Sarah produced a couple of glasses and poured the wine as Chuck set down the tray next to her. It was only then she realized he had prepared what appeared to be a full course meal. It had a plate of egg salad accompanied with creamy avocado and Greek yogurt. There was even a side of assorted fruits.

"Sorry if this isn't what you normally eat." Chuck scratched the back of his head sheepishly, the grin on his face widening so much it nearly caused his eyes to squint. "My sister makes this when she isn't in the mood to cook. I wish I could have made you something hearty and satisfying but I am not that good with cooking so..."

She couldn't help but smile. This Chuck seemed like such a nice young man, and so helpful too! Though a part of her was slightly disappointed he wasn't a little more aggressive.

"It's fine." Sarah told him gently as she grabbed the fork, then took a bite of the food he prepared for her. She blinked in surprise. "This is very good," she complimented, causing him to beam.

"Thanks. I can't make anything too complicated yet but I have always been somewhat decent at following basic recipes." Chuck laughed heartily, a bit of self-depreciation mixed with good humor. "When you live with an awesome sister who is basically good at everything for as long as I have, you gotta pick up a thing or two."

"I see." Sarah gave him a smile. Her curiosity was definitely piqued about Chuck's seemingly perfectionist sister, making her wonder if her life might have turned out differently with an older sibling like that to rely on. She quickly banished those thoughts. She didn't want anyone else to go through what she did and make those inhuman choices in order to survive.

"Now it's my turn to know about your family. I bet you were some sort of modern day princess growing up." Chuck looked at her inquisitively with a playful smile.

"I wish." Sarah shook her head with a miserable sigh, looking away in shame. With anyone else this would have been terrifying for her. Yet with Chuck, it wasn't. Besides that, she wanted at least someone to know the kind of person she was before she sold her soul in the name of the greater good.

"My parents were never married and didn't plan on having me in the first place. I was born after they separated and my mom didn't want anything to do with me. The only reason I didn't end up in an orphanage was because my grandmother threatened to throw her out of the house and stop paying her allowance. And even she didn't like me that much. I only met her half a dozen times, if that. It was basically an act of pity on her side; nothing more, nothing less. I was kinda glad when my father showed up and took me away from that hellhole. He was indeed very kind to me but I figured out much later... things weren't as simple as I once thought."

"What do you mean by that?" Chuck blinked in confusion.

"He was..." She hesitated for a brief moment."...a swindler. A notorious one."

"Oh." Chuck wasn't sure how else to respond.

"Does that make you think less of me? Knowing I'm the illegitimate daughter of a criminal?"

"No! Of course not!" Chuck reached for her hand and squeezed it gently. "I am just sorry to hear you had to endure all that while growing up."

"Nah, it's fine, it's fine." Sarah waved his apology off with a melodious laugh. "While my past still bothers me every now and then, I turned my life around at the right time and right place." Her smile softened a bit, resembling a mix of nostalgia and a bit of regret. "So just treat me the way you would anyone else."

"I will try..." Chuck rubbed the back of his head. "But since you are so amazing and kind, I don't know if I will be able to manage it."

"Oh my..." Sarah trailed, raising a hand and covering her mouth with it to hide the smile on her lips as she continued in a mock stern tone. "Flattery won't get you anywhere, you know..."

Chuck kept apologizing throughout the evening, much to Sarah's mild dismay and amusement. The Bartowski male was easy to mess with, after all.

...xxxxxxx...xxxxxxxxx...xxxxxxxxx...

Michael Kernan signed the day's last sheet of paper work. He let out a sigh of relief as he set his pen down, then grabbed his pipe. Before he could celebrate, his satellite phone started ringing. It was a relic from back in the day, something he hadn't used in a very long time. His wrinkled face grew grim as he set his pipe down; very few people had knowledge of his number, so he couldn't refuse or ignore the call even if he wanted to.

Reaching out for his cane, he made a slow and painful walk to the aforementioned device and managed to answer it on its fifteenth ring. He really should have gotten the knee transplant Dr Woodcomb advised him to get on his last marriage anniversary.

"It's been a while, Warhawk." A feminine voice grunted on the other side. "We need to talk."

"Of course you do." Michael grimaced. "I assume this isn't a courtesy call."

"Perhaps. Word on the grapevine is one of your promising employees has recently started making a name for himself." The female voice responded in an all too innocent manner.

"What of him?" Asked the Admiral, inwardly groaning.

"Warhawk, would you care to tell me what reasons you have for grooming a certain employee of yours to fill his father's shoes?"

"I don't know what you are talking about, Frost."

"Big brother..."

"Don't you dare call me that!" The Admiral snapped, his eyes hard. "You lost that right when you went rogue and wrecked the lives of Hartley and your own family. I don't deal with traitors and criminals. As far as I am concerned, my sister died all those years ago."

The woman on the other end took it all in stride. "I didn't call you to settle our long-standing grievances. Both of us know something's coming. You could use my help."

"The last time I asked you for help, I ruined six lives and lost many others." Michael replied. "I have learned not to make that mistake again."

The woman said nothing for a moment, then spoke in a hardened tone. "Then I shall act alone, as I always have. Make sure you take your medicine on time." The voice softened a bit towards the end before the line went dead.

After putting the phone down, Michael let out an irritated breath as he opened his drawer and took out a torn picture of what appeared to be a blonde woman with sparkling green eyes. A few seconds later, he bashed the desk with his fist. As papers and other stationery spilled onto the floor, he screamed in pain and agony, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

...xxxxxx...xxxxxx...xxxx...

"Ha. I never really thought about swirling chocolate and vanilla frozen yogurt together, but it's really delicious." Chuck said as he looked down at the cup and took another bite. As he and Sarah took a walk along the streets, she couldn't help but feel shy around him.

"This place makes the best frozen yogurt you can find in DC." Sarah nervously giggled while placing another spoonful in her mouth. She thought for a moment as she looked at him, seeing Chuck smile at her. "You know if it wasn't for you, I probably would have stayed at home and eaten pizzas all night. To be honest, I am not that interesting."

"Oh, I don't know about that." Chuck shrugged his shoulders lightly. "Even without all the James Bond / Sydney Bristow stuff, I think you are pretty awesome. Always were, always will be."

"Chuck." Sarah giggled in amusement. Her voice adopted an almost amorous tone while addressing him, causing the Bartowski male to blink in confusion. "Not even my ex-boyfriend saw me that way. Whenever we had time to go out, he spent half the time on his phone, keeping track of his League of Legends account."

"Ha! What a douche! He clearly wasn't the right one for you. If it was up to me I would have gladly given away all of my Blue Essence to be with my girlfriend!" Chuck folded his hands while glancing at Sarah. And for the first time, her gaze caught his attention. It was a gaze warmer and fonder than anything he could remember being directed at him since his relationship with Lou... actually, that wasn't entirely true. A more logical and deductive part of his brain noted that it was far more intense then anything Lou had ever given him.

She tilted her head slightly and her smile widened a bit, her gaze not wavering in the slightest.

"Would... you consider going out with me then?" She asked, blurting the majority of her sentence out, afraid she might stop mid-thought.

Surprise flashed on Chuck's face, because that question clearly came out of nowhere.

"You mean like you want me to go shopping with you because you need me to carry something?" Chuck asked quizzically, cocking his head to the side.

Sarah slowly shook her head. "I mean... I want to be your girlfriend." She calmly explained herself, though she was unable to prevent a slight blush from appearing on her cheeks.

Chuck said nothing for a moment, staring at her with stunned astonishment on his face. She couldn't comprehend why he was just staring at her like that. Admittedly he wasn't that fortunate when it came to dating, but was it really such a big deal that she was showing interest in him? It wasn't like she had been hiding her intentions from him. She had been very clear (as far as she could tell) in wanting something more than friendship.

"Was that so hard for you to understand?" Sarah asked, a little bit of her frustration from the previous night revealing itself.

"No. I get that you are trying to ask me out. You just surprised me for a moment, that's all!" Chuck exclaimed, scratching his head in embarrassment and letting out a nervous laugh.

Sarah narrowed her eyes slightly, her curiosity piqued. "Why was that surprising?"

"Are you honestly ready to jump into another relationship so soon after your previous one ended?" Chuck asked gently. "I mean, I still can't fathom how I felt when Jill left me. Also, what with you being a spy and all, your job must surely put you under a lot of stress on a daily basis. Do you really want to date someone in the first place?"

Sarah closed her eyes for a moment. To Chuck's credit, that was a good point. Regarding her relationship with Bryce, she didn't feel particularly sad at the loss of her longest partner to date. A few years ago, when she went on a trip with Bryce and both spies shared a rare moment of genuine intimacy , she realized that his devil-may-care and carefree go-getter attitudes were masks he put on to fool everyone around him. She never called him out on it but it always felt like a betrayal of sorts, Something which had made her reluctant to connect with him on a personal level, even during their eventual relationship. She had made up her mind right there and then, how foolish it was for her to hope and form a real genuine bond with her fellow peers. And the girl inside her had whimpered and been heartbroken at losing another chance to be left out a long time after Harvard.

He was a good partner and she would risk her life for him on a mission, but at the end of the day they were only together for the sake of convenience.

At least, that's what she kept telling herself ever since he went rogue. He made his bed and had to lie in it. It was ironic that his death came at the hands of another federal agency. Though now that she knew about his true identity and what he did to Chuck before becoming a spy, she wouldn't have minded doing the deed herself as well.

Chuck saw a split-second flash of worry on her face before it was replaced by a knowing smile. "I am fine. If I wasn't ready I wouldn't have asked you out in the first place. And it's pretty obvious you like me."

"H-how do you know that?" Chuck choked a little on his yogurt, not expecting to be put on the spot like that.

"Last night, when we were out there in the parking lot..." Sarah began when Chuck interrupted her.

"Perhaps I had too much to drink and had a moment of weakness. Giving into alcohol isn't something I'm proud of. I'm really sorry you had to see that coming out from a guy, much less someone like me." Chuck spoke out in a courteous tone. For all his hard headedness when it came to women, he wasn't blind. And he wasn't made of stone either. Unfortunately, he had issues that needed taking care of before he could afford to start a relationship and deal with all that came with it. Besides, he was not in the mood to talk about what might have been a possible make-out with Sarah.

"It's not that. I looked at you and you looked at me. I could tell you were about to kiss me but changed your mind at the last moment." Sarah raised an eyebrow, getting even closer. The gap between them was narrowing and Chuck felt himself being surrounded by warmth.

He didn't reply right away; too many thoughts were fighting a battle in his brain. Could he trust her or had she been playing him since he met her in the nightclub? Was she really on his side or was she one of the bad guys? He shook his head. It didn't really matter whether he believed in her or not. Above all else, he needed to speak with the Admiral or Dr Dreyfus and see if they could help him figure out what to do with the information inside his head. He didn't have anyone else to turn to.

A traitorous part of his mind kept reminding him that someone as beautiful as Sarah would never have given him the time of day unless they had an ulterior motive. He was also privy to her psych profile and knew how well she had been trained in gaining the confidence of her targets by whatever means necessary. Someone like her could kill him relatively easily and quickly, and would know how to dispose of his body so it would never be found. At the same time, he couldn't help but see how she seemed genuinely concerned for him. He could also see the hurt and pain still swimming in her icy-blue irises. Perhaps he was just being paranoid and she was only trying to move on, after coming out of a messy relationship. Even so, he couldn't afford to let her get any closer to him than she already had. Some extremely dangerous individuals were after the information inside his head and he wouldn't let a friend risk their life for his sake if he could help it.

"Sarah, can I be completely honest with you?" Chuck asked suddenly. Sarah frowned and rolled her eyes in response.

"Shoot!"

"I think you are a good person, you put your faith in me when no one else did, and you've always tried to see the good in me. But my life is messed up in more ways than one can imagine, and you deserve to be with someone better."

"You're breaking up with me?" Sarah asked indignantly.

"We weren't technically dating, you know."

"Since when did you have a right to decide who I date?"

"You can date whoever you want, as long as that person truly respects you and cares about you. I on the other hand will bring nothing but disappointment and confusion to your life." Chuck replied in an almost pleading tone, which made Sarah's anger melt away a little, only to return tenfold.

"Do you seriously think you're protecting me when you say that? We are stuck together until you finish working on the program. This could put me in situations where I have to carry out some distasteful tasks to ensure our survival. Would you still think of me as a good person then? You can't protect me from any of that!"

Sighing, Chuck responded in a firm tone. "I need to be alone, at least until I sort this out. I can't afford to put anyone at risk."

"Why?"

"What do you mean, "why"?" Chuck asked looking at her.

After a while, Sarah approached him and tenderly placed her hands on his cheeks. As much as Chuck wanted her hands off, he couldn't find it in himself to remove them or walk away. He resigned himself to his fate and looked her in the eyes.

"Why should you be alone?" She whispered, pressing further against him. One hand clutched at his jacket while the other lightly played with hair at the back of his neck. "Why should any of us be alone?"

"Of course nobody should be alone." He finally stated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I just don't want you to–" Chuck was cut off mid-sentence as Sarah grabbed his leather jacket by the lapels and crushed her lips against his. Once past his momentary shock, he took her by the waist and brought her closer to him; before he could kiss her back, they were interrupted by a cacophony of sirens heading their way.

Indeed, it appeared that a small fleet of police cars had pulled up nearby. The first police officer to emerge caught their attention; Chuck didn't know if his Intersect was acting up or if it was good old fashioned nerves, but somehow he could tell the officer was trouble. Not even the Frankenstein who dragged him to Ft Meade made him feel that anxious.

Something's off about this guy.

"Mrs Amelia Anderson." The officer spoke with an unusual grin. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I have been meaning to chat with you for some time."

The moment Chuck's mind registered his words, he could already feel the now-familiar and unpleasant sensation of another flash. The red-tinted pictures pertaining to one Frank Mauser began appearing in his mind's eye.

Monkey playing with banana

Mauser's police entry exam

Transfer letter to section 7 Special Activities Division

Gecko

His picture and classified records, part of them blacked out

Top secret red tab psych files

Semi-automatic rifle

Killsheet with thirty confirmed kills

WARNING: KNOWN FULCRUM OPERATIVE

Monkey playing with banana

The sensation stopped as abruptly as it began.

"Damn! I knew there was going to be trouble." A visibly distraught Chuck muttered under his breath.

It was going to be one hell of a long night.

...xxxxx...xxxx...xxxx...