Title: A Very Motive Christmas
Author: Skylarcat
Classification: Angie Flynn, Oscar Vega (Chapter Story)
Rating: A for Awesome
Feedback: For Christmas, allow feedback to be my gift.
Summary: It's Christmas time and our favorite detectives have to work. Good thing for presents and mistletoe.
Note: Flynn and Vega are characters that do not belong to me. Yes, I have used them without permission. However, no copyright infringement is intended. And I will return them intact and a lot more satisfied.

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Chapter One:

'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' blared from her car radio for what felt like the billionth time in the last half hour. "Nope," Angie Flynn mumbled to herself, her fingers automatically reaching for the dial, switching the radio off. "Bah humbug," she added for good measure, steering her car down a side street. She wasn't much in the holiday spirit, considering it would be her first Christmas in a long time spent without Manny; he had decided to seek warmer climate with a group of friends along the coast of Mexico. Her baby boy was becoming a man, which meant less time spent with his old mom.

With that thought, she sighed and adjusted the heat in her car, shivering slightly, and made the last turn in the direction of the crime scene. Instantly, her car lit up from the flashing of red and blue sirens of several police cars scattered along the rural road. They were a sharp contrast to the cheerful neighboring houses with their Christmas lights all aglow, their hue dancing along her dashboard in a series of color and she stared there, momentary distracted before glancing through her windshield.

She parked behind one of the squad cars and cut off her engine, leaning back into her seat she spotted her partner right away. He always seemed to have an inherent ability to beat her to every crime scene, and quite frankly it annoyed the shit out of her, his detail to time. It made her look bad. She smiled and shook her head, taking a moment to study him. Her blue eyes took him in with one long glance. He had always been a sharp dresser and of course tonight was no different. He wore tailored dress slacks and a long black jacket over a crisp button-down oxford shirt that made him look professional and very serious; a divergent to her standard attire of combat boots, a low-cut, firm-fitting t-shirt and her favorite blazer. They didn't appear to fit together, but in reality they made the perfect pairing.

Out of the two, he was the calm, overly rational, and incredibly responsible one. Where else, she was the practical, though a bit reckless at times, stubborn one, and they worked well together. They had been partners for several years now, her longest relationship in fact. And she trusted him with her life.

She took another moment to observe him, watching as he breathed in and out tiny white puffs of condensation and air, rubbing his hands together in a futile attempt for warmth. He hadn't spotted her yet and she decided to put him out of his misery and not keep him waiting any longer than needed in the frigid night air.

"Howdy partner," she shouted in his direction, catching his attention over the roof of her car. She lowered once more, disappearing in her vehicle to reach across the seats to the glove department. She opened the module, digging deep beneath the random items until she felt the object that she was looking for. A moment later, she unwrapped the cherry lollipop, placing the sucker between her lips before discarding the paper along the floor mat of her car. She stood once more, shutting her car door and jogged the short distance over to where he stood.

"Ho. Ho. Ho," he greeted her as she stepped onto the curb, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

She arched a brow, a smile already spreading across her lips. "Who you calling a ho?" Immediately, his cheeks turned a deep shade of red, and she knew it wasn't a result from the cold air. She rubbed her hands together, quite amused with herself and glanced around the area. It was your normal suburban neighborhood, where all the residents knew each other and didn't have to lock their doors. And murders, well they never occurred. That is until they did, which is why they were called out there in the first place. The wind crackled around them, blowing her blonde locks in every direction and she tilted her head, glancing at her partner. "Burr," she stuttered, "What are we doing here? It's Christmas."

Her partner lifted the yellow caution tape and gestured for her to pass under. "Yeah, well you know what they say, Ang, nothing says the holidays like a homicide." She snickered softly as she bowed beneath the tape, waiting for him to join her.

"So what's with the lollipop," he asked, pointing in the direction of her mouth.

She pulled the sucker out and pointed it at him exaggeratedly. "What? Don't judge me. I didn't have time to grab dinner." She held out the lollipop to him. "You want some?"

He held up his hands in protest and took a step back gingerly. "I think I'll pass this time, but thanks for the offer."

She shrugged, placing the lollipop back inside her mouth. It was his lost. "You have any plans for the holidays," she inquired as they approached the house, her eyes taking in their surroundings. The house was of average build, two stories with pale yellow siding and green shutters. It had a long wrap around porch, adorned with brown flower boxes; empty now, except for the snow. She paused at the door, pulling the sucker from her mouth once more. "This is a pretty nice house."

"Yeah, it is," Vega agreed, his own eyes darting around. He paused, stepping an inch closer to her. "Nothing concrete," he stated, his eyes locking with hers, answering her earlier question. "Family stuff," he shrugged. "What about you?"

She thought for a moment, her eyes lowering to stare at the welcome floor mat. "The usual, twenty-four hour marathon of a 'Christmas Story'," She glanced up, catching his stare and smiled. "Or if I am really bored, there's always 'The Breakfast Club'."

Her partner actually laughed out loud at her suggestion, soft crinkles forming around his eyes. He ran a hand along his scruffy beard, eyeing her incorrigibly. "The Breakfast Club, seriously Angie?"

Her eyes grew wide, her mouth coming slightly ajar. "Vega, how could you not be a fan of 'The Breakfast Club', it was only the pivotal turning point of my adolescence. Everyone could identify with at least one of the characters, come on." She slapped him on the shoulder with one of her gloves. "You cannot be serious, right now."

Just then the door swung open. "Feliz Navidad," Lucas greeted them with an eager smile.

She glanced at Vega, pointing a finger at him, then turned facing Lucas. "Thoughts on 'The Breakfast Club', Go."

Lucas stepped back, allowing them to cross the entry. "The Breakfast Club was only the best movie ever made, a true classic, depicting the trials and tribulations faced by society's youth, timely as it may be, its theme, to this day, still resonates; the desire to belong. I've always identified with Anthony Michael Hall's character."

Vega made a face, causing Angie to hit him in the chest. "He played the nerd," she clarified, a smirk forming along her lips.

"Well that explains it," Vega whispered to her and she bit her lip, attempting to restrain from laughing.

"What do we got, Lucas?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at Vega in warning. She reached into her coat pocket, pulling out a pair of blue latex gloves. She arched a brow, turning in a complete circle, taking in the space. To the left appeared to be a study or a small office, in the center of the room was an oak desk with two leather chairs. In the corner stood a large hutch, made from wood with panes of glass in the doors. To the right was a hallway that led to the kitchen, and there is where they discovered the body.

"The deceased: Sarah Walker, a forty-nine year old, white female," Lucas began. "The cause of death appears to be blunt trauma to the head."

Angie squatted, to get a better view, brushing a strand of dark hair away from the victim's forehead. She examined the deep gash that ran along her skull, the blood already beginning to dry. She stood up, glancing around the kitchen. "What do you think," she asked over her shoulder. "Death by fruitcake?" She picked the dessert up, weighing it in her hand. "It could be used as a brick."

Vega scrunched his face at the fruit concoction and poke at it from where she held it in her hand. "Not sure if being hit by one would cause death, but certainly eating it could."

She laughed at her partner's dry tone. "Awe, what's the matter, Vega? Not a fan of fruitcake?"

"No, I consider myself more of milk and cookies kind of a guy," he answered, examining the lock on the door. He turned the knob a couple of times and glanced in her direction. "No sign of forced entry."

She walked over to inspect the locks on the windows and shook her head, indicating that everything appeared in order.

"And I don't see a chimney for the perp to have come down either," Lucas interjected, laughing at his own joke.

Angie shot Vega a look as he rolled his eyes. "How long did it take you to come up with that line, Lucas?" He asked.

"She knew the killer," Angie confirmed, interrupting the jousting and fought back the urge to smile. Lucas was young, still fresh and a bit zealous at times, and her partner was always quick to bust his balls. She walked over to the refrigerator, taking note of the items that graced its doors. There were a few magnets, several photos, and a pamphlet that caught her eye. She pulled it down and held it up, reading the words, "First Baptist Church of God." She titled her chin towards Vega, and handed the pamphlet to Lucas, who promptly placed it inside an evidence bag. "May be worth paying a visit to, perhaps someone there knew our victim."

She strode past Vega into the study, stopping to look down at the desk calendar. "She had today's date circled with a note, 'Meet Matthew'."

"So who is Matthew?" Vega asked, writing in his notepad.

She pointed her finger at her partner. "That's the million dollar question." She turned, pausing at the corner hutch. It was a light shade of brown; the top couple of shelves were cased in glass and contained what appeared to be fine china. The lower half was opened, housing a nativity scene, larger than what Angie was used to and she studied the sculptures for a moment. In the center was the manger that held baby Jesus. Next to that stood Joseph and Mary, who stared down lovely at their baby. She scrutinized the scene, a nagging feeling growing in the pit of her stomach, and then something caught her eye.

"Hey, Vega, come look at this." He stepped up next her, glancing at the nativity scene to see what it was that had caught her eye. She pointed to the couple of statues in the back. "Unless my math is wrong, I believe we are missing a Wiseman."

Vega's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree upon hearing her discovery. He quickly reached over, lifting one of the figures up, checking its weight in his hand. "Heavy enough to be used as a weapon."

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "I don't know about you, Vega, but I would say murder constitutes making it onto Santa's naughty list."