A/N: Thanks to mxpw for the beta, and to LinShoe85 for looking over my modifications and sharing her thoughts. All remaining mistakes are mine.

Disclaimer: I don't own a blue clock.

Chapter 1: Unexpected Encounter

Sarah Walker was early.

Pulling the door of O'Pogues open, she checked her phone one last time, even though she knew work hadn't called. Director Graham had given Bryce and her some rare time off, and she had to admit to being a little bored—Sarah didn't like to be idle. Bryce had left for Connecticut to visit his family, not bothering to tell her about it or ask what her plans were. That was who they were now: partners, not even good enough friends to tell each other their vacation plans.

Sarah looked around the bar. It felt like an odd choice, even for Zondra. Not their usual setting, but something more akin to a warm pub atmosphere, where regulars would meet with their friends for drinks. Sarah supposed that could apply to Zondra and her too; they were friends.

Zondra had called Sarah the day before, after getting back from a mission in Europe. Her former CAT Squad partner wanted to catch up before heading to somewhere in South America soon. Seeing as Sarah had nothing to do, she'd been more than happy to accept her friend's invitation.

Surprisingly, Zondra had already arrived, and she was chatting up some guy Sarah didn't know. Sarah had time to think that flirting was a more appropriate word than chatting, before Zondra caught sight of her and waved her over to the booth.

"Hey, you made it!" Zondra said, and gave Sarah a hug.

"Yeah," Sarah said, breaking the embrace. "Hi."

The man beside Zondra, who had stood up when Zondra did, extended his hand in greeting. "Hi," he said with an easy smile, "I'm Jason." Sarah wasn't used to agents acting this openly friendly; he must have been an analyst of some sort. It made more sense considering that, even though he was good-looking, he didn't seem as fit as a field agent.

Sarah shook his hand, firmly, but just enough not to make it too professional. She was out with friends; there was no need to be on her full guard. "Hi. Sarah."

"It's nice to meet you." Jason and Zondra sat back down, leaving Sarah to take a seat across from them. "I worked on your mission last year in Sri Lanka. That was impressive."

"Uh," Sarah said, a little startled. She'd been to Sri Lanka three times last year, so she didn't know which mission Jason was referring to. "Thank you."

"Jason works with the nerds at Langley," Zondra explained. He laughed, seemingly not minding the title. "You've worked on some of our missions back in the day too, right?"

Before Jason could answer, a waiter came to their table. "Are you ready to order?"

"Do you know what you want?" Zondra asked Sarah. "We were waiting for you to get our drinks."

"I'll just have a beer," Sarah told the waiter, "whatever lager you have on tap."

"Me too," Zondra said.

"Four beers, then," Jason said. Were they expecting someone else? "A friend is joining us." They were, apparently.

"Oh, here he is," Zondra said, and stood up again. "Hi!"

The new man gave Zondra a hug, before shaking Jason's hand. You could tell they were good friends from it. Then the other man turned to Sarah, who quickly realized she'd been idiotically watching them without moving.

She stood up, remembering herself. "Hi..." What should she call him?

"Chuck," he said, as though filling in the blank. "Hi." He extended her his hand, just like Jason had.

"Yes, I know. I'm just…" What was she doing? Sure, Sarah hadn't been expecting to see the man she was supposed to have a meeting with—possibly changing the course of her career—the following afternoon, but she was a CIA agent. She'd been surprised in the past, and she had reacted instantly every time it had happened. That was how she stayed alive.

"Surprised?" Chuck said, and gave her a smile. "I am too." He paused briefly, and his eyebrows raised a little. "It would really help me out, though, if you'd shake my hand, and save me the embarrassment."

"Of course," Sarah said, finally getting out of her weird moment of absence. His hand was a tad clammy, but she didn't mind. "I'm sorry. Hi, Chuck."

He hadn't seemed to be troubled by her reaction—or lack thereof—but she saw his face ease at the genuine smile she gave him. It was curious. She wouldn't have noticed that his grin had been forced, until it changed to something not necessarily bigger, but more natural—reaching his eyes in a way it hadn't before.

Zondra, who—Sarah only noticed now—looked amused, said, "We were ordering beers. That cool with you?"

"Yep," Chuck said. "Do you have some pretzels too?"

While Chuck exchanged with the waiter, Sarah took in his appearance. Unlike Jason, Zondra and her, who were dressed casually, Chuck was wearing a suit. He had his jacket in hand, and the same pair of sneakers she had seen him in when they had run into each other in Los Angeles the previous month. His tie was loosened, the first button of his shirt was undone, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows; he was obviously looking for some relaxation after a day of work. She supposed he had been working at a desk all day, even if she had no idea what his job consisted of. Sarah also noticed that, once again, he filled in his suit quite well, but she waved the thought away. He might become her boss soon.

"Phew!" Chuck said, "I'm sorry to be late." He placed his jacket cautiously on the top of the bench after folding it. "Director Graham was being, um, well, that's not important." He added the last part with a dismissive move of his hand, and took a seat next to Sarah. "Anyway, how are you guys?"

"Same old, same old," Jason said. "Nothing as exciting as what you do. Which, remind me, is…?"

Chuck laughed. "Nice try," he said. "Come on, don't tell me you want to talk about work?"

"Oh well," Jason said. "I'll find out why you left us for this Division of yours one day."

Chuck turned to Sarah. "Jason and I used to work together at Langley, before I moved back to L.A."

Chuck was always one to include you in a conversation. Sarah had discovered that early on, when she'd first met him at a party in a bar that had a gigantic blue clock on the wall—she couldn't recall its name. Chuck had been funny and very approachable, even if only for the brief moment they had talked together. Zondra had introduced them back then as well.

"Is that how you three met?" Sarah asked.

"I introduced them." Chuck tilted his head a bit to get closer to her ear, although he kept a reasonable distance between them. "Probably not my brightest idea," he joked.

"Haha," Zondra said. "You're one to—" she stopped herself, to let the waiter serve them their beverages.

Sarah's curiosity was piqued, and she waited for Zondra to resume her sentence, but Chuck spoke first. "Oh, was it at that weird place, with the huge blue clock next to the stage?" he asked.

"The Blue Clock?" Jason said.

"Is that what the bar's called?" Chuck asked.

"Yes," Zondra said, laughing.

"Oh well." Chuck let out a chuckle. "That makes more sense, then." He lifted his beer across the table. "To what? Time off?"

"Sounds good," Zondra said.

They all took a sip after the toast, and the conversation went on. "Anyway, the Blue Clock, that's where Sarah and I met too. Man, that place had the best parties!"

"That was a good one," Zondra said. "I think it's after this party that Jill decided to put me on her to-avoid list."

Chuck glanced once at Zondra, with a meaning that escaped Sarah, but she assumed that Jill had been Chuck's girlfriend at the time. Sarah remembered her as a pretty brunette, and a little nerdy. Chuck and Jill had made a good-looking couple. "I think the Russian guys that Carina had brought with her were too much for Jill," Chuck said. "Those guys could drink," he added to Jason.

"They were marks," Zondra said. "We arrested them that night."

"I arrested them," Sarah corrected. "You were wasted."

"Oh come on! We helped—especially with the vodka part. It was a team effort."

"I wish I had stayed and seen it," Chuck said. "I would have been a star at the department."

"Yep!" Jason said.

"What?" Sarah asked. "Why?"

"Four young, beautiful, and deadly agents fighting crime together?" Chuck said. "The CAT Squad was famous on our floor."

"At least with people who had worked on your cases," Jason said. "We don't gossip."

"Nobody would have believed we knew each other, anyway," Chuck said. "Oh, once Carina stopped by, do you remember?"

Jason shook his head. "I probably didn't know her at the time."

"Was she lost?" Zondra said with a snerk.

"She needed something, um…" Chuck stopped, and narrowed his eyes.

"Let me guess," Jason said. "You can't say."

"Yeah, I can't, but I remember the guys' reactions!" Chuck laughed. "Actually, scratch that! I remember the girls' reactions too!"

"It's not somewhere you want to go," Zondra told Sarah. "I went there to see Jason once; that was enough."

"Probably for the best," Chuck said. "The floor can only take so much drool."

Zondra laughed, before asking, "How come you weren't there when we," she paused and smiled at Sarah, "or Sarah, arrested the Russians?"

"I left early," Chuck said, with another glance.

"Oh. Right."

"Wait a minute," Jason said. "Did you see her?" There was pause. "Chuck?"

Chuck's beer seemed very interesting to him all of a sudden, for he stayed fixated on it. "We ran into each other yesterday," he replied.

Zondra stood up abruptly and said, "I have to go to the bathroom. Sarah?"

Chuck smiled, albeit a little sadly, and he shook his head, before standing up to let Sarah pass. He waited. Sarah took the hint, although her curiosity had been piqued once again. She slid out of the booth, having the time to think that Chuck smelled very good, even after a day of work, and walked with Zondra to the bathroom.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Zondra spoke, "What was the whole 'I'm surprised thing' about?"

"What? Oh, uh, I'm supposed to meet with Chuck tomorrow about his division."

"Oh." Zondra opened the bathroom door, and turned to Sarah inside, eyeing her. "Did you interview?"

The interview process had been kept under highly classified clearance. Sarah didn't even know how Bryce had found out, but she was pretty sure Zondra had worked for the Division at some point. "Yes?" she said. "What do you know about them?"

"I can't say anything," Zondra said. "I didn't know, though, about your meeting. Chuck doesn't usually take care of that stuff." A pensive look appeared on her face as she turned towards the mirror. "I think. What about Bryce?"

"We broke up."

"I know, but you never said why. And now you're moving to L.A.?"

"I'm not moving to L.A. At least not yet." Sarah hadn't officially been offered the job. For all she knew, Chuck would be telling her the next day that the Division didn't think she was the right fit for them.

"Please," Zondra said, "like they'd pass up on Sarah Walker!" She paused. "You're not moving because of Bryce, right?"

"No. We're over; that's it. And I'm not moving." Sarah motioned at the stalls. "You're not going?"

"Oh, no," Zondra said, as if it was obvious. "I was just giving the boys a moment to talk about their lady feelings." She spun back to face Sarah. "You should ask Chuck out."

"What?"

"I saw you checking him out."

"I did not," Sarah said.

Zondra lifted an eyebrow. "Well, you did a really good imitation of it."

"I was just curious, that's all."

"About how well his suit fit him?"

Sarah fought off the blush—she hoped Chuck hadn't noticed what Zondra had—and deflected. "What does he do exactly for the Division?"

"I can't speak of it," Zondra said.

The mystery around the Division was a little disconcerting. Sarah didn't even know its official name, and she'd been to one of their offices the previous month; everybody just called it "the Division." And Zondra had never seemed so tight about confidentiality before, not with Sarah anyway. "Do you even know?"

"Some," was all Zondra said.

They went back to the booth after a few minutes, and Sarah found herself enjoying the company. She didn't have a lot to say, aside from reacting to Jason and Chuck's stories, or the latest incredible mission Zondra had been on. Sarah didn't really like to share about her work. But she'd laughed more in one night than she had the last couple of months.

Bryce hadn't taken well the fact that she had considered transferring to a secret governmental division in L.A. When he had asked what it would mean for them, Sarah had honestly not known what to tell him. Until she had asked him what he would do if a similar professional opportunity was offered to him. It had been clear then, that he would take the job—without hesitation. So, they had both realized that they should end things now, and break up. They had had fun. Sarah had cared for Bryce a lot. But after this, whether she stayed in D.C. or transferred, it wouldn't be the same between them. Now, she had interviewed for the job in L.A. and was waiting for an answer. Sarah and Bryce had been nothing but professional since.

Zondra's phone eventually rang. It was likely work, and Sarah envied her for a minute.

"I'm sorry," Zondra said. "The CNI found something regarding my next target." CNI? Sarah wondered what kind of interesting mission Zondra was getting in South America, for the Spanish intelligence agency to be cooperating on it as well. "I have to go."

"Do you need a ride?" Jason asked.

"If you don't mind."

"It's no problem," Jason said. "Chuck, call me next time you're in town?"

"Will do," Chuck replied, while everybody stood up to say their goodbyes. "I'm still waiting on that visit to L.A. you promised me, by the way."

"Would it include a tour of your Division?" Jason asked.

"No," Chuck laughed.

"Dang!"

They all exchanged a few words and hugs, before Sarah was left with Chuck. He didn't seem fazed by it, and took the bench left vacated by their friends.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he said. "Zondra didn't tell me you'd be here. I would have warned you, or advanced our meeting or something."

"That's okay." Sarah sat back. She didn't have anywhere to be, and Chuck's company wasn't the worst. Besides, she might get to know more about her maybe future job. "I was just, um, since the Division is so…secretive." Chuck smiled at the word. "I have no idea what the chain of command is like."

Chuck frowned a bit at that. "Oh. Oh! Right," he said. "They didn't tell you anything about our meeting?"

"No."

"Okay, just give me a sec." He dug out his phone from his pants pocket. After pulling on something on the phone case, like an aerial, he ran his fingers over the screen, before placing the phone on the table between them. "So this can't be recorded," he said. "First off, I don't normally take part in the recruiting process, and I don't work for Agent Cooper's department, so you don't have to worry about chain of command with me."

"Why did they send you, then?" Sarah said. "I'm sorry, that came out wrong."

Chuck just smiled. "I was already coming to D.C. for the Division, and since we'd met before, they thought I could conduct the meeting."

"They?"

"Frost and Orion."

"Oh." Frost and Orion were well known within the intelligence community. They were running Chuck's division, although nobody seemed to know what it was they were doing. They obtained results, however—it was rumored, but never confirmed, that they were the ones who had stopped Fulcrum and the Ring. "They knew that we'd met each other?"

"I told them," Chuck said, "when I learned they were recruiting you."

"If you don't take part in recruitment, why were Frost and Orion telling you about me?"

Chuck hesitated for a brief instant, and stopped chewing on a pretzel. "It just came up at dinner." Sarah frowned. "It was after the decision to recruit you was made, it didn't weight on it."

This was a strange conversation. From what Chuck was telling her, Sarah felt safe in assuming she was in. The governmental division that was hiring her was as secret as Area 51. Yet, Chuck was very relaxed about it all. Charles Carmichael might talk like a nerd, and half the time Sarah didn't understand his references, but he also had just left a meeting with the Director of the CIA, and seemed to consider that having dinner with Frost and Orion was no big deal. He was also very much in shape, for a so-called nerd. Sarah had noticed because Chuck was sort of a cutie in her opinion, but maybe it was professionally relevant.

"So, you know them well?" Sarah asked. "Your bosses?"

"I do, yes."

"But, you won't tell me anything about it?"

He smiled again. "I can't. I'm sorry…"

Sarah didn't hear what Chuck said next as a man passed their table, walking back from the bathrooms. He had a gun stuck in the waistband of his pants, Sarah saw, and two large men seemed to be following him around.

"Sarah?" Chuck asked.

"Yes, sorry," she said.

"What is—"

Sarah didn't know why Chuck had stopped mid-question, but when she turned back to face him, after discreetly checking the three men's position within the bar, she saw that his expression had changed. His eyes were a tad wide, and he swallowed harshly, making his Adam's apple bob.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Um, yes," Chuck said. "But uh, three booths from ours, behind you, there's—"

"Three armed men, I know."