I still don't own Chuck. I'm not sure who does at this point.

There is one thing that I've always wondered about. Given the relationships that Chuck had with Ellie and Morgan, they must have met Jill, right? The show never really told us. But I mean how could Chuck get so serious with a girl without getting the thumbs up from Ellie and Morgan? I'm thinking that they both must have known her fairly well. So it might be a little fun for Ellie to get a chance to face Jill mono y mono one last time. I wonder what she'll say. Sarah might kick Jill's ass. But I think Ellie could inflict just as much pain, in an emotional sense…

By the way, who has seen Intelligence? I haven't seen it, but the previews look like a blatant rip off of Chuck. On the one hand, it looks like it is going to be more serious, which is something that I often wished Chuck would have been. On the other, there is no Sarah Walker. So I can't get all that excited about it. And I have zero appetite for getting invested in another TV version of WT/WT where the first rule is that they can't ever get together. If it is going to be that, a big no thanks. Maybe I'll wait until the first season is complete and see then.

If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. It only takes a second – and it really, really makes a difference. That's probably more important than ever now that the series has ended. If you want to keep the Chuck fandom alive and continue to read about these characters, you really need to think about rewarding the people whose hard work make that possible.

The Trap

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck watched the clock ticking off the seconds. If it reached 10:00, this would all be over. And the funny thing is that he really wasn't sure which outcome he was hoping for.

On the one hand, it would be nice for this bit of drama to be over. Chuck had a real life to get on with. He knew that he was on the very verge of getting a lifetime commitment from the most beautiful woman in the world, the unquestioned love of his life. Yes, there was still some work to do. But he knew deep down that it would work out. Sarah had made that much plain. And at least now she had committed to having an honest, open talk. That alone would be difficult for her, something where she would have to force herself. So it would probably be best to seize this opportunity while it was still available.

Okay, so it would be an uncomfortable discussion. They both had made a series of serious, mind numbingly stupid mistakes… mistakes that would have doomed most relationships. There wasn't really any way to soften that. But the truth was that he actually felt good about it. Surely he never wanted to feel like he had hurt her. But if anything, those trials had made them stronger. They loved each other. And even that was understatement. They honestly loved each other with an intensity that he never though would even be possible… her maybe even more than him. That had to make you feel great, right?

There was a big 'but' in those thoughts however. Because on the other hand, both he and Sarah were agents. They had taken oaths to protect the greater good. And while that was important to Chuck, it was very, very, very important to Sarah. Hopefully it was maybe no longer the first priority in her life. But it was, and probably always would be, high on her list. Chuck knew that he had no valid complaint about that. For one thing, he was incredibly proud of her, always had been. But more important from a relationship point of view, that was Sarah when he met her. He knew from day one what he was getting. She made no effort to hide the fact that she was willing to make huge personal sacrifices for something larger, at that sometimes their short term happiness would have to be part of that sacrifice.

And what he was doing was important. That much was obvious. Whatever Jill's plot was, it was big. The fact that she knew that The Intersect had once been able to take away years of memories was a big deal. Ellie said that only her and Dad knew about that. Whoever this big money man was, he clearly had plans to trick him, or more importantly his Intersect, into working for him. Jill's part in this was obvious. She was going to use sex to control him. And the sad part was that Chuck had to admit something to himself. Ten years ago that would have worked like a charm.

Making Sarah watch Jill trying to control him would be unpleasant to say the least… especially since he would almost assuredly have to play along a little to keep her from getting suspicious. That alone would have normally been a show stopper except for one small fact.

Sarah was in danger.

Jill was a threat to her, had already tried to kill her once. And if it was just Jill that threat could be easily dealt with. But it plainly wasn't just Jill. Who knew who else was a part of this, how big the plot truly was, and what they really wanted? Jill said that Big-Money-Man wanted a chance to rehabilitate Sarah. Chuck wasn't sure what 'rehabilitate' meant in that context but he definitely didn't like the sound of it. If they ended the mission now, would they just be putting off the real threat? Until sometime down the road when they wouldn't see it coming?

Fortunately, he had a few minutes by himself to think. Jill had actually gotten dressed and left. She mumbled something about checking out the security situation outside and she would be back soon. But she was very clear when she insisted that he not leave the room for any reason up to and including it being on fire.

Chuck was dying to take advantage of being alone and pick up the phone to call Sarah. But he was enough of a spy to realize that would be really stupid. Their one advantage was that whoever was behind this thought that they had actually taken away his memories. He was almost assuredly being monitored in some way. To blow that advantage to whoever might be listening could be fatal. Besides, one way or the other, he was going to see Sarah in a few minutes anyway. So that meant one thing.

Watch the seconds tick off the clock.

x-x-x-x-x

As soon as Clyde Berkshire opened the door Jill threw herself at him. "He sent two emails," he said as soon as his mouth was available for speaking.

"Wow," Jill said with a healthy dose of sarcasm. "It's nice to see you too."

"I'm sorry," Berkshire said. "But you were right. We're too close to having it all to blow it now. Mr. Volkoff doesn't accept disappointment well. And we currently have issues. We need to concentrate. The first email to his sister was innocent. It was a 'don't worry' sort of thing. The second email was to his friend, Morgan Grimes. It was encrypted. What do you think that means?"

Jill started laughing. "It means that they're pathetic nerds," she said. "They play this game all the time. Don't worry. Have you ever met Morgan?"

"Of course not."

"Trust me," Jill said. "He's about as smart as a box of rocks… and just about as useful. For the life of me, I could never understand how Chuck could be friends with someone so pathetic. We used to fight about him all the time. We could tell him our entire plan. Unless we wrote it out in crayon or put it inside a video game he wouldn't understand a word of it. Even if Chuck did suspect anything, Morgan is the last person he would go to. On the other hand, that Walker is going to be a problem. We're going to have to deal with her."

"She's not our only problem," Berkshire said. "Agent Casey escaped somehow. Agent Walker captured one of our men. That means that they probably know about the memories. The hotel was just raided with about a thousand CIA Agents. We barely made it out in time. We have to get Bartowski out of the country before they figure this out. Didn't you hear me about the need to concentrate? Why in the world would you be taking off your shirt at a time like this?"

"Hey," Jill snorted as she continued. "Don't tell me that you're going to be the second man to turn me down today. I'll get a complex."

"Bartowski turned you down?" Berkshire asked in surprise. "I thought you said this would be easy. Is it something we should be worried about?"

That got Jill laughing. "You really need to make up your mind here," she said playfully as she slid down her slacks. "Just a few short hours ago, you didn't want me screwing him." Then she got more serious. "He's a little nervous," she said thoughtfully. "You really can't blame him. Too much is going on. He's scared. Don't worry. I can seal the deal with him anytime I want. I haven't even pulled the magic weapon out of my holster yet. But I'm really not looking forward to it."

"Why not?" Berkshire asked with a healthy dose of sarcasm. "You were sure looking forward to it earlier. You said I was orally challenged."

That got Jill laughing again. "You really are looking for a sappy love scene, aren't you?" she asked. "Okay. You win. I love you. I miss you. I'm very sorry that I teased you. I didn't press things with Chuck earlier because I knew that I was going to be here in a few minutes. I'm even going to give you an opportunity right now to prove me wrong about your challenges. Did that help… maybe a little?"

That finally got a smile. "A little," he said.

"Good," Jill said with her hands on her, newly naked, hips. "But that's not the only reason. There's something different about him from ten years ago. I can't explain it. It's like I don't know him. He's changed somehow. I can't believe that I was ever so serious with… with that… nerd."

"We've talked about this," Berkshire said. "I told you this wouldn't be as easy as you were claiming. The human brain is incredibly complex. We don't understand ten percent of it yet. He's grown over the past ten years. So have you. Yes, we've taken away his memories of those years. But we can't take away his personality or his inner feelings."

"So," Jill said thoughtfully. "You think that he's still so totally puppy dog in love with her? They clearly had something special. That's kinda sweet."

"You're not getting soft for him, are you?" Berkshire demanded. Then he responded to her immediate look of pure distain. "I didn't think so," he replied. "Just making sure. It's hard to say. He can't be in love with her in the way that you're saying. He can't remember ever meeting her. In his head he thinks that he's in love with you. But if he ever sees her again there are bound to be feelings quickly emerging. He'd be pretty confused. The thing is, we need him controlled. I'm afraid that sex is our best weapon. Too bad we can't find some other way."

Suddenly out of the blue the epiphany hit and Jill stumbled for the secure cell phone that Volkoff had provided. "Maybe there is another way," she said excitedly as she dialed. "One where we let someone else do our dirty work. We'll let his confused feelings control him." Jill held up a single finger to stop Clyde's protest. "Hello, Agent Walker," she said.

"This is Jill Roberts."

x-x-x-x-x

There was probably only one way to get Sarah to take a nap in this situation. She was pretty much in her normal, on edge spy mode. Except that this was about ten times worse. Her spy alarms were ringing off the hook. Especially given that Chuck was in harm's way. She was going to have to protect him against… well, who knew from who or what? That is exactly what they were trying to find out. In that situation, Sarah knew she needed to ready for anything. To do that, she needed to be on top of her game. So when Ellie not so gently suggested that maybe she get an hour or so of rest in, Sarah had no choice but to agree. And once she decided that Chuck needed her to be rested, she fell asleep almost immediately.

When Sarah woke there was an odd sound coming from the living room. When she opened the door, she smiled at the sight. Casey and Ellie had pushed all of the furniture out of the way and they were sparring in the open area. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Casey's teaching me how to fight," Ellie panted, clearly not used to this vigorous physical activity. "I want to be bad-ass… like you."

"For the millionth time," Casey corrected with a growl. "I'm not teaching you how to fight. That would take years. I'm just showing you some defensive moves. Don't get cocky just because you can block my half speed punches."

"He's right about that," Sarah said as her smile turned into teasing grin. "Please don't try and fight anybody. It wouldn't go well." Then she turned to Casey with narrowed eyes. "Why in the world would you agree to this?"

"Hey," Casey sighed in resignation. "Have you ever tried to tell her no? About anything?"

Sarah flashed her smile. "I understand completely," she said. "I have tried. She's a force of nature, isn't she?"

"You're really not going to leave me here alone with her?" Casey asked. Well, it was more like pleaded.

That got both ladies laughing. "I'm afraid so," Sarah said. "Stay on your toes. You just may survive." Then she got more serious. "Can I talk to my best friend for a minute? In private?"

As soon as the bedroom door was closed, Sarah wasted no time getting to the point. "Tell me about Jill," she sighed. "All I know is the agent part. He clearly loved her. How much of that do I have to worry about?"

That got Ellie laughing. "Really?" she asked. "Jealous? You do realize that this particular shade of green really isn't a good color for you." Ellie openly enjoyed her teasing for a long moment then finally stopped laughing. "I never liked her," she sighed. "Almost from the start. I'm not sure why. It was just a feeling. I honestly made a real effort with her because she was the first girl that Chuck was really serious about. But it was plain that she wasn't ever comfortable being with us. Whenever Chuck brought her home, she obviously was counting the seconds before she could get him back to Stanford. And after she broke his heart, my tepid dislike turned into a fairly raging hatred. I wouldn't mind having a little chat with her." Ellie's smile reappeared. "She made zero effort to hide the fact that she despised Morgan. That was one good thing about her."

"He loved her," Sarah protested.

"I have two words for you," Ellie replied, still clearly teasing. "Bryce Larkin. Didn't you think you were in love with him once? Does Chuck have anything to worry about?"

Ellie didn't wait for a response. The red that was already up Sarah's neck was the answer she was looking for. "I've had this same conversation with Chuck about a million times," she said with a grin. "Neither of you has any basis whatsoever to be jealous. Yet you both are. It's kinda sweet. Sweetie, you have problems… big problems. There is no sense in denying that. But Chuck looking at another woman isn't one of them."

Sarah looked at the grin on her best friend's face for a long moment. Finally she was forced to allow the smile to take hold. She nodded gratefully. "I guess not," she said.

"Of course not," Ellie said. "So you're leaving me alone with Casey. Do I have something to worry about? I have no interest in him making a pass at me."

Now it was Sarah's turn to show the teasing grin. "You're always saying that you want to learn about a spy using sex," she said. "Casey might not be the ideal teacher in this situation. But he does have the right equipment. He probably does need to get laid. And you are going to have some time on your hands."

Sarah responded to Ellie's distressed look. "I'm just teasing you," she quickly said. "Casey is a man of honor. That's who he is. He likes Devon, considers him a friend. That makes you totally off limits to him. You couldn't seduce him if you tried. You'll never have to worry about being alone with him. He would gladly lay down his life to protect you. That's the only reason I'm comfortable leaving."

The two ladies where just out of the bedroom when Sarah's phone rang. Casey and Ellie listened to the one side of the conversation impatiently. "Well?" they asked as one as soon as the call ended.

"That was my new friend, Jill Roberts," Sarah said sarcastically with a half smile. "She obviously knows how much I care for him. They have done their homework. She wants me to surrender. She told me that if I don't surrender, I'll never see him again. She says that if I cooperate, maybe it will work out that we can share him."

Casey and Ellie roared in laughter.

"She must not know that you don't share all that well," Ellie said when she could stop laughing.

"This is a trap," Casey warned. "They know you're hot on their trail. She's trying to neutralize you. Maybe you should think about not going. We can grab them."

"Come on," Sarah replied calmly. "Be a spy. If we grab them, we'll never know what they really have planned. Besides, we have all the advantage. We know exactly where they are. We have Chuck just itching to let Intersect 2.0 out to play. We have surprise. You're right. It's a trap."

"But we're the trappers."

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