A Common Spy Problem

A/N: Please note that though this takes place in season 2, I've messed with timelines (again) to make the story work – no disrespect to Thanksgiving intended, but I dropped that detail. I owe a big thank you to Nervert for the beta, he worked hard on this one.

I don't own Chuck, but I do believe they're gonna get a season 5, even if my power of positive thinking is defective today. Australia lost.

Chapter 3

After a quick shower, Sarah headed upstairs to close the yogurt shop. She locked the door and checked the clock against the wall. Chuck would be going on his date with Jill in two hours. Pushing the thought aside, she grabbed a rag and started to wipe down the counter. Once she could see her own reflection, she glanced at the clock again. Only ten minutes had passed. She knew, in order to keep from going crazy, she needed to keep busy. Sarah sighed. One course of action remained. Catching up on paperwork.

She went downstairs, hopped onto the desk, foregoing a chair, and opened the closest file. After reading the first paragraph for the third time, she decided to give it up. She was about to toss the file aside when Chuck suddenly appeared. He looked a little worse for wear.

"What? What is it?" She remained where she was, scared she might do something stupid in full view of the surveillance.

"Sarah, I need your help. How am I going to survive tonight?" She couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Chuck had no training when it came to this type of mission, any type of mission really, and to make it worse he had a complicated history with the mark. And the last thing he needed was to worry about her own feelings and insecurities. Sarah knew what she had to do. Be Agent Walker, walk him through this and then stand back and trust him.

"Well, a good spy knows what your mark wants." And Sarah had her number. "What do we know about Jill? She's a spy, she wants you to be under her spell."

"Okay, how do I do that?"

"She's gonna test you. When the time is right, she's gonna make certain that she has you," Sarah forced the words out, "that you love her." Chuck didn't look too taken with the idea, which caused her to breathe a little easier. She repeated the mantra in her head that she trusted him, that he was going to see Jill for what she was and not get caught up in the moment and believe it was real.

"How's she gonna do that?"

"When you're most exposed, emotionally exposed, like, uh, an intimate moment, say a kiss." Sarah got up from the desk when Chuck moved closer. "Okay, imagine that I am Jill, the moment is romantic, she's close to you, she's looking into your eyes..." Sarah drifted off as Chuck's gaze caught hers. If he looked at Jill that way…

"Got it. Okay, I got that," Chuck interrupted and she pulled herself together. "I'm trying not to be distracted by the oh so romantic secret base."

Sarah grabbed the remote and dimmed the lights. It wasn't exactly romantic, but that was probably a good thing.

"Concentrate. Look into my eyes." Sensing Chuck's next move, she preempted him. "Don't look up. If you can't hold Jill's stare, look at her lips." Chuck's eyes dropped down to her lips. Sarah remembered what followed the last time he did that. This was not the time or place though. "Good," she responded, keeping them both focused. "Now move her hair back over her ear. When you start to kiss, focus again on her, and just before your lips are about to meet, close your eyes…"

The combination of his fingers gently stroking her ear and his breath mingling with hers was mesmerizing, but remembering where they were, Sarah pulled back slightly. She wasn't fast enough and Chuck's lips brushed over hers. When she leaned closer instead of moving back like Chuck expected, the kiss intensified. He lifted her back onto the desk, but when she made contact with the hard surface, rational thought returned and Sarah broke off the kiss. Still panting, they just stared at each other for a moment. Sarah broke the silence. "If you kiss her like that, I will hurt you."

Chuck gave her a lopsided smile. He was about to retort when a voice behind her caused him to jump backwards.

"I see the seduction training is going well."

Sarah's heart jumped into her throat and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to think of a reasonable excuse, explanation, anything, but suddenly her mind went blank. To make matters worse, Chuck started rambling.

"General, hi. Didn't see you there. We were just…"

Sarah scrambled off the desk, turning at the same time, interrupting Chuck before he got them into even more trouble, if that was possible. "I was just going over what was expected of Chuck for tonight's mission, ma'am." She clasped her hands behind her back and stood a little straighter, hoping she looked more confident than she felt at the moment. General Beckman didn't respond. She didn't have to. The raised eyebrow said it all.

"So I take it you're all set for tonight, Mr. Bartowski?" The tone of her voice gave nothing away. Chuck nodded solemnly. "Very well. I assume you're not going in your…uniform, so you're excused to go prepare for the mission." Sarah could feel Chuck's eyes on her, but when she didn't turn to acknowledge him, hoping he'd understand why, she heard him make his way up the stairs.

"Agent Walker," General Beckman continued once Chuck had closed the door behind him, "I want Major Casey to take point on this one." Sarah wanted to protest, but she knew that would not help her situation at all. She only wished she knew exactly when the General had come online and how much she saw.

"Yes, General. Is there anything else?"

General Beckman sat back in her chair and took her glasses off. "Agent Walker, I know you are aware of agency protocol and the consequences of breaking the rules." Sarah stomach dropped. She had been working so hard to come up with a way to be with Chuck without getting caught, she hadn't thought about what to do should that happen. Not trusting her voice, she simply nodded.

"So now I have to ask, have you compromised yourself and the asset?"

Sarah knew she was in a corner. She could lie, and if the General believed her, she'd have a little more time with Chuck, but once she got caught out, it would not bode well for her career. Or she could tell the truth, plead her case and hope for the best. Her superiors had made unconventional decisions before as far as this assignment was concerned. If they hadn't, Chuck would have been thrown in a bunker a long time ago. So she decided to man up.

"Yes, General." Beckman was clearly shocked by her honesty. "If by compromised you mean whether I have feelings for Chuck, then I can safely say I have been compromised from day one. If you meant whether we…"

"That's quite enough, Agent Walker," Beckman interrupted. "I will take this matter under advisement and inform you of my decision in due course. In the meantime, please inform Major Casey of his role in this mission and report back to me as soon as you've accomplished your goal." With that the screen went blank.

Casey appeared from the back, adding another file to the growing stack on the table. "Well that's just peachy. Now I have to break in a new partner."

"She hadn't reassigned me." Deep down Sarah knew that it was probably inevitable, but she never gave up without a fight. She'd fight for Chuck with everything she had.

"Yet." Casey made his way over to the armory, but she didn't miss him mumble "I hope they send me a lesbian this time."

Casey and Sarah were on their way back after apprehending Jill's Fulcrum Handler, Leader when she began to wonder if it had been wise to leave Chuck alone with Jill in Castle. Sarah had warned him not to trust her, despite the fact that she saved his life earlier at the fair. But Chuck had always been too trusting.

Sarah knew something was wrong the moment she saw Chuck's face. Jill had tricked him into letting her go. At gunpoint, she forced Casey to uncuff Leader and then locked her and Casey in one of their own cells; Chuck was detained in the opposite one. Sarah had no way to protect him but Chuck had an ace up his sleeve; he managed to disable Castle's systems. The victory was short-lived, however, as Leader found Chuck's weakness: Her. Sarah's eyes darted from the bomb Leader had planted on their cell door to Chuck. She knew what he would do. Sarah pleaded with Chuck not to, but he never could stay in the car or, in this case, his cell, when her life was threatened. She watched helplessly as he was being led away and made a desperate attempt at saving him.

"Jill!"

But when Jill turned, Sarah saw that all too familiar look. The woman was dedicated to her cause; everything else had been a lie. Asking her to help would be pointless. "If you hurt him, I swear…" Jill cut her off with a scoff and Sarah promised herself that it would not be an empty threat.

Sarah had eventually calmed down enough to sit down, but her mind was working a mile a minute. There had to be a way out, a way to save Chuck. A beep from the access panel drew her attention immediately. Chuck had unlocked their cell too. She and Casey pried the door open, eager to get to the BuyMore where Chuck had led the Fulcrum agents.

Casey went after Leader, she wanted Jill. With her gun drawn, Sarah carefully navigated the corridors, secretly hoping Jill would give her a reason to shoot first and ask questions later. She did a quick scan of the break room, but it was empty, as was the cage. She got the sinking feeling that Jill had escaped. What worried her more was that she had no idea where Chuck was. What if Jill had him? Would she go so far as to kill him this time? Sarah pushed through the door to the loading docks and almost dropped to her knees in relief when she saw Chuck standing next to his NerdHerder, his eyes fixed on the person inside.

"You should know I wanted to help you. I was gonna let you get away. But then you were about to kill Sarah. It made the decision for me. You're under arrest Jill. And I'm breaking up with you."

Sarah lowered her weapon to her side as she watched Chuck walk away. Then the meaning of his words finally sunk in. In the past few days Chuck had forgiven Jill many things, sided with her when Sarah didn't want him to and trusted her when he really shouldn't have, but in end, when it really mattered, he proved his choice.

With the mission finally over, Sarah and Chuck strolled through the courtyard. Casey was back at Castle, finishing up the paperwork. Sarah sank down on the edge of the fountain, patting the spot next to her. Chuck sat down, careful not to touch her. She could only imagine what he was thinking.

"You did good today, Chuck."

"Yeah, I guess so." Sarah raised an eyebrow. "It's just…I can't believe Jill would turn on her country like that. I thought I knew her. I trusted her. Maybe I'm just too trusting. Ever since I was a kid I really wanted to believe what everybody told me, you know. I'm just getting used to this new job. All the spying and lying…"

"Don't get used to it. What makes you special is that you're not like any other spy. You're a good guy and you want to help people. Leave the deception to me."

"Well, I'm glad I have you."

"Yeah, we're better as a team." Sarah couldn't help but wonder how long that would last. Maybe her confession to Beckman was a mistake. Or maybe it was the best thing she ever did. Only time would tell. Chuck must have had the same concern.

"So what did Beckman say?"

"Not much. She was more focused on the mission."

"Sarah, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you like that. If you get into trouble, it's all my fault."

She placed her hand over his and shook her head. "Don't blame yourself, Chuck. I'm the agent. I should have been more…" She was about to say 'professional', but caught herself in time. That was the excuse she'd used to keep him at arm's length. "I should have been more aware of our surroundings."

"Speaking of which, aren't we on camera now?"

"Well, I guess it's a bit of a moot point."

"So Beckman knows."

Sarah sighed. "Beckman knows."

Chuck turned his hand, lacing his fingers through hers. Sarah laid her head on his shoulder and Chuck's free arm immediately wrapped around her back. "You know what?" she asked softly when he pulled her closer, "I am totally exhausted." She wouldn't normally confess something like that, but there was something about Chuck, the way he just held her, not expecting anything, that caused her walls to slip.

"Physically, mentally or emotionally?"

"All of the above."

Chuck placed a soft kiss in her hair before dragging her up with him. "Well, I can fix that." With his arm around her shoulders, he led her towards his apartment. "I will draw you the best bubble bath you've ever had, just like I used to do for Ellie when she came home after a long day at med school, then make you some chamomile tea and tuck you in for the night. And tomorrow we can worry about Beckman and Fulcrum and the safety of the free world. Sound like a plan?"

Sarah groaned. "Sounds like heaven."

Next time on A Common Spy Problem:

"Well, you could have just told me that the bubbles covered everything."

Sarah gave him a wicked grin. "Disappointed?"