I don't own Chuck. Actually, I don't own much of anything.
I'm not really un-retiring… not yet anyway. This is not new content. In fact, it is almost ten years old.
This is the third of four stories in the Real Relationship arc rewrite.
Look, I get that interest in things Chuck has waned. That's as it should be. So, while I'd always love to hear from you, I'm not doing this for hits or reviews. I'm doing this for me. Hopefully you can enjoy it as well.
Preparations
x-x-x-x-x
Chuck and Sarah were in the Porsche driving to Casey's. Chuck sat slumped in the passenger's seat with his eyes closed. The last thing that Chuck wanted to admit was that he was tired. But he was. Tired didn't even come close to describing how he felt. It was more like exhausted.
Sarah glanced over at Chuck with concern. "Sweetie, are you okay?" she asked. "You really look tired."
Chuck considered how to answer. She had been a tiger last night. It was magical. The last thing that he wanted was to discourage her in any way. Yet, she could tell that he was tired. So split the difference? "Maybe a little," he said without opening his eyes.
Sarah's smile turned skeptical. "I'm sorry," she said. "I guess I sort of overworked you last night."
Chuck finally opened his eyes. She really didn't look at all sorry. "Don't ever apologize for that," he said. "It was… incredible. I never dreamed… okay, maybe I dreamed. But I never really thought that those dreams would become real, especially with someone as amazing as you." As his smile turned into a full-fledged grin, he asked, "How about you? Are you tired?"
"A little," admitted Sarah as she matched Chuck's grin. "It was worth it, don't you think? It was amazing for me too. Our sex life has always been incredible. Making love is so much better than hot sex. That was life changing for me. I really wasn't expecting it to be so magical. You have this thing where you always get my motor running. I found that I was holding back. So now, I figure that hot sex while you're making love with someone that you truly worship is the best of both worlds. I'm no longer prepared to hold anything back. I'm afraid that means my sexual expectations have crossed the border into unreasonable territory for a human. I don't want to damage you. Be sure to let me know anytime you need to slow down. I guess I can take some cold showers or something."
Chuck looked at his wife. She was only partially teasing. Last night had been the unquestioned highlight of his life. The last thing he wanted to do was to slow her down in any way. "Don't you worry your pretty little head about me," he said. "I think I'm prepared to keep up with you. Trust me. Cold showers suck. I've been taking them for the past year. Do you want to head back to the apartment right now and let me prove it to you?" Yeah, it was a bluff. Chuck looked at the twinkle in Sarah's eyes. For a long moment he was worried that she might actually call him on it. That would be… a challenge.
Finally she responded. "As tempting as that sounds, we can't right now," she sighed. "We're going to be late as it is."
As long as the bluff worked, there was no reason to back down. "Are you sure?" he asked. Of course, inwardly he was saying 'thank goodness', but she'd never know.
x-x-x-x-x
Once they arrived at Casey's, it was readily obvious that they weren't the only ones who had experienced a long night… for different reasons. Carina was still in her pajamas. It was the first time Chuck had ever seen her without makeup. She was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee. Well, she had a cup of coffee in her hand anyway. It looked like she was having trouble actually getting it to her lips.
Sarah had seen her hung over before… probably a million times. She felt absolutely no reason to go easy on her. "How much tequila did you gals drink last night?" she asked. "How long did you stay at Ellie's anyway?"
Carina was in bad shape. "Would you stop shouting?" she asked. "My head is about ready to explode. I'm not sure how much we drank last night. I think that the other girls are still over there. Devon showed up. As it turns out, they all have crushes on him too. He had a challenge pealing them off."
That got Sarah laughing. At least she understood the attraction to Devon. He was gorgeous. Fortunately, he was also completely devoted to Ellie. His trying to peel off the dunk girls would have been funny to see. "Did you tell Casey?" she asked. "That might be interesting."
"Did you tell Casey what?"
Sarah turned and Casey was standing there. "Did you tell Casey what?" he repeated his question.
Sarah shook her head. "There are some assignments too dangerous for even me," she teased. "I think I'll let Carina handle this one… maybe after she recovers a bit… maybe next week sometime by the look of things. Ask her what they talked about at my shower."
Casey had a low tolerance to being teased. Everyone knew that. He looked at Carina shaking her head. "Can we just get to work?" he asked with his trademark growl. "You're not going to tell me anyway."
Sarah was enjoying her sport. "Oh, I'd tell you," she said with a grin. "I'm just not sure that you would believe me. I was there and I'm not sure I'd believe me."
Carina sighed. "I'll tell him," she said. "Just let me pick a time when I'm equipped to deal with the fallout."
Now Sarah was openly laughing. "Whatever you think is best," she said. "I'm off to get my new waitress job. I should be back in a couple of hours or so."
As Sarah turned to leave, Chuck put out his hand and stopped her. "Wait a minute," he said. "I'm coming with you. We've talked about this. There's no way you're going to that club alone."
Sarah smiled at his protectiveness. "That doesn't work," she said. "You need to stay and work with Carina. That's why we came over here in the first place. The very last thing that can happen is for you and me to be seen together before our assignment. I'll be fine. I promise. Wish me luck."
Casey looked at them. "It's starting to scare me that I find myself agreeing with Bartowski," he said, more to himself than anybody. "Walker, there is no way you're going anywhere near that club alone. This guy is too hard core. We're going to play this by the book."
Sarah shook her head in frustration. "Do you really think that's necessary?" she asked. "I don't see what the big deal is. He's probably not even there this early."
Casey shook his head forcefully. "No way," he insisted. "I'm going with you and you're wearing a wire. I'll be monitoring you from the car. Maybe we'll get lucky and Matlin will try something that lets me shoot and claim it was an accident. This is by the book. We're just not taking any chances with this guy."
Sarah looked at Carina expectantly, hoping for support.
Carina smiled at her friend. "Sorry, blondie," she said. "As much as I'd love to back you up here, I agree with the boys. It would be reckless to take any chances. This guy is bad news."
That got Chuck grinning. "What's the matter?" he asked. "Are you afraid that I'll read the transcript of how you got your new waitress job?"
That got the room laughing, even Carina. Sure, he was teasing. She wouldn't ever hide anything that happened with a mark from him. That was their deal. But why go looking for trouble? "I think it would be best if you didn't," she teased.
Chuck turned serious. "Can I talk to you alone for a second?" he asked.
"Of course," Sarah said. As they stepped into the kitchen she turned to Chuck. "Come on, sweetie. We've talked about this. You know that you don't have to be worried about me today. At most I'm just going to flirt a little. I would hope that you're past that bothering you by now."
Chuck shook his head. "That's not what I'm worried about," he said. "Are you really going to leave me here alone with Carina?"
That got Sarah laughing. "Maybe you should wear a wire," she said. "Maybe I'll have a transcript to read." She saw the look of horror on his face. It got her laughing even harder. "Come on, Chuck," she said. "I was just teasing you. It'll be okay. I think that the days of Carina coming on to you are over… hopefully for her anyway."
Chuck took full measure of her so clearly making fun of him. Two could play that game. "Surely you're not going over there dressed like that," he said. "Why don't you get this over with?"
Sarah knew exactly what he was getting at. There was no way to walk into that club looking for a job while wearing a bra. They'd laugh at her. They'd make her for either a cop or a moron… or both right away. "I was planning on taking it off in the back seat on the way," she said with a laugh. "But this is probably a husband duty."
They were just in the kitchen. Either Casey or Carina could pop in any second. But what the hell? Both had already seen her without clothes. So when Sarah lifted her arms in a clear signal, Chuck just grabbed the hem of her shirt, lifted it over her head, and reached behind her for the clasp. "Thank you," Sarah said as Chuck handed her back the shirt. But before she put it on, she threw her arms around him. "You're amazing," she said.
The strong kiss lasted a long moment. "Wow," Chuck said as he watched her pull her shirt back on. "If you go over there like that, you won't get a job as a waitress. They'll make you manager."
"Hey," Sarah teased. "This is all you fault. You didn't complain when they got us suites at the Bellagio. Don't worry."
"Driving over there alone with Casey will wear it off."
x-x-x-x-x
As soon as Sarah and Casey left, Carina turned to Chuck. It was time to put this hangover behind her. There was work to do. "Chuck," she said. "It's important that you learn about the drug culture. This Joel Matlin is going to be throwing all kinds of drugs at you… and even more at Sarah. I don't have to remind you what an animal he is."
Chuck didn't know what to think. Every day for the past year, they went up against some big bad. For some reason, the team was treating Matlin as if he was bigger and badder than usual. "You're scaring me," he said playfully.
Carina wasn't in the mood for any teasing. "Good," she said. "You should be scared. If he suspects you, you're in big trouble. And if you get in trouble, Sarah gets in trouble right along with you."
Chuck was confused. Sarah had given him the lecture just yesterday that you couldn't show any fear with these guys. He nodded for Carina to continue.
Carina could tell what he was thinking. "Yes," she said. "You can't show any fear to these guys. They will smell it. The only way to not show fear is to be prepared. I'm going to have to give you a crash course on how to be a DEA agent. Tell me, what is your experience with cocaine?"
Chuck wasn't sure where this was going. "Come on, Carina," he said. "You know that I don't do drugs."
"Chuck, relax," Carina said. "I'm not trying to judge you. A lot of people have experimented with recreational drugs a few times. That doesn't mean they're bad people. I have myself. I'm trying to figure out how much I have to show you. Be honest with me here. It's okay. I won't tell Sarah, if that's what you're worried about."
Chuck took a deep breath. "I've never used cocaine," he said. "I've seen other people at Stanford. I never tried it myself. I stuck with beer. But I would never try to hide something from Sarah."
"That's good," Carina said with the beginnings of a smile. "But for our purposes today, it's probably bad. We'll have to get you some quick experience."
"Carina," Chuck replied quickly. "I don't want to snort any cocaine. That's just not me."
Carina looked at him sadly. "I know that you have some trust issues with me," she said. "I have that coming. I've treated you unfairly in the past. I'm sorry. But we're partners now. Whatever you think of me as a person, I take the job very seriously. It's important that you trust me in the same way that you trust Casey and Sarah. Do you think you can do that?"
Chuck looked directly into Carina's eyes. "I trust you," he said. "Sarah says that you can be a loose cannon."
That actually got Carina smiling. "Sarah's right," she said. "It's been an issue for me in the past. It's been made very clear to be, by Beckman, but also by Sarah that it won't be tolerated. Your trust means a lot to me. I promise that I won't do anything to betray that trust. Just so you know. I trust you too." Carina got up and walked into the bedroom. When she returned she was carrying a black leather pouch. She opened the pouch on the kitchen table and took out a hypodermic syringe. "This is synthetic cocaine," she said, responding to his unasked question. It's medical grade so it's a lot safer than snorting power. I'm going to give you a dose that will last for a couple of hours."
"But why do I have to do this?" Chuck asked? "I'm not really going to snort cocaine at the club, right?"
"Hopefully not," Carina said. "But this is still important. People high on cocaine act a certain way. Matlin is an expert in seeing people on coke. If you can't act that same way, he'll pick up on it quickly and you and Sarah are in big trouble. You need to experience what it feels like in a controlled environment."
Chuck nodded. "That makes sense," he said.
Carina's smile broadened into a grin. "Just one more trust thing today," she said. "I promise this is the last one. But this has to be injected in to your hip."
"Do you think that you can pull down your pants for me?"
x-x-x-x-x
Sarah and Casey were driving to the club in Casey's car. Sarah could tell that Casey looked tense. Then again Casey usually looked tense. Finally, Sarah turned to him. "Are you going to be okay?" she asked. "This is exactly why I wanted to go alone. Please don't make me worry about you starting anything today. I'm just going to go in there, flirt my way into a waitress job, and come back. Okay?"
"We agreed that we would do this by the book," Casey said with a growl. "I just want a shot at that Matlin so bad I can taste it."
Sarah understood what he was feeling. Most of the people they went after were scumbags. This was different. What he had done to Carina made it personal. "I know," she agreed. "So do I. We'll get him. But the best way to get him is to follow the plan. You know that. Please don't make me worry about you. I'm already worried about Chuck and Carina."
Being lectured was probably Casey's least favorite thing. "Walker," he growled. "Don't you worry about me doing my job. I was doing this when you were in junior high school. You just worry about doing yours… and that husband of yours."
They drove in silence for a long moment. "Can I ask you a question?" Casey asked. He didn't wait for her answer. "Do you really have to dress like that?"
Sarah looked at him. That was probably the last thing she expected him to say. Why would he say that? "We are going to a topless bar," she pointed out. "What do you think I should wear? A prom dress? If I'm bothering you, why don't you stop looking?"
That got Casey laughing. "Maybe," he said. "And then again maybe not. I think that I deserve the same view that the rest of the general public is getting, don't you think? Besides that, I sort of like it."
Sarah was wrong a moment ago. Now that was the last thing she expected him to say. Was he actually flirting with her? Did he know about the shower and now thought any woman was eager to get naked with him? Had he really turned into Bryce? Regardless, it was time to nip this in the bud. "You're kidding, right?" she asked. "Casey, I'm the only woman that either of us know that you don't have a shot with. Trust me on that."
"What does that mean?" Casey asked with a puzzled look.
"It means that you have no shot in hell," Sarah replied. "Even before Chuck. What do you think it means?"
"No," Casey said. "I knew that. Believe me. I don't want a shot. What makes you think that I want a shot? I thought we had an understanding. I've already seen everything you have several times. Okay, you have a nice body. Are you really getting your panties in a bunch because I said that I enjoyed the view? Isn't that the general intent?"
Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't coming on to her. That was silly. He just complimented her… in his awkward way. "I'm sorry," she said. "I overreacted. I'm pretty hypersensitive when Chuck isn't with me. I'm still a little freaked out over yesterday."
Casey gripped the wheel. "What happened yesterday?" he asked. "What did you mean by you're the only one?"
Talk about a discussion Sarah didn't want to have. "I think that it's far better if Carina briefs you on that," she said.
"Alone… when I'm not there."
x-x-x-x-x
There was one thing about cocaine. The high was almost instantaneous. Carina looked at him. "So, Chuck," she said. "How are you feeling?"
Chuck started giggling. "I feel great," he said. "Actually I feel better than great… maybe even fantastic. I came in here tired but now I think I could run a race… more than a race… maybe even a marathon. I wonder if there's a marathon…"
Carina started laughing. "Slow down, Chuck," she interrupted. "That's the drug. Do you notice how you feel wired? Like you've had about a hundred cups of coffee?"
Chuck as still excited. "Do I ever," he said. "I can feel my heart beating. I can actually feel the blood flowing through my veins. It feels so good. Why didn't you tell me how good it feels? What would be the problem if we actually took some cocaine with Matlin? I mean…"
Carina's laughing quickly ended. "Now you see the problem," she interrupted again. "I know that it feels good. Why do you think so many people use it? That's the problem with it. It makes you feel so good that eventually you'll do anything to have it again. That's what guys like Matlin count on. They prey on the fact that you'll do anything for it. That's how he is planning on getting Sarah on her back. He thinks that she'll eventually do anything to get the next high. I know that you love Sarah and you think that could never change. But, trust me; you would eventually come to love cocaine more. And that's why it's so evil. You start off by just thinking that it's fun but it eventually becomes your life."
Talk about an immediate buzz kill. "I never want anything to take Sarah's place," Chuck said sadly. "I wish you hadn't given this to me."
The truth was that Carina was feeling pretty awful herself. This nice, innocent guy didn't need to be thrown into Matlin's evil culture. "I'm sorry, Chuck," she said softly. "I wish I didn't have to give it to you too. You needed to know how it feels so now you can act like that."
They were silent for a long time. Finally Carina spoke. "It's been a couple of hours," she said. "Are you feeling back to normal?"
Chuck nodded. "I think so," he said. "At least I'm tired again. That's probably a good sign."
Carina breathed a sigh of relief. He was back. "It's a very good sign," she said with a smile. "Just remember. When you're supposed to be high around Matlin, you have to act like you're wired. Talk fast. Nothing bothers you. Can you do that?"
Chuck grinned at her. "It's kind of how I act when I'm nervous anyway," he said. "I think that the trick will be to be convincing when I'm not supposed to be high."
That got Carina laughing. "I think you might be right," she said.
"If I ask you something, will you tell me the truth?" Chuck asked. "Sarah's coke problem… how worried should I be? If Matlin gets her high…"
Carina smiled at him. "Don't worry about that," she said. "Sarah is the strongest person I know. She really doesn't have a problem. She's just like you. She understands that she loves the feeling and if she used it, she eventually would develop a habit. So she stays away. If Matlin got her high, he wouldn't have any luck getting her in bed. If anything, she would be more likely to blow her cover and kick his ass. The issue would be if she wants to use it after the mission is over. It's great for sex. But from what she is always telling me, you already have that part covered. That's not going to happen, but if it does, come and see me."
Chuck nodded. The last thing he needed was something that would make Sarah want more sex. That was something he didn't ever think was possible. The thing was, he had misjudged Carina… badly. "I want to tell you something," he said. "I know that this is hard. I can't imagine how hard. And I'm not asking you to talk about what happened. I just want you to know that if you need to talk to someone other than Casey or Sarah, I'm here. I want you to know that you can also trust me."
Carina grasped Chuck very tightly and held on for a long, long moment. Chuck was just beginning to think that she was going to let it drop when she finally spoke. "This would just be between us?" she asked. "Please don't ever say anything about this to Casey or Sarah."
"I won't," Chuck said. "You can trust me."
Carina paused for a long moment. When she spoke, her voice was so soft that Chuck had to strain to hear her. "It was surreal," she said. "Even today, I think about it as if I was seeing it happen to someone else… sort of like I was watching it happen on TV. Chuck… the men. There were so many of them. I tried and tried to fight but it was hopeless. And they were so vicious. Finally I stopped fighting and just took it. There was nothing else I could do. And they were laughing at me. They were taunting me. There wasn't a thing I could do. The worst part wasn't that I was going to die. The worst part was the feeling that I had failed. Do you know what I mean?"
Chuck just rubbed her back to let her know that he was listening.
"You don't know what you have to go through to become an agent," Carina continued, her voice now stronger. "How much you have to sacrifice and train. There were so many things that I still wanted to do with my life. And I knew that I was not going to be able to do them. I gave up hope. Chuck, I actually gave up hope. That was the worst part."
Chuck squeezed her tighter. "How did you make it back?" he asked.
"I had to," Carina said. "Otherwise they would have won. I had to come back and let them know that they couldn't beat me. And when I pull the trigger on Joel Matlin, I'll finally be able to say, I won you bastard."
Chuck continued to rub her back. "You're the bravest person I know," he said. "I'm so very proud of you. Thank you for trusting me."
Carina made no move to break their embrace. "No, Chuck," she said. "Thank you. You've made me feel a lot better. Sarah is the luckiest person I know."
Carina and Chuck were still in their embrace many minutes later when Casey and Sarah returned. Of course, Casey couldn't resist taking a shot. "Come on, Bartowski," he said in faux anger. "We've only been gone for two hours and you can't keep your hands off of her?"
Chuck knew that he couldn't allow Casey to get to him. "She is pretty hot," he said with a grin. "I assume by your mood that your mission was a success?"
Sarah narrowed her eyes in the same faux anger. "I start tonight," she said. "It looks like you've started already."
Chuck knew that she was teasing. "I assume that you have a transcript for me to read?" he asked Casey.
Casey grinned as he held up a cassette. "Even better," he said. "I have the tape. Let's go listen to it. I think that you're really, really going to enjoy it. I'll point out the good parts."
Sarah was trying hard not to laugh. "The hell you will," she said sternly. "Do you mind telling me what was going on in here when we walked in?"
Chuck just grinned at her. "Relax," he said. "Carina was just getting me high. I don't think you have anything to worry about. Well, I guess that she did pull my pants down that once. But at least Carina's still wearing her bra. I'm guessing that riding alone with Casey must not have done the job you were expecting. Or did he have the air conditioning on high?"
Sarah's battle with the giggles was now hopelessly lost. Was she really this aroused after only being away for a couple of hours? She'd have to figure this out… soon. She wrapped her arms around him.
"Take a wild guess."
x-x-x-x-x
