Author's note: I just want to say thank you to xfilesfanatic for her support of this story! Enjoy, and happy reading!
"Hey, Fi," Michael announced, walking into his loft with two plastic grocery bags in his hands. "When did...you get here?"
Fiona was perched on his kitchen counter, a cup of strawberry yogurt in her hands. She checked her watch. "Five minutes ago. What did you get at the store?"
"Beer." Michael put two new six packs into his fridge. "Sam was over here yesterday and kept complaining about how I only had one bottle. I figured it was best to restock before it happened again and...someone lost a limb." He grinned at Fiona, who was currently more interested in her yogurt.
"It's a shame you didn't get some more blueberry yogurt. You owe me. I saved the last one for you. Honestly, Michael, why do you even buy the strawberry? Frankly, it's more trouble than it's worth."
"Uh...anyway, speaking of Sam, I was wondering if you could help me out on a job he has for me."
"Well, what kind of job?"
"All I know is that we're supposed to be helping out the cousin of one of his lady friends. I'm going up to West Palm Beach this afternoon to meet up with them."
"Did Sam ask for my help too?" Fiona asked, setting her empty cup and plastic spoon down next to her.
"Well, he...no, he didn't."
"If you don't know what we're doing yet and Sam didn't ask for me, why are you asking for my help, Michael?"
"Because, well, I don't know, you seem...bored lately. Since when do you show up here at eight thirty in the morning and give me speeches about yogurt, Fi?"
"Since..." She sighed. "All right, I might be a little bored. It's been a week since I've had a good job..."
"I didn't think it was possible for you to go a week without blowing something up."
"...but that doesn't mean I'm lowering my price. Actually, my fee is going to be bit steeper than usual."
"Really?" Michael smiled.
"Well, yes. I mean, you're taking me a few towns over and I don't even know what the job is yet, so...in addition to my amount of our reward money...we'll have to go shopping once we get to West Palm."
"Shopping? Fi, come on..."
Fiona shrugged. "That's non-negotiable, Michael. Take it or leave it." She busied herself by looking at her nails.
Michael gave a deep sigh. "Fine, but I have conditions too."
"What?"
"I won't go inside anywhere and you won't ask my opinion on anything."
"All right. Deal." Fiona scooted off the counter and made her way over to the front door.
"Where are you going, Fi?" Michael asked her.
"Most of the shops are open by now, Michael," she sang. "Not to mention with morning traffic it'll take us awhile to get there. Taking that into consideration, it's best we leave now, don't you think?"
"We're not meeting Sam until two this afternoon, Fi," he told her, but she was already half out the door.
"Meet you in the Charger!" She called from outside as the door slammed shut.
Half annoyed and half amused as usual, he grabbed the blueberry yogurt Fiona had so generously saved for him and began walking down to the car.
"And I thought out hotel was swanky," said Chuck as he and Sarah strolled through endless very high end shops. They were surrounded by big, beautiful palm trees, glamorous cars, well-tended flowers, and behind them, the glistening water. He had always heard great things about the Palm Beach area, but... "Thank God we're dressed like we belong, huh?"
Sarah shushed him. In Chuck's eyes, she looked even more beautiful than usual. She was wearing a knee-length, single-shoulder red dress, red heels, and round, designer dark sunglasses. The whole outfit must have cost a fortune, Chuck thought, but that was the way it was supposed to be. Sarah needed to look wealthy and fashionable for her cover, and she did.
Chuck felt dressed up too, in a dark gray suit and black tie, the perfect body guard outfit. General Beckman had ordered him to stay with Sarah for the Intersect's purposes, of course. The man they were taking down, an arms smuggler named Louis Payne, had accomplices no one could identify except Chuck and the Intersect.
"You look really nice, by the way," Chuck said, quieter this time.
Sarah smiled slightly. "Thank you, Chuck. I'm sorry this mission is taking so long. We were supposed to have you back home two days ago, but it's taking me longer to gain Louis' trust than I expected."
Yes, as if her relationship with Shaw was not painful enough for Chuck, Sarah had become very much involved with Payne, trying to lure out his secrets and get information from him before he was officially arrested. Now, they were meeting him in a secluded courtyard on Worth Avenue, a line of chic and expensive shops.
"Keep an eye out for Edmond Rylie Gallery, Chuck. That's where Payne said he'd meet us."
"What do you think he wants to talk to us about, Sarah?"
"I don't know. I'm sure it's just a date."
"Uh huh. Okay," said Chuck, trying to control his voice.
"Remember what I told you..."
"I know. Don't talk and keep my eyes down. Got it."
"Good. And, there's the gallery." Sarah turned down a passageway between the gallery and an Italian stationery store, which Chuck thought just seemed like money for money's sake.
The courtyard behind the shop was just as well-manicured as the rest of the street. Statues surrounded by flowers and hedges watched as Chuck and Sarah approached Louis, who was sitting on a small marble bench.
"Sarah, my love," said Louis, giving her a kiss hello on the mouth. Chuck tried to follow orders and keep his eyes down as best he could.
"Louis, my darling. I've missed you," Sarah gushed.
"You look absolutely stunning. Come, sit next to me. And take off those sunglasses, let me see your eyes." Chuck heard the sound of Sarah's sunglasses clicking closed. "I knew you'd want to come here," Louis continued. "No doubt this is one of your favorite places."
"Of course. There's no other place on the earth I'd rather be than here with you."
As his eyes were down, Chuck was free to roll them.
"There is a matter of some importance I must discuss with you, my Sarah, my rose." Chuck heard the sound of crinkling paper. "This is a picture, taken from my security cameras last night, after you told me you were returning home. Sarah, my dove, please tell me why you were getting into a white van."
Chuck gulped. He thought Casey and Sarah had checked all the security cameras; he thought they knew where Sarah could get into the van without being seen, and now, this happens!
"My darling, surely I don't know what you mean. This isn't me. It looks nothing like me. You're confused, Louis. This picture isn't of the best quality."
"But that is your body guard, is it not? That is hard to deny. Sarah, tell me, why were you getting into a white van when yesterday afternoon you were being driven around in a limo? Why a white van? And why your body guard?" Chuck heard the sound of a gun cocking and looked to see who it was that had pulled it. It was Louis. "You have five seconds to tell me, my angel," he said, burrowing his gun into her ribs. "Five, four, three, two-"
Before he could finish, Sarah stood up and knocked the gun out of his hand and pulled it back on him. Payne began to laugh. "I'm beginning to think you're more skilled than your own bodyguard, Sarah, my dear."
"My bodyguard should be the least of your problems," Sarah said softly.
"And I should be the least of yours," he responded calmly. Without warning, the courtyard filled with guards dressed similarly to Chuck, all heavily armed.
"What the—where did those guys come from?" Spoke Chuck without thinking. He shot Sarah an apologetic glance.
"Sarah, I will give you and your clueless bodyguard five more seconds. This time, to leave this courtyard. If I am arrested, my men will find you, my love, and they will destroy you. Five, four, three, two..."
"You about done, Fi? I was thinking maybe we could go eat something," Michael asked, worn out. They had been strolling up and down Worth Avenue for the past two and a half ours, and Fiona was showing no signs of wearing down, despite the shopping bags filling her hands and his too. He realized later that he should have made not carrying anything another one of his conditions before agreeing to come.
"Michael, I'm just getting started. We'll eat later. Where's the rush?"
"You know, for a woman who hasn't had a job in a week, you sure know how to spend cash."
"Eh. If I get hungry, it's not like I can't get free yogurt anytime I want..."
"After today, Fi, you're not getting yogurt from me anytime soon."
"Fine, then maybe I'll ask the cute guy who lives across the street from me if he wants to take me to dinner. The poor man can't take his eyes off me." The only way Michael had found to get passed Fiona's attempts to make him jealous was to keep a blank face and try not to think about it. Still, it didn't always work.
Just before Fiona entered another store, gun fire rang through the air. "Michael, where's that coming from?" She asked.
He listened briefly before beginning to run down the street. Fiona followed him. In no time, the shopping bags proved to be slightly inconvenient for running.
"Fi, we're going to have to drop the bags."
"Michael, do you have any idea how much I paid-"
"Fiona, we're talking about guns here, this isn't the time for-"
"Michael Westen, if you drop any one of those bags I swear to God I will shoot you in the face."
Michael didn't respond. They crossed the busy street quickly and got honked at a dozen times. The shots continued and grew closer.
"That sounds like fifteen or twenty guns, Michael. What are we supposed to do once we get there?" Fiona asked him.
"I don't know. I guess we'll figure it out."