A/N: This was finished 24 hours earlier than originally expected. But then again, it practically wrote itself. I have you to thank for a large part of this. You keep me inspired. Well, enjoy the chapter. The next one will have more action, I promise.


"Sis, wake up and open the damn door! Sarah!" Carina yelled and pounded her fist on the door of Sarah's trailer. She pulled back a bit and tapped a foot impatiently on the hard ground. Then the door swung open. "Finally," she began but then trailed off. "You're not Sarah," she told the short bearded man who'd just answered the door.

"No, as you can see, I'm not," he replied sleepily.

"Right, you're Chucky's friend Martin."

"Close enough," Morgan said. "My name is actually Morgan, Morgan Grimes. You must be Sarah's sister."

"Carina Miller… I mean, Carina Walker. Forget the Miller part, it's part of the job." She shook his hand. "Where is my sister?"

"I'm right here," Sarah said from behind Carina. Carina whirled around and saw Sarah leaning out of a side window of the fancy RV parked next to the trailer. "Chuck thought it'd be safer for me in here. And what are you doing here at this ungodly hour?" The question was followed by a yawn.

"I told you I'd be coming here, didn't I?"

"You didn't say anything about dropping by at five in the morning."

"Hey Carina, welcome to Fort Irwin," Chuck said from another window. Sarah thought he was unnaturally chipper given how early it still was, but said nothing.

"Chucky, hi. Can I come in?"

"Sure, gimme a moment to unlock the door. I'll make you some coffee, too. Any preferences?"

"I'd kill for a nice iced coffee," Carina replied.

"Two iced coffees coming right up. Sarah, I assume you want one as well."

"Go back to sleep, Chuck, no need to bother on our account. I can make the coffees."

"Nonsense, it's no trouble at all."

Carina climbed up the steps and entered the RV. She looked around in wonder. For the life of her she never expected to find such luxury and functionality in a motor home. Then she focused on her baby sister. Sarah was leaning against a bulkhead, watching Chuck make iced coffees. And she was wearing an oversized Harvard Crimson t-shirt and little else. Chuck, on the other hand, was more conservative in his sleepwear choice, having on a Stanford t-shirt and pajama pants.

"There you go, ladies." He handed the girls two tall glasses full of delicious iced coffee. "There are cookies in the cupboard. Home made, my sister baked them."

"Thanks Chuck. You should really try and get some more sleep though. Carina and I will take it outside."

"Or you can use the office."

"The office will do just fine," Sarah said, shooting a meaningful look at her sister. They'd both love to watch a desert sunrise, but not this time. Sarah led the way to the small but well appointed office, plopped down in a revolving armchair and folded her long legs under her.

Carina took the other chair and commenced the interrogation. "You and Chuck," she said bluntly. "You've made progress."

"I thought you came here for another reason."

"Still, it's surprising to see you in so little. Let me guess: when you spent the night at Chuck's a few days ago, you were wearing pajamas. My question is: which ones?"

"How do you know what I would wear?"

"I know you. That should suffice. And you'd choose to be modest at the time."

"The blue satin set," Sarah replied.

"Good choice. Sufficiently modest, while hinting seductively at what's underneath. But your current outfit… Tell me, exactly how much progress did you and Chucky make?"

"I kissed him," Sarah confessed shyly, almost timidly, looking down at her hands, a small smile playing on her lips and when she raised her head, her eyes were sparkling as she replayed the scene in her head. After all, it was a very nice memory.

"Say that again!" Carina exclaimed enthusiastically.

"I kissed him. He was so worried and sweet and considerate yesterday and I couldn't hold myself."

"Did he kiss you back?"

Sarah nodded, still smiling. "He most definitely did."

"What happened next?"

"We talked, I took a shower and we went to bed. Separately."

"Again, you disappoint me. But knowing you, the progress is monumental. Come here." She pulled Sarah into a big hug. "I'm glad you're okay, kiddo."

"Thank you. Ow!"

"What?"

"It's still a little sore," she replied, referring to the bruise on her body.

"Let me see it." Carina pulled the hem of Sarah's t-shirt up, exposing the bruise. "You were damn lucky. Chuck told me everything in detail, but I had to see it with my own two eyes."

"Casey explained what happened. Apparently the bullet was unable to stabilize itself. Otherwise, it would have easily penetrated my vest, in which case I wouldn't be here talking to you."

"How the hell did this all happen? How could this guy have put a bullet in a blank cartridge?"

"Chuck, Casey, some MPs and Graham's security guys investigated. Apparently, whoever did this entered through the skylight of the armory trailer. Before you ask, they dusted for prints and didn't find any. Whoever did this was very careful. As to how he got here, well, the base facilities are well guarded. The open desert is not, there is no need to."

"I'm going to have a little talk with whoever's in charge. I want to know exactly how this investigation is being handled. If necessary, I'll use and abuse my federal agent status to get some hard answers," Carina said determinedly. "But my immediate concern is to avoid a repeat performance."

"Hartley decided to do some of the remaining FOB scenes today. Therefore, Casey and his assistants will be free to check the blanks for any tampering, while Chuck will rig a new alarm system in the trailers housing the armory. Right now, we're keeping everything under wraps. Fortunately, Casey knows the base deputy commander. They met in Afghanistan and he agreed to help. The last thing we need is for this to become public knowledge. The MPs also made some discreet inquiries with the Sheriff's department, to see if they noticed anything suspicious in the area."

"Looks like they have everything covered. But I'll feel a lot better if you had some extra protection." Carina rummaged blindly into her handbag and pulled out a box.

"Are you serious?" Sarah hissed. "Sex is the last thing on my mind right now!"

Carina finally noticed that she'd pulled a box of condoms. "Well, keep them. Who knows when you and Chuck may need them," she whispered conspiratorially. "Anyway, what I actually wanted to give you is this." She pulled another box out and gave it to her sister.

Sarah opened it and found a Smith & Wesson 5906 pistol with spare mags inside. "You're giving me a gun?"

"Yes. I made sure you got a concealed carry permit for it, too. Have it on you at all times. As a matter of fact, I got you two guns. There is an identical one in my car."

"Isn't that overkill?"

"Better safe than sorry, little sis. It's not like you can't handle a gun. I taught you myself. Plus, you had other good weapons instructors for your movie roles."

"Thanks, I guess."

"You are welcome. Now tell me, how are you holding up? I mean, someone is out to kill you. It must be affecting you."

"It's funny, but I'm fine. I would have freaked out normally, but as it happened I freaked out by proxy."

"What are you talking about, Sarah?"

"Chuck freaked out for the both of us. It was kind of funny, so it helped. And now, we'll be ready if whoever did this tries anything else. Freaking out is not an option."

"If you ever get cast to play in a horror movie, you should use that line," Carina laughed and Sarah laughed right along with her.

"By the way, how did you manage to talk your boss into giving you time off? And I appreciate you using your vacation days to help me."

"Oh, I just passed it as part of the investigation into the break-in at your place, specifically about someone going after you to get to me. He agreed to let me investigate without a fuss. I'm here on official DEA business, at least on paper."

-o-

"Fuck! No! This can't be happening! The bitch survived without a scratch and now she's acting like nothing happened!" The stalker could clearly see Sarah Walker through his telescope as she made her way to wardrobe and makeup in order to get ready for another day of filming. His rage increased as he watched her talk animatedly to two people, a strawberry blonde and that pesky geek, who were walking with her. His phone buzzed and he angrily punched the accept button. "WHAT?"

"Daniel, honey, did I catch you at a bad time?"

"No, my line just snagged on something and I was trying to free it."

"Oh. Well, I just called to see how you're doing. I miss you."

"I miss you too, Eve," he replied automatically, but with no feeling. "We'll be heading back tonight, so I'll see you later."

"I'll be waiting. I love you."

"Love you too, Eve." At least the part about heading back to LA was true. He couldn't do anything, not with the increased security at the camp and on set. He'd just have to find another way to kill her. An evil thought passed through his troubled mind. Maybe, just maybe he could practice on his wife. Of course, it would have to look like an accident or a random violent act, a mugging gone wrong, for example. The fact that he would inherit her money also added to the appeal of it all. Thus cheered up, he packed his things into the car and drove off. He had a lot of planning to do and equipment to acquire.

-o-

The scene they were shooting was one of the most emotional in the game. In it, Lieutenant Anderson and the others were paying their respects to a fallen comrade, who had been killed in action the previous day. They were heading back to their huts after the brief memorial service when PFC Hawkins spoke up.

"Lieutenant, remember what you told me the other day? The thing about men fallen in battle going to a warrior's heaven? Do you think Rod would make the cut?"

"Yeah," she replied. "In Valhalla, Rod would definitely fit right in. I'd take him there myself."

"Huh?"

"My callsign," she explained. "It's Valkyrie, remember?"

"Oh, right, you mean the part about taking the dead to Valhalla."

"Exactly," Anderson confirmed. In reality, she would indeed take the fallen man's soul to Valhalla and let him join the ranks of the einherjar. And she knew Rod would like it, too.

"He asked me to organize a farewell party in his memory if he bought the farm, you know, Lieutenant. We'll drink to him and we're gonna do it tonight. Are you in?"

"Of course I'm in, Hawkins. Rod was a good man. He deserves a good send-off."

"OKAY, CUT!" Hartley called. "Nicely done, people. Get out of this sun and find some shade. We'll continue with the resupply scene in thirty minutes, when the Army helicopter arrives."

Sarah made a beeline for a tent and gratefully accepted a can of soda from Chuck, nodding her thanks. Carina also joined them.

"You know, Sarah, it's the first time ever I've seen you on set. You really did a good job. Hell, I almost believed you were really an Army officer."

"Thanks, sis. But I can't take all the credit. Everyone contributed to the realism of the end result."

Chuck stood by and watched the interaction between the girls, until Casey arrived. He'd been in the armory all morning. "Give us the good news, big guy."

"We checked every blank round we had in the opened boxes. None had been tampered with, and the closed boxes are still sealed. We found no tampering on them either."

"Johnny?" Carina asked, surprised to see Casey.

"Miller? What the fuck are you doing here?" Then he put two and two together. "Your name is not really Miller. It's Walker. You are Walker's sister."

"Guilty as charged," she smiled. "You're not still mad about Prague, are you?"

"What happened in Prague?" Chuck asked innocently. Casey just glared at him and growled menacingly. "I need not know what happened in Prague."

"Come on Johnny, back then I didn't know you were married."

"I still am, no thanks to you," he replied.

"Carina, you didn't try to sleep with Casey, did you?"

"No, I just pulled a little prank on him. We were both liaising with the Czechs, who were preparing a contingent for Afghanistan and… well, let's just say I played a little prank on him. I thought it would turn out to be harmless, but I didn't reckon on his wife calling him on Skype. And it was a video call."

"Ouch," Sarah said. "Casey, you have my complete sympathy. My sister's pranks do have the potential to go awry. I'm speaking from bitter experience."

"That's an understatement," Casey grumbled. "But in the end, my wife got a good laugh out of the whole deal when she learned the truth, so no harm was done."

"Frankly, I felt bad about it. I'm not a homewrecker, Casey. I'll apologize to your wife in person if I ever meet her."

-o-

Carina stayed long enough to get the rundown on the investigation's progress, or lack thereof. Chuck had suggested that she stay with Sarah in his RV, but she immediately nixed the idea, saying the trailer would do just fine. Morgan didn't mind having a roommate either. Secretly, both had the same goal: having Chuck and Sarah living under the same roof, which would definitely help things along on the relationship front.

Three days later, both Carina and Morgan agreed that Chuck and Sarah had really settled into a comfortable cohabitating routine. The only disagreement was about whether to give them a push to add a most satisfying physical component to the relationship. Carina wanted to do it, but Morgan thought it'd be better to let things evolve naturally.

"You'll ruin everything. Chuck is not the type to press the issue and I guess your sister is not exactly one to jump in the sack with any guy that catches her fancy. No, we mustn't do anything to scare them," Morgan argued.

"Morgan," Carina said, calling Morgan by his correct name instead of Martin, to drive the point home. "We'll be dead and buried ourselves before either she or he screws up the courage to take the next step."

"Come on, you know perfectly well how much they like each other. They are bound to take the next step and they'll do it soon, probably sooner than either you or I expect."

"No matter what happens, I want you to keep me informed of any and all developments. You have my number and my email address. Since I'm satisfied she's going to be safe, I'll be heading back to LA tomorrow as planned. And please stress the importance of not relaxing security here to Chuck and everyone else."

"You don't have to worry on that score. We both have a vested interest into keeping the two of them safe. You probably know what else I'm gonna tell you, but I'm gonna say it anyway: They're not going to do much before principal photography wraps and the movie goes to editing. They're too professional for that and they don't want to screw it up. This movie is a labor of love for them. Besides, at the end of the day, they are too tired to do anything else but take a quick shower and get some sleep."

"I noticed. Why?"

"We are filming on an active military base. The Army allowed us here on the proviso that we don't disrupt operations. Therefore, everything has to be done in a fraction of the time it would normally take. Fortunately, Hartley is an excellent taskmaster. Things will be more relaxed once we're done shooting on this location and move it back to the studio and the housing area of a disused military base."

"Duly noted," Carina said. "I still expect to see progress though."

"We'll talk about it in the morning. Goodnight Carina."

"Goodnight."

-o-

Sarah woke up in the morning feeling very well. The beds in the RV were far more comfortable than the one in her trailer. She kicked the covers off of her and got up, cheerfully humming a tune. And then she happened to glance out the window while reaching for her watch, which was on the nightstand.

Chuck was also awake and was heading towards the bathroom when he heard something from Sarah's room. It sounded like a hoarse, half-choked scream. Without thinking, he barged inside and found her sitting on the bed, a look of shock on her face, staring sightlessly at the floor. "Sarah! What happened?"

She wordlessly lifted her arm and pointed her thumb in the direction of the trailer next door. But as Chuck tried to move to the window and get a look, she stopped him. "Don't. I'm probably scarred for life. I don't want you to have to go through this, too."

"Huh?"

"This window offers a direct view to my trailer's bedroom. And… um… I saw them. My sister and your best friend between the sheets. Together."

"Were they…?"

"No, they're still asleep. Covered too, fortunately."

"Huh. Morgan doesn't seem to be your sister's type."

"Carina doesn't have a particular type when it comes to men. But, objectively speaking, Morgan is not bad looking and he's a great guy to boot. Both the above had to count a lot with her."

"OK. This won't be mentioned again. By the way, coffee should be ready soon. I was going to shave, but if you want to use the bathroom first…"

"I'll only be a minute. When I get out, I expect to have a nice big cup of coffee waiting for me. Today is going to be another long day."

"Sure. Shaving can wait. It's really a bore."

"I like you better when you're shaved," she called just before the bathroom door closed behind her. He just stared at it for a second, glanced at the window, shook his head and went back to the kitchenette.

-o-

"Good morning," Carina said and yawned.

"Morning." Morgan had a shit eating grin on his face as he lay in bed, hands clasped behind his head, the very picture of relaxation and contentment. Last night had been amazing. Fortunately, given how hard they were working, both Chuck and Sarah were heavy sleepers and didn't hear a thing. "How are you?"

"I'm great. I mean, I may have had better, but not many and not by much. You're definitely in my top 10." She knew how to stroke a man's ego while keeping him grounded at the same time.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Why is this guy, whoever he is, going after Sarah?"

"He's a psycho. He doesn't need a reason. Now that you mention it, I have to talk to her about it. Most stalkers can't even tie their own shoelaces, but this one managed to sneak in and plant a hand made bullet in a blank cartridge. He's smart, really smart, even if his plan failed to work."

"I think I can see where you're going. He must have somehow attempted to contact Sarah in the past and when she ignored him he went ballistic."

"Pretty much," she agreed and bounded out of bed to get dressed. A few minutes later, they were all having breakfast at a table set up between the RV and the trailer. After some small talk, Carina steered the conversation where she wanted it. "Sarah, I want you to think real hard. Has anyone attempted to contact you recently and you blew him off?"

Sarah thought for a minute. "No, I can't say I have noticed anything like that. Besides, my fan mail is being routed through my agent's office. I saw nothing suspicious on my website or social media, either. Maybe it's someone who wants to win the dead pool."

"The what now?"

Chuck took the cue. "Sarah is well known for doing almost all her stunts without a double. People are betting on whether this will get her killed. She could be right, you know. Instead of a psycho, it could be someone who bet money on her getting killed while is making a movie. And he wants to make sure he wins."

"That's cold, dude," Morgan commented.

"Nah, it just goes to prove people are capable of anything."

"Still, it warrants further investigation. I don't believe I'd never heard about this dead pool until now," Carina said.

"I only heard of it because I'm in the biz," Sarah clarified.

"Prudence dictates that both avenues of investigation be pursued. I'll look into the dead pool thing. I'll probably have to twist a few arms to get straight answers, but I'll worry about that when the time comes. Now, are you sure you've not been getting any messages from secret admirers and stuff?"

"No, I check my mail thoroughly. There was nothing out of the ordinary, just the usual bills, et cetera, and the expected junk mail." She laughed. "I thought that, with the Internet, junk mail would see a decline, but apparently I was wrong. They're still sending letters about anything and everything. I even got letters advertising a dating service. You didn't send those by any chance?"

"No, I have other far more subtle methods I can use where you're concerned, little sis," Carina said and winked at Sarah. A runner came to tell them that they'd be starting the day's work soon. "I have to be going as well. Let me know if you recall anything, OK?"

"Sure. See you back in LA in a few days."

"Take care, sis. You guys don't let her out of your sight."

"We won't," Chuck and Morgan chorused. Carina hugged her sister, shook hands with the guys, got in her car and drove off.