A/N: The bulk of this chapter is a flashback, but it includes a scene that I've wanted to write for a while. I'm sure you'll all recognise it :P

Thanks to SLWF (No way I'm typing that all out lol) for the beta. It's sobering to be called on grammar by somebody younger than you, but she is a 'genius' :P

Sorry for the delay, again. I actually finished this chapter at my grandparents' house, where I'm staying for tonight before I head up to Chester tomorrow. I'm not sure about how quickly the updates will be from then on, but who knows? I might not have much in the way of lectures, ergo time to kill, which hopefully means writing.

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"Excuse me ma'am, is this seat taken?" said Chuck confidently, attempting to 'work the room', as he approached the brunette sitting alone at a table in the Moka Bar, in central Hereford.

"No, go ahead," she answered.

Chuck took the offered seat, and extended his hand to the woman sitting opposite him.

"Charles Carmichael," said Chuck, introducing himself. "And who might you be?"

"Be confident, Charles. Be Carmichael, not Pugh," came Roan Montgomery's voice through the earpiece that Chuck was wearing to allow Roan to offer advice. On the spot seduction tuition, as it were.

"Sabrina Tabor, and I'm taken," answered the woman, catching onto Chuck's supposed purpose almost straight away. As she walked away from the table, Chuck cringed, before speaking subtly into the microphone mounted in his watch.

"I think that went well," he said sarcastically.

"Calm down, Charles. That was just the first round. Don't get discouraged," advised Roan.

"The first round? She's clearly not interested," protested Chuck. "I'd prefer not to be seen as a stalker by the time the night is out."

"Charles, the first rule of seduction is to learn the fine line separating persistence from harassment," said Roan. "Where is that delightful young lady now?"

"First of all, eww, just...eww. You're old enough to be her father. And secondly, she's at the bar," answered Chuck.

"Time for round two then," said Roan. "Besides, nothing wrong with an age gap; I've seduced plenty of women younger than my daughter."

"Says more about you than the merits of a wide age gap, Roan," said Chuck, a vague note of disgust entering his voice. Nonetheless, he got up from his seat and approached the bar, where Casey was playing bartender again (and looking none-too-pleased about his reversion to this familiar cover role).

"Barkeep, a refill for the lady?" he said, calling on some confidence he wasn't sure that he even possessed.

"How many times? I'm taken," said Sabrina irritably.

"Miss, is this man bothering you?" said a tall man, built much like a rugby forward. Chuck looked up and paled at the sight of the 6'6", 18 stone man standing before him.

"No, I can handle him by myself. Thank you for the offer though," said Sabrina kindly.

Chuck was too caught up in being eternally grateful to Sabrina for her intervention to notice the 'mark' for tonight was leaving again.

"You could've taken him," said Sarah encouragingly.

"Remind me why my fiancé is watching my seduction attempts?" said Chuck with a vague wave. "Besides adding even more pressure to me, I mean."

"Because, honey," said Sarah sweetly. "This way I know whether or not to put you on the couch."

"Okay, Charles," said Roan, interrupting the little moment that Chuck and Sarah had somehow managed to create despite the fact she was in a van in the car park. Chuck hadn't been too impressed with this temporary separation, until Casey pointed out that it wasn't that good an idea to have one's fiancée watching one trying to seduce another woman. He turned his attention back to Roan's voice, which was coming through his earpiece. "Looks like we'll have to find another mark. See anybody that interests you?"

How in the hell am I meant to answer that question? Chuck asked himself.

"Yes, Chuck, see anybody interesting?" said Sarah, all the earlier sweetness gone from her voice.

"Sarah, honey, nobody compares to you," protested Chuck. "Can't we call it a night and try another bar tomorrow?"

"Sorry, Pugh, but Montgomery's heading back to his gin soaked condo tomorrow. Besides, you've had a week of teaching; surely some of it has sunk in by now?" said Casey.

"Well, call me old fashioned, but I don't particularly like having to seduce someone when, and I can't believe I have to repeat it, I'm engaged. Isn't there another option?" said Chuck, almost pleading.

"Suck it up, Pugh. Grovel to Lloyd later, we have work to do," answered Casey, showing his usual disregard for Chuck's 'feelings'. "How about her, over there?" he continued, pointing out a short blonde who was looking bored in a corner table and giving Chuck a nudge in her direction.

"I hate you, Casey," said Chuck before putting on his 'Carmichael' face and heading over to talk to the blonde woman.

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1 Week Earlier

"Him? Really?" Chuck asked in amazement when he found out who would be teaching him the seduction aspect of his training.

"Montgomery's the best at what, or should I say who, he does," said Casey sharply. "The Brits are trying to bring up their standards to match us, so I guess they're bringing in the best trainers."

"Well that explains Roan, but what are you doing here, Casey?"said Sarah before she clamped her mouth shut in surprise. Did I just start baiting Casey? She asked herself. I'm spending way too much time around Chuck.

"You too, Lloyd? I would've expected that from Pugh, but you? And Pugh, your reaction times are slipping if your little girlfriend can get a snarky comment in before you," finished Casey, shaking his head in mock sadness.

"Oh be quiet, Casey," said Sarah flippantly, latching back onto Chuck as he wrapped an arm around her protectively.

Casey had been taking his role as a mentor to his two former team members seriously to say the least. Naturally, Chuck had been more of a focus for the Major's advice, as Casey knew that Sarah could probably pass the exams without any teaching and only a small amount of practice, such was her skill. Chuck, on the other hand, needed a lot of work done on his basic spy craft; his last two attempts at handling a firearm had left a lot to be desired, but Casey was confident now that Chuck's proficiency was somewhere near being enough to pass the exam. He had even had a few thoughts previously hoping that Chuck didn't have to kill too often; he wasn't your average spy, and nobody knows how someone will react to taking a life.

It was something Casey would like to avoid for someone he had come to view as a friend, much as he hated to admit it. It was a strange feeling for the hardened NSA veteran, and more often than not he found himself berating himself for letting the 'idiot' get under his skin like he had. He always felt better when he looked at how far Sarah had gone; however, as he knew that the odds were favourable that he wouldn't end up the same way. At least, not on an assignment, or worse, as in Sarah's case, with the assignment.

"Major Casey, good to see you again," said Roan Montgomery, his gravelly tones sounding out across the apartment that would be serving as the 'classroom' for Chuck and Sarah's seduction lessons. "Ah, Charles. I see the Montgomery worked out well for you," he continued, looking pointedly at Chuck and Sarah's interlocked hands, and the unmistakeable sparkle of a diamond from Sarah's finger.

"Err," said Chuck uncertainly, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "Not so much. There was an unforeseen complication to do with certain a former partner."

Sarah winced at the memory of that awkward time when she was so, so close to giving into Chuck, and to be honest, if Bryce hadn't pulled open the door more fully when he did, she would have been struggling to keep from jumping him there and then. Chalk that one down as another 'so near yet so far' moment, she thought grimly, thinking also of the other times she had come so close to giving in only for an outside force to break the connection just in time to keep her from losing it totally.

The foremost example in her mind was the moment on the Meadow Branch mission. If Casey had waited just a couple of seconds longer before bursting in and spouting off that damn one-liner that chair would've taken a lot of cleaning, thought Sarah bitterly. What topped it all off was that she was reassigned anyway, despite her efforts to avoid being compromised. Sometimes the forces that kept the world turning had a strange sense of humour, and sometimes they were just downright cruel.

"Well, it looks like everything worked out alright in the end, Charles. No harm done," said Roan brightly. "Although I have to say I'm surprised it failed in that instance; your darling fiancée looked as if she was struggling to keep her hands off you."

If only you knew, thought Sarah grimly once more.

"Well, I daresay you eventually got it all worked out, if that rock is any indication. You'll have to regale me with that tale some other time, however. We have serious work to do," said Roan, draining the martini that seemed perpetually within his grasp.

"His liver must look like camouflage," Chuck hissed, feeling a slight sense of déjà-vu even as he uttered the words.

Roan led them to the counter and indicated the two seats opposite the kitchen of what was now clear was Roan's temporary living arrangement while he worked as an instructor for the British espionage factions. Roan stood on the other side, eyeing both Chuck and Sarah as he mixed another martini. Casey, wanting nothing to do with this; even mentors have some boundaries, after all, stepped outside for some fresh air and a cigar, which Chuck felt rather defeated the purpose of the first reason Casey offered to leave.

"Now, Charles. Pretend you don't know this wonderful specimen sitting to your left. How would you seduce her?" asked Roan.

"I don't know," began Chuck, feeling that he probably should have developed some technique from the last time they had had this talk. Although...considering how that talk had ended, Chuck wouldn't be complaining if it ended up like last time. "I guess I'd try and make her laugh a little, you know, get her to open up, find a common cultural interest; music, maybe."

"So you mean to tell me, that you managed to get a gorgeous, sophisticated woman like that," said Roan, indicating Sarah, "to fall in love with you with that?"

"Well, I think there's something to be said for persistence," said Chuck. "That and I had time to wear her down. Nobody can resist the Bartowski charm if you give me enough time."

"Well unfortunately, on a mission there won't be time to 'wear her down'. You need to learn some skills in a quick seduction, you need to be able to act interested in the mark without thinking about Miss Walker, and by the same token, you need to be able to act without thinking about it. Kiss her," Roan added, almost as an afterthought.

Chuck and Sarah both almost choked on the unexpected request. Not that they didn't want to, but it was just that: unexpected.

"Excuse me?" Chuck asked. "I don't think that's necessary...at this particular juncture."

"What's the matter? She is your fiancée, surely you've kissed her before," Roan stated without sympathy.

"I'm...I'm just not too comfortable with PDA," Chuck answered meekly.

"Oh Jesus," Roan sighed. "Are you sure you've had intercourse before?"

"What?" Chuck almost shouted, incredulous. "Of course I have!"

Sarah sighed softly, men and their egos.

Meanwhile, Chuck was continuing his defence of his manliness. "I'm solid as a rock in that department, no worries there. Tell him, honey," he finished, looking at Sarah in a silent plea for backup.

"Hmm?" said Sarah, feigning ignorance.

"This isn't working. I'm sorry, Mr. Bartowski, but if you can't kiss your fianceé, of all people, in the relative privacy of a house, what makes you think you can kiss the mark, when the entire mission...is on the line," said Roan.

"You really want me to kiss her?" Chuck said loudly.

"Desperately," Roan sighed.

"Fine," said Chuck, before pulling Sarah up from her seat and grasping her close in an embrace, his face almost welding itself to hers without a moment's hesitation. The momentary tension in Sarah's body, a lasting remnant from her long days as an emotionless husk, dissipated as she felt Chuck's tongue probing her closed mouth. After getting over the surprise of the strength of Chuck's hold and his kiss, she willingly opened her mouth and attacked his tongue just as ferociously as he was hers.

All rational thought was gone in an instant from both Chuck and Sarah. It was clear that this was no ordinary kiss from the outset, but even so, nothing could prepare either of the two agents in training for the sensations that overwhelmed all else. Normally Sarah managed to retain some awareness of her surroundings, another remnant from her agent days, but now all she could see in front of her was Chuck, all she could feel encompassing her in strong arms was Chuck. His scent filled her sinuses and there was nothing else around her.

Roan's shocked face was now just a distant memory, pushed to the back of her mind as she struggled to keep control of her legs. Everything was now fading into the background, from the counter she was being pushed against by Chuck's insistent body to the sun beaming in from the French doors. It was all blurring into one, leaving one clear picture in her mind: Chuck. He was all that mattered now. And from his unfocused expression, Chuck was undergoing much the same sensations.

Roan looked on in amazement at the events unfolding in front of him. This was not what he had been expecting when he essentially forced the two to kiss, but if nothing else, they were getting into it. Now if only he could get Charles to show this pattern when it wasn't Miss Walker he was kissing...

"Charles," said Roan patiently, but when he received no acknowledgement that his pupil had heard him, let alone taken in the word, he spoke louder. "Charles!"

Chuck's wandering hands stopped their progression just over halfway up Sarah's top, scant inches from unclasping her bra. Sarah, on the other hand, had somehow managed to find the dexterity to pop open a few of the buttons on Chuck's shirt. Despite the halting of their hands' progress, neither party was willing to break the kiss, which while certainly less fiery in the way of passion, was still one of the best kisses either Chuck or Sarah had had in a long while.

"Charles!"

Roan's voice managed to give Chuck the mental clarity that he sorely needed to break the kiss, although Sarah's eyes staring up at him very nearly made him give in. He eventually pulled his lips from hers, emitting a low growl that was strangely reminiscent of a certain NSA trainer.

"I have to fix my lipstick, excuse me," Sarah said breathlessly, before almost fleeing upstairs. There were a few items of clothing that needed fixing too, thanks to Chuck's nimble fingers.

"Sure," Chuck answered to Sarah's back, equally as breathless as the woman he was currently watching sway mesmerizingly up the stairs.

"I guess you didn't need me to teach you how to get her after all," said Roan, much in the manner of a proud father. "Now how about we get to work..."

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Present Day

"Well, that wasn't so bad," said Chuck as he climbed back into the black van that was doubling as a surveillance vehicle for this particular 'mission', relief evident in his voice that he had managed to escape this night of seducing, it seemed, everybody except the person he actually wanted to seduce.

"Chuck, that was torture for me," said Sarah, pulling off the headphones that had enabled her to follow her fiancé's progress through this test seduction missions. She, at least, now understood what Chuck was put through every time she was ordered to seduce a mark for the mission. What she also knew, however, was that it was sometimes necessary for the mission. Not that it made watching the man she loved attempt to seduce another woman any easier; nobody expected it to be easy. She just had to stick it out as Chuck had done all that time ago in L.A.

"Suck it up, Lloyd," said Casey, tactful as ever. "I had to put up with Pugh looking like someone stole his lunch money every time you had to put the moves on a mark, damn sure I'm not going to put up with two whiny pupils all the way back to the base."

"Shut it, Casey, before I shut it for you," snapped Sarah, menace almost tangibly dripping from each word she uttered.

"Calm down, honey," said Chuck, trying to defuse the situation before Casey ended up skewered to his beloved surveillance equipment.

At no point in his life could Chuck have said anything worse than at that point. Sarah slowly turned to face him, and looked at him in a manner that made Chuck visibly pale, and if he didn't realise just how badly timed his comment was, he certainly knew now. There was no scarier sight in Chuck's mind than a pissed off Sarah Walker, and didn't she know it.

"Chuck, don't you ever tell me to calm down. I was damn close to cutting you off tonight anyway for that stunt you pulled at the bar, but-" she was cut off in mid-flow by a Chuck that was desperate to defend his honour.

"Sarah, I was only doing my job at the bar, I promise," he said, and he felt pretty close to falling to his knees and begging for forgiveness. Sarah, it seemed, didn't hear his plea; her hormone-induced craziness that had made his fiancée turn into a woman that had two modes: crying and angry. Angry appeared to have returned.

"You did not just cut me off!" she shouted, and all three of the men in the van visibly cringed, and Chuck endeavoured to burrow deeper into his seat to avoid the barrage that was heading his way. "You know what, just for that, I think I might cut you off. See how you like it," she finished, visibly pleased with the look of horror that crossed Chuck's face.

"Oh no," he almost whispered. It was going to be a long night.

Casey and Roan both had a touch of schadenfreude about their looks. Casey was sitting, chuckling slightly, in the passenger seat of the ten-year-old Ford Transit van that, while looking completely average from the outside, had acquitted itself well in the field. Roan, sitting on the right hand side in the driver's seat, had a wry smile that spoke of years of experience on his face.

"At least one good thing came out of tonight's work, Charles. I think you're probably ready for the seduction element of your test," said Roan encouragingly.

"And your shooting is at least tolerable now. You're probably not going to get much better at the spy craft no matter how much I train you, so I think you're ready for the other sections of the test too."

Chuck sighed. Oh joy, tests.

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A/N: SLWF, my beta reader, wasn't sure about the meaning of 'schadenfreude', so I'll put it here.

Schadenfreude = Taking pleasure in someone's pain.

If you enjoyed it, review. If you hated it, review anyway, I'd like to improve. If you were indifferent to the whole thing, what the hell, review anyway :D