It was 9:30 p.m. when Chuck walks into Casa Bartowski. As he drops his keys in the bowl on the shelf next to the door, a small Golden Labrador Retriever scampers out from the hallway and heads straight for him. Chuck's eyes perk up and a big smile appears on his face as he sees his canine companion's little tail wagging back and forth in absolute excitement.
"Peaches, how's my girl doing?" said Chuck bending down to playfully scratch the back of her ears.
Peaches became the 3rd dog Chuck would own as the 3 year old rambunctious dog would be given the same name as her 2 predecessors before her. She was given as a surprise birthday present for Chuck 2 months ago from Sarah after she found him one day sitting on the black leather couch in the living room looking at old pictures reminiscing about the fun times he and Ellie had when they were younger.
Chuck didn't have to worry when it came to the aspect of not only training his new pooch when it came to teaching certain commands, but also training her to signal either he or Sarah to use the bathroom outside as well. It would be Sarah who would take care of it being that there were certain advantages working for the C.I.A leaving Chuck with the thought he was truly a lucky man to have her in his life.
"She knew you were coming." said a female voice as Chuck rubbed the puppy's belly.
Chuck looks up to see Cassidy dressed down in sweat pants, white socks, a Colorado State shirt, no make up, and her hair in a ponytail. Chuck thought to himself as she's leaning with her arms crossed against the left side of the wall at the opening of the hallway that if any guy saw or even knew the real down to earth side of Cassidy instead of the serious businesswoman side of her he would be in awe of her.
"Hey Cass." Chuck glances at Peaches who is on her back with her tongue out and tail wagging happily away. "Yeah, dogs somehow know when their owners are coming home." He gives a quick playful rub to the pup's belly and then stands up looking at Cassidy. "I forgot to ask when is your business meeting scheduled?" he inquires.
"Wednesday and Thursday." responded Cassidy. The corner of Cassidy's mouth curled a bit to show a hint of smile. "I basically have tomorrow off to spend with you and Sarah." added Cassidy walking into the living room plopping herself on the black leather couch.
"That would be great if it not for one slight problem." responded Chuck sitting down on the corner of the coffee table.
Cassidy raised her eyebrow and when she did Chuck couldn't help but notice that it's eerily similar in the way Sarah raised hers when she was either curious or concerned about something. It was uncanny and yet he wasn't surprised that sisters would share certain traits like that.
"What problem?"
"Mission related and it's considered high priority." retorted Chuck.
Cassidy's eyes perked up as she intently listened on what Chuck was about to say. Over the past 6 month, she would hear the stories of the missions that Team Chuck would be on either face to face, by phone, or by her father telling her. As much of a thrill it was to be working in the cutthroat world of business, she lived vicariously through her sister being able to kick butt and takes names in the cutthroat business of the spy world.
"Whose the guy that's considered high priority?"
"Sarah's boss, C.I.A. Director Langston Graham." he answered getting up making his way to the hallway and heading towards his bedroom.
Chuck heads down the hallway to his bedroom with Peaches in tow. Cassidy's eyes widen and it wouldn't be long before she would be following suit as well. When she reaches their bedroom she finds the door closed leading her to hear the sounds of a closet and drawers opening behind it.
"What happened?" asked Cassidy as she stood in front of the door with curiosity.
Cassidy waited for his response as she hears shuffling going on inside and after a few minutes the door opens with Chuck changed from his work clothes into street clothes wearing jeans, a long sleeve brown shirt, and his Chuck Taylor's still on his feet. He holds a black duffle bag in his right hand as he backs up placing it on the king size bed where Peaches is sitting patiently wondering where her master is going. He is in the midst of taking out clothes from his dresser to put into the black duffle when he responds to her.
"Graham was apparently captured by former agent Kirk Archer who was in an elite military covert ops team codenamed Wolverine." responded Chuck. He stops for a minute standing a few feet away from Cassidy with clothes in hand continuing to inform her about who captured Graham. "He was dishonorably discharged for punching Graham in the face and the details of why he was punched in the face were left out of the report." he added.
A smirk appears on Cassidy's face causing Chuck to wonder what's up when he suddenly realizes he's holding several pair of boxer shorts in his hands one of which read chicks dig nerds. Chuck briefly finds himself in an awkward situation and after a few seconds of standing there in silence he slowly backs up with a sheepish smiles on his face towards his bed to quickly put them in the duffle gab.
"So…" chuckled Cassidy. "…I take it I'm going to be alone and have the house to myself then." she said leaning against the doorway.
The tone in which Cassidy said that caused Chuck to turn his head and look at the elder Wexler sister. He knew that she didn't have much of a social life and she put all her efforts into her professional life working along side her father. The opportunities she had to spend time with not only he and Sarah, but the rest of the crew including Morgan were truly enjoyable.
In Chuck's mind, she's truly in her comfort zone when it came to the business world, but when it came to the social world in which she can just let her hair down and just be Cass was not just difficult for her at times, but also awkward. She didn't have many friends and when it came to her dating life…well…she treated a guy as if he was a client rather than a potential boyfriend.
Chuck thought to himself if the guys only knew the real Cassidy Wexler. A beautiful, down to earth woman, who was completely dorky in her own way especially when she was around her little sister DeAnna. They were more than siblings as they were partners in crime who shared a strong bond after reconnecting for the past 6 months.
"You won't be alone." retorted Chuck. "You have that little tribble over there to keep you company." he stated pointing to Peaches who was busy trying to bite her own tail.
"It won't be the same." whined Cassidy with her arms crossed and lips pursed in a pouting manner. "No offense to the loveable fur ball over there, I was just looking forward to spending time with you and my baby sister." she added.
"I know Cass."
Chuck glances back at Cassidy for a brief moment as he packs the last of his clothes in his duffle bag. He zips it closed, gives a quick scratch behind the ears to Peaches sitting on the king size bed, and then turns to walk towards a visibly disappointed Cassidy grabbing the duffle bag behind him all in one fell swoop.
He looks at Cassidy standing at the doorway as he walks towards her and when he reaches her he stops for a moment standing to her left. Chuck turns to see her head resting on his doorway. He then does the only thing he can do to make her feel better and is give his all-too-familiar Chuck-ish smile as he places his left hand on her left shoulder giving it a small rub.
Cassidy responds with a half hearted smile as Chuck slings his black duffle bag over his right shoulder. He disappears into the hallway towards the front door leaving Cass standing there at the doorway for a brief moment. She composes herself and then takes in a quick deep breathe as Peaches whizzes past her intent on following her master.
The walk down the semi lit hallway seemed like a long trek as she is lost in thought. She truly had fun whenever she spent time with her baby sister and future brother-in-law, especially when it involved hearing about the spy world. To Cassidy, the word fun was considered foreign to her because she spent most of her adult life being the responsible one in the family helping her father run Wexler Industries.
Cassidy Wexler, Chief Operating Officer of Wexler Industries and one of the toughest women anyone will ever meet is a force to be reckoned with in the business world. She shakes her head knowing that she is in fact a work-a-holic who didn't allow herself to have any kind of fun because in her own mind if she did her father's business would possibly suffer.
The oldest Wexler daughter deprived herself of extra curricular activities and buried herself into her work focusing all her time, as well as energy into her father's company. She not only deprived herself of having fun but also having a love life as she considered it an absolute distraction in the world of business. She suppressed those feelings and emotions she had for love but whenever she spent time with Chuck and Sarah seeing the way they are with each other those feeling and emotions slowly began to resurface.
The thoughts of work and love were suddenly interrupted as the sound of key's jingling caused her to stop just in the nick of time as she would have nearly ran into Chuck at the front door. Cassidy backs up several feet and as he turns around with keys in his right hand she sees that he has something on his mind that he wants to say to her.
"What?"
"How would you like to take part in a very important mission?" asked Chucked shaking his keys at her in his right hand.
The question immediately brings a new found energy to Cassidy as her eyebrows perk up in order to find out what mission she was about to take part in. A smile appears on her face as a plethora of thoughts run through her mind of what she could be asked to do causes her to be so overwhelmed with excitement she immediately responded.
"Do I get a gun!" Cassidy quickly blurted out.
The question throws Chuck off a bit so much so that it took a brief moment for Cassidy's request to register. It wasn't long before Chuck laughed and then shook his head in amusement at what she said only to find the look on Cassidy's face wasn't one of amusement but rather a look of absolute bewilderment.
"Sorry…" responded Chuck. "….what you said just caught me completely off guard." Chuck knew laughing wasn't the best response to give at that particular moment seeing how bummed Cassidy was for not being able to spend time with him and her baby sister. He needed to smooth things over quickly or he would quite possibly be re-introduced to the Cassidy Wexler that he first met at Weinerlicious. "I think you and I are thinking of two totally different things." said Chuck. "The very important mission I'm speaking of relates to your sister." he added.
"If it concerns my sister then I'm in no question asked." answered Cassidy with absolute conviction. "What do you need me to do?"
"Its your sister's birthday this Friday right?
"Yeah."
"Since your sister has been a spy, she hasn't really celebrated birthdays much." A look of concern appears on Cassidy's face. "So, what I need you to do is coordinate with Ellie too help plan her birthday party and the venue will be right here."
"You go it." said Cassidy expressing a smile on her face.
"I told her that since you aren't doing anything tomorrow and she has the day off from the hospital you two should get together to plan a birthday bash she will never forget." said Chuck with a smile on his face. " So give her a call tomorrow and see what you two ladies can cook up."
"Will do Chuckles and trust me when I say my little sister will have a memorable birthday." Cassidy emphatically stated.
Chuck opens the front door behind him and upon doing so he gives the one response that best fit the moment. "Awesome." he responded as he leans in to give her a hug before heading out.
"Bring the birthday girl home safely." Cassidy said softly. "I have my mission and you have yours.
"Yes ma'am I will…" The tone in Chuck's voice gave Cassidy the assurance that she, along with her friends and family, would not only see her but celebrating her baby sister DeAnna's birthday. "…don't you worry about a thing."
The hug soon ended leading Chuck to look Cassidy straight into her eyes giving her a quick nod who in turn nods back as well. He then bent down to rub the top of Peach's head, did a last minute mental checklist feeling his pants pockets to see whether he forget anything, slung his duffle bag over his right shoulder, and then gave one last wave to the two before he headed out into the night.
Cassidy hangs her heads rubbing the back of the her neck with her left hand while she placed her right hand firmly on the door. She stood there for moment with her thoughts as she hoped and prayed they all make it back alive safe and sound when they were suddenly interrupted by the sound of whimpering behind her causing to turn to see Peaches laying down with her head resting on her front paws.
"What do you say fur ball…" said Cassidy as she knelt down to scratch behind her eyes to comfort her. "…pizza or Chinese food?"
Peaches responded by quickly sitting up giving a couple sporadic barks, nuzzles her neck, and then licks her face. As she hugged Peaches, Cassidy thinks to herself they were both going though similar situations at the moment possibly feeling the same thing and that it was good have the company of a loved one even though they both couldn't really understand each other.
Cassidy raises up and with a comforted smile on her face looks down at Peaches. "Pizza it is." stated Cassidy as she heads towards the kitchen with Peaches sitting there momentarily giving a couple sporadic barks at the front door and then turns to follow her.
XXX
"I would salute you, but I can see that you're not up to it at the moment…" said Archer as he hovers over the battered and bruised C.I.A Director with a sinister smirk slowly appears on his face. "…sir." he added.
Graham had difficulty looking up at Archer as the bright fluorescent lights hit him in the eyes causing him to squint. He shields them using his left hand as he tries to get a clear visual on the man who is responsible for his abduction. As he's doing so, he glances around his surrounding to take in a quick account of how many people were in the room.
It took only a few seconds in his beleaguered state for Graham to mentally account for a total of 9 people with 7 males including Archer and 1 female in the room. He's always on point even when he was at an absolute disadvantage which for any government agent with years of experience under his belt such as Graham came natural to him
"If you're looking for an apology Archer I'm sorry to disappoint you." responded Graham.
"Apology?" Graham noticed the smirk grow even larger on Archer's face as he briefly chuckled under his breath. He sees him stand and then began walking around him like a ferocious Lion circling his wounded prey before attacking it. "I'm not looking for an apology."
Archer nodded at the same two henchmen that brought him in and dropped the battered C.I.A Director to the cold, hard floor. They walk over, pick him up, and drag him to a nearby couch throwing him on to it. The couch itself hadn't been sat on for quite some time as it was apparent from the dust cloud that forms when Graham fell on to it face forward.
Graham immediately winced as he felt the throbbing pain emanating from his left knee hitting the front end of the couch but he didn't make a sound in order to not top tip off how seriously hurt he presently is to his former subordinate. He pushed himself with as much strength he had left up on to the couch and then slowly turned himself around facing Archer.
"You want a hug don't you?" retorted Graham as he let out a small laugh. "Sorry, I don't do hugs." he gruffly added.
"A sense of humor I see." The former Wolverine team leader is somewhat impressed at the attempt at trying to be remotely funny knowing full well Langston Graham didn't have a funny bone in his body seeing that he was a complete hard ass. He wasn't the type of guy who couldn't even make a hyena laugh and yet he found himself amused. "I would say it suits you, but then again I would be lying." said Archer.
Graham drew a hint of a smile on his face in agreement to his statement. He then looks around to see the place they were all currently in complete shambles. "I'm disappointed in you. The C.I.A. gives you this place as your base of operations and you don't have the decency to keep it in tip top shape?" said Graham shaking his head in disappointment.
"Save it." quickly responded Archer as he paced back and forth in front of the couch. "Do you know why you're here?" he asked in a calm manner.
The injured C.I.A Director knew from the time Archer appeared at the stop light in D.C. why he was here. He knew he was going to eventually come after to him but how he was going to go about it was an unknown. He had to hand it to him though, it was a well executed plan by a guy who first started out as young wet behind the ears punk.
Kirk Archer lacked direction and focus were the words written down in his file. It would be those two words that Langston Graham immediately took notice of. He kept a vested interest in him all through his training and when opportunities arose he showed up out of nowhere wanting to discuss how he was progressing and nothing else.
He was considered a bit temperamental at times according to his instructors but he made up for it in leadership skills, weapons/tactics training and showing a high threshold of pain both physically, as well as mentally. In addition, he exhibited a fierce intensity that would most definitely be put to good use in the field of covert opts.
It would be Graham himself who would personally hand pick him for a military covert ops team he codenamed Wolverine. The missions that Archer and his team were given were deemed highly classified and if they compromised in any way any all knowledge of said mission would be disavowed.
Flash forward to 2004 and the unfortunate situation in Kabul resulted in the dishonorable discharge of a very good soldier who made the wrong decision in taking out his displeasure on a high ranking officer. The assault charge was dropped to where he served his time and they never saw each other again until now.
"That was 5 years ago."
Archer suddenly stopped pacing and immediately walked over getting right in Graham's face. "Answer the question!" screamed Archer.
"Yes. I know why I'm here."
"Then you know I hold you personally responsible for his death."
Graham knew it's imperative to have Archer unfocused and he has been given the opening to do so because without a focused leader he isn't able to make any rational decisions when giving orders to his team. However, it was considered a catch 22 being that when you get someone like Archer unfocused he becomes not only dangerous, but also highly unpredictable as well.
He knew one thing for sure and that is Archer still harbored deep seeded resentment against him for what happened in Kabul. He would most certainly use it to his own advantage to keep him off his A game and in order to do so he had to use a tactic that if done properly wouldn't get himself shot in the head. The tactic...antagonizing him.
"Listen, you disobeyed a direct order that I personally gave to you." firmly stated Graham. "As I see it, you are personally responsible for his death."
"SHUT UP!" demanded Archer.
Graham could see the tactic is clearly working as Archer's eyes were bulging out of his sockets and his behavior became increasingly erratic. He knew the man that stands a few inches away from his face is nearing his breaking point and it's just a matter of time before he blew his top.
XXX
Sarah is sitting at the conference table in Castle looking over the photos of the abduction in D.C. She must have looked over those photos at least 10 times trying to find any clue that might have been missed. The focus she had would be interrupted when Travis sits down across from her after ending a phone conversation with his wife.
"How are Shannon and your newborn son doing?" asked Sarah.
The smile on Travis' face is all but enough of an answer as she sees before her a proud new papa of an 8 lbs 6 oz. bouncing healthy baby boy. He was born Sept. 1, 2009 and they named him Wesley. When it came choosing a suitable middle name both mom and dad agreed, with approval from Chuck, to use his father's first name Abraham.
"They're both doing great." said Travis. "I hired a nanny to help out whenever I'm away and she's been absolutely wonderful." he added.
"Awesome." responded Sarah as a smile appeared on her face.
It was apparent she's spending too much time around Devon but she didn't care. She's finally feeling comfortable in her own skin and didn't have to run from who she really is. DeAnna Wexler for so long was trying to find an identity and when it came to being Sarah Walker she was able to find herself again.
As Sarah Walker she played many roles over the years as a spy in order to deceive for the greater good which came easy to her. Yet, when it came to her assignment as Chuck's "fake girlfriend" it was a role that became quite difficult for her to play as it went from playing as if she was in love with him to actually being in love with him.
For her, Chuck helped her to no longer look back at the past with regret because her old life of pain and suffering led her to eventually find a new life of joy and happiness. Sarah was becoming lost in thought thinking of family, friends, and of course Chuck when Travis spoke up.
"Sarah, can I ask you a question?" asked Travis.
"Go ahead." answered Sarah with a bit curiosity. She leans forward resting her arms on the conference table.
Travis sat there for a brief moment mulling over in his mind the exact words he wanted to ask. He had some knowledge concerning the relationship between her and Graham but not all of it. Essentially, he didn't want to overstep any boundaries and have the question be misconstrued in any way.
"Chuck mentioned a while back that you considered your boss not just a father figure but a mentor as well is that right?" Travis asked with a bit of hesitancy.
"He's right." Sarah responded. "He taught me a lot of what he knew and even though he's a hard ass I deeply respected him." A look of seriousness appears on her face as she continued to share with Travis on the man who guided her career as spy. "We constantly butted heads in the beginning as it became such a challenge for him to get a handle on me."
"Why a challenge?"
"If you asked Graham, he would say that I was stubborn and hard headed." Sarah chuckled a bit at what she said as she leaned back in her chair. "Looking back, the reason I was so stubborn and hard headed was because he was so like my father in ways that it effected my focus." she added.
"What changed that had you two no longer battling each other like two Klingon warriors battling for superiority?"
Sarah is absolutely amused by that particular Star Trek reference because the professional relationship between her and Graham in the beginning was for the most part like a battle. A battle of wills that took its toll mentally and physically on not just Sarah, but on Graham as well.
"I think what changed was how he taught me to harness the anger he sensed within me and use it to work for me instead of against me." Sarah retorted. "You know, I give credit to Graham for what he has helped me achieve both personally and professionally because his way of motivating of you can really get under skin to the point where you just want to punch him in the face."
XXX
The situation in the room grows tense by the minute as Graham's plan to antagonize an already flustered and albeit angry Archer would be working to perfection. He gradually became considerably unfocused and hopefully what he's about to say would push him completely over the edge.
"You knowingly served his death sentence and you've lived with that for the past 5 years." stated Graham.
Archer responds with a hard right cross to the side of Graham's mouth causing him to slump over to his right on the dusty couch cushions. The punch stung so much so that when he felt his mouth he saw that there was blood on his hand. He slowly sits back up spitting out the blood on to the linoleum floor inevitably wiping what was left with the sleeve of his dirty dark suit coat all-the-while looking up at a very pissed off individual.
He thinks to himself at that very moment the plan worked and now that he is consumed with rage he's going to make mistakes. The lack of concentration on whatever his initial plan for him would be completely thrown off kilter and deviate into a plan that wasn't well thought out.
"Open your mouth about him again…" Archer drew out his MK. 23 pistol aiming it directly at his forehead and then leaned in with a look of death in his eyes. The other team members just stand there transfixed on what they are witnessing and yet none of them dared to stop him. "…and I shoot you right here and now." he added pulling back the trigger.
XXX
Note: Sorry for the delay it has been quite a busy summer and I promise to update these as quickly as I can. With that said, hope you enjoyed the read and leave a comment.