A/N: Can you say schnook?
When I saw how close Liechtenstein was to Switzerland…I mean I had to, right? And if I had Liechtenstein, then I had to have Jack. I know, I know, too much fluff. Well it's Christmas and I'm gonna fluff. Nearing the end, are you heart-warmed? Is your diabetes okay?
Welcome to DC's 12 Days of Christmas Ch 11, Liechtenstein AKA Chuck meets his soon to be father-in-law….maybe? She did confirm they're getting married, right? Right?
Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, and I'm sure I don't own…hmm, maybe I do…
Sarah stood there, wondering what the best play was, when she got the shock of her life. Chuck straightened, walked around Jack, and sat down across from him.
"I hope you'll forgive me, sir, but you're an ass," Chuck began. Jack sat up straight, eying Chuck. Sarah's eyebrows nearly shoot off of her head in shock.
"Come again?" Jack asked.
"You've not been a father to that amazing woman in her entire lifetime, and she's come a long way to see if you can help her. So do me a favor, be a man, be a father, and help your daughter," Chuck requested in an angry tone.
Sarah suddenly remembered Chuck had seen her file. There was no telling what all Graham had put in her file, but it did explain Chuck's attitude.
"Making her be a part of scams as a kid, her having a broke arm and playing it off as part of a con," Chuck blurted out, losing what little patience he had. "I get it, it's all you knew, but now, right now, your DAUGHTER needs you!"
Jack looked from Chuck to Sarah. Chuck didn't see the grin on Jack's face. He dropped it and turned back to Chuck. "You're her fiance, you take care of her."
"Unfortunately, I can't," Chuck replied. "It has to do with someone from her past, someone that you know."
Jack groaned, "Stanley," he muttered.
"He's calling himself Hans Gruber," Chuck replied.
"I like Die Hard as much as the next guy, but that's ridiculous," Jack said, shaking his head. "He and that Sullivan character got me over here helping them out."
"You're forging documents for them, aren't you?" Sarah asked. Jack turned to her, impressed.
"Come on Dad, we all know that no one can do a quick forge of paperwork better than you. They don't need papers that will stand the test of time, they need one-time papers, and Stanley doesn't seem like the kind that makes a lot of friends."
"Why he's with this Sullivan guy, I'll never know," Jack admitted. "He bothers me, makes me want to hit him with a frying pan."
"How are you caught up in this?" Sarah asked.
"Had a deal go bad with some Russians a while back," Jack began.
"Volkoff," Chuck and Sarah said together.
"You two some kinda cops?" Jack asked, shaking his head. "I should have known. Who's better than catching a con artist than a con artist?"
"I never said that, Dad," Sarah admitted.
Jack studied her for a moment. The waitress brought the drinks Sarah ordered, and Chuck took a sip of his. He made a happy noise, earning an eyeroll from Jack. "Give me five with my daughter." Chuck looked to Sarah. "Please."
"It's fine, Chuck," she said. He nodded, got up, gave her a kiss on the cheek, earning another eyeroll from Jack. Sarah came over and sat down across from him, giving herself a vantage point to keep an eye on Chuck at the bar while giving the stinkeye to any woman who got too near him.
"Okay, darlin', I don't know what your game is, but you gotta cut him loose now," Jack began. "That boy is in love with you."
She grinned at her dad. "Yeah," she replied, rather dreamily. "He is."
He made a disgusted face and leaned back. "Aww, no, darlin'. I taught you better than that."
"Love is not for suckers," she replied, shaking her head, looking over at Chuck. She looked back to her dad, the smile plastered on his face. "You want to give me away?" He had a pained look on his face. "S'okay, Dad, but listen, please, I really need your help with this."
"Okay, just end it with the schnook," Jack demanded. Sarah sat back, and crossed her arms. "You know what, do it now, where I can see it, and then after the job is over, tell him it was a condition, and go marry him. If he loves you, he'll come running back."
"I'm not hurting him like that, Dad," she said.
"That's the only way I help you," Jack countered. They locked eyes, and Sarah grinned. Sarah knew her father thought she was considering it. What she was seeing in her mind's eye, however, was a future, with Chuck, and kids wearing towels around their necks, pretending to be superheroes.
"No deal," Sarah said. Jack leaned back and spread his hands. Sarah nodded, stood, walked over to Chuck, they paid, and the two left.
"Everything okay?" Chuck asked.
"Everything's fine, Chuck," she replied. Chuck glanced at her and then took one last look at her father as they left. There was respect on Jack's face. Chuck had no idea what was going on but he followed Sarah. "
Listen, what you heard in there, keep it between us for now." Chuck squeezed her hand to indicated he understood. She walked between the two vehicles. "Sorry, my source refuses to cooperate."
"I could make him," Casey growled, thinking he now had a way to get them to the location of the escaped con man.
"Miss Walker," they heard from the doorway. Sarah turned and there stood Jack. "Can you really get me out of here if I help?"
Sarah glanced at Beckman who rolled her eyes. "Your father?" she mouthed.
"Life is never dull around these two," Roan commented, amusement in his voice. "I wouldn't mind being permanently assigned with them. Although I would miss my martinis."
"Shaken, not stirred?" Chuck asked, grinning.
"My dear boy, where do you think Flemming got the idea?"
Chuck's mouth dropped as he tried to do math to see if that could be true.
"Yes, Mr. Burton," Beckman called out. "We can get you to Switzerland and then extract you to LA."
"Good," Jack said, heading toward them. "It's always a pleasure to help out the good ole US of A."
Casey grunted in agreement.
"Don't you mean con the good ole US of A?" Sarah asked. Jack shrugged.
-ooooo-
Jack led the group into the warehouse.
"I'm just saying, I don't think it's fair, her first mission and she's not told to stay in the car," Chuck was saying softly to Casey and Sarah.
"She's a Bartowski," Casey replied. "Like she'd listen." Sarah gave him an amused smile.
"Imagine that, you running headfirst into danger," Ellie said, overhearing the conversation, pride evident in her voice.
"The Chuckster always helps those that need it," Devon concurred.
"Yeah, he does," Sarah agreed, warmth filling her voice.
Chuck leaned down near her ear. "About how you introduced me earlier, does that mean you've made a decision?"
"Can we talk about that later?" she asked, nerves attacking every part of her. She had made a decision, but she needed to tell him in private. While he claimed it was her decision, it was really theirs, and if he didn't think it was right, then they couldn't, but if he did…
"Oh," Chuck said softly, straightening. She whipped around to see disappointment on his face. "It's okay."
"Chuck-" she began.
"Quiet," Jack whispered. "I think they are here." Ellie reached over and grabbed a frying pan from the warehouse shelf. Jack saw. "What are you gonna do with that?"
"Whack someone if I'm attacked," Ellie replied. "Who keeps illegal weapons in a warehouse full of kitchen appliances and pans?"
"Dangerous people," Casey replied, drawing his gun. Sarah did the same. She would talk to Chuck later.
They spread out, going into their agent mindsets without thinking. Chuck watched General Beckman and Roan do the same thing.
"Whoa," Devon said, watching the four seemingly transform before their eyes.
"Kinda cool, huh?" Chuck asked. Ellie gripped her frying pan and nodded.
"Chuck, we need you to see if you flash on these crates," Sarah said, motioning him to join her. She glanced at Ellie. "I'll keep him safe."
"I know," Ellie replied. The two shared a look, and Sarah Walker knew exactly how she would spend the rest of her life, and for once, she wasn't scared. She was hopeful.
"Dad, you, Ellie, and Devon move back in case there's shooting," Sarah instructed. Jack gave her a look and glanced at Chuck.
He headed toward Ellie, but when he and Chuck passed, Jack grabbed his arm. "Don't screw this up," he said softly.
"I won't," Chuck insisted. "I'm just ID-ing a box."
Jack shook his head and grinned. He joined the other two and they moved away.
Chuck came up beside Sarah and crouched down. She made sure her dad wasn't around and nodded at Chuck. He looked over the crate they were behind, then quickly crouched back down. "Not close enough," he said.
"Okay," Sarah said and glanced at Casey. "I can get him closer."
"No," Casey said, surprising both of them. "I'll do it, if he loses you in this…."
"While this is extremely touching, do you think maybe you might listen to the agent that has an idea that requires no one to be in danger?" Chuck asked. Chuck heard Roan chuckled in amusement. He pulled out his phone.
"You can't call Ghostbusters on this one, Chuck," Casey said.
Chuck gave him an impressed look. "I wasn't going to," he said, opening his camera app. He put the phone sideways on the crate and zoomed in. He snapped a picture and pulled the phone down. Sarah and Casey got close on either side of him as he held the camera in front of him. He looked from one to the other. "Is this how it's going to be for now on?"
"On missions, yes," Casey replied.
"All the time on my end," Sarah replied, her eyes registering both amusement and seriousness. Chuck looked from one to the other and nodded. He turned back to the phone and enlarged the picture on the shipping numbers and the flash began. It was monstrous.
"Guys, there are warehouses all over the world," Chuck said, shaking his head. "They have weapons everywhere."
"Do you remember them all?" Beckman asked.
"Yeah, it's like..the intersect has….upgraded?"
"It was a possibility," Roan conceded. "Your father's plan was to insert code all around you in innocuous places that could update data in the Intersect after you, in his words 'took the training wheels off'."
"You're saying it's been updating?" Chuck asked, shocked.
Roan nodded. "You've not received the updates because we hadn't given you the keywords to activate the Intersect, to take it to its more advanced state." Roan pulled out a laptop and handed it to him. "Enter the places of the warehouse before you forget."
"I won't forget," Chuck replied, but he began to type quickly.
"Keep your head down, we've got company," Casey said. Sarah nodded and they moved. "FREEZE, FEDERAL AGENTS!"
"I knew she was a cop," Chuck heard Jack mutter. A firefight broke out and something seemed to explode around Casey and Sarah. "Sarah!" Chuck yelled standing.
"Get him down, Roan," Sarah yelled back, unharmed, but knowing her fiance got a case of the stupids when he thought she or Casey was hurt.
Roan pulled him down. "They're fine, see." Chuck looked up. "They have Stanley, what a horrible name," Roan muttered.
"Then where's Justin?" Chuck asked. They all heard a dull, sickening thud and then the sound of a body hitting the ground. They hurried over to the noise and saw Ellie, gripping the frying pan like a weapon, standing over an unconscious Justin. Chuck walked over and took it from her. "Nice one, El," he said pulling her into a hug.
"That whole family's nuts," Jack said, walking out of the warehouse.
"No, they're Awesome," Devon said, high-fiving Chuck.
"Think you can fit into that?" Casey asked Sarah softly as they brought Stanley toward the door. She didn't have an answer.
-ooooo-
Chuck was leaning on a crate watching all the agencies discuss things that he really didn't care about, when he felt him come up beside him. Jack folded his arms and looked at the hullabaloo.
"We need to talk, Charlie," Jack began.
"Relax, Jack, she's not going to marry me, not now anyway," Chuck said not looking at Jack.
"What makes you say that?"
"Don't take this the wrong way, but she's never had the best example at home, or during her adult life, on how to love and be in a relationship," Chuck began.
"I can't deny that," Jack agreed.
"It's too much for her, it's overwhelming her," Chuck said with tears in his eyes.
"Oh, Christ, Charlie, she ain't leaving ya."
"I'm not crying because of me, I'm crying because it's not fair to her, Jack. I know why she did what she did, I know everything she gave up, and now she has the chance that I think she's always dreamed of and she can't." Chuck looked over at him. "I don't say that to be mean or to make you think I'm pissed at you, I mean I am, but I don't know what your life was like that led to all that." He ran his fingers through his hair, frustrated. "I just want her to be happy, whatever that looks like. I love her. I always will."
Jack studied Chuck for a minute. "Your a schnook, and articulate schnook, but a schnook all the same." He looked over and saw his daughter studying the two. "Trust me?" he asked.
"Sorry, Jack, your daughter yes, you…not so much," Chuck admitted.
Jack laughed. "Kid, give me a few with her, there's some things she needs to know."
"Jack, if it's about me, don't bother, pushing Sarah that always leads to her standing her ground and refusing to give in," Chuck said, hoping off the crate to leave.
"I ain't talking to Sarah, Charlie." He paused and glanced at him. "I'm gonna talk to Sam."
"Don't know that she in there anymore," Chuck offered sadly as he walked away.
"Trust me kid, she is," Jack said softly. "She's the one that loves you."
A/N: I can hear everyone of you. THERE'S ONLY ONE CHAPTER LEFT HOW MUCH FLUFF WILL YOU STUFF INTO IT. Answer: ALL OF IT. Reviews and PMs are always appreciated. Take care, until next time.
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