Chapter Two

James left the office and headed - alone - to the bar across the street. He was surprised to find his father on one of the bar stools, well on his way to complete inebriation.

"Dad?" James knew Steve had quit drinking almost 30 years earlier, when he and Peggy were married. "What's going on?"

"Your mother," Steve slurred, "women, life in general. But you don't need to get involved in that, Son."

"Gotta be pretty bad to get you in here, and in that shape," James observed.

"Your mother thinks I'm still in love with Jaime."

"Well, aren't you?"

"Not the way she thinks. Jaime and I were very close for a long time, went through Hell and back together. So yeah, there's a piece of my heart that's always gonna belong to her. If that's love, then yes, I love Jaime. But I love your mother, James, and she's the love I wanna spend the rest of my life with. Jaime made her choice a long time ago, and I made mine."

"You named me after her, didn't you?" James asked quietly.

"I named you after my step -" Steve hiccupped - "my stepfather - Jim Elgin."

"Dad..."

"Ok, maybe I did. Or maybe I just like the name. Her daughter's name is Stephanie. That's not the problem. Peggy feels threatened by my spending time with Kelly, and she shouldn't. It's not like Jaime and I had an affair, and we're not having one now, either. When I took marriage vows with your mother, I meant every word. Period." Steve finished his drink and held the glass out to the bartender for a refill.

"Dad, how 'bout you let me drive you home now?"

"Peggy doesn't wanna see me. She's really upset. With me."

"I think she's upset with the situation, not with you." James shook his head at the bartender, to say 'He's done'. "C'mon, Dad. I need to stop up at the office for a second - got an apology to make - and then I'll take you home."

"Maybe I should wait 'til morning. Peggy won't like that I had a little bit to drink."

"A little?" James smiled and shook his head. "I think she'll take that a lot better than if you're gone all night."

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James knew he'd probably been out of line in the way he'd left Stephanie's office; he couldn't tell if she was angry or had really gotten into it. He expected it was the latter, but he wanted to make sure. Steve insisted on coming with him. This was the same building he'd been banned from, but that was almost 30 years ago. (Damn - he felt old!) Still, it felt a little strange to walk the old hallways again.

They got on the express elevator to the Director's office, and James was immediately clutched by fear. "Dad...look!" On the floor and two of the walls were numerous small splatters of blood, and they looked very fresh. They definitely weren't there when he'd left, less than half an hour earlier. The elevator couldn't get there fast enough for James. His heart pounded wildly as they reached the office suite. The outer office looked relatively undisturbed, but there were a few blood splatters there, as well.

The inner office was a totally different story. The papers Steph was filing were scattered across the floor around her desk. Chairs were overturned, and the phone's cord had been ripped from the wall. They saw several larger blood splatters and a small patch, almost a pool of it, by Stephanie's desk. Steve became instantly sober and clear-headed. "Son, technically you're in charge here, for the moment. But I'd suggest you use the phone in the lobby and call in your best operatives and a lab tech. I'll find another line and call Jaime."

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James sent the lab tech, Colin Marchetti, up to the suite to take blood samples. Fifteen agents were searching the building and the surrounding area for any sign of Stephanie. James looked at the operatives who surrounded him. Kelly Hansen (back from a very short assignment), Amy and David Wells, the cream of a very elite crop. His father and Jaime had also insisted on being a part of the search. He wished he had more to tell them.

"The blood trail leads to the curb, directly in front of the building. I pulled the security tapes, but every one of them was tampered with, so we have nothing there. We're dealing with professionals, so we have to work fast. Turn all of DC on its ear, if you have to - just find Stephanie."

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