A/N: What if Sarah got to Casa Bartowski before the new Intersect was activated? How would things turn out? This will be a multi-chapter AU, but starting with canon.

Beta'd this time by the amazing WillieGarvin. Thanks, my friend. Any mistakes found will obviously be mine, probably in changes made since he saw it, either in corrections or additions.

Endings

Chapter 1: Execution

Sarah was nervous, but also extremely excited, as she drove towards the apartment complex.

She and Chuck were going to continue the date that had been so rudely interrupted, at the worst possible moment. Not that any time was good, and certainly not interruptions by that crew working for Fulcrum, but they were just about to kiss, for God's sake!

She'd been wanting that kiss since the one in the warehouse, which she had been dreaming about ever since. Of course, this one wouldn't have been as passionate, but she'd hoped it would be the one that made Chuck realize what she wanted. She wanted him. Before the date in the restaurant, she was thinking that it was going to be their last night together. She was letting all her walls down; admitting her feelings for him.

She yearned for that kiss to start it all off.

Sure, they'd kissed for the cover and although she savored those moments, they weren't real. She wanted real. She wanted deep, but that would have only happened after they left the restaurant. Or so she'd thought at the time.

That will happen tonight, at the apartment. He'd told her that Ellie and Devon had gone out and Morgan would not be there because he knew they were on a date. So, just the two of them. Before now she would have avoided that, because of the job, but not tonight. Tonight, it was just what she wanted.

She thought back to the events on that rooftop and shivered. She had been convinced she had lost him. She'd been devastated! When she saw Colt drop him off the side of the building, her world fell with him. How could she possibly continue without him being in her life?

All she could think about, once she unfroze, was to destroy the person who had done that. In a saner moment she would have known how impossible that was. She was the best fighter in the CIA, hand to hand as well as with guns or knives, but against that mountain of flesh, she was nothing. That didn't stop her trying, though. She had done so and still had the bruises and scars to show for it.

When Chuck had walked back onto the roof, with all those men, she had felt weak at the knees. He was still alive!

Once she managed to stand again, she'd just wanted to run to him, wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him into oblivion. She couldn't, of course. Not in front of everyone there! Not only that, if she'd done that, he would've had to support her as her legs would certainly have given way again, both from relief and pleasure. She hadn't and had kept a professional stance while with him. How she managed to walk confidently down those stairs was still a mystery to her.

Well, tonight she'd be kissing his face off, whether the surveillance was on or not. He'd be free of the intelligence services as of 8pm here in California, when the new Intersect was activated.

He wouldn't be free of her, though! Now she was here, the nerves had receded. Her heart was filled with joy, something that had never resided there.

Nearly losing him had made her realize how much she needed him; to be with him. She was going to resign from the Company and stay with him. She knew he wanted that. She could always read people, but with Chuck Bartowski, anyone could see how much he loved her! She needed to tell him that the feeling was reciprocated, something she had only recognized herself with the recent events.

After her resignation, she'd find a job in the area; she had no idea what that would be, but something would come up. All her thoughts before that she was just a spy and could do nothing else seemed ridiculous now. She'd find something..

Eight o'clock was such a pivotal moment in their lives, that she wanted to be there and experience that transition, hopefully in his arms. That was why she was going to get there early. He had said to arrive after eight o'clock, but she was going to surprise him and arrive shortly before that. Immediately after he let her in, she was going to have that first kiss and then wait for 'the moment' before starting the much deeper kiss and whatever followed.

As she pulled into her favorite space in the parking lot by the apartment complex, only yards from the entrance way of the courtyard, her anticipation was rising. In a couple of minutes, she would be there, outside the entrance to the apartment that she fully intended to move into the following day. Her whole body quivered thinking about that.

She looked in the vanity mirror to check her appearance. She wanted to look her best for the man who would soon be so much more than a cover boyfriend.

Satisfied, she opened the car door to get out. As she shut the door, she rested her hands on the roof for a few seconds, steadying herself. This was a big moment for her. She'd never committed herself to a relationship before; committed herself to one person. It was scary, but she was going through with it. Charles Irving Bartowski was absolutely worth it!

How such a wonderful man could be interested in her, was still beyond her. She was a killer, an assassin; she lied more than she ever told the truth; she'd seduced men; hell, she'd conned people since she was seven; she wasn't worthy of his love, but he didn't care about any of that. Of course, he didn't know all of it, which had been a concern, but she was going to try to ignore that and give in to her feelings, especially as he somehow, ignored all he knew and saw things in her that even she had forgotten, including her innocence as a child. He made her want to be what he saw in her, be better than she was.

She stopped daydreaming and walked through the archway and across the courtyard to the door. She had turned off her phone to ensure nothing disturbed their night. She would have to tell Chuck to do the same.

She took a deep breath and knocked.

It didn't take him long to get to the other side of the door and he had it open in no time. His smile made her legs feel weak. That smile he had just for her. She could feel her matching smile appear. "Hi, Chuck. I came early."

She watched him while she said that. His eyes never left hers. She had worn a top that she knew he liked, but his eyes didn't stray down to look. "Food's not quite ready, so you'll have to wait for a bit." His eyes twinkled. "Punishment for arriving too soon!" he teased.

She laughed.

He ushered her into the apartment.

As he started to turn to go back to the kitchen, she grabbed his arm and pulled him to her. He stumbled a bit, but she steadied him, then she lifted her right hand and her fingers weaved their way into the curls at the back of his head. She pulled him down and planted her lips against his, kissing him just how she'd been planning. She closed her eyes. The only senses she needed were touch, her lips on his.

He hesitated for a second, then wrapped his arms around her and kissed her back.

It wasn't the bomb kiss, but it was so much more than a cover kiss.

When he started to pull away, she leaned forward, following for a second, not wanting the kiss to end, but far too soon their lips separated. She opened her eyes and looked at a very surprised Chuck Bartowski.

She smiled, looking at him up through her lashes, and said as a smile grew on her lips, "Surprise!"

He replied, "Wow!"

"I couldn't wait a moment longer," she softly admitted, feeling her heart flutter.

She noticed the time on the clock on the wall behind him. The second hand was sweeping towards the top, seconds before the hour. Showtime!

She reached up to pull him into the kiss again, but then heard a floorboard creak and instantly Agent Walker was back in control of her mind and body.

She quickly pushed Chuck aside as she grabbed the gun from the back of her waistband. Yes, she was on a date with him, but she wasn't making that mistake again.

Her training kicked in. No hesitation slowed her down. She had always been able to instantly pinpoint and hit a target without fail. It was instinctive, what set her apart from everyone else at the Farm, what had made her the most frightening of all operatives in the CIA, the deadliest of all the assassins working for Langston Graham.

She whipped her gun around and, seeing movement down the hallway, shot at the intruder.

A year ago, when she first took on the role of the Intersect's protector, this training and instinct would have led to her reacting in this way. Now that he was so much more than just her asset, the one she had to protect, that merely increased her determination to stop any attack on him with deadly force.

There was a soft cry and the body slumped to the ground and she rushed over to make sure it was no longer a threat. As she ran, she shouted to Chuck, "Stay!"

She was shocked when she reached the body, the last person she would have thought was lying there!

John Casey had blood trickling from his chest wound and out of the side of his open his mouth. He wasn't going to last long. She didn't care about that; she kicked the gun out of his hand, away from him and demanded, "Why?"

"Orders," he choked out, spraying blood onto his chest.

He had something small in his other hand, which he had obviously just pulled from a pocket. Sarah tensed, ready to shoot again if it was a further threat. However, he reached up and handed her a flash drive, then slumped back. His eyes glazed over and within seconds he was dead.

"Y- you k- killed Casey!"

She looked around and found Chuck standing right behind her, rather than where she'd left him. He never followed instructions!

She pocketed the flash drive, then explained, "He was about to kill you. Beckman and Graham must have ordered for it to happen when the new Intersect came on line."

She didn't waste time questioning why Graham hadn't ordered her to do it. Maybe it was just Beckman that decided it should be done. She would have to decide whether to question Graham later.

Her mind was running wild. She had to remove the evidence that she was here from the surveillance logs, and Casey's body from the apartment, then they had to get away. She wanted nothing to indicate they had been there, no indication of her involvement in Chuck leaving. It would delay pursuit.

She spun into action. "Chuck, leave him for a second while we go to his apartment." She pulled him with her and dragged him over to Casey's door. She knew how to get in and soon they were at the surveillance system. While she accessed it, she told Chuck where to find a body bag. She stopped the recordings and wound back to before she arrived and wiped the recording from there on. She also turned off the cameras to avoid them recording the cleanup.

Chuck had returned with the bag and some towels. She was going to walk away, when he stopped her. He sat and tapped rapidly on the keyboard. "Making sure nothing is left," he told her.

Soon, he stood and she wiped the keyboard to remove fingerprints and, as they left, did the same with the door handle, after she picked up Casey's car keys.

Back in the apartment, they man-handled the body into the bag. As she zipped it up, Chuck already was cleaning the floor with the towels and some cleaning fluid.

She drove Casey's car closer and they took the body to it. Lifting it into the trunk, she looked up at Chuck. "Follow me in the Nerd Herder." He nodded.

She was amazed at how he was holding up.

She set off once he reached his car, climbed in and turned on the ignition.

She had to dive slower than she wanted, so that he could keep up. She should have told him where to go. Mentally kicking herself for that slip, she constantly kept an eye in the rearview mirror to make sure she didn't lose him. Somehow, calling him on his cell phone, never occurred to her; something she would later put down to how rattled she was by what had occurred.

She pulled up near the Buy More, but out of sight of any cameras. She got out and walked to Chuck. "Leave the Nerd Herder here and get in the Crown Vic."

He nodded and followed her instructions.

As she drove off she thought about their next steps.

First back to pick up her car. He would have to drive that. That would give him a thrill that may help take his mind off things! Then, off to their next stop. She knew exactly where to deposit the body, then they would abandon the Crown Vic away from there. She would then take Chuck somewhere safe and then briefly look at whatever was on that flash drive, with Chuck, before she headed to Washington DC.

She had favors to call in to get private jet that she could fly to get there quickly, so she could swiftly eliminate the real threat. Whether that was one or two depended on what Graham told her, when she called him, something she knew she needed to do. She had yet to switch on her phone to see what messages he may have left.

At some point she would have to face what she had done, killing her partner, but for now her Agent Walker personality would keep those thoughts at bay and focus on what needed to be done to protect Chuck, or, as her job dictated, protect the asset, at all costs.

A/N: I really like Casey's comments throughout the show, he always got the best lines. I also liked his character after this point, but obviously not when he was going to execute Chuck! He was supposed to do that at precisely the same time as the new Intersect came on line, so him creeping towards Chuck as Sarah arrived with her news after the event was ridiculous. Here, he was following orders precisely, before that news came through.]

With several stories on the go at the same time, updates to this one will be less frequent, fortnightly at best. Sorry about that.

I expect some grief for what happened here, but I do want to know your thoughts, so please leave a review.