Hello there. I had a request from CalexShipper to write a John Casey/Alex Forrest story. Clearly, she is a big fan of those two, judging by his/her screen name. I also needed some break time from the TV and from writing synopses. So I thought I would write a one-shot story featuring John Casey doing the last thing he ever wants to do: relax on vacation. Of course, it never works out that way in the Chuck world, right?
The events in this take place between seasons 2 and 3. Chuck is in Europe and Sarah is meeting him to run away together…or we had hoped. But since they don't need Casey, he doesn't have much to do. This is the regular Chuck world, so there's no relation to the Alpha Version or Forrest and Slade stories.
Let me know what you think. I was contemplating making an M-rated version of this story, but I thought I'd start off with a T-rated version first. Let me know if you want a follow-up.
Enjoy!
Nassau, Bahamas
May 20, 2009
3:30 PM
He would never say it to her face, obviously. He just got promoted to Colonel, and he would never be disrespectful of a superior officer. However, John Casey thought General Beckman was the biggest hypocrite on the planet.
Anytime they ever had to contact her, with one or two exceptions, she was at her desk. The woman had no outside interests, save a night of drinks with Condoleeza Rice, and she looked like the poster girl for a laxative commercial. And yet, she ordered him to go on vacation.
Someone should tell her that Kettle called her back and wants this 'black' thing explained.
Casey picked this place because he heard good things about it. It was a vacation spot. Nothing exciting about it. There was sun, there were beaches, and he was certain he could get a good drink someplace and smoke his cigars. If he was forced to relax, he could certainly do worse than the Bahamas. Almost every other time he was in a tropical paradise, people were shooting at him or he was attempting to eliminate someone.
In retrospect, if he had to be sent on vacation, the timing was good. There was very little going on at the Buy More. He said goodbye to Chuck a few weeks ago, who was off in Europe training to be a spy. He stayed with him for two weeks before Beckman imposed this time off on him. Sarah mentioned something about being in Europe, but she was very cryptic about what she was doing.
More like who she was doing, Casey thought with his patented cynical smirk.
He was done with the Buy More, which was just as well, given Emmett's ongoing power trip, if the scuttlebutt from Devon was accurate. For now, he had to wait for his next assignment. And relax.
He walked along the beach with a bottle of beer in his hand. It was still too early for the scotch, but he sure as hell wasn't a margarita person. Drinks weren't meant to have fruit directly blended in or have umbrellas in them. The bottle of Kalik he sipped from on occasion would suffice. He was wearing a loose Oxford shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He was in good enough shape where he could go without it, but his tan left much to be desired, despite living in California for two years. Admittedly, the sun on his face and the breezes were quite refreshing. Perhaps he'd find a nice place to sit, drink his beer, perhaps play a few songs on his MP3 player, but otherwise not be bothered.
This just got interesting, he thought.
Certainly he didn't expect to see Alex Forrest so soon after working with her in Burbank two months ago. He had to admit a bit of an affinity for her at first, given that her by-the-book style and attitude towards the job were a welcome change to the shenanigans he had to deal with from Bartowski and Walker. Unfortunately, she made two mistakes in his book. She underestimated Chuck's talents, which Casey had long since stopped doing. She also looked at Sarah in a very condescending manner, much like a teacher admonishing a child without good reason. Walker had proven her worth to the team time and time again, but Forrest chose to ignore that. It was not something that won Forrest any points in Casey's book.
Then again, seeing Alex Forrest lying down on the beach in a red string bikini was starting to forgive more than a few of her faults.
Casey looked around the area where she was. She didn't move her head, which led him to believe she wasn't conducting surveillance. The chairs next to her were empty, and it did not look like anyone had occupied them recently. He debated whether to approach her. He certainly couldn't deny Forrest was very attractive. However, she could very well be on a mission right now, and it would be best not to bother her.
He took a seat at a small bar set up on the beach and ordered another beer. The warm temperatures were making him drink the beer a little faster than he normally would. Or perhaps it was what had happened over the last two months. What he saw from Chuck in the Intersect room still boggled his mind. The new Intersect gave him abilities nobody imagined. Chuck saved Casey and Sarah that night; they would be dead right now if he hadn't downloaded it. General Beckman was in complete shock when he told her. And now Chuck was training to be a bona fide spy. Not just someone who gave some data and waited in the car, but someone who would travel the world and go on missions. It was truly amazing. But the question he had for himself was: what's next? Casey's entire job was to protect Chuck, and now Chuck won't need it if the Intersect works. His old team was dead, thanks to that traitorous Miles. And after seeing how much Chuck had blossomed in two years, Casey didn't exactly feel up to starting over again guarding some new asset. Someone who certainly would never compare to Chuck in terms of bravery and compassion. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do.
"I might have guessed you were working, but you're drinking that beer way too fast for that."
Casey looked up in surprise. Alex Forrest was staring him in the face with a bit of a smile.
"Forrest," Casey replied, attempting to stay non-committal.
"Did Beckman throw you out of Castle? Tell you to go enjoy yourself whether you wanted to or not?"
Casey sighed. "Something like that."
Forrest sat at the seat next to him and motioned for the bartender to give Casey another beer. "I owe you one of those at the minimum."
"Why's that?"
Forrest took the drink the bartender handed her and left a tip. "I read the reports you and Walker wrote about bringing down Fulcrum. That was excellent work your team did. Bartowski was right about how your team operates. I just couldn't bring myself to see that. All I saw was Walker's relationship to an asset and slapped the self-righteous paintbrush around pretty hard. I was wrong, and I am sorry."
"It's Bartowski and Walker you should apologize to," Casey replied.
"And I will when I see them again," Forrest answered. "But what your team has done in the last two years has been very impressive. Beckman did the right thing in keeping the three of you together. You earned that promotion to Colonel."
Casey turned to her. "Are you on forced vacation, too?"
"Thankfully, no. I'm just waiting for this evening. I have an assignment while I'm down here."
"Lucky you," Casey replied as the depression he didn't realize he had was starting to intensify.
"I don't know if I'm lucky yet. I'm scoping out a dealer looking to exchange a cache of diamonds for weapons he plans to ship to South America. Supposedly, the deal will take place tonight. There's a nightclub not far from here. The plan is to obtain the proof and see if they'll lead me to the weapons. It's a risky and very dangerous operation."
Casey emitted a low growl. "Some people get to have all the fun."
Forrest smiled. Humor was one of the last things she expected from Colonel Casey. "Well, if you ask me nicely, maybe I'll let you help."
Casey looked at her incredulously. "Ask you nicely?" He spat out.
Forrest shrugged and stood up. "Ah, well. Enjoy your nice, quiet vacation."
Casey slammed his fist on the table. He hated when women knew where his vulnerable spots were. No wonder none of his relationships ever lasted. "OK, I give."
Forrest raised an eyebrow. "You actually thought I was going to torture you like that? Maybe you do need to relax and have a vacation." She grabbed her drink. "Room 1422, Atlantis Royal Towers, west wing. Be there at 9, and come dressed for a nightclub."
Forrest sashayed away from Casey, returning to her spot on the beach. Casey wasn't sure, but he could have sworn Forrest walked away slowly so he got a good look at her in her bikini. Perhaps Forrest had an affinity for him, too. Or perhaps it was just his fourth beer.
Atlantis Royal Towers, Nassau
May 20, 2009
9:00 PM
Casey knocked on the door for Room 1422 right on schedule. He hoped the navy blue shirt and black casual pants were the appropriate attire for the night. He lazily slung his jacket over his shoulder to give the appearance of someone who was comfortable in their clothes, even if he really wasn't. He never really subscribed to the "clothes make the man" theory.
The dress Alex Forrest was wearing when she greeted him made him rethink that policy rather quickly.
It was a loose red silk dress with spaghetti straps on the shoulders and a low-plunging front that showed off sufficient cleavage to keep any guy interested. The skirt flowed freely around her legs but was short enough to get her into trouble if she didn't have panties on. Casey had to admit it was an even better outfit than the stripper-cop attire she wore at Devon's bachelor party. Her hair was not in a ponytail like it was at the beach. It glided around gracefully as she turned her head.
The smile on her face was a bit of a surprise to Casey, although certainly not an unwelcome one. She didn't smile much at their last encounter outside of being in-character to get Devon's access card. In spite of rarely smiling himself, even Casey could appreciate a smile that could light up a room. He was hoping that it was in appreciation of what he was wearing. He wasn't sure if he got it right.
"You are looking lovely, Agent Forrest," Casey said as a matter of course while entering the room.
"Thank you, John. I hope you don't mind if I avoid calling you Colonel the rest of the night. It probably wouldn't be good for our cover if we were so formal on the dance floor."
"Of course. Any other information you can give me about the mission?"
Forrest went to a folder on her desk and pulled out two pictures. She handed both to Casey.
"The man with the buzzcut and attitude to match is Reni Sanchez. He used to work with Castro's intelligence team until he decided to freelance and make some big bucks. He looks like a by-the-book man, but he's a lot smarter and dangerous than he lets show. More than a few of his enemies learned that one the hard way. The man with the money is Arnaldo Escobar. The DEA suspects he has ties to several cartels in Colombia, and we think the weapons will go to them. The diamonds were part of the money-laundering process to purchase the weapons. We think several of the cartels are linked with a few people in the South African government who are filching from the mines there. "
"Is Escobar the social type? Is that why we're going to a nightclub?"
"Exactly. He wants to spend every minute he can partying and being surrounded by women. I'm going to plant a bug on him so I can pick up his conversations with Sanchez and follow them wherever they go. As I'm sure you guessed by now, being there with me will help me sell my cover and give me an extra set of eyes tonight."
"Fair enough," Casey replied. "Ready to go?"
Forrest gave a smile. "Always."
Aura Nightclub, Nassau
May 20, 2009
9:45 PM
Casey and Forrest took in the scene. The music was pumping out of the speakers like the best clubs in the States. The dance floor was already beginning to fill, mostly with college kids spending too much money and twentysomethings not smart enough to save for the tough times ahead. In reality, Casey stuck out in a place like this, even though he got his attire correct. But as he learned on more than a few occasions, attitude is everything in a place like this. Act like you belong and nobody questioned you.
Forrest took his hand and led him to the dance floor. The techno music being played flowed from one song to the next with no interruption. Forrest began to grind and move on the dance floor. Casey tried to keep up with her moves, but wasn't having any luck. Forrest turned to him and drew his face to hers. She leveled her lips at his ear.
"You better loosen up or you'll give us away in two seconds."
"Trying."
Forrest put her hands on his hips. "Just loosen these up. Get your knees unlocked. And don't be afraid to grab me. I don't bite. Not out here, anyway."
Casey gave a bit of a smile. Clearly Forrest was not as much of a stick in the mud as he was led to believe. If anything, she looked like she could cause a little trouble. Casey always liked that in women for some reason. It certainly got him in trouble with Carina Miller a few times.
Casey started to loosen up and let the music dictate his movements. Forrest smiled and started grinding against him so they emulated the other couples on the dance floor. She held his hands against her stomach as she wiggled her backside into him. He was starting to get the idea. In fact, his dancing improved 200% in just a few seconds. She threw her hands back and glided them along his face to sell the cover even more. Suddenly her eyes widened a bit. She tilted her head back to talk to him.
"Ordinarily, I'd skip the 'is that a gun in your pocket or are you just glad to see me' line, but with you that actually could go either way."
"I'm packing a Glock semi-automatic 9 millimeter tonight."
"Oh," Forrest replied, more than a little disappointed.
Casey arched an eyebrow. "But that's tucked away behind my back."
Forrest looked forward, away from Casey, and smiled broadly. Apparently very glad to see me, she thought.
She observed Escobar walk into the nightclub. Casey bent down to whisper in her ear.
"That's our man," he said, and she nodded in confirmation. However, the person walking behind Escobar made Forrest do a quick improvisation.
She turned to Casey and started kissing him. Casey was a bit surprised, but she signaled by drawing her finger on his back to keep the kiss going and turn her around. Casey followed her directions. Escobar never saw her face.
Casey broke the kiss, although he wasn't entirely happy to do so. Forrest looked like she would have preferred to continue as well. "What's up?"
"The man with Escobar is Juan Martez. We…met…a few years ago."
"Not a fan of yours, I gather?"
"When I say we met, I should specify his balls met my knife. An intel case gone wrong. I think we can assume he hasn't forgiven me yet."
"How do you want to play this, then?"
"If I'm right, some arm candy will drag Escobar onto the dance floor. I'll play groupie while you run block with Martez. Are you good at playing 'Ugly American'?"
"I'll manage," Casey replied.
Casey and Forrest continued to dance as several ladies did exactly what Forrest predicted and took Escobar out on the dance floor. Casey and Forrest made their way near the crowd gathering around Escobar. Casey broke off and started to walk near Escobar's table. He stumbled a bit, and Martez's guard went up.
"Move along, gringo," Martez seethed at Casey.
"Hey, I paid my cover," Casey replied in a boisterous voice, acting as if he was wasted. "I'll walk in every damn part of this plastic piece of crap night club if I want. Consider yourself lucky they actually have plumbing here! And what banana republic they dug you up from, huh?"
Escobar paid no attention to Martez as Forrest walked seductively towards him, showing as much leg as possible. Escobar grabbed her close, and Forrest hooked her leg around him. They grinded to the music as Forrest ran her hand up Escobar's back, slipping the bug underneath the collar on his shirt. She finished the dance with him as Martez was going toe-to-toe with Casey.
"Hey, you wanna piece of me, fine," Casey slurred. "I got enough to bail myself out, no problem."
Martez looked tempted to take Casey on, but Escobar's departure from the dance floor refocused him on his job. He brushed past Casey and talked to his boss. Forrest left the dance floor and waited by the entrance for Casey. Casey waited a moment for Escobar and Martez to walk to the bar on the other side of the club before joining Forrest.
"All set. The bug is planted," Forrest said.
"Good. We should make sure our team is in place to capture them the minute the deal goes down."
Forrest glanced to her left and saw Escobar and Martez heading their way.
"Dammit. Turn, quick," she said hurriedly. She pulled herself into the corner by the entrance and started kissing Casey again. His 6'5" frame completely blocked her from view as Escobar and Martez walked out.
The two continued to kiss well after Escobar and Martez walked out. A beeping sound from Forrest's purse interrupted them. She blushed a bit.
"My apologies, Colonel."
Casey was a little slow to respond. An apology was not necessary from her by any stretch of the imagination. "No problem. I've been an instant wall more than once in my life."
Forrest smiled as she checked her mobile phone. The bug was working perfectly. Escobar and Martez were by the valet stand, waiting for a car.
"Let's go," Forrest said, heading for the exit as well.
Unknown Location, Nassau
May 20, 2009
11:00 PM
Casey and Forrest followed Escobar and Martez to a warehouse several miles from the hotel. They looked around for Reni Sanchez, but nobody was there as of yet. The strike team was on standby, ready to move on their location. Casey had procured a small camera to record everything being said.
A van drove up to where Escobar and Martez were. Sanchez exited the passenger side, while his guards exited the rear. He looked at Escobar disdainfully.
"I find it rather insulting I have to deal with the Hispanic Hugh Hefner to keep a living," he spat at Escobar.
"Insult me all you want, but my clients keep you in business," Escobar replied evenly. "Now do you want to do business or do you want to bitch like a spoiled brat all night?"
Sanchez opened the back of the van. He opened two crates. One of the crates contained automatic weapons; the other carried a pair of portable rocket launchers.
"Ten crates altogether, five of each," Sanchez told him. "The rest are on my yacht a few miles from here. Do you have the diamonds?"
Escobar held up a small bag. Casey moved slightly forward to record the exchange.
The two men behind them made him turn off the camera.
Casey and Forrest were marched forward to Escobar, Martez, and Sanchez.
"And this is why I chose the meeting place, hombre," Sanchez said with a little anger directed at Escobar. "I control the environment."
Martez stared at Forrest with a building rage. "I'll take care of the bitch, Senor Sanchez. It'll be my pleasure to get some payback."
Forrest raised an eyebrow. "If you think you can pay me back for what I did, you need a lesson in anatomy."
Casey quietly hit the button to signal the emergency call to the strike team. He moved so he and Forrest were back to back and turned his head.
"Remember about being happy to see you?" Casey whispered to Forrest. She gave a quick nod.
The man who captured Casey started to walk towards him. Casey kicked upward and connected with the man's chin. Forrest immediately turned and pulled the gun out from behind Casey's back and opened fire. The man in front of her went down, and Escobar ran. Casey turned and landed a haymaker on another one of Sanchez's men, taking him out. Sanchez dove at Casey and knocked him to the ground. Casey pinwheeled his arms to land elbows on Sanchez's face, but Sanchez wouldn't budge. He landed a hard cross on Casey and reached for a knife in his boot. Casey pulled his knees up under him and launched Sanchez into the air. He fell hard, and Casey bounced up. Sanchez lunged at him with the knife. Casey sidestepped it and grabbed Sanchez's arm and tried to smash the knife against his knee. Sanchez tried to pull Casey down with his other hand, but Casey stepped inside of Sanchez's foot to trip him to the ground, landing on top of him. Casey grabbed his head with both hands and smashed it against the concrete. Sanchez was knocked unconscious.
Forrest ducked behind the van and traded shots with Martez. She ran out of ammunition and tried to make a run for the back of the van to get an automatic weapon. Martez grabbed her and started pulling her away from the van.
"Now I'll get my revenge," Martez said with an evil growl as he pulled out his knife. Someone from behind grabbed him. Casey head-butted him, and he fell to the ground.
Forrest stared at Casey in appreciation. "You are really good with that head-butt."
Casey shrugged. "What did you want me to do? Kick him in the balls?"
Atlantis Royal Towers, Nassau
May 21, 2009
1:00 AM
Casey and Alex Forrest returned to her hotel room after contacting the DEA about their night. The weapons were confiscated, and the strike team found Escobar two blocks away running for his life. The DEA gave him two choices: be placed in protective custody while he told them everything he knew about the cartels, or be dropped off in the middle of Colombia without the diamonds or weapons. Escobar chose the first option, since it allowed him to live longer than a few hours.
"I'm sure Beckman will not be happy with you for this," Forrest said with a bit of a playful lilt to her voice.
Casey was a bit concerned. "You weren't planning on including me in your report, were you?"
"Oh, I'm sure I can be convinced to tell her it was a one-person job," she replied, slowly walking up to him.
"Really? How so?"
Forrest smiled and slid her arms around Casey's neck. "Here's a little hint," she said as she pulled him down to her and kissed him hard. The straps on her dress fell off her shoulders, and she shimmied her body, letting the dress completely fall off.
"Mmmm, that's a little ironic," Casey said between kisses as Forrest quickly unbuttoned his shirt. "The guys are usually naked a lot faster than the girls."
Forrest's tongue played around in Casey's mouth as she undid his belt. "That'll teach you to carry such a dangerous weapon around." She pulled back from Casey and shook her head in disgust. "I cannot believe I just said that."
Casey smirked. "Now you'll have to convince me to keep quiet."
Forrest raised an eyebrow and grinded against Casey's naked body with hers. "Oh, I have a few ways to do that, Big John."
"Everybody insists on making that my nickname."
Forrest straddled him and ran her tongue along his lips. "Take a guess why."
Casey quietly growled as he walked to the bed. "The things I have to do for this country…"
They kissed and caressed each other as they fell on the bed.
