1. Chapter 1 (1/2)

sarah couldn't help but think how her life had led her to this point; daughter of a con-man turned cia field operative, turned unintentional kidnapper. the rain beat against the window of the room of her run-down hotel room as she paced the floor, the package resting in her arms. she had no idea what she was doing, or how nave she had been to believe riker. how he had convinced her that traveling to budapest to retrieve some illusive package was beyond her, there were so many signs she'd missed that, looking back were clear indicators that this mission wasn't exactly sanctioned.

she did have to admit, however, that it was a good thing that she'd come along. god only knows what would have happened to the package had she not been involved. what riker had planned for the package… she shook her head to banish the thoughts from her head. the rogue agent's intentions didn't matter now, only making sure that the package was safe and away from him. for now, all she could do from here is make the best of this messed up situation she had found herself in.

"i don't know what you want!" sarah moaned, overwhelmed by the screaming infant in her arms. "i've fed you, i've changed you, i've held you, what am i doing wrong?"

sarah paced the floor as tears rivaling the infant's threatened to stream down her cheeks. i wish my mom was here, she thought before nearly kicking herself and grabbing the burner phone she'd bought just hours ago. dialing the number she'd memorized over two decades before, she waited impatiently, hoping that someone would be home.

"hello?" sarah

eathed a sigh of relief at the warm feminine voice on the other end on the line.

"mom?"

"sam?!" her mother's shock evident in her voice, "my god, i haven't heard from you in… well, far too long. how are you, hunny? where have you been keeping yourself lately?"

"well," sarah sat on the bed beside the still whimpering little girl as she held the phone to her ear, "i've had better days."

the baby let out a scream, that strained sarah's ear drums, "my god, is that a baby?" she heard her mother gasp, "did you… were you… why didn't you tell me?"

"it's kind of a long story that i really can't get into right now, mom." sarah hedged, "i do need your help, though."

"anything, sam, you know that." her mother assured her, "do you need a place to stay?"

"no, nothing like that," sarah chuckled sardonically, "at least for right now; i'm a little too far away, although i may take you up on it someday. i just can't get her to stop crying. i don't know what to do. i've tried changing her, feeding her, even walking her around the room, but nothing works!"

"she can probably sense how frustrated you are," the wiser woman spoke gently, "try taking a few deep

eaths and try holding her again once you've calmed down a little."

"okay," sarah agreed nervously, placing the phone on speaker as she took a few deep, cleansing

eaths, and lifted the little girl into her arms. after a few moments, the girl was still crying, "it's not working, mom."

"try holding her against your left shoulder," her mother advised, "so she can hear your heartbeat and sing to her. do you remember the lullaby i used to sing you when you were little?"

"kind of," sarah sighed, "no."

"slumber my darling," her mother's warm mezzo voice came through the tinny speaker, "mother is here, guarding your dreams…"

"from all terror and fear," sarah joined her, the lyrics coming back to her, "sunlight has passed, and the twilight has gone, slumber my darling, and the night's coming on."

by the time the two women had finished singing, the baby had quieted and was asleep against sarah's shoulder, "my god, it worked!" she whispered, taking the phone off speaker and cradling it between her cheek and shoulder as she slowly walked the room, "thank you."

"you're welcome, hunny," her mother assured her, "i know this is long distance, so i'm going to let you go. you should try to get some rest while she is sleeping. come by and visit if you're ever back in the area, i'm still where i've always been."

"okay," sarah nodded, "i love you."

"i love you too, sammy." and with that, she heard the distinct click of the call disconnecting.

sarah gently placed the baby on the bed, and quickly stripped down to her t-shirt and panties before lifting the girl once more and settling them both under the covers of the small hotel room's bed to try to get a few hours of sleep.

the rain from the night before had faded into a soft drizzle, the sun still hidden behind storm clouds, giving the sky a slight grey hue. after changing and feeding the infant, sarah pulled her pants back on and tucked the girl against her chest and under her jacket to protect her from the rain. she grabbed the backpack in which she packed a few diapers, a bottle, and the formula she'd been feeding the small girl and quietly slipped out of her room and into the late morning haze.

after changing buses a half-dozen times, she stepped off the bus and into a small store. she quickly grabbed a couple shirts, pants, a scarf, and a loose dress for herself; more diapers, a few simple dresses, and a crocheted purple and grey blanket for the baby and paid the clerk before ducking into the restroom and locking the door. thanking every deity she could think of that there was a changing station with a safety strap attached to it, she laid down the little girl and strapped her onto the foldable platform.

she quickly stripped out of the black bdu pants and t-shirt that she'd been wearing since she'd arrived two days before and pulled the dress over her head. it was a pale shade of pink with a floral pattern, knee length with a modest round neck and short sleeves, and had a small tie in the back, which she did up loose enough to hide her true form but not so loose as to completely lack shape. sliding her feet into a pair of flats she'd grabbed from a display, she finger-combed her long blonde hair up and out of her face, securing it with a hair-tie and wrapping the scarf over her head so as to hide her blonde locks from prying eyes until she could get further into her travels. stuffing the clothing, save one of the small dresses and a diaper into her bag, she quickly changed the baby and discarded their old clothing and the diaper the girl had been wearing. slipping her dark jacket back on and hefting her bag back over her shoulders she wrapped the girl up in the blanket and made her way to the train station.

"two tickets to vienna, please," she requested in her best hungarian as she slid a few forint notes over the counter to cover the fare. with a grateful smile to the woman at the counter, she bundled herself and the infant onto the train, grabbing a seat far enough away from other passengers to not be overheard, but not so far away as to be suspicious and settled in for the 2-hour train ride. thankful the motion of the train put the baby to sleep, she pulled out her burner phone and dialed the number for one of her father's international associates.

"max, it's hannah," she spoke quietly so as to not awake the baby and using the name the document forger would recognize her by, "i'm calling in a few of those favors you owe my father."

36 hours later, she was armed with new passports for both her and the baby, and tickets home. the next leg of their journey found them, once again on a train, this time in a private room heading toward frankfurt. max, once apprised of the fact she was traveling with an infant and very little supplies, had also provided her with a wearable baby carrier, diaper bag, luggage, and clothes for both herself and the baby; all hand-me-downs from his youngest daughter's family. he'd also made sure she had enough diapers, formula, and spending money to make it back to the states.

"we are even now, yes?" the older man asked when he met her at her hotel room the night before.

"yes, we're even," sarah assured him, "thank

igida and samuel for me."

"i will," max smiled warmly, "you take care of that beautiful little girl. i hope you like the names i chose for you," he added with a wink.

she had almost laughed when she opened the passport to find the names they were traveling under. somehow max had gotten his hands on two us passports listing their names as samantha and lisa

owne. she was sure it wasn't a coincidence he chose those names but chose not to confront him.

"next stop, frankfurt, germany!" came the announcement in german and english. "estimated arrival in frankfurt, 20 minutes." sarah stood, stretching her back before gathering their things back into the bags she had strewn around her. strapping on the carrier, she got the infant situated.

"okay, little one," sarah sighed, lifting the strap of the diaper bag and her back pack over her shoulder and pulling the small rolling suitcase behind her down the hall of the train, "i hope you're good with flying, because that's all we're going to be doing for the next day or so."

the baby merely babbled in her carrier as they exited the train. sarah, with the assistance of a porter, flagged down a taxi to take them to the airport. before long, they were approaching the gate. "general boarding for lufthansa flight 1028 to paris will begin in 20 minutes, please have your boarding passes and passports available." the announcement came as sarah sat in the boarding area.

soon it was their turn to board, sarah picked up her backpack and the diaper bag, having checked the rolling suitcase for the remainder of the trip, and headed to the gate. handing the documents to the gate agent, she waited patiently while their boarding passes were scanned and they were permitted to continue on down the jetway.

"here, mademoiselle, allow me to assist you," a kind old man helped her put her backpack in the overhead bin, so she could get settled, "if you do not mind me saying so, your daughter is very beautiful."

"oh, merci," sarah smiled up at him as she tucked the diaper bag under the space in front of her and secured the seatbelt across her lap. as soon as the passengers were completely boarded, the flight attendants closed the doors and the plane pushed back from the gate.

it seemed as if the baby would sleep for most of the flight, but as soon as the plane began to climb, the infant let loose a shrieking, painful scream. no matter what she did, sarah could not get the infant to calm down and stop crying. for the entirety of the just over an hour-long flight she tried to ignore the rude, disgruntled, stares from her fellow passengers who were none too pleased to be trapped with a screaming infant and no immediate escape. finally, at long last, the plane touched down and they were allowed to gather their things a depart the aircraft.

the baby's screams had dulled to a whimper as they went through customs and claimed their checked bag before re-checking it for their flight back to the states. the flight to dallas would be departing in a little over two hours, so sarah bided her time getting there.

after changing and feeding the baby and eating a small snack of pita chips, sarah made her way to the gate area. the infant had seemed to relax again once they were on the ground, but it was clear she was getting restless with the near-constant travel of the past couple days and had soon wound herself up in a tizzy. with a sigh, sarah lifted the girl to her shoulder, humming and rocking the girl as she paced the passenger boarding area, once again trying to ignore the not-so-hidden scowls and stares from the other passengers.

he had just closed his laptop when he heard the announcement from the gate, "good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, we will begin boarding american airlines flight 49 to dallas/ft. worth, texas in about a half an hour, please make sure you have all your carry-on baggage consolidated and documentation available for boarding." the message was repeated in english and then french. "at this time, we need passengers samantha and lisa

owne to approach the podium."

he watched as a frazzled young mother with the screaming infant hesitantly hitched her bags over her shoulder and approached the desk where the agents were working. he quickly slipped his laptop into its case as he watched the confused look pass over the young mother's face as she was handed her upgraded tickets. it hadn't been too hard to hack the airline's server and find out who she was, there were no other women traveling alone with an infant on the flight.

normally, he wouldn't have done such a thing, but there was something about the woman that compelled him to use his significant hacking prowess for her benefit. despite her frazzled appearance, there was hidden strength that reminded him of another young mother he knew. it was clear the woman was beyond her depth as she paced the floor of the waiting area with the screaming, overtired, infant.

he watched as the young woman showed their passports to the gate agent and was escorted down the jetway. he stood, rebuttoned the jacket of his suit, and slipped the strap of his laptop case over his shoulder as the business-class cabin boarding call was announced. he pulled his own passport and ticket from his

east pocket and made his way to the gate.

once on the plane he adopted a rushed countenance as he quickly made his way toward his seat, placing his laptop in the overhead bin before dropping into his aisle seat, "i am so sorry, hunny," he huffed to his confused seatmate, "i was delayed out of rome."

"i'm sorry?" the woman arched her eye

ow at him as she bounced the infant on her lap, who was still inconsolable. chuck couldn't help but notice the

own ballet flats, khaki chinos, and pale blue blouse she was wearing which perfectly matched her eyes. she was more attractive up close than he'd initially realized.

"just go with it," he whispered under his

eath before going back to his regular volume, "i know i was only meant to be gone 24 hours, but these da…darn meetings got extended making me miss my flight back yesterday, i am so sorry i wasn't able to meet you and lisa back at the hotel."

"it's okay… babe?" sarah stuttered, not sure what to make of the man beside her, "i understand that these things happen, i'm just glad you were able to make this flight home. i think the upgraded seats more than make up for it. besides, it's not like we won't have you all to ourselves once we get home."

"glad to hear it," the young man smiled at her warmly before kissing her on the cheek and standing to remove his suit jacket.

sarah couldn't help but notice the way his shirt moved across his shoulders and arms, hinting at the muscles beneath. his shirt was tucked into his grey slacks, which fit his backside wonderfully, she noticed as he turned to hand the jacket to the stewardess who was passing by. he seemed to keep himself in good shape, but it was clear that he didn't overdo it to the point where muscles overwhelmed his slim frame. he was tall, enough that he still had to stoop a bit to avoid hitting his head on the roof of the cabin. he moved with a subtle, cautious, grace indicating a once gangly body which had since been filled out. sarah couldn't help but notice how attractive he was.

he had an easy smile, warm

own eyes, and his

own hair was close-cropped but curled a little on the top. there was something about him that she couldn't put her finger on, something familiar, as if they'd known each other for years. whatever it was, had her trusting him almost immediately, something that sarah never did.

the man spoke a few words to the stewardess in fluent french before sitting back down again. a winsome smile on his lips, he offered her his hand, "charles car… erm, chuck," he cleared his throat, "chuck bartowski."

"samantha, sam

owne," she shifted the baby in her lap and extended her right hand, "and of course, this is lisa."

chuck gently raised their joined hands to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles, "enchanté, mademoiselle." he smiled warmly at her, eyes sparkling with boyish charm that suited him.

"excusez-moi monsieur et madame," the stewardess' voice

oke through, "your drinks?"

"thank you," chuck turned his smile to the young woman before accepting the glasses from her hand. "i hope sprite is okay."

"it's perfect," sarah assured him, taking a sip from her glass, "thank you."

"do you have a bottle for lisa?" chuck nodded toward the still-whimpering infant in sarah's arms.

"yes, and formula," sarah nodded, trying not to be offended, "it's in the diaper bag."

"allow me," chuck bent forward, pulling the bag from beneath the seat and slipping a clean bottle from the side pocket where it had been stored, handing it to the stewardess, "miss, could you please fill this with one part hot and two parts tepid water?"

"of course, sir," the young woman smiled, "is there anything else you require?"

"no that should be all for now," chuck assured her and sent the woman off to complete her task, "i noticed that you came from the international arrivals and little miss lisa has been crying and pulling at her ears since then. i figured her ears still hadn't cleared from the flight you were on before. the bottle should help relieve the pressure."

"how do you know this?" sarah searched his face.

"my niece, clara, has the same problems when she flies," chuck shrugged, "my sister and

other-in-law occasionally fly to visit his parents in chicago. i've flown with them when my travel plans wind up coordinating with theirs, i picked up a few tricks."

the stewardess returned with the bottle as chuck was mid-explanation. by the time he'd finished, he'd already added the formula mix to the water, and rolled up his left sleeve, revealing his high-end white gold watch, to test the temperature before handing the bottle to sarah.

"it's appreciated," sara smiled at him as she offered the bottle to the baby who stopped crying and drank greedily, all whimpers and crying, finally, abated. "ah, blessed silence," sarah laid her head back against the head rest as the stewardess collected their pre-flight drinks and did her final checks and safety

iefing.

chuck noticed that the bottle had slipped from lisa's little mouth now that the girl had calmed down enough to doze off in her mother's arms. seeing that sarah was nearly gone as well, chuck gently removed the bottle from her hand. "you must be exhausted, you look like you've been traveling for days with no sleep." he smiled warmly, "why don't you let me hold lisa for a bit while you get some shut-eye, it's not like i'm going anywhere for the next 10 or 11 hours."

"i've gotten a little sleep," sarah protested only to get a knowing look from chuck, "okay, maybe i will take a nap, but just for a little while."

"take as long as you need." he assured her, cradling her daughter to his chest. once they reached altitude, he reached over and, pressing a few buttons, shifted her seat into a full horizontal position, and with a little help from the flight attendant, covered her with a small blanket.

sarah awoke an hour and a half later to find chuck, seat reclined, legs bent to fit on the extended foot rest, dozing with the baby on his chest. despite only having met him a couple hours before, something about the picture it created seemed so right to her. a small smile graced her lips as she watched the man sleep, a protective hand over the back of the infant resting against his chest which slowly rose and fell with each

eath.

the baby started to fuss in her sleep, only to be calmed by chuck's left hand slowly rubbing the girl's back in soothing circles until she settled back into her own slumber. "i can feel you watching me," his voice carried a note of amusement as he opened his left eye to peek at her. "it's flattering, if not a smidge creepy."