This is the standard disclaimer. They don't belong to me. This story is not intended to violate any copyrights held by Paramount, UPN, or Pet Fly Productions.

Thank you to my beta Spacepixel, for all her hard work and marvelous suggestions.

Bouncing off the elevator, Blair Sandburg practically exploded through the doors into Major Crime. He waved to get the attention of his older partner before the man moved away from his desk. Shouldering his backpack a little higher, Blair grinned merrily at the big man and shook the few remaining snowflakes left in his hair to the floor.

The motion caused the bells at the end of his red ski cap to tinkle, chiming in the coming holiday season and grabbing the attention of the tiny, little girl half hidden behind Jim Ellison. A cherubic face framed in red hair and full of round brown eyes peeked around Ellison's leg and stared up at Blair. A sweet smile of welcome, showing neat little rows of square white teeth greeted Blair's own grin and made it spread even wider.

Jim struggled to keep a straight face at Blair's appearance. A tasseled and belled red ski cap topped a head of riotous, wind-blown, long curls. The young man's cheeks and the tip of his nose were bright red from the cold and wind. Large, stubborn snowflakes clung to his eyelashes and exposed hair. Blair's green outer parka was two sizes too big for him, layered over turtleneck, thermal and flannel shirts. All in all, the short, slender, red-faced, bundled, bouncing, snow-dusted creature before him looked like an escaped elf on a gum drop and candy cane induced sugar high.

Pulling his attention back up to the face of his Blessed Protector, Blair bounced with barely contained excitement. "Hey, Jim. Can you believe that snow, man? There must be 3 feet of it out there."

Jim couldn't keep the amusement from either his expression or his voice. "Hey. What I can't believe, Tinker Bell, is that you are an hour late. You're just lucky that a little matter came up that demanded Simon's attention or you'd be eating cold leftovers instead of a hot Thanksgiving meal. Simon doesn't hold food for anyone, Chief."

Jim reached out and snagged the cap off of Blair's hair just to watch Blair's look of exasperation as his long curls flew in all directions and snowflakes fell into his startled face. "What was the hold up? I've been at my desk all afternoon and I didn't get any phone calls from you." Jim's amused expression turned ever so slightly displeased and questioning.

"Ah, man, really. I got so into this new website, I just couldn't tear myself away. When my stomach started to growl, I realized what time it was and I flew here as fast as I could, man." Blair widened his eyes and gulped as he verbally backpedaled at the sight of Jim's now decidedly stern and unhappy expression.

"But not too fast. Just…faster…slower…than I normally…drive…what with all the…snow…and slush…and…It took me longer to get here safely, so I'm late, kind of…because of that...slower driving thing--"

A tiny giggle escaped from somewhere near Jim's knees. Brown eyes twinkled above a chubby hand clapped tightly over a grinning mouth. Blair threw the little girl a mock-panicked "thanks for not helping" look causing her to giggle louder. Both chubby hands now covered her mouth. She was a very petite little girl dressed in red corduroy pants and a white sweater. Red boots covered her swinging feet and a navy coat hung on the back of her chair.

Jim squinted his eyes and pursed his lips in obvious disbelief and raised one hand to stop the rapid flow of words from Blair's mouth. "Just put it back in the box until later, Junior. We'll talk about your driving skills after I finish up with Simon. Why don't you keep this little sweetheart company until I'm done? Her name is Olivia. Work on your homework or play cards or make out your list for Santa Claus, I don't care which. Just stay out of trouble until I can get us out of here. For once I'd like to actually enjoy a holiday meal the first time it was cooked. Got it?"

"I got it, I got it. Just go take care of whatever." Blair waved an unconcerned hand in the air, vaguely gesturing towards Simon's office.

The young grad student bounced around the corner of the desk shedding his parka, scarf and gloves as he moved. Dropping everything somewhere near the coat rack, he slung his pack under the desk and slid into the straight-backed chair, combing a hand through his curls in an attempt to settle them into place. His ski cap playfully landed in his face and he tossed it casually into the corner to join his other things.

Jim knelt down in front of the smiling little girl and took one of her small hands into his own. "Olivia, sweetheart, this is Blair. I want you to keep an eye on him for me while I go talk with your father. I'm leaving you in charge so don't lose him, okay?"

Mischievous brown eyes shone up at Jim. "He looks like an elf with his hat on," she giggled.

Jim laughed at the sight of Blair waggling his eyebrows at the giggly girl and stood up. "That's one of the reason's I need you to look after him. So Santa doesn't mistake him for one of his workers and I end up having to go to the North Pole to rescue him. Can you do this for me?"

Solemn eyes blinked back from an instantly serious young face. Olivia nodded and moved closer to Blair's chair. "You can trust me. I won't lose him. I promise," she said.

Jim smiled and reached out to tousle a curly head with each hand. "Good, then he's all yours. I'll be right back. Chief, keep busy, keep quiet, and keep out of trouble."

"Keep walking, Funny Man," Blair called out to Jim's retreating back. He smiled down at the tiny child perched beside him. "Olivia and I will just be out here getting to know one another, right?"

"Right."

"So, Olivia, what are you doing here on Thanksgiving?"

Olivia turned to point at the window into Simon's office. A dark haired man in a business suit was just visible as he rose to shake hands with Ellison. "My daddy is in there with your daddy and the big black man. My daddy said he had to talk with someone. It couldn't wait anymore."

"My dad--? Yeah, well, okay. It must have been pretty important to come out on Thanksgiving Day. Aren't you missing dinner?"

"We ate turkey dinner already, silly. It's almost my bedtime. You're bigger. You probably get to stay up later than I do."

Blair smirked a faintly disgusted expression towards the closed office door and its occupants and muttered under his breath. "Actually, not all that much later." Turning a brighter smile back to Olivia, Blair tugged playfully at her hair. "We'll just let them finish up their talk then we can both go home."

Olivia leaned closer and whispered in Blair's hair. "I think it's about my mommy. She left and daddy can't find her."

Taking in the serious, solemn dark eyes, Blair's throat tightened a little, catching his breath for half a beat. "Oh, wow, I'm sorry to hear that, Olivia."

"It's okay. She was nice, but she wasn't a real mommy. She never paid much attention to me unless there was someone else around."

Her steady, matter-of-fact tone startled and distressed Blair. Turning to face her more fully, Blair reached out and took both of her hands in his. He lowered his voice until his words were very soft. "How old are you, Olivia?"

"Six, but I'm mature for my age," was the proud reply.

"Wow, that is pretty old," Blair said. Feeling the need to distract Olivia from the matter at hand, Blair turned on his best impish charm. "What do you say we forget about this for a little bit and we do something fun while we're waiting for your daddy to finish up?"

"Okay."

"So what do you want to do? Color? Read a book? Play a computer game?"

Expectant wide eyes blinked up at Blair. "Maybe we could do what your daddy said."

Blair resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Instead he glared daggers across to the next desk where H and Rafe sat eavesdropping and unsuccessfully stifling several very unprofessional and unappreciated snorts of laughter.

"Well, my 'daddy'," Blair shot another sharp look at his neighbors, "said a couple of things. Which one do you want to do? Play cards? I know 'Go Fish'."

"Nooo. Besides, that's a baby game. I mean the list for Santa C'aus. Daddy's been too busy worrying about mommy. I need help with the words."

Blair swallowed down the lump that persisted in blocking his throat as old feelings of childhood loneliness resurfaced with each new sentence Olivia spoke.

He remembered feeling forgotten and second best during the holiday seasons as Naomi transplanted him one more time into a strange home or apartment. Naomi celebrated heartily with whichever new person was in her life. It rarely included Blair unless he was an afterthought usually one brought to the forefront by Naomi's companion. Naomi never gave it a second thought. Blair was there and so was she, what more could he want?

Blair couldn't remember if he had actually ever written to Santa. He didn't think so. He remembered thinking the he had never been sure of where he would be Christmas morning so how could Santa know?

"I think that sounds like the perfect way to spend our time." Blair pulled his backpack out from under the desk and fumbled through it until he came up with a notebook. Grabbing a pencil off of Jim's desk, he handed it to Olivia along with a clean sheet of lined paper from the notebook.

"So how do you want to start?"

Looking at the clean space in front of Blair, Olivia pointed to the empty desktop. "Aren't you going to write to Santa too?"

"Ah…well, I --"

"I could copy some of the words from your letter. I know how to write my alphabet but I can't spell all the words right yet. Then you could help me with the rest."

"O-kay." Blair gamely grabbed another pencil and opened up his notebook to a blank page. More snickers from the next desk earned the offenders sharp glares from both of the letter writers this time.

"Just ignore them, Olivia, they're too old to understand."

Olivia nodded and turned her back a little more to block out their audience. "My daddy says to just ignore rude people and they'll go away."

Giving a now silent H and Rafe a triumphant smirk, Blair agreed with her. "Your daddy is so right, Olivia."

"Is that what your daddy says?" A guileless, angelic face smiled up from a halo of tangled red curls.

Blair thought momentarily about lying then opted for a modified version of the truth. "Well, actually, he would probably bop them one, but then he would ignore them," Blair spared his hecklers another glare, "when they got home from the hospital."

Seeing the silly faces the young man traded with the two other detectives, Olivia giggled and smiled up at Blair. He returned her bright smile and leaned down to whisper conspiratorially in her ear. "Since Santa knows who's being naughty and who's being nice, I guess we know what those two are going to get in their stockings, huh?" Blair and Olivia shared a secretive giggle then hitched their chairs closer together to begin their letters.

A few moments later, Henri Brown quietly set two cups of hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows on the desk beside them. He mouthed a silly faced "sorry" and walked back to his desk, sufficiently rewarded with delighted smiles from two surprised, young faces.

Olivia dictated what she wanted her letter to say in between sips of cocoa. Blair was careful to print his words in an overly large block print, taking his time to read each word out loud so the little girl understood what they were writing. Olivia concentrated on her printing but kept glancing up at Blair in between words. When they both had the opening paragraph done, she stopped, laying her pencil down.

"Your daddy looks really big and strong. He must be a good policeman." Sincere, hopeful eyes blinked up at Blair.

"He is Olivia. He helps a lot of people." Blair smiled softly back.

"Do you think he can help my daddy? He really wants to find mommy. Even if she isn't a real mommy it would be nice if she came home."

Blair tilted his head to one side and frowned at Olivia choice of words. "She isn't your real mommy?"

"No, she's my second mommy. My first mommy 'gave me up'. I'm 'dopted. My daddy said it was 'cause she was too young to take care of me so she gave to people who could. But she wasn't a real mommy either."

"She wasn't?" Blair's confusion was clear.

"No, she was just my first mommy," Olivia replied.

"Then who is your real mommy?" Blair felt like he needed a score card.

"I haven't had one yet."

Blair couldn't hear any sadness in Olivia's voice. "You haven't?"

"No. But it's okay. I can wait."

Blair reached out and ran his hand gently over her soft, tangled curls in a gesture of comfort. "What about your daddy?"

"My daddy, the one with your daddy, he's my second daddy and my real daddy, too."

Olivia definitely had Blair's curiosity peaked. "He is? Olivia? What makes him a real daddy?"

Olivia smiled serenely, secure in the all-knowing conviction that the very young possess. "He loves me and takes good care of me. He likes being with me. He's a real daddy."

"Your mommy doesn't?" Worry made Blair glance across to Henri again, but the detective was on the phone, oblivious to their present conversation.

"Not really. She says I grew up to be a 'new-sents'. I'm not sure what it means, but I don't think it's nice."

Blair's concerned frown deepened. "She's nice to you isn't she? She doesn't… do anything …to hurt you?"

"No." Olivia was calm and confident, filled with a brutal honesty only children can be comfortable with. "I just don't think she likes me much. Do you have a real mommy and daddy?"

Blair stared at her for several moments before switching his gaze to the men that could be seen through Simon's office window. Confident he wasn't being overheard, his gaze softened and his voice trembled slightly when he answered.

"My mom is kind of like yours. She leaves all the time and I don't think she likes me much either. I was a nuisance too. And I didn't have one for a long time, but yes, sweetie, now I have a real daddy."

"Are you 'dopted too?"

Blair thought about it for a minute and then slowly nodded his head. "Yeah, I guess maybe I am. Both my mom and dad are my second ones, and just the one is 'real'. But he is very real, believe me, Olivia."

Olivia nodded and picked up her pencil. "Like my daddy." Staring down at her paper she asked, "how do you spell 'baby'?"

"B-A-B-Y. Like this." Blair pulled in a deep calming breath and carefully printed out the word. "Going to ask for a new baby doll?"

Olivia answered in quiet, accepting tone. "No, a new baby sister. Maybe mommy will like this one better and come home so daddy won't be sad any more. Santa can make both of them happy again. How do you spell 'sister'?"

Blair blinked rapidly to force back the sudden tears that blurred his vision as he printed out the new word. He had to swallow three times before he could trust his voice not to betray his feelings. Blair took another sip of cocoa to buy a little extra time.

"Don't you want to ask Santa for anything else? Just for you?"

"Oh, yes. I want a puppy, just in case."

"Just in case what, darlin'?"

"Just in case the baby doesn't like me either."

This time Blair had to turn away and wipe at his face with the back of his hand before turning back to face the sweet child next to him.

Olivia reached out and brushed at his still damp cheek. A bright smile beamed at Blair as he sniffled and swallowed hard. "Don't cry, B'air. You can ask Santa to bring your mommy back too, if you want. Or ask for a baby brother. Would that make your daddy happy?"

Blair snorted through a choked sob and wiped at the stream of tears falling from his eyes as uncontrolled laughter shook his body. "THAT, Olivia would definitely not make him happy. He says one of me is more than enough."

Blair gasped for air until his breathing evened out, wiping away tears and brushing back his hair from his face. Quieting down, he lowered his voice and looked sadly at Olivia. "And I don't think I want my mom to come back anymore."

"Oh. Well, you are getting kind of big." Olivia nodded sagely and considered Blair's empty list. "What are you going to ask Santa for?"

"Me? Well, ah… I haven't thought about it much yet. Let's see. I don't need much of anything, really."

"You want a puppy, too?"

"Nah, sometimes we're not home very much and puppies need a lot of attention. Besides, I have it on reliable authority I'm not considered housebroken myself yet."

"What?" It was Olivia's turn to be confused.

"Ah, never mind about that part, sweetie. Let me think. I could use a new coat, I guess, but Jim's old one works great. Lots of room in it to wear extra layers. I could ask for something for my computer, but Jim just got me a bigger hard drive last month when mine crashed and my printer is only 4 months old, so I guess I'm covered on that score."

"Do you want a new ball or some books to read? I like books, especially ones about animals. My favorite animal is an owl. She's small and brown and lives in a hole in the ground instead of trees like most owls. I dream about her every night. She's my friend."

Blair looked deep into Olivia's dark brown eyes. In his mind's eye he could see a small reddish brown owl soaring gracefully over head and into a thick woods. Shaking off the brief flash, Blair took a deep breath and reached for his cup of cocoa, handing Olivia her cup at the same time.

"We'd better drink these down. They're getting cold."

Olivia eagerly accepted her cup. "So, do you? Want a book?"

"Ah…well no…but there's something that I lost a few months ago that I would like to have back."

"Santa can find anything. What was it?"

"Oh. It doesn't sound very lucky to me if you lost it."

"Well, considering the circumstances at the time, I was very lucky, so I think it works pretty good." Blair paled slightly at the memory of the abuse he and Daryl had suffered at the hands of Marcus Keyes then pushed it hastily away.

"Write it down. Santa is pretty experienced, he can find it." Olivia nodded wisely and sipped at her cocoa, leaving a chocolate mustache behind. Blair grinned and used a tissue to wipe away the evidence from her mouth. He obediently added the lost charm to his wish list.

"Do you want to add anything else, Olivia?"

"No. A baby and a puppy will be hard enough for Santa to keep quiet on the trip. I'd better stop there."

Blair swallowed down a teasing smile and solemnly agreed with her assessment of the situation. "Good thinking."

"How about your list, B'air? Don't you want more than just one thing?"

Blair let his eyes rest momentarily on people around the busy room. His gaze touched the two detectives at the next desk, Joel as he hurried out of the room with a thick file in his large hand, Rhonda busily typing away at her desk, and finally came to rest on Simon's office window.

Bending down low to bring his head level with the little girl's, Blair caught her soulful, solemn eyes with his own bright, watery gaze. Hands resting lightly on her corduroy covered knees he tried to instill in her a sense of security and understanding with his words.

"Well, you know, Olivia, I'm already in school for a career I love. I have a great home to go to every night, friends who want to be around me, even when I'm not so nice to be around. And…and someone who protects me and… loves me and…and cares enough about me to make sure I learn to be the best person I can be and to take good care of myself. Someone I love very much. There's not a whole lot more to ask for after that."

"You're lucky."

"Yes, I am. And so are you, Olivia. Whether your mom comes back or not, you have a daddy who loves you and takes good care of you." Blair squeezed her knobby little knees reassuringly. "Sometimes that's enough."

"I guess…but…I'm still going to send my letter to Santa. I think you should too."

Blair smiled and straightened up. "I will. I promise."

Both picked up their cups and drained the last of the cocoa from the marshmallow-ringed mugs as the door to Simon's office opened. All three men came out into the bullpen. Jim led the way over to his desk and grinned down at both occupants, deciding instantly not to cue either one in about the sticky-looking, white stained corners of their lips. At least not yet.

"I see he's still here. Good job, sweetheart. Did he give you any trouble?" Jim reached out and touched the tip of Olivia's nose causing her to cross her eyes and giggle.

"No. He was good." Turning her attention to her father, Olivia beamed proudly up at the man. "We wrote our lists for Santa C'aus, daddy. Can we mail mine on the way home? B'air helped me write the words."

David Graham swept his daughter up into his arms and wiped at the messy face with his handkerchief, smiling past the obvious worry in his eyes. Out of the corner of his vision he caught Ellison performing the same task on the other cocoa drinker, much to the young man's embarrassment if the batting hands and deep blush were any indication.

"That was very nice of him, angel. We'll have to take it home and get an envelope and a stamp first. We can mail it tomorrow, I promise."

Graham was a 40-year-old securities broker and long time friend of Simon Banks. He was of average height and weight. Dressed conservatively in black dress slacks and a gray cashmere sweater under a charcoal gray long coat, dark hair trim with every hair in place, he was the picture of the successful young businessman. But his impeccable outside appearance couldn't hide the sadness and distress that haunted his gray-blue eyes.

Graham hugged Olivia tightly before setting her down. He accepted the letter she handed him enthusiastically. He glanced at it, widened his eyes in surprise then tucked it safely into his coat pocket. Turning to face Blair, he extended his hand to the blushing young man.

"David Graham. Thank you for keeping Olivia entertained and for helping her with her list. I've been…preoccupied lately and important little things have been getting away from me. I appreciate you taking the time with her."

Blair leapt forward, anxious to escape Jim's clean up efforts. With his full attention focused on Olivia's father, Blair failed to notice Jim slip his letter off the desk into his own pant's pocket.

Blair clasped the offered hand in greeting. "Hi. Blair Sandburg. It's nice to meet you. And hey, man, it was no problem. Your daughter is a great little girl. We had fun, didn't we Olivia?"

Olivia beamed over at Blair. "Uh huh. And we had cocoa."

"So I saw. Are you ready to go home now?" Graham ran his hand over Olivia's curls and tweaked her nose playfully. He pulled her coat from the back of the chair and helped her into it.

"Yes, daddy." Olivia laid her head against her father's leg and gave into a big yawn once she was all bundled up.

Graham turned to Simon and extended his hand again. "Thank you, Simon. I appreciate you making the time to see me."

"No problem, we're friends, Dave. Try not to worry too much. Jim and I will look into the matter and let you know as soon as we come up with something. Then you can decide what direction you want to take it."

Simon flashed a knowing look at Olivia. "Just enjoy what you've got. It looks worth the work."

Graham smiled appreciatively and nodded. "It is, Simon."

Finding Jim behind his desk, casually shuffling through some files, Graham waved. "Thank you, Detective Ellison, I'm thankful you'll be helping Simon out with this. I know you'll do your best. Happy Thanksgiving and goodbye."

Three cheerful "good-byes" followed the pair out the door. Their last glimpse of Olivia was of sleepy brown eyes and a chubby, waving hand.

Simon heaved a deep sigh and made an effort to lighten the mood. "Okay, gentlemen. It's time to clear out of here. There's a turkey dinner calling us. Let's move before my phone rings and then I promise none of us will go anywhere."

Pulling on the coat he had slung over his arm, Simon made shooing motions at Blair.

Jim tossed his parka at the younger half of his family and slipped into his own jacket. Blair hurriedly pulled on each extra piece of outerwear he knew he needed to keep out the chill air then stuffed his notebook back into his pack without a second thought to its now missing contents.

Jim reached out and tugged the belled ski cap farther down over Blair's head. Grinning impishly he asked, "So, elf boy, do you want me to mail your letter to Santa tomorrow, too? I have an envelope and stamp right here in my desk."

Blair tossed Jim a sour look as they all walked to the elevators. "Get real, Jim, I was just giving Olivia a hand with her spelling." A half-hearted jab at the big guy's arm punctuated the surly response. Blair shot a miffed glared at Simon's unrestrained chuckle.

After the three of them boarded, Blair rested his weight against the back of the elevator and thought over his conversation with Olivia, suddenly turning quiet and pensive. Looking up at the man Olivia had so aptly called his 'daddy', he let the feelings in his heart the little girl had reminded him about shine through. Warmth spread through his chest and brought a soft smile to his face. He landed another light punch on Jim's arm then let his hand slide down the fabric until he could grab the edge of the sleeve and hold on.

"Besides, Jim, I can't think of a single thing I need to be happier than I am right now." Blair graced both men with a huge smile.

Simon ran a hand through Blair's curls just to make him squirm, with predictable results. Blair yelped, "not the hair, man."

Jim snagged Blair around the shoulders and pulled him close to his side as they exited the lift, a beatific, contented smile on his own lips at hearing Blair's declaration. "So there isn't anything you want, huh?"

"Can't think of a single thing, man." Sincere happiness radiated off the young face.

Jim slipped his free hand into his pants pocket and covertly checked that the pilfered letter was still intact. Curling his other hand tighter around Blair's shoulder he hugged the youth roughly to him before releasing him to get into the truck. Jim slammed the truck door closed after Blair and muttered happily to himself as he rounded the front of the vehicle to climb in. "We'll just have to see about that, Chief."

******************

Blair slipped through the loft front door and laid his package on the floor. He slipped off his too big parka and hung it on the coat rack by the door. Toeing his wet shoes off, Blair cast a glance around the ominously quiet room looking for Jim. He was over an hour late returning home from the library for dinner and was expecting to be met with an unhappy Blessed Protector. Caught up in the excitement of an impromptu shopping trip, Blair had even forgotten to call home.

Seeing the loft's immediate area was an Ellison free zone at the moment he slipped into the kitchen to peek under the lid of a crock-pot simmering on the counter top. Inhaling deeply as the smell of Irish stew was carried on the released puff of steam as he lifted the lid, Blair closed his eyes and enjoyed the rich aroma. He replaced the glass lid securely on the pot and reached up to grab a mug from the shelf over his head.

Before his hand closed over the ceramic cup a heavy hand landed squarely on his backside. Startled and unprepared for the contact, Blair yelped and jumped to one side, instinctively turning to press his wounded bottom into the cabinets behind him. Heart racing and face flushing furiously, he glared at his attacker until the equally stern glare on Jim's face reminded him that he was the one in trouble.

"Hi, Jim."

"A little late, aren't you, Chief?"

"Ah…yeah, I am. Sorry." Sheepish regret was instantly replaced by bouncing enthusiasms when Blair remembered exactly why he had been sidetracked into being late. "But wait till you see what I found. I was at the library to pick up those two new texts that finally came in and when I got there they hadn't been signed in yet so I couldn't sign them out until the head librarian did the paper work so I had some time to kill. I started thinking about that little girl, Olivia, we met last week. Remember? And I decided to do some research on the owl that she was telling me about. The one she dreams about. I figured there couldn't be that many owls that have their nests underground, so how hard could it be to find out about this one? Anyway--"

Jim raised both hands palms out and lightly patted the air with them in a 'slow down' gesture Blair was all too familiar with. "Take a breath, professor. You're losing me."

Blair refused to have his excitement defused. Bouncing to the door he retrieved his package from the floor and returned to Jim's side. Pulling a shoebox shaped carton from the bag, he continued with his tale.

"I ran a search and found out that the owl Olivia was talking about is a burrowing owl. It makes its home in underground burrows like rabbit holes. It's small, only about 9-10 inches tall, brown like Olivia's eyes, and is very, very rare. It's amazing that a 6-year-old even knows about them. There are so few in this section of the country that they aren't even seen for years at a time."

Blair was pacing and gesturing throughout his entire lecture, making sweeping motions in the air to emphasize words and drawing shapes to illustrate points. Excitement and joy sparkled in his young face.

Jim rested against the back of one couch, arms folded over his chest and watched the floor show, taking delight in the sight of a happy, passionate and nearly healthy offspring the way any loving parent would. Oblivious to the gentle scrutiny, Blair rambled on.

"Anyway, I got an idea that maybe Olivia would like a stuffed animal for Christmas. I figured she could use a friend right now… You know, kind of like I could have used one when I was her age. Like the bear Simon got me when I was sick… someone to talk to and stuff. " Blair's tentative expression showed just how sensitive he was to the thought of another child being as emotionally isolated as he was growing up.

Jim's soft, understanding smile eased the young man's tension. "Yeah, kiddo, I remember. It would be a great gift." Blair's answering smile told Jim that he had said the right thing.

"Yeah, man, that's what I thought, too. So I searched the net and found a toy store right here in Cascade that carries a line of exotic and rare animal species as stuffed animals. Its called "Nature's Garden" and it's next to the mall. So I ran over there and they had one."

Pulling the box in his hands open, Blair reverently removed a small, tufted, brown speckled, stuffed owl from under a mound of white tissue paper.

"Just look at it, Jim. Isn't it wild? It looks so real."

Round, yellow eyes stared out from under lightly hooded lids of soft brown fur. Attached wings sported feather-like strips of downy, brown and gray speckled fur and a tiny plastic beak was nestled deep in the round face. The owl had been recreated in great detail, leaving a realistic replica of a burrowing owl as a toy to teach a new generation of children about the wonders of nature and the need to protect and preserve it.

"Your right, Chief. It looks great. Olivia will be thrilled. I take it this is why you're late?"

Blair delighted smile dimmed a bit. He shifted restlessly from foot to foot, unconsciously reverting to his usual instinct to run when things became confrontational.

Jim was pleased to see him hold his ground. Reaching out quickly, Jim gently tapped Blair's forehead and ruffled his hair as he walked past to enter the kitchen. "That's okay. We'll chalk this one up to a misdemeanor with extenuating circumstances and let you walk with a stern reminder to use that fancy cell phone in your pocket."

Blair let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Jim. I really just lost track of time."

"I know. It happens. But it better not happen often," came the firm warning.

Blair nodded and picked up the scattered pieces of packing material that had fallen in his haste to show Jim his find and carried it all toward his room. He started talking once he was out of sight. "I'm going to wrap this after dinner. Maybe you can take it with you when you meet with her dad tomorrow, okay?"

Jim stirred the stew to be sure it wasn't sticking and started to set the table. Blair came out of his room and immediately took over the chore freeing Jim to pop a cookie sheet covered in large biscuits into the oven.

"Sure. You know, Chief, Olivia's mother isn't coming back. Simon tracked her to her hometown in Indiana. She's got a job, an apartment and old friends there."

"How could she just leave like that, man? Olivia is a great little girl."

"She said the demands of raising a 'special needs' child were more than what she had bargained for. Apparently she didn't understand that the tiny child they placed in her arms after the adoption was always going to be a very tiny child and grow into a tiny adult. Whoever explained dwarfism to her didn't do a very good job."

"Or she just didn't listen. She probably expected Olivia to stay the perfect little doll. All proportioned right and easily molded into what she wanted her daughter to be, like a Barbie doll. I'll bet it surprised her when Olivia started growing up to be so smart with a will of her own."

"Maybe. I don't know. Either way, she knew David would never consider giving up Olivia so she decided to just up and leave. She thought it would be easier on all of them. She was planning on calling and letting him know where she was after she got settled, but backed out when the time came."

"What a crappy solution for all of them."

Jim's voice grew soft and tinged with an old sadness. "Its not a solution, no matter whose parent uses it. Everybody involved gets hurt that way."

Blair immediately understood the hurt in Jim's tone and walked over to rub a hand over the older man's back consolingly. "I'm sorry, Jim. Olivia doesn't deserve this kind of rejection and neither did you. Both your moms just didn't understand how special their kids were. Their loss, man."

Jim turned to pull Blair's hand off his back and yanked the younger man into a rib-creaking hug. "I know. And I think we could add one more misguided 'mom' to the list. Naomi will never understand what a special child she missed seeing grow up. I'm thankful I'm having that chance now. It kind of helps make up for some of the other lost times."

Blair blushed at the praise but managed a shy smile of appreciation. His voice caught several times with emotion but he managed to get all the words whispered out. "At least all three of us have dads that love us to soften the blow."

Jim tucked Blair close and they stood still for several moments relishing the closeness of the topic, the mood and the season. Suddenly Blair pulled back and became his usual animated, talkative self again.

"Oh, Jim. I forgot to tell you the most interesting part about Olivia's owl."

"So tell me, Mr. Audubon. What's so interesting about an owl that lives in the ground? Besides that fact that it lives in the ground?"

Blair bounced in place, rocking on his heels forcing Jim to release his hold.

"I did some checking on this owls' significance in the spirit world and you know what? The most prevalent theory considers the burrowing owl to be a sort of guardian for warriors, helping them and warning them of trouble. Kind of like sentinel birds."

Blair waggled his eyebrows at Jim suggestively, daring the detective to make the obvious connection between his and Olivia's meeting.

"Hold it right there, Mumbo Jumbo. I'm not going to believe that a six-year-old girl has anything to do with this sentinel stuff. No way, I'm not going there. It was just a coincidence."

"Jiiim. Olivia is special. She has dreams about a rare animal that is thought to be a guardian for tribal warriors. It could be her spirit guide. What are the chances of that being a--"

Jim held up both hands in a gesture of surrender. "Okay, Okay. Let's say I believe it's more than a coincidence. It doesn't mean anything at the moment. We're not in the middle of a case. There isn't any danger. I don't feel a problem bothering me. Olivia and I got along great. Let's just put this into a file for future reference and sit down to eat dinner. Okay, Junior?"

Blair heaved a sigh of exasperation and defeat. "Okay. For now. But the first owl I hear in the middle of the night we are so going to be discussing this again, Big Guy."

"Fine. Sit. Eat."

Joining Jim in the kitchen he carried a salad from the countertop to the table while Jim loaded hot biscuits from the oven and into a basket. Blair took the bowl of hot stew Jim handed him and took his seat at the table. Jim joined him carrying his own bowl and the basket of rolls.

Two minutes into the meal Blair forgot his frustration and began to entertain Jim with the facts and stories he had learned about several endangered species that had been spotlighted at the naturalist toy store. Jim smiled as he watched hands fly through the air and long curls tumble in time to exaggerated gestures and excited words.

Relaxing back in his chair, Jim half listened and let his mind wander. He found himself wondering what had really been on Olivia's Christmas list.

Thinking of lists, he remembered the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach when he had finally pulled Blair's list out of his pocket and read it. He knew the charm had been missing since Keyes, but he hadn't realized Blair had so highly valued the gift. And Keyes couldn't ever tell where he had hidden the little fetish. Jim had seen to that.

Maybe if he scouted out the area around the cabin again he'd find a clue he had missed. At the time, he had been agitated and easily distracted without the Blair's presence to guide him. Jim decided he'd talk to Simon about a few hours off to investigate tomorrow while Blair was deep into approaching midterms and papers.

Pulling his attention back to his chattering dinner companion, Jim smiled and rolled his eyes as Blair's fork sailed through the air as a result of one overly enthusiastic gesture. Ducking to escape the flying cutlery, Jim grabbed the flailing arm in midair and brought it back down to rest on the table.

"Whoa, whoa. Slow down there. I get the point. It's a great store. You can show it to me next time that we're out. Maybe they'll have something we can get to donate to the policemen's toy drive."

"Cool, that's a great idea, Jim. They have so many terrific things there. They had a set of stuffed baby lynx that looked so real, they were amazing."

"Is that what you asked Santa for in your letter, Chief, more stuffed animals? That should be easy to find." Jim teased.

"Hey, you can never have too many soft cuddly things to sleep with, man." Blair grinned lecherously and scooped his fork off the floor. Turning serious for a moment he fairly mumbled, "and no, I don't think Santa could find what I asked for."

"Yeah? What did you ask for?"

Reluctant to bring up bad memories for either of them especially at this time of year when feelings tended to be at their most exposed, Blair did what he did best and obfuscated.

"Oh, it was something only you could help out with."

"I could?"

"Oh, yeah, man." Blair turned his smile up a few thousand watts. "I asked for a coupon booklet."

"What? Like for Wonder Burger?" Jim gaped in shocked disbelief.

Blair laughed and slowly moved away from the table towards the imagined safety of his room. "Kind of, but these coupons are like get out of jail free cards, like in monopoly. You know, one for coming home late after curfew, one for forgetting to call, one for missing a meal, all redeemable at the Ellison Bank of House Rules. Maybe a packet of fifty. What do think my chances are of getting them?"

Jim watched his wayward young charge maneuver a slow, overly casual shuffle towards his bedroom. He let a feral grin of possession settle over his face. "Oh, I'd say about as much chance as you have of making it to your room before I catch your sneaky, little butt." Jim launched himself at Blair before he even ended his sentence.

Caught unprepared, Blair had to regroup. Flinging himself to the right he found himself bowled over the back of the couch and pinned to the soft cushions by the heavy weight of his attacker. Squirming frantically, Blair hadn't gained an inch of freedom before the torture started.

"AAAAAHHHHH! JIM, NO! DON'T!"

"Too late, Chief. You earned this."

"NO. PLEASE, NO!"

"Take it like a man, Junior."

"I can't. Jim. Come on, man."

"AAAHHHHHHH!…Jiiiiiiim…I'll s-settle for t-twenty…Aurghhhh! …No FAIR…JIIIIMM! NO TICKLING."

End