A/N: Ownership of Chuck is like the weather. Everyone talks about it, but no one does anything about it.

Welcome to the start of the fifth arc of New Day. Team Bartowski has taken on Andric, Zarnow, La Ciudad, and Alahi. It hasn't gone too poorly yet. They are about to be introduced to the White Dragon Triad of Los Angeles and its Mountain Master, Mr. Ben Lo Pan. Wish our friends haoyun (good luck).

And many thanks to everyone who is reading along, reviewing, PM'ing me, etc. It's the community aspect of this site that makes it fun.

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The Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles is a plain white building behind a white fence. If not for the guard booth to the left of the doors and other visible enhanced security equipment, it would look like a completely vanilla office building. Located on Shatto Place in the Koreatown neighborhood of Los Angeles, visa applications were the bulk of its traffic.

Lee Cho left the building and turned left towards West 4th Street. He felt good. He'd beaten Muan at one-on-one basketball on the blue painted basketball court adjacent to the Consulate. Now showered and invigorated, he was ready for his meeting with his confidential informant. He looked hard at the street, the cars, the pedestrians, even the parked cars. He knew his quarry was aware of his investigation and might be foolish enough to take steps to derail it, but he was confident that he'd taken the necessary precautions. In any event, this was Los Angeles in the United States of America. It was a fairly safe location from which to operate this kind of investigation. He'd participated in cases built in Africa or the Middle East. Those places could give you ulcers with worry for your own safety. Los Angeles? Not so much.

His phone rang in his pocket. Glancing at the screen, he saw that it was Mei-Ling, his big sister.

"Hi, Sis," he answered the phone in English.

"Hi, little brother," she also spoke English. It was their custom to speak to each other in the language of one of their locations. As they each spoke six or seven languages with reasonable fluency, it gave them many choices. "What's new?"

"I just won a basketball game."

"An accomplishment?" she asked.

"No, not so much. My opponent spends all his time behind a desk."

"So do you. Or at least you should. It's safe behind a desk."

"Oh, don't worry. I'm fine. You get so paranoid, Sis."

"Occupational hazard. You know that." His sister worked for the Ministry of State Security. As a spy, she was paranoid all of the time.

"I do. But you don't have to worry about me. I'm just a diplomat. When it comes to the scary stuff, I can send in the Night Tigers or one of the other tough guy units. Hell, you go into scary stuff way more than I do. Maybe I should be worried about you."

"Don't worry about me. It's my job as your big sister to worry about you," she said.

"I have an idea. Let's both worry about the other, but not too much, ok? We're both gonna be just fine."

"Well, I can try," she grumbled. "I really called to remind you to call Auntie Pho. It's her..."

"Birthday...yes, I remembered. I'll call her tonight. I promise."

"Ok. Great. Love you."

"Love you. Bye."

He had reached his parked car in a nearby parking garage. It was a simple local car, bearing no marks at all indicating that it belonged to a consulate official. His meeting with his CI would be clandestine and was to be held in an out of the way location, so as not to draw any unwanted attention. The last thing he needed was for it to be discovered that he had a mole in the organization he was targeting.

With a last look around the garage, to make sure that there was no one watching, he drove out of the garage and into traffic. His destination was only about thirty minutes away, given LA traffic. He had allocated almost two hours to get there. He drove around the city for the additional time, one eye on the rearview mirror. He took note of the cars behind him (and in front of him) watching for patterns and repeats of appearances. He took random turns at the last minute. Pulled over and stopped without warning to let cars pass him. It was still daylight, so it was easier to identify cars. At night it was very difficult to perform such anti-surveillance drills, being able to only use headlight shapes and placement. He was certain that he was not being tailed.

Pulling into the parking lot of the Los Angeles Zoo, he found a spot far from the entrance where there were a number of open parking spots. He backed in to the spot, so he could keep an eye on all the cars coming and going from the lot. And waited. He was twenty minutes early and he spent the time watching the lot and its entrances.

At just the right minute he saw his CI's car drive through the entrance in front of him. So far so good. The car approached through the lot and slowed to turn into his lane. Out of the corner of his eye, Lee saw a white van turn into the lot from the other entrance. Written on the side was the logo of the Bamboo Dragon. OH SHIT, he thought (but in Chinese). He immediately hit the car's horn and held it down, praying that his CI would understand the wave off signal.

The CI's car immediately accelerated again and headed for the exit of the lot. It passed the white van as the van turned into the lane where he was parked. He spent too much time watching his CI get away from the lot and not enough time starting his car and getting away himself. A part of his mind couldn't really believe he was in danger in the heart of Los Angeles. That part was proven wrong.

Just as his car began to pull out of the parking spot it was in, the white van pulled in front of him and blocked him from moving further forward. There was only a grass strip behind him, separating the lot from Western Heritage Way. He threw his car into reverse and jammed his foot down. The car bucked over the curb, scraping its underside, and ran solidly into a large dump truck from the Hanwa Construction Company that had pulled up behind him.

Several men exited the side of the white van in front of him. He locked the doors of the car. The windows were already closed. He took out his phone. The first number to come up was his sister's cell phone. One of the men from the van carried a sledgehammer. He hit the driver's side window near Cho's head. The window held.

The man drew back to hit it again, with more vigor. Cracks appeared in the window just as his sister answered. He overrode her greeting, and, speaking in Chinese, he said, "Mei-Ling. I'm being taken. White Dragon. Ben Lo Pan." The window shattered under the next blow and several strong hands reached through the window to snatch the phone from his grip. He heard his sister's screams as the phone was tossed away.

His door was opened and he was dragged from the car and towards the white van. A hood was yanked over his head and he felt the sting of a trank needle in his shoulder. His last thought before blackness overtook him was 'How did they find me here?'

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Ellie walked in to the wine bar across the street from the hospital and looked around for Sarah. Spotting her at a quiet table to the side, she made her way through the tables to meet her friend. The waitress was putting down a glass of white wine in front of Sarah as Ellie approached. Ellie gave Sarah a kiss on the cheek by way of greeting.

"Sorry I'm late," she said as she shrugged off her jacket and put it on the back of her chair.

"You're right on time. I was early. My shift burning hot dogs ended earlier than your shift saving lives," Sarah said with a smile.

The waitress asked for Ellie's order. "What are you drinking?" Ellie asked Sarah with a gesture to her glass.

"Grgich Chardonnay."

"Oh, yummy. I'll do the same," she said to the waitress.

"So, what's new, Ellie?" asked Sarah as the waitress left. "From the look on your face, I think you have news to share," Sarah said with a big smile, as Ellie settled down.

"Oh, I'm so glad you asked," she was almost giggling with happiness. "I don't know for sure and you can't tell Chuck, but I think Devon is going to pop the question."

"Oh my God, that's so great." Said Sarah, clapping her hands in front of her. "So, tell me, why do you think he's going to ask?"

"I saw him sneaking one of my rings back into my jewelry case. I figure he borrowed it to get a ring sized."

"That makes sense. Well done, Sherlock. I think that's just wonderful. You guys seem so happy."

"Well, I could be wrong, so I don't want to celebrate yet. That might be bad luck. But, I was just bursting to tell someone. Someone I knew could keep a secret."

"Thanks for trusting me. Your secret is safe. And you guys so belong together. You'll be great married. You're like the perfect couple," said Sarah.

"There's a lot of that going around lately," Ellie said with a grin.

"What?" asked Sarah.

"Perfect couples. Just like seeing you and Chuck together. You guys make me smile."

"Oh, God. Thanks, Ellie. We're doing great. It's only been a few months and it's all good. No problems on the horizon." Sarah's words were belayed by her body language. Her fingers had begun to fidget with the cocktail napkin in front of her. Her eyes were skittering everywhere in the room, except to look directly at Ellie.

"Sweetie, what's the matter? What are you worried about?" asked Ellie, suddenly concerned.

"Oh, never mind about me. Let's talk about your good news."

"No, come on...talk to me...what's up?"

"Well...I...It's just that...I'm sorry, I'm not good at this ….talking about my feelings. And you're the one with the good news."

"OK," said Ellie, putting a warm hand on Sarah's and giving her a reassuring smile.

"I'm confused. It's me. It's me that's confusing me. I'm ….I don't know...I guess...I'm trying to find my way. To figure out what's going on with me...and Chuck...us...I'm trying to figure out what's going on with us and me. God, that came out so screwed up."

"Can I guess that this is sort of new for you? What's going on with Chuck? A little different from your past relationships?" asked Ellie.

"Pppffffftt. Yeah," she said, rolling her eyes and blowing out a windy sigh. "Ya think? It seems like it's getting serious really fast and I'm...confused...and scared. He's so great...It's going really fast...at least, it is for me. From what I'm used to...actually, that's not true, not what I'm used to...I've never been here before...Totally uncharted territory for me...I've never...been in a relationship that's this serious...ever...let alone so quickly...it's all new to me and I'm kind of freaked out...And I'm talking about this with my boyfriend's sister," she started to laugh quietly "...That's totally weird, right?"

"Ok, Sarah, first bit of advice. Take a deep breath and relax."

Continuing as if Ellie hadn't spoken, she said, "It's just that you and Devon are, well, the only successful couple I know."

"Just relax," said Ellie, giving her hand a little squeeze.

"How I will know if I'm in love, Ellie? I'm crazy about Chuck...like I've never been with anyone else...People keep telling me...How do you know if you're in love? How did you know you were in love with Devon? I mean, if it's not too personal."

"I can't tell you that, Sarah. I don't know the words to describe it. You seem to be caught up in what to call it. What to call your feelings. But, sweetie, labels don't matter really. Stop thinking about them...about labels. Is it love...lust...infatuation...the flu...whatever...Just feel it and don't worry about naming it. It is what it is. Who knows if what I feel for Devon is exactly what you feel for Chuck? And who cares? Does he make you happy?"

"Yeah, yeah, he does, Ellie. Happier..." she wore a dreamy smile and took a deep breath and let if out slowly, "happier than I've ever been in my whole life. And that says an awful lot, believe me. I'm not at all an easy person to make happy."

"So, what more do you need? Why does that feeling have to have a name? Just to satisfy the expectations of others? To hell with them."

Sarah laughed. "It's just that it's getting really serious really fast and I don't know what to do about it. And it scares the hell out of me, Ellie."

"Look, maybe you don't have any good role models for successful relationships, OK, I understand that. But...why do you have to do anything about it? You just said you're happy. Happy isn't scary, it's just happy. Isn't that enough? Why keep thinking about it? Just sit back and enjoy what you have now. You have a guy who makes you happy. And I can tell you for sure that you make him happy. Why worry about labels or other people's expectations? The relationship is only a few month's old. Just relax. Stop analyzing everything. Don't let your head get in the way of your heart. Just relax. Enjoy and smile."

"A day at a time? Sounds like a part of a twelve step program."

"Why not? How much trouble can you get in that way?"

"I guess so," Sarah said with a smile.

"Totally, Sarah. It's simple. Stop analyzing. Stop thinking. Stop worrying. Stop labeling. Just relax and be happy. You deserve it."

"Ok...ok...I will...well, at least I'll try. Thanks, Ellie." She gave her friend a wide smile and reached over to hug her.

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"Well, we have to try the sizzling shrimp. Morgan swears the Bamboo Dragon makes the best sizzling shrimp in Chinatown."

"Ok. Good start," said Sarah. "And a veg? How about eggplant with garlic?"

"How about mu shu veg? I love the little pancakes."

"Ok, mu shu," she said.

"Something to start? Eggrolls?" he asked.

"How about dumplings?"

"Dumplings are good. How about both?" he asked. "Are you hungry?"

"I swear you're going to get me.." she stopped mid-sentence as she saw him flash on something or someone in the restaurant. She waited for him to come back to her.

When he did, he said to her, "The waitress serving the table on the far left...under the window." When she nodded that she saw the woman he was directing her attention to, he continued, "Chinese Intelligence. Ministry of State Security. Her name is Mei-Ling Cho. She's never operated on US soil before."

"Any idea what she's doing here?" Sarah asked him. He shrugged and shook his head to show he didn't know. "Ok, we'd better get Casey on board," she said.

She reached for her watch. All three of them now wore earwigs all the time now that their watches had been upgraded to closed channel communication devices. By pressing one of the buttons on her watch, she would be heard by Casey. The other one, by Chuck. Both, by both. She pressed the both buttons (so the conversation with Casey would be heard by Chuck too) and spoke into the watch face. "Chuck just flashed on one of the waitresses here at the Bamboo Dragon. She is a Chinese Intelligence agent named Mei-Ling Cho. She's never before operated on US soil."

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Right."

They watched as Cho took the order of a large party under the window. A balding slender man in a wheelchair, his white dressed nurse, a middle-aged man attending to him, and three burly bodyguards. All appeared to be Chinese and were, except the nurse, dressed in conservative business suits.

Sarah said, "I think that's Ben Lo Pan. Prominent businessman. He owns half of Chinatown."

"How do you know?"

"His picture is in the paper sometimes. The wheelchair makes him pretty recognizable," she said.

"Are you telling me I ought to read more than the comics?"

She grinned and said, "Nope. I'm telling you not to stray too far from me, Mr. Intersect."

"Never," he said with a look in his eyes that made her catch her breath just a little. She looked away so she could re-focus on the Chinese spy serving General Tso's chicken to Lo Pan.

A different waitress took their orders and brought their food. They kept an eye on Cho as she continued to serve the wheelchair-bound man and his entourage. Sarah and Chuck were impatient for Casey's arrival, as they lost sight of Cho every time she went back into the kitchen. They finished and paid for their meal quickly, but lingered over tea.

"I'm here," said Casey in both of their ears. "What's going on?"

"She's still waiting tables. Do you need one of us to cover the back door while you cover the front?" asked Chuck into his watch, but looking as if he were talking to Sarah.

"No need. The backdoor empties into an alley and onto North Grand from there. From where I am, I can see both the front entrance and the alley entrance. You two stay inside as long as you can."

"Right," said Sarah. She gave Casey a quick, but thorough, description of Cho, in case she was to leave by the back door while they were still at their table. Sipping their tea they watched as the man in the wheelchair and his group finished their dinner and collected themselves to leave.

"Limo just pulled up. What's happening?" asked Casey.

"Local bigwig is leaving with his party," said Chuck.

Keeping an eye on the door to the kitchen, Sarah thought she saw Cho pass a window in the door without her waitress jacket on.

"Casey, I'm coming out. I think Cho is leaving. Chuck, stay here in case I'm wrong. I can always come back in."

She left the restaurant onto North Grand and spotted Casey's Crown Vic. The wheelchair party was arranging themselves into the limo, the nurse in the white dress hovering over the bald older man Sarah thought was Lo Pan. Moving across the street to Casey, she kept a half an eye on the entrance to the alley over her right shoulder. She saw Cho in the alley entrance wearing motorcycle leathers and holding a helmet.

"Chuck, come out. She's on the move."

She got into the passenger seat of the Crown Vic and pointed out Cho to Casey. Cho was obviously interested in the limo and its occupants and watched them closely as they left. Chuck sat down in one of the rear seats of Casey's car just as Cho pulled out of the alley on her motorcycle, apparently following the limo.

"We're on," said Sarah.

"So how do we do this, guys?" asked Chuck. "What are the rules for following somebody?"

Casey chuckled. "What do you think, kid? There's a simple rule for this? Stay thirty yards back and you'll be good? Doesn't work that way. That's purely TV stuff. In real life it's way more nuanced. On a highway, you can stay way back and follow for hours. Right? No sharp turns or really steep grades on highways so you can keep a target in sight easily. City traffic is a bitch. Turns and stops and a shitload of other cars. You always run the risk of the target spotting the tail. Just like a pedestrian tail, done right, it's not a single car but a team in constant communication with the other members of the team. And tailing a bike like we are is even harder. She can slip between cars and go places we can't. We'll have to be lucky not to lose her or be spotted by her."

As he was talking, he was following Cho as she made her way through the Los Angeles streets. It was clear she was following the limo and its occupants, which made their task somewhat easier, as the limo wasn't pulling any anti-surveillance maneuvers.

The limo pulled to a stop in front of a quiet warehouse in Huntington Park. The street was empty of pedestrians and much car traffic. Two of the heavyset bodyguards got out with the middle aged man, leaving the wheelchair bound man, his nurse and one of the bodyguards in the limo. The three entered the warehouse. Cho had pulled her motorcycle up into the shadows about a block behind the stopped car, took off her helmet and opened her leather jacket. She took out and checked two pistols.

Chuck flashed on the guns as Casey said, "Dammit, she's armed. Those are QSZ-92's, semi-auto pistols. Used by the Chinese army."

"Actually, they are the suppressed version of that weapon. The QSW-06," said Chuck. Casey gave him a look and Chuck said apologetically, "Sorry. I flashed on them."

"Show off," Casey growled.

Sarah said, "Looks like she's after Lo Pan. We can't wait for the cops. Cho or Lo Pan might be dead. We'll have to stop her."

"Be good to take her alive. A Chinese spy will have a lot to say that we want to hear," said Casey.

They watched her stalk towards the limo from about a block behind Cho, two blocks from the limo. She moved slowly and deliberately, keeping as concealed as possible, no doubt worried about the driver catching sight of her through the mirrors. Chuck said, "Can you guys get the drop on her if I create a distraction?" Chuck saw the look on their faces and continued, "A really safe distraction. I won't do anything scary...I promise." Cho was getting closer to the limo.

Casey said, "Do it, kid," as he got out of the car silently.

Chuck got out and ran to the nearest street corner and disappeared from view, his long legs carrying him quickly out of sight. After a few moments, while Cho continued to make her way quietly to the back of the limo, Chuck showed up in front of the car. He looked disheveled and had a cigarette dangling from his mouth. He knocked on the driver's side window and spoke to the driver for a few moments.

"What's he doing?" hissed Sarah to Casey.

"Asking for a light from the dashboard lighter," said Casey.

"He doesn't smoke," said Sarah, confused.

"I know that, but the driver doesn't. Chuck followed my advice to carry a pack of cigarettes. Always good for starting a conversation or lingering on a street corner. Just a handy prop to keep in your pocket."

While Chuck engaged the driver, Cho waited in place for him to leave the scene. Sarah and Casey silently slipped up behind her. Casey said, in a fierce hiss, "Freeze, Cho. Federal agents."

Cho exploded into action. She spun, her left foot connecting with Casey's gun hand and knocking his gun loose. As she continued the spin, her right foot launched her up into the air with a spinning roundhouse kick that caught Casey in the jaw and knocked him to the ground.

Just as her foot touched down to spin on Sarah, she was hit hard on the side of the head by the butt of Sarah's gun. She collapsed to the ground. Casey got up rubbing his jaw and collected his gun.

"She's no joke, Walker. Kicks hard."

"Let's get her into the car." Casey picked her up and carried her to the Crown Vic. Chuck lit his cigarette, ended his conversation with the driver with a thanks and sauntered away from the limo placidly smoking.

They restrained Cho with some of the gear Casey carried in the Crown Vic and waited for Chuck to rejoin them.

As Chuck was making his way back, they saw the three men from Lo Pan's party return from the warehouse. The two beefy men carried a bound body between them and, opening the trunk of the limo, deposited the bound man into the trunk. That wasn't good. Casey and Sarah looked at each other with confusion and alarm. What the hell was going on?

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A/N2: In reality the actual Triad in Los Angeles is called the Black Dragons. I renamed it 'White Dragon' so that they won't get pissed off and hunt me down. (I'm assuming one or more of their members reads Chuck fan fiction, because, well, doesn't everybody?) I'm also relying on the anonymity of this site to protect me from their wrath...and yours.