Guide: The following scene takes place between the third and fourth sections of Rogue Spy's sixth chapter.

Rogue Spy: the True Story

Or What's Really Going On With Sarah Walker

Bamboo Dragon's Parking Lot, Los Angeles

December 2, 2009

"Hello."

"Hi," Sarah said over the phone. "It's me," she said, like she used to do, before remembering herself. "Sarah."

There was a pause on the other end of the line and Sarah wondered if it had been a mistake to call.

"Hi," Zondra replied. Her tone wasn't indicative of anything. Was she mad? Indifferent? Glad that Sarah was calling?

"I learned about Amy," Sarah said next, as if it explained everything.

That seemed to surprise her ex…partner. "You only just got back from your undercover op?"

What? Undercover op? Oh, Beckman's cover story, Sarah recalled. Zondra had apparently been told the same thing that Chuck had.

"How do you know?" she asked.

"I tried to call you in September," Zondra said. "After Amy got arrested."

"You called?"

Just like Sarah had felt the need to, now that she knew the truth about whom the CAT Squad mole was, Zondra had called as well. Sarah felt a wave of heat warm her heart. She unzipped her stupid, really far too concealing jacket.

One of the annoying consequences of being on the run: more clothes. Sarah was wearing a lot more of them these days than she had ever been used to, or liked, because the constant fatigue made her cold.

"I did," Zondra said. "Your mission was pretty well protected, though—high clearance and all. Carina told me you were in deep."

Carina told her. Sarah gritted her teeth. She was still pissed at Carina.

When Sarah had heard Chuck's voicemail explaining his flash on James Keller and his suspicions about Casey regarding the Ring, she had left without an explanation. There had been tears, pleading, Carina even tried the angry sex card, but Sarah hadn't been in the mood—which was really significant in itself because, let's face it, she rarely wasn't in the mood with Carina. Sarah had said she would call when she calmed down, and left.

"It's complicated," Sarah said. It was a non-committal answer: no real lies, no real truths either—Sarah had mastered this. She changed the subject. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too," Zondra replied. "I should have never jumped to conclusions."

"Me neither. It cost us a lot of years," Sarah said, somewhat glumly.

"Yeah… We could try to make up for it," Zondra said in what sounded like a hopeful tone. It made Sarah smile. "We were good friends."

Sarah wasn't sure she'd have called it being "good friends," but whatever. "Yeah, I miss that," she said.

"Where are you now?" Zondra asked.

"I can't..." Sarah looked at the entrance to the Bamboo Dragon through the windshield. Chuck was inside, getting them dinner. He had insisted that they stop there, before going to stake out Casey outside of Castle. Sarah knew it was because he had remembered the comment about sizzling shrimp she had made in Seattle. He was so adorable, and caring. "I can't really say."

"Why not? You working?"

"Sort of, yeah." Spending time with Chuck wasn't exactly work. She didn't have a job anymore. She was here for Casey, though. So "sort of" kind of matched. A little. Not really.

"Well, I'm in Cali. The weather's nice, but Los Angeles has all the cultural panache of a porta-potty."

Sarah laughed. "That sounds like something Carina would say," she said, before realizing it. She felt her lips lower at the thought of Carina.

"She said you had worked around here for some time. Yawning assignment, that's all I could make out of what she said. Anything good to do?"

Sarah could think of a few things to do in L.A., indeed. Come to think of it, they weren't necessarily characteristic of L.A. It wasn't a really good idea to think about those things at this time, however.

There was still this Casey/Ring thing to sort out. Plus, she was with Chuck.

A little voice, deep inside her mind, was telling her something else, though: Sarah needed to know. Zondra was in L.A. Would Sarah get an opportunity like this one again?

Fraught with indecision, she sighed. If she and Chuck cleared up what was going on with Casey quickly, Sarah might be able to see Zondra—find out what she needed to know, and head back on the road again. Simple. It wouldn't hurt Chuck, either.

"Actually, yeah," Sarah said. "I might be able to help with that."