A/N: Hola, amigos (and 'amigoettes'?)…some Swimmer for ya…not much to this one…sorta fluffy…Irene has me distracted…even though we're not gonna get the 'big blow' that others will, it's still moist…shut-up Prince Boo Boo…I don't want to hear it…just because you're bummed that Jim Cantorri refused to send you candid toe shots…man, what a fun day…I've got some TRFW for y'all soon…maybe another BLDBAL as well…and, there's another blast of Shate that I'm trying to beat into submission for your entertainment…in the mean time, re-watch Bambi Meets Godzilla and picture Shaw in the role of Bambi…ah, see, makes you smile every time…once again, big thanks to STN for helping me see ways to get better…although, the whole implementation of those improvements may be beyond my skills…ERK, I do agree with a lot but still like what I'm spewing out…some of the ideas may infect future stories…we'll see.

As usual, no betas, yadda yadda yadda…don't own Chuck or anything else of great import…and, most surprising of all, not making money here, just having fun…Thanks Jim. JT

A/N:P.S. -Esardi and uplink2...here ya go. Gonna try for another before 9pm

Sarah Vs. The Strong Swimmer - Chapter 25

Chuck and Sarah finally joined Casey and Carina as they sat waiting for the video conference to begin. As soon as the group had made themselves comfortable, the flat screen came to life, the now familiar split screen showing General Beckman and Director Graham looking the same way they always seemed to look, despite the fact that it was past midnight in Washington DC.

"So" General Beckman got things started, "I understand that congratulations are in order for a successful mission. MI6 has been in contact and wish to thank Agent Walker for her assistance in the apprehension of La Ciudad. We, of course, acknowledged their gratitude…despite the fact that all of the surveillance footage seems to indicate that Agent Walker acted alone in the take down."

"What we would like to clear up, Agent Walker, is how you ended up in the middle of the dance floor despite the fact that you were supposed to be running over-watch from the surveillance van. Any comments, Agent Walker?" Director Graham asked even though he appeared to already have drawn his own conclusion.

Sarah exchanged a quick glance with Chuck before launching into her report. "I was in the van, observing all of the incoming video feeds when I noticed that Chuck had flashed…"

"Flashed?" General Beckman asked, curious about anything relating to the intersect.

"That's what we cal it whenever the intersect activates" Chuck answered, "I thought we'd mentioned this before, in one of our reports".

"Yes, now that you mention it, that does sound familiar. Please, Agent Walker, continue."

"Yes ma'am. Anyway, I saw that Chuck flashed while he was, um, interacting with the woman that we now know to be La Ciudad. I knew that Agents Casey and Hansen were busy with the MI6 agent so I decided that I should lend my assistance to Ch…Agent Bartowski. I made my way into the event and subdued the prisoner before she could possibly harm Ch…Agent Bartowski,"

"Amazing work, Agent Walker. I'm guessing that the comment about someone having their , what was it again?", the General asked as she looked down at a piece of paper she had in her hands "oh yes, 'that bitch has her hands on his ass' was the gist of what was said just before you abandoned your post and joined the 'party'. Would you care to elaborate?"

"Well, yes…I, uh, I was referring to…"

"That will be enough, Agent Walker. I'm not a fool. Jealousy is not acceptable when an agent is on a mission. While I'm sure that you believe that Agent Bartowski's ass is your private property, if you can't control your emotions, it might be time to consider taking your maternity leave. We don't need your answer right this minute, take a few days and discuss it with your teammates."

"Yes ma'am…sir. You are absolutely correct. I'll give you're my answer before the week is out." Sarah answered, surprising everyone in the room with her un-emotional response.

"Good. Now, Agent Hansen, the paperwork has finally cleared and, with your release from the DEA, you are now officially a member of Team Intersect…unless you do not wish to accept the transfer." When Carina simply nodded her head, a small smile on her face, the General once again glanced down at the paper in her hand, obviously ready to move on to the next item on her list. "Finally, over two dozen countries had outstanding rewards offered for La Ciudad, dead or alive. With her capture, those reward monies, which had been held special account, have now been forwarded to the United States government with the understanding that the funds will be used to pay for the trial and incarceration, with any excess given to the person responsible for the capture. The MI6 agent immediately claimed the reward on behalf of his government but then withdrew his claim when the video evidence showed that he had no actual contact with La Ciudad. So, congratulations, Chuck…"

"What?" Chuck blurted out, "I didn't have anything to do with her capture."

General Diane Beckman almost smiled before continuing. "Not true, Chuck. You were able to 'distract' La Ciudad, allowing your team to capture her. Since your partners are all currently employed by the U.S. government and thus ineligible for rewards and we didn't want to risk exposing their identities, it was decided that Charles Carmichael would be thanked for invaluable assistance in the capture. The money should already be deposited into your account."

"Um…thank you?" Chuck said, not knowing what else to say.

"Major Casey" the General said, changing the focus of the meeting, "how is Mr. Bartowski's rehab and training coming along?"

"Well General, I would have to say that the exercise and weight training that Agent Walker and I have been putting the mor…uh, Chuck through have gotten him into surprisingly good shape…for him. I believe that as long as we keep him on this workout schedule, plus whatever extra exercise Agent Walker is putting him though, we should have him at minimum agent requirements within two months" Casey finished, ignoring the dirty look that Sarah had shot his way at his mention of 'extra exercise' and the look of pride that Chuck was suddenly wearing.

"Very good. Once again, good work team. Enjoy the next few days off but remember that Team Intersect has to remain on standby, just in case of any emergencies. Dismissed." the Director announced moments before the video connection was cut, leaving the four team mates staring at a blank screen.

"Well, that was interesting" Carina said with a smile, "so, when are you taking us shopping, Chuckles?"

"What?" Chuck asked, when he looked up from his laptop. He couldn't believe what he'd found when he'd checked his bank account.

"What is it, Chuck?" Sarah asked when she noticed the look her fiancé's face.

"Well, I think that we just got the twins college education taken care of…and then some" he replied as he found Sarah's eyes and locked onto them. He felt, rather than saw, both Casey and Carina's looks of curiosity.

"Well, numbnuts, just how much did Sarah's bout with jealous insanity put into the bank?" Casey asked as he slid behind Carina, making no secret that he was not above hiding behind a woman when he poked the 'Sarah-bear' with a stick.

"What the hell, Casey?" Carina said as she quickly stepped away from the big man while glaring at him.

"What? Like you aren't afraid of the baby-maker" Casey replied as he shuffled after Carina, clearly hoping to use her for a temporary shield.

Chuck couldn't help but smile as he watched his two partners shuffle back and forth, Carina now smiling at Casey's antics and moving every time she would realize that he'd come to rest behind her. "Casey, you realize that, even if you turn sideways, Carina would still make a lousy shield?" he pointed out, trying to not laugh as the pair continued their odd dance.

"Uh, yeah, you're right" he answered just as he grabbed Carina's shoulders, holding her in place in front of him, "but she should block any shots at vital body parts."

"Let go of me, you big pussy" Carina said as she struggled to extricate herself from his grip, "besides, in case you haven't noticed, it looks like Walker's broken."

Wondering what Carina was talking about, Chuck turned and noticed that his fiancé was standing at his right shoulder, staring down at the laptop that was sitting on his thighs,

"Holy shit" Sarah whispered, not believing what she was seeing.

Chuck looked down and then back at Sarah. "I know…pretty cool , huh? I mean, I was feeling so objectified when she grabbed my ass…"

"Oh, ha ha, funny man" Sarah said with a smile before she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself close. "Holy shit!" she whispered into his ear, "I mean, I've always liked your ass…before I would have called it 'priceless but now I can actually put a number on it, now I know how much it's actually worth" she finished by nipping at Chuck's ear, catching the earlobe between her teeth and giving it a light tug.

"Oh great, now my future wife is objectifying me as well." Chuck said with a mock pout. He turned to look at his two partners who were standing frozen, wondering what was going on. "Aren't you guys going to help? Can't you see I'm being objectified over here?" he said in a horrible English accent.

"Shut it, moron. And, it's 'repressed' not objectified" Casey answered as he allowed Carina to wiggle out of his grasp. Following his temporary 'almost' shield, he was soon standing behind Sarah, looking over her shoulder while she lowered her lips back to Chuck's neck. He caught sight of the computers screen and almost gasped. "Holy shit" he said at almost the same time as Carina who was looking over Chuck's other shoulder. He straightened up at the same time as Carina and looked over to see the surprise on her face, sure it was mirroring the look on his own. "A true patriot would refuse the reward, Bartowski."

"Oh, stop being a dick, Casey" Carina said as she slapped his shoulder, a playful smile on her face. "I'm gonna have to find out if touching Chuck's ass is really worth that much" she added and then quickly stepped back when Sarah lifted her face from Chuck's neck and glared at her.

"When you have that much money, in your hand, in cash…maybe I'll think about letting you find out" Sarah said with a predatory smile before lowering her lips back towards to Chuck's neck. "Don't you say a word, Chuck. Not. One. Word." she said quietly before returning to nibbling on his neck.

"Ugh…I can't take anymore of this" Casey said as he turned and headed towards the door. "Remember Bartowski, it doesn't matter how much extra exercise Walker puts you through, we still have a run in the morning. Also, hickees are for high schoolers" he added with a snort before stepping through the front door.

"I'm outta here too…I've got a game to get to" Carina said as she followed Casey.

"What game?" Chuck asked, curiosity getting the best of him despite Sarah's efforts to capture his full attention with her attack on his neck.

"C.O.D. Chuckles. I'm gonna kick wookienerd's ass. G'night."

"Night Carina" Chuck said as the front door closed. "Now, where were we?" he said as he looked into Sarah's eyes.

"You were about to put the laptop away, lock the front door, take my hand and lead me to our bedroom where you're going to slowly take off all of my clothes and show me just how much you love me…repeatedly" she whispered into his ear and after giving it another nip, she unwrapped her arms from around him. "It's been over an hour since I've felt your lips and tongue on my body and that really is too long" she added with a lustful look.

Chuck was at the front door and had just engaged the second lock when he realized what Carina had said. "Do you think that she knows that 'wookienerd' is Morgan?" he asked and when he didn't get an answer he turned and found it suddenly very hard to breath. Sarah had pulled her t-shirt over her head and dropped it on the floor and she was standing, with her eyes closed and her hands gently massaging her breasts. He watched, his mouth hanging open, as she to pinch her nipples and he almost choked on his tongue when one her hands began dropping downwards, working it's way down the front of her shorts. He walked across the room and stopped in front of Sarah who, sensing his presence, opened her eyes and stared at him, the desire easy to see in her eyes.

"Take me to bed, Chuck…now!"

He stepped to her side and gently lifted her in his arms and carried her towards their room while she continued to play with herself, her breathing beginning to quicken. He had just stepped through the doorway and was about to lower her onto the bed when her breath hitched and her entire body seemed to tremble. He stood and held her until she opened her eyes and looked into his. "What brought that on?" he asked as he lowered her onto the bed and, as he began to straighten back up, Sarah's hand shot out and grabbed the drawstring in the front of his workout pants, pulling him towards her.

"Are you complaining? I didn't think so. Now. Get. In. This . Bed." Sarah said , leaving no doubt that Chuck was not going anywhere. As he was about to sit down on the edge of the bed, Sarah gave the drawstring a quick yank. "You better be naked when you get in this bed or there could be problems" she said with a hungry smile.

"Yes ma'am" he answered with a smile.

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Chuck was feeling very good about himself as he jogged into the courtyard only a few steps behind Casey and a few steps ahead of Carina who had been lagging behind since they'd started. With a 'good run this morning', Casey had veered towards his apartment and Chuck had skidded to a stop when he caught sight of the two individuals who were seated at the fountain. He stumbled forward when his other running partner, who hadn't noticed his abrupt halt, ran into his back. 'Sorry' she'd mumbled and when she moved to step around him, she frozen in place, an odd look on her face.

"Uh, morning Martin" Carina said as she hurriedly brushed her hair back out of her eyes. "What are you doing here?" she asked with an odd smile on her face.

Chuck watched as Morgan stepped slowly away from the fountain leaving the second visitor standing all alone. Big Mike looked like a defeated man as he slowly walked over and offered his hand to Chuck.

"Morning, Chuck" he said as he slowly shook hands with his former employee. "I was hoping that we could talk."

"Sure, Big Mike. What's up?" he said as he walked towards his apartment, pausing briefly to look back over his shoulder at Morgan and Carina who seemed to be deep in conversation and he wondered what they were talking about. 'Later' he told himself, promising to talk to Morgan after he'd found out what his ex-boss wanted. He'd opened the front door and invited the big man in. Grabbing a couple of coffee cups and a fresh pot of coffee, he waited until Big Mike had sit down and then pulled out a chair for himself.

"I'll just get to it. Lester and Jeff got some fool notion in their heads about being a band and they both quit yesterday afternoon saying something about getting out of town before, as Lester put it, 'that crazy woman can find us'. I don't know what I'm going to do, Chuck. It's going to take a few days before I can hire some new herders and I was wondering if you might be willing to take any jobs that I can't farm off to other branches? Now, I know that you aren't happy about what happened but I'm hoping that you could help me out here."

Chuck thought about it for a minute, remembering how the man sitting next to him had fired him without seeming to care about the five years he'd worked for him. He was about to answer when Sarah appeared at his shoulder. She put her hand on his shoulder and cleared her throat.

"We'll help, if we can. You'll have to pay our regular rates and we're not going to do any warranty related work. If that'll work, give me a call and I'll see if I can work you into our schedule…if not, well, I don't know what to tell you." Without waiting for an answer, she gave Chuck's shoulder a quick squeeze and after placing a kiss on his cheek, she left.

"Damn, that's one hell of a business woman" Big Mike said, the appreciation obvious in his voice. As he was lifting the coffee cup to his mouth, Chuck slid his chair back and got to his feet.

"Thanks for stopping by, Big Mike" Chuck said, making it obvious that the visit was over as he gently took the cup from the man's hand and set it down on the table. He stood patiently as Big Mike got slowly to his feet and started towards the door. Moments later he followed him into the courtyard and waved as he left. He turned to his right and was shocked to see Morgan and Carina sitting, surprisingly close together, on the fountains edge, deep in conversation. He watched for about a minute and turned when he heard someone clearing their throat, finding his fiance standing in their doorway with an impatient look on her face. Realizing that his fiance was waiting for him and their morning shower ritual, he gave his head a quick shake and, promising himself to ask Sarah what she thought might be going on, he headed towards the apartment with a smile on his face.

Once he'd walked through the door, he turned to find Sarah already untying the front of her robe. "Shower. Now!" she said as she stepped towards him, the movement giving Chuck a glimpse of her naked body. "Once you've gotten yourself and, more importantly, me, clean, then we'll have a talk. We have work already scheduled and I won't be surprised if Big Mike calls with more. Today's going to be a busy day, Chuck, and Morgan's going to be earning his keep."

"Yes ma'am" he replied with a smile as he scrambled to catch up with Sarah as she headed towards the back of the apartment. 'Morgan and Carina can wait' he told himself as he grabbed Sarah's robe as she let it slide off of her shoulders. The vision in front of him drove all other thoughts from his head as he followed her into the bathroom, leaving him with one thought…what an unbelievably lucky man he was.

A/N Again - Go ahead…do that review, voodoo that you do, so well. Thanks. JT