For Better or Worse

Chapter One

"Think Oscar'll be mad that we got married without telling him first?" Jaime asked.

"Nah," Steve said, tightening his arm around her waist. "He'll be so happy when he hears the news, it'll be all he'll focus on."

Jaime laughed happily. "Callahan's gonna be so excited, she'll want to kiss you. Can't let her do that, though. No one kisses my husband but me." She pivoted around to stand in front of him. "I could use one right now, just to tide me over."They kissed with all the passion of newlyweds, and a little bit more: they had waited so long for this, and been through so much together.

"C'mon, let's go tell 'em," Jaime said with a contented smile.

Steve pushed on the office door, holding it open so she could go in first. He almost ran into her when she stopped cold only a few steps inside. "Steve - something's really wrong here." It was late morning, and Peggy Callahan - always there promptly at 8 - wasn't at her desk.

"She's probably in a meeting," Steve guessed.

"No...look." Jaime walked around to the other side of the desk, truly frightened now. The bottom two drawers on either side of the chair - Callahan's file drawers - had been forced open, rifled through and discarded on the floor.

"I've got a real bad feeling..." Jaime whispered.

"So do I. You wait here; I'll check Oscar's office."

"Uh-uh. You're not going in there alone - could be a trap."

"Jaime -"

"And you're not leaving me out here alone, either."

Steve couldn't argue with that logic, but he damn sure was going in first. He took one fast look around and protectively pulled Jaime closer, his arm tight around her waist.

"Oh no..." Jaime said, halfway between tears and panic. Papers and file folders were strewn everywhere, Oscar's desk chair was overturned and there was no sign of Oscar.

Steve saw the people on the sofa first and tried to block Jaime's view. "Sweetheart, go out to Callahan's desk and call Security. Now."

"I'll call from Oscar's phone. It's right -" Jaime was gripped by terror that rendered her speechless. Callahan was lying, unconscious, on the office sofa, with blood on her head. Leaning over her prone body was Sam Goldman.

"Argus!" Steve grabbed Sam by the collar of his shirt and lifted him into the air. He slammed him against the wall and held him there. "What'd you do to her? And where's Oscar?"

"Steve! Put him down!" Jaime pleaded.

"My name isn't Argus; it's Goldman." Sam choked out. "Doctor Goldman, and you're wasting time."

Steve lowered him to the ground. "You don't deserve that last name," he growled.

"Ambulance is on it's way, and I've already called Security," Sam told them. "Steve, you need to put your personal animosity aside and help me deal with this."

Steve had plenty of animosity. This was the man who had almost caused him to lose Jaime forever. The wedge he'd driven between them was almost too much to get over, but they'd done it and now they were married. Sam was the very last person on the earth that Steve wanted to see.

"What the hell happened here?" Steve demanded. "What were you looking for?"

"I didn't do this," Sam said quietly.

"Forgive me if I have a certain lack of trust in you," Steve grumbled.

"Steve!" Jaime admonished him with a raised eyebrow and a stern look. She moved to Callahan's side. "Peggy?" There was no answer.

"She'll be ok - just a nasty bump on her head," Sam told Jaime as he slipped an arm around her waist.

This was more than Steve could take. "Get your damn hands off my wife," he snarled, "before you need an ambulance, too."

"Your - wife?"

"Yep."

The two men stood face to face, as though daring each other to strike the first blow. Jaime stepped between them, angrier than both of them put together. "Oscar. Is. Missing.! Callahan's hurt, God knows what is going on, and you two wanna compare testosterone levels? If this is for my benefit, don't bother. If it's for your own benefit, grow up!

The medics arrived and took Callahan away, leaving the angry trio standing amidst the rubble of the ruined office. "If you're done playing George of the Jungle," Sam said flatly, "I think I know what they were looking for."

"And yet you had nothing to do with this?" Steve asked.

"Steve - please - knock it off," Jaime told him sharply. "What, Sam?"

"I think you'd better tell us that," said a voice from the doorway.

Steve groaned. "Great. Who called Dudley Do-Rite and his Keystone cops?" Hanson and Kirk from the NSB looked over the mess and Kirk turned to Steve. "Security called us. What happened here?"

Steve shrugged. "Ask the answer man over there."

"Mister Goldman?"

"I came in and the office was trashed. Secretary was unconscious on the couch, although I'm guessing from the trail of blood droplets that she managed to get herself there after she was hit."

"So you're a detective now, too," Steve noted, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Jaime stood on the tips of her toes to whisper in his ear. "Steve, I love you. Please shut up."
"Anyhow," Sam continued, "the only files that I know for certain are missing are Jaime's, Steve's, and the one on Rudy Wells."