Chapter Two

Oscar's ability to remain calm and in control through any crisis was one reason why he'd always been so successful. This situation, though, was almost too much for him to bear. He couldn't quite wrap his logical mind around what had just happened. He couldn't use the driver's radio to call for help because the front of the limo was basically...gone. Not crushed, as it would be in a collision; just gone. The driver, what was left of him, was simply too gruesome a picture for what had been such a beautiful, perfect day. There was nothing he - or anyone - could do for the driver. Oscar's whole body ached from the concussive force of the blast, but the pain was the least of his worries. He had to help Jaime.

He got out of the limo and, as gently and carefully as he could, stretched her out across the seat, avoiding the evil-looking bump on the right side of her forehead. As he eased her into a prone position, Oscar felt genuine fear for the first time in many years. They were alone in the middle of nowhere, on a quiet road about ten miles from Rudy's complex. Oscar grabbed the emergency radio from its pocket in the backseat and turned it on. It couldn't be tuned to a particular frequency but had been specially designed to hone in on the nearest secure government emergency line, which he guessed was either the nearby Air Force base or -

"This is Doctor Wells," said the crackling voice on the other end.

"Rudy - thank God!"

"Oscar?"

"There's been...an explosion, I think. We need an ambulance or the Medivac, whichever can get here faster. Jaime's hurt, and my driver...he's dead. We're about ten miles from you, onValley View."

"Ok - we'll be right there."

"Rudy, have someone notify Base Security and the NSB."

"We'll take care of it. Hang on, and stay with Jaime."

The radio, not intended for anything but the shortest call for help, went dead. Oscar watched Jaime closely as distant sirens headed in their direction. This is what comes from getting too close to me, he thought sadly.

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The bump on Jaime's head turned out to be - a bump on the head. After a day and a half of observation, she was released. Once they'd returned to work, Oscar had tried - for Jaime's safety - to convince her that the feelings between them weren't real, but she wasn't buying it.

"I'm sorry, Jaime; it was a mistake."

"Oscar, the way you held me, the look in your eyes...the only mistake is what you're doing right now."

"This is how it's going to be," he told her with all the authority he could muster. "I won't let you stand in the line of fire."

"It's a temporary situation," Jaime insisted. "The people who did this are gonna be caught, and -"

"And the next ones with an ax to grind will be right behind them. I'm really sorry, Babe, but there is nothing between us. There can't be."

Jaime wasn't willing - or able - to give up. "Tell me one more time that this isn't real." She threw her arms around Oscar's neck and, before he could react, threw all of her energy and all of herself into one long, sweet kiss. When she felt one of his hands on the small of her back and the other entwined in her hair, she knew she'd made her point but continued kissing him for the joy and warmth it brought them both.

They heard the knock on the office door, but Steve, following his usual habit of not waiting for an invitation, walked right in.

"This how you're greeting all your operatives these days, Oscar?" he said with a chuckle. "Good thing I'm not Jack Hansen."

"Hansen would've waited for a 'come in'," Oscar joked. He turned to Jaime, who'd moved a respectable distance away, but with sparks still flying hot and fast between them, they were fooling no one. "Steve's working the case with Hansen and the NSB," he told her.

"I'm gonna help him," Jaime announced. "I want this over with."

"Tryin' to say I can't handle it?" Steve said lightly.

"You said it, Austin, not me. Oscar, sign me up."

"Not. A. Chance."

"Oscar, I'm going to help. If someone's trying to hurt you - or worse - I am going to help find them. Period. If I have to go out independently, then so be it, but I am going."

"Miss Sommers," Oscar said with mock indignation, "I could have you thrown in the brig!" He smiled, then shrugged his shoulders at Steve. "Looks like you've got a partner."

On his way out, Steve couldn't stifle a bemused chuckle.

"Something you find funny, Colonel?" Oscar inquired.

"Oh, not a thing. Except - boy, does she have you whipped! Already!"

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