Summary: Bryce and Jill reminisce over drinks about their time as spies, the people they've met, and the relationships they've had to leave behind. Time-line is somewhere in the very near future. Pairings are all implied, but include Chuck/Sarah, Sarah/Bryce, Chuck/Jill, and Bryce/Jill.

A/N: First of all, this is an idea that sprung up during my I-Pod shuffle drabble piece. I think the show is about to make this scenario very AU, so I thought I'd go ahead and write it and post it before that came to fruition. There are no real spoilers here, but the characters' knowledge of what is going on with the main cast goes up through the end of the Jill Arc in episode 2.08 "Chuck versus The Gravitron." Also thank you so much to timewalker05 for the fabulous editing, without which this story was not nearly as clean. And finally, I originally had intended to make this a one-shot, but after some consideration, I am not thinking I may make this a four or 5 chapter piece at least. Give me some feedback and let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck or the characters. I'd be too afraid of thieves if I owned something so valuable.

An undisclosed hotel room, 8:45 PM:

She walked out of the bathroom wearing an old t-shirt and a pair of his boxers. She had her wet hair wrapped in a towel.

"Have you swept for bugs?" she asked as she approached.

"We're all clean," he paused, "the usual?"

"Of course," she replied as he prepared her a vodka tonic. "Let me guess what you're having. Jack and water..."

He cut her off. "Half Jack, half water...." She rejoined him as they said in unison, "lots of ice." This elicited a laugh from the estranged friends, turned partners, turned lovers within the first month of their assignment together. It was rare to know anything real about anyone in the business they worked in, but they had a history together. And over the past few months they had really come to rely on one another in many ways.

They had been very successful in their mission of tracking down Fulcrum, and he knew it was in no small way aided by her intimate knowledge of the cabal. He also knew his continued sanity was in no small way aided just by having someone by his side again. Over two years on your own left a man to think entirely too much. That, he had found, was anything but healthy for the mind. He had forgotten how good it felt to have someone to take his mind off the troubles of the lives they led when there was a moment for relaxing (well as much as a spy can ever relax, he thought grimly). But seeing as they were holed up in this second rate hotel waiting on a major Fulcrum summit that wouldn't occur for another nine days, such a moment had presented itself.

"Jill, I just wanted to tell you that it's been a pleasure having you with me the past four months. It's been a long time sine I had someone with me, and the way things ended with my last partner..." he searched for the right words, "...she...she was special. And I know that I wouldn't have accepted just anyone after having worked with her. But you have certainly helped me get over Sarah Walker."

Jill nearly choked on her drink (which would be a pathetic way for a spy to go, she thought) as her eyes bugged out of her head, "Did you say Sarah Walker? Tall, blond, blue eyed Sarah Walker? Sarah Walker that is currently romantically entangled with Chuck Bartowski, Sarah Walker?" Jill questioned.

"How did you? Wait. Jill, how did you get captured? Who found you out as a part of Fulcrum?" Bryce asked, although he already knew the answer from Jill's previous statement.

This was certainly one of those times that not talking about specifics of the past seven years had really come back to bite them. Both of them now realizing slowly that they had been more connected in the "spy world" than they had previously thought.

"Chuck arrested me. He did it to protect that..." Jill knew she had better tread lightly since that woman clearly meant a lot to Bryce. "To protect Sarah. Wait, does he know that you two were..."

"Yes," Bryce answered. Not wanting to be to seem hostile though, and knowing that this would be a great opportunity to finally vent about what had happened, he continued. "The last time I saw them, I tried to get Chuck to break it off with her. I justified it to him, and to myself, by saying that she needed to be completely focused on the job at hand and her feelings for him could get her hurt or killed. I had hoped that if he broke it off with her, she would leave that assignment and rejoin me," Bryce said wistfully. He finally added, "maybe Chuck saw through my bullshit."

"Or maybe Chuck did what you convinced him was the right thing, but she loved him too much to give up," Jill added with a wistful lilt of her own.

"Jill," Bryce started "love is not really meant for people like us. While I enjoyed having Sarah as a partner, and I enjoy having you here now... and while I think of you both as friends…" He paused, again searching for the right words. "I don't think I could ever love."

"I know," Jill said matter-of-factly. Noticing the confused look on Bryce's face, she chose to continue, "You're right, love is not meant for people like us. At least not between people like us. But I have known love Bryce. I loved Chuck. And in many ways, I still do love Chuck, and I always will. He's not like us Bryce. Our heart drives us to fight for our lives and for the greater good. Chuck's heart drives him to fight too. But his heart drives him to fight for what he believes is right and for the people he cares about. Don't think for a second that someone like me, or someone like Sarah Walker, wouldn't be drawn to something like that. Something that is foreign to us, but oh so moving. If the world were filled with Chuck Bartowskis, we would be out of a job."

Bryce thought on what Jill said before he replied. Looking up, he knew he had no counter. "You're right," he began softly. "Chuck is a special person. He's my one true friend in the world. I can see what you two see in him." A pause. "I see it too. It's not romantic or anything, but I suppose that I love him too. He is the one person I know that I would gladly lay my life down for, and I'd do it because I know that he would do it for me."

Silence overtook the room. Neither party sure exactly where to go next. Finally Bryce broke the uncomfortable pause in conversation. "So, how exactly did you come into contact with their team?"

"Chuck and I began seeing one another again. I helped their team come upon key Fulcrum evidence to gain their trust, and I eventually took control of their base. Chuck outsmarted me though, and like I said before ended up arresting me," Jill said without taking a pause, suddenly looking very interested in her now empty glass. She stood and walked across the room to mix herself another drink. "Another Jack and water?" she asked Bryce.

"Not just yet," Bryce said still sorting through what Jill had just said. "You and Chuck were together again? What about Sarah?" Bryce said with a furrowed brow.

"I don't know when you were last there, but I have the feeling that it was not long before I arrived," Jill began, and then sighed. She continued, "I knew there was something between them, but neither of them seemed willing to do anything about it. It was sad really. Don't get me wrong, I was glad for the opportunity, even if it was a play, to get some more time with Chuck. But I think I knew all along where his heart really was." Jill paused. "And I could see it in her, too. The longing looks she would give him, the way her voice became softer when she spoke of him... probably most of all the threats she threw at me about what would happen if I hurt him again," Jill said showing the slightest smile.

"One thing I do know, Roberts. If Agent Sarah Walker was leveling violent dialogue your way, it was certainly not a threat. It was more along the lines of a guarantee. In fact I'm surprised you're still walking after she found out it was a play," Bryce said in a teasing manner.

"Like I said," Jill said, with not a hint of humor in her voice. "Chuck made my arrest...not Sarah."

Again, nothing was said between the two agents. Bryce began to look around the room. Seeing that it was 9:58 PM, a thought dawned on him. "Well, enough of these past trials and tribulations. It's Wednesday. It's almost 10 o'clock. And the new season of South Park starts tonight," Bryce said with an odd exuberance in his voice.

"I can't believe you still watch that," Jill said rolling her eyes.

"Says the doctor of bio-chemistry that knows the name of the weird old man on Family Guy," Bryce retorted.

And with that, their night of sad remembrances was over. The life of a spy could be quite sad. It's why the espionage business required a short memory when it came to matters of the heart. Luckily for Bryce and Jill, they had each other right now, for when the past became too much of a burden to tuck away. For that they were both grateful.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this, but whether or not you did, I would absolutely love to hear from you. See that little button right under this note that says review? Why not click it and tell me what you thought? I'd be ever so grateful. And again, I am now considering expanding on this piece. Drop me a line to let me know if you think that's a good idea, or if you think I should let this stand on it's own.