I don't own Chuck et al.
Also I am not responsible for Jameson Rook and Nikki Heat referred to in the previous chapter. ABC have published 'Heat Wave' and 'Naked Heat' both by "Richard Castle." Yes, real, physical books (although, a lot slimmer than other Castle books that appear on the show). So the names I used were from those books.
If Sam and Clair (Clam? Ew) can have a show and fan fiction, then I'm sure the same can be said for Rook and Nikki (Rikki? Meh). Thanks to MyNameIsJeffNImLost for those (and other) smooshed names.
(Deep Voiced Man) Previously in the SvFF 'verse;
"Well, I was there with Morgan, you know? I'll need that time to wash the alcohol out of my…."
"Who said anything about alcohol? I'm thinking whipped cream…" she intimated in her most sensual moment to date.
Chuck kind of zoned out for a moment. When he came to, she was giving him a quizzical smile. God, she loved it when he was trying to process….
"You can't just do that, woman! Give me some sort of warning before…."
She smiled again, and stepped right up close to him. She whispered into his ear "Chuck? Serves you right for getting me in trouble with the General."
The Summer Cold goes Forth.
-o0o-
Day 17 of WitSec
(Late Afternoon – LAX)
"Chuck!"
He looked over his shoulder back at Sarah while he was running. Sarah's face registered horror, and that was when he ran into a (very) solid object.
"Ooof"
"Um, look out? Chuck, are you alright? Casey, what's wrong? Why did you stop?" she helped Chuck back up.
It would go on record as the quietest, and most reverend grunt ever uttered by the large NSA agent.
"Casey? What are you doing? Wazi Akrim's getting away."
Casey's wistful and very quiet "yeah, but…." was associated with a half gesture to the shop he'd skidded to a halt in-front of. Before Chuck had piled into him without any noticeable reaction from big guy.
The shop was full of everything Reagan. The face of the 40th president was everywhere. Mugs, fridge magnets, mouse pads, calendars….. if you could squeeze an image onto it, it was on sale there.
And Casey was just outside of it. The perfect shrine to the perfect…
The other two yanked him out of his reverie, and along with them. It was only because he was John Casey that Chuck didn't think of the noise he made as a whimper.
"John? Retail therapy later. Bad guy" Sarah pointed to where Akrim had headed.
-o0o-
The news footage of three undercover agents capturing an unidentified terrorist on one of the most active runways in the world, and as a consequence, shutting down one of the busiest airports in the world, made it into high rotation on a plethora of TV stations.
Worldwide.
Fortunately, the grainy cell phone footage wasn't good enough to identify them. All you could see was a big guy, and what one news presenter described as "a tall blonde, possibly she – male" with a ponytail pointing guns at the man lying on his face in the middle of the runway. The tall thin guy seemed to be catching his breath. Or throwing up. They're the same pose.
Beckman had a kitten. And from the way she debriefed them, the kitten probably emerged backwards, struggling all the way, and rather disgruntled with the whole process.
Her debrief felt like it lasted longer than the whole 'grind-LAX-to-a-screeching-halt-for-six-hours' incident before she finally ordered Chuck and Sarah "back to Hicksville so the FBI can tell you they've done their job."
(Three days previously)
Day 14, Part I
There was an army Humvee parked across the street. Casey, dressed in his NSA goon suit, got out and waited (not very) patiently. Sarah did the 'Shh' finger to her lips.
"Coffee?" she asked loudly. And they walked up the street to the little café. Casey sat down just after they did.
"Having fun playing house out here in the weeds?" he asked. You could see he desperately wanted to involve the words 'peanut butter' into the conversation somehow. It was a struggle, and Chuck wasn't certain how long Casey could last.
"What's the word, Casey?"
"You're staying. Both of you. We can't blow this. Keeping cover, even the Feebs' cover is more important" he somehow made that last word an insult "than the Libyans."
The coffee came, so they paused while sorting out who got what.
"The problem is, the Feebs stomping around has driven the two leaders, Wazi Akrim and Ahdsay Hizakrim underground. Chuck, we need to … we need you."
"Ooh, that looked like it hurt, Casey." Chuck didn't gloat, very often.
"Chuuuuck…." warned Sarah.
Casey gave him the 'they'll never discover your charred and dismembered corpse' glare.
It is surprisingly similar to his 'I strongly suspect that the pair of you have been dancing the horizontal mambo for the last two weeks' look. But there is a difference.
"We need to get the pair of you out of …. here….. for a few hours." Casey made small town America sound as if a small cave that he knew of in Afghanistan was preferable real estate "So we can bring down the cell."
"OK, bit of prob there, John." Chuck lived dangerously. Sarah nudged his ankle "Our little house on the prairie is bugged. Not as good a job as you'd have done, but…."
*Grunt*
Chuck thought there was a little bit of pride hidden in that grunt.
(Ten days prior)
Day 4
"….I'm sorry. This is delicious. When did you learn to cook?"
Chuck managed the rare feat of looking both indignant, and smug at the same time.
"Well, may I remind you that I live with two doctors. Who, by the way, live stranger hours than certain yogurt shop employees. So I've had to fend for myself for, oh at least three times now. I can even load clothes into the washing machine…"
"I doubt that very much, Chuck. Unless you think that the washing machine is actually the carpet in the corner" said Sarah around a mouthful of glazed chicken.
"Were they the ones under, or over your little pile?" he grinned. "Anyway, compared to my sister, I'm just ….."
(A lady like gulping sound) "…. Oh, no. this is good." She had her eyes closed as she said it. She needed to minimize sensory input, to concentrate.
"Thanks, Ellie thinks I dry the meat out too much."
-o0o-
After they washed up the minor disaster zone that the kitchen resembled, they adjourned to the couch. She tucked her legs under, and leant up against Chuck. He was beginning to suspect that she was part cat. Totally relaxed, yet able to leap fourteen feet in a nanosecond. Also remarkably ….. flexible. A comparison to a tigress was not totally inappropriate.
"Anything from the computer?" she asked after a comfortable few minutes.
"Nothing. I'm beginning to think I need to do surgery."
Not they weren't enjoying the current hiatus. Quite the opposite to be honest. But unless they could show they'd tried all means of communication, some very hairy questions would rear their ugly heads. Questions in the forty nine sequence.
The girl, Kym, they'd met two days ago had informed them, in a caffeine fueled, migraine inducing barrage of information, that if they tried to drive more than twenty miles from the safe house, the GPS would kill the ignition. There was no chance of driving to buy replacement parts for the computer. And the credit card purchases would also raise some questions too.
She hesitated, but this seemed to be the best option. "How about Kym? She might help us."
"OK, we'll check with her tomorrow."
Day 5
"So you want me to go undercover? A secret mission?"
"Nothing that….." Sarah began.
"Absolutely" Chuck interrupted. He deliberately didn't look at Sarah, so he didn't know which flavor of yogurt death was on offer today. "Very dangerous. You'll be helping us to ….. OK, look. Nothing like that. We just want to get a message out. Let my sister know we're OK. Nothing further that that. The Windows paper weight in that place is so hacked, if you sneeze near the keyboard, I'm sure they marshals would call us up to say bless you."
"Can they trace it to me? I want to help, but if I get in trouble…."
"Chuck's very good with computers. That's how we came to be here. His boss, Big Mike never knew how Chuck found out about his little 'fishing expeditions.'"
-o0o-
They'd had to back and forth a little. Kym loaned them her spare thumb drive. Back to Casa Beasley to copy Chuck's hacked IM program. Then back to the McGee residence to try Kym's laptop.
Chuck was still being cautious, while the gen pop's e-mails would probably go uninhibited, that didn't mean an unusual address wouldn't light up the 'Hi there, we have something interesting' lights.
Sarah had said "Chuck…."
"Yeah, I know"
"I swear, it's like you two have teleprosy or something. You spoke about three words, and an entire conversation just passed between you two."
Chuck and Sarah glanced at each other before looking at Kym.
"There! You just did it again."
Day 6
"This is just like a movie. Clandestine meetings and drops at the coffee shop, acting as your cut-out…." Kym leant over her flat white.
"The dickfer flies low in rain" grinned Chuck. Sarah growled at the two of them.
Yesterday, they'd been able to get in contact with Casey. They explained to Kym it might be safer to use their neighbor to contact Ellie.
Casey was given Kym's phone number. He had to make first contact, so the 'something interesting lights' wouldn't block her call to LA.
Kym continued "So, John said he told your sister everything was OK. From the way he described it, I think your sister is very happy you two are safe. He also said your aunt Dianne wanted you to behave, and listen to the FBI."
"Oh, do us a favor? Don't mention the ….. the condoms….." Chuck trailed off.
Kym looked quizzically at the pair.
Sarah tried "It's just that… it's complicated."
-o0o-
"….I'm sorry. This is delicious. When did you learn to cook?"
Sarah grinned "Well….. If my soufflé hadn't mysteriously, tragically and spontaneously caught fire" she paused to try and look significantly at him "you might have found out I do know one end of a spatula from the other."
"…..oooooogooood…. cant talk…eating….." he moaned with his eyes closed in something approaching ecstasy. He was so far gone, he even allowed the "Spatula City, where we sell spatulas. And that's all." routine to pass unspoken.
"If I wasn't already married to you, Mrs Beasley, I'd ask you to marry me." He eventually was able to admit.
"So, you liked it?" she asked, smiling and getting up.
"I loved it. Almost as much as you" he started getting up, to join her, but she held him back into the seat with her hands on his shoulder, before straddling his lap.
"Dessert?" she asked saucily
He was a little bewildered, until her hands began un-tucking his shirt while she kissed him.
"Oh, right. Dessert…"
"Oops" she broke off the hungry kiss and climbed off him.
"Huh? Sarah? What's….."
"Forgot something" as she raced away.
His eyebrows shot into his hairline when he saw the pressurized can she was holding when she came back from the fridge.
She leaned against the door frame to the bedroom, and shot a squirt of the whipped cream into her cleavage. After a moment, she raised her eyes and asked "coming?" with what could only be described as a cheeky grin. The way she wiped the excess from the nozzle with one finger, and then licked said finger may have helped Chuck's decision.
He'd pick that chair up in the morning.
Day 7
"Happy one week anniversary, Mrs Beasley….."
"Happy…. "
The rest of the conversation was very non-verbal.
Except for the twice daily phone calls from the marshals, checking up.
Day 8 (Late evening)
They watched TV for a bit. Not much on, so Chuck channel surfed.
"Stop, go back. One more. Yeah." She sat up straight.
"….that looks like Jackie …. How old is this? …..And excuse me Miss Walker, but how do you know Jackie Chan?"
The film was pretty old judging by the color degradation. Bad acting, and dubbed with what sounded like Australian voices. You have to love a bad dub over bad dialogue.
"Who? No, it's the fight. These guys are good."
"Yeah, no wire work or CGI in those days. And you gotta love a backwards jump into a tree."
"I'm serious, the fighting is… I mean it's a no contact spar, but the skills….and this has all been in one take so far…."
"Good. Yeah that's because he's Jackie. If our 'evening of Morgan' had gone to plan, you would have also seen him in…" Chuck imitated the bad dub "…Enter The Dragon…." His lips kept moving after he finished "in a very minor role."
They ended up staying up half an hour longer than they intended, mesmerized by a film older than they were. It certainly wasn't due to the acting, or witty dialogue.
Day 9
This day marked the real beginning of their life long relationship. She loved him more than she'd ever thought was possible. Even more than Jane Austin could make her feel. But there was still some reserve. Sarah trusted Chuck with her life, and knew she had done for some time since she'd first met him.
Today Sarah was finally comfortable with Chuck. She didn't even know she'd reached that watershed, until the moment occurred. She realized how much Chuck had saved, and changed her.
On this day, fifteen months since they'd first met, nine days since they first made love and eight days since they'd both verbally declared that love, Sarah was so comfortable being with Chuck, that she did something in front of him that she had never before done in the presence of another living human being.
She farted.
Sadly, Chuck didn't quite realize the gravity of the occasion.
"!….Oh my God! No more Chinese sausage for you."
Day 10
"What's the story with that LA neighbor of yours?" asked Kym.
"Well….." Sarah tried to begin.
"He acts so big and gruff. But he's really a sweet teddy bear."
"Sugar Bear" blurted Chuck who then looked horrified at himself "Never call him that, by the way." His neck still hurt on cold mornings.
"He really cares for you two, you know."
"Casey? Big guy, gun fetish. Hates communism. Sure this is the same guy?"
"Maybe be grew a goatee" offered Chuck. When the two girls looked baffled, he expanded "Star Trek, evil mirror twin. Except with Casey that would….."
Day 11
Marshal Davies put his headphones down in something approaching awe. "That pair in Rosedale. I do believe we've got a new record. It's like they'd never had sex with each other before this." He felt he needed a drink. Or a shower.
Or both, except that would dilute his drink too much.
He wondered if they'd be so ….. active if they knew they had an audience.
They'd certainly be fine for a bit. He'd let Benet look after them. 'Cause that pair weren't going anywhere in a hurry.
Day 14 (Part II)
Kym let them know that morning that Casey would visit. "Is that wise?"
"I'm sure he'll be subtle." Replied Sarah
They lasted a few seconds before the guffaw.
-o0o-
Casey opened his bag of tricks. Chuck sighed "Oh, I missed you guys" as he caressed the high tech tools.
Sarah managed not to look hurt. Casey decided that maybe, just maybe the pair of them hadn't been….. because no man should fondle computer gear like that. It wasn't normal.
Chuck hacked the phones they'd been given. Set the onboard GPS locators to give a mixture of trace signals based on the past few days. They would need to keep the actual phones for when the marshals checked in.
Casey flew them back to LA in the Hercules he'd borrowed. Chuck reviewed the data that Casey had, along with the FBI reports. The FBI didn't know anybody else had seen them yet. Chuck flashed three times, but not on anything that would help them find Akrim and Hizakrim.
They snuck into the warehouse the Libyans had been using, but the FBI had been through, removing anything useful. But it was because they went to the warehouse, that the trio were able to locate Akrim and Hizakrim.
The free wi-fi at the nearby McDonalds had activity that matched the Libyans, ceasing when they realized they'd been made. Chuck was able to locate the same laptop once he knew the ID.
They were running out of time. The Beasley's had to be back in the safe house before midnight. Chuck was able determine the current burn phone one of them was using while they were on the Herc back to Iowa.
-o0o-
Chuck was able to keep a couple of toys when they were dropped off. The clean laptop and internet dongle were the first things he used once they were back in Casa Beasley.
"OK, ready to mess with the FBI and the Federal Marshals, Mrs Beasley?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm about to make sure that a certain John Casey never finds out how we've been…. How we chose to enjoy our whipped cream… "
"Probably a very good idea." She responded with a wry smile. It was too late now, and the shop would be closed. "So you're deleting our recordings?"
"Not quite, since the recording is still actually recording, I've sneakily re-named the file. Now it's saving in an unknown format, under a file name that cannot be found. Anybody opens our file up, all they'll get is two Thai girls, speaking in dialect that seems consist primarily of glottal stops, they were here last year, to testify against a sex slave ring." He shrugged modestly at his own brilliance.
"Did I mention, I knew I married a computer nerd for some reason?"
He smiled, but after a moment it became a sad smile. "This is almost over, isn't it?"
"And we'll make the most of the time we have. Once we get back…"
"I know"
She hesitated, then added "And I think its time you spent some of your week-ends at my place, Mr Bartowski. How come I have to spend mine at your place?"
He held her close "Deal." He was able to say before her lips found something better for them to be doing.
Day 15
Kym passed on a message that Casey said the FBI had advised one of the bad guys had been caught. The last one got away.
Chuck spent some time trying to track the last guy, Akrim. It didn't go well, Akrim wasn't using his phone. Chuck was going in circles. It was annoying him. Vexing. He was vexed.
In an effort to ease Chuck's frustration, Sarah dragged him to the shops in order to get him out of the house, and for some groceries, including two tins of whipped cream. One of them got used on apple pie that night.
OK, the remains of the last one.
"I'm never going to be able to look at apple pie with a straight face. Ever. Again."
Day 16
The pair of them went over all the information again, and again. In the past, when ever they'd had to share a computer screen, there'd been that frisson of being so close that they'd both enjoyed without ever admitting it. Now it had been replaced with a comfortable intimacy. Chuck guessed that the frisson would return once they had to do this under Casey's watchful glare. Because there was no way they could sit with her in his lap or with his arms around her like this when they got back.
They'd probably have to wear clothes, too.
Day 17 (Mid morning)
"Chuck! Did you just flash?"
"…uh yeah. Call Casey, we found him! You were right, the warehouse was the key."
Credit card purchases in the area of the warehouse had been a bust, because the Libyans had access to very good fake cards. The card manufacturer was in the intersect. Chuck was able to find the sequence of numbers used, and followed up purchases with a few of those cards. Aside from highlighting a number of criminal gangs that would keep the Feebs busy for a while, Chuck had found Wazi Akrim.
-o0o-
By the afternoon, Akrim had left his current safe house when Team B had got there, but they had his number now. They tracked a cab ride to LAX, and a ticket sale for a flight out of the country.
Sarah spotted him in the crowd at the food court.
Day 19
It took the FBI until this morning to advise Chuck and Sarah that they were now safe. The FBI had successfully apprehended the terrorist cell. Chuck and Sarah were appreciative, and thanked them for looking after them.
"Bloody cheek! I do all the heavy lifting. We, well you and Casey actually capture them, and he takes the credit!"
"Welcome to the glamorous world of interdepartmental cooperation, Chuck."
They found and thanked Kym for all her help. Hugged and exchanged numbers and addresses.
The two Marshals, Davies and Benet drove them back to Des Moines for their flight home. Chuck and Sarah thanked them too.
Ellie's squeal of joy when she saw the two of them come in the door was joined in by two local dogs and a coyote. Mrs Hendersen from number eight's West Highland Terrier, Wee Jock, winced at the sound. Mrs Hendersen couldn't figure out why he did that, but she was a little hard of hearing.
Ellie had been cooking since she'd been given the news that it was over. "…and your favorite for dessert. Apple pie. Sarah? Can you help me whip the cream when you get settled in?"
She was curious why those two found that hilarious.
Day 20 (Early morning, Casa Bartowski)
Chuck loved the little wisps of loose hair that lived on the back or her neck. Little islands of oh-so-desirable chaos on her slim neck that made her even sexier, somehow. That meant there was a real girl in there somewhere.
He grinned. A girl that loved him. No, not a girl, but a woman. The one astounding, amazing woman who loved him…..
He rolled onto his back. Back home. His bed (very nearly their bed, except for…..), his computer, the Tron and Dune posters and the Les Paul were all as they should be.
She realized he was awake, and rolled over to gaze into his eyes. Neither of them said anything. They didn't need to.
Best. Fortnight. Ever.
Chuck sighed.
Oh well. Back to the real world…
A.N. Sadly, cannot claim ownership for 'Wazi Akrim,' 'Ahdsay Hizakrim' or 'M'dona Kaant-Singh.'
A very funny man called "The 12th Man" is to blame for them (and a bunch of others) – every summer for close to twenty years he took the piss out of the TV cricket broadcast, and sport in general.
Youtube him, but be safe and send the kids out of the room first.
Also any nuns, your mother and yourself. Just to be safe.
You have been warned.
(And have been given a source of bad guy names)
-o0o-
Retropanda37 told me about the Reagan display in a shop. You guys are weird, you know that, right? I cannot imagine a business surviving with Bob Hawke or John Howard's image on anything…..
So, which came first? The Casey, or the shop? Even scarier thought, does that mean there are enough Casey's out there to keep a business like that successful?
-o0o-
The Jackie Chan film was Snake in the Eagle's Shadow from 1979.
My wife and I caught it on TV by accident, and couldn't stop watching it.
-o0o-
If you are familiar with Lap Cheong, you will know it is probably very unhealthy, utterly delicious, and devastates the ozone layer about an hour later.
Epilogue – Breakfast, Casa Bartowski
"Chuckster, check it out. That could almost be you and Sarah there on the runway" boomed Devon as he pointed to the news highlights replaying on the TV.
"….Yeah, you caught us Devon. Sarah and I have been working as CIA operatives, and the whole Buy More/Orange thing is just a cover job. Whaaaaat?" he asked in the same tone of voice as the Big Bad Wolf from Shrek. Sarah, leaping from 'death by yogurt' straight to 'death by some sort of throwing implement,' glared at him. "Oh, that's right, Devon, it's a secret. You can't tell anybody."
"Are you nuts?" she hissed. Her fingernails digging into bare flesh on his thigh.
"Wait for it…." He winced back.
"Yeah, Chuck. You and Sarah, in the CIA. Good one." Devon's trademark smile beamed at them.