A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed this story or posted a review to my Author's Notes on my other unfinished stories. I'm pretty rusty at this whole writing thing, and I've noticed my chapters getting longer and more detailed as I go, so hopefully this story will get better accordingly.

Please, please, please leave a review if you like it. Or if you hate it. Either way is cool.

Enjoy!

"Chuck, wait," Sarah reached out and grabbed his arm before he marched to Berlin by himself.

He stopped and turned to face her. Looking up into his eyes, she was taken aback by the look in them. He was determined, that much was evident. She even saw anger, something she hadn't seen him exhibit before. She was almost a little scared by the emotions swirling within him. She felt it too – the hurt from being betrayed and almost killed, the anger at the realization that innocent people's lives were on the line.

"What's the plan?" She asked gently.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"We're going to get Jacques' family back," he finally answered.

"I know that," she nodded. "How?"

"Let's talk to Jacques again," he suggested.

"Okay."

Before she followed him downstairs, she took his hand in hers and squeezed. She wanted to show him she supported him fully, that she trusted him and was behind him.

Chuck grabbed a chair and put it down across from Jacques. He took off the bag and removed the gag from his mouth before sitting down.

Jacques blinked a few times before settling his gaze on Chuck. Sarah stood off to the side, watching intently.

"When is the next time you have to check in?" Chuck got right to the point.

"Tomorrow," Jacques answered. Chuck, studying his face, came to the conclusion he was telling the truth. He had nothing to lose anymore.

"The officer you were talking to..."

"Kruger," Jacques supplied.

"Kruger," Chuck repeated. "What did you tell him about us?"

"He thinks you are resistance, like me."

"He thinks we're French?"

Jacques just nodded. Chuck looked up at Sarah and they shared a look. This was good news, if any of this could be called good. Both of them had come to the obvious conclusion that their covers had been blown, that their next move was to abort the mission and make their way back to England. There was a very good chance that their identities were only known to a few of the Germans, especially since they had killed the ones already sent after them. It would be quite embarrassing for an SS officer to admit to his colleagues or superiors that they'd utterly failed. There was no real way for them to know, however, without evidence one way or the other.

"He's the one that took your family." It wasn't a question.

Jacques nodded again.

"Do you have any idea where he's keeping them?"

"The SS headquarters in town. In the cellar. I made him show me they were alive."

It was Chuck's turn to nod, and Sarah knew his mind was working overtime.

"Sarah, we need to talk," he told her as he stood up.

"Upstairs?" She asked.

"No," Chuck shook his head.

He looked down at Jacques, his full long frame making him tower over the restrained man.

"I'm not even going to bother gagging you again," Chuck informed him. "There are only two ways you are ever leaving this basement, and you know what they are." His voice grew steelier as he went on. "I believe you, Jacques. I believe Kruger has kidnapped your family. I'm going to do my best to get them back, even though you almost got us killed. They shouldn't have to pay for your actions. But understand this, ami, if anything happens to Sarah, if even one hair on her head is out of place, I will kill you. You will wish it was the Nazis and not me."

Sarah was in sensory overload. They were apparently going to rescue Jacques' family from the SS headquarters. That in itself was insane. There were only two of them, and the SS was elite. Then Chuck rose to his feet and point-blank told Jacques the consequences of Sarah getting hurt in any way. She already knew he'd protect her as her partner, but this obviously went way beyond that. On purpose, she hadn't given the word that much thought yet, but it was becoming blatant – it was love. Only love could inspire that kind of devotion, the kind of fire she saw in Chuck's eyes. He was in love with her.

The thought threatened to overwhelm her. When she was recruited into the OSS, she knew what she was giving up. She was going into a war, the greatest the world had ever known. The chances she would even make it home were slim, and she accepted that. She'd never let herself dream about what she'd do once it was all over. It took away from her focus and distracted her from her duty.

Yet Chuck, in the short time she'd known him, had smashed through all her carefully crafted defenses. She found herself, for the first time, thinking about what it would be like when the war was over. When they could all finally go home and start the rest of their lives. Central to all those dreams, she realized, was Chuck.

He wasn't a distraction. Okay, yes, she wanted to kiss him. A lot. But they plainly worked well together. They complemented each other's skill sets, making them a formidable team. He was a problem solver, always thinking outside the box to get something done. She was all about action. While he knew all about military tactics, equipment and soldiering, she knew about covert operations, espionage, and stealth.

Maybe it was the fact that they about to plan a suicide mission. Maybe it was the fact that they were in the middle of a war, behind enemy lines, and could be killed at any moment. Or maybe it was just because she didn't want to waste any time they did have left together. No matter the reason, she was determined to tell him how she felt.

"Before we start planning, I need to speak with you upstairs, Captain."

Her serious tone surprised Chuck a little, and he nodded quickly. She only called him Captain so he knew she was serious – that there was to be no argument from him.

He followed her dutifully into the kitchen.

"Sit across from me," she motioned to where she wanted him. "I don't know if I can say this if we're attached."

He just nodded and sat down across from her. She folded her hands and put them on the table in front of her, staring down at them. Chuck wisely remained silent and waited for her to speak.

"Did you mean what you told Jacques?" She finally whispered. After another moment of silence she decided to clarify. "When you told him you'd kill him if anything happened to me."

"Yes."

She snapped her eyes to his and gasped slightly at the look of pure determination in his eyes.

"Really?"

"Yes, Sarah, I meant every word," he said emphatically.

"Good," she sounded relieved.

Chuck studied her intently. She seemed apprehensive, nervous. He hadn't really seen her like this before and it fascinated him. Since they'd met, she hadn't stopped surprising him. She was supremely intelligent, stunningly beautiful, and incredibly dedicated to her job.

He knew right off the bat that his feelings for her went beyond professional partnership. When she kissed him right after the explosion, he dared to let himself feel a little hope that those feelings were reciprocated. When she later pulled him into her bedroom, she showed him that they indeed were. Making love to her had been the absolute highlight of his life. At first he was, admittedly, nervous. He'd never seen a woman as beautiful as her, much less kissed and touched one. But she tore down his defenses with soft words and even softer kisses.

When he'd seen that German soldier going for her, he just reacted. It wasn't his training, although that certainly helped. She was fully capable of taking care of herself. It was one of her greatest qualities in Chuck's mind. Yet it was as he told her – he couldn't stand even the thought of that Nazi putting his hands on her. It wasn't possessive, at least not in a bad way. It was protective, instinctual, and it was born out of one thing. Love.

Chuck had always been honest – with his family, friends, superior officers, but most of all with himself. The emotions swirling around in him since Sarah Walker waltzed into his life began to clear and become concise. He had never felt this way about anyone else in his life. When he looked at her, it took his breath away. When she touched him, she lit his skin on fire. When she kissed him, fireworks went off. While the physical attraction was a huge part of it, the emotional connection he felt with her threatened to overtake him. Earlier they had been in bed, having just finished another round of lovemaking. She laid under him on her back, completely open and vulnerable. She didn't have to say it – the look in her eyes told him. She trusted him. She loved him. Chuck's habit for honesty didn't fail him. He knew. He was in love with her.

"Chuck?" Sarah's voice pierced the silence.

"Sorry," he smiled, blushing.

"It's okay."

"Sarah, you know you can tell me anyt-"

"I love you."

Chuck's heart skipped a beat as he registered her words. She bore her eyes into him, waiting to gauge his response.

"I love you," she repeated with as much emotion as she could deliver. "We might die on this mission. We might live sixty more years. I don't know. What I do know is that I love you, and I refuse to waste any more time without you knowing it. I know we really don't know each other all that well yet. I don't care. There's a lot of things I want to tell you, about my past and growing up, and that really scares me. But it doesn't scare me as much as going another moment without telling you how much I love you."

He was floored. He really had no idea what she wanted to come upstairs to talk about, and now she had declared, in no uncertain terms, her love for him. He had a hard time believing it wasn't a dream, but when he looked at her, he knew it was real. This amazing woman was in love with him. She felt the same way, seemingly maybe even stronger, that he did.

Seconds passed, and Sarah grew more and more terrified. He hadn't answered her. In fact, he looked like he was in a daze. His eyes were slightly glassed over and his mind seemed to be in the clouds. Reaching out tentatively, she grasped his left hand and sandwiched it between her own.

"Chuck?"

"Hmm?" He looked at her. The fact that he still hadn't said anything weighed heavily on her.

"Maybe we should go back downstairs and start plann-"

"I love you."

It was his turn to interrupt with his own declaration. She looked into his eyes and saw the truth there, the love.

"I love you," he repeated just as she had. "I don't care about who you were or what you did, Sarah. I know who you are. You're incredible. You're independent and a great partner. You truly care about what we're doing here. I love that about you."

"Is that all you love about me?" Her tone was half serious, half teasing.

"You're beautiful," he blurted out. Her smile took over her whole face. "You're so beautiful it hurts. Not just on the outside either. You're so kind and caring. But, god, you're beautiful."

"You're not so bad yourself," she joked, punching him lightly in the arm.

"Please, I'm fantastic," he waved her off with a grin.

"Yeah, you are."

She took the initiative and leaned up and across the table, framing his face in her hands before kissing him thoroughly. When she figured she'd let him up for air, she rested her forehead against his.

"Je t'aime, Chuck." This time she whispered it in French.

"I love you too, Sarah," he replied before capturing her lips for one more kiss.

She couldn't stand being apart from him anymore so she came around the kitchen table, scooted him and his chair a bit, and plopped down sideways in his lap.

"I hate to break the mood, but we do have a rescue mission to plan," she informed him as she ran her hands through his hair, one of her new favorite activities.

"Right," he nodded, still in a haze.

"Chuck, listen," she sighed. "As much as I would love to continue this upstairs in our bedroom, we have a job to do. Now I'm almost positive that you already have the beginnings of a plan, am I correct?"

The fact that she'd referred to it as 'our' bedroom didn't escape Chuck, but he let it slide for the time being.

"Maybe. No. Yes," he waffled. "No matter what, it's going to be risky Sarah. We're talking about infiltrating SS headquarters. We can't just blow open the front door and invite ourselves in."

She thought about it for a moment. It would be quite awesome to do just that. Blow open the front door, send the SS where they belong, and rescue Jacques' family. Chuck was right, though. Right now there was only the two of them. They didn't know who they could trust in the resistance anymore. Purposefully, they didn't know where any other American agents were, or even if there were any friendlies in the area. It was up to them.

"I'm going to have to seduce someone," she came to the conclusion on her own.

Chuck just sighed and nodded sadly.

"Don't worry, Chuck," she soothed, her heart breaking for him. "Everything is going to be okay."

"I know," he tried, pathetically, to show her he was fine. "I know what you have to do. I hate it. And I hate that I'm the one making you do it."

"You're not making me. I want to." Before he could rush to judgement, she continued. "To save Jacques' family. They're innocent, Chuck, and they deserve to live. Besides, I'm pretty good at my job. I don't want any of those assholes touching me any more than you do."

Now they both sighed, already picturing the worst case scenarios.

They might love each other, but this was going to be a big test of their newfound relationship.