The City of Masks

First off, I would like to give my thanks to those who welcomed me back. It's much appreciated that there are those who enjoy my stories and want more. Trust me when I say I will continue to write if you continue to read them. Secondly, thanks for the comments. Thirdly, since we've established the possibly bad guy in the first chapter I thought I would focus more on Charah with a bit of Morgan Grimes mixed in for chapter 2.

Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment please leave a comment for this this one as well. Tell me what you think and I hope you enjoy the read.

I don't own Chuck but I do own the 3rd season on DVD.

Out With The Old In With The New

XXX

The odd occurrence Chuck experienced with the woman known only as Cassandra sitting in his wife's seat didn't effect him whatsoever. Granted, it was quite flattering for an extremely beautiful woman to appear out of nowhere and quietly show an interest in him but it was all for naught. In any case, he shook it off and once he reunited with Sarah, the two of them ventured into the city in order to see the beautiful sights that Venice offers.

Chuck and Sarah took the opportunity to make an afternoon of it by seeing the top attractions with other tourists, which are easily within walking distance. By taking one of the many walking tours hand in hand or arm in arm with a licensed tour guide. They would most certainly not miss any important sights on the route, and at the same time, hear many fascinating insights and facts about Venice and its architecture.

It was an absolute treat for the newlyweds as they visited such sites as St. Mark's Basilica in St Mark's Square. However, for their first stop they are shown the 'Real Venice' as they entered a labyrinth of narrow passageways and alleys leading Sarah, more so than Chuck, to be amazed by the pure grandeur of it all. It would be far different than the dangerous spy related intrigue that tended to blanket the area.

As Chuck stood there next to his wife, he easily witnessed how she was given a whole new perspective to her current surroundings. In his mind, this was the reason why he took her to Venice for their honeymoon so that she could see with fresh eyes a side of a city that didn't mainly involve espionage or secret meetings. It has been truly an eye opening experience for her to say the least.

While looking around Sarah could feel her husband squeezing her left hand with his right causing her to turn her attention to him. When she does he witnesses a smile on his face as he leans in to whisper in her left ear. "Having fun?" inquired Chuck.

"I am." responded Sarah with nod. "It just bring back a lot of memories most of them mission related." she whispered.

For Sarah, she has been reintroduced to a whole new world that she never knew existed but never really took the time to see. A handful of thoughts circulated within her mind while holding her husband's left hand as they were guided through the labyrinth of narrow passageways and alleys. One thought in particular concerned how an individual could easily get confused to the point of becoming lost trying to find their way out.

Yet, as a trained spy she knew this area like the back of her hand so much so that she could have easily taken over duties from the young woman leading the tour. The many twists and turns the labyrinth provided gave an excellent escape route if it was well planned. The last thing any spy wanted was making a costly mistake by getting himself or herself lost causing their own life and mission to become jeopardized.

The mission was always a matter of importance and there was no time to stop to smell the roses. She remembers it was her late boss C.I.A. Director Langston Graham that preached to her, as well as her fellow agents in not letting any kind of distractions keep you from doing your job. She heeded those orders very well getting the job done and doing it without having any attention placed on her or the situation at hand.

However, just like Graham it was all in the past and as much as she appreciated all that her former boss taught her essentially being given a second chance at a new life as a spy her third chance at a new life as wife to her now husband Chuck Bartowski thrilled her more than any mission ever could. She's glad that she now has a future to look forward to with people in her life that truly care about her.

"Well, this isn't a mission per say…" he retorted leaning his head down a bit to lightly kiss his wife's forehead. "…it's our honeymoon and as your husband it's my mission to give you some new memories in Venice. Do you accept?"" added the business owner looking deep into Sarah's eyes.

That's the most sweetest thing for him to say. It touched Sarah's heart to hear that showing her how much of a big heart her husband has. True, she always knew how big of a heart he has but to have him go so far as making it his mission to create new memories for her in Venice is absolutely indescribable. In that moment, the love Sarah has for her husband grew exponentially causing her to be momentarily speechless.

Sarah began to well up with tears but restrained herself from letting herself cry. She is overwhelmed with emotion that it took a second for her to regain her thoughts. In that instance, she turns standing in front of her husband and gaze up into his big brown eyes. "I do." she happily answered with a wide smile.

The newlyweds exchange soft kisses and then follow the rest of the crowd and female tour guide to another historical site learning the history behind the famous landmark, which Sarah completely soaked in. As the tour progressed, they learned of the Venetians such as Marco Polo who made Venice such a vibrant and influential power. The couple saw Marco Polo's House and heard tales of this legendary globe-trotting Venetian.

When the tour ended, it lasted all of 2 hours and it was considered not only informative, but quite eventful as well for the two of them. Of course, countless pictures were taken that would most certainly be posted on their Facebook page. By the time they arrived at their hotel at around 3: 45 p.m. they were somewhat tired from the walking the tour leading Chuck and Sarah to grab a quick nap before they have dinner.

XXX

It's 6:15 p.m. as Chuck dressed in a sport coat, button down dress shirt, and slacks while still sporting his signature foot apparel waits for Sarah in the living room of the lavish executive suite so the both of the them can go out of for dinner. In his mind, he's most definitely going to be doing a lot of that now that he's a married man and to occupy his time he is sitting on the couch playing angry birds on his iPhone.

The concentration he has on game is temporarily interrupted by the voice of his wife coming from the bedroom causing him to pause the game to ask her to repeat her last statement. "What was that honey!" hollers Chuck leaning his head back in the direction of the bedroom behind in order to clearly her what his wife said.

"I'll be ready in 5 minutes." she hollered back in a muffled echoed response.

Chuck, without missing a beat, returns his attention back to the addictive game resuming gameplay. It's during a minute into playing the game, that his concentration is once again interrupted by a phone call and when he looks on the small screen to see who is calling him a hint of a smirk appears on his face. As he stands up, he heads to his left towards the two open double doors leading to the terrace.

"What's up Morg." said Chuck stepping outside to see the sun gradually setting.

"Hey buddy…" the bearded man happily replied. "…how goes things in the country shaped like a boot?

"It's going dude." he retorted.

"Fun movie fact. You do realize part of the movie The Italian Job was filmed there don't you and at the end of the movie Mark Wahlberg's character ends up with Charlize Theron's character. Anyways, what I'm saying to you Charlie Crocker is how is your beautiful wife Stella Bridger doing?" wondered Morgan.

When it comes to his bosom buddy, Chuck could always count on him to possibly have an interesting conversation. It's considered one of the many unique talents Morgan Grimes has perfected since they were both little kids growing up together. In his mind, he could turn any normal conversation into one where at the very end you find yourself shaking your head in disbelief.

"We're doing great man."

"That's awesome." It's at that point Chuck hears a momentary pause on the other end of the line. After a few seconds, he once again hears his voice. "Listen…"

Chuck knew exactly what he was going to ask and immediately responds. "No buddy, I have not seen or bumped into anyone from The Jersey Shore." he stated knowing all-too-well the inner workings of his best bud's mind. "We just got here."

"Oh man…" he responded with disappointment in his voice that Chuck clearly hears. "…but hey you're there for 3 weeks so you could very well run into them so remember…"

The newly married man immediately cuts Morgan off finishing what he was about to say. "I remember dude." Chuck responded shaking his head as he leaning forward on the front rail of the terrace. "If I see the cast of The Jersey Shore get a picture with them and then immediately call you so you can talk to them." he adds.

"You're my dude and it doesn't matter what time it is I'll drop what I'm doing to talk to them." said Morgan.

A hint of laughter is expressed by Chuck upon hearing that and after a brief pause in the conversation he continues the phone conversation with his bearded friend. "Is there a reason why you called Morgan?" he asked with curiosity. In that instance, the image of not only his sister suddenly popped in his head but his baby niece or nephew. "Is Ellie okay…the baby?" Chuck added with concern.

"Ellie is doing fine…" Morgan quickly responded. "…and so is the baby so there's nothing to worry about. Awesome, for the most part, has everything under control but just to be on the safe side Casey is keeping a close and watchful eye as well but you didn't hear that from me."

Good ole' reliable and concerned Casey. The fact that Colonel John Casey, who at one time wasn't considered a people person and didn't care about anyone or anything for that matter, is keeping tabs on his sister gave him a sense of assurance that if something were to happen he'll be there to back them up. As much as the veteran NSA agent denied caring about the Bartowski family, Chuck knew they were growing on him.

Yeah like mold the tall, lanky man thinks to himself because knowing Casey that is the exact response he would most definitely go with. Chuck is glad that when it comes to the third member of Team Chuck, he's on the side of good because he never in his life could ever imagine the burly government agent going to the dark side. Granted, he has had his moments where he was forced to do things because of orders or loyalty but that's all in the past.

Casey's loyalty he has for Team Chuck is strong and will never be broken because its solid as a rock. The loyalty he has for the best damn partner he has ever had shows that he trusts her to watch his back and will do the same for her, especially when it concerns him. Chuck vividly remembers Casey visiting him during his stay at Neuroscience Center to regain his memory and is very appreciative what he said about him in his own Casey-esque way.

The conversation between Chuck and Morgan would inevitably come to a close as he feels a tap on his left shoulder causing his him to turn around. When he does, Chuck sees his wife in a beautiful blue dinner dress with heals to match motioning to him that she's ready to go leading him to end the conversation with his bearded best friend. "Morg, I got to go." he states. "Tell everybody hey from the two of us and Sarah says hi by the way."

As Sarah is standing there in front of her husband, she could see him wince pulling the phone away from his ear. At the same time he does that, she hears Morgan on the phone clearly yelling out hey Sarah on the other end of the line. "Hey Morgan…" she responded expressing an amused grin. "…we don't want to miss our reservation for dinner so we got to go.' added the beautiful blonde.

"My bad."

Chuck places his phone back to his right ear in order to end the conversation. "Talk to you later Morg.

"Yeah man." quickly responds Morgan.

Once Chuck hangs up, he briefly looks down sticking his phone in his right front pocket and then back up at his wife. "We don't have reservations for dinner." he said shaking his head.

"Morgan doesn't know that." Sarah retorted with a coy smile causing Chuck to respond by shaking his head as they both head out to have a wonderful dinner together.

XXX

The couple didn't have to go far to find a great restaurant. As a matter of fact they didn't even leave the Hotel Danieli as they both would be enjoying a fine dining experience located on the roof. When Chuck and Sarah arrived at the Restaurant Terrazza Danieli, they were given a choice by the maître d'of either sitting outside in the evening air of the outdoor terrace or have a candle-lit dinner in the sumptuous indoor dining room.

It wasn't a hard decision for either of them as the agreed on having a candle-lit dinner in the indoor dining room. The most notable aspect of the restaurant as they're being escorted to their table, are the abundance of red velvet material mainly among the chairs at every table giving it not only an ere of sophisticated elegance but also a warm, romantic atmosphere.

However, it wasn't just the red velvet chairs that attributed to the ambiance of the restaurant as long mirrors hang aside intricate classical wall panels reflecting the candles and floral display found on every table. As they pass other couples enjoying their dinner by candle light, Chuck and Sarah could easily smell the fine cuisine wafting throughout the restaurant that is currently being eaten by the seated patrons.

Sarah takes a quick look back to her husband expressing excitement within her eyes after perusing some of the dishes that have been served. From the look on Chuck's he too exudes the same excitement within his as the two of them anticipated having an awesome dining experience. After a moment or two, they arrive at their table where the view of view of the lagoon, islands, and the Grand Canal is absolutely spectacular.

Once seated the maître d' hands the couple two menus, as well as a wine list and before taking his leave he gives him name. "My name is Marcello and if you need anything please don't hesitate to ask." he said in a considerably thick Italian accent.

"Thank you." replied the married couple in unison.

Marcello walks off leaving husband and wife to look over their menus. For Sarah, there were so many choices to choose from as she carefully looks over what the restaurant offers. It's all absolutely appetizing from the main courses such as Almond crusted beef filet with Nardini Almond-flavored Grappa sauce and seasonal vegetables to mouth water desserts like Amaro Nardini liqueur parfait with cherry sauce and chocolate veils.

The assortment of fine cuisine causes Mrs. Bartowski to bite her bottom lip at the sheer awesome that she is reading before own two eyes. In her mind, she's glad her face is somewhat hidden from view behind the menu she's holding because it would have concealed the drool that could very well be dripping from her mouth but thankfully she restrained herself from doing so.

"It's hard to decide what to eat sweetie." Sarah stated briefly leaning right towards her husband. "It all looks so good." she added.

"Yeah it does." replied Chuck with a slight nod.

As Sarah is controlling the urge to drool focusing all her attention on the great food, Chuck is instead focusing his attention on the prices next to the food they're both going to order. The wine list was even more outrageous. Am I buying dinner or a new house? It's the second thought he had when he reacted to the prices on the menu with the first reaction being not so much a thought but rather a loud silent scream in his head.

Don't freak out Chuck he thinks to himself. While sitting there, the happily married man could not only feel his butt cheeks tightening up but could also feel the palms of his hands sweating. In addition to that he could clearly feel small beads of sweat forming on his forehead and if his wife were to turn to him at that exact moment wondering why he could go with the plausible valid good excuse that he was merely sitting too close to the candle.

It had been a long time since Chuck experienced fear, anxiety, and the constant fear of death but at that exact moment he did. He didn't have any idea what it felt like to have a heart attack but rest assured if it felt anything like what he's experiencing now looking at how expensive each item on the menu is then 911 should immediately be called. In that moment, it takes everything in his power to get a hold of himself.

Once he knows that he isn't going to freak out in front of his wife and the many patrons surrounding them, Chuck takes a deep breath. He then repeats the following statement in his head several times. You're doing this for Sarah. After the inner pep talk, he turns to his wife sitting to his left with a smile on his face and asks her if she is ready to order being that she has had ample time to make a suitable cuisine choice.

"Well…" stated Chuck clapping his hands together. "…I'm ready to order how about you?" he asked with curiosity.

"I'm so ready." replied Sarah with a hint of excitement.

As she says that, a waitress appears leading the young Italian woman to ask them a question with pen and pad in hand. "Signore…Signora, ready to order?" she inquired.

"Yes we are." replied Chuck. "Honey…" he said turning his attention from the waitress to his wife. "…ladies first."

XXX

The dinner itself, despite the price, was well worth it. The honeymooners sit at their table with Chuck feasting on Wellington pasta Philo beef fillet with seasonal vegetables and Madeira sauce while his wife Sarah is enjoying Rockfish in tomato guazzetto with mussels, clams and potatoes, zest of orange. The two wash it down with an elegant Amarone Costasera Classico Riserva, a red wine from Masi.

It's in between bites of their food, that husband and wife communicate with Casey like grunts telling each other they chose right in regards to their order. In typical fashion for any wife, Sarah partook in some of Chuck's food to see how it tasted and though he didn't do it her his beautiful wife fed him some her food. The two of them were clearly enjoying themselves as sporadic moments of laughter and soft kisses are exchanged.

The elderly couple sitting to their left clearly knew they were newlyweds by the way they are acting leading them to exchange smiles. Chuck could see the older gentlemen give a nod towards him followed by a thumbs up, and after looking at Sarah turns his attention back at him giving a heart okay with his fingers. The couple could only respond with bright smile leading Chuck to reciprocate the same sentiment towards the older gentleman's wife.

What happens next touches Sarah to her utmost core as she witnesses the older gentlemen take his wife's hand, kisses the back of it, and then turns leaning in to kiss her on the lips, which she totally did not expect. It's in that impromptu moment they witnessed the older woman's eyes shine brightly leading her to exude the widest and happiest smile she could possibly give.

In that instance, Sarah became absolutely speechless as she places her left hand over her heart and at the same time she does she intertwines her right hand with her husbands left. The poignant moment causes her to lean over to her husband resting her head on his left shoulder. As they both witness, a love that has truly lasted a lifetime Chuck turns his head in order to kiss his wife's forehead and then squeezes her right hand. In Chuck's mind, his concern about the how large the bill would be is considered foolish and ultimately forgotten.

Chuck's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his wife voice. "That's going to be us someday Mr. Bartowski." she wistfully breathed out lifting her head up from his shoulder in order to gaze into her husbands brown eyes.

"I look forward to growing old with you Mrs. Bartowski." he replied leaning giving a soft kiss on her lips. "My heart is yours for all time." Chuck added.

Sarah responds with a grin that turns into a warm smile as she touches her forehead to his. After a brief moment, they return to finishing their meal and once the main course was finished, the newlyweds decided to share some dessert and after careful consideration they unanimously decided on having an Amedei 70% dark chocolate, with soft mint heart, vanilla sauce and extra noir chocolate sherbet.

It didn't dawn on Chuck how much his wife truly enjoyed the appetizing dessert until he notices her gazing at him while placing the fork with a small piece seductively in her mouth. For a split second, he lost all train of thought at that very moment as he continues to watch her take another piece and slowly bite into it. What made it even more pleasurable to watch is the way Sarah licked her lips in order to get the icing off causing him to mimic her.

A coy grin appears on Sarah's lips as she takes another piece of dessert on her fork and instead of taking a bite of it she reaches over to feed it to him. Chuck doesn't avert his gaze one iota as they are both locked on her as he opens his mouth in order to take a bite of the dessert. The blonde, blued eyed woman slowly retracts the fork from her husbands mouth and then slowly places the fork on the table in front of her.

The successful business owner then sees his wife take her finger on her left hand and swipe some vanilla sauce on it. She then momentarily looks at the sauce and then turns her attention to her husband who clearly knows what is about to go down. He intently watches as his partner for life moves her fingers towards his mouth leading him to open it and once inside he proceeds to suck the vanilla sauce off her finger.

Chuck doesn't break eye contact with Sarah as she slowly pulls her finger out of his mouth all-the-while expressing a devilish smile. Once again, he watches her do it again and when she move her finger towards his mouth he anticipates another treat but doesn't get to as she pulls away sticking it in her own mouth to suck the vanilla sauce off. By this time, the two of them know exactly what's on each other's mind.

"I think…" Sarah softly said as she leans in a few inches away from her husband's face. "…we should take this to go."

"Check please!" announced Chuck immediately putting his right hand in the air.

XXX


NOTE: SO WHO NEEDS A COLD SHOWER AFTER READING THE LAST PART OF THE CHAPTER?