A/N Thanks again to all who have stuck by this story especially as we head into a critical point and the finale of the second act. This chapter was getting to be a bear and so I decided to split it so I could get part 1 posted while I work to make the second half of this worthy of the loyal followers I've been blessed with. Even split this chapter is over 7k. I expect part 2 will be even larger.

Special thanks go out to Esardi as always. His ideas and council have always helped a great deal. I'd also like to thank BdaddyDL and Angus McNab for their help and read through as well. Sometimes things get a little too complex in my head to see things clearly and these guys really helped me keep on my path.

As always I don't own Chuck but damn I wish I did.

Chapter 25

The Other Girl Part 1

Castle Conference Room

9:04 am PDT

"Agent Shaw have you received the location of the meeting this evening."

"Yes General, but shouldn't we wait for Agent Miller to arrive?"

"That won't be necessary, Agent Miller is on another assignment at the request of her former superiors. She won't be joining us on this mission."

Shaw was concerned. Why was the General changing the team on the day of a critical mission? Was she keeping something from him? "Begging the General's pardon ma'am but is it wise to go into this crucial meeting short handed?"

"Agent Shaw, I am well aware of the significance of this meeting. I have discussed this with your AIC, Agent Walker, and she and I agree that it is an acceptable risk. If the Director at all suspects there are other Agents there he will be gone and the meeting will never happen. Mr. Bartowski, Colonel Casey and his team will be more than adequate backup for this meeting. We can't afford to lose this opportunity to get someone on the inside. That is the primary mission tonight, not capturing one man. Are you concerned about your safety Agent Shaw?"

"No ma'am."

"Very well, if you have any other concerns then please discuss them with Agent Walker and the rest of your team. Now where is the location of the meeting?"

"There is a party at Vibiana in LA for the beginning of LA fashion week. The Director will be attending and it should give us the cover we need. Once we make contact we will be escorted to a room for our more 'private' meeting. He doesn't believe we would try anything with all the celebrities and well known civilians in attendance."

Sarah tried to hide her surprise and yes maybe a little delight at the idea of a mission during fashion week. It is something she had always secretly dreamed about. Chuck raised his eyebrow a bit when he heard her breath catch ever so slightly. No one else noticed her minute change but he did. Because well... he's Chuck and he notices everything about the goddess standing next to him.

"Excellent, I know Vibiana and there are a number of locations that we can use for our operation. I'll have blueprints and all essential information on your computer in a few seconds while we go over the plan."

Chuck looked at the monitor and grinned.

"Care to share with the rest of the class Mr. Bartowski?"

"Ma'am well it's just you said..."

"I don't spend all of my time behind this desk you know. I do have friends and interests outside the NSA."

"Yes, ma'am... I'm sorry." Chuck was turning three shades of pink and Sarah had to rely on all of her professionalism not to laugh.

The General turned her attention to the Agent in Charge. "Agent Walker, I expect that you and Agent Shaw will be attending as a couple?"

"Yes ma'am, that would make the most sense. We should have Colonel Casey in charge of the small NSA team while Chuck manages logistics from one of the locations we will decide on once we get the blueprints."

"Very well. Agent Walker. Mr. Bartowski, I'll need a full analysis of possible locations for additional agents both friendly and non-friendly. We will also need to know any additional resources you or Colonel Casey feel you will require."

Daniel Shaw was grinning on the inside. Maybe this would work out perfectly. He would have the chance to have Sarah on his arm and he could use their 'cover' to his advantage. Whatever forms of affection he chose to display she would have to go along with to protect that cover. No matter how intimately he touched her, how he kissed her neck or any place else for that matter, she would have to let him do it and willingly respond positively. Maybe his chances of getting her in his bed had been lost the night before but at the very least he was going to make sure he got a taste of the very delicious Sarah Walker tonight before she died.

The team spent the next two hours going over the plan. General Beckman got off the line after about a half hour so the team on the ground could finish up. Once the meeting was finished Shaw approached Sarah. "Agent Walker may I have a word with you in private?" Sarah nodded and Shaw took Sarah off to the side. Chuck continued to go over the blueprints and load all the necessary files he would need on to his laptop. He glanced over at the couple trying not to show his anxiety but ever since he had learned that Sarah had killed Shaw's wife, he was concerned about the idea of Shaw being alone with her. He had had a perfect opportunity to take care of Sarah at the restaurant last night but he hadn't. He seemed fully intent on going through with the mission and having Sarah on his arm while doing it. Still, Chuck couldn't shake the need to worry about Sarah.

"Sarah, if I may ask, what is the real story with Agent Miller? It still doesn't seem prudent for the entire team not to be here tonight. The Director didn't get to where he is by being careless. Being down an agent tonight seems risky at best."

"Agent Shaw,. . . Daniel.." Sarah reached out and place her hand on his forearm hiding the repulsion she was feeling from touching him. "That was what the General wanted to talk to me about last night when she texted me. This request came directly from the Attorney General's office by way of the DEA Administrator. We were in no position to refuse. Agent Miller has special knowledge of this case. Chuck, the General and I worked out most of the plans for the mission last night. Chuck is extremely adept at mission planning and logistics. All three of us decided unanimously that this change shouldn't have any real impact on tonight's mission."

Shaw took his other hand and placed it on hers still holding his forearm. "OK, but you are putting yourself at risk here and I want to make sure your safety isn't compromised." He said with a face of concern but a failed attempt at sincerity..

"Thank you Daniel. But I'm good at what I do and besides maybe after the mission is over tonight we can continue where we left off last night before the General interupted us." She said with a seductive grin.

"I'd like that Sarah. I'd like that very much. I'll pick you up at your apartment at 7:30. The meeting is scheduled for 10 pm and that should give us time to go over things one more time. Plus hopefully we will have a little time for socializing during the party. Besides I'm sure a beautiful woman like yourself would enjoy the chance to see some of the new and upcoming designers work tonight." He said with that calm bravado he had been trained to show.

Sarah gave him a small but perfectly performed smile. "Yes well sometimes there are advantages to this line of work."

"Agreed and I'm looking at one of them."

Sarah chuckled. 'God what a lame line.' she thought but Shaw took it as he had amused her. "So I'll see you at 7:30 Dan... Agent Shaw. " She said as Casey approached trying to put on the professional mask Shaw would think she was doing for Casey's benefit.

"Walker, may I have a word with you and Agent Shaw about the weapons you will be using tonight?"

"Of course."

Sarah, Shaw and Casey headed to the armory to check out the specially designed bullets. As Sarah passed Chuck she glanced at him and communicated her message. He nodded ever so slightly in return. Once Chuck saw the three Agents were in the gun range and had put on their ear protection, he punched the button on his laptop and the General reappeared. She had been waiting for his call.

"General, are we all set?"

"Against my better judgment, yes. If this were any other team making such a dangerous and outlandish request, I never would have agreed to this. But just as Agent Walker and Colonel Casey have learned to trust you and your shall we say, unconventional thinking, so have I. Just don't make me regret this."

"I know this will work General."

"I hope for your and especially Agent Walker's sake, it does," With that the screen turned back to the NSA logo.

Casa Bartowski/Walker

6:45 pm PDT

Chuck stood in the bathroom door watching Sarah apply her makeup. The team had spent several hours going over the plans, checking weapons, and making requests for various items Chuck and the rest of the team deemed necessary. Chuck himself went over every element the plan at least three times. They had all deemed it as close to perfect as they could plan for considering the short amount of time they had to get ready once Shaw had been given the location.

Chuck knew that this was going to be one of their most dangerous missions, especially for Sarah. The risk/reward balance was something he had thought about all day. They all had actually. Great reward comes at great risk someone once said. Unfortunately the person carrying most of the risk tonight was the beautiful woman applying her eyeliner five feet away from him.

Sarah was the bait. But unfortunately based on the information the team had learned last night she was also a target. IF Shaw was not rogue, for the plan to fully work, he was to shoot Sarah with the special bullets Chuck had provided. This would reinforce Shaw's position with the Director as having been turned and allow him to work as a double. But if Shaw was rogue and in fact aware of Sarah's role in his wife's death, it was extremely likely he would use this opportunity to take his revenge and substitute real bullets for the squib blanks and actually kill her. But that was where Chuck's brilliant mind came in to play. Not only had Chuck worked with some friends on Hollywood film crews and had access to these new more 'realistic blanks' he had also added a small chip to each of the magazines that would alert him if Shaw tried to switch them.

The General had an NSA crew secretly install a full body scanner within the function hall in an area that Sarah would lead Shaw to in order to scan him for any backup weapons as well. Casey had managed to get four NSA Agents assigned to security for the event but they all figured that so had the Director. Especially with Sarah's safety at stake, Chuck refused to sell the Director short. He tried to plan for every possibility and if he or anyone on his team thought of it, he assumed so did the Director. Casey had taught him well, never underestimate your enemy.

"Did you talk to Carina about everything?"

"Yes, she's fully up to speed on the plans. She and I will be in constant communication. She seemed pretty excited about the event but was just a bit saddened by having to be in disguise. I think if she had her druthers she would be strutting down the catwalk instead of staying in the shadows,"

"I bet she would."

"Carina always did give off a bit of a model's vibe. Like she belonged on a catwalk or on the cover of a high fashion magazine."

Sarah glanced over at Chuck for a second and smiled in agreement.

"By the way I noticed your mission excitement level was a little higher than normal when Shaw told us where the meet was. Did little Jenny Burton ever dream about being a model?" When Chuck saw Sarah's face change slightly, he realized what he had said. "I'm sorry Sarah, I know better than to ask about your past. Forget I said anything."

Sarah walked over, cupped his cheek and gave him a loving kiss on the lips. "Chuck, it's ok. I know my childhood was shall we say, unconventional, but every girl I think at one point thinks about being a model and playing dress up. It's just that even as a spy I've secretly always wanted to attend a Fashion Week gala. Get dressed to the nines and walk in on the arm of a handsome, dashing man. But now that it's here, I'm walking in on the arm of the wrong man. Someone I loath, when I should be walking in on the arm of the man I love."

"And who would that lucky guy be?"

"You, you jerk." Sarah punched him in the shoulder.

"Damn straight. Agent Walker. I love you too." Chuck smiled at her before kissing her tenderly.

Sarah pulled back and walked back over to the mirror to continue to apply her makeup.

"So how about after this mission is over we find out when the next Fashion week is in say Milan or Paris and we get Beckman to send us there somehow. Get you something like sleeveless Versace to wear and I can escort the most beautiful woman in the world inside. You'll have all those models green with envy and all the men shocked when they see you walk in with me." He said with a self-deprecating smile.

She turned and looked at Chuck again. "Chuck, those models will be green with envy because I will be on the arm of the most amazing, handsome and kindest man in the world."

Chuck blushed at the compliment. "So are you ok with all the aspects of the plan?"

Sarah understood the hidden message in his question. "Yes. I trust you and our team. I think we have planned for every possible contingency."

"The one wild card that still has me scratching my head is why is Ursula here? Is she working with Shaw? The Ring? Does she know about what happened with Eve? I just can't get over the fact that Graham put a termination order out on his nanny's daughter."

"Chuck, I knew Director Graham for many years. He recruited me and was my mentor and biggest advocate. I have to believe he had solid evidence against her for my sake as well as his. Besides you don't get to where he was in the Agency by putting things like family connections first. Graham was the consummate professional. He has probably ordered hundreds of Agents into what were probably suicide missions and issued sanctions on countless others over the years. With the proper evidence, even a connection like his nanny's daughter wouldn't have stopped him from doing what he thought was necessary. But maybe that's why he picked me to carry out that order.

"It's a dark, cold, ugly part of the spy world. It's what they preach to you from your very first day at the farm. No one is above suspicion and no one should let emotional connections or family cloud their judgment. That cold indifference to anything and anyone but the mission at hand is part of what they are looking for when they give an agent their red test. Can they pull the trigger when ordered to no matter how little or how much they know about their target. Will they execute a sanction when so ordered."

Chuck swallowed as he thought about whether to ask his next question. Sarah knew him well and fully anticipated what he was about to ask.

"Go ahead Chuck, you can ask me."

"Sarah, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"Chuck, just ask me."

"Ok, when we first met if Graham had ordered you to kill me, would you have done it?" He took a deep breath waiting for the answer. This was probably the most loaded and difficult question he had ever asked her.

Sarah looked at him and sighed. She wanted to tell him the truth but was afraid of his reaction. But he was about to officially become an agent and deserved to know the cold hard realities of the spy life no matter how ugly they were. She was his girlfriend but also his partner and trainer after all.

"He already had."

"What?" Chuck was stunned. His palms were sweating and it was difficult to breath. Graham had ordered Sarah to sanction him. He shook his head in disbelief.

Sarah took Chuck's hands in hers and pulled him over to sit on the edge of the tub. She rubbed her thumbs on the back of the palms of his hands. She looked deeply into his eyes and spoke softly and calmly.

"Chuck, remember our first date when you came to pick me up at my hotel?"

"How could I forget? It was the greatest day of my life. I thought I was the luckiest man alive." His hands were still trembling but he tried to smile at the memory.

Sarah blushed at the sincerity in his voice. "Just before you knocked on the door I was on the phone with Graham. Remember we still didn't know if you were working with Bryce or not. I asked him what he wanted me to do if you ran. Do you know what he told me to do?"

"No, but I don't think I'm going to like the answer."

"No, you're not. His exact words were Kill him."

Chuck gulped again and shook his head. Sarah could feel the tension in his hands. She needed to comfort him by answering his initial question.

"Chuck, remember when we were on that rooftop with Casey? When we realized that you were in fact the computer?"

"Yea?"

"What did you try to do when I was arguing with Casey before you flashed on the bomb at the hotel?"

"I... I ran."

"What did I do?" She asked calmly trying to keep his emotions in check.

"You tried to help me, to convince Casey that I wasn't a bad guy. That maybe I could help save the General."

"Correct. Chuck, by not shooting you I was disobeying a direct order at that moment. You know why?"

"No."

"Because I trusted you. I believed you and as unbelievable as it would have sounded to me at the time, I was already starting to fall for you. So no Chuck, I didn't, I wouldn't, and I couldn't have done it."

"Thank you for telling me and . . . for not shooting me that night." He smiled and kissed her again.

"What, and miss out on all of the best kisses I've ever gotten? Though there have been times when I wish I ..." Sarah teased with a devilish grin.

"Hey, you do know it was never safe in the car." Sarah laughed.

"So what about Casey? I don't think he had fallen for me that night." He said with a bit of a nervous gleam in his eye.

Sarah chuckled. "No, but I have to get ready. I'll tell you that story another time."

Chuck gasped slightly. "Ahh I'll think I'll pass on that one."

"Wise choice."

Sarah stood back up and pulled Chuck up with her. "Chuck, whatever Ursula is doing here, we will just have to wait and see."

"Maybe I should go talk to her?"

"I don't think that is a good idea. If she is working with Shaw or the Ring, it might blow the whole mission. Out added safety precautions should be able to handle what ever she has planned. Besides we don't even know if she is going to be there."

"You're right. She just seemed so nice and was the only one who spoke to me like I was an actual person. I never this."

"Chuck, she's a spy or at least had some training. We saw that in the car chase yesterday. She may have just been playing you, you never know. I know you want to believe her but I think that all went out the window when we found out she is Shaw's mother-in-law."

"I know. I'm just worried about you. You're the one taking the biggest risk. "

"And I have the best person and team behind me. I'll be fine. I promise."

Chuck leaned in and kissed Sarah passionately once more. "Just remember that when Mr. Super Spy tries to kiss you tonight. You know he's going to try."

"Wow, Chuck I'd still remember that even if Brad Pitt tried to kiss me." She smiled brightly and continued. "I know he's going to try and take advantage of our cover. He's just sleazy enough to go for some PDA when he knows I have to protect it. But Chuck remember, this isn't my first time having someone who repulses me try to kiss me. It's kind of part of the job and I've learned quite a few ways to avoid it. He may be good looking to some women but I'm too good a spy to fall for some lame attempt at affection to get me to change my opinion of him."

"Just be safe Sarah. We don't know what he knows for certain and I hate going into a mission not trusting members of our team."

"I'll be fine Chuck. Now let me get finished in peace. You need to head to Castle to meet Casey and I have to get ready for Mr. Roboto."

Chuck and Sarah both got big grins at Sarah use of Chuck's pop culture. "I love you, Sarah Walker."

"I love you too, Chuck Bartowski."

Tangerine Hotel

Room 2415

3:55pm PDT

Ursula stood by the window watching the buzz of the streets below. She marveled at the mountains of steel and concrete. Sure LA didn't have the skyline of New York but it was all still so different than the view from her home back in Zuoz. There the mountains towered above the valleys with every color of the rainbow. The rocky outcroppings showing clearly from above the tree line. She missed the aqua blue waters of the glacial melt rivers that flowed throughout that part of her native homeland. But most of all she missed her beautiful Eva.

She had been the most glorious mistake Ursula had made in her life. A mistake that if it had been acknowledged openly would have destroyed her marriage and possibly her career. But she never regretted deciding to take the pregnancy to term. She may have never been able to fully be Eva's mom but in her quiet moments she loved her just as much as any other mom would have.

May 1981

Ursula had promised her husband when she went to the US for her mandatory training sessions that her connections with the Grahams and the CIA were only in her role as a nurse and hopefully an assistant at the training facility under construction at the school she worked at as well. She told him that she would never got involved in actual missions. He was adamant she keep that promise. He didn't trust the CIA nor the Grahams. His family had been involved in helping Jews and others escape Nazi Germany and they had an extreme distrust of spies of any kind. They had seen what the SS was willing to do to get back the escapees and had also seen how some of the Allied spies were only interested in Jews that had skills that could help the war effort. The poor, unskilled and uneducated were of no interest to many an Allied intelligence officer and certainly not worth the risk of helping them escape to America or as it was then known, Palestine.

Ursula had told him that the training was mandatory for every medical employee who came in contact with field Agents. They needed to at least complete a three month course at the Farm or similar facility. Doctors and nurses needed to be familiar with the activities and circumstances an Agent might face in order to properly treat their injuries. Field Agents were notorious for hiding possible medical problems for fear of being removed from field ready status. So a medical professional needed to anticipate what injuries they might be hiding. An agent with an undiagnosed serious injury was a threat to the other members of their team as well as civilians. But the alpha male and female types that the CIA courted for their field agents were to say the least reluctant to show weakness.

During her training Ursula had gone to Langley to visit with Assistant Director Winston Graham and his son Langston. She had not seen them in nearly four years since she left Cleveland to return to Zuoz. While there the elder Graham got called away on an urgent matter and so she went to a late lunch with a young Langston to talk about some of the fun times they had when she was a nanny for his younger siblings.

During the lunch a waiter came over to their table with a telephone from the bar. After a few seconds Ursula could tell that something was wrong. Once he got off the phone Langston told her that they were going to have to postpone her visit to the house that evening as he had a mission and needed to leave to try and find an appropriate female agent who spoke fluent German to be his escort at a gala at the West German Embassy that evening. So far they were drawing a blank as with the rising tensions against the Communists in Eastern Europe had caused anyone who knew German and any other Slavic languages to be in high demand.

"I can do it." Ursula volunteered excitedly.

"What? No. I'm sorry, Ursula but it's too risky." Langston replied.

"I've almost completed my training and from what I heard all I would have to do would be to dress nice, make conversation with some high ranking West German officials and maybe dance with a few handsy diplomats. How risky could it be? Seems like the biggest danger to me would be all the fingerprints on my ass. Besides German is my native language and if I don't go I'll just be sitting in my hotel room seeing our plans for this evening just got cancelled."

"Ursula you're a nurse, not a field Agent. I appreciate the offer but I think we need to get back."

"Ok, but I'd love to go. I've never been to a big diplomatic gala."

After the two old friends left the restaurant Graham got a call on the car phone in the Lincoln he was driving.

"Graham secure but not alone."

"Yes, that's unfortunate." Langston glanced over at the woman in the passenger seat. She saw the look in his eyes and a large smile grew on her face as she nodded.

"Well, I may have a solution. I'll call you once I get back to the office. I'm going to need someone to help with wardrobe, hair and makeup for my date for the evening." Langston smiled over at Ursula who was now beaming at the chance to get a government paid for makeover.

4 Hours later

West German Embassy

Washington DC

May 1981

As Ursula walked into the ballroom on the arm of her dashing Agent escort she marveled at the elaborate tables full of crystal glasses and expensive antique china. She was dressed in an off white one shoulder sequined gown with a beautiful diamond necklace that cost more than a years salary at the school in Zuoz. Her golden hair was wrapped in a french twist that highlighted her perfect long neck and its adornments. She felt more beautiful than she had ever been in her life and she was.

The guests were a who's who of both European and American politics. Many of the men dressed in their expensive tailored tuxedos had arm candy that she was sure were not their wives. Especially as most of the women were her age or younger and the men, well let's say they could easily pass for their fathers or in a few cases their grandfathers.

As a handsome young waiter walked by she grabbed the first of many glasses of champagne. The plan for the evening was simple, Langston was supposed to meet with two operatives that had been working undercover as Russian agents in East Germany as liaisons between the two governments. They were involved in the operations to crush the developing Solidarity Union movement in Poland and stop its spread to other eastern European countries. They were to deliver classified documents detailing those plans on microfilm to Graham. Ursula's role was simply to occupy some of the East German officials that had been invited to the gala as a sign of cooperation between east and west.

Her 'mark' in particular was Egon Baumann, an upcoming member of the Politburo and protege of Erich Honecker, the East German General Secretary of the Communist Party. He was an ambitious man and known to have an affinity for young blonde women.

Baumann had noticed Ursula when she had arrived at the ball and had inquired about her to his assistant. Noticing her 'escort' talking to some of the other guests he decided to walk over and asked her if she would like to dance. She had seen him eyeing her for a while as she had intentionally tried to gain his attention. This would allow Graham sufficient time to make his exchange unnoticed. The plan had been to meet up at midnight once the exchange had been made.

After a few more glasses of champagne and many trips around the dance floor Ursula began to feel Baumann's hands caressing her gorgeous ass through the material of the gown. His hot breath danced along her skin behind her ear and sent chill down her spine. Baumann was also a very handsome man. His lifestyle demanded a confidence that made naive young women fall completely under his spell. A naive Ursula, in part because of the amount of champagne she had consumed but also being romanced by whole nature of the evening and the setting was child's play for a man like Egon Baumann.

He soon escorted her into an office that the West German ambassador had set aside for him and stationed two of his 'assistants' outside guarding the door. Once inside Baumann immediately put his arms tightly around her waist and kissed her passionately. Ursula knew it was wrong, she was married and all she was supposed to do was to dance with Baumann and keep his men watching him on the dance floor and not Graham. It had all seemed simple enough, but she had broken a cardinal rule, she let her guard down and drank a bit too much. She allowed herself to be seduced by her surroundings and she then allowed herself to be seduced by a master. She told herself later it was just to help Langston with the mission but part of her wanted to be exactly where she was, naked on an obscenely expensive couch in an international embassy with a rich, handsome, master of seduction. She was after all doing it for the "greater good". Wasn't that what they taught field agents especially female ones?

But Ursula's little adventure into the realm of being a spy for the CIA gave her another but highly unexpected gift. One that soon threatened to shake the very foundation of her life going forward.

Finding out Ursula was pregnant took its toll on Graham. Langston felt guilty for having gotten his one time 'nanny' involved in something she wasn't trained or prepared for. He had been taught his whole life to chose the mission first and but now the consequences of that choice hit home. She decided early on to not terminate the pregnancy not on religious grounds but she felt that this baby shouldn't bear the cost of her indulgences. Graham arranged for a 'special assignment' that would keep her in 'hiding' in the US for the duration of her pregnancy. This cover would keep her husband in the dark. She simply told him she had been asked to take part in a secret government project that needed medical professionals who were above reproach. Little did she know that the program she was being 'assigned' to would ultimately end up being Project Omaha years later. Ursula instead went to live once again with the Grahams back in Cleveland.

Once Eva was born Ursula knew that she had to return to Switzerland. The guilt from her betrayal of her husband was nothing compared to the guilt she felt leaving her infant child in the care of others. The Graham's however were wealthy and could provide little Eva with things she never could have and though she loved her daughter dearly, having her stay with a family she cared about and trusted seemed like the best option. But even though she kept in regular secret contact with the Grahams about Eva's life, it was decided it would be best if she cut all ties with her.

Eva had been told when she was a child that she had been adopted. But the Grahams never spoke of Ursula to her. They figured it was better if Eva never knew she was result of her mother being seduced by the glamour of the spy life and that her father was a communist who was later discovered to be intimately involved with the East German athletes doping scandal. She was simply told her parents were heroes who died in service to their country. It was a story the Grahams were all too familiar with.

Little did Eva know that in many respects she was very much like her mother and the lure of the romantic notions of the greater good and the combination of beautiful, dangerous people, exotic places and deadly betrayals of those she trusted would ultimately lead her down a path to her own destruction.

Tangerine Hotel

Room 2415

04:05 pm PDT

Ursula shook her head at the memories from long ago. She had made so many mistakes when it came to Eva. Maybe she should have trusted her husband and told him the truth. Maybe he would have accepted Eva as his own. The fact that her biological father was someone his family had in a way fought against for decades would however have been very difficult for him to accept.

But maybe it would have been better for her even if he had rejected her to have raised Eva in Zuoz and she might them have been able to protect her from the lure of the spy life. The lure she had fallen victim to that led the beautiful little girl. If she had been able to keep her from that life, she would most likely be alive today. Trusting Langston Graham had been the biggest mistake of her life. The revelation of her betrayal of her daughter set in motion so many horrible things that now all she was left with was the cold, icy heart of a woman set on vengeance to at least finally do the right thing for her daughter by avenging her death. With the help of her son-in-law Daniel, Eva's killer would finally die in front of her this evening. It will never fill the void of losing her daughter, but it was something at least. Ursula never fully trusted Shaw as he came from the slick world of trained agents that she had fallen victim to those many years ago. But he seemed to love Eva and was as dedicated to reaping his vengeance on Agent Walker as she was. She knew she couldn't pull the trigger but she wouldn't mind watching Daniel do it for her.

"Langston, my only sadness at your death is that you won't be here to see your assassin die before your very eyes. I would have loved to see the expression on your face as you saw the life leave her knowing I was responsible just before the bullet with your name on it splattered your brains into the night."

Ursula's face was as cold as the winter's in Zuoz as she turned and headed into the bathroom to take a shower. Tonight, five years of pain would be washed away with Agent Walker's blood.

The Ring Hive

Glendale, CA

4:06pm PDT

The Ring Director was seated at his desk going over the logistics for his meeting with Agents Shaw and Walker for what seemed like the hundredth time. He had committed to memory every aspect of the location for what could be the most critical meeting of his career with the Ring. He wanted to instinctively know where every Agent was most likely going to be on both sides of the equation. He had also gone over all of the security and monitoring installations at Vibiana so that he could easily detect any changes or additions that the CIA or NSA had installed.

He also expected there to be decoys and any number of possible surprises coming, but he didn't become Director of the most powerful clandestine organization in the world by a lack of preparation. Surprises only become losses when you don't prepare enough to find the best solution.

Normally he could have delegated the prep work to any number of the more than 30 analysts and agents that were working in the hive on any given day. But that wasn't when his own ass was on the line. He, himself would be there in the public arena this evening. So he took a very personal approach to the preparation.

But what also warranted the extra attention was the prize waiting for him at the end of the evening. He would have total control of the fully functional human Intersect. It was a prize that the Ring Elders had been dreaming about ever since they first learned about Project Omaha from some of the analysts who had worked on the project under Perseus.

The failure of Fulcrum and Ted Roarke to build their own army of Intersect Agents made him realize that he needed to capture the only fully functional model and keep him under total control. Agents Saunders and Prince had failed to deliver him and he didn't expect that Agent Shaw was up to the task either so he went back to an old adage he had learned as a child growing up in England, if you want something done right, do it yourself.

The Director knew that being seen in a public was a huge risk but the reward was well worth it. He knew that the key to a cooperative and productive Intersect was a certain blonde Agent and that Shaw had other plans for her. Plans he would not allow to go forward. Shaw was nowhere near the Agent he thought he was but The Director had learned long ago to never underestimate any Agent no matter how incompetent they may seem on the outside. He had seen many a skilled Agent play the part of the weakened gazelle only to in fact be the lion itself.

But Shaw's biggest failing and in some ways his biggest strength was his blind ambition. He felt he deserved to be seated at the adult table. He would do absolutely anything to anyone if he felt it would gain him position and power. Hell, he had helped turn his own wife into a double Agent and then set her up to be sanctioned by the very Agent who helped raise her. In some ways The Director admired Shaw and Graham for that cold hearted act but he also knew that Shaw was a liability and his ambition to gain admittance into the upper levels of the Ring was a direct threat to him personally. Shaw had been useful within the Agency in terms of delaying and keeping a lid on anti Ring operations at the CIA but once he delivered Agent Walker and ultimately Agent Carmichael, his usefulness to both the CIA and the Ring would be at an end and so would his life.

"Have the arrangements been made with the caterers and function hall staff for the additions of our agents?"

"Yes, Director. We will have a total of eight agents on premises. Two will be bartenders, two with the caterers and four with security. Two inside by the meeting room and two outside guarding your primary exit here and here." His assistant pointed to the locations of the agents on the building's cad drawings.

"Very good. I want another team of eight Agents within a two block perimeter to run interference should we need to make a fast exit."

"That will be arranged, sir"

"I want to meet with the entire team in one hour to go over the plan one more time. This meeting is far too important for any slip ups. Make sure that every weapon issued is silenced. This will be a public place and I don't want us setting off a panic with the sound of gunfire. I want the best we have at each location and under no circumstances is either Agent Walker or Agent Carmichael to be harmed in any way. We will tranq them and they will be coming with me, understood?"

"Yes Director."

"This is possibly the most important mission you will ever be on. I will not accept failure of any kind. You will follow my orders explicitly. Once we have captured the two agents and have safely left the building, then Agent Shaw must die."

A/N 2 Next up I need to really thread the needle to make it all work and I can't wait. On a side note remember Oct 14th is #YvonneonDexter day for all of you Twitter fans! I really can't wait to meet Hannah McKay. From what little we have seen she is definitely NOT Sarah Walker and Yvonne will show us once again why I've always felt she was the most talented pure actor on the show. Thanks again!