A/N: I don't own nor make any $ from Chuck. Thank you for all the reviews they are the best compensation!
"Thank you for your discretion," Graham said to the man standing before him.
"Yes sir. I understand the security concerns and realize the sensitivity of this matter."
"Good, do you have any questions?"
"Just one sir. What about his handlers?"
"The assignment has been given to Casey, but you are my insurance policy. I know, based of your previous assessment, that Walker is compromised so we couldn't use her, but now I think Casey might be as well."
"And if he is sir?"
"Clean him as well," Graham replied.
"Yes sir."
"Also no head shots! We need to be able to get the intersect out of Bartowski's brain. After he is dead, you need to have him back to the op center before his body temperature drops below 90 degrees. Is that clear?"
"Yes sir."
"Nothing? Not even any lingering loyalty to your old friend?"
Bryce hesitated before he answered.
"Not anymore sir."
"Oh God look out," Chuck screamed as Sarah almost crashed into a bus.
After the call from Casey, Sarah moved both bags from her residence, and secured them in her secondary location, which was at a local storage unit. The resulting delay in getting to castle was bound to be noticed, so Sarah made up for it by driving like a lunatic.
"Relax! You are the worst person to drive with," she yelled back as she expertly weaved in and out of the lanes.
The tension in the car was overwhelming as they drove to the meeting at castle, and the stress was fueling the irritability they both felt at the moment.
"So tell me again Chuck, what are you going to do in the meeting," Sarah said.
"We have been over this a thousand..,"
"Go over it again! Now when Graham and Beckman tell you that the intersect is coming to an end you do what?"
"I act surprised and then ask them what happens next," he huffed.
"Correct, and what do you not do under any circumstances?"
"I don't act like I know might know that something is wrong...ohh," he said as Sarah took a turn at what felt like 3G's.
"Nothing Chuck, I mean it! No uncomfortable rambling, no subtle looks. You are not good at hiding anything and they will pick up on it immediately. You have to act shocked and stupid," she said as she looked at him.
"Well that I can do," he smiled.
"Hey I'm serious this is no joke," she said as she saw his smile.
""I'm sorry I was just...,"
"If they suspect you know something is up they will kill you right now Chuck! Do you understand!"
He was silent for a second as the gravity of her statement took hold of him.
"I'm sorry. It's just this is really stressful and I'm trying to hold it together. I couldn't handle it if something happened to you," she said as she grabbed his hand.
"I know Sarah. I feel the same way when it comes to you."
"Ok just hang in there with me and we will get through this. Trust me," she said as she kissed his hand.
"I do, but Sarah?"
"Yeah?"
"What about Casey? Can we trust him?"
"I don't know Chuck, but I'm going to find out," she said as she gunned the engine.
Sarah tried to control her anger as she stood listening to Graham and Beckman thank Chuck for his service.
"So what happens now," he asked.
"Now you get your life back."
"That's it?"
"That's it Mr. Bartowski. We understand that you...,"
Sarah faded out at their meaningless words as they droned on about payments and government "gifts" for his service, knowing fully well what they intended to do to him. As angry as she was at Beckman and Graham, she couldn't help but feel pride as her new boyfriend was handling this very well, and showing no outward signs of the fear that she knew was flowing through him. Thinking about him as her boyfriend momentarily interrupted her train of thought.
New boyfriend? How about first real boyfriend? No it's more then that..is this? Could this be it?..husba...get a hold of yourself Sarah.. she thought to herself, and despite their current predicament, suppressed a smile thinking about last night. She had finally "cowboyed up" and told him how she felt and was free of that constricting albatross that hung over her neck; and now with everything out in the open, she felt an unusual feeling of relief.
What about Casey? she thought to herself as the brass droned on.
Why would he tell her if he didn't trust her? He must know how she felt about Chuck, I mean he is not blind... Surely he would know what she would do to him if he hurt Chuck, let alone killed him. He knew what was in her file, so why would he give her a warning unless he wasn't in agreement with the decision? Would he disregard orders? Could he?...she thought as she tried to read Casey, but all she got was his stone-faced expression.
She was about to turn her attention back to the screen when she noticed Casey expose a small device in his pocket. It was a jamming device, which would scramble all surveillance from within castle. Sarah used these devices before with Carina, when she needed to discuss things away from the prying eyes of Beckman and Graham, but had never used one with Casey. The very fact that he showed it to her meant that he needed to talk to her, and more importantly, signaled that he was " laying down his sword", by showing her his intentions of possibly helping Chuck.
Sarah needed to respond and offer a good faith sign as well. She had to make a statement, anything really to see where Casey was with all of this. If he was warning her then it stands to reason that he must have suspicions about her feelings for Chuck, so she would show him exactly how she felt. She was taking a big risk if she was wrong about Casey, but like so many other things she realized when it came to Chuck, he was worth it.
"Thank you," Graham said as the connection closed, which brought Sarah out of her thoughts.
"Well I guess that's it," Chuck said as he turned around to face her.
"Not quite. We still have a mission moron. Remember the cypher? We don't know when the mission will happen but we need to be ready," Casey said as he interrupted Sarah's reply.
"Yes, but they said it would be pretty low risk."
"That doesn't mean that things can't go fubar. Now you go back to work, while Walker and I get things prepped down here," Casey said as she looked at Sarah and she saw him press the button.
"Casey shouldn't I..,"
"It's ok Chuck. I'm 20 seconds away from you," Sarah said as she winked at him.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah," she said as she looked knowingly at Casey.
"Ok," Chuck said uneasily as turned to leave.
Time to make my statement she thought to herself.
"Chuck?"
"Yeah...uhhh," he said as Sarah suddenly launched herself into his arms and kissed him deeply.
"Be careful and I'll meet you for lunch," she said as she broke the embrace.
"Sarah.. I..what...uhh..ill miss you," he mumbled incoherently as he came down from the high and finally made his way up the stairs.
"That was cute Walker. Marking your territory," Casey asked with a smile.
"More like laying my cards on the table," she replied.
"Well didn't think the nerd had it in him," Casey chuckled.
"What the hell is going on Casey," Sarah said as she cut to the point.
"I've been given the order."
"How soon," Sarah asked as he heartbeat instantly doubled.
"I don't know yet, but probably within the week. Are you ready yet?"
"Not yet," she replied as she realized that feigned ignorance of his question wouldn't solve anything. Casey already knew the situation between Chuck and herself, so why try to hide anything now.
"What are we going to do Casey?"
"I have an idea, but I need your help."
"Anything," she replied.
He went on to explain the general framework of his plan, and although a bit o it was still left up in the air, Sarah had to admit that it just might work.
"So that's what I got so far. Of course we may need to adjust as the situation unfolds, but I think it will work," he said as he tried to read Sarah's expression.
She remained quiet for a few moments as she contemplated their options, and although they were limited, having Casey on her side was the best-case scenario. He was nothing if not an honorable man, and she could see that his actions and planning spoke volumes about his affection for Chuck, and also for herself as well.
"Thank you Casey," Sarah said quietly.
"Don't thank me yet Walker. If this thing goes bad we are all dead.
Sarah was quiet for a second and looked over at him pensively.
"What is it Walker? Let's get everything out now," Casey said as he read her expression.
"Why didn't you tell them I'm compromised? You obviously have known for a while," Sarah said.
"What good would that has done me?"
"You could have gotten a new partner or used it to...,"
"To what? Blackmail you or something?"
"No it's just that your are so by the book that I figured...,"
"Jesus Walker Graham really did a number on you didn't he?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean trust Walker. You need to learn how to trust people," he said.
"I do Casey," she replied.
"I'm not talking about boy wonder upstairs, I'm talking about me! I'm your partner and as long as we are on the subject, this team functions best when all that "will they won't they" shit is out of the way! God I'm so tired of it," he said in frustration.
"For the record, yes I know that you are compromised, but I also know that you are the only one who can control him, and for whatever reason, he can keep you from going mental."
"What are you talking about," Sarah asked.
"Come off it Walker! I know all about your past missions, the risks you took and the crap you pulled. If you were the same person now as you were then you would not be here anymore. You would have requested reassignment and gone on to something else, probably with that stain Larkin, and his careless ass would have gotten you killed."
Sarah thought on his words, and realized that he had just let her know that he had her back, but even more then that, he cared about her. He was her partner and wouldn't betray her or burn her the way that Bryce had done in the past, she knew that she could trust him.
"Do you think we stand a chance John," she asked
"Trust me," Casey replied.
Chuck had returned to the store, and was filling out paperwork when he got a text from Sarah that there would be no mission tonight, and that she needed
to cancel lunch. He was more that a little disappointed that he wasn't going to be having lunch with her, especially since he to
revisit the kiss, but put his head back down and tried to focus on his work. Lester came by a time or two with mindless conversation, so he decided to put his headphones in and listen to his music in an attempt to ward off any more disruptions.
Around noon he took his lunch, and slowly headed for the break room. He was half way to the break room, when suddenly the custodial closet door opened, and he was pulled inside.
"Ah what the ...ahh..." Was all he got out as his lips were forced against his blonde abductor.
"How did you like my surprise," Sarah said as she broke the embrace.
"Hell...hi...good..good one..," he replied as he tried to stop his head from spinning, while she laughed at him.
"I thought you were busy for lunch," he said as he finally got his bearings back.
"I am. I just wanted to see you before I
left," she said playfully.
"Oh do you have a mission or something?"
"Yes. I need to go shopping, I have a dinner date with a handsome spy ," she said.
Chuck tried to hide his worried expression at her words, but he was failing miserably as his eyes suddenly fell. He knew that things like this would always come up, but he wasn't anticipating it to happen so soon, and he felt terrible when he saw that she noticed his disappointment.
"Hey what's wrong," Sarah asked as she made him focus back on her.
"I'm sorry Sarah. Look, I know that we talked about it, and this kind of thing can happen, but I just didn't think it would happen so fast and...,"
"Wait slow down," she said.
"No Sarah you don't understand I'm angry at myself."
"What are you talking about," she interrupted.
"I'm letting you down, especially after how you opened up to me last night and were so honest with me. I mean seriously, here is the woman that I love more then anyone in the world, risking everything to be in a relationship with me, and what do I do the first time something like this come up? I drop the ball!"
"Chuck relax," Sarah said as she smiled, but by now he was rambling.
"No I feel bad that the first time this comes up I'm a jealous about it but I promise it's not me being insecure about us it's just I'm worried about you getting hurt and .ahh..," he said as she silenced him with a kiss.
"Thank you," Sarah said as she broke the kiss.
"For what?"
"Well for worrying about me for one, and also for being honest with me about why you were upset."
"Really?"
"Yes. Chuck I know that you will get jealous or worried sometimes an I understand that, but I need you to always be honest with me, and we will always be able to talk about things like this. As a matter of fact that's one of the things I love about you."
"Really? Not my girlish screams or unusually feminine hands," he said as she sighed closer to him.
"Well those too," she laughed.
"Listen I'm sorry again about my reaction."
"It's ok, but now I need to shop for tonight," she said.
"Oh yeah hot date tonight," he replied a bit sadly.
"Yes, so give me 5 minutes then meet me at my car," she said as she wiped the lipstick off his face.
"Huh? I don't understand? I thought you had to go shopping for your date."
"I do Chuck. You are my date," she said smiling at his confusion.
"Wait I thought you said that..,"
"I said that I have to go shopping because if you think that closet you call a wardrobe has anything remotely suitable for a romantic dinner with your girlfriend, then you are sadly mistaken."
"Wait so no..,"
"No missions and no cover anymore, just you and me on a real date," she said laughing as the realization hit him.
"That's great! Awesome..but wait Sarah can we do this..I mean are we allowed? What about Casey? What happens...,"
"Casey and I have an understanding," Sarah replied.
"So he is ok with it? I mean he won't tell Beckman?"
"He won't tell Chuck, as a matter of fact he was almost supportive, or as supportive as someone like Casey can be," Sarah said.
"Wow surprising. I never would of guessed it," Chuck replied hugging Sarah.
"Now we still new to be careful, especially around castle and surveillance, but Casey is on our side," Sarah replied.
"That's the second best news I have heard all day," Chuck replied.
"What's the first," Sarah asked playfully.
"That we are going on a date," he replied.
"Give me five minutes then meet me outside," she smiled as she gave him another kiss and headed out of the closet.
"A real date night with Sarah," Chuck smiled.
"Life is good," he said as she waited the 5 minutes and headed out to meet her.
After an exhausting afternoon of shopping, in which he visited more then 12 stores with Sarah, Chuck finally drug himself into his apartment. He was incredibly hungry from his ordeal and quickly raided the fridge for something to eat. His sister and brother in law were both working a double and wouldn't be back till tomorrow anyway, but he was suddenly hit with a new realization.
Wait a minute...I don't need a cover story anymore...we are dating...I'm really going on a date with Sarah...he thought to himself as e smiled.
He checked the clock, and realizing that he had less then 90 minutes to get Sarah, ran to the shower with his packages in tow.
When he got done showering he noticed a text, and smiled when he saw who it was from.
Don't forget the wear the dark blue shirt tonight ! See you soon -S.
"This is going to be awesome."
Many people use an inversion therapy table for relief of backaches and chronic pain. The basic theory is that during the day vertebrae in the back become compressed, leading to various forms of inflammation. Hanging inverted, like on an table, helps to reverse the compression and alleviate the inflammation associated with it. These thoughts were not going through his mind however, as Chuck found himself hanging over the roof of a building, clutching a metallic disk in a death grip, as two massive hands were holding him up by his feet.
36 hours ago I was on a date with Sarah and now this!.. he thought to himself as he looked up at the big hands that held his feet.
The hands belonged to a man known only as Mr. Colt, who while not only responsible for his current predicament, was also responsible for ruining his first real date with Sarah.
That damned flash...Things had been going great! She was beautiful and I was funny and just as I'm going in for a kiss...that damned flash...FML!
Next thing he knew Casey was driving his car through the restaurant window, Colt stole the cypher, the aforementioned disk Chuck was clutching in his hands, after being lured into a trap.
"Can't we just talk about this!"
"Give me the cypher Mr. Carmichael!"
Casey and Sarah had given him strict orders to remain in castle, but he was sent out on a phony install and found himself on this rather precarious situation.
"What will you do if I give it to you?"
"To tell you the truth I'm going to drop you."
"See that's what I'm saying we new to work on our communication! So why don't you just bring me back up there and we can talk about it?"
"I'm running out of patience."
"Trust you! What they hell was I thinking," Sarah screamed sarcastically as she and Casey raced to rescue Chuck from certain death at the hands of Mr. Colt.
The operation to recover the cypher had been a wild goose chase from the beginning, and now everything had gone to crap. Because of some bad Intel, Chuck had been lured away from the buymore, while she and Casey were checking out a bogus lead. The last confirmed location they had for him was an old abandoned high-rise on the southern edge of town, but his locator had stopped transmitting, leaving both agents on edge. Sarah could actually feel her body temperature rise as the fear and anger at the situation flowed through her.
"Can't you go any faster," she asked him as looked tensely over at the and let out a frustrating sigh.
"I need to keep the tactical behind me so they...,"
"Fuck the team!"
Casey maneuvered around a bus, and was about to say something, but thought better of it when he looked over at her and nearly did a double take when he saw that her face had turned a bright shade of crimson.
"Calm down Walker. We will get to him in time," Casey said as he floored the pedal.
"You better hope so," Sarah said under her breath as the big V8 rumbled to life.