Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck. I do own my original characters.

A/N: Thank you to PJ Murphy for the beta. I was having trouble fitting Casey and Sarah into this chapter, but he inspired a scene for them. Thanks!

Chapter 10: A Dreadful Proposition

"I don't care about any of the technical details. Just give me an estimate of when the new computer will be up," Graham said.

He eyed Assistant Executive Technician Peter of the Intersect Project sitting at the table across from him. They were in a high-class bar in the area that attracted a lot of government types after a long day. Graham and the tech were in a secluded corner to discuss sensitive information without interference.

"Well, sir, the official estimate is four months. My boss said…"

"I don't want to hear about his opinion. I want yours," Graham tersely replied. "He's just going to obfuscate the answer and give me some BS that would be meant to placate me and the brass. I need an honest opinion from someone whose ass isn't on the line, but close enough to know the score." Graham gave the tech a glare that roiled his stomach acid.

"Well, I would say that it is closer to six months before we can start beta testing, and even longer before we could try downloading it into actual agents," Peter answered. Sweat dripped down his back and he fought the urge to grab his inhaler at the stone cold glare of the CIA director.

Before Graham could respond, a delighted and carefree laugh resounded through the room. Graham gritted his teeth and schooled his expression as a phantom pain cut through an old knife wound upon recognition of the voice. He thought if he didn't react, she wouldn't see him and just go away.

"Why, Langston? Langston Graham, is that you?"

No such luck. Graham turned a bit toward the voice. "Ariel. It's been awhile," he gritted out in the most blandly polite tone.

Ariel gave a girlish giggle as she strode over and took a seat with Graham and the tech.

"I know, it seems like forever since we were in the field fighting for what we believe in. Oh, is this one of your pet computer techs?" she asked as she turned to said geek.

"Yes," Graham politely replied. "We were actually in the middle of an important conversation."

Graham swore she consciously refused to take the hint. He fought down a wave of annoyance as Ariel went ahead and did what she usually did: whatever the hell she wanted.

"Well," she started toward the tech. "If Langston is talking to you in this place, it must mean that you are highly placed on a project. That must also mean that you are quite a competent computer programmer. Am I close, dear?"

"Um..."

There was something very warm and inviting about the woman that Peter responded to. She actually reminded him of Aunt Rosie. He felt more at ease with her than he was with Graham.

"Peter," Graham started. "Keep in mind the top secret nature…"

"He wasn't going to say anything, Langston," Ariel cut him off. Graham was convinced that was one of her favorite past-times. She turned back to Peter. "Don't worry, cupcake. Langston and I were at the Farm together and actually did some missions together. But that was a while ago and I have moved on to other things."

"Really? You were a field agent and you left?" Peter asked. His impression was that most agents left the agency by means of a ditch or shallow grave in some secluded backwater hellhole.

"Of course. Right now I have a wonderful family and great job at Roark Industries."

"Excuse me, Ariel, but we were having a private meeting…"

"Hold your horses, Langston. We are just having a quick and informal conversation over here. You don't need to interrupt."

"What?" Graham asked flabbergasted.

"Anyways, Langston and I go way back. But I want to find out more about you."

"Me?" Peter was taken aback.

"Excuse me…" Graham tried to cut in again.

"As I said before, this whole meeting seems to tell me that you are in a unique position with plenty of talent. And I like to think that I can read people very well. Believe me; that little ability has helped save my skin in plenty of gooey situations."

Ariel took out a business card and wrote something on the back. She handed it to Peter.

"After your meeting, come by my room. I'm here in town for a conference for a few days, but I would like to find out more about your abilities and how we might be able to use them at Roark. I would like to give you a few scenarios and computer problems to demonstrate your skills."

Peter accepted the card with a mild feeling of shock. "Are you offering me a job? I…I already have one."

Ariel gave him a big smile that projected warmth and reassurance. "Think about it as a widening of your options. Let me tell you; we take very good care of our people."

"Thank you. I'll think about it," Peter replied, cottoning onto the idea a bit more.

"Ariel..." Graham growled threateningly.

"Oh, hush now, Langston. You know I'm just poaching...headhunting. I'm just doing a wordier version of actual hunting. Remember that time in the Congo when we were hunting down that…"

"Classified. And I'm busy."

"Oh, Langston looks like he's about to have kittens. Silly me, it looks like I might have overstayed my welcome a bit. I will see you later, Peter," Ariel cheerily said to him as she got up and sashayed out.

"Thank you!" Peter called out after her. He looked at the card thoughtfully before he put it away.

"Can we get back to business now?" Graham asked with a voice laced with granite. Ariel always seemed to bring the worst out of him.

The screen turned off and Sarah gathered her things to go. Just as she was about to leave Casey's apartment, he stopped her with a question.

"Are you compromised?"

Casey turned around and looked at her, face neutral. Sarah paused for a moment to think about her answer.

"No."

"Really? You seemed to be getting chummy with the asset a few weeks ago."

Sarah furrowed her brow and gave the situation some more thought. "No. I mean, we've been really professional with each other. Ever since Chuck's second kidnapping, he's been very cooperative. But distant. We both are. He's been really civil and polite, but he is definitely keeping things professional."

"I've noticed that, too. Maybe he's finally learning how dangerous the situation is. At least that makes things easier for all of us. I don't know how much more of your girly feelings I could have stood. What about your cover? Are you doing your job keeping scrutiny off of him in his personal life?"

Sarah frowned at that. "Well, there's not much cover work to do. We hardly ever actually see each other anymore. Sometimes he'll come over to the pretzel shop and we'll exchange a couple of words. Maybe a kiss on the cheek. And when he sees his friends or family, he insists it's not an occasion where I have to make a girlfriend appearance. Besides, when he does that, he's calling me on his cell phone letting me know where he was going." At this point, Sarah was letting some of her frustration leak through. "You know, he really should put more effort into the cover story. Why, last week we were supposed to do some cover maintenance but taking couple-pictures, but he blew me off for work. He's been spending a lot of time at work lately."

"I don't mind that. At least at Roark, he's safe. They have intense security that passes our muster. But I have to say, it sounds like you're slacking off in your duties to the Intersect."

Indignation stormed through Sarah and she growled at Casey. "I am not slacking off. I am checking his tracker five times a day, checking surveillance every hour when he's not at work, and doing what I can to make sure he's safe. That is my number one priority. Anything else is none of your damned business!"

With that, Sarah stormed out and slammed the door. She strode through the halls to her car, the conversation rattling through her mind.

She was loathe to admit it, but things were definitely different between her and Chuck. Yes, he was a much more manageable asset now and did everything asked, but she couldn't help but miss the fun they had. There was so much she had done in her career as an agent, so it was nice to pretend, deep down, that she was a normal person with Chuck with a normal life.

In a way, things were easier now that they were acting more like coworkers than star-crossed crushes. He had pulled away emotionally, which makes it easier to deal with her own thoughts and feelings. However, there was a wall between them now that Sarah couldn't help but feel. It ached, and she realized just how lonely she was.

"…so the transistors would go here, and we seal off the rest of the area to make sure that the circuits are in optimal conditions to operate," Peter finished with a couple of final marks on the illustration.

Ariel shoved another shot glass of the strange concoction she was whipping up in their meeting. In return, she took the mock-up drawing Peter had made and checked it over. Peter felt even more warmth and a desire to show-off his skills upon seeing the look of approval on her face.

"Fascinating. I must say, I am thoroughly impressed at your ability to look at these practice problems and find the best way to solve them." Peter beamed at the praise.

Ariel fished around through her folders, tongue sticking out in concentration. Peter gulped down his drink and felt the warmth and happiness spread through his body. He was lapping up Ariel's praise and felt that he didn't want to disappoint her.

"Ah-ha!" she suddenly crowed. She handed the sheet of paper to Peter and he looked at the design specs and problems. Something twinged in recognition, but he paid that little attention.

"Hmm, this is very interesting," he started. "Your drawing actually reminds me of this super big and super secret government project I'm working on right now. But I'm not supposed to tell anyone about it."

"Oh, don't worry about that, hon," Ariel whispered to him while giving a conspiratorial wink. "If you can somehow draw on any real life experience, it would show you have actual practical knowledge to apply. That is a definite plus in any future employer's book."

"That makes sense," Peter gushed. "Alright, this is how we did it in that project, which I personally worked out."

Chuck rolled his shoulders as he scrutinized the code in front of him. He was still sore from falling off a balcony tied to Casey and falling into a pool the night before. Despite the aches, he still smiled at the glimpse of a softer side of his NSA handler.

He was jolted out of his reverie when a message from Ted told him to come up to his office. With a good dose of curiosity, he boarded the series of elevators that kept the F-Intersect basement separate from the rest of the building.

Ted's secretary gestured him inside, and he saw his boss looking at some papers. He looked up and gestured Chuck to a seat in front of him.

"Take a look at these, Chuck," Ted said.

He took the papers from Roark and rifled through them for a few moments. He then looked up in surprise. "What are these?"

"The new government Intersect plans."

"What? How did you get these?"

"Ariel has her ways. These are a close approximation, but we will be getting more information on it sooner. Estimated completion time is six months. Do you know what that means?"

Ted was looking at Chuck with a significant gaze. Not knowing what to make of it, he gave a weak shrug.

"No. What does it mean?"

"It means in the government's eyes, you will become redundant. A liability. There is no way, once they have their new Intersect up, will they have the old version running around. Do you know where I'm getting at?"

Chuck felt the bottom fall out of his stomach. "They're going to kill me?"

"Yes."

They were quiet. Chuck tried to process the information rationally, but couldn't keep the wave of dread and panic from rising.

"What do we do?" Chuck asked Ted in a quiet voice.

Ted walked over to his liquor cabinet and took out some whiskey. He poured for him and Chuck and took the glasses back to his desk. Chuck grabbed his tumbler and tossed it back. He set it back on the desk and looked up expectantly at Ted.

"We are going to steal an integral component of the Intersect, called the Cipher. We are then going to switch it with our own component. And I need you to make it."

"What do you want our Cipher to do?" He was reassured a bit but still had that sinking feeling.

Ted leaned over his desk and looked Chuck directly in the eye. "I need you to blow up their Intersect."

A/N2: Thanks for the read. Don't forget to review, I appreciate feedback.

And man, that finale. She may not remember everything at that moment, but she definitely loved him.