Flashback, 3 hours after the Ciudad mission

Sarah came to the local CIA HQ with a troubled look on her face. She had never screwed up on missions like this before . And every time it happened in the past, that was most likely due to Carina or Bryce messing up her well laid plans. Frustration etched on her face and so she shook her head in disappointment.

She stood before Graham's desk after a while and he didn't even acknowledge her existence. He just sat there staring outside the windows, not bothering to respond verbally, while she was making a case to the Director about needing to help Chuck with adjusting to this dangerous lifestyle, if they were to continue sending him on missions like that. She had even included the observations she made while sparring with him, before submitting her final report regarding the whole La Ciudad incident.

"So Bartowski knows Krav Maga and even a bit of Jujitsu , what a surprise." Graham said as he sipped some wine from a glass and set it on his table, becoming somewhat thoughtful after going over "How come that didn't show up in the previous background check we ran on him?"

Sarah sighed, expect her boss to ignore the big picture and pick up on trivial matters like that. She had the urge to roll her eyes and call him out on this but bit her tongue as her recent failure , the way Chuck almost got maimed by Ciudad was still fresh on her mind

"I dunno. I believe it might be due to some sort of mix up on our investigator's part. His file does exist in the institute's records. Seems clean and legit to me." Sarah merely shrugged in response."

Face palming with a magnanimous smile , Graham said , "Hmm...it seems Bartowski is truly a headache and a blessing at the same time. Well, it's like they say best people are always the worst one to be around. Even though the way things progressed in this mission is rather terrifying, I must rate Bartowski's self defense skills pretty high if he was able to defend himself from the full frontal assault from Ciudad's right hand man Yuri , the infamous mobster who is widely known for his tendency to eat ...people and take down a bunch of henchman in one swoop. So training him for this job seems like a great idea, even better if you use this opportunity to get closer to him a little bit more and convince him to join us for real."

"Sir, He is a good guy and we are working on the same team... already. I mean...can't we just try levelling with him this once and let him do his own thing." Sarah waffled a bit, trying to find the right words without giving her real feelings away.

Leaning back in his chair, Graham crossed his arms, giving her a penetrating stare, " And how the hell are we supposed to do that? Despite his intellectual and analytical prowess, Bartowski is nothing but a simpleton. Someone who has absolutely no idea about how this world operates. Don't forget, the co operation we have with NSA right now has designs of mistrust and competition all over it. Beckman guards her turf fiercely and she won't leave no stone unturned to bring him under her thumb. Granted , Michael has offered us a fair share of pie in this project but he is more or less adamant on giving Bartowski the option to get the Intersect removed And in addition to make matters worse, his interference has given DNI, his former pal from back in the days, reason to look into our operations closely. He will keep monitoring us to ensure we held up our end of the bargain. How do you think that makes me feel?"

Sarah was a bit confused by now, "But isn't that we want anyways? To get the classified Intel out of that analyst's head? I thought that was always the plan."

"Walker, you were once part of Project Omaha, right?"

"Yes, Sir!"

"Then you know the real objective of the project has always been to find candidates who can upload and retain as many of the encoded images in their brains as possible. To be honest, I had long since given up on Project Omaha, all thanks to the series of failures we faced with the experimentation. But now that we finally have someone who was not only able to survive downloading the entire Intersect database, with no noticeable side effects so far, but also use it in the field as if it's second nature to him. Even if we somehow manage to get the new Intersect up and running in near future, I really doubt we can find anyone who can utilize it as well as Bartowski is doing right now. If we can't bring him to our side, all the painstaking effort we put in Project Omaha since last four years to make CIA our country's premier Intelligence agency will be for naught. No I can't take that chance with him. Especially if he continues to show...how promising...he is to us, both with and without the database inside his head . It will be your responsibility to not only keep him protected at all times but also persuade him to join Project Omaha , by any means necessary at your disposal.

Deep down, Sarah was feeling a bit bothered and it showed on her face.

"And...what's going to happen to Chuck...in case he doesn't want anything to do with that thing?"

"What's the point of you living under the same roof with him then ? You know very well how to twist even the most bloody-minded individuals and turn them putty in your hands. How is the golden boy going to be any different?" Graham narrowed down his eyes , glaring at her with undisguised contempt, " Well, if this about the inhibitions you have when it comes to sleeping with your marks and/or assets, I can always ask someone a bit more effective, just like that spitfire friend of yours from DEA, to take over. I heard that she is good, real good when it comes to assignments like these. I am pretty sure Administrator Valdez wouldn't mind loaning her to me for a while, especially if I were to offer her a reasonable position in this project."

"He can't be serious." Sarah thought, both angry and horrified at once. The anger she was feeling right now was so intolerable that she wanted to kill her boss with her bare hands. But she couldn't. She felt as if her life was literally being taken.

"I too can get him for you, Boss." She didn't particularly like the words coming out from her mouth but all was fair in love and war. And she was at the point where she was willing to do just about anything if it meant she got to stick around Chuck. Be there for him to protect him both physically and emotionally. She had to learn to hold in her romantic feelings for him and think somewhat objectively about this chaotic situation. It was imperative that she did so. Real genuine concern for Chuck was something she absolutely couldn't afford to show in front of Graham or Beckman. Otherwise, she might get reassigned at the drop of a hat.

"Just give me a while. I can tell that he is interested." Sarah was afraid of this, only way to get Graham to back off was to assure him that his enforcer still had CIA's best interests at heart. Nevertheless, she went with the partial truth "It just...that he is kind of preoccupied with his work at this point. And overall, he is a bit reserved around women." Sarah said trying her best to sound casual and not frustrated. That statement felt somewhat true now that she thought about it a little.

"I have to make him open up to me."

"You have to make him open up to you." Graham stated.

"What the-? Is he a psychic now?" She thought incredibly as she looked at him in shock.

"It's not like I don't want to-" Sarah stopped and reorganize what she was saying, "He is having some problems understanding the Intersect inside his head. But he is getting better at dealing with all the stress. And when the right time comes, I will have him eating out of my hands." She said mischievously, purposefully adding a little sneer to her tone to make it look like this was nothing but a mere game to her.

"I have complete faith in your determination and capabilities. You are the best when it comes to business, after all." Graham retorted with a smirk.

" Don't feel guilty about this, Agent Walker, Don't feel guilty, you are just playing your part here." She mentally said to herself. Truthfully, she was feeling a bit troubled for what Graham had ordered her to partake in. Chuck's position within NGA acted a lot like bug spray. It couldn't guarantee that he won't get bitten or stung, but that certainly discouraged others like Beckman and Graham from putting him under their thumb. Besides, Chuck seemed like someone who just wanted to relax and live peacefully , which he certainly won't be able to do in case Graham made him a part of Project Omaha.

Though in his current situation he might not be able to do it by sticking with NGA as well. Beckman might have began working on her contingency plans already in order to make sure Chuck was firmly pulled in NSA when all is said and done. And she didn't want her rival spooks snagging him away. Not only that'd be a professional and personal failure which would affect her for rest of life, but she might also never get to see him again.

Sarah eventually shrugged and began to get care-free once again, "Oh well, it will be much easier for me to be around him if he joins CIA."

And just like that, she accepted her "secret" brief.

Flashback end

...xxxxxx...xxxxxxx...xxxxxxx...

"Okay, this is supposed to be a watch and learn mission for Chuck, apart from being on this team, he is also working on some very important and highly classified projects for our superiors. You won't do anything that'd put this mission and especially his life at risk, and those orders are coming from both Director and Admiral ." Sarah frowned, speaking with a serious look on her face. Carina returned her look with an intense glare of her own, and the tension inside the room got a little thick.

...

...

...

"Ha, Why would I want to put Chuck's life at risk? I like that guy. He seems like a very interesting person, someone who possesses both a strong heart and mind . Don't need to be so serious there, Walker." Carina brushed it off as a mere joke, Sarah stopped glaring and looked away with a troubled look, "But I am just surprised he is treating this...as just another job. I mean, isn't he concerned about what might happen to him...in case things take a turn for the worse on field missions?" Carina spoke with a stoic look.

Sarah took a moment to think, Recalling what Chuck said to Casey when he warned him not mingling too much with their world anymore than he had to.

I will continue living like this. This is me. What can I do?

"For now, we are just helping him with what we can. Besides, he is much more capable and dependable then people like to think. I don't think he would have signed up for this life unless he was sure." Sarah said while gripping her wrist tightly.

"It seems you have decided to place some faith in Mister Bartowski." Carina noted.

"W-what?"

"In that case, if Graham's enforcer of all people is willing to believe in him, then he must be worth betting on." Carina smiled. She just became further interested in Chuck

Sarah dumbfounded, immediately realizing how she had made things sound earlier , "Don't let it go to your head Carina. He is just a mere... analyst who got involved with this team by dumb luck." She turned away with a huff.

"Anyways, when is he coming back? Didn't your brief end hours ago?" Carina pouted, standing in the doorway to hall. She'd now traded her earlier ninja attire with a slinky top that revealed much more than it covered, and a maroon skirt, which appeared to be quite short as well. Showing off a lot of her legs. To be frank, she barely left much to imagination. Sarah really hoped this was due to the fact that her old friend liked going around in as little as possible and not because she was planning on seducing a certain someone close to her.

Then the things could get complicated really fast...

"Chuck is very good at cross referencing different pieces of evidence together and understand the bigger picture." Sarah explained with a shrug, "He is probably busy reviewing shit ton of information available on Alahi in all sorts of government databases and nearly lost all track of time, it happens all the time when he stumbles upon a problem he can not solve by himself. Casey told me he'd call before his work is done, so I know when to start dinner. "

Carina's lips curled into a notorious smile as she giggled slightly.

"Well he could have said something to me then, I am sure I would have helped him with anything he wanted."

Sarah didn't miss the minor slip of Carina's tongue, or the meaning it implied.

"I am glad I sent him away with Casey last night." Sarah spoke matter of factly, levelling her glare towards Carina, a sarcastic smile forming on her lips, "Otherwise you would have snuck into his bed..."

"Oh.." Carina frowned, interrupting her old friend before she could finish her sentence, "You are talking like he would have ended up screaming ...well screaming in a bad way of course..."

Sarah was almost half tempted to unsheathe her knife from her ankle holster and throw it at the annoying red head. Even she was surprised at the murderous rage building up inside of her, she never felt that way when Bryce was flirting with other women. And after the less than stellar private briefing she had with Graham, these feeling only intensified tenfold.

Why do I feel so ...protective about him?

It may have had something to do with him being a very kind and caring individual. She still couldn't believe a guy could make such incredible meals with such simple ingredients . Not to mention the fact that he could clean, sew, make homemade ice cream , and bake some of the best damn cookies she'd ever had! It almost made her doubt her own culinary abilities. In fact, it started looking worse and worse with each passing day.

or maybe it just had something do with the not so innocent suggestions Graham made about replacing her with Carina. Sarah really hoped that wasn't the case.

She didn't want someone like Carina getting anywhere near Chuck. She was thinking about talking to him and asking him if he could introduce her to his sister a little bit sooner. While explaining to Graham that Chuck was the one who asked her to do so and she was merely acting on her orders to get closer to him.

However, before Sarah could sort out the conflicting emotions inside her head, the sound of front door sliding open carried, causing both her and Carina to turn around. Sarah stood up immediately, moving around the table as she heard a familiar voice calling out from the front door.

"I am back."

Coming back from Fort Belvoir, Chuck stretched his arms and legs with an audible groan, feeling cooped up after spending a long day confined in a small office space with nothing but his computer and the ever scowling Major to keep him company.

He felt as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders right now. Even though it seemed everything he was doing was falling into place. It was still mentally draining, and overall put a strain on his mind.

And his body as well.

He spent hours digging thoroughly on his computer in an attempt to get any useful information regarding Alahi, Diamond or the mysterious terrorist organization both Alahi and Melena apparently worked for , trying to see if anything would trigger a useful flash. But unfortunately, he didn't manage to come up with anything worthwhile.

Well unlike the fully functioning O Intersect inside his head, this one appeared to be a work in progress of sorts, something the government created while attempting to follow his father's footsteps. So in this case, he couldn't really blame the Intersect for screwing up. Perhaps once he managed to get a full grasp on its inner workings, he might get much better at utilizing it.

Or so he was hoping.

Chuck blinked in confusion upon seeing both Sarah and Carina emerging out from the dining area. Though the blonde appeared to be less than thrilled , a small yet noticeable smile came to her lips when their eyes met.

"Oh, hello cutie pie!" The red head greeted him with an inviting look.

"Hello to you too, Miss Carina." Chuck responded with a sigh.

"You know, if you sigh that much around a beautiful woman, it might give her the wrong impression." Carina said teasingly, a smirk set on her. He simply sighed once more.

"Who says I am giving the wrong impression? One often doesn't sigh when they are happy." Chuck replied brazenly. The red head's eyes twinkled in amusement. As though she was playing some game only she was privy too.

Deep down, such attitude only gave Sarah a deep seated annoyance. In some ways, she supposed that interacting with others was nothing but a mere game to Carina. A game of tact and resilience. It was trying some times, and difficult the next. It was game she had mastered from a very young age, thanks to her conman father. Though calling it a game always left a bad taste in her mouth, for it devalued her interactions with other human beings in general.

"Why cutie pie, are you saying you are unhappy around me?" She asked him, leaning into his personal space and whispered sweetly into his ears, which almost brought chills through his spine. However, long since used to such boldness, Chuck simply smiled wryly before gently pushing her away with the barest of his finer tips on her shoulder.

He had finally gotten a feel for Carina's personality by now. His polite distancing wouldn't get him far with the DEA agent. She was determined to know him , for some reason or another, and would likely continue intruding upon until he gave into her charm.

He took back his earlier words about her. This woman was certainly much more handful compared to Lou.

"Among other things. I am just a bit low on energy right now." He said casually. Carina grinned again upon hearing his response.

"Anyways..." Sarah interjected, interrupting her before she could continue with her flirtatious banter, "I haven't made dinner yet. If Casey had called and told me you were coming here, I would have had it ready by now." She added in an almost regretful tone.

"It's alright. Today has been...rather uneventful. Looking into all these case studies turned out to be much harder than I initially thought." Chuck said dismissively, walking towards the stairs which eventually led to his room, "So if you don't mind, I would like to take a shower first. I will eat when I get out."

"If that's what you want, Dinner will be ready in fifteen minute." Sarah replied sweetly, smiling warmly at him, her expression being a stark contrast compared to the nigh scowl she had while talking to Carina.

"Thanks for everything, Sarah." Chuck nodded in gratitude, "I should probably head up stairs." He shrugged, rolling his shoulders slightly.

"Want some company?" She said with a blank look and innocent expression. And before his mind could register what she was planning on doing, she had already inched closer to him in a provocative manner, wrapping her gentle arms around his shoulders and leaning herself against his back. He felt his face heat up when she suddenly pressed her dirty pillows onto his back. The fabric was so thin to the point, he was feeling the real deal right now, causing him to nearly lit up like a street light. "I will even help you out with any itching you can't seem to scratch yourself." She whispered sultrily, nudging her head against his. Chuck was speechless right now. What exactly was she playing at here?

"What? He'd never..." Sarah's eyes widened in confusion. She figured since she and Chuck were practically living under the same roof right now, he wouldn't really pay attention to anyone else when she was here with him, because he always seemed far more fascinated by her beauty and sex appeal. However she looked and realized he was a little bit troubled. Her jaw opened in disbelief.

"Wha-!? Why her? His reaction was completely different when I tried to seduce him last time. Is it because he has a thing for...brunettes? "

On the top of everything that was currently going on her mind, the very last thing she needed to see was him getting nervous around Carina instead of her during a minor...seduction attempt.

"OI!" Sarah gawked, pointing an accusatory finger towards Chuck. "Don't get cheeky Bartowski! Carina might seem easy like that but she would never sleep with a simpleton like you, unless she wants something from you." She reminded him, an abhorrent look crossing her eyes.

"Bartowski...simpleton.." Chuck was quite flabbergasted upon being at the receiving end of her spiteful looks, the way Sarah referred him right now was as good as smashing his head with a brick.

"Get cheeky about what Agent Walker, I just want to go upstairs and take a shower." He replied in a deadpan manner, finally managing to wriggle out from the red head 's embrace. It wasn't his fault that shameless tease took an interest in him.

"Hmm? I thought you were here to help him with every way you can. Plus, he seems a bit high strung. Having stress build up before going on missions isn't very wise." Carina snickered, " Oh, don't tell me, you want to..."

"IF YOU FINISH THAT SENTENCE, I WILL KILL YOU!" Sarah roared with anguish at her old friend. It felt like she was about to pull her hair out.

"Well, no matter, don't worry about what this sore loser thinks. She is too finicky for her own good. " Carina smirked, pointing towards Sarah who stared back at her with a fiery bitterness in her eyes. "If you are a little shy , don't worry ~" She smiled and placed her hand on her hip, while posing in a seductive manner, "I will not bring any handcuffs."

"No thanks, showers are meant to be relaxing and...that'd be a bit too much stimulating for my taste." Chuck replied awkwardly. For his own well being, he really needed to find a way to stop involving in crazy situations like these.

"You sure? I could do things that you can only imagine in your wildest dreams." She ruffled his hair with an inviting smile . She was about to leave but he suddenly remembered what he had to say.

"Wait!"

"Ah, I knew you were going to crack eventually!" Carina responded with a gleeful laughter.

"No, not that!" Chuck denied vehemently, fearing that Sarah might flip her lid and kill him for real if he didn't clear this misunderstandings soon enough. "I actually wanted to show you guys something." He tried to regain control of the conversation.

"Hmm? Oh..." Carina seemed a bit disappointed, while Sarah sighed in relief , She knew Chuck wasn't the kind of guy who would let his base instincts take over...just like that.

He reached out for the small bag he had been carrying with himself and took out some large glossy photographs.

"Recently, FBI did some surveillance at Alahi's Delaware summer house . From what I see, there are SVB-54 explosion protected cameras with thermal imaging capabilities covering the grounds. They are equipped for remote access and being monitored in a security booth. But I am quite familiar with the model so hacking into the system and looping them won't be much of an issue. However, there are swaths of not so friendly looking PMCs constantly patrolling the entire area inside-out, whom he hired just a few weeks back . So be mindful around those in case you are really planning on breaking in and steal the diamond." He said hesitantly, in a voice filled with genuine concern, not sounding so sure himself.

Carina giggled slightly in response, "Ah, don't fret Chuck, this is nothing but a walk in the park compared what me and Sarah used to do back in the days. Besides the spice of life falls into three categories, fighting, getting laid, and jumping into unknown. If you are not doing one of those, or a combination of all three , what's the point in living then? " She said as if it was a no brainer.

"It's because you only like to work for yourself. When are you going to learn your actions have consequences?" She turned towards Carina with a tick mark, barking in disapproval. "You could learn from Chuck here. Even though he might be new to the field, he is trying to take some initiative to plan this out while considering all the possibilities." The warm and sweet smile from before appearing back on her face as she patted him on the shoulder in a friendly manner

"Is there a magic behind her mood swings? One minute she is mean and spiteful , next she is stubborn yet kind girl. How troublesome!"

"...Thanks." Chuck reluctantly accepted her compliment. The blonde's demeanor was truly like a light switch. She could change it on a fly. He was completely baffled at the way she was acting right now.

"Sounds too boring to me." Carina scoffed, "Tell me cutie pie, don't you prefer being around a woman who can give you bit of thrill in life?" She brushed hair out of her face with a tempting smile, her left hand dropping to the skirt, grasping it by the bottom and raising it a little.

Revealing a generous look at her upper thighs and exactly how much her panties covered. Quickly averting his gaze, Chuck could only rub his throbbing temples as a drop of sweat poured down his head.

No longer bothered by her blatant flirting but instead at her complete lack of modesty, he immediately took back his initial assumption about her.

"Subtle as a rhino, this woman is clearly much worse compared to Lou. "

Chuck looked down , covered his face with his right palm and shook his head with a long suffering sigh, "Give me a break, Miss Miller. I am literally working on the clock here."

"Maybe I should have taken up the offer that special forces dude made at the end of my training, I hear the work is tough , as are the hours. Still it wouldn't be any tougher than anything I have been through so far here."

"I hope you like what you saw." She grinned with a meaningful wink. However, Chuck merely snorted in response, opting to completely ignore her teasing this time around, and soon the door to his room clicked shut.

"Carina!" Sarah snapped, anger coloring her tone, "Have you no sense of shame?"

Letting her skirt drop, Carina didn't seem the least bit cowed by Sarah's glare.

"What are you upset about, Blondie?" Carina eyed her with curiosity. "It isn't like he is your boyfriend or anything like that."

"That..." Sarah's cheeks flushed ever so slightly "That isn't my point."

"Mmmmm…" The red head held put two fingers to her chin and pretended to ponder. "I don't think so. For one thing, he looks like a hopelessly naïve little boy who's wandered into the big kids' play area at school and he is one step away from being kicked by some of the meaner kids. Another thing is he has so much potential, most of which he hasn't even bothered to tap into yet. " She retorted with a knowing smirk, "Now if what I have heard about his reputation is real, all he needs is a bit of confidence and he will truly shine."

Fuming already, but trying valiantly to hold onto her cool, Sarah archly inquired, "And what kind of 'reputation' is Chuck supposed to have here?"

Holding out one of her hands, Carina started counting off on her fingers, "One: He looks pretty cute, Two: He had been the one to help us fending off one of the worst cyber attacks we ever dealt with and my boss had been fawning over him since then, Three: Not that it has anything to do with your team, but one of our agency executives had been attending that particular NATO event at Washington Hilton and he notified us about Bartowski being the mysterious EOD expert from the National Guard who helped FBI resolving the bomb threat. The bomb...which according to the leading experts my boss knows, was unlike anything they had ever encountered before . That by itself makes him pretty eye catching as far as arm candy material goes in spy world. Plus the poor guy seems constantly lost and needs to have a woman look out for him." She licked her lips in anticipation, her dark eyes twinkling with mirth, "Since you are not in to that sort of thing, I can be the one to do that for him. What do you think, Blondie?"

"This is my op, Carina and I absolutely won't permit you to screw around with my team-mates, especially him." Sarah scowled viciously at her former team mate , fighting the urge to grind her teeth in frustration.

"Did Graham sent her here to intentionally mess with me ? How am I ever going to survive?"

Sleep, if she was to get any tonight, would be fitful and unrestful.

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Hello there readers and writers. Hope everyone is doing well. Sorry , I am late once again. There were reasons for my tardiness, which are a lot but I still worked hard on this regardless. I am sorry that it's been slow. There is a lot I wish could have done already. But it all takes time and patience. Anyways, I hope you like this one.