Author's Note: Dedicated for Raevon. A Casey centric fic that will include some Jellie later on (DUH of course it should!) I came up with this silly little idea after watching Monster's Inc and thought just what would John Casey do if he was left with a little toddler to look after? :) Will include some references to the Pixar film, but I also plan to have a plot of my own! Chuck stylee!

So do enjoy. This is not beta'd so all screw ups are my own.

I do not own Casey (WHY! I can be good to him! and bad...) or any of the characters from Chuck or Disney Pixar's Monsters Inc.

"Kitty!"

"Casey! Buddy!"

Being called "Buddy" usually meant bad news for the NSA Colonel who smiled and said goodbye to the customer he had just helped serve a Beast master to. When the "Buddy!" cried out again, John Casey muttered angrily under his breath and turned to face the problem head on, with a scowl he hoped would send the moron in the other direction, away from him.

Charles Bartowski came rushing up to him with his usual goofy grin on his face, despite that he was more than a half decent spy. In his hand were some papers. He flapped them annoyingly in John's face and the growl Casey gave back didn't even deter him.

Chuck wasn't scared by his threats nearly as often now. He had to do something about that.

"Buddy! I need a favour! Can you file these install papers for me? I'm finishing early today…IE…now…because of the big date with Sarah! I'm running late, so I don't have time to do it myself. Big Mike will not be happy if they're not done. So the pink copies go to accounting at Head Office, fuchsia is filed in the big green folder and the gold coloured ones go to Big Mike! Leave the puce! Thanks Casey! I owe you one!"

Before John could threaten the Intersect with the necessary removal of his man parts or ask what was puce, Chuck thrusted the papers directly into his hand and ran off.

Casey took only a moment to calm down and then realized he was standing looking a little bewildered in the middle of the Buy More. Some passing customers looked at him in a strange manner but they too ignored him and so reluctantly Casey headed out the back to file away Bartowski's papers.

The stock room was, as usual, a mess. He had made it spotless only a few hours before and it was so tidy that dust would never dream of settling in here again. The Buy Morons had somehow screwed up his system and ruined it all, which was typical. The cage was a tip with broken computers all scattered over the floor. He wasn't going to start tidying up again, because in a few hours' time, his own shift will have finished.

As he walked over to the shelf filled with folders and misplaced papers, and for a brief moment he paused. Casey smiled at the thought of his impending free time away from the Buy More, it was not often he got invited round Eleanor Bartowski's apartment but she had requested his presence to try a new dish. Being in good company and with excellent food would be a welcome end to his day.

He pulled the green folder from the shelf and watched a load of papers fall to the floor as the broken clips in the folder couldn't hold them in place. He looked down at a couple in particular and raised an eye brow.

"So that's what puce looks like. Huh."

He was about to pick them all up when a tiny sound from within the stacked boxes made him become alert. His hand reached for his gun at the back of his pants and he listened for further sounds.

It came again, a scraping and shuffling near the stored washing machines made him pull out his gun and he stealthily crept towards them. He scanned the room, in case he was mistaken or whoever it was had moved and he sided up beside the boxes. Casey flattened his back against them and checked that his gun was loaded and ready. He listened once more.

There was a pop, pop, pop. It was the sound of bubble wrap being played with.

Several morons in this place liked to burst the plastic air bubbles, yet he recalled that Morgan and those few individuals were still out on the shop floor.

Casey took a couple of breaths and then came from behind the washing machines, his gun pointing at, what he hoped, was an intruder.

All there was was a bundle of bubble wrap. Casey scowled.

There was another sound, a clatter of DVD cases behind him.

Casey spun round and headed over to the DVDs, determined to find out who the hell was playing around. There was no one there.

His patience was wearing thin.

Casey once again looked round the storage area, listening but finding nothing. He was about to pick his phone from his pocket and call Walker, when he got the sensation that he was being watched.

There was no sense of danger, Casey could feel it. Whoever was in here, was not a threat and wouldn't be carrying a gun. These "senses" didn't happen all the time, but when he felt no threat, Casey was usually right. He put the gun away, tucking it securely in the waistband of his slacks and when another scan of the room failed to reveal anything, there was only one more option.

He looked down.

"LOOK-IT!"

John's eyes widened in shock and he staggered back and away from the tiny toddler gazing up at him with wide eyes and a big happy grin. He hadn't been expecting a little kid, but seeing her there, tugging on one of her ebony pig tails and waving a chubby little hand at him, made Casey recoil in surprise.

He impacted with the wall behind him and for a moment was speechless before the girl.

She was very small, tiny, her long black hair was scrunched up into two ponytails either side of her head and she wore a pink dress and white sandals. She was looking up at Casey with adoring brown eyes and jiggling on the spot with her arms open wide. She was laughing, and muttering incomprehensible words and she was obviously wanting Casey to pick her up.

Casey wasn't good with kids. Yeah he had one of his own, but she was over twenty years old and could speak quite clearly. He never saw Alex when she was this age-this kid was-what?-two or three years old?-he never even knew of Alex until last year, and he was uncomfortable with her as an adult.

How was he supposed to behave with this one?

Who was she?

How did this girl get back here and where the hell are her parents?

"Na-nah-na!" the girl was really wanting that hug. Casey didn't do hugs very well.

He got his phone and was about to call Walker when he felt the tiny thing impact with his leg and wrap her arms around his calf. The squeeze she gave him wasn't strong but it sure was uncomfortable for him. The girl hugged his leg and then rubbed her cheek against the material of his pants, humming pleasantly. Casey lifted his leg to try and get her to let go, but instead he only lifted her up off the ground and made her laugh again.

"Kid…let go!" he growled. The vocalization made her laugh even more, high pitched and squealing and it made Casey frown. "What you doing here? Where's your mom?"

He gave his leg a shake but it was only when he put his foot back down that she released her grip. However the girl opened her arms wide, wanting to be picked up.

Casey growled again, however it was more of an uncomfortable purr and the sound seemed to fascinate the girl. She glared up at him with an open mouth and blinked a couple of times before letting out another laugh. She jumped up and down waving her hands and clapping them with absolute glee.

"Kitty!"

Huh? Hell no! Did she just call me kitty?

"No! I ain't a…" Casey moved away from the boxes and edged backwards towards the door. The little girl followed him and he tried to move again, but she just scurried after him. She was persistent but then Casey was too. He got out his phone and pressed the speed dial.

"Walker! It's Casey."

"Casey, is there a problem?"

"Yeah there's a problem!" Casey edged towards the cage. "There's a kid in the Buy More."

There was silence on the other end of the phone and then in the back round Chuck's voice was clearly heard asking if Casey was being serious. The girl tried to grab at Casey's leg again, calling out for him in a jibber jabber of toddler speak, but Casey managed to avoid her and even shoved a few empty cardboard boxes in her way. She was curious at these obstacles at first but after nearly falling inside one and noting that they were empty, she put her focus back on Casey.

"Casey, lots of kids go into the Buy More." Sarah's voice said, rather loudly, but her attempt to hide Chuck's sniggering behind her wasn't fooling him. "It's a family store."

"Yeah, like I don't know that, Walker!" Casey looked down at the girl who was now chewing on a finger and dribbling a little. Casey's face screwed up with slight disgust. "I'm saying that there is a kid, female, IC1, approximately three years old, in the store room of the Buy More. Unsupervised! No sign of parents, no indication of where she came from!"

"And you think she could be some kind of security threat to Chuck or to the country?"

"Walker, I don't have time for your-!"

Walker controlled her mirth and cleared her throat.

"Casey, she's probably a little girl who has wandered off from her parents and gotten lost. Have you taken her to the front of the store and looked for her parents?"

"Er…no." Casey cursed himself. It was clearly the obvious thing to do. "I'll get on to it. You and Bartowski carry on with the rest of your date."

"There's no need to be afraid. It's just a little girl."

"I'm not afraid of little girls, Walker!

"Kitty! Um ba! Da da DA!"

Walker clearly heard the little girl's call for Casey and was now laughing as she tried to tell Chuck what had happened. Casey snarled and cut the call off.

Walker had been right. This little girl had wandered away whilst her parents weren't paying attention-damned idiots-and had gotten lost back here. It would be just a simple case of going to the front of the store and finding out who she belonged to.

There was no security threat or danger.

Casey decided that he would take her to the front of the store and use the intercom to find the parents. A lost child announcement should be easy enough.

He looked down and there was no sign of her. What the hell? He spun round only to glimpse a flash of pink scurry behind him again. He could hear her laughter and the slapping of her sandals on the floor, but when he turned, she disappeared from his sight again.

The three year old was running circles around him.

"Quit it!"

The sound of a wet blowing raspberry made Casey spin faster and finally he was able to snatch up the toddler by the scruff of her dress and lift her right up to his face. She cried out in elation, giggling and flapping her limbs, obviously thinking that she was flying.

"Right…let's get you to your folks."

"Ri dit! Wan ri dit!" The toddler blurted out something he couldn't quite make out from the laughing, but as she was still held in his hand, she was pointing at his back.

No. Casey shook his head and carried her out of the store room at arm's length.

No damned piggyback rides and definitely no hugs!

There were no parents.

After informing Big Mike and trying to off load the girl on some of the female members of staff (Bunny was not a good choice, she made the girl cry) he was lumbered with her. He stayed in the staff break room with her, growling at others as they laughed when the girl chased him around the tables. The call of "Kitty" was clearly hilarious to them, but they made no effort to help him or interfere.

The police were notified but it was hours before they eventually came and when they did, they weren't the "real" police.

Casey was backed up against the wall, squirming to keep the little girl from hugging and touching him, when at last the door opened. Casey knew instantly that they weren't normal police.

"Colonel."

The little girl looked at them and before Casey could get a hold of her, she ran behind him, wrapping her arms around his leg and murmuring a whine that indicated she didn't like them at all. Just like she did with everyone else.

"We've been ordered to take the girl." said one of the officers, bending down into a crouching position. She smiled and held her hand out towards the toddler, but the girl was having none of it. Her face smooched against Casey's legs and whined.

"Can I ask why you have been sent to collect the kid?" he asked, curiously. The two other agents looked at each other and then shook their heads.

"We're not at liberty to say, sir." the woman announced. "We've only been told to pick the child up and take her to her mother."

"And her mother is?"

"Someone important and whose identity needs to remain secret for the time being. If you doubt our intentions sir, here's our confirmation number. You can be assured this is real."

Casey did so. He took the card number from the second agent and used his mobile to confirm their identities and the code they gave him. When he was given the affirmative, telling him that this was something very serious, he nodded.

"Acknowledged. I'll let you have custody of her."

The little girl was important somehow. She was either the daughter of a dangerous criminal or the daughter of someone high up in the Government or Agency.

"Kitty!" Unlike the other times she had uttered this endearment, there was the sound of sadness and fear, her grasp on him was strong for a three year old and the attempts to unlatch her from him was met with screams and flaying kicks. "NAAAAAAAA!"

Three fully trained NSA agents were unable to get the child to stop crying. Eventually the girl was unlatched from Casey's calf and taken away. He could breathe, just for a moment and to help relieve his discomfort, Casey approached the drinks machine and gave it a sharp thump. He never needed money because even drinks machines were afraid of him.

The can of soda dropped down and Casey crouched to retrieve it. Seconds later he was sitting back in the chair sipping the cool refreshing drink and feeling the stress and worries of the little girl ebbing away.

How had Kathleen managed to bring up Alex on her own?

Regrets of not being there for Kathleen at the birth of their daughter pulled sharply and painfully at his chest. The regrets of not being there for either of them stirred up angry frustrations and so the empty soda can crumpled into virtually nothing in his hand.

He didn't care that when he lobbed it across the room, it impacted with the thick skull of Jeff as he came walking in the room. It rebounded off his forehead and the wall and dropped into the recycling bin.

Jeff didn't even realize that he had a mark on his forehead from the can and so instead he looked blankly at nothing before tilting his head up at the ceiling. Jeff then proceeded to look everywhere except in Casey's direction, trying and failing, to determine where the projectile had come from. When it became obvious that Jeff wasn't going to figure it out, he then ambled over to the drinks machine and began fishing about in his pockets for some money.

Moron.

Casey looked at the clock on the wall and a satisfied sigh emanated from his lungs and mouth when at last his shift had come to an end. He could finally go home, relax and spend the evening with Ellie and her wonderful cooking. Hmmm!

Though, unbeknown to him, a stowaway slipped into his car and came back to Echo Park with him.

Tbc…