Two Sides of the Same Coin 12/?
Author: dettiot
Rating: M for language, sex and violence
Summary: When you're a spy, there's all kinds of occupational hazards when you work with another spy. For Sarah Walker, though, one mission becomes a life-changing experience. Because working with Charles Carmichael leads to protecting Chuck Bartowski.
Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck. No copyright infringement intended.
Author's Note: As the year for Operation Bartowski is getting closer and closer to being over, Sarah's facing some big decisions. This chapter kicks that process off. Hope you enjoy!
XXX
Something was not right. Actually, many things. But the most important problem was what was going on with Chuck.
Sarah glanced at Chuck as he went through the overnight intelligence reports, finishing off the coffee he had come into Castle with before moving on to the cup that Sarah had brought with breakfast. She had never seen him drink two cups of coffee in a row and he never usually gulped it like this.
Over the last two weeks, ever since Christmas, something had been different with Chuck. The dark circles under his eyes kept getting deeper and he had been drinking more Red Bull. It'd be one thing if she thought he was pulling all-nighters to play videogames, but she knew that wasn't the case, thanks to the surveillance videos from his bedroom.
And watching those videos and violating his privacy made her feel bad, but she had to know what was going on. Especially because he wasn't talking to her.
Ever since she had noticed how tired he looked, she had been trying to give him chances to tell her what was wrong: asking him questions about his day, bringing him yogurt during his Buy More shifts, even offering to watch him play whatever game had him looking so exhausted. But nothing had worked. He'd stayed clammed up like an oyster around a pearl.
She had the feeling that she was going to have to step things up. This morning, Chuck was still asleep when Casey arrived to drive him to Castle. Ellie had needed to wake him up, and once she got him out the door, Ellie had called Sarah.
"His caffeine intake is way up, he's jittery and distracted all the time-this isn't good for him, Sarah. And he won't talk to me about it. I think it must be something spy-related," Ellie had said, her voice hushed and worried.
"I've tried getting him to talk to me, but he won't," Sarah said. "I don't know what's going on."
"We need to find out, because he can't go on like this."
Blowing out a sigh, Sarah nodded. "I'll get to the bottom of this. Thanks for calling, Ellie."
"Of course, Sarah. By the way, do you want to come over for dinner tonight? Maybe you can get Chuck relaxed enough to talk to you."
Honestly, she was feeling uncertain and unsteady enough that she didn't really have any confidence she could put Chuck at ease. Not when she was still trying to cope with the feelings she had realized he harbored for her still and how those feelings made her feel. How those feelings made her act.
Because in retrospect, shooting Mauser was not a smart decision. Not because the bosses were upset with her-they weren't. In fact, that had been easy to deal with: a few words about "protecting the asset" and "eliminating an enemy agent who would never reveal what he knew" had been enough to satisfy Graham and Beckman.
No, she regretted doing it because none of those reasons had crossed her mind when she pulled the trigger. All she had been thinking about was losing Chuck.
"Shake it up, Bartowski-your shift starts soon," Casey said, walking by the conference table dressed in his Buy More uniform.
Chuck visibly jumped, scattering the papers he had held in his hand.
"Smooth," Casey snorted. "Move it."
"Yeah, Casey," Chuck said, standing up and starting to gather the papers. Glancing at the clock, Sarah saw that there was actually a few minutes before Chuck had to report to work. It might not be enough time, but at least she could get something started. So she reached out and took his arm, stopping him.
"Casey, go ahead." She looked at Chuck and lowered her voice. "Can I talk to you?"
It wasn't her imagination that Chuck seemed to flinch just a little bit, was it? She tried to smile at him. "It'll only take a minute."
"Um . . . sure, Sarah. Okay," he said. "Casey, I'll see you at work."
With a grunt, Casey walked up the stairs, his footsteps fading as he left Castle. Leaving Sarah alone with Chuck in silence.
This was ridiculous. And getting a little too much like how it was when Lou was in the picture for her comfort. Sarah attempted to give Chuck a better smile. "Are you doing okay?"
For a split second he looked into her eyes, but it wasn't nearly long enough for her to figure out what he was feeling. Then he ducked his head. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."
The frustration felt like it was crushing her. She didn't like this at all. And she wasn't going to repeat the mistakes she had made before-she had already done too much of that. Sarah straightened her shoulders, feeling a new spark of determination.
"I don't think that's true, Chuck," she said softly. "Please, talk to me."
"Everything's fine, Sarah. Really." He met her eyes again, this time letting her see some of his irritation, before he turned away. "I have to get to work."
He was halfway up the stairs before she found her voice. "Ellie invited me over for dinner tonight."
"You talked to Ellie?" Chuck asked, stopping on the stairs to look down at her.
"She called me because she's worried about you," Sarah said, coming to the foot of the stairs. "Just like I am." She paused, not wanting things to end on this bad note. "I won't come if you don't want me to. I can call Ellie and say something's come up."
Sarah could see him struggling with himself. It made her feel lonely, shut out-and wasn't that a strange reaction? She didn't know him that well-so well that she could guess how he would react to something. But apparently, she had thought she knew Chuck that well.
"No . . ." he said slowly. "Ellie would ask a lot of questions about why you weren't there." He rubbed the toe of his sneaker against the edge of the stairs. "And maybe you're right. We-we can talk tonight, okay?"
Nodding, she gave him a small smile. "Okay. I'll see you later."
He didn't smile back, just gave a little shrug of his shoulders before he left. And that made her heart sink.
XXX
As she stood with Chuck and Casey, listening to Graham and Beckman, Sarah hoped this briefing wouldn't cut into her plans for tonight. Because the more she thought about it, the more she knew she had to talk to Chuck. She needed to know what was wrong with him and she wanted to help lift the burden from his shoulders. Get him back to being himself.
Because she did care about Chuck. His health, his safety . . . those things were important to her. And anything more than that was something she shouldn't be thinking about during a briefing.
"Sasha Banacek is a former KGB operative. We believe that Fulcrum has hired her in order to complete a top-secret project, one that we only recently learned of," Graham said.
"Which is?" Casey asked, taking a sip of coffee.
Beckman heaved a sigh. "Their own version of the Intersect."
Casey choked on his coffee while Chuck looked dumbstruck, his eyes the size of dinner plates. Even Sarah felt her mouth drop open. "Excuse me?" she asked. "Did you just say that Fulcrum has been building their own Intersect?"
"The Fulcrum agents you captured with the assistance of Cole Barker are finally choosing to talk," Beckman said. "Only a few field operatives were aware of Fulcrum's plans, due to the high level of secrecy over this project."
"Banacek was hired to locate the Cipher, which is the brain of the Intersect. We believe it's the only piece they lack to implement their Intersect," Graham said, his voice full of doom. "Banacek has gained access to an earlier version of the Cipher and is set to exchange it for her final payment. We need you to swap the earlier Cipher with the one we will provide you, one that will damage Fulcrum's Intersect."
"Why not let her hand over the real thing, then follow Fulcrum?" Casey said.
"The important thing is destroying any Intersect that Fulcrum has created," Beckman said crisply. "Dismantling Fulcrum will be much easier if their hopes for their Intersect are dashed."
It did make a kind of sense, Sarah conceded. If the Intersect didn't work, what did Fulcrum have left? She couldn't imagine how much money the U.S. government had poured into the Intersect; Fulcrum's pockets couldn't be as deep, so failing to create an Intersect of their own would cripple the terrorist organization.
Still . . . it seemed pretty dangerous to not just swoop in and take out Fulcrum, once and for all. Not when they were so close to creating something that would give them a huge advantage.
"There's one problem," Graham said. "Banacek is a master at disguise and camouflage. To find her, we will need the help of an agent who is currently off-the-grid. We want you to find Roan Montgomery so he can tell us what he knows about Banacek."
It had to be her imagination, but Sarah was pretty sure Beckman sat up a bit straighter at the sound of Montgomery's name. She had heard stories about Beckman and Montgomery-it would appear that the stories were true.
On the other hand, Casey looked like he had just gotten an unexpected shot of vanilla syrup in his black coffee. "Montgomery? Seriously? He's a joke."
"He put Banacek in a Bulgarian prison for seven years. He's the expert we need in order to find her," Graham said, his voice firm.
"We will locate Montgomery and proceed from there," Sarah said, taking over before Casey and Graham got into some kind of pissing contest.
Without a word, Graham ended the video conference. Casey's mouth was still twisted in a sneer. "Montgomery. Great. Next thing you know, you two will have to be fake married instead of fake dating."
The last thing she needed was Casey commenting on the cover relationship, especially when things were so shaky with Chuck right now. Fortunately, Chuck stepped in. "He doesn't seem so bad from the flash I got. I mean, in that James Bond ladykiller kind of way."
"Exactly. What kinda spy uses charm instead of a gun?" Casey sounded disgusted, like Montgomery's lack of weapons prowess was a personal affront to him.
She could see that Chuck was trying very hard not to laugh, but Sarah wasn't able to hold back a soft snort. And that set Chuck off, because he threw his head back and laughed. And God, it felt so good to laugh together.
"Damn CIA," Casey grumbled, stalking off towards his desk.
Recovering after one more snort of laughter, Sarah turned to Chuck. "You said you flashed? Do you have any idea where Montgomery might be?"
He nodded. "Montgomery is listed on the deed for a house in Palm Springs. It might be a good place to check out."
"Sounds good," Sarah said. "We can go there first thing in the morning." She looked at her watch and back at him. "Ready to go? I hope we're not too late for dinner."
And like that, the easiness between them evaporated and Chuck seemed tense. But he nodded and followed her out of Castle and to her car.
XXX
Dinner being only slightly awkward was something to be grateful for. It was mostly thanks to Ellie and Devon, who kept the conversation going with stories about work and their upcoming anniversary trip to the East Coast. Ellie's ongoing nervousness about being around her in-laws gave Sarah hope. Because if Ellie, a woman who seemed to have her life figured out, had nerves about her in-laws, it made Sarah feel like less of a screw-up.
She kept trying to figure herself out, looking for insight into what she was feeling. But list-making wasn't working this time. For now, she had to put aside her own emotions and focus on getting through to Chuck. Helping him see that he could open up to her, that she would listen to whatever what bothering him.
Once she finished helping Devon with the dishes, during which he regaled her with stories about his latest whitewater rafting trip, Sarah glanced at her watch. "I better get going," she said regretfully. "I have a busy day tomorrow. Chuck, want to walk me out to my car?" She smiled at him, trying to act as if the question was as pointless as it should be for a couple of their standing.
Even with the weirdness going on with him, Chuck knew how to play his part. He adopted a put-upon air that was sure to seem forced-which was the whole point. "I guess so, if you make it worth my while."
"Oh, I will," she said, giving Devon a quick hug and kissing Ellie's cheek. "Thank you for a lovely dinner."
"Of course! You're always welcome, Sarah. You don't need to wait for an invitation," Ellie said, smiling brightly. But the older woman's eyes were shadowed; Sarah could see her worry for Chuck in them.
Sarah gave Ellie a smile, trying to tell her that it was going to be okay, before she turned and took Chuck's hand. They walked out into the courtyard, and as soon as Devon closed the door behind them, Chuck dropped her hand.
Trying not to let it bother her, Sarah spoke softly. "Do you think we could talk now?"
"Yeah . . . yeah, I guess now works," he said, taking a seat on the ledge surrounding the pretty fountain in the center of the courtyard. She knew it was a special spot for Chuck, someplace he liked to to sit while talking to Ellie or Morgan. Given how he was the one pulling away, the fact that he was picking someplace he felt comfortable for their conversation was a good sign. At least, she hoped it was.
She eased down next to him and rested her hands on her knees. For a few moments, there was just the sound of the fountain behind them and the muted hum of traffic. Breathing in and out slowly, Sarah prepared herself and turned to Chuck, just as he turned to her.
"Chuck-"
"Sarah-"
It was a little bit silly to blush at that, wasn't it? But she could feel her cheeks going pink, especially when Chuck smiled and ducked his head. "You first," she said, wanting this to be about him. About whatever was bothering him.
"No, you-you go ahead," he said, gesturing to her. "Ladies first."
"All right," she said slowly, gathering her thoughts. "I-I've noticed that since Christmas, you've . . . you've been acting differently. And I just-if something happened, I want to know what it is, so I can help you. Because you don't seem very happy and you always look tired, so . . . so I just wanted to ask if you're okay."
Watching him react to her words, Sarah felt like she was standing at a precipice. It was cliched and trite, but that was how it felt. Like his response meant more than just knowing what was going on with him. If he chose to push her away, to not trust her . . . it would hurt. She just knew it. Over the last nine months, they had slowly built a relationship. Not the kind that Chuck wanted, but it was a relationship. And any relationship-romantic, professional, friendly-was based on trust. So if Chuck didn't trust her now . . . it must be her fault. But what had she done?
Chuck took a deep breath. "This-this might make you mad at me. Actually, you'll definitely be mad. But, on Christmas Eve-I didn't go back to Castle. I saw you shoot that Fulcrum agent."
She blinked. "What?"
Like a dam bursting, Chuck's words tumbled out. "On Christmas Eve, I-I didn't go back to Castle. I called Casey and then I followed you in case you needed help. Which is stupid, because you don't need help. You're Sarah. But-but I saw you shoot Mauser in cold blood. He was giving up and you-you-"
It was hard to say what was worse: his words, so full of confusion and worry, or his eyes. Because in his eyes, she could see just how scared he was. Scared of her.
"You shot him, Sarah," Chuck said, his eyes wide and sad. "And-and I've been having nightmares about it, which isn't fair to you, I know, because I know you would never do that to me, but I just don't understand how you could do that. How someone like you could just . . . just kill him like that."
With each word he spoke, it was like he was putting another brick of embarrassment or guilt or shame in front of her. Building a wall high enough and wide enough to keep her away from him, to keep him safe from her. Because that's what he should do: hold her at arm's length and count the days until this long, crazy year was over and he could go back to his real life.
Shoving aside the truth, that when this year was over Chuck Bartowski wouldn't exist anymore, Sarah rubbed her hands against her jeans. "I could do it because I'm a spy," she said softly. "Because it's one of the things I've been trained to do. Because sometimes, you have to do something like that when you'd rather not. But more than that-" she said, lifting her head to look at him, "I could do it because I was protecting you."
Immediately he looked contrite. "I'm sorry, Sarah, but-but still, did you have to-"
"Yes," she interrupted. "I did. You didn't hear what he said, did you?"
When Chuck shook his head, Sarah went on. "He was threatening you, Chuck. Saying that Fulcrum had sent him to find the Intersect, and if he was put into custody, Fulcrum would stop at nothing to break him out."
Chuck swallowed, looking uncomfortable. She kept going, unable to hold back. Unable to protect him from this element of the spy life. "Do you realize what that means? Fulcrum would have killed a lot of good agents in order to free Mauser. And once they had him back, once he told them that he knew you were the Intersect-they'd come after you. They might hurt Ellie or Devon or Morgan to get to you. And once they had you . . ."
Sarah paused, needing her next words to matter. So he could understand just why she had killed Mauser. "Chuck, if Fulcrum had an Intersect of their own, whether it's one they've created or one they get by capturing you, it would give them a huge edge in this fight. An edge we can't let them have. Just like we can't lose you. Because they would hurt you, Chuck. And I don't want that to happen to you."
Looking away, she rubbed her hands over her face and through her hair. "I'm sorry you had to see that. I'm sorry you've been having nightmares. But . . . but this is part of what I do, and I do it to protect you, to protect this country." She turned her head to look at him. "In just a few months, this will all be over and you can forget all about this. About me."
And as soon as the words left her mouth, she felt like she had been punched in the gut by the sadness that coursed through her. Because he didn't realize just how true her words were.
He gazed at her, looking thoughtful. "I seriously doubt that," he said, his voice just as soft as hers. "I'm sorry, Sarah."
"Do you understand now?" she asked. "Why I did it?"
To her surprise, Chuck reached out and wrapped his arms around her. It wasn't as tight a hug as the one he had given her on Christmas Eve, but it felt even better now. To be drawn in against his chest, close to him and safe.
Hopefully, he really wanted to hug her and wasn't doing it for the cover. But as she hugged him back, she found she didn't care as long as she got to stay right here for a moment. A moment she wished could be endless.
XXX
Sarah watched as Roan Montgomery, living legend, poured himself a martini. Given the condition he had been in when they had arrived at his house, she wasn't sure it was a good idea. He must still have plenty of alcohol in his system, even with the cups of black coffee and the half-hour under a scalding hot shower.
But at least he wasn't passed out anymore. And as long as he was able to help them track down Sasha Banacek, she didn't really care if he continued the process of making his liver look like camouflage, in Chuck's words.
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Chuck as he stared at Montgomery. She wasn't quite sure what his expression meant: it seemed to be equal parts horror and admiration.
"Finding Sasha Banacek is the easy part," Montgomery said. "The real mission is gaining access to her hotel room. That is what you need, Agent Walker?"
"Yes, Agent Montgomery," she said, holding back a sigh. They had gone over the mission specs with Montgomery thoroughly, but clearly his air of boredom as they explained everything hadn't been an act. "We need to get into her hotel room, find the Cipher, and swap it with the fake one."
"Then you'll need someone to seduce her." Montgomery looked at Chuck and smirked. "Feel up to the challenge, Mr. Bartowski?"
"What?! Me?!" Sarah was pretty sure Chuck hit an octave he hadn't reached since before puberty. But she was equally shocked at Montgomery's suggestion.
"Um, Agent Montgomery, Chuck isn't an agent-he hasn't had seduction training, or any training for that matter," Sarah said, stumbling a little over her words.
"Which is why I'm here," Montgomery said, swirling his martini around in his glass. "To teach young Charles here how to woo women. Now, to begin: how to drink a martini." Montgomery demonstrated, tossing back the whole martini easily. He then gave each of them a self-satisfied smile. "A moment to master, a lifetime to perfect."
"I think we should check in with Graham and Beckman first-" Sarah began to say, only for Montgomery to cut her off.
"Charles, are you gay?"
Chuck blinked, then shook his head.
"Good. And you have had intercourse, yes?"
Now Chuck looked annoyed, but he nodded his head.
"Then I can teach him, Agent Walker. Sasha Banacek has a type. Neither you nor Agent Casey fit that type. Therefore, it's up to Charles to do the job," Montgomery said, sounding bored.
"What's her type?" Chuck asked, sounding curious and worried.
"Tall, dark and handsome." Montgomery eyed Chuck and smirked. "Two out of three will have to do. Although perhaps you'd be handsome in a good suit."
She could see Chuck flush with embarrassment. On his behalf, she had to speak up. "If we're going through with this, which is against my better judgement, Chuck will be more than capable in performing his part in the mission."
"Is that so?" Montgomery asked, picking up his shaker. "Very well. Kiss her."
Now it was her turn to blink. Blink and feel her stomach drop to somewhere around her knees.
It was one thing, the little pecks they exchanged to preserve their cover. Even having to act like they were in the middle of a hot and heavy makeout session was about making it look good, not about making it feel real. But this? This would be full-on kissing, something to prove that Chuck could do the job.
And Sarah wasn't sure how she felt about getting kissed like that by Chuck.
Which was ridiculous, she told herself. After all, she had kissed Carmichael and he was no slouch in that department. But she couldn't help feeling that it would be different to kiss Chuck. To kiss someone that she cared about and to have that someone, who also cared about her or at least used to care about her, kiss her back.
The truth was . . . she wanted to kiss Chuck for real. Wanted to know what it felt like. There wasn't much time left and each day that passed was a lost chance. She knew what the rules were for handlers and assets. She had frequently explained them to Chuck, for God's sake. But just once, she wanted to kiss him.
Sarah looked at Chuck, wondering how he would respond to Montgomery's demand. He looked nervous, but there was something else going on, something she couldn't figure out. She wasn't sure if it was because they were still slightly out of sync after their talk last night or if he was getting better at hiding what he was thinking and feeling. She hoped it was the first option, because she didn't like the idea of Chuck changing.
"I . . . I don't think that's necessary, do you?" Chuck asked, glancing quickly at Sarah before turning back to Montgomery. "I'm good in that department. I've never gotten complaints."
Montgomery rolled his eyes like a teenager being denied the keys to the family car. "Bartowski, I need to see what I'm working with here. If you can't charm Agent Walker, how are you going to do so with Sasha Banacek?"
As Chuck and Montgomery argued, Sarah wondered why Chuck was hesitating so much. Yes, he wasn't much for PDA and this was an embarrassing situation. But they both knew this wasn't that different from what they did in their cover relationship. So why was Chuck so reluctant to kiss her?
The sound of Chuck's frustrated voice broke through her thoughts. "You really want me to kiss her?"
"Desperately!" Montgomery said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Fine!" Chuck said. He turned and grabbed her wrist, pulling her to her feet. And then his lips were on hers and his hands were holding her face and . . .
It was hot. There was no denying that. Hot and grasping and needy, hands touching hair and skin but not venturing much below their shoulders. They were both in the moment, kissing and putting on a show.
At least, Chuck was, she thought. Sarah couldn't give herself over, though. Maybe it was the surprise. Not just that Chuck had fallen into Montgomery's trap. But because . . . this didn't feel like a first kiss.
Chuck had moves. And there was definitely some feelings behind this kiss. But-but all she could think of was the dingy motel room in the Dominican Republic and kissing Carmichael. Because this kiss didn't feel that different from when she had leaned over and pressed her lips against Carmichael's.
How was that possible? How could two men with such different personalities, in the same body, kiss nearly identically? With the same kind of feeling and emotion?
She must be going crazy. It almost made her glad when Chuck pulled back, shooting a look that she could only describe as triumphant at Montgomery.
Montgomery looked faintly impressed and very, very amused. "Bravo."
Clearing her throat, Sarah tried to act unaffected. "Time is of the essence. We need to find Banacek so we can put a mission together."
"What luxury hotels in this godforsaken city have piano bars? Check the surveillance camera footage from them and you'll find Banacek," Montgomery said.
Finally. An excuse to get out of this house, get back to Castle, and get far away from all these questions she couldn't answer. To focus on the problems she could solve.
"We need to get to Castle, then," Sarah said. "Agent Montgomery, we need you to come with us to our base in Burbank."
"Let me just make some martinis for the road," he said, picking up the shaker.
Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Sarah nodded and waited for Montgomery to finish mixing his drinks. She glanced over at Chuck, who seemed to be lost in thought. But when he seemed to sense her eyes on him and looked towards her, she looked away.
XXX
Sarah shifted in her seat in the surveillance van, parked outside the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. According to security camera footage, this was where Sasha Banacek was staying. They were just waiting for Banacek to leave her room and head to the Club Bar, as she had the previous two evenings, before sending Chuck in.
The man in question was sitting to her left, trying not to wrinkle the three-piece suit he was wearing. It was perhaps a little too buttoned-up, but Sarah's opinion didn't matter here. Montgomery had looked Chuck over and pronounced him acceptable to Banacek, so that was all that mattered.
Still, Sarah was worried. There were plenty of agents who couldn't handle seduction missions and more that avoided them whenever possible. So sending in Chuck to seduce Banacek seemed too risky to her. A lot was being put on his shoulders-too much. This was going too far, and she could just bet that Graham and Beckman had wanted Chuck to be out in the field like this. Because they were testing the waters to keep the Chuck personality in place and turn him into a real spy. And that was something Chuck didn't want and didn't think he could do.
But then, Chuck kept surprising her. He soaked up knowledge in unexpected ways and had managed to pull off hostage negotiation. It was likely he'd be able to handle seduction just like he'd handled other elements of spycraft. And with Montgomery to prompt him over comms and Casey already in place as a bartender, Chuck would probably be able to get through this. But she was going to do her best to protect him, too.
Montgomery was rattling off last-minute reminders to Chuck while she watched the video monitors. When she saw Banacek cross the lobby, she turned on her mike. "Casey, heads-up. Banacek is approaching the bar."
"Copy," Casey said as Sarah brought up the bar's video cameras on the larger displays. Then she turned to look at Chuck.
"Ready to go?" she asked, fighting the urge to adjust his tie. It was perfectly knotted already, and with Montgomery in the van she didn't want to reveal too much.
Chuck took a deep breath. "I think so. I mean . . . no one looks at Chuck Bartowski and thinks one of the world's greatest lovers. But it's for the mission, right?"
When he gave her a small, worried smile, Sarah felt like she understood just how it felt to have your heart break. Because that might have just happened, hearing him try not to reveal his nerves so that he could do what he was being asked to do. Something that should have never been asked of him.
There was a spot of lint on his shoulder. She gently picked it off and kept her eyes focused on his suit as she said softly, "You can do this."
"Enough chit-chat," Montgomery said. "Go get her, Charles."
"You've got the Cipher?" she asked as she moved her chair so Chuck could get out of the van.
"Yep," he said, patting his chest over his heart and gesturing to the inner pocket of his jacket. "I'm coming in, Casey," Chuck said through the mike in his watch.
"Good luck, everyone," Sarah said over comms, taking up position in front of the monitors. Montgomery moved his chair over, leaning back and sipping his martini.
There was silence except for the noises transmitted by Chuck and Casey's microphones. Then Montgomery leaned forward and tapped the button on the console that would turn off the mikes in the van. "You're playing a dangerous game, Agent Walker."
She glanced at him for a split-second before returning her eyes to the monitors. "I don't know what you're referring-"
"The goo-goo eyes. And not just on Charles's part, either. If you're falling for your quote-unquote asset-"
"I have a strictly professional relationship with Mr. Bartowski, Agent Montgomery," Sarah said, cutting him off as he had interrupted her while wondering what he meant by 'quote-unquote asset." "He doesn't have the training to do what he's been asked to do, so of course he needs additional support and validation."
Montgomery snorted a little and sipped his martini. "He seems very capable to me."
"That's a change in tune since you met him," Sarah said icily.
"Or the fact that I recognize Charles Carmichael," Montgomery said.
Oh, crap. Sarah's eyes widened before she quickly schooled her expression. But on the inside, she was freaking out. Of course Montgomery would have looked at Chuck and remembered Carmichael. The man might be a gin-soaked letch, but he was still a spy.
"I must say, he's maintaining his cover flawlessly," Montgomery said. "You'd expect nothing less of Carmichael, but he's really very convincing as this nebbishy Bartowski character. Except for not liking kissing."
Her relief at Montgomery not guessing the truth made her slip up and ask something she shouldn't want to know. "What do you mean, not liking kissing?"
"Carmichael could handle seduction up to the point where he had to kiss the mark. Then he always fell apart. Got lost in the moment, too caught up to finish the job." Montgomery smirked. "I very nearly flunked him for it, but somehow he managed to get over it and pass with flying colors."
Sarah swallowed and made herself look at the monitors, where Chuck was doing his best to seduce Sasha Banacek. She almost wished that Montgomery was right, that it was really Charles Carmichael in there, pretending to be Chuck Bartowski. At least that way, she wouldn't have to deal with all this confusion about just who he was. And she would know who she wanted.
XXX
As she listened to Chuck Bartowski follow rule four and be an asshole, she probably shouldn't be feeling flustered. Shouldn't be thinking of just how amazing a job he was doing, shouldn't be wishing she was in Sasha Banacek's shoes.
But deep down . . . all Sarah could think was damn, Chuck was really, really good at this.
Or was it really Chuck? Could this be another sign of Carmichael slipping through? Showing off what he already knew of seduction, the years of experience he had at being a spy?
No. No, that couldn't be it. This had to be Chuck. Clearly, he had some secret, innate ability to sway women to his will. After all, in the suit he was wearing tonight and with his hair styled, he was very attractive. And a woman like Sasha Banacek would respond to a handsome man who was mean to her. Not that Chuck was being mean. More . . . forceful. Strong, uncompromising, determined.
Sarah swallowed. This was definitely not how she should be thinking. She couldn't let herself be distracted by her crazy fantasies when she was in the middle of a mission. With the amount of liquor that Montgomery had thrown back, he would be useless if Chuck needed back-up.
While Chuck waited for Sasha to finish changing into "something more comfortable"-and really, was there a more tired line than that when you had invited a man to your room?-Sarah checked her knife holster.
"Stop worrying, Agent Walker," Montgomery said, his voice slightly slurred. "Carmichael's got it under control."
"You need to call him Bartowski," Sarah snapped. "We can't risk his identity being compromised."
"Fine, fine," Montgomery said, descending into a sullen silence. Sarah wasn't sure if that was a blessing or not, since it left her free to listen.
Everything seemed to be going well, all things considered. Chuck had searched Banacek's room while she was changing, but he reported he hadn't found the Cipher. But when Banacek announced her presence, Sarah could hear something in his voice. When his words trailed off, she nearly cursed. He must have flashed.
Hopefully, the flash told him where the Cipher was. Because if Chuck had to carry this through . . .
"Casey?" she whispered into the mike. "Have you moved into position outside Banacek's room?"
There was no reply. Sarah double-checked that Montgomery hadn't turned the mikes off a second time and tried again. "Casey?"
If the comms were out, this could be trouble. Sarah yanked off her headset and turned to Montgomery as she jammed an earwig into position. "I'm going in. Relay anything you see."
He gave her a lackadaisical salute and Sarah grimaced. Yanking on the lapels of his suit jacket, she pulled his face in close to hers. She breathed through her mouth, since otherwise she'd get drunk off the fumes. "Listen to me, Montgomery. You fuck this up and your next assignment will be in the Middle East. Someplace where the women wear burqas and alcohol is illegal. You get me?"
Montgomery snorted. "Goin' to save your man?"
"Just watch the monitors," Sarah said scornfully, letting go of his jacket. "A living legend like you can handle that, can't you?"
Without giving Montgomery a backwards glance, she jumped out of the van and headed into the hotel. Not wanting to attract unnecessary attention, she kept her gun tucked into the waistband of her jeans as she headed to the elevator. When she saw that keycard access was required to access Banacek's floor, Sarah cursed softly and looked for a stairwell.
With twelve floors to climb, Sarah felt her anxiety rise with each flight of stairs. When she finally reached the correct floor, she had to stop and slow her breathing before she searched for Banacek's room.
There were two large, burly men standing guard. Sarah rolled her eyes. Of course. One more thing standing between her and Chuck.
There was no time to lose, so Sarah didn't bother with fancy moves. She walked up towards the men and turned to face them. "Excuse me, do you have the time?"
As soon as one of the men looked towards his wristwatch, Sarah kneed him in the balls. Before the second man had taken more than a step, she turned and fired a one-two combination, her fists punching him in the jaw and the nose. She whirled back to the first man, bringing her knee up into his face this time. He went down, clutching his groin and moaning. The second man got kicked in the solar plexus, sending him back into a large floral arrangement in a tall vase. He hit his head and fell to the floor.
Pulling her gun out, she aimed two careful shots at the electronic lock. With a soft whir, the lock clicked open and Sarah pushed down on the handle, relieved when the door opened.
When she ran into the room and took in what was happening, Sarah felt her heart freeze. Because Banacek had Chuck pulled in against her chest, both of them facing her. And in Banacek's hand was a Makarov pistol, pressed against the side of Chuck's head.
"Drop it," Sarah said, pointing her gun at Banacek and trying not to think about how they had failed. There was no way she could sacrifice Chuck in order to get the Cipher.
"Why? This is why you don't send boy to do man's job." Banacek smirked. "I clean up your mess. Since you are too late."
"Sarah, run-she doesn't have the Cipher!" Chuck's words ended in a wheeze as Banacek pressed her gun harder into his temple.
Well, fuck. How the hell had they missed that? If Banacek didn't have the Cipher anymore, then this whole operation was a waste. But she wasn't about to let this mistake get worse and let anything happen to Chuck.
"Banacek, we just wanted the Cipher," Sarah said, holding her gun firmly in her hands and keeping her eyes locked on the female terrorist. "If you don't have it, then we're not interested in you right now. Let him go and you're free to leave town tonight."
"Yes, leave town!" Chuck babbled. "Head back to St. Tropez, go listen to Marcel play! That's so much better than here, isn't it?"
Chuck really needed to stop talking. Sarah lowered her gun just a little. "Listen to him, Banacek. You won't get a better offer."
Heaving a deep sigh, Banacek started moving, edging towards the door while keeping Chuck in front of her. It was quite a feat, given the height difference, but Banacek made it look flawless. Sarah matched her steps, slowly rotating until their positions were reversed.
"Is too bad," Banacek said with a pout. "Mr. Cartwright, I would have made a man out of you. For the few minutes of your life that you had left. Ah, well."
With surprising strength, Banacek shoved Chuck away from her, sending him right into Sarah. They fell to the floor, Chuck's body slamming down against hers. If it had been any other situation, Sarah would have tried to enjoy the moment. But right now, she was too pissed off at their failure to take the time.
"Are you okay?" she said to Chuck. He nodded and rolled off her as she pushed at his shoulders. She scrambled to her feet, but she knew it was hopeless. Banacek was long gone.
"Casey! Montgomery! Banacek is leaving. Where are you?" she barked into her mike, only to receive static through her earwig.
"There must be some kind of communications jammer on this floor," Chuck said. She turned to watch him push himself up to his feet. "As soon as she came out of the bathroom, she flipped the switch and my comms went dead."
"You flashed, didn't you?" Sarah asked, running her hands through her hair.
He nodded. "I knew what the Cipher looked like, but when she came out of the bathroom, she blocked the comms and . . . and I thought the Cipher was on her necklace, but when I grabbed it, she laughed and said I was too late. And then you showed up."
Sighing softly, she ran her eyes over him. "You're okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, sounding tired. "I just want to go home."
"We have to find Casey. Hopefully he and Montgomery have nabbed Banacek so we haven't totally screwed up," Sarah said, closing her eyes for a moment and trying to calm her whirling mind.
She jumped a little, her eyes opening, when she felt his hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked, gazing at her with worried eyes.
When was the last time someone asked her that when she wasn't bleeding or otherwise physically injured? Sarah wasn't sure. But it was nice. She gave him a small smile. "Just tired. C'mon, let's go see what's going on downstairs."
Sarah turned and headed for the door. She glanced back at Chuck, feeling slightly surprised when he left his hand on her shoulder and kept pace with her. He gazed back at her, then gave her a small smile. And instead of shaking him off or asking him what he was doing, Sarah faced forward and just kept walking, letting him keep his hand where it was.
And as they walked out of the building towards the van, she realized that she felt a little bit less tired. A little stronger. Ready to face what was ahead.
XXX
As she followed Casey in her car as he drove Chuck and himself to Echo Park, Sarah reviewed the evening. On the upside, they had captured Sasha Banacek and knew where Fulcrum were building their Intersect. Chuck's flash in Banacek's hotel room had also yielded the name Meadow Branch in connection with the Fulcrum Intersect.
On the downside? Fulcrum had the Cipher and were nearly finished in creating their own Intersect. And Graham and Beckman were not pleased about that.
The ass chewing hadn't been pretty. Graham and Beckman had been icily furious over losing the Cipher and how they had missed Banacek making the exchange with Fulcrum. About the only thing they were complimentary of was Chuck's performance, based on Montgomery's report.
And that worried Sarah-and unless she was wrong, Casey didn't seem too thrilled, either. That was why she was tagging along to their apartments; it seemed like it was time for her and Casey to have a serious talk about what would happen to Chuck/Carmichael when this year was up.
Because her level of trust in Graham and Beckman was pretty low right now and she wasn't going to let them abuse Chuck. It was high time to find out just where Casey stood on this matter, too.
Sarah pulled into a parking spot next to Casey's Crown Vic and climbed out of her Porsche. Chuck was practically swaying on his feet, he was so tired. All the training, on top of his flash, seemed to have taken a lot out of him. She walked around the cars and took Chuck's arm. "C'mon, time for bed."
Chuck nodded and let her walk him towards his apartment. Sarah glanced over her shoulder at Casey, signalling him that she would meet him after she had gotten Chuck secured. Casey nodded and unlocked the door of his apartment.
"Do you have a morning shift tomorrow?" she asked Chuck as she lead him to the Morgan door.
"Um . . . no, afternoon," he said, rubbing a hand over his face. "Don't know why I'm so tired."
"It's an adrenaline crash," she said sympathetically, helping him climb through the window. "I'll see you tomorrow."
He gave her a sleepy smile and headed straight to his bed, collapsing onto it.
It was all she could do not to climb in and help him get undressed, so he could be more comfortable. But Casey was waiting . . . and undressing Chuck didn't seem like a good idea.
Turning away, she walked over to Casey's apartment and tapped on the door. The NSA agent opened it up and stood aside so she could come in. "Just got off the phone with Ellie," he said gruffly. "She'll be over in a minute."
"Ellie?" Sarah asked, taking a seat in one of the chairs that surrounded the plain table in Casey's dining area.
"Yep," Casey said. "Think she could help us with this. 'Cause I'm not likin' the way the wind's blowing."
She nodded. "It seems like they really want to keep the Intersect where it is."
"Which means keeping Bartowski around," Casey said, pouring himself a glass of whisky. He lifted the bottle towards her, but she shook her head.
"Ever since the crap with what's-his-name, they've had the idea in the back of their heads," Casey said. "Us screwing the pooch and lettin' Fulcrum get the Cipher gives 'em all the ammo they need."
Hearing her thoughts put into words by Casey of all people was a bit eerie. But it also gave her a feeling of encouragement, to know that Casey felt the same way she did: it wasn't right for Operation Bartowski to last longer than a year. It wasn't fair. Not to Chuck and not to Carmichael.
"I don't know how we missed Banacek making the drop-" she started to muse, only for an idea to hit her like a punch in the gut. "Casey, what if Beckman and Graham set us up?"
He frowned, his eyes narrowed. "Gave us bad intel so we thought we had more time?"
Sarah nodded. "They wanted us to fail, because like you said, they want an excuse to keep the Intersect in Chuck's head."
Casey grunted, just as a knock sounded on the door. "Typical," he said over his shoulder as he went to let Ellie in.
Ellie looked sleepy, her hair mussed and wearing a robe. "Hi, John. Sarah, it's good to see you. What's going on?" she asked, crossing over to the table.
The two agents shared a look and Casey stepped away. Sarah knew he was disengaging the surveillance cameras and audio recordings in his apartment. When he gave her a nod, she looked back to Ellie.
"Ellie, we need to talk to you about Chuck."
The sleepiness vanished from Ellie's eyes. "Is something wrong with him?" she asked, sitting down next to Sarah.
"Looks like the powers that be wanna keep him the Intersect. For a lot longer than a year," Casey said, taking a seat as well and sipping his whisky.
"What? No! Chuck said it would only be for a year-and I told Director Graham that given the previous agents' results and the lack of hard data, it shouldn't be for longer than a year!" Ellie's voice rose as she kept speaking. "Chuck wouldn't want that. It's not fair!"
"Ellie, Ellie, we know," Sarah said, reaching out to rest a hand on top of hers. "We feel the same way."
"You do?" Ellie asked, looking back and forth between Sarah and Casey. When they both nodded, she smiled widely. "I knew I could trust you both to keep Chuck safe! Not just in the physical sense."
The utter trust and belief Ellie had in them made Sarah feel warm inside. Made her feel like a knot in her chest she didn't know was there was suddenly loosening. It gave her confidence. Taking a breath, she smiled a little at Ellie. "That's where you come in, though."
"Anything," Ellie said immediately. "As much as I've loved having Chuck around this year . . . this isn't who he is. Not really. So whatever I can do, I'll do it."
"What can you do to make it look like his brain's under too much torque?" Casey asked. "If they have medical reasons for why the Intersect shouldn't stay in Bartowski's head, they might change their minds."
"To go along with our protests," Sarah added.
From her narrowed eyes and wrinkled forehead, Ellie was already contemplating possibilities. "It'll have to be good-I know there's doctors in Washington reviewing my reports. But there's plenty of ways to manipulate the scans. My only concern is if they want to redo the tests themselves."
"Cross that bridge when we come to it," Casey said. "For now, let's get the evidence put together."
Sarah nodded in agreement. "In our briefings, Casey and I will make sure to casually mention the strain that's been put on Chuck lately."
"Okay," Ellie said, giving them a quick smile. "I'll get to work and let you know how it all goes."
"Thank you, Ellie. For helping," Sarah said, trying not to let too much of her relief show. This had gone better than she had hoped. After all, Ellie was taking a risk. If the CIA found out she faked Chuck's test results, they could pull strings to make her lose her fellowship, lose her medical license . . . but those thoughts hadn't seemed to cross her mind at all. As soon as she heard that Chuck was in trouble, Ellie had leaped to her brother's defense.
It would be nice to have that, Sarah thought in the back of her mind.
Confirming her thoughts, Ellie shrugged a little as she stood up. "Of course I'm helping. I just want to make sure Chuck is safe. And that he gets back to the life he wants once this year is up."
Casey let out a soft grunt. "Don't we all."
"Good night," Ellie said, smiling at them before she stepped out of the apartment. Casey stood up and followed her to the door, watching to ensure Ellie returned to her apartment safely.
And while she did her best to smile and give Ellie a small wave as she left the apartment, Sarah found herself wondering just what life she would be going back to once Operation Bartowski was over. What sort of person she would be after this year.
It was a question that would require some new lists, she suspected.
End, Chapter 12
