A/N: I'm back! Prague was an amazing experience. With a team that was for all intents and purposes two weeks old, it was the classic Veni Vidi Vici scenario. We ended up 3rd out of 16 teams, among who were several of the best teams in the game. We gave each and every team an incredibly close game and did far better than anyone of us ever expected us to do, bagging ourselves €500,- for our troubles. It didn't cover any of the expenses, but the recognition we got from it is worth far more than the monetary equivalent.

However, I did manage to catch a cold (it was like 28 degrees there, and the venue was like 38 or something, and I still got a cold…) which meant that I couldn't restart writing as fast as I would. Coupled with a diminishing interest in my own story, and a marginal case of writer's block; it wasn't until I reread some reviews that I had gotten the spark again. Most of my diminishing interest came from not at all being happy with the previous chapter. When I wrote it, I was pleased. When I reread it, I was pleased. When I posted it, I thought to myself: How could I have possibly written this?

I noticed things became too cluttered and as one reviewer stated (It was coreymon77): Everyone and their mother is trying to kill Chuck and Sarah. That's true, so it's sort of back to the roots for this chapter. Fluff in Europe, with some plot progression and not too much bullets. Hope you enjoy, and sorry for the long A/N. BTW: There is a shoutout in this chapter, disguised as a typo. So if you see a typo, it'll probably be the shoutout (I hope!)

Disclaimer: Don't own Chuck, or anything I reference really, except for Angels and Demons, the paperback. I do have that!

Chapter 13

The full force of their predicament hit Chuck, while lazily rubbing circles on Sarah's naked stomach. "People are trying to kill us…" he softly whispered. "Oh God, people are trying to kill us," he repeated, louder this time. "How could I have possibly made fun of it?"

Sarah let out a soft moan of annoyance when Chuck's hands stopped working their magic on her abs and felt cold when he removed them. She peeked out with an eye, to see Chuck cradling his face, worry lines etched into his forehead. She sat up, propping herself against the headboard. Her fingers found a temporary place in Chuck's unruly hair. It seemed to always calm him down. "Don't worry, Chuck. We'll be alright." Actually, that was a lie. She had no idea whether they would be alright. But at least one of them had to stay sane enough to make sure they didn't all die. Casey could only carry so much of that particular burden.

Chuck however didn't seem to calm down. In fact, his breathing became more and more ragged. "How can you say that, Sarah? These are guns we're talking about. Real, live ammunition. I mean, I know you're amazing. I've seen you drop that kid back in Amsterdam. But have you ever even killed someone?"

Sarah shook her head. "No and I'm not planning to. I forced my dad to teach me how to hit the non-vital areas. Mostly a shoulder shot or one in the knees." This didn't seem to appease Chuck. His breathing remained ragged and she could feel the moisture seeping out of his pores. "Whoa, Chuck. You're starting to go on a freak-out here."

She moved his head to use her chest as a pillow, hoping the rhythmic beating of her heart would provide a semblance of consistency that would calm him down. It seemed to work, although Sarah wasn't sure whether it was because of the sound of her heart or the fact that Chuck had a fantastic view to her body. She decided that she didn't really care.

Chuck blew out a sigh. "Okay… I think it's over… I hope." Sarah tugged him back up and positioned him with his own head leaning against the headboard. She gave him a quick peck, before getting out of the bed. "Hey, where are you going?" he asked.

Sarah sauntered over, completely naked, towards the closet. "We're going to take your mind off of this. We're going to see this beautiful city in its entire splendor." Her hips had a delicious sway as she completed her journey. It was the most erotic sight, Chuck had ever seen. If he wasn't still marginally terrified of the impending hail of bullets that could literally come from anywhere, he would probably ask her to go for another round.

"But what if we get shot at again? I don't think I can take much more if I'm honest."

Sarah veered off her path towards the closet and walked to the cupboard. She leaned over and grabbed the same pistol that he had seen strapped to her thigh the day before. She ejected the magazine, carefully inspected it then slammed it back in, chambering a round.

"Then we shoot back," she said, with a steel voice.

Chuck amended his statement. That was the most erotic sight he had ever seen.

"Look at that!" Chuck cried out for what seemed like the eightieth time. Sarah rolled her eyes, good naturedly. He had been going nuts over pretty much every detail since they joined up with the "Angels and Demons" tour through Rome. The first ten minutes of said trip were extremely awkward, what with the stares that Sarah was receiving. However, she quickly showed the world that she was taken with a display that bordered on the line between making out and public indecency. After the murmurs had died down and the stares were directed to other things, they linked hands and simply went along with the tour guide.

Sarah had in fact read Angels and Demons; she wasn't that out of touch with pop culture, thank you very much. So she didn't tell Chuck that she had read it only a couple of days ago, when Chuck started talking about the actual tour. If she was honest with herself, she enjoyed it. Of course, she didn't go as through the roof as Chuck was, but it was enjoyable to be able to put pictures to locations. The last time in Rome was literally In-'N-Out, so to be able to visit some sights was a welcome change. Sarah chuckled at her own pun, before focusing back on the tour guide and Chuck, who looked like he was overdosing on sugar.

"I can't believe how beautiful it is. Imagining the Romans of old building these pillars and squares, it's just… overwhelming."

Sarah gave his hand a quick affectionate squeeze and let the voice of the tour guide once again become the predominant one. He told them about the Piazza San Pietro and how the obelisk had been erected at the square in 1586. Afterwards, they were allowed in the actual basilica with the iconic dome. Sarah herself wasn't religious. She had spent a couple of hours debating with herself whether or not she was and she came to the conclusion that she wasn't. Still, she did enjoy a grand piece of architecture such as the basilica.

Chuck however, was. He reverently walked up to the altar, and kneeled. Sarah let him be, as she heard him quietly murmuring a few words to himself. Even though she herself didn't believe, she had always been respectful of people who were. It helped when a mark wasn't insulted over something he or she believed in while you were trying to con someone. It was one of the very few morally just things that her dad had taught her. Of course, when she stopped to think about it when she was older, she grew to loathe her father but that was one lesson she had always adhered to.

Chuck stood up, and tapped his head, chest and shoulders. "In nomine patri, filii et Spiritus Sancti. Amen" He walked back to Sarah, who was staring at him.

"Where'd you learn that?"

"What?" Chuck asked.

"The last bit of your prayer."

"Boondock Saints," Chuck said, with a small grin. "I thought it'd be applicable, seeing as how we're in Italy and everything."

"Boondock Saints?" Sarah quietly whispered, in confusion. Chuck heard her though.

"Oh no!" he all but shouted. "No, no, no, please tell me you've at least seen the Boondock Saints."

"Chuck, you're making a scene… in a church!" Sarah hissed.

An elderly couple walked past, throwing furtive glances towards Chuck. It caused him to pipe down a smidge. "Okay, so maybe this wasn't at all necessary. But seriously, Sarah, we've got to see the Boondock Saints. It's awesome!"

"If I promise to go watch it with you, will you calm down and come with me? The tour guide is leaving for the next destination." she said, amusement lacing her tone.

Chuck nodded, and let himself be dragged out of the basilica, adding yet another list of things to introduce Sarah Walker to when they would get back… if they would get back.

They walked out into the blistering sun. It turned out that summer was indeed kind to Italy. A comfortable 26° Celsius provided the perfect weather for a t-shirt and shorts combo, maybe jeans if one was into them. What it didn't do, was provide a nice climate for ten pound Kevlar vests that were mandatory ever since the assassination attempt on Casey.

They reached the next stop, the Santa Maria della Vittoria. Incidentally it was the location of the fire part in the book. As the guide started telling them about the location of the building as opposed to the location used in the book, Chuck's eyes were drawn to the magnificent statue by Bernini. An angel, holding a spear which was poised over the nun's heart ready to strike. He was hovering over a nun whose face was contorted in a mixture of pain and what seemed to be pleasure. Chuck's eyebrows shot up into his hair. "Am I the only one who thinks that statue is a bit… odd?"

Sarah's eyes followed Chuck's. When she reached the statue, she pondered it for a moment. "Not really, I guess… It kind of looks like the angel is trying to kill her doesn't it?" she silently asked.

As the guide swept his eyes over the audience, he noticed the brown haired man and blonde woman distracted from his talk about the building, instead choosing to look at the statue. "I see you have an excellent eye for art," he said, with a thick Italian accent. "That is the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. The story behind the statue is the depiction of the moment where an angel thrusts a spear of fire in her heart, which fills her with the love of God."

The audience let out a few snickers, among who were Chuck and Sarah. As the laughter died down and the guide finished up his speech, Sarah was still looking at the statue. Chuck couldn't help himself, as he bent over to whisper in her ear, "How about when we get back to the hotel, I'll be the angel and you can be Saint Teresa?"

Sarah shuddered with delight, only a fraction of that due to the fact that his warm breath was teasing her earlobe. Chuck had almost never ever taken the lead in their sexual activities and seeing him do so, proved to be a huge turn on.

"Amen," was all she could gasp out.

The tour had finished and after visiting a few more squares and basilica's, the couple had found a quiet terrace to strike down at and have a drink. Chuck's eyes scanned the terrace and his eyes fell on a familiar figure. He chuckled when he saw the long trench coat, scruffy beard and dreadlocks. He whipped out his phone, and sent off a quick text.

Are you sure your wardrobe isn't a little too hot for this kind of weather?

Three minutes later, he got a voice clip back. It was a single grunt. It sounded like "Shut up or be prepared to die painfully, I don't care what the N.S.A. or the C.I.A. wants with you." Chuck snickered, while Sarah arched an eyebrow.

"Are you teasing Casey again?"

"Well, have you seen what he's wearing? It'd be a crime not to."

"Are you perhaps forgetting the fact that he's saved us a couple of times already?"

Chuck looked like a chastised kid. He had even developed a pout. Sarah thought it was adorable. Then again, most of what Chuck did could be described by that particular word. She was shaken out of her musings by a blaring song.

I'm an asshole
(He's an asshole, what an asshole)
I'm an asshole
(He's an asshole, such an asshole)

Chuck was laughing like an idiot. With tears in his eyes, he pulled out his phone, and answered it. "Hey Bryce, how you doing?" Sarah shook her head in amusement. Only Chuck would think of doing something like that. But the amusement was gone almost as fast as it had come. "What the hell do you mean; we have to fake our own deaths?" Sarah's eyes went wide. "And how do you propose we do that? ...I'll talk it through, but I'm not making you any promises… Yeah, bye."

"Mind explaining what that was all about?"

"It turns out that Sarah Walker and Chuck Bartowski are hot buttons for just about every criminal organization in the freaking world! Apparently, people really don't want us finding the Intersect." He dialed Casey's number. "Casey, your hotel room, we need to have a chat with the General… No time for jokes, Casey, it's serious!" Sarah got up and threw a few notes on the table as Chuck grabbed their stuff. Thirty seconds later, the dreadlocked hippy did the same.

"I'm establishing the uplink two General Beckman now," Chuck said, as he opened up the necessary programs. A few, tantalizing seconds later the screen displayed the vicious scowl of the tiny but fiery redhead.

"Report," was the terse first word from the General.

"General, the two assets have received word from Larkin that for his plan to work, they will both have to fake their death. This to throw the trail from them. Also, it seems that Larkin knows that we're in Italy."

The tiny General exploded. "I ordered you to keep this under wraps, Major! How could Larkin possibly know that you are in Italy?"

Casey hung his head in shame. "I don't know, General. But this does change things."

The General nodded. She pointed her gaze towards Chuck and Sarah. "So it does, Major. We've checked with the C.I.A., and as far as they are concerned, Bryce Larkin is merely a high level field agent. The amount of knowledge he possesses directly contradicts with his status. As of right now, you are to assume that Bryce Larkin is not merely a field agent, but actually a rogue agent. This means that there is probably more to your task than simply finding the Intersect.

You are to complete your mission to find the Intersect and hand it over to the N.S.A. Afterwards, you will be put into witness protection along with any and all close connections that Mr. Bartowski may have. Due to Miss Walker's social status, there are no relatives or friends in danger at this point in time. If that appears to change, you can rest assured that the N.S.A. will take care of them. You will be in witness protection until the threat of Larkin has been neutralized."

Chuck stepped up. "With all due respect, General, why can't you just pick up Bry… I mean, agent Larkin?"

Beckman sighed. "Because as of forty-eight hours ago, Bryce Larkin has officially gone off-grid. Larkin Manor has been demolished by C4 and there were no bodies found. It suggests that Larkin felt that we were on his case and decided to jump town."

Chuck piped up. "He just called us, maybe you can still trace the signal."

Beckman nodded. "Good thinking, Mr. Bartowski. Unfortunately, we've already tried to do so. It led to a payphone close to the former Larkin Manor. He could literally be anywhere."

Chuck cursed. It caused three pair of eyebrows to simultaneously raise. "That asshole. I knew he was up to no good…"

Sarah decided to ask the question that had been on her mind since the very moment they had gotten the call. "So what about Larkin's plan with regards to us having to fake our own deaths?"

"As insane as it may sound, I think what Larkin has suggested might not be a bad idea. It's obvious that you two have become… persons of interest, among the higher ups in the rogue organizations. Therefore, it would be advisable to listen to him."

"How are we even supposed to do that? Obviously, phoning him is out of the question," Sarah asked

"According to Major Coburn, you two are currently romantically engaged, yes?" the General asked. Chuck and Sarah nodded. "Very well, we could class it a double suicide…"

"Kind of like Romeo and Juliet!" Chuck blurted out.

The General blinked. "Excuse me, Mr. Bartowski?"

"Something like me finding Sarah dead and being so distraught over it that I take my own life… or something… I'm just spitballing here."

The General shook her head. "Mr. Bartowski, we're trying to be pragmatic here. The N.S.A. would rather save money and have you two… disappear for a while. I was thinking more alongside the lines of a leap of a bridge. Your bodies wouldn't be found but it would be in the newspapers all over Italy and America. After Larkin's arrest, you would be able to return back to your normal lives. Of course, your family would be informed of what was going on, what with you two already having told them what it is you truly do," the General said, directing the stink eye towards the couple.

Sarah looked shocked and Chuck started stuttering. "Uh, wha… how do you… how do you even know that?"

Casey spoke up. "I've had your house bugged, moron."

"But we did daily scans with the equipment you gave us," Sarah said.

Casey grunted. "New model, recently designed by the N.S.A. Isn't picked up by the equipment yet."

"So uh… how much did you hear?" Chuck asked, with a massive blush.

"Enough to have seriously contemplated putting the gun to my temple and ending it all."

Sarah giggled but Beckman had enough. "Children!" she shouted, as she clapped in her hands. "We're dealing with a serious situation here. Major Coburn, I do not care for your personal distastes nor for the sexual activities of two civilians. What I do care about is the Intersect and so far, these two civilians are our best bet at re-obtaining it."

Chuck and Sarah looked like chastised puppies, while Casey went back to a rigid demeanor. Sufficiently subdued, she was just about to continue before seeing Chuck's hand fly up in the air. "Yes, Mr. Bartowski?" she asked, proud that the venom in her voice was only at about fifty percent.

"Why would America or even Italy care if two people committed suicide? How could it possibly reach the newspapers?"

"Mr. Bartowski, you're speaking to a representative of the United States government. We have influence in every country in the world, even ones that are supposedly under a dictatorial rule. Getting a story in the paper is child's play compared to our usual tasks.

Now, if there are no more questions, you are to return to your hotel and continue your research towards the Intersect. When Mr. Larkin contacts you, you are to tell him you agree. Then, you will continue on to your person of interest and find out what you can. Afterwards, you are to contact me and we will set up a good spot for the act. Afterwards, you are to leave Italy immediately and continue on to France. You will be forced to wear some form of make up to conceal your identity until you've left Italy.

Major Coburn, for you we have a simple robbery gone bad scenario planned. You are to find a corpse, shoot it and put it on fire. You will leave your dog-tags on the corpse. Furthermore, you are to make sure that you all get false I.D's and get out of Italy successfully, with your cover intact. Can you do that?"

Casey nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"Good, then make it happen," the General finished, before closing the connection.

Panting from the run he had to pull from the phone booth, Bryce peaked out from past the dumpster. He had been running from the C.I.A. for a while now. They'd tracked the call faster than he had anticipated. Of course, in the grand scheme of things, this meant nothing. His cover with Fulcrum and the Ring was still intact so he could have a permanent shadow on Bartowski. Bryce was contemplating simply shadowing them, himself.

As a couple of men in obvious G-Men suits ran past, Bryce blew out a sigh. They hadn't found him. He zipped open his backpack and grabbed a wig, a fake beard and a latex kit. With the help of a compact mirror, he managed to change his nasal structure with the latex, before donning his wig and beard. He didn't look anything like Bryce Larkin, master spy. Excellent.

He walked out of the alley, and mingled with the walking crowd. He walked among the crowd until he spotted a payphone. He quickly checked his pocket for loose change, before entering the booth and dialing his Ring contact.

"Black Coat… Cover has been blown with C.I.A… No, don't worry, I've got enough money to last me for a while… Yes, please do update the Elders… Okay, is there a safe-house somewhere? …Excellent… I'll see you there…"

He grinned as he stepped out of the booth. For some reason, whenever something went to shit, Bryce would always come out smelling like roses. Such things boded well for when Chuck and Sarah would return from their trip.

As Bryce quickened his pace, he had a few lucid thoughts. He recognized that he was probably getting obsessed with Sarah Walker. Sure, she was unbelievably gorgeous and if anything, having his shot at her would be his just due. But he had to pace himself and keep his mind focused. He had to hold all the cards and not give Chuck a single chance to save her. Realization dawned on Bryce. He had to grab Walker before Chuck got the Intersect, but after he knew where it was. The timing was going to be tricky and it demanded that Bryce would be shadowing them himself, if his plan was to work out.

He crossed another payphone when he realized that the C.I.A. or the N.S.A. would've probably informed the couple that he was a traitor by this point in time. He laughed, as he realized that even with that knowledge, they couldn't touch him. They would probably open a manhunt on him and stick Ellie and Devon in witness protection. No biggie, the key to Chuck was through his girlfriends. He had learned that fact early on. So it was obvious that the key to him now would be Sarah Walker. But there was still an issue. Namely that there was an unknown third organization as well as Fulcrum who were chasing and trying to kill them. He needed them to fake their own deaths to throw them off the trail.

He walked into the payphone and dialed Chuck's number. After two rings, he picked it up. "Hey buddy, it's Bryce… Really? That's great… Okay, but what about Major Coburn? …Because I'm part of the C.I.A., that's how I know that he's there with you… Well, if you're sure he's not part of the Ring then it's understandable. Having a third always helps… Okay, so you guys jump off a bridge and Major Coburn gets killed in a robbery… I like it… Alright, I'll call you in a couple of days to ask for a status update… There was a fire and the manor is gone… Something about electrical wiring… Yeah, I've got a place to stay, don't worry… Alright, I'll speak to you soon." He hung up, and walked back out.

Grinning, Bryce veered off of the trail that would eventually lead him to the safe-house. First, it was time for some coffee. After that, it was time to stick another shadow on the two. Afterwards, he would book a ticket to their next destination and enjoy the real life Sarah Walker in all her splendor. Bryce once again recognized that he was obsessing with Sarah, but this time his mind didn't care. As he sat there, enjoying his coffee he couldn't help but smile when the phone booth was swarmed by the suits. He took a sip and leaned back in relaxation. After all, he planned everything in meticulous detail. What could go wrong?

Chuck and Sarah quietly strolled through the streets leading up to the house of their contact. Casey was following at a sedate pace. The fact that they were supposed to pretend-kill themselves felt horribly clichéd. Chuck found it to be so clichéd in fact, that he felt like sharing his sentiments.

"Killing ourselves in this way feels horribly clichéd, don't you think?"

"And how long have you been mulling that one over? My guess is ever since we've left the meeting."

"Right in one," he said, before bringing his index finger to lightly tap his nose.

"Well, whatever works, right? I've been giving your concerns some thought and you're right. I'd much rather that people would stop shooting bullets at us. So if a dive is all it takes for that to stop happening, I'm all for it."

"But where is the poetry, Sarah? It should have some meaning..."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll promise you that when we hurtle ourselves towards impending doom we'll be locked in a kiss that, if this were even remotely a real attempt, would end up being a perpetual reminder to the love that we have for each other."

Chuck was silent for a moment, mouth agape. "Whoa… that was actually pretty deep."

"I thought so," Sarah replied, looking slightly smug.

"Just one of the many things I love about you… Oh hey, we're here." He gave her a quick kiss before ringing the bell.

The door opened to a vibrant man, who was approaching his mid-thirties. His hair was long and slightly curled at the end. He had a slender build with well defined muscles and a delicate tan. When he opened his mouth, the voice that came out reminded Sarah of angels that were singing.

"My name is Michele de Luca, and who might you two be? Although," he said, while looking at Sarah. "you don't have to tell me your name. You can come right in."

Sarah had to laugh. This was exactly the man that someone like her should be showing interest in. So why couldn't she stop looking at Chuck? She mentally shook her head at herself. She was so far gone. And she loved every minute of it.

Chuck on the other hand, couldn't see the humor in things. As a matter of fact, while Sarah's thoughts were rather similar to his, where she would be the kind of girl to show interest in a guy like him, his veered off right at about the point of where Sarah couldn't stop looking at Chuck. In his mind, this guy would simply offer his hand and walk off with her. He wasn't proud of being jealous, but he had learned never to argue with his own emotions.

Sarah looked at Chuck and saw something that she hadn't seen in a while. Jealousy. That, she wouldn't stand for. Slapping off come-ons was a specialty for Sarah Walker, but she didn't want to make Chuck more uncomfortable. She would usually slap someone down by appearing to be interested, only for the inevitable takedown. But that wouldn't fly with her, so she did the best thing she could. "I'm sorry, Michele… Me and my boyfriend aren't here for your outdated flatteries. We're looking for some information that you can provide."

Michele looked towards Chuck. His eyes roamed Chuck's body and he gave an approving nod while licking his lips. "Maybe your… boyfriend would be interested in some of my flatteries."

Chuck blinked himself out of his stupor. "Uh, what now?" He caught Michele's gaze which rivaled the intensity that Sarah would eye him with. "Uh, no thanks… I'm pretty happy with my current relationship… actually more than happy… she's such an amazing woman… I love her so much and I… uh… can we just come in before this gets really uncomfortable?"

Sarah was beaming. Who knew that words could have such an influence on a person. As they stepped over the porch, she gave him a quick squeeze to let him know she appreciated him backing her up.

"Hey, it's the least I could do, what with you dealing with all my insecurities all day long," he responded in words. They seemed to be doing it a lot lately, knowing what the other one was thinking.

The living room was spacious. There was a TV, a sofa and a few chairs. Nothing more. It reminded Chuck of Casey's living quarters. "So, let's talk about the Intersect," he said. Immediately, a Beretta was shoved up his nostrils.

"What did you say?" Michele hissed, his voice being decidedly less Italian than when he had first opened the door. "How do you know about that?"

Sarah spoke up. "We know Daniel Shaw. We're here because Orion has taken the Intersect and we're under orders to find it."

Michele's gun wavered. He pulled it out of Chuck's face, who blew out a sigh of relief at that, and put the pistol on the cupboard. "Fine. So why don't you tell me what you know about the Intersect?"

Sarah pulled out her notepad and started listing off the facts, with Chuck occasionally chiming in. They told him about knowing the full power that the wielder of the Intersect would possess and how everyone seemed to want it. Michele nodded along.

When they were done bringing him up to speed, he stood up. "I can see why everyone is so upset over it disappearing." He walked over to the fridge and started pouring glasses of water. "You see," he called out. "the Intersect is massive. It is the size of several football fields… Although you prefer to call it soccer. It doesn't simply disappear. And it means that if Orion has it stored somewhere and it's still functional, you're going to have to find a place that can at least hold it. Our Intersect for example, is stored below the San Siro stadium, in Milan."

"How do you know that?" Sarah asked. "I was under the impression that the Intersect was heavily classified."

"Ah, but what kind of a spy would I be if I couldn't find out things like that?"

Sarah had to concede to the point.

Chuck however, had a few more questions. "Can you tell us anything about Orion?"

Michele shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. All I know is that he designed the general architecture of the Intersect. And he's an American. Other than that, I've got nothing."

Chuck nodded. "What can you tell us about the Ring?"

Michele's eyes hardened. "They're your run of the mill bad guys, except for the fact that they are ruthless. They're rumored to have in their possession, the Frost Queen. One of the deadliest assassins that the world has ever known. She is so deadly, that most people don't even consider her to be real. In a way, she isn't. If it would ever leak that she is in fact working for the Ring it would lead to an all out war to obtain her services. That's why they try and keep it under lids. They branch out into almost every government in existence and have influences everywhere. They mean business."

Chuck swallowed uncomfortably. "So that probably means that the Ring isn't after us. Because it sounds like if they want us dead, we'd be dead."

Sarah nodded her acquiescence. Michele however, looked shocked. "What do you mean? Are people trying to kill you?"

"Uh… that's exactly what I'm saying… People are shooting bullets at us, with the intent to kill… I don't know, maybe that's just the way they greet people over here, because it seems to be happening a lot."

"You come in here, knowing things about a project that almost no one in this world knows about and there are people out there trying to kill you. Obviously, they know that you know and they don't want you to know. Why else would they be trying to kill you?"

"Whoa, that was quite the mouthful," Chuck said. But Michele looked positively panicked.

"You have to get out of here, now. There's no time to waste. I have no intentions of ending up in a crossfire." He stood up and all but shoved them out of the door. "Good luck in finding it, and I'm sorry I couldn't help more. Just know that if Orion wants to stay hidden, he'll probably get away with it." He closed the door and Chuck and Sarah were left standing outside, reflecting on exactly what just happened.

Casey walked up to them. "And?"

"Apparently, our chances of finding the thing have just diminished," Chuck sighed.

Cole stretched out his limbs. The flight itself wasn't too bad. It took him a measly two and a half hours to get from Heathrow to Rome. And the fact that the P.M. sprung for first class tickets definitely helped. But the growing pit of anxiety in his stomach made him feel like his appendix was about to burst. Sufficed to say, Cole was not a big fan.

He thought about why he was so upset about having to kill two people. It wasn't like he hadn't done it before. As a matter of fact, he was one of the very best in the field when it came to taking out the enemy. But if anything, Cole had always kept true to a part of himself. He would only take people out if it went directly against the interests of the United Kingdom. That's why he refused to take part in the "purging" of Intersect candidates. It was vicious and unnecessary.

Cole had always dreamed of a world where peace was a fact and things like armies and spies weren't needed for society to function. And with the Intersect maybe it would finally be the dawn of a new era. One where the common person was always protected by their government with a tool unlike any other. Terrorism would cease to exist and the first step towards a new and better society would be made. It would be safe.

He sighed and hailed a cab. He directed him toward the hotel and stared out of the window for the entire ride. He was about to kill two innocent civilians of the United States, simply because one of them could remember stuff and the other was his girlfriend. He was mulling it over when an idea struck him. He had always disagreed with the Prime Minister and how he went along eliminating the competition. He could weave an intricate plan that would eventually end up with the Prime Minister being caught. And it would mean that he didn't have to kill those two civilians. He just had to play his cards right and it would all be over soon. Maybe Britain could finally get a leader that the once great country deserved.

Cole cracked his first real smile of the week. This couldn't go wrong.

"Tomorrow's the big day," Chuck said while softly stroking Sarah's hair as she laid curled up against him. "Do you think that Alex had done this kind of stuff before?"

Sarah nodded. "How do you think he went from Alex Coburn to John Casey?"

"That's a fair point." Chuck heaved another deep sigh. They seemed to be doing it a lot. "But it still terrifies me. What if something goes wrong?"

Sarah giggled. "You're making way to big a fuss over this. We simply hold each other, jump over into the water and swim below the bridge. Afterwards, we'll pull ourselves up and disappear in the alleys. We get back to the hotel where we will meet up with Casey who has sorted out the botched robbery situation in the time it has taken us to get cleaned up."

"Whoa, you should give lectures to rocket scientists," Chuck teased. "You make it sound so simple." Sarah stuck her tongue out, which brought Chuck to a fit of giggles. "Oh God, we're both well in our twenties and behaving like a bunch of children." He gave her a quick peck. "Not that I mind."

Sarah started giggling along. After simply laughing for a minute or so, she turned serious. "Alright, it's time for bed. We've got a big day ahead of us, what with us dying and all. Good night Chuck."

"Good night, Sarah."

"Hey Chuck…"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Even in the darkened room, she could see Chuck starting to smile. "I love you too, Sarah."

Cole's head hurt… Actually, that was an understatement. His head was pounding. After arriving at the hotel, he decided to get smashed. It was a great way to waste time. Of course, he didn't figure it would come back to bite him in the ass. After all, he almost never had hangovers. Obviously, he was wrong about today being one of those days.

And it didn't help that his usual breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, beans in tomato sauce and two slices of toast wasn't anywhere to be found. His body was yearning for grease, but all he could find were several pastries. And fresh orange juice. While the orange juice tasted nice, and the pastries were good, it had nothing on a good 'ol English breakfast.

He drudged back to his hotel room, where he grabbed his essentials. His gun, his identification, his wallet and last but definitely not least; several aspirin that he dry-swallowed. Today he would spend his day visiting a couple of sights and waiting for a call from one of the shadows that they had on the couple. He had picked up the Angels and Demons guide to Rome, seeing as how he was an avid reader of Brown's work.

He was close to the end of the tour when he finally got the call he was waiting for. "Barker… You what? Where? And they're preparing to jump? Shit!" He ended the call, and started picking up the pace. This couldn't be happening. Not when he was so close. If they died, then there would be no telling what the United Kingdom could do. They would literally have the only Intersect capable of performing at one of its highest levels.

As he approached the bridge, he could see the crowd gathered. And there, on the ledge stood the Intersect candidate and his girlfriend. They were whispering words of affection to each other. Cole was reaching a state of panic. He grabbed his trusty sidearm, a USP .45ACP and started approaching the couple. His hand gripped the handle. He had no idea if threatening them with a gun would work and in retrospect it would've been the stupidest decision he had ever made, after all they were already trying to kill themselves. But there was only one thing on his mind at that point in time.

The curly-haired man spoke up. "Don't forget that I will always love you, Sarah." He stroked a wisp of her hair behind her ear.

"And I will always love you, Chuck." She took a deep sigh, before smashing her mouth against his, in a display of passion that Cole had never seen. Still locked in a heated make-out session, they plunged over the side, into the water.

"No!" Cole screamed, as the audience gasped. Several onlookers burst out in tears, while others were stood still in shock. Cole ran over to the side, peering down to the water, but he couldn't find a trace of them. It was all over. Great Britain would have the only Intersect. There were no witnesses left. He was so distraught that he didn't feel a pistol being put in his back. He was dragged back to reality when said pistol was cocked, and a gruff voice spoke to him.

"We're going to go back to my hotel room and have ourselves a nice chat as to why someone with a UK accent has a Heckler and Koch USP .45 on his person and not wanting two seemingly random people to commit suicide, even going as far as to waving said pistol at them… mate," Casey said, with his mate being pronounced in a mediocre attempt at a British accent. Cole smiled. Maybe he could still salvage this.

He let himself be dragged to an alley where he watched the gruff man grab his own dog tags and putting them on a corpse stuffed in the alley. He lit a match and threw it on the corpse, which was immediately engulfed in flames. Cole didn't dare asking questions at that point in time. It was critical he survived. But he still arched a disbelieving eyebrow at the big man. "Disappearance act," the big guy responded to his unasked question.

Cole smiled his second smile in a few minutes. Maybe, just maybe, those yanks weren't as dumb as everyone made them out to be.

"I'm soaked to the bone!" Chuck complained. Sarah laughed.

"At least we're still alive. By the way, great job on selling it. I was about ready to go at it on the bridge."

Chuck's face flushed red. "I may have gotten into it a little more than was strictly necessary. And for what it's worth, I do plan on loving you forever."

Sarah nodded. "As do I."

"Great, so we're practically married, huh?"

"Yup."

The silence that fell over them was deafening. What was started as a joke took a turn for the serious. Neither knew what the other was thinking, even though they both found the idea incredibly appealing. Before the silence could stretch out any longer, Sarah decided to take the lead. "So, uh, I guess we should get back to the hotel then?"

Chuck nodded. They quickly undressed and got out the clothes that Casey so thoughtfully had stashed below the bridge. They quickly applied the make-up and wigs, before walking hand in hand back towards the hotel. Neither noticed the figure of Mary Bartowski, looking at them thoughtfully.

As they walked back into their hotel, they passed by Casey's door. It flew open and they were pulled in. Inside the room was an unknown person, tied to a chair.

"Uh, Casey… Why did you pull us in… here…" His gaze fell over the man in the room. He had a strong build. He kind of reminded Chuck of James Bond… If James Bond was physically in as good a shape as this guy was.

"This guy has some interesting information for you guys," Casey said, as he pulled up Cole's head. "Talk," he grunted towards the spy.

"My name is Cole Barker, and I'm a SIS agent. The United Kingdom has for the past months tried and succeeded in eradicating the primary Intersect hosts for the NATO countries. I was tasked with the elimination of the United States candidate, which was you." He nodded with his head towards Chuck. "I need your help in exposing the Prime Minister. If he finds out that you're still alive he will simply order another hit. He'll keep going until he has proof that you're dead. Once you are, Great Britain will be the only one with an Intersect that can actually tap into most of its potential. We have a candidate with a 95% image retention rate."

Chuck's mouth fell wide open. Sarah however, as she was so used to doing, kept her cool. "And how did Great Britain find out about Chuck?"

Cole shook his head. "I don't know, love. All that I know is that I would like a word with your superiors to tell them about this." He directed the latter part to Casey. "They can contact Interpol and have him arrested. I've got proof of him ordering assassinations on most of the other countries as well as the fact that I'm willing to testify against him, in exchange for protection."

Casey grunted, as he was so used to doing. "Fine, I'll get in touch with them. However, you remain in my custody until we can verify all your claims. Afterwards, if it turns out that your allegations are true, you will probably be shipped off towards the Hague, where you will wait for your Prime Minister's trial."

Cole nodded. "I understand. Let's just get this over with."

Casey opened up the video chat. Within seconds, Beckman appeared. "Report."

"General, the mission was a success. The two assets have successfully disappeared and the corpse has been sufficiently damaged. My dog tags have been left at the site. However, while watching the two assets completing their mission, I found this man snooping around. He has some interesting information that I think you should listen to."

Cole started speaking, and in short form told the General what he had just told the others. At the end of his explanation, Beckman nodded. "Very well. You will hand over all the pertinent files to Major Casey. Afterwards, you will be flown to the United States where you will be pending the trial of the Prime Minister. Agent Barker, the United States thanks you for your dedication towards the NATO and the Intersect Project. Team, I want you to escort Mr. Barker to the assets' room. Afterwards, I expect you all back for a final briefing before departing for your next location."

They untied Cole, and walked him to the room of Chuck and Sarah. Casey tied him back up and put him in the middle of the room. "Sit tight," he said, before snickering. The sound was unlike anything Chuck, Sarah or Cole had ever heard. Cole gave the couple a blank stare, which they returned.

As they turned back to leave, Cole called out. "Oi, mate… Uh, curly haired guy… Yeah you. Just wanted to say that since this'll probably be the last time that we see each other what an incredibly lucky bloke you are with a bird like her."

Chuck laughed and hugged Sarah to him. "Tell me something I don't know."

Cole smiled once more. "Good luck to the both of ya. And for what it's worth, you two make a gorgeous couple. All the best to ya."

Sarah nodded her thanks, as they left for the final briefing in Italy. "He seemed like a nice guy."

"Yeah, I kind of thought he would try and make a move for you."

Sarah laughed. "And he would've been rejected. O ye of little faith."

Chuck's grin didn't reach his eyes. "I have faith in you, Sarah. If anything, you're one of the only people I still have faith in. But that doesn't mean that it's not a common fact that you'd have to be dead not to look at you and simply be at a loss of words."

Sarah licked her lips suggestively. "I've got a lot more things that'll put you at a loss of words."

Chuck laughed. "I'm really one of the luckiest guys on this planet."

Sarah shrugged. "Well, I feel like one of the luckiest girls on this planet, so I guess we're even."

Chuck nodded. "We're even."

They walked back into the room when Casey closed the door. The video conference was clicked back on, and the face of Beckman appeared on the video feed. There was actually a hint of a smile on her face. "Excellent work. You've gotten a British spy to defect along with the removal of the Prime Minister and subsequently saving the NATO from having to listen to their demands. The United States and the NATO thank you for your incredible work."

Chuck spoke up, despite Casey's physical reminder that he shouldn't, which turned out to be a rather nasty kick to the shin. "General, I feel that I should add that we didn't do anything in particular. The spy was going to defect one way or the other. And even then, it was Major Coburn who actually got the spy to come in."

The scowl returned, this time deeper than usual. "Mr. Bartowski. It was Major Coburn's team that brought him in. Therefore, all three of you will receive praise accordingly. Will that be an issue with you?"

"Uh… no, ma'am."

"Excellent. Now, despite all that, the main concern is the Intersect. What is the progress so far?"

Sarah stepped up. "Ma'am, so far we have learned that the creator, Orion, is probably the one who took the Intersect. We've also learned that the actual Intersect is gigantic and having it stored somewhere seems wholly implausible. According to the contact here, it's at least two-hundred meters in length. The Intersect isn't so much a computer, as it is a room. Therefore, we've concluded that if Orion did indeed take the Intersect, he has to have a private storage facility that could house the entire system.

Furthermore, we are led to believe that Orion has an affinity with Los Angeles. However, this doesn't specify that he is in Los Angeles or even that the Intersect is there."

"Very well. Miss Walker, Mr. Bartowski, Major Coburn. You are to proceed to the next contact point, which if memory serves me correctly, is in France?"

Sarah nodded. "Yes ma'am."

"Excellent, keep me up to speed." Beckman stabbed a button below the camera's field of view and she disappeared from the screen, leaving it matte black.

"Guess we're going to France… ugh," Casey said, the disgust clear on his face.

The Prime Minister was livid. First Hannah Watkins, one of the finest female agents that his organization had ever had was killed and now his second in command Cole Barker captured by those bloody yanks.

He was disturbed out of his ranting and raving by his phone going off. It was his secretary. He answered with a vicious snarl.

"Prime Minister Brown," the secretary said. "I'm so sorry to disturb you, but there are some gentleman here to see you."

"I don't want to be disturbed at this point in time," the Prime Minister said. At that point the doors to his office flew open.

"Prime Minister Gordon Brown. You are under arrest for being suspected of committing crimes against the NATO members. You will be read your rights…" the Interpol agent's explanation faded into the background noise. Gordon Brown knew all about what was going on. Barker had talked. There was no way that he could've been arrested otherwise. And the worst thing was that Barker had almost all of the intel. Gordon Brown was as good as convicted. And one thought kept coursing through his mind.

"Cole Barker will pay."

Mary stood behind the couple in line. She saw them purchase a ticket to France. She also saw the unmistakable form of a small squared ring box in Chuck's pocket, angled away from the woman standing next to him. From the body language it was obvious as to what was going on.

"Good for you, Charles," she whispered. As the couple walked off to check-in, she stepped up. "Hi, I would like a one-way ticket to Paris, France."

A/N2: Hope you all liked Chapter 13. I hope I sort of redeemed myself with this chapter. I'll save the plot intrigues and double crosses for the Two Sided coin story. I want to thank everyone who's still sticking around for what is one chapter short of the magical 100.000 words. It's been an interesting experience so far.

As far as I'm concerned, I wrote the "mysterious" third organization out of the story. However, in true Chuck style, I've devised a way to bring them back were it to be requested. So I'll sort of leave it up to the readers and reviewers as to what I do with them.

I wouldn't know whether canon Chuck would watch the Boondock Saints, but I did and it's still an awesome movie. So there!

Chapter 14 will definitely be posted before my birthday (21st of September, for those of you who want to know. Presents can be send to my email :D) but I'm not making any predictions as to when. It could be tomorrow, it could be next week. Anyway, I'll see you all soon. Thanks for reading.