A/N: I would like to thank all of you readers out there who continue to support me and the story with your reviews, your favorites, your follows and your PM's. This week OCSS passed 320 reviews, 100 Favorites, and 154 followers…..can't say I fully understand what the numbers mean, but they really do make me feel happy that my story is being appreciated. Thank you!

As usual, my thanks go to Nevr for his generous contribution as Pre/Beta reader.

I knew who owned Chuck before my memory was wiped by some plastic flash cards my wife hid in my Shazaam lunch box…but now I can't remember…..

Chapter 13 – The Calm Before the Storm:

Monday 30, January 2012 – 17:30 Eastern Standard Time
US Eastern Sea Board - Undisclosed Location

Daniel Shaw stood in the darkened room with 9 computer monitors in front of him. In each monitor was one of the Fulcrum "seniors." In the center was Ramon Salazaar. While some of the faces would not be known to the average American, most were faces one would regularly see on Sunday morning news shows. All were people with immense power, and all hungered for more. Their mission was to use whatever means necessary to dismantle law enforcement's ability to persecute the Culiacan Cartel, so they could grow their wealth, power, and influence.

The senior leaders knew that accomplishing their strategic objective would take some time. Still, they were patient as they started their work at deep in the heart of America's federal Intelligence and Law Enforcement infrastructure. Several people stood in the way of the Cartel's plans, so they needed to go. Changes were already starting with the elimination of the Directors of both the CIA and NSA at the hands of external contractors led by Clyde Decker, a shadowy CIA operative specializing in wet work. Ideally, their replacements would be a part of the Fulcrum project, as was the case with the appointment of Langston Graham, the former Deputy Director, whose face was featured on one of the monitors staring at him. Graham was focused, ambitious and ruthless, and very effective at recruiting agents to do work for the Fulcrum project while remaining inside the CIA. He augmented his resources and control by taking on former agents as contractors. More challenging to the Fulcrum project was the NSA's new Director, General Diane Beckman. Beckman had been confirmed by the Senate in an extraordinary session just the previous week, with the only forceful opposition coming from three prominent Senators who were presently visible on three of the monitors.

The NSA represented a real threat to the Fulcrum project. Diane Beckman was a true believer in the American system and was scheduled to be promoted to Major General this coming May at the White House, receiving her second star. Her agency, the NSA, was responsible for electronic intelligence gathering, which meant that unless they had her in their corner, the NSA mandate could negatively impact the way the Fulcrum project would be able to safely operate. Beckman was also the first to sign a contract with Orion Cyber Security Systems. This unlikely start-up had developed a revolutionary approach to fortifying firewalls, making it impossible for the Fulcrum project's operatives to peer into and manage the information residing in any agencies not aligned with Fulcrum's objectives. But Graham had a plan and utilized CIA and non-CIA assets to bring it to fruition.

"Report, Shaw." The Salazaar commanded.

"Sir, as you know, project 'Sand-Wall' was stopped by the Director of National Intelligence under a Presidential order, and we suspect that the pressure came from Diane Beckman, of the NSA. Since then, we have pivoted to a new plan that removes the need for us to have control over the senior leadership of all the required agencies. Instead, we are going after Orion, the company that built the cyber security software protecting their infrastructure. Once we have access to Orion's codebase, we plan to hack the data from the target agencies, and that work is now progressing as planned," Shaw stated confidently.

"Through our operatives, we have been able to upload a virus designed by our chief engineer directly onto Orion's servers. The virus lays dormant and untraceable until we trigger it, at which point it will open a backdoor to the data in the servers. Our chief engineer is currently readying our own servers to capture the download of all of Orion's data through a high-speed burst so that even if our incursion is detected, they will not have time to stop it. By accessing the data, we expect to find information related to Orion's systems and designs and information about client setups, etc. We are extremely confident that with that information, we will be able to penetrate the networks currently protected by Orion. Once we can access the target agencies, we plan to scan for any information related to government actions like special operations, names of agents and informants, as well as any coordinated plans to disrupt our shipments of product. We will also be able to manipulate or plant information in those systems to point law enforcement resources at our competitors. We have set up the server facility at one of our black sites in Alexandria, where the chief engineer is making his preparations."

"And when will you be ready to penetrate Orion?" Salazaar demanded with a hard edge in his voice.

"According to our chief engineer, we expect to be ready in less than 3 weeks. The preparation of the servers is critical because we will only get one bite at the apple, and if we do not get a clean download, Orion will have time to reset its security protocols. If that should happen, we have several contingency plans to secure Orion's CEO directly and force him to do our bidding. However, activating these contingency plans will remove some of the stealth we enjoy today." Shaw was pleased with his performance and looked to get out of the darkroom as quickly as possible.

"Excellent, Shaw….be prepared to report again here in 3 weeks. We expect to be impressed with your progress," said Salazaar. "You are dismissed."

As Shaw exited the darkroom, he passed Clyde Decker, who was waiting to be summoned. 'Wonder what he will be up to next,' thought Shaw, secretly hoping his name would never appear in one of Decker's folders. Shaw quickened his pace towards the exit as he saw Decker enter the darkroom, closing the door behind him.

"Decker, what do we have planned in the coming quarter," Salazaar asked with an evil grin.

Decker smiled.

= ! =

Saturday, 4 February 2012 – 10:30 Pacific Standard Time
Santa Monica, California – Bartowski/Walker Residence

Since their arrival at the new apartment in Santa Monica Friday afternoon, Chuck and Sarah had been busy making sure the NSA cleaner team had put all the items from Chuck's old apartment into the right places in the new one. Where needed, they repositioned things like some of Chuck's pictures and his collection of Star Wars action figures. This evening, they would have a few friends over for a small housewarming party and celebrate Chuck and Sarah moving in together, so procuring the needed food and drink was on the agenda that afternoon. But for now, Sarah and Chuck were enjoying a cup of coffee together, having spent their first night together in "their" new place. Both were happily snuggled on the couch, enjoying their coffees as the California sun bathed their living room in a warm light. They were comfortably living in the moment, each savoring how their bodies were so intimately connected to each other even though they were both dressed. They were content in their little private cocoon of warmth and happiness.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I need to go to the little boys' room….too much coffee running through me." Chuck smiled gently to Sarah, who pouted as he wiggled himself free from her and started moving towards the bathroom.

"Hurry back, baby, you don't want me to get cold…" She smiled back at him. Then as he left, she leaned back a little, clutching the warm coffee cup in both hands with the kind of peaceful smile that only comes from a deep state of contentment. Sarah Walker was happy; really, truly and totally happy, and was thinking about a time in the future when she could just be with her tall, handsome nerd without worrying about covers or lies or missions. She closed her eyes and thought about the things her mom had said about the two of them…and her smile widened.

The doorbell rang, breaking her out of her daydream and snapping her back to the here and now. Before opening the door, she approached the security monitor to see Morgan Grimes holding a large paper bag.

"Chuck…Morgan is here," Sarah called out to Chuck and opened the door.

"Hi, Sarah…..I come bearing gifts to welcome you both to your new home." Morgan smiled as he stood in the doorway. He had brought a bag of fresh NY-style bagels with smoked salmon and cream cheese and Sarah's favorites, freshly baked chocolate croissants.

"Hey Morgan….come here, you!" She smiled as she gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Morgs…..we missed you, partner." Chuck beamed as he came from behind the kitchen to hug Morgan and pull him into the new apartment. "Come on in, pal."

"It's good to have you both back….and look at you two…playing house all romantic like….I'm so happy and excited for you both…..and Chuck, you look like you've been working out….looking strong, my man…Florida agreed with you guys…you both look great." Morgan smiled as he put the bag of bagels and croissants on the table. "Wow, the place is beautiful, and the view….I think I can see Hawaii from here…you need to give me the full tour, but first, I brought breakfast…hope you are hungry."

"Morgan, this is amazing, but you brought enough food for an army…I'll get this all set up and put some coffee on. Why don't you knock on Carina's door and see if she wants to join us? I know she's up cause we went for a run early this morning," Sarah suggested while unpacking the goodies and putting them in serving trays. "Her apartment is down one floor, right under your apartment. I'll leave the door open for you."

Morgan returned a few minutes later with Carina in tow, and the four settled in for the next hour and a half, enjoying the breakfast and each other's company while making small talk. Chuck and Sarah talked about their decision to move in together after their Christmas and Florida trips. Carina spoke about how she had been looking for a new place to live when Sarah had mentioned units available in the building. Chuck also shared that the NSA rented a small apartment on the first floor for Casey, the security guy they sent out, so he could be closer to his charge. At 12:00 noon, the breakfast club broke up as Carina and Sarah excused themselves to go do some shopping for this evening's get-together, leaving the two partners alone to catch up.

"I've not seen you this happy in a long time, Chuck…makes me happy….you deserve it so much," Morgan said affectionately to his partner and life-long best friend.

"Thanks, buddy. I am happy, and for you too….Orion is really moving, and for the first time in our lives, we have a real purpose, our business is succeeding, and we both have a little money to have fun with." Chuck grinned.

"Yeah….and you got yourself an amazing woman. Smart, funny, beautiful, and totally focused on you. I'm so happy, but at the same time, just a little jealous. I mean, what is all this other stuff for if we are alone and have no one to share it with?" Morgan quipped thoughtfully with a little melancholy in his voice.

"Dude…I got impossibly lucky…I mean, like lottery winning lucky….your day will come…she's out there looking for you, but just doesn't know it yet," Chuck replied optimistically with his crooked smile, "It'll happen, buddy…trust me!"

"Ok, ok…I'm good, Chuck, I really am…and of course, I trust you. Speaking of trust, what did Beckman say about those pending contracts being put on hold?" Morgan turned serious as his thoughts shifted from the possibility of romance to the reality of defending their livelihood.

Chuck had been thinking hard about how to answer the question he knew Morgan was going to ask. Beckman had shared her suspicions that Orion was being blackballed by the CIA. However, no one could really explain why, given that Orion already had so many delighted customers in the government. But not being one who believed in coincidences, Beckman had also shared with Chuck that this shift seemed to coincide with organizational changes in these agencies. She saw a number of her allies dismissed or relocated and, in a few instances, die, only to be replaced by people who were resistant to any of her approaches to building a partnership. Beckman believed in the Socratic method, so she liked to debate an issue with a worthy partner to get at a likely truth. She believed that if one asked the right question, then based the response on factual, circumstantial, or even assumed evidence, the answer would lead you to the next question and so on until you reached a conclusion that provided a plausible explanation for what was happening. In the short time they had been working together, Bartowski had not only proven himself to be an unparalleled cyber expert, but he had a genuinely gifted analytical mind that allowed him to pull things together. He connected the dots to draw-out conclusions better and faster than anyone in her analyst bullpen. And as the two of them batted theories back and forth, what was emerging was very troubling.

Question: What is really happening here?

Answer: Someone wants to stop Orion from deploying Heimdall across government agencies.

Question: Heimdall is unparalleled in its ability to stop unauthorized access, so why stop it?

Answer: Because someone prefers the agencies to have weaker security so they can be penetrated more easily

Question: Why would someone want these agencies to be penetrated more easily?

Answer: Because they want access to information that they can't or should not have.

The conclusion was that someone was up to no good and seemed to be using the CIA as the tip of the spear in their plan. And while signals were pointing to some shadowy organization pulling the strings, their Socratic process could not yet shed any light on who that was. They did, however, have a loose thread they could start pulling on, one Special Agent-In Charge, Daniel Shaw.

"It's the government, Morgan. You know how this stuff works. Someone sees Orion coming out of nowhere and taking big bites of the pie and decides they want some, so they hire a lobbyist, who pushes their contacts in the GSO or procurement in the individual agencies, and there you have it. But I want to talk to you about a big diversification plan I want to kick off. I mentioned to Beckman that the US financial infrastructure is critical to our economy and, by extension, the safety and security of our country, and I see a vulnerability there. She is a close personal friend of Roan Montgomery, the Chairman and CEO of First American International Bank, and will introduce us. Heimdall would do wonders for the banking sector, and they pay better than the government. This means we would need to think about how to dramatically grow Orion and probably set up separate divisions, one for government work and another for corporate work. We've been so focused on the government work that we have not considered the concentration risk and a diversification strategy to counter it. What do you think?" Chuck looked pensively at Morgan, who was also deep in thought, considering the strategic direction his partner was plotting out.

"Chuck…of course, you are right, and I really like the idea, but one of the reasons small companies fail is they grow faster than they can properly manage their growth. Orion is growing at a fast but manageable rate, largely because our customers generally have a common approach to their security needs. They largely operate under the same set of rules, making it easier for us. The Banking sector is highly complex. This means we will need more technical people, but it also means we will need more leaders and managers, which dilutes our control to some degree and introduces a different set of risks. I'm not saying no, but we really need to think this through," Morgan shared.

Chuck always appreciated Morgan's ability to speak plainly and help keep Chuck's creativity in balance. "Hey…why don't we take the meeting with Montgomery and feel him out? We can also ask him to connect us to a couple of other big banks, and we can then make a more informed decision on how to proceed," Chuck proposed.

"I like it. Let's make it happen," replied Morgan.

"Cool. I'll let you know what Beckman says and get Julie to set everything up. By the way, anything new or Jill Roberts? Oh…and what about Anna Wu?" Chuck asked with a bit of excitement in his voice.

"Roberts has disappeared. We've tried to reach her for an 'exit interview,' but she has not returned any of the calls or emails, so there is nothing for us to do with her as an ex-employee…unless we suspect she breached her employment agreement, but we have nothing to suggest that was the case, so let's just close the book on her," Morgan stated matter-of-factly. "As for Anna Wu, she is receptive to meeting us in person, so we should arrange for her to come down from Austin…Unless you want to go there and take the opportunity to see Sarah's mom again?" Morgan answered with a smile and a wink.

"Gosh, I'd love to do that, but I've been out so much, and we will probably be in NY for a few days shortly, so let's bring her here. Set it up, have Julie send a first-class ticket, and put her up at the Lowes Santa Monica Beach Hotel with an Ocean View Room. Let's also plan to have a working lunch and then a casual dinner with her. If we decide to pursue the banking sector, Anna might be a real help in managing that side of the business," Chuck said as he got up and moved towards the couch. With the business conversation over, the two partners would now spend the next 2 hours focusing all their energies on vanquishing their foes on the big screen TV as the "Call of Duty" battlefield unfolded before them.

= ! =

Monday, 6 February 2012 – 15:00 Pacific Standard Time

Santa Monica, California – Orion Cyber Security Systems HQ

"Bartowski secure," chuck responded to the trilling device.

"Beckman secure. Montgomery is looking forward to meeting you and arranging for you to meet at other banks, including the New York Fed. His assistant will reach out to you and give you the details. When you finish there, you may want to swing by Fort Meade for a day as well. We have more to discuss in person," responded Beckman.

"One more thing, Diane. I'd like your approval to read Morgan, Walker, Miller and Casey into the rest of our arrangement. Morgan already knows I was the Piranha, and he was partly the architect of the deal I made with you, but I am worried that the events unfolding around us might put him at risk, and he needs to know that I am not leaving him unprotected. As for Walker, Miller and Casey, I see them as partners, a sort of extended family, and they need to understand the depth of the risks they are dealing with. This is important to me, and I wanted you to know that." Chuck paused.

"I understand, Chuck. Let me think about what we can read Morgan into, and I will come back to you on the others." Beckman paused. "You know, Chuck, one of the things Casey said about you in your training evaluation is that you really care about the people that are close to you and that he sees that is a great strength. That surprised the hell out of me as Casey is not one to focus on or value emotions…not something we see too much of in our business, I'm afraid…but I am also seeing how that drives your focus and loyalty….two things that help make effective leaders. I'll come back to you on Morgan shortly." Beckman cut the line leaving Chuck to reflect on her words.

= ! =

Monday, 20 February 2012 – 10:00 Eastern Standard Time

New York City, New York – Park Avenue offices of First American International Bank

Roan Montgomery was what you would expect from the Chairman and CEO of one of the biggest banks on the planet, charming, polished, very smart, and extremely direct. Montgomery had a sterling reputation on Wall Street, with the confirmed bachelor's only evident vice was an affinity for beautiful women, as evidenced by his personal secretarial pool.

"Mr. Bartowski, it is a great pleasure to meet you. Diane speaks highly of you, something I assure you she seldom does for others, so you have my attention for the next….57 minutes….or less, depending on how things go. Before we start, Mr. Bartowski, in the spirit of full transparency, First American spends tens of millions annually on cyber security, and we pick the best and brightest from the top schools to protect our infrastructure and our customer's data. Our performance is the best on Wall Street, so before I pull in my security and tech people for a meeting, I want to understand what exactly you think Orion can do for us."

"Mr. Montgomery, it's a pleasure to meet you. Let me introduce you to my partner, Morgan Grimes, and Carina Miller, our lead investigator." Chuck made the introductions and then explained the broad nature of the work they have done for the government without naming any specific institution. However, he pointed out that the entities that had implemented Orion's technology had not had a single successful incursion since the Orion system went live. He then explained some of the unique capabilities of Heimdall without getting into the more technical aspects of how the system worked to pull information from a hacker to create a picture of someone that Carina Miller's team would then use to drive her investigation. The pitch was compelling, assuming the technology worked as explained, but Montgomery knew the credo of many software firms was "lie till they buy," and his shop was one of the biggest targets on the street. He paid close attention and asked insightful questions to better educate himself before deciding if Orion was worth more of his time. The gears in Montgomery's head were turning as he looked Chuck dead in the eye without saying a word and letting the silence fill the room for an uncomfortably long time; then, he stopped and asked Chuck a direct question.

Mr. Bartowski, what you say is compelling, and to be honest, I would not have given you 5 minutes unless Diane Beckman had told me what you accomplished for her. Having said that, and with all due respect to Diane and our friends in the beltway, the smartest people are not in DC. They are here in this building, and others like it, because we pay them obscene amounts of money to make sure we have the smartest guys in any room we visit. We have more complexity and are much more demanding, and while you have an excellent reputation with some in DC, you have no experience in the financial sector. Why on earth should I hire you?" he asked pointedly.

"Fair question, sir, but to be clear, we have not yet decided to work with you or the financial sector at all yet. We are here to better understand how much value we can add, if at all, before making any commitments. I often speak with Diane on strategic matters and voiced my concern that if someone really wanted to hurt the United States, they wouldn't bomb Washington or New York. They would target our financial system. Without missing a beat, she told me I needed to speak to you and that you would understand. To be clear, we get paid fairly for what we do, but profit is not our sole driver. We also want to focus our resources on where we can do the greatest good. Right now, Orion is well ahead of our plan, and we have more than enough work in the government sector to keep us busy and profitable for a long time, so entering the financial sector isn't solely about money. We want to determine if we can help better manage a threat with unimaginable consequences. Suppose we confirm a real risk that we could help mitigate. In that case, we believe we have an obligation to help and that failure to do so would be negligent at a minimum and potentially illegal," replied Chuck sincerely.

Montgomery paused a beat, then pushed a button on his phone.

"Laurel, please cancel my next two meetings and tell Dave Sharp that I am on my way to him with the team from Orion. I want him to have the data ready on any security breaches we have had in the last 30 days, and please have the car brought up," Instructed Montgomery. "Ms. Miller, gentlemen, if you would follow me."

XXX

By the end of the day, Roan Montgomery had canceled all his meetings. He then invited the team to dinner at the 21 Club and was working hard to convince Chuck that he should work with First American, slipping a piece of paper over to him with a colossal number written on it.

"Roan, thank you. This is a very generous offer. I'd like to take a couple of days to better assess how we can help, and assuming this makes sense for all of us, we can discuss the economics." Chuck said with some confidence. "Fair enough, Chuck," Montgomery said amiably as he stood and shook each of their hands. "I understand what Diane sees in you and your team, and I hope you will come to the realization that your technology is needed here. Beyond the scope of what we discussed today, namely the defense against cyber incursions, consider this…..even if we are not the target of an illegal incursion, the bad guys need money to fund all their nefarious activities. Most of it will somehow move through companies like mine, hidden in the trillions we move around daily. If you can teach Heimdall to detect certain patterns in the way payments are routed, beneficiaries, etc., it could really help choke the fuel these monsters run on. Now, I need to excuse myself as I need to meet a special lady this evening, but please enjoy the rest of your dinner, and don't worry about the bill; it's all taken care of." He then turned to the Maitre'd, "Marcel, please take good care of my friends."

Chuck, Morgan, and Carina watched Roan Montgomery be approached by virtually everyone as he worked his way out of the 21 Club, and they noticed how many eyes were now on them. Montgomery was the big time, and he had spent the last ninety minutes serenading Orion like a Hollywood starlet ….and the team felt his charismatic draw.

XXX

After thanking Marcel for a wonderful dinner, they met Casey and Sarah at the rooftop bar of their hotel for a drink. The Peninsula was only 3 blocks away, and the rooftop bar offered an exciting view of the mid-town skyline.

"Chuck, we gotta do this. His opening salvo was $10 million without batting an eye…." Morgan said excitedly.

"Yeah…I think this is right for us, but it's not all about the money. Let's see how the rest of the meetings go, but I think we can help here. And if we do, the money will take care of itself. I'm also really interested in what Roan had to say about developing a smarter way to detect the illicit movement of funds. That could be a game-changer on the war on drugs, terrorism financing….so many things," said Chuck excitedly. Then his eyes wandered to Casey, then Sarah, then back to Casey, and he became a little distracted. "Guys, I'm beat, and tomorrow is another big day. Sarah, care to join your boyfriend?"

Sarah and Chuck excused themselves, and as they entered the elevator, Chuck turned to Sarah. "Sarah, I think we need to tell Casey and Beckman the truth about us. We need to trust each other, and I am not comfortable being less than transparent with them. It's your call, and I will do whatever you say, but I wanted you to know my feelings on this. What do you think?"

Sarah smiled at him with pride. "Every day, you do something to make me love you more. I struggled with the same thing while we were in Florida but first wanted to be sure Casey respected us for our capabilities. I think now is the right time." She stood on the tips of her toes and gave him a warm kiss on the cheek as she took his hand in hers and led him from the elevator to their suite.

= ! =

Tuesday, 21 February 2012 – 09:00 Eastern Standard Time
New York City, New York – Peninsula Hotel – Bartowski Suite

"Good morning, Casey. Come on in. Coffee is on the table, and we have some chocolate croissants, scones, and blueberry muffins. Please help yourself." Chuck smiled as he welcomed Casey into the room.

"Good morning, Casey," chimed in Sarah as she came in from the second bedroom.

"Walker, Bartowski…..What's on your mind?" Casey asked while looking at his hosts inquisitively.

"Casey, since circumstances threw us together, I've come to look at us as partners," said Chuck. "Partners who trust and depend on each other. So I felt it was important,…no, WE, felt it was important to be fully honest and transparent with you and….."

"If you're going to tell me you've been putting your chocolate in her croissant, I already know, so you can keep your lady feelings all to yourselves," said Casey with a slight grin as he bit into a chocolate croissant. "You may have fooled some people but not me. For what it's worth, I am happy for you both. I think you have a good thing going, and you fit well together. You also work well together. I was impressed with how synched up you two were, like you knew what each other was thinking. I know it's not a common doctrine in how we train people, but I saw how you worked together as a strength. I also appreciate that you respected me and our relationship enough to be honest with me. Anything else?"

"Casey, thank you. I think that is the most you have said since the first time we met, but it's what you just said that really counts for us," said Sarah. "We now need to tell Beckman as we owe her the same courtesy and respect. And we will call her right after breakfast. "

Casey grunted while he picked up another croissant and a coffee cup. "I'm sure Beckman will be fine, as I would imagine she figured this out long before me." He then got up and walked to the door "Walker, Bartowski, thanks for breakfast. See you downstairs in thirty." And he closed the door behind him.

"One down, one to go," smiled Chuck as he pulled Sarah onto his lap and kissed her lips as he gently held her face in his hands. "I love you, Sarah Walker."

Sarah had a dreamy look in her eye as she kissed him back and held him close. "and I love you, Chuck Bartowski…Shall we do this?"

"Beckman secure"

"Bartowski Secure. Good morning, Director." Chuck used her formal title as he was not alone on the call. "I have Agent Walker here with me."

"Good morning, Sarah, Chuck," responded Beckman with a surprisingly informal tone. "Roan called me last night, and suffice it to say he was most impressed. Play your cards right with him, and you will have half the banks in the US within 6 months. And if he gives you any crap, call me. But I'm guessing that is not why you called, so what can I do for you?"

This time Sarah took the lead with her boss. "Ma'am, Chuck and I felt we needed to share with you that we have developed a romantic relationship. We are fully committed to each other but wanted to be sure before sharing the news because of the importance of the mission as well as our respect for the relationship we have built with you." Sarah paused with bated breath while waiting for Beckman to break the increasingly uncomfortable silence.

"Thank you, Sarah. I know it must have been difficult to reach the decision, and I appreciate you doing so. I only have one question for you….Do you both firmly believe that you can do your jobs without allowing your personal relationship to interfere with what needs to be done?" asked Beckman.

"Director, the simple answer is yes, I firmly believe we can," Chuck said. "The more nuanced answer is that I believe our love for each other makes us a better, stronger team. My point is that while we may do things differently than others might, we will never let each other down, and there is immense strength in that."

"Sarah, this is not how you were trained, so do you believe it as well?" asked Beckman.

"Ma'am, I love him with everything I am. I can't imagine a more powerful motivator to ensure his safety above all else," replied Sarah sincerely.

"Ok….look, you don't need my permission or my blessing, but you need to remember that we are playing a very high stakes game here and that I need each of you to be able to focus on doing your jobs without distraction or uncertainty. If something gets in that way, we will need to consider alternative arrangements, as I will not compromise on ensuring Chuck's safety. I would also share that I have read Casey's fitness reports on your training in Florida and have come to agree with his assessment that the intimate nature of your relationship makes you a better team, and not just with each other, but with Miller and Casey as well…you two can't lose sight of that." Beckman gave an almost imperceptible smile and cut the connection.

"She knew…." Sarah sighed

"She definitely knew…No idea for how long, but she definitely knew….it doesn't matter, it's all good, and I'm glad we told her," replied Chuck letting out a deep breath in relief. He then turned to her and once again got lost in her deep blue eyes as Sarah pulled his arms around her and kissed him deeply. She then nuzzled against his ear and whispered, "How much time do we have before we need to be downstairs?"

Chuck gave her a sad smile. "Ten minutes."

"That's not nearly enough for what I want to do to you right now," Sarah said with a pout, "but later, you are mine," and she grabbed his ass with both hands and squeezed.

His breath hitched, and all he could muster was a high-pitched "Yes, ma'am."

The morning's first meeting was with Vivian McArthur, the Chairperson of the New York Federal Reserve Bank, and the meeting had gone exceptionally well. Chuck was his usual self, open and, for a brilliant guy, clueless, as Carina could see Vivian McArthur looking at Chuck like he was lunch and she was hungry. The meeting went on for about 90 minutes. When finished, Vivian invited Chuck back to New York to discuss their possible collaboration to fortify the banking system. They shook hands, and Vivian's hand lingered a little longer than necessary, which Chuck did not notice, but Carina sure did. She was going to have a little fun with Chuck and Sarah over this one for sure.

The rest of the meetings in New York had gone well. The fact that Roan Montgomery had personally set up the appointments for the Orion team allowed them to skip the perfunctory "why are you here" questions and dive right into their potential offering. The only exception was meeting with the enigmatic CEO of the International Development Bank, Nicholas Quinn. Quinn's bank focused on traditional trade finance and payments processing, and their sweet spot was the emerging markets, where they were quickly expanding their correspondent network. Quinn himself was warm and friendly, but the questions he asked were not consistent with someone receptive to better security, and more disconcertingly, his micro-expressions betrayed his true feeling when he subconsciously reacted to Chuck's responses. Chuck had such a bad feeling about Quinn that he disclosed much less about Heimdall's capabilities, shifting the conversation to learn more about International Development Bank under the guise of doing a market sounding.

"We are not here to sell you anything, Mr. Quinn. We are trying to determine if entering the financial market with our solution is appropriate. We are learning all we can from our potential clients so we can make the best 'Go/No-go' decision," said Chuck, but as he focused on what Quinn was saying, he wondered, 'What is your game, Quinn?'