"Daddy?"

Were he more fully awake, Jackson might muse on the phenomenal feat his young son had achieved in infancy and perfected as a toddler. Prior to Nicholas' birth, he and Susan had often marvelled at their own mutual ability to sleep through anything and everything, but afterward was an entirely different story. Granted, Jackson was still extremely groggy as he sat up, lifted the boy into his arms and mumbled, "Nightmare, buddy?"

Wide-eyed Nicholas shook his head vigorously as Susan rolled over and murmured, "You can sleep the rest of the night in here, love."

"I already sleeped, Mama," Nicholas said wiggling a little in his father's arms.

"I think Nicky's declarin' it morning, darlin'" Jackson said now a bit more aware. He reached over to stroke Susan's hair hoping to ease her awake before their son exploded with excitement.

"Santa Claus time!" Nicholas shrieked.

"So it is," Susan yawned, closing her eyes again briefly and then opening them again with a smile. "Shall we go see what he left?"

Before she could finish, Jackson set Nicholas down on the floor, and the boy sprinted down the hall.

"Slow down, sweetheart," Susan called after him as she forced herself to get out of bed.

As Jackson helped her into her robe, Nicholas called from the living room, "Mama! Santa Claus was here!"

"Wonderful, darling - be right there," Susan replied, glancing at her phone and then back to Jackson. "6:15."

"Better than 5:30, I suppose," he said, pausing to kiss his wife before taking her hand and gently tugging her towards the hallway.

By 11am, the living room was littered with shredded wrapping paper and toy dinosaurs of every size and variety. His hair still damp from the shower, Jackson grinned as he looked over at the couch. Despite having Nicholas, his stuffed wolf and a large plastic dinosaur toy on her lap, Susan looked perfectly relaxed as she read a book out loud to the small audience.

Not wanting to interrupt the story, Jackson gathered up some of the wrapping paper from the floor to take out to the trash. When he came up inside, Susan had just closed the book, proclaiming, "The End."

With renewed energy, Nicholas turned to his father and declared, "More music, Daddy!"

"Looks like you choose well for both of us," Jackson chuckled to Susan as he sat down in front of the small turntable that had been her Christmas gift to him.

"Well I'm glad he likes it too," Susan replied. "As Reid made it very clear that this wasn't to find its way into H Division."

Jackson rolled his eyes as Nicholas joined him on the floor, "Plenty of surgeons listen to music in the operating room, darlin'"

"I want this one," Nicholas interjected, pointing to one of the records.

"Like father, like son," Jackson beamed as he pulled the Ramones album from its sleeve and queued it up on the turntable.

"What's that mean?" Nicholas asked, bopping his head to the music.

"It means you and your father are very much alike," Susan replied, chuckling as Jackson nodded along.

Only moments into the song the doorbell rang, and as Susan rose and headed toward the front door, Jackson said, "I have to give you credit, darlin', this was a great surprise."

"Oh, that's not the surprise," she replied, flinging open the door. "Abel!"

"Merry Christmas, my dear," said the older man as he pulled Susan into an embrace.

"Wait, he's the surprise?" Jackson asked.

Susan rolled her eyes, sharing a knowing smile with Crocker who said, "I don't believe so, although…"

He was interrupted by Nicholas tugging on his long, red velvet coat, "Are you Santa Claus, Grandpa?"

"Not quite, my boy," Crocker chuckled. He reached into his coat's over-sized pocket. "But I did not arrive empty-handed."

"Abel, you didn't have to…" Susan began before she interrupted by a tiny mewing sound.

"It's a baby!" Nicholas gasped as Crocker produced a very small, very fluffy white kitten.

"Hello there," Susan cooed softly.

"Mother cat was wandering around the place for a while," Crocker said transferring the kitten into Susan's hands. "Left us this little one about a week ago. Nathaniel thought she might fair better with you three."

"I want to pet her," Nicolas said tugging at Jackson's shirt.

"You have to be gentle," Jackson said, lifting his son up so Susan could hold the cat while the boy pet it.

"What shall we call her?" Susan asked as Nicholas carefully reached over and stroked the kitten's fur.

"My name is Nicholas. What's yours?" The boy paused a moment, studying the kitten seriously before glancing back at his parents and Croker. "Her name is Jenny."

Jackson shrugged at Susan, "Good enough name for a cat as any."

At Susan's insistence, Crocker stayed for a cup of tea, and at Nicholas' insistence, he also stayed to play dinosaurs, listening patiently as Nicholas explained, at length, the backstory of each of his toys. Jackson was busying himself with making a bed for Jenny out of a box and some towels when Susan sauntered over to watch his progress.

"Before you ask, she was a surprise to me too." Susan received an affirmative mew from the kitten, currently snuggled against her sweater.

"Pretty cute surprise, you've gotta admit," Jackson said unable to resist grinning as he carefully placed the kitten in her box.

"She looks quite comfortable," Crocker commented as he walked over carrying Nicholas. "And alas, I must be off to my next holiday stop." He winked at Nicholas before handing him back to his mother.

As they stood in the doorway bidding Crocker goodbye, another car pulled up in front of the house.

"Looks like you have another visitor," Crocker said as he waved farewell.

"Not expecting anyone else," Jackson shrugged and waved back, "Must be for the neighbors."

He missed Susan's grin as he continued to wave to Crocker, but his hand slowed and eventually was frozen mid-wave as the driver of the other car began to approach the house.

"...Is that?" Jackson murmured before exclaiming, "Frank Goodnight?!"

The well-dressed man grinned shyly as he approached the door, "Hi Matt - it's been a while."

"Surprise," Susan said softly as Jackson pulled Frank in for hug that began awkwardly but had both men laughing and patting each other on the back in mere moments.

Jackson looked from Frank to Susan. "So the two of you cooked this up?"

"We had a chance to chat in Chicago and clear up a few...misunderstandings about how everything was left when you and I left," Susan said, ushering them into the house.

"Yeeeah," Jackson said, looking a bit sheepish. "Sorry about all that. You'll have to put me in touch with Will so I can properly apologize for that mess with his car."

"I assure you, he's over it," Frank said as they settled into the living room. "He and Charlie were the first to get tired of Theodore's way of thinking and realize why you two hightailed it out of the country. Took me a little longer to come around to your logic."

"Well, you're stubborn as hell so it doesn't surprise me," Jackson said with a wink.

"And you're one to talk," Susan laughed as Nicholas stole glances at Frank and then hid his face against his mother. "Why are you being so shy, sweetheart?"

"Too much excitement in a short amount of time," Jackson shrugged. Then he spotted the issue. "Aha! 'Scuse me, Frank."

"No problem," he replied as Jackson reached over to pluck Nicholas' stuffed wolf toy from the couch cushion beside his friend who's eyes widened with recognition.

"Is that..?"

"This is Mr. Wolf," Nicholas said, now more confident with the toy in his arms.

Frank nodded, trying not chuckle at how the boy looked like a miniature version of his father. "That's a good name."

"I wish I knew who sent it," Susan said, glancing over to check on the kitten dozing happily in her box. "There wasn't a card...or perhaps there was and we misplaced it. Everything was so chaotic was he was born."

"The kid decided he would show up a month early - definitely not a trait he inherited from me," Jackson said.

Frank nodded, "I had heard about that."

Susan gave him a questioning look.

"I was still working for Theodore, and he was hellbent on tracking the two of you down. Not quite sure what he thought he'd do about it once we found you," Frank shrugged, deciding it best not to delve too far into the presumed inner workings of his former boss as Susan made a face. "I had actually already thought to put an end to this nonsense and give Matt here a head's up, but when I stopped by the stationhouse, all hell had broken loose trying to find you at a crime scene because Cate-I mean Susan was having a baby. All this according to some terrified young guy with a ridiculous mustache."

"Drummond," Susan and Jackson said in unison.

"Decided it was best from there to simply send my regards, or at least a present for the baby, and be done with all of it, including Theodore," Frank finished.

"And so you sent..?" Susan began.

"Mystery solved!" Jackson snapped his fingers.

"Do you like to play dinosaurs?" Nicholas had grown restless during the story, and he and Mr. Wolf were now seated on the couch next to Frank.

"And this one is also from Uncle Frank, for Lucy," Jackson said holding a beautifully wrapped package one year later.

"When do we see Uncle Frank, Mama?" Nicholas asked as Jenny, now a fully grown cat, batted at an ornament on the tree.

"He's coming to visit for New Year's Day, love," Susan replied. "And you'll get to meet his brother William this time as well."

"I'm a brother," Nicholas said proudly.

"That you are," Jackson replied glancing toward the couch where the 3 week old Lucy was beginning to fuss in Susan's arms. "Your sister's not quite coordinated enough to open her own presents yet, so do you want to help?"

Nicholas nodded and very carefully sat down with the present next to his mother. Jackson sat on Susan's other side, and gently rubbed the baby's back. "Want me to take her for a while?"

Susan shook her head, and grinned as Nicholas spoke softly capturing his sister's attention, "Lucy, this is how you open a Christmas present…"

The End.