I still don't own Chuck. Not sure who does at this point. Maybe Subway.

I'm closing the "Should Casey and Janice hook up" poll. The numbers were almost unanimous. You want them to hook up but the job still be top priority. We'll see.

It's a bad night for Sarah. Did her nightmare come true?

Okay. I'll keep going. My goal is to be finished with the story before Season 3 starts. I'm thinking about ten more chapters. So that averages out to a little over a chapter a week.

Thanks to the amazing ladies who constantly try to keep me from writing something stupid. Brickroad, HappyDayz, and Poa have been great. They hardly ever agree, but that keeps me on my toes, lol. Each has had a significant influence. Not only in how I view Chuck, but how I view storytelling.

If you enjoyed this or any of the stories on this site, please take a second and send the author a review. If you didn't enjoy it, send Poa a PM (just kidding).

The Morgue

- - - -

It was funny. Well, make that ironic. It was not close to being funny. But six months ago, if Janice had met Alex in a bar, there was a very good chance that she would have gone home with him. He was exactly the type of man that she usually hooked up with. After all, the man was a CIA agent. He was himself an expert in seduction, so he obviously knew his way around the bedroom. He was smooth, confident, and good looking. He carried himself well and was an impeccable dresser. He would send her over a drink, and follow it up with some witty conversation. And, more often than not, he would have been rewarded with a night of passion courtesy of Janice Beckman. And, to be honest, that's all Janice would have been looking for as well. The next morning they would have gone their separate ways. Maybe on the rare occasion, she would give him her number and they might have a repeat occurrence or two. But never more.

So why was it that tonight she was fighting to keep from shooting this son of a bitch? It wasn't that he was expecting sex. It really wasn't. Sex just didn't mean that much to Janice. It never had. Not to say that she didn't enjoy it. She certainly did. It's just that it was never emotional. And CIA training had only cemented that attitude. Sex was just a means to an end. And if Janice could use her body for the greater good, she was more than willing. Most times she could even find some way to enjoy it. If not the act itself, then at least the satisfaction of a job well done.

And naturally, Alex demanded that she put on a show for him. Of course the bastard had this planned all along. Why else would he have a CD with that particular play list ready? It wasn't until she was down to her black bra and matching panties that she realized why she was fighting to keep the smile on her face. As she softly danced to the music, she realized that she was no longer the same person. She had fallen victim to an agent killer. Thanks to Chuck, she now expected more from people. Oh, she was still willing to use sex. But use was the proper verb. She was no longer willing to be used.

And then there was Casey. Honestly, in a bar, she wouldn't have looked at Casey twice. Sure, he was incredibly good looking, in a rugged way. It's just that he would never have approached her. But he was a good, decent, honorable man. He had dedicated his life to the same cause that she had. And he wanted to get to know her as a person. He was even willing to turn down that night of passion to prove that to her. It just didn't seem right to give something to Alex that Casey wanted. And even though Janice knew that there was a key difference between the situations, it still didn't seem right. After all, here was a man that she genuinely liked, admired, and maybe even more. And who apparently liked her back. How far would it go? Janice couldn't say. The job was going to be number one… for both of them in the near future. But could they have something? Janice found herself, for perhaps the first time in her life, hoping that she could have a chance. And the simple truth was, before meeting Chuck, that would have scared her. It would have scared her so much that she would run away from it. But now, it sort of excited her. Being in bed with a man for something more than just a physical act would be a new feeling. She wasn't even sure how to act.

But how could she get out of this? Alex wasn't hoping for sex. He expected it. And a flat refusal wouldn't do. Who knew what was going to happen tonight with Chuck? And Ben Adams could still cause trouble. No, she couldn't refuse. But maybe he wouldn't be in the mood.

As soon as Janice had taken off her bra, she kneeled down in front of Alex who was sitting on the couch. She put on her most seductive smile. "Let's see if I can guess what you'd like next," she said softly as she pushed Alex back into the couch.

Alex, for his part, was perfectly content to let Janice take the lead. It was pretty much what he was thinking anyway.

"Hmm," Janice said. "There seems to be something wrong with your zipper. It seems to be stuck."

One sharp tug and the girlish scream from Alex told her that she had just hit pay dirt. "Alex," she said quickly. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

Agents were taught to control their expressions. Still, Janice was having a hard time keeping a straight face. She had to resort to biting her lip to keep from laughing. Fortunately, Alex wasn't paying that close attention. He was too busy writhing in agony. But there was one thing for sure. Whatever debauchery he had planned for the rest of this evening was now moot.

Janice was able to keep from laughing until she was dressed and safely in the hallway. But then she lost it. She was going to have to find a way to let Casey know what didn't happen tonight.

Maybe Chuck can help.

But just as suddenly, the smile disappeared. Chuck. What had happened with Chuck? Janice quickly headed to their room to find out.

- - - -

As they had agreed, Casey used a prepaid cell phone to call General Beckman on her prepaid cell phone. Although it wouldn't be as secure as their regular NSA phone system, they wouldn't have to worry about being compromised by any NSA personnel. And that would be fatal in their current circumstance. Treason was something that the NSA took very seriously. If they even suspected it, they would shoot first and ask questions later. Since their conversation wasn't guaranteed to be secure, they were going to have to be careful not to speak too plainly.

"Is everything on schedule?" Beckman asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Casey said.

"John," Beckman said. "This is not official. You need to call me Dianne."

Casey wasn't sure how comfortable he was calling his superior officer by her first name. But if that's what she wanted. "Okay, Dianne," he said. "We have changed the plan substantially because an opportunity presented itself. It is now much more ambitious."

"What are the odds?" Beckman asked.

"Our confidence is high," Casey said.

"Anything that you need from me?" Beckman asked.

"Chuck's body is at the morgue," Casey said. He emphasized the word 'body'. "It would be good if they didn't examine it too closely."

"Understood," Beckman said. "I'll take care of it. Now I need to ask you for a favor."

Casey would gladly lay down his life for General Beckman. So he couldn't imagine what favor she could ask for that he wouldn't try and comply with. "Shoot," he said.

"This is awkward," Beckman said. "But I need you to keep an eye out for Janice for me."

"Janice?" Casey asked. If that was the favor, it was one he was most happy to grant.

"She's my daughter, John," Beckman said. "Nobody knows. You can tell Bartowski and Sarah but nobody else."

Casey swallowed. He was about to pursue a serious relationship with General Beckman's daughter. "Daughter?" he asked. "How can that be?"

In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Beckman couldn't help but laugh at Casey's reaction. "Stepdaughter, actually," she said. "I married Janice's dad when she was fourteen. He died ten years ago. And, I'll admit, our relationship hasn't always been great. But it's been a lot better lately. She's the only family I have. I love her, John."

"I'll take care of her," Casey said. "I would like that."

"Thanks, John." Beckman said so softly that Casey wasn't sure that he heard it. He was going to ask her to repeat it, but she had already ended the call.

As soon as Casey put down the phone, Chuck turned to him. "How did it go? Is she on board?"

Casey didn't know how to answer him. "She's on board," he said. "But how did it go?"

Chuck just nodded expectantly.

"Things just got more complicated."

- - - -

Janice ran into the house. "Sarah," she shouted. "Get dressed. We have to go."

Sarah knew right away that something was very wrong by the look on her face. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I don't know," Janice said. "I just got a call to come down to the morgue and identify Chuck's body."

Sarah's blood turned cold. This wasn't part of the plan at all. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," Janice said breathlessly.

"What happened!" Sarah screamed.

"I'm not sure!" Janice screamed back. "When I got back to the room, the police had already cleared it. But there was blood all around. Then I got the call. We have to go."

Sarah was so nervous that Janice had to drive to the morgue to identify the body. Even Janice was having a hard time driving. They both shared a feeling of dread. But Sarah was sure. She could feel it in her bones. Her nightmare had come true. Something had gone terribly wrong. What was she going to do? Her Chuck was gone.

Suddenly Sarah saw her future. A future without the love of her life. Who would help her raise Kate? Sarah didn't have a clue. She didn't even know what kind of formula to buy for goodness sake. Ellie would help. But she had her own life to worry about. Janice would help as much as she could. But she was even more clueless than Sarah.

When they finally got to the morgue, they were greeted by a tired looking man in a white lab coat. And even though they had both been to morgues many times before, it was amazing how much alike they looked. And how the stench of death hung in the air. After they were finally able to get his attention, he led them back to where the bodies were stored.

Sarah was visibly shaking as the man pulled open the drawer. "I can't look," she said. She knew that Chuck's body was lying in that body bag. She knew it.

Janice grabbed Sarah and wrapped her arms around her. If the news was as they feared, she didn't know what she was going to do with her. She thought about calling Ellie and seeing if she could give Sarah something to calm her down. Hopefully there was something that wouldn't hurt the baby. But, wait, that was Chuck's sister. What a horrible way to tell her that her brother had just been killed. So she decided that she would call Devon . That was still horrible but maybe he could help. And where was Casey? Was he dead as well? Or captured? And, if so, how could she rescue him? Sarah wasn't going to be much help. She was already a basket case. Wait until she actually sees his body.

Sarah buried her face in Janice's shoulder and stood there trembling. "Please, God," she whispered.

Janice motioned for the worker to unzip the body bag. She softly rubbed Sarah's back while they waited for what seemed like forever to both of them. As soon as the bag was opened, Janice started sobbing herself. She grabbed Sarah and squeezed her as tightly as she possibly could. She whispered so that only Sarah could hear. "It's not him."

Pure surprise caused Sarah to open her eyes. Whoever that man was, he definitely wasn't Chuck.

When you worked the night shift at the morgue, you became accustomed to sorrow. After all, there weren't too many happy scenes that played out here. So after a while you became used to it. But those two sisters sobbing in each other's arms was particularly pathetic. So the morgue attendant quietly closed the body bag and slid it back into the drawer. He waited for a respectable amount of time. But he had other things to do.

"Excuse me," he finally said. "I'm very sorry. But can you positively identify the body?"

Sarah was just starting to regain awareness of her surroundings. And she knew what she had to do. There must be a reason that this dead guy was here. She lifted her head up from Janice's shoulder. "Yes," she said through her sobs. "It's my husband."

The attendant wrote something on his clipboard. "Can you give me the full name of the deceased?" he asked.

Sarah was so relieved that she was having a hard time composing herself. There was still hope that Chuck's plan had worked. That he and Casey were out there somewhere. They would live to fight another day. So finally, she was able to answer in a shaky voice.

"His name is Charles Irving Bartowski."

The attendant led Sarah and Janice to a small grieving room. Once the door was closed, he handed Sarah an envelope. "These were the personal effects," he said. "There wasn't a wallet. It must have been taken during the robbery."

There wasn't much in the envelope. Just a belt and a set of keys. "Wait," said Sarah softly, more to herself than to Janice. "This is actually Chuck's belt."

"Why would Chuck send his real belt?" Janice asked.

Suddenly it hit Sarah. She fished in the secret compartment and pulled out a single carefully folded sheet of paper. Oh, but what a sheet of paper it was.

Janice could recognize Chuck's handwriting but she was too far away to read it. "Chuck," she said disgustedly. "It was nice to leave a note. But you shouldn't have tipped off your position."

"He didn't," Sarah said. She handed the paper to Janice.

For the life of her, Janice couldn't imagine why Sarah was now grinning… until she read Chuck's flowing handwriting.

New plan. They are all going down.

When we're through with Adams he will do anything you demand. Scare him. Have fun. He has it coming.

Jones thinks he has the poor widow alone and defenseless. Guess what the pig is going to want? Have fun. No, not that kind of fun, silly. Tease him. Make him crazy.

See you at the funeral.

Janice, Casey says hi.

Sorry to have scared you. Take care of Kate. I love you.

Don't forget my promise.

I, Charles, take you Sarah,

to be my wife,

to have and to hold,

for better or for worse,

for richer, for poorer,

in sickness and in health,

to love and to cherish;

from this day forward until death do us part.

Janice flashed a huge grin back at Sarah. "What a romantic sap," she teased. "It about makes me want to hurl."

Sarah wrapped her arms around Janice's neck and pulled her into a tight embrace. "I know," she whispered. "Isn't it great?"

Sarah was far too happy to be worried. That would have to wait. They were going to have to get those grins off their faces before they left this room. They were now almost certainly being watched.

She could guess most of what Chuck was now thinking. And it was absolutely brilliant. She would have to wait until they could talk to get the full details. But there was one thing that she knew for sure.

The plan had just dramatically changed.

- - - -