A/N - Ok, I am a totally avowed Charah shipper so this is an anomaly for me and I totally blame Coffee! It still has Charah though so I think I keep some cred :) Reviews are always welcomed and thanks to Kro for the beta!

Sarah vs The Then and Now

It's late afternoons like these that get to Sarah Walker. When she can see the heat rising from the pavement outside the Wienerlicious and there are no customers to speak of. It's when her mind starts to wander and she has to consciously keep thoughts of Bryce and Chuck separate. It's scary that the best analogy she can muster is Morgan's rant about the new Abrams' Star Trek script where it's just not right for future Spock and current Spock to be sharing screen time. She really has been spending too much time with Chuck and his friends but it's not like she had not been offered an alternative; Bryce had called and asked and kept his offer open. He had been her first for a lot of things and that's not something that she takes lightly.

9th February 2004, Moscow

"May your love be modern enough to survive these times and old fashioned enough to last forever." The toast, in fluent Russian, ends with Bryce kissing the bride and shaking the groom's hand like they were best college buddies. He knows exactly where she's at and more especially when to cut in since their mark, the groom's uncle, started to get a bit more grabby.

"I believe you owe me this dance." He takes her hand before the balding man can protest and leads her to the middle of the dance floor. She fits well in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder, the smell of his cologne reminding her of sandlewood. "Did you get it?"

She cannot help the shiver as he whispers in her ear. She can put it down to the cold chill in the air but it's more because they're more than halfway through their first major assignment together and things seems to be working out amazingly. She palms the card key as he brings her hand up to his lips. The pass is done seamlessly as he spins her and pulls her back into his arms. "We have less than hour before he changes the password and the card's useless again." Her voice not betraying the slight frisson of fear she's feeling. It's not fear of the job but more fear of failure. Sarah's been at the top of her class at the Farm so she knows she's good but she's never been tested in the field. She feels Bryce's eyes on her and she smiles.

"You're doing great." Bryce can't take his eyes off her although he knows that he's going to have to soon enough. Her smile widens and he's amazed at her beauty and even more so that she's not aware of the effect she's having on him and most of the adult male population at this wedding.

"Kiss me." Her voice lowers as her head tilts up. She knows they need a good reason to leave the room and it's the best idea she can come up with right now. Bryce does not wait for the song to stop as his hand tightens around her waist and he meets her lips halfway. They're stationary for a few minutes before realizing that the band's taken a small break.

He takes her hand and leads her to the exit, acknowledging the knowing looks and nods of various men sitting at the tables they're weaving around. Bryce glances back and is surprised to see her blush, a small bashful smile gracing her face and he immediately feels a most unfamiliar protective feeling overcome him. He stops and pulls her closer, his arm around her shoulders as he pushes through the exit door.

Her change in demeanor is almost instantaneous as soon as the door closes shut. She removes her heels and runs along the corridor, not looking back to see if Bryce is following. They need to get to the penthouse and find the safe in less than forty minutes and she needs the adrenalin to take her mind off the kiss.

"There are going to be some guards" Bryce catches up to her as she reaches the elevator at the end of the corridor. "Drunk or Horny?" He loves her double take but is still impressed as he sees her demeanor change yet again as she struts towards him only to giggle loudly as the elevator doors open.

"I'm not drunk" said in a voice that totally belies that statement, as she weaves towards the penthouse doors. The four guards moves forward to intercept her as she stumbles forward, leaving Bryce wide open to take out the two closest to him as they are distracted by how much skin she's showing in her mock fall forward. The other two don't have much of a chance either as Sarah kicks one in the face, snapping his neck back and uses the heel of her palm to break the nose of the last guard before Bryce takes him out.

She manages to pick the lock relatively quickly and they're in the penthouse, the big bay windows overlooking the river, lights twinkling in the background. Bryce guesses where the safe is on his first try and has it open, its contents going into the various pockets in his suit. He looks up to see her silhouette against the windows, staring out suddenly understanding that this is probably her first trip outside the US. "It's beautiful isn't it?" He sees her nod and he can't help the next line, "The view's great too."

Sarah's never met someone like Bryce, someone whose life seems so put together, who knows what he wants. It's refreshing and frightening, she can't really decide which but knows that she's have to if they're going to be partners. "We need to get back to the wedding." She brushes pass him, only to be stopped by his hand on her wrist. She thinks, it's too soon but misjudges the reason as the door burst open and Bryce pushes her to the ground.

She hears the bullets fly and only when one embed near her head does she react and draw out her gun from the holster around her thigh. It's all instinct driving her now, as she shoots, taking down the balding man who less than an hour ago held her in his arms. It's her first kill but she does not acknowledge it just yet as she sees Bryce prone on the floor.

"Bryce?" Her voice is steady but her hands tremble as she turns him over, his soft groan, allowing her a sigh of relief, as she notes the bullet graze along his hairline.

His eyes are open though and he looks directly at her, "We should take the service elevator and try and arrange for an early extraction." Sarah nods as she helps him up, still not wanting to acknowledge her first kill as she makes her way out of the suite.

They make their way across town, Sarah's driving as Bryce checks in and request for an early extraction. The response back is to sit tight for the next eight hours until further instructions. The safe house has two rooms and she immediately takes the one on the left, heading to the bathroom without a glance back.

All Bryce can hear is the water running and he figures she's trying to mask her cries. He knows it's partly the adrenaline and partly the knowledge that she's taken a life regardless of whether it was necessary or not. He waits until she emerges before taking out the bottle of scotch.

"I'm going to try and get some sleep" Sarah sees him sitting there and is tempted to kiss him knowing that it'll provide some distraction knowing all she really wants is some form of oblivion. She sees his smile, regretful and inviting at the same time and can't help but join him at the table.

Bryce does not say anything as he pours her a drink and notes that she downs it in one swallow. It's only on his next pour does he say something. "Thanks for saving my life"

Her hands are steady as she brings the glass to her lips and they only shake when he utters his thanks. Sarah knows what she has done is for the greater good, that the man she killed tonight has killed countless of others. "Are you used to it?"

He knows what she's asking and pauses before he replies, knowing it will affect her view of him. "It becomes somewhat routine", it's not an answer he's proud of but it's the truth. He sees her shiver and he knows it's not because of the cold but he drapes his jacket over her shoulder anyway, his hand lingering, longer than necessary.

They spent the night talking about everything and nothing, not really bonding but just trying to get her through to the morning. She realizes then, how easy it would be to fall in love with him and wonders if it hasn't already begun.

"Sarah?" Chuck's been watching her from the doorway, noting the soft expression on her face. He can't deny how beautiful she is but it's the quiet moments that really drive home the fact that she is truly stunning,

She's drawn out of her reverie by a familiar voice. "Hey, your shift over?" It still amazes her how used to the routine she is, expecting to see Chuck every day and noting his schedule.

"Not quite, just dropping by to see if you're interested in trying out the new Thai restaurant Morgan found." He knows she's probably been to Thailand but it's the best that he can offer.

She gives him one of the special smiles, the one that indicates he's done something special in her mind, or at least he thinks it does. "Sure, I'll pick you up at seven."

He nods, smiling back, hoping that she realizes he's trying his best to show her how much she means to him. He's never going to compare to Bryce, but maybe he doesn't need to.

Sarah smiles as he exits, amazed that she's actually looking forward to tonight. It's not as exciting as stealing from the Russian mob but maybe, a new different round of first experiences is what she needs.

The End