A/N1 More story.

Please keep in touch. The reviews and PMs sustain me. Keeping this going while keeping a full-time professor gig going is real work. Knowing you are out there and reading, reacting, keeps me scribbling away.

Don't own Chuck.

Sarah vs. Omaha

CHAPTER TWELVE

Watch Your Step

Watch who's knocking on your front door
Now you know that they're watching
What are you waiting for?
Think you're young and original
Get out before
They get to watch your step
-Elvis Costello, Watch Your Step

Trying not to exaggerate, Chuck told Sarah about June, from her arrival to the present. Sarah listened closely, asking a few questions. Mostly, she seemed focused on Chuck's face and voice.

"Do you know her, Sarah?" Chuck asked this as he finished up, after mentioning that he would almost certainly see June when he showed up for his Buy More shift.

"No, not personally. I know of her. In fact, I've learned a lot more about her in the past day or so."

"Really? How?" Chuck asked simply out of curiosity. He clearly was not anticipating her answer.

"Bryce."

Chuck nodded absently. Then he turned to her, fully present. "Wait. Bryce? Did he work with her at some point or know her at the Farm?"

ooOoo

"He knew her." Sarah stopped...and let Chuck realize that she had.

"Oh. Oh!" Chuck's eyes got big. "I thought she was just jealous of you, you know, professionally. Not personally. She was...um….with Bryce before you?"

"No...not before."

Chuck raised his eyebrows. "Geez, I know Bryce...um...gets around, but how could he have been with her after you, I mean he was taken to be rogue and killed and stuff…"

"No...not after."

Chuck froze. "During?" The shock on his face was unselfconscious, total. My Chuck.

Sarah answered. "Yes. I guess I suspected, sort of. But Chuck, Bryce and I, we never were anything...official...except the Andersons…" She glanced away from him.

"But you...kissed him. Right about there." He pointed his foot to a spot on the floor.

She blushed, frowned. "I know. Temporary insanity." Then she took Chuck's hand and kissed his lips tenderly, careful of the damage she had done. To his lip. To him. "Or maybe not so temporary, because here I am, still crazy...about you. You, Chuck. Not him. Not Bryce. He kissed me and I kissed him back. Reflex, habit," She shrugged, frustrated with herself, "but mainly it was about you, about our kiss…" She was not sure she could explain. "I was so afraid. I had shown you how I felt about you. Shown me how I felt about you. I had ruined the cover."

Chuck pondered what she had said. He was quiet for a long time. "I get it, Sarah. It's like when I kissed Lou." It was his turn to blush and frown, " I wanted to kiss you but I never thought it would happen...I was so disappointed that I told myself a lie and believed it: that I wanted her, that I could make a commitment to her. I wanted something...real."

Sarah sat and decided to say more. He needed her words; she needed to say them. "And I...God help me, Chuck, I needed something unreal. Because I didn't know what to do with something real. Like you, only worse: I was only familiar with the concept of faking it."

"So you and Bryce were never..."

She made herself face him. "Never what, Chuck?"

"...In love?"

"No, Chuck. I know that now. Bryce and I had...something, but we never had, never could have had...everything." She squeezed Chuck's hand. "It was what it was. More than I had ever had with anyone else," she made sure he could see into her eyes, "but not all that I dreamed of…Not you, not this."

"But you were at his funeral. You cried." Chuck wasn't making an accusation. He was thinking aloud.

"Yes, I was. I did. And you were there in your father's suit, even believing of Bryce what you did."

Considering that, Chuck nodded. "I was."

"Chuck?"

"Yeah?"

She pulled him to her. "Can we stop talking about Bryce now? I can think of other things we could be doing. You have to leave soon. I have a flight to catch. I don't know when we'll have the chance to be together, alone, again. So, kiss me, Chuck."

She put her lips to his and he did as she asked. Over and over.

ooOoo

"I have to go, Sarah. Buy More expects me. June expects me." They were wrapped around each other on his bed, still fully clothed. She unwrapped herself from him and stood.

"Right. The real world. The unreal real world. We have to go back to it." I'm so tired of the unreal world.

He stood up and hugged her. "But everything's different now, the same but totally different. Sucky but wonderful." He smiled bravely at her.

"I promise, Chuck," she faltered at 'promise' but he looked at her, encouraging her to go on, to leave the word in place, "I promise it's going to happen, Chuck. Me and you. All of it. We're going to be together." She put her hand on his face. "I love you. You are my first priority now. Us."

"I love you too, Sarah." He grabbed his Nerd Herd uniform hanging from his closet door. "I should probably change in the bathroom…"

"Probably," Sarah smirked. "No, surely. I can't keep from...well, not for much longer, Chuck." She started re-adjusting her blouse, closing buttons. He left and she stretched back out on his bed, the scent of him suffusing her, all around her. A few minutes later, ready for work, he came back. He grabbed her and kissed her with so much passion her eyes rolled back into her head and her hips came up, off the bed, her body straining to find his. He ran his hand down her side, resting his hand against the swell of her hip. "Text me." There was a glint in his eye.

She gave him a naughty smile. "Do you think you could stand it ?"

"I'll take my chances, love. Lock up when you leave." He left the room and she heard the apartment door open and closed. He was gone.

Love. She felt as happy as she had ever been. And as sad. She was determined to be with him. The path from here to there was dark, though. She sat up and thought of June. She still had time. Maybe she could get to her. Find her and get through to her. Or just go through her. Sarah's anger returned.

As Sarah shut the apartment door, she heard a voice behind her. Casey.

ooOoo

Casey had never seen Walker look like she did coming out of the apartment. Disheveled, worried and yet somehow elated.

"Walker. How'd it go with the kid?"

She did not turn around but she took her hand from the door. Facing away from him, she answered. "Good, Casey." She paused before she continued. "How did you know? I didn't ask on the phone."

Casey cleared his throat. "Followed you that first night, after everything. After we saved Stanfield."

"You were at the beach?"

"Yes." His tone was slightly apologetic.

"You could have told Graham and Beckman. Told them I was compromised." She huffed. "You could have told me."

"Tried. Besides, you knew. You just refused to know what you knew. Hard to tell someone what they know but refuse to know."

Her head dropped. "Another paradox. "Ellie told me I lie best to myself."

Casey grunted. "Ellie's smart."

"I know. She's right."

"The kid looked happy when he left, but...not too happy." Casey let the comment hang.

Sarah finally turned to face Casey. "No, not too happy. I couldn't, not with everything so up in the air. Not with him still hurting and angry. I have to fix that somehow, but not...not like that. That's for when everything is right, not to mask things that are still wrong. He understood."

"Hurting, angry, yeah. But he left here whistling. You know that kid would die for you, Walker."

She nodded her head one time, smiled weakly. "I would for him too. I have to protect him."

"Don't do it, Walker. Don't." Casey extended one hand, made a warding gesture.

"Don't what?"

"Don't talk to June. I know that's what you are planning. She already hates you and resents the kid because he has feelings for you. If she knows you were here...If you lean on her...He will pay the price. A pound of flesh. Maybe more. She's already hurting him. Forcing flashes in bunches. Bartowski's been chewing aspirin like Chiclets."

Sarah's anger spiked, but she fought it back. She wanted to protect Chuck, fend June off. But she recognized the wisdom in what Casey said. She had recognized it all along, despite allowing herself to fantasize about slapping Thorne silly. Sillier.

"Look, Sarah, I will talk to her. I will lean on her. I've already interposed myself between her and Chuck. It won't be a new thing. I'll keep Chuck upright. Trust me."

At Casey's final words, Sarah frowned darkly. "I've not been doing so well with trust, John. Not trusting, not being trusted."

Casey shrugged. "Then do better, Sarah." He said it like it was the simplest, most obvious thing in the world.

He extended his hand. Sarah shook it and then pulled him to her for a very clumsy hug. He squeezed her for a split second, then started toward his car. Sarah headed for her rental. Thorne's day was coming. But it wouldn't be today. Sarah had a plane to catch. I don't want to go, Chuck. She pictured the final scene of Casablanca and felt her eyes mist over.

ooOoo

Chuck got to the Buy More lot and parked the Herder in its dedicated spot. He sighed, forced himself out of the car, across the pavement. and into the Wienerlicious. Thorne was standing over the deep fryer. Corn dogs were blackening and smoke was rising, making the atmosphere toxic. Chuck coughed and Thorne wheeled around.

"Inters...Bartowski. It's about damn time." Thorne was pissed. Chuck was not sure why, except that it did seem to be her baseline condition. SNAPO. Situation Normal All Pissed Off.

"I've been waiting. I had to talk to your slow-witted, bearded friend. Did you adopt him from some kind of institution?"

"No, but his parents found him in a dumpster."

Thorne grew angrier. "I want to make sure you don't push yourself too hard doing repairs tonight. I need you at full strength tomorrow. I want to see what you can do with files when you are fresh and ready." She strolled over to him in the thinning smoke, a scene from Dante. She got near him and she leaned into him, put one finger out and traced his jawline. She smiled. But then she sniffed. Not the smoky air. Chuck. She sniffed him. Her eyes went wild for a second, but then he saw uncertainty replace anger. "What have you been doing this afternoon, Chuck?" She asked so innocently, but her hands were balled into tight fists, her knuckles white.

"Um...nothing. Hanging out with my sister." Chuck thought fast. "I was helping her throw out some old cosmetics."

The answer seemed to mollify Thorne. Mostly. It did not hurt that the fryer alarm began to sound too. She scurried back to it, grabbed a towel to protect her hand from the heat, and clicked it off. Two corn dogs floated in the darkling grease, crisped almost beyond recognition, coal black. Thorne looked at them and then at Chuck, her eyes making a point. "I don't like it when things don't go as I want, Bartowski." She put a finger to her mouth, licked it, and stared at him hungrily. He was suffocating in grape jelly. "I'm expecting multiple flashes tomorrow, Chucky. I want each one to be bigger than the one before it. Someone's head should explode at the end." A pause, then an untethered giggle. She grabbed Chuck by the shoulders and spun him around. "Now, go be a Buy Moron. It's your destiny. Was there actually a time when anyone thought you had potential?"

She dismissed him. Chuck closed his eyes to blank the rage he felt. He walked out of the lingering smoke.

ooOoo

Graham heard a weak knock on his door. Without rotating in his desk chair, he called out. "Come in Susie Lou." He waited for a few seconds and then he rotated. She was standing in front of his desk. She looked a little less terrified than usual, less her field mouse self.

"We did not have an appointment," Graham stated. Susie Lou nodded. Graham was not sure if she meant Yes, we did or Yes, you are right, we didn't. He did not really care. "So?"

Susie took a deep breath. "Good news, Director. I believe I will have a functional prototype in just another few days. I thought a particular part of the hardware was going to be a long process of trial-and-error, but I evidently guessed right the first time. It more or less works now, but I do need to go over it more and run a set of simulations."

Graham's smile was huge and genuine. Susie Lou lit up. "That, Susie Lou, is good news indeed. Such good news that I am going to increase your salary. You should see an increase in your next check."

Susie Lou's face reddened with pleasure. "Thank you, Director. Maybe now I can afford to buy a house. I've been in the same apartment since grad…"

Graham cut her off, already planning ahead. "Yes, yes, I'm sure. Very nice. A house. Let me know as soon as you think we can run the first human trial. I have a subject in mind…"

A wave of concern rolled across Susie Lou's face. "I'm not sure we are ready for that. Any subject would need to be carefully chosen, given time to prepare, taught about what to expect. The Intersect puts intense pressure on the mind. It interacts in unpredictable ways with the bearers' conscience. Not just anyone will do. We might permanently damage someone…severely."

"Let me worry about the ethics of our research, Susie Lou. I just need you to build me my machine."

Susie Lou nodded. She left the room and Graham thought he could hear her mumbling to herself as she did. He shrugged. Already a better day than he had expected.

ooOoo

Max Anders watched as the Employee of the Month left the Wienerlicious and entered the Buy More. The guy certainly did not look like the Intersect, Anders thought. The guy was tall, lanky. Maybe Anders had always thought a human computer would be more squat, square, shaped more like a CPU than a light pole. Anyway, Anders had found Chuck's address. He knew Chuck would be at the store for several more hours. It was time to take a look at the Bartowski apartment.

ooOoo

Casey had been affected by his chat with Walker. He really wanted to see her and the kid succeed, make it. They had a chance at something special together. It was not going to be easy for them. He thought about his own history, his own decisions. He had never prioritized people, not in any individual sense. He had oriented himself by what he took to be his duty. He had thought when he was younger that that would keep his hands clean, his dreams bearable. It had not. He wished he had been willing to do what Walker and Bartowski were doing, risk happiness on a person instead of an abstract structure of commandments, military or clandestine. Goddamnit. This is the problem with letting Bartowski talk to me. I start having existential spy crises. Next thing you know, I'll be wearing a beret, smoking clove cigarettes and cultivating a taste for free-form jazz. There was no end to the damage ladyfeelings could do to a man.

ooOoo

Casey eased the Crown Vic gently into a spot next to Bartowski's Herder. Looking through the windshield, Casey could see Thorne. She had propped open the door of the Wienerlicious and was waving a dish towel like a checkered flag of surrender, evidently trying to clear what was left of smoke in the restaurant. Casey gritted his teeth. It was time to give this a try. He was not optimistic.

Thorne saw Casey coming. She folded the dish towel and waited for him. "Hello, Casey. You just missed Chuck." Casey nodded. "He is doing junk surgery in the back of the Buy More. Pretty amazing. A sister who's a neurosurgeon, a possible brother-in-law who's a heart surgeon, and Bartowski replaces batteries in dead vibrators. Quite a catch for some unlucky girl. But at least her vibrators will work. She'll need them."

Casey ignored the barbs. "Whatever, Thorne. You know, you're shitting on your meal ticket. How about easing up on the kid? I know you have your 'experiments' to do, whatever it is Graham expects to find out. But why hurt the kid more than is absolutely necessary? He has done a fine job. We have done a lot of good. The kid is a patriot, doing what he is doing, bearing what he is bearing. C'mon Thorne…" Have a heart, you soulless bitch.

"I've got my orders, Casey. And besides, we are only beginning to understand the preemptive weapon the Intersect could be. Damn Walker pampered him into nothing but a reactive one. Can't stand her, but I do feel sorry for her, nursing that sad sack for months. I bet she needed new batteries…"

"She was a good partner, Thorne." The implied comparison thickened the air and June stiffened. Casey ignored it. "I will not put up with much more of your crap about the kid or about Walker. You know about me, Thorne. I will only say this once. I am a dangerous man."

Thorne blinked slowly. "And I am a dangerous woman." She stopped blinking and glared. He glared back. For a moment, he thought they were going to find out who was more dangerous. But then Thorne launched into a tinkling giggle. "I won't hurt Bartowski more than is necessary, Casey. But I will hurt him exactly as much as necessary."

Casey was not sure he was going to get any more than that from her. He was not sure how much that was really. But he had tried. She at least knew now that he was willing to go the distance for the kid.

ooOoo

Clicking off the light and putting his final screwdriver back in the tool case, Chuck stretched and wiped his face with his hands. Despite June's warnings, he had pushed himself hard doing repairs. Computers made sense to him. They were predictable, controllable, lawful. His life, by comparison, was unpredictable, uncontrollable and chaotic. He was in love with a woman beyond belief. But she was also beyond reach. On her way back to New Orleans. Chuck twisted his wrist and looked at his watch. Back in New Orleans now, likely. Soon, anyway. The pain of her leaving was counterbalanced by the joy she had caused him when she told him she loved him. Still, she told him and then she was gone. Love and absence: they were a pair in Chuck's universe. Except for Ellie. Ellie was love and presence.

He headed out of the store, wondering what Ellie and Sarah had talked about. Why had Sarah blushed when he stuck his head in the room? Maybe he could get her to tell him via text. It was no big deal. He was just curious. He knew so little about her, but he knew her. He was sure he did. She had been hiding for a long time, but she had come into view for him.

Chuck hit the button to unlock the Herder. It made the familiar double-squeak and its lights flashed. He climbed in, folding himself as always in order to fit. He put on his seatbelt, started the car and exited the parking lot.

He clicked the radio, the New Wave station, now, Chuck realized, an oldies station with a misfit name. Marshall Crenshaw's "Someday, Someway" came on. Chuck started drumming his thumbs on the steering wheel, keeping time with the poppy tune, singing along. The song lifted his spirits; it made him think of Sarah, a happy ache. Her lips against his ear, saying that she loved him.

He looked into the rearview mirror. He had an oddball feeling. He did not recall seeing the rectangular headlights when he had glanced in the mirror a couple of times earlier, and yet he now thought maybe he had.

At the next intersection, he delayed his right-hand turn until the last possible moment. The car he had seen squealed through a turn in the same direction. Chuck felt vulnerable and exposed. He grabbed his phone to call Casey, but it fell from his hand and in between the seats of the Herder. He tried to fish it out, but the narrow opening was making it hard, especially while trying to drive.

He gave it up for the moment and gave his full attention to Herder and the tail. He decided the best plan was to head home. Casey did not have a Buy More shift; he would almost certainly be in his apartment. If Chuck could get there, he would be able to get Casey's help.

Chuck sped on, doing his best to increase the distance between the Herder and the tail. He needed to get to the apartment parking lot in time to get to Casey's. He squealed into the lot. Chuck clicked his belt, leaped from the car. He sprinted for Casey's. But he quickly realized the apartment was dark. The Crown Vic had not been in its normal space. Casey is not here! Icy certainty gripped Chuck. He veered toward his apartment, reaching into his pocket to find his key. He had it out before he got to the door. He missed the keyhole on his first try, on his second. He heard a car door slam. Finally, his key went into the lock and he twisted it hard. Turned it too hard. The key broke off in the lock. Shit, shit, shit.

"Chuck Bartowski?" Chuck let the part of the key in his hand drop to the ground. It sounded like a penny bouncing on the concrete. Ping, ping, ping.

"Employee of the Month?"

Chuck rotated slowly toward the voice. A man stood next to the fountain, holding a piece of paper, a photograph, in one hand, and a silenced pistol in the other. Chuck flashed: Max Anders, former Marine, now CIA. "I would say you have something I want, Mr. Bartowski, except I think you are what I want. It's a thrill to meet the Intersect."

Chuck felt his stomach drop. His vision dimmed as if Burbank had suffered an eclipse.

"You should thank your sister. I would never have figured it out if it weren't for her notebook, full of theories about what the Intersect might really be, how it might really work. I've got that notebook in the car. She hid it well but I found it. Fulcrum will be very happy to have it. It'll be like getting the Intersect with an instruction manual." The man glanced at Chuck. "Once we have Ellie too, you should be very eager to cooperate with us." Anders reacted to something, whipped around.

There was a muffled pop. Chuck heard his sister's name reverberate in his mind. Then he saw the back of Ander's head cough red into the water of the fountain. Anders fell backward into the pinkening water. From the dark distance, June Thorne stalked toward the fountain, her gun held in two extended hands, a thin serpent of smoke rising, writhing from its barrel.

A/N2 June to the...rescue? Circles are tightening. Tune in next time for more in Chapter 13, "Reel Around the Fountain". The aftermath of the courtyard events. Sarah and Bryce have a talk. Bryce gets close to Garland. Graham makes decisions. Beckman closes in on Graham.