AN- And remember when I said buckle up? Apparently these two wanted to skip any angst and jump right to other things. Slightly shorter this week.

Present. Carmichael Industries G550 on course for LAX.

He responded in kind and it was like the past decade hadn't happened. They were back, making out in his room and the only thing missing was the Fiona Apple album in the background. One good thing, they'd both gotten much better at kissing. What followed had most decided not happened that first time. I mean senior year, sure, lots.

The next thirty minutes were something of a blur of shed clothing and tangled limbs for her. When she came up out of the fog she found they'd made their way to the back of the plane and into a bedroom she didn't know this model of aircraft was outfitted with. Relaxed, and comfortably draped over Chuck's side, her head was resting on his chest. She was slightly sore in a way she hadn't been in… well since prom night. Chuck was special in more than one way.

"So that happened." Chuck said.

Sarah giggled. Something else she'd not done a lot of since she'd lost him. "I seem to recall that happening a lot when we found ourselves alone, senior year."

His chest shook as he laughed softly. "God, I've missed you. So much." There was a catch in his voice and she looked up to see a tear that she reached up to gently wipe away. His arms tightened around her as if afraid she'd evaporate.

Responding in kind, she clung to his side. Looking into his eyes, in the most serious tone she could muster she replied, "Ditto." They both dissolved into helpless, near hysterical laughter… and tears. The uncoiling tension was palpable. Ten years of longing and pain weren't erased in one step, but she felt a hope she hadn't in years that it would be. Catching her breath, she asked the question she'd been holding in since she'd walked into the black site and seen him. "Chuck? What happened?"

Disentangling himself, but retaining a hold on one of her hands, he sat up against the headboard. Sarah sat up, and pulled her shirt on over her chest – knowing from experience that he'd be unable to concentrate if she didn't. At least I hope he's still distracted by them… God, get it together Walker, you have ample evidence he still likes you. He looked away for a moment before speaking. "You first." He smiled when he said it, and held up his other hand placatingly at her glare. "I promise I'll answer your question, but I think it really starts with what happened to you… even if it happened a few days after I left."

Sarah looked at him, biting her lip at what he said, and considered her story. She hadn't really gone through it with anyone. The only person who knew all the details was Graham. She took a deep breath and started. "Well, you'd gone home that morning after prom. We'd planned to talk later, meet up that weekend." Sarah smiled in memory. "Our usual joined at the hip thing that annoyed our friends." Her face lost its smile and she reached over to punch him in the arm, not full strength – but not gently either. "And you disappeared. No calls, no notes, your house emptied. I even broke into the school to see if there was some forwarding address and your records were just… gone." Wiping at her sudden tears she took a shuddering breath. "It was like you'd never existed. If I hadn't kept pictures… I thought I was going crazy."

Chuck pulled her to him and she nestled into his side. He hugged her tightly before he replied. "I know, and it kills me. I will explain, but please go on… it won't make sense without context."

"Well… I didn't have much time to wallow. A few days later, my dad…" Sarah stopped and looked up at him. "You remember what my dad was, is still?" At his nod, she continued. "He'd conned some very bad people. I found out later he'd been cooperating with a joint FBI/CIA task force and Langston Graham. My dad's a criminal, but he'd never betray our country and the people he was running that game on… they were. Things went south, they caught on somehow. Graham got my dad out, under the cover of being arrested. That left me." Sarah drew back to look at Chuck. "Graham's a… complicated person. He's dedicated his life to this country and sometimes he makes rash decisions about people because of it. This was one of those times and I think it was that he felt responsible for me? My dad had to disappear for his safety, everyone had to think he was permanently gone. So, to make up for that, he and his wife got me out of California and buried the records that I'd ever been there. He forged my highschool diploma and got me into college. It was sort of inevitable I'd end up working for him." Sarah smiled. "We argued about it sooo much. He motherhenned me all the way through Harvard and the Farm. Handpicked most of my assignments. To outsiders I got nicknamed his 'Enforcer' because of it. Most of them didn't know he was trying to keep me out of the worst missions. I was just the only agent he fully trusted." She shrugged. "And that brings us to now…" She stopped dead, putting together things she'd seen and looking at them in context of how Graham had treated her over the past decade. His slick little evasion… "Son of a bitch! He played me."

"Hmm?" Chuck said, distracted despite the shirt it seemed.

"Called in for this, out of my assignment, because you asked for me. He didn't even try to stall you – which he normally would have done. He'd have jerked you around for a while trying to 'find me'. Imminent threat or not. I bet he let NSA talk him into it 'against his judgment'. Then there were artful signs left out showing how stressed he was to make me worried about him so I'd miss other signs. The limits on the NSA's involvement once I arrived. Not having planes, FBI… hell everyone, following us right now. Asking me to do something with you that I'm morally, ethically, and practically opposed to…" At his expression she shrugged. "He hinted at me seducing you and manipulating you that way. I could write a book on why that's a bad idea for agents, but summary – if you need a hooker hire one. An agent is too highly trained, and we're still human – subject to emotional involvment. If I hadn't been distracted by seeing you I'd have seen that..." Sarah swore softly. "He knows who you are to me doesn't he?" She worked through the possibilities quickly in her head. "You're under cover aren't you?"

"And now we've come to the part of this conversation where I explain where I went." Chuck said seriously. "We can never, ever, apologize enough for the pain all of this caused. I don't think there's any way I can…"

Sarah interrupted him by lunging at him in a sudden kiss. "You're alive. I'm alive. We're here together." she smiled and leaned back. "Everything else we can deal with, will deal with. Together."

"I… OK. I'm not sure I deserve being forgiven that fast." Chuck replied, taking a deep breath and nodding. "We'll table that for now. What happened with me was directly influenced by what happened with you. Have you heard of Orion and Frost?"

She blinked and looked at him like he was asking if she knew the sky was blue. "Chuck, everyone who's been through the Farm has. Absolute legends. The finest field team in the early seventies. Then there's the rumored love story that was just as legendary. They vanished in… '78 I think? They were never heard from again." Sarah looked at him and tilted her head considering Chuck's sister Ellie's birthdate. "Nooo… you're not serious…"

"Orion and Frost are my parents, Stephen and Mary Bartowski." Chuck said softly.

"Mary Bartowski, who helped me with… well girl things since my mom wasn't around. Who made the best cookies… She was FROST? The woman who's missions are still mostly deeply classified? I know because I looked, Frost was… sort of my idol. She did so much." Sarah was loosing it just a bit and she stopped and thought back. "Oh my god… she taught me how to dress. How to walk. How to avoid attention, and how to attract it. I just figured out why I dominated classes at the Farm. I was already trained. BY FROST. This is unreal Chuck!"

"Yes, the deeply weird coincidence of our careers was not lost on my parents." Chuck said, laughing at her fangirling. "That group your dad was conning, they were part of something that would spawn an organization we now know as Fulcrum. My parents weren't involved, not at first, but things started to get dicey and Graham reached out. He'd worked with my parents in the past." He took both her hands and squeezed. "Ellie and I, neither of us knew what was going on. We just thought dad was a kind of affably absent minded electronics guy. I mean Steve Wozniak, one of dad's college buddies, he taught me BASIC. And you know, Mom was a high school English teacher for crying out loud."

Sarah nodded. "Until my dad started taking me out on some of his 'jobs' I didn't know what he did either." She stopped, raised a hand. "Wait, back up. Wozniak? Steve.. Was he the big bearded guy that shot pool with your dad? Why didn't I ever..."

"Hush." he interrupted. "That's a story for another time. Back to what happened that morning. Well, when things were about to go pear shaped… Mom and Dad, they pulled the ripcord. They'd laid in an emergency plan years before. It was always a possibility their past would catch up to them. It seemed like this group had ties to people who knew who they were. Ellie and I got the shock of our lives that night when they sat us down to explain. They gave Ellie a package of documents, accounts… a complete plan. And then…" Chuck paused and pinched away tears at the memory. "They left us. It was the hardest thing I've ever seen anyone do. They looked… so old for the first time, Sarah. Like the life had just been drained out of them. They explained that they had to make a clean break, at least for a while, so anyone looking would go after them. No one in their right minds would leave their kids, so that was exactly what they had to do to keep us safe. Any pursuit would be looking for a family." He stopped and just looked off into space for a minute. "And I had to leave you behind for the same reason."

"Mary, she cleaned up the records?" Sarah prompted gently.

Chuck shook himself and nodded. "Ellie and I drove away within hours of me walking you to your door. She had to take on so much…" Chuck smiled now at the memory. "You know Ellie, she'd been pretty easy going before, but she became an absolute tyrant about school and everything else – morphed into a slightly taller and darker haired version of Mom. She made me finish my senior year and saw me straight into Stanford. All the while making it into med school at UCLA."

"As Carmichael." Sarah said, nodding again. "Things start to make sense."

"Chuck became 'Charles'. Eleanor became Elizabeth." Chuck replied. "And then, something they did not intend happened. At Stanford, Professor Flemming put me on the CIA alpha recruitment track based on my scores and the recommendation of my roommate. Bryce Larkin. Larkin had been recruited the year before. Graham couldn't stop it, but did keep the deep dive from finding problems in my records that would lead to my parents… or you. He also pulled strings to put me in the analysis and tech services side, rather than NCS."

Sarah shifted a bit uncomfortably. "Chuck… in the interests of full disclosure…" she trailed off.

Chuck winced. "I know, you were assigned to work with Larkin."

"Six months. Six of the worst months that I ever had working for the CIA, by the way. I almost died more times than I could count. I told Graham in no uncertain terms to keep Larkin away from me after that. He hit on anything with a pulse and it interfered with operations. And me and him… twice. You know how it is I think." Sarah shrugged, not apologizing, just explaining. Even if it was uncomfortable, they'd been apart for ten years. She hoped he'd managed to get some himself at some point. "Post mission drinks and... Wasn't nearly worth the annoyance."

"You would not be surprised, I expect, to find out that your experience lines up with how he was all the way back to Stanford. I mean without most of the near death experiences, I suppose. 'Not worth the annoyance' is almost a direct quote from a girl I overheard." Chuck said, deliberately lightly.

"No I would not." Sarah replied, just as lightly. "And I wouldn't be surprised if he got some poor girl in over her head back then." Then she sobered. "So what happened once you were with the agency? According to the reports you just went off grid suddenly. Taking anyone who was close to you with you. Then you popped up selling to the highest bidder."

"Did Graham give you my file?" At her head shake of 'no' he nodded. "First, why is simple. Off the books deep cover assignment, what else? It wouldn't be the CIA if we didn't have 'deniable' operations." Chuck sighed and shrugged. "For the background, I was well into my second field support assignment and missing my Xbox. I was based in Costa Rica, providing field support and analysis to teams in South America working with the DEA. I was due to be assigned specifically to one team next. They were called the CATS, someone in Ops obviously had a Charlie's Angels fetish. The membership of the team had been classified and hidden from even me up until that point." He watched her surprised expression as she realized how close they'd been to each other. "It gets better, or worse depending on your point of view I suppose. Not only was I to be assigned support, but as this was tied to a promotion I was to be given administrative control of my first field team. The aforementioned CATS. This is when I found out who was on the team." He waited while her face worked through several stages of clenched jaw and red faced anger that she couldn't control. He continued after a moment to let her calm down. "I'd have been your boss, so bright side you dodged that bullet?" He winced as she let her expression tell him that was indeed not a bright side. "Anyway, that's when my parents contacted me out of the blue. They explained that after they'd gone underground, they spent their time trying to figure out just what the hell was going on. In their research they'd come across Fulcrum, the action group, and the Ring – the leadership cabal. They setup a meet with Graham in San Jose for me – they made an appearance and the four of us came up with a plan. I'd go deep, and I'd take anyone at risk with me. Graham would be acting as my handler for an off books, deep cover operation. There was only the one wrinkle. He figured out who we were to each other." He smiled at her. "Apparently you poured your heart out to his wife about me. I'm touched, and glad you had someone to talk to. Unfortunately, that meant he knew and if I started my assignment with the CATS, we'd meet, and…" Chuck paused and gestured around the room and their scattered clothing. "So, he reworked the personnel and told me to stay away for your sake. However I'd just finished a report…"

Sarah looked at him eyes wide. "That was you! The report on our mole?"

"That was me, yes." Chuck nodded. "It went through Langley so it was delayed, it had to be stripped of source identifiers. I thought it might be late in getting there so I hopped a flight and got into town the night that things went to hell on you. That's a story for later though. The point is that if things had worked out a bit differently in timing..."

"I'd have gone under with you. Hell, the whole team probably would have." Sarah said. "That sort of off books, deep cover thing is what the covert agents dream about. I'm going to kill Graham."

"I just think he wanted you safe." Chuck said quietly. "He seemed so immune to emotion until your name came up. I never thought he cared about that sort of thing until then. The mole situation spooked him more than you'd think."

"I'm still going to kill him." Sarah's expression was what could only be described as stony. "I was heartbroken and he and Kathy knew it. They knew I never really got over you."

He looked at her and she could see the pain in his expression. "You know, Sarah…" he sighed. "I didn't either. I tried but I never really could move on. Hell, Bryce even tried to set me up with this biologist. Jill. Then he slept with her anyway… so that was weird. The problem was, nobody was… you."

"I didn't really date, not more than once or twice with any given person." Sarah said. "I kept judging everyone against this idealized, absolutely perfect guy, I knew in highschool. I tried, it just… well, like you said, they weren't you."

"Quite a pair we are." Chuck said. "He told me about your search. And… cautioned me to stay away like I mentioned. I'd spent literally years looking for you up to this point and I had to walk away, again, just when I'd gotten access."

"Me too." she replied softly. She rolled to the side and picked up her suit jacket, removing the photo and showing it to him. "Well, the years looking. I never stopped. I needed to know if…" she trailed off then gave him a flat look. "I'm not walking away from this."

"I know." Chuck said. "Believe me I know. I had to… interfere with some of your research to keep you from finding me." he took a shuddering breath. "God! I don't know what was worse. Knowing who you were, where you were, and being unable to contact you…"

"Or not knowing at all." Sarah said, dropping her jacket and moving to hug him tightly. "I can't answer that. I suppose you might have had it slightly worse. It sucked, royally, for both of us."

"So what now?" Chuck asked.

Sarah didn't look up from where she was leaning into him. "What now about what? Us? The mission? Dinner?"

"In that order." he replied, laughing again.

"You remember what we said on prom night?" Sarah asked quietly.

Chuck squeezed her tighter. "Yes."

"That hasn't changed." Sarah blinked back tears. "In ten years it hasn't changed. I never gave up on that, not ever."

Just outside the James Buchanan High School campus. Prom Night, 1998

The air was just right, not to cool and not too warm, as they walked hand in hand down the street. For the students that were eighteen or over, as they were, it was somewhat easier to come and go so they'd stepped out for some air. Prom night, the highlight of the senior year at least for some people, and she'd been determined to make the most of it in her quest to be normal. While her dad didn't really go for these things, and her Mom was nowhere to be found… she'd had Mary Bartowski to help her put the finishing touches on her look. She'd had Stephen Bartowski to give them both the lecture on being safe but having fun. They'd taken the expected pictures of the two of them before they left. Thanks to Ellie Bartowski's shopping skills, she had the amazing dress. Then there was the hair, the flowers. The devoted boyfriend in a suit that didn't quite fit his body, but fit his sense of style perfectly. They'd had dinner at a nice, but not overly nice restaurant, one without crowds of prom daters. They'd been driven around in a limo. They'd danced, and Chuck had been good at it. He had to have been practicing, and it showed. Jenny had only managed to get him to dance three times, including tonight, in the past four years of knowing him, but he'd practiced. For her.

The night had been, for lack of a better word, perfect. If I were a pessimistic person this is where it would all start to go wrong. The end of high school is coming, college and beyond looms ahead. Jenny sighed and leaned in to put her head on Chuck's shoulder. I wonder what he'll think of my plans for the rest of the night.

"I guess you had a good time then?" Chuck asked

Jenny nodded happily. "Amazing." She looked up at him and smiled. "It even appears that someone made an effort to become a better dancer. An egotistical girl might think that this was done for her benefit."

"She'd be right." he replied, grinning. "I had fun, but it was the company that made it worth it."

"Speaking of company… I can't believe Morgan brought your sister's pillow to prom." Jenny said, thinking of their friend and laughing. "I think he hit a new level of creepy crush."

"I believe it. And I told Ellie to burn it if he gives it back." Chuck said, laughing just as hard.

She sighed. "You know if he put as much effort into talking to other girls as he does in hitting on your sister… he'd have a girlfriend."

"Yep." he replied.

They walked on for a few more minutes, enjoying the night air and the stars.

"You know. A night like tonight, some guys would think they were going to get laid later." she said, nonchalantly.

Chuck gave a gasp of mock surprise and shock. "Why, I never would expect anything like that."

Jenny laughed, stopped, and pulled him down for a kiss. "That's too bad. I was kinda hoping..."

"Well, I'd hate to disappoint you…" Chuck said in a tone of consideration. "OK, if you insist."

"Yes! Score." Jenny said, pumping a fist in the air. "C'mon. Lets get back to the limo."

Hilton Downtown, San Diego. Prom Night, 1998

Some time later, in a hotel suite that she hoped Chuck never inquired too closely as to how she'd lined it up… The straight and narrow got a little bent, but not totally broken. "I feel a bit guilty." Jenny said, suddenly as they lounged, eating some of the snacks they'd ordered.

"Why, did I do something?" Chuck said quickly. "I didn't push you too much, did I?"

"No, you goofball, I was a full and enthusiastically willing participant. If anything I pushed you, you'll recall." Jenny looked at him and raised an eyebrow. He nodded a bit sheepishly. Sometimes he was a bit too considerate. "Give me a few minutes to catch my breath and I'll enthusiastically participate again if you need proof." She leered cheerfully at him.

"Then what do you feel guilty about?" he asked, confused. Then he grinned. "Is there some other boyfriend and you've been stepping out on him with me? Do I have to worry about getting my ass kicked?"

"Oh my god! You…" she laughed. "No, there's no one else." Her voice turned quite serious. "You are my, well, everything."

"Ditto." he said with a smile, his eyes showing her he felt exactly the same way.

"I feel slightly guilty because I'm going to bring up a serious topic, but I waited until after…" she blushed slightly. The evening had inspired some things they'd never tried before. "Well, after that."

"We're not breaking up are we?" Chuck asked, tone light but a note of worry in the background.

She shook her head in a definite gesture of negation. "No. Its kind of about the opposite of that." She smiled at him. "I know I'm bad at some of the typical stuff, talking like you do, but I need you to know that I love you. You mean more to me than… well anything I ever thought I could want."

"You keep stealing all the great lines, Jenny." Chuck said, exaggerating a frown, then he smiled back at her. "I love you too. I can't see… well I don't think I can see any future for me that doesn't include you."

Jenny swallowed. This was exactly what she'd wanted to talk about and he'd just cut right to the heart of the matter. "That's what I wanted to talk about. The future. Graduation. Jobs. College." She looked at him unflinchingly. "Those things people do when they intend to spend the rest of their lives with each other."

"Jenny, if you want to get married you just have to say it." Chuck replied, smiling gently.

"Not yet, no." she said, smiling back. "I don't think we're ready, and what happens if we end up at different schools… I'm not ready, lets leave it at that. That being said… If I picture a wedding in my head, you in a tux and wearing Converse while standing next to me is all I can see."

"So what are you thinking. We make a deal, a pact?" He grinned. "I think I've seen this movie."

"Shut up, I'm being serious here." Jenny threw a pillow at him, then continued. "We stay together, because we're perfect and you own my entire heart. We go to school. We very carefully don't ask the question that we've not asked each other tonight. And when we graduate you buy me a ring and we revisit this topic." She paused until he nodded. "As an FYI, I like platinum, sapphires, and despite being a fairly modern girl… sound of Mrs. Bartowski."

"Focus on being cute and in love. I finagle what I have to to end up at the same school as you to prevent any weirdness. We finish school, with amazing standing because we're brilliant. We embark on world changing careers. Then, I spend a large chunk of my savings on a ring and we find our happily ever after?" Chuck's voice was light, but his expression was dead serious.

"That's about it." Jenny replied. Then grinned wickedly. "Hey, Chuck?"

He was grinning back. "Yeah?"

"I've had time to catch my breath." she replied and then in a more thoughtful tone said, "You may want to stretch some."

Chuck audibly gulped. "Oh boy."