AN:

Well, in the words of the fighter pilot from "Independence Day"…

I'M BACK!

I'm really sorry for keeping you all waiting so long. I just finished high school, and I was too busy to really work at this.

Thank you— Uplink2, GCG23, Charahkids, and barbadiangirl

Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum

Sarah sits in her bed, having changed out of her mission gear, tense. She gazes absently at the window, watching the darkness enclose the sky, the vibrant activity below that will soon be recognized only by an endless and sporadic sea of lights. Although it's just like any other evening here, she can't help but imagine it's a premonition.

Her feelings for Chuck have always been conflicting, confusing, and painful. It's gotten worse as each day has gone by, little by little. When they kissed those two times however, it was as if the pressure doubled, like water surrounding a submarine threatening to turn bent metal into cracking metal. That's one thing, but what she experienced today is something else entirely. When she watched Colt drop Chuck, she didn't know Casey would be there to catch him. She believed the moment he fell, that would be it—he was gone.

She's always felt an instinctive need to protect her partners, that's just how it goes. With Bryce it was a little more intense. However, none of those feelings can compare to what she felt when Colt nearly killed Chuck. It was like someone punched their fist through her torso, and then ripped out a large chunk and ran in the other direction. All she could think about in that moment was killing Colt as painfully and slowly as possible. Even more unsettling, she'd never thought more clearly about how to do it in her life.

Her phone rings, interrupting her thoughts. It's a guy she knows on Graham's staff. It's a bit odd, unusual. She slides the "answer button" and puts the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

She's greeted by the sounds of an alarm, and…sprinklers?

…..Oh god…..

"Shit!"

He sounds very distressed. What the hell happened?

"Agent Walker! … The Intersect room….it's gone!…Completely destroyed!…Graham was activating it with the new cypher!…I'm not sure what happened, but the whole thing blew up!"

"Is Graham okay? Are you okay? How many casualties?"

"I'm fine, but I don't know about the others, I just got up!…There's debris everywhere!…Graham was in the room when it blew up!…There's no way he could've survived that!…I'm sorry!"

Her eyes are wide with shock, her mouth agape. Her stomach flips. The only possibility she can think of is that Colt set them up, intentionally had a corrupt cypher, a trojan horse. This means that Chuck is still the only intersect. He needs to know. He has the right to know immediately.

"I have to go."

She presses the power button on top. She throws herself out of bed, and grabs her purse, tossing the phone inside.

As she drives to Chuck's, she thinks about Graham. He was like a second father to her. She was his "enforcer". However, since hearing about his death, she doesn't truly feel that much of a loss. It hurts a lot, but not as much she thinks it should. What does that say about her?

She parks and walks up to the door. She knocks. Her heart rate increases in anticipation.

Chuck opens the door, with a soft smile. As he sees the expression on her face, it quickly dissipates. Did something happen…Is this….Is it all over? Can he go back to his old life?…Is this…Goodbye? He gulps.

"Chuck…I'm so sorry to tell you this…the intersect exploded."

The sad look quickly turns into that of shock.

"Wha…What do you mean it exploded? We got the cypher."

"It was probably a trojan horse. The intersect blew up after it came online."

He looks away absently with a frown, processing it.

"Did…anyone get hurt."

She smiles tightly at his concern.

"I don't know how many, but Chuck…Graham…Graham was in the room with the other agents. He's dead."

He looks down, sorrowful.

"My god…"

"This means—."

He meets her eyes and finishes the sentence.

"I'm still the only intersect."

She pities him. There were so close to getting him his normal life back. It isn't fair. He's going to be stuck with all of it for even longer. They still have to figure out if the real cypher is still in play, and where.

Chuck opens his mouth, preparing to say something. This isn't really the best timing to talk about it, but he can't ignore it. She's going to be here for much longer. What does that mean for them?

Sarah instantly realizes what Chuck could be thinking. She can't deal with that, not right now. She abruptly ends things before he can say anything.

"I have to go. Goodnight."

She turns around headed for the Porsche. As she does so, she sees Casey walking into his apartment, his hand ready to close the door. She catches the top side of a silenced SIG Sauer. Her breath hitches. Her eyes gradually widen as she puts two and two together. Her thoughts become darkly clear once again. She instinctively fingers a hidden knife along her waist.

…target several meters away… relatively medium to high chance of effective throw…time window closing fast…

As the door closes, her mind subconsciously goes through her options, her next opportunities to deal with Casey.

In that instant, she realizes her priorities have ultimately changed.

They were never going to let Chuck simply walk away. Casey probably overheard them. If she hadn't been here, right then…Chuck would be dead. She shakes her head internally, not wanting to go any further in detail with that thought.

She acts normal, and walks towards her Porsche.

She's not sure if Casey would've really gone through with it, but what she is sure of, is that she can no longer trust anyone to hold Chuck's best interest's at heart—not even Casey. She can only trust herself.

She starts the engine, and looks back towards Chuck's. She can't risk Beckman or anyone higher up thinking she's compromised. Even if Eros, the Greek god of love, were to set things her way, a legitimate relationship with Chuck wouldn't work. If she's discovered she will be reassigned, and then she won't be able to protect him.

That's the whole point of the protocol isn't it—to prevent a handler from doing what she is setting out to do?

She looks ahead, breathing in and out, determined. She presses her foot into the

gas, and drives off, already thinking up plans. She will do whatever it takes, to protect Chuck Bartowski, as long as it takes.

….Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum….If You Want Peace, Prepare for War…

Along Came A Spider

Somewhere in Africa…

So far everything is going according to plan. They ditched the helicopter awhile back far from anyone who cares. There was one local straggler there, but they took care of him. The jeep was just where it was promised, and now they're far from any trouble.

"Haha! we did it!", yells one of the men in the back, his right fist punching the air above. The rest of the men smile.

Their leader smiles tightly with a cynical response.

"Don't celebrate just yet. They can still catch up with satellite imaging."

The smiles fall and the mood with it. Suddenly, a sparking noise emits from inside the jeep none of them can place. The dashboard seems to explode with a sizzle. A molten lava like substance flies out from within. The men in the front seats helplessly shield themselves howling in pain, the substance searing all their body parts facing forward like a patty on the grill. It happens again from the back of the jeep, entrapping them all. The driver in his frenzy thrusts his foot into the gas, sending them straight towards the curve in the road, right into the trees and the rocks.

Attempt #2

It's not the most clear of circumstances for Chuck. It's not fair he still has the intersect, not fair he has to nearly die on a constant basis. The one bittersweet perk is being around Sarah. She has been going between hot and cold, although as of late, edging a bit more to the cold end. It's nothing new though. The issue isn't really a matter of feelings, as it's already clear she has them. What he doesn't fully understand is where she now stands on that. She conveniently left right as he was about to start talking. Then again, he supposes they would have to take into account surveillance. He will find a time to bring this up.

However as he watches Sarah walk towards him in the BuyMore with a soft smile, some sway in her hips, he forgets all about it. It's a nice change from her body language last night. He can simply take comfort in the fact she is interested, for now.

She pulls down on his tie into a quick chaste kiss. For a split second they both feel it, both have the hardly noticeable tension in their bodies. Sarah immediately pushes the thoughts away, and her expression returns to normal.

"Is that real kiss or a cover kiss?", he asks jokingly, with a hint of seriousness.

"It's a 'We have a national security emergency, and I need to speak with you privately kiss.", she answers simply with a small smile.

She takes his hand and turns towards the door. An unsurprising minute surge of electricity flows between their hands. Despite the nature of their relationship, they can both somewhat relish in the feeling, knowing subconsciously the feeling is likely mutual. It's nothing she can't keep a lid on.

"See I knew I felt something. Who's your mama?"

She giggles, looking back and giving him a brief smile. It helps relieve the tension for him, her laughing at one of his jokes.

As they walk into the Orange Orange, she releases Chuck's hand. They both feel a slight loss. She doesn't dare show it. They walk into the freezer.

"So….we're doing the whole spy mission briefing thing in the freezer? I don't know about you but I think I prefer our last spot— much warmer."

She smiles a bit, amused, and initiates the facial recognition scanner. As he watches the scanner authenticate her, his thoughts return to their complicated relationship.

"So, you and super-spy Bryce Larkin were allowed to date?"

She tenses and grimaces, but hides it from him as she turns around. She needs to steer him away from this train of thought if she can.

"Bryce is an agent, and you are my asset. It's my job to protect you, and dating you would be unprofessional."

Gladly, She doesn't really conceal anything, but "job" at this point seems a trivial word to describe how she feels about it. She can't say anymore though. If Chuck becomes suspicious of Casey, Beckman, and whoever else, he'll show it like a barking dog.

The door to Castle slides open. As Sarah walks through, she feels a little anxious, knowing that she's decided to take a stand against everyone affiliated with this place. For the first time in her life, she's donning a double cover on her own— one cover for the mission, the other for those assigning the mission. If someone ever told she'd act or think this way a year or more ago, she would have laughed, or been outright insulted.

He follows her in, astounded by the renovations. Beckman appears promptly on the screen along with their new assignment— Sasha Banachek, the "Black Widow". Intelligence points to her as the current owner of the Cypher. The only person who got close and escaped alive, the only person who can really help them, is none other than Roan Montgomery— the legendary master of seduction. He's the closest thing in real life to James Bond. It also humorously turns out that he flunked Casey, twice. They need the Intersect to locate him. Suddenly Chuck expresses his sickness of it, the missions, the near deaths, and so on. He walks toward the Orange Orange exit. Considering his usual more selfless nature, it's bit of a surprise. With every second Beckman disapproves of his behavior, and every step that Chuck takes away from them, Sarah can feel her credibility disintegrating.

Casey doesn't bother. It's not his job to coddle Chuck as far as he's concerned.

Sarah catches up with him before he makes it to the Orange Orange entrance. Part of her wishes she hadn't, then they wouldn't have to worry about dodging surveillance.

"Chuck wait! Chuck Wait!"

He stops and turns towards her. He raises his hands expressively.

"Look Sarah, you were right. I'm not a real spy. I'm not cut out for this adrenaline-pumping, chase-the-bad-guy, risk-life-and-limb daily existence."

"Okay look, the sooner we get the cypher back, the sooner you can have the intersect removed, and the sooner you can be free to live whatever life you choose with whomever you chose."

At least that's what she prays. Chuck looks at her inquisitively, catching on to the "whomever" bit.

"What are you saying?"

He wonders if she really means it. He's always questioned it to a degree, how much she really cares about his well-being. For the most part he trusts her. However, she is a spy, and that little bit of doubt does present itself.

He pictures spending his life with her, and he very much likes the picture. However, that's unlikely to ultimately happen.

Her gaze turns tender, her voice soft.

"I'm saying you can have everything you always wanted."

As she takes in the way he looks at her, her heart beats faster, her breathing becomes uneasy. She can feel herself slowly turning to putty. She fantasizes briefly about the idea of him putting her in place of "whomever".

…Oh shit…stop thinking about this!….That's never going to happen!…Pull yourself together!….You're being watched for Christ's Sake!…His life depends on it!…

Just as she does pull herself together, Chuck thankfully ends the moment.

"Let me see the file."

The Name's Montgomery, Roan Montgomery

They drive out to Palm Springs, to find a very hung-over Roan Montgomery. For Chuck and a biased Casey, Roan's reputation does not precede him. Sarah, despite her more supportive knowledge of Roan, isn't particularly pleased with him as their main hope either. After trying aspirin and dumping water on him and being met with consistent failure, they simply throw him in the back of the Crown Victoria.

"If he throws up back here, I don't care how much of a legend he is.", says Casey as he straps him in. Chuck jumps in the back with Roan. Roan's body falls towards Chuck, and his head lands on Chuck's shoulder. Chuck cringes with a grimace, and attempts to gently push Roan off.

As they drive, Roan constantly falls back on him…every other damn turn….

Once they get back, it's already dark. Chuck heads home at their order, and Sarah and Casey deposit Roan in Casey's bed.

"I gotta go.", says Sarah once they're downstairs.

Casey grunts (…Whatever…), and she exits.

She calls a taxi to go back to the Orange Orange and get her Porsche. Once the taxi arrives and she gets in, she dials a number.

"Hey it's me, I need a favor."

The next morning in Casey's apartment, they call Beckman. To their surprise Roan wakes up just in time, donning the look of the legend. There's also the very subtle revelation that Beckman and Roan have romantic history, which no one saw coming. Then there's the other far less comical revelation that shouldn't be such a surprise— that in order to get Banacheck, she has to be seduced by someone above suspicion.

Sarah has nothing to smile about, considering Chuck is the only government resource that fits the description. As the image of Chuck and Banacheck enters her mind, bile makes it's way up. She's starting to see a pattern here. So far every girl that she's unhappily watched become romantically involved with Chuck is a brunette. She's heard about Jill, then there's Lou, and now Sasha Banacheck— all brunettes. She'll take torturing the brunette any day over this. She does technically have an excuse to bag and tag Banacheck though— she is a threat to Chuck and national security. She'd accomplish two goals at once— keep the mass murdering slut's hands off Chuck, and eliminate another threat to democracy.

She shares a look with Casey, who's more or less on the same page. He may not be a master of seduction, but he understands it enough to know that Chuck and "seduction mission" put together could end very, very badly…especially with this one.

…It'll be a goddamn miracle if Bartowski manages to pull to this off…

"I'll go get our innocuous…stallion.", Casey says nonchalantly, with absolutely no belief in the last word.

Crash Course: Seduction

"So your..date tonight will be with..Sasha Banacheck."

It's harder than she expected to put "your", "date", and "Sasha Banacheck" in the same sentence when talking to chuck.

Chuck goes from his slumped stance to alert and upright instantly, his eyes wide. They want him to try and sleep with a psychotic former Russian spy? How the hell would they even have any chemistry? She's definitely not his type, and he probably isn't hers.

"Um..I'm sorry what? You mean previously tortured in a Bulgarian prison Sasha Banacheck?"

Sarah is essentially on the same page as Chuck, but she is here to encourage him, and not to express how attractive she finds him.

"Don't worry. Casey and I will be there for cover. Just approach her at the bar, and get her to invite you up, and see if you flash on anything in her room."

"One small problem. Why is she gonna choose me?"

…If chooses she you for the same reason's as I would…then…

Roan answer's that question from the kitchen, stopping her train of thought before she has to.

"Because you're not going to be you."

…Okay Chuck may be a bit dense when it comes to the signals…But that's harsh…

Of course, she doesn't dare advocate for Chuck in anyway that might arouse suspicion. Roan walks up next to her in full view of them. He speaks with the aura of a passionate university professor.

"You're going to be me. I'll teach everything you need to know."

She smiles at Roan in admiration. However, his remarks towards Chuck are making that smile less genuine.

"First the proper way to drink a martini."

He raises his drink for display, as if toasting.

"Hold by stem, nod to mark."

He nods to them with the glass raised, and they nod back.

"Slowly tilt back."

He lifts the glass to his mouth, and smoothly pours the martini through his lips at a steady pace.

"A moment to learn, a lifetime to perfect."

He takes the decoratively impaled olives from the martini and brings them to his mouth.

"Let's get to work."

Sarah has to admit— that was pretty good. Chuck isn't sure whether to be repulsed or impressed by his tolerance of alcohol.

"His liver must look like camouflage.", he whispers hoarsely.

Roan walks behind the counter, making another batch with a cocktail shaker. Chuck and Sarah sit at the stools across from him attentively.

"I need to see what I'm working with."

Roan pours yet another martini.

"Assume your partner is the mark. How would you seduce her?"

Having realized that Chuck is fully capable of making her melt, even if he doesn't really know it, she tenses a bit and her toes curl up, poised to run for it.

This is Roan Montgomery, the agency's love doctor. She can't just walk away. He'll suspect something. If Chuck starts taking this to heart, she'll be pretty much helpless, and it's very likely Roan will notice that. It's a "catch-22".

…Oh crap…Please don't get into this Chuck…..

"How would you seduce her?"

She eyes Chuck, monitoring his attitude carefully.

"That's an excellent question."

He turns to her looking relatively confident— not a good thing for her.

"I-I would probably start with the, uh, bedroom eyes maybe."

He smiles at her, his eyebrows dancing.

She gives a small smile, and secretly squeezes her legs together more tightly, already feeling a drop of gas on the fire.

…Keep it together!…Keep it together!….

"You know the old, uh, Bartowski eyebrow dance."

He leans toward her, still working his eyebrows with a soft fun smile. A few more drops stroke the flames. She's screwed if she doesn't find a countermeasure quickly.

"I'm comin at ya like this, ya know."

She throws her vision forward, away from his eyebrow dance, and that smile. She can't help letting out a few giggles. She decides to try and focus on the amusement rather than that other risqué feeling.

This is why she doesn't want to be any sort of intimate circumstance with Chuck, because one thing will lead to another, and she can't afford that. They can't afford that.

"Ya know? And then I'd start firing the guns at ya, ya know? Hey baby, what's up?"

She keeps laughing and giggling, more forcefully this time.

Roan sternly interrupts the moment.

"Hey don't encourage him!"

…Thank you so..so much Roan…

They stop and give Roan their full attention, allowing Sarah time to recuperate.

"This isn't happy hour at Chili's. This is Sasha Banacheck."

Chuck becomes exasperate.

"I don't know, I-I would probably, you know, I'd, I'd try and be myself, and I'd try and make her laugh a little bit, find a common cultural interest— music."

Roan looks at him in disbelief.

"Be yourself? You think a woman like this could ever fall for a guy like you."

He motions between them.

Chuck grimaces, no really doubting a single word Roan just said. He glances at Sarah.

…Well…She did say she has feelings for me….That counts for something right?….

Sarah tenses up again, facing directly forward, trying her best to avoid their eyes and not look suspicious. She cannot think of a worse place to be in right now.

….Uh…Um…Uh…Ugh…Ah…Uh…Shit…

Now she wishes she'd just sedated Roan at Casey's, and taken her chances with torture.

"Uh, I don't know…Barring any national security emergency, I think I might have a shot."

"Be reasonable. This is a gorgeous sophisticated woman, and you're a—."

….Passionate….Sweet…..Caring….

Well aware that voicing these thoughts will do more harm than good in the long run, she stays quiet, even though she wants to aggressively come to Chuck's defense.

"Lanky, skinny, clumsy, shy nerd that wears a twenty dollar pair of nylon pants, a ten dollar nylon tie, and a short sleeve dress shirt."

…All you do is have meaningless one-night-stands with women you don't give a damn about!…You have no right to judge!…You can't hold a candle to him!…And quite frankly, I like his tie!…

Chuck looks down, slumping, feeling a bit crushed. Roan pauses, looking between them, analyzing them.

"Despite that, I'd like to see how you would do with the more intimate end of things…Kiss her."

As if someone set off a nuclear bomb in the distance, they both jump upright in their stools, panicked.

"Excuse me?", asks a petrified Sarah.

…Oh Crap…This is Roan Montgomery…I of all people should've seen this coming!…Not good!…Not good!..Not good!…

Chuck is aware that Sarah would be very uncomfortable with this.

"I don't think that's necessary, at this particular juncture right now Roan. I'm, I'm solid as a rock in that department."

He smiles nervously and hammers his fist on the counter for emphasis.

Sarah can vouch for him of course…which is exactly why this is bad. She wonders if casually telling Roan that he's good could circumvent this mess, but she doubts he'll go for anything less than a true demonstration.

"What's wrong? Don't you find Agent Walker attractive?"

He looks at him like a cop trying to get him to admit to a detrimental detail. Sarah tightens up once again, trying to avoid eye contact.

Chuck choses his words carefully, and hopes to come up with an excuse not to kiss her

"Of course I find her attractive…It's just that I had a burrito earlier and I'm trying to be respectful."

Roan isn't taking any of it.

"While I admire your chivalry, if you can't kiss her now, what makes you think you'll be able to kiss Sasha Banacheck when the entire mission is on the line?"

….Oh god…Screw it…I'll just have to take my chances with this…

Sarah turns to him.

"Chuck, it's okay."

"Really?", he asks with pure surprise.

….No…It's NOT okay, but it's not like we have much of a choice….

"Yes."

She glances at Roan, hoping she sounds convincing, and not at all petrified.

"Yes.", she says once again, returning her eyes to Chuck.

He turns to Roan, who looks at him as if to say "Well…what are you waiting for?".

Chuck slowly leans toward Sarah, whose heart rate is steadily rising. She raises an eyebrow at the way he weirdly closes the distance, not even really looking at her. Her toes completely curl up, nearly to the point of cramping as his lips near hers. He gives a remarkably chaste peck on the edge of her lips, and returns to his former position. She feels a twinge of disappointment at the lackluster nature of the kiss…which doesn't make any sense. She should feel completely relieved.

Roan shares that single sentiment of disappointment.

"Perhaps I moved too fast. Have you had intercourse before?"

Chuck has had it. He gets up from the stool in protest.

"Okay you know what? You're crazy! This is crazy! I don't have to take lessons from you."

"Really?"

Roan moves away from the counter, and starts heading for the door, losing his patience.

"Maybe I picked the wrong agent. You know what I'll get Agent Casey to kiss her."

Chuck is sick of the condescending remarks.

"You really want me to kiss her?", he asks with exasperation.

"Desperately.", Roan replies, stopping in his tracks.

"Fine."

Chuck suddenly pulls her in.

…..Oh..Fu…..

He passionately presses his tongue between her lips. Not really capable of resisting, and sexually frustrated, she opens her mouth and instinctively slides her tongue past his. It's yet another great duel. They both moan quietly into each others mouths. His right hand rests hotly on her mid-back, his left cupping her face. She lightly places her hands on either side of his head. Their rational thought processes just about completely evaporate. They both just barely manage enough effort to stop about three to four seconds in, before they can cross too far into no-man's land.

They stop, breathing heavily, their hands awkwardly retreating to their sides. Sarah simply freezes up, trying desperately to keep her face straight and neutral. Their eyes dance about, trying to avoid the other's gaze.

"Excuse me, I'm gonna go fix my lipstick."

She gives a tight fake smile, and speed walks as inconspicuously as she can to the bathroom.

"Sure."

Chuck wonders if Sarah's going to have his head for that. She seemed to be enjoying it, as seemed to be the case with the last two, but this is kind of exactly what she was trying to avoid. It felt like they were maybe…a minute away from going at it, right in front of a fellow spy, one that specializes in this sort of thing. Based on what she told him, she could get into trouble for what just happened, and it'd be technically his fault. Perhaps he can convince Roan to never speak of this again?

"Bravo.", Roan says with an impressed smile.

Chuck returns to earth, and looks to Roan with a smile. So, the master of seduction thinks he's a good kisser…awesome.

"Something tells me that wasn't the first time that happened."

…Oh crap….He really is onto us….

"What? No. No. We're totally professional."

Roan gives him a look that says "yeah..sure you are."

"That's…we work together."

Roan smiles.

"Don't worry Charles. I'll teach you how to get her too."

…So…You don't care?… That me and Sarah have a thing…That we like..never talk about?….uh…sweet…..

"But first we need more gin."

Sarah lets loose once the door is closed, and the shower turned on as a counter-bugging precaution. She walks up to the sink and grips its sids, hyperventilating. She looks up at herself in the mirror. Her face is contorted in absolute panic, worry, and distress. She brings her hands up to her face, cradling it, covering her eyes. She backs up against a wall, and slides down into a sitting position, groaning at the top of her lungs into her hands. After a few seconds, she just lets them drop to her legs, and looks hopelessly at the ceiling, spent. She's absolutely pathetic. Every time they've kissed like that, it's made her a complete mess…like right now. If the last two rounds have taught her anything, it's that this has already gotten even worse.

There's no way Roan didn't catch on to that. If he decides to talk, she's screwed. She needs to clean this up, before it's too late.

AN: I haven't written the next chapter yet so…hopefully sometime in the next 14 days. :)

Thank you for reading, and if you don't mind—feedback.