A/N First let me apologize for the weird use of quotes, from now on I will only use them when someone other than Sarah is talking, just to make it easy on me.

Inside Sarah Walker

Chapter 8: The Mirror tells No Lies

As Diane, Molly and Stephen enter the Bartowski home carrying their Subway sandwiches, the energy is high as they discuss the story they just heard. "Come on guys' Stephen exclaims, 'Dad just got a top-level Chinese spy to defect, not mention saved Mom and Grandpa John, that's pretty intense."

Diane jumps in, "yeah, can't take that away from him, but poor Mom is hurting so much inside, I feel so bad for her."

Molly adds, "well Dad was hurting too, he wanted her just as bad and couldn't have her, remember he didn't choose to be a spy, he had no training, and he still did the most incredible things." As they unwrap and begin to eat their sandwiches, Stephen hits the button to start the playback.

Hi again, just fed the herd, Dad decided he needed some kid time and wanted to take the little ones to the park before it gets dark. It is the weirdest thing, for so much of my life I felt disconnected, not part of the real world, just drifting along being pushed here and there by the events happening to me. Then along comes this incredible guy who changes everything, now all I can think about is how grateful I am for the life I've been given. A simple thing like a dad taking his kids to play fills my heart with joy.

Now it isn't all peaches and cream, Molly had her first solo date last night, Dad was not happy, he wanted to tail them and keep an eye on this guy. Sarah laughs, that was a fight and a half, I finally convinced him that we could trust Molly and she did know Kung Fu. The trio laughed as Molly said, "holy cow, I never knew that." Sarah finishes her laugh as she continues the tale, Molly had him pick her up here because she wanted help getting ready and to borrow some clothes.

When this poor guy knocked on the door, he was greeted by six-foot four Chuck Bartowski, holding a shotgun, I wish I could have seen that kid's face. Now you have to remember that Dad hates guns and had never in his life fired a shotgun, that gun was mine. Dad invited him into the kitchen and offered him a soft drink.

When Molly and I walked into the kitchen Dad was cleaning the shotgun, and asking the young man if he "… understood that there were consequences for not respecting young ladies?" Oh my God Molly your face went so red I thought your head was going to burst. You got right in Dad's face and gave him the dirtiest look I have ever seen, then surprising both of us you leaned in and gave him a kiss on his cheek and whispered something in his ear.

He just smiled, hugged you and kissed you back. When you walked out the door on your first date, I hugged your dad and asked him what you said to him, He shrugged his shoulders and replied, she said, "thank you." Molly was crying as she listened to the retelling, "that is exactly what happened, that guy was terrified, there is no way he was going to get out of line, he really was my dad, and trust me that was the first time, but by no means the last." Diane laughs and says, 'AMEN sister!"

Sarah continues over the girl's voices, now all that is fun, but not why I'm here, this next bit was weird, I was not as involved as I should have been, Dad was making some bad decisions here and keeping me out of it. Now I can't blame him, he was still learning how the spy world worked, and he was such a trusting soul, thank goodness he never gave that up, it is the best part of him. He has become less naïve, but he is still a person who wants to trust others and believes in people. Problem was in this situation he didn't trust Casey, me, or the Agency and with good reason we all treated him with lies and disrespect, the foundations of all spying.

It all started when Dad went to the amusement pier to get Morgan to go back to work. Uncle Morgan had decided that playing video games at Santa Monica pier was more important than keeping his job. While he has there, he ran into a guy named Lazlo, a "sequestered asset" who had escaped custody.

Chuck asks me about Laszlo, It seems that he had designed the watch I gave to Dad for the CIA, so he was able to identify Dad as a Government agent. Dad flashed on him and got in touch with me, and I reported the run in to DC. Chuck was worried, but I assured him that he followed protocol and it was all okay, I confirmed that I gave the intel to the General and they were looking into the situation.

Here's where things got a little sticky, Dad asks me to stay awhile in his room because Awesome thinks he's "getting lucky", and it would be awkward if I leave right away. I agreed, and as we sat on the bed together, Chuck finally got around to asking why I was waiting for him in his room. I handed him that picture of us dressed as Han Solo and Princess Leia at Comic-Con, it was that picture over there, Sarah points to a picture on the wall. Dad says it looked great, but we've never been to Comic-Con. He sadly remarks that we look like a real couple. I told him that we are a real couple, just a different kind of couple. I don't think that helped.

Now dad and I never went to Comicon back then, now of course Dad thinks it is an important part of your education and it has become an annual pilgrimage for the family. The first time we went as a family Molly was a little girl and Stephen was in diapers. The diapers didn't stop him from enchanting all the girls, he was dressed as an Ewok, they couldn't keep their hands off him. When Diane got old enough, she took over the Ewok costume and Stephen became young Skywalker. Of course, Dad and I go every year as Han and Leia, he is such a romantic, he sees us as star-crossed lovers who finally found a way to be together, Sarah smiles, I guess he's not far off. Uncle Morgan came with us dressed as Darth Vader, Aunt Alex had no interest and stayed home, he even carried his phone playing the Imperial March. Molly, she had all the little boys following her all over the hall, she was gorgeous as royal Princess Leia, I was slave girl Leia, still am. I think Dad likes it when all the guys check me out and I have my arm in his, that's me, geek trophy wife, and happy to be. I am not as crazy about all the women checking Dad out, I mean he is gorgeous, but I make it noticeably clear that he is mine.

Let's get back to the story, as I was saying when I gave him the picture that the Agency had made up for him. I thought it would make him happy, but it didn't. Seems that all it did was remind him that our relationship was fake, and we weren't a real couple.

Like I said he asked me to hang out in his room with him for a while, to help his cover as my boyfriend. His brother-in-law and sister thought we were, ahem… making out. Once again, I was twisted up inside, I wanted so much to hold him and tell him it was okay, that thought about being a couple too. We were sitting so close together on his bed, my back to his and I could feel him behind me, there was this incredible energy. I was right back in my suite, pulse racing, having a hard time breathing. When I looked over my shoulder and I could see the back of his head, his hair all curly and wild, I just wanted to grab him, pull him back to me and kiss him, just to see what it would feel like.

That picture meant a lot to me, I'm not sure why but it did, and I couldn't tell him that I had a copy of it in my suite. Now you may be asking why I would have pictures of me and my asset together in my private suite, a place where no one but me goes? Good question, wish I had a good answer, I convinced myself it was part of our cover, but the truth is, it just felt good to have them. Even if I understood what I was feeling and could find the courage to tell him, his room was bugged and there were cameras. If I had done anything, said a word, I would have been gone within 24 hours.

Now remember what I'm telling you is about me, what I saw and what I'm feeling, so there is a lot of the story you will need to get from Dad, or Grandpa John, Sarah giggles, if you understand Grunt. So, I will give you a quick update on what I was told later.

Casey got pissed because Chuck didn't contact him when he told me about Laszlo, he was feeling left out of the loop. During a briefing, Beckman confirms to Casey that Laszlo was a government technology wizard who recently escaped from the team handling him and is believed to be highly dangerous.

Meanwhile Laszlo tracked Chuck to the Buy More and claims he was framed for murdering his handlers. Dad being who he is, empathizes when he sees himself in Laszlo's situation, he himself constantly being threatened with isolation. I am guessing for Chuck it was almost like looking in a mirror. Laszlo warns him he shouldn't trust his handlers, for proof he suggested Chuck sweep his room for bugs to prove they were spying on him. I found out later that Chuck swept the house finding multiple bugs and cameras including on the picture I had just given him and confronts Casey for spying on him. Casey explains that he watches over Chuck to keep him safe, not to spy on him. Dad didn't like it, but he accepted it.

I was contacted by Agent Ben Katz, Laszlo's chief handler, while I was working my cover job at the Wienerlicious and he warns me that Laszlo is psychotic and is dangerous to others. I was freaking out; Dad was with a dangerous psychopath and had no idea of the danger he was in. I called and called Dad trying to warn him, but he wasn't answering. My freak out level went higher and higher with each unanswered call, that wasn't just my asset in danger, that was Chuck Bartowski.

I left Dad dozens of voice mails warning him to get to his car, lock it, and stay there, that I was on my way. He finally got my message and tried to follow my directions, but Laszlo got there ahead of him, he was crazy, not stupid. He takes control of the Herder, and kidnaps Chuck and after a short chase he ejects Chuck from the vehicle, thank God Dad was okay.

The next day I went to see Dad at home, he was dressed so nicely, he looked so handsome, he even combed his hair. I couldn't help myself I had to touch him, fix his tie. He was getting ready to go to the Buy More to interview for that assistant Manager's job. He was really beating himself up for falling for Lazlo's lies, for not trusting us.

I noticed that he had thrown away the picture I had given him, I guess I couldn't blame him, it was fake, and it was bugged, he felt betrayed. I am guessing that intrusion into his privacy probably diminished any emotional connection there might have been to that picture, I could see how it would make him feel manipulated and betrayed. I have to admit, it hurt seeing it in the trash, but I also knew that he had no idea that it meant something to me.

I did my best to reassure him, to not worry, just go get that Assistant Managers job, that we were closing in on Lazlo and would get him soon. The Herders tracker had turned back on, and I was heading out with Casey to intercept him. What I really wanted was to hug him and let him know that I was there for him, yeah, not something Sarah the spy would do.

In a short while Chuck calls me and explains that he found a clue and that Lazlo was going to blow up the Santa Monica pier. To make a long story short Dad got to the pier, found Lazlo, and defused the bomb. Casey and I arrived just in time to watch Dad defuse the bomb and to arrest Lazlo, once again Dad saved thousands at the risk of his own life, and my respect for Chuck Bartowski grew a whole lot more.

Turns out that Dad ran out on his job interview to save those innocent people and lost the job. That was going to add more misery to his life, it meant that Harry Tang was now his boss, and he was a real jerk, plus he had to deal with his sister Ellie. I showed up at his family's Halloween party, Dad was explaining to Aunt Ellie that he didn't get the Assistant Manager job because he skipped out on the interview. She was not happy, she was frustrated that he kept sabotaging his future, not knowing what a hero he really was and all the people he was saving. I stepped up behind Dad dressed as slave girl Princess Leia, that was the first time I wore that costume, I thought Daddies, eyes were going to pop out of his head, and Morgan, well he's Morgan. I explained that Chuck missed the interview to help me with a personal emergency, and that he was my hero. I could see that Dad was grateful and I took him aside into his room. He asked how I got the costume, I explained that the CIA could make anything. I put my arm around him asked him to pose with me, I took a picture of us together. He asked me why I was doing that, and I told him now we will have a real picture of us together, that seemed to make him happy, that one is on the wall also, it is the very first picture of us together.

Well kids that one wasn't too bad for me. I mean my emotions were all over the place, I was so worried about Dad and I couldn't tell him and of course, he almost died again, but once again your dad proved himself to be a hero, at great personal loss.

Stephen stops the playback, "holy crap, it's a miracle we're here at all, Mom and Dad kept getting into explosive situations." Diane and Molly laugh at the double meaning.

My apologies to those following this story, I know it has been a while, and this chapter is cut a little short, as I have mentioned before Reviews give me energy, and there haven't been many reviews. This may be my last chapter, as least for a while. I usually have 3 chapters written ahead before I publish, this is the last I have. Thank you for your loyalty and support. LR