Thanks to those of you who reviewed the previous chapter. Very much appreciated. I guess I kind of fibbed when I said this would be done today. I seem to have a habit of going on and on in stories before they finally come to an end. In any case, I needed to cut this chapter off and hopefully I will finish this story very soon. There's just more to it than I first intended. Thanks for reading :)

xxxxx

Callen dozed on and off fitfully for a short time, but at 5:30 a.m. he gave up on trying to sleep. He stretched out his muscles and got up out of bed, then went to the bathroom where he showered and shaved. He then got dressed, still unsure of exactly what he was going to do that day. He went down to the bar and his attention was caught by the Christmas tree. He went over to it and turned on the lights then sat on a barstool admiring it. He had to admit, the bar was really nice. Deeks had done a great job with it. There was a train on a track around the tree that Kensi had gotten for Deeks as a gift. He already had a fancier train set at their home, but Kensi had thought it would be a nice touch to have one here, as well. Callen went over to the train and turned it on, then watched as it started to move around the track. He had never had anything like this as a kid. He had to admit that it would have been a cool thing to have. It would have been fun to add on to the track and buy little buildings and people. He could see why Deeks liked the trains so much. He supposed most boys would. His thoughts moved onto young Brian Irving and his sister. Their foster home had been relatively close to an old abandoned train yard. It was likely that Brian hadn't known anything about it, but if he had, it would be the perfect place to hide out if you were scared and hurt and didn't know where to go. Callen turned off the tree lights and the train, grabbed his jacket and headed out.

xxxxx

It was still dark when Callen arrived at the train yard and there was a definite chill in the air. He couldn't help but think about how cold and scared the children must be, wherever they were hiding out. He was relatively sure they hadn't found a safe haven or the authorities would have been notified. He had made a few calls, as he was driving, to see if they had been found, but no one had any new information.

Callen slowly started searching open box cars, sweeping the light from his flashlight into each one, but there was no sign of the children. After 45 minutes, he was tempted to give up, thinking this was just a huge waste of time, but something inside him told him to keep looking. And after another 15 minutes, Callen hit the jackpot as the beam from his flashlight showed the two children, curled together in the innermost corner of a boxcar, fast asleep.

As quietly as he could, he moved toward them, then called to them softly, not wanting to scare them any more than they were already. "Brian? Becky? Hey kids, wake up."

The little girl awoke first. She immediately started to cry when she saw Callen. "Go away! Leave us alone!"

Brian woke up quickly when he heard Becky crying and he put his arm protectively around his sister. "Who are you? What do you want?"

"My name is Callen. I'm a Federal agent. I've been looking for you. A lot of people have been. Don't worry. Everything's going to be okay."

"We're not going back there," Brian said defiantly. "You can't make us."

"You don't have to go back there, I promise," Callen said, his tone gentle. "Are you hurt? We found blood in your foster father's living room."

"I'm fine."

"No you're not," Becky stated, appearing a little calmer now. "Mr. Benson cut Brian's arm with a knife. He was going to hit me but Brian stopped him and he got mad. He's a mean man."

"Can I see?" Callen asked.

With suspicious eyes, the boy removed his jacket and Callen inspected his wound. It was ugly-appearing. A lot of the blood had dried, but there was still oozing and it definitely needed medical attention. "You need to get this looked at."

"No I don't."

"Yes, you do. Come on. It's cold here and I'm sure the two of you must be hungry."

"We're not."

"I'm hungry," Becky responded, her lower lip trembling. "Please, Brian. I don't like it here."

Brian looked at his sister and then slowly nodded. "Okay...we'll go."

"Thank you. Come on. My car's close by."

Callen then led the two children out of the boxcar and once they were safely seatbelted in the back of his car, they headed to the hospital.

xxxxx

The emergency room was deserted when they arrived at the hospital. Once Brian was being looked after by a kind-hearted nurse, Callen situated Becky with a coloring book and some crayons then set about making necessary phone calls. After he had talked to LAPD, he put a call in to Hetty.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Callen," Hetty greeted him when she picked up the phone. "I must say, this is an early greeting for Christmas morning."

"Merry Christmas, Hetty," Callen replied. "I need a favor."

"I see…" Hetty waited a few moments but grew impatient when Callen remained silent. "I'm not a mind reader, out with it."

"I don't have time for explanations but I was able to find the two Irving children. I'm at the hospital with them. I know you have connections with social services. Do you think you could put in a call so that the children can spend Christmas with us?"

"I...wherever did you find them?" Hetty asked. "Are they hurt?"

"Brian has a knife wound on his arm. Becky wasn't hurt. Please, Hetty? I'd really like for them to have at least one nice day before…" He stopped talking, his mind full of the many not so merry Christmases he'd had in his life.

"I'll see what I can do. Which hospital are you at?"

"I brought them to Children's Hospital."

"Okay...I'll get back to you, and Mr. Callen? Good work on finding the children."

"Thank you, Hetty."

Callen glanced over at Becky who seemed engrossed in her coloring and then he dialed his partner.

"This better be good," a tired-sounding Sam said when he picked up the phone.

"I'm sorry I woke you, Sam, but I think you'll agree I have a good reason. I found the kids. I'm trying to get Hetty to fix it so they can spend Christmas with us. Look, I know this is a pain, but could you go to some 24 hour drug store and get them some gifts? I'll pay you back. I'm sure your kids can help pick out things. I'd just really like to give them a nice day after all they've been through."

"How did you find the kids?" Sam asked.

"It was just a hunch," Callen said, noting the nurse had emerged from the treatment area. "Look, Sam, I've got to go. So, can you do that?"

"You don't even need to ask, G. I'll see you later?"

"See you later, and Sam? Thanks."

"No problem, buddy."

Callen clicked off his phone and walked over to the nurse. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, he's going to be fine," she said with a smile. "He doesn't even need stitches. A PA is closing up his wounds now with Steri-Strips and then he'll be all set. Of course, you're going to need to speak with a social worker."

"Is there somewhere here today? On Christmas?" Callen asked.

"We have emergency family services on call."

"Okay," Callen said with a nod. He knew it would have been too easy for him to just walk out of the hospital with the kids. "Is your cafeteria open now? I'd like to take them to get some breakfast."

"Of course. As soon as Brian is through, I'll send him out to you."

"Thank you."

Callen walked back over to where Becky was sitting and sat down beside her. "That's a very pretty picture," he said, looking down at the picture she was coloring.

"Thank you. I like to color."

"Well, you're very good at it. Do you have anything back at the house that you need to get? Clothes or toys?"

"Mr. Benson always said we would never be able to take anything when we left. We could borrow but not keep. The things are there for the next kids who go there."

"So, you don't have anything?" Callen asked. He wasn't particularly surprised, but it saddened him. These two kids had been dumped into the system through no fault of their own. Luckily though, they had somehow managed to remain together over the years. He briefly wondered how his and Amy's lives might have differed if they had remained together, but he quickly got his thoughts back on the children. They were the important ones now.

Becky shrugged. "We have some clothes. Brian says it doesn't matter if we don't have things. All we need is each other."

"Brian sounds like a very smart brother," Callen said, smiling.

"He is," Becky said, smiling back at Callen. "He's the smartest brother in the whole, wide world!" She resumed her coloring and Callen sighed, wondering if there was any way these two kids could get the life they deserved. They were still young enough that it would be possible if something could be worked out.

A short time later, the smiling nurse led Brian back out to the waiting room. "Brian! Are you okay?" Becky abandoned her coloring book and gave her brother a hug.

"I'm fine, Becky," the boy said, looking a little bit embarrassed.

"Why don't we go get some breakfast," Callen said. He turned to the nurse. "We'll be in the cafeteria if anyone needs me."

She nodded. "Okay, it's on the second floor. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Callen said and the children echoed him.

xxxxx

The trio found the elevator and took it to the second floor. The cafeteria didn't seem too busy, but it had a good variety of foods. "What do you kids want?" Callen asked, looking at the menu over the grill area. "They have pancakes, French toast, eggs. Their special today is a Christmas waffle with whipped cream."

"We can have that?" Becky asked, her eyes shining. "A Christmas waffle?"

"Sure. You can have whatever you'd like," Callen replied. "Do you want bacon or sausage to go with it?"

Becky shook her head. "Just the Christmas waffle. It sounds so pretty."

"Brian?" Callen asked.

"I can have anything?" Brian asked, giving Callen an undecipherable look.

Callen nodded. "Anything."

"Okay...I'd like the Christmas waffle, bacon, sausage and eggs." The boy looked at Callen, his eyes almost daring him to refuse.

Callen smirked as he turned back to Becky. "Are you sure you don't want anything else, sweetheart?"

"Maybe some bacon," Becky said in a small voice.

Callen nodded. "Juice and milk to drink?"

"I want hot chocolate," Brian said.

"Oh, can I have hot chocolate too?" Becky asked, looking excited at the prospect.

"Hot chocolate it is," Callen said. He put in the order for their meals and then took the children to a nearby table with their drinks. "I'll go get the food. Wait here." He went back to the grill, paid the cashier and then returned to the table with the large tray laden with food.

Becky's eyes widened when she saw the red and green Christmas waffles she and Brian had ordered. They were shaped like Christmas trees with a generous amount of whipped cream,decorated with tiny sprinkles on top which resembled ornaments. "These are sooo beautiful. They're too pretty to eat."

"Mine's not too pretty to eat," Brian said, cutting off a piece of the waffle and putting it into his mouth. "Mmm...good. You're missing out, sis."

"Can I taste some of yours?" Becky asked her brother.

"No," Brian said with a scowl. "Eat your own. Too pretty to eat… Girls…"

Callen looked at Becky incredulously. Was she really not going to eat the waffle? It's not like she could keep it. At least she was eating her bacon. He thought for a few moments and then came up with an idea. "I can take a picture of it for you, if you want," Callen suggested and the little girl nodded eagerly. Callen pulled out his phone and snapped the picture of a smiling Becky with her festive waffle. "Good?" he asked as he showed her the picture.

"Perfect," she said, offering up a dimpled smile to Callen.

"I'll get it printed for you later," Callen told her.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." Callen then started to eat his own breakfast. Becky finished her bacon and then took a spoon and ate little bits of whipped cream from the top of the waffle. Callen looked at her, puzzled. "Aren't you going to eat the waffle?" he finally asked.

"She needs you to cut it for her," Brian explained.

"Oh...is that the problem?" Callen asked Becky.

Becky nodded and he took her plate and cut the waffle into pieces. Once he finished, it resembled a gooey mess, but Becky seemed happy with it and started to eat.

Just when they were finishing up their breakfast, Callen saw Hetty approaching with another woman.

"Merry Christmas," Callen said when they arrived at the table. Both children looked uneasily at the women, Brian looking as if he wanted to bolt.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Callen, children," Hetty said with a smile. "This is Debra White. She's from Children's Service."

"Nice to meet you," Debra said, smiling at the children. "I hear the two of you have had quite a time."

"Come on, Becky. We have to go," Brian said as he stood up, looking resigned to whatever fate was in store for him.

"Hold on, Brian," Callen said. "No one said you have to leave." He then gave Hetty a questioning look. "What's going on, Hetty?"

Hetty smiled at Callen. "Ms. White has given me emergency custody of the children until tomorrow. We will spend Christmas day at Mr. Deeks and Miss Blye's home as planned and then will bring the children to Dovecote tonight. I assume you will accompany us, Mr. Callen?"

"What's Dovecote?" Brian asked, giving Hetty a suspicious look. "Some kind of orphanage?"

"It's Hetty's home," Callen said. "This is the woman who took me out of foster care when I was a boy."

"You were a foster kid too?" Brian asked, looking at Callen with more interest than previously.

"I was," Callen said.

"Being a foster kid sucks," Brian said.

Callen nodded. "I know it's not always the best, Brian, but if you get a good family, it's not so bad."

"We don't get many good families," Brian commented.

"I'm hoping I can change that for the two of you," Debra said.

"Don't worry. We won't hold our breath."

"Well, for now, if you're finished with your breakfast, why don't we head over to the party," Hetty said.

Callen gave Hetty a doubtful look. "It's kind of early, isn't it, Hetty?" Kensi and Deeks said people should come at noon. Maybe we should go by Benson's house to pick up the kids' clothes."

"You don't have to do that," Brian said. "They're not our clothes anyhow. We'll just get more hand me downs when we go to the next place."

"Not to worry, Mr. Callen," Hetty said, smiling. "I spoke with Mr. Deeks and Ms. Blye a short time ago. They said it would be just fine for us to bring the children over. They can meet Monty."

"Who's Monty?" Becky asked, speaking up for the first time.

"He's their dog," Callen replied.

"Oh I like dogs," Becky said. "Someday, when I'm bigger, I'm going to get a puppy of my very own."

"Okay, let me speak with someone in charge and we can see about getting you all off to your Christmas party," Debra said.

"Thank you, Debra," Hetty said. "I think that's a very fine idea, indeed."

xxxxx

"Merry Christmas, everyone!" Kensi said, greeting Callen, Hetty and the children at the front door. "Come in."

"Merry Christmas, Kens," Callen said. "Kids, this is Kensi. I work with her and she's one of my best friends. Kensi, this is Brian and Becky."

"Hi," the two children said shyly.

"Come on inside," Kensi said, ushering them into the living room. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"I would love some tea, Ms. Blye," Hetty said. "Whatever you have is fine."

"Deeks got some special Christmas blends. Would you like to try one of those?"

"Oh that sounds lovely, my dear."

"Callen? Would you like anything?"

"I'm good, thanks," Callen said. "We just had breakfast."

Kensi was about to ask the children if they wanted anything, but they were both kneeling on the floor by the train set, looking entranced. "I'll go get your tea," Kensi said with a smile. Kensi went into the kitchen and a few minutes later came back, accompanied by Deeks.

"Merry Christmas, everyone," Deeks said.

"Merry Christmas, Deeks," Callen said.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Deeks," Hetty said then thanked him as he handed her a cup of tea.

Kensi sat down with Callen and Hetty on the sofa as Deeks went over to the children. "Hey guys," he said, sitting down beside them, cross-legged on the floor. "I'm Deeks. I'm glad you both could come here to spend Christmas with us. Do you like my train?"

"It's very nice," Becky said, smiling up at him. "Where's your dog?"

"My dog?" Deeks asked, feigning surprise. "Who told you I had a dog?"

"Callen told us," Brian said. "Your train is really cool."

"Thanks," Deeks said. "I like it too."

"So, you don't have a dog?" Becky asked, no longer interested in the train.

"I didn't say that," Deeks teased.

"So you do have a dog?"

Deeks chuckled. "I do. He's out in the backyard. Do you want to go see him?"

Becky nodded eagerly. "Come on, Brian. Let's go see the dog."

"I'll see him later," Bryan said, watching the train.

"You know, you can change the track around," Deeks told him. "I even have more pieces in that box over there."

Bryan's eyes shone with excitement. "Really? I can do it myself?"

Deeks nodded, smiling at the boy's reaction. "You can. Just turn the train off so it doesn't go flying off somewhere."

"I will," Brian said, already heading over to the box containing the additional track. "Thanks, Deeks."

"You're welcome." Deeks then got up off the floor and went with Becky to the backyard to go meet Monty.

xxxxx

"He's very good with the children," Hetty commented to Kensi who nodded in agreement.

"Deeks loves kids."

"That's a good quality for him to have," Hetty said. "He's going to be a wonderful father someday."

"Yes he will be," Kensi said, a thoughtful smile touching the corners of her lips.

At that moment, a knock sounded on the front door. "I'll get it," Callen said, springing up from the sofa so fast that he almost tripped. He went to the front door and opened it to find his partner, Kamran and Aiden, their arms filled with gifts. "Merry Christmas, guys." He took some of the gifts out of Kamran's arms.

"Merry Christmas, Uncle Callen," Kamran said.

"Come on in."

The trio followed Callen into the living room and more Christmas greetings were exchanged. Brian was still absorbed in the train and didn't really pay any attention to the new arrivals. "Where's Becky?" Sam asked as he put his gifts down near the tree.

"Deeks took her out back to see Monty."

"So, what's going on with the kids?"

"Hetty has emergency custody until tomorrow. We're going to bring them to Dovecote tonight. Then...I don't know what will happen to them," Callen said, looking troubled.

"You found them, G," Sam said, patting his friend's back comfortingly. "There's not much you can do from this point on. At least they're going to have a nice Christmas."

Callen nodded. "I know...I just wish…" He shook his head and sighed softly. "I wish they could be placed with a nice family, together." He swallowed hard, momentarily thinking of his sister and how different their lives could have been if they had been placed somewhere together when they had first been put into the system.

Sam nodded, not even knowing what to say to make his partner feel better. Although he knew a lot of what G had been through as a child, he also knew there was a lot he didn't know and his own upbringing had been vastly different. It was hard to put himself into his friend's shoes.

"Monty is so cute!" Becky yelled exuberantly as she ran back into the house with the dog running excitedly behind her. "Brian! Look how cute he is."

Monty went over to Brian, his tail wagging rapidly and Brian petted the dog and laughed. "He is cute."

"Oh I wish we could have a dog." Becky sat down on the floor next to Monty and wrapped her arms around him as he licked her face. "I love you sooooo much. You're just adorable."

"Hey kids," Callen said, momentarily interrupting the Monty love fest. "This is my best friend, Sam and these are his kids, Aiden and Kamran. This is Brian and Becky."

"Nice to meet you and Merry Christmas," Sam said, giving them a warm smile.

"Merry Christmas," Aiden said and Kamran echoed him.

"Hello," Becky said, looking up at the new arrivals with interest.

"Hi," Brian said, before he once again immersed himself in the train track he was working on.

"He really likes that train," Deeks said, watching him.

"He does," Kensi said, giving Deeks a meaningful look.

"I'm going to run out for a quick errands," Deeks said as Kensi smiled at him. "Sam? Can you keep an eye on the food?"

"Sure, I'd be happy to," Sam said.

"I'm also willing and able to lend a hand, Mr. Deeks," Hetty said.

"You notice how he didn't ask us," Callen whispered, grinning at Kensi.

Kensi laughed. "Yes, it was pretty obvious, wasn't it?"

Deeks opened the door to make his way out just as Eric and Nell were on their way inside, both of them carrying large bags.

"Merry Christmas, Deeks!" Nell said.

"Merry Christmas, guys. "Go on in and make yourself at home. I'm just running out for a bit but I'll be back soon."

With that, Deeks headed off to his car as Eric and Nell made their way into the festive household.