A/N:Hey guys, sorry for the delay, I wanted to get this chapter right, since it's their first meeting. Hope you enjoy this.

Again thank you for all your lovely reviews.

Chapter 5 - First Contact

20 miles south of Basra International Airport, Iraq,
0820 (UTC+3),
March 20, 2003

It had been half an hour since they called for extraction, Secret Service Agent Sarah Walker wasn't sure she would be getting out of this in one piece, regardless, she had a job to do, a mission to complete, and she would die trying to complete her mission.

To everyone else in the security detail and the Senator himself, Sarah Walker was a rookie Secret Service agent on her first assignment, in reality, Sarah Walker didn't exist, he real identity had been buried so long ago, she could barely remember her own real name. Then again, that name was a no body, it was Sarah Walker who graduated from Harvard University with a major in Economics and a minor in Business and Management in 2002; it was Sarah Walker who graduated from 'the Farm' in barely 4 months, broken every record in the 'spy' academy; and it was Sarah Walker who was on her way towards a promising career in the Central Intelligence Agency.

Agent Walker's mentor, Langston Graham had assigned her to the Secret Service for a year, the agent in her didn't question his orders, and the girl in her trusted in his judgement, after all, he was the one who gave her a second chance, when no-one else would, or so she thought.

At the moment, Agent Walker was part of the security detail protecting Senator William Davidson, the Senator could be a real pain in the butt for the Secret Service agents, as he kept ignoring security protocols. But Agent Walker liked him, she respected what he was trying to do. The President had already announced for the impending invasion, but the Senator still tried to prevent the inevitable bloodshed of the oncoming war, in vain.

Agent Walker had just ran out of ammunition, for she had given her spare weapon to the Senator, she was glad to see the Senator could handle himself well in a combat situation, and was putting her weapon to a good use. So as a last resort, Agent Walker retrieved her knife, and waited for the 4 men trying to flank the Senator's position. This was when she heard the incoming helicopters, she could tell from the sound they were of Blackhawk variants, this gave her hope. With that new hope, she jumped out, and took care of the 4 men with a well-placed ambush.

As she took out the last of the 4 Iraqi soldiers, out of the corner of her eye, she saw two more enemy taking aim at the Senator, she didn't have time to pick up the AKs dropped by the 4 men, and Agent Walker was not about to fail a mission and let the Senator get killed under her watch. Agent Walker thought fast on her feet, threw her knife towards one of the men, killing him instantly and ran towards the Senator, hoping to push him out of the way in time, or at least shield him with her own body. All other senses faded away as she focused purely on the Senator, she tackled him to the ground, stayed on top of him while waiting for the inevitable bullet impact that would probably take her life. At least, her last act was an honourable one. But the bullets never came, she swore she had heard a magazine being emptied from an AK type weapon, from the direction she had last seen the lone enemy, but none of the bullets even landed close to her. Agent Walker turned around, and saw one of the helicopter landed directly between her and the lone enemy. Whoever the pilot was, he had just saved her life.

LTJG Bartowski made sure the chopper landed with the enemy at the helicopter's 2 o'clock position, as a protective instinct towards his co-pilot and crew members. The lone enemy unleashed a whole magazine of his Zastava M80 (an AK variant), luckily, its 5.56mm ammunition didn't penetrate the helicopter, Chuck opened the door on his side straight after the enemy emptied his magazine, knowing he had some time before the enemy could reload his weapon. Chuck pulled out his Beretta M9, and fired 3 rounds, 2 in the centre mass, and 1 in the head, killing the enemy with precision.

Chuck closed the door, turned around, and signalled one of the crew to get the VIP and his protective detail on board, and carried on to scan the area, looking out for hostiles. A minute later, the VIP and his protective detail were seated and secured under the covering fire of the two other helicopters.

Just as he was about to lift off, Chuck saw an enemy vehicle with mounted RPK light machine gun to his 1 o'clock, turning its attention towards his bird. He didn't have much time to react, so he shouted a target indication to PO2 Stark, "Enemy vehicle at 1'clock!" while trying to shield LT Granger with his own body by enveloping her under his protective arms. PO2 Stark followed the young pilot's target indication, and fired the mounted .50 Calibre GAU-16/A machine gun. The enemy vehicle was shredded within seconds, but not before 5 rounds escaped the mounted RPK. The glass window of the MH-60 S might be able to withstand 5.56 mm rounds, but 7.62 mm bullets fired from a mounted RPK were a challenge. Out of the 5 bullets from the RPK, first one left a crack on the front right window, second one shattered the glass and showered the pilot and co-pilots area with glass shards, Chuck's broad shoulder and back had shielded any of the shards from his co-pilot. The second bullet also grazed Chuck's shoulder, and the third impacted on the back of his body armour in full force. The last two bullets flew wild.

After hearing an explosion from the direction of the enemy vehicle, Chuck lifted his head up, and examined his co-pilot, ignoring the pain from the bullet impact and some burning sensations he could feel over his right arm, which he presumed to be caused by being showered with glass. He asked with concern written all over his face, "Are you alright, Lieutenant?"

LT Granger could not believe Chuck was asking her if she was alright, she had felt the bullet impact on Chuck, and she could see blood all over Chuck's right arm, and here he was, not caring about any of that, and asking if she was alright. LT Granger was a strong woman, she didn't want to be protected by Alpha male types, but Chuck was different, she knew Chuck didn't shield her because she was a woman, Chuck did it because she was his friend, and she had to admit to herself, it felt good to have a friend like Chuck Bartowski. She gave him a small nod, before she could say anything else, the radio cracked to life. "Blue Leader to Einstein, are you alright? Status report, over."

Chuck seeing his co-pilot unharmed, and hearing the radio requesting for report, he snapped back from protective mode to mission mode. He knew he had to get out of the war zone as soon as possible. He answered back while doing a quick check on his chopper's status, "This is Einstein, package on board, no injuries to crew," seeing his bird was still flight capable, he continued while lifting off, "Minimal damage to the chopper, we are heading back, over."

"This is Blue Leader, good copy, heading back to Homebase, wedge formation, I will take point, Blue Two, watch over Einstein, make sure he stays with the pack. Over."

"Blue Two to Blue Leader, Roger that, out."

"Einstein to Blue Leader, Roger, Out."

In the passenger cabin, the Senator was still coming down from the adrenaline high, it had been a while since his last combat action. Sarah observed the whole scene silently, this was the pilot who just saved her life, and it looked like he was ready to sacrifice his own for the co-pilot. From the concerned voice of the pilot asking if the co-pilot was alright, Sarah wouldn't be surprised if the pilot and the co-pilot were an item. She felt a strange sensation came over her as she thought sadly, nobody ever cared for her that much. Sarah Walker mulled over the strange and foreign sensation she was feeling, trying to figure out what it was while observing the pilot's interaction with the co-pilot.

At the front, LT Granger saw that they were in the clear, and decided now it was time to take care of her partner. "Blue Three Alpha to Homebase, message, over."

"This is Homebase, send, over."

"Have the Med-team on standby, Einstein needs medical attention. Over."

"This is Homebase, Med-team will be on top-side for your arrival, out."

As soon as the transmission was cut, the radio sounded off again.

"Blue Leader to Einstein, you reported there was no injury on board, why did Blue Three Alpha just requested a med-team for you, over?" The voice sounded much more urgent than before.

Chuck replied with an almost childish whiny noise. "This is Einstein, I am fine, the Lieutenant is just over reacting, I don't need to see the doc, over."

"Blue Three Alpha to Blue Leader, I will handle this, out." LT Granger cut in furiously and turned to Chuck with a hard glare, causing Chuck to gulp involuntarily, she reminded Chuck so much of Ellie at the moment.

"Lieutenant Junior Grade Bartowski," LT Granger spat out condescendingly, emphasising on 'Junior Grade'. "I am the ranking officer here, you will get that medical attention as soon as you land this bird. That is an order, have you got that?"

Yep, she is full on Mama Bear Ellie mode, thought Chuck with a cringe, he yelped, "Yes, Ma'am."

Seeing that she had won the battle, the brunette softened her voice, said, "Chuck, you just took a bullet in your ballistic plate, and your right arm is bleeding all over the place. You got all that from shielding me, will you please just let me take care of you this once, if only just so I can sleep peacefully tonight?" Nicola knew this would work, Chuck always places everyone else's needs before his own, Chuck would stand guard outside her berth area all night, if she let him think it would help her sleep better, let alone a visit to the doctors.

Chuck immediately caved hearing her like that, "Ok, Nicola, I will check in with the doc the moment we land this bird, I will be fine, promise." Chuck said softly. The beautiful brunette brought up memories of Jill, now he thought about it, Jill had never shown this much concern for him. Before he could stop himself, he looked at his co-pilot with a hint of sadness, but said in an utterly sincere voice, "I hope your fiancée knows how lucky he is."

Nicola smiled at Chuck gratefully, before turning away, she wanted to hurt the stupid skunk who broke Chuck's heart so badly, but more than that, she wished so much that she could find a way to mend her partner's broken heart.

The strange sensation she was feeling had amplified as Sarah Walker witnessed the care, the pilot, LTJG Chuck "Einstein" Bartowski she had gathered from their conversation, and the co-pilot, Nicola, had shown towards each other. Before she could figure out what the strange sensation was, it disappeared as she learned the co-pilot had a fiancée, and they were not a couple. Sarah Walker was puzzled, it couldn't be jealousy, could it? She couldn't be jealous because of a man she hadn't even met properly yet, could she? Before she could mull it over any further, Sarah heard that same concerned voice again, "Are you guys alright?"

The coastline was already well behind them when Chuck turned around and asked this question, concerned about his "package", especially about the tall blonde female agent with scary knife skills. The Senator answered first, liking this young pilot already from the bravery he had shown so far, "We are fine, thank you for getting us out, son."

Chuck answered back sincerely, "Just doing our job, Sir."

Agent-in-Charge Kane grunted his thanks without much emotion.

Chuck was only going to sneak a glance at the blonde agent and turn around immediately, but she looked up at that exact moment and caught him red-handed when he did so. Brown connected with blue, something sparkled in both the agent and the pilot's hearts. This was the moment Chuck Bartowski and Sarah Walker met for the first time, and everything else faded away.

Arabian Gulf,
0840 (UTC+3),
March 20, 2003

Neither of them knew how long they have been staring at each other, and neither could pull their gaze away either. The moment they made eye contact, Chuck and Sarah were drawn to each other. The stare contest continued for God-knew how long, they were oblivious to everyone else on board; and everyone else on the chopper were oblivious to the instant connection established between the two, everyone else, well everyone except for the Senator and LT Nicola Granger.

The Senator decided to not interfere, and kept to himself. LT Granger couldn't do that, after all, Chuck still had control over the chopper. But since they were in the clear with nothing but sea for miles, LT Granger decided to observe her partner's expression for a while before she would speak up. This was the first time LT Granger saw LTJG Bartowski speechless, he was always babbling off about everything, she could tell from Chuck's expression that he was drawn to this blonde agent. LT Granger took a look at the blonde agent, and damn, Chuck sure knew how to pick them, for she was definitely pretty. And from her expression, LT Granger could tell the blonde was drawn to Chuck as well. Maybe there is still hope for Chuck yet. LT Granger thought this might just be her chance, her chance to help her partner to mend his broken heart. In her mind, LT Granger was already forming strategies in setting these two up, from the silence between those two, they clearly needed the help, LT Granger decided.

LT Granger was brought out of her musing when the radio came on again. "Blue Two to Einstein, Status report, over."

…

"Einstein, do you copy, over."

…

"Blue Two to Einstein, Radio check over."

Seeing Chuck wasn't going to answer, LT Granger decided it was about time to interrupt his moment with the blonde, she nudged him and called out, "Lieutenant! … Lieutenant! … CHUCK!"

"… Einstein, Radio check, over. … nant! … CHUCK!" The outside world finally faded in, and only then, had Chuck realised he had been staring at the female agent for God knew how long, he turned bright red and snapped his head back to the front, so fast it was surprising he didn't break anything. He was too embarrassed to look back again, and he could tell from the heat on his cheek how red he was, he stammered back into the mic, "Erm… This is Einstein. … say again, over?"

"Einstein, this is Blue Two, you ok up there? Your bird seemed wobbly for a while. Over."

"No problems here, I was just dazzled for a bit …" Chuck rattled his brain for some plausible explanation, but it seemed that his brain had shut down during that stare contest he had just participated with the blonde angel, and still had not finished rebooting yett. "By a glare, … Yeah, something caught my eye," Or someone, Chuck added to himself. He decided it was time to cut the babbling. "All's good up here now, see you back at Homebase, Einstein out."

Chuck turned to look at his co-pilot, and saw a smug smirk on LT Granger's face, she raised her eyebrow, and asked, dripping with sarcasm. "Something caught your eye, Lieutenant? You were definitely dazzled, that was for sure!"

Chuck was turning into a tomato, he was not going to dignify that with a response, he knew he would only dig a deeper hole for himself, so he just focused on flying the chopper the rest of the way, and trying, in vain, to not think about the beautiful, tall, blonde female agent with crazy knife skills sitting in his chopper.

But she was just so beautiful, especially her sapphire blue eyes, they were so bright Chuck couldn't help but be drawn and fall into them. She was clearly a strong woman, make that a very strong woman with ninja skills, and Chuck found that both extremely scary yet sexy at the same time. Chuck smiled at that thought, but his smile faltered when he realised, a woman like that couldn't possibly be interested in him, he didn't even know her name.

Unbeknownst to either of them, Sarah Walker, who was sitting at the back in the passenger cabin, was having similar thoughts about one Chuck Bartowski. Oh his eyes, after seeing him jumping into the line of fire twice to save someone else, Sarah was expecting to see the eyes of a battle-hardened warrior with a thousand-mile-stare, instead, she found herself facing a young man with the warmest eyes she had ever seen, shining with concern and sincerity. When his eyes found hers, she couldn't help but dive into his chocolate brown eyes. They were open and honest, she felt like she could see the bottom of his soul, and it didn't take her too long to realise the concern inside his eyes were gone, in place, there was awe; not the making her skin crawl kind of leering awe, but the way, every girl dreamt about being looked at awe. Sarah the girl felt self-conscious, she didn't know what she did to deserve to be looked at like that.

When the pilot finally turned back in embarrassment, Sarah almost smiled at how she could make the brave pilot blush, but she had, instantly, missed his eyes and the way those eyes were looking at her, she wished, and hoped he would look at her that way forever, but would he if he ever find out what she did when she was younger? How would he look at her then? Sarah thought sadly. Maybe if he never got to know her, she would always have this memory, and only this memory of how he was looking at her moments ago.

Just then, Sarah caught those words coming from the stammering pilot, "dazzled", "something caught my eye". Sarah realised he was referring to her, O God, he was so adorable when he babbled with embarrassment. Sarah didn't know how one person could do all the brave things she had seen him do in the past 20 minutes, and still able to babble incessantly like that from embarrassment, especially when that embarrassment came from being caught staring at a pretty girl, her. To Sarah, LTJG Chuck "Einstein" Bartowski was such an enigma, not getting to know him was no longer an option, she would just have to carefully not to reveal to him about anything that she didn't want him to know, she was a spy after all, how hard could it be?

A/N: So here it is, I don't plan on any major angst plots, but a number of little ones that Chuck and Sarah could work through within one or two chapters. Like I said, I didn't want to change any of their character history pre-9/11, hence the insecurities on both ends. As you can see, Sarah is less closed off than she is at the beginning of the show, this is because she hadn't gone through all those missions in the CIA yet. So hopefully now that she met Chuck earlier in her life, this time would be different.

Thank you Arya's prayers for pointing out a rather important mistake, it should be fixed now. :)