A/N: Rereading the first two chapters, I had completely forgotten how much I trimmed off of each. With the long delay between the second and third chapters; I would strongly suggest that everybody reread the first two chapters.

Sarah vs. Eliza Doolittle

Chapter 3

"I'm going to call you Molly…"

Those were apparently the last words she would hear her mother say. 'How could those be some sort of trigger?' Sarah's mind screamed at her as she unsuccessfully again tried to place her key in the Porsche's ignition. 'Was that the name she had wanted to give her before they decided upon Sammie? Would that have changed anything?' She had twenty hours to get to LA and board the Director's jet to take her back to DC find out how she screwed up this time, probably not sticking around to track Ryker, and what her last chance this time would be.

"Hey… Blondie… wake up."

Sarah's eyes snap open to find a teenage girl staring down at her. A quick glance tells her a lot: five-six months pregnant, heavy make-up with a hint of bruising between her eye and cheek, five piercings on her face, left arm has numerous needle marks, and despite the pregnancy and being about five foot six she cannot weigh more than a hundred pounds. 'If this junkie was going to rob her why wake her up?'

"How could you leave me with that woman? You had to know how lacking in anything maternal she was… look at me. This is all your fault." The girl listlessly stated; her eyes devoid of any semblance of joy.

Sarah took a halted breath, "What? Molly?"

"Oh, so you checked on me to find out my name then nothing. Fifteen years and not one call, text, e-mail, or card. You are a piece of work, Walker."

"Fifteen years… I just dropped you off… I know she is a good mother; it was my fault for leaving with my dad… I should have stayed with her, but there's something wrong with me… What happened?"

"Well they say the first step is admitting it to yourself…" The junkie girl then morphed into a Marcia Brady clone, "There is something wrong with you."

Sarah was shocked by the conversation and abrupt change in whom she was talking to then it was repeated and she heard an echo. Looking back up she saw her mother stating those six words while shaking her head and frowning. A blink added her father, a swallow added Graham, another added the CATS, then Larkin, followed by her Red Test victim, until her bed was surrounded by everybody she had crossed paths with. The mantra was interrupted with the occasional evil laugh until Sarah was finally able to close her eyes.

Opening them a sudden flash of soft brown eyes were looking at her followed by a mouth with a quirky grin uttering words that still bring a smile to her, "That is the most adorable milk moustache I've ever seen."

Sarah bolted upright and shook her head. Not finding a teenager, pregnant or not, looming over her allowed her the peace of mind to take a relaxing breath. Seeing sunlight pouring through the window ended that peace as she looked at her alarm clock glaring 08:27 caused a mild panic attack. Rushing to the bathroom to determine what actions needed to be done and what could be glossed over. She glanced at her phone still on its charger cradle and grabbed it. She was stumped that there were no calls or messages. Her stomach growled as she was reminded it was almost twenty-eight hours since her last non protein bar meal. Hoping that perhaps some elves dropped by and placed a sandwich in the refrigerator that normally only held a jug of yellow liquid that nobody would touch or take credit for; Sarah opened the door and was shocked by the styrofoam container with a post-it on top.

That shock was stopped when she heard the alarm clock start to blare. Going back to the bed and shutting it off and verifying that the alarm was set for 8:30 am. She staggered back into the kitchen and taking out the container answered her questions. She was accustomed to being the lone female in a group mission and the combination of misogynistic, lustful, and chivalrous factions that become readily apparent within a day or two. She was thankful that two of her team of watchers fell under the chivalrous and not overtly so: West and Cooper. Cooper was supposed to be on the initial shift this morning and she noticed his name on the bottom of the note.

'Apologize for delaying your wake up call. Do not freak, you do not need to go out today. Eat your meal and get to HQ at 0930. Something big happened last night.'

Opening the container her stomach gurgled at the two breakfast sandwiches and smattering of hash browns. She opened the resealable package of paper plates, dumped the contents on it, and carefully looked at the inside of the microwave before placing the plate inside. She also found the coffeepot full and with a wistful sigh opened the cabinet that held the mugs. The high came crashing down as she noticed her mug was moved from where she always placed it and spotting a short hair on it caused the appropriate 'ugh' face and reached behind it and grabbed a mug that was in a sealed bag. Pouring the elixir of awakening and two deep pulls later found her senses back to their usual capacity. The beep of the microwave got her up and devouring the 'bountiful feast' made her feel somewhat normal for the first time since the week this mission had started.

A glance at the clock in the kitchen told her she had about fifteen minutes before she had to leave for the fifteen minute walk. Before putting on the tee and jeans du jour she went through the pockets of yesterday's outfit and pulled out a card. The memory flash that happened forced her to sit on the bed for a moment. She carefully reflected back to everything she could recall. The nourishment and rest helping details come back that would have completely fallen by the way side and was struck with a sense of déjà vu when she thought back to the gentleman who paid for the rest of her flowers while making the offer. The familiarity of the eyes had her immediately turn over the card again and as the pieces began coming together a little part of her heart died as the anger rose as the name Charles Bartowski shone prominently on the ivory card.

Wondering how she could have fallen for his unconventional charm in that bunker; she was the last road block in determining whether the Piranha would be a threat without the use of a computer. She fell for it hook, line, and sinker; because of those eyes and her inability to judge the insincerity of his words a number of women were vanished; replaced by the remodeled versions which were to be playthings for those who could afford it. She went into her duffle and pulled out a worn paperback and looked at the back cover for a second at the picture of the lanky man who took an intelligence gathering session and turned it into a sensual shaving experience. Most of her fury had subsided as she remembered Chuck was a pawn the first time around as her brain furnished the musky scent of Bryce Larkin's cologne as a reminder. Gagging for a moment she was able to retain her breakfast and remembered her opinion that Chuck could be manipulated because in his core Bartowski was overly trusting; the book and subsequent movie were clear evidence of that opinion.

A quick look at the alarm clock and the curses streaming from Sarah's mouth began until she made her way to the dilapidated building serving as the headquarters for this op. Her watch told her she made it with a minute to spare; that fact did not correspond as she was greeted by the boss, Pike, a man whose age just surpassed his waist measurement. His op management record was one of the strongest in any of the intelligence factions, but strongly distrusted anybody who was not handpicked by him. "Look, Goldilocks or Sleeping Beauty decided to grace us with her presence. While the rest of us start to pack up; West, go ahead and let the CIA Princess know the update," echoed throughout the vacated building.

West stood up and in a placating manner held his hands up to Sarah as a gesture of good faith. The Enforcer's glare receded as Pike didn't even bother to look at her during his derogatory diatribe.

"Walker, I know he's not fond of the CIA, but he is a good guy if you got to know him. While it may do the Ice Queen's ego a bit of good; adding his scalp to your trophy case won't help you any. Now, if Cooper hadn't left you anything for breakfast his hide probably won't be missed for a couple of months."

Sarah shook her head before giving an acquiescent look and followed West to the corner where they went to debrief. Sarah was about to start on the card and offer when West bluntly stated, "They found her."

"Her?"

"The Congressman's daughter; despite wasting a lot of man… and woman hours on this op," Sarah rolled her eyes as West continued, "She faked her disappearance. She set up a fake identity with a line of credit and took a train cross country with a wig and colored contact lenses for a disguise. She then took a plane to London and was waiting for two of her friends to join her for a few weeks before coming back. Even though it was huge news here, it barely registered in England and when her friends never showed she discovered the whirlwind surrounding her and was caught in a young adult dilemma: admit your deceit and get the punishment or hold off and hope there's a miracle that will ward off your just desserts."

"They're closing off the task force."

"Yea… at least you don't have to peddle flowers anymore."

"I was approached last night," Sarah pulled the card out of her pocket, "There is still something going on here." She stated adamantly.

West looked pissed as he yelled out, "Is Ward here?" He turned back to Sarah, "The overnight report came back with no strange occurrences."

The response of 'He's in the can' simply irritated West more. He started walking to the desk Sarah assumed was assigned to Ward. A tall block of a man with a striking amount of red hair in a flat top and goatee ambled towards them.

"What's up your ass?" Ward looked at Walker, "She does seem like the pegging type."

Sarah's response of, "I can understand how you know all about that," Was met with the two of them in a stare off that eventually had Ward blinking.

"Damn, come on I only got two hours of sleep. Again what is the problem?"

West responded this time, "It seems you forgot to mention that Walker was approached by a man, given a card, and told…"

Sarah looked at West and finished the story for the both of them, "The man said that he could help me with my predicament and help with my presentation while paying me for the time."

West and Ward looked shell-shocked before West pounded his fist on the desk, "How the hell do you miss that? That was exactly what we were looking for and you don't even mention…" West closed his eyes before looking to Cooper, who walked over to find out the commotion, "Has last night been transcribed yet?"

Cooper shook his head, "I was going to get on it when I was told we weren't going out today, but Pike said we could probably wait until DC. I'll jump on it now." Cooper hurried off while West and Sarah turned to see a guilty look on Ward's face.

"You left her," blurted from West.

It was corrected by Sarah, "You never bothered showing up."

"We got the news and confirmation by 7. I figured Pike would have you stand down."

Sarah's anger took hold. In a few strides she entered the makeshift office Pike worked from. Immediately the yelling began which ranged from not caring about the legitimate women that were taken to abandoning her to being an asshole. A few seconds after hearing some furniture moved there were some painful cries echoing in the building. A few seconds after that a still seriously pissed off Agent Walker tore off the plywood used as a door and made her way to the exit. Nobody made an attempt to stop her until Pike's voice called out, "You are done Walker. I don't care if it is that time of the month you don't treat a superior officer like that." Pike finished off with a groan as he was using his right hand to massage his left shoulder. He made the mistake this time of looking at her as he couldn't help but pale and gulp at the glare she bestowed upon him.

When the outer door closed the thirty seconds of utter silence felt like an hour. Two of the six men went back to packing up the building, Cooper was transcribing quickly and shaking his head, West glared at Ward, and Pike grumbled back to his desk. Cooper with a scowl nodded to West who closed his eyes wondering how to phrase this before making his way to the office.

West knocked on the door jam, "Sir, I'd hold off on contacting the CIA just yet. There's a reason for what just happened."

Sarah found her way back to the room she'd been staying at for the past week and was looking out the window at 'her' corner where there was another girl with a cart with flowers and fruits. A sharp knock on the door took her from the wandering thoughts ranging from is she the next girl that will disappear to how can she possibly fit her skills and accomplishments on a legitimate resume. When she made her way to the peephole Sarah gulped, wiped her hands on her jeans before opening the door, "I should…"

Pike stopped Sarah from speaking further by allowing himself in and closing the door, "I had an inkling when I found out I was getting the Ice Queen there was a decent probability I'd find myself in that or a worse position and have earned it. I know I'm an asshole, but until this assignment I could honestly say I looked out for everybody under my command. There's no excuse for having you unsupervised in this type of assignment for any amount of time. I have not contacted Graham and if you want to bring your own charges I will not put up any opposition. I have no problem with your response to me and Ward is available for a sparring session this afternoon, so you can rest up this evening."

Sarah was stunned by the earnestness of Pike's tone until he finished with, "While we cannot stay here in full, I have started to arrange contacts for you because you are right; there have been too many disappearances and this lead needs to be checked on. Two things, first are you prepared to be the 'flower girl' just a little longer? Second, I hope you used a new mug this morning. That's another reason why Ward is available and I have already put my money on you"

A/N: Obviously a lot sooner than I anticipated, only started after publishing the last chapter of Different Kind of Couple and rereading the two chapters. It is strange that this was easy to write and I am usually leery whenever that is the case. I perhaps too quickly reviewed it and thought there wasn't anything glaring… at least not as bad as substituting Nikolai for Alexei as the Volkoff in Chuck and nobody called me on it. I'm not sure if that is good or not. Please let me know what you think. Thanks for reading.