A/N: Well, this finally happened, huh? I mean, how many months later? Sorry, folks. New job, new resonsibili-Hahahaha who am I kidding? I've been writing 13,589 fics at once and it just took me a long time to figure this ending out. LOL like I'd ever let adulting get in the way of writing my Chuck fic. (I need help, maybe.) After the long wait, I hope this is worth it. I tried to give some closure. It took me a heinously long time to figure out how to make it work.

A few folks hated this story and made it known, so hopefully those few are gone by now, since that's what adults do when they don't like things. Kay enjoy byyyeeee!

Disclaimer: I don't own CHUCK or its characters.

She'd misjudged how hard it would be to build this con. It made sense, though, in hindsight. This was the biggest and most intense con of her entire life, wasn't it? This one had to work. Her future was on the line. The potential for happiness in her existence depended on pulling this off.

But she had a good team of professionals working with her. And the best PR man in the business.

And the clout of one of the most powerful names in America was backing her up, too.

Although, not publicly. At least, not yet.

Six months had passed since Lisbon.

Six months of clandestine meet-ups in other countries, whirlwind weekends holed up in hotel suites…and just as Chuck Bartowski promised his robber, he hadn't pushed her a bit. He hadn't rushed this. They'd just enjoyed the time they spent together, a few days, sometimes even a week or two of warmth and love and long, deep, personal discussions about their lives…and then there'd be weeks apart, sometimes more than a month even.

It was hard for her to be away from him. Too hard.

And that was why planning started to become part of their reunions. There was genuine searching for a solution. They made pros and cons lists. They spent time consulting her team, consulting Morgan, and even Ellie and Devon. Though…she still had only really met Ellie a handful of times. That was still an interesting dynamic Sarah would have to figure out. His sister still didn't trust her. And she didn't blame her. She'd even told her as much and had gotten a, "thanks for the support" that had been less than sincere. She didn't even blame Ellie for that response. She just hoped she could actually get to a place where Devon wasn't the only Woodcomb who approved of her. Their very own champion of love, he was.

And yet, even with Ellie's mistrust and tentativeness, she was a part of the planning. It was a testament to her character, Sarah thought. That she was putting Chuck's happiness above everything else in that way.

It wasn't an easy prospect, inventing a backstory out of thin air that didn't seem like it was out of thin air. Presenting a person to a society that had never heard of her, that had barely any record of her existence before, without anyone catching on that they'd never heard of her because she hadn't existed…

And could that be any more convoluted?

She and Chuck had worked tirelessly on figuring out how to play it, how to make this subtle enough that no one cared to dig too hard, but that it was believable. They'd built a protective veil around Sarah Walker, new money heiress, and her family history without making it look like the veil was purposeful.

The original idea they'd had was to not cast her as a part of the high class, make her working class—a waitress he met at a restaurant, or a social worker, or a professor—someone nobody would have ever heard of in the Bartowskis' circles. But Ellie had brought up a good point with Chuck while he and Sarah had been apart for a few weeks towards the beginning of their planning. That would be something of a scandal; Chuck Bartowski marrying someone outside of his class, someone of inferior means. It was almost nineteen-fifty-four, and the country wasn't the way it had been fifty years ago, even thirty years ago. Social class wasn't as big of an impediment to love as it had once been, but it was still something that would be plastered all over the newspapers, in all of the gossip rags, and Chuck and Sarah would get unwanted attention. More so than usual.

That wasn't something that would help them.

If they could just quietly sneak Sarah Walker into society, make her impervious to intrigue, boring even to the media at large, that would be for the best.

And so they invented an elderly uncle who'd died, and she was Uncle Philip Walker's only living heir who'd quietly taken on the money, sold his home, and eased into a solitary life while protecting herself from too much attention. Uncle Philip, just like all of the Walkers, had kept his affairs private by conducting most of his business abroad, hence why he never showed up before.

Sarah had then taken on the rest of the con alone, using her years of experience as a con woman to sneak her existence out amongst the top of the social hierarchy. Eyebrows were raised, curiousness piqued, and she'd gotten her first invitation to a luncheon. That done with, she'd gotten another…and then another…

Three months of slowly ingratiating herself into Charles Bartowski's world had finally paid off, though. She'd gotten almost no attention from the media, slipping in and out of parties, being introduced around the room, admired for her beauty, asked questions about her uncle's involvement in the oil business, but generally not made a fuss over, thankfully. And now Harriet Rowland had invited her to the same gala as Devon and Eleanor Woodcomb, and Eleanor's single bachelor brother Charles Bartowski would be there as well.

She was nervous, and she missed her team.

They were pulling a job without her, in a place she'd asked them not to tell her, just in case. The last time she'd seen Carina, Zondra, and Jay had been two months ago, when they'd all converged in her downtown Los Angeles suite, in a high rise hotel called the Grand Industrial. It had been bittersweet. They knew they'd only see her on and off from that point on, as they continued the con life without her.

But she and Chuck had both neglected to talk about her own involvement in the con life now that they were taking this step, or rather now that she was taking this step. She'd still done jobs with her team in those first few months after Lisbon. She hadn't given Chuck specifics, but he'd known she hadn't quit and he hadn't complained or asked her to stop. She hadn't even seen unease in his face when he'd asked her about it. Instead, there was that ever-present sparkle in his eyes, like it still excited him. The nut.

She was in this high society now, though. And that had meant no jobs the last three months. Just building her persona, inserting herself into this world of Chuck's, and making sure there weren't any murmurings of familiarity. The moment she was recognized, she'd have to disappear again, but it seemed her story was believable enough, her private mien acceptable enough, that nobody would ever guess she might be the Ice Queen. Perhaps it was just too insane for anyone to ever suspect. Nobody could be crazy enough to take this kind of a risk, put themselves in this much danger of being found out.

This was truly insane.

She smiled as she made her way to a small group that included the host, Harriet Rowland. Harriet turned and fluffed at her short, curly black hair, pinned back from her forehead stylishly. "Oh, Sarah, darling! So glad you could come." The other woman put her hand on her arm and leaned in for a light kiss on her cheek. "I know how you hate these soirees."

Sarah giggled and shook her head. "Oh, now. I never said I hate them. I'm still getting used to all of this, you know."

Harriet turned and introduced her to the small group she was standing in, and the forty-something looking man standing across from her with his arm around his wife shook her hand heartily. "It's a pleasure to put a face to the name. I think I heard of your uncle, maybe even did business with him. Philip Walker. Good chap. I'm sorry for you loss, Miss Walker. See, I'm not in oil, but automobiles…"

She inwardly laughed. Philip Walker hadn't existed, but if people wanted to lie to make themselves seem more connected, and therefore back up her story, she wasn't going to complain. She might send the man some flowers even.

Sarah couldn't exactly make herself into a wallflower, even amongst these pretty, well-dressed people Harriet had invited, the black evening dress she'd picked out seeming to draw attention, and of course, she knew how attractive she was. She drew people to her. And while she didn't like it much, she played her part.

One of the things she was most proud of was how well she'd managed to side-step making her male admirers think she was even slightly interested, while still being polite enough not to stamp herself with a reputation as frigid, as she knew that was the usual reaction when a woman showed disinterest in men. There had to be something wrong with a woman like that. And so she'd skillfully maintained the balance, dancing with a few men here and there, but not encouraging anything beyond distanced politeness.

Everything depended on her being able to mold herself to this cover. For all intents and purposes, this eventually would no longer be a cover. It would be her life. Her real life. Even if it hadn't started out as real.

If she meant to be with Chuck, this would be the only way she could make it happen. Her yearning for that thrill of the hunt, pulling cons, stealing…she would tackle that after tonight. She would tackle that later, when she and Chuck were able to settle into this relationship without needing to separate again, waiting to see one another until the next time they could swing a reunion.

That was no life for either of them, even if it was clear they both were prepared to do whatever they had to do to still be able to see one another in some capacity. But why stay apart for so long when they didn't have to? Why put themselves through that when they could build a normal life and not worry about sneaking around or meeting in the shadows?

And so she'd made this decision. This was the safest thing for both of them. Chuck would never be able to last in her world. But she could con her way into his, and once the con became real, they could start a real life together.

The rest of it they could tackle later. After all, this had all been genuinely fun, and the danger in it hadn't been lost on her. It had almost felt like she was on a job, in a way.

And she would broach the subject of not entirely wanting to abandon said job after this worked out. It meant things might be strained with her and Ellie. She knew that. But she wasn't willing to sacrifice that part of herself. She could pull back on the amount of jobs and the types of jobs, but to quit entirely? She simply didn't want to.

She'd be much more careful. That was for sure. As it was, the team had become a lot more careful, Carina and Zondra especially donning masks when they stole, wearing disguises during recon work.

There was a lot more to lose these days.

But that wasn't going to be for a while. They had to establish this relationship first.

A relationship with a man she supposedly hadn't met yet. Which was a little…fun…wasn't it? They'd discussed it the last time they met and he'd admitted he found the prospect sexy, pretending they were strangers when they came upon one another at the party.

She smirked to herself and took a flute of champagne from the waiter who stopped his tray beside her. With a nod of thanks, she went on her way, passing the pianist who was mastering Chopin, and wandering out onto the balcony where the air was cool and crisp. It was incredibly nice against her heated skin.

Beverly Hills sprawled below her perch, trees and mansions casting shadows in the light from the sliver of a moon that was out tonight. She loved Los Angeles. She'd decided soon after moving into her suite at the Grand Industrial. It was quieter than New York, maybe because it was so big. It tumbled over the California landscape, made up of such an incredible variety of boroughs and neighborhoods, small towns that took up just one or two exits on the freeway, and a deep, complicated history.

She could easily get lost here, slip into anonymity out in the streets. There were so many people, so many types of people, too. She loved it.

And as she took another sip of her champagne, she heard the door open behind her, the sound of someone shuffling out onto the balcony. And she thought maybe it was him until she heard the distinctive click of heels against stone.

"Thought that was you, Sarah."

She turned from where she'd been leaning against the railing and watched as Eleanor Woodcomb slowly strolled out to join her. As if of one mind, they moved to the side where people wouldn't be able to see them just by looking out of the French doors. Technically, this woman's brother was Sarah Walker's important meeting for the night.

But the fact that Ellie had actively approached her was hopefully a good sign. Right?

"Before you ask…Yes, Chuck is here. He's inside talking to some guy named Getty…seems like a bizarre man, but…" Ellie shrugged.

"Oh. I-I figured he must be in there somewhere, especially since you're here." She smiled.

"This is it, huh? The start of the thing." She let out a long breath and shook her head. "Do you know what you're doing?"

Sarah turned and watched Ellie closely. "What…do you mean?" she asked haltingly.

"Chuck is a good man. Which you know." Sarah nodded emphatically. "And this isn't a terrible life. Which you also know, Sarah Walker, niece of now deceased Philip Walker the Oil Man."

She snorted at the way Ellie said that, her eyebrows raised, pretty lips pursed. "It isn't what I'm used to. But I'm doing the work to get myself to a place where I can start to enjoy it the way you all do."

"I noticed." She paused for a long time and Sarah felt a little nervous. "You've put a lot of work into this whole plan. In fact, you've had to work a lot harder than Chuck, and you're doing it willingly. You've put your whole self into it, I think. I guess I just…" She huffed. "I didn't believe you loved him enough, maybe. For a while. It's hard for me to…It's just who you are, you know? A thief. Criminal. It's still…sitting in my gut. But knowing what I know about what you're willing to do for him, putting yourself in such a dangerous spot so that the two of you can start a life together? I'm just in awe of how much you must genuinely love my brother. You are restarting your life for him. Leaving your comfort zone and settling in the potential crosshairs. I don't think I'd ever do that for a man."

Sarah chuckled and turned to smirk down into the shadows below the second floor balcony. "It isn't just for him, though. I don't think it is. I've been thinking a lot about it. I hope you don't mind my saying so but I love what I do. I love the adventure in it, the danger, the adrenaline. And I like…the challenge." Ellie nodded mutely, and Sarah was grateful that she didn't interrupt, just listening in a way that reminded her of Chuck. "But living every day like that…" She let out a slow breath. "…I think over the years it has become too overwhelming, too dangerous, just…too much. I've made enough now that I can live comfortably, most likely for the rest of my life, and I don't necessarily want to just leap from con to con, bank job to bank job, jewelry store to jewelry store. A career in crime doesn't feel like it…suits me anymore."

"You gonna make it a hobby instead?" Ellie joked, snorting.

Sarah didn't respond, just staring at her. Ellie dropped the smirk and blinked.

"Wait…Are you?"

"Maybe. I need to talk with Chuck and decide. I don't think I can give it up completely. It's too much a part of me." She blushed a bit. "I know how that must sound to you. And you probably think I'm horrible."

"I am still trying to figure it all out," Ellie said, shaking her head. "Because I can't seem to understand how someone can feel all right about…stealing. But…But I am also confused because I've seen your heart and I think…well, I think it's a very, very good one."

Sarah gaped at Chuck's sister.

"Surprised?" Ellie smirked. "You probably think I must hate you, with the way I've been rather cold, huh?"

"Er…maybe. Yes." She rushed on before Ellie could respond. "But I can't say I altogether blame you for it. I tried so hard to dissuade him from being with me, as much as I've loved him since…the very beginning. As much as I seem to love him more any time I'm around him."

"I know." Ellie smirked. "He told me. I mean, you tied him to a chair so that he couldn't follow you."

"He still followed me."

"All the way to Portugal. I know. I had to go with him, the nut."

Sarah laughed lightly. "I can't believe he did that."

"I can't believe you're doing this."

She met Ellie's green eyes steadily and sighed. "It is pretty unbelievable, isn't it? But I know he's more than worth it. When you're…someone like me…someone who shouldn't have a chance like this with a man like him, you'd better grab onto that chance with everything you've got and hold on and…Well, do whatever you can to earn it. That's what this is, Ellie."

Ellie nodded and leaned forward with her elbows on the railing, looking down into the dark yard below. "This is dangerous for him, and by extension, all of us."

"I know," she admitted quietly. "Which is why I made the decision to make the change. It's why I'm the one orchestrating the con. Walking away from a career." Ellie made a face and she blushed a little. "I-I know it isn't a career you approve of."

"Well, whether I approve of your career or not, I've never seen my brother so…" She looked to be searching for the word, and Sarah thought she might help.

"Happy?" she tried.

"Well, that too. But more than that, he's not how he was…before."

"Before?" the younger woman asked, shifting closer, turning to face the brunette.

"Mhm. After our parents died, it was like…the light went out of him. Like someone blowing out a candle. Not that he was numb to everything. He was generally happy. We both have lived good lives these last ten years. But he was…"

"In a rut. That's what he told me."

"Mm. Yes. He was still fun to be around, but I could see a sort of hollowness in him. And it broke my heart." She eyed Sarah closely then, raising an eyebrow. "That's gone now. Even before we concocted this whole thing, your dead uncle and the inheritance, this sneaky first meeting we're staging. Before it was clear you two are making a genuine go at starting a life together. He was just…complete again. Full." Ellie shrugged. "I'm going to get past what happened at the Chellequin someday, Sarah. Maybe I'll even get it far enough behind me that we can laugh about it," she said drily, and Sarah winced. "And in the meantime, just promise me you'll make each other happy."

"I promise," Sarah said earnestly, forgetting herself and putting her hand on the other woman's arm. "I promise with everything in me. I've never been more determined about anything in my entire life, and trust me when I say I'm the most determined person you'll ever meet. When I want something, I get it. And I don't let go." She let out a slow breath. "I want this to work. I'm going to make sure it does."

"Good," Ellie said after a long pause. And then she worried her lip between her teeth, looking off to the side. "And I know—I know you aren't fully removing yourself from…that. From the…stealing. I wish you would. But I also know it's…problematic…to tell someone else how to live their life."

"You're telling me to stop committing crimes. I'm certain that I'm more problematic than you are." She smirked sardonically. "I don't…know. I don't know what I'm doing. I have decisions to make. But I can feel it in my blood…a need to do more, be more, than just…"

"An heiress and the woman on Charles Bartowski's arm?"

"Yes. We shall see." She shrugged. "But don't think that I'm in a place of assuming Chuck won't be enough for me. He will be. He is."

"No man is enough all by themselves, Sarah. That's fairytale nonsense," Ellie said with a snort. "And for that matter, no woman is, either. No person is enough in general. It's everything else, everything they bring to your life with them. And everything you yourself bring to your own life." She frowned and narrowed her eyes. "Did that make any sense at all?"

Sarah smiled widely, realizing her hand was still on Ellie's arm, that Ellie hadn't done anything to shrug out of her touch, and she gave a quick squeeze. "It did. And you're right. I needed to hear that. Maybe everyone does."

"Don't give me so much credit," Ellie giggled, shaking her head. "Just keep him safe. Keep him out of it, whatever you're doing…if you continue with…you know, that."

Sarah made sure Ellie looked her right in the eye before she replied. "He won't be involved in any of it. Ever. I would never let him." Ellie nodded, relief in her face. "And let's be honest, he isn't cut out for it. He's too…"

"He's a damn Boy Scout," Ellie finished, and Sarah laughed. "It's how I like him."

Sarah rested her chin in her hands and leaned forward with her elbows on the railing. "Yeah. Me, too."

"I believe that."

The blonde turned to the brunette and just watched her, the way the shadows played on her face, the strip of light streaming out from the French doors a few feet behind her. "Would you mind if I hugged you? You can say no. I'll understand. Maybe it's something that needs more time—"

The other woman wrapped her arms around her halfway through her sentence, squeezing her tightly. "You love him, you adore him, keep him happy and safe, but keep challenging him…And I'll work on this part of it. Getting past…what you've come from. I promise I'll work on it if you do those things for me. For him."

Sarah held in the tears and squeezed Chuck's sister back. "I promise, Ellie. I promise."

"Good."

When they pulled away, Ellie delicately pushed an elegant strand of hair that escaped her otherwise perfect updo back from her temple and tucked it behind her ear. "You'd better go in first. You have an eligible bachelor to meet by chance."

Sarah snorted and nodded.

"That I do. How do I look?"

"Oh, please. Stop it," came the dry response.

That made her giggle.

And then she realized something for the first time… This was it. She was about to walk in and meet Charles Bartowski for what was supposed to be the first time, and that would be the beginning of a new stage in her life. It would be the start of a new life altogether. She'd been so busy planning everything, building up this persona, this existence, settling into it, meeting with Chuck in secret, obsessing over the minutest of details, that she hadn't had even a moment to think about just how big this was.

This was what she'd been afraid of six months ago when she'd run away to Lisbon, leaving Chuck behind. The settling down part of it, the walking away from everything she knew. She was afraid of changing.

And here she was, about to walk right through that door Chuck left open for her. He hadn't pushed her or manipulated her or persuaded her. She'd made this choice on her own. After six months of falling in love with him even deeper, allowing herself the time to really get to know him, allowing him to get to know her, unloading her past and present on him, and watching in awe as he stayed by her side instead of running in fear… God, she wanted this. She was making this choice wholeheartedly.

This was going to be her life now, and she was incredibly glad, even if she was a little nervous. In spite of living a life of danger and adventure, constantly flirting with imprisonment and death even, this was the biggest leap she'd ever taken.

And she knew Chuck Bartowski was going to be there to catch her if she landed and lost her footing.

As she went back inside, letting a waiter take her empty champagne flute from her fingers, she subtly snuck a glance over her shoulder, scanning the room on that side of her. She turned and scanned the other side. Where was he?

"Sarah!"

She turned on her heel and smiled politely as Lilith Westin swept up to her with every bit of grace the woman seemed to be able to muster. There was some excitement in her face however, and Sarah found herself raising her eyebrows at the editor-in-chief of Her Style magazine. "Lilith, hello…How are you?"

"How am I? Oh, ecstatic, Sarah. Ecstatic. You know who has just arrived, don't you?"

"By the look on your face, I wonder if it isn't the Queen of England," she said with a giggle.

"Haaa." She got a flat look for that. "Better."

"Better than the Queen of England? My, my…"

"We can talk when the Queen of England is unmarried and a man."

That made Sarah laugh. "Who, pray, are we talking about then?"

The strawberry blonde swept up to her side and grabbed her arm with both hands, turning her to face the dance floor. Ah. Yes. There he was. And despite the last six months of utter bliss mixed with genuine growth and the learning they'd done together, side by side (for the most part), she felt that ridiculous flutter in her chest.

Perhaps some things could be a bit like a fairytale, and she just wouldn't say that out loud to Ellie Woodcomb.

"I'm not sure what I'm looking at," she lied, turning her face towards the other woman, then scanning her eyes over the crowd instead of fastening them on the young man having an animated conversation with the wife of Mr. Enders, a man she knew Chuck was in business with currently. He was gracefully moving the older woman around the dance floor. And charming her endlessly.

Of course he was. She'd never met anyone more effortlessly and naturally charming.

"The ice sculpture."

"What?"

"Oh God. Sarah. I'm being facetious. That man dancing with dear Mrs. Enders. You're telling me you don't know him?"

Sarah shrugged and turned to look at Lilith in confusion. "Should I know him? You forget," she added as the other woman's jaw practically unhinged in shock, "up until a handful of months ago, I was hiding away from all of this, trying to come to terms with the shock of finding out I had an uncle, let alone that he'd left me a fortune."

Lilith winced. "Yes, of course, darling. You're right. Well, no time like the present to learn, hm? If you're going to hobnob with this crowd." The much shorter woman shrugged and gestured towards Chuck. "That is Charles Bartowski, youngest heir of the Bartowski estate. It is an incredible fortune, one of the biggest in the United States. And with a business under his belt that is easily one of the most lucrative, as well. And with the added bonus of being entirely unmarried. Wholly unattached. Blissfully untethered."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sarah asked.

"Have you never read a single Jane Austen novel, my dear Miss Walker?" Lilith asked drily.

Sarah laughed. "I get your point. A rich man must be in want of a wife…blah blah."

"Mmmhm. Without the blah blah. It's true."

"Lilith, you're married."

"And happily so. But there are many women here who are not. It's been a while since he's made an appearance at one of these events, too. I wonder why."

Because he'd been too busy with his business, of course. And also she'd perhaps kept him locked up behind closed doors of suites in hotels all around the world, as well as the times he'd snuck into the Grand Industrial to spend the night with her. He still blushed whenever she brought up the way he'd hidden under her bed without even a single shred of clothing on when she let the waiter in with breakfast one morning. She'd laughed for hours at him once the waiter left and he'd glared back the whole time.

Trying to keep the smirk off of her face, she snorted at her new friend. "At the end of the day, he's still just a man."

"Says the most beautiful woman in the room. Pfft. You should hear yourself, Sarah Walker."

Sarah just laughed. "I mean, he is handsome. I'll give him that."

"You think so?" There was a look in the other woman's face as she looked up at her through her eyelashes.

"Yes." Sarah shrugged. Then she narrowed her eyes. "Waaaait right there. Don't you even dare."

"Dare what?"

"Speaking of Jane Austen, don't you try to Emma me with this rich fellow. I have plenty of my own money, thank you. I certainly don't need more. And I absolutely don't need the headache of a relationship when I'm still floundering a bit with this…new life of mine."

"Or it might make your transition easier."

Sarah gave her a flat look. "Have you ever met a man, Lilith?"

Lilith laughed.

"Fine, fine, darling. I won't do any matchmaking."

"You promise?" Sarah asked dubiously.

"Yes! But at least meet the man. Just an innocent meeting!" she rushed, holding her hands up innocently. "Perhaps he has advice he can impart, having been born into this life that's been foisted on you."

And because Lilith Westin had just played right into her hands, making this whole thing that much easier, Sarah relented with a sigh and a nod, letting her friend drag her across the room to where Chuck was handing Mrs. Enders off to her grateful husband, before stepping away from the dance floor and weaving through the partygoers.

"Charles! Oh, Charles…?"

He turned around mid step and his eyes immediately latched onto Sarah's, even though Lilith had been the one calling his name. Oh, that fluttering needed to stop. It wasn't anything that would knock her off her game. Not in the slightest. But she felt so silly. So in love and silly.

Chuck was quick to look away, facing Lilith mostly and smiling in that intensely handsome way of his that wrinkled his nose and the corners of his eyes. "Why, if it isn't Miss Westin…"

"In the flesh, Bartowski."

They shook hands emphatically. "How are you?"

"Much better since you last saw me. The spring issue finally went out on Thursday and now I can breathe again. For about twenty-four hours," she finished in a dry voice.

"Ah, yes. My sister enjoyed the story about the fisherwoman in Alaska. Fascinating stuff."

"You read it?"

"Er…no."

"Mmmmhm," Lilith hummed with a bit of a side-eye as Chuck blushed adorably. But then he raised his gaze to Sarah's again, a bit tentatively, and she was thrown off a little by the way he was already seeming intrigued, swallowing thickly as he took her in, shifting his weight. Was he playing it this way, then? Or was this just Chuck being Chuck? Losing his footing? She didn't know. It was sweet either way. "Ah! Yes! Charles, this is my new friend Sarah. Sarah Walker. Sarah, this is Charles Bartowski."

"Yes, I've heard about you," she said, ignoring the look from Lilith that clearly said you liar. The shorter woman didn't seem altogether unhappy about it, though. She thought she'd suffer through a bit of ribbing later on.

"Have you?" he asked as he folded his hand around hers, his fingers so warm she could practically feel them through her silk gloves.

"Yes," she said. And then she winced and bit her lip, twisting her mouth to the side. "Well, I'll be fully honest. No. I haven't."

"Sarah is new here, Charles. Have you heard of old Philip Walker? He was in oil."

"Er…no, I'm afraid not. But-But, uh, I am not familiar with the oil industry or its players. I apologize, Miss Walker. Please don't think me a fool."

"Oh, I don't at all. He was my uncle and I wasn't familiar with him until not even a year ago." She shrugged. When he gave her a look of question, Lilith squeezed Sarah's arm and then quickly excused herself, claiming some important business she had to attend to. It wasn't smooth or subtle in the least bit and if Sarah wasn't looking for a reason to get to know this rich boy better, she'd roll her eyes at the retreating woman.

Sarah cleared her throat delicately. "I am surprised you haven't been told about this," she said. "Word seems to travel fast here. I received a summons one day and when I showed up, I found out my oil magnate uncle who I never knew existed died and bequeathed me everything he owned, which was…well, quite a lot."

Chuck lifted his eyebrows and leaned in close. "Way to sell the story, Miss Walker, but you think we might be able to dance so that I can talk to you properly?"

"God, please. Can we?"

He bit his cheek, she knew to keep from laughing at her eagerness, and then he stuck his arm out towards her so that she could wrap her hands around his bicep, allowing him to lead her back out to the dance floor.

Chuck held her at an appropriate distance and looked down into her face. Was it too much to think she was falling in love with him all over again in that moment? She allowed herself to ponder how she'd feel if this were real, if this Sarah Walker she was presenting in public were really meeting this man for the first time. Would he sweep her off her feet? Or would it be slow? Gradual? She would fall eventually, she knew.

"And so how do we proceed now?" he asked in a quiet voice. "You're the brains of this outfit."

"Don't let me too far out of your sight for the next few hours. Introduce me to your sister, perhaps? And then later tonight, you can sneak into my bedroom and we can finish what we started last weekend…"

"That is brazen for our first meeting. Just who do you think you are speaking to, Miss Walker?"

"The same man who must've broken some world record that last morning with how fast he took my tights off."

An aching look flashed over his face and then he huffed. "You're going to bust our cover if you keep doing this."

"Sorry. You're too easy to tease."

"Tease? That's teasing? Pointing out my two left feet is teasing. What you're doing is downright torture."

She giggled and moved a bit closer, just enough that only they would notice. "Five days, Chuck. I've missed you so."

"God help me, I missed you, too. And I'll be there tonight, but…well, we have to be careful. Sarah Walker needs her reputation as this circle's new darling to remain intact."

She rolled her eyes a bit. "Yes, indeed. I can't allow myself to be sullied by the dangerously handsome rich boy who knows his way around wires…"

Chuck smirked deeply. But then he sobered up a bit and met her eyes steadily. "Sarah, I was thinking today. When I was getting dressed for this. This is it, isn't it? The real beginning. Or at least, the beginning to…all of these people everyone else. And I suppose us, too. In a way. There is no turning back now that we're here, together, where everyone can see us."

"No more shadows," she breathed. "They've seen us. And…" She snuck a subtle glance over his shoulder and saw what she figured she would see. A few of the other partygoers were eyeing them with secret smiles. "Well, they are definitely looking."

"And you're sure this is what you want?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

He smiled quietly. "I wish I could kiss you. But that'd be rather forward since we just met five minutes ago, hm?"

She grinned. "Indeed it would be. You have to take me to dinner in a public place first. Perhaps a symphony. The opera. Isn't that how all of this works?"

"Yes. It is."

"And when can I meet your family?"

He made a soft amused sound and glanced around the room, before lowering his brow eyes back to her blue ones, his face softening. "We have to move slow. Even if we…are less slow behind closed doors."

"Oh, that second part is non-negotiable."

"Good. We're absolutely agreed on that, then."

She giggled.

"Sarah…"

"Hm?"

"I-I know you've built this…person…that you have to be here. Someone who fits in, who doesn't stand out or attract too much unwanted attention. So that nobody wants to investigate your story, your background." She nodded as he nibbled on his lip a bit.

"What is it, Chuck?" she asked under her breath. "Talk to me."

"You are Sarah Walker. Let her become you. Please, please…don't become her. I love you. Make Sarah Walker the real you. Be yourself. I know this…these beginnings…maybe that part of this is a lie. But what if everything else were the truth? We could really be Chuck Bartowski and Sarah Walker falling in love. Not some hoity-toity fake Sarah Walker you think you should be, but just…just you. Because the people who know me well enough know I've tried to be with women like that. It just doesn't work for me. You've got your cover story, you've established yourself here in this life, in this place… Be yourself. Be the woman I'm so steadfastly in love with. And this will be so much easier for us both. I just know it."

She found herself smiling up at him. "Do you think I can? Really?"

"I know you can. Ah…but the song has ended. And I feel like maybe champagne might be in order…"

"And some night air, perhaps?" she asked.

"Oh, so much night air."

Sarah laughed and put a flirtatious hand on his arm, letting him lead her towards the beverage table. This was just the beginning, she knew. And they had a lot of work they would have to do from here on out, but she wouldn't have to lie or con her way through this. It would be real and true and sincere. She was going to be a woman falling in love with a man, at a genuine and natural pace.

And she thought again that she didn't deserve this.

She really and truly didn't.

But she was going to devote her life to trying to deserve it. Through every hurdle, every bump in the road along this journey…they would always be together, and she knew beyond all doubt that he'd be her partner in everything, including putting in some hard work and patience of his own. He would support her the way she intended to support him.

This was going to be beautiful.

And as they found a quiet, secluded spot on the grounds of the estate, wrapping themselves up in one another's arms, their lips coming together in familiarity and passion, Sarah swore on everything that mattered to her that she wouldn't take even a single thing for granted.

A/N: There was no way I'd end this story without an Ellie and Sarah reunion and heart to heart. NO WAY. It's me. Y'all know my bread and butter is Ellie and Sarah friendship in every universe that exists. So as this stands, this is the end. However, it's...perhaps possible...that at some point in the future, I might...want to do a thing...in this universe. I'm not saying I'm definitely going to, but don't be surprised if it happens. That's all.

Thanks so much for taking this journey with me, everyone. Honestly, you're all just top drawer.

-SC