A/N: Well, another very long wait for a new chapter. Sorry. Thanks for coming back to it after such a wait. You'll probably still have to read the earlier chapters before starting on this one.

Beta thanks to WillieGarvin. I really appreciate his help, especially as he remembered things from earlier chapters that I'd forgotten! I added some text since his review, so any mistakes you spot won't be his fault.

Endings

Chapter10: Relations

There hadn't been any missions for the team for a few weeks. Most didn't seem to care, though.

Sarah was not concerned about her and Chuck not being paid as their rates had been high to cater for down time.

Bryce and Carina seemed to be furthering their relationship. Two people that were renowned for sleeping around, settling down in a steady relationship seemed very odd to Chuck, Sarah and Zondra. The irony of that was not lost on Sarah. She'd not slept around like Carina had, but nor had she been in a steady, and very strong, relationship before, something she'd ever expected.

According to Zondra, Lacy had just relaxed into this life and had taken up painting. To Sarah, this seemed like Casey and his bonza, something that would take his mind off the job, but Lacy's hobby took up more of his free time.

Zondra was the unsettled one. Sarah had wondered if she would fall into a relationship with Lacy just by being together, but neither seemed interested in that.

Sarah knew that in the CATS days, Zondra had taken the job as seriously as she herself did, unlike the other two . All four of them had partied, but only Amy and Carina regularly took men to bed with them. Sarah thought Zondra may have slipped occasionally, on the occasions that all four had gotten drunk, but didn't know for sure. She may be still doing that now, but Sarah doubted it. She seemed too serious for such behavior.

Sarah and Chuck were so much in love it almost hurt them to be apart. Sarah would've expected living and being with each other almost all the time to have caused strains on their relationship, but nothing could've been further from the truth. And their love life was off the charts.

As far as work went, Chuck suggested that he scoured the reports from CIA and NSA teams to see if he flashed on anything. Sarah thought that was a good idea.

"I'll check on General Beckman's activities too,," he said as he started.

Chuck gasped at what he found, drawing Sarah to his side.

"We've relaxed our vigilance," he muttered.

"Beckman?" She asked.

"Yeah. She's obviously decided that the quiet time is when she should act."

Sarah growled. "What have you found?"

"She contacted one of the senior CIA operatives who has little love for you."

She knew a few operatives that didn't like her, but the use of the word senior homed in on one. "Decker," she said quietly.

He nodded . "Yeah, I lashed on him. A real piece of work." He pressed play on a voice recording.

"Who is this?" an angry male voice was heard.

"This is General Beckman of the NSA," she calmly replied.

"Beckman? What is the NSA leader doing contacting someone from the CIA?" Even the way he responded made Sarah's skin crawl. She held the woman in contempt, but that was for a reason. Decker just verbally sneered at her, probably because she was from a different organization. There was no love lost between the CIA and the NSA..

Beckman let it ride and responded calmly, "There's someone we both know that needs to be eliminated."

Decker's tone changed to one of curiosity. "Who?"

"Sarah Walker," she replied.

Even knowing this was coming, it still made Sarah gasp to hear it.

"That bitch!" Decker responded.

Chuck paused the recording and turned to her. "Why does he hate you so much?".

"Before I joined Carina, Zondra and Amy, Graham sent me on a solo mission. Decker had been in the Middle East. One of the sheiks was believed to know the whereabouts of a stolen American warhead. He'd been there for over a month and gained no valuable intelligence. Russia and Iran had found out about it and were preparing to move in. Graham was never the most patient of men and the latest developments drove his actions.

"We still don't know why Decker was taking so long. Graham suspected he was sleeping with one of the sheik's concubines. That was acceptable but taking so long suggested he wasn't doing it just to gain information."

"I hate that side of the spy life," grumbled Chuck.

Sarah nodded. "So do I, but it happens. Anyway, I was sent in to get to the sheik himself."

Chuck gasped. "Did you-"

Sarah put her hand over his mouth. "I did not sleep with him. I've never done that. However, I did seduce him and injected him with pentathol while in his bed."

Chuck looked like he wanted to ask, but was holding back. Sarah sighed. "I tranquillized him, tied him up and when he started to come round, injected him with the truth drug. He never touched me, okay?"

"Sorry. I hate that you had to do any of that."

"I was still in my bra and panties," she said.

"You never did that with me!" he grumbled, but she could see he was teasing her.

She blushed slightly. "Graham wanted me to seduce you to get the Intersect."

"With sex?" he asked in a shocked voice.

"With the idea of it. Seduction doesn't mean sex."

"And then you would've dosed me?"

"Yes, to find out where you were hiding the Intersect."

He shook his head, then brightened. "Would've been the best night of my life."

She laughed. "I hope that was what we did when we got here."

"Oh, it was, but seeing you like that back then… wow!"

She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. "Shall I continue?"

"The kissing or the story?"

She playfully slapped his shoulder. "The story, you goof!"

"Go on."

"After the prince spilled the beans, I dosed him with a different tranquiliser. One that causes you to forget the last fifteen minutes and leaves you exhausted. I dressed and waited for him to wake, told him he was the best lover and left with the information Decker had failed to acquire. The Prince didn't have the warhead but told me who did and where. The CIA hit that location and retrieved it. Graham pulled Decker out as a failure."

"When was this?"

"Late 2002," she replied. "You won't have heard about it. A lot that the CIA did wasn't made public."

"Wow."

She grinned. "That's a different sort of wow."

"I want the other sort after we finish listening to this recording."

Her eyes sparkled. "Get playing!"

Chuck restarted the recording.

"So, you'd probably like to help me," Beckman said to Decker. She sounded amused.

"As much as I'd like to, I can't. The assignment I'm on needs me here in Uzbekistan. Unless you can arrange for her to be sent here, you'll have to find someone else."

"I can't," she grumbled and ended the call.

Chuck looked at Sarah. "She doesn't even know where you are."

"She obviously thinks that Decker would've been able to find us."

"She'll try to find someone else to do it," he said.

She nodded. "You're going to have to hold the fort while I go to deal with her."

Chuck sighed. "I thought you would. Are you going to end her?"

Sarah almost smiled at his choice of words. "She's still useful in the fight against Fulcrum, but she doesn't need full mobility."

He shuddered but said no more.

Sarah shared the information with Zondra. She was hesitant to let the others know, or more specifically, Lacy.

"I think you're wrong about him," Zondra said. "He wouldn't agree with what she's planning."

"Maybe. Can you sound him out? Without stating that she is doing it?"

"I will." She paused and then said, "You heading over to her?"

She nodded. "I have to put her straight."

Zondra looked a bit surprised. "But not eliminate the threat?"

Sarah shook her head. "I think she's still the best with the Fulcrum situation."

"You're being kinder than I would've expected."

Sarah sighed. "Just being practical."

"I'll come and help you."

Sarah hadn't expected that. "Really?"

"I need something to do and this does need dealing with," Zondra replied.

"She can't see or suspect you, Z."

Zondra smirked as she said, "I'll keep in the shadows." Then she looked seriously at her friend. "But you need someone to have your back."

Sarah felt so grateful. "Thanks. Just you, though. The team needs to be ready if something comes up."

"I know."

Zondra had sounded Lacy out and he was appalled at the general's plans.

Chuck set up a call between the pair of them and the whole team in Castle. After discussing it with Zondra, the three of them had decided the others should be made aware of the situation.

"I feel incensed by this development." The three with him turned to face Lacy. They seemed to be as shocked at him speaking up as Chuck and Sarah were.

Zondra knew his feelings, so recovered the quickest. She patted his shoulder. "Me, too."

"I'm paying her another visit," Sarah told them. She looked at Lacy. "Don't worry. She'll survive the encounter."

"Not sure she should," muttered Bryce.

"She's the only one who knows what we do about the Intersect and understands the Fulcrum threat," Sarah said.

"Fulcrum has been very quiet recently. Are they even still a problem?" Carina asked.

"Actually, it's worrying that they've gone silent," Chuck chipped in. "They must be up to something."

"How can we help?" Lacy asked.

"Zondra is coming with me as backup. Lacy, Bryce and Carina will stay in LA. If Fulcrum or some other threat needs the team, you're it." She looked at Lacy. "This time, if needed, you'll lead the team until Zondra returns.

He looked surprised. She looked at Bryce and Carina who didn't seem upset. "I know you two are furthering your understanding of each other." She sensed Chuck stifling a laugh. "Just be ready if needed."

Carina smirked, but Bryce looked offended. Carina elbowed him. "We're always ready… for anything."

"Chuck will cover for me. Taking any calls from Beckman and passing missions, if any come up, to Lacy."

"Won't she wonder where you are?" Bryce asked.

"Sarah suffers from irritable bowels," Chuck said.

She knew it was a good excuse for being unavailable, but Sarah still glared at him.

"Oh, ok," Bryce replied, only just hiding his smile.

This was the first time Sarah and Chuck had been apart since her last DC visit. They'd had an emotional parting with her promising to stay safe and return to him as soon as she could.

As she arrived at the airfield, she realized that this would be the first time she'd be with Zondra since the CATS debacle.

Zondra was waiting for her beside the plane that had been made available. Sarah's long standing arrangement with the airfield owner enabled this.

As Sarah approached, she felt a bit overwhelmed with emotion. She dropped her bag to the ground and rushed to her friend to envelope her in a hug. Zondra was a bit taken aback, but then hugged back just as tightly.

"Missed you," Sarah said as they parted.

"You see me every day," Zondra chuckled. "But, yes, I missed you, too."

Both bent down to pick up their bags and got into the plane. It had been refueled and was ready for them.

They both placed their bags in lockers and Sarah walked to the cockpit. "I'd love for you to sit with me…"

Zondra cut her off. "Of course I will."

Sarah did the pre-flight checks and then told the tower she was leaving.

Once airborne, she looked at her friend. "We've not gone on missions together since it all fell apart five years ago."

Zondra nodded. "Yeah. Amy really fucked us up."

Sarah grabbed her hand. "Sorry I doubted you."

Zondra squeezed back. "I did the same."

"You were my best friend. I should've known it couldn't be you."

"Well, all's well…" Zondra replied. She smiled. "I never thought we'd be going up against one of the intelligence services' leaders."

Sarah nodded. "Crazy, isn't it?"

"So, the plan is to land near to her home?"

"Yeah. At a small airfield that's close to the Beckman / Steadman household."

"I never knew she was married," Zondra commented. "She was known to be sleeping with Roan Montgomery."

"Yeah, she wasn't faithful. Probably still isn't."

"I suspect you will be," Zondra said. "Curls seems to have completely won you over."

Sarah thought about the man waiting for her to return and gave her friend a happy grin.

Zondra shook her head. "Never expected you to…"

Sarah snorted. "Me neither. Chuck was a surprise."

"You seem good for each other."

"We are."

"Dreamy eyed, too!"

Sarah looked at her friend. "He's all I ever wanted, even though I never expected it."

Zondra pretended to stick her finger down her throat, but then smiled. "I'm glad for you both. Shame about the general, though."

"She and Graham broke up a great team," Sarah told her, thinking about Casey for a moment. "But what they ordered also made me admit my feelings for Chuck… to myself, as well as to him."

"Is that why you don't take her out? Some weird gratitude?"

Sarah shook her head. "No. Chuck would be disappointed in me."

"God, you really have got it bad!"

Sarah nodded. "I'm so much in love with him. He knows what I've done in the past and he still loves me. I don't deserve that, but I am so grateful. I would do anything for him. Trouble is, he'd do the same for me. I'm trained for this life, he's not. Even when he didn't trust me, he risked his life to save mine. He even saved Casey. That's the sort of man I'm with."

"Sarah, you don't have to sell him to me. He makes you happy. That's good enough for me."

Sarah wasn't sure whether to ask the obvious question but felt she should because it was obvious. "And is anyone making you happy?"

Zondra huffed. "Between you two and now Bryce and Carina, the bar has been set pretty damn high. Besides, I'm still in the 'spies don't fall in love' mindset."

Sarah smiled. "I was the same. When I was with Chuck before the attempt on his life, he was my asset, and me his handler. My feelings for him made that difficult. I tried to be professional but he unsettled me."

"Carina could see you'd fallen for him when she visited you."

"I hadn't admitted it to myself then. I was confused. Carina did trigger jealousy, though, which should've told me something."

"So, now a happily married couple," Zondra teased.

"We would be happy if it wasn't for Beckman," Sarah replied. "And you know we're not married."

"As good as."

"We're too happy with each other for that," Sarah insisted.

"You think marriage is unhappy?" Zondra asked incredulously.

"The only marriage I know was my parents, and that was a disaster," Sarah replied. "Chuck and his sister thought their parents were happy together, but then his mom abandoned them, followed a while later by their dad."

"Not great role models, I guess," her friend said. "Well, my parents are still together and heading toward retirement."

Sarah said nothing.

Beckman's security had been increased and, from the security cameras Chuck had tapped into at her husband's workplace, there were even NSA security staff there. So, she'd persuaded him to get the details of their children. Jamie was at college, but Michelle had completed her education and was now a trainee teacher at a school not far from the family home.

Zondra had dropped Sarah off and driven to the school where Michelle Steadman worked. She parked near the school, but not intrusively so. The black car they'd 'acquired' was perfect with tinted glass, so no one would see her using binoculars.

As Zondra sat there, she thought about the fact that both children had their father's last name. She assumed that the general either hadn't taken his name, or persuaded him to change his, when she married. It was unlikely that Beckman was an alias.

Then she saw movement ahead. As expected, all the children left before the teachers, all of them looking happy and carrying items they were taking home with them. Purely by chance, this was the last day of term.

The teachers and teaching assistants, including Michelle, took longer to leave. Zondra had expected this, so just sat and waited. She wasn't going into the school.

Michelle walked out of the building chatting to another young woman, but they separated when they reached their cars.

So, Michelle set off in a beaten up blue Volkswagen Beetle, completely unaware of being tailed.

"We've just left the school," Zondra told Sarah.

"Okay," Sarah replied.

After a few minutes, the mark turned off. "Sarah, she's going into a supermarket."

"At least she's not with anyone," the blonde replied.

Sarah sat quietly waiting for Michelle to return to her small apartment. She'd made herself a coffee and was sitting in one of the chairs at the table, facing the door.

Zondra had been waiting for Michelle to leave the supermarket and would let Sarah know when she'd arrive at the apartment. They were both driving at present.

Their timing had worked out well. With the school term ending, Michelle wouldn't be missed from work if Sarah chose to detain her, but that wasn't what she planned.

"The stop was to pick up groceries," Zondra told her. "But she's heading home now."

Sarah put her coffee down and waited.

Zondra chuckled. "She probably won't see you when she enters. She's carrying two shopping bags and one party covers her face."

Sarah smiled at the image.

She heard a key in the lock and the door swung open. Michelle was indeed carrying a bag covering her mouth and nose. She retrieved her key and entered. She kicked the door shut behind her.

It was only then that she noticed the blonde woman sitting at the table. "Who're you?" she demanded.

"Someone who your mother wants dead," Sarah coldly replied.

Michelle rolled her eyes and walked to the kitchen area, putting the bags on the surface. "You must be the rogue agent who harassed mom and threatened dad a few weeks ago."

"You don't seem bothered," Sarah commented.

"Dad's not able to defend himself," Michelle replied.

Sarah's cold eyes would've frightened anyone else. "And you think you can?"

The younger woman shrugged. "If necessary."

Sarah laughed. "How wrong you are."

"So, weeks later, you've decided to harass me. Just give it up, will'ya."

Sarah obviously wasn't going to do that. "Did your dad say why I threatened him?"

"You disagreed with mom and went rogue."

Sarah shook her head. "Sit," she commanded, pointing at the other dining chair set nearer to the kitchen area.

Once Michelle sat, Sarah said, "I'll show you what your mom did." She pressed the remote beside her and the tv came on. Then Sarah pressed another remote and the recording Casey had given her started to play. The general gave Casey his order.

Sarah turned to Michelle, who looked horrified. "Ordering the death of an American citizen is illegal. This recording could put your mom in a bunker." She pressed play again and the voice recording of the order to kill Sarah played. "So, yes, I disagree with your mom's illegal orders."

"Why are you here?" Michelle asked, looking shaken.

"Not to kill you. I don't choose to kill innocent American citizens. That's your mom's way. I want you to tell her to stop her vendetta and work with me to stop the threat to America. I also thought you should know what your mom is really like."

"And what if she doesn't stop?" Michelle nervously asked.

"The general seems to have forgotten that the first recording would be released if she actually killed either of us. Remind her of that, please. Oh, and if she continues, then family members will get hurt."

Sarah picked up her pistol.

Michelle suddenly looked terrified. "You-you said that would hap-happen only if she continued!"

"This won't really hurt," Sarah replied and fired a dart into Michelle's chest. She had to catch the girl who was going to fall off her chair, and she carried the unconscious form over to the couch and laid her down.

Walking into the kitchen, Sarah looked in the grocery bags. She took out the items for the refrigerator and freezer, and stored them. All the rest of the items, she left in the bags.

After retrieving the flash drive, she walked back to the table and placed it down for Michelle to find when she recovered. She then left the apartment.

"So, why this stop as well?" Zondra asked.

"Beckman needs to understand that increased security doesn't stop me."

They were sitting in the car about one-hundred yards from the residence. Both the general and her husband had returned home. Her arrival just before his. The same black car with darkened glass had delivered her. However, the security to access the grounds had changed. The wall around the garden was new and the driver had to key in a security code to open the gate. He was experienced enough to mask the keypad as he did this.

However, when the husband arrived Sarah easily captured the code through her binoculars.

"Some security!" Zondra muttered.

Sarah was equally surprised . "There are no cameras on the gates." She shook her head. "They just depend on the access code for the security!"

"Makes it easier for you than climbing the wall," Zondra observed.

Two women ate the sandwiches they'd bought and waited. After an hour, Sarah said, "Time to jam signals." Preventing NSA from detecting her arrival was important to give her the time she needed. By the time they'd realized something was wrong, she'd be in and out.

Zondra focused on that as Sarah climbed out of the car and ran to the entranceway. She keyed in the security code and the gates opened.

She ran to the door and picked the lock. The general obviously hadn't felt it necessary to change the lock to anything more secure than what had been there before.

Sarah slipped quietly into the house. She heard voices in the dining room, as she expected. Pulling out her tranquilizer pistol, she crept toward that room. The door was open and peeking in, she saw the pair sitting at the dining table. The husband's back was to Sarah and, in spite of her diminutive size, the general spotted the intruder over his shoulder. Sarah fired a dart into his back first. Then, smiling at his wife, fired one into her as she started to rise.

She walked in. Both had their faces in their respective bowls of spaghetti bolognese. That made Sarah laugh, but she lifted and turned each head, resting the individual's ear in the dish. She had no intention of causing either of them to die from such a garlicky-tomato death.

She'd hand written a note for her adversary and another for the woman's husband, so placed each on the table beside them as she removed the darts.

The general's note simply said, "You can never hide from the consequences of your actions."

Robert's note said, "Your wife doesn't learn her lessons."

A third note was probably superfluous, but she left it anyway. "Michelle will have roused before you, but you should contact her."

She quickly left the residence and ran back to Zondra.

In less than a half-hour, they were airborne.

Half way back to Los Angeles, Sarah received the expected call from her boyfriend.

"A bit of buzz in the NSA," he said.

Both women laughed. "Apparently…," he started, deliberately drawing the word out. "General Beckman and her husband fell asleep falling into their pasta!" He then couldn't hold his laugh in. "Seriously, though, notes were found on the dining room table with them. The daughter is being picked up."

"Happy family time when they wake up," Zondra commented.

"Hope so," Sarah replied.

"See you in a few hours, gorgeous," Chuck said. "Love you."

"Love you, too," Sarah replied.

"Thanks for helping her, Zondra," he added.

"Hardly did anything, but it was still fun," the brunette responded.

"Sarah was back with Chuck and rested when they received a call.

"You dared…!" a very red faced General Beckman shouted as she appeared on the screen.

"Because you dared!" Sarah snapped back. The nerve of this woman was beyond exasperating. She took a dig, "What did your daughter think?"

Beckman spluttered incomprehensibly.

"The rates have now gone up," Chuck calmly stated. "Call it a punishment tax."

"We almost had a good working relationship," Sarah coldly stated. "And we were making progress. What the fuck did you think you were achieving by your stupidity?"

Beckman ended the call. "She achieved nothing with that call, either," Chuck commented.

"I got satisfaction from it, though," Sarah replied.

"She might try something in the next mission," he said.

"You and I never get involved, so it would be pointless." She smiled. "Hope we get something that is worth what it's going to cost her."

A/N: Not a mission, but I hope you still liked the anti-Beckman vibes.

Please leave a review and let me know what you thought of this chapter.