A/N: The third chapter into Sarah's progression through the series. Hope you enjoy it.
What the hell was I thinking? Sarah asked herself as she drove away from the Bartowski apartment. The smart, professional thing to do would be to answer Chuck's (asset, dammit, asset! Sarah repeatedly told herself) statement of "I think I could suffer through it" with something noncommittal, or better yet, nothing at all. Yet her mouth just had to betray her. What the hell was I thinking? "Me too" was just about the dumbest thing she could have said to Chuck (asset! For the love of God, asset!) in that situation, yet the normally oh so reliable filter that her training had placed on her vocal chords had conveniently decided to go AWOL at that exact moment. What the hell was I thinking?
She couldn't believe it. Less than a month and she already viewed her asset as not someone to be controlled, but a friend. That had to be a record. Damn him and his normal life. Damn him for making Agent Walker lose control momentarily. Damn him for bringing Sarah back to the surface. If Carina saw me now I don't know what she'd say, thought Sarah, thoughts going back to a simpler time when the most difficult emotional situation she faced was whether to end a life quickly or slowly.
Now Chuck (asset!) was in her life everything seemed to be screwed up. Before she caught that plane to L.A. she was perfectly happy to go back to the agency after reclaiming the Intersect data and eliminating the college failure that appeared to have received them. She would have been fine with devoting her life to the service of her country. Now she wasn't too sure. Even in the short time she had spent on this assignment, she could see the benefits of a strong support network. She could see that Chuck (asset!) was stronger because of his emotional connections, not weaker. Before, Sarah had pitied those who relied on others. Now she wasn't so sure.
This wasn't how this assignment was supposed to go.