A/N: Well, I almost can't believe it myself, but here is the latest chapter, posted, as (tentatively) promised a day ahead of schedule. Hopefully, the same will apply to the next one. I'll be out of town and very busy over the weekend, so I won't be able to reply to most of your comments and suggestions until Monday afternoon, Greek time. Still, thank you all for the encouragement you've given in your latest comments. I hope you'll enjoy the new chapter as well.

The plan hatched by Chuck and approved unreservedly by Graham soon bore fruit. The call came in at two in the morning, LA time. Zarnow reported contact by the mysterious Mr. Daniels and wanted to know how his boss wanted it handled. Naturally, Chuck instructed him to make the standard payment of two million dollars and ask Daniels to call at the earliest opportunity. And, just like that, a few hours later Chuck's phone rang again.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Lichtenstein, this is Daniels."

"Good morning Mr. Daniels. My associates called last night saying you have something for me. I trust you'll have received your fee by now."

"I checked with my bank first thing in the morning," Shaw confirmed. "Everything is in order."

"Then please tell me what was so urgent."

"It is about a prospective client of yours, who happens to own a shipping line." Shaw didn't mention Alahi by name, but he was sure Lichtenstein would realize who he was talking about. "He's heavily involved in illegal ventures."

"Such as?" Chuck prodded.

"Stay away from him, he's radioactive."

"I suppose you don't mean that literally," Chuck quipped, interjecting a measure of humor into the conversation, something Lichtenstein was known to do quite frequently. "Care to explain why?"

"His usual illegal ventures should not inconvenience your company, especially since you can feign cooperation if he's caught. But we are talking hard core terrorism here and he's under investigation for ties to some very violent extremists. You may find yourself under intense scrutiny should you go ahead and do business with him, scrutiny I'm pretty sure you don't want. It is known that he made the overtures, but if you accept…" Shaw needn't finish.

"I understand," Chuck said. "Well, Mr. Daniels, you've certainly earned your fee. If anything, I think you deserve a bonus. How does an all expenses paid vacation to some exotic destination sound to you?"

"I must confess it sounds very much tempting."

"Just pick the time and place and then call my people. They'll make sure you have the most memorable vacation of your life."

"Thank you, Mr. Lichtenstein. Your generosity is very much appreciated."

"Well, it's the least I can do for you, considering you've more than kept up your end of our agreement." Chuck ended the call and smiled at Sarah. "Worked like a charm."

"Never a doubt," she replied gamely.

"So, how do we plan on avoiding Alahi without revealing that the CIA is on to his connection to terrorists?"

"He said he'd be calling, right?"

"Yes…"

"Ever since you discovered how he's been keeping in contact with his snackbaring buddies, the NSA's specialists have been having a field day. Graham called earlier and told me that they are not happy with him for having lost the diamond and they're asking him to pay out of his own pocket. Of course, he doesn't have that much cash lying around, so he is scrambling to gather up the money. Odds are he won't be bothering us anytime soon… or ever if the FBI and Homeland Security move in on him. He'll be vacationing in a maximum security resort before he can say busted."

"Then we're free to fly back to Germany."

"Yep," confirmed Sarah. "We're flying out later and we'll be landing at Munich in the morning, local time."

"Do you think I have time to go see Ellie, Devon and Morgan? It might be a while before I get to see them again, so I would kind of…"

"Of course you can go see them," Sarah interrupted him. "If anything, I have people to see too. Meet you back here at two?"

"Sure. I think we'll be done by then. Who knows, Ellie may even make stuff for me to take along for everyone."

-o-

Sarah decided not to delay seeing her family any longer. She still took a roundabout route to her parents' place to make sure she wasn't being followed, but she was soon knocking on their door.

Emma answered it with a fussy Molly in her arms. "Sarah! What a nice surprise. Come on in."

"Thanks Mom. Wow, she's grown bigger than the last time I saw her," Sarah said, making funny faces at the baby, who stopped fussing and started giggling.

"Wanna take her?"

"Sure." She took Molly and bounced her a bit. "Hi again, little one," she cooed. "You may or may not remember me, but I'm your sister Sarah. I hope you have been good with Mom and Dad, because you were quite a handful with me."

The reply she got was a lot of baby babble, which made her laugh.

"She's an absolute angel," Emma informed Sarah. "So, what brings you here?"

"I came stateside for work and now I'll be going to Europe again. I couldn't pass up on the chance to see you guys again. By the way, where is Dad?"

"I sent him to do some shopping. Before you ask, things are great between us now, even better than the last time you were here. He kept his promise about going legit and he's been a lot of help, not only with Molly, but with the restaurant as well. In fact, I'll be heading over there later, after Jack gets back and takes over Molly-sitting from me, at least until Alex gets here."

"Alex?" Sarah queried.

"The babysitter. She's a college student and working for us is a useful experience for her since she's majoring in Education. Carina also approves of her."

"She's met this Alex?"

"Indeed. She was with us when we interviewed her for the job."

"Then you don't need me to run a background check on her."

"No, Carina already did that. We told her it wasn't necessary, but she insisted."

"And rightly so," Sarah pointed out. "What did she come up with?"

Emma smiled. "As it turns out, we couldn't have hired a better babysitter. Alex is perfect. She has a clean record, her dad is in the military, and it's a small world, because Carina knows him personally."

"I'm not surprised. Carina has often had to work with military types." Sarah looked around and spotted a few new pictures on a shelf. She walked over there and noticed that there was a petite brunette in a few of them, holding Molly in her arms. "Is that Alex?"

"Yes," Emma replied. "Molly likes her very much, too."

Just then, there was the sound of a key turning in the lock. Jack Walker was finally home. "Honey, I'm home," he called and then stopped in his tracks. "Sarah?"

"Hi dad," she beamed at him. "I had some free time and thought it would be a good idea to visit." She put Molly in her playpen before turning and giving her father a hug. "Unfortunately, I can't stay long, but we still have a little time to talk and catch up."

Meanwhile, Chuck was enjoying an early lunch with his sister, Devon and Morgan. All three had late shifts at their jobs, so they had time to spend with Chuck. The discussion was casual, avoiding any mention of the CIA and the DEA, especially considering that Morgan was completely ignorant of the truth. Instead, Chuck was describing the places he'd been to in Europe in detail, much to the others' amusement.

"These are all fine and dandy, Chuck," Morgan said after Chuck told them about souvenir hunting in Switzerland. "What you're not telling us is how things are with Sarah."

"Sarah is a great person to work with. I dare say we have the perfect partnership."

"Dude, I wasn't talking about work. A blind man could see that you like her. She likes you too, by the way. I saw it when I found you having lunch together in that Italian place."

"So we are friends as well as coworkers."

"Don't you want to be something more, something even better?"

"Are you saying I should pursue a romantic relationship with Sarah?"

"Why the hell not? She's not married or otherwise committed, is she?"

"Not as far as I know," Chuck replied. Under the table, Ellie was nudging Devon's knee with her own. He reached and squeezed her knee in turn, letting her know he understood.

"What Morgan is saying, Chuck," Ellie continued the conversation, "is that Sarah is a good woman."

Chuck was taken by surprise. Since Ellie knew Sarah's real occupation, he was expecting his sister to try and discourage him from attempting to romance the blond agent. Apparently, Ellie was seeing beyond Sarah's job. He decided to hedge. "I think it's better to finish the job I was hired for and then we'll see how it goes."

The others exchanged knowing looks. Chuck was not ruling out a relationship with Sarah, which spoke volumes in itself: he definitely liked her.

-o-

Both Chuck and Sarah were back at the condo by two pm sharp. They had already packed, so she changed into her pilot's uniform, while he put on an expensive tailored business suit. Before leaving for the airport, Sarah made sure he had the latex makeup prosthesis concealing the voice modulator chip on perfectly. Chuck was Hans Lichtenstein again, in every respect, well, almost. Underneath the disguise he was still Chuck Bartowski, an everyday fellow who just happened to be taking the place of one very dangerous, evil and greedy individual.

Jackson Hunt met them at the airport, this time under the guise of a representative of the ground handling company taking care of the Lichtenstein Enterprises jet. He assured them it was fully fueled and ready for the long flight in every respect. Chuck thanked him, handing over a check with a generous bonus.

Hunt looked just a little bit embarrassed. He glanced around to see if anyone else was within hearing range. Finding none, he turned back to Chuck. "Carmichael, I cannot take this."

"Sure you can. I, and by I meaning Lichtenstein, have a habit of giving hefty bonuses to selected people, including those taking care of my – his – precious personal jet. The money always goes to hardworking honest people, therefore they're spent for good causes. I'm sure you have one yourself."

Hunt shrugged. In fact, his son was doing pretty well on his own. Although… yes, he could send something nice to said son's mother, as secret admirer, of course. Not to his granddaughter, it would look creepy, especially since none of the aforementioned three persons really knew who he was. "In that case, thank you Carmichael. I think I already have an idea about what to do with this bonus. Have a nice flight. It was nice working with you two and Agent Miller."

"Likewise, Agent Hunt," Sarah said, shaking the older man's hand.

The flight to New York was uneventful. Sarah concentrated on flying the plane, while Chuck became the quintessential businessman, catching up on the latest news of Lichtenstein's business and criminal empire. They didn't even deplane while refueling at LaGuardia. In short order, they took off again and settled down for the long flight across the Atlantic and over almost half of Europe.

Sarah was in the cockpit, keeping an eye on the instruments, while the plane itself was flying on autopilot. In the cabin, Chuck was sleeping – on her insistence. He'd been hard at work for hours going over the emails from Lichtenstein's confederates as well as Bryce's suggestions. The team had done well, again. Even though most had been about the legitimate businesses Lichtenstein was using to cover his ill-gotten gains, once again they'd managed to keep Zarnow and the others completely in the dark. This counted as a success in her book. Soon, the whole charade was going to be over and, frankly, Sarah was a bit conflicted about it. She was happy that Chuck was finally going to be able to return to his normal life and do what he loved the most, but on the other hand he ranked with Bryce as the best partner she'd ever had, which was even more surprising considering his utter lack of training for the espionage business. She resolved to tell him as soon as possible, in the presence of the rest of the team, too.

For the moment, however, she felt a pressing need to visit the lavatory. Checking the instruments once again, especially the TCAS or Traffic Collision Avoidance System, to make sure no other aircraft would come into dangerous proximity to the Lichtenstein Enterprises jet while she was away from the cockpit, she undid the seatbelt and headed back into the cabin. She was surprised to find Chuck awake and apparently doodling on a notepad. He appeared to be deep in concentration. His suit jacket was off, the tie loosened and the shirt sleeves rolled up.

"I'm heading aft for a moment," she informed him when he looked up after hearing her approach.

He nodded in understanding. "I have something to tell you once you're done."

She did her business quickly and popped inside the cockpit to check the TCAS and the autopilot settings again before rejoining Chuck in the main cabin. "You should get some more rest. Things are going to be rather hectic in Munich once we get there."

"I know, but I was just going over something Bryce sent me and we both agree that your input will be invaluable."

"Wait, I'm not the one to ask about running a multibillion dollar corporation."

"It's not about the running of Lichtenstein Enterprises," Chuck informed her.

"Make it fast. We are approaching a heavy traffic corridor."

"Then let's move it to the cockpit doorway."

She nodded and allowed him to follow her to the cockpit door. There, they could talk without the voice recorder picking up the conversation, while she could also keep an eye out for any potential problems. "Now tell me."

"It's about the files we're after. Bryce says you're excellent at getting into places."

She picked up on the meaning. "I am. You want me to plan something?"

"We'll be doing it together. The problem has two faces: Panzer and Mauser."

"What about them?"

"I've been going over the security arrangements they've made. It's going to be very difficult to overcome them and get to the vault as planned."

"Chuck, we'll deal with it later. As I said before, you should be resting. According to Dr. Zarnow you're going to have to attend a series of long meetings once you get back in…" She paused and checked her watch. "Two and a half hours," she said. He was being cavalier about it, but the operation, particularly the strain of pretending to be Lichtenstein most of the time, was taking a toll on him, she could tell. Not that she wasn't tired as well, but at least she was going to have time to rest. The others could take over watching Chuck for a while.

-o-

Sarah had been right. The meetings had been exhausting, coming on top of the long flight to Germany. Chuck ushered the Lichtenstein Enterprises board members out of the spacious conference room and sank back in his chair.

"That went well, Jonas," he told Zarnow.

"To be honest, it went very well, Hans. By the way, you look good… as good as you were before your, um, illness."

"Thank you Jonas. I finally feel I'm back to my normal self, too. Before I forget, did everything go well with our newest informant?"

"You mean Herr Daniels? Yes, payment was made via the usual method. I am curious about one thing though."

"Tell me."

"What did Daniels want to talk to you about?"

"Believe it or not, but Mr. Alahi is currently under investigation for ties to Islamist terrorists. Doing business with him would be potentially catastrophic for us."

"Lieber Gott! We were really lucky to have accepted the offer of his services."

"Even luckier that the report on Alahi crossed his desk," Chuck emphasized.

"Hans, you must be exhausted after the flight and all the meetings. Go home. I'll take care of things here."

"Thank you Hans. I think I'll pay Eva a visit."

"Not to pry or anything, but how are things with Frau Anderson?"

"Eva is fantastic, Jonas, in every respect. I don't remember having as much fun as I am now at any time before, with any other woman."

"My, my, it sounds like you're falling in love with her, Hans," Zarnow chuckled.

"Jonas, you've known me for years. It's a bit early in the relationship to call it love. I'm still having a great time though and I'll keep doing it for as long as possible." He checked his watch. "She'll have gotten enough rest by now. Maybe she would like to go to dinner with me at a fancy restaurant. See you tomorrow morning, Jonas."

"Before you leave, there is something else requiring your attention, Hans."

"And I suppose it can't wait."

"It won't take long, I promise."

Chuck followed Zarnow to Lichtenstein's office, waving a greeting to Frau Apfelbaum, who beamed at him, suddenly realizing that what he'd just told the CFO was true. He'd been having a blast working alongside Sarah. In fact, he was enjoying the masquerade a little more than he should. And of course he'd fallen hopelessly in love with the stunning blonde fate had sent his way and it had happened early on. For now, he was keeping this last thing to himself. Maybe someday, hopefully soon, he'd gather up the courage to come out clean to her and confess his feelings and might be wishful thinking, but he hoped they'd be reciprocated at some level. He sat behind his huge desk and waited for Zarnow to tell him what was needed to be done.

"Let's get on with it, Jonas," he urged impatiently. "I do have plans for tonight, as you perfectly well know."

"Remember about the contracts I negotiated for one of our construction companies while you were in America?"

"They are ready? So soon? The client must be really eager for the work to start."

"Indeed," Zarnow crowed. "All we need now is your signature on the papers."

"Very well. Where are they?"

"They are in your in tray, as usual."

Chuck found the relative folder easily and quickly affixed Lichtenstein's signature on them after calling up the handwriting skill from the Intersect. "There," he said. "All done. I'll be heading out now."

Zarnow gathered up the documents, putting them back in the folder after keeping one copy for their own files and shoved the folder in a mailing envelope, which had the stamps already affixed and the recipient's address written. In the anteroom, he handed it to Frau Apfelbaum, who opened the hatch to the mail chute and sent the envelope down to the mail room on the ground floor. Chuck's eyes widened momentarily as the idea came to him. By the time Zarnow and Apfelbaum turned to look at him again, he'd schooled his expression into one of nonchalance. He bid them goodbye and headed for the executive elevators. In short order he was in his Blackbird, driving towards Sarah's place. Gone was the weariness and exhaustion, the thrill of having come up with the beginnings of a plan taking their place. He was eager to share the good news with the others, too.

He tapped his foot impatiently on the elevator floor as the car made its way to the loft where his team mates were staying. The doors rolled open and he bolted into the hallway, almost running to the loft's front door. He paused to collect himself and rang the doorbell. Bryce answered the door.

"Hey buddy, welcome back."

The two friends hugged. "Being in LA was great, but I also missed you guys," Chuck said.

"We missed you too, Chuck," Jill said, giving him a hug and a peck on the cheek as soon as Bryce let go.

"Carmichael," Casey greeted him, coming out of his room.

"Hi Casey. Everything went well so far."

"I know. You are doing great, Carmichael. It's kind of hard to believe you're an amateur."

"Coming from you, I'll consider this a compliment of the highest order. Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"Um, where is Sarah? I have some very interesting news."

"I'm right here, Chuck," Sarah said from the top of the stairs. She was wearing black yoga pants and an oversized blue t-shirt, while her hair was still wet from the shower she'd just taken.

"Oh, good. Like I said, I have news. I think I figured out how to get you guys in," he announced.

"So did I!" Sarah exclaimed.

"Guys, sit down and tell us about what you came up with," Bryce suggested.

"One of your ideas might just work," Casey added.

"I'll go get us some coffee," Jill volunteered.

TO BE CONTINUED