Jim's first thought as a possible person to raise Angela if something were to happen to him was Catherine. After all, she had raised one child; she would know how to do it. Catherine said she would give it some thought, but asked him if he had considered Grissom. Somehow Jim couldn't picture Grissom raising a kid. He was a great mentor to the younger CSIs and Jim trusted him with his life, but……no, probably not the best choice, Jim decided.

He also thought of Sofia Curtis. She also agreed to give it some thought but then asked him why he was only asking women. Jim didn't have a good answer for that. So he began to think of the men he knew and that he would trust with his little angel. Doc would be great except he had his own brood. Warrick….he was having too many problems lately. Angie and Greg Sanders got along great, but he wanted a more mature hand guiding her. Nick Stokes came to mind…yeah, he'd be a good father for Angie if Jim was taken out of the picture. Nick was hesitant but then said he'd give it some thought too.

Jim called Mrs. Wilson to let her know that he did want to try to adopt Angela. She seemed genuinely happy with his decision. There would be mountains of paper work and home inspections, court inquiries and appearances, and if all went well, the adoption should take about a year. Jim began to wonder what he was getting himself into.

Meanwhile, he was growing more and more attached to Angie. CPS gave temporary approval for her to stay with him until the court could look at his application and begin the process of adoption. With Catherine's help, he found a babysitter. She had been preschool teacher and raised three children of her own, so Jim felt comfortable that she was competent. Her first day was short. She came to stay with Angie for the afternoon while Jim went out, just to give Angie a chance to get used to him being gone.

After an hour, Jim couldn't stand it and sent Catherine to spy for him. She 'dropped by' for a visit and spent a few minutes with her. Then she called Jim. "Really Jim, she's fine. Linda has her baking cookies. She said Angie cried for a little while at first but then they decided to bake some cookies to surprise you with when you get home and Angie's been happy since then."

"Really," he responded, happily. "I kinda had this feeling about Linda….thought she might be good for the kid."

"Look Jim, Linda Ayers has a wonderful reputation. You're lucky to have her. Now you need to trust her to handle things."

"Yeah, I know….it's just that…."

"Right, nobody's good enough for your angel…." Catherine chuckled into the phone. "Well, why don't you go enjoy the rest of your afternoon and be sure to be surprised when Angie has cookies for you."

"Yeah, and thanks Catherine. I owe you one."

The next day, Jim went back to work. He started on the day shift but would switch back to grave the following week. Linda had already agreed to stay the nights with Angie and also be there when Jim had to pull a double. Basically, she would be there whenever Jim wasn't.

Oddly, it was Gil Grissom that pointed out the flaw in his plan. "When are you going to sleep, Jim?"

Jim stared at him, stunned. "I, um….hadn't gotten to that yet," he replied.

That evening he had a long chat with Linda. Essentially she would become a live in Nanny. Jim's days off would be her days off. The next night, he began converting his office into a room for the nanny. She moved in two days later.

"This is getting weirder all the time," he told Grissom. "Now I have this mother figure living under my roof but she's really more like my sister's age. Only she's not my sister."

"You afraid she might get the wrong impression or something?" Grissom asked.

"No, I think we are pretty clear. It's just…well, after being on my own for so long and now there are these other people living in my house…."

"Yeah," drawled Grissom, his brow furrowing. "Don't think I could do it."

"Yeah," smirked Jim, thinking he was right to not ask Grissom about being his back up.

Everyone began to notice the subtle changes in Jim. He smiled more often and was looking less weary. There was more spring in his step and his sense of humor was becoming less biting. In short, Jim Brass was a happy man and it showed.

Angie was adjusting to Linda. She still cried when Jim left for work, but the tears dried sooner and she was making it through the night in her own bed. Jim had tried to explain to her that she was going to be his little girl, but he knew she didn't really understand what was happening. In her young mind, he was her Jim and nothing else seemed possible. Once he had heard that she had been separated from her mother before, he better understood how quickly she seemed to recover from her mother being gone. Her constant watch on Jim was the one big clue to her separation anxiety. Consequently, he set up an appointment with a counselor.

The counselor, Dr. Hastings, talked with the two of them together and then with Angie alone. Then he talked with Jim. "You are right to be concerned with her extreme dependence on you, but I believe with time things will improve. She has had a lot of insecurity in her young life. She seems to understand that her mother isn't coming back this time. She sees security in you, Mr. Brass. And she desperately needs that security. I understand you are trying to adopt her?"

"Yes. I realize I'm not the ideal candidate, but since there is no family that can take her and she seems attached to me…."

"I hesitate to define the 'ideal candidate," said the doctor. "But in Angela's case, I believe you are. To put her through another separation now would be detrimental, I think. But it is important that you find ways to surround her with others who care for her also. As her world becomes more secure, I think you'll see some changes in her."

"Well, the members of the team that was investigating that night….they have taken a real interest in her. They come around a lot. I consider them good friends. And I've hired a nanny who has lots of experience with children. They seem to get along well together. My job …well, sometimes the hours are pretty bad, but then I go straight home so I can spend as much time with her as possible."

"That's good for now. But raising a little one can be taxing, Mr. Brass. And your job is very demanding. Be sure that you make time for yourself as well. Otherwise the day will come when you have nothing left for Angie."

"Yeah…that I understand." Bitterness crept into his voice as he spoke.

"I'd like the two of you to come back periodically, just to be sure that she's moving along and adjusting. And Mr. Brass, if I can be of any help in the adoption process, please call me. I believe it is in her best interest to stay with you."

"Thank you. And I appreciate your advice. I…um, well it's been a long time since I had a little one around."

"I'm happy to help. Her immediate attachment to you speaks volumes. Small children, especially ones who have been through what she's been through, generally are very shy and don't attach quickly."

The visit with the counselor made Jim even more determined to adopt his little angel. He hired an attorney to help them through the steps. Finally the court granted him temporary custody and the investigation into his life began. As they dug into his past, he became more and more nervous. But his lawyer kept assuring him that things would be okay.

Step by step they proceeded through the process. Months passed. Angie became more comfortable with him going to work and he even began to follow the counselor's advice and would take some time for himself occasionally. Linda was proving to be a gem. She did minor household chores that involved caring for Angie, never complained about the crazy hours, helped Jim with reading Angie's moods and actions, and became a key member of the household. "She's almost the perfect wife," Jim chuckled as he explained to Catherine. "Except that she doesn't max out the credit card, whine, or nag."

Catherine shot him a questioning look, "so is there something going on there?"

He chuckled. "No, it'd be like kissing my sister or something. Besides, I don't have any feelings for her in that way. Maybe one day I'll find someone," he shrugged. It occurred to him that his life was feeling pretty full without a Mrs. in the picture.

Slowly Angie began to be more comfortable with Jim being away from her. She didn't always need to be in the same room with him anymore either, but she still stayed close by whenever he was home. Their morning wake up ritual had changed when he went back to work. Now, when she heard his alarm, she would scamper into his room and whisper to him to wake up then fall into a fit of giggles as he tickled her. She was learning to fight back, however and had discovered that Jim was ticklish too. Occasionally he let her 'win' the battle.

The adoption was agonizingly slow at times but they kept moving forward. Finally, almost exactly a year later, on December 23 rd, Angie officially became Jim's daughter. Jim threw a big party and invited the Christmas angels from the year before. Linda was there too of course. The party was in full swing when Al Robbins asked Angie what she wanted for Christmas. Looking across the room at her father, she smiled at Doc and answered quickly. "My Jim…he's my daddy forever." She climbed off the couch and ran across the room, bouncing into her father's arms. It was pretty obvious to everyone in the room that Jim had gotten his Christmas wish too.

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I hope you enjoyed my little Christmas tale. More than that I wish you all a Merry Christmas. Thanks for reading. And many thanks for the reviews and encouragement.