Alright here's my attempt at adding a little bit of drama to the story. And I know I made you wait a little longer, and I hate to do this to you but I need to get back in the practice of writing everyday so my chapters may not come as often as they did last school year however I will try to post more often than I did over the summer. Please tell me what you think of this chapter, and of course I don't own a thing.

I heard a soft chuckle from next to me, and then the opening of the bedroom door. Not a minute later I had three small children jumping on my bed chanting, "It's time to get up! It's time to get up!" I let out a small groan as Patrick pulled the nearest two onto the bed in between us. "You promised we'd get a Christmas tree today!" They screamed but curled up in between us anyway.

"What do you all have against sleep?" I teased and pulled the blanket over my head.

"You promised." They whimpered, moving from Patrick's side to mine.

"We have all day." I wrapped my arms around them.

"Alright come here, how about we go make breakfast and let Teresa sleep a little bit longer." Patrick smiled lifting the girls off the bed and leaving William to jump down on his own. "Tell Teresa to wake up soon." He not so quietly whispered into the girl's ear.

"Wake up soon Teresa!" The twins called from the hall and I laughed and rolled over to look at the clock it wasn't even eight on a Saturday morning. We had a week in a half until Christmas the kids had started their break yesterday, but Patrick and I were still expected to work until next Saturday. We had agreed this weekend we would get the tree and next weekend we would bake cookies.

I should get up, but then again if I got up now breakfast wouldn't be ready yet and there is a good probability of me getting roped into helping. It was close to ten minutes later I heard the bedroom door open again and the pitter-patter of small feet.

"Is she sleeping?" William wondered as Alyssa helped her brother back onto the bed.

"Yes, Patrick said don't wake her just keep her out of the kitchen." Alyssa instructed in a whisper and I had to hide my smile in the pillow. I felt movement on the bed, and a poke in the back. "Stop it Liam he said don't wake her up."

"Is she and Patrick married?" William crawled back to his sister.

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"I don't know."

"Don't they love each other?"

"Of course they do, they said so."

"Then why are they not married?"

"I don't know." Alyssa repeated, where had that question come from? He wondered if we were married, why was that? Well we did live and sleep together every night. We both tucked the kids in at night, we ate together every night I guess it wasn't to far of a leap for a three year old to make. But Patrick and I married? Did he want to get married again? Did I want to get married? The last time I tried that it didn't go so well, but I was to young to get married then. Why was I worrying about this it's not like he was planning on asking me any time soon it had after all only been four months. But one of these days one of the kids would ask Patrick or I that question and we would need an answer. I was lost in thought and wasn't paying attention so when I turned over my eyes were open and the two of them knew I was awake. In a second they were running down the stairs, "She's awake! Patrick She's awake!"

I suppose that was my cue to actually get out of bed and by the time I was finished in the bathroom I had three children standing in my bedroom door. "Cass is awake." Emily announces.

"And you didn't wake her just to keep me out of the kitchen did you?" I couldn't help but smile when they immediately started shaking their heads.

"She woke up on her own, promise she did." Emily insisted, grabbing my hand and pulling me to the nursery. Where Cass was standing holding onto the side of her crib with a big smile on her face.

"You're happy this morning aren't you? You're siblings didn't wake you up did they?"

"I told you we didn't." Emily pouted.

"Mamamama." Cass bounced herself in the crib before I lifted her out and moved her to the changing table.

"Well good morning to you to." I couldn't help but smile at the little girl in front of me she had grown so much in the almost six months she had been with us, and while a scowl could still be seen on Alyssa's face when either of her younger siblings referred to Patrick and I as mommy and daddy she no longer protested the development. "I suppose you're ready to go get a Christmas tree to."

"Teresa can we get a puppy?" Alyssa took a seat in the rocking chair in the corner of the room.

"No we can not get a puppy." I laughed, "But one of you can hand me a diaper for your sister.

"Why can't we get a puppy? We can take care of it all on our own. Lydia got a puppy."

"Who's going to watch the puppy when you're at school and Patrick and I are at work?"

"Grandpa Minelli can." Emily handed me a diaper.

"Grandpa Minelli babysits you, not puppies."

"But he could babysit a puppy if we asked him." Alyssa grinned, "He likes us."

"I know he likes you, you have him wrapped around your little fingers, but that doesn't mean he's going to babysit a puppy for you."

"But he might."

"We aren't getting a puppy."

"For Christmas?"

"Maybe if Santa wants to bring you a puppy he can, but I am not buying you a puppy they cost a lot of money."

"Fine we'll write Santa a letter." Alyssa pouted.

"Come on lets go get breakfast." I lifted Cass from the changing table, while the kids took off down the stairs.

"We couldn't stop her!" Alyssa yelled running into the kitchen.

"We tried, we promise!" Emily added.

"I helped!" Liam ran after his sisters.

"Well good morning." Patrick looked up from setting plates on the table and pecked my cheek. "And hello to you little missy, you've gotten so big." He lifted Cass from my arms.

"What is this?" I looked at the different plates.

"You get your choice of blueberry or apple cinnamon pancakes this morning." He grinned.

"Because it's impossible for you to do anything the easy way." I rolled my eyes but helped myself to the apple cinnamon.

"Eat up we have a Christmas tree to track down later today." He chuckled setting Cass in her highchair.

True to our word we were pulling my car into a cut your own Christmas tree lot an hour outside of town. Stepping out of the car brought back the memories of a once happy family in Chicago and I couldn't help but wonder if the kids in the back seat where thinking the same thing or if they were even old enough to really remember it last year.

"Remember we want a nice big tree." Patrick interrupted my thoughts and I went to help him unload a wagon for Cass and Liam. "One with plenty of room for all the beautiful ornaments we have at home."

"And we get to cut it down all by ourselves!" Alyssa started toward the trees at a skip.

"Yep we get to cut the tree down ourselves." I smiled, "Not to far ahead please, I don't want you getting lost."

"Teresa can I put the angel on top of the tree?" Emily questioned.

"I don't know we'll see when we get to that, we need a tree first."

"I found one!" Alyssa yelled from a short ways up ahead.

"Already, we just got here." Patrick chuckled, causing Alyssa to frown, "How about we mark it with a stick and if we don't find another one we can come back to it."

"But this one is perfect." Alyssa pouted.

"Maybe we can find a more perfect one." I offered.

"How can you find one that's more perfect than perfect?" Alyssa argued but non-the less trudged on in search of another tree. Emily was the next to find a tree but was discouraged by a bare patch near the top.

Soon we had two girls pulling us every which way along with shouted instructions from the wagon. We were looking at another tree Emily pointed out then when we turned around Alyssa was nowhere in sight. My first instinct was to call the team to send back up, but quickly settled for calling her name several times instead. After five minutes that felt more like five hours Patrick offered to take the kids back to the car hoping that when Alyssa realized she was alone would go back there. That would also allow him to go to the office and ask them to keep an eye out.

"I'll call you if we find her, but she couldn't have gone far." He reassured kissing my cheek and reaching for Emily's hand. "You okay?"

"I'm okay, we'll find her."

"Exactly we find killers everyday and they don't want to be found, we can find a six year old no problem."

"You're right." I nodded, "Of course you're right we'll find her. Emily don't let go of Patrick's hand for anything, I don't want you lost to okay." Emily nodded furiously before giving me a hug and running back to Patrick as they set off for the car.

I knew he was right, she couldn't have gone far and we were skilled investigators we could find a six year old who had wandered off. At least that's what I told myself as I searched alternating between yelling her name and checking my phone. As sure as I tried to be about finding her there were still those nagging thoughts. I mean there was a semi busy road no more than a mile away, what if she ended up there. What if someone less than desirable found her before Patrick or I. Why wasn't she answering when I called her name? I couldn't help but hold my breath every time I looked around a tree or down a new isle, and every time I found myself holding back tears. I had to keep it together panicking was not going to help anyone.

I had to do a double take when I turned the next corner there was something sitting in the middle of the path. The second take proved to be a very upset Alyssa curled up in the fettle position. After what felt like a decade I had found her.

"Alyssa." I came up and knelt down next to her, "Are you okay sweetie?" She didn't answer she just turned and wrapped her arms around my shoulders and continued to cry. "What happened?"

"I saw a pretty tree, and then when I turned around you weren't following me. I tried going backwards but all the tree's looked the same." She whispered onto my shoulder.

"Did you hear us calling for you?" I lifted her into my arms. "We were so worried about you."

"I tried to go to your voice, but all the tree's looked the same and I thought I was going in circles. And I didn't know what to do."

"You're okay now." I assured, "We aren't going to let you wander off again."

"Where are Patrick, and Emily, and Liam, and Cass?" She made a clumsy attempt at wiping the tears from her eyes.

"There at the car, they went to get help looking for you." I assured, and then remembered Patrick was probably just as nervous as I was, he needed to know that she was okay. I used my free hand to dig out my phone, I didn't wait for him to say anything, "I found her she's okay, a little muddy but okay."

"Oh thank God." I heard him breathe before passing the information on to the kids and who ever else he was standing with. "What happened?"

"She found a tree she liked and got a little over whelmed when she didn't see us behind her." I shortened her story for him, "We'll meet you back at the car where we can decide what to do."

"Alright we'll be here." He agreed and with that I hung up the phone and turned my attention back to Alyssa. Who was miraculously unscathed in anyway, not so much as a scrapped knee, just some muddy jeans from curling up on the ground.

"Patrick and everyone is waiting for us back at the car their really happy you're okay." I put my phone away and went back to rubbing the soothing circles on her back, add that to the list of things I picked up from Jane.

"I knew you would find me." She smiled brushing hair from her face. "You and Patrick promised to protect me."

"Yes we did, and we would search the whole world to find you or your sisters and brother."

"Why would you have to search the whole world?" She giggled, "I never even left the tree place."

"I know you didn't, but it's just a saying that if you had gone farther, we would find you." I smiled, she was calming down now that she was safe and in my arms.

"Teresa we still have to find a tree." She worried as the car came in to sight and with it Patrick and the rest of her family.

"We can do that later come back another time if you want to."

"No we have to find it today, you guys promised." She argued, "I'm okay I promise I won't go anywhere." She assured, before immediately jumping out of my arms and into Patrick's

"We were worried about you Miss. Alyssa, don't you ever scare us like that again." He swung her around and kissed her forehead, before setting her down and letting Emily wrap her arms around her.

"I promise." She nodded, before immediately taking my hand.

"Now I couldn't help but over hear you were still interested in finding a Christmas tree." Patrick announced, and Alyssa nodded immediately. "Well that's good, because I was standing here thinking we passed the perfect tree and only one person seemed to notice." Alyssa started grinning, "I mean after all how can we find a tree more perfect than perfect?"

"We get my tree! The first tree!" She started jumping never letting go of my hand.

"It has to be a group decision though, so is that first tree okay with everybody else?" I couldn't help but grin before turning to the other three. And while we got mild protest from Emily because it wasn't a tree she picked out she caved eventually and we started the process of cutting down and paying for our Christmas tree.