A/N: For those of you desperate for some fun and romance (uh, to read I mean ;), I bring you a three part Team Bartowski holiday story. I decided it was time to once again attempt to give back to the community and hopefully spread some cheer!

There will be humorous misadventures, some angst, and bonding in one package and a stocking full of Charah to round it out. (if you are into that sort of thing:)

My end goal is fun and fluff, folks.

A huge thank you is in order to the Webbed Wonder of Wisdom, DrMcDuck, for the invaluable input! She provided gentle guidance in helping me connect the dots with this one. The Duck is an incredible writer, and was kind enough to find time to beta this while also writing the epic 'Chuck vs. the Accidental Benedict Arnold'.

Disclaimer: Don't own it. Just takin' them out for a little road trip.

Chapter 1 – The Best Laid Plans are Laid to Rest

"I'm cancelling your Christmas."

Chuck stared blankly at the monitor, trying to process the words. Beckman's face was in a pinched expression and her bun tight and smooth. He swore if he squinted, he would not see the general, but instead the green, loose, fleshy face of the Grinch staring back. He could almost hear the ominous voice of Boris Karloff instead of the general's usual bark.

Damn, he thought, that woman's heart is two sizes too small.

Chuck quickly glanced over to his side to gage the reactions of Team Bartowski's other two members. Casey stood with his arms across his chest, his black polo smooth and stretched across his broad upper body, saying nothing. He was doing a reasonably good job of suppressing a pissed off look. Apparently, Chuck thought, he was holding that back for later when it could savor it with a scotch on the rocks. Sarah's mouth was a thin line, her lips closed, but a small crease on her forehead told Chuck she was not relishing the thought of what amounted to the other shoe getting ready to drop.

The momentary silence that followed Beckman's words was interrupted only by the steady hum of Castle's vast amount of electronic equipment, and the nervous tapping sound of Chuck's foot against the table leg. Sarah cast an annoyed look in his direction. "Sorry," he whispered loudly. He knew that annoyed look from the blonde was not specifically directed at him, but rather at this turn of events.

Well, he was pretty sure it wasn't meant for him.

Casey was the first to break the silence. "General, what are your orders?" he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I will be more specific. I was speaking to Agent Walker, only. You, Colonel Casey, will not be needed for this mission. I understand you have made arrangements to visit your family for a few days." Chuck could not believe that her face actually softened when she spoke next. "It has been quite a long time, John." A sarcastic grunt escaped from the big man, and the general raised an eyebrow in contempt, a look that was usually reserved only for the Human Intersect when it spoke out of turn.

"That wasn't a request, Colonel."

"Wait. Wait a minute." Chuck stood up, bewildered by what he was hearing, and pointed in Casey's direction. "The man who has fewer feelings than a Vulcan is going to be home celebrating Christmas and in the meantime…" Chuck's voice trailed off when he realized that he sounded like a jerk for begrudging Casey something he probably deserved. He also realized that there was no good way to continue without revealing to the general what he and Sarah had planned to be doing on Christmas Eve.

"I know one feeling I'll have is your throat clenched in my fists if you don't shut your trap now," the larger man hissed.

Chuck glared at Casey, but kept his mouth shut. His plan was beginning to unravel like a ball of yarn, and like everything else in his life, he couldn't control it, either. Ellie and Awesome had left for the east coast two days earlier, and would return on Christmas night for a heart-warming Bartowski celebration. It was one of the compromises of learning to split time between the families for the holidays now that they were a married couple. Chuck was grateful for the fact that there would be several glorious days with no missions, no spy stuff, and no glitchy Intersect 2.0 to ruin his life. He had invited Sarah over for dinner on Christmas Eve, and hoped that the third first date would be the charm. Maybe they could finally clear some of the air that had been hanging heavy between them since he had downloaded 2.0 the night of the wedding. Now that plan had appeared to go up in a puff of smoke.

There was a consolation prize, however, he thought. The curly haired man suddenly was hit by a wave of realization of what he had just heard, and a slow, side-ways smile grew on his face. His Christmas now looked like a pile of leftovers, but at least he could take advantage of a small opportunity that had just presented itself: an opportunity to goad Casey.

"Hold on. Did I hear that right? Casey has made plans to spend Christmas with his family? A little eggnog and carols 'round the tree, big guy?" Chuck smirked at the usually detached man.

Sarah recognized Casey's expression. It looked like a steam engine that had finally built up enough torque and was on the verge of blowing. Didn't Chuck know by now not to wave the red flag in front of the bull? she thought.

Before Casey could react, the general's even voice broke the tension. "Excuse me, gentlemen. Perhaps we can discuss the mission. This will affect you, too, Mr. Bartowski."

Chuck sat back down at the conference table, and the large screen in front of them displayed a split image, one of an attractive woman in her mid-thirties, with long dark hair. Immediately, the Intersect flooded Chuck with images of the woman's past. His teammates watched him intently and waited for him to come out of the flash.

"Meredith Davies. CIA. Flawless record of successful missions in Hong Kong, Sao Paulo, Rome, and … Windsor, Ontario? Hmm, that last one doesn't seem to fit in, does it?" he said with a puzzled tone.

"Chuck: focus." Sarah sounded slightly exasperated.

He looked at Sarah. "Uh, yes. Well, she was one of your instructors at the Farm. Damned good one too." He paused. "You had a close friendship. General, maybe we have our wires crossed? I don't see an issue here."

"This, Mr. Bartowski, is the issue." The screen image split again, to reveal a flash drive, a file folder, and a small safe. "These items were found in Ms. Davies' apartment. We have examined the contents and believe that she is linked to the Ring."

But Chuck never heard the last sentences uttered by general, because the second set of images had sent the Intersect whirring into motion again. When the flash ended, the Human Intersect took a breath, but to the surprise of the other three, it was not followed by the usual burst of chatter. Instead, he looked up nervously at Sarah and said nothing.

"What did you see?"

His expression was sad, and she recognized the fact that he was withholding information to protect her feelings.

"Just say it. Say what you saw."

Chuck gazed up at the woman who was now leaning over the table and looking at him.

"I think she's part of the Ring."

"Agent Walker, Ms. Davies been taken into our custody, but so far has resisted discussing her involvement. We know that you had a close friendship with Meredith while you were at the Farm; we need to exploit that. We think that a friendly face from her past may get her to share the information on the inner Ring that we believe she has."

Sarah glanced across the table at Chuck while she spoke. "You mentioned that Chuck will be affected by this mission as well. I don't understand why he needs to be involved in this, General."

The general looked at Sarah. "As I said, Colonel Casey will be taking some much needed time off. Chuck will travel with you here to Washington. However, you are correct in that the Intersect will not be involved in this mission. He will stay at a secure facility while in D.C. It will also give a few of our top-level scientists an opportunity to work with the Intersect. "

Oh..no..no..no..no..no.. Chuck did not like the way she had emphasized the word "work" in that statement.

The large man, standing stoically for most of the discussion, crossed his arms and let out an amused grunt. Sarah watched Chuck's face go slack, and as he started to speak, she turned to the screen to preempt his argument.

"General, if I may, the plan to take Chuck to Washington is extremely risky. "

"What do you mean, Agent Walker?" she asked, obviously not pleased with her judgment being questioned.

"We know that Fulcrum and now the Ring has operatives on the inside of all agencies. Meredith could be proof of that. If Chuck shows up at any of our facilities, he is effectively put on the radar of anyone who has access to the activities within those facilities. The best place for Chuck is off the grid,not in Washington. Especially now."

Beckman contemplated the argument and shook her head.

"You may have a valid argument, Agent Walker, but I feel the alternative of leaving Chuck in L.A. is even riskier. The option of bringing in other agents to Operation Bartowski has also proven…unsuccessful. My job is to decide which risk I can live with. So, unless anyone else has a valid objection, I expect…" The general's next words were cut off by the blonde at the table.

"He can go with Casey."

Three pairs of eyes turned to look at the blonde seated at the table: one pair in anger at being interrupted, one pair in complete confusion, and one pair in utter horror.

Then, Sarah watched as the two men and the general began speaking at once.

"Wha…?"

"The hell he will."

"Explain yourself, Agent Walker."

She looked at the fuming men in front of her and blew out a breath. "He can't stay here, but it is too risky anywhere else." She leveled a look at Chuck, who was now standing with his hands on his hips and an angry look on his face. Please be quiet and trust me, she thought. "That only leaves one other option, as painful as that may be for some members of our team." Sarah looked down at the table for a moment, trying to quickly formulate a plan, and then turned to Casey, "Chuck is a member of your team, your unit, who has parents out of the country and a girlfriend who dumped him a week before Christmas. You are doing a favor to a friend to help him through a bad time." She glared at Casey, daring him to argue with her.

Casey's eyes sparked with anger, and he uncrossed his arms and took a step towards the monitor. "There is no way my mother is going to believe that I would pick up a stray and bring it home. This cover story is completely crazy, General."

Sarah leveled a cold stare at him with icy blue eyes. "It will be a Christmas miracle for your mother; she will think you have a soul." Her eyes also sent another message. Do this. For me.

"Wait a minute. Don't I get a vote here? You know, me—the Intersect?" The curly-headed man spoke up and regarded the agents before continuing. "Sometimes you people forget that I have the new and improved sports package." He emphasized the last two words by flattening his palms and slashing them through the air in a tight motion. "I think I can handle this on my own, General."

Beckman leaned forward in her seat until her face nearly filled the screen. "The new Intersect has proven itself to be unpredictable at best and extremely dangerous at worst." She sighed and then frowned. "Don't be ridiculous, Mr. Bartowski. It is too much of a risk to leave you here in L.A. unprotected and without the proper security measures. Pack your bags." She paused, weighing the risks and closely examining the faces in front of her. "Chuck, you leave with Colonel Casey tomorrow. Agent Walker, we will need you in Washington as soon as possible. I'm sending a jet tonight."

-x-

"I'm sorry."

Chuck and Sarah were standing in the parking lot of the Double O, and Sarah glanced over at the Crown Vic, where Casey was sitting in the front seat seething at his partner. He had not uttered a word since the end of the video conference with the general.

"Why are you sorry?" Chuck asked. "For saving me from the 'high level scientists' who wanted to do God-knows-what to my brain for a few days? No thank you. I'll take my chances with Casey and his family."

"You'll be safe. That's what important. Just don't make him angry."

"Sarah, remember he is angry when he sees my face. There is nothing I can do about that. Besides, I should be saying I am sorry to you."

"Why?"

"Because you have to spend Christmas doing something…well, unpleasant. Sarah, you are a good friend," he said, thinking of Meredith sitting in a cell somewhere.

"I was."

"You still are. You just forget that sometimes."

She smiled lightly, and reaching for his hand, rubbed her thumb over it in a small circle.

"I'll see you when you get back. Maybe we can take a rain check on the dinner." Sarah turned and walked to her car. Chuck sighed heavily, plodding over to the Crown Vic.

-x-

Casey had not said a word on the way back to the Woodcomb apartment. That was quite a normal occurrence, so Chuck just stared out the passenger window. How did things get so screwed up? His mind wandered over details of the last few months; moving in with Morgan had been a huge albeit short-lived mistake and another low point in his life since the Stanford debacle. He still regretted his cockiness after downloading Intersect 2.0; cockiness that eventually led to a well-deserved proverbial ass scorching from all fronts, including Team Bartowski's two other members and the general. God, did I really think I was a spy? he thought derisively.

And now here he was, back living with his sister again. Somehow, on the "Loser in Life" scale, with Jeff being a 1, and Awesome being a 9.8, having to live with your married sister seemed much worse than living with your single sister. So, Chuck figured, he was probably a four now instead of a six. Having the world's hottest girlfriend did not up the ante, because the relationship was now stuck somewhere in the gray space between complex and an awkward cover.

Even the whole "Saving the World" thing didn't really matter, because that was a national security secret, and would have no bearing on his real life. Whatever that was anymore, he thought sarcastically. Chuck sighed again and tried to shake off the negative thoughts. He glanced over at the driver. Casey was the only person who was truly happy with him being back under his sister's roof; top-notch surveillance was already established, and the occasional dinner invitation was a guaranteed delicious home-cooked meal, courtesy of Ellie Woodcomb.

Chuck had been so lost in his self-pity that he had not noticed when they had arrived at the apartment complex and Casey was parking the car. Both of them got out, and the older man stomped through the cobbled archway, past the fountain, and towards the entrance to his apartment. He finally turned back to look at the lanky man heading into his own home, and broke the icy silence.

"Have your scrawny butt packed and in the courtyard by 0900."

"Wait. Do you mind at least giving me some hint as to where we are going? I mean, please tell me I can pack for a warm place, maybe a beach…somewhere?"

"Bring a warm coat." The large man sneered, and pulled his door closed.

Up next: Prepare to be Heartw…harmed – Christmas with the Caseys