A/N: Happy Thursday everyone, and Happy Thanksgiving to those of you celebrate. As promised, here is Chapter 6 – Shaken and Awakened, the second release of the week.

Your collective feedback so far has been incredible, and many of you seem to be pleased with the accelerated release schedule….thank you! Your continued support and encouragement through reviews, favorites and follows is seriously appreciated, as are the many PM's.

Last chapter Chuck and Sarah met and managed to put the uncomfortable events of Thanksgiving behind them. They also managed to land themselves in unfamiliar and perhaps uncomfortable emotional territory as they tried to reconcile their new feelings with their well-established life goals. As if that wasn't challenging enough, the looming threat materializes, so, yeah…buckle up, cause some stuff gonna happen….just keep the faith.

I hope you enjoy this chapter, and find a minute or two to follow, favorite, and or review.

Thanks to Nevr for pre/beta reading, and of course, I don't own Chuck or profit financially from writing this completely AU story.

Valkyrie's Invisible Shield

Chapter 6 – Shaken and Awakened

Date: Wednesday, 15 December 2021

Time: 17:00 EST

Location: 50 West 57th Street, New York City – Mangia Cafe

Chuck Bartowski relieved Morgan Grimes at the cafe from his over-watch shift shortly after 3:00 pm, taking his usual spot by the window. Without a word, Jimmy had brought him a fresh coffee, causing Chuck to wonder why people thought New Yorkers were rude.

-O-

Yesterday, things had been quiet until 6:15 pm, when Chuck spotted the mysterious man again, this time without a camera around his neck, but carrying a garment bag over his left arm. He saw the man notice Sarah leaving the building, but she was walking with an older man, Douglass Bradley, the Firm's Managing Partner. The two got into a waiting limousine and were whisked off to client dinner in the New York's fashionable meat-packing district. The mysterious man watched without moving, and then, as soon as Sarah's ride pulled away, he made a call on his phone and walked away. As soon as the man moved off, Chuck got into the brown Taurus and followed the limousine to the restaurant where the client dinner was being held.

While Sarah was at her dinner, Chuck had called Casey and made the case for more resources, but Casey was trying to balance the "invisible" part of invisible shield, with adequate protection. Moreover, Casey was adamant that if the mystery man was a real professional he would easily pick up the extra resources and disappear, causing the Secret Service to lose its current advantage.

Fortunately, Sarah's business dinner had been uneventful. Chuck shadowed Sarah's limousine as it dropped her off at her apartment later that evening, the mysterious man nowhere to be seen.

-O-

Chuck's thoughts about the previous day snapped off as he saw Sarah pick up her phone and dial. A moment later, she was connected to the First Lady.

"Hi, Mom." Sarah's smile was evident on Chuck's tablet.

"Sarah! Hi, sweetie. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Mom. I was calling about Christmas. I have the week off between Christmas and New Year's, so I was planning on coming down on Friday the 24th and flying back on Sunday the 2nd of January."

"That's so wonderful. We get you home for the whole week….your father will be so pleased. We will be at the White House for Christmas, but then we planned to be at Camp David the rest of the week." Emma Walker's voice conveyed affection and excitement. "Do I have permission to send someone to get you at the airport? You know what Reagan is like at Christmas!"

"Thanks, Mom, but I might have a friend pick me up. I'll let you know." Sarah leaned back, smiling.

"A friend? Anyone we should know?"

Suddenly, Chuck felt uncomfortable. He found himself in no-man's land again. On one side was the cover, where he was doing exactly what he needed to do to make his boss and Sarah's parents happy. On the other side was the undeniable attraction he felt for Sarah Walker. Having feelings for his protectee was an issue on its own, but if the protectee was the President's daughter, well, there were all sorts of implications, most of them bad.

"I don't know, Mom. Maybe, but not yet." Chuck watched as Sarah grabbed her favorite pen cap and started chewing. God, she was adorable.

"What does 'maybe' mean, honey?" The First Lady inquired as Sarah's voice sounded a bit down.

Sarah was struggling to respond. The weekend with Chuck Bartowski had hit her much harder that she would have imagined, but she was uncertain about being so transparent with her mother. "Well, I like him. But his life is a little….complicated, and we're not….together, so….maybe." Sarah winced visibly as she waited for her mother's response.

"Sarah, honey, you have never been one to hedge, so if you like the guy, do something about it, but don't let 'complicated' stand in your way. You read me, missy?"

"Yes, Mom. I need to get back to work, but tell Dad I love him and will see you both in a little more than a week." The two women exchanged affectionate goodbyes, and Sarah closed the call, bringing the phone to her chest. She sat silently for a minute, fidgeting with her phone, 'I can play it cool' she told herself quietly, then lifted it and punched in a number. A moment later, Chuck's mobile rang.

"Chuck Bartowski," he answered promptly as he watched her kick off her shoes, lean back in her chair, and put her perfectly pedicured feet on the corner of her desk.

"Chuck, hi. It's Sarah. How are you?" Sarah was working to keep her voice and delivery calm and collected.

"Hey Sarah, I'm fine, and I'm glad to hear from you. How are you doing?" Chuck struggled with finding the right balance between being too engaged or too aloof.

"I'm great, Chuck. Maybe missing my favorite new pillow a little," she grimaced, chastising herself 'way to play it cool, Walker….' "But otherwise, great." Sarah could not believe that slipped out.

Chuck smiled warmly and momentarily forgot his own need to remain detached. "Likewise, I may be missing my favorite new blanket….a little," he added after waiting a beat, a frown developing on his face before he recovered. "Will you be coming to D.C. for Christmas?" he asked calmly, already knowing the answer.

"I will," Sarah replied. "And I was hoping someone might want to come to the airport and pick me up on the 24th and maybe drop me off on Sunday the 2nd of January. Unofficially, that is." Sarah was back to chewing her pen cap adorably.

"Ms. Walker, I am at your service. Just text me your details, and I'll be there." Chuck was momentarily proud of his self-control when suddenly his mouth went off on another unauthorized excursion, "Other than Christmas, do you have any plans?" Chuck asked. He was still trying to keep his tone cool and professional, though obviously, asking Sarah Walker about her plans was not consistent with protocol.

"Hopefully, we will have a quiet Christmas at the White House. My parents will be heading to Camp David on the Monday and will stay there all week, but I presume you already know my parent's schedule…."

"I do, but I will not accompany them to Camp David. I have a couple of days off that week, but not strung together, so I can't go see my sister in California. Will you be going to Camp David with your parents?" 'Damn it, Chuck. Shut up, man!'

"Well…that depends." Sarah smiled and bit her lip. "I mean, if I had a reason to stay in D.C., I'd certainly consider it." She managed to fight the urge to giggle as she flirted.

"I see," Chuck responded as if he was pondering a complex problem. "If I may be so bold, Ms. Walker, what kind of reason might compel a lady such as yourself to stay in D.C.?" 'Danger, Chuck…..danger!'

"Well, if a certain tall and dark-haired gentleman were to ask me to stay, I would certainly give such a proposal my full consideration."

"Ah." 'Damn it….she's worse than kryptonite!' Chuck grimaced before losing the battle again. "You know, Ms. Walker, as a Special Agent of the Secret Service, I have access to all kinds of information. Perhaps if you told me who this gentleman might be, I could…."

Sarah cut him off. "You are an idiot, Chuck Bartowski, but I've already told you that. Now ask me to stay in D.C. before I get bored and hang up this phone." Her voice danced and he could see the sparkle in her eyes. Obviously, any and all pretense of discipline and emotional control….on both sides of the call….had left the building.

"Sarah, if you are not doing anything, and the mysterious tall and dark-haired gentleman does not speak up, I'd be delighted if you stayed in D.C.," 'Shit!' Chuck swore to himself. He was powerless against her. He was mad at himself and yet was giddy with excitement. Excitement he'd never felt before in the context of a potential romantic relationship with Sarah Walker.

"In that case, I might stay in D.C., Special Agent Bartowski….unless I get a better offer from the previously referenced tall gentleman with dark hair, of course."

"Of course. Seems like a very sensible approach, Ms. Walker." Chuck paused for a few beats. "Sarah, I really look forward to seeing you, but I need to go now. Please text me your travel details, and I promise I'll be there. Ok?"

"I will, Chuck. And I look forward to seeing you, too." Sarah hung up the phone.

Chuck watched Sarah do what looked like a little happy dance in her chair with a wide smile on her face as he felt a flutter in his chest. Happy dance completed, Sarah called Carina and excitedly told her about her call with Chuck and plans for the holidays before returning to her case files.

-O-

Date: Wednesday, 15 December 2021

Time: 18:30 EST

Location: 50 West 57th Street, New York City – Mangia Café

While Sarah was extremely beautiful, watching her work on her computer or on spreadsheets was a touch tedious. Since she'd closed her call with Carina, she had been working intensely, reading, making notes on a pad, moving files and papers on her desk, and typing on her computer. It was easy to get bored and miss something that might be important. He looked up from his tablet and saw the man again. He was leaning against the building next to Sarah's, and like the previous day, he had a garment bag draped over his left forearm. A few yards away, a white van had pulled into the loading zone in front of the building….a van he had seen before. He noted the license plate tags and quickly fired off a message to John Casey with a copy to Morgan. He then called Morgan and advised him of the situation, asking him to have more support ready to move in but not too close to give away their advantage. It was about 7:00 pm when he saw Sarah stand, stretch, and start putting things away for the day. As he watched her move, he looked out at the man who was doing an excellent job of looking like he was just casually waiting for someone, but there was a predatory look in his eyes as he constantly scanned his surroundings. Chuck's "Spidey senses" started to tingle. He quickly tossed his tablet into his backpack, exited the cafe, and, from his side of the street, walked past Sarah's building, then crossed 57th Street to come up behind the man. So far, so good. Chuck instinctively reached back to check on the Glock 19 he had holstered in the small of his back, then checked his tactical communicator and announced, "Valkyrie is on the move!" as he walked in a slow and relaxed manner.

About thirty yards ahead of him, he saw the man pull a mobile phone out of his pocket and initiate a call. The man quickly put his phone away and started moving with purpose, his left arm still covered with the garment bag. About ten yards past the building entrance, Chuck noticed that the side door to the white van had slid open. From Chuck's vantage point, he could not see into the lobby, but once the man moved forward, he saw Sarah make her way through the revolving doors. As the man quickened his pace, Chuck started to move in the tail position, closing to less than thirty feet behind the man.

Sarah was making her way towards the subway when she heard her name called. "Sarah!"

Sarah stopped and turned to see a man she didn't recognize smiling at her. "I'm sorry, do we know each other?" Sarah inquired as the man was now within two or three steps. He continued to smile as an old friend would until he reached her. He then pushed the muzzle of the hidden 9 mm into Sarah's ribs as he pretended to give her a hug. Seeing the gun's muzzle protruding from under the garment bag Sarah froze.

In a low but clear voice, Gruber spoke. "Don't do anything stupid, Ms. Walker. I have no intention of hurting you, but I need you to come with me." He turned Sarah towards the van, wrapping his right arm around her waist while keeping the garment bag against his belly and the pistol's muzzle firmly against Sarah's ribs. Sarah stumbled a little but complied, her eyes scanning frantically for help, but onlookers just saw two old acquaintances seemingly reconnecting on the sidewalk, then walking off together. As they approached the van, Gruber's right hand dropped from Sarah's waist and fished into his pocket, pulling out a syringe. He quickly brought the syringe to his teeth to remove the safety cap, then, in a swift but discrete movement, stuck the needle into Sarah's rear end and pushed down the plunger. Sarah felt the pinch, and within seconds, Sarah's vision started to tunnel. As Sarah was falling, she thought she saw a handsome, tall, dark-haired man running toward her but then everything went black.

As Gruber approached the van and extracted the syringe, Chuck broke into a dead run. "Hammer, hammer, hammer," Chuck made the emergency call, into his communicator. With the call, Morgan Grimes and five additional members of the New York Field office broke their respective cover positions from about fifty yards away and raced toward the white van with their weapons drawn. Chuck quickly closed the distance to Gruber, who had stuffed the 9mm in his pocket so he could steer the falling Sarah Walker into the white van. Gruber's focus was on moving Sarah Walker into the van as discretely as possible, so he never saw Chuck Bartowski running hard at him. With less than three steps to go and recognizing that Gruber no longer held the gun in his hand, Chuck dove at full speed, cocking his elbow and thrusting it as hard as he could at the base of Gruber's skull. With all the momentum that Chuck's two-hundred-pound body could generate and the elbow strike, the impact was catastrophic.

Chuck hit the ground and did a forward roll as Gruber dropped limp to the sidewalk, Sarah Walker falling on top of him. As Chuck regained his feet, he spun and drew his weapon.

Gruber and Sarah were on the ground, and neither was moving. Chuck quickly checked Gruber's prone body for weapons, removing the 9 millimeter pistol, and a full syringe. He then checked for a pulse but felt nothing. He moved to Sarah and found her unconscious but breathing regularly. On the ground next to her, he spotted a second syringe that was empty. He broke off the needle and put it in his pocket. As he picked up Sarah's unconscious body, he heard the white van's transmission pop into gear immediately followed by the sound of Morgan Grimes screaming at the driver to stop.

Without hesitating, Chuck raced across the street toward the brown Taurus with Sarah in his arms, while he spoke into his communicator. "Morgan, Valkyrie is unresponsive but breathing normally. Call New York Presbyterian and tell'em I'm on my way….and tell them she was injected with something. I have a syringe full of the stuff in my pocket so they can do a diagnostic and sort out an antidote. I want a team standing by with security in less than ten minutes."

He slipped Sarah into the car's rear, jumped into the driver's seat, and turned the key. The high-output engine of the plain brown Taurus roared to life. Chuck then hit a switch under the console to turn on the hidden strobe lights and stomped on the accelerator, causing the tires to scream in protest as the Taurus shot out of its parking spot and started blowing through red lights as it flew toward the hospital at 68th Street just off York Avenue.

New York Presbyterian Hospital was the nearest facility with a "level one" trauma center, and less than eight minutes after the attempted abduction had been stopped, the Taurus skidded to a stop by the hospital's emergency room entrance. Chuck raced to the back seat to pick up Sarah's unconscious form, and once he had her in his arms, he ran to a group of doctors and nurses who were approaching him with a wheeled gurney. He identified himself and began providing the medical team with critical information.

"She has been injected with something. I presume the contents and dosage were the same as the full one here." Chuck handed the two syringes to the doctor, who pulled the plunger out of the full syringe and sniffed the contents before ordering a tox screen and full blood workup. Chuck then continued relaying critical information to the doctor as they moved.

"Doctor, she was injected about ten minutes ago. Her breathing is a little shallow but otherwise normal, and her heart rate is slow but steady. She is twenty-seven, has type O-positive blood, and no allergies….I presume you have been informed as to the patient's identity, so I will need to make some additional security arrangements until the rest of my team gets here."

The doctor acknowledged the information Chuck provided while he continued his initial assessment as they were wheeling Sarah into the emergency room. As soon as they had Sarah in an empty alcove, Chuck drew the privacy curtain as the doctor, assisted by two nurses, took blood and finished the preliminary examination. Chuck stood immobile, staring at Sarah's unconscious form, his heart beating through his chest as he tried to manage the adrenalin of the encounter coupled with the realization that he was impossibly close losing her.

"You ok, Agent? Do we need to have a look at you?" The doctor's voice snapped him out of his dark thoughts.

"Ah, no. No. I'm fine doc. Thanks. Just look after her please."

The doctor saw something in Chuck's eyes but let it go. "We'll know more as soon as the tox screen comes in, but she is presenting as someone who has been tranquilized with a barbiturate-based medication. If I had to guess, based on how she is presenting and the smell of the liquid in the full syringe, I would say its methohexital. The drug is commonly used to knock patients out before surgery, and generally metabolizes fairly quickly. Depending on the dosage, her body should process and eliminate the drug with no lasting effect. Her vitals suggest she may have had a marginally heavier dose than recommended, but she is stable, so we'll give her some fluids and monitor her closely while the lab does its work."

Chuck thanked the doctor, and as he slipped out of Sarah's alcove, he was met by a huge black man in a suit carrying a walkie-talkie.

"Special Agent Bartowski, I presume. I'm Edward Smalls, head of security. Your office called, and all our resources are at your disposal. I've placed men at all the entry and exit points to the ER and will have two men stationed right here." He pointed to Sarah's alcove. "I've also instructed the men that until further notice, they will only take orders from you or me."

Chuck shook the man's gigantic hand. "Thank you, Mr. Smalls. My team should be here shortly, and when they arrive, you can reposition your team as you see fit, but we will retain access control to the E.R. until further notice. I apologize for the inconvenience, and we will do our utmost to ensure we do not unduly interfere with the safe running of the E.R."

Edward Smalls gave Chuck a nod and spoke into his walkie-talkie, conveying the required information just as two uniformed security guards approached the alcove.

"Gentlemen, thank you for your assistance. I need to make a call, but other than properly ID'd medical staff that you personally recognize, no one goes in there without my approval." Chuck pointed to the curtained alcove and received confirmation before stepping away to call John Casey.

"Chuck?" Casey had been expecting Chuck's call but gave him the time to make sure his principal was adequately secured. "What is Valkyrie's status?"

'Valkyrie is unconscious but stable, and I noted no other physical injuries other than perhaps a bruise or two from her fall. She was injected by the assailant with an unknown substance, which the doctor believes is a barbiturate-based tranquilizer. I found syringes on the assailant, and the contents are being tested, so we should know more about the drug shortly. Hospital security has been assigned to support our mission until the team arrives, and I have control of all entrances and exits to the emergency room. What do we know about the assailant?" Chuck asked.

"The assailant was dead at the scene. Apparently, your takedown was hard enough that he didn't survive the impact. You snapped his neck, Chuck, so we will not be getting anything from him directly. We did, however, grab the driver of the van, a white female by the name of Heather Chandler, mid-twenties with a moderate rap sheet, mostly petty, non-violent crimes. The plates you sent us show the van as registered to her. She claims she was hired to transport a package. She did not know what the package was or who hired her, but she was smart enough to record her conversation, ostensibly with the assailant, on her mobile phone, which corroborated her story. We've secured her phone and are getting the necessary warrants to search her home and anything else we can find. Interestingly, her recorded conversation references her being given a small case with twenty-thousand dollars, but when we explained to her that the assailant did not have any case with money, she connected the dots and immediately started cooperating." Casey was looking over his notes as he spoke. "Morgan is overseeing the wrap-up at the scene with the FBI and the NYPD, but the rest of the team will be there any minute."

"Anything else for me, Casey?" Chuck asked.

"Yeah. Get yourself checked out. You literally tackled the shit out of that guy, and as soon as the adrenaline wears off, you will probably feel it. And, Bartowski….good job. Not sure how all this winds down, but you did us proud today."

"Thank you, Casey." Chuck took a deep breath. Casey was probably right. He had been totally keyed up and was now noticing that he was coming down from his adrenaline-fueled high, but he decided that a check-up could wait until Morgan arrived. As he approached Sarah's alcove, he was met by the doctor.

"Agent, the patient is stable, and we are comfortable that she is not at risk, so we would like to move her out of the ER. We have space on one of our secure floors if that is acceptable to you."

Chuck allowed himself to smile, appreciating the doctor's good sense to keep Sarah's identity quiet.. "Good call. Let's make that happen right now. And thanks, Doc."

-O-

Sarah was now in a private room with two members of the Secret Service protective detail sitting outside her door and Special Agent Chuck Bartowski sitting in a chair by her bed, gently stroking her hand. He was replaying the evening's events in his mind when he felt Sarah stir. She slowly opened her eyes.

"What happened?" Sarah was still groggy and more than a little confused.

"Everything is ok now. You are safe," Chuck responded a little nervously.

"Chuck? What are you doing here, and why does my head hurt like I have a hangover." Sarah was slowly regaining her focus. "Wait….I was leaving work, and someone called out to me and…." She paused pensively. "Oh my God, he had a gun….I think he was trying to kidnap me and then I felt dizzy…. and you…. I saw you. You were running toward me. Did you save me, Chuck?"

"I did what I had to do, Sarah." The two were momentarily quiet, their warm gaze locked on each other, their hands still connected. Then Chuck saw a change in Sarah's expression. "Sarah, are you ok? Do I need to call the doctor?"

"Chuck, how are you here? I mean, you left Sunday, and we just spoke this afternoon about Christmas, and I'm confused. How you are suddenly here with me when you should be two hundred and fifty miles away." Sarah looked away from him as she sharpened her thoughts. "Chuck?" Sarah's demeanor and tone radically transformed from someone who was confused and struggling to put the pieces together to someone who wanted answers and was expecting to not like what she got.

"Sarah," Chuck looked down at their joined hands. "It's complicated." He regretted the words as soon as they left his lips.

Sarah's hand pulled back from Chuck's. "You lied to me!" Sarah's anger grew. "You were here the whole time. You were my protection detail. Everything you said. Everything you did….it was you doing your job, wasn't it? I'm an idiot. I should have known better. I trusted you. I thought we might have something. Something real." Sarah's head was pounding so she kept her voice low, but her rage was unmistakable. She gave Chuck a glare that could cut through hardened steel. "Get out!"

"Sarah, please let me explain," Chuck implored, but Sarah's lips were squeezed into a tight line.

"Get out, now. I don't want to see you again." Sarah growled.

Chuck hung his head, gathered himself up, and started to walk out. He paused for a moment before leaving. "I'm really sorry Sarah. For everything. I hope one day you will be able to forgive me."

"Out!" Was Sarah's unsympathetic response.

As Chuck left her room, his mobile rang.

"Bartowski."

"It's Casey. The First Lady is on her way to New York. She's coming by helo, so she should be landing at the 34th Street Heliport on the East Side in about two hours. Stay close to Valkyrie until she arrives with Verbanski's team. Then you can split duties until Valkyrie is released."

"Casey, about that. I think I will need reassignment. Valkyrie put it all together, and she knows we were here the whole time. She is royally pissed at me for the deception and will invariably ensure I am reassigned. Preferably to protect polar bears somewhere above the Arctic Circle while wearing a few pork chops around my neck. You might want to alert the First Lady that Valkyrie is not happy."

"Shit! This isn't on you, and I'm sure the First Lady and the President will settle things with her."

"Casey, it's more complicated than that. As you are aware, as part of the cover, I was invited for the weekend. Tactically it was a good idea that would allow me to be closer to her. Unfortunately, I suspect that Valkyrie may have developed some personal feelings for me, so this is not something she will easily forgive." Chuck considered his next words carefully. "Casey, I also regret to inform you that in the course of my responsibilities, I have become personally compromised. I suspect that, in the end, reassigning me might make things better for everyone. I'm sorry, Casey."

Casey could hear Chuck's sense of failure. "Chuck, you did your job and protected the principal. Without you, she would have been abducted and likely killed. I want the dust to settle on this, and then we can figure out what to do. Keep in mind that we still have no idea who orchestrated this and whether the threat is gone."

"In that case, I'd like to request reassignment to the investigations team in London so I can help track down whoever is behind this." Chuck squashed down his emotions and was resolute in his demand for reassignment.

"Ok, Chuck. As soon as Grimes arrives, you are relieved of your post. Go to the apartment and get your stuff packed for London, and I'll issue new orders for you shortly."

"Thank you, Casey. I won't let you down." Chuck remained at his post outside Sarah's room until Morgan arrived. When Morgan arrived, he explained the situation and told him to expect a new partner. He then left the hospital and headed to the apartment to collect his things and wait for Casey to call.

-O-

Date: Wednesday, 15 December 2021

Time: 21:30 EST

Location: New York Presbyterian Hospital, 525 East 68th Street, New York City

A good portion of Sarah's floor was now teeming with members of the New York field office of the Secret Service, along with a large number of FBI agents. As Emma Walker arrived, Gertrude Verbanski's security detail cut through the men in dark suits like a hot knife through butter. They reached Sarah's room, and Emma looked at Verbanski.

"Gertrude, I'm going to need the room for a while, and I want you to stay out, even if there is shouting. Do you understand?" Emma gave Gertrude a sharp stare.

"Yes, Ma'am," Gertrude responded as Emma nodded, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open.

Sarah was sitting up. Her color had more than returned, as her complexion was somewhat reddened by her anger. She stared at her mother as she walked in and took a seat beside Sarah's bed without a word. The two women stared at each other for what seemed like an immeasurably long time until Emma broke the silence.

"How are you feeling, Sarah?" Emma asked quietly.

"Angry, Mom. I'm feeling angry. You and Dad lied to me. And you send that Agent to spy on me. How do I trust you or Dad to be honest with me?" Sarah's voice went up a few decibels as Emma sat quietly.

"Anything else you want to get off your chest, Sarah?" Emma pushed.

"What gives you the right to….."

Emma exploded, standing up and cutting Sarah off. "You are the most impossibly stubborn woman I have ever known. Your father and I came this close to losing you today….Do you have any idea what that did to us? And why?" Emma was pissed and was suddenly pacing Sarah's room like a caged tiger. "Because you are so damned self-absorbed with doing everything yourself that you somehow lost your common sense. You want to know what gives me the right? Because I am your mother, and I will always act in your best interest, especially when you are too damned stubborn to understand what the sensible thing to do is. Someday, hopefully, you will have a child of your own, and when you do, you will realize that you can never go too far for love, especially of your own flesh and blood." Emma let out a long breath to calm herself down. She stared out the window for a moment, then sat back in her chair.

Sarah stared at her mother wide-eyed. She had never seen her mother so angry. Emma Walker was a force of nature and, like a tsunami, completely overwhelmed Sarah's desire to fight. She sat momentarily stunned at her own loss for words, then realized that her mother was right. She had lost sight of the fact that the privilege she had carried a cost. More importantly, the notion that she was about to be kidnapped and possibly killed finally hit her. Sarah had been so focused on being angry that the the significance of what actually happened an d what could have happened finally found purchase in her mind, and she shuddered, her to complexion losing color. She sat silently, considering her behavior and her next words.

"You are right, Mom. I chose to not believe the risks because doing so made my life easier to manage. It was selfish and stupid, and I'm sorry for giving you and Dad a scare." Tears were now falling down Sarah's cheeks as Emma stood, and rushed over to hug her daughter.

"Oh, Sarah. The important thing is that you are safe and uninjured. I know you are angry about what we did, but I want you to understand that I would do it all over again if it assured your safety, even at the cost of our relationship. By the way, I'd like to thank Agent Bartowski for protecting you." Emma smiled sweetly at Sarah, then leaned and whispered. "I understand that as you were being forced into a van, he hit the kidnapper so hard he snapped the man's neck."

Sarah gasped as Emma leaned in and placed a kiss on her forehead, then headed for the door.

"Gertrude, can you track down Special Agent Bartowski for me, please? I'd like to thank him for taking care of our girl."

"Apologies, Ma'am, but Special Agent Bartowski was reassigned just a few hours ago. He's been dispatched to London to work with the Investigations team tracking the source of the threat against your family, Ma'am," Gertrude responded.

"Oh. Ok. Thanks, Gertrude. I'll speak to the President about giving him a call tomorrow then." Emma smiled and returned to Sarah's room.

"Seems I missed your guardian angel. Special Agent Bartowski has been reassigned to the team investigating the source of the threat against your father and is on his way to London." Emma patted Sarah's hand. As Emma sat back down, she saw Sarah look up and away from her, fresh tears falling. Emma looked at her more closely. "Ok, Missy….let's take a moment to be thankful for how things have gone. And in a little more than a week's time, it will be Christmas, and maybe you can tell me all about this 'friend' who is going to pick you up at the airport." Emma was trying to cheer Sarah up, but as she spoke, Sarah covered her face and sobbed.

"What's wrong, Sarah?"

Sarah continued to sob. "It's my fault. I pushed him away. I was so angry I unloaded on him. It's the second time I've treated him unfairly, and I'm sure he'll never want to see me again."

Emma started to connect the dots. "Sarah? I don't understand. What happened? What did you do?" Emma leaned and pulled Sarah's hands away from her face. "Sarah, please talk to me." As Emma moved in to engage Sarah, there was a knock on the door. Gertrude leaned in.

"Apologies, Ma'am, but Carina Miller is here for Ms. Walker."

"That's fine, Gertrude. Please let her in," Emma responded as Carina leaned into the room from behind the door.

"Hey Blondie," Carina wanted to keep her tone light given the circumstances. "I was really worried when you didn't show up at home. I managed to get ahold of Morgan, and he told me what happened. Are you ok? Hi Emma. Glad you are here." Carina approached slowly, seeing tears on Sarah's face.

Sarah looked up at Carina but did not speak for a moment or two. She wiped the tears from her eyes and spoke. "Carina. You and Morgan. Real or fake? Tell me the truth, please."

Carina was not expecting that question. "Sarah. Can you tell me what happened? I'll tell you everything you want to know, but I want to know what happened today, please."

"Real or fake Carina…It's a simple question."

"Real, Sarah. Unexpectedly so, but real," Carina responded. "Now tell me what happened." But Sarah had shut down, so Carina looked to Emma, who nodded.

"I suspect our friend here may have developed feelings for Special Agent Bartowski, and after he rescued her, instead of being appreciative, my daughter felt it appropriate to rip his head off and send him away. He's now been reassigned to a team in London." Emma looked sadly at her daughter. "How did I do, Sarah? Did I get it about right?"

Sarah started to sob again as Carina sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her into a hug. Emma and Carina let Sarah get it out as they sat quietly, with Carina hugging her and Emma holding her hand. After a few minutes, Sarah had calmed down.

"Carina, please tell me the whole story." Sarah looked at the two women. For the next twenty minutes, Carina filled in all the blanks, going back to the moment she found Chuck installing the cameras in their living room air duct.

"So, you and Morgan, huh?" Sarah had the beginning of a smile. "And it's real?"

"Yes. I didn't see it coming, but yes. I really like him, and we seem to be good together. It's a bit difficult given his job, but we want to see where this might go, so we are going to try to make things work." Carina smiled softly at her best friend.

"I'm happy for you, Carina. For both of you. I can see Morgan is crazy about you." Sarah looked at her friend with a sad expression.

Carina reached out and took Sarah's hand. "So, you and Chuck, huh?"

Sarah smiled sadly. "I don't know Carina. Maybe? Not sure it really matters at this point any way. I may have killed whatever it was we may have had over the weekend." Sarah turned toward the window and got a far-away look on her eyes.

Emma turned to her daughter. "Sarah," Emma pushed gently. "Is this thing you have worth a fight?" She paused considering her next words. "I mean, I've never seen you lose a fight when there was something worth fighting for, so the real question is, what are you going to do about it?"

Sarah Walker was a complex woman, and while in some cases it took a very aggressive challenge to get her to open up, in others she just needed quiet time to sort through things at her own pace and come to her own conclusions. Emma knew Sarah well enough to know current circumstances required the quiet type of intervention. She also knew that once Sarah Walker reached a conclusion she committed herself to it fully. When that happened, well, there really was very little anyone could do to change her mind. So, Emma switched topics to give Sarah the room to think about her predicament.

"Sarah, the doctor wants to keep you overnight until he is sure you have fully metabolized the tranquilizer without any complications, so take tonight and think about what you want. And by that, I mean what you really want. I'll be back in the morning, and once we get you discharged, we can continue the conversation….for now, you are completely safe, and I want you to get some more rest, ok?" Emma kissed her daughter's forehead before turning and walking out the door with Carina.

Once safely out of Sarah's hearing range, Emma turned to Carina. "Carina, you're coming with me to the Plaza. We are going to order a few bottles of wine, and we are going to talk about your friend and what happened over the weekend with Mr. Bartowski." Emma grabbed Carina's hand, and they made their way out of the hospital.