A/N: "HOLY CRAP!" I hear you think. "Another chapter, not 30 hours after the last one!" Well, what can I say? I'm motivated, jobless and have absolutely no social life whatsoever. The holy trinity really. On today's menu: Charah (Can you ever have too much of it? I thought so too.) have a heartfelt talk, several jokes are made and some actual plot progression. I know, right? It's insanity. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 6

"Chuck, what are you doing?" Sarah asked, slightly amused at the antics that Chuck was displaying. They had arrived at LAX, and passed through Customs. After a small lunch at one of the restaurants, they'd moved on to the gate, where Chuck found it necessary to imitate a boxer warming up.

Chuck stopped dead in his tracks, his imaginary pummeling of the heavy bag forgotten. "Uh… Well, I'm trying to psych myself out. It's my first time flying, and I'm kind of nervous." He responded. He almost looked embarrassed about the fact.

"Oh… Well, can I do anything to help you?"

"Not unless you're on speaking terms with the A-Team." Chuck nervously quipped.

"The A-Team?"

"Really, you've never heard of the A-Team? 80's television show? The whole voiceover about soldiers of fortune who promptly escape a maximum security stockade? Mr. T? Tranquilizing him before a flight? Nothing?"

Sarah could only shake her head. "Nope, sorry, never heard of it."

Chuck got a sly grin. "Well, we're going to have to fix that then. Just F.Y.I. there are around a hundred episodes, with a running time of an hour per episode. We'll be watching them all." He finished, before adding something that Sarah had never seen in her life. His eyebrows would move individually from each other in a waving motion. It was so fluid, and looked so ridiculous that Sarah burst out laughing.

"What the hell…" she started, before falling back into a fit of snickering. "…are you doing?" she finally managed to conclude.

"Oh, it's a little something I've learned over the years. I heard it's a massive hit with the ladies. Care to divulge your take on it, Miss Walker?" he started, before continuing with the rapid eyebrow movements.

Sarah dissolved into a fit of giggles. The stares they had gotten from the other passengers were ignored, as Chuck continued trying to entertain Sarah, his own problems forgotten the moment he heard that angelic laugh.

Just then, the P.A. announced that boarding for the flight to Washington had started, and the nerves returned. Taking a shaky breath, Chuck looked towards his travel companion. He really did enjoy looking at her. His life truly had changed within four days. He was dating the most gorgeous woman he had ever laid eyes on, and he was on his way to becoming a hero. He wasn't all that happy with the second part, but the first one more than made up for it. Sure, he still had a few things he wanted to do in his life, falling in love, getting married, having children, growing old. You know, the basics. But he felt that if push came to shove, he could very well die happy. Preferably in someone's arms. He figured that if he was to die young, he'd at least go out in a blaze of glory.

"You ready?" Chuck asked. Sarah nodded, and stood up. She held out her hand.

"Trust me, Chuck. I'll be here for you if you need any help with this."

He latched on to her hand, and looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, Sarah… And I'm also sorry for my sweaty palms."

Sarah simply looked amused. "It's okay, Chuck. Not everyone handles flying the same way. And I kind of think I know what your problem is. You're over thinking it. You're questioning the ability of the plane to stay in the air, aren't you?"

Chuck looked a bit sheepish. "Yeah… How'd you figure?"

Sarah smiled. "Because that's exactly what I was thinking when I had to fly for the first time in my life."

Chuck shot her a tight lipped grin. "So, how'd you get over it?"

"Well, it's not so bad once you're actually in the plane. I sort of gave in, and said: Whatever happens, happens. I had no control over the plane, and I couldn't do anything about it, so I sort of resigned to my fate. It sounds oddly fatalistic, but it worked for me."

Chuck sighed. "Well, it wouldn't hurt to try, I guess."

Sarah looked over to Chuck. The poor guy was shaking like a leaf. His eyes were locked to the window. They were waiting for take-off. She felt really bad for him, so she grabbed his hand. Chuck looked to her, with a pleading look in his eyes.

"Chuck, just focus on me. Trust me, when we're up in the air, the tension will melt, and you'll be fine. I promise."

"O…okay… I believe you… And Sa-sarah… I'm truly sorry, for you know… acting like this…"

Sarah started idly stroking his hand. "Don't worry about it Chuck. It's perfectly normal to be tense. I wouldn't be telling you this if it wasn't true." Okay, so maybe not everyone was as anxious as Chuck was, but it was oddly adorable. It brought out Sarah's maternal side. It was a side she had never seen before, but it seemed appropriate for him to be the one to bring it out of her. "Listen, if you get scared, either focus on me or look out of the window, whatever helps. And if you need to latch on to something, just grab my hand. I promise you, we'll get through this."

It felt good to be there for another person. Especially when she saw the grateful look in Chuck's eyes. It made her feel… needed. She hadn't felt needed in a long while. Okay, so maybe that was a bit of a lie. Sure, men had often needed her. But that was in a strictly carnal way. She had never had to soothe one of those people before. They were all too busy getting what they wanted. And if she was truly honest with herself, she enjoyed this more than sex. And when Chuck latched on to her hand for dear life, she decided to make him as comfortable as possible. So she reached over with one hand, and started stroking it through his hair. It felt amazing. Whilst stroking his hand and his hair, she felt the tenseness leaving his grip. His shoulders started to slump a bit from their rigid posture, and his eyes lost the franticness that it had.

Chuck blew out another breath. "Whew… Sarah. I'm starting to feel better. Thank you. Sincerely."

"It's my pleasure, Chuck." If only he knew how much. She thought.

Finally, the plane started to speed up. Once again, Chuck tensed up, and his breathing started getting labored. So she continued to comfort him to the best of her abilities. After ten minutes, Chuck finally eased up. His breathing started to return to normal and his death-grip on her hands eased up. He drew another shaky breath, and slumped in his seat. "That's better." He managed to say, sounding reasonably normal. He then looked over to Sarah, his eyes troubled. "I'm really, really sorry for this, Sarah. God, you must hate this, having to hold my hand like I'm a small child." Frustrated, he started rubbing his face.

Sarah put a soft smile on her face. "Seriously Chuck, you would notice if I was hating this. It's not a problem. It feels good to be needed, actually. It hasn't happened a lot in my life."

Chuck let out a sound that sounded suspiciously like a purr. Sarah looked around confused, wondering what could've triggered the sound, when she noticed that she was still stroking his hair. She mentally shrugged, and continued what she was doing.

"Speaking of your life, here we are, in First Class. And I do believe that we had a deal concerning your past."

Sarah froze for a millisecond. After that, she continued stroking her hair, but Chuck noticed, and sat up a bit straighter. He turned towards her. "Hey, is anything wrong?"

Sarah extracted her hand from Chuck's hair, and laid them on her lap.

"Hey, if you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I was just making a joke anyway. Seriously, Sarah, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Sarah sighed. She wanted to thank him, promise him that she'd tell him eventually but just wasn't ready. That he might look different at her if he knew what she did to become who she was. But she couldn't. She promised him, so she was going to tell him. "No, I promised you. And I don't break promises. I just want to ask you one thing before I start."

"Sure, anything."

"Remember that I am who I am now. And my past is the past, and I'd much prefer that no matter what I'm going to tell you, you won't look at my any differently than you do now."

Chuck looked at her. Then he did the last thing she expected. He didn't say anything, he just picked up her hand, and held it. He started stroking the back of her hand with his thumb, just as she had done for him. She took a deep breath, and started telling him, her story.

"I was born as a single child. My parents and I lived in a small house in Virginia. Growing up was easy, idyllic even. I was never one for the girly stuff, although I did have some dolls I enjoyed playing with. But most of the time I spent hanging around with boys, playing soccer. I went through kindergarten where I was seen as a bright prospect. There was a problem though. My parents fought, often. It started out pretty minor, mostly about chores and what not. Over time, the animosity between my parents grew, and at a few points, we even had police over for domestic violence. But my parents refused to get a separation. But I always knew that it wouldn't be long before something would go wrong. I was eight, when in the middle of the night, my Dad came in. He picked me up and brought me to his car. I fell asleep moments after he started the car, and when I woke up, we were in Baltimore. My dad had entered a life of crime, and became a conman. He was effectively raising me to be his accomplice, and we spent the rest of my youth travelling along like a bunch of gypsies, changing names and identity's every different city we attended. When I was 15, we pulled one of the biggest cons ever. We managed to sell a building to a wealthy Middle-Eastern business man. We were pretty much rolling in the money at this point. But Dad saw a news report that night, about the arrest of the business man. It turned out that he was a wanted terrorist. At that point, we both realized how dangerous conning actually was. So we left behind our identities again and I made Dad quit conning. We had enough money to live comfortably for a while, and he decided to relocate to Los Angeles. He had gotten a job as a journalist, and I decided to do the same. I don't know why I did, but I suppose that it was because the only time he would show me any affection, was when we had a successful con, and I wanted to make him proud of me. So when I was 16, I started trying to become a journalist. Then, I got in touch with an old war buddy that my Dad had served with, Alex, and he gave me the scoop on Clinton's sex scandal. I broke the news, and the papers were pretty much falling over themselves, trying to offer me a contract. I knew I couldn't jump in the deep end, and immediately sign for the best, so I decided to sign a three-year contract with a local paper. Since I was a minor, the contract itself wasn't valid, but the pay was decent, especially for someone my age. When I had finished my three-year term, they offered a legitimate contract, with extension, so I accepted. I kept working at that newspaper until I could finally move out of my Dads house. I had grown to despise him over the years. He barely gave me the time of day, and I think that he started to hate me for getting him out of conning. So when I finally left the elderly nest, I believe I developed some sort of Dad-complex. I began throwing myself into work at day and into men their beds at night. And I convinced myself I was happy with this routine. And for a couple of years, I was. I'd become an expert at reading people's body language and it was easy for me to validate stories that way. And at that point, men were already leering at me when I was dressed in a body-sized parka, let alone when I showed some skin. So both my professional and "social" life were well in order."

At this point, Sarah stopped, and sneaked a glance at Chuck who she couldn't look in the eye when she started telling her story. She found him to be watching her intently, with an emotion that she couldn't quite discern. For all the people she could read, she for the life of her couldn't label what Chuck was feeling. He never stopped stroking her hand though, so that was a good sign, right?

"Hey, if you want to stop here, it's ok. I understand." Chuck started, with a soft voice that only just carried through, courtesy of the twin engines roaring.

"No, I can't stop here Chuck. Because if I stop here, you'll just think I'm some kind of whore with no values."

"Hey! It's obvious to me that you have no idea what I think, or you'd never, ever say that again about yourself." Chuck replied, angrily.

"Maybe not, but I have to finish the story. I have to show you that I changed."

Chuck nodded, and Sarah continued with her story. "But I had to make a change. Living the way I was, was slowly ruining me. I began having mild depressions. I realized that my life was literally worth as much as five shots of tequila and the cab fare at best. That was usually what it took. So I told myself: No more. I was done living the life I had. And Langston offered me the chance. He offered me the chance to drop my job and start working for him. So I decided it was the perfect opportunity to change. I changed my policy on how I was going to approach relationships. I decided that I needed to test people, before I could trust them. That's what I did with you. I wanted to approach you, ask you out, have a few drinks and then maybe screwing your brains out. But I couldn't do that to myself. So I decided to wait it out. Keep dropping hints for you to pick up. And when you finally did ask, I was elated. But I couldn't drop my guard yet. I had to know what you wanted from me. So when you brought me to the beach, it was one of the most special moments of my life. I couldn't believe that anyone would ever be interested in me as a confidant. I was about ready to tell you everything you'd ever wanted to know about me. Hell, I was so messed up from your speech that I was about ready to ask you to go exclusive, as high school as that sounds. But I figured that I couldn't flake on my own standards. So that's why I asked you if you wanted to come in. When you denied my request, it was the happiest moment of my life. Finally, someone who was interested in me for me, and not for my body. And well, you know what happened after that." She concluded.

She looked over to Chuck, whose eyes were soft and understanding. "Sarah, I have a few questions for you."

She sniffled, and knew that this was the part where he could tell that he could never be with her. That he hated her for what she had done. "Sure…" she said, with a slight tremor in her voice.

"Do you feel bad for conning those people?"

"No. As odd as that may sound, it was the only thing I had to feel close to my Dad, so I took what I could get. If that meant that I had to lie or steal, then so be it."

"So are you happy that you quit conning?"

"Definitely. I started to loathe the life. I had no friends, and the only person who was capable of loving me at that point, only did when I had successfully swindled someone else out of his or her money." She nodded to enforce her statement.

He turned to face her. "Sarah, thank you."

"For what?"

"For sharing. I understand how you feel. I hate it when people ask me for my past. I try to make them understand that I don't want to talk about it, and when they force me to do, I'm afraid that they'll judge me differently, for the actions that I took, or the ones I didn't take. And I feel extremely honored to be the one to hear your story. You won't ever know what it means for me to hear you tell it. Because, as oblivious as I might be to some things, I could easily detect how hard it was for you to tell me." After that, he gently placed his hands on her face, and gave her a kiss. It seemed that Chuck was one for emotional kisses, instead of the hungry ones she was so used to receiving.

Sarah damn near melted into her chair. When Chuck sat down again, she grabbed hold of his hand again. Chuck looked amused. And suddenly, it hit her what emotion she had seen in his eyes. It was empathy.

"So you're not angry about me putting you through these, admittedly insane, tests?"

"Did you feel justified in putting me through them?"

"Yes, as harsh as that may sound. I had to know."

Chuck simply smiled. "Then I'm not angry." He turned to Sarah. "Let's see. Our first date was dinner, dancing and the beach. Our second one was 10 miles in the air. We have quite the interesting track record I must say."

Sarah arched an eyebrow. "How'd you figure this was our second date?"

"I distinctly remember you telling me that we'd talk about you on our second date. I have to say, this wasn't what I expected, what with me being terrified for most of it, and you having to play babysitter and shrink at the same time, but it was interesting nonetheless."

Sarah laughed, and settled back into her chair. They held hands for the rest of the flight.

After checking in at the hotel, Chuck called Bryce.

"Bryce, we arrived in Washington… Of course you knew, you're the C.I.A., what was I thinking? About our expenses… Uhu… Well, I spent about 300, and then Sarah spent another grand or so on the flight and the hotel… Really, and you guys are cool with that? So wherever we go, we can keep travelling First class? Hot damn… So how does this work? Really, that fast? But you don't even know our account numbers? Hmm, I guess you do… Alright man, we're going to the major now… Yeah, we'll be careful… Well, I'll be asking him the questions, and Sarah will be trying to read him… Yes, I know that we under no circumstances are supposed to let him know that he's a bad guy… Jesus, Bryce, I've seen my fair share of spy movies, I'm not a moron… Oh wow, thanks for going there… Yeah, I'll talk to you later." He hung up, before muttering: "Asshole…"

Sarah looked amused. "And?"

"Well, the money should be back on our accounts. He also managed to convince Langston to keep paying us, so that's pretty cool I suppose. Oh, and he thought I was dumb enough to forget not to tell a bad guy that we know he's a bad guy. Sure, I might have had my fair share of being an idiot, but I feel that even I wouldn't be that stupid."

Sarah laid her hand on his arm. "For what it's worth, I've never seen you do something idiotic."

Chuck noticed that Sarah loved touching, and being touched. He figured he could give her a hug, but this one was too easy to pass up. "Well, that obviously means that you haven't spent enough time with me yet. Luckily, we'll be roomies for however long it takes for us to find this damn thing."

Again, Sarah laughed. Chuck seemed to have some sort of magical ability to make her laugh. "Kind of makes you hope we never find it, doesn't it?"

Chuck blushed. "That's an uh… interesting comment to make, Sarah. But for what it's worth, these last four days have been great. So, in a way, I guess that I hope so too."

Silence lulled over the hotel room. Suddenly, Chuck jumped up. "Sarah, does the Major know we're coming?"

"No, why?" Sarah replied, not knowing where Chuck was going with this. He walked to his bag, and started rummaging through it.

"Well, when you went to the bathroom at the airport, I found time to quickly get… this!" He said, and then triumphantly pulled out a guide about Washington D.C. Sarah smiled, and rolled her eyes.

"Of course you did. Well, I guess that the major will still be here tomorrow. Care to explore?"

"After you, milady."

Seeing as how Chuck had only had maybe one or two serious girlfriends, and Sarah had in fact, never had a serious boyfriend, they were both regressing to a bunch of teenagers. They were swinging their arms as they visited Capitol Hill, the White House and the Washington Monument. By the time they were done, it was already past 7. So Chuck opted for Chinese, to which Sarah whole-heartedly agreed.

During their meal, they simply shot the breeze. They never did run out of conversations to talk about. The conversation boggled down to their youths, and seeing as how Sarah had told Chuck all about hers, it was a much more approachable subject. They talked about how they experienced high school, and Chuck found out that Sarah never went to a college or university.

"Wait, if you never went to a college or university, how'd you end up getting hired?" Chuck scrounged his eyebrows, trying to find a valid way on how that one would work out, but couldn't for the life of him find one.

Sarah sucked in a noodle string, complete with a sucking sound. Chuck found it to be adorable, as he noted the intense expression on her face. She looked up, with sparkling eyes. "That was easy. As I told you, I was the one who broke the story about Clinton and Lewinsky. And well, I may have had a few more buttons unbuttoned on my shirt than was really necessary. Oh, and I may or may not have been wearing a bra."

But she didn't get the laugh that she was hoping for. Instead, Chuck looked… depressed. "Chuck, what's wrong?"

"I know you've told me about that stage of your life. And I do understand how it happened. But was that really how you saw yourself, Sarah? As someone who was worth so little? As an easy lay? Because, I've got to tell you. I feel sorry for all those people who simply used you for a quick screw. I've not been having this great a time since I was with Jill, and truth be told, I'm having a better time with you than with her. And I was going to propose to her. Man, would I have made a mistake if she had accepted."

Sarah wanted to smile, but before she could, a fleeting thought ran through her mind. "You know, Chuck. I don't like hypocrites."

"Hypocrites? When was I being a hypocrite?"

"Just now, when you said that I shouldn't see myself as someone who wasn't worth anything. I distinctly remember you yourself displaying those same exact feelings not four days ago."

"But, it's different for me. You're actually an amazing person. And I'm just… well… me. I play video games for a living, I live with my sister and I have no idea if my parents are still alive. Seriously, the only good thing about me is the fact that you've somehow taken an interest in me, which I still don't understand by the way, and so I'm only good by proxy."

Sarah shook her head. "I honestly don't know what Jill did to you. Chuck, you've been put on the spot since you were eight. Eight! And somehow, you've gotten this insane notion in your brain that it was all your fault. And I've seen you when you talk about your video games. I've never seen someone so intense about them. And convincing. I had no idea what the hell you were saying, but I found myself agreeing anyway. And as for choosing to take an interest in you… Well, you've kind of brought that on yourself, haven't you?"

Chuck blinked in confusion. "How did I have any part to play in that?"

Sarah raised her fist, and started pulling up fingers. "One: You're charming. Two: You're a true gentleman. Three: You're fun. Four: You're the sweetest man I've ever met. What the hell else was I supposed to do?"

Chuck blushed at the compliments. "I appreciate the sentiments, I really do. It's just a shame that I can't hold a candle to you."

Sarah's face turned into a vicious scowl. "Ugh, I've had enough." She stood up, and threw her napkin to the table, turned around, and stormed out. Chuck was left, feeling flabbergasted. How did that blow up in his face? He said nothing wrong, did he? He quickly stood up, and threw some money on the table. He'd declare it with the Agency later. He picked up all of his and Sarah's belongings, and hurried out of there. He found her leaning against a wall, nervously nibbling on her nails.

Not knowing what to say, he offered her, her coat. "Here… You kind of left this at the restaurant."

She didn't make a move to take it. "It's really how you see yourself isn't it?" She asked, the same tremor that was there in the airplane back. "You really do think that I'm out of your league."

"Well, aren't you?" he responded. "I mean, look at yourself. Super models wish they looked like you. Lie detectors wish they could detect lies as good as you could. Professors wish they're as smart as you are. I don't know about you, but I'd consider that pretty much out of my league."

Sarah sighed. "I'm not really mad at you. And I have to say, I found the self-deprecating thing unbelievably cute when I first saw you. But Chuck, you're so much better than what you give yourself credit for. Even Bryce said it. You are one of the most brilliant people he knows, and he works for the C.I.A. I'm pretty sure they've got some brainiacs in that organization, and to still be among them… It's just tough for me to hear you put yourself down. It was as you said. I feel bad for the people who don't get to know you. They'll miss out on an amazing experience."

Chuck conceded. "It's just… hard you know. Because it seems that everyone who associates him or herself with me eventually gets enough, and jumps ship. Except for Ellie and Morgan, but we're siblings… Well, not officially with Morgan but you know what I mean."

Suddenly, Sarah had an idea. "Well, how about this. From this day forward, I'll take a moment out of my day to remind you how amazing you truly are, until you start to believe it."

Chuck's face lit up with a grin. "Alright, but if that's the case, I'll do the same for you."

"Deal."

Chuck sighed. "I kind of wish that we would share something unbelievably emotional right now."

"Why is that?"

"Because it seems that every time that we do, we kiss afterwards. And truth be told, I kind of like kissing you."

Sarah pondered that for a moment. "You know what… You're right. Let's fix that issue."

"What do you mean?" was all he could say, before Sarah attacked his lips.

"Best. Suggestion. Ever!" Chuck called out, still wobbly from the kiss. It had been different from the other ones. It started out powerful, aggressive. After a couple of minutes, it boggled down to tender, but to Chuck it felt like decades had passed since he was able to breathe on his own, and not through Sarah. He honestly didn't mind all that much.

They were walking back to their (admittedly swanky) room. But before Chuck could insert their room-card, Sarah felt like making a joke. "Want to come in?" she quipped. But she didn't get a laugh, a giggle or even a snort. Instead, she got sullen Chuck back. She hated sullen Chuck. It didn't suit him. He trudged inside, and she followed him. He sat down on his bed, and when he looked at her, she saw the depression in his eyes. She rushed to apologize. "I'm sorry Chuck. It wasn't the smartest thing to say, and I was just trying to make a joke. I swear."

Despite the depression, Chuck made a sound that Sarah counted as a laugh. "It's not your fault, Sarah. It's just that I've been really sensitive about making love ever since… well, you know. And seeing as how this is technically our third date, social etiquette almost dictates us to do so. It's just that… It's hard…" Sarah almost blurted out something along the lines of: "That's what she said!" but decided against it. It wouldn't do anything to defuse the situation. So she sat next to him, and linked hands.

"It's okay, Chuck. It's obvious that we differ in that area. Even though I've played fast and loose with my morals towards sex, I can understand why you wouldn't be receptive yet. It's different for you, I get that."

"Thanks Sarah. I just want you to understand one thing. I don't do sex. I make love. To me, that's a key difference."

Sarah scrounged her eyebrows. "Isn't that the same thing?"

Chuck laughed. "Not at all. Trust me, I've had sex with Jill, and I've made love to Jill. The two don't even compare. It's not just a physical connection you get, but an emotional one as well. A spiritual one if you will. In that moment, you share everything with each other. Your hearts beat in sync with each other. Your movements are no longer your own, but each others. The breath you breathe is shared. Everything you do is to give your significant other the most amount of pleasure that you can possibly give. And it really makes me feel sad that you've never experienced it. I hope you can wait on me for a little while. I'd love nothing more than to be the one to give you all those things. It's just… I'm not quite there yet."

Sarah sighed. "It sounds magical."

Chuck nodded. "It is."

Sarah's face was suddenly sporting a sly grin. "Well, what you said certainly appealed to me on an emotional level. You do know what that means, right?"

Chuck started laughing. "I thought we rectified that little issue at the restaurant."

Sarah nodded. "We did. But what can I say. Old habits die hard."

After an early breakfast, Chuck and Sarah had gotten a cab to the apartment of Major Alexander Coburn. They had gotten the address from Bryce, and just pulled up in front of it. After paying the driver, Chuck walked up to the door, and knocked. Before the door opened, Sarah turned towards Chuck. "Hey Chuck."

"Yeah?"

"You're amazing, you know that?"

Chuck started laughing. "So are you, Sarah. So are you."

The door opened to an imposing man, who was about as tall as Chuck was. His face was clean-cut and his hair was short.

"Good morning, Major. I'm sorry to disturb you. My name is Chuck Bartowski, and this is…"

"Sarah Walker." The gruff man said.

"Hello Alex." Sarah said.

Chuck was stunned. How the hell did that happen? Suddenly, he remembered what Sarah had said to him in the plane. Alex was the one who helped her garner the Clinton story. "Um… Right. Since you already know Sarah, I'm thinking that you know what our job is. Mind if we come in for a bit?"

Alex grunted. Chuck mused that he would probably do that a lot more. He seemed to be the type for it.

"You've got 30 minutes."

"Thank you, Sir… Major… Alex? What should I call you?"

"Whatever the hell you want, Bartowski."

Last name basis. I can work with that. Chuck thought. As they stepped inside, they noticed that the hallway was bare. Not a single picture or any sort of memorabilia. The only thing there was a oval mirror, and a small desk placed beneath it. It also featured a coat rack.

"Alex isn't one for pleasantries, so let's keep it contrite. Oh, and we really shouldn't mention that we think he's a bad guy. Which is weird to me, because if there's one thing I know about Alex, it's that he's loyal to this country." Sarah whispered.

Chuck nodded, signaling that he heard her. They walked into the living room, and sort of stood around, waiting for the Major to allow them to sit. It felt like they were standing trial.

"Please, make yourselves comfortable. Would you like tea, or some biscuits?" the Major asked.

"Do NOT answer that, Chuck." Sarah hissed. She was all too familiar with Alexander's way of handling business. They both sat down next to each other, as Alexander took a seat opposite them.

"Major Coburn, would it be okay if we record this conversation?" Chuck asked.

Coburn grunted his acquiesce.

"Alex, I'd like to start by telling you that we're working with the C.I.A. to find the Intersect."

At the word Intersect, Alex's eyes flared open, nostrils wide. "What did you say?"

"The… the Intersect?" Chuck managed to squeak out.

Alex was breathing heavily. "This conversation will be shorter than I thought. Listen you two. Stop poking around in it. It's dangerous. Sarah, I promised your father that if he ever had a child, I'd help keep it safe. Obviously, that didn't work out very well, seeing as how you live in Los Angeles now. So here's me keeping my word to your father. Stop."

"Alex. I appreciate what you're trying to do. But it's important that we find out about this. We've got to stop it. According to the C.I.A. we're the only two that can do it."

Casey burst into a coughing fit… At least, Chuck thought it was a coughing fit. If you would record it and pull it through an audio manipulator, you could probably say it was laughing… But it was kind of a stretch.

"You two? Please. Look, I can't stop you. You're a grown woman, you make your own decisions. And you…" He looked at Chuck. "… Well I have no idea what you are. But I made a promise to your father. If you really want to go look for it, and once again I highly recommend you don't, I'll help you. Let me sort some stuff out, and meet you at your hotel in two days."

"But you don't even know what hotel we're staying at… Sir." Chuck said, looking terrified when Alex's gaze landed on him.

"Well, if you're working for the C.I.A., I'm assuming that you've gotten a full expenses paid trip out of it. And knowing the average civilian, when presented with unlimited funds, you go for the most expensive hotel and what not. You're probably staying at the St. Regis."

Damn, he's good. Chuck thought. He nodded to indicate that Major Coburn had it correct.

"So, who recruited you two anyway?"

"Bryce Larkin. You ever heard of him?"

Coburn shook his head. "Not in an official sense. I have heard some whispers that he's bad news though. So keep your guard up around him."

Chuck shook his head. "That won't be a problem, Sir. He's already screwed me over once. It's a long story."

Coburn stood up, as did Chuck and Sarah. "Alright you two, listen up. When we meet again, I'm no longer Alexander Coburn. I'll be Major John Casey. Leave a message for him at the front desk, and we'll reconvene in your room. I'll tell you what I've found out, and you'll tell me all you know about the Intersect."

"Yes Sir." Chuck said.

"Sure thing, Alex." Sarah nodded.

Bryce sat in the audio room of his manor, reviewing the tapes that the bugs had picked up. It paid to have connections in the airline industries. He was listening to the conversation of Chuck and Sarah at the restaurant. He let out a wolf-whistle. Wow Chuck, you've certainly grown much smoother with the ladies… Buddy.

If he was honest with himself, he wouldn't mind just blowing the entire operation and capturing Walker. He'd love to have his way with her. Multiple times even. But he would have to wait for them to actually find the Intersect first. After Chuck had uploaded the Intersect, he'd probably do what they ask anyway. But that didn't mean that they couldn't push him. He'd probably do a lot more if it meant saving Walker. But that didn't mean that Bryce couldn't do what he damn well pleased with her. The prospect looked… inviting.

He had started listening to the tapes of their meeting with Alexander Coburn, but all he could hear was static. Geez, paranoid much? He couldn't help but think. He assumed that they hadn't made a lot of progress anyway. And even if they did, they'd call him to tell him about it. He hoped that Walker would call. Just hearing her voice would drive him insane. Sure, he had to focus on the task at hand, but that didn't mean he would have to stop fantasizing.

Back in the hotel, Sarah turned on the television. On it was a documentary about the life of an ex C.I.A. agent. The story detailed his life from childbirth to several of his successful operations. When the documentary reached its last mission, the screen cut to an interview with the agent.

"I'm sitting here with Special Agent Daniel Shaw. Daniel, tell us about your accident."

The screen cut towards Daniel. Or what was left of him. His arms were completely amputated, and his legs were cut off at the knee. He was for all intents and purposes, a torso with a head.

"Well Michael, it all happened after I'd successfully completed a mission in Rome. I was walking home from the supermarket, as my wife had asked me to pick up a couple of things." At this point, tears started trickling down Shaw's face.

The interviewer nodded for him to go on. "Well, anyway. I'd decided that because of the fact that my mission was such a resounding success, I'd celebrate with my wife. We did that after every mission that I completed. So I went past a liquor store to get a couple of bottles of wine, you know. Set the mood and just celebrate a job well done." He took a deep breath. "When I entered the liquor store, the first thing I noticed was four men who were acting suspiciously. But I didn't think any of it. And I couldn't do much anyway. I had to leave my pistol in Rome due to their laws on carrying weaponry through customs. So I simply got the wine and went to checkout."

Shaw closed his eyes, and the tears started streaming down his face. "They were trying to rob the place. They stuck me and the clerk up. Then, when they had taken my possessions, they found my I.D. and they shot me in my limbs. At the point of getting hit by the fourth bullet, I passed out. When I came to…" Shaw took a moment to regain his composure. "… When I came to, the doctors told me that the bullet wounds had gotten infected. Gangrene. My limbs had to be amputated if I wanted to survive. The C.I.A. cut me loose. I lost almost everything that day. Except for my wife. But she wouldn't… couldn't look at me. She said I was a freak. That she was sorry, but she couldn't handle having to take care of me for the rest of my natural-born life. I truly believe that it wasn't an accident. I'm positive that I was set up by the agency that I had sworn to serve." Anger started radiating from Shaw's face.

Sarah was shocked. Her mind began adding things up. Shaw was part of the C.I.A. One of their top operatives. So he must've known about the Intersect project. And if he knew, what was he going to do about it. The things Sarah had learned about the Intersect were horrible. The power that someone who would get his hands on this thing would attain, were too much for a single human being. So, if he knew about the project, and his habit was to go to that liquor store, and the C.I.A. knew this… Ho-oly crap.

"Chuck!"

Chuck came running out of the bedroom, dressed in his boxers. "Sarah, what's wrong?" Sarah was looking pale.

"We need to get up early tomorrow."

"Why?"

"We need to have a talk with Daniel Shaw."

A/N 2: Isn't it amazing when your own story still manages to excite and surprise you? Seriously, I hadn't planned at least half of what happened in this chapter. I never really understood how people could say that they hadn't planned something, and now I got to feel it for myself. Got to say, it's pretty freaking awesome. And for what it's worth, (probably not a lot) I feel like this is the best chapter I've written so far.

Sorry JT, I tried to work in your suggestions, but then everyone would have a fit of laughter and the story wouldn't convey the seriousness I was going for! I hope you can forgive me, as your suggestion was amazingly hilarious. So let's see what we've got. Shaw crippled? Check. Sarah and Chuck (sort of) together? Check. Bryce being a major pain in the ass? Check. Globetrotting? I'll leave that one open for now. I've got at least two places in Europe I want these crazy kids exploring before I start working towards an explosive finale. Oh, and before you ask. No, I'm not making Shaw a villain. How could I? The guy's almost literally a 2 by 4. Until next time.

P.S.: I know Author Notes aren't really the place for this, but I don't have a blog, so I figured I can vent here. This has nothing to do with the story, so feel free to stop reading here. One of the reviews, once again from uplink2 who has provided amazing insight into my story (seriously, I spotted so much things in my own story that I didn't even see, when I wrote them, especially the whole mess I made with Ellie) said that he didn't believe Bryce to be a good guy, not even when the show tried to make us believe it. I had the exact same sentiments… With Mary.

She is in my opinion, one of the worst written characters of the show. I liked Bryce somewhat. Maybe not as PLI, but I could definitely buy him as a good guy if he was written like Frea did (e.g: From vibrant college kid to pariah. He would cling to any form of social connection, which in this case would be Sarah.) I'd probably have pity on him as a character. Shaw, I couldn't for one second believe was a good character, but he made an (IMO) amazing villain. The only character I can't possibly believe either way is Mary. No offense to Linda Hamilton. She's a fine actress. The character itself just… lacks.

Here's the deal. She's a mother, she has responsibilities. But she decides to go undercover to Russia (Which is about 12 hours of flying time, not 3 or 4 as the show is trying to make us believe.) for a mission to infiltrate the world's most notorious arms dealer. But… She still cared for her children and her husband. Yeah right… And then the scene that has literally made me cringe. I swear, every time I watch it, I wince at how badly it was written. Sarah goes "rogue" and joins Volkoff Industries. Mary enters, sees her, and the first thing she says is: "She's going to betray you." WHAT THE FUCK? You're the love interest of Volkoff. What if he had listened and put a bullet right between her eyes? Good luck explaining to your son how you had gotten his girlfriend (soon to be fiancé, although Mary didn't know that) killed. Much love in that family, I can assure you. It's been full of these small lines that make me shake my head in disgust at her character. So yeah, that's my rant. Any comments about it, feel free to mention them in the review. And if not, well… Just review the story. I'm happy either way!