A/N: Appreciate all the kind words and comments, it means a lot to me. Hopefully you continue enjoy the story and thanks for being such faithful readers!
Sarah had not stopped smiling the entire ride back to what she and Chuck were now referring to as their temporary home. Even the prospect of seeing Jill wasn't bothering her at the moment. After finding out the dream home was no longer a dream, she felt like nothing could disturb how happy she felt.
Chuck had given her a brief walkthrough of their new home even though she'd seen it already. Nothing had been furnished or decorated, Chuck had told her he wanted to do that together. She had nearly burst into tears when she saw their names still carved in the entranceway. Since he'd had time to think it over after buying it, Chuck had told her some ideas he'd come up with for certain areas of the house, but that ultimately any decision would not be made unless she was on board with it.
The outing hadn't become the steamy passionate one Sarah had envisioned when they'd been sitting in the car before Chuck's big reveal, but this was much better. As they drove, Sarah reached out and put a hand on Chuck's right arm. He was focused on the road so he didn't turn, but he smiled.
"Chuck... thank you. For everything. For the house, for not giving up on me, and for being the most wonderful husband I could've ever asked for. Somehow thank you just doesn't feel like enough but I want you to hear it anyway, because I mean it, more than I could ever fully put into words"
"Sarah, you don't ever need to thank me. I can just send you a bill!" he glanced at her quickly, grinning mischievously.
She laughed, her smile growing even larger. She held up her hand in front of him, making sure he could easily see her engagement and wedding rings
"I think this should cover the cost."
Chuck grasped her hand by her wrist, and, without taking his eyes off the road, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.
"That definitely covers everything."
Suddenly his expression became more serious as they pulled up to a red light. He turned to her, a look of astonishment and amusement on his face.
"Sarah, I know we have to see Jill first, but do you realize we haven't still haven't told Morgan your big news?"
Sarah covered her mouth with her hand, both in shock and to hide a laugh.
"I almost can't believe you didn't call him the minute you found out! That's okay though, it gives us an out if things get too uncomfortable with Jill."
Chuck shook his head, a wry smile on his face.
"Morgan Grimes. Best friend and best excuse."
Chuck and Sarah reached the front door of their soon-to-be-former house. They had both decided not to say anything about the new house to anyone, both because they wanted to wait until they were really ready to tell everyone, and because with the mysterious "Overseer" still out there somewhere, it was probably something better left concealed for the time being. Even if it would be irrelevant to whomever they were dealing with, there was really no reason to take the risk. So for now they agreed the news about their dream house would remain a secret between the two of them.
As Chuck opened the front door and peered inside, he saw Jill sitting in the living room. She looked up at the sound of the door opening and smiled.
"I was wondering when you were going to show up. I got a call from your other partner...Casey, right? He said you guys were back."
"Yeah we were a little delayed with some things" Chuck replied, stammering a little.
"Right, we just had a few things we needed to do on our way back" Sarah added, not wanting to draw suspicion.
Jill seemed to accept their responses at face value and stood up, gesturing to the kitchen.
"Well, I thought you guys might be hungry. I don't know when you last ate, so I threw something together. Chuck, I hope you don't mind I raided your pantry a bit."
Chuck turned and spotted a variety of foods on the kitchen counter. His eyebrows rose.
"Wow. That's quite a spread there. If it tastes as good as it looks you can raid the pantry as much as you want!"
"Thanks Chuck, I appreciate the compliment. While you guys dig in you can fill me in on how your trip went."
Sarah closely studied Jill's reaction after she'd heard everything. The only emotions she was giving off at the moment were shock and disappointment.
"So you didn't find anything except an ambush, the Overseer's still out there, and Sarah remembers everything about me? Sounds like bad news for me all around."
"Why is Sarah remembering you a bad thing? Chuck asked, confused.
"Because Chuck, people tend to hold grudges when you repeatedly betray someone they love, especially when it involves putting their life in danger...repeatedly."
"Wasn't all that in your file though? Sarah would have known that anyway from reading it."
"Reading words in a file isn't the same as experiencing it. When she read them it was probably free of emotion, it was just a series of facts. Now it's personal to her, she remembers exactly what happened, and it involved the man she loves. Plus those files tend to stick to the facts and aren't exactly focused on all the details. But now she remembers all those details, all those emotions. I'm sure it hasn't exactly improved her opinion of me."
"Okay first, stop talking about me like I'm not here" Sarah replied, her voice calm and even. "Secondly, you're here to help us. Unless you do something that goes against that, or you try to escape, it won't change how I treat you. As far as I'm concerned we're still working with you, my memories returning don't change that."
"But you have to admit you see me a bit differently now. Your personal feelings towards me are different now. It's only natural."
"True" Sarah admitted. "But I'm also a professional, and that comes first. You were a spy, you should know that."
Jill stared at Sarah for a minute, then silently nodded and stood up. She walked part way to her room then turned around and looked at Sarah.
"I remember. But I also remember that emotions tend to cloud people's judgment, even trained professionals. It happened to me, so I know it could happen to you."
Jill turned back around and walked into her bedroom without another word, softly closing the door behind her.
Chuck turned to Sarah, his eyes wide.
"That was... something. I wasn't expecting her to react like that."
"Well what did you expect Chuck? We just dumped a lot on her. She's probably worried about the Overseer coming after her since we came up empty, and knowing that I remember her now and what she put you...us through, it has to make her uncomfortable. I can't say I blame her for being cynical."
Chuck suddenly had a strange look on his face.
"What's wrong?" Sarah asked.
"When you mentioned us coming up empty when we went after the Overseer, it reminded me of something. Something weird happened when we first entered that factory."
"You mean besides the fact there were guys with guns waiting for us?"
"Do you remember that weird sign or poster or whatever it was that was attached to one of the balconies when we first entered? Casey pointed it out because it looked weird, but when I looked at it...I flashed. But it wasn't a normal flash. There was no series of images or data and it didn't trigger any skills, the flash was literally of one thing. It was a monitor of some kind and all it said was hello intersect, all in capital letters. I've never experienced anything like that before."
Sarah frowned. She remembered seeing the strange sign as well, and remembered Casey commenting on how odd it looked. But something about it bothered her, like there was something more she should know about it, but she couldn't remember what. It felt a lot like when she would try to recall something about Chuck before she got her memories of him back. Her memory hit some kind of mental brick wall but she knew there was something behind it. She shook her head in frustration. There were at least a few memories she didn't have back, at least not yet. This must be one of them.
"Okay, now it's my turn to ask you what's wrong" Chuck said, interrupting her thoughts.
"Sorry, its just, when you mentioned the sign... I don't know, I feel like there's something about it. Something I should know, but can't remember."
Chuck let out a deep sigh and put his hands behind his head, then turned his head part way towards her.
"I kinda wanna make a joke right now, but it probably isn't a good idea. Sensitive topic and all that."
"Yes Chuck, I still remember you" Sarah replied, grinning.
Chuck snorted out a laugh.
"How is it that married women are so good at reading their husbands minds?"
"Well when we're crazy about our man it unlocks an entire arsenal of secret powers"
"Is that right?" Chuck asked, a hint of intrigue and lust in his voice. "What else you got in that arsenal?"
Sarah gave him her most seductive smile.
"Follow me into the bedroom and I'll show you."
Chuck straightened his tie and looked at his reflection in the mirror. After considering his appearance for a moment, he shook his head and removed the tie.
Too formal he thought to himself.
Tonight he had invited Morgan and Alex over, along with Casey and Gertrude, both to give Morgan and Alex the big news about Sarah's memory, and to have a party to celebrate having her back. He'd invited Jill too, mostly out of respect, but she'd declined.
She'd been moody ever since their conversation. He'd hoped a good night's sleep might help her feel better but apparently she was going to need more than one day to process everything. Chuck just hoped she wouldn't end up changing her mind about helping them.
On the flip side, Morgan was elated when Chuck called to invite him over. He initially wanted to know why Chuck hadn't called him the instant they'd gotten back to let him know what had happened, but Chuck had told him they were just tired from travel and needed a night to recover a bit. That had led into the invitation to come over for the party. To keep Morgan in the dark about the real reason for the party, Chuck told him they all wanted a nice evening to relax and celebrate being back, and that he'd fill him in on what happened while they were there. Morgan did get a little suspicious when Chuck suggested dressing up a bit, but in the end he'd eagerly agreed that he and Alex would come. Chuck couldn't wait to see his reaction when he told his best friend the big news.
"Hey handsome, you almost ready?" Sarah's voice interrupted his thoughts.
Chuck turned around and instinctively inhaled when he saw her. Sarah was wearing the same one-shoulder purple dress she'd worn at El Bucho when Chuck had crashed in on her mission with Casey to capture Javier Cruz. That had been a forgettable night, but Sarah had looked as breathtaking then as she did now.
"I thought the dress would be a fitting and somewhat ironic choice" Sarah said, seemingly reading his mind once again.
"It definitely brings back some memories. Not very good ones, but honestly I don't care because you look absolutely beautiful."
Sarah smiled.
"The last time I wore this we were basically out of each others lives, and it felt like maybe for good. It seemed like the perfect choice for a party celebrating the fact we are back together, right where we belong."
Now it was Chuck's turn to smile.
"I remember how jealous I felt, seeing you looking like that, dancing with that guy when I showed up."
"Well now I'm wearing it for you Chuck. Just for you."
Chuck crossed the distance between them in two strides and cupped her face, kissing her deeply. She immediately deepened the kiss. They remained in the passionate lip-lock for awhile before finally pulling back.
"I still need to figure out what I'm gonna wear" Chuck said softly.
"Just a sec Chuck, there's something I wanna do first."
Sarah stepped forward and in one fluid motion she wrapped one arm around Chuck's neck, leaned into him, raised her right leg up to his waist, and placed his left hand on her upper thigh, high enough that it pushed some of the skirt of the dress out of the way.
"I know it's not exactly the whole dance you saw that night, but I figured you deserved to enjoy the best part."
Chuck responded by inching his hand even further up her thigh.
"Actually I think that guys hand was closer to this spot" he responded playfully.
At that point, the two of them burst into laughter.
Sarah watched Chuck fidget near the door, a loving smile on her face. He was eagerly waiting for Morgan to arrive. They had arranged for Morgan and Alex to arrive first so they could share their big news right away. Knowing how Morgan would likely react when he found out, Chuck had suggested they might need a little extra time before the main party began, so Casey and Gertrude had instructions to show up a bit later, then they would all celebrate together. Carina had opted out of coming, claiming she was going to be busy, though Sarah suspected it had more to do with Morgan being there than anything else but chose not to question it.
Sarah loved seeing Chuck this excited. After all he'd been through, and all they'd been through together, he deserved moments like this. She also loved how he looked. After she'd made some helpful suggestions, Chuck had settled on a navy blue shirt, skipped the tie, and paired it with black pants and a matching black blazer that he'd since shed after getting too warm from all his pacing.
As the two waited, Chuck refusing to leave the proximity of the door, while Sarah hung back by the table making sure everything was ready, she heard a distinct voice outside, slowly getting louder as they approached the door.
"Chuck, you might wanna grab your blazer. I can hear Morgan from here."
Chuck looked over at her, evidently so engrossed in waiting that he'd been oblivious to Morgan's voice. The doorbell ringing finally brought back his focus. His eyes went wide and he scurried over to the chair he'd draped the garment over and quickly pulled it on. He looked over at her again again, flashing an endearing smile, and Sarah found herself melting, just like she did every time he smiled at her like that. It was all Sarah could do not to go over and wrap her arms around him, but she didn't want to spoil the moment so she returned his smile and winked, then backed away into the kitchen, pretending to focus on some random task as Chuck answered the door.
"Hey Morgan, Alex, glad you two could come" Chuck said as he opened the door.
Morgan walked in first, holding Alex's hand. He saw Sarah in the kitchen and gave her a polite nod. Alex waved with her free hand.
Chuck was impressed with Sarah's nonchalant response. She gave a quick smile then went back to pretending to work on something, not tipping her hand in the slightest.
If she hadn't chosen to become one of the world's best spies, she probably would have made for one heck of a poker player Chuck mused to himself. He turned his attention back to Morgan and Alex. Morgan was wearing a gray polo shirt and khakis, while Alex had on a white dress covered with pink flowers.
"You guys look nice!" he told them.
"Why?" Morgan asked.
He sounded curious and maybe a little agitated but not upset but the question threw Chuck off a little bit.
"Why what? Why do you look so nice?" he asked tentatively.
"No, why are we dressed up? When I asked you on the phone you wouldn't give me a straight answer. The fact you didn't come straight over to see me or at the very least call after you guys got back, combined with this oddly formal evening makes me think something went wrong."
"Buddy I told you on the phone we were just tired from the trip, and tonight's just a nice get together" Chuck replied, keeping a smile on his face as he spoke.
"And I wouldn't exactly call your look formal" Alex added, raising an amused eyebrow.
"What's wrong...this is a nice look!" Morgan objected.
"It's fine" Chuck interjected before Morgan could get worked up.
Morgan huffed then silently gazed around the room. After a few moments he turned back to Chuck, his eyes wide.
"I just noticed we're missing a few people. Is that it? Did someone die? Was it Gertrude? Is that why Casey isn't here? He's in mourning isn't he? Oh man I gotta go cheer him up before he... or maybe it'd be better if it was Alex... no wait is it better if it's a guy going or..."
"MORGAN!" Chuck yelled, interrupting Morgan's rambling, then he lowered his voice to a gentle volume. "Gertrude is fine."
"It's Carina isn't it? I always thought she'd end up in over head one day, this is just like when..."
"IT'S SARAH!" Chuck yelled again, getting a bit annoyed at Morgan's imagination running wild.
Morgan and Alex both turned to look at Sarah almost simultaneously.
Sarah actually looked slightly embarrassed at the sudden attention as she walked out of the kitchen to join them. Morgan looked her up and down.
"I don't see anything wrong with her."
Alex swatted him.
"Well Morgan I see you haven't lost that charm that made you Buy More's worst salesman." Sarah said. She turned to Alex. "You should be glad you met him after he became assistant manager. Back when he was in sales, he was... let's just say he needed a lot of work when it came to social skills and women."
"Oh please Sarah, I wasn't that bad, right Chuck?"
Alex was looking closely at Sarah now, seemingly studying her.
"I don't know buddy, I do seem to recall a few creepy moments you had with customers" Chuck answered. "And my sister."
"To be fair, Ellie was still willing to have him over, including meals and holidays, even the ones most important to her." Sarah added.
"Even when he went dumpster diving for a turkey, remember Ellie telling us about that?"
"Of course. That led to the famous Thanksgiving with Jeff and Lester. Definitely memorable."
Alex gasped and put her hands to her mouth, now clearly realizing what Chuck and Sarah were subtly trying to tell them.
"What? It was one time and a unique situation" Morgan said to her, misunderstanding her reaction. "I promise you I don't normally dig food out of the trash."
He turned to Chuck, a slightly annoyed look on his face.
"Why would you tell her that story? And about Ellie? What are you trying to do to me here Chuck?"
Alex's eyes were wet and she suddenly lunged forward and gave Sarah a big hug.
"Okay, what the heck is going on here?" Morgan asked, totally lost.
Chuck leaned towards Sarah, a grin on his face.
"I can't believe he hasn't figured it out yet."
"Well not everyone's as good at picking up on subtlety as you are sweetie."
Morgan frowned.
"Why are you calling him sweetie? Wait, that story about Thanksgiving was years ago and I haven't been a Buy More salesman in years either. How did you know about that?"
Alex pulled away from her hug with Sarah and looked at him, her face tearstained but lit up with a smile.
"Morgan don't you get it yet?" she exclaimed.
"Get what? Sarah messing with me about a story Chuck told her from years ago?"
"He didn't tell her about it."
"Well if he didn't tell her then how..."
His eyes lit up as realization finally sank in.
"Wait, you remember that?"
Now Sarah smiled widely. Chuck was grinning from ear to ear.
"Holy crap, Sarah you called Chuck sweetie. That means... okay this better not be a prank because if you two are messing with me I swear I will never speak to you again!"
"It's no prank Morgan, I promise" Chuck said, trying to hold in a laugh.
Now Morgan looked like he was trying to fight from tearing up.
"Okay you two better bring it in right now."
Chuck and Sarah embraced Morgan and Alex in a group hug. After a minute or so they separated and everyone was a bit teary eyed.
"Okay" Morgan said, wiping his eyes. "I wanna hear how this happened, the whole story. Then we're gonna party like we just survived Black Friday at the Buy More!"
Casey and Gertrude arrived shortly after Sarah and Chuck had finished telling Morgan and Alex everything. Sarah answered the door when she heard Casey's signature two very loud knocks. When she opened the door her brows rose. Casey and Gertrude were both dressed in black. Casey had on a black shirt and pants, while Gertrude had on a somewhat short black satin dress under a matching black cardigan.
"Casey you do realize this is a party, not a wake, right?" Sarah asked, an amused expression on her face.
Casey gave her a small smile.
"Black isn't just for mourning. It also conveys power, strength, authority, and discipline."
"It also conveys buzzkill" Sarah replied sarcastically.
"It's also seen as more formal" Gertrude responded. "It was something of a compromise. You know John and parties."
"I know how he is around you, but when I got married he seemed right at home mingling with people, and, I even recall that when Chuck was saying his vows..."
Sarah stopped when she saw Casey subtly but quickly shaking his head, signaling her not to say anything more.
"What?" Gertrude asked. "What about Chuck's vows?"
"You know, now that I think about it, I think I'm confusing him with Ellie's husband. My brain can still be a bit foggy at times. Why don't you two come in?"
As Casey passed her to enter the house she shot him a questioning look.
"I'll explain later Walker" he murmured in a voice low enough so only she could hear.
"So much for just enjoying the evening" Sarah said to herself with a sigh as she closed the door.
The party was going wonderfully. People were sharing all kinds of stories from the past, relishing the fact that Sarah was able to take part in them fully once again. There were a few hiccups where they'd run into some detail Sarah still didn't remember or only partially remembered, but they'd been able to smoothly gloss over those moments so no one, especially Sarah, felt awkward. Raucous laughter broke out often and the food and drinks were slowly but steadily polished off as the evening went on. It seemed like it was going to be a perfect evening for everyone, until something happened that caught everyone off guard.
Everyone was seated in the living room and Morgan was animatedly retelling the story of the first time Chuck had met Sarah at the Buy More.
"I still stand by the fact I have never seen Chuck that flustered before" he said, preparing to get to what he considered the best part.
Suddenly the big living room TV turned on. The screen illuminated, but the picture remained black.
"That's weird. Is someone sitting on the remote?" Chuck asked, looking around for it, while also making sure he wasn't sitting on it himself.
Casey cleared his throat to get Chuck's attention and held up the remote, which had been sitting on the coffee table next to his seat.
"Must be a short in the wiring" Morgan commented. "Chuck, you can't keep buying the cheap brands. This is a sign to start dropping some cash on the high end stuff!"
"Morgan, I've had that television for years. I don't need to waste two grand on a TV, I'm sure its fine."
Morgan stepped close to Chuck so he could speak in a low voice and not be heard by everyone.
"Dude, imagine if it craps out on us in the middle of a firefight? It could cost us our spots on the leaderboards! Do you really want that on your head?"
"Uh, guys?" Sarah spoke up, getting their attention and gesturing towards the television.
Chuck felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck. Green letters were appearing on the screen, as though they were being typed in at that precise moment. No one moved, all eyes were glued to the screen as a message was spelt out. Sarah silently reached out and held Chuck's hand. Soon the message was completed as they all stared at it.
THE OVERSEER KNOWS WHO YOU ARE CHUCK BARTOWSKI. HE WILL BE COMING FOR YOU. BEWARE.
No one spoke. No one moved. The room was completely silent until the TV shut off just as mysteriously as it had turned on.
Chuck looked around the room at each person. Everyone had the same expressions on their faces: shock, disbelief...and fear.
Casey was the one to finally break the silence.
"Well at least we know it's a he now. That eliminates about 50% of the world as suspects."
"Just a bit less than 4 billion to go." Sarah murmured.
"I'm a bit more concerned with how somebody or multiple somebodies keep sending me these messages" Chuck said, his voice betraying his nervousness.
Sarah scooted closer to him, letting go of his hand so she could put her hand on his back.
"We'll figure it out Chuck. I'll contact Beckman about this. We have a lot to update her on anyway."
The next day found Chuck, Sarah, Casey, Gertrude, Morgan, and Carina in Castle, talking with General Beckman. Sarah filled Beckman in about her recovered memories, her desire to return to retirement, and the mysterious message they had received. Carina gave a full report on their failed mission to track down the Overseer, and as Sarah's partner, gave her evaluation of Sarah's current condition and recommendations for how the General should proceed. Chuck made sure to add in the part about his mysterious flash and the strange sign that had seemingly triggered it. When Casey wrapped everything up by giving a detailed account of the force that had attacked them as well as a detailed description of the sign Chuck had flashed on, the General seemed quite perturbed.
"This is a lot of information to have dumped on me all at once, but you people have made quite a habit of that over the years. First off, I would like to state that I agree with Agent Miller's assessment of Agent Walker. I firmly believe that the recovery of her memories will be an asset, not a liability, and I would like to continue to use her services...as a member of Carmichael Industries. Agent Walker, you are hereby granted your request to return to civilian status, and as of this moment have been officially added to the list of contracted employees with access to classified materials related to this case. And on a personal note, I'd like to say I'm grateful for your service, I'm happy for you and wish you all the best, and I sincerely hope nothing like that ever happens again because there is no way in hell I'd ever be able to rehire you, though if it were only up to me you'd always have a job waiting if you wanted it."
"Thank you General" Sarah replied, beaming at the compliment.
"Continuing on, it disturbs me greatly that this Overseer was able to lay a trap for you when he should have had no idea you were coming. I will be personally inspecting all of our communications to see if there is any possibility we were hacked or if we possibly have a leak. I also expect you to do a complete evaluation of Ms. Roberts. While she has been cooperative thus far, the possibility she may have set you up can not be overlooked. I want her questioned and scrutinized, and if anything suspicious turns up I want her placed in custody immediately, is that understood?
"Yes General" Carina replied. "I'll take the lead on that."
"Good. Finally, while I am concerned about the messages that have been sent to Mr. Bartowski, I am more concerned with the flash caused by the sign in the warehouse. Based on John Casey's description, it sounds similar if not identical to the technology that was recovered from Nicholas Quinn. If this Overseer truly knows now that Mr. Bartowski is the Intersect, and he knows how to use this technology, it puts Mr. Bartowski in danger. If he can control and program when and even what Mr. Bartowski flashes, he could essentially have a remote control for the Intersect. We need to determine to what extent this technology can be used, and what kind of a threat it poses. Therefore, I will be sending someone I believe may be able to assist Agent Miller and the rest of you. I cannot get into specifics now and it will require some, lets just say unique organizing on my part, but I fully expect to have this person join you within 48-72 hours. I will keep Agent Miller updated with the specifics. In the meantime, keep an eye out for anything suspicious and contact me immediately if there are any more messages, if you feel you are in immediate danger, or if you need anything. That is all. Good luck."
"So I guess this means Agent Walker is once again plain old Sarah Walker now" Chuck said in a teasing voice as the group walked through the Buy More towards the exit.
Sarah elbowed him gently in the ribs.
"Plain?" she asked with mock sincerity.
"Hey I'm not saying it's a bad thing. I did marry her after all" Chuck replied with a grin.
"Hey this means Carmichael Industries is officially back to full staff!" Morgan exclaimed excitedly, pumping his fist and silently mouthing the word yes.
"More than full staff actually" Casey spoke up, gesturing to Gertrude, who had joined because of Sarah's absence.
Chuck noticed Gertrude looked a bit uncomfortable but he'd already come to a decision on the matter.
"Yes Sarah is back as co-owner with me, but Gertrude has been a great fit and as far as I'm concerned she has her job for as long as she wants it...that is of course if you still want it Gertrude. I know you had your own gig kicking our butts, but I much prefer you kicking butts for us."
Gertrude seemed to relax and she smiled at Chuck.
"Thank you Chuck. Yes I'd be happy to continue working for Carmichael Industries. It's nice to know I'm wanted." She motioned towards Casey as she emphasized wanted.
As they exited the store, Chuck didn't notice Sarah give Casey a look that said we need to talk.
A man sat in the Buy More parking lot, binoculars held up to his eyes. After a moment he picked up his phone and held it to his ear.
"Yes sir, I have a visual on them. Yes, the target is there. I believe we have discovered their base of operations."
Sarah was quiet as she and Chuck headed to the car. When General Beckman mentioned Nicholas Quinn, something in her mind tingled, like something important was connected to that name, but she still couldn't remember what.
"You okay?" Chuck asked her, apparently noticing something was up.
"I'm not sure. When Beckman mentioned Quinn, I felt like there was something important I wasn't remembering. I felt the same thing when Casey talked about that sign you flashed on. I just wish I could remember whatever it is."
Chuck put a comforting arm around her waist and pulled her close.
"It's okay, don't worry about it. Besides, I'm sure hearing Quinn's name couldn't have been easy for you, considering he was the reason you lost your memory.
"My memory..."
Suddenly Sarah's eyes went wide.
"Chuck I know what it was that I couldn't remember!"
The two of them had just reached their car, but before Chuck could ask Sarah what she was talking about, Carina interrupted them, her phone in her hand.
"Hey guys I just wanted to let you know I got a message from General Beckman. She gave me some info on the guy she's sending to help us. Apparently he's a convicted criminal of some kind, so he'll be accompanied by several agents and he'll be in custody the whole time he's here."
Sarah frowned.
"Why would General Beckman send a criminal to help? Seems like an odd choice."
Carina shrugged.
"No clue. But you guys have put a lot of people away over the years. I figured I'd ask if maybe you've heard of this guy before."
"What's his name?" Chuck asked.
"It says in the message his name is Daniel Shaw."
A/N: I know there's a lot to unpack, especially at the end, but it will all make sense soon! Buckle up faithful readers, things are about to ramp up!
