A/N- Thanks to all for your comments and suggestions. I welcome the reviews and PMs. The interactions with the folk following the story is a real delight. The story continues. Thanks to michaelfmx for editing this story and your suggestions.

I saw their starved lips in the gloam

With horrid warning gapèd wide,

And I awoke and found me here,

On the cold hill's side.

-John Keats

From Chapter 10

She waited until he reached the apartment's main entrance. He looked back at her and waved. Sarah waved back at him.

She accelerated the Porsche away from the curb and merged with silky smoothness into the traffic. A quick thought popped into her head. 'Hands off Chuck, Zondra.' She'd make sure Zondra got that message.

Sarah hit the Interstate's on ramp at speed and was soon doing eighty. The feel of the kiss lingered and she touched her lips a couple of times.

She now had less than two weeks to build up Chuck's resistance to Carina's undoubted advances. God, Chuck alone with that temptress for a month.

Tonight was the start of her own personal mission. Her objective was crystal clear.

Chapter 11

Three Days Later- 8:30am. Langley Conference Room FC6045

Chuck entered the room carrying a tray with three coffees. He had a black for Sarah, one sugar, one cream for Zondra and a coffee with cream for himself. The two women both rewarded him with a smile. He had a strange feeling that he'd been the topic of conversation?

The very idea that two beautiful women would be talking about him almost made him laugh out loud. When he'd been back in Burbank working at the Buy More, sophisticated women like Sarah and Zondra would barely give him the time of day. They'd take one look at his clothes and pocket protector and look right through him.

Chuck now had more confidence. "So, were you talking about me?"

Zondra fixed him with a neutral look.

Sarah, in a serious tone, answered, "Chuck, with all that's going on in the world, famine, the mortgage crisis, tensions with China, and Amy possibly being a traitor, why on earth would you possibly think you might be the topic of conversation?"

Chuck back pedalled. Shit, he must really be delusional, he'd overstepped the mark.

Sarah saw his reaction and gave him a quick wink. She was rewarded with a relieved smile from Chuck.

Sarah took a sip of her coffee. God he is so easy to mess with. "Yes, Chuck, we were talking about you. I've learned that Amy will be in Los Angeles four weeks from now." Chuck caught the excitement in Zondra's voice. "You and Casey will meet with Amy in LA and bait the trap."

The two women took the next ten minutes to lay out the plan for him and his role.

Carina and Zondra would be on hand to spring the trap. Sarah added, "..if she's really guilty." Chuck turned to Sarah. "Won't you be there?"

Sarah shook her head. "I'll be on assignment somewhere…uhh...you'll be Carina's responsibility."

Zondra endured the silence that followed. She could reach out and almost touch the disappointment that hung in the air. She now had no doubts that something was going on between Sarah and Chuck.

She was having a bit of difficulty picturing Sarah Walker and Chuck as an item. Added to that disbelief, there was a tinge of disappointment that she might have to go through Sarah to get to Chuck. He was an interesting man, but was he worth the hassle….

During all the time that Zondra had worked with Sarah, she'd never seen her act like this around a man.

The Sarah Walker she'd known was indifferent to the looks men gave her. She accepted that she was beautiful, alluring even, and unconsciously broke their hearts and shattered their fantasies by not deigning to give them a glance or a smile as she passed them by.

All the members of the squad accepted without question that they could grab a man's attention and hold it. Carina's inherent sexuality somehow magically misted off her and filled the room. Amy was almost coquettish in the way she flirted and very accomplished at collecting scalps along the way.

All of them had attended Roan Montgomery's course at the Farm.

He had taken what he called the lovely 'raw material' they brought to the table and had made it that much better.

The essence of seduction and attraction had been revealed to them. Roan had held back the veil and showed them the underpinnings of desire, including men's and women's unspoken fantasies. He showed them how to use those desires and fantasies in order to advance the mission objectives.

Sarah was the undisputed star of the class. It was evident to all that Roan was proudest of her.

Zondra reflected on the old days of the squad. How she'd behaved when it came to men during those times the CAT squad was on the prowl. She was in between the spectrum set up by Carina & Amy at one end and Sarah at the other end.

What exactly was Sarah Walker doing with respect to Chuck? Was she playing him, just having some fun? Should she warn Chuck that Sarah could turn the flirting, the sexuality, on and off like a light switch. Zondra had seen Sarah do it to the puzzlement of the mark or asset, or even to the very occasional one night stand.

Zondra remembered back to the days of the CAT squad. The Sarah Walker of old was usually closed off to the men hovering around her in a bar or a club. She would often leave early to prepare for the next mission, usually without a man in tow. More often than not, Sarah was above the flirting and one night stands that Amy and Carina indulged in with gay abandon.

{o}

One Hour Later

Langley Wardrobe Section

Chuck felt his heart give an extra thump when Sarah reached up and adjusted his bow tie. She then placed her warm right hand over his heart as she smoothed the Armani Tuxedo jacket. She smiled at him.

"Well Mr. Carmichael, I think you're ready for this evening." Chuck had suggested their married couple cover names at their first planning session. Sarah had shrugged her shoulders and said, "Sure, we'll give it a go."

Sarah and Chuck had reviewed the mission and objectives several times until Chuck could repeat it back to her verbatim. He now had a clear insight into how carefully and meticulously she prepared for even a 'fake' mission.

Sarah shared with Chuck that she'd contacted the head of security for the Austrian Embassy, Rolf Gruber. Rolf was a career spy with Bundesministerium fur Landesverteidigung und Sport. (BMLVS).

Sarah and Rolf had spent three weeks together in Darfur on a joint NATO mission back in 2003. They'd narrowly escaped dying on several occasions. Their friendship had grown from their mutual survival and mutual respect for the others abilities. Rolf was a very dangerous man and someone you'd want in your corner, especially in Darfur.

Sarah and Rolf had arranged that this would be a friendly test for his embassy security staff. She'd told Rolf she was training someone and wanted to see how he'd perform. Rolf's only condition was, ".. do not disrupt the actual reception, no smoke, no fake bombs or fire alarms."

Sarah readily agreed to his condition.

She'd seen Chuck in action when he'd hacked the satellites to rescue Carina….Rolf and his staff wouldn't know what hit them.

Sarah had bet Rolf fifty dollars that she and her 'student' could get into the computer room and back into the ball room without being seen or stopped. Rolf had agreed not to warn his team but would be nearby, "..to collect my fifty dollars from you Sarah."

Chuck looked at Sarah. "So, what are you going to wear tonight?" Sarah gave him one last pat on the chest. "Oh, I'll throw something together, don't worry."

{o}

Embassy of Austria
3524 International Court, NW
Washington, D.C., 20008- 8:00pm

Sarah had arranged for the limo to pick Chuck up first. Sarah was waiting for them at the front entrance of her apartment.

He got out of the limo to escort her down the pathway and that's when he saw what Sarah had thrown together at the last minute to wear tonight.

As she stepped into the halo of light from the street lamp, he saw the long elegant black dress, with a slit on her left side. The seemingly magic material in the dress made sure that it hugged her in all the right spots as she walked towards him.

Maybe his eyes were playing tricks, because it looked like a thousand pieces of silver cleverly interwoven into the dress were sparkling as she moved towards him. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a stylish bun and she was wearing long silver earrings. In her high heels Sarah was just an inch and a half shorter than Chuck. He sucked in his breath as she drew near to him.

Chuck's slack jaw look warmed Sarah and she smiled at him. Before he could speak she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "We have work to do, focus grasshopper." Chuck came back down to earth. Did Sarah actually say that, shades of David Carradine?

{o}

The plan to get to the embassy's computer room involved going through an alarmed door adjacent to the women's washroom. There were of course CCTV cameras throughout the building and very discreet embassy security personnel with integrated earwigs and comms. They were in evidence throughout the reception area and beyond.

Sarah had wanted to see how Chuck would approach and solve the problem of getting in and then out.

Chuck took ten hours working with Doug Cousins to hack into the thirty-five cameras at the embassy. Getting the floor plans for the embassy was child's play. He hacked into the Washington FD, by law all buildings had to send them a copy of their fire plan, which included blueprints of the building and the electrical wiring.

Chuck and Doug had created a program he loaded onto his iPhone. The program would give him selective control of each camera. He could freeze the frame and then unlock it by simply touching several icons on his screen.

The alarmed door had initially been a problem. It was a silent alarm that, when triggered, would bring the security staff running. Sarah and Chuck solved that problem with a 'cry wolf' approach.

An hour before they intended to go through the door closest to the computer room, Chuck would start triggering the alarms for six other doors throughout the embassy in a random sequence.

It would look like a software glitch. In the control room, they'd hear the alarm and the CCTV camera would show….nothing, just an empty hallway. The hope was they'd grow desensitized to another false alarm.

Following their plan, Sarah and Chuck were dancing in the ballroom and whispered to each other where the security staff were, any people they might recognize and where the cameras were located. Sarah had a sense of déjà vu. She had done this before as Mrs. Anderson.

Bryce was a better dancer and he worked the room better than Chuck.

Chuck would do alright for a bit, but then he would lose focus. When his cheek touched hers during a slow dance, she knew he wasn't focusing on the mission. When she moved in close to him and brushed her body against him, she felt his reaction. He'd lose focus again.

Sarah wasn't disappointed, not in the least. She didn't want a Bryce replacement, and the whole purpose of tonight was tied up in her own personal mission. The fake mission was merely a means to an end.

Sarah whispered in his ear, "Time to head for the washrooms."

Sarah and Chuck went into their separate washrooms situated off the ballroom. Chuck pulled out his phone and located the camera outside the washrooms. He engaged his special program.

He came out of the washroom and tapped on the ladies washroom door. Sarah came out quickly. When they pushed through the alarmed door, the CCTV camera showed an empty hallway, courtesy of Chuck.

Fraulein Lina Fessler was on duty in the embassy control room. She checked the camera, no one was there. She logged the false alarm as another software glitch. She'd stopped sending security people to check the immediate areas after the fourth false alarm.

Chuck led the way to the computer room based on the map locked inside his brain. He selectively turned off each camera before they came into view and then switched it back on again.

Sarah pulled out her iPhone and a credit card like apparatus when they reached the computer room. She plugged it into the key card slot. Thirty seconds later they were inside the computer room.

Sarah pulled out a little greeting card from her clutch purse. The card was addressed to Rolf. She'd written in German, "Lunch on me next time I'm in Vienna."

They quickly retraced their steps until they were ten feet from the original door they'd come through.

Chuck, on their way back, had unlocked each security camera as soon as they were outside its field of view.

Sarah was impressed, they'd done it, and they'd accomplished the fake mission.

Fate had other ideas.

Albert Kesselring was new to the staff, a recent graduate of the BLVMS. He desperately had to go to the washroom. No more vindaloo for him from the Darjeeling Duck that had just opened two blocks away.

The rules for the embassy security staff were clear, use only the staff washrooms. But nature's call had superseded man made rules. He'd snuck out of his patrol area and used the washroom off the main ballroom, which was strictly verboten.

Albert, much relieved, and cursing all spices from the subcontinent, deactivated the silent alarm and entered the hallway.

As soon as the door opened Sarah went into action, maybe they could bluff their way out.

She grabbed Chuck and whispered fiercely, "Kiss me."

Chuck had never been kissed like that before. Sarah's hands were on his cheeks, the back of his neck, in his hair. She was grinding against him. She wrapped one of her legs around him. Chuck lost his situational awareness. He forgot everything, the mission, even the fact he was in the Austrian Embassy.

Sarah's kisses, her perfume, her touch. She was pressed right up against him. He responded and deepened the kiss. His hands were on the small of her back pulling her even closer. Sarah moaned into his mouth.

The moment ended all too quickly. "What are you doing here!"

Albert Kesselring was new to the job and a true Teuton. Rules were to be followed, precisely.

A more experienced security team member would've understood what was happening in front of his eyes. He would've told the errant lovers to go back into the ballroom, this area was off limits and save himself all the hassle and paperwork.

Albert followed the procedures he'd been taught without question, he called his boss and told Sarah and Chuck to wait right here. He'd taken out his Taser and was ready to use it if they tried to move. Sarah had already calculated three different ways she could've disarmed Albert, killed him even. Instead she looked at Chuck, he wasn't freaking out. Good.

Five minutes later, Rolf entered the hallway. He had a rich baritone voice. In German he said, "Sarah Walker, I think you owe me fifty dollars."

Sarah had been glad for the delay. She needed time to pull herself together before Rolf got here. The short interlude with Chuck had unsettled her.

"Rolf, good to see you again." She opened her clutch purse and took out a fifty dollar bill and handed it to him.

Sarah switched to English. "Rolf, you'd better review some of your procedures. We almost made it. I've left you a little note inside the computer room."

Rolf's eyes widened in surprise. "He turned to Albert. Go and check the computer room and bring me back the note."

{o}

Sarah and Chuck spent fifteen minutes telling Rolf how he could tighten his security. Chuck asked for Rolf's email account and sent him a memo he'd already prepared on changes the embassy needed to make to their firewall.

Rolf's skeptical look prompted Chuck to elaborate. "Herr Gruber, with my iPhone, I control every one of your thirty-five cameras. If I was you I'd look at the memo I'm sending you or someone else will hack you."

Rolf escorted Sarah and Chuck to the front door of the embassy and ordered a taxi for them. He gave Sarah a hug and kiss on the cheek just before she got into the taxi.

She sat back in the taxi and leaned her head against the headrest and smiled.

Best failed mission, ever!

Best fifty bucks she'd ever lost. Her personal plan for her and Chuck needed to be advanced….urgently… based on what had happened at the embassy. The kiss and his touch had ignited some fires she had no intention of putting out.

Sarah leaned forward and gave the driver Chuck's address, even though her apartment was closer.

There was no way she was going to have sex with Chuck in a bed that Bryce Larkin had sullied. At least not until she got a new mattress.

As far as Sarah was concerned this evening was just getting started.

Chuck Bartowski had no idea how good he looked this evening or how desirable he was. Sarah had caught several beautiful women looking at Chuck and giving her less than affable looks. Those women would've been quite happy to see the earth open up and swallow Sarah whole, leaving the field clear for them with Chuck.

{o}

Two Hours Later

Chuck's Apartment

Sarah was in superb shape, but to her surprise, her heart was still hammering in her chest as she laid her head back down on the pillow. Chuck lay beside her and was taking deep breaths as he slowly came back down to earth.

Chuck angled his head and body to look at her. "There…there were some moments where I thought my heart was simply going to burst….."

Sarah reached out her right hand and placed it on his chest over his heart. "I'm glad it didn't burst…..were not finished here."

Chuck laughed and groaned at the same time. "Well, I suppose this is one way to deal with the adrenaline after a real spy mission."

Sarah's face grew serious.

One day she would have to tell him that she and Bryce had once been partners and lovers. They'd had adrenaline fueled sex a number of times after a dangerous mission.

And yet there was so much more she wanted to tell him, now that they'd been together.

She'd wanted to take Chuck's hand, look into those dark brown eyes and tell him that being with him was far beyond just dealing with adrenaline or satisfying a physical urge or scratching an itch.

Somehow, sometime, if she could ever find the actual words she would say, "Chuck, tonight I gave you something….I gave you a part of me. I did it willingly, joyfully. Tonight, I opened the deepest parts of me and I trusted you would receive them and treasure them."

Chuck saw the mood change and the sadness flicker in her blue eyes. "Sarah, I'm sorry….God, sometimes I'm such an idiot….I know this….what just happened…well, it was the most special thing that has ever happened to me."

Sarah moved closer to him. Her perfume, the smell from her body, the scent from shampoo she used, it was all messing with his mind. Chuck struggled to find the right words. "I don't do this a lot, I mean to say… I'm not a casual sex, one night stand kind of guy."

Sarah was looking at him intently. He could swear he saw little flecks of gold mixed in with the deep blue in her eyes. That threw him off and he had to reboot his tongue. "I…I.. have this feeling that what just happened here wasn't casual….for you…ahhh..I'll stop talking now."

The silence grew as they looked at each other. Their faces were inches from each other. Sarah leaned in and started a kiss. It was a long and languorous kiss, wet and deep. When the kiss ended Sarah caught her breath. "Chuck, consider yourself spoken for. You now have….you have me."

Sarah's personal mission had achieved a key objective. She had made a commitment to Chuck Bartowski. They had made a commitment.

Sarah laughed when she saw the smile on Chuck's face. "Chuck, definitely not now… but before you head out to be with Carina….we need to have a long talk."

{o}

Chuck's Last Day at Langley-December 1st, 2007

The last ten days had been exhausting for Chuck.

Sarah's training plan during the day kept him busy from 8:00am until 6:00pm. He spent the lion's share of the day with Tom Corrigan and Doug Cousins. Sarah had him meet with two other field agents, one of whom was a surveillance expert.

Sarah wanted Chuck to become adept at following someone while remaining invisible.

The goal was to blend in and become non-descript. Chuck thought it was total nonsense, he was six foot three; it's very hard not to stand out, unless he walked around like Quasimodo.

After the first day Sarah agreed with him, so they switched the training emphasis to teach him how to spot people following him on foot and in cars.

The nights were equally exhausting and thrilling.

They'd shifted their love making over to Sarah's apartment. Chuck told Sarah he really liked her new queen sized bed, which earned him a special smile. "Yeah, I went off the old bed, it didn't feel right anymore."

Chuck had noticed that Sarah's apartment was neat, clean and vanilla plain. There was nothing personal in it. The colors were all earth tones and boring. He decided to do something.

The third night he showed up with something, a sort of house warming gift, since he practically lived there now. He hoped she would understand what it was and not hate him for bringing it.

Sarah opened the door, her eyes were that warm blue he loved. Sarah looked down and saw what Chuck was holding at his feet, it was wrapped in brown paper. "Chuck, what…." He cut her off, "Sarah, I had Ellie courier this to me. It was in my room and is probably the most valuable thing I own."

Chuck explained that this had been a gift to him from his dad while she tore away the brown paper to see what it was. Sarah looked at it. It was a Tron poster. She felt the immensity of what he was giving her.

"Chuck, I can't accept this as a gift….you must never give this poster away." Chuck put his warm hand on her forearm as she was holding up the poster and looking at it. "It's not really a gift, it's really my assurance, my promise to you that I'm coming back…to you ….to this apartment."

Sarah got it, she understood what he was saying. She took the poster into the bedroom and put it on the floor opposite the bed. "Chuck, we'll put it up there…so, when I'm here, in this bed and you're not, it will be our link to each other."

Sarah would've never picked this poster to put in her apartment. It wasn't great art and not exactly her taste. But for the first time ever there was something in this CIA apartment that was personal, that was real. Chuck's gift that wasn't really a gift touched her deeply.

It was like a virtuoso had plucked a magic chord that resonated deeply within her. She didn't trust herself to speak. She moved towards Chuck and pulled him down into a kiss that she didn't want to end.

As they were kissing Sarah manoeuvred them to the foot of the bed and gently pushed him until he was lying on the bed and she was on top of him. "Chuck, dinner is going to be delayed, I've got a gift for you."

December 2, 2007

DEA Field Office, Los Angeles

255 East Temple Street

Carina Miller was a patient woman. When she, Casey and Sarah had agreed on Chuck's training plan, she'd wanted the final month for herself. She was looking forward to working with Chuck. He was smart, good looking and, if she could get him to loosen up a bit, he would be a lot of fun.

Carina Miller masked her ambition behind the persona she'd created. She realized three things; one, her days as a covert operative were numbered, she wasn't getting any younger; two, the next step in the ladder for her was Assistant Special Agent in Charge (ASAC); three, her goal was to run the Special Operations Division (SOD).

Chuck Bartowski would be a tremendous asset in helping her to achieve her goals. She liked Chuck, but she loved his abilities with computers and the way his mind worked. Carina was hoping that when his three year contract ran out, she would persuade, recruit or entice him to work for her at the DEA.

As she waited for Chuck to show up, she wondered what exactly had gone on between him and Blondie. She wasn't too worried. Sarah and Chuck could never really happen. Sarah was too tightly wound, her defences were always up.

She loved Sarah but she wasn't blind to how Sarah's 'wet work' had affected her.

If anything, Sarah was even more insular than when they worked together. She might sleep with Chuck and all he'd walk away with would be a great night of sex and maybe a cold shoulder the next day. She'd seen it happen. Poor Chuck.

She was, however, worried about Chuck's connection with Zondra. Damnit. Zondra was no slouch in the looks department, and when she wanted a man ….that man would find it almost impossible to resist her.

Yes, Zondra might be a complicating factor.

On the plus side, Chuck Bartowski was hers for the next month. It would be good to see old Chuckles again. Oops, better not call him that, Chuck, call him Chuck.

McLean, VA- December 2, 2007 -4pm

6682 Elm St, Practice of Dr. Branwen Owens

Dr. Owens had been fascinated to get Agent Walker's call and her request for a session. Once again Agent Walker didn't want to meet at Langley. Her fascination was also mixed with some concern that things hadn't worked out with Agent Walker and Chuck.

She had extended her day to meet with the enigmatic and complex Agent Walker. Sometimes Dr. Owens regretted that none of the work she did with the CIA would ever be published in Psychology Journals. Agent Walker on her own would merit several papers.

Branwen went to her waiting room on the stroke of four o'clock. Agent Walker was waiting. She was wearing a blue pencil skirt, a white blouse with French cuffs and a pair of Jimmy Choo low heels. Not for the first time, Branwen felt like a bit of slob next to her.

They sat across from each other in comfortable arm chairs. "Dr. Owen, I appreciate you seeing me on short notice."

"Not at all Sarah, what's going on?"

Sarah had been given three days off before she would be back in Graham's 'line up.' She no longer wanted to work for the man, she no longer wanted to be his enforcer. In fact, she no longer wanted to be anybody's enforcer. She felt trapped.

She was also feeling a little down and suspected the reason was that Chuck was gone and he was with Carina. These feelings of separation, of longing even, were new and foreign to her.

Sarah needed to talk to someone, badly. The problem was who could she talk to? She trusted three, maybe four, people. Sadly, she couldn't talk with Carina, because she was part of the problem. She couldn't talk with her mom because of Ryker. She couldn't talk with Tom Corrigan, this was too personal. And finally, she couldn't talk with Chuck, at least not yet.

Dr. Owens was perhaps the only person who might appreciate what Sarah's main issue was. An issue that was causing her to lose sleep.

"Dr. Owens, Chuck Bartowski and I are…." Sarah was stuck for the right word. They were lovers, they were in a relationship, at least the start of one. She had used the word boyfriend with him several times.

Sarah started again. "Chuck is very special to me and I've let him into to….I mean …he's now an important part of my life."

Branwen wasn't surprised and pleased at the news, she nodded.

"My problem, my worry is ….he doesn't know what I do…I mean the 'wet work'. I'm pretty sure he'll bolt if I tell him."

Branwen had seen this two or three times before with other agents who'd met someone. "How much does Chuck mean to you, I mean, if he couldn't handle your past life, if he left you, how would you feel?"

Sarah looked down at her hands resting in her lap. She looked up and her eyes were moist. "I'd feel devastated. So, I was wondering if I can somehow keep him in the dark and still do what I'm good at?"

Branwen, in that moment, knew two things. One,Sarah Walker hadn't come to fully understand she was in love, and, second, she had to tell her some very sad truths.

"Sarah, I'm afraid it's already too late to try to hide this from him." Sarah blinked. "Too late?"

"Chuck's extremely intelligent, if he doesn't know what you do, he soon will. Lying to him will only make what you have to eventually tell him worse."

Sarah felt nauseous. She laughed bitterly, "So, you're telling me that at the very moment I've found this amazing man who makes me happy, I have to risk losing him….because….because of my past sins? That's really shitty."

Branwen leaned forward. "Sarah, you do realize you're in love with Chuck, right?" Sarah's head jerked up. "I never said I'm in love with him….I mean he's..."

Sarah couldn't stay seated. The thought of herself being in love, like a normal person...no? Is it true?

She suddenly stood up and walked to the window and looked out on the traffic running along Elm St. After a couple of minutes she walked back to the chair and sat down. She looked at Branwen, "I don't know, maybe...maybe you're right?"

Branwen needed to get her attention. "Sarah, you haven't acknowledged the fact you're in love. I get that. Especially if the emotions and feelings are new to you. Is Chuck in love with you?"

Sarah finally smiled. "Yes, I can see it in his eyes, he's head over heels, he adores me and we are great. .." Sarah stopped herself, she was not going to share her sex life with Dr. Owens, even if she longed to tell someone how amazing the last ten days had been.

Branwen relaxed a little. "Sarah, love has always been a risky business. Sometimes, to make the relationship work, you have to risk losing it. I know that sounds counter intuitive. In your special circumstance, he needs to know and you need to risk losing him." Branwen sighed. "Sarah, if he finds out and realizes you lied to him…well... your relationship will not survive it."

Sarah looked crestfallen with the news. She hated the thought that this short period of happiness could be suddenly ripped away from her. "That's not what I wanted to hear from you Dr. Owens."

Branwen waited. "Sarah, something else. I think your days as a CIA assassin are numbered. We need to book another session, so I can explain why that is."

Sarah's eyes widened. "Director Graham won't allow me to quit, he'll fire me...maybe even..."

Branwen allowed her dislike for Langston Graham to show. "Sarah, you and I together will figure out a way for you to quit the wet work and still keep your job. However, for now don't you breathe a word to that cunning fox Graham. Okay?"