Again I want to say thank you to everyone who has left a review. I'm so glad you guys are enjoying reading this like I enjoyed writing it. Double thanks to Angus MacNab and Indigogold, as well as Yani Cardaria, for beta read-throughs on this chapter. Thank you everybody!

CHAPTER FOUR

xXx

Chuck shoved his hands in his pockets as he stared out over the large pond. The cool breeze ruffled through his hair, sending the curls into disarray. Ellie had said it was getting too long. She was probably right. He pulled his arms in tighter to his body. Though the temperature was mild, he felt cold.

"Now, I was sure," a voice said from behind him, and he turned quickly to see Katie O'Connell making her way across the grass. "That you told me to meet you over there," she said, pointing to an artistically carved bench near a small grouping of trees.

"Yeah, sorry, I got distracted by the ducks."

She smiled as she stepped up beside him and looked down at the birds as they swam near his feet. "They are cute."

"Must be nice to be a duck, no real worries in life, floating around on the water all day, people tossing you bread crumbs…"

"Hunters trying to shoot you," Katie tagged on and he chuckled, turning toward her.

"Okay, so maybe no one really has it easy."

There was a long stretch of companionable silence as the watched the ducks together. Chuck let himself be lost in their antics, splashing about, slipping playfully underwater and cautiously investigating each new visitor to see if they'd brought food.

"How did it go yesterday?" Katie finally asked. Chuck sighed.

"It was… weird, awful," he said. "God, it's just so impossible to wrap my head around. Someone killed her, Katie. They pulled a bag over her head and stuffed her in a suitcase." He shook his head. "I don't care that she lied, or what she was involved in, no one deserves that."

She grimaced. "That's terrible. I'm so sorry, Chuck."

Chuck shook his head. "At least I'm not dead." Yet. He thought of Mr. Bartholomew's warning and tried not to shudder. "The police say I'm not a suspect, but… that Detective…"

"What are you going to do?"

"Well, I can't stay with my sister. She's going out of town and Awesome's parents are apartment sitting."

Katie looked curious. "Awesome?"

"My sister's boyfriend," he said, almost managing a real smile this time. "We call him Captain Awesome because everything he does is awesome. He also says it a lot."

"Sounds annoying," she said with a soft laugh.

He laughed along with her. "You'd think so, but no," he said. "He's awesome like that too. As inferior as he makes me feel sometimes, he's impossible not to like. And he really loves Ellie."

"And that means a lot to you." It was a statement, not a question and the look she gave him was one he couldn't quite decipher.

"Yeah, it does."

"Well, maybe I'll get to meet them both someday," she said smiling up at him. It was like sunshine, that smile, and when she went back to watching the ducks, he watched her for a few moments longer.

"You know, the hotel I'm staying at is pretty inexpensive," she said and, once again, Chuck realized that he'd drifted off to someplace other than reality. "You know… if you need a place." She shrugged her shoulder and didn't meet his eye.

Chuck swallowed. Okay, so it wasn't like she was asking him to stay in her room, but still… It seemed like a big deal that she was offering up her location. "Yeah, sure, I haven't even had a chance to think about where I'm gonna stay. I mean, my buddy Morgan still lives with his mom, so that's out of the question."

"Ah, let me guess, he still uses his Star Wars sheets too," she said grinning.

"Very good," Chuck said. "Spot on actually. Do you work for the bedding police or something?" he asked playfully. "Katie, are you a spy?"

Her eyes got big for a moment and then she burst out laughing. "Indeed, and I'll be watching you, Mr. Bartowski, so you'd better stay in line!" She gave him a playful shove. "C'mon, I'll take you to my hotel. Do you have a car? Do we need to get your stuff?"

"That would be a no, and a yes," Chuck replied as he followed after her.

"I guess that means you need another ride," she said. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him.

"Please?"

"I think you just like me for my car."

He gave her a quick once over as she stood above him on the grassy incline, hands on her hips, blue eyes sparkling with laughter. The sunlight haloed her golden hair and danced across her smooth skin. He smiled. "The jet black, Porsche 911 turbo?" he replied. "Couldn't possibly be that."

She laughed and grabbed his hand, pulling him along behind her.

On a nearby bench, Detective Pierre lowered his paper and watched the couple walk away. His cool blue eyes followed them, thoughtfully, until they'd disappeared from sight then he folded his paper and started off in the opposite direction.

xXx

She was leaning against the check in counter, waiting with a quiet smile on her face, when he pushed through the glass doors. She had his laptop bag, which she'd grabbed before he could protest, slung over her shoulder and one arm rested on the counter.

"What took you so long?" she asked sweetly when he came to stand in front of her.

He just dropped his two, heavy suitcases at his feet and gave her a look. Turning to the girl behind the counter he said, "Hi, yeah, I'd like a room."

"No problem, sir, and how long will you be staying with us?"

"A week?" Chuck said. "I'm not really sure at the moment."

The young woman raised a brow and went back to typing in her computer. "Okay, I'll just need a credit card.

Fantastic, Chuck thought. He was going to be in debt up to his eyebrows by the time he got this mess sorted out. He handed over the requested card.

"Okay, Mr. Bartoh-ski-"

"Bartowski."

"Bartowski," she corrected with a smile. "You're in room 214." She handed him a card key and he slipped it into his back pocket.

"Hey," Katie said, bumping his shoulder. "You're right next to me."

Chuck smiled at her. "Well, that's a nice coincidence. Hope you don't mind having a nerd for a neighbor."

"Not at all," she said, reaching out and taking his suitcases. "I hear they're the best kind."

"Give me that," Chuck said, taking a huge, clumsy piece of luggage from her.

"Why," she challenged. "You think I can't carry it because I'm a girl?"

"No, I'm sure you could carry it and six more like it, girl or no, but I'm a guy and everyone will think I'm an ass if I let you carry all of my bags."

"Fine," she said with a sigh, "Keep your ego and your bags." She waltzed over to the elevator and Chuck was caught up for a moment, simply watching her move – until she cleared her throat. He looked up to see her smirking at him as she held the door. "Are you coming?"

He felt himself blush as he hurried to catch up.

The elevator took them up, but it dumped them onto an outdoor balcony lined with doors all facing inward toward a large, well-used swimming pool. Chuck bumped along with his bags, following Katie and trusting her to take him to the correct room.

"Here you go," she said, stopping in front of the door for 214.

He came to a stop beside her and looked at the door to the place he'd be living for the next… who knew how long. He was just about to set down a suitcase and pull out his key, when Katie moved in.

She leaned in close, her gaze locked on his. She was close enough that he could smell the citrusy scent of her shampoo and see the different flecks of color in her eyes. Her hand slid over his waist and the suitcases fell from his hands as all the air left his lungs in a rush. He held perfectly still as her hand continued its journey around to the small of his back and then headed south, slipping into his back pocket. He was still unable to move when she pulled away, holding up his keycard with a little grin. "Wha-I-Um…" was his only response, even after he'd managed to get air back in his lungs. He watched dumbly as she unlocked the door and pushed it open.

Once he'd restored brain function, he picked his suitcases up and headed inside. Katie followed, lingering near the door as he looked around. "So, what do you think?" she asked after he'd checked the place out thoroughly.

"Well, it's not the Viceroy, but it'll do." He set his laptop on the bed and gave her a crooked little smile.

"And look," she said, striding across the room to a door in the wall. She unlocked it and pulled it open. The other side was simply another door. "This connects to my room. We can see each other without going out in the cold."

His grin widened at that. "Yeah, because it gets real cold here," he remarked and she gave him a little poke. He turned and grabbed his suitcase, setting it on top of the desk before moving to look out the window. He felt more than saw Katie take a seat on the edge of the mattress. She sat quietly as he continued to look out, reflecting on everything that had happened since he'd come home. His feelings concerning Jill — her lies, her murder — were a mess of conflicting emotions. Anger and guilt, mixed with betrayal and an odd sense of relief. Each one twisted and turned, feeding the others. He closed his eyes and let his forehead rest against the glass.

"Okay, Chuck," she finally said, pulling him out of his uneasy introspection. "That was your third sigh. Do you want to talk?"

He turned to look at her. "Sorry, I didn't even realize I was doing it."

"What are you apologizing for?" she said and gave a soft laugh. "I mean, I get that you're a nice guy, but you've just had your life turned inside out. You don't need to apologize for that."

"You're right. I'm – sorry," he laughed softly even as he said it. "I feel a little lost right now."

Katie tipped her head to the side and pursed her lips thoughtfully. "You know what you need?"

"A kick in the pants?"

"No," she laughed. "You need to have some fun. I am making myself Vice President in charge of cheering you up. Let's go out."

"Like a date?"

She nodded slowly, smiling.

Chuck wasn't sure he felt up to going out but maybe she was right. Plus, if she was asking him on a date he sure as hell wasn't going to say no. "Um, yeah, where do you want to go?"

"I was kind of hoping you could recommend someplace," she said. "I'm still new here and I only know about the obvious places. I bet you know all the good ones."

Chuck smiled. "Well, maybe not all the good ones but… Yeah sure, um…" He tried to wrack his brain for some event or something cool and interesting that usually only locals knew about, but he really hadn't been paying attention the last few days. "Um… OH! What day is it?"

"Tuesday."

"Perfect," he said smiling. "There's a band I wanted to check out playing in this little underground place. You like music?"

"Um…" Katie shifted from one foot to another, looking awkward for the first time since he'd met her.

"What?" he laughed. "No really, who's your favorite band?"

"I don't," she shook her head and laughed, looking down at her feet for a moment. "I'm sorry! I don't listen to music very much."

"You don't…" he started a little flabbergasted. Who didn't listen to music? "Well, we can do something else…"

"No, no, I want to go," she said, stepping closer. She reached out and touched the sleeve of his shirt, tugging on it gently, and smiled at him. There was something subtly different in her eyes when she looked up at him but he couldn't place it, and then it was gone and she'd moved away. "Besides, you're the one we're trying to cheer up here."

"Okay, well, do you like Chinese? There's a great place about a block from the club."

"I love Chinese," she said, her smile widening.

"Okay," Chuck said ginning at her.

"Okay," she repeated. She was standing there, her hands stuck in her jeans pockets as she rocked forward on her toes, and they just looked at each other, seconds ticking by until Chuck lost track of them completely.

"I should probably —" he finally managed to say, gesturing toward the bathroom. "You know, take a shower and get ready."

"Probably," she said, not moving.

He crossed the room to the desk and started rummaging through his suitcase for toiletries. "God, I hate living out of a suitcase," he said as he shuffled through the once neatly folded clothes. "Nothing ever seems to end up in the same place when I repack." He made his way to the bathroom door, juggling shampoo and shaving supplies. He looked back and noticed she was still just standing there watching him. "Are you going to, uh, stay?" he asked, and he felt a blush creeping up his neck at the thought.

She smiled, a new one this time, wide and cheeky. "Maybe," she said and her eyes swept over him from head to toe before finally settling on his face. "Why?"

"No," he cleared his throat, "No reason," he finished and quickly ducked into the bathroom and shut the door.

xXx

Club EightyMad was tucked neatly beneath an old hotel that had recently been renovated and brought back to life. The only way to find the entrance was if you already knew it was there. Despite this, the dimly lit room was packed with people ready to cheer, or jeer, the new band when Chuck and Katie arrived.

He took her hand and steered her through the crowd to his favorite spot, the now expected hum of energy vibrating through him as their skin made contact. He let her take a seat first and then sat beside her with a bit of space between. She immediately moved in closer and Chuck felt something inside of him grow warm. He'd given her multiple opportunities to pull away since they'd met for the second time but she hadn't. Maybe, just maybe, this completely amazing and beautiful woman actually liked him.

She turned to him and smiled. "They're good," she said, leaning into him to be heard over the loud music.

"Good…" He laughed because he hadn't actually been listening. He felt her touch and looked down at her hand as it slid along his forearm and over his wrist to claim his hand. He hoped she didn't notice the goose-bumps the sensation created. Could she feel that spark as well or was this whole thing all in his head?

"C'mon," she said, pulling him to his feet. "Let's dance."

"Oh, I'm not much…" His protest was lost in the music as she pulled him out onto the floor. It was forgotten altogether when she spun him around to face her and started to dance.

Most of the people on the floor were just bouncing around to the rhythm, but not Katie, she danced. Chuck watched in awe as she moved her body, her motions fluid and graceful. The roll of her hips and the length of her arms as she lifted them above her head were more entrancing than the music she moved to.

She smiled at him coyly, a woman who knew her power, and pressed a warm hand against his chest. She danced around him, trailing her fingers over his collar bone then along his shoulder, and Chuck looked to the sky, praying to whatever powers that be, that he would survive this without embarrassing himself. Then she was in front of him again, biting her lip as she ran her hands down his body, over his hips and down his legs. He swallowed convulsively as he watched her.

Her presence invaded his senses as she stepped in even closer. She smelled lightly sweet, with hints of citrus and something exotic he couldn't place. The touch of her hand against his cheek was electrifying and the look in her eye as she twirled and came back to him, held him completely enthralled.

She took hold of his hips, moving them along with hers; guiding him until they were in sync, then she slid her hands up to the base of his neck, her hands warm and soft, keeping him close. Chuck closed his eyes at the feeling, heat suffusing his blood. Then her leg slid between his thighs and he was sure she was trying to kill him. She smiled up at him; open, pleased, and he forgot to be awkward and let himself get lost in her. He took hold of her waist on instinct and did the only there was to do - he moved with her.

With every sway, every roll of their hips, she would brush against him ever so lightly and Chuck felt stunned, in awe and more than a little turned on, at just the thought of this gorgeous woman dancing in his arms. Her fingers toyed with the curls of hair that brushed his neck, which had always been a particularly sensitive part of his anatomy, and his hand flexed on the small of her back, aching to bring her closer but too afraid that he would cross some unseen line. Then she closed her eyes as she leaned back, swinging away in an arc and when she returned, her soft blonde tresses falling wildly about her face, she was that much closer and Chuck surrendered to the desire.

She was so close he could feel her breath on his cheek and the warmth of her body through their clothes. He pulled her in closer, pressing his body against hers, and felt that now familiar thrum of energy, only this time it flooded his entire body. She was looking up at him from beneath those long, dark lashes. The coy smile was gone now, replaced by something different; a look that told him he wasn't the only one affected here. He tipped his head forward and touched the tip of his nose to the bridge of hers, running it down the slope, over her soft skin, until their lips were only a breadth apart. He waited. He felt her breath hitch, watched her eyes drift closed as she relaxed into him, and his whole body rejoiced as he moved in to kiss her.

From the left, someone slammed into them, hard, breaking them apart and instead of their lips touching, their skulls cracked together. Chuck barely managed to keep himself upright.

"Sorry," the man slurred as he stumbled away. Chuck's eyes followed him with a glare for a moment before quickly turning back to Katie. She was holding her head and glaring after the man with even more venom than he had been.

"Are you alright?" Chuck asked moving to her side and trying to get a look at her head.

She dropped her hand and let out an annoyed breath. "I'm fine," she said harshly, then she looked up at him and her demeanor softened, a smile lifting the corner of her lips as she repeated more gently this time. "I'm fine."

She laid a hand reassuringly on his chest and he ran his gaze over her face, checking for damage first then merely enjoying the view as he brought it to rest on her soft mouth.

"I need a drink!" she said abruptly, pulling her hand from his chest. "You want anything?"

Chuck blinked then shook his head, cursing inwardly. 'Idiot!' he thought, though whether he was talking about the drunken guy or himself he wasn't sure. "Yeah, sure," he replied. "Just, um, a beer would be great."

"Okay," she said, "Stay here, I'll be right back."

Chuck nodded as he watched her walk away. She didn't sway her hips like most women did in a pair of heels, but instead she strode confidently across the floor on those long legs of hers. "Damn." he said, his curse lost in the music around him.

He had barely come to the conclusion that he should go after her and offer to pay, at least for his own drink, when he was accosted. A woman – at least he thought it was a woman – threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. His eyes opened wide in surprise but all he could make out was coffee colored skin and coal black hair. He tried to pull her arms away and detach her lips – the last thing he needed was for Katie to come back and see this – but she merely pulled him in tighter and he thought, yup, definitely a woman, as she crushed herself against his chest.

When she stopped kissing him, she didn't let go. Instead, one arm curved more securely around his neck squeezing tightly and her hand slid into his hair, gripping the curls until his scalp started to protest. She pressed the side of her face against his and he felt hot breath on his ear. He tried again to pry her off but she had him in a vice grip.

"You know it doesn't belong to you right, Chuck?" she said, her lips moving against the shell of his ear. "You can't keep it from us. Any morning now you could wake up dead, Chuck. Just like your girlfriend. Dead as a doornail, just like Jill."

"Stop it," Chuck demanded — angry, scared. Her hold on him loosened and he felt something cold glide down his cheek. He gripped her by her upper arms and this time he was able to push her away. Once she stepped away from him, he recognized the woman from Jill's funeral and the photos Mr. Bartholomew had shown him. She held up her hand and waggled something at him but it was too dark to tell what it was until a spotlight from the stage glinted off the blade and then all he could do was stare at the large knife in shock.

"Alright! You guys are fantastic!" a member of the band was shouting from the stage. "Stay right here, have a drink. We're gonna take a short break."

The music ended and people started to move, migrating to new locations, slipping between him and Lizzie Shafai, but Chuck kept his eyes glued to her face and the knife in her hand.

"Chuck," Katie's voice called from behind him and he whipped around to look at her. He blinked and turned back to his attacker but she was gone. He spun back to Katie, trying to cover the look of fear that had taken over. "What?" she asked, the smile falling off her face. "What's wrong?" Her voice was insistent, more like a mother than a date, but he didn't give it a great deal of thought, he was too busy freaking out.

"I need to use the restroom!" he said, a little too high and a little too loud and then he hurried off in that direction, leaving Katie looking after him with a beer in each hand, and an odd look on her face.

xXx

Chuck leaned against the door as soon as he'd stepped into the men's room, and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes there was a stranger standing there waiting to get through. He looked rather perturbed. Chuck shoved himself out of the way quickly, giving the guy an awkward nod, and moved into a stall so he would draw less attention.

For lack of a better place, he flopped onto the toilet and let his face fall into his hands. This was crazy. What the hell had Jill gotten him into? He pulled out his phone and started scrolling through his contacts for the number Bartholomew had given him. The door to the stall slammed open, banging into the opposite wall. Startled, he leapt to his feet and yelled, scrambling backward.

"Hello, Mr. Bartowski." A man stood in the doorway, blocking out the light. He was dressed in a nicely cut, gray suit and wore an arrogant little smile as he looked Chuck over from head to toe. Edgar, Chuck remembered, the information that had dumped into his mind during Jill's funeral returning easily.

"What the hell?" Chuck demanded, moving forward to leave. Edgar shoved him back, hard into the wall.

"I've been looking for you, Mr. Bartowski," he said stepping even further into the stall.

"Get out of my way, please," Chuck said, his jaw tight.

Edgar shook his head. His pale eyes had a cold, detached look in them that made Chuck's skin crawl and the anger he had felt initially began to give way to fear. Edgar reached into his jacket and pulled out a cigarette, flashing the butt of a pistol in a shoulder harness otherwise hidden under his jacket. Chuck's eyes darted from it back to the man's face.

"What do you want?" He was glad to hear his voice stayed even, that he didn't sound nearly as freaked out as he felt. As the music started up again in the main room, Chuck could feel the bass through the wall and wondered if anyone would be able to hear a gun shot.

"You know exactly what I want, and you're going to get it for me too." Edgar reached into his other pocket and pulled out lighter, revealing a second pistol.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Edgar chuckled. It was not an uplifting sound. "Yes, you do, Chuck."

"Look, I'm telling you, I don't have what it is you're looking for, okay?" Chuck insisted. He stood up away from the wall and moved to leave again. "Whatever Jill was involved in, it –" He was cut off mid-sentence as Edgar shot forward, shoving Chuck back into the wall, and pinning him there with a forearm against his throat.

"You know what I want, and you're going to get it for me, or your life…" he struck the lighter and the flame bloomed less than an inch from Chuck's nose, "and the life of that pretty little date of yours, won't be worth shit." He brought the lighter closer and Chuck felt the heat of it on his cheek, felt the panic inside him rising, threatening to take over. Edgar smiled and the look was as cold as his eyes. "Do we understand each other?"

Chuck stared back at him, his dark eyes wide but accusing. His hands were wrapped around the other man's arm, trying to pull it away from his throat, and Edgar ran the flame across Chuck's knuckles before dropping it and stepping away. Chuck cried out at the feel of the heat on his skin and then looked down to the still lit flame burning by his feet. He danced away from it, pressing himself into the corner. Edgar chuckled again and Chuck glared up at him, angry and more than a little afraid.

"Ah ah, don't forget," the man waggled a finger at him, "the girl is still between me and the door." Chuck wondered how he looked to the man, because he felt nothing but stupid and helpless. "I'll be seeing you around, Mr. Bartowski," Edgar said and then walked away. Once the men's room door had slammed shut, Chuck collapsed back onto the toilet and tried to ward off the sudden bout of nausea that washed over him.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there with his heart pounding in his ears before a knock sounded on the bathroom door and he heard a woman's voice.

"Hello? Anybody in here?" It was Katie and Chuck snapped to attention as he realized she was coming in after him. "Chuck? Are you in here?"

He stood to his feet and tried to look calm as he opened the battered stall door. "Hey," he said.

She looked at him curiously. "I was starting to think I scared you off. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Chuck said. He looked behind him, saw the toilet and realized what she must think he was doing. "I, I wasn't…" he waved his hands at the toilet. "You know… that… I was…"

"Then what are you doing?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

Chuck sighed and ran a hand through his mop of hair. "I'm having a nervous breakdown.