His heart skipped a beat when he realized it was Verity. "Verity! Is everything alright?" Alarm sent him scrambling for his clothes.
"Everything's fine. I'm sorry, I hope I didn't wake you." her soft voice was apologetic.
"No, no. It's okay. Uh, I was just getting up," he hedged. He'd spent a late night carousing with Cameron and Tyler, and he hadn't intended to get up quite yet. He had a splitting headache and wondered how the other two were faring.
She laughed softly, "Erin says Cameron's grouchy after a guys' night out with you. I can't imagine you're doing much better."
He grinned ruefully, he should have known she'd have tabs on her brothers. "What's going on?"
"I just wondered if you'd like to join us for Thanksgiving dinner," she said hesitantly. "I mean, I know you're alone in LA and all that." She trailed off awkwardly.
Everything in him cheered, and his headache disappeared, "Verity, I'd love to join you and your family for Thanksgiving dinner."
----
Colby laughed softly to himself as he watched Hannah pace restlessly, tidying up as she went along. Tidying up an already clean house, one he'd helped her clean not a few hours ago. Their children were coming for Thanksgiving dinner. Not something very out of the ordinary, except that Tyler and Cameron were now engaged and their fiancees' would also be there. That plus Keeley and Justin would be bringing their baby. He felt his stomach flip at the thought. Their first grandchild at her first Thanksgiving.
"Are you sure the turkey's okay?" Hannah asked him anxiously.
He grinned at her. He'd put the turkey in the smoker early that morning, and she had helped him put it in.
Her grimace turned into a pout, then she laughed and settled in his arms. "I'm a nervous wreck."
"I don't know why. It's not like you haven't been doing this for years." He wrapped his arms around her, settling comfortably together as they had over the years.
"It's different this year. With Erin and Giselle. And Bethany," she sighed softly. "I'm glad the boys are going to settle down."
"But?" Colby cradled her tenderly, hearing something besides the unspoken word.
"The years seem to pass by faster and faster." Hannah whispered wistfully. Then she laughed, a little abashed, "Not that I want to go back to dealing with tons of diapers or the consequences of the triplets' latest fight against injustice."
"That last hasn't exactly gone away," Colby said dryly. For all his protests to the contrary, Cameron still wasn't above stepping over the fine line to right a wrong, and Tyler was, of course, an FBI agent.
Hannah caught her breath when she heard a car turn into their driveway, and Colby laughed as she flew to the door.
He sobered a little, when he realized that she was probably lonely at home, without the children. He was still working as Assistant Director at the FBI, but she rarely went to the jewelry store, except for the occasional special custom design. Her designs commanded an additional premium now that she was semi-retired.
Colby heard Keeley and Justin laugh as Hannah burst into soft giggles. Curiosity got him out of his comfortable recliner.
"Say hi to Grandpa," Keeley cooed to Bethany, as a smile lit Colby's face at seeing his daughter and granddaughter.
Then he burst into laughter when he realized what was on little Bethany's shirt. "'Take me to Grandpa's house and nobody gets hurt!' Where on earth did you get a shirt like that?"
"I don't know, one of Justin's friends sent it." Keeley rolled her eyes in amusement, "Guy humor."
"Well, I love it. Hi Bethany," he murmured, "Come to Grandpa?"
Justin grinned. It amused him to see Colby with Bethany, knowing how tough Colby was at the office.
"Blackmail material," Hannah said solemnly, eyes alight with laughter.
"Just try it," Colby said dryly, but he grinned. He knew he was a sucker for his kids, and now for his granddaughter. Settling Bethany more comfortably against his chest, he kissed her on the top of her head while he headed out into the backyard to check on the turkey.
Justin followed him, still marvelling at how comfortable Colby was with Bethany. It had taken Justin a while to get used to carrying Bethany, and soothing her just the right way when she was fussy. It had been three months, and he still wasn't sure he'd quite got the hang of it. He wasn't sure he was ever going to get used to the two am feedings.
"Five kids, Justin," Colby said kindly, as he correctly interpreted Justin's expression.
"I'd love to hear about some of it, now that I've got Bethany," Justin said quietly. "I can't imagine how you managed the triplets, plus Keeley. Bethany's a handful all by herself."
"Are you giving Daddy a hard time?" Colby murmured to Bethany. "Good for you."
Justin cracked up, knowing that Colby probably hadn't quite forgiven him for the way he and Keeley behaved the first time they'd met.
Colby grinned. "We had to rely on family and friends for a lot. Especially since Cameron was in the NICU for almost four months."
A soft gasp made them turn around, to see Erin staring at them with huge sapphire eyes. Cameron slid an arm around her and hugged her close. Giselle and Tyler weren't far behind them, and Giselle was equally surprised.
"That's news to me too," Justin said quietly.
"He was the runt of the litter," Tyler was grinning, elbowing Cameron as he passed him.
"Yeah, because somebody was hogging all the nutrients," Cameron retorted.
Justin laughed, it was obviously an old topic of contention.
"Cameron, why didn't you tell me?" Erin fussed gently.
He shrugged, smiling affectionately at her concern, "It just didn't come up. Not something that affects me anymore."
"Not that we really remembered much of it," Keeley said reasonably as she came out with the tray for the turkey. "By the time we could talk about it much, Cameron had become the stubborn cuss he is now. And we're not sure why you love him." She grinned at his disgusted look. "I hope you remembered the wine. Dad can't pick wine to save his life."
"Give Mommy a hard time too, Bethany," Colby murmured, glaring at Keeley while he shifted Bethany to a more comfortable position.
"Oh, how cute! Look at her shirt!" Giselle and Erin burst into giggles.
"May I hold her?" Erin asked shyly.
Colby smiled gently at her as he passed Bethany to her.
"That's Rafe's car," Cameron laughed as he watched it pull into the driveway. "And looks like Verity's in it. He finally called her!"
"I don't think so," Keeley said dryly. "Verity told me she was tired of waiting and decided to ask him for Thanksgiving."
"No way!" Tyler exclaimed in surprise.
Colby laughed. That was the Verity he knew. He chuckled to himself when he saw the shy, diffident way Rafe was looking around him. And at the soda he'd brought, probably for Hannah.
"Director Granger, sir," Rafe said, a little stiffly.
"You can call me Colby," he said in amusement. "And relax. It's just Thanksgiving dinner."
"Just remember to stay where he can see you both, and keep your hands away from her," Justin put in his two cents worth, bursting into unabashed laughter at the look Colby gave him.
Rafe grinned, he'd heard all about it. It was a legend at the FBI.
"Where's Brandon?" Hannah asked anxiously as everyone made their way back into the house.
"He's probably just running late, Mama," Tyler said comfortingly, "You know how he is."
"Well, find out how long he'll be. We can wait for him if he's not going to be long."
Tyler and Cameron groaned. They knew Brandon could take hours, but they could tell by the determined look on Hannah's face that they would have to wait till Brandon got there.
Cameron started dialing, "Strange, it says it's disconnected."
"Can't even dial a phone properly, runt," Tyler ribbed him, as he called Brandon himself. He looked surprised when he got the same message. He called Brandon's apartment. "The phone at the apartment is disconnected too." Tyler said softly to his father.
They moved a little further away from Hannah, as Colby signaled Keeley to keep her occupied. He was grateful to see Erin, Giselle and Verity follow Keeley's lead.
"Jasper at the jewelry store says that Brandon took off early today, apparently for a month," Cameron said sharply. "He's signed a power of attorney to me but told Jasper not to give it to me till Monday. Something's wrong."
"I'll check his credit cards," Rafe offered, "See where he's been."
"Wait, there's his SUV," Justin said quickly.
The men headed out the door to meet him.
Brandon's face was white, and Colby could see he was shaking.
"What's wrong, son?" Colby asked, fear and worry making his voice harsh.
"Dad. Oh, God, Dad! They've got my sons!"
Hannah gasped, and Colby frowned at Keeley for not keeping Hannah away.
"Sons? What sons?" Hannah wrung her hands anxiously.
"Who has them?" Colby asked at the same time.
"Dad, I..." Brandon broke down.
Colby moved forward and gathered Brandon into his arms and hugged him. "Brandon, we're all here for you. We can take care of this, but you'll have to tell us more." His heart ached as Brandon broke down into sobs. "Come on. Everyone inside."
"I'm going to do a sweep of the house and the yard," Tyler told Colby quietly. "Wait till I get done."
"I'll help you," Rafe followed Tyler out.
Hannah had her arms around Brandon when Tyler and Rafe came back in and nodded an all clear.
"Alright, now tell us what's going on, Brandon," Colby said gently.
"They called and told me to come alone. Told me to cut all ties here, bring what cash I had and come for my sons." Brandon swallowed a lump in his throat. "I'm not sure who they are," he said when he saw Colby start to ask him again. "I started to do as they said. Disconnected my phones. Cancelled my credit cards. Signed the power of attorney. I was on my way to the meeting place. But I couldn't do it. I couldn't get the hurt in Mama's eyes out of my mind, from that time when I ran away. I couldn't do it again."
"How do you know they're your sons?" Colby asked instead.
"Remember that month long trip I took to Paris about two years ago? I met someone there. Kendra Devereaux. I... She... Well, she got pregnant but didn't tell me. A few days ago, she contacted me and we met. My sons. Look at them. They're my sons. Twins." Brandon wrestled out a photo. "That's Quinn, and that's Quade."
"Quinn and Quade." Cameron commented, and winced at Brandon's glare. He hadn't meant to make the comment out loud.
"What's wrong with Quinn and Quade?" Brandon demanded hotly.
"Nothing. Nothing." Cameron backed off. His brother was in a world of hurt and he wasn't about to add to it over something frivolous.
"Oh, Brandon," Hannah said softly. She hugged him tenderly, and he leaned gratefully against her, comforted by her arms around him.
"Well, they certainly look a lot like you," Colby said quietly. "I'd recommend a paternity test though. Why did she wait all this time to contact you?"
"She said she wasn't planning on letting me know," Brandon held his hand up when he saw his brothers bristle, "but she's dying. She has pancreatic cancer, and she has no one to leave them with."
"Fair enough," Colby murmured, though he was still uneasy at the coincidence. Brandon was a celebrated artist, and therefore a target. "What was she doing when you met? Does she have any enemies?"
Brandon hesitated, "She modeled for me in Paris. I was doing a series of nudes which I sold there. Hey!" he looked at Hannah indignantly when she pinched him. "Artists paint nudes all the time."
"And look where it got you," Hannah said in annoyance.
Colby's lips twitched, but managed to ask with a straight face, "So what was she doing other than modeling for you?"
"She was some kind of activist. I'm not too clear about that."
"Uh-huh." Tyler said in exasperation. "Couldn't keep it in your pants. For crying out loud."
"Oh dear." Cameron murmured, looking out the window.
"What now?" Colby asked tiredly, this Thanksgiving was not turning out like he'd envisioned.
"I'll take care of it, Dad."
"Why are you here?" Cameron asked with a frown, when he opened the door.
The man at the door smiled faintly, unoffended, "Good to see you too, Granger. I think you'll need this." He handed Cameron a packet. "I'm going out on a limb for you because I owe you my life. But you'll need it to get your brother out of his jam. Good luck."
"Government plates," Justin murmured, noting the number.
"Cameron. Explain." Colby said sharply. "He looked like CIA."
Cameron sighed as he looked at the startled faces around him. Erin squeezed his hand encouragingly. He'd already told her. "I was a CIA civilian contracter for a while," he said softly, flinching at the look in his mother's eyes. "I'm not anymore, Mama."
"What's in the packet?" Colby asked, jaw clenched in anger. He wondered if he was angry because his son had put himself in danger, or if it was because he hadn't known.
"Mexico," Rafe murmured, "They're being held in Mexico. I recognize some of these buildings."
No one asked the former Navy SEAL when or why he was there.
"I think we're on our own for this," Justin said quietly.
"In and out, quickly and quietly," Tyler put in, "What do you think?" He looked at his father.
"We certainly have the team for it. Five of us agents, one a former Navy SEAL," Keeley said.
"I'm in," Cameron said calmly. He looked at the frowns on their faces, "I have the escape route."
No one asked him why he had an escape route.
"You're not going without me," Brandon said fiercely, "They're my sons."
"Keeley," the catch in Hannah's voice tore at everyone's hearts. "Perhaps you should stay, for Bethany." She choked back her fear.
"Mama," Keeley began to protest, but Brandon stopped her.
"You should stay, Keeley. There are enough of us."
"We can't use our government issue guns," Colby said grimly.
"I'll take care of it." Cameron again. He returned Colby's narrowed gaze without flinching.
"Colby. You should all eat first." Hannah's soft voice was down to a whisper, worry etched in every line of her face. "Even if you don't feel like it." She slid into his arms with a sob.
"It's going to be alright, honey."
She laughed through her tears. "You keep telling me that."
"And I've never failed you." He brushed the tears away gently, and pressed a gentle kiss on her lips.
----
A day later, they were all back, with minor scrapes and bruises. And with the twins.
"She didn't make it out of Mexico," Colby murmured softly to Hannah. "Luckily, the twins didn't see it happen. All the papers for them are in order, she'd planned everything very carefully for Brandon to take over. She just hadn't counted on some of her compatriots trying to take advantage of Brandon."
"I'm glad you're alright," she slid her arms around him, and rested her head against his chest.
"Everyone's coming back later, Hannah, with Thanksgiving dinner," he tilted her chin up and kissed her. "We never really had a chance to have it. And we have a lot to give thanks for."
She smiled. "Including two grandchildren we didn't know about."
He grinned, "He's going to need help with them, even if he hires a nanny."
"And I thought I was done with diapers," Hannah sighed.
"Well, they're about two. It won't be much longer in diapers for them, at least." Colby cradled her close, enjoying the feel of her.
She thumped him in the chest making him laugh, "You and your children."
"And my grandchildren. I love you, Hannah," he murmured, "Thank God for you."