A/N: Welcome to Valkyrie's Invisible Shield. This is my 3rd Chuck FanFic, and as is my preference this is another "intersect free" and totally AU story that starts in late 2021 and progresses over a roughly two year timeframe. You will recognize our cast of characters, though to varying degrees, they are not aligned to canon. In terms to length and release schedule, the story is already fully written, so no worries about it being discontinued, and I intend to release roughly once a week. The story spans 28 chapters and roughly 150k words, so it falls between Orion Cyber Security and Sarah Walker's Awakening in terms of length and plot/storyline complexity. This story has a "T" rating for some adult themes and some language.

As with my previous work, this chapter has been pre-read and beta'd by none other than Nevr – Thanks Nevr!

Before we get started, a note about Fanfiction. You may all be aware that for some strange reason, the site is no longer generating data on readership, and is also not generating email notifications about new chapter releases. As for reviews, the feedback is mixed with reviews appearing in some cases, and not in others. So, please try to review or alternatively send me a PM to let me know what you think. I also encourage all to join the Chuck Fanfic page on Facebook, as we post every release there along with an active link.

And finally, and as usual, I don't own Chuck nor do I receive any compensation of any form, other than you're the opportunity to engage with you, the readers through the review and/or the PM function.

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Captainrick944

Valkyrie's Invisible Shield

Prologue – Unhappy Landings

Date: Wednesday, 24 November 2021

Time: 18:00 EST

Location: 9 West 57th Street, New York City Offices of Dunmore, Bradley, and Caine

Sarah Walker pushed away from her desk with both hands and leaned back in her office chair, letting out a deep breath. She closed her eyes and pressed the palms of her hands against her lower forehead in an attempt to relieve some tension. As a second year Associate at Dunmore, Bradley, and Caine, Sarah really didn't have the seniority to take the Friday after Thanksgiving off, but she had promised Douglass Bradley, the Firm's Managing Partner and the man who personally invited her to join the firm, that she would get ahead of her casework and be on-call Friday if needed. It didn't hurt that Sarah graduated at the top of her class from Yale Law School and had been the firm's first choice to fill one of its highly sought-after positions as an associate the previous year, and it didn't hurt that she was performing consistently above expectations. It also didn't hurt that Sarah was the only child of Jack Burton, former Senator from the great state of California and the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington D.C.

After another deep cleansing breath, Sarah looked at the clock on her computer screen. "Six pm. Shit!" Sarah growled as she reached for her phone.

"This is Carina Miller," Sarah's roommate and best friend from law school answered.

"Carina, hi. Sorry, I'm so late, but if you are ready, I can swing by and pick you up with the Uber in ten minutes," Sarah apologized to her friend while hurriedly shoving her laptop, a number of case files, and legal pads into her nylon briefcase emblazoned with the Dunmore, Bradley, and Caine LLP logo.

"Hey Blondie, no problem. I was just wrapping up myself. I'll be downstairs waiting for you." As usual, Carina's voice had no stress in it. Sarah often wondered how her friend always seemed to be so seemingly carefree. "By the way, Sarah, are you sure my joining you for Thanksgiving weekend is totally cool with your folks?"

"Yes….it's totally fine, Carina. They love you and are excited to see you. Now, please let me go, or we'll miss our flight."

-O-

It was a flawless November evening. The air was cool and crisp as dusk fell, and the stars made their gradual appearance. Regrettably, the beauty of the emerging night sky was marred by the long glowing red streaks of tail lights that came with the heavy holiday traffic. The ride was frustratingly slow, but once at La Guardia Airport, Sarah and Carina moved purposefully through the throngs of travelers, making their way to the "fast track" security line where their boarding passes and identification were checked. They reached the gate and managed to board just ahead of the last call, settling comfortably in the first-class section for the short flight to Washington D.C.'s Reagan International Airport.

The weather made for a smooth take-off, and seeing the New York skyline shining brightly through the dark sky was always a thrill for Sarah. As the flight leveled off, she sat back and enjoyed a glass of Chardonnay, clinking it with Carina's in celebration of their weekend escape. Approximately forty minutes after take-off, the plane's initial descent to the nation's capital was accompanied by the requisite announcements about seatbelts, tray tables, and seatbacks. The landing was as smooth as the take-off, and given their seating at the front of the aircraft, Sarah and Carina were amongst the first to de-plane. As they exited the jet-way, a tall man wearing a dark suit, an earbud, and a shiny yellow lapel pin spotted Sarah.

"I have Valkyrie plus one. Exit in three minutes," Chuck Bartowski spoke into the microphone on his wrist as he approached the two women.

"Ms. Walker, Ms. Miller, good evening. I'm Special Agent Bartowski. Welcome to D.C." Chuck's bearing was professional, displaying a slight but courteous smile. "May I help you with the luggage?" he asked politely.

Sarah stopped and gave Chuck a flat smile that was decidedly unfriendly. "Special Agent Bartowski, was it?" Sarah spoke with a slightly condescending tone. "Thank you for your help, but I'm sure the taxpayers don't need to fund my ride to the White House, and I certainly don't need your help with my luggage! Now, if you don't mind, my friend and I will take an Uber."

"Ma'am," Chuck gently insisted. "The First Lady personally requested we come to pick you up. She is well aware that you have declined Secret Service Protection, but felt it was a gesture she could extend to you and your guest, and…."

Sarah interrupted, "That's all fine, Agent Bartowski, but we are taking an Uber, and you are free to leave. Thank you!" Without missing a beat, Sarah turned, nodded to Carina, and resumed her "New York" walk while pulling her cell phone out to call the Uber.

Chuck watched Sarah Walker's silhouette dissolve into the roiling crowd as his brows furrowed and a quiet anger rose in him. He knew dealing with spoiled, arrogant, and entitled people was part of the job, but it still pissed him off. He had graduated at the top of his class and chose a career of service to his country. It frustrated him that some people, particularly those with great privilege, could show such contempt for his personal commitment to serving and protecting. He was proud to have worked hard enough to be in the less than 1% of applicants to be accepted into the Secret Service and achieve the status of Special Agent with a posting in the White House. He represented the best of the best, and he knew better, but he was human after all, and even if he didn't show it to the outside world, Sarah Walker's dismissal still bothered him deeply.

"Morgan, I owe you the twenty. Valkyrie is taking an Uber with her guest; be prepared to follow," Chuck spoke into his microphone and started a slow jog to catch up with the blonde and her hot, red-headed girlfriend. Morgan had bet Chuck that Sarah Walker would decline the ride, but Chuck was convinced that Ms. Walker wasn't as difficult as her reputation suggested, particularly during the Thanksgiving holiday, and would accept the ride. Sarah had an established reputation within the Secret Service for independence, but it was one that Chuck had never personally experienced. There was nothing wrong with independence, of course, and Sarah Walker's refusal to accept any of the benefits that came her way due to her father's office was quite noble. But that was no reason to take it out on the people ordered to do something for her.

Her reputation started during Jack Walker's presidential campaign when Sarah declined Secret Service protection, causing a ferocious argument with her mother, Emma Walker. That argument, unfortunately, happened in front of the detail assigned to the family's protection during the election campaign. So while the code name the Secret Service had formally given to Sarah Walker was Valkyrie, members of the Secret Service often, very quietly, referred to her as "The Ice Queen." Chuck had heard the stories, and deep down inside, he knew it was probably a bad idea to bet Morgan, but he had always believed that people were fundamentally good. His belief in the good of his fellow man, or in this case, woman, cost him twenty dollars, but it wasn't the money that bugged him.

Chuck slowed to a walk and settled a short distance away, partially hidden behind a column, watching the two women in the pickup area as a silver Prius pulled up. The two women loaded their rolling cases into the trunk, climbed in, and fastened their seatbelts before the silver Uber pulled away and nudged its way into the flow of traffic. A moment later, a black Chevy Suburban aggressively pulled up to the curb and stopped with a slight chirp of the tires. Special Agent Bartowski stepped on the truck's running board in two smooth steps, whipped open the door, and slid into the seat.

"Go! They're in that silver Prius now moving into the left lane," Chuck advised as he pointed past the windscreen of the Suburban.

"Got'em," Morgan confirmed. The big truck's engine growled as it accelerated briskly into traffic, causing a few cars to stop short and honk. While Morgan navigated the black behemoth through the holiday airport traffic, Chuck typed the Uber's license plate number into the Suburban's onboard computer console. As he did that, he pulled out his phone to call his boss, John Casey, the head of the President's security detail.

"Casey."

"Bartowski. Valkyrie declined assistance. She and her guest are in an Uber, presumably to 1600. The tags on the Uber come back to a Felix Jimenez, 16 William Edgar Drive, Franconia, Virginia. NCIC has come back clean on Jimenez, and we are trailing."

"Damn it!" John Casey growled into the phone. "Ok, continue to shadow at a discrete distance, and assuming they are coming to the White House, let me know when you are five minutes out so I can inform Zeus and Athena. And Bartowski, I hope you didn't piss off the Ice Queen!"

"Copy. And no, Sir. She seemed plenty pissed off all on her own, Sir." Chuck's tone was all business.

-O-

"Geez, Sarah, did you need to be so rude to the guy? I mean, he was only doing his job. Besides, I thought he was really cute and would have been happy to have him give me a ride." Carina's voice had a little flirt as she smiled. Then, unexpectedly, Carina's expression hardened. "What's going on with you anyway, Sarah?" Concern was suddenly in Carina's voice as she considered her best friend's reaction to the poor Special Agent whose only crime was politely following the First Lady's orders.

Sarah closed her eyes and ducked her chin as she exhaled loudly. "You're right, Carina. I had no business jumping all over the poor guy. It's just…..It's just that my parents can't seem to leave me alone, and it bothers me when they make arrangements without asking or including me, especially when it extends to any sort of special treatment, like having a security detail dispatched to carry my bags and drive me around." Sarah looked out the window as they crossed the 14th Street Bridge. "I'll apologize to Special Agent Bartowski when we get there."

Twenty minutes later, the silver Prius pulled up to the Main Entrance of the White House. As it came to a stop, uniformed officers immediately approached the vehicle to inform the driver to move on, as there was no stopping anywhere near the front of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. As the officers approached, Sarah exited the car and waved.

"Good evening, gentlemen. It's just me and my guest coming home for the holiday weekend." Sarah flashed a brilliant smile as the two uniformed officers recognized her and relaxed their posture a little.

"Ms. Walker, welcome back to the White House. We thought you would be arriving in a company car." Just as the officer finished his sentence, the black Suburban with Morgan at the wheel pulled up to the gate, briefly flashing its red and blue strobe lights. Before the vehicle came to a complete stop, Chuck exited, jogged to the silver Uber, and popped open the rear hatch. He reached in to grab Sarah's bag when he heard her bark at him.

"Special Agent Bartowski, I didn't need a ride from the airport, and I certainly don't need you to be my personal baggage handler. Thank you very much!" Her blue eyes sparkled with a fierce intensity that was utterly captivating and honestly a little chilling. For the first time, Chuck understood how Sarah Walker became known as the Ice Queen.

Carina watched the exchange between Sarah and Chuck and was dismayed that Sarah's posture was so unnecessarily aggressive and her tone so charged, particularly after recognizing her own poor behavior earlier and her agreement to apologize for it.

Chuck froze for a moment, then very subtly shoved Sarah's bag further into the trunk, wedging it under the hinge of the hatchback.

"Yes, Ma'am, of course. My apologies, Ma'am." Chuck quickly pulled Carina's bag out of the trunk, extended the handle, and placed the bag at Carina's feet as he stepped back a little from the trunk with a very slight self-satisfied smile. He then stood in the usual Secret Service relaxed pose with both arms hanging comfortably in front of him with one hand holding the opposite wrist and watched as Sarah approached the trunk, reached in, and attempted to extract her bag. Regrettably, the bag refused to budge as it had somehow become wedged in the back corner of the trunk. Sarah repositioned herself with a wider stance and pulled hard again, but no luck.

"Ma'am, may I offer some assistance?" Chuck offered with a slight grin.

"No, thank you! I don't want or need your help…." Sarah started jerking the bag violently, and after the third or fourth attempt, the bag popped free, sending Sarah stumbling backward, directly into Chuck. As she stumbled backward, she stomped her heel on Chuck's foot, causing an "ouch" to escape his lips, followed a half second later by her elbow hitting him square in his solar plexus, causing an "ooof." Chuck reflexively bent forward at the waist in response to the elbow but thankfully missed giving the daughter of the President of the United States a severe head-butt directly in front of the White House. And for that, Chuck thanked his lucky stars.

A moment after missing Chuck's involuntary head-butt, Sarah regained her footing. She looked at him disapprovingly, made a huffing sound as she turned and stormed off towards the open gate without another word or look at Chuck Bartowski.

John Casey had been waiting by the gate and saw the interaction between Bartowski and Walker. He had a less-than-happy expression on his face and was now making direct eye contact with Chuck, who was quietly "feeling" Casey's glare when his thoughts were interrupted by Sarah Walker's friend, the redhead.

"Uhm, Special Agent Bartowski, I apologize for my friend's behavior. And I'd like to thank you for getting my bag and offering to give me…I mean us….a ride." She batted her eyes coquettishly before she turned and hurried after Sarah, who had momentarily paused to stare at her before resuming her "angry New York" walk to the entrance of the White House. No sooner had Sarah and Carina entered the White House than John Casey approached Chuck.

"What the hell was that, Bartowski? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you intentionally jammed her bag in the trunk, and I specifically recall telling you NOT to piss her off." Casey glared, but he had a slight twinkle in his eye that Chuck caught.

"I have no idea what you are referring to, Sir. But I intend to caution the Uber driver about taking corners too fast, as that is obviously what caused Valkyrie's bag to be so jammed in the trunk," Chuck deadpanned.

The two men stared at each other momentarily until a smile started to crack on Casey's face. "Well played, Bartowski….well played." Then he leaned in and whispered, "These people," Casey paused momentarily, "As difficult and entitled as they may be, are our charges. Don't do that again." With a quiet chuckle, Casey slapped Chuck's shoulder, turned, and headed through the gate.

-O-

Once inside the White House, Sarah and Carina were met by the house staff, who ushered them to their respective guest rooms. They were to meet the President and the First Lady in the residence as soon as the couple returned from a function at the Hey Adams Hotel, so they had some time to settle into their rooms and unpack. A few minutes later, Carina knocked on Sarah's door before walking in and making herself comfortable on the bed while Sarah finished unpacking. Sarah seemed very focused on her task, and as she put away the last item of clothing, she turned to Carina.

"What was that, Carina?" Sarah glared at her best friend.

"What was what, Sarah?" Carina asked calmly.

"I saw what you did, batting your eyes at Bartowski! What did you say to him? Tell me!"

"Woah, Sarah, what the hell is up with you?" Carina bit back, suddenly showing some edge in her voice and expression.

"What. Did. You. Say? Damn it!"

"Oh, that…" Carina smiled easily, leaning back onto her elbows as she spoke. "I simply apologized on your behalf. I explained to Special Agent Bartowski…he's seriously hot, by the way….did you ever see sexier eyes? And that hair…anyway, I explained that because you broke up with your boyfriend three months ago, you haven't gotten laid in a long time and, as a result, were super cranky."

Sarah's face reddened to the point Carina thought she might explode.

"Easy there, Sarah, that was just a joke…I didn't apologize." Carina started to laugh. "Just kidding…I did apologize on your behalf, but I didn't say anything about you needing to get laid….but oh my God, you really need to get laid!"

"Well, thank God for that. I mean, no, I don't need to get laid, Carina, but thank you for being a little more discrete than usual. These Secret Service guys don't have much of a sense of humor, and this is the White House, so please….a little decorum would be nice….and no hitting on the agents, no matter how "special" you might think they are!" Sarah exhaled as she tried to calm herself down.

Carina smiled confidently. "Honestly, Blondie, sense of humor or not, given your ridiculously bad behavior, I'm pretty sure Sexy Agent Bartowski concluded that you desperately needed something to replace the stick you have up your ass all on his own!" Sarah gasped as Carina smoothly stood, spun, and headed for the door before pausing and looking over her shoulder. "I'm going to wait for your mom and dad in the library. You coming?"

Sarah growled.

-O-

Sarah's tension with Carina over Chuck and the subsequent argument with her mother over the airport pickup fiasco were diplomatically handled by the President himself, who was able to broker a somewhat fragile peace between the warring women who surrounded him. Things eventually settled, and Thanksgiving came and went without further incident as the Walkers and their guest enjoyed a little quiet time away from the daily stresses of their respective jobs. Sarah allowed herself to relax and enjoy the time with family, and her positive mood held fast, even when Carina took every opportunity to needle Sarah, claiming that her abhorrent behavior with Special Agent Bartowski was because she secretly had the hots for him. Over the course of the weekend, Jack, Emma, and Carina had plenty of laughs at Sarah's expense, especially on the topic of one Special Agent Bartowski. Happily, the peace held and even Sarah began to laugh at Carina's comments about her own romantic woes.

As for Chuck, he took off early on Thanksgiving morning to spend the weekend with his sister Ellie and her husband Devon in California. He hadn't been back to see Ellie and Devon in over nine months, so spending time at their place in Echo Park gave him a comforting sense of family and warmth. Together, they ate too much, walked on the beach in Santa Monica, and even did a little Black Friday shopping at the local Buy More, as Chuck didn't expect to be back in California at Christmas. Sunday evening, he caught the red-eye back to Dulles, where his partner would pick him up.

-O-

Date: Sunday, 28 November 2021

Time: 18:00 EST

Location: 1811 14th Street North, Arlington, Virginia – John Casey Residence

By Sunday afternoon, John Casey had loaded Sarah, Carina, and their bags into another black Suburban and drove them to Reagan. He used his credentials to drive onto the tarmac directly and escorted the two women up the steps outside the jetway, making sure both were seated comfortably before the flight began boarding. He then took the boarding passes back up the jetway to the boarding agent before climbing back down the stairs to his suburban. Sarah had not argued about the ride to the airport, as her father had made it very clear over breakfast that John Casey would be driving them. Once the flight pulled away from the gate, Casey called the duty desk at the White House and informed them of Valkyrie's departure. He then drove straight to his condo to watch some football and try to enjoy a couple of off-duty beers.

He was just cracking open his third beer when his phone rang.

"Casey."

"John, Diane Beckman." General Diane Beckman was the Director of National Intelligence. She oversaw all the intelligence agencies of the U.S., and if she was calling the head of the President's Secret Service security detail directly on Thanksgiving Sunday afternoon, it was unlikely to be good news. "We may have a problem."