A/N: One of my beta readers MySongStory is undergoing a major medical procedure today. Please keep him in your thoughts, and if you pray, he will gladly take those prayers. I told him I'd send him mine, but being a southern Baptist, he might have the hankering for sweet tea afterwards, which made him ask me for a new Life in A Small Town chapter. Anyway, on with the story. Sorry I haven't updated, we're melting here in Kentucky, as I think most of us in the US are.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck

Zondra sat in her office, staring at the report on her computer. She had typed it, read it, and now had re-read it at least five times. It was the report that Teddy had wanted on Chuck Bartowski. She had tried to make it as innocuous as she could. Zondra snorted at that.

All she had done was tell the truth about Chuck. That was the thing. Teddy would see Chuck as harmless. He was a hacker; that much Teddy probably suspected. He was smart, and again, that would be what Teddy suspected. After that, there wasn't a lot in the report that Teddy would find… threatening. It was Teddy's hubris that would hopefully lead to his eventual downfall.

Zondra knew things about Chuck that were absolutely dangerous, but if she put those things in here, Teddy Roark would have thought Zondra had lost her mind. He had managed to get Sarah Walker to fall in love with him. Teddy didn't understand what that meant. Carina and John respected Chuck. Teddy didn't understand what that meant, either. Hell, Dan was Chuck's biggest champion, and Teddy sure as hell didn't understand that.

Chuck wasn't ruthless, gunning for Teddy's company, or just a son-of-a-bitch like Teddy. He was Chuck, and Teddy… he would find that absolutely boring, and non-threatening.

She had heard it before about certain athletes in sports. That they had it. Zondra had always thought that was bullshit. She didn't any longer. She was witnessing it.

She looked up at the clock, knowing Teddy was somewhere on a golf course right now. She hit send on the email to send Teddy the report, shut down her computer, and left her office. Walking out of the building, she got in her car, and found herself driving somewhere she never had actually gone before.

As she walked in the front door, she looked around at the interior. It had been a huge house, but Dan had purchased it long ago, and was using it as his current law office. "Don't you worry, Patricia," she heard Dan say. "We'll make sure those hospital bills are taken care of." She saw him walking a lady out of his office. She was pushing a child in a wheelchair. Dan saw Zondra. "I promise," he told the lady. She profusely thanked him again and pushed the young boy out of the house.

"Damn insurance agencies," he growled. "People pay and pay, and have to jump through hoops to get claims covered, but let there be one instance where something happens and they miss a payment…" He shook his head.

"Can you get that fixed?" Zondra asked, legitimately curious.

A wolf-like grin covered Dan's face. "First thing tomorrow, it will be taken care of," Dan told her. Zondra's eyebrows lifted. "Now, come in, I'm sure you're not here because you miss me."

"What if I am?" Zondra asked. Dan gave her a concerned look, and she waved her hand. "I need to be away from that place for a while." She sat down in the chair across from him. "This job is killing what little of my soul is left, and I thought the CIA had taken it from me years ago."

"He's a horrible human being that has hired horrible people," Dan said, pouring and handing her a drink.

Zondra took the drink and drained it, causing Dan's eyebrows to rise, then placed the glass on the desk. "And I'm one of them," she reminded him.

"Ah," Dan said, nodding, and understanding. "But you are not. You, as you have been presented to Theodore, are an appearance of the person he wants. Not the person you are."

"As Sarah would say, you're an articulate schnook," Zondra said, chuckling. Dan laughed at that. "I submitted the report on Chuck."

"It had to be done," Dan said, nodding. "I'm sure you worded it carefully?"

"It wouldn't matter how I worded it," Zondra told him. "Teddy can't see what makes Chuck dangerous to him. Chuck isn't nuts like Teddy, or cold and calculating. The very thing that makes Chuck the most dangerous is the thing, that should scare the hell out of him."

Dan nodded. Both were silent for a moment. "So, you are going to tell Sarah about Theodore and his interest in Charles." Zondra groaned and leaned forward in her chair, putting her head in her hands. "I see," Dan said, pouring her another drink.

}o{

"How bad?" Casey asked. Casey looked uncomfortable. Whether it was the subject matter, the fancy restaurant, or both, Zondra couldn't say.

"Well, his ex-girlfriend is the lead scientist on everything that is illegal, and making Roark bank," Zondra told him.

"Christ," Casey groaned. He looked over at his fiancée. "We have to tell Walker and Bartowski."

"And how do we do that, without telling them we knew about Zondra being here?" Carina asked. "You weren't there, John." Carina looked at Zondra. "You two tried to kill each other."

"Worse," Zondra admitted.

"What's worse than killing each other?" Dan asked.

"Maiming someone like Walker or Rizzo would be a fate worse than death, for those two," Casey pointed out.

"Goodness, you two must have had quite the encounter," Dan said. "You sure we won't be spotted here?"

"Nah, the bearded-gnome put this place on the do not eat list," Casey told Dan. "Apparently it exceeded the food to price ratio and the quality didn't make up for the lack of quantity." Everyone stared at Casey. "What? Just because he's an idiot doesn't mean he doesn't know food."

"This is one of my favorite places to eat," Dan objected.

"Yeah, don't see those two overlapping on a Venn Diagram," Zondra muttered. Zondra sat there for a moment. "I gotta tell Walker."

"What if I do it?" Carina asked.

"No, it's gotta be Rizzo," Casey said. "Honestly, Walker's gonna kill us all, but… if the nerd gets hurt, and we don't give her a heads up…" Casey shuddered at the thought.

}o{

"Okay," Sarah said, hanging up the phone, and walking into the living room. "So, I've talked to my mom, and we are going to go to her house on Saturday. If that's okay with you."

"Perfect," Chuck told her. Sarah gave him a look. "What? I've wanted to meet your mom."

"The look on your face… you watched The Elysian Kingdom episode of Strange New Worlds again, didn't you?" Sarah accused.

"I plead the fifth," Chuck muttered.

"Why would you do that to yourself, Chuck?" Sarah asked. "You know what that episode does to you."

"Is the ending a tearjerker? Yes," Chuck admitted. "But it is one of the top five episodes in TV history, period. It's funny. It is peak Star Trek. The characters in the episode from the book are so different than the characters in the show, and it gives the actors a chance to show all their abilities. I needed it." He clamped his mouth shut with that last sentence.

"Why do you need it?" Sarah asked, sitting down beside him on the couch. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he replied. She gave him a look. "Okay, I might have heard your phone call. I wasn't eavesdropping, I swear."

"I'm trying to tell you about my call," Sarah told him.

"Not the one with your mom," Chuck told her. Sarah thought for a second, and her eyes widened.

"How much did you hear?"

"Enough," Chuck answered, refusing to look at her.

"Chuck, let me explain," Sarah began.

"No need to explain anything," Chuck told her.

"Chuck," she said, putting her hand on his leg. He turned to her. "Baby, you have to understand, sometimes people do things for those they care about even if they don't enjoy it."

"I wouldn't have asked you to, if I thought you hated it," Chuck insisted.

"I know, but I agreed to try it, and now… now I don't hate it," Sarah told him. "It's not like it's my first choice, or even my second, but I do enjoy it."

"Would you do it with anyone else?" Chuck asked. Sarah shook her head. "Then I can't ask it of you, anymore."

"Chuck," she nearly whined. "I just enjoy the cuddling." He started to speak. "Listen, I just enjoy being with you, and if that's what you want to do, I will."

"It feels wrong now," Chuck muttered.

"Is that all this is about?" Chuck shook his head no. "You heard how I referred to it, right?" Chuck nodded. "I mean, I'm not wrong, am I?"

"I didn't hear it all," Chuck admitted.

"Okay, so, I told her the easiest one was Gate," Sarah began. Chuck looked up at the ceiling. "FINE. Stargate. Is that better?" Chuck shrugged. "It is the one that is more military, people in BDUs, and over half the time have regular weapons and C4."

"It's so much more than that," Chuck muttered.

"Oh, and there's the gate, which sometimes malfunctions. And it has this weird shield over it, which I'm not for sure how more people aren't killed by it," she continued.

"Okay, that's not wrong," Chuck muttered.

"And it has the weird alien-like things in you," Sarah finished. "Was any of that wrong?"

"Not technically…" Chuck admitted.

"Okay, then Dr Who is the one where people have a British or Scottish accent, even though they're from another galaxy. And they have double all the internal organs," Sarah continued.

"Again, not wrong," Chuck admitted.

"And there's a bunch of doctors, and their enemy is the Master, which… let me not get started on how that name may need to change," Sarah said.

"There's only one doctor he – or she – keeps regenerating," Chuck argued.

"Oh, and how about all those specials I watched with you when there are multiple actors?" Sarah asked. Chuck opened his mouth and closed it. She smirked at him. "Also, they just make shit up." Chuck started to argue that it was fiction, but before he could get anything out, she continued. "Reverse the polarity, and timey wimey. Is that a thing? Timey Wimey?"

"Probably not," Chuck admitted.

"And they have this screwdriver, that looks nothing like a screwdriver, that was given to him by the blue hedgehog dude on your video games," Sarah finished.

"What?" Chuck asked. "Wait, are you talking about Sonic the Hedgehog?" Sarah nodded. "Sarah, it's not the hedgehog's screwdriver, the word sonic is just an adjective describing the screwdriver."

Sarah leaned in close. "And how the hell would you use a sonic screwdriver, Chuck? A screwdriver is mean to turn screws. How would you do that with a sonic one?" Chuck opened his mouth, and then clamped it shut. "Exactly," she said leaning back.

"Dr. Who has nothing to do with all the star science-fiction series," he muttered.

"That's the best you've got?" Sarah asked. Chuck didn't know what to say. "Then there's the wars. Now this one… I don't know if I have time."

"Oh God," Chuck moaned.

"First there's either sand, or snow, or maybe salt, and then a bunch of forests," Sarah began.

"Don't talk about Naboo, don't talk about Naboo," Chuck chanted to himself.

"And then there's the underwater thing in the frog city," Sarah continued. Chuck blew out a breath, defeated. "There's so many robes, like weird monks with powers and space swords." Chuck just looked at her. "What?"

"That sort of does describe the Jedi," he had to agree.

"See, and then we have the people in armor, and the other little green people," Sarah continued. "And let's not forget the little bears who grow up to be big bears."

"Ewoks do not turn into Wookies," Chuck groaned.

"They all make weird noises and are hairy," Sarah pointed out. "And they are obsessed with clones."

"Again, not wrong," Chuck admitted. "Fine, what about Star Trek?"

"Well, if you wear a red shirt, you're gonna die," Sarah began. "And they have these things that are tri-somethings that seem to be magic devices, and everyone is gonna get assimilated."

Chuck just sat there. "Fine," he said, defeated. "So, you told Anna all of that?"

"I had to, she had to know what she was getting into. God knows I didn't," Sarah said.

"Was it terrible?" Chuck asked.

"Chuck, again, I don't care about the shows. It's spending time with you," she told him.

"But that's not fair," Chuck protested.

"That's not your call, it's mine, and I think it's very fair," she told him, kissing him on the head. She got up. "I'm gonna take a shower and get ready for bed."

"Okay," Chuck replied.

"Hey," she said. He turned to her. "How about you come wash my back?"

"Is there any of it you enjoy?" Chuck asked.

"I mean, Anson Mount and Hello there guy are nice to look at," Sarah said with a shrug.

"They are," Chuck agreed, making her giggle.

}o{

"Hey," Sarah said, walking up to Chuck's doorway. "It's quitting time." Chuck looked up from his computer. It was Friday evening, five o'clock. There were no cases left to work on, and tomorrow they were supposed to go meet Sarah's mom.

"There's something I have to tell you," Chuck told her. "Since we've been working together, I have had searches for our names flagged in certain databases." Sarah stood there in the doorway, transfixed. "My name has come up as being searched in several of those databases."

"Do you know where the searches originated from?" Sarah asked.

"Roark Industries," Chuck answered.

Sarah was silent for a second, thinking. "We need Mexican food," Sarah said.

"Yep," Chuck agreed, shutting down his computer and following her.

}o{

"So, now I'm conflicted," Sarah said, dipping her chip in the salsa.

"I mean, it's a serious decision," Chuck agreed.

"Okay," Sarah said. She looked up at the waitress. "The chimichanga, chicken, fajita style."

"Make that two," Chuck agreed. The two of them handed their menus to the waitress, who thanked them and walked away. Chuck sat there quietly, as Sarah chewed on her chip. "I think the search came from the office of the head of security in Roark Industries. At least, I think. It's hard to pinpoint things like that exactly, sometimes."

"Maybe they're considering offering you a job," Sarah offered.

Chuck shook his head. "Teddy and my father had some huge falling out." Chuck blew out a breath. "I'm ninety-five percent sure it's just Teddy checking up on me."

"It's the other five percent that worries me," Sarah admitted.

"Oh, I'm not worried. I have a secret weapon," Chuck told her. "You."

"Yeah, about that," Sarah began, concern on her face.

"Oh, God! Are we breaking up?" Chuck asked, fear on his face.

"What? NO!" Sarah replied. "Listen, I need to tell you something about my mom." Chuck nodded. "After her and dad had their… issues, she got some training in childcare and works for the GSA."

"Don't know that one," Chuck admitted.

"It's the General Services Administration," Sarah explained. "She works in the childcare program in government buildings." Chuck looked a little confused. "She runs a daycare for children of high-level government officials, and spies."

"Oh," Chuck said, nodding.

"She has special clearances, and that led to a situation," Sarah continued. "A baby… I'm not sure how she ended up in the US, but what I do know is there was no family in her country left to care for her. Long story short, my mom is her adoptive mother."

"So you have a sister?" Chuck asked.

"Yeah," Sarah nodded. "But I'm wondering if it's safe to see her, given what has happened."

"The last thing we need is to put a child in danger," Chuck told her.

Sarah pulled out her phone. "I'm gonna text her we're not coming, and explain why." Sarah typed for a minute, and hit send. "So, you got out of meeting my mom." She was grinning at him when her phone dinged. She picked it up and looked at it. She looked at Chuck and then back at her phone. "She says… she says to hold on, let her check with her lawyer that set everything up."

"She has a lawyer that she's going to get a hold of on Friday night?" Chuck asked. "Does your mom have some serious clout?"

"Not that I know of," Sarah said, typing away. "I'm telling her not to worry about it, we'll come next weekend." Her phone went off again. She read for a second and chuckled. "She said not to worry, Dan always replies to her. He kinda loves Molly."

"Huh," Chuck replied.

"What?" Sarah asked.

"I just find it funny that your mom has a lawyer named Dan, that's all," Chuck told her. Sarah looked at him. "And we happen to know a lawyer that's a former CIA agent."

Sarah snorted. "Okay, I get you have been affected by Morgan and some of his crazy ideas, but may I point out, Dan Fielding is not one that would be in love with kids. Now, if Molly were twenty-one, and hot…" Chuck laughed.

"What are you doing?" he asked, seeing her typing.

"Asking her if it's Dan Fielding," Sarah replied, laughing. She put down her phone and took a sip of her beer. Her phone went off again, and she picked it up, still taking the drink. She nearly spit out her drink. She put down the bottle, her eyes watering.

"You okay?" Chuck asked. Sarah shook her head. "Is it because you're choking, or Dan Fielding is your mother's lawyer?" Sarah just stared at him. "It's Dan, isn't it?" Sarah nodded. "Sarah… do you think that's a coincidence?"

"No," Sarah replied, "I do not." Sarah's phone went off again, and she looked at it. "Mom says, and I quote, Dan says it should be fine, and nothing to worry about." Chuck pulled out his phone. "What are you doing?"

"Looking up Dan's address," Chuck told her. "Wanna get this to go?"

"Absolutely," Sarah told him.

A/N: Would this be where you think the fecal matter hits the oscillating device?

Next time:

"Charles, Sarah, come in, we've been expecting you," Dan said, stepping out of the way to let them enter. They came in and Dan shut the door.

"We?" Chuck asked, turning back to look at Dan. He stumbled into Sarah who had stopped in front of him. He turned and saw a woman standing in the room they had walked into. Chuck didn't know the woman, but he knew when Sarah tensed up like this. This could be but one person. "Oh, we," Chuck said, blowing out a breath.

"I need you to listen to me for ten minutes," Zondra began.

"You've got two," Sarah replied.

Welp…see you next time for part 3 of 5.