I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway.

This is the story of Chuck and Sarah's eldest daughter Kate's struggles on her own. Washington is a dangerous place to make friends. Everybody has their own agenda. And playing fair isn't anywhere on the list of requirements. In fact, most people would consider it a weakness – and try and take advantage of it.

Kate being so beautiful is a double-edged sword. It has quickly made her famous in a town full of famous people. But it also has put a bull's-eye on her back – or more appropriately, on her chest. Lot's of folks are tempted to take their shot at that target. And it also scares away what few good guys there are.

I'll be sure to post warnings on chapters that have violent or sexual situations. I'm going to keep this T – but I might dance on the edge for a bit.

If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review.

The Beard

x-x-x-x-x

Kate sat at the table slowly sipping her drink. She wasn't even sure what the drink was called that Julie insisted that she had to try – something about a slow screw - and a beach. Which was where Kate was currently wishing she was. But she wasn't. She was here. It was one of those noisy clubs that catered to the young, mostly single, staff that manned all of the political offices downtown.

At least Kate found out something that had been bugging her. Now, it was very clear why Julie had been pestering her to join her every single night since they had met. Kate was the city's newest celebrity. And Julie was having a blast soaking up the overflow attention – and the free drinks that came along for the ride – for all it was worth.

Kate was hesitant about going at all. After all, this was not her type of scene. She definitely had never been one for parties at school. Paul usually wanted to go. They never really fought about it and she let him drag her to a few – but she never once had a good time at one. She even tried a few times. After all, she hated to see the disappointment in Paul's eyes. But after a while he, more or less, gave up. The game that everyone was playing was just all too silly. The flirting and pretending to be interested in what they were saying – it was just a bit much. All for the hope of a cheap, meaningless hookup. And as tired as she had been lately, getting an early night's sleep sounded pretty good. But she didn't want to appear to be a snob – and Julie was so damn insistent. So she finally agreed to make it an office thing.

Kate knew that Jennifer would never come. And she was right. Her face got red the second that Kate even mentioned it. Kate had some hope for Alex. She even primed the pump a little by hinting that Janice might make an appearance. But there was no way – and Alex knew it. For one thing, it wasn't a place for Senators. Kate was probably the only Chief of Staff that was there. For another, Janice was in a caucus meeting until midnight. And there was one thing for sure. Kate was going to be home long before midnight.

Kate finally had to resort to actually asking Alex as a favor. The last thing that Kate wanted was to be alone with Julie. But she also didn't want to send the wrong signal to Alex. Oh, he seemed like a nice enough guy. More than that, after he was comfortable, he actually could make you laugh. But Kate was also his manager. The very, very last thing that Kate wanted was for him to develop a crush on her. that's all that Paul needed to hear about. Fortunately, that showed absolutely no signs of happening. Alex was sitting at the table next to her looking just as uncomfortable as she did. This was clearly not his scene either.

On top of all that, Kate was having a lousy night in general. It started off well. Uncle Casey's pancakes were as awful as ever. But Uncle Casey was as lovable as ever – so all in all, it was a pretty fair exchange. He clearly felt guilty about ratting her out to Janice – so he was on his most charming behavior. And Uncle Casey could be very charming – when he wanted to be. He did a great job of helping her arrange her furniture. He even made it fun. And she could tell that Uncle Casey was having a good time too. He laughed out loud when she wouldn't open the door until he slid his Drivers' License under it. That fact alone made it a great evening.

But then there was the fight. It came out of nowhere. She hardly ever fought with Paul. But tonight's was a barn burner. What was up with him tonight anyway? Okay, so he was lonely. So was she. And, yes – it was probably hard to see all of the press reports that called her – what was that again? Oh, yeah – the newest Beltway Babe. Even Uncle Casey got a kick out of that one.

For some reason, Paul didn't see the humor in that. Okay – fair enough. But to actually accuse her of flirting… if he only knew how hard she was working to discourage them. Really, Paul – flirting? Do you really think that I'm flirting? To say that Kate was disappointed in him was a huge understatement. Actually, it was the most disappointed that she had ever been with Paul. Hopefully he was just having a bad night. After all, everybody had a bad night once in a while, right?

Then there was Julie – the classic live wire player. She kept dragging guys over to meet her. And while Kate didn't want to appear rude, she also didn't want to be Julie's wingman. She had turned down so many requests to dance that it was starting to become noticeable.

Kate was starting to get that queasy feeling in her stomach. She was well on her way to getting a reputation as a snob. Avoiding that was the only reason that she came tonight in the first place. But she knew that if she danced with anyone, they would be all over her for the rest of the night – especially with Julie encouraging them. And the last thing that she wanted was to encourage anybody. Besides – not one man that asked her to dance had his eyes aimed at hers. Did they really think that she couldn't tell where they were looking – and why? The kicker was that she wanted to be able to be truthful to Paul when she said that she hadn't danced with anybody. Hopefully, he wouldn't ask if anybody had sent over a drink – but he probably would. She was half tempted to drown her sorrows in the half dozen drinks that were now sitting in a line in front of her, compliments of the club's many potential male suitors. But that would just cause more problems than it solved.

Finally, Alex leaned over to her. "Would you like to dance?" he asked.

It was the very, very last thing that she expected him to say. So her response was somewhat less than smooth. "Huh?" was all that came out.

Alex had an odd half smile on his face. "Look," he said. "I can see that you're uncomfortable. I think that I understand why. We both know that I'm no threat to you – or to your boyfriend. Dance with me once and they'll leave you alone. It's what's called a beard."

Kate could only stare in amazement. But she had to admit - the logic seemed solid. Even Paul would probably be on board with that. So she just took a deep breath and extended her hand. "Okay, Alex," she said. "I would love to. I actually love to dance." His hand was actually trembling a little – and more than a little sweaty. He was clearly nervous – but he did reach out and grab hers.

"Umm, yeah," Alex said as they walked to the floor. "About that - I hope you're not expecting much in the way of quality. I may be a great beard – but I'm not much of a dancer."

x-x-x-x-x

Daniel Shaw opened the door to his apartment and stepped inside. He really hated being here – especially alone. Every since Evelyn died… or more accurately was murdered… there was really no point. That's why he poured himself so much into his work. And being CIA Director was perfect. It was pretty much a twenty-four hour a day job anyway.

So when the light behind him came on, Shaw instinctively reached for his gun. Then he remembered. He was no longer an agent. Directors didn't carry weapons. But when he saw the face, he relaxed – for an instant. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "We were never supposed to meet."

"Tell me, Daniel," he said, ignoring his question. "Which side are you on, anyway?"

Shaw's eyes narrowed as he thought of a response. "I'm not sure what you mean," he finally said.

"I'll explain it to you," he growled. "I'll be sure to use small words so that you can understand. Your job is to keep the parents away from her. We're trying to isolate her. Not give them group hug opportunities. Instead, you bring them to Washington."

"I need Walker here," Shaw replied. "It's where this needs to happen. No place else will work."

"Okay," he sighed. "So what is the real deal with you and Walker? I understand that she killed your wife. Okay – you want revenge. We're sympathetic – to a point. But why not just kill her? Surely, you've had multiple chances to do that. Thirty years is a long time to carry such a grudge."

"Not good enough," Shaw responded. "She needs to suffer. Bartowski needs to suffer. When I'm done with them, they won't be able to look at each other. Then I'll kill them. Not before. I'll wait three hundred years if I have too."

He walked to the door. "Listen up moron," he said. "We've done our part. We made you Director. We ask almost nothing from you. When we do – we expect results. I don't know – or care – about your sick little fantasies. Just keep them away from the girl. If not, then we have a big problem – and so do you. Am I clear?"

Shaw knew that he wasn't expecting a response – so he didn't offer one until the door had closed and he was gone.

"Very clear."

x-x-x-x-x

Alex was absolutely right. He wasn't really a good dancer – much too stiff. As a matter of fact, it was a lot like dancing with dad. But he wasn't embarrassing or anything. And it was sweet that he was making the effort. So Kate finally decided to relax and go with it. After all, it was true – she really did love to dance. It was something that Mom had instilled a long time ago. Mom was a completely different person on the dance floor.

"You're not having a good time," Alex said as they danced. It was much more statement than question. "Why not?"

Kate just starred at him. Her horn dog alarms were going off. From another man, that would have been a line. And something about what he said earlier was bothering her. "How did you know that I have a boyfriend?" she asked. "I've never talked about him." Has Alex been checking up on her? Why would he do that?

But Alex quickly popped that concern like a balloon. "Come on, Kate," Alex said with his own look. "The newest Beltway Babe? It's pretty clear. You either have a boyfriend – or you're gay. Either way, I'm the perfect beard. Now, why aren't you having a good time?"

Suddenly Kate felt defensive. She was already starting to hate that demeaning nickname. And Alex was the last person that she wanted calling her that. "I don't know," she said hesitantly. "Why aren't you?"

"It's not my scene," Alex replied quickly. "Trust me - getting snubbed by political staffers isn't my idea of a good time. I get that enough at work. I only came tonight because you sounded desperate. I'm sorry if I'm getting too personal. I'm just making conversation."

Kate sighed. Alex wasn't hitting on her. He was just a nice guy – the only one that she had met so far. Before, she thought that he reminded her of Uncle Morgan. Now he seemed more like Dad. It was time to ease up on the poor guy. "I'm sorry too," she said. "It's not my scene either. You're right – I do have a boyfriend. And we just had a big fight."

"He's jealous," Alex said. "Isn't he?"

"How did you know?" Kate asked.

"Trust me," Alex said with a grin. 'If I had a girlfriend who looked like you – I'd be jealous every time you were out of my sight."

Okay, that sounded so very much like a pickup line. Kate quickly looked into Alex's eyes for any sign that he was feeding her a line… and immediately felt guilty when she didn't see one. Come on, Kate – ease up on the guy. He just said something very sweet to you. He actually looked nervous. Not the macho arrogance of someone playing a line. And she had to admit – she hadn't caught him checking out her chest once. That made him pretty much unique among the male patrons of this club tonight. That also raised his stock with her several points. Another thing that she had to admit – Alex was very cute when he was nervous. And he was even cuter when he was smiling. He didn't have any reason to have low self esteem. Alex was as good looking as any man in the place. He just needed some confidence. Maybe someday, she could be his wingman. That might be fun. "Thanks," she said. "That was sweet. But he doesn't have any reason to be jealous."

Alex looked at her like she had just sprouted a third eye. "Of course he does," he responded. "I mean please don't take this the wrong way. But how many times have guys asked you to dance tonight? How many drinks have you paid for? Just what do you think all those guys have in mind? Maybe nailing the newest Beltway Babe? Kate, I've seen the eyes of the lobbyists picking you up for their meetings. I've noticed the way they check you out when they think you're not looking. It's pretty clear what they are thinking. Don't you think that your boyfriend is smart enough to know all that? I've never met him… but I think that I know how he feels. Maybe you should cut him a little slack."

"Okay," Kate laughed. "Please stop calling me that. It makes me feel like I'm posing for a calendar or something."

"I'm sorry," Alex quickly said. "I mean no offense. For what it's worth, I think that the nickname is unfair. You clearly aren't a babe. You deserve every bit of attention that you've gotten – and not because you're gorgeous. Your senate campaign will be in textbooks soon. It was that brilliant. You have Senator Casey on the fast path to becoming President. I'm learning a lot from you."

Alex quickly realized in horror what he had just said. He quickly tried to retreat – and just stepped further in it. "Umm," he stammered. "I didn't mean that you're not a babe. Umm… I mean…"

Kate was now having fun for the first time since she got here. He was so cute stammering with the blush clearly rising up his neck. That was the genuinely nicest thing that anybody had said to her in – she couldn't remember. So she decided to let him off the hook. "Alex," she said with a soft smile. "It's okay. I know what you meant. Thank you for cheering me up. I enjoy working with you too. And thank you for being my beard tonight. You've been a life saver."

Alex was grateful to change the subject. "You're welcome," he said. "On both counts. As far as the beard goes, you haven't heard my price yet."

"Price?" Kate asked cautiously. She didn't like the sound of that. Was he running a line after all?

"I'm hoping that you could put in a good word for me with Senator Casey," Alex said with a grin.

Kate inwardly groaned. She honestly wasn't sure how she felt. After all, this was a good thing, right? If Alex had a crush on Aunt Janice, that meant she was safe. So why was she annoyed? It couldn't be that she was jealous – that would be stupid. "Alex," she said cautiously. "I have to tell you. Senator Casey is very happily married."

Alex just looked confused. "I know," he said. "I've met the Colonel. He's impressive -nice enough, I guess - a little scary. What's that got to do with anything?"

"That wasn't just a show for the campaign," Kate said. "They are truly dedicated to each other. It's sweet. I don't think that she is a good candidate for an office romance."

"Romance?" Alex asked in horror. "Who said anything about romance? I really admire her. I want to join her permanent staff. I was hoping…"

Alex stopped talking in mid-sentence. As soon as the music stopped, he turned to leave the dance floor. "It's getting late," he said without looking at her. "I'd better get home. If you want to leave, now would be a good time. Otherwise they are going to be all over you again."

Kate nodded. She wasn't sure what was suddenly wrong with Alex – but she was definitely ready to leave. And there was some wisdom in walking out with him. It would send the right signal to the crowd. She was definitely not a snob. Was he upset that Janice wasn't going to be interested? He had to know that. She was trying to do him a favor. Should she have sat there and let him make a fool of himself with her? "Will you wait for a second while I say goodnight to Julie?" she asked.

Again, Alex wouldn't look at her. He just nodded.

It was cold outside. The weather had been unusually warm for mid November. But a cold front had just moved through and Kate was freezing. Having grown up in Southern California, cold was not something she was remotely used too. So she was very grateful to get into the car. Alex insisted on dropping her off at home. After all, it was well after dark. They sat for the short ride to her place without a word. When the cab pulled up to her apartment building, Alex instructed the driver to wait while he walked her to her door.

Kate really didn't want the night to end like this. Alex had stepped up for her tonight. He had been perfect. He was sweet and funny and cute… and best of all, she could tell Paul all about it. It was the best time that she had since she left home. Could she invite him in to talk about it without him, or Paul, getting the wrong idea? Probably not. So as she put her key in the lock, she turned to him. "Alex," she said softly. "What's wrong? Have I offended you?"

At first, Alex didn't respond. But finally he looked at her for the first time since the dance floor. "You really do think that I'm that pathetic, don't you?" he asked so softly that Kate wasn't sure that she heard him correctly. "I guess that you would. I hoped that you were diff… Look, I'll see you tomorrow."

By the time that it registered what Alex had said – and what he meant by it, he was already in the cab and it was pulling away. So Kate really had no choice but to just go inside. Could this night possibly get any worse?

Kate couldn't get Alex's last image out of her mind. By the time she reached her apartment, she was having a hard time blinking the tears out of her eyes. The look in Alex's eyes was heart breaking. She couldn't feel any worse if she tried. Here was this nice, sweet guy who was trying to be her friend – and she had crushed him – almost assuredly unfairly. She had taken his insecurity – and smashed him in the face with it. And all because she spent the whole damn night worrying about her stupid image. Hopefully, she would get the chance to talk to him about it tomorrow.

But why was the bathroom door closed? And why was the light shining through underneath it? She was sure that wasn't how she left things. Maybe Uncle Casey had been back. She fished her phone out of her purse to call him. After all, with all of the lectures today, it made some sense to be careful. That's when she saw the man step out of the shadows. At first, Kate was too startled and shocked to react. Finally she was able to gasp out –

"Dad?"

x-x-x-x-x

He sighed into the darkness as he dialed the phone. His job was to get results - period. Nothing else mattered. And at this level, no excuses would be accepted. His employers were beyond brutal. When you didn't get results – they didn't yell at you. They didn't fire you. They ended you. To survive, you needed to leave nothing to chance. You needed a fall back plan – and a backup to that fall back plan. Failure wasn't an option.

But even with all that, he really didn't like messing with kids. He wasn't even sure why. It certainly wasn't morals. You checked them at the city limits. But for one thing it was too unpredictable. It just seemed… messy. They were already moving on the boyfriend. That was actually going very well. But would it be enough? Now, thanks to that moron Shaw, he really didn't have any choice. He needed another contingency. Hopefully, everyone involved would see things his way and there would be a happy ending. But then, that was their choice. It always was.

"Yes," he said into the phone as soon as it was answered. "It's a go. His name is West – Robbie West. His parents are Joe and Elise West."

"Yes, they are both ex-CIA."

"Anderson Middle School in Burbank."

"Not yet. I'll let you know."

x-x-x-x-x