A/N: A ChuckQuinn production (God help us all) I know I shouldn't, but I did.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck

She walked down the street, no mission, no destination, just a morning walk. She wasn't sure what to do with herself, but she had all the time in the world in which to do it. The water was to her left, the sun bouncing off it, making a kaleidoscope of colors. She turned, placed her hands on the rail, closed her eyes, and felt the sun on her face and the wind in her hair. She felt peace, tranquility, at one with the-

"Lady, can you get out of the way?" came the voice beside her. Sarah opened her eyes and saw a man carrying a rolled-up carpet, and realized she was blocking his path on the sidewalk.

"Sorry," she murmured, quickly moving so he could get by.

"Wish I had the time to enjoy the day," the man said as he continued past her. "Seriously. Enjoy your day."

She smiled at him and looked out over the water. Why she had come back to San Diego she hadn't been sure, but just five minutes here had reminded her. The house was still here, in her name. She had loved the weather, and for the first time since Graham had 'offered' her a job with the CIA, she felt like she was home.

She had left on her terms, after saving a baby; one that might now be considered her sister. Legally, she was, but right now, she had other things to figure out. Like where that delicious smell was coming from. She turned and looked, using her spy skills for the greatest good she ever had, and pinpointed the location. She snorted when she saw the sign: A Brew-tiful Day.

"Smells good and bad puns," Sarah muttered. "I should probably avoid it."

With that, she crossed the street, walked down the sidewalk, and entered. As she walked in, she saw a sign: We do NOT have clocks here, a coffee shop is timeless. "How do they know when to close, then?" she asked softly.

"Oh, you better believe I have a watch on," a short, brunette woman said a few feet away, smiling at Sarah. "I'm not paying this bunch to be here all night." She exuded an easy-going attitude that betrayed her words. Sarah wouldn't have known she was an employee – or even owned the shop, apparently – given her demeanor and ease. Sarah wondered what it was like to work and not be tense constantly.

"Sorry, I…"

"No need to apologize, it's a good question. I liked the sign, so I put it up." The owner paused and studied Sarah. Sarah didn't know what the store owner was looking for, because she seemed even more relaxed as she continued. "To be honest, my employee says the same thing all the time."

"Really?" Sarah asked. "Is he a troublemaker, like me?"

"Absolutely!" The owner said with a chuckle and a grin. "I'm Alex," she said, offering Sarah her hand.

"Sarah, Sarah Walker," Sarah replied.

"I don't believe I've seen you in here before," Alex said. "And I'm here a lot." She didn't seem unhappy about that, just a matter of fact.

"I just moved back here," Sarah replied. "This was kind of home for me, years ago." She shrugged, and looked around the coffee shop. It looked comfortable, a place people could get work done, meet… exactly what a coffee shop should be.

"Well, welcome… we have free wi-fi, coffee, tea, breakfast sandwiches, homemade pie-"

"Pie?" Sarah asked, intrigued. "Homemade?"

Alex shrugged. "They're my real love, but coffee sells better, so I make a few pies to sell with the coffee. And a few breads."

"That's awesome," Sarah said.

"Can I get you something?" Sarah gave Alex her order, found a seat at a table, and occupied it. There was jazz playing over the speakers, and she saw plugs on the tables.

"That's to charge your phone, laptop, tablet, or whatever," Alex said, bringing her coffee and a chocolate croissant.

"I didn't order a croissant," Sarah said, her eyes wide in amazement.

"You were sort of drooling over them earlier," Alex replied, a grin on her face. "Consider it a welcome-home gift."

"Thank you," Sarah chirped. Alex left her in peace as she ate and drank, enjoying the solitude and decor. When Sarah finished, she got up, thanked Alex, and left.

Alex thanked her, asked her to come again, and as soon as the door closed she picked up her phone. "Bryce, you were right about the croissant. No, she didn't see him. Understood. Goodbye." Alex hung up her phone and stared at the door through which Sarah had just departed.

}o{

The next morning found Sarah looking over her jewelry. She had very little that she had purchased. What few things she had left over from the CIA she had considered lucky charms. She looked at a ring for a moment, one she had worn during a particularly dangerous assignment, and put it on. She didn't know why she felt like she needed luck today, but something deep down told her to do it. So, she did.

She got dressed, left the house, and headed toward the coffee shop. She opened the door, and headed in when her spy senses went off. She looked around the room, and locked eyes with someone she thought she'd never see again – Bryce Larkin.

"Hello, Sarah," he said with a warm smile. "It's good to see you." She walked over to his table. "Won't you join me?"

"Bryce, remind Graham that I'm out," she told him, and then gave him a smile. "It's good to see you, too." He nodded to the seat across from him, and she sat down. "Why are you here?"

"Honestly?" he asked.

"Can you even do honesty?" she sparred back, a grin on her face.

"Ouch… you know I can, when we…" he motioned between them. "…I broke it off."

"No, I broke it off," Sarah said. "I just didn't tell you for a bit." Bryce looked a little hurt, and Sarah winced. "Sorry, I'm not the best at conversations."

"Fair enough," Bryce replied. "But we are still friends, right?"

"We are, or at least I thought we were," Sarah added. "Why are you here?"

"I need an honest answer from you." Sarah nodded. "Are you really out of the CIA, or is your resignation a cover?"

"Bryce, I'm really out," Sarah said, sitting back. "But you don't believe me."

"Trust…" he began.

"…but verify," Sarah finished. "Why am I sitting here?" She knew Bryce hadn't positioned her there by accident; there was a reason. "You have me in the direct line of sight to the door to the back. Am I watching your back?"

Bryce grinned. "No, although there was no one better at it." She gave him a warm smile. "No, I need to see your eyes in just a second. I need to see for myself, and when I confirm what you said, then we need to have a conversation."

"What is this about?" Sarah was absolutely confused. It was apparent this was a mission for Bryce, but at the same time… it wasn't. She couldn't wrap her head around what was going on.

"Does the name Travis Pugh mean anything to you?" he asked, studying her as he did. She shook her head. "Really?" Bryce's face showed genuine surprise. "You have no idea who that is?"

"No, no idea," she said, and that's when the door to the back opened. A tall man, taller than Bryce or Sarah, stepped out. He had dark curly hair, and a smile on his face that seemed to light up the room. Their eyes locked, and for a brief second, suddenly what she had felt outside yesterday with her eyes closed seemed like nothing. This was real peace, real tranquility. She couldn't help herself; she felt her hand moving a lock of hair back behind her ear. As she did so, she saw the morning sun glint off the piece of jewelry on her hand.

His face did something weird, like he tasted something sour and saw something bright. For a moment, she was concerned he was having a seizure. He dropped all the cups he was carrying, screamed, and scrambled for the back of the store.

"Who the hell was that?" Sarah asked, as Bryce turned in his chair at the sound of the scream.

Bryce turned back to her. "Travis Pugh," Bryce answered, taking a sip of his latte. "And you don't know him?"

"No, but he looked like he had a seizure or something." Bryce's eyes went wide, and he jumped out of his chair.

"Don't move," he said, holding up a cautionary finger as he headed toward the back.

"What the hell is going on?" Sarah asked. A coffee and a chocolate croissant appeared in front of her. Sarah turned to see Alex standing there, smirking. "Is it me, or is all of this bizarre? Do you know Bryce?"

"I do," Alex replied. "And I know Travis. He's my employee," she said with a grin. "I told them you were out of that life."

"And how, and what, would you know about that life?" Sarah asked, certain that Alex knew nothing.

"I know it can tear a family apart," she began, and by the look on Alex's face, Sarah knew she was wrong. Alex did know about that life. "I know that it can make you question everyone, everything, and gnaw at your soul. I know that when you find a reason to go, you need to go, because if you don't, you're dead."

"You seem very young to have been in that life," Sarah said. "I'm guessing it wasn't you."

"You're not that old," Alex quipped. Sarah gave her a smile. "But, you're right, I never was in it, just affected."

They both turned toward the back where they heard Bryce say, "She's not going to kill you." Alex turned to Sarah.

"You may have to do some damage control with him," Alex said.

"I'm not sure what you mean," Sarah replied, confused again.

"Travis," Alex said, and just let the name hang between them.

Sarah sat there silently, something niggling at her. "You ever see someone, and their name just doesn't fit them?" Alex nodded slowly, a grin on her face. "Travis doesn't look like a… Travis."

"Hmmm… what name would you think?" Alex asked, a mysterious smile playing on her lips.

"I don't know," Sarah admitted. "But Travis… Pugh? No. Just… no." She looked back toward the door. "He was afraid of me."

"Should he be?" Alex asked. Sarah turned to Alex. The smile was gone. She knew that face, it was the face she wore, when she was serious about things. Alex was a small woman, but right now she seemed big in stature.

"No," Sarah answered truthfully. Alex smiled and nodded, and for some reason Sarah felt more at ease than she ever had.

The door opened from the back and Bryce exited, shaking his head as he chuckled. "Travis would like to apologize. You reminded him of someone in high school."

Sarah sat there, knowing he was lying. "He looked like someone who had seen my record and knew what I did in life."

Bryce and Alex shared a look. "What did I tell you?" Bryce asked Alex. "The old man clear it?"

"He grunted, so I guess," Alex replied with a shrug. "Welcome aboard, Sarah," she said, heading back to the counter.

"Welcome aboard on what?" Sarah asked. She turned to Bryce. "What is she talking about?"

"Let's go for a walk," Bryce said, heading toward the door. Sarah watched him for a second, then followed.

A/N: For those of you that don't know, Zac's last name is Pugh. Wait, you did know Travis is Chuck, right? Of course you did. Reviews, PMs, whatever, it's all appreciated. Do we like this? Let me know. Chapter 2 is already done and back from beta.