what happened today, why you had a suitcase with you?" asked Lupo.

"Oh yes, that darn old thing! I received a txt message from my co- worker, Sarah asking me to pick up a suitcase that she left outside one of the courtrooms. So I went over there and there it was- under the black bench in the hallway outside courtroom 4, just as the txt mentioned. I grabbed it to give to Sarah. When I gave it to her she seemed annoyed, and said that I got the wrong one. Which was weird because she just asked me to get it for her in her message. She seemed to snap as though she was nervous or anxious about something"

"And what about getting coffee around that time?"

"Ah, mm hmm, the coffee wasn't for me, it was for Connie Rubirosa. You see, I ran into her as she was coming away from the bagel stall. I knocked her coffee out of her hands, clumsy me. I went back to buy her a new one while she went in to the DA's office. She said I shouldn't worry about it but I insisted."

"Mm hmm. And what happened next?" Lupo asked.

"Well, I bought the coffee, but the strangest thing happened; I thought I was seeing double. There was an identical Santa next to me at the counter; he seemed a bit down on his luck, you know what I mean? As if he'd lost a case or something. I'm guessing he was a lawyer too judging by the suitcase he had too. Funny, what are the chances of two Santa's carrying suitcases with them instead of wearing ordinary suits and holding briefcases, ey? I wasn't the only Santa on Centre street I 'spose. Anyway, after that, I went in to give the coffee to Connie and the suitcase to Sarah"

"Is that what you two argued about...all this mess is about, a.. a wrong suitcase?" asked a hysterical Stacy.

"Stace, it's alright, let me answer the detectives' questions"

She wandered into the other room again to grab the fan mail.

"We'll just grab your phone if that's alright, for all we know she might be just about to call y-"

A phone suddenly started to ring and the room fell silent.

"Hey Loo," Bernard answered as he began to walk around the room, "Teddy's alive, he's here at his sister's..."

"Here. Here's my phone, I just want her back!" Ted gave Lupo his phone.

"So what did you do with the suitcase that Sarah said it wasn't hers?" Lupo continued.

"I went back to the Supreme court building first to see if I could find the other guy in a Santa suit but I had no luck, but someone grabbed my arm and asked, "Hey, shouldn't you be in court right now?" I told them that I was looking for the owner of the case. They said they thought I was Jacob Marsh. They told me he was supposed to be in family court that morning. I didn't get that person's name I'm sorry. But, I went over to family court and asked the guard if he had seen Jacob, the other Santa with a suitcase, he said that he would locate the room and hand it to him personally.

"Do you know Jacob Marsh, personally?" Lupo asked as he jotted down the info.

"No, No I don't, sorry. Should I?"

"Well you deserve to know who he was"

"Was?"

"He was the one that was shot and killed outside the DA's office. We thought he was you at first."

"Oh gosh!"

"He actually stopped Sarah from being shot because of the suitcase"

"So he saved her.

"What was that Loo?" Bernard asked on the phone.

Something caught Stacy's eye as she re-entered the living room, she then screamed "Oh my gosh! It's Sarah!"

Bernard moved the phone away from his face and raised his voice, "quick, turn on the TV Lupes!"

"Following the recent report of Ted Livvery, who went missing this morning, new updates have flown in saying that his co-worker, Sarah Micheal, has in fact been kidnapped and is being held hostage by an unknown group of men in black skii masks. They are demanding some kind of important documentation apparently that Ted has got. Just a warning to our viewers, some of the next footage may cause some distress..."

"No! Oh No!" said Stacey

What? No!" Ted asked in shock

"Ok guys, you don't have to see this" Lupo said as he began to move both Stacey and Ted out of the room.

A video appeared on screen of a bound, bruised and bloody Sarah sitting in front of two masked kidnappers holding a knife to her throat as she begins to demand the ransom to the camera,

"Please help me! Ted, if you're watching this...

"No I want to see her!" Ted pushed Lupo aside and sat in front of the screen. Sarah continued on screen,

"Ted, I'm so sorry I yelled at you today, I love you Ted!" (The kidnapper then shoved her a little to encourage her to read what was behind the camera) "That suitcase I wanted this morning had some important documentation involving an on going search for a fugitive, I can't reveal their identity but they have a message for you". (she began to read)

"Ted Livvery, I know you're out there, and I want my file. If you think you're safe after getting away today, you're wrong. I know all about your girlfriend, she seems nice, but how's your little sis, Stacy going? We wouldn't want her to miss anymore of those payments on that new house now would we?..."

"New house?" Ted asked as he looked over his sister and back at the TV again.

"See, it's fun to read people's files when you can dig up dirt on them. But, dig anything up from my files and there won't be any fun here for Sarah. I've written a letter for you, Teddy, I hope you like it."

(Sarah was already crying her eyes out but was nudged again to continue) "Please, Teddy, do what they say, I didn't mean for any of this to happen, I just want to come home, come home to you!"

The video finished and the reporter put up the photos again of the 'missing' Teddy as well as a photo of Sarah.

"A ransom letter was also submitted into the station, that will be handed over to the NYPD immediately." The Reporter concluded. Ted was grasping the screen and was on his knees.

"Look, Teddy, the new house... I can explain," Stacy crouched beside the man who looked different than her usual lovable, sweet brother. "It was a surprise for you and Sarah and the-." She hesitated, hoping Teddy would butt in. Luckily he did.

"But why would you risk foreclosure on this house. Mum's house. You need somewhere to live, sis"

"Sarah and I were organising a Christmas present for you. A brand new fresh house! It's got 3 bedrooms, a big kitchen and a big backyard. Sarah agreed to let me live at her apartment while I sell this old house. But I wasn't going to sell this until I knew you were completely happy with Sarah. I know she's been acting weird these past few months, but you've gotta believe me, it's because she loves you and she's scared... scared for the future with you. She told me she doesn't want to live with or love anyone but you.

"Re-really?"

"How about we just focus on getting Sarah back, then we'll worry about the future," Stacy gave her brother the biggest hug.

"Yeah we saw it... Great, thanks for that, Loo." B hung up the phone and faced Lupo, "Dr. Rodger's has done another DNA test on the unsub's fingerprints and has found a match. Loo wants us back at the station." He faced Stacy and Teddy, "Sorry that we have to leave. But we'll send a squad car to-"

Lupo shot up next to B and quietly said, "We can't do that, who ever this fugitive is, they're smart. A squad car won't be enough. I don't want to risk it,"

"You really think the rat squad has made me that much of a hard-ass, Lupes? What I was going to say was that we'll send a squad car to take them to a safehouse after they've been to the station with us."

"Oh, good! Sorry B," replied Lupo.

"Oh Ye of little faith, hehe,"

"Well I'll call victim services for accommodation tonight. It won't be easy though since more people are taken care of around Christmas time."

Bernard began to repeat himself, "Oh Ye-"

"Ok, Ok I got it , haha, thanks"

B faced the distraught siblings, "As I was going to say; we'd like for you to please come with us to the station and after, we'll send a squad car to go with you to collect some belongings. We're going to put you into protection"

They all made their way out the door. Bernard patted Stace on the shoulder and Lupo attempted again to comfort Teddy by grabbing a photo he saw on the mantle piece of Sarah, Teddy and Stacy. "Don't give up Teddy", he said as gave him the photo. Teddy formed a small wobbly smile and nodded with strength.

But how could Teddy even possibly be comforted when his life had been turned upside down like a self-saucing Christmas pudding?

A/N: Thanks for reading! I promise to make the next chap more action packed instead of TV screens and CCTV.

Coming up next in SS...

Detective Connie deserves some citation bars after more great findings,

A shoe and some cement stick two good-looking ADA's together in a lovelock,

And our favourite detectives get caught in a sleigh ride drive-by.