A/N: Well...not meaning to repeat myself , but...ta dah!Yeah for me...and you too. Another update! Hope you like. I actually didn't hate this one!Yes...I know...poor poor readers...bouncing back and forth between this and 'swimmer'...at least I hope you're bouncing back and forth. If not, tsk, tsk, tsk...naughty naughty readers. Thanks to everyone who's hung in there...I'm really glad you have and I hope to reward your faith with more fun. Remember, we all say it because we mean it...please review, it makes our day...not as much as huge honkin' piles of cash, but until I hit the lottery, I'll be thrilled to read any and all reviews. Once I hit the lottery...then all bets are off...when that happens, maybe I will no longer have to say...I DON'T OWN CHUCK!...and if it is a big enough jackpot, maybe I'll buy Shaw, just so I can have him flayed alive...in front of a live crowd made up entirely of posters on this site...yeah...and then I'll also set the flaying up as a pay per view...and then I'll use the money I make from that to pay for a brain transplant because , obviously, the one I have right now is just about worthless...stupid brain...who needs you anyway...not me...obviously...
As I'm sure is obvious to any and all...I'm working without a beta so all, and I mean every single one of them, of these mistakes is mine!
Thoughts and prayers to everyone affected by the quake in Japan.
Chuck Vs. The Walkabout - Chapter 21
Colonel John Casey was pretty sure that his day couldn't get much worse. He was almost out of Hot pockets and scotch, he'd left the apartment to go to the store to stock back up on his essentials and after witnessing the nerd and Walker going at it near the fountain, he'd yawned in Technicolor…all over his own front step. After cleaning up the mess, he'd gone back inside and then his day got worse…
"Colonel Casey! Are you in need of medical assistance? I can have a medical team dispatched to your location if needed."
'Oh crap!' Casey said to himself, realizing that the video monitor had been activated. "No ma'am. I'm fine…just a little under the weather. What can I do for you today?"
"Colonel, you do realize that I haven't had an update from you in two days? Is something going on that I need to be aware of?"
"No ma'am. I've looked into seventy-three facial recog reports and none of them where Bartowski. It appears that you were correct about Orion fuc…futzing about with the program. I know that the 'asset' is currently in Burbank despite an update I received from the program saying he was in Tangiers. Agent Walker evidently spent the night 'debriefing' him."
"And you still haven't figured out how to re-establish surveillance on Mr. Bartowski's residence?"
"He appears to be residing with Agent Walker and, correct me if I'm wrong, aren't agent's private residences supposed to be 'bug free'? Plus, I seem to recall Orion making it very clear that we are to keep direct surveillance out of their homes, that he would handle that."
"You are of course correct, colonel. Maybe you could strike up a 'conversation' with Bartowski and see where that leads…maybe suggest that he might want to 'talk' to me. What Orion doesn't know …"
"General…with all do respect…I have just realized that I am ill. Maybe I should take a week off to recover."
"Colonel Ca…John…don't tell me that you're afraid of Orion…he would never hurt you."
"Pardon me General…are you willing to bet your OTHER house on that? I'm not afraid of Orion…I just have a very healthy respect for his abilities and unless it is a direct order, I'm not going to take the risk of pissing him off…ma'am. Maybe ten days would help with my recovery."
"Very well colonel, I'll be sending out another agent to take over the surveillance while you 'recuperate'. Expect Agent Forrest tomorrow. I assume that there won't be a problem with her using the extra room there at 'our' base of operations."
"No ma'am" Casey said through clenched teeth, "no problem at all."
"Very well, good day."
As soon as the video link shut off, John Casey reached for his last bottle of scotch and took the last few swallows. 'Definitely need to get to the store and restock…before Forrest gets here' he said to himself, already dreading the collision that was bound to happen between Agent Forrest and Orion. "Yup, that should be quite the show…I wonder how many days she's gonna last before something gets broken" he mumbled to himself as he reached for his keys, ready to head to the store.
-00—0-00—
After seeing Chuck off too work and realizing how strangely domestic yet comfortable that felt, Sarah went straight over to Ellie's, hoping to get her to help in preparing a meal for Chuck. She had promised him a special night and she was going to fulfill that promise. The dessert and everything after would be the easy and fun part! The dinner?...well, that she would need help with. She didn't want to just order take out, she wanted to make this night special and for that, she needed Ellie's help. After knocking on the door she waited for someone, hopefully Ellie, to answer. Raising her hand to knock again she was surprised by Ellie suddenly opening the door and pulling her into a hug.
"I saw you and my brother this morning, out by the fountain…I don't want too know but I'm guessing you made him start 'working' off his rent like you said you were going to. Is that why he didn't come over to visit last night?"
"Yeah…sorry Ellie, I …um…sorta, wouldn't let him leave the room last night!"
"That's all I need to know…actually, more than enough. So, what's up? Why are you here?"
"I need your help, Ellie. I promised Chuck a fantastic night with a dinner included…and I can't cook. I mean, breakfast…sure, but not a nice dinner. Will you please help me. Think of it as teaching me how to take care of your brother…at least as far as food goes…the rest I can handle…er…you know what I mean."
"I'd love too. Let me throw on some clothes and then we'll go shopping. After that, I'll show you some stuff around the kitchen. Sound good?"
"That sounds great Ellie. I'll grab my keys and meet you at the car." Sarah said as she headed off towards her apartment, a huge smile lighting up her face.
-00—00—00-0-
General Diane Beckman was looking at her video screen, seeing the image of the man who had become the bane of her existence, one Stephen J. Bartowski. One of the creators of the original Intersect and possibly, the only surviving scientist from that project. He was also the father of Charles Bartowski, potentially, the greatest living security asset in the country…if not the world. He was also the man who was driving her to drink…lots.
"Orion…what is it this time…have you got some new way to torture me?"
"Not right this minute...soon, maybe. Right now I just thought you might want an update on Agent Larkin. His brain continues to recover old memories and he currently is about at a middle school level. I believe that in a month or so he will be back to the level he was at before he attempted to download the Intersect 2.0. I could guess if he'll progress past that point but I don't believe he will. It looks more and more like he'll make a full recovery but we won't know until then if that recovery will allow him to function as an agent again. "
"Orion…why do you keep updating me on this? You've made it clear that you don't want anything to do with the Intersect…"
"Diane, I don't want my family having anything to do with 'your' intersect. The way that I originally envisioned the intersect, it could be used for small, mission specific, downloads. The original downloads wouldn't have required such a high image retention capability…don't get me wrong, the person would have had to still have high scores, just not as high as your current version would require. With the smaller downloads, agents could have specific skills or knowledge and after a set amount of time , their brains would simply 'erase' the download. I feel partly responsible for what happed to Agent Larkin and that's why I'll continue to monitor and update you on his condition. However, once he's recovered, I'm done."
"Orion…Stephen, these smaller downloads, are they still practical…can you make them work?"
"Of course I could. The question is, why would I?"
"We would be very willing to make it worth your time!"
"Diane, I'm in the process of recovering all of my patents that Ted Roark stole from me so I really don't need more money."
"What would it take…?"
"I keep saying it but you don't seem to want to listen, leave my family alone. Give me something in writing, signed by the president, and I'll get the 'micro-downloads' program up and running. Oh…I'll also want your money, Diane."
" I thought you said that you didn't need anymore money? I'm sure the government will make it worth your while …"
"No Diane, not the government's money…I need yours…specifically, all the money you skimmed from all of those 'bad guys' accountants which you then used to create your own little retirement nest egg. You can keep the money you earned legitimately but I want the rest of it."
"I don't know what you're talking about…I have never…"
"Shut it, Diane! I've been through your financials and I know everything. The signed document and the 'account', that's what it is going to take for your new intersect."
General Diane Beckman was way past her boiling point and only her years of practice kept that fact from showing. Her fingers were literally itching, either for a gun or her bottle of 'Jack' and since Stephen Bartowski wasn't in the room with her, the 'Jack' would be a better choice. "Alright" she hissed from between clenched teeth, "you can have the money in that account, you bastard!"
"Thanks Diane, I already took it, I just wanted you to know. Get me the document and I'll get started on your new intersect. Have a nice day."
The sound of a gunshot from within the General's office brought her aide running. Throwing open the door she was shocked to see her boss sitting at her desk with a glass full of 'Jack' in one hand and a still smoking nine mm pistol in her other.
"I'm going to need a new monitor…and set up a meeting with the joint chiefs for me. Also ask the president to attend the meeting as well. Thank you. You're dismissed."
-00-00—00-0—
Sarah and Ellie had been having a great time for the last three hours. While at the store buying ingredients for her first attempt at cooking, Sarah had also pruchased a couple of bottles of wine. She and Ellie had just about finished the first bottle and she was almost ready to put her first attempt at homemade lasagna in the oven. Ellie was making her go over all of the steps they had atken to get to this point and she was proud that she hadn't missed anything.
"Before you put it in the oven, why not give Chuck a call and see when he expects to get back...that way you can time it so the dinner is done when he gets here."
"But we won't be eating right away...there's shower time and..."
"That's all the info I need. Just call him..."
Picking her phone up off the counter, she activated the GPS mode and checked the display. "He's at the third location so he should be done pretty soon. I'll call him and find out." she said, hitting the speed dial and palcing the phone next toher ear. "Hey Chuck...how's the day going...yeah, I know you're on number three, how much longer ?...because I have to put the dinner in the ovcen and I want to time it just right...yes I actually used the kitchen to make something for you...well, yeah...your sister helped...lasagna...I know, I can't wait for you to taste it...yes, I got the outfit...yes it's a little too small...yes...ok, I'll see you in a couple of hours...no, don't hurry...make sure you do good job...I love you too. See you soon."
"What outfit? C'mon, spill it." Ellie said as she poured the last of the bottle of wine into her glass.
Walking into the living room and picking a box up from the sofa, she removed the lid and showed the contents to Ellie."It's a french maid's outfit" she explains with a slight blush, "I promised him one as part of our 'rent' agreement and he suggested that it might help if it was just a little small. I tried it on and ...being a little small does help. He's gonna love it and...that's probably all you want to hear, right?"
"Yeah...that's all I need to know. Maybe I should try one of those with devon."
"Well...if it doesn't get torn during the removal process, I'll let you borrow it, if you'ld like" she said with a smirk after finishing her glass of wine.
"Maybe I will" Ellie answered before draining the last of her wine."Remember, wait about an hour before you put it in the oven. Call me if you need anything else. I'm going to go hame and take advantage of that husband of mine. I talk to you tomorrow."
Sarah pulled Ellie into a big hug. "Thank you so, so much for this. I hope you will teach me more. I really want to make your brother happy and I know he loves it when you cook for him...I hope he'll love it when I cook..."
"I'd be happy to teach you more. I'm sure he'll love your cooking...and if nothing else, you can wear that outfit and he won't notice if the food is horrible." After hugging Sarah back, she turned and headed towards the door. Stepping out, she turned back and caught Sarah's attention. "The courtyard still smells like puke...I wonder if I should check on John...what do you think?"
"I wouldn't worry about it...John's pretty sturdy. I'll check on him after I put the dinner in the oven. Tell Devon I said Hi. I'll talk to you later."
"Ok...bye Sarah."
-00-00-0-00-
Sarah knocked on John Casey's door and was shocked by the sight that greeted her. Casey looked like he had been rode hard and put up wet...a lot! His eyes were bloodshot and the dark rings under his eyes made it look like he hadn't slept in months.
"Casey...are you alright...you look like shit! Can I do anything?"
He got the story started with a 'GFY' grunt and then added "sorry we can't all look chipper, like we just got a good 'how do you do' from our significant other! What do you want?"
"Nothing...Ellie asked about you and I told her I'd check up on you, make sure that you're feeling alright. After all, you don't throw-up in the courtyard everyday. I guess we were a little worried, that's all."
"Nothing to worry about. Been a rough couple of weeks...this morning...the hangover and the nerd with his tongue down your throat and his hands moments away from giving you a full 'B.C.S.', well...sorry."
Sarah tried to hide the smile as she remembered the kiss and the hands. "Just wanted to check. Make sure you were ok. I'll bring you some leftovers tomorrow."
"Ellie's cooking? Leftovers sound great. Something else...I'm taking a few days off and Beckman's sending Forrest to take over surviellance...just thought you'ld want to know. Seeing as how you got along so well last time...well, see ya later." and Casey's door was shut before she could say anything else.
-00-00-00-00-0-
Chuck walked in the front door and right away his mouth began to water. The fantastic smell that assaulted his nose left a huge smile on his face. "Lucy...I'm home" he said using his best Ricky Ricarrdo impression.
"In here, Ricky" Sarah called from the kitchen, suprising Chuck with her answer. "I've got a suprise for you...c'mere, sweety"
Chuck walked into the kitchen and couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Sarah standing in front of him. As promised she was wearing the french maid's outfit and ...boy, was she wearing it!
"Here. let me take your pack and your jacket...sir." she said with a smile. He watched her walk away and then bend over to put his back pack and jacket on the end of the couch. He almost choked...man, was she wearing that outfit! Straightening back up, she turned back to him and then walked past him, heading towards the bathroom. "This way sir, your bath is ready. While you are soaking, I'll finish the dinner preparations." she finished as she lead him down the hallway. After getting to the bathroom, she gently helped Chuck out of his work clothes and gently pushed him towards the tub. After giving him a gentle kiss on the lips she turned away and headed back out towards the kitchen.
"Sarah..." he managed to say before she had returned and re-attached herself to his lips, with a greater sense of urgency that the first kiss.
"Go on...take your bath. I'll come back and scrub your back for you after I check on the food."
"Yes ma'am" he answered to her back as she walked away. "What ever you say..."
Sarah made it to the kitchen and then grabbed the counter with both hands, steadying herself. After making sure that the salads were prepared and in the refrigerator, she removed the lasagna from the oven and placed it on the stove top. A quick glance at the table confirmed for her that she hadn't forgotten anything. Dinner was ready, now all she had to do wasgo and get her special dinner guest...who was currently sitting in a nice warm bath...naked...and waiting for her to wash his back. 'This might take a few minutes' she told herself, 'at the very least! After all, I have to wash his back...and I should help with his front as well...and then...'