TheGameprologue
Prologue
I got caught up in all there was to offer "Fallen" – Sarah McLachlan
Castle
"Chuck, if Casey even suspected that I had feelings for you I'd be gone before you could think to protest. He has already talked to me about my 'unprofessional levels of concern' for you. I like you. We're friends. I know the cover thing is difficult, but I'm trained to show emotions without feeling them. Understand?"
"But Sarah, you do have feelings for me. I know it. Why do you keep denying it?" He cringed inwardly. He sounded whiney even to him.
"I don't. We work together and we experience danger together. Don't mistake the emotions you 'think' you see in me for the 'feelings' you go on and on about. I like you Chuck and if I were a normal girl and I met you at a party or in a coffee shop, it might have been different but I'm not a normal girl. I'm an operative. A spy. And spies have rules, rules that keep us alive. Rule #1 is 'No Emotional Entanglements'."
"Fine. I understand. But Sarah…?"
"I don't want to talk about this again, Chuck. I follow rules. You don't. If you get your feelings hurt it's your own damned fault."
She got up and left the table and walked up to the Orange Orange. She wouldn't let him see how badly she wanted to tell him, show him, how she really felt. She wiped a tear from her eye and then went to fix her makeup. She was a spy and she followed the rules, especially Rule #1. She'd learned to follow that rule the hard way after being with Bryce Larkin. And it had been a painful lesson.
Castle
Two Days Later
"I see you finally had to lower the boom on the moron. It was long overdue, Walker. Just don't drive him into a total funk, OK? I have to listen to his sniveling and sniffling over his girly feelings for at least two hours every night and it's boring and disgusting. Now, Beckman wants a private conference with you. All she'd tell me is that she and Graham need your input on something you did in Chechnya."
"Humph. Graham probably wants to insert more teams into the country to try and set up monitoring stations on the smuggler routes. I ran teams that interdicted the gun runners but that was 4 years ago."
"The rebels are dickering with the Ukraine to purchase some tactical nukes the Soviets 'forgot' to take home with them. Sounds like a great opportunity to recover them and deny the rebels WMDs." Casey had dealt with the problem while in Russia. No one knew how many 'lost' nukes there were or where they were stored. It was something he'd been unable to find out before being pulled off for this job in Burbank.
Later that same day Sarah called Chuck and asked him to come over to her hotel room. She had something to discuss with him and wanted to do it where 'prying eyes and ears' couldn't record it.
Sarah's Hotel Room
Chuck knocked at the door, anxious, curious and hopeful. Maybe, just maybe, she'd given their discussion in the Castle some more thought and realized her feelings for him were real. With a hopeful smile he raised his hand to knock and she opened the door and asked him to come in.
The room looked different. None of her 'personal stuff' was in evidence. The picture of them that she kept on the bureau was gone as were all her small things that she'd made part of her life.
"Chuck, Director Graham has reassigned me to an incredibly important task force that is searching for lost nukes. Chuck, I'm going to be the Senior Agent in Charge. It's an opportunity to excel and to really serve my country and I can't pass it up. I'm leaving tonight and I wanted to say goodbye and return this."
She handed him his mother's charm bracelet.
"Sarah, I gave you this because…"
"Shhh. It was a wonderful addition to the cover and I appreciated your thoughts behind it but Chuck…there was never anything on my part. No feelings, no emotions. I'm sorry but I can't keep it. It's something you should give to the woman you want to marry."
He took it from her as if it were something unclean.
"I did. I did give it to that woman." He needed to get out of there before he lost it. He didn't want her last impression of him to be of a grown man crying for a lost love he never had.
He reached out and caressed her cheek and turned and left.
She followed him out the door an hour later. It had taken her that long to recover from what she'd done. And what he'd unwittingly done to her.
Buy More
Next Day
Morgan Grimes was not totally oblivious to the world around him. Something had happened to his best friend and sometimes mentor, Chuck.
Something very bad.
He walked up to the Nerd Herder customer service desk and stood directly in front of his friend who didn't even see him. What ever he was staring at was in his mind, not across the parking lot from the Orange Orange where his hot blonde girlfr – oh, no, not that!
"Chuck, buddy, talk to me. It's obvious something is wrong. Woman trouble? Maybe I can help. I can listen, Chuck. Man, the last time you looked like that was when you came back from Stanford after Jill dumped you. Is it Sarah? Something happen between you two…again?"
"She's gone, Morgan, back to DC. She got a hot job offer she couldn't turn down. She's gone and she's never coming back. It's over and I just need some time to…adjust. Yeah, adjust. So thanks, Morg, but there's absolutely nothing you or anyone can do. I just need to get my head out of my ass and adjust to the new situation." That was exactly what Casey had said to him that morning.
Earlier in the Castle
"Bartowski, Walker's an agent, one of the best. The country needed her someplace else, needed her skill set. She's gone and she's not coming back so get your head out of your ass and adjust to the new situation. You're getting a new handler. Try not to fall for this one. She'll be on station and working in the Orange Orange so maybe the cover won't be so difficult to adjust to. But you have to adjust, understand?"
"Yeah, I get it. I'll adjust. It's not something I'm totally unfamiliar with, Casey. But I want something in return. Lincoln freed the slaves. I want paid, understand? I want the intersect to be a full time job not something that intrudes on my real life and gets in the way. That's the first adjustment I want made. If I'm going to be the intersect then it's all I want to do. I need to focus on using it for maximum utility."
"The Buy More is your cover, Chuck. It's not going to happen. You need a 'civilian' job."
"No. I want paid to be the intersect. I'm not a mercenary but I didn't ask for this shit and by God if the government is going to use me to store data they can damn well pay the landlord rent. Now, talk to the Powers That Be and tell them I'm adjusting and this is step one."
Casey blinked. The moron had a point. He could think of several intersect-related tasks that would benefit the team and the Project immensely. He'd make Chuck's case when he spoke with the Directors again. He'd sell it and maybe then Bartowski would focus on something other than his girly moments and he could get a decent night's sleep.
Buy More
One week later
Chuck was handling a customer at the Herder desk when he saw Casey signal him and hold up his cell phone. Chuck finished up the adjustments to the woman's iPad and patiently explained the new apps he'd loaded for her. He processed her credit card and then checked his phone.
The text message read 'CASTLE ASAP BECKMAN'.
He got Lester to cover for him and walked over to the Orange Orange. It was closed but he used a key and then entered the Castle. Casey had told him that his new handler would be on-station later in the week and he wondered if this was regarding her.
He walked down into the Castle and entered the conference room. Casey was standing almost at attention talking to General Beckman. The woman scared the crap out of Chuck and he viewed today's meeting with a great deal of…fear.
"Ah, Mr. Bartowski, it's about time. Major Casey has advanced your 'agenda' for new intersect duties and I'm in complete agreement with you. Turn in your notice to the Buy More. Major Casey will go over the necessary paperwork that will arrive later this week. There are conditions, however, that must be met before you take on your new duties."
"Yes, ma'am. I'll explain them after the conference. No need to waste your time, General." Casey's comment irritated Chuck for no reason. Just Casey being Casey.
"Fine. Make sure he understands the financial arrangements, the wardrobe and travel requirements as well as the need to relocate to a secure and suitable residence we will provide."
"Yes, ma'am. It will be handled. Anything else, ma'am?" Chuck swore he could hear the sounds of Casey's lips sucking on the General's ass. He could be so fawning over people who outranked him that it was disgusting. Kissing her ass was not going to get Casey out of Burbank. He was stuck here just like he was.
"Yes. Mr. Bartowski, I applaud your patriotism. Welcome to the ranks of the National Security Agency. You have an important role to play and we expect and will accept nothing but excellence." She disconnected before he could anything in response.
"Casey, thank you. Now, what conditions need to be met before I 'take on my new duties'?"
"Well, Chuck, you're going back to school. But first you need to go shopping. Those Buy More nerd clothes will not get it in the NSA and the less said about your 'personal wardrobe' the better. Then you will move into your new fully furnished condo in Venice. You'll be working out of NSA-LA and I'll be right there with you. I quit the Buy More this morning. Go easy on Big Mike. Losing you and his top salesman in the same day might give him a coronary."
"Wait a minute. In Venice? What…"
"Conditions, Chuck. Considering how much money you'll be making, the General figured you could afford the new lifestyle so the Condo is it. The 'paid-for-by-the-NSA' Condo, by the way. Totally secure and no bugs, Chuck. None at all unless you put them in. I don't think your new girlfriend would appreciate them anyway. And it's part of your new cover that you'll have to learn to live with." And live with her. Casey couldn't wait until Bartowski realized his 'cover girlfriend/handler' was a live-in. And the Condo only had one bedroom. Oops, 'forgot' to cover that in his mini-brief'.
Casa Bartowski
"Oh, Chuck, I'm so proud of you! Getting a high-tech job in this economy and then moving out…I mean, you don't have to move, Chuck, we love having you here."
"Nope. The commute would kill me. I got a deal on a sublet in Venice. The guy I'm replacing was transferred to London and I just picked up his lease. Can't beat the price and the salary will more than cover all my first-time expenses. Besides, it's hard telling a girl you want to…well, that you live with your sister and her boyfriend. Really destroys the image, y'know?"
"So, when can we see this bachelor pad, dude? Awesome move, by the way."
"Not for 2 months. I have to go to Maryland for induction and training and some tech schools. I should be finished in 2 months. Sounds pretty simple to me."
The Condo
Venice, CA
Chuck needed Casey's help carrying all the crap he'd had to buy on the list Casey had given him. Tuxedos, shoes, shirts, pants, casual clothes, ties, the whole wardrobe from feet to neck.
"Thanks, Dad, for setting me up for school. When do I meet my new handler?"
When Casey had paid for it all, the somewhat effeminate young clerk had looked them over and commented that the bar he frequented could use some new blood. Chuck overheard and went to the young man's rescue when it dawned on Casey what he was implying. Casey was drawing back his fist in preparation of smashing in the other's nose, cheeks and teeth when Chuck interrupted.
"Thanks, Dad. I appreciate the new wardrobe. Um, I mean step-dad. And you married such an older woman, too."
The color came back to the young man's face but Casey paled at the image of him being Chuck's 'step-dad'. He growled and that sent the young man off in search of softer prey.
"Keep it up, Bartowski, and I'll sic 'Mom' on you." He meant General Beckman and then Chuck commented and froze the NSA officer in place. "I always knew you had the hots for Diane. Thanks for the image. I'll probably have dreams of…never mind."
"Your new handler will be introduced to you at the school. The General felt that sharing the experience might lessen any…problems."
"What if I don't like her or she doesn't like me?"
"Tough. Just think of 7th grade and you'll do fine. Try to pass the school, Chuck. It's really not that hard. And try to suppress any girly screams. It demeans the image of an NSA agent." He handed Chuck a first-class ticket to DC and an itinerary covering transportation and lodging at the school and then slapped him on the back.
"Just think, the next time I see you, you'll be a man and you'll also have to call me Sir." Secretly Casey feared that the 'school' would break his young asset and make things worse but the General had been adamant. "He either passes the school or he's no agent. Now, I've said 'yes' to the request, Major, don't press your luck."