A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I'm glad you're liking the story. The song used in this chapter is Lie by David Cook. Enjoy!

You whispered that that you were getting tired
Got a look in your eye, looks a lot like goodbye
Hold on to your secrets tonight
Don't want to know, I'm okay with this silence
It's truth that I don't want to end

Fall 2009

So this was it. Tomorrow night Chuck would set this whole plan in motion by shooting Sarah. The stakes had been raised in the past couple of months with Fulcrum growing and making advances against the government. They had actually pushed the date up a month. Part of him wished he had that extra month with Sarah and his sister, but he was glad that all of this would be over. The constant fighting was taking a toll. To be honest, it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. He and Sarah each had a signal that they would give each other after a fight. Usually he'd just make sure his back was to a camera and would give her a discreet wink while she normally would call attention to the charm bracelet on her wrist by running a hand through her hair. They were small gestures, but they did it to show each other that they didn't mean any of the harsh things they said.

Still, the fighting had been hard. During one particularly heated conversation, she had told him that they would never have a future together because there was no way a girl like her would fall in love with a nerd like him. From the look on her face he knew she regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth. She had given him an apologetic look and he knew she hadn't meant a word of it, but still it stung. The fights started out in places where they knew there would be cameras: Castle, Buy More, Orange Orange, his bedroom, and the courtyard. They needed something tangible that Fulcrum (with the help of Bryce) could use to make Sarah "join" them. They even added a camera to Sarah's hotel. They thought they could use it as added incentive to sway Sarah against the CIA. If it's one thing a spy hates it's being spied on.

They had received a lot of help from Bryce in last few months. He had been planting seeds with Fulcrum that made them want to turn Sarah. Chuck hated to admit it, but without him this whole thing would never have had a chance. Bryce had rejoined Fulcrum about four months ago. He was able to convince them that the CIA help him hostage and removed the intersect from his brain. He was their inside man.

Chuck's phone buzzed next to him. It was Sarah, of course. She was calling to invite him to her hotel for dessert. He wasn't sure what the night held. Most likely it was just designed to be a set up for their big blow up tomorrow, but he hoped it wasn't. He wanted one more night where they could pretend that everything was still normal.

You're hiding regret in your smile
There's a storm in your eyes I've seen coming for a while
Hang on to the past tense tonight
Don't say a word, I'm okay with the quiet
The truth is gonna change everything

He knocked quietly at her door and waited. It seemed to take her longer than usual to answer it. Chuck was about to knock again when Sarah opened it with a small smile. She was wearing black yoga pants and a white t-shirt and he felt overdressed in his dark jeans and dress shirt. He stepped inside and closed the door. It surprised him when Sarah came up, placed a hand on his chest, and kissed him. She pulled away too soon, but left her hand on his chest. It was like she was conveying to him all the things she couldn't say. He wished he was as good at subtly conveying his emotions as she was.

After a moment she turned and led him farther into the apartment. His eyes found the planted camera in the corner of the room and waited for Sarah to tell him what he was doing here.

"Don't worry," she said motioning toward the camera. "I disabled it. When they look over the tape they'll think I was home alone cleaning my knives."

Chuck was taken aback. So the kiss was real and not for cover. At least he'd have that to hang on to. "Sarah what's up? I thought we were supposed to have a cover fight or disagreement or something tonight."

"We've had enough of those. I ordered us some room service and we can spend the rest of the night talking. I know you're worried about tomorrow and I figured it'd be best if we went over everything one last time."

"You don't know how relieved I am to hear you say that," Chuck said sitting down on the bed next to her. "I've been going over everything in my head for days and I keep forgetting stuff, but I think that's just because I'm nervous."

"Don't be nervous. It'll be okay."

"You sound so sure."

Sarah reached over and grabbed his hand. She was awfully affectionate tonight, not that he minded. He loved it.

"Trust me Chuck. Everything will be fine."

So lie to me and tell me that it's gonna be all right
So lie to me and tell me that we'll make it through the night
I don't mind if you wait before you tear me apart
Look me in the eye
Lie, lie, lie

Sarah set down her bowl of ice cream and sank deeper into her chair. They had just finished dessert and she couldn't remember ever being so full. She inhaled her meal like it was the last one she'd ever eat. For all she knew maybe it was. She had faith in Chuck, but there was so much that could go wrong tomorrow. Not that she'd ever tell him that. He needed her to be confident, so she was.

"So then Ellie comes storming into the room holding the empty plate. She was furious. I knew Morgan could pack it in, but I didn't think he eat could four dozen cookies in one sitting. I had to run out and buy more before the guests arrived."

She was listening to Chuck tell the story of the first birthday party Ellie threw for Awesome. It was nice hearing about his past and about the people she had grown to love and think of as family. In that moment she wished more than ever that she could share something with him. Screw it, she could give him something.

"You want to know why I don't like olives?"

"Sure," he said trying to sound nonchalant, but she knew he was more than interested. Chuck leaned closer to her and his eyes bore into hers.

"My dad got hurt on a con once and had to stay in bed for three weeks. He couldn't drive and I was too young so we couldn't go to the supermarket, plus money was pretty tight. By the end of it we were living off canned olives, spam, and peanut butter. I haven't been able to touch any of it since. There's only so many cans of olives a girl can eat."

"That explains a lot," he smiled. She could tell he appreciated the little kernel she gave him. It was a start. "What I really want to know is what you would do if you could go anywhere right now."

Well played Bartowski. Way to ask her something personal without asking about her past. He was getting better at this. Sarah liked being able to have a conversation like this again. They were both soaking it up because it would be the last real conversation they would have for years. That's assuming they both survived this. Honestly, part of Sarah didn't expect to. Infiltrating Fulcrum was going to be difficult, but surviving Fulcrum was a different story. If she did survive, she was sure she'd carry plenty of scars once it was over.

"On a deserted tropical beach. Sitting in the white sand, sipping a mojito, and staring out at the clear blue water. I love that feeling when you go to the beach and the rest of the world melts away. It's just so peaceful. What about you? Where would you go?"

"Camping. It's not as glamorous as the beach, but I love that feeling of being completely stripped from society. I know that sounds weird coming from the guy who loves computers and video games, but there's just something I love about being surrounded by nature."

"I thought you hated camping? You never go when Awesome and his buddies ask."

"I don't hate camping, I just hate camping with Awesome. He is way too hardcore for my tastes."

They both laughed. "Maybe I should let you go. You should spend some time with Awesome and Ellie before tomorrow."

Chuck's smile faded and Sarah felt as if she ruined whatever moment they'd just had. "It's okay. I'd rather stay here."

"I was hoping you'd say that. I don't really want to be alone right now."

"Sarah, can I ask you something? If this wasn't happening and I we weren't involved in this crazy plan to takedown Fulcrum and life continued like it had been, would we have ever had a chance?"

I know that there's no turning back
If we put too much light on this, we'll see through all the cracks
Let's stay in the dark one more night
Don't want to know, I'm okay with the silence
It's truth that I don't want to end

"I don't know."

It wasn't quite the answer he was looking for, but he could tell she was being honest. That's all he could ask for.

"I wish I had a better answer for you. I would have tried to stay professional since it's my job to protect you, but we both know I'm emotionally involved."

It was the closest she had come to admitting she had feelings for him in awhile. They locked eyes and he knew she was battling with herself. He knew her pain because he was fighting launching himself at her. He desperately wanted to kiss her again and feel the affection he felt when he first arrived. What did he have to lose? If she protested it's not like he'd have to see her again for five years. The pain of never taking the chance would weigh on him more than rejection. Chuck was about to lean in towards her, but she was a step ahead of him and took his hand. Sarah stood up and led him to the bed where he sat down next to her.

"Chuck, I need to tell you something. These next five years are going to be tough – for both of us. I know you think I have the harder job, but isolating yourself isn't a walk in the park. Why do you think they do it in prison? It changes people. I need you to promise me that you will try your best to hold on to yourself. Don't let this change you. Promise."

"I promise, but I'm more worried about you."

"Don't be. I can take care of myself."

"Stop it, Sarah!" he said suddenly angry. "I know you're scared. Don't put up a front for me. I need you to talk to me about how you're feeling."

She was taken aback, he could tell. She looked down at her hands and when she spoke again it was so quiet he had to lean in to hear. "I am scared. I'm scared that something will happen and I won't be there to protect you. I'm scared that this won't work and not only will Fulcrum have won, but this whole thing would have been for nothing. I'm scared that by the end of this we won't even recognize each other. But mostly . . . I'm scared that you won't love me anymore when this is over."

Instinctively, he reached out to gently cup her cheek and willed her to look at him. "Sarah, I need you to believe that no matter what I will always love you."

Chuck didn't know when or how it happened, but Sarah was kissing him. It was even more amazing then the one at the beginning of the night. Before he knew it they were tearing each other's clothes off. It all seemed like a blur, but as they fell back on the bed, Chuck was sure this would be the best night of his life.

So lie to me and tell me that it's gonna be all right
So lie to me and tell me that we'll make it through the night
I don't mind if you wait before you tear me apart
So look me in the eye
And lie, lie, lie

Sarah sighed contentedly as she opened her eyes. She felt Chuck's strong arm around her waist and she turned to face him. He looked so peaceful and happy. She knew what just happened shouldn't have happened – it would only make things harder, but still she didn't regret it, not even for a moment. There was nothing more she wanted to do than fall asleep in his arms again, but the clock on her dresser, the one he gave her, said it was almost five o'clock in the morning. She didn't want to waste the last few hours they had together asleep.

"Chuck," she whispered. He didn't stir. She tried again and got the same result. This time she placed her hand on his cheek and kissed him softly. His arms tightened around her and he smiled.

"Hey."

"Hey."

They lay there taking each other in. He had the goofiest look on his face and she couldn't help but smile in return. This was not where she envisioned this night going. She thought he would come over, they'd talk and eat, then say goodbye. This was so much better than that. They had been leading up to this point since they'd first met. Sarah regretted that it had to happen like this, but she was pretty sure without the desperation of losing him she'd never have given in.

"You have to go to work soon," she told him sadly.

"Not for another few hours. Let's go back to bed."

"I don't want to spend our last real hours together sleeping. I don't want to waste this."

He kissed her forehead and sat up resting his head on his arm, the other still wrapped protectively around her. Sarah played with a loose curl on his temple and locked eyes with him. "What do you plan to do five years from now when this is all over?"

"Hmm. You know, I haven't really thought about that. We'd have to rebuild our lives."

She noticed how he said "we" and it didn't bother her like it would have before she met him. It was nice to be included in someone's future. She'd never really had that before. There was a small chance that they'd be able to pick up right where they'd left off, she knew that, but at least a future together was something they could hold onto when things got bad.

"We could buy a house. I'd get a real job. We could even take a vacation to that tropical beach you want to go to."

"And we could go camping."

"We'll definitely have to spoil my nieces and nephews to make up for the time we'd miss."

"Is there something I don't know?" Sarah asked raising an eyebrow.

"No, but I don't think Awesome and Ellie will wait five years to start a family. I give it two years tops."

"I'm sorry you'll have to miss all that."

"I'd rather have the world be safe for them."

Don't want to believe in this ending
Let the cameras roll on, keep pretending
Tomorrow's all wrong if you walk away
Just stay

Reality came all too soon. Sarah sat up in bed as Chuck dressed, he still had to go back to his apartment and get ready for work. She wished they had more time. Actually, she wished they didn't have to do this at all, but this was their life. You play the cards your dealt. He was taking longer than necessary to dress and she was thankful for it. Once he walked out the door they'd have to forget this night ever happened. After that she wouldn't see him for five years. The weight of that finally hit her and she fought the urge to break down. Sarah could not imagine her life without Chuck.

"I guess it's that time."

"Yeah," she sighed. "You should go."

He leaned down to kiss her and she locked her arms behind his head so he couldn't pull away. They broke apart and she let out pained sigh. "Remember your promise?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"You'll be great tonight. I believe in you."

They broke apart and Chuck forced himself to take a step towards the door. "I don't want to say goodbye to you again. I can't."

"Then let's not. We can say something like 'see you in a few' or 'until we meet again'."

"Those all still sound like goodbye."

"I know."

"Let me just say this then: I love you, Sarah Walker. I don't expect you to say it back, but I need you know and I don't want you to forget."

Sarah's eyes filled with tears and she swallowed the lump rising in her throat. She watched as Chuck walked to the door. His hand was on the doorknob when he paused and looked back at her.

"It's too late to go back isn't it? We can't run from this?"

Without a word, Sarah just shook her head. She wanted to say yes so badly. She wanted to run off to an island somewhere where nobody would bother them.

"Didn't think so," he said giving her a small sad smile and exiting the room. The sound of the door closing was like a gunshot ringing in her ears.

"I love you too."

So lie to me and tell me that we're gonna be okay
So lie to me and tell me that we'll make it through the day
I don't mind if you wait before you tear me apart
Look me in the eye
Lie, lie, lie