Chapter 27: The Old Friends

California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles International Airport, August 11th, 2008

"I'm starting to feel like a taxi driver," Caridad muttered as they parked at the airport.

"Does that mean you don't want to drive any more?" Sarah asked, a little too innocently.

Caridad shot her a glare as they got out of the car. "It's not my fault that you lot drive as if this was a test. Or if you had a patrol car behind you." She blinked. "I mean, a patrol car that's not chasing you."

Sarah chuckled.

"But seriously - why did you ask me to drive you? You didn't drink too much last night," Caridad asked. Unlike certain others.

The spy took a deep breath. "Given our trouble with Dubois, I'd like to ensure that we're not meeting a demon or something 'wiggy', as Chuck would say."

Oh. "You think your friends might've been turned? Or possessed? Well, not turned - they'd be ashes now," Caridad said, gesturing at the street baking in the sun.

Sarah sighed. "I don't think so, but… Our team was split after a mission went wrong, and all clues pointed at a mole in our team. The suspect was cleared in a lie detector-enhanced interrogation, but…"

"...those aren't fool-proof," Caridad finished for her. "But you want Willow for that stuff. Though she doesn't like messing with minds." That was stating it mildly - the witch loathed such spells.

"I know, and I don't really think they're traitors - I wouldn't have agreed to hire them for this if I did. But…"

"Better safe than sorry?" Caridad looked around as they approached the terminal.

"Yes."

Caridad nodded. Well, there was no better backup than a Slayer. "And you want to lay down the law before having them meet Chuck," she added with a grin.

Sarah snorted. "They're not like Carina."

"Not like her, or not as bad as she is?"

Judging by the way Sarah pressed her lips together for a moment, the answer was 'not as bad as Carina'. And that was a very low bar, in Caridad's opinion. Even Faith had more self-control than that spy.

"Well," Caridad said, crossing her hands behind her head as they passed a security guard, "Who was under suspicion? And why?"

"Zondra. Zondra Rizzo. I found a hidden transmitter in her bootheel."

"Could've been planted there?"

"That's what she said," Sarah replied. She looked up. "There's the gate."

"You believe her?"

Sarah shrugged. "She was cleared. If she had been a mole, the investigation would've found something. Money trail, blackmail… something that would explain her motive."

So it hadn't just been a lie detector test. Good. "No one suspected Carina?"

Sarah snorted. "I think she was investigated a few times after particularly reckless actions. Nothing came of it. And I don't think she'd be a mole."

"You trust her that much?"

"I don't think she would have the patience to be a mole for years. She'd escalate things," Sarah said.

"And she'd want to gloat," Caridad added, only half-joking.

Sarah chuckled. "Probably."

"So, they're freelancing?" Caridad asked.

"They're between assignments," Sarah replied. "And I doubt that their superiors will mind if tehy have the chance to gather more intel about us."

"And will they?" Caridad asked.

"Unless a demon army charges down the aisle, they won't find anything about the supernatural," Sarah told her.

"Are you sure?" Caridad frowned.

"I know them. Do you remember how much it took for me to believe in magic and demons?"

She had to chuckle at that. "Yeah, without a demonstration, most people don't want to believe that demons are real." Which helped a lot in keeping the secret, even though it wasn't as bad as it had been in Sunnydale.

"Yes." Sarah looked around again.

"Their plane landed." Caridad nodded at the big screen. "So, Zondra Rizzo. And…?"

"Amy."

"Amy who?" Caridad asked.

Sarah cocked her head and looked at her.

"You know, vampires usually have only a first name and no last name," Caridad pointed out.

"And some spies," Sarah replied.

Caridad still checked if the sun reached the gate.

"There they are," Sarah said.

Ah. Caridad wondered if she would've spotted the two without Sarah pointing them out. And without Chuck having gotten them current pictures from their files. They looked just like any other pretty women visiting L.A. Although that attitude… no, that would also fit any rich pretty woman.

She looked at them as they approached, taking a deep breath to smell the air.

"Sarah!"

"Hey!"

"Zondra! Amy!"

Well, the greeting was more than a little forced between Zondra and Sarah. Obviously, not every suspicion had been cleared by the investigation.

"This is Caridad," Sarah said. "Caridad - Zondra and Amy."

"Hi." She smiled at them, reminding herself not to show too many teeth. Still, they were visitors on her turf.

"You're Sarah's new partner?" Zondra asked.

"One of her team members," Caridad replied.

"Ah, right. Your new team. Are they as good as our old team?" Amy asked.

"Better," Caridad said.

Now the two spies were sporting toothy smiles. And Sarah was frowning at her.

Hey, Caridad had just been honest!

"Really?" Zondra cocked her head and raised her eyebrows at Caridad. "Better than the C.A.T. Squad?"

That was Sarah's old team, wasn't it? Talk about weird names. Probably some nerd thinking they were funny. "Yes." Caridad bared her teeth. "We've got the experience and the expertise. And a few aces up our sleeves." Such as herself.

"Experience?" Amy didn't look convinced.

Caridad narrowed her eyes at the spy. "Yes."

"Caridad's one of the most skilled operatives in her field I've met," Sarah said.

"And what's your field?" Zondra asked.

"Combat. Infiltration. Hunting down people," Caridad replied. She was the Slayer, after all.

"We need to spar, then," Zondra said. "See how good you are."

"Gladly!"

"We should focus on the task at hand, actually," Sarah said, glaring at Caridad.

Hey! Caridad frowned at her - she was perfectly able to beat up Zondra without showing off her supernatural strength or something!

"Oh, yes. But knowing the capability of all assets on hand is important. We wouldn't want to send people against an intruder they can't handle," Amy said.

"I can handle anyone," Caridad said with a snort. Well, with the possible exception of Buffy and Faith. And Willow, but Willow didn't count.

"Caridad isn't on hand - she's a guest at the wedding. Bridesmaid, actually. And we've got people handling security on the ground," Sarah said.

"So we've heard. And you need us in charge of security." Zondra looked unconvinced.

"Yes," Sarah said as they reached their car. "To spot threats and spies."

"The British didn't send enough people to handle that as well?" Amy asked. Sarah stared at her friend, and the spy smiled. "Come on - word travels. We've heard you're working for Merry Old England these days."

"Yes," Zondra said with a nod. "Supposedly a top-secret team operating worldwide."

"And with enough influence to tell the CIA and NSA to roll over and play nice," Amy added.

Caridad clenched her teeth. Someone spilt the beans. Well, they had expected that, but so blatantly?

Sarah sighed. "There are lots of rumours. Doesn't mean they're true. Or did you believe all the rumours about our old team?"

That sent both spies laughing. "Oh, those rumours!" Amy said.

"Rumours?" Caridad asked while she took her seat behind the wheel.

Sarah glared at her again, but Caridad ignored her. If you could get embarrassing dirt on a friend, you took it - everyone in the Council agreed on that. "I'm sure you're aware of the kind of rumour that spread around an all-female force," Sarah said.

"Ah." Caridad grinned.

"Oh? You've been in such a team before?" Amy leaned forward.

"In training," Caridad replied. Then she started the engine.

"Please drive slowly," Sarah said. "We don't want any speeding tickets.

"Yes. The local cops would jump on that, would they?" Amy grinned; Caridad saw it in the rearview mirror. "We looked up the wedding couple."

Of course they had done so. Caridad suppressed a frown and left the parking lot at slow speed - for a Slayer.

California, Los Angeles, Sun Valley, August 11th, 2008

"That's your new base?" Amy asked as they pulled up in the driveway. She hadn't stopped asking questions - many of them in a manner that made it obvious that she already knew the answer. Not even when Caridad had sped up a little on the highway.

"No. That's the house of the happy couple," Sarah replied. She sounded as tired as Caridad felt of the spy's probing.

"Ah."

"We're just introducing you," Sarah went on. "Their home security is being handled already."

"Ah." Zondra nodded with a pensive expression. Weird.

Amy, though, smiled widely. "Good thinking." She looked around. "But where are they?"

Willow's spells weren't visible, of course. But Vi should be around. Caridad sniffed the air, then glanced to the side. Ah. She grinned at the corner behind which Vi was standing.

As if on cue, Vi stepped in view.

"There," Caridad said.

Zondra and Amy both looked the other Slayer over as Vi approached.

"Zondra, Amy - Vi. Vi - Zondra, Amy," Caridad introduced them.

"Ah, the spies." Vi didn't offer her hand, and her smile showed all her teeth.

"Yes," Zondra said, frowning again. And Amy kept smiling. Perhaps Caridad should spar with them. Teach them that they weren't as good as they thought they were. It would be for their own good - wouldn't want them to try and tackle a demon or so.

"You're one of the security guards, then?" Amy beamed at her.

"I'm handling perimeter security," Vi corrected her. "You're the guys staring at the screens?"

"We're directing the entire security detachment," Zondra replied. "That includes you."

"Don't worry, you won't have much to do," Vi told the woman.

"We'll see." Amy's smile never wavered.

Caridad snorted and rang the door. She could hear Ellie coming to open it - and stop at the screen to check the cameras before actually doing so. Good. She was wearing casual clothes. "Hello, Sarah, Caridad. You must be Amy and Zondra." Ellie nodded at them, then stepped to the side.

Caridad glanced at the two spies, but they showed no surprise at the lack of an invitation. But was that because they knew about vampires, or because they were spies hiding their reactions?

"You've got a nice home," Amy commented as they entered the living room.

Ellie frowned for a moment, and Sarah winced. "We've had to move recently," she said.

"Ah. I'm sorry to hear that." The spy sounded sorry, but Caridad wondered if she had known that already - she had investigated them, hadn't she? And Ellie and Devon had been in the news…

"Thank you. And thank you for coming to help us at our wedding," Ellie said. "Would you like a drink?"

"Hey, Sarah hired us," Zondra told her with a sly grin and a glance at Sarah. "After all those years. Water, please."

"You make it sound as if we're ancient," Sarah replied. Her chuckle sounded a little… not forced, but tense.

"Sometimes it feels like it," Amy said. "It's not the years, it's the mileage, right? Water as well, please."

Well, that was true. Caridad nodded emphatically, as did Vi - who had somehow managed to get a snack for her without Caridad noticing. And she was looking smug about it. Damn! Caridad quickly headed to the kitchen herself, listening with one ear to the conversation in the living room.

"So, you were working with Sarah," Ellie said as Caridad looked for more snacks, finding none - Vi must have taken the last ones.

"Best team ever," Amy told her.

"Until Sarah left," Zondra added.

"It was necessary," Sarah replied.

"Definitely." Zondra didn't sound like she actually agreed - no, she sounded as if there was more to this.

Well, time to make a quick sandwich before things escalated. Sarah wasn't a Slayer, but Caridad had a feeling that there might be an impromptu sparring session coming up even though they lacked a decent training room.

She grabbed bread - the dark kind; Ellie and Devon must be on a health trip again - and some ham and cheese and quickly made a sandwich. A small one, though. Wouldn't want to tip off the spies.

"Did you skip breakfast?" Amy commented as Caridad returned to the living room, eating her sandwich while carrying a tray with a bottle of mineral water and some glasses.

"I'm hungry," she replied between two bites. She had to eat more slowly, she reminded herself. Or faster - if she had finished the sandwich in the kitchen, no one would have noticed anything. Well, Ellie and Sarah would've known. And Vi, of course.

"We can see that." Amy laughed. "I could do with a snack myself, actually - airline food doesn't agree with me."

"Oh, sorry!" Ellie glared at Caridad as if it was her fault that the spies hadn't said anything about being hungry. And Vi had eaten first!

"She's used to having security around," Amy commented as soon as Ellie had left the room to fetch some snacks.

"She was in danger for a while before things blew up recently," Sarah said. "We took precautions."

"Ah." Amy nodded.

Zondra, though, frowned. "Did you slip up? It's not like you to let a civilian find out about your mission."

"There was a mole in the LAPD," Sarah replied, skipping the question without lying.

"You let the cops find out?" Zondra sounded incredulous.

"That was a ploy by Fulcrum," Sarah shot back. "They tried to use the LAPD against us."

Caridad nodded. More than once, too. Without Fulcrum's meddling, Dubois wouldn't have found out about them and their ties to Ellie and Devon, either.

"You know, the traitors who had infiltrated the CIA and NSA and we rooted out." Sarah's smile would've made a Slayer proud.

"Ah, yes. That was very good work, Sarah," Amy said. "I was shocked when I heard about it."

Zondra scoffed but didn't push the issue. Instead, she looked around. "Do you have a dojo for training somewhere? I don't want to get out of shape while we're here."

"We're still rebuilding our base," Sarah replied.

"We can use the backyard," Vi told her. "It's discreet and it's got enough space for a decent routine."

"Sounds good. You up for a session, Sarah?"

"Yes."

Caridad glared at her fellow Slayer. Vi had completely misread the situation! The last thing anyone needed was Sarah and Zondra beating the crap out of each other. Caridad had wanted to spar against the spies to teach them a lesson!

Ellie frowned. "Don't break the fence."

Zondra looked confused.

Caridad sighed. "That happened once."

"Twice, actually," Ellie replied.

"The second time didn't count - Morgan told me to." And he had!

"Morgan didn't live there," Ellie pointed out.

"Well, he was over often enough," Caridad retorted. But it wouldn't move Ellie, of course.

Amy looked amused, she noticed, as they went outside. Zondra looked annoyed. No, angry - Caridad knew that look. And Sarah's expression almost matched the other spy's as they two kicked their shoes off and faced each other on the lawn.

"So… rules: No weapons, no strikes to kill or cripple," Caridad said. "Vi and I will ref. If we say you're out, you're out."

Sarah nodded. Zondra did so as well, though after a moment's hesitation. Great. Caridad sighed and stepped a little closer. Enough to intervene at once. Vi mirrored her.

"Go!" Caridad snapped.

Zondra went on the offensive right away, attacking with a flurry of blows and kicks. And serious once - not distractions or feints. Sarah gave ground easily, evading more than blocking - well, she'd been training to fight vampires; blocking was far more dangerous than dodging.

And Sarah was good at it; Zondra wasn't exactly telegraphing her moves - unless you had a Slayer's speed - but Sarah was one step ahead of her. Though Zondra adapted - Caridad saw that Sarah was being herded towards the fence. That would limit her movement.

Sarah would know that as well, so… what was she planning?

Zondra had her almost cornered now. A few more steps and Sarah would be caught between the other spy, the fence, and the grill. But Zondra was already slowing down. Just a little bit, but Caridad could easily tell - the spy wouldn't be able to keep up her relentless attacks.

And Sarah had picked up on it as well. Caridad saw how she baked her teeth in a tiny grin right before she took two steps back. Zondra's eyes widened, caught by surprise - but then she advanced. And Sarah whirled, took a step towards the fence, then jumped, kicked off the fence pole there - Ellie wouldn't like that - and launched a flying kick against Zondra.

The other spy was caught both surprised and overextended, and she was a little too slow to react. She managed to bring up her arms to block Sarah's kick, but was driven back and staggered. Before she could recover, Sarah had landed and swept her legs.

Zondra went down on the grass with a gasp, and Sarah lost no time to pin her - or try to; Zondra managed to roll to the side and evade, then pivoted on her but and swung her legs, almost catching Sarah in the face.

The spy grabbed one leg, though, and went for the grapple. Caridad winced - you never went for a grapple with a vampire. Buffy emphasised that for the minis - if you were fighting an older vampire instead of a fledgling, you'd end up overwhelmed.

But Zondra was no vampire. Sarah matched her in strength, and it showed as the two women wrestled. And it didn't take long for both to switch to dirty tricks. Nothing crippling, yet, but the way things were escalating - Caridad could hear them insult each other in whispers - that was only a matter of time.

"Break!" she snapped, moving ahead already. Just as she had expected, the two didn't break, trying to get a blow in until Caridad and Vi dragged them apart. "That's enough. We don't want Sarah to sport a shiner for the wedding."

Both spies were breathing heavily, but shouldn't have any more than light bruises. Yet.

Zondra scowled for a moment, then grinned. "Yeah, that would be a shame."

"Yes," Sarah showed her teeth. Just like a Slayer, Caridad couldn't help thinking.

And Amy smiled. "You're stronger than you look," she commented, nodding at Caridad.

"I work out," Caridad replied. And she would have to work out a little more with Sarah - the spy should've cleaned Zodnra's clock, and she would if she hadn't started grappling.

"Care for a spar?" Amy asked, smiling brightly. Had she ever stopped smiling?

"Sure." As if she'd back down from such a request - especially in front of Vi. Not that she was worried, anyway - Caridad would have to dial things back a lot, but she was a veteran Slayer.

She kicked her own shoes off and moved into position, cracking her knuckles. "Same rules as before."

"Of course."

Caridad nodded at Vi. "Call it."

"Go!"

Like Sarah, Caridad didn't spring into action as soon as Vi gave the signal. But unlike Zondra, Amy didn't attack right away either - the spy started to circle Caridad. And she was still smiling.

For a moment, Caridad was tempted to stand still and let the other woman attack her from the back. But that would've been showing off. Well, showing off too much. So she turned and kept facing the spy, shifting her stance, then started to move in a circle as well.

They kept this up until they had completed one full turn - and moved around a bit. Caridad smirked - Amy must have wanted to be clever; Caridad was close to the stone path leading to the pool now. If the spy attacked from the left side, she might expect Caridad to stumble when she retreated like Sarah had done.

And there she came. Not as aggressive as Zondra had been, either - instead of a flurry of attacks, Amy came in with measured, precise strikes. Caridad stood her ground. She blocked the first punch, deflected the next, here came the kick - an obvious trap. Caridad still caught the leg, then pushed when Amy launched a kick with her free leg.

The spy was thrown back and hit the ground, rolling over her shoulder and coming up in a karate stance. Caridad could've ended the fight right then - well, she could've done so from the start - but didn't move, yet. She smiled instead, then gave Amy a little 'come at me' gesture with her left hand.

The woman smiled - did she ever stop smiling? - and rushed her again. Still the precise strikes, a little faster this time - had she held back? Against Caridad? Really!

Caridad bared her teeth and side-stepped a low kick, then blocked a punch to her ribs. She evaded the follow-up strike to her face by dropping down and sweeping Amy's legs - without breaking the woman's ankle. She twisted on the ground while Amy was still falling, and as soon as the woman's shoulder hit the grass, Caridad was on her, one hand across the spy's throat and the other holding her right arm.

"Break!" Vi stated.

For a moment, Amy's smile vanished, and her eyes widened. Then Caridad withdrew, and Amy nodded. "I guess you're as good as you claim."

Caridad offered her a hand to get up, and the other woman tensed - was she going for the sucker punch? Some 'never trust a spy' thing? But Amy didn't. She let herself be pulled up - Caridad took care not to show off her strength - and they resumed their positions.

"Come on, Amy! You can take her!" Zondra said.

"No, she can't," Caridad replied without taking her eyes off Amy. "But she can give it a good try."

And the spy did.

"You sound Californian," Amy commented later while putting ointment on her bruises in Ellie and Devon's living room. Caridad didn't feel bad about those - Amy had tried to use a few dirty-ish tricks in their sparring match. As if a Slayer weren't familiar with such moves - Faith loved those, and Xander always said demons didn't deserve fair fights.

"I live in California," she replied. She had been born here, too, but why tell a spy more than they needed to know? Amy probably knew that already.

"Did you ever consider working for the CIA?" the spy went on.

Caridad snorted, as did Vi, who was stuffing her face with another snack.

"It's a shame the recruiters missed you," Zondra added. The spy was leaning against the wall next to the door to the garden, her arms crossed.

Caridad shrugged. She had expected such prodding and probing. The two were spies. Vi snickered. "They couldn't have afforded us."

"You've been working together, then?" Amy asked, cocking her head as she looked at the other Slayer.

"I've helped Caridad out a few times," Vi said.

Caridad grunted and narrowed her eyes. That made it sound as if she needed the help. Well, she had - but only because even a Slayer couldn't be in two places at once. Not without the kind of magic Willow got antsy about.

"Ah." Amy nodded. "But how did the British find you when the CIA didn't?"

"Pure chance," Caridad replied. Which was the truth. Sort of.

"I'd like to see you two spar," Zondra spoke up. "Or one of you spar with Sarah."

"Perhaps later," Vi replied. "I wouldn't want Caridad to get grass stains all over her clothes."

"My clothes?" Caridad scoffed and glared at the other Slayer. As if Vi would beat her!

"No more sparring today!" Ellie cut in with a glare aimed at both of them. "I like to keep my yard intact."

Amy and Zondra laughed at that. Sarah followed a moment later. And Amy didn't miss that.

California, Los Angeles, Echo Park, August 11th, 2008

"Well, it's not the worst location to secure," Zondra said as she looked around inside the church. "At least the building doesn't have too many entrances, and the walls are solid."

That was part of the reason they had picked this church, of course. That, and the fact that it was close to Chuck and Ellie's former home. Which had turned out to be somewhat awkward following the attack by Dubois.

"Yes," Amy agreed. "Though the windows are a vulnerability. And it'll be harder to defend the reception outside."

"We took possible sniper nests into account," Sarah said. "They'll be under surveillance." John had found the most obvious, and the most likely locations for a sniper.

"Surveillance can be fooled," Amy pointed out.

Sarah inclined her head. "We've been very careful."

And Willow had cast some spells as well, Caridad knew.

"And, of course, if someone's using a fertiliser bomb, all bets are off," Zondra added, pointing at the barricades disguised as flower pots. "Those won't really stop such an attack; they're too close."

Far enough for Willow to cast a shield or something, at least.

"We've got tripwires. If a tanker gets close, we'll know in advance," Sarah replied.

"Tripwires?"

"The whole area's under surveillance," Sarah told Zondra. "Including traffic control."

"That's your lover's work, right?" Amy said with a grin

"Yes," Sarah confirmed with a slight frown.

"Why isn't he here? We could use his input," the spy said.

"I can answer all questions about the electronic security measures," Sarah said. Her smile looked a little forced. At least to Caridad.

"But we will meet him for dinner, right?" Amy beamed at them.

"Yes." Sarah nodded.

"And your British team leader?"

Caridad narrowed her eyes. They knew about Phil? Or was that just some speculation based on the Council's ties to the United Kingdom?

"He's got other plans," Sarah told them.

"Ah." Amy smiled, probably at the apparent confirmation of her assumption. Well, she wasn't entirely wrong, though, technically, Phil wasn't their leader. That would be Chuck. Most of the time.

"And what about you?" ondra asked, looking at Caridad. "You haven't said anything since we arrived here."

Caridad shrugged. "I'm not going to be on guard."

"You can still comment on security issues, though," Amy said. "Right?"

"Chuck and Sarah have it handled," Caridad told her.

"That's a lot of trust," Amy said. But she exchanged with Zondra that seemed to hint at something else.

"We're a team;" Sarah said. "We trust each other to do their job."

"And your job isn't security?" Amy's eyebrows rose a little, but she didn't lose her smile.

"My job is to be a bridesmaid. If anything happens you can't handle, I'll handle it then," Caridad told her, baring her teeth. "But I'm not going to second guess you," she lied.

"Ah. That's a refreshing attitude." Amy nodded. "Usually, when we work with another agency, it's a struggle to hash things out."

"It's a dick-measuring contest," Zondra added. "But you know how it is." She nodded at Sarah.

Caridad almost snorted. And the sparring match hadn't been such a contest? But she knew better than to needle the spies. This was about Ellie and Devon's wedding.

"Well, the real pincher will be the reception outside. The wedding banquet we can handle;" Zondra said, repeating Amy's assessment.

"And there's the security for our security van," Amy said. "It would be better if we were inside the church."

"Then there'd be a gap when you relocated to the restaurant," Sarah retorted.

"The van's too vulnerable," Amy insisted. "It's not even armoured. And it'll be in the middle of the parking lot at the edge of the perimeter."

"Surrounded by dozens of other cars," Sarah pointed out. "And we'll have patrols on the perimeter."

Caridad nodded. Slayers. The two spies would be as safe as possible - even though they wouldn't know it.

"Any spy will spot us. I want to set up inside the church."

"Yes," Zondra agreed. "We can use the van as bait - and as transportation. We won't have a gap that way."

"We'd need more screens and communication gear." Sarah didn't look happy.

"Yes?" Amy smiled, and Zondra grinned. "You don't skimp on gear, do you?"

Sarah chuckled, a little ruefully. "I'll pass it on."

The Council wouldn't be happy. Well, Anya wouldn't be happy. On the other hand, they probably could use or sell the stuff afterwards.

It wasn't Caridad's problem, anyway.

California, Los Angeles, Downtown Los Angeles, August 11th, 2008

"Chuck, Casey - Amy and Zondra," Sarah said as they met in the lounge of the restaurant Sarah had picked for dinner.

"Amy, Zondra - Chuck and Casey."

John nodded at both spies. He hadn't worked with them before, Caridad knew, but he had heard of them. And, judging by the way they nodded in return, they had heard of him, too.

Caridad refrained from taking a firmer grip on John's arm. They were no competition. Besides, they seemed to be more interested in Chuck.

"So, you're the mysterious Chuck!" Amy beamed at him. "We've speculated so much about you!"

"Uh… good? I mean, good to hear that." Chuck smiled in return. "But, mysterious?"

"Your file's been heavily redacted," Zondra explained. "Even with our security clearance, we weren't allowed to read the original:"

"Really?" Chuck frowned. "Heavily redacted?"

"Oh, it's not obvious," Amy told him with a smile. "There weren't any blackened passages or such. But if you know how such things are done, you can tell that the file wasn't complete."

"Ah." Chuck nodded. "That sounds logical."

"So, what do you do? Apart from electronic surveillance," Amy went on.

"Uh, I mainly do that." Chuck's smile was a little forced. "Although I go into the field as well."

"To provide support?" Amy cocked her head.

"Basically, yes. Yes." Chuck nodded.

"Who'd have thought you'd fall for a nerd, Sarah," Amy said, giggling. Turning back to Chuck, she added in a stage-whisper: "She usually liked the strong types. You must be special to have captured her heart."

'Captured her heart'? How old was Amy? The last time Caridad had heard that expression was when she'd skimmed a steamy novel of one of the teenage Slayers during training.

"Chuck's perfectly fine in the field," Sarah said. "I trust him with my life."

"Oh!" Amy was beaming at them again. "How sweet!"

"Yes," Zondra agreed. "But it's not the first time you hooked up with your partner, is it?

Chuck frowned at that, but Sarah's glared at Zondra could've frozen a Hellmouth

Sarah glared at Zondra. "Really? You went there?"

Zondra met her eyes. "What? Didn't you share that with your new lover?"

"Uh… Bryce was a friend of mine," Chuck said. "And we worked together while we were together. Sarah and me being together, I mean, working with Bryce. Not, you know, the other way around, if you know what I mean."

Amy giggled at that, but Sarah and Zondra didn't really react much.

They didn't talk much during dinner, either. And all the smiles were far too toothy. But the food was good, and neither Amy nor Zondra tried to flirt with John. Even though Amy's cheerfulness started to drag a little.

"Oh, this woman!" Sarah vented as soon as they had left Zondra and Amy and were on the way back to the yacht in an SUV. "The nerve of her, trying to…" She shook her head.

"Well, she tried and failed," Chuck said, wrapping an arm around her with a smile. "And she also tried and failed to probe us for intel."

"That was Amy," Caridad said. John grunted in agreement.

"Yes," Sarah agreed. "And she was worse than I expected."

"Worse?" Chuck frowned. "Ah, you mean, she was more, uh, fixated on finding out our secrets, not that she was bad at it."

"Yes," Sarah said, nodding. "But I guess I can't really blame her for that - if I was in her place, I would want to know what made me quit the CIA as well." She sighed. "And she probably wonders if I was a mole when I was in the team. I found a transmitter in Zondra's heel, but framing someone else is a basic spy trick, and I was never tested under a lie detector."

"Those aren't too reliable, anyway," Chuck pointed out. He sighed as well. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have asked you to hire them."

"No, no, I agreed with your suggestion. And they are the most reliable spies we could find," Sarah replied.

Which wasn't a high bar to clear, of course.

"I could've done it," John said. "I can still do it."

"Ellie was very clear that she expects you among the guests," Chuck replied. "And it will help your cover."

What was left of it, anyway. Caridad snorted. "If anyone even notices, what with the Scoobies around."

Chuck sighed once more. "Well, they promised to behave. And Ellie knows what to expect from them."

That was true.

"I don't trust them," John said after a moment.

"You think one of them is a mole?" Sarah asked.

"Or both," John replied.

"Really? Both? But…" Chuck trailed off. "The Intersect didn't ping on either. And I tried hard."

"The Intersect isn't infallible," Sarah pointed out. "It doesn't have false positives, but negatives?"

Chuck bit his lower lips. "Right. Still, it's been pretty dependable."

"That only means it's more dangerous to become dependent on it," John said.

"It has saved us multiple times!" Chuck protested.

"Yes, Chuck," Sarah said. "And no one doubts that." Everyone ignored John's grunt. "But the possibility that Zondra or Amy is a mole remains."

"Well, if they are - either of them - then they're not Fulcrum's," Chuck said. "I checked their database for them."

"That only leaves a dozen more possible powers behind them," John said.

"Who did you suspect to be behind the mole?" Caridad asked.

"Augusto Gaez. A mercenary based in South America. His group calls themselves 'The Gentle Hand'. They do anything for money," Sarah said. "We tried to capture him, but he kept escaping us."

"He's a suspect in multiple terrorist attacks," John added. "And he knows who ordered them."

Which, Caridad knew, meant that a number of rich and powerful organisations - probably countries - would want to keep that from happening.

"Didn't anyone try to, uh, silence him?" Chuck asked.

"He's got contingencies against that. Presumably, should he die, his backers get revealed," Sarah said.

"Should've just killed him, then," John said.

"The orders were to capture him," Sarah replied.

"Uh… I mean, we know the CIA and the NSA don't really shy away from assassinations, right?" Chuck said. "So… does that mean that they might've worked with Gaez themselves?"

John rolled his eyes as if this should've been obvious.

Sarah was a little more diplomatically. "It would explain how he managed to get a mole in the CIA. We explored that possibility, but nothing came of it."

"I think I'll look into that. With Dad," Chuck said. "We might be able to at least exclude some of the suspects if we find out what Gaez did for the CIA."

That sounded like a good idea, though Caridad wasn't sure if it would work - spies tended to hide things from everyone. Although… she frowned. Hadn't that car been behind them for a while? It looked like another 'undercover cop' car. "Chuck," she said. "Can you check the plates of the SUV behind us?"

"We've got a tail?" Chuck exclaimed, looking over his shoulder.

"Duh," John grunted.

"More cops? Don't they ever learn?" Chuck shook his head as he pulled his laptop out of his bag. "My backdoor should still…" he hit a few keys. "Yes! What's the plate?"

Sarah told him. Caridad accelerated a little, then slowed down. The SUV matched them.

"Oh… that's an LAPD car, yes. But it's not assigned to anyone - and it's not an SUV. It's a sedan. Currently being repaired," Chuck said. "Did they take its plates to use on another car? That makes no sense."

"It does make sense," Sarah said in a tight voice. "Those aren't cops. They're spies framing the LAPD."

Caridad hissed. That meant spies. Or terrorists.