A/N: This is the true begining of season two in my opinion. THis is the season where Chuck and Sara know how they feel about the other but really don't know how to work around the spy worl d and their feelings. one of my favorite seasons.

Rogue

The morning after Emma received the news that she was to remain the Intersect, Emma and Mal commuted into work. Emma stepped out of the car in a pensive mood. She felt a deep sense of sadness, knowing that she had to stay in the same position because of the device in her head. Slamming the Apple Mobile's door shut, she muttered, "I don't get it. This time today, I was supposed to be a free woman. No more Intersect. Possibly reclining on a beach with a colada and some undisclosed companion." She glanced at the older blonde. "What the hell happened?"

Mal, not breaking her stride, replied, "It's technical."

Emma perked up, thinking that maybe she could help expedite her freedom. "If it's a computer malfunction, maybe I can help? You know that's my department."

"It exploded into a million little pieces, and Agent Graham with it," Mal offered matter-of-factly. "If you want to help, you better get yourself some rubber gloves."

Emma stopped abruptly in her tracks, reaching out for Mal's arm. "Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Graham is dead?"

"We're playing for keeps here, Emma," Mal said, shrugging her hand off and continuing on her way.

"Well, at the risk of sounding callous, where does that leave us with the new Intersect?" The younger woman asked.

"If I were you, I'd get used to working at the Apple Store. You ain't leaving anytime soon," Mal answered, signaling the unorthodox sign above the stark white apple over the doors: "Under new Assistant Management."

Emma moaned at Aladin's gall. Steve Jobs was probably rolling over in his grave at how off-brand that was. She should have taken the assistant manager position.

First thing on the agenda that morning was a team meeting in which Aladin showed his totalitarian roots. Unfortunately, there wasn't one employee in the room that respected him enough to follow his directives. That included Emma, the perpetual preferred employee.

Walking out of a meeting with Ruby, the two made their way to their stations. Emma complained, "I can't believe this is my life." The blonde sighed and ran lithe fingers through her long curly tresses. "Ruby, do you remember a time when I actually had potential?"

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding me? Yeah, you were bursting with it. Man, I'm glad that's over with." She chuckled then patted Emma on the shoulder. "I'm kidding. Come on, we all know that you're gonna go on to do great things, all right, great things." Ruby glanced to the door as she spoke and signaled to her friend. "But until that day, just know that no matter how bad your life gets, you get to go home to that."

Emma looked out of the massive windows of the store and spotted her. "Is that, uh…" She became breathless as Regina walked toward her. Her mind's eye imagined all different sorts of intentions in her approach. The brunette walked directly up to the blonde and placed a kiss on her lips. Their complicated relationship baffled her, and she couldn't begin to guess what Regina's approach had been about. "Is that a real kiss or a cover kiss? 'Cause I'm confused right now."

Maintaining her arms wrapped around Emma, Regina explained, "It's a 'we have a national security emergency, and I need to speak to you privately' kiss."

Emma smirked. "See, I knew I felt something..." Then Regina pulled her out of the Apple Store altogether. To her yogurt shop, Orange Orange, just across the way was a front for their spy activities.

Emma was more interested in tempting the business-minded Regina into something other than work at the moment. That kiss had lingered on her lips, and she would love to continue that thread. "Hey, I got an idea," she said as she was being pulled to the yogurt shop. "Why don't we blow off this whole national security thing and go down to Mexico for a couple of days? I'll get the daiquiris if the CIA picks up the plane tickets. Coach is fine."

"Emma, I told you we can't be together," Regina stated, opening the freezer door. "It's unprofessional."

"Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't you with Daniel Colt, super spy, when you two were working together?" Emma said, following the spy and taking in her surroundings; she had never been behind the counter here.

"Daniel was a spy. You're an asset," the brunette stated, typing a series of numbers into a keypad. "And my job is to protect you."

"Wait a minute. Why are we in a freezer?" Emma asked as Regina scanned her retina. "All this to protect your toppings?" Suddenly, the back wall of the freezer opened, revealing a whole edifice behind it. A loft area that opened up to some stairs leading down to a sub-basement under the mall. "What the hell? This is new. What is this place?"

Mal stepped out from an alcove that housed a wall of monitors. "CIA decided to spring for new digs," she said with pride, folding her arms across her chest. "Finally, a first-rate operation."

Emma looked around in awe of the home base. "Wow, looks... expensive. Does this mean you guys are planning on staying for a while?"

A monitor in the far wall opened up, revealing General Mills. "That depends on you, Emma," the older Mills stated.

Emma furrowed her brows. "How does it depend on me?"

"Bean fed us a Trojan horse that blew up the Intersect," the General explained. "The real Cipher is still out there. Our intel tells us it may be in the possession of the former KGB operative, Sasha Banacheck. We believe she's in town to sell it."

"If we think she's got it, why don't we grab her and find out?" Mal asked.

"Sasha Banacheck was in a Bulgarian prison for seven years," the General clarified. "They got nothing out of her. The good news is one agent was able to get close. He's the reason she went away, and he knows more about her than anyone alive. That agent is Roan Montgomery."

"Crap," Mal stated, "The guy hates me. My supervisor in operative training. Flunked me twice."

"Well, he's off the grid now. Use the Intersect to find Agent Montgomery," General Mills stated.

Emma winced at being referred to as the Intersect, as if she weren't a human being first. She walked away toward the stairs. "All right. Guys, sounds like a blast. Really, uh, but you can count me out on this one." The others paused and watched as the blonde retreated. "No more dangling me off of buildings, no more guns being pointed at my head, no more putting my life in danger. I am going back to my peaceful, quiet, albeit degrading life at the Apple Store, so have fun on the mission, and really love what you've done with the place."

"Is there a problem with the asset?" The General asked.

Regina cringed internally, understanding what it was that triggered the blonde. She looked at her mother and addressed her question. "No problem, General. I have the situation under control." She said and left Castle.

"Emma, wait," Regina said, running after the blonde.

Just shy of opening the yogurt shop door, Emma turned to face her handler. "Regina, look, you're right, okay? I'm not a real spy," she stated. "I'm not cut out for this adrenaline-pumping, chase-the-bad-guy, risk-life-and-limb daily existence."

Regina sighed as the blonde threw her words from so long ago back at her. "Okay, look, the sooner we get the Cipher back, the sooner you can have the Intersect removed, and the sooner you can be free to live whatever life you choose," she paused and emphasized this next part so that the younger woman would understand, "with whomever you choose."

Emma did pause at this. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you can have everything that you've always wanted," Regina stated, not taking her eyes from unsure green ones.

Emma paused to think. Did this mean she would be free to date Regina? "Let me see the file," Regina handed it over, and Emma looked at a picture of an older gentleman, certainly debonair. If he weren't so old, she could actually see herself with him. Then suddenly, a flash took over her. When she came back, she said, "Okay. Uh, the guy lives in Palm Springs," and she smirked, "He's got a lot of lady friends."

The team headed to Palm Springs straight away. Regina exited to meet such a legendary spy, while Mal, less enthusiastic, was ready to find every flaw in this man. Little did she know that so many of them would be on full display.

His house was at the end of a cul-de-sac, with another car parked in front of it. It could be anyone's; the man had been known to always be surrounded.

As they stepped out of Mal's Crown Vic, Emma asked, "So, what's the deal with this Roan guy?"

Regina smiled and spoke over her shoulder as they walked toward the front door. "He's a legend in the department. Incredible spy. A real old-school James Bond type."

"Overrated if you ask me," Mal mumbled as she followed along.

Regina turned to Emma with a smirk. "What was the class that you failed?"

"Infiltrating and Inducement of Enemy Personnel."

Regina chuckled. "Yeah, in the academy, we call it Seduction School."

Mal scoffed. "Yeah, like I need a class." Then she turned to the door and noticed it was ajar. "Wait. Someone's already been here."

The two agents pulled out their weapons, and Emma cautiously followed behind them. "Yeah, and they ransacked the place."

The trio looked around and spotted a prone body under the stairs. As they approached, Emma stated, "Oh, my God. Oh, uh, maybe... maybe I should wait in the car. I'm still having nightmares about the last few dead bodies."

Mal removed what covered the prone figure. The man was there, hugging a bottle of champagne and snoring. Suddenly, a toilet flushed, and behind them, a younger woman—older than the three agents—walked in, wearing a flight attendant's uniform. "Sugar, I got a flight to catch," she said and was startled to find two guns pointed at her face.

The prone man snored once more, and Emma frowned. "This is the guy that's supposed to help us?" She rolled her eyes and shook her head, heading back to the door. "I'm going to be the Intersect forever."