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.

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.

Distractions Can Get You Killed

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In the Bellagio parking garage, Carina and Casey were really struggling to get the bodies of the two dead Fulcrum agents into the car trunk. Casey was still hurting from the blow to the head and the several punches he had taken during the fight. Carina was obviously concerned. When he stumbled to the back of the car and started vomiting, that concern grew into something close to panic. They would be outnumbered three to one as it was. Without Casey, they stood very little chance. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Yes, it was a stupid question. "Does it look like I'm okay?" Casey growled. "It doesn't really matter. We need to get going."

Carina certainly agreed with that. Who knew what Sarah was going through? Well, that was another stupid question. She did know. She opened the driver's door and climbed into the car.

Casey looked at Carina questioningly. "I can drive," he said.

Carina wasn't up for any discussion. Sarah had saved her from this exact fate too many times to count. "Just get in the car," she snapped. "Chuck and Sarah won't be able to last very much longer. We're late already."

"I'll be okay," Casey insisted. "I can drive."

Carina had already started the car. "And you think that I can't?" she growled. "Casey, you're hurt. You need to rest before we get there. Now stop this macho bullshit and get into the fucking car."

There really wasn't much to argue with. Casey had barely closed the car door when Carina threw it in reverse and squealed the tires backing out of the parking spot. As soon as they were clear of the spot, Carina threw the car into drive and spun the tires as she rapidly navigated the narrow parking structure.

Casey didn't have time to put on his seat belt, so he was thrown forward when Carina backed out and violently thrown back into his seat as Carina accelerated. "Would you be careful?" he asked.

"Screw careful," Carina replied through clenched teeth. "Welcome to my world, Casey. If you and I are going forward, there is something you should probably know. I suck at being careful."

"Just hold on."

x-x-x-x-x

After Sarah gave her husband a final hug, she climbed down from his lap and faced Steve Jones. She flashed her best smile at him. "Thank you," she said. "You've kept your word. Now I'm going to keep mine."

Jones smiled at her suggestively. "Don't disappoint us," he said.

"I've never had any complaints," Sarah said confidently. "I just want to make sure that I have your word that you'll let my husband go."

"Agent Walker," Jones said. "We've already been through this. If I get your best effort tonight, I give you my word. Maybe you should keep that in mind as you perform."

Sarah smiled at him. "I'll tell you what," she said. "You're going to get every single thing you deserve tonight. I give you 'my' word. Just sit back and watch it happen." Her smile turned into a grin as she walked to the middle of the room. The seven Fulcrum agents, including Jones were sitting on cots in a circle around the room. Someone was playing some music. That was a good thing. It was a lot easier to dance to music.

There was one good thing about this situation. Chuck would never ask her for a performance like this on his own… he just wouldn't. And sure, there were other men watching. But, like she whispered in his ear just a few minutes ago, she promised, she was performing just for him. She made sure to lock her eyes on his as she danced around the room. Hopefully he was as impressed with her dancing skills as the men clearly were. When she had her blouse unbuttoned, her arousal tell kicked in. She could have sworn he was smiling through the gag. Except for the music, you could have heard a pin drop. Sarah paused for effect. "Is that good enough?" she teased Jones.

"Or should I keep going?"

x-x-x-x-x

Traffic on the strip was typical for an early evening. That meant near gridlock. No one was moving in any direction. They exited the parking garage and flew up the sidewalk. Tourists scattered in every direction as she sped by. Carina was weaving back and forth between lanes of traffic, often using the sidewalk.

Without anything to brace himself, Casey was being tossed back and forth. He hit the door hard several times. "Damn it," he growled as he struggled to fasten his seat belt. "Is this how you interrogate your drug culture suspects? Put them in a car and bounce them to death?"

"Hang on," Carina grunted as she ran a red light barely missing a city bus.

"We're late."

x-x-x-x-x

Of course the question was rhetorical. Sarah didn't wait for an answer. She allowed her blouse to slide to the floor. She danced up to one of the agents and rested her foot between his knees on his cot. "Can you help me," she asked sweetly as she placed her finger on the end of his nose. "I'm afraid this zipper sticks."

The agent in question was very happy to help. Of course it took some time. First he ran his hand up her leg suggestively until it disappeared far into her skirt. As soon as he had the zipper finally lowered, Sarah danced back to the middle of the room. She shook her hips suggestively until the skirt slid to the floor. "Thanks for the help," she said with a grin.

"Who wants to help me with my bra?"

x-x-x-x-x

The good news was that once Carina finally left the strip, traffic eased considerably. Carina floored the accelerator and the car shot forward.

Casey was the only one who knew exactly where they were going. "You need to take the next right," he yelled.

Carina didn't answer. She just turned the wheel without slowing down and executed a perfect power turn. The tires squawked in protest.

"Can you be a little quieter?" Casey growled. "We are supposed to be sneaking up on them."

"If Sarah is doing her job," Carina replied. "We could sneak up on them with a jack hammer."

"Make that two jack hammers."

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah wasn't wearing a watch. There wasn't a clock in the room. Yet she knew from her internal clock that Casey and Carina should have been here ten minutes ago. That wasn't good news. But there was no turning back now. So she just smiled. "It looks like it's time for the good stuff," she said. "Doesn't it?" She danced over to another agent. "Do you think you could help me with this clasp?" she asked. "I never can reach it."

Sarah turned around and sat on his lap. Naturally, this guy wanted to be helpful. Not only did he unclasp it, he helped ease it over her shoulders until he was holding it in his hand.

Of course that wasn't the only thing he was holding in his hand. Sarah only allowed him to grope her for a few seconds before standing up. "Keep the bra as a souvenir," she said. "I don't think I'll be needing it anymore."

Finally, thankfully, that was the moment that Casey burst through the front door with his gun blazing. He clearly wasn't in the mood to ask any questions. The two Fulcrum agents on the opposite side of the room fell instantly dead as Casey quickly fired twice.

At the same time, Carina burst through the back door. She fired one shot, killing the agent sitting next to the front door.

Sarah quickly got into the action. There was one good thing about being almost naked… there was nothing to encumber her. She rammed her elbow into the agent's face whose lap she was sitting on. She picked up the gun sitting next to him where he sat it to be able to grope her. Taking quick aim at one of the other agents, with a single shot, he was quickly dead.

The other three quickly realized that they had little choice and surrendered. Even though the good guys now controlled the room, this was still a tense situation. Certainly, it wasn't time yet to relax. Casey and Carina got to work. They quickly bound their hands and feet with nylon ties while Sarah covered them. They tied Steve Jones to the same chair that Sarah had been previously fastened to.

Carina worked to cut Chuck loose from his chair. Once he was free, Chuck and Sarah quickly threw themselves into each other's arms. They were both franticly kissing each other in relief. "Very nice show," Chuck teased. "Too bad we're already rich. You could win amateur nights all across the country."

That got Sarah grinning. "We could still do it just for fun," she teased. "Even rich people need hobbies. Hold that thought. I need to take care of something. Don't move. I'll be right back."

Chuck smiled back and nodded as Sarah walked over to Steve Jones. She sat on his lap, straddling him much like she had Chuck earlier. "You know, Steve," she said seductively. "I told you that you'd get everything that you had coming tonight. I've kept my word. It occurs to me that this is the second time in a week that you wanting me in bed has led you into making a series of mind numbingly stupid mistakes. When you think about it like that, well, it's almost flattering. I'm really tempted to take you in the bedroom and do everything that you wanted," she continued as she gently kissed Jones's nose. "Just for fun. Too bad, I'm married and my new husband is here. I don't think he would see the humor. No. I'm sorry. Actually, I'm sure that he wouldn't. But don't feel bad," she said with a huge grin. "I'm sure where you're headed there's going to be a whole line of big, muscular, sweaty lifers ready to take my place."

Sarah was clearly enjoying her sport. "But, Steve, please," she said as she stood up off his lap. "Please make sure that you bring your A-Game. They deserve your best effort."

Sarah kept her faux sweet smile as she sauntered over to the agent who had groped her against the car earlier. He was standing against the wall with his hands and feet bound together. Suddenly, with absolutely no warning, she threw a most impressive spinning roundhouse kick that connected directly deep into his groin. Naturally he did what any man would do in that circumstance, he quickly fell to the floor in moaning agony. Sarah wasn't quite done. She stepped up to him, grabbed a handful of hair, and forced him to look at her. "They're hard now," she taunted. "You asked for another look. I hope you're happy."

But everyone's attention was quickly on Chuck. He had picked up one of the agents guns and had it pointed at Steve Jones head. "What kind of 'man' are you?" he asked.

"Chuck," Sarah called. "No."

Chuck ignored her. "What kind of man forces a woman to strip and have sex to save her husband's life?" he asked. "I think that might be the most evil thing I've ever heard of."

"Chuck," Sarah called more loudly. "Don't do this. It's not worth it."

Chuck didn't look at Sarah. "I've got this," he said. "This animal has it coming."

"I know that," Sarah replied. "I'm not worried about him. I'm worried about you. You've never done this before. You're not a killer. If you want to see his brains splatter on the wall, let me shoot him for you. Please."

Chuck again ignored her. "She'll never be safe," he said to a shaking Jones. "She'll never be safe as long as you're alive, will she? We'll always have to worry about you breaking out of prison again."

"Chuck," Sarah pleaded. "Please don't do this. Please. It will change you. Trust me, I know. It has changed me."

"Sorry, Sarah," Chuck said. "I have to do this." He touched his gun to the side of Jones's head. "Bang," he yelled.

Chuck watched as Jones babbled incoherently. "That was kind of fun," he said.

Sarah walked over and sided into him affectionately. "That was a very dangerous game you were just playing," she said. "I have to admit, it was funny as hell."

Chuck grinned at her. "Don't worry," he said. "The gun wasn't even loaded." He pointed the gun in the air and pulled the trigger to show her. The shot rang out loudly. Some plaster fell from the ceiling. Chuck jumped, then sheepishly handed Sarah the gun. "Maybe you should take this."

Sarah was laughing too hard to speak for a moment. She clicked on the safety. "Maybe you're right," she finally said.

This was officially over. Everyone was fairly giddy. "I'm going to call Beckman," Casey said. "We'll need to get a cleanup crew over here." He turned to Chuck. "Unless you want to shoot somebody else," he said with a grin.

Sarah looked up at Chuck and threw her arms around him. "You'll never know how proud I am of you," she said. "I was actually starting to worry that you were freaking out for real."

Chuck grinned at his wife. "Let's just say that I was emotionally in tune with my character," he said.

Sarah grinned back. "Just think," she said. "Your act helped me convince Jones to give us ten minutes. Imagine what I would have had to have done to stall for those ten extra minutes."

Chuck nodded. "I know," he said playfully. "I know that the plan was for you to take some clothes off to distract them. And that worked brilliantly. It really did. Um… I know this might sound like a jealous husband. But do you think you could put your shirt back on before the cleanup crew gets here? They might forget what it is they're supposed to be cleaning up. I think you might be starting to distract Casey. Distractions can get you killed."

Suddenly Sarah realized that she was still standing in her stockings and panties. She could feel the blush rise up her neck. "It wouldn't sound jealous at all," she said as she reached for her blouse. "I was so keyed up, I had totally forgotten." She turned to Carina. "Why didn't you say something?" she asked. "This is usually your position."

Carina was laughing. "Hey," she said. "If I was built like you, I'd walk around like that all the time."

Sarah paused to think. "Wait a minute," she said. "That reminds me. What took you two so long? I was running out of things to take off."

Carina was still laughing. "We've been here for twenty minutes," she said. "Casey just talked me into letting him see how far you would go."

That stopped Casey's laughing in its tracks. "Hey," he said. "You tell her that you're kidding, right now. That's a problem I don't need."

Chuck and Sarah were too busy holding each other to pay much attention anyway. While they were quietly embracing, Carina walked up to Casey. "I'm sorry that I yelled at you," she said.

Casey shook his head. "I'm the one that's sorry," he said. "I was treating you like my girlfriend and not like my partner."

"I'm new at this."

x-x-x-x-x

Beckman had moved quickly. It was almost midnight in Washington, yet her very large cleanup crew was already arriving. Since Casey's car was filled with dead Fulcrum agents, they took the team in a van to the local FBI office for a video conference debriefing.

Beckman was ecstatic. "Don't you people realize that going off the grid means you're supposed to stay low?" she teased.

"Yes, ma'am," Casey replied.

"Anyway, nice work," Beckman continued. "This was a very serious situation that you've resolved. Fulcrum has officially been eliminated on the western half of the country. We have Steve Jones in custody and, trust me; there will be no escape this time."

"Thank you, ma'am," Sarah said.

"We've been thinking," Beckman said. "As much trouble as you seem to stumble into, we've decided to expand your team. We've contacted the DEA and arranged for Agent Miller for be assigned to your team until further notice. Please brief her on the Intersect and its capabilities as soon as possible."

It was probably the best possible news. "Yes, ma'am," Casey said.

"Agent Miller," Beckman addressed Carina.

"Yes, ma'am?" Carina replied.

Beckman took the humor out of her voice. "You have a reputation for being a superior agent," she said sternly. "Unfortunately, you also have a reputation for not following procedure, doing your own thing, and taking foolish chances. That will not be tolerated on this assignment. The President gets personally briefed daily. Make me look bad to him, even once, and your next assignment will be in the Arctic Circle someplace. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal clear, ma'am," Carina answered snappily. "Ma'am, I just want to thank you for this opportunity. I won't let you down."

"There is one other matter," Beckman said. "Now that whatever is left of Fulcrum knows you two by name, we'd better give you new cover names that they won't be looking for."

Sarah grinned. "That's no problem for me, ma'am," she said. "Chuck and I were just married. I will be going by Sarah Bartowski."

Beckman nodded. "Nice thinking," she said. "That's an excellent cover."

Sarah didn't want to laugh in front of Beckman, so she bit her lip. "Thank you, ma'am," she said. "But actually, it wasn't for the cover. We really did get married."

Beckman looked at them for a long moment. "I guess congratulations are in order," she said. "We'll have to talk later about how this might complicate things. When you get back to Burbank, we'll start looking for an apartment for you to share." She turned her attention to Carina. "Agent Miller, what about you?"

Chuck spoke up. "Well, General," he suggested. "Maybe Casey and Carina could get married too. It would be great for their cover. Two couples blend in much better."

Beckman considered that for a moment. "I don't know," she said skeptically. "Do you really think you can sell yourselves as a couple? That seems pretty unbelievable to me."

Sarah piped in. "I think they could pull it off, ma'am," she said. "As long as we can get Casey to act a little more romantically. We'll work with him."

Beckman considered that for a moment. "I guess that might work," she said. She turned her attention back to Chuck. "Mr. Bartowski, is it still your intention to go back to Stanford? We've arranged for you to be readmitted."

"Thank you, ma'am," Chuck said. "But actually we've decided."

"Stanford will be fine, ma'am," Sarah interrupted. "Thank you, ma'am."

"We'll make the arrangements," Beckman said. "You've certainly earned some time off. Take a few days at your discretion. Contact me when you go back on the grid. And really people. Excellent work."

As soon as the screen went blank Casey turned to Sarah. "As long as we can get Casey to act a little more romantically?" he growled sarcastically.

Sarah probably wasn't the perfect one to mentor him in the art of romance. It didn't come naturally to her either. But Beckman had just given her the assignment. She walked up to him and spoke so that only he could hear. "Like right now, dumb ass," she said. She grabbed Chuck's hand and walked outside.

Casey got the hint. As soon as Chuck and Sarah left the room, he grabbed Carina's hand.

"I'm not good at this you know," he said softly. "I'm going to have a hard time separating the partner from the girlfriend."

Carina simply looked at him.

"I'm sorry for the macho act," Casey said softly. "I guess I'm overly protective. I hope you're willing to be patient."

That got Carina laughing. "Like you expect me to know how to be romantic," she teased. "Whatever you doing right now, it's working. I think you're better at this than you think. Just keep doing it."

Casey joined her laughing. "I'm glad you think so," he said. "This may not qualify as romance."

"But, missy, I do believe that you owe me a wedding night."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck and Sarah held hands outside the door of their hotel room while they said goodnight to Casey and Carina. They had stopped in the bar for their customary end of a mission toast. Of course, instead of wine, it was a Mai Tai. "When do you think you want to head back?" Casey asked.

Chuck could see that coming. "Tired of Vegas already?" he teased.

Casey shook his head. "No," he replied. "I'm having a good time, but I'm kind of anxious to get back. We do have a job to do. To tell you the truth, I'm looking forward to our new routine."

"We've earned a few days," Sarah protested. "We have to be fresh to fight effectively anyway. The war will still be there when we get back. Chuck is not going to be in any position to travel anytime soon, if you get my meaning."

"Why don't we all sleep in tomorrow and enjoy our respective honeymoons for a few days?" Carina suggested. "Tomorrow night, we'll all go dancing."

"Sounds like fun," Sarah agreed.

"Ugh, dancing again," Casey moaned. Then he spotted Carina looking at him. "I mean oh boy, dancing again. I can't wait."

"Just not too wild, Carina," Sarah said. "We just got on Beckman's good side. Don't make her come down here and bail us out."

Chuck grinned at her. "It's not Carina you should be worrying about," he teased. "I have some modifications to your attire that will make dancing… interesting.

That got them all laughing. As soon as they were alone in their room, Chuck turned to Sarah. "Are you sure about Stanford?" he asked. "I understand."

Sarah was still grinning. "I'm sure," she said. "I absolutely am. I was being silly. If I can't trust you, who can I trust? Besides, I can always scare the crap out of her. I bet I can have her blubbering like a ten year old in five minutes."

"No bet," Chuck agreed.

"I told you not to tell me that you loved me earlier tonight," Sarah teased. "I wouldn't mind hearing it now."

That got Chuck laughing. "I thought you already knew," he said. "But for the record, I love you."

"And I love you right back," Sarah said. "Now for some serious business. You have bet winnings to collect. I expect some serious demands. Please don't disappoint me."

Chuck fumbled with his phone. Suddenly the exact same song from earlier in the Fulcrum safe house was playing. "I'm way ahead of you," he grinned. "I trust that Casey won't interrupt me like he did that poor Steve Jones. You were just getting to the good stuff. I'm not sure what the full 'Sarah Walker' experience is that he was talking about. Maybe you can educate me." He leaned in and kissed her. Taking a cue from their earlier kiss he started very softly… then with a little more passion. Finally they were into it hot and heavy. After a couple of minutes, Chuck stepped back, took a seat on the couch, and grinned at her as she began to sway to the beat.

"Show time."

The End

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