A/N: Special thanks to my beta uplink2. He really came through in helping me break down that wall I was running into with this chapter.

I would also like to give thanks to CaptainCaplax and OliviaC13 for their kind words. They really helped jump start me into putting this chapter out quicker. Believe it or not, it would have taken me longer to post this. I'm just in a damn writing slump at the moment.

I don't own Chuck or anything for that matter. No money being made here.

Words in italics are characters thoughts. Watch the dates and locations cause I tend to jump around a lot.

…...

Chapter 14

May 2010

Los Angeles

Castle/Carmichael Industries

Chuck wasn't sure, but he felt like he had missed something.

"What happened?"

"While you were off playing with Miller, you missed a conference call from the General." Casey grunted.

Chuck quickly answered in hopes of Sarah not getting upset.

"We didn't do anything, we just talked!" His faced showed slight panic.

Casey had a wicked smirk overtake his face. John knew it was wrong, but screwing with Bartowski was something he really loved doing. Walker probably wouldn't hurt the kid…yeah, she wouldn't…probably.

"That's what you said in Mexico when I caught you in her room. I didn't believe you then, and I don't believe you now. You better hope Walker is as naïve as she looks."

Sarah shot the Colonel an icy glare. She knew the jackass was trying to get a rise out of her, but that was the second time Mexico was referenced when Chuck and Carina were 'together'. She trusted the fact that there was no way Chuck would have betrayed her like that. That belief however did nothing to sooth the green eyed monster within. They weren't together until recently after all, and she had royally fucked up a year ago. I mean Carina had always loved to take things that Sarah wanted. And with the fact that she had left to be the new Team Intersect, Chuck could have been vulnerable enough for Carina to wear down. Sarah knew she had to give him more credit than that, but Carina and Chuck's relationship was horrifyingly close. One aspect that Sarah loved and hated about her boyfriend, was how he had the ability to get anyone to care for him. The Bartowski charm had obviously worked its way into the red head's heart. She knew she should just let it go, but Sarah needed to find out what all this Mexico bullshit was about…for Chuck's sake of course. I mean he wanted their relationship to be built on honesty after all, so confronting that bit-…I mean Carina, would only strengthen their relationship in the long run…Yeah, Sarah was doing all of this for her Chuck!

Carina opened her mouth to respond to Casey. But whether it was to dissuade allegations of a sexual relationship with Chuck, or to throw more gasoline on the fire, we may never know since Sarah cut her off. In all likelihood, it was probably the latter.

"Can we just brief them on the General's orders?" Sarah seethed.

Seeing his girlfriend trying her level best not to kill somebody, Chuck decided it was probably a good idea to move things along.

He put on his Charles Carmichael persona.

"Alright enough; give me an update Colonel."

Casey witnessing the mood shift realized it was time to get down to business.

"The Intersect and Orion have contacted the General. In a few days we should know whether or not the location Shaw is hiding out in, is the central hub for the Ring. Beckman seems to believe that the base in Iceland is the main Ring headquarters. She probably just approved Larkin's request for more time just to cover all bases. We need to start planning an op on how to take out the facility while capturing the Ring Elders."

Chuck took a seat at the conference table.

"Well, everybody get comfortable, this might take awhile. We can't afford mistakes on this mission, team."

Everybody else followed Chuck's lead, and took a seat. This was going to be a long night.

It had been several hours and they were no closer to a reasonable mission idea than they were when they started this brainstorming session. Well that's not exactly true, Casey suggested just bombing the facility to hell, but that wasn't an option. Sure it would be easier, but beside the fact that Beckman wanted the Ring Elders alive, Chuck was not ok with the mass murder of all those people; even if they were evil. It wasn't likely that there would be innocent civilians at the location, but he wasn't going to take that chance either.

Carina let out a big huff and dropped her head onto the table.

"Let's just go with Casey's plan."

Chuck shook his head in frustration, "Seriously?"

Tiffany decided to intervene. "I think we all need to take a small break. We're all hungry and tired. Chuck will figure something out soon enough."

"Why me?"

Tiffany gave him a soft smile. "Besides the fact that you're probably the smartest one here, we trust you Chuck. I know it's a lot of pressure to put on you, but we believe in you."

It was a lot of pressure, but knowing the fact that your team looked to you at such a critical time, made Chuck feel validated within the group of highly trained spies.

He gave Tiffany his patented Bartowski smile.

Sarah lightly growled at the sight before her. She knew she was overreacting, but she was just too tired and too hungry to care.

Chuck turned to his girlfriend. "Honey did you just…"

"I'm hungry." She quickly lied, although…

Before anyone could say anything, Morgan walked through the entrance of Castle, carrying several boxes of pizzas.

"Thought Team Bartowski could use some grub!" Morgan yelled as he descended the steps.

Once he placed the boxes on the table, Morgan had to quickly dive out of the way or else he would have been trampled by the hungry agents.

Of course the bearded one didn't realize that he should have gotten at least one with no olives, but that was quickly remedied by Chuck picking those pesky things off before handing Sarah several slices.

The ravenous blonde wanted to pay him back in kind by jumping his bones, just because of that simple act. But then again, everything Chuck did, made Sarah want to do some seriously heavy petting with her lover.

Sarah just settled on sitting on top of his lap, while she fed them both pizza…much to everyone's disgust. She didn't care, because as far as she was concerned, they could all go fuck themselves. Sarah was planning on doing some serious fucking of her own with her nerd soon enough.

Casey saw Morgan stuffing his face with pizza, and he grunted

"Why don't we just send the gnome to Iceland? I'm sure he could annoy the Ring into surrendering."

The insult completely flew over Morgan's head since all the bearded one heard, was John Casey voicing the fact that he should be out on the field for a mission.

"That would be awesome!" Morgan fist pumped.

Everybody chuckled except for Casey, who was upset his dig didn't seem to have an effect, and Chuck, who seemed to be lost in thought.

The Colonel decided to squash Morgan's excitement before he got too carried away with it.

"It was a joke moron. Sending you out there would be like a death sentence. You'd probably attract more danger than Walker's boy toy."

The idea finally hit Chuck, and he quickly stood up. Thankfully, the blonde on his lap reacted quickly enough to not fall flat on her ass.

Chuck gave Sarah a quick apologetic smile before he addressed his team. He didn't want to lose his train of thought.

"Casey's right, that's exactly what we should do!"

Everybody had confused looks on their faces.

The Colonel didn't like to be mocked. "Bartowski, what the hell are you moaning about?!"

"The magnet!"

May 2010

Washington D.C.

Brigadier General Diane Beckman's House of Residence

It was 4 in the morning, and Diane got to do something she rarely had time for ever since one Charles Irving Bartowski had invaded her life…sleep! Unfortunately, the incessant beeping of her bedside monitor, indicating a conference call, brought her out of some much deserved repose.

Beckman reached out, hitting the button to accept the connection, and snorted at the adorable kisser that assaulted her slightly blurry vision. She wasn't surprised at who was on the other end of the call, but did he have to look so damn cheery?

Of course it's Bartowski!

Chuck was probably the only one who could get away with disturbing the General at such a horrendous hour.

With a heavy sigh, Diane spoke to one of her favorite agents.

"What is it Bartowski? This had better be good!"

The threat was clearly evident in her tone, but over time, Chuck had come to realize that her bark was worse than her bite…Ok, that was only true when it concerned him.

"Sorry to disturb you General, but I figured you would like to know that we've come up with a plan on how to take the Ring facility in Reykjavík, Iceland."

Diane narrowed her eyes to cover up the pride she felt for her agent. She had a reputation to maintain after all.

"And this couldn't have waited; why? The Intersect hasn't even given us a proper confirmation on the base yet."

A grin broke out on Charles' face. His smile was as bright through the monitor as it was in person.

"Now General, you and I both know that waiting for that confirmation is just a formality. I've already talked to my father and he assures me that the facility is the main hub for the Ring. So, with all that out of the way, would you like to hear our plan?"

Beckman felt uneasy. She trusted her team, especially Chuck, but Diane had a gut feeling that this so called 'plan' was going to result in a spike in her blood pressure.

"I'm not going to like this plan of yours am I?" Beckman heard a grunt in the background which only confirmed her anxious feelings.

Chuck gave a not so confident chuckle. "Well, it's not ideal but…If anyone can do this, Team Bartowski can!"

Beckman smiled at the enthusiasm put forth by her agent. How he still had that type of innocent air about him, she had no idea.

"Well, don't keep me waiting."

"It's a classic General. I'm sure you've heard of it before. It's called…The Magnet."

Los Angeles

Castle/Carmichael Industries

When Chuck finished reassuring the General of his plan, Tiffany disconnected the feed. She couldn't believe Beckman went for it. Sure, at first, the General looked like she was going to have a coronary, but no one could resist the charms of Charles Bartowski for too long.

Chuck turned to his team and blew out an exhausted breath.

Tiffany laughed. "I knew you could do it Chuck!"

He turned a slight shade of pink at the confidence his teacher and friend bestowed onto him.

Carina saw the slight blush and decided that she wanted to take part in her favorite activity…The 'How Red Can I Make Chuck Bartowski' game.

With an extra sway in her hips, she sauntered over to Chuck, making sure she threw a quick wink towards Sarah.

Chuck saw his favorite red head moving sensually towards his direction, and his face had that classic 'deer caught in headlights' look. Yes, he found Carina to be extremely attractive, but the feeling that overtook most of his body was fear. Why in the hell did Carina look like she wanted to devour him, and why was she doing all of this in front of his insanely deadly…perhaps slightly jealous…girlfriend?

Sarah saw Carina wink at her, but she hadn't taken the gesture too kindly. Instead of the playfulness Carina had meant by it, Sarah mistook the meaning and had thought her friend was simply stating, 'watch while I take Chuck Bartowski from under your nose'.

To make matters worse, her subconscious was now singing the words to James Taylor's song, 'Mexico'.

"Oh, oh, Mexico. Mexico, oh, Mexico. Oh, oh, Mexico. Mexico, oh, Mexico."

What was strange however; was the fact that Sarah Walker's subconscious sounded oddly enough like Morgan Grimes. She turned towards the direction of Chuck's long time partner in crime, and her face paled at the sight.

Morgan was actually singing the song, and the whole Mexico situation had bothered her so much, she had actually thought that his singing was her subliminal self at work. Sarah quickly came to the conclusion that she needed to have a little chat with Carina…make that all the female members of Team Bartowski…before this upcoming mission.

She turned towards Chuck and got his attention.

"Chuck, I know you wanted to go out to dinner tonight, but can we postpone it till tomorrow?"

He took a step towards Sarah, and more importantly a step away from Carina's roaming hands.

"Uh sure sweetie…but um…how come?"

"Oh you know. I just thought it would be nice to have a girl's night out with Carina, Tiffany, and even Ellie; before the mission. Just so that I can…I mean we can build on team dynamics." Sarah gave an innocent smile, and threw in a slight pout for good measure.

Carina broke out into a wide grin. She was looking forward to a girl's night out. Of course, she knew however that blondie had some type of ulterior motives. Still, it should be an entertaining night nevertheless.

Tiffany wondered what in the hell was happening. She hadn't heard of any girl's night out plans. And why would Walker want to hang out with her, in a social setting?

Casey could care less. But if he knew Walker, she definitely had something up her sleeves.

Chuck quirked a brow. He didn't necessarily believe that answer, because if she truly wanted to work on the cohesiveness of the team, it wouldn't just be the female members to be in attendance. Regardless, whenever he saw Sarah trying to act all innocent, with that adorable slight pout on her lips, he couldn't refuse her anything.

"That's a great idea honey." He gave her a reassuring smile.

Morgan busted out with excitement. "ALRIGHT, GUY'S NIGHT OUT!"

Los Angeles

Boulevard3

Sarah was having a reasonably good time. She hadn't had the talk she was planning on having with everyone yet, but she expected as much whenever Carina, dancing, and alcohol were involved. What surprised her however was who she spent most of the night with. Sarah had thought she was going to be dancing with Carina, or even pouring her heart out to Ellie…as inconceivable as that may have been…but here she was, sitting at a table, having a drink with Tiffany Andrews.

Apparently, the good doctor wanted to blow off some steam. And who better to teach Ellie exactly how to do that, than Carina Miller? The pair spent most of their time on the dance floor, which left Tiffany and Sarah to spend some awkward quality time with one another.

Once they got over the initial uncomfortableness…the alcohol might have helped matters…they got to talking about their favorite subject…Chuck. There was no jealousy, hate, or spitefulness while they spoke. They were just two women talking about somebody who was close to both their hearts.

Sarah was laughing at the story currently being told of Chuck's training in Prague.

After taking a sip of her Appletini, Tiffany resumed her story.

"I had just got done kicking Chuck's ass, and there he was, lying on the practice mat giving me the most adorable hurt expression I've ever seen…I pretty much let my guard down with him looking so cute and all, so I go to help him…Horrible idea on my part since the next thing I know, I'm flat on my back with him pinning me to the floor."

Andrews slightly shivered at the memory, which Sarah caught.

The blonde looked at the brunette with a slightly annoyed look.

Tiffany sheepishly chuckled. "Sorry…" Her face then turned somber. "…You two belong together. Any stranger off the street can look at you two and see you're both head over heels for each other…It's just…It's hard you know?"

Sarah felt for Andrews, she really did. It wasn't Tiffany's fault that she had fallen for her nerd; it was Chuck's…that ass! But no matter how bad she felt for the agent, Sarah needed to set some things straight, along with a couple of boundaries. That was the whole point of this night.

"I know how lucky I am that I have him, trust me. You'll find your own Chuck Tiffany; he's out there."

Tiffany looked at Walker in disbelief. "You honestly believe there's another Chuck Bartowski out there?"

Sarah opened her mouth to respond, but then shut it when she didn't know how to respond.

Tiffany shook her head in amusement. "That's what I thought. He's one of a kind…so don't screw it up Walker."

At that moment, Carina plopped down next to Sarah on the couch, while Ellie sat next to Tiffany on the couch across from the other two.

Ellie pointed at Sarah. "Yeah Walker, don't screw it up…what are you not supposed to screw up?"

Sarah figured now was the time for the talk, before everyone got too drunk to understand a single thing she said.

"I need to talk to you guys about something for a second. I promise I'll try to make it as quick and as painless as I can."

Carina grabbed Sarah and kissed her on the cheek.

"I knew you were up to something blondie! It's about Chuck isn't it?!"

Sarah nodded. "But before I start…" She turned to the red head next to her. "What the hell happened in Mexico?!"

Casa Bartowski/Grimes

The air was filled with the scent of grape soda, beer, pizza, and Cuban cigars. While the women were out getting makeovers, or dancing…or whatever they were doing…the men were at Casa Bartowski/Grimes, playing poker.

For guy's night; Casey wanted to go to the shooting range, Devon suggested indoor rock climbing, and Morgan wanted to do some serious gaming. No one could come up with an idea that everybody liked until Chuck suggested poker.

Chuck choked on the smoke filled air that wafted into his airspace. He looked at the two responsible for the current annihilation of his lungs. The Colonel he understood, but Morgan? The bearded one was always trying to get on John's good side, but this was a little much.

'Cough' 'Cough' "Guys, if you insist on smoking those…things…can you at least not blow the smoke my way."

Casey grunted and then blew an extra amount of smoke towards the nerd.

"Don't be such a pansy Bartowski."

"Yeah buddy, man up!" Morgan added.

Chuck narrowed his eyes at the short one and Morgan mouthed the word 'Sorry' to his best bud.

Devon, wanting to move the conversation along, changed the subject.

"So, what do you guys think the ladies are doing…hope Ellie isn't getting too wild."

Casey took the Cuban out of his mouth and placed it on a tray so he would be able to talk more clearly as he dealt the next hand.

"She'll be fine, it's Miller and Andrews I'm worried about. I'm sure Walker is going all psycho jealous on them right now."

Chuck took a peek at his two cards.

"Raise to 10…Casey, you don't actually think Sarah would do anything crazy right? I mean…she wouldn't…but then again…Crap I gotta make a quick call!"

"I call…" Casey smirked and threw in his chips. "…Might be too late Bartowski. I'm sure your better half has already snapped."

Devon threw his chips in. "Call…Bro I'm sure things are just fine. Ellie wouldn't let it get too out of hand."

Morgan mucked his hand. "Well Awesome, you clearly haven't seen Sarah when it comes to her relationship with Chuck."

John dealt the flop. "I actually agree with the bearded idiot. Walker can get…scary…when it comes to Bartowski."

Chuck was sure that Sarah would never kill Carina or Tiffany. But there was no harm in calling to see how they were doing.

He pulled out his cell and dialed her number.

Boulevard3

Sarah felt the vibrations of her phone, and figured it probably was Chuck wanting to check in. She ignored it since she needed to hear about Mexico.

Carina laughed. "Oh you know Walker, the usual." She winked at the blonde.

Ellie, recognizing a chance to have a little fun, spoke up.

"The usual? Carina, you told me you and my brother had sex."

"WHAT?!" Sarah exploded and reached for one of her throwing knives strapped to her thigh.

As buzzed as Carina was, she saw the movement, and calculated what she needed to do to defend herself.

Sarah, who wasn't thinking straight, lashed out with her right hand, the hand that was currently clutching one of her throwing knives.

Carina caught it in time, but was still surprised by Walker's quickness. As evident by the blade being only a millimeter from her neck.

The two other women's eyes widen in astonishment. Ellie probably had a little fear mixed in as well.

The doctor tumbled over her words trying to speak as fast as she was able, to try to calm the situation.

"Sa- Sarah! I am…I was only kidding! Wha- what are doing?!"

Sarah blanched a little at what she had done, and what she was about to do. She quickly re-holstered her knife and let out a nervous laugh as she apologized.

Carina was pissed. She would have usually let something like that roll of her back since Sarah and herself were always going at it. It was just their thing. But the attack wasn't what got Miller upset.

"What the hell Walker!? And so what if I screwed Chuck? It's not like you two were together at the time. If memory serves, you left to be with that asshole Larkin!"

"That's not true and you know it!"

Andrews positioned herself to get in between her teammates if need be.

"Guys, relax. You know Chuck wouldn't want this."

Both Carina and Sarah glared at Tiffany and yelled, "Stay out of it!" before they turned to face each other again.

Ellie couldn't believe the sight before her. Two women were about to kill each other over her little brother. And the third one who was seated next to her…and who definitely had feelings for Chuck too…was actually trying to placate the situation.

The beautiful brunette doctor couldn't hold it in anymore and started laughing hysterically.

The three agents just stared at Ellie, who was now holding her stomach from laughing so hard.

After a couple of minutes, the laughter died down enough for Ellie to speak.

"Oh my god…So-sorry…It's just…I knew my brother was always special…But to make three sp…working women…fall for him so much they're willing to fight over him…Wow!"

Sarah and Carina both reddened in embarrassment.

Tiffany smiled. "He's one special guy."

After Sarah nodded in agreement, she turned to Carina.

"I'm sorry I got so crazy…It's just…I've experienced what it was like without him, and I don't think I can go through that again. Without him, I just wouldn't be able to live anymore…I'm not saying you guys have to stay away from him, just tone it down a little. I'm actually glad he has you guys…but…I'm not ok with the constant touching and flirting…He needs all of us in his life, but their needs to be some boundaries."

Carina could relate to Sarah. If she had lost Chuck, she would have been devastated too. Carina was fairly sure she would be able to keep living however, so what Sarah said really stuck with her.

"Alright…" She transformed back to the old Carina. "…I can still touch him though right? Just not too much?"

The four women laughed.

"I'll make a list of what you can and cannot do…" Sarah chuckled. "…You guys should know what's appropriate and what isn't…well Tiffany you should. Carina, just tone everything down…Oh and Chuck doesn't know it yet, but I'm moving in, so I don't ever want to see you two in our room so early in the morning…Yes, he's told me all about those early morning visits."

Andrews shrugged. "We were just training."

That better be all it was! Sarah thought. "Well now that we got that out of the way. Carina, what happened in Mexico?"

Casa Bartowski/Grimes

"She's not answering…maybe I should call…nah I'm sure they're fine."

"You keep telling yourself that Bartowski." Casey replied.

Chuck ignored the Colonel's response.

"Guys, I have something I need to say…I'm thinking of asking Sarah to move in!"

"Awesome bro! Congratulations!"

Casey grunted in disgust.

Morgan was not thrilled with the idea.

"But Chuck, this is our bachelor pad."

"Moron, he's not a bachelor anymore."

Morgan was truly happy for his best friend. Chuck got everything he deserved, from the love of his life, to the coolest job ever as a real life superhero. And things only looked brighter for him.

But a part of Morgan felt like he was being left behind. With Sarah back in the fold, all Chuck's attention would be split between his girlfriend and Team Bartowski. True, the bearded one was a part of that team, but it wasn't the same. There would be no more just Chuck and Morgan.

Chuck saw the look on his best bud's face and felt guilty.

"Buddy, we'll always be a team…but Sarah and I…"

Morgan mustered up a smile. "I get it"

"I promise Morgan, we'll always make time for each other…" He thought for a second on how to make it up to his long time friend. "…at least one game night a week, alright?"

"Deal!"

Boulevard3

Carina sighed. "I tried my hardest to sleep with Chucky. I tricked him into coming to my room before Casey so we could get some alone time. I was planning on seducing some information out of him…"

Both Sarah's and Tiffany's fists clenched, but they held in their bubbling anger.

"…I practically threw myself at him. And I would have succeeded too, if he still wasn't so in love with you Walker."

Sarah couldn't help but smile at that last part.

Carina continued. "We didn't get any farther than kissing. He freaking threw me off, just to get me to stop."

That comment resulted in a few laughs. Some even came from the red head.

Ellie knew about Chuck's spy life, but she hadn't been told any specific details about any missions. She understood why, but everyone's been talking about Mexico so much, that it was now driving her crazy.

"Now that we've established that Chuck's been faithful…even though he didn't need to be…What else happened in Mexico…I don't need to know anything too specific, but since I know mostly everything, can someone please throw me a bone?"

Carina looked upon the elder Bartowski, and decided to tell her how much of a hero her brother truly was.

"Chuck changed my life that day. Hell, I wouldn't be alive if it weren't for him…You see it all started when…"

Ellie listened to the story with amazement in her eyes. Not even a bomb going off could distract her from this story.

Casa Bartowski/Grimes

It was decided to cut guy's night early since both Morgan and Captain Awesome had early shifts the next day. After everything was cleaned up, Devon headed home while Morgan went straight to bed. He was asleep minutes after his head hit the pillow.

Chuck decided to walk the Colonel out since he needed some fresh air after inhaling all that second hand smoke.

"Thanks for coming Casey, it was fun."

"Don't mention it Bartowski…ever."

John took a couple of steps towards his apartment, but he suddenly stopped. The mission to take down the Ring was fast approaching. If only Larkin would just hurry his dumb ass up and confirm the actual sight, then Team Bartowski would be wheels up. The kid needed to hear what Casey wanted to say before it was too late.

After everything that had happened in the past several years; from Chuck getting the Intersect, the almost bunkerization, the sanction that almost was, the destruction of Fulcrum, to Sarah leaving and her eventual return. Chuck had been through it all, and not only survived, but thrived. Casey was proud to call Bartowski a friend…family even.

The Colonel turned to said friend.

"Look kid, I just wanted to say how proud of you I am. You started off as an idiot civilian, but you took what life threw at you, and did what you could…Not many people could have been through what you've been through, and actually come out on the other side still intact...You've became one of the best agents and partner I've ever known, and I'm honored to call you a friend."

Casey took out a Cuban, lit it, and took a puff.

"Even though she may have her flaws, Walker is a good woman. You two deserve each other…Be patient with her Chuck. Spies like her and I…we've seen and done things that have changed us. It's unbelievable that you're still you, but then again, you've always been a freak Bartowski…"

Chuck chuckled as he tried to hold back the threatening tears. He dared not cry or speak in fear that it might turn John off and ruin the moment.

"…If all you have is each other, then you'll be alright kid…But you'll always have someone in your corner, me included. Now don't fuck it up."

Casey turned and started walking towards his door.

Chuck smiled as he wiped away the tears that were now freely falling since Casey had his back to him.

John stopped once his hand wrapped around the doorknob to his door. He used his other hand to grab the Cuban out of his mouth.

"Oh and Chuck…the standard threat still applies."

"If I mention this to anyone, you'll kill me?"

Casey grunted his affirmation.

"I love ya big guy."

"Keep it in your pants moron."

Boulevard3

"…So I'm now trapped with only a short time till the building self-destructs. I was pretty certain I was a goner since there wasn't enough time to do anything really. I'm yelling at Chuck to leave, but you know how he is. He is one stubborn son-of-a-bitch, I swear…and I'm so thankful for that…Anyways, since he wouldn't leave, Johnny grabs Chuck and starts dragging him to the elevator…"

Carina saw the flashes of shock that quickly washed over the two agents faces. Ellie, being a civilian, couldn't mask the expressions she felt, so she was much easier to read. Carina knew she had to say something.

"…Casey did the right thing. There wasn't enough time to disarm the system, so there wasn't a point in all three of us dying. Casey made a hard choice, and it was the right one, so you all should accept it and get over it."

Sarah, Tiffany, and Ellie nodded.

Miller continued.

"Like I was saying…Johnny drags Chuck into the elevator. Once the door starts to close, Chucky punches Casey and jumps out of the elevator in time. Naturally the elevator starts ascending, with Casey still in it…"

The three women listening to the story were all shocked that their Chuck would have actually punched Casey!

"…So he starts running towards me, and I'm just basically cussing him out for his stupidity. I mean, I pretty much accepted that I was going to die, so I didn't need to feel guilty for being responsible for the death of Walker's boyfriend."

Ellie gasped "What happened next?!"

"Well…he then starts working on his little wrist computer, and I just remember feeling confused, and honestly a little happy, that someone would sacrifice themselves for me…I just couldn't understand it. I was still mad at him for sticking around, but at that moment, I didn't feel alone for once…" She took a deep breath. "…Chuck then hits one last button, and the countdown stops with 3 seconds left. I swear I just wanted to jump him right then and there."

Ellie's astonished. "I can't believe my baby brother stopped the building from exploding!"

Carina laughed. "Oh Ellie, he actually didn't."

Seeing the confusion on the good doctor's face, she continued the story.

"You see, your brother only reset the countdown. We both thought he stopped the self-destruction sequence, but he messed up or something. I was so pissed, but at that point, Chuck's pretty much won me over. It still worked out…obviously…because with the countdown resetting, it gave him enough time to hack into the system. He got the door that was blocking my only way out to retract. And wouldn't you know it, the elevator comes back down and the doors open to reveal none other than John Casey. We all got out of there in time to watch the building explode in the rear view mirror of our vehicle."

Ellie finished off the rest of her martini.

"I shouldn't be surprised. I've always known Chuck was meant for great things. But wow!"

Sarah smiled. "Even before, when Chuck was still an asset, he was able to save countless of lives without any training. He always did the right thing, even if it would've hurt him in the process."

Andrews placed her hand on Ellie's shoulder.

"You should be proud. You've raised an amazing man. The world needs more people like him…He's truly one of a kind."

Carina smirked. "He's pretty damn sexy too!"

Sarah rolled her eyes. Damn Chuck for being so…so Chuck!

May 2010

Los Angeles

Casa Bartowski/Grimes

Chuck was sitting at his desk in his room fiddling with Cortana, which was connected to his computer at the moment. It was 2am and Sarah still wasn't home yet. Of course if anyone asked him, he wasn't waiting up for Sarah, he was just making some upgrades to his wrist comp…Technically he was so…

Chuck suddenly felt two soft hands cover his eyes, and he flinched as he yelped in slight fear. He was a spy now, but spies still get scared. Yelping in fear, probably not; but fear…yes.

He turned and saw Sarah, trying to hide her laugh behind one of her hands.

"Sorry Chuck, I didn't mean to scare you." The amusement was clearly evident in her crystal blue eyes.

I swear she's a friggin ninja! "I didn't get scared. I uh…I was…psyching myself up…in case I needed to defend myself?"

Sarah couldn't help it. She needed to kiss her adorable boyfriend, which she promptly did.

It was quickly escalating, so Chuck picked her up and placed her on the bed; all the while keeping their lips firmly attached.

When they withdrew from one another, Sarah couldn't take her gaze off of his warm, inviting, brown eyes. She reveled in the feeling of his body on top of hers.

"You didn't have to wait up for me you know."

"Well I didn't, I was working on Cortana…"

She gave him a pointed look.

"…And possibly as a side benefit of me working so late…I was waiting up for you too." He gave her a wide smile and quickly stole a kiss.

Sarah pouted. I want more dammit! She tried taking matters into her own hands as she placed one of her hands behind his head and brought him down, but she felt him resist.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing it's just…" Just ask her already! Just do it…Sarah, will you move in with me…No, do it out loud you idiot! "…uh, Sarah…" He took a deep breath. "…will you move in with me?"

Sarah stopped the smile that was beginning to form on her face. She thought it was adorable he was asking since it wasn't like he had a choice in the matter. But it was still incredibly sweet. Still, she couldn't come off as too eager.

"Hmmm, I don't know Chuck." She had trouble keeping a straight face.

He deflated. "I'm sorry, I just thought…It's ok, I shouldn't have rushed things." Casey said to be patient! And what do I do, I screw things up by moving too fast!

Sarah's heart broke at the despondent look on his face.

She quickly spoke in between kisses. "Oh my god…I'm so sorry…I was just kidding baby…of course I want to…live with you….Nothing would make me…happier…I love you so much Chuck."

The Bartowski grin broke out. "I love you too Sarah."

His lips descended onto hers and things quickly heated up again.

When he placed his hand under her blouse onto her taut stomach, she felt like her skin was on fire. She needed him in the worst way.

Chuck felt the moan that was released from her mouth, reverberate throughout his entire being. He separated his lips from hers, and he slowly kissed along her jaw. He then took her ear into his mouth and lightly nibbled on it, causing Sarah to giggle. With one last flick of his tongue, he attacked her neck, and quickly found the spot that he knew would drive her crazy.

Sarah started to writhe underneath him as he sucked on her neck. She usually liked when her Chuck made it a point to taste every inch of her, but this time, she just needed him inside of her as quickly as possible.

"Please Chuck, I need you right now…Make love to me, please."

Chuck stopped and smiled against her neck. He retracted himself until he was hovering above her. It aroused him a great deal whenever Sarah begged him in that ragged voice of hers.

He teased her with the same words she had recently given him.

"Hmmm, I don't know Sarah." He couldn't help the mirth that was mixing with the brown in his eyes.

Sarah narrowed her eyes as she realized what he was doing.

"Chuck, if you don't hurry up and make love to me…I'm going to make you…and I'm not going to be gentle while I take what I want!"

He pushed his hand under her jeans and panties, which resulted in a gasp of anticipation coming from Sarah. Before he went any deeper, he quickly pulled his hand back out. He smiled at the mixed expressions of annoyance, hunger, and desperation that overtook her face.

"Why Mrs. Bartowski…you make it sound so sexy, I might let you take what you want."

Sarah noticed the slip of the name, and by the look on Chuck's face, he clearly hadn't. It didn't matter though since he clearly entertained the idea of being married to her…whether it was subconsciously or not. She liked the idea of being Mrs. Bartowski. Scratch that, I LOVE IT! There was no need to bring it up however. Sarah didn't want to put pressure on him in any way…no matter how bad she wanted it. She would wait till her Chuck deemed her worthy enough to be his wife.

With a quick flip, Sarah initiated a sweep, resulting in her being on top, straddling his waist.

"Be careful what you wish for. And by the way, let me? If I wanted something, you wouldn't be able to stop me even if you wanted to."

"Do your worst!"

Sarah just smiled and ripped her blouse and bra over her head, all in one quick movement.

Chuck's breath caught in his throat.

"I'm in trouble!"

"Why yes Mr. Bartowski, yes you are!"

A/N (2): This was only supposed to be a filler chapter, but here we are…+6k words! Don't know if that's a bad thing or not.

Any and all reviews are appreciated.