Addy was still crying, and the stranger bounced her gently, trying to soothe her, his maybe-hooker companion half draped beside him, shooting territorial glares at Emily.

Sarah catching up distracted all of them. She glanced at the man holding Addy, and rolled her eyes. "Rodney Harris...of course. Only you're asshole enough to yank a crying child out of her mother's arms."

Emily recognized that name. The gangbanger that liked to give Morgan a hard time, the reason he ended up with a juvenile record.

"That's not nice, Sarah. This little one is fine, and," he glanced at Emily, "we were just getting acquainted, weren't we babydoll?"

She didn't flinch. "Give me back my child."

He rested Addy on his shoulder, and began rubbing circles over her back. Emily tensed. "Now, I'm not surprised Derek went for a white girl, his mama is white, but still, it's funny that his baby girl doesn't look a thing like him."

"He adopted her," Sarah was quick to defend.

Harris chuckled. "I should've figured he couldn't get it up after what Buford did to him. Messed him up good, I reckon."

"He can get it up just fine. Now, give me back my child," Emily repeated.

"I alerted a cop, Rodney. They'll be here any minute," Sarah said.

"It s'alright, you can come on over here and get her whenever you want, babydoll."

Emily approached cautiously, stopping a foot from Harris, and gesturing with her arm.

"You better get closer than that. It's alright sweetheart, I don't bite." He grinned, a smarmy, malicious grin.

Emily moved closer, resting a hand on Addy's back, and being instantly comforted by it. Harris nudged the woman who'd taken Addy a little away, to give Emily room, and she glared at the profiler through heavily made-up, drugged-out eyes.

"You take her if you want her," Harris said.

She knew exactly what he was doing, but played into it anyway, anything just to get Addy back. Stepping, close enough to grab the baby with one arm put their bodies nearly touching. Harris kept a hold of the baby as Emily tried to pull. His fingers went to her hip, ducking underneath her coat, rubbing the area intimately.

Emily seethed. "You give her to me now, or I report you for kidnapping the child of two federal agents, and I'll make sure I go to the CPD gang task force. They'll jump on it, and tear your world apart looking for her, and they'll find your guns, drugs, underage girls, or whatever it is you're into. Give me my child."

And, he did. But, not before smacking his hips against her, pressing his erection into her groin, and whispering close to her ear. "Tell Derek I said to watch out, I find myself suddenly all hot and bothered by his woman, I might want a sample."

She glared at him, not flinching, gripped Addy tightly to her chest, and marched back to Sarah and out of the alley.

Why his mother needed a six-foot tree was beyond him, but she'd fallen instantly in love with an incredibly full spruce, and insisted that, that was the tree she wanted. Even when he said the four and a half foot pine made more sense for the size of her house. And, how was she getting it back out after it's gone? Apparently, in addition to lawn mowing, leaf raking, and snow shoveling, the neighborhood boys also removed Christmas trees when people were finished with them.

He wasn't sure how he felt about a bunch of neighborhood kids shaking down his mama for a tree disposal payment. She'd laughed when he voiced that, and Desi told him he spent too much time on the job.

This was all at the same time they were incessantly grilling him on Emily, and everything about her they'd been too polite and unsure to ask about over the phone. He was dating her now, they had right to know more about her-their words. They found her to be rather impressive, and though Morgan really hadn't thought much about it since she joined the team, Prentiss was pretty impressive on paper.

Ivy league educated, successful career, daughter to a US ambassador, grew up mostly over seas and undoubtedly attended some impressive international boarding schools, speaks...well, he didn't actually know how many languages she spoke. Of course, had Morgan only seen her on paper, he'd have guessed she was probably stuck-up and stuffy, and had no interest in her. Emily Prentiss was definitely neither, and his interest in her was rather obvious.

"Desi get the door so I can drag this monster inside," he instructed, gesturing with his chin.

She rushed to get the door, and held it open for him, as he played He-Man, untied it from the car roof, and dragged it into the house. "You have the tree stand, Mama?"

"Right here." She rushed over with the red metal stand, and Derek went to work fitting it. The ceilings were eight feet tall, so he didn't have to do any trimming to get it to fit, even with the angel on top.

He felt eyes on him, and glanced up to find Emily watching him looking mildly amused, Addy sleeping under a blanket on her chest. And, there was something else in her eyes, something almost nervous in the way she was rhythmically running her hand over the baby's back.

Looking away, Morgan tightened the screws into the tree, and slowly lifted it to stand up. When he let it go, he kept his hands close in case it wasn't sturdy, and sighed with relief with it didn't teeter. Then he flopped down on the sofa beside Emily, and ran a finger over Addy's cheek.

"Everything okay?" He asked.

Before Emily could answer, Sarah came out of the kitchen. "Derek, we ran into Rodney Harris."

His body instantly tensed and his pulse quickened. He looked between them. "Did he hurt either of you? Or Addy?"

Emily shook her head, and sighed heavily. "No, he was just trying to scare me."

"Yeah, somehow he knew she was in town, and who she is to you." Sarah stood by the couch, and Fran and Desi walked in with boxes of decoration, setting them down, and joining Sarah, well aware of the unexpected tension in the room.

Emily and Sarah told him what happened, Sarah still pissed, Emily more shaken up than anything else. And, Morgan grew angrier and angrier as he listened. Harris had held his daughter, had comforted his baby girl, had put his hands on Emily, but he kept his temper in check until the end. Emily reluctantly admitted what Sarah didn't even know, what Harris had threatened, and Morgan had never been so angry in his life.

His body nearly trembling with tension, Morgan kissed the back of Addy's head, and Emily's cheek. "I've got to go take care of this."

"What? Take care of what?" Emily asked startled.

"Harris." He was on his feet, heading toward the door, and he was still in his coat, so he didn't even need to grab it.

"Are you nuts? That's what he wants, Derek. He wants you to attack him unprovoked," she insisted, moving from the couch.

He spun to face her. "Unprovoked? What exactly is your definition of provocation?"

"Fine, yes, this was his attempt to provoke you, but you'll still be the one starting the fight."

"Oh no, he started the fight the minute he put his hands on my family," Morgan seethed, grabbing the doorknob, and pushing outside, slamming it behind him. He stormed down the pathway to the sidewalk, not looking back when the door opened and shut, or to the sound of footsteps behind him.

"Morgan-Derek, damn it, stop a minute." Emily was following, sounding almost as angry as he felt. Didn't she get it?

Harris could have hurt Addy. He could have attacked Emily in that alley, and Sarah wouldn't have been able to do much beside yell for the cops. The thought of Rodney Harris putting his hands all over Emily made him feel physically sick. That the son of a bitch had gotten that close, had one of his girls grab Addy right out of Emily's arms, or arm rather, it made him see red.

"Derek, stop please," she called, jogging, and when he heard Addy begin to cry, he finally stopped and turned to her. He didn't expect her to still have Addy with her.

"It's too cold for her out here, go back inside."

"Just listen to me for a minute, alright?"

He nodded, but only because he knew she was stubborn enough to chase after him, baby or no.

"If you go over there and attack him, you'll be doing exactly what he wants, Derek, and you know it. I didn't even want to tell you, but I didn't want to hide it from you either. He didn't really hurt us, he just tried to scare us, and frankly, once you've flirted with a couple serial killers, some two-bit gangbanger isn't that scary." Morgan went to open his mouth, but Emily cut him off. "Wait, I'm not finished...If you attack him, if you kill him, you will lose your badge, and you will be sent to prison. I don't want to lose you, and I don't want to have to explain to Addy why her father is in prison."

Morgan pressed his lips together, and brought his hands to his head, turning about in frustration. She was right, he knew that, but he was still pissed and scared, and wanted to rip Harris's head off. He dropped his arms, and looked Emily in the eyes. "I can't just ignore this. What if he tries it again?"

"Sarah had alerted the cops, we filed a complaint against Harris, it's on record. He bothers me again, we get a restraining order, he violates that, he goes to prison," she said.

"That's two more times I might have to let him get near you, what if one of those times he actually hurts you or Addy? I can't risk that, Emily."

"He won't. He's not going to risk assaulting a federal agent and her infant, he doesn't want to go to prison. He just wants to antagonize you." Her voice was soft, almost calm, but he knew it was a cover, underneath it she was practically begging him not to go.

Morgan didn't speak, he was too torn to vocalize a response. He wanted to rip Rodney Harris to pieces, but he knew Emily was right.

Emily suddenly sniffled. "Fine, but if you have to go, you say goodbye to Addy first." She moved close to him, gestured him toward the crying baby, then she looked away, refusing to meet his eyes, her voice cracking as she spoke. "If you do this, you won't see her for two to fifteen years, so you hold her and you tell her you love her, so if you're still in prison when she's old enough to ask, I can at least tell her that."

He sighed, and took the crying baby, bouncing her gently to soothe her, kissing the top of her head. Emily was still looking away, running her tongue over her lip in that nervous mannerism she had. Morgan grabbed her good hand, and tugged her close against his body, pressing a kiss to her head. "You're shivering."

"It's cold," she said.

"Let's get inside." She didn't move immediately, but gave him a soft squeeze, what he took to be a thank you. He squeezed her back, and said. "You don't think that was maybe a little melodramatic?"

She snorted as they began to walk back to the house. "It worked, didn't it?"

Somehow, walking into a church unmarried, with a child born out of wedlock, and the man you're currently involved with seemed...well, she knew a priest in Rome that would have some choice words for her. These would be delivered with a headshake, and a disappointed comment that some things don't change. Maybe that's why her mouth was suddenly dry, and her palms were sweaty, barely two feet from the church.

The heady scent of incense assaulted her nose as soon as they hit the door, and Emily was struck with memories, namely the fears of a young girl under the glare of an old man. It was large and ornate as only a Catholic church can be, with candles burning bright, colored stained glass stretching up toward the ceiling, and the carved stone depictions of the stations of the cross. The organ was already thrumming, calling the parishioners inside for midnight mass.

There was something terribly oppressive about churches like this, like all the judgment in the world was beating down on the sinners who came and begged for forgiveness. A near life size crucifix was hanging up on the wall behind the pulpit, and people were milling around, greeting each other with Merry Christmases and how have you beens. An older priest was up front, smiling gently and taking people's hands, welcoming them in. Why didn't she remember a single welcoming priest in the years she went to church?

"Hey, you okay?" Morgan asked, wiggling her hand.

"Yeah, it's just been a while since I went to church, and I'm walking in with a child I had out of wedlock, and a man that's not the one who got me pregnant." Addy was in the baby sling, nestled against Emily's chest.

"I was taught that God loves all children, regardless of how they're created."

"Fran." Her name was spoken in boisterous greeting by the older priest that had been welcoming people. He took her hand, and wished her a Merry Christmas.

"Father Daniels, Merry Christmas," Fran spoke warmly. "The new nativity in the vestibule is breath-taking."

"Thank you. We had to retire the old set, it was hard to part with, but it was getting a bit worn. Sarah, Desire, it's lovely to see you." He greeted the girls with smiles, and then settled on Morgan.

"Derek, I only see you twice a year, but I suppose I should be grateful to the devils of the world that at least they leave you free those days," he said.

Derek shook his hand, but didn't seem to hold the same warmth as Fran and the girls did. His relationship with his religion was only a bit better than hers. "Father Daniels, Merry Christmas, and this is-"

"No need, I recall their names," he said, taking Emily's hand. "I've asked my congregation to pray for you and your daughter twice, on Fran's request. I'm glad your doing well after the accident, Emily."

"Thank you, Father."

"I'm pleased you and Adelyn could join us tonight. I christened Derek you know, gave him his first communion, and oversaw his confirmation, though he only actually made it to classes when his mother threatened him. Anyway, it's nice to see him starting his own family." He smiled, and hurried off to greet the next parishioner.

Emily turned to Morgan and smirked. "You skipped confirmation class?"

He snorted. "I bet you didn't even go to yours."

"I was living in Lebanon at that age, so I had no classes to skip."

"Is that why this place makes you so nervous, you skipped a step as a kid and you're afraid they'll find out?" He teased.

Emily settled beside him in a pew. "If only...no...ask me again someday, I'll tell you."

Morgan raised his eyebrows at that, but let it pass. She looked down the pew at Fran. "Thank you for asking them to pray for us, that means a lot."

She smiled. "Of course."

Father Daniels approached the pulpit then, and a hush drew over the room as people dropped to their knees for the opening prayer. With Addy attached to her, Emily opted out, but did bow her head, a show of respect more than faith. Everyone shifted back onto their seats as he began his sermon, and Morgan threaded his fingers with hers. Christmas Eve was mass was the only one she ever liked, it was shorter than the rest, because it featured the children's nativity pageant. And, soon enough he ended with a smile, and a precession of little angels with electric candles appeared and disappeared. Then one of the older children began orating the story of Christmas, while other kids acted it out.

An hour later, Emily was already starting to nod off, and Derek had to keep nudging her, always with an amused little grin on his face. She found herself slightly jealous of young girl playing Mary when the birth was done in voice over, and baby Jesus (a doll) suddenly appeared in the manger. When it ended, Father Daniels finished his sermon, they all stood and exchanged greetings of peace, and finally ended with a prayer. The priest headed to the back of the church, and positioned himself to begin receiving people, most of whom shuffled out slowly and looked as tired as she felt.

"Hey Derek!" The voice was a young man's and there was something vaguely familiar about it.

"James," he greeted the dark-skinned teenager that approached them.

He'd grown up a lot, taller now, with the broader shoulders of man, but still the slim physique of a boy. And, he had facial hair, not dissimilar to Derek's, and a slightly deeper voice. He was a good-looking kid, and Emily made a mental reminder to ask Fran to see photo albums tomorrow. Derek Morgan through the years, now that was a treat.

"How've you been doing, kid?" Derek asked him, shaking his hand.

"Good, I'm in college now, on a football scholarship."

"Yeah, you making good grades?"

He smiled, proudly. "An A, a C, and three Bs."

"What's the C in?"

"Spanish."

Derek frowned. "You have to take a language?"

James nodded. "Yeah, I would have failed but, I'm dating a Puerto Rican girl now," he paused and grinned, "private tutoring."

Morgan chuckled. "Yeah, you just be careful that all that private tutoring doesn't interfere with the rest of your school work."

"Yeah, I know...what about you, I'm not the only one who's been busy." He looked at Emily. "I met you a few years ago, right? After Darryl was killed."

Emily nodded. "I'm glad you're doing well, James."

"Thanks..." He looked back at Derek. "You're a dad now?"

Morgan smiled, and gently pulled the edge of the baby sling back. "That's our baby girl, Addy."

"She's cute." He turned when a voice called his name, then back to them. "That's my mama, I have to go. It was good to see you."

"You too," Derek barely got out before James took off toward his mother.

Emily turned to him. "Is the youth center still open?"

"Yeah, good people are running in it now." She gave his hand a squeeze, and he gave her a tired smile.

"You know," he said, "it's midnight, Addy's first Christmas."

Sorry guys, I meant to get it up earlier, but just didn't have the time. It's long though, so at least there's that. Also, it's been well over a decade since I went to Christmas Eve mass, so I don't really remember the order of things. Sorry, if I got that wrong.

This story is winding down, probably about three or so more chapters. Thanks for reading, and everybody that has reviewed!