I still don't own Chuck. I'm not sure who does at this point.

We're getting into the home stretch for this story (after only 61 chapters :) ). Things are going to start to move much faster.

I've said this before but I never cared for the way that the show told Mary's story. It just didn't ring true to me. At first, Sarah didn't like her and didn't trust her. Then they turned that around and she became something of a mentor. I would have preferred that they show the contrast between Sarah and Mary. They were similar in background. Both were trained CIA Agents. Maybe (they never told us) both even fell in love and married their asset. But Sarah would have never betrayed her husband and family like Mary did. I wish the show would have told that story with a little more clarity.

Of course, in this story Mary is pure villain. Sarah is pure Chuck's wife and insanely protective of him. So that means she is also pure hating Mary's guts. And when Sarah Bartowski hates your guts… well, you do the math. Let's see what happens when they finally meet face to face.

I understand that there isn't a review function on this site. But I would still appreciate your comments. The worst thing for an author is silence. You can't tell if you're connecting with your readers, if they're getting where you think the story is going or not. And those comments don't have to be praise. Of course, I'd be lying if I tried to say that I don't enjoy the praise. But I actually learn more from the critical comments. Just as long as you're respectful and allow me to respond, you can say anything.

Come and Take It From Me

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck could feel Sarah start to tremble as he stood behind her, reading the transcript over her shoulder. He put his left arm around her and pulled her to him for comfort.

"This is exactly my dream," Sarah finally said shakily. "Bryce was the Intersect. I tried my best to fight him but it was hopeless. Before I knew it I was cuffed, naked and he was…" Sarah's voice trailed off as she realized that Steven and Joan were standing there. "I couldn't stop him."

Steven looked around the room uncomfortably. "Do you want to abort?" he finally asked softly. "We're putting you in a tough spot. Bryce has just gotten permission from Volkoff to use the Intersect to do pretty much anything he wants with you and call it part of his mission."

"Come on, Steven," Sarah said, probably a little harsher than she intended. "We've been through this a million fucking times. How can we possibly abort? Volkoff is never going to give up. How can we raise a family with that hanging over our heads? We have to end him."

It didn't escape Chuck that she just called him Steven instead of Dad. He released his hold on Sarah's waist. "I've talked to Bryce for quite a while," he said gently. "I really don't think he would do what we fear. He honestly wants to get back in good terms with us."

That totally changed Sarah's mood. And while her smile was a little sad… it was definitely a smile. "Charles Irving Bartowski," she said as she sided into him affectionately. "You most definitely have a blind spot. You always look for the good in people. Don't get me wrong. It makes you the sweetest guy in the world. It's a lot of why I love you so desperately. But you don't know Bryce like I know him. I'm not sure if he would actually use the Intersect to force me into sex. That would be crossing a line that makes us lifelong enemies. But there is one thing that I am sure of. Right now Agent Larkin is someplace calculating in his head just how far he can press me and still be able to claim that he did it for the mission. And you know what? This might sound odd, but I'm not even blaming him for that… not really. It would be like blaming a rattlesnake for biting you with its poison when you picked it up. It's the way Bryce was trained, all spies are. When you want something, take it. Allowing feelings to interfere is for suckers. We need to come up with something that would draw that line for him someplace that we can accept."

"I'm right about this," Chuck said softly. "I get what you're saying, Sarah. Yes, I want to believe that Bryce is basically a good guy. Maybe that is a blind spot. I can't help but feel a little sorry for him. If I had you and lost you to another man, I'd be a little crazy too."

That got a genuine grin. "Okay Mr. Sweetest-guy-in-the-world," she said. "We have several problems here. In the first place, Bryce never 'had' me, not even close. You will never really believe that, will you? And second, stop thinking in terms of losing me to another man. Get that nasty thought totally out of your head and never let it back in. It's ridiculous. You're also never really going to totally believe that either, are you? It looks like I still have some work to do. Lucky for you, I love deploying my main weapon in the pursuit of doing that work."

Then Sarah paused for a long moment and got more a lot more serious. "Chuck," she said softly. "If you're wrong…"

"Yes," Chuck finished her thought. "I fully understand what happens if I'm wrong. It's totally unacceptable. I still believe that I'm right. But even if I'm wrong, I could just kick his ass."

That got Sarah's hair instantly standing on end. "You can't fight Bryce," she said firmly. "Even if you could get in position without tipping off Volkoff. That is totally off the table. You're both Intersects. But Bryce is a trained agent on top of that. He has too big of an advantage."

It was Joan who finally piped up. "You're wrong about that," she said. Then she remembered who she was talking to. "Please don't gut me like a fish," she said with a smile. "But actually Chuck would win rather easily. The Intersect that they both have was designed around his brain. It still works in Bryce, but not nearly as well. If they ever faced each other Chuck would be a full beat ahead of Bryce in whatever their Intersects came up with. It would be a mismatch. Chuck would win decisively."

Chuck stood for a long moment processing all of this information in deep thought. Then he turned to his dad. "We need to coordinate our attack," he said. "That's the only way this plan works. How soon can the rest of the team be ready for their assignments? Can we accelerate it by a couple of days?"

Steven nodded his head. "We'd have to start right away," he said cautiously. "Laura being back really helps. We'll talk to the rest of the team as soon as we decide. I'm afraid that means a bigger role for Devon and Ellie than we planned. We'll have to make sure they are on board. We wouldn't want to hurt their relationship."

Sarah looked into her husband's eyes and the gleam she saw there forced a genuine smile to appear in spite of the tension. "What is going on inside of that massive brain of yours?" she asked. Then she turned to Steven. "A bigger role than having Bryce's hand inside of her panties for a half hour while she was driving him to the hotel?" she asked in mock sarcasm. "Devon was pretty okay with that. Trust me on this one. Ellie is frantic for justice, more than any of us. She will be eagerly on board with whatever we need her to do. We just need her to be safe."

"Ellie will be safe," Steven said with his own embarrassed smile. After all, the panties in question belonged to his daughter. "It's nothing like that. I'm thinking that her panties have served our mission more than enough already. I don't anticipate them coming into play again anytime soon." Then he got a lot more serious. "If we're going to proceed, we need to quickly make a decision. Volkoff's men are on their way to where they think Sarah is in order to capture her."

Sarah turned to her husband. Her smile had turned into more of a grin. "Are you going to tell me your plan?" she asked. "Or am I going to have to resort to my usual methods to get it out of you? I know that you're sensitive to PDA. So your dad and step-mom being in the room might make that process a tad awkward for you. Totally your call."

Chuck was pretty sure that she was teasing. But given her latest speech in the bedroom only ten minutes ago, he wasn't sure enough to call her bluff. "I fold," he said with his own grin. "Although we were interrupted just when you were about to give me some wild passion, right? I'd say that you still owe me one." Then he got a little more serious. "There is really only one way out of this. Volkoff wants something… and Bryce wants something. I say that we give both of them exactly what they want."

Chuck stopped Sarah's protest with a grin.

"Trust me."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah were patiently waiting in the darkened warehouse where Beckman's frantic phone call had directed them, well at least Sarah. And yes, patiently might have been a bit of a stretch. They were actually necking. It was actually getting pretty hot and heavy, so hot and heavy that it had already crossed the invisible line from necking to foreplay. In a few minutes, Sarah would be leaving for Russia. Even if everything went perfectly it would be a couple of days before they saw each other again. And Sarah was clearly making up for lost time… in advance.

It was one of those things that told Chuck much more than words ever could, just how much his wife had changed. Six weeks ago Agent Walker would have bristled at the very idea of allowing personal feelings to come through during a mission. She would have fought the idea with every fiber. And here the new Mrs. Sarah Bartowski was fumbling with his belt as their tongues danced. Quickly his pants were around his ankles courtesy of his beautiful… and plainly aroused wife.

Naturally their backup team recognized the newlywed's need to say goodbye and was sensitive to ignoring their moans.

"Okay, numb nuts," Casey's voice came crackling through their earpieces. "You do realize that you're on comm. For being an acclaimed genius, making us lose our lunch listening to this while we're supposed to be backing you up doesn't seem all that smart."

Chuck knew that if any response was coming, it would have to be from him. Sarah's mouth was, well, otherwise occupied. She was clearly trying to give him a huge 'goodbye' present. He took a deep breath to ignore for a moment the fact that her expert efforts already had him close to the edge. But taking a shot at Casey simply couldn't be passed up. "Actually, big guy," he was able to get out. "You're lucky that you don't have video. You'd really lose your lunch."

Again, Casey was fully supportive. "Okay, moron," he growled. "Ever hear the expression 'getting caught with your pants down?' You're about to experience it live and in color. They just pulled up. I make about fifteen."

"I count twenty," Laura said. "Full combat gear. They aren't messing around."

Sarah stopped her efforts and stood up with a very red face. "I'm sorry, sweetie," she said. "We need to follow the plan. You'd better get out of sight."

Chuck was incredulous. "Now?" he asked. "You're actually stopping now?"

Sarah's blush deepened even further. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I must have miscalculated how soon they would get here. I feel horrible leaving you like this. Trust me. I'm going to make this up to you the very second that I can. But for right now, you'd better get out of sight."

Outside, Laura covered her mike with her hand. "If Sarah ever finds out what we just did," she said trying to stop giggling. "I'm totally throwing you under the bus. No way am I taking the fall for that. She wouldn't take it very well."

Casey covered his own mike. "It serves them right," he said with his own grin. "They actually will be here soon enough. Besides, what is she thinking? During a mission?"

"I know," Laura said, still fighting the giggles. "I mean nobody has more respect for the beauty of a well executed blowjob than I do. But there is a time and place for these things."

"Let me guess," Casey teased. "The time, about an hour from now. The place, our cabin."

That got Laura giggling again. "Getting a little cocky, aren't we?" she asked.

"No pun intended."

x-x-x-x-x

Carina looked around the room uncomfortably. This was the first time she had ever been alone with Steven. Well, Joan was there, but still. And she had heard all of the rumors about this Orion person over the years. It was hard to intimidate Carina Miller… damn hard. For one thing, she really didn't give a fuck what happened to her. Getting killed in the course of doing her duty simply wasn't all that horrible of a thought. It was one of those fatalistic qualities that made her such a good agent. It's exactly what Sarah had just lost. Sarah now cared what happened to her. She looked forward to her future. It was a bad spot for an agent to be in.

But Carina also knew that trying to deny that she was a little intimidated would be pointless. She was standing, more or less, at attention. So maybe it was just better to get on with it. "You wanted to see me, sir?" she asked in the professional voice that she reserved for kings and senators.

For his part Steven was trying to keep the mood light. Bad ass agents who weren't afraid of anything being intimidated by his mere presence always puzzled him a little… and amused him a lot. So his smile was warm and genuine. "Please relax and sit down," he said. "Sir makes me feel old. And I am old, so I would appreciate not being constantly reminded. My name is Steven."

Carina still wasn't very comfortable. But she did sit down. "Okay, Steven," she said. "What can I do for you?"

"Circumstances have caused us to accelerate our plan," Steven said. "Sarah is currently on her way to Russia. Chuck is not far behind. We're going to meet with the rest of the team in a few minutes. But I wanted to talk to you alone first. I'm teaming you with Joan. Even though she has worked for the CIA for a number of years, and technically your organizational superior, she isn't all that experienced in the field. Naturally, for this assignment you're in complete charge. Joan will follow any order you issue no matter what it is, right, Joan?"

"Of course," Joan replied, more to Carina than Steven. "Look, I understand that I might be naïve about what agents do. But I'm going to set any discomfort that I have aside. If you tell me to do something, I'm going to do it without thinking, no matter how distasteful I would normally find it."

"And that leads to my request," Steven said. "You have something of a reputation…"

Carina didn't try and hide that she was seriously offended. "I get it," she interrupted angrily. "Yes, everyone thinks that I solve every mission related problem by spreading my legs wide and wildly fucking anything on two legs. I won't try and deny that I have a very liberal view on sex. I may not be Sarah, but I actually do have other skills. I'm not going to try and teach Joan here how to wildly fuck anybody. I assume that she is already pretty good at that."

Steven grinned at her. "I'm sorry, Carina," he said. "You misunderstand me. The reputation I was speaking of is that you're something of a lone wolf. I know this makes me a hypocrite, but I'd really appreciate it if you could look out for her. She is the most important thing in my life. I can't go on without her."

Now Carina felt about an inch tall. "I'm sorry that I misunderstood," she said with a very red face. "Of course I'll look out for her. She's my partner."

"Thank you," Steven said with a relaxed smile. "That makes me feel a lot better." He looked at the glowing grin on his wife's face. He had just hit a home run with her… and he knew it. All that was left now was to figuratively run the bases… and maybe not so figuratively.

"You're actually right. She is already very good at that."

x-x-x-x-x

Mary placed the phone on the desk as soon as she ended the call.

"Well?" he asked expectantly.

Telling Alexei Volkoff 'I told you so' wasn't very smart under the best of circumstances. And this was anything but the best of circumstances. So she was very careful to make sure that there was no gloating in her voice. "They didn't get her," was all she said.

"What happened?"

"He's not totally sure," Mary said with a sigh. "They saw Walker sitting alone right where Beckman told her to be. They went to secure her. Then the lights went out and all hell broke loose. When they regained consciousness, they were all secured. It took them several hours before one could work free enough to help the others."

If Mary was concerned that Alexei would fly off into a violent rage, she needn't worry. His smile was genuine. "It's okay," he said. "I have it coming. Tell me all about how you were right. Your son defeated thirty of your best men so convincingly that they don't even know what hit them. There is something different about him. Larkin couldn't have done that… not against thirty."

Mary couldn't help the feeling of pride… a little anyway. Alexei was absolutely right… on both counts. This was clearly the work of the Intersect. And he was also right about Larkin. He was powerful, incredibly powerful. But he couldn't have done what her Chuck just did. He was special. But she was still cautious not to gloat. "I'm not at all happy to be right this time," she said. "We have to figure out what to do next."

Again he surprised her. His smile turned into a broad grin. "Come, my love," he said. "You're proud of your son. It's okay to admit that. Hell, in a way I'm proud of him myself. Imagine the team of the very best field agent in the world and this superman. They would be simply unstoppable. We have to get this team on board with us, now more than ever."

"I'm proud," Mary finally admitted with something of her own grin. "You're right about that. But now we have to figure out how to get them talked into working for us. It looks like that might be something of a challenge."

Just then Alexei's phone rang. He could tell from the ID that it was the front gate. And since they knew better than to call him unless something was critical, he quickly answered.

Mary could tell by the gleam in his eye that something good had just happened. "Well?" she asked expectantly as soon as he sat down the phone.

"It looks like we're going to get to face that challenge head on sooner than you think," Alexei said with a grin. "That was the front gate. They say they have a Sarah Bartowski there wanting to see us."

"She's on her way up."

x-x-x-x-x

Casey and Laura were on separate planes. They were headed to totally different parts of the world. But they were each having basically the exact same conversation.

"Devon," Laura said as soon as the plane was at its cruising altitude. "Let's talk about our ground rules."

"I get it," Devon sighed. "We're on a mission. You're the professional. Don't worry. Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do. No questions asked."

Laura smiled at his tone. "Okay, Devon," she said with something of a smirk. "Let's test that. Lean over and kiss me. When I open my mouth, slide your hand inside my shirt and cop a feel."

Devon just looked at her sadly.

"You just miserably failed that test," Laura said, her smile now long gone. "You also just got us killed… not only us, but probably the whole team. Devon, I'm not a screamer but you just pissed me off. We're undercover as a couple. We simply have to sell that we're intimate. Be honest. If Ellie was sitting here you wouldn't have any problem going to second base. I've seen it with my own eyes. Maybe a little more than I wanted too."

"Ellie's different," Devon protested. "She's my fiancé. We're going to be married. We've slept together for over a year now."

"Not today," Laura said firmly but with a little more smile. "Today I'm your fiancé. We're going to be married. And we've slept together for over a year now. If any bad guys see us together, that's what they have to think. Anything else gets us killed. And killed is the best outcome. It would probably be more horrible than that."

Devon paused for a long moment. "So that means…"

Laura's smile turned broader. "Yup, Ellie is kissing Casey," she finished his statement. "Probably as we speak. They are almost assuredly having some version of this same conversation. I'm pretty sure Casey's hand is not in her shirt. That's not his style. Sometimes I wish it was. But it is your style, Devon. You can't deny that. You simply have to get into this. It's the only way this works."

"This is easy for you," Devon complained. "You're not the jealous type. You really don't care who you or Casey fucks." Then he paused. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

Laura grinned at his awkwardness as his voice trailed off. It was more than a little cute. "Don't worry," she said. "I take no offense. But you are wrong. Oh, I get what you've heard about me. You think I would screw anything on two legs. Devon, the truth is that I'm maybe not Carina, but I'm still probably way more liberal about sex than you're comfortable with. I get that. All spies are really. And you would have been right at one time. A month ago I could have cared less who Seth screwed. I even helped him pick up the cute girl sitting alone in the bar more than a few times. We made it a game to see how wild he could get her to go. Casey is different. I can't explain why. I don't understand it myself. But the truth is I'm way more jealous than you are. I just hide it better. If I thought for a second that Casey had a shred of sexual interest in Ellie, I would kick both of their asses. Fortunately for all of us, I know that Casey is just as awkward about this as you are, maybe more so. We've had the discussion. He doesn't want to do this any more than you do. He sees Ellie as basically a kid sister. He's pretty protective of her. What's more, he sees her as being with one of his very few friends. To Casey, honor is everything. That alone means there is nothing he would ever do to betray that friendship. She could throw herself at him for real and she wouldn't get anywhere. She would be totally off limits to him. I'm assuming that's pretty much how you see me."

"Of course," Devon said. "We're family. I get that. And why Casey is different… well, that's easy to explain. You're in love with him. You're really not fooling anyone. Why is it so hard for you to admit that?"

Laura ignored his question, for now anyway. Maybe once they got to know each other better. For one thing it would take a month to explain. "That's how I see you too," she said as her smile returned to being relaxed. "We're playing a role here… just like we were actors in a community theater play. I'm playing it too. But if we blow our cover, people that we love die or worse. That absolutely can't happen. And just so that we understand each other, we're both aggressive types sexually. In order to be believable we're going to have to be pretty much all over each other, far more than Casey and Ellie ever will. So when my hand slides down your pants, I'd better feel the arousal I would expect from my fiancé in that situation. Understood?"

"Are you saying that we're actually going to have sex?" Devon asked sadly.

"Probably not," Laura quickly assured him. "We're only playing the role when people that we want to fool are watching us. You wouldn't fuck Ellie in front of strangers, right?"

"Of course not."

"So I don't see that happening here," Laura said. "For the same reason. But Devon, here is the important part. If for some bizarre reason it was required, you'd have to do it. And we'd both have to sell that it was the hottest fuck of our lives. I'll be moaning for you to fuck me harder like nothing you've ever heard before."

In spite of Devon's mood that got something of a grin. "I've actually heard you moaning that," he said. "Among other things… several times, in fact. Ellie and I are in the cabin right next to you and Casey. It is something of a turn on for her. So I appreciate that."

It was pretty hard to get a genuine blush from Laura Carter. But that did the trick. And with her fair complexion, when she blushed, she really blushed. "Okay, Devon," she said, more to change the subject than anything. "I guess it's time for your final exam. Please pass this time. I'd hate for you to get a look at me totally pissed off. Trust me. you wouldn't enjoy it."

"Now lean over here and show me how you get busy with your fiancé."

x-x-x-x-x

Alexei Volkoff really didn't have a clue what to expect from Sarah Walker. But whatever he was expecting, this gorgeous creature with perfectly straight jet black hair that hung to just over her shoulders wasn't it. The vinyl mission cat suit she was almost wearing looked as if it had been spray painted on. If she was trying to intimidate him with her beauty, she had at least partially succeeded. "Agent Walker," he said. "I've been hoping to get a chance to talk to you. How nice of you to stop by."

Alexei Volkoff may have very well been the most powerful and ruthless man in the world. But Sarah didn't budge an inch. "There are so many things wrong with that statement that I really don't know where to start," she growled. "First off, you kidnap someone I care about to force me to save her. Then you send thirty men to try and capture me. So much for us having a truce. I guess your word doesn't mean all that much. So you can shove being nice far, far up your ass. You wanted to talk to me so fucking bad. Okay, I'm here. Talk. What is it that you want?"

Sarah paused for a moment. "And not that it matters much for our purposes," she said. "I don't expect for you to be addressing me all that much. But I'm not Agent Walker. My name is Sarah Bartowski."

Mary spoke up for the first time. "It may not matter to you," she said with no warmth in her voice. "But it matters to me. As it turns out, you're my new daughter-in-law."

Sarah didn't give Mary the respect of even fully turning to face her. "Fuck you," she said dismissively, intentionally drawing out the words. "You're not my mother-in-law, not even close. You forfeited that potential title twenty years ago… when you left my nine year old future husband sleeping in his bed without so much as a goodbye. That's not all. I love Ellie as much as I love anyone in the world. She's actually the person besides Chuck that I most look up to. Your selfish cowardly actions made her a single parent before she was wearing a bra. You took away her childhood. Not to mention making me watch the tape of your sadistic torture of my good friend Joey. So here's a bit of friendly advice that I'm going to offer only once. Stay the fuck out of my way."

Mary actually grinned. "You're wearing my bracelet," she said. "My ex-husband gave it to me the day after Ellie was born."

Sarah normally wouldn't wear the bracelet on a mission. She saved it for special occasions. But rubbing it in this Mary bitch's face suddenly became a special occasion. Sarah still didn't turn to face her. But she did lift her arm and gave the bracelet a little shake. "Just another one of the things that you've forfeited," she said dismissively. "My husband gave it to me as a Christmas present. It's the first time that he ever sort of told me that he loved me. After all, he's pretty bashful. It may very well be the best moment of my life. So it's my most prized possession."

Mary's grin broadened. "What if I want it back?"

Now Sarah did turn to face her. She fully squared off on her. "I have an idea," she said with the twinkle in her eyes plain. "Why don't you come over here and take it from me? I think that I might enjoy that."

Alexei was clearly enjoying the confrontation between these two incredibly powerful women. "Ladies," he finally said. "Please don't fight in here. There are too many expensive and fragile things. I'm sure that we could arrange you two meeting in the ring sometime… if you're both agreeable."

Sarah didn't respond to Alexei's offer. But she did make sure that her smirk answered his unasked question. "We're wasting time," she said. "I've already been in here much longer than I hoped. Now I sort of feel like I have to take a shower. Why don't you tell me what the price is going to be to release General Beckman? If it's reasonable, maybe I'll pay it."

Alexei grinned. "You're so feisty," he said with a laugh. "I love it. I'm not really comfortable talking about a price. That makes it sound cheep. I'm going to introduce you to an Agent Bryce Larkin. He'll let you know what it is that we expect."

Sarah forced the puzzled look onto her face. "Introduce?" she asked. "I know Bryce very well. We were partners for over a year."

"I'm afraid not," Alexei said. "I'm afraid that Agent Larkin has never met you. I did show him your picture. He thinks you're very beautiful. But I have to admit, that was as a blonde. For what it's worth, you're every bit as beautiful as a brunette. I'm sure that Bryce will agree."

"What did you do to him?" Sarah demanded angrily.

"We just gave him some new memories," Alexei said. "It really was quite easy. It's built into the Intersect that your CIA was so nice to provide to us. And not to make this sound like a threat, but your new husband is subject to the same sort of thing. Tell me, Agent Walker. How would it feel if you're husband had never met you? That doesn't sound too good. Trust me. We can make that happen."

Sarah knew that showing anger was part of her script. But in this case her anger was, not all that surprisingly, genuine. "If you mess with his head," she growled. "I will end you."

"Agent Walker," Alexei said in mock horror, clearly taunting her. "This can have a happy ending. Agent Larkin will tell you how. When you're ready to make a deal with me come back, with the appropriate amount of respect of course, and we can talk about how to prevent anything so drastic from ever happening."

"At this point it's totally up to you."

x-x-x-x-x