A/N: A short chapter tonight and hopefully one tomorrow night before I get busy again. I think the story will flesh out a little after tomorrow.

Sarah vs The Missing Asset

Chapter Nine

Sarah walked into the house in Cedar Rapids across from Chuck's, eighteen hours after being put on the plane by Casey. She was exhausted. After parking her new rental inside the garage, she had to pick the lock to get in. Casey had taken most of her personal affects saying that he would mail them to her. Without turning on the lights, she made her way upstairs to the bedroom. She felt around for the light switch and after finally finding it, flipped it on.

Sitting in the chair staring directly at her was Amanda Irving. Sarah noticed that Amanda did not look happy to see her. She also had a gun resting in her lap. She had not picked it up. The threat that it supplied was real even as it lay on her thigh.

"Sarah Walker. You are making yourself into a real nuisance. Do you know that?" she said without humor in her voice.

Sarah smiled nonchalantly and walked over to the bed and sat on the edge with her right leg kicked up resting on the mattress. "I get that a lot."

Amanda smiled for the first time and Sarah noticed it was a nice, warm smile, the kind of smile that was endearing. She wondered briefly if it was a real smile or a carefully cultivated one. Immediately the smile vanished.

"You need to leave. Get on the next plane out of here and just wait. If you're lucky, everything that you're here to find will come to you."

That got Sarah's interest. What did Amanda Irving, a Fulcrum Agent, know about what she was here to find. That's when a sick feeling gripped her stomach like a coating of molasses. Slowly, she felt the sickness spread until she almost felt like throwing up. Had Chuck talked to her about them? How else would she know why I was here? And why was she here? It can't have anything to do with the intersect. Beckman and Casey would never betray the intersect. Or… at what price would they betray the intersect?

She decided to take a direct approach. "Let me ask you…why is everyone so interested in me getting out of Cedar? It makes me think Chuck is in some kind of danger." She watched closely for any telltale signs from the attractive woman.

"Chuck is no danger as long as we stick to the plan. Your being here puts him in danger."

Sarah saw anger flash in the woman's eyes. It confused her. Did she care about Chuck? Sarah didn't know but she was determined to find out.

"What plan?" Sarah looked away frustrated that she could not piece together what was going on. The more Amanda talked, the less Sarah seemed to know.

"Look, how many times do you have to be told…You…are putting Chuck's life in danger by being here?"

"I know this… You say I'm putting Chuck's life in danger but that doesn't make sense. I don't know what you're really after."

"Walker, we're on the same side here. Don't you get it. You and I are after the same thing."

Sarah grew more confused. Amanda seemed sincere but she had seen the file on her at Yuri's office. She had been at the game long enough to know that evidence like what she saw in Yuri's office may or may not be true. She knew she didn't trust Amanda but she also knew that the possibility existed that she was not an enemy.

"I'm here for one reason and one reason only. That's to make sure Chuck is safe."

Sarah's anger was starting to show. The frustration of not knowing what was going on. Of being on the outside looking in and having to talk with this woman she had just seen kissing Chuck not two nights ago. And as she thought about it, a very passionate kiss at that, she became even angrier.

"But that's not your job. You don't have any business being here."

Sarah stood and yelled much too loud for an agent in control of herself. "I'm not here for the job…I'm here for Chuck."

She didn't know what to do with herself having just said that. Her arms seemed to be hanging at an awkward angle no matter where she put them and found it difficult to look Amanda in the eye. When she did, she saw that she was smiling at her.

"You're in love with him?"

Sarah's sight became blurry as tears stung her eyes. She couldn't speak but did manage to shake her head.

"This is not a trick you're playing is it Walker? Because I will become very pissed off if you're setting up a mark."

Sarah stared without comment.

"If you knew my history you would know that I'm sensitive to your situation."

That got Sarah's interest. "What situation is that?"

"An agent falling for an asset. But I've gotta tell you…after getting to know Chuck, it's not as hard to believe as what Casey makes it out to be."

Sarah's voice took a hard edge. "Speaking of getting to know him, I saw that kiss outside on the porch the other night. What's that about?"

Amanda smiled. "At ease soldier. We were working. Surely you know we're being watched?"

"You mean the two goons in the car?"

"No, they're our guys. But we expect Fulcrum to be watching us right now."

Sarah realized that Amanda had started talking. Was she playing me? Sarah wondered. "Why would Fulcrum be involved with this?" Sarah held her breath. She knew that whatever it was that Beckman and Casey were after, it had to be big to risk Chuck getting this close to a Fulcrum operation. With just one mistake and the whole Fulcrum operation would know who the intersect was. She thought about the kiss again.

"So the kiss was for the benefit of someone you thought might be watching?"

"That's right."

"So you two are supposed to be what, lovers?"

"That's right."

"So who are you after?'

"There's no way, Walker?" Amanda's expression told Sarah it was pointless.

Sarah decided to go for the brass ring. She finally had Amanda talking, she might as well see if she could get what she wanted.

"Let me see him. I can be the UPS girl or the flower delivery person whatever. Just let me have five minutes with him." Sarah's voice took on a pleading tone.

Amanda looked sympathetic. "Look, I can't. You don't have any idea why you were not chosen for this assignment but from what Casey has said it is a legitimate reason." Amanda looked at the door for an instant. "I'll tell you this. We're going after a high profile target. This has cost me two years of my life and more. I could probably get busted out of the CIA for telling you this much."

"Amanda," Sarah said trying one more time. "You don't know how I left it with him. I've got to let him know how I feel." Sarah's eyes filled with tears. "Just five minutes and I'll get out of town in an instant."

"And after you're gone, how will that affect Chuck? He has to have his A game for this. If there is any doubt in the mind of our target we not only fail but we're probably all dead."

Sarah felt dread grip her heart and squeeze it like a vice. "Amanda, I have to talk with him. Even if it's on the phone. He has to know how I feel. I know Chuck, he can handle it and still do his job"

"Walker, I find it hard to believe he doesn't know how you feel. Anyone willing to defy CIA orders just to talk with their boyfriend."

"You don't understand the situation…Please, I need to talk with him."

Amanda Irving hesitated contemplating her shoes. Finally, she signed deeply. "OK, do you have a cell phone?"

Sarah raised her phone in the air. "Yeah."

"Give it to me. Tomorrow at precisely ten o'clock call your phone and I will make sure you get five minutes without anyone listening in."

Sarah smiled and pitched her phone to the woman sitting across from her. She didn't know if she could trust her completely but if she could pull this off it would go a long way in establishing trust.

Amanda Irving stood and walked past Sarah and stopped inside the doorway to the bedroom. Without turning she began to speak. "I hope everything turns out for you two. He has never said your name to me but he has made it clear there is someone else. Someone that holds his heart in her hands."

Sarah smiled but it was a bittersweet smile. "I'm not sure if that someone is me or another woman from his past."

Amanda turned to look at her with a matching smile. "I hope its you. You seem like someone who would be good for him," she said as she began to walk away. She turned suddenly back to Sarah. "Did you meet him at work?"

Sarah looked up suddenly. "Yes."

Amanda smiled. "The one thing he told me about this woman was the first time he saw her he was at work. He said she looked like an angel standing in front of him."

Sarah's smile outshone the full moon that night. She realized that Chuck was talking of her and not Jill. She couldn't wait for the morning so she could tell Chuck that she loved him.

Sarah Walker went to sleep that night with goofy grin on her face. She was not aware of the events taking place that threatened to take that which was most precious to her.