Chapter Six
The Way Home
"Bryce, come on. That's bullshit and you know it." Sarah looked from Bryce to Carina then back to Bryce.
"Look Sarah, I can't give you any details. This is confidential. I'm sorry."
"Are you? Somehow I get the feeling that you're enjoying this. She took a deep breath. "I didn't want to tell you but Casey's missing and Chuck and I are trying to find him. It's sanctioned."
"You're trying to get me to help you find Casey of all people. I think I'll sit this one out thank you."
"Carina, come on. Casey wouldn't turn his back on you if you were in trouble."
For the first time Carina turned serious. "Bryce, get me a coffee?"
"If you want me to leave just say so."
"Leave," she said not taking her eye off of Sarah.
Bryce threw down the hotel coaster he had been playing with and stormed out of the hotel room.
"Sarah, I can't tell you much because I don't know much but what do you want to know?"
"We found this business card in Casey's cabin in Alaska. I don't know if it has anything to do with his disappearance or not." Sarah let Carina take it from her hand. Chuck asked me to help with this but I'm starting to think that Casey is beyond help. It will tear Chuck up."
Carina looked at the card for a second. "You really have it bad for him don't you?"
"Casey? No."
"Not Casey, Chuck."
"Let's focus on the case here Carina."
"Bear with me." Carina smiled that wicked smile of hers.
Sarah had seen it many times before. But, she also trusted Carina's instincts and something told her to follow her lead."
"Alright, I still have feeling for Chuck but in case you didn't know it, he is no longer with the company and I have been reassigned. So this is temporary."
"You have feelings for him, or you're so in love with him you can barely stand from your weakened knees when he walks in the room?"
"Aren't you being overly dramatic?"
"Just tell me, which statement is closest to the truth."
Sarah picked up the coaster that Bryce had thrown on the coffee table and looked at it for a few seconds. "Weak knees is pretty close actually."
"I knew it, I knew it, I knew it… Sarah, you're one lucky girl. I'm pretty envious. You know how many times I've tried to bed him down? Just to get under your skin. Well, I've lost count really but it's been a lot. Now I know why."
Carina smiled a genuine smile for Sarah. "Sarah Walker, you lucky girl."
"It's not like that Carina, we have some real issues. There's this thing between us that I don't think we'll ever get around."
"Oh come on Sarah. I can't think of anything that I wouldn't do to get the man I loved. That is. if I actually fell in love with a man."
"Really. OK let's say that you have found this guy. He's perfect. He's everything you ever wanted in a man."
"You're speaking of Brad Pitt right?"
"I'm serious, Carina."
OK, I've found this great guy. Now what?"
"Now you have orders that if you follow them, you know it will end it. What will you do?"
"Is he rich?"
"CARINA."
"Sorry." Carina composed herself, obviously thinking. "I guess that if I was ready to leave this life, I would disobey the order and go get my man. On the other hand if I loved my job more, then he isn't the right guy."
"You would really disobey an order?"
If it were a choice between my job or my man… I would make the decision. Yeah it's that simple."
Sarah was reeling, had she even considered not following her orders for even a split second. If not, why not. She was no robot. She had the option to at least look at the situation logically. The common sense test.
"Carina, I got to get back to the room. Do you have anything about Casey?"
I'm sorry Sarah. We're only looking for a low level drug mogul. I think Bryce only asked for me… well you know why."
Sarah smiled at her. "Yeah, I think I know why. Thanks Carina." As Sarah reached the door, Carina said, "Tell me you took advantage of Casey's bear skin rug?"
Sarah returned the smile. "Define advantage."
Sarah left Carina's and Bryce's hotel room. Before going to her own she went downstairs to sit in the lobby for a while. She needed some alone time. Her sense of duty was fractured but not broken. She thought back to the time she received those orders. They were ligit from Langley or so she thought. Plus, if she would have refused someone else would have done the job. Maybe not as humanely. She recalled thinking all of these thoughts before she spent the rest of that day to mentally prepare for her last mission with Chuck. She knew how Chuck felt. That she had betrayed him. Then she thought back to last night, seeing him calling out her name in the midst of a recurring nightmare, it was all she could do not to break down sobbing in the middle of the lobby.
She composed herself for a moment, then went to the lobby counter.
"Any messages for Sarah Walker?"
"Oh, Miss Walker yes you have this message."
"Do you know when it came and how?"
"No, it was here when I started my shift this morning."
Sarah took the envelope and walked back to her hotel room. As she got in the elevator, she opened the envolope. Pulling out the contents she saw a single ticket for the Heat game tonight at 8:00 PM. There was nothing else in the envolope. "Guess we spend another night. She briefly thought it would be just like Bryce to pull a stunt like this. But then she discounted that idea. Not even Bryce was that stupid. She left the elevator and went to her room.
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Chuck sat in his room working on his laptop. He had good wireless reception and decided to take advantage and log in to his website. Might as well get some work done," he said to himself. He noticed Sarah walk into her room from her own door. He was about to go talk with her when he recieved an instant measage. Who could this be, he thought.
"Chuck Bartowski, is that you?" The computer screen asked.
Chuck quickly looked up to see where Sarah was. "Yes, who is this?"
"This is Laslo... prove you're Chuck. What did I have in your car the last time we saw each other?"
"Are you referring to the bomb?"
"Hey, Chuck. How are you?"
"Have you escaped, Laslo?"
"No, but I found a way to hack out of here using a computer for humidity control."
"How ya been buddy?" Chuck said looking for Sarah over the top of his laptop.
"I'm on my medicine. Things are a lot better. Are you still on the outside or are being held for your own protection like me?"
"I've left the company. I've started my software company."
"Oh man, that sounds great. How about that super hot blonde you were with. Are you two still together?"
"We were for a while but things got a bit too complicated."
"No way. You gave up on that? The only woman I get to see is my cook, Gertrude Platt and she's 61 years old and bigger than I am."
"Sorry Buddy."
"Chuck, do you every see her?"
"As a matter of fact, I'm looking at her right now."
"Chuck, do me a favor. Whatever it takes. Whatever you have to do... Whatever complications you need to plough through to make it happen, just do it. If I had a chance at the life you have, there wouldn't be anything to stop me."
"I will...think about it."
"Chuck, gotta go. I think some pencil necked tecnician is on to me. Talk with you later."
Chuck turned off the computer and continued to peer over the top of the screen. He noticed that Sarah was getting ready to go somewhere. Like out on a date. He got up and went into her room.
"Sarah, what's up?"
"I'm going to the basketball game tonight." She showed him the ticket. "Was left at the front desk."
"I don't like this it could be a trap. I don't think it's a good idea you going alone."
"Only one ticket." Sarah acted nonchalant.
As she walked past him to go to her dresser, he grabbed her arm and spun her around. He saw the surprise on her face. "Just promise me you will take care. You don't know who sent that ticket."
She looked at his hand on her arm. She didn't notice when he grabbed her other arm with his free hand. "This is clearly a meeting. You don't try to kill or kidnap someone in front of twenty thousand people and a national TV broadcast."
He did not let go of her arms and in fact pulled her to him just a bit. "I'd forgotten what it was like to be afraid for you. Don't get yourself hurt. OK?"
If he kisses me, I will kiss him back, she thougt. Her eyes were locked on his. Clearly this was something she had not ecpected from him. She thought he was about to say something as he looked deeply into her eyes. When he didn't she said. "I will be very careful."
He just nodded his head, let go of her arms and walked back to his room.
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Chuck spent the next few minutes in his room trying to figure out what was going on with him. Did he do that becasue of Laslo or was it because of all this time spent with Sarah. Was it just the fact that he had never gotten over her. As he thought about her, his heart began to ache. This pain was not from the bullet wound.
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Sarah took a shower. She could not stop thinking about Chuck grabbing her. The way he looked at her and how he pulled her towards him. She thought about Carina's 'weak knees' comment. She had to admit that's what it is. But as excited as the encounter made her, she thought to a time when she would have to leave him again. If she continued to get closer it would just hurt more when she had to leave. Then she thought about what Carina said to her. That she would quit her job for the right man. Is Chuck the right man?, she thought. She laughed out loud. "You really have to ask that question?" She got ready for the game. She knew that she would not get a gun through security but she had a set of ceramic throwing knives. She would have at least that much protection. She did not expect to need it.
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Chuck and Lizzy waited together in his hotel room for Sarah's return. She saw that he was very anxious. It was clear to her what the score was. She had told Sarah last night that all she had to do was ask and he would do whatever she wanted. It was a puzzle to her why Sarah did not see that. Maybe she just didn't want to see it. She didn't know.
"Chuck, I know this is a touchy subject with you but I gotta know. You and Sarah. are you going to make a go of it."
Chuck looked at her without his normal smile. "Lizzy, I'm so confused right now. I mean, I know how I feel or I know how much it hurts not having her but...If you would have asked me just a few days ago, I would have said no. But now. I don't know." He looked away from her. "There's a lotta history between us and some of it is difficult to get around."
"Is that why you have nightmares?" She knew that he didn't know that she knew.
"You know about the nightmares? How?"
"Chuck, you scream out in your sleep. Almost every night. You did it last night."
"And Sarah saw it?"
"Yes."
He hung his head. "That had to hurt her."
"Her... Her, Chuck what about you?"
"Lizzy, you don't know what happened and I can't tell you but just trust me. I think she has been through as much as me. Maybe more."
"It's like I said to her last night. She doesn't deserve you." Lizzy got up to leave, tears in her eyes.
A/N I will try to get the next chapter on Thursday. Got something I've gotta do.