A/N: Hi, I'm back! Thanks to all of you for reading and reviewing and just giving this story a chance.

Thanks again to Aerox, who made this much better than originally was.

I own nothing.

Chapter Nine

Chuck and his team had been instructed to go home and wait for any developments about the situation with Leader and Jill.

Ever since everyone found out she was the one he'd seen when he was peeking into Leader's room, everyone started treating him… differently. Sarah kept throwing worried glances at him, but hadn't said a word; Casey hadn't bothered him or said anything hurtful to him during the entire ride home. Even Graham and Beckman seemed to look at him in a different way. He was thankful that they weren't asking too many questions, but their silent understanding and condescendence only served to annoy him. Luckily for him, Ellie and Awesome seemed to be enjoying sightseeing in Washington, so they weren't home when he finally arrived. He felt like ripping off his suit and going back to the worn out robe and dirty t-shirt he had become accustomed to these past two years. Too bad he had left them in L.A. . Knowing Ellie, she would've probably found them and thrown them away by now. The worst part about the whole ordeal however, was that he didn't even know why he was feeling the way that he was. He didn't have feelings –well, good feelings, anyway- for Jill anymore, that was for sure. But seeing her had brought him back to the moment she had dumped him. She didn't even have the decency to do it in private. The day after he was expelled, he'd come back, tried to talk to her, but she had refused. He'd sat on a bench at campus for hours and waited patiently until he'd finally seen her going to the library. So he'd followed her. The break up was the worst moment of his entire life. When he had tried to explain what had really happened, she'd told him to leave her alone, that she didn't need him anymore. She said she had been seeing someone else for the past few months, that she was in love for the first time and she wasn't going to go back with him. Chuck could still feel the same pang in his chest that he had felt that afternoon. She had cheated on him. She had been with another man. She'd told him he wasn't good enough for her. And when he'd demanded to know who this guy was, and heard her answer, his world came crumbling down. He had been betrayed by the two people he trusted the most.

And now, after seeing her and even after what Bryce had told him about him and Jill never being together, Chuck couldn't help but feel hurt… and angry. And his partners' reactions weren't helping at all. Then again, he did look like crap. He was well aware of that, but he'd had a rough night. More like a rough couple of years. First, Stanford; then his parents' search and after that, the CIA and the Intersect. What made it all worse was the fact that he wasn't allowed to talk about any of that with his sister. And, on top of all of that, there was also the thing he had for Sarah… whatever that 'thing' was.

Growling in frustration and not wanting to think about any of that, he decided a shower may help him feel better. And maybe a nap afterwards. He yawned. Yeah, definitely a nap.

Sarah adjusted her ear muffs and held her S&W, standing in the classic Weaver stance. Through her glasses, she looked at the target, about 15 yards away. She had gone to the shooting range right after the meeting with Graham, Beckman and her partners. It'd been over an hour now, but she didn't want to go home. She needed this to release the anger she was feeling. If I can't shoot her, this'll have to do. She concentrated and emptied the magazine on the target. Only to her, it wasn't a faceless drawing. It was a woman, a brunette with brown eyes and a cold heart. She could still see the look on Chuck's face when he'd found Jill's picture in that file. He had seemed so… broken. Finally, his erratic behavior made sense to her. She remembered how she had felt when she first found out Bryce was a traitor. She knew exactly what Chuck was going through right now and she felt useless. I wish I could spare him the pain, she thought. But he had chosen to close off and get away from it all. And although she couldn't really blame him, it hurt her to be left out. It hurt her that he didn't want to talk to her, because she wanted to be there for him. She wanted to make him feel better. And she wanted to shoot Jill so bad. Sarah couldn't understand why on earth anyone would hurt Chuck the way Roberts did. He was the sweetest, most caring guy in the world, and any woman would be incredibly lucky to be with him, but she had broken his heart and destroyed every bit of confidence he had had. And now, she was working to destroy her country too. That bitch. She pressed the button on her left and the target started to move towards her. Sarah looked at the perfect holes in the middle of the human figure and sighed. That Jill Roberts was lucky her bosses wouldn't let her shoot her. But she had sworn she would find the way to take her down and make her pay; for being a traitor and for hurting Chuck. And she would make sure she would never be able to mess with him again. She looked at the target once more, and she imagined her dead brown eyes staring back at her. Oh, yes, Sarah was going to make her pay.

Chuck woke up to the sound of someone trying to break into his apartment. Disoriented and still pretty much asleep, he tried to reach his tranq gun under the cushions, but the door flew open before he could. It turned out to be fortunate for him, because it would've been hard to explain to his sister and her boyfriend why he was aiming a gun at them, tranquilizer or not.

"Hey, you're here!" Ellie greeted him, with a huge smile. "I thought you weren't going to come home until later this afternoon."

Chuck got up from the couch and went to hug her. "Nah, there wasn't too much to do at work and my hours are pretty flexible."

Devon gave him a high five when he passed him by on his way to the bedroom. From the looks of things, they had been shopping a little and now they needed a place to put all of the bags.

Ellie smiled happily at him and headed to the kitchen with a few bags in her hands. "Well, that's really good news, because I was hoping we could have dinner tonight."

Chuck smiled at the idea. "Of course! Where do you want to go? I know this amazing place that…"

Ellie interrupted him. "Actually, I was thinking I could cook."

Chuck frowned. "But you're on vacation! Shouldn't you be resting and letting other people cook for you?" he protested.

"You know it's not a problem. I want to make your favorite tonight."

Chuck smiled. "Sis, you know you don't have to, I don't want you to work, I just want you to relax."

"Chuck, I'm making dinner, end of discussion," Ellie said firmly, as she started to pull things out of the bags and put them in the fridge and on the counter.

Chuck really didn't understand what the big deal was about going out, but he didn't have to wait long to find out. Her obvious excitement and her giant grin betraying her, Ellie added, "You can invite Sarah too."

Chuck gave her a knowing look. "Oh, I get it! This is one of those times when you try to set me up. I already told you, sis, Sarah and I are just friends. And no dinner, as amazing as it might taste, is going to change the way she feels about me." He almost winced when he heard her squeal, realizing he had made a classic mistake. He not-so-fondly remembered when something akin to this conversation happened in sixth grade with Lucy Williams.

"And how about you?" his sister asked, not even trying to hide her grin.

He feigned ignorance. "What about me?"

"You just said 'the way she feels about you'. What about your feelings for her?"

If Ellie hadn't been such a great doctor, he was sure she would've made an amazing lawyer. Shaking his head, he told her, "She's my friend, we work together."

"You're deflecting, Chuck, that's not what I asked," Ellie pointed out.

Chuck knew it was useless to try to avoid this conversation, and simply admitted defeat. "Ok, I give up. What do you want to know?"

Ellie smiled softly, "Do you like her?"

Do I like her? She's the most amazing woman I've ever met. She's smart, funny in her own way, extremely beautiful and one of the best CIA Agents out there. Of course, he wasn't going to tell his sister that. So he just bit his lip and told her the truth. "Yeah."

Instead of the excited scream he was expecting, Ellie just smiled gently and softly said, "You two would make a wonderful couple."

Chuck quirked an eyebrow and in a resigned tone, he told her, "It's not going to happen, sis. Not only is she my friend, but we also work together. Not to mention we just reconnected again. And even if that wasn't an obstacle, she doesn't think of me that way."

Ellie snorted as she started to look for pots and bowls. "Believe me, she does."

Chuck almost didn't hear her because of the noise she was making, but he did, so he had to ask. "What?"

Ellie let out an exasperated sigh. "Chuck, I saw her for like five minutes and I noticed! How can't you?"

Chuck frowned, confused. "What are you talking about?"

Is he really this dense? She felt like smacking him. "I'm talking about the way she looks at you, her obvious disappointment when we crashed your date…"

"It wasn't a date!" he said, for like the tenth time.

Ellie placed the pot she had in her hands on the counter with a bit more force than strictly needed, causing Chuck to wince and repressing the urge to run up to the stove and check for damages, before she blurted out, "Yes, it was, at least for her. And if you had paid a little more attention, you would have realized that! Stop thinking for a moment that you're not good enough and maybe, just maybe, you'll be surprised."

Chuck had a dumbstruck look on his face, and she had to admit, even when he could be incredibly frustrating with his insecurities and his self-deprecating demeanor, he was also a very sweet and humble guy, which sometimes made him oblivious to women's reactions around him. Smiling a little, she said, "Hey, you're a wonderful guy and Sarah knows it. Just give it some time and you'll see." Chuck shook his head at her words, but she spoke before he could. "Besides, I'd really love to catch up with her. I really like her."

Chuck sighed heavily. "Ok, I'll call her. But she's probably busy anyway."

Ellie just shook her head in amusement and rolled her eyes before starting to gather the rest of the stuff she needed to make dinner.

"Hey, babe, you need a hand with that?" Devon asked, coming into the kitchen.

"Sure," she said. Together they moved around the kitchen in sync, under Chuck's jealous scrutiny. What he wouldn't give to have something like that in his life, someone to share the little things with. He sighed and went to look for his cellphone.

To his surprise, Sarah seemed really excited about dinner, and told him she would be there. He was shocked at her enthusiasm because he'd felt her discomfort the other night. He shrugged and thought he would go over to Casey's and ask him if there was any update about FULCRUM, Leader and Jill. He was still a little upset about the whole situation, but, surprisingly, his talk with Ellie had put him in a better mood.

"Hey, guys, I'm going across the hall, I have to talk to a coworker, I'll be right back," he told Ellie and Devon as he walked towards the door.

"Oh, I didn't know a friend of yours lived here! You should invite him too, there's plenty of food!"

He chuckled when he thought about what Casey's answer was going to be, but he told her, "Ok, I will," and then got out.

He knocked on Casey's door. "It's open," was the response from the inside. He stepped into the apartment to find the Major sitting on the floor reading the instructions to set up some sort of electronic device. Wait a second, is that…?

"Oh, my God, Casey, is that what I think it is? Please, don't tell me the government has developed a lethal weapon in the form of an Xbox because it would break my heart," he joked.

"Of course they didn't, idiot! I'm just trying to figure out how this stupid thing works…"

"It's not really that hard. Here, let me set it up for you." When Casey grunted and stood up, he started to connect the wires. "So, have you heard anything about Leader and… the other people?" he asked while he worked on the console, deliberately omitting mentioning Jill.

"No not yet." Seeing as how Chuck was doing him a favor, Casey sympathetically asked, "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. It was a bit of a shock to the system, obviously, but I should've known, I guess. I don't even know why I was surprised at first. After what she did to me, I can definitely believe she's trying to destroy her country too," Chuck bitterly answered.

Wow, talk about resentment, Casey thought.

"Ok, it's ready." Chuck stood up and asked him, "What are you going to do with it, anyway?"

The Major narrowed his eyes at him. "What do you mean 'what am I going to do', Carmichael?"

Chuck lifted his hands defensively. "I'm just saying, you were the one who told me you weren't into these kinds of things. So why the sudden change?"

Casey grunted. "After you mentioned Call of Duty, I went to the store and asked about it. I liked the name and I thought I could try it, that's all."

Chuck's mouth fell. Who knew, maybe the Major turned out to be a closet gamer. "You're going to love it, trust me. And call me if you ever need a partner," he said, unable to keep the light tone of excitement out of his voice. As he was heading to the door he remembered what Ellie had said to him. "Oh, my sister and her boyfriend are in town, as you already know, and she told me to invite you for dinner. She's cooking, and Sarah's coming too. So, if you feel like having a real meal for a change…"

Casey surprised him when he told him, "I'll be there."

Chuck grinned. "Ok, seven thirty. Don't be late." And with that, he left Casey to kill virtual enemies on his own.

Ellie had banned Chuck from his own kitchen. Actually, she had done that about an hour and a half ago. He didn't know what she was doing, and he was starting to worry. "Seriously, sis, this is ridiculous," he said for the fifth time when she walked over. Truth be told, it looked like she was skipping. Ellie was definitely in matchmaker mode.

Ellie sighed. "Chuck, I already told you, everything's under control, you don't have to worry about a thing."

"But I'm bored!" he exclaimed. He knew he sounded like a petulant six year old, but he had nothing to do and no one to talk to. Devon was taking a shower and getting ready for dinner and Ellie was… doing whatever she was doing in the kitchen.

"Ok, well, go set the table, this is not going to take long and Sarah and John are going to be here any minute," Ellie said.

Chuck did as he was told. When he finished, Devon stepped into the dining room looking… well, like he usually did; pretty damn awesome. "You need help with anything, babe?"

"No, thanks, honey, I got this."

"Ok." He turned to Chuck and asked "So, that's what you're wearing for dinner, Chuckster?" He was pointing at his red t-shirt.

Chuck looked down, confused. "Yeah, why?"

"Hmm, no reason," he mumbled. Chuck was going to ask when he heard a knock on the door.

Before he could reach it, Ellie was holding it open and greeting a cheerful looking Casey. Chuck blinked in confusion. He couldn't ever remember the Major's facial expression changing from his default: 'Government approved killing machine'. "Hi, you must be John, Chuck's friend! It's really nice to meet you, I'm Ellie, his sister, and this is Devon, my boyfriend," she cheerfully responded, as she did the customary introductions, before inviting him in. She was in full hostess mode as she guided him to the living room and made him sit down.

"So, I see you've met hurricane Ellie," Chuck joked, sitting next to him on the couch.

The Major grunted but smiled a little when he said, "She seems nice."

"Oh, she is," he chuckled and then asked, "So, how was Call of Duty?"

Casey shifted uncomfortably on his seat. "I don't wanna talk about it," he mumbled.

"Ha! I see you're having trouble adapting to the controllers! Don't worry, it happens to the best of us," Chuck said, patting his back.

"I'm a Major, Carmichael, and that bastard killed me with a knife… twice. It's embarrassing."

Chuck laughed and ignored the glare Casey was giving him. "It's just a matter of practice. You'll get used to it soon enough," he said sympathetically.

There was another knock on the door and Chuck jumped off his seat and rushed to open it. Oddly enough, Ellie stayed in the kitchen the whole time. He opened the door and found a smiling Sarah facing him, for the second time in three nights. I could get used to this.

"Hey, Sarah, come on in!" Her smile widened and she stepped into the apartment.

"Hi, Chuck." Seeing that Casey was on the couch and Ellie and Devon in the kitchen, she touched his forearm lightly and asked, "How are you?"

Chuck's grin faltered a little, but he said, "I'm fine, thanks for asking. I'm better now that I had some time to process the whole thing." She still didn't look convinced. "You don't need to worry about me," he told her, and lowering his voice he added, pointing to the kitchen, "but that… that you have to worry about." Sarah chuckled at his words, but he gave her a serious look and said, "I mean it. She's been there the whole afternoon making God knows what. And I'm pretty sure she's going to embarrass us both by telling stories of when we were kids."

"It can't be that bad, Chuck, it's going to be fine."

"Oh, really? Do you remember how we were, Sarah? I was awkward, and clumsy, and a nerd…"

"You're still a nerd" she said with a smile.

"Right, but at least I'm not that clumsy and awkward anymore." He was met with a disbelieving look. "Really?"

"It's not going to be that bad, I promise."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Chuck, I think I did one or two things just slightly more dangerous than having dinner with your sister," she told him, playfully patting his cheek.

He just shook his head and followed her to the dining room, where Devon was putting a bottle of wine at the table. Casey joined them at the table, and Ellie finally stepped out of the kitchen. She started serving the food and Chuck and Sarah, who were seated in front of each other, shared an amused look when they realized she had made lasagna. Trying to hide their grins, Sarah took a sip of wine and Chuck ate a piece of bread. "So, you three work together?" Devon asked the three spies, just as Chuck swallowed.

They looked at each other. They had never used their cover story before, and Casey was the one to reply. "Yeah, that's right. I'm an accountant, Sarah is in sales and Chuck is… well, the computer guy."

"Oh, that's great. But you work in different departments, right?" Ellie asked.

"Well, I'm actually always going from one department to another… I mean, you would never guess how many computer emergencies in a day we have," Chuck said, with a light feigned chuckle. He knew he had to do this, but he hated lying to his sister.

"Oh, so that's how you two reconnected, then?" Ellie wanted to know. She was pointing at her brother and Sarah.

Casey cocked his head, but he remained silent. This has to be good, he thought.

Chuck glanced at Sarah in a silent cry for help, and she came to the rescue when she said, "Yeah, I was talking to the receptionist, Pam and she was looking for a shipment in the system when her computer froze. The last IT guy had resigned a week ago and I didn't know Chuck was working there, so it was quite the surprise when I saw him."

Chuck smiled thinking that, even when the story wasn't remotely true, it had been a surprise for both of them to see each other again. He looked up and saw Sarah smiling as well.

"Oh, I can imagine how happy you must've been! After all these years!" Ellie said.

Casey was still quiet, but he was listening to every word they said. He didn't know his partners knew each other before starting to work together, and he wasn't going to ask either, but he had the feeling he hadn't heard the last of it yet. Ellie turned to look at him and sweetly commented, "Oh, John, you should've seen these two in high school! They were always together, watching a movie or playing video games, they were adorable!"

Casey smirked and snorted. The dirt he had on Walker and Bartowski now was worth a gold mine. When he glanced at his partners, he saw they were both red and looking slightly mortified. So that's the story. It would be bad sportsmanship not to use this to my advantage.

Ellie interpreted his gesture as interest so she kept going, ignoring Chuck and Sarah's clear embarrassment. "Yeah, even Morgan was jealous of… Sarah." She had almost said 'Jenny', but didn't know if John knew about her real name.

"What?" Sarah asked, shocked. Morgan had been Chuck's best friend since forever. And yes, at first he didn't seem to like her very much, but he had warmed up to her eventually.

"Oh, come on, Sarah! The guy came through Chuck's window in the middle of the night just to get his 'Chuck' time. He even made a list of Chuck's favorite 31 flavors of ice cream in descending order just to prove he knew him better than you!"

"Wait, Chuck time?" Sarah started, but she was interrupted when Chuck started chuckling embarrassedly.

"He chased me for a week with that list. God, I miss Morgan."

Everybody laughed at the memory, and after that, the awkwardness was settled and conversation went on without a hitch.

"Wow, Miss Bartowski, this was really great," Casey said with a flair of gallantry that neither spy had ever heard from him before while looking at his empty plate. He could barely move.

"Thank you John. But please, call me Ellie. A friend of Chuck is a friend of mine… except Morgan…" she trailed off, muttering something about him giving her the creeps. "Would you pass me the salad, please?" she asked, perking up.

Casey lifted it and Devon grabbed a hold of his bicep and exclaimed, "Wow, John, I'm impressed. Do you work out?"

Casey relaxed a little. "A few times a week, I like to keep healthy."

Devon nodded approvingly. "That's a good answer, John. And if you're looking for health tips for… let's just say, breakfast, you should come to me. I make this ginseng protein shake, it's been used for thousands years in the East to promote Yang energy and it also does wonders for your…"

"You really don't want to try that, trust me, Casey," Chuck interrupted.

"What are you talking about, Chuckster, you love it!" Devon said, sounding offended.

"No I don't, you made me drink it once and I spent the whole morning trying to erase that horrible taste from my mouth!" Chuck replied, eliciting laughter from Ellie and Sarah.

After some more friendly talk, Casey stood up an excused himself. "I should go, I have to get up early tomorrow," he said.

"Oh, ok. It was a pleasure to meet you John," Ellie told him, while she accompanied him to the door.

"It was great to meet you too." He shook Devon's hand and smiled one last time before heading to his apartment.

Sarah glanced at Chuck. "I should go too, it's getting late and we all have to go to work tomorrow."

She started to pick up the glasses from the table when Ellie said, "No, leave them right there, Sarah, you're a guest. Chuck can do it later."

Chuck was going to protest but knew Ellie was right. "Yes, I'll do it." Sarah just grinned a little, but didn't insist. "I can walk you downstairs if you want," he added.

"Ok, let me say goodnight to your sister and Devon." She went to the kitchen where Ellie was loading up the dishwasher.

"Thank you for an amazing dinner, Ellie. And it's been really good to see you again." The other woman smiled broadly and hugged her.

"It's been really good to see you too, Sarah. We were sad when you left. We thought we were never going to see you again. And Chuck… he missed you a lot."

Sarah felt a lump forming in her throat and she merely whispered, "I missed him too."

Ellie grinned and hugged her once more. "I'm glad you found each other again. And it's great to know you're still good friends."

Sarah just nodded and went to say goodbye to Devon. Chuck was waiting for her at the door, and like he had done the night before, he walked her to her car.

"Well, I guess it wasn't that bad," Chuck said.

"Yeah, we survived! Who would have thought that, right?" she joked.

Chuck laughed. "Ok, so maybe I underestimated her, and she knows how to behave in public. Most of the time. I mean, she did tell some embarrassing stories, after all."

Sarah chuckled. "Oh, but the one of you trying to domesticate the raccoon was adorable!"

"Oh, shut up, Walker, I was ten!" he said with mock anger.

Sarah laughed and shook her head. Regaining her composure and assuming a more serious tone, she told him, "I know you told me you're ok before, but I just wanted you to know that if you want to talk… I'm here."

Chuck stared intensely at her eyes and she was starting to get uncomfortable when he said, "Thank you, Sarah, it means a lot."

She just nodded and got into her car. They said goodbye and she took off, her eyes glued to the rear mirror as she accelerated and left him behind.

When Chuck stepped into his apartment, Devon was sitting on the couch, staring at the TV, which was turned off.

"Hey, Devon… what are you doing?" he inquired.

"Dude… please, sit down. I have to tell you something important," Devon told him in a grave tone.

"Is everything ok? I mean, you look kind of… something. Where's Ellie?"

"Oh, she went to get ready for bed. She's exhausted and I told her we would clean up the rest of the mess."

"Ok, so… what do you want to talk about?"

Devon inhaled deeply and Chuck started to worry when he realized he didn't look like his usual awesome self. He was going to ask what was going on again, when he said, "I love your sister, bro. She's the most intelligent, caring, sexy woman I know. She's brave, she's always willing to try new things…" he trailed of as his eyes glazed over.

Chuck winced. "Ok, ok, I don't need to know all the details, you can go back now, from wherever it is you are," he said gesturing with his hands.

Devon seemed to snap out of his daydream and looked at him. "The thing is, I'm sure I want to spend the rest of my life with her, and you're the only family she has left. I want to do this right, so I wanted to ask you…" He pulled a little box out of his pocket and opened it in front of Chuck, "if I could have your permission to marry Ellie?"

Chuck was dazzled by the huge engagement ring. She will never be able to lift her hand again, he thought. But this was Ellie, and she deserved the best of the best. "Yes! Yes! Of course, of course you can," he said.

Devon smiled relieved, and, before he could fully wrap his head around what was going on, Chuck found himself being crushed by his now soon-to-be-brother-in-law's embrace.

"Ok, ok, that's good, we're good," he mumbled, trying to get out.

"Dude, that's awesome! You think she'll like the ring? It was my great grandmother's."

"She's going to love it, Devon. I'm very happy for you guys!" Chuck said truthfully.

"Thanks, bro. I still have to think on how to pop out the question, but I want to do it soon."

Chuck smiled and stood up. Patting one of Devon's shoulders, he encouragingly told him, "I'm sure you'll come up with an awesome idea, Captain."

Chuck went to bed thinking about his day. He had been sure it was going to be like one of those depressing days right after Jill had dumped him, but the truth was, he was ok. He was more than ok, actually. Finding out about Jill had helped him realize that his partners cared about him, and even his bosses did, in a way. And now, his sister was going to marry this… well, awesome guy, and he couldn't be happier for her. Before falling asleep he came to the realization that, no matter what happened with Jill and FULCRUM, nothing could ruin the contented feeling that was fluttering through him.

Boy was he wrong. "Excuse me, General, you want me to what?" he agitatedly asked, very conscious of his partners' eyes following him while he paced around the conference room.

"Agent Carmichael, this is the only way," the General tried to explain.

"No! No, no, no, no… this is the CIA, there has to be another way! Why does it have to be me, anyway? Why can't Casey do it?"

Graham snorted and Casey glared at him, but he kept quiet. "Chuck, you have a previous relationship with her, it'll be easier for you to gather the information we need," the Director said.

Chuck couldn't believe what they were asking him to do. "Don't you get it? She dumped me! Why would she want to talk to me in the first place? Or why would she gladly share her secrets with me, for that matter? Besides, I don't want to see her again."

Sarah hadn't said anything in the fifteen minutes they had been there. The briefing had taken about five, and the rest of the time, they had been trying to convince Chuck to go through with the plan. She had been relieved when she saw his reaction, because, after everything she knew, she was still afraid that Chuck may still have had lingering feelings for Jill Roberts. He clearly didn't, and that made her inexplicably happy.

Graham had apparently had enough when he raised his voice and said, "Look, Carmichael, we're not asking here. You have your orders and your mission. Go do your job."

Chuck stood still and was about to say something when he closed his mouth and sat down, his head down and a dejected expression on his face.

"So, now that we are clear about everybody's role in this assignment, are there any questions?" Graham asked. Both Casey and Sarah shook their heads, while Chuck seemed to be in his own little world of misery. Beckman and the Director left the room, leaving the three spies alone.

"Hey, Chuck, it's going to be ok," Sarah tried to cheer him up. "Casey and I will be there and we'll be able to help you if anything happens." What she really meant was 'If that bitch tries to hurt you, I'll kill her,' but she didn't think it would be wise to tell him that. She had an inkling that Casey wouldn't really condone it either. That, or he'd try and kill her himself. She had no intention of letting anyone but her put a bullet through those stupid glasses.

"But I don't want to see her and I don't want to talk her," he whined. It was annoying… it should've been annoying… but Sarah found it completely adorable.

"Oh, come on, Carmichael, grow a pair! The only thing you have to do is find out what her affiliation is with this LeFleur guy and what their research is about," Casey intervened.

"But didn't they just say that LeFleur was being held against his will? She's not going to willingly tell me she kidnapped a scientist and has him tied up in a basement until he finishes the bio-weapon FULCRUM wants to use in their fight against the government!"

"No, Chuck, but she might slip or give us a clue of where they might be holding him. I'm sorry, I don't like this either, but I think this is the best plan, considering the circumstances," Sarah said.

Chuck thought about it for a second. "Ok," he said, "I'll do it."

"Sure, listen to the skirt," Casey silently grumbled.

"Are you sure you can do this?" Sarah asked for the second time.

After going over the plan three times, Chuck was feeling a little more confident. "Yes, I'll just pretend to run into her and then ask her for a coffee. It shouldn't be too hard. And if she says no, I can always play the annoying ex part," he said.

"Yeah, I'm sure you'll be playing a part," Casey said while he checked the earpieces.

Sarah gave him a dirty look, but Chuck ignored him. Jill was going to be giving a conference about infectious diseases at a hotel, and he would be there at a business meeting concerning his successful software company. He just had to convince her to go out with him and pray that she told him anything useful for Graham and Beckman. He wasn't sure what they would make him do if this didn't work, but he was sure he wouldn't like it.

"Here, put this in," Sarah said, giving him an earpiece. "We'll be right there, so if she tries anything, we'll get her," she added, straightening his tie and brushing some invisible lint off his suit.

Casey cleared his throat, "The conference is going to be over soon, let's go."

They arrived at the hotel and Chuck went over to seat at the bar. Casey and Sarah were sitting in a booth, and they seemed to be having a fascinating conversation. Must be about guns, Chuck thought, not knowing what else they could have in common. When he looked up again, he saw Jill leaving the conference room.

"Guys, I see her," he whispered into his watch. "Engaging target." The words sounded foreign on his lips but he had no issues with branding her as one.

"Ok, Carmichael, we got your back," he heard Casey's reply in his ear.

Chuck stood up, grabbed his briefcase, and pretended to be in a phone conversation about work when he bumped into Jill at the entrance of the bar.

He merely looked at her when he apologized and kept talking to his phone.

"Chuck? Chuck Bartowski?" he heard her say.

"I'm sorry, wait a second," he said to his phone, then, turning to Jill, he asked, "Excuse me?"

"Chuck! It's me, Jill Roberts!"

He lifted a single finger, indicating her to wait while he ended his feigned conversation, "I'm sorry, Mike, I'll have to call you later. Are we still on for golf next Saturday? Great, I'll see you then." He put his phone back in his pocket and then made eye contact with Jill for the first time in two years. "Jill, what a surprise! What brings you here?"

Jill was shocked by Chuck's cool behavior. He was so different from the awkward nerd she remembered. And she had to admit, he looked good in a suit.

"Uh… I was just at a conference in the room next door…" she said.

"Oh, yes, I read something about bugs and diseases…" he joked.

"Infectious diseases, yes. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I had a meeting before and I thought I could celebrate with a drink. We just closed a million dollar deal."

He's definitely different. "Wow, that's impressive, Chuck." She thought about her obligations and decided she could afford a couple of hours with him. "Hey, I'm free for the day, do you want to go have a coffee and catch up?"

No I don't, Chuck thought, but, controlling his gestures, he managed to hide his disgust and gave her a charming smile. "Sure, I have nothing better to do right now." He guided her to a table and pulled her chair out for her.

After the waiter came and took their orders, Jill broke the silence. "So, I see you're an important business man now. What did you do after Stanford?"

"Oh, well, I needed a change of pace, so I started working on some software. I finished it and three months later, I sold it in a very good deal, which provided me the capital I needed to start my own company. And here I am," he nonchalantly shrugged, kind of wishing his cover story was true. "What about you?" he reluctantly asked her.

"Well, I got my PhD in biomedical engineering and I've been working on some interesting researches."

"Wow, that sounds… not interesting at all," he joked.

She laughed, remembering he'd never liked anything remotely related to medicine. "It's better than it sounds, trust me."

Jill was really enjoying the impromptu date, and she was surprised she was. Chuck had always been a nice guy, but nothing like Bryce. Bryce was exciting, sophisticated and dangerous. Chuck was safe, and safe was boring. That's why she had fallen for Bryce in the last year of college and why she had lied about sleeping with him to Chuck. She had been looking to get rid of Chuck for a long time, and when she saw her opportunity, she didn't hesitate to snatch it with both hands. And he had obviously recovered. He was a successful business man now and every pore in his body exuded confidence. His demeanor was… cold, and that was a change from the always sweet and caring and suffocating Chuck she had known. She liked this one better. She wondered what other things this Chuck was hiding in his… sleeves.

"So, you still live in LA?" she asked.

"Yes, the main office of the company's there, but I'm traveling all the time. I think it's safe to say I live in hotels now."

"That must be exciting, always going to new places… seeing new people…" she smiled seductively as she put a strand of her hair behind her ear.

Sarah was watching them from the booth, while Casey had his back turned to them. She couldn't believe how Jill was flirting with Chuck. Even when they couldn't hear the conversation, it was obvious she was coming onto him, although he had made no signs to reciprocate. She kept watching them as they talked, just barely being able to hide her anger under a calm demeanor. Her insides however were a boiling cauldron of rage and anger. What she wouldn't give for Jill to slip up so she could put a bullet through her skull.

Chuck was very proud of himself. He hadn't stammered once and he was playing his part effectively. In fact, he noticed Jill was hitting on him. It had been barely noticeable at first, but she wasn't all that subtle anymore.

"You know? I'm staying right here tonight," she said, with a predatory look, "maybe we could take this conversation to my room?"

Chuck almost choked, and silently thanked God her cell phone rang before he had to answer. He couldn't believe, after everything she had done to him, she was actually inviting him to her room. That wasn't going to happen ever again. After this mission, he was done with her. He listened while she talked on the phone. Apparently, she was still close to her mom.

"No, mom, he moved to Black Rock last week," he heard her say, and then, the flash hit him.

His eyes widened when he realized that she wasn't really talking to her mother, and he smiled inwardly, thinking that he would have something for his bosses after all. His personal hell had been worth it, for now he knew exactly where LeFleur was. He only had to get rid of Jill and tell Sarah and Casey what he had found out.

"I'll call you later. Bye mom!" Jill disconnected the call and looked at him. "I'm sorry; she wanted to know how the conference went."

"Oh, don't worry about that, I totally get it. She's just a mother showing support for her little girl," he smiled charmingly.

"So, did you think about my offer?" she asked, with a seductive smile.

"Yeah, yeah, I did. And I'm sorry, but I have to decline. I have a date in an hour," Chuck said.

Jill's face fell and she failed when she tried to hide it. "Oh, oh, sure… I totally understand."

"Well," Chuck said, standing up and grabbing his briefcase. "It's been a pleasure, Jill, I'm glad we did this. Good luck in your life," he added, extending a hand to her, which she shook with a confused and slightly offended expression. Before she could say anything, he was walking out the door.

Casey and Sarah joined him at the van around the corner. He took a deep breath and got in, glad it was all over.

"You did great, Chuck!" Sarah told him.

"So, did you manage to find anything useful, Carmichael?" Casey asked as he started the van.

"Yeah, I think I know where they are keeping LeFleur. Someone called her and she pretended to be talking with her mother, but, unless she's FULCRUM too, she was definitely talking with a FULCRUM Agent. She said 'someone' had moved to Black Rock last week, and I flashed. Black Road is a code name for protocol seven, a secret FULCRUM base in Silver Spring. I'm pretty sure that's where LeFleur is."

"It makes sense, since he was reported missing last week. Great job, Chuck," Sarah smiled brightly at him and he knew the past hour had worth it.

"We have to tell the bosses now. We don't know how much longer it'll take him to finish the weapon," Casey said, and both Sarah and Chuck agreed.

Graham and Beckman were thrilled to learn about Chuck's findings and they told them they were going to send a team to rescue LeFleur. They congratulated them once more for their excellent work, and sent them home. Once they secured the scientist, they would be able to gather any FULCRUM information he had.

Chuck was exhausted when he got home, and he went straight to bed. He had managed a quick goodbye to Sarah before taking off with Casey. He kicked off his shoes and suit and landed in his bed with a thump. He dozed off almost immediately. It was after midnight when his phone rang.

"Carmichael, we have a problem," Graham's voice filled his ear, and his serious tone made him realized something was wrong.

"What is it, Sir?"

"We've found the place LeFLeur was being held, but we were too late. He was dead when our team found him."

Chuck took a moment to take in this information. Another life had been taken and now, FUCLRUM had the bio-weapon, and who knew what they intended to do with it. Chuck run his hands through his face. This was going to be a long night.

A/N: So? What did you think? Please, leave a review and let me know!