Don't own Chuck

Chuck and Sarah drove Doris home in her red Pontiac firebird a graduation present from her parents. It was a 2010 the last GM produced before it went through restructuring and the end of an American made car, the last of a dying breed. Sarah drove as Chuck sat quietly staring out into the night replaying events of their life together in his head. She tried to strike up a conversation a couple of times but they all ended in silence now the silence was a growing creating a wall between them and this was something she didn't want.

"Okay, please I'm sorry I didn't mean what I said it just came out wrong can't you accept that you've done it often enough," she said again is seemed she just could say anything right. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to pounce, please can't we just rewind and start over."

"Rewind to where," said Chuck. Luckily his phone rang before he could say more. "John how's the trip. Sarah and I were just hanging. She wants me to tell you how much she wishes she could be with you guys."

"I did not and you know it. Chuck you're being childish put Casey on speaker or I swear I'll pull over and walk."

"Okay, hold and let me put you on speaker," said Chuck thinking maybe he had exaggerated but he still hurt. "There we can both hear you now. What do you need?"

"Chuck, can you put a resume for me up on the Darknet? I need to answer a want add for a merc for hire. These are the same people that are looking for our lost satellite and if I can get into their organization then I can snatch it out from under their noses."

"Sounds like a good plan but what are you going to do with Alex and Morgan? You aren't thinking about bringing them with you? And where did these people come from, I thought Beckman said this was supposed to be an easy in and out."

"Yeah when do things go as planned? Chuck, I don't see another way I've got to either take them or leave them if I get the job."

"You aren't leaving anyone," yelled Alex is the background.

"Well I guess you heard the answer. I guess they can be my crew but I need this done pronto they probably already have another team in the field. Sarah can help you write it up; she'll know what to say."

"I'm sure she will," said Chuck as Sarah gave him a look. "But you know Kathleen will kill you if anything happens to Alex.

"I know just make it happen and let me know. Is something going on with you guys I need to know about? Is Sam alright?"

"She's fine," said Sarah, " we're taking the sitter home now. Hey Chuck wanted to tell you guys to watch you backs."

"Yeah John I don't think you got the full truth from Beckman and now that you mentioning this other group I think my suspicions are justified. I'll do some snooping around and see what I can find out and let you know."

"No absolutely not. You heard the General and for once Chuck do as you're told and that's an order. I've got to run. Casey out." John cut the connection and Chuck was left with his phone in hand and a dial tone.

"What just happened? Since when does Casey give me orders? I know he'd like to and has tried to but he knows good and well I'm not going to follow them."

"Now who lives for the mission?"

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Casey dropped the line quickly before Chuck could say anything but he knew Chuck was going to investigate. It was in his blood he just couldn't help himself. He was wired that way like a bloodhound. John just hoped for once he'd listen then he thought about giving Beckman a warning but that would be like dropping a dime on a friend and as much as he hated to admit it that was what Chuck was, one of his few.

"Dad what's going on? I've never heard you give Chuck an order, can you even do that? What else is in that folder you haven't let me see?"

"Nothing," said Casey as he picked it up and walked in the back. Alex heard the sound of Morgan moving about behind still groggy from the tranq.

"Hey John don't tell me you guys darted me again. So not cool every time, you realize Alex and I plan on having Children," Casey looked up from the shredder and growled. "Hey what are you doing?"

"Shut up and get lost Troll," said Casey as he turned on the shredder. Suddenly the plane hit an air pocket and dropped. Morgan lost his footing still feeling the effect of the dart and almost put his hand inside the shredder.

"Watch out idiot! yelled Casey as he grabbed Morgan's hand. "What you want to wear a hook?" but as he grabbed Morgan's hand he dropped the folder and all the papers fell out all over the deck.

"Sorry guys," yell Alex back. Morgan bent down to help Casey pick up the mess but Casey shoved him out of the way and banged up against the bulkhead.

"Ouch Casey, easy there big guy you'll bruise the merchandise I was only trying to help. I wanted to give you a hand after you save mine."

"Don't touch Troll. I've got this you've done enough back here. Why don't you go see if Alex needs anything? Maybe you can crash the plane."

Morgan walked forward to the cockpit as Casey started shredded papers. He turned back to look at Casey and Casey motioned him to go away.

"Hey Babe what's up with your father he's acting all weird back there shredding documents Ollie North style. He almost bit my head off when I tried to help him. Any idea what's going on?"

"No he and Chuck had a strange conversation and from what I heard we're going in undercover as three mercs for hire to infiltrate a gang that might already be about to take the piece we need from the satellite."

"Merc huh I can do that," said Morgan as he turned up the collar on his jacket and but on a pair of dark Ray Bans. "Just call me Cobra, Baby. When they hear my name they'll quake in their boots."

"And bust a gut laughing," said Casey as he came back into the cockpit taking his seat next to Alex. "Your name is going to be 'stay in the plane' if you don't pipe down. No codenames, we go in as who we are. There's no time to plant false identities and build false backgrounds so we go in as ourselves. If we tried to make something up now we'd just trip over our details and our friends will know we're not who we say we are. Mistakes like that are paid for in lead." Already Casey was wondering if taking then along was such a good idea.

"What currency is made of lead?"

"Bullets idiot, they'll shoot you dead although Morgan that could be an improvement for you. Now listen up we should be landing soon, near the base there'll be some sleazy dive, there always is. There I'll make contact with our future employers while you guys set up comms in the room."

"How will you know who they are and that they'll give us work?"

"I don't but plan B is we go try and find it on our own, fighting a skilled team of mercs and Mother Nature. Those are our options.

"What does Santa's Workshop have to do with this," asked Morgan. It was something he had read on one of the papers Casey dropped. Fire flashed in Casey's eyes.

"Morgan, Alex you never heard that, just erase it for your heads. Morgan, keep your mouth shut about what you read or I'll close it permanently. What you read was highly classified, high enough that people get killed just for knowing it."

"Knowing what?" said Morgan thinking Casey's C-Rats had slid off his freeze dried toast.

"That's right and keep it that way."

Morgan looked over at Alex who looked over at him, there was something more going on than they had been told and the only person Morgan could think to call was over three thousand miles away in Burbank.

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"We're here, this is Doris' house. You know what to do right?" said Sarah as she pulled in the driveway.

"Just follow your lead," said Chuck as he got out and picked up Doris. "If you want when I'm done with Casey's resume on the Darknet you can be his plus one that will get you to Alaska on their mission so you won't be stuck here with us."

"Chuck this is not the time and besides how many times do I have to tell you I'm sorry that's not what I meant to say."

"But you did which makes me wonder if I'm not forcing you to be something you're not. Am I somehow holding you back from being where you want to be out in the field?"

"Oh Chuck, no I'm where I want to be with you, with Sam. You've got to believe me this is where I want to be with all my heart, can you believe me?"

"Sure, I'm all good," said Chuck as they walked up on Doris' stoop and rang her door bell.

"I know your 'all goods' and that was not a real 'all good'," said Sarah as she helped him hold Doris up.

"Okay, it was a fake 'all good'. I just don't know if what I have to offer you is enough. I don't know if you can be truly happy with me knowing what you'll be missing."

"Oh Chuck, once we get rid of Doris we can chat while we wait for our cab," said Sarah as she caressed his face then kissed it.

"Sush someone is coming," said Sarah as the door opened and a man came out in his pyjamas. He looked at them with a puzzled expression and fright seeing his daughter being held up by two strangers.

"Honey, you'd better come here," he yelled back inside. A middle aged woman came to the door in a nightgown and rollers in her hair.

"Doris! Doris! What are you two doing with our baby," yelled the woman. "Harvey, call the police."

"There's no need," said Sarah. "You see my husband and I were out and we met Doris in a nightclub she was drinking a little heavily because she said she wanted to go to Stanford but couldn't afford it, right honey."

"Yes and I'm afraid I didn't help any when I told her I graduated from there and what a good school it was. I really feel sorry for her," said Chuck.

"Crap if only she'd come home first. The admissions office called this evening and told us that an anonymous donor had set up a fund for her that would cover all tuition."

"Wow what a crazy coincidence so I guess everything is going to work out," said Chuck as he passed Doris off to her father. "But you know I wouldn't mention anything about this evening to her when she wakes up tomorrow. I'd just leave it as a little hiccup along the road of life and leave it alone."

"You don't think this is a trend that we need to keep an eye on, like some of those Hollywood actresses or anything like that?"

"Has she ever done anything like this before," asked Sarah. "You know something that would make you think this is a problem?"

"No, no this is the first time anything like this has happened. Right dear?" asked the husband as looked over at his wife and she nodded in agreement.

"Then I wouldn't worry about it. I bet she won't remember a thing tomorrow."

Chuck helped Harvey carry Doris inside and Sarah gave her mother her car keys then they called them a cab that they had to catch down the street. It was late at night and as they walked they talked making their way to the corner to wait for their cab.

"I'm sorry if I over reacted but it just blindsided me completely. All I could think of was that night we spent in Castle with Heather Chandler and Hugo Panzer and what she said about us, about you."

"You mean about me, that I wasn't capable of love, affection and vulnerability. And she told me that you were really in love then she asked me if I was in love with you."

"So you remember that? Sometimes I'm not sure what you remember and what you don't. I'm sorry but with everything that we've gone through and then you said 'Like this I'm never going to get out of here' I couldn't help but wonder if I'm enough, if we're enough for you. Listen the last thing I want is for you to look at our love as a prison and I'm your warden."

"I'm sorry if I hurt you by what I said that wasn't my intention and if you remember I admitted that I was exactly like Heather but then I realized I wasn't that person anymore and Chuck, I don't want to be."

As they were talking a late model Cadillac pulled up next to them, all decked out about three inches off the ground, dice hanging off the rearview mirror with four men inside passing a bottle of Jack around.

"Hey Chica, where are you headed to this late at night? Maybe you'd like to come and party with my boys and me."

"Excuse me this is my wife," said Chuck, "and we're having a private conversation so can you please just move along before someone gets hurt."

"Sweetie, don't antagonize them, just ignore them and let's keep walking. We really don't need this, do we?"

"You're wife? A woman that fine, married to someone like you? No there's something wrong with fate because I think I'm in love," yelled the man on the passenger's side. Chuck started to turn back but Sarah stopped him.

"The taxi should meet us just up ahead so just let it go and keep on walking sooner or later these idiots will move along."

"Hey you guys in the back, the lady just called you guys idiots," yelled the driver in a loud boisterous voice and the men in the back made some cat calls along with other noises that sounded more like they belonged to animals then humans. Seeing Chuck wasn't going to take the bait, the driver sped up and cut them off then he got out.

"I think you've been very impolite to me and my boys. I think me and my boys deserve a kiss to make it up," said the man as he smiled back at the guys in the car and they laughed and yelled 'yeah'. Then to show he meant business he raised his shirt to show a Colt .357 mag revolver he had tucked in his pants.

"Mister, I see what we have here and it's as clear as day. You want to know what it is," said Chuck as he got up close to the man close enough to smell the cheap alcohol on the man's breath.

"Yeah I want to know what it is and you can tell us before me and my boys beat your butt in front of your old woman," said the man as the other men started to get out of the car. But as they started to get out Chuck grabbed hold of the gun in the man's trousers and cocked the hammer back.

"If anyone moves I pull the trigger and we both know what you'll be missing Chica. You know what's clear to me is that you guys are a car full of low life scum dirt bags and you really need to walk home tonight and think about the errors of your ways."

"Love don't you agree," said Chuck. In the meantime Sarah pulled out her Smith and Wesson 9mm to cover the rest of the crew.

"Without a doubt, Sweetie so you guys in the car get out and face down on the sideway before I decide to redo the upholstery in red."

"Tell them to do nothing cute," said Chuck as he twisted the gun in the man's belt. "I'd hate to sneeze; you know my allergies have been known to flare up around trash."

"Do as they say guys please," said the driver. Now he was sweating and beginning to beg Chuck not to pull the trigger. Chuck waited until the men were out and face down with Sarah standing over the top of them then he ripped the man's gun out and put it under his chin.

"I think my wife deserves an apology along with every other woman you've insulted. I want to hear you say it, tell her you're sorry and you won't do it again. Do it or I swear I'll end your miserable existence here tonight."

"I'm sorry, I really am, I'm so sorry please don't kill me," said the man as he started to cry. "Please lady, tell your husband not to kill me."

"Chuck, it's enough let's go," said Sarah. She was beginning to worry if Chuck wasn't taking this too far.

"No it's not enough, where's Romeo, the guy who's in love. You've got to the count of three then I'll just shoot you all. One," said Chuck but he didn't have to count anymore the guy's friends gave him up.

"Good you come over here now," said Chuck, "I want you to kneel next to your friend. You have thirty seconds to get over here or I swear I'll kneecap you before I put a round in your head."

"Please I didn't mean anything by it. I was just goofing around with the guys," said the man as he got up and came over kneeling beside his friend.

"Goofing around I like to goof around too, I know we can play Russian roulette I've got the revolver and you, well I don't know what you've got," said Chuck as he spun the cylinder.

"Wait you can't," said the driver, the man whose gun Chuck had taken, "It's loaded, for Russian roulette you need to have just one round in the cylinder."

"That's just a technicality and with my way it gets the job done faster," said Chuck as everyone looked at him. "Just kidding." Then he pistol whipped both knocking then unconscious.

"Hey, that's so sweet. You defended my honor."

"Well, you know you're my wife, sweetheart," said Chuck as he held the passenger door open but she got in the driver's seat.

"But it still doesn't mean I'm going to let you drive."

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Back at base camp on the glacier a violent ice storm blew in after the plane left. The high winds tore down the tents they had put up and all the men huddled in the Snow Cat to stay warm. With the tents gone they had no place to work to set up the generators to provide power and heat.

"Crap what's our situation," Jake asked his vice in charge.

"We've got two hundred mile an hour winds nothing is standing out there and on this glacier surface there's no protection. I had some of the guys try and get a couple of the generators working but nothing, the temperatures are too low. We're going to have to wait it out here. Didn't someone know this storm was going to blow in?"

"Yeah but we thought we had a larger window of opportunity. Tell the guys to put on extra clothes and we'll start the Snow Cat ever two hours for fifteen minutes to stay warm. We're in the middle of nowhere so we'll have to make do. Just tell the guys to think about what they're going to do with their pay when they get home."

"What do we do if the Snow Cat breaks down in this cold?"

"I'd prefer not to think about it but have you got any suggestions?" asked Jake as the winds seemed to pick up and now they were being threatened with a white out.

"We could try and set up some sort of gas heater inside to stay warm but we need to be careful to the fumes. Setting some sort of ventilation carbon monoxide can slip up on you. Maybe establish watches to make sure the snow doesn't cover the exhaust and gas us all to death."

"Sounds like a plan make it happen and I'll relay everything to the Captain. I know he's not going to be happy but it's the best we can do for now."

"Maybe Wong took the best way out. I hate to think about going to sleep up here and not waking up then have some wolf eat what's left of me in the spring."

"No wolves going to eat us," said Jake. "We're too tough. Just keep telling yourself that and think about the beaches in Brazil. When you're down there you can have a drink on me." Just then the lights inside the Snow Cat blinked off and on. The engine sputtered before it stopped then there was darkness.