A/N Yes I know. It's been over 3 months since I updated this story. I hope folks are still interested in act 3 which begins here.
Thanks to Esardi as always for his read through and for asking the right questions. You're the best buddy.
Still don't own Chuck but I have started a rewatch. My first since the finale aired. I'm finally ready to retake that journey even if where it ends up still bothers me.
Chapter 29
The Partners
Casa Bartowski/Walker
09:12 am PDT
As the morning sun had cleared its way above the second floor of the Echo Park complex a couple of hours ago, the heat of the day began to rise towards what promised to be a bit of a scorcher for this part of the early fall. Chuck had spent most of his entire life in southern California and loved that there were still the odd ninety degree temperatures this time of year. Sarah had once told him about a mission she had in northern New Hampshire where some known terrorist organizations were crossing the border from Canada through some old railroad beds that had been converted to snowmobiles trails. The "corridors" were a convenient way to move both people and material in the dead of night.
She told him about the amazing colors of the foliage in late September and early October in that part of the country and how breathtaking it was. It was one of the few times she actually got a chance to "stop and smell the roses" while on a mission.
But Chuck loved the warmth and when she told him it was very common for the nights in the woods to drop into the thirties and even high twenties that early in the season he was glad he spent his fall evenings in shorts and a t-shirt instead of a down parka. It also meant that sleeping in the nude, a new favorite thing for him now that he and Sarah lived together was a perfectly comfortable way to sleep. He had developed a real appreciation for how Morgan had chosen to sleep ever since he was sixteen.
Now true the reason that he was nude was completely different than Morgan's reason but he at least saw some merit in the practice. His past experiences with Morgan's propensity for forgetting to put on anything when he got up for a drink or to use the bathroom had created some rather awkward late night/early morning moments over the years but the idea of walking into the kitchen at 3am and seeing a naked Sarah Walker bent over with her head in the fridge instead of one Morgan Grimes was a rousing endorsement of his new found sleeping style. The glow of the 25 watt refrigerator light illuminating the most beautiful woman in the world in all her glory was a definite improvement over what had come before.
Chuck's eyes began to flutter as he felt Sarah snuggled into his side running her fingers through the soft downy hair that ran up the center of his abs to his chest. It was one of her favorite things to do. She was glad Chuck never let Devon convince him to get waxed.
"Good morning, beautiful." He said softly as he lightly kissed the top of her head.
"It is isn't it." She pulled her arms tightly around him. "Any morning I wake up in your arms is a good morning."
Chuck smiled and pulled his arm around her even tighter. "I once asked you if you were a morning person or not and you answered, it..."
"..depends on the morning." She chuckled as she interrupted him.
"Yea."
"Well it still does but ever since I began waking up next to you I've become a morning person. But when you're not there, not so much. I think my answer now would be it depends on if I wake up next to you or not." She looked up into his warm eyes and then lifted her hear to give him a gentle kiss.
"Me too."
"So Chuck what is the plan for today?"
"Well, we are meeting with the General at eleven so we should probably jump in the shower and ..."
"Unh Uh." Sarah shook her head and gave Chuck a seductive look that would have turned Liberace straight.
"Sarah, we really..."
"Nope." the blonde continued with a smirk. She had no intention of leaving that bed anytime soon.
"Ok, so what do you have in mind my wicked blonde companion?" He coyly replied.
Sarah quickly rolled Chuck over onto his back and climbed to straddle him. She leaned down and kissed him with a passion that made his toes curl. The movements of her hips however, had a different effect on him. She pulled her head up and smiled at him with all the love in her heart.
Chuck quickly flipped them over and put himself in the dominant position. He kissed her deeply, their tongues dancing their own version of the Lambada. When he pulled back he looked down at the vision beneath him. "Well you are our lead Agent and I'm just a trainee so I better not disobey your orders."
"Right answer." She smiled at him and the heat of the morning wasn't coming just from the rising sun anymore.
Castle
11:06 am
Chuck and Sarah came racing down the stairs of Castle to be greeted by a smirk from Carina, a look of disgust from Casey and what appeared to be a very annoyed General on the monitor.
"Sorry, sorry morning traffic was a bear."
"Excuse me Mr. Bartowski, do you take me for a fool?"
"No ma'am, of course not."
"Am I not the Director of the NSA and have access to virtually every traffic camera in the world?"
"Ye..yes, ma'am."
"So please don't lie to me. I know exactly when you left your apartment."
"Yes ma'am." Chuck and Sarah both stood there sheepishly.
The General shrugged slightly, some of the fire leaving her voice. "You, Agent Walker and the entire team had a very difficult mission last night. If you needed a little more time to "decompress" after such a mission that's fine but please don't lie to me about it. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am it won't happen again."
Carina gave the couple a 'I know exactly what you were really doing' smirk and Casey just grunted his disgust at the thought.
"See that it doesn't."
"General, if I may ask what is going on with Ursula?"
"I appreciate your concern, Chuck. Ms Reidy was transported this morning to an NSA facility in Long Beach. After a few days of questioning, we expect to bring her to Langley for further debriefing. As long as she cooperates fully, I don't expect any charges will be brought. From your report Chuck, she did help save the lives of three agents and I expect her killing of her son-in-law will be ruled justifiable."
"Thank you General." he said with a small nod of appreciation.
"Now to the matters at hand. We activated Agent Saunders implant with a single ping about a hour ago and it seems she is in the air headed towards somewhere across the Atlantic. We don't want to risk another for at least twelve hours. That should give us a more accurate reading on her final destination."
"Was she aware we had done it?"
"Yes Agent Carmichael, if she was awake she would have felt a small tingling sensation. We had instructed her that when she felt that to try and be in a secure location twelve hours later for when we sent her any instructions. The first time we transmit real data to her might cause a physical reaction until she gets used to it. It's better if she is alone so as not to be noticed if she reacts in anyway."
"Good idea General." Chuck flinched a little as he realized he had stated the obvious. The General just rolled her eyes and continued.
"Now to the matter of how we proceed from here. The meeting that was held at the event last night could have grave consequences if we are not careful."
"How so General?"
"Agent Miller, three reasons, The Ring, a great deal of money, and a one time nuclear Costa Gravis struggling to rebuild it's economy and its leaders trying to stay in power."
"General, I thought Costa Gravis had surrendered all of it's nukes as a condition to being reinstated in the UN and the World Bank?"
"They did Agent Walker but some folks at Langley are convinced that they didn't surrender all of the weapons they had bought. After the fall of the Soviet Union many of the records were destroyed and the Russian Federation can't give a complete accounting of where the nuclear material was sold." The General's face turned deadly serious.
"If Costa Gravis was still in possession of few pounds of unaccounted for Plutonium, what better way to dispose of it than to sell it to an organization like the Ring. Selling it to Al Queda or some other terrorist organization could be traced back to them much more easily. The Ring is their best option."
"And the First Bank of Macau is the perfect way to launder the money".
"Precisely Agent Carmichael."
Chuck ran his fingers through his hair and turned his head away from the screen. Casey seeing his chance to get back at his old communist rival spoke for the first time.
"General, permission to head to Costa Gravis and put a bullet in the commie bastard once and for all." His face filled with anger.
"Denied!"
"What?" Team B all said at the same time, equally shocked.
"Begging the General's pardon. I.."
"I said denied." Beckman sighed and took a deep breath. No one on Team B dared speak.
"Colonel Casey, though I appreciate your dedication to duty, the Angel de la Muerte is not going anywhere near Costa Gravis."
' Angel de la Muerte?' Carina mouthed to Sarah. The blonde agent saw her boyfriend flash at the name.
Shaking his head, Chuck looked over at his partner and smiled with admiration. Casey on the other hand just rolled his eyes and looked away. He hated it when Chuck flashed on something from his file.
Chuck turned to Sarah and Carina letting them know he would tell the both later the pertinent facts without betraying their partner. He looked back at the screen and spoke.
"General, if I may I think that Agent Miller should head to Costa Gravis. We can't risk her being seen by the Director or anyone else from the Ring for that matter as that would blow Agent Saunders cover. Plus her DEA connections would have great resources at her disposal on the ground there already."
"I agree," the General turned her attention to the leggy redhead. "Agent Miller, I will personally inform the head of the DEA of your new assignment. This mission is too important to risk your untimely non-death being discovered and relayed back to the Director. I will demand only his most trusted Agent be assigned as your contact. You are to have no other contact with anyone from the DEA or any other Agency besides the people in this room, understood?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good, once we make contact with Agent Saunders we will decide on where we will send the rest of you. Sit tight but be ready at a moments notice."
"Yes, General." Chuck, Sarah and Casey, the big three of Team Intersect answered in unison.
"As this is probably the last time this entire team will be together for a while," The General said actually almost grinning. "I think we can pass on all the standard formality. Chuck would you mind getting what is in the top drawer of the file cabinet behind you?"
Chuck eyes shot between all of his teammates. Each one had a look of confusion just like his. He turned and walked the few steps to where his boss had sent him. Entering the code in the electronic lock the top drawer slid out exposing a blue padded envelope. Removing it from the drawer he turned and headed back towards his partners. The cabinet closed by itself and the electronic lock re-engaged,
"Go ahead open it, Agent Bartowski."
Chuck's head shot up looking at the face of a smiling petite General on the screen.
Opening the packet it contained a leather bound wallet with his official badge and embossed identification card, the smiling face on one Charles Irving Bartowski in the upper left corner.
"Congratulations Chuck, you are now officially an Agent of the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States."
As he ran his fingers over the gold plated metal with the symbol of his country and agency, a smile began to grow on the one-time BuyMore nerd herder. In a split second the amazing and sometimes agonizing journey he had been on since his late one-time nemesis surprised him with an email for his birthday, flashed in an instant. Only this time is wasn't the Intersect flashing, it was his own first hand memories.
"Agent Bartowski, you have proven to be a most "unique" trainee and you certainly have tried my patience on more than one occasion. But at the same time your courage, your intelligence and you commitment to your country has made it an honor to be your commanding officer. In light of your special talents and proven record the DNI has decided to waive the archaic Red Test requirement. We have no doubt that you would do whatever is necessary to protect your team and this country. Welcome aboard, Agent Bartowski."
"Th..Thank you General. I don't know what to say."
"Finally!" Casey grunted the joke, but the pride in his partner was quite evident. He reached out his hand and shook Chuck's firmly, nodding his approval. "You earned it."
"Thanks Casey. I couldn't have done it without you."
Casey put his hands up slightly letting Chuck know no more of the "lady feelings" especially in front of the General. But Chuck knew he was proud of him.
Carina then grabbed Chuck's arm and pulled him into a warm hug. Pulling back she kissed him on the cheek. "Congratulations, Chuckles!"
Blushing as Carina wiped the slight trace of lipstick off his cheek, "Thanks Carina."
Standing patiently at his side, the love of Chuck's life waited patiently for her turn to congratulate him fighting the tears of joy and pride welling up in her eyes. Once he turned towards her, she moved the short distance forward and pulled him into tender loving hug. Not at all like the one he had just gotten from Carina. After a few more seconds than was probably appropriate for the two 'professionals' she whispered in his ear, "I'll congratulate you properly when we get home."
Noticing the exchange, the General let out a small cough that caused the two to turn quickly towards the screen. They quickly stood at attention, Sarah's hands together behind her back.
"Agent Bartowski, as you are now an official agent of the US Government, I expect you to act with complete and total professionalism at all times."
"Yes, ma'am."
"It also means that Colonel Casey and Agent Walker," her voice emphasizing Sarah's name and title, "are no longer your handlers. The rules regarding assets and handlers no longer apply. You are her pier and their equal. Do you understand what that means, Agent Bartowski?"
Chuck took a second and thought about the ramifications of what she just said. He glanced over at Sarah and she nodded her understanding. Both trying desperately to hide the happiness they felt. General Beckman had just given her blessing to them being together out in the open.
"Yes ma'am. Thank you." he said with his smile even bigger than when he got his badge. Not having to hide their relationship anymore was far more important to him than his new title.
The General then sighed slightly. Chuck's smile suddenly faded a bit.
"But I must caution you, that allowing your private life to interfere with your professional one, can be dangerous." then suddenly a small smile crept back onto the General's normally stoic expression. "But off the record, it's about damn time." Two seconds later the seal of the NSA appeared on screen.
Final approach Gatwick Airport
01:03 GMT
Andrea Saunders sat in front row of the Gulfstream jet, alone. It was the same seat she had spent the last ten hours in. Across the aisle from her was whom she assumed was her guard, escort and if need be, her assassin. Except for a few trips to the bathroom she hadn't moved the entire flight. She knew the Director didn't trust her yet and like most good spies he probably never would but so far it appeared that he had no idea she was working as a double agent. Actually she was a double, double (triple?) agent if you wanted to get technical.
Fortunately for her, the agent across the aisle had been sleeping when she felt the first twinge at the base of her skull. It was very slight but it caused her to flinch. Now that she knew what the activation of her implant felt like she would be better suited to hide any future reaction. She was very curious about how they would communicate with her. Would it seem like she heard it or would it be more like she just knew it? Would it be anything like what happened when Chuck "flashed' from the Intersect? She didn't think so but there hadn't been enough time to test it completely before she had to leave Andrews and meet the Ring Director.
They told her that if she wanted to get a message back to them she simply had to say it in her mind, beginning each thought with the phrase "Unimatrix 01". The nerds at Langley got a chuckle when Chuck had suggested it. But the humor was lost on everyone else. At the very least it wasn't something she would normally say and accidentally trigger the implant.
Simon Foster had slept much of the flight sleeping in his private quarters at the rear of the plane. While still at the Ring hive he had spent much of his night explaining what happened to the designated Ring Elder he communicated with. The Ring was structured in such a way that no one knew the identity of all of the Elders. The Director was no exception. He simply communicated with one specific Elder and they in turn communicated to the rest of the group by means of a matrix where one Elder knew only one other and so on and so on. They never appeared in the same location and capturing one only jeopardized one other. It was traditional spy craft that had been used for centuries but it worked. The less one person knew the less danger to all if they were captured.
Simon had told his assistant that he wanted to be woken about 2 hours before touchdown. This would give him enough time to shower and change before meeting with his newly returned agent. Having her sit quietly for the entire 11 hour flight with no interaction with anyone would be an interesting flashback to her time in captivity. The accommodations were much grander certainly but the isolation was similar.
The Director's assistant went to wake him at the designated time but he found the Director had already showered, dressed and was seated at his computer checking for any fallout from the failed mission in LA.
"As soon as we touchdown I want a full report on the status of our cargo's arrival in Cardiff. I want to personally speak with our agent in charge on scene. I need to know we got everything we paid for. I don't trust that little dictator's wife one bit. Hortencia would betray her husband in a heartbeat if it meant a return to the grand old days of the ruling class opulence before the fall of communism."
"Yes sir. Is there anything else?"
"Please escort Agent Saunders back to my quarters. I'd like to talk with her for a bit."
The assistant nodded and headed to get the brunette agent.
"Agent Saunders?"
"Yes?" she replied professionally. Her 'guard' watching her carefully.
"The Director would like to see you, ma'am. Come this way."
"Thank you."
Saunders unbuckled her seatbelt, stood up and followed the assistant aft.
"You wanted to see me, sir?"
"Yes Agent Saunders, please sit down."
"Thank you sir."
The assistant left and closed the door to the small cabin.
"Now that we are alone do you mind if I call you Andrea?"
"No sir, that's fine."
The Director reached over and poured two glasses of Bourbon. He didn't ask, he simply handed the second glass to the brunette.
"I'm not a big drinker but I believe that the escape and return of one of our most valued agents is something worth celebrating, wouldn't you agree?" He said with that cocky sarcasm she had heard a few times before from him.
"Yes sir, thank you sir."
"Andrea, you can drop the sir when we're alone."
"Yes, si.. sorry yes Director."
Simon leaned back and took a long pull from his glass. The bite cleansing his throat as it went down.
"Ahhh. The reason I asked you back here Andrea was not just to toast your return to the fold but to advise you of your next critical assignment."
Saunders actually was taken back slightly by the idea of immediately getting an important assignment so soon after 'escaping' NSA custody. She figured she would have to go through some reintegration training and evaluation. "Assignment?"
"Yes, we are in need of someone with your "special" talents for an important mission. One that could change the balance of power dramatically."
"But si.. Director I haven't been an active field agent in a number of years. I've been predominantly working as a trainer and 'mole' inside the CIA since I was recruited."
"I am well aware of your record Andrea. I'm also aware of your 'work' with former Acting Director Mitchell, God rest his soul." He smiled smugly.
Saunders nodded. It seemed like her 'skills' as a Ring honey trap were about to be utilized again.
"We need you to get close to this man, David Hutcheson." he handed her a picture of a man in his late forties, dark hair, handsome with kind of a rougher Colin Firth look about him. "Hutcheson is the Director of PTAG Safety and Security Group. They are the main suppliers of security technology, cameras etc throughout Britain. He will be speaking monday and tuesday at the Transport Security Expo in London. You are to make contact with him there and keep him 'occupied' for the rest of the week. Do whatever it takes to get him to invite you to spend the weekend with him. In his safe at his home in South Kensington is a small communications device that we need you to attach to this specially modified Ring smart phone. Once connected you will alert our team and follow their instructions. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Director. What will my cover be?"
"You will be attending as Elise Lansing, personal assistant to the associate Director of Security for BART, recently divorced, and living in Sausalito."
"What is my play?"
"Hutcheson was recently widowed. His wife died from pancreatic cancer last year. He lives alone and hasn't dated since her death. It's your job to change that."
"Yes Director."
"On this data drive is everything we have on Hutcheson. Find something in there you can use."
Andrea took the data drive and nodded to the Director and left for he seat at the front of the plane. She did her level best to hide her disgust with her assignment. All she would ever be for the Ring was just another whore sent to try and get information from some lowlife like Mitchell. Even worse, now she was being asked to seduce an innocent, heartbroken man. She was expected to lure him to her bed taking advantage of his grief over his lost wife. Her 'boss' showed no compassion, and no sense of guilt. He was someone who knew something that he wanted to know. That was all the justification he needed to destroy this mans life and she would be the tool of that destruction.
Shaw, Mitchell and now Simon Foster were all about their own personal needs and desires. Power, money, sex and vengeance is what drove men like them. Carmichael had been the only man she knew that had ever displayed any compassion for others. He had shown her mercy and gave her a second chance when she didn't deserve it. He saved her life from both the Ring and the NSA when Casey would have gladly put her down for even breathing wrong. He also trusted her with this mission giving her a chance to redeem herself and shorten her sentence. Sure the little device at the base of her skull was their insurance policy but they didn't get to be great spies by doing something stupid like trusting someone who hadn't earned it. For some reason Shaw came to mind.
But Chuck had also given her something else, something she simply couldn't forget. Their 'date' back in Zuoz was possibly the best night she had had since before Shaw betrayed her in Thailand and sent her down this path of revenge and bitterness. He had shown her that there were still good men in this world. Sure he had been playing her but there was something about him in how he treated her, charmed her and made her laugh that years and years of experience at detecting lies and deceit showed her was in many ways very real. Chuck was at his heart a good, decent and honest man that was caught up in a world he didn't seem fit for. Yet seeing him with Agent Walker made her realize that it was their bond that kept him from falling victim to the misery of this life. What she saw between them was something incredibly strong and frankly, it made her envious. It gave her hope that she could someday climb out of the abyss she had allowed herself to become swallowed up in.
As she turned and looked over at the man sitting across the aisle that she was certain had orders to kill her at the smallest provocation, she made a vow to herself to try and do something for the right reasons for the first time in many years. She vowed to help Charles Carmichael and fight to protect him and his partner even if it meant she had to sacrifice herself in doing it. What she saw between them was precious and real. It was the most real thing she had ever seen and she would do anything she could to pay them back for their belief in her and for giving her a chance to possibly redeem herself.
Casa Bartowski/Walker
8:12 PDT
After spending much of the day in Castle trying to research the Ring financial ties to the First Bank of Macau through layer after layer of shadow corporations, trusts and other off-shore bank accounts, Casey had decided to take "Agent Carmichael" for a little friendly agent to agent competition in the gun range at Castle.
Sarah had been working with Carina going over any intel they had on Costa Graves and its rather interesting leading couple. Their relationship was right out of a cheap romance novel. Young idealistic revolutionary meets beautiful determined woman as they plot the overthrow of the last colonial government in Central America. A government propped up by billions of dollars from western companies bent on doing whatever it took to strip the countries natural resources away from it's people.
The gulf between the haves and have nots in Costa Graves was huge and made it ripe for communist influence from Cuba and the Soviet Union to grow the seeds of revolution in its people. The young vibrant couple took their passion and lust for each other and brought it full force into their cause. It was powerful and the poor in Costa Graves worshipped the young leaders. They were the communist version of the Peron's of Argentina and just as ruthless.
But rumors had been spreading that with the fall of the Soviet Union, Alejandro Goya was willing to make overtures to the west in exchange for what he hoped would be an influx of tourist dollars as his 'payments' from Moscow had long since dried up. As they moved away from the ideals of the revolution, his wife Hortenzia began to enjoy the "benefits" of western society. Her love of fashion rivaled Eva Peron herself. Just like Eva, she became more and more interested in lavish opulence and when the worlds economy floundered and the tourist dollars shrank, it forced her husband to find other ways to fund their lifestyle. That is when their overtures to the Ring began.
Carina and Sarah had also worked on her cover as a fashion journalist who wanted to write an article on the "emerging fashion icon" Hortenzia Goya. They had scheduled an interview in two days time but Carina wanted to get there as soon as possible. They figured the Ring was watching them and the "late" Carina Miller needed to get out of Dodge as soon as possible.
Team Carmichael finished their work around 7:30 and Casey had driven Carina back to her hotel to pack for her early morning flight to Costa Graves. But he made sure that any handcuffs the redhead might have had were left in Castle. He had no plans to even get out of the car but with Carina it was better to be safe than sorry. He was just a man after all.
Chuck and Sarah headed to their apartment where the official Agent in Charge of Team Carmichael wanted to "congratulate" their newest Agent in some very specific and "unofficial" ways. She had even skipped her daily workout routine because she they both were going to get some serious "exercise" that evening.
Agent Carmichael was now sitting on the couch with the love of his life on his lap. Officially being an agent was a big step for them and as their new pact was important to him, he wanted to make sure that he and Sarah openly discuss the events of this day.
He looked into the sea of blue that sparkled with the light of pride that shown from inside those eyes as she looked at him. "Sarah, are you sure you are ok with this?"
"Chuck, I'm so proud of you."
"But I remember a time not too long ago when you weren't too happy with me when I downloaded the 2.0."
Sarah sighed. Chuck becoming an agent back then was something she feared would change him. Make him cold and unfeeling like she had been for so much of her adult life. But taking the time to actually talk to each other like adults that night had helped them find the right course that led them here. It helped Chuck to hold on to the things that made him great. The things that Sarah loved most about him. Chuck was now an agent, but he was still "her Chuck".
"I know Chuck. For the longest time you kept telling me you wanted to get that thing out of your head and lead a normal life."
Taking their second trip down memory lane this day he replied. "Ahh, but remember what I said after that?"
"I remember." She smiled. It was a memory full of hope and determination.
"You said you were going to life the life that you want, with the girl that you love." They both smiled at the shared memory.
"Sarah, that's still mostly true, it's just that the life I want has changed. But one thing hasn't changed, I still want to live that life with the girl that I love." He leaned in and kissed her tenderly as she sat on his lap on the couch of their apartment.
"Chuck, I want that too."
"Oh, who's the lucky girl?" He said smiling.
"I've had offers believe me." Sarah poked him in the side.
"Owww. I don't doubt that actually. I've seen the looks you get from both men and women when we go out shopping or to dinner."
"Hey, it's not just me who gets those kinds of looks from both women and men, buddy."
"Really? Come on. Their just trying to figure out how a nerd like me can get within fifty feet of someone like you."
"Believe me, they are not wondering about that one bit. They are trying to figure out how to get rid of me so they can take their shot. But it's never gonna happen, Chuck so you better get used to it." She said shaking her head.
"But seriously Sarah, me being an agent it's a good thing right?" Chuck's insecurities were much less an issue now but he still wondered if he was good enough to be the kind of agent he wanted to be.
Sarah shifted up a little bit on his lap and gently caressed his cheek. She then kissed him tenderly and smiled a look that warmed his heart. "Yes Chuck, it's a good thing. I know that now."
"But you know you will always come first Sarah, always."
"And you will always come first for me too, Chuck. But you know that will eventually cause us problems with our bosses. They have a way of forcing you into putting them first."
"I won't let that happen." He said with a fierceness in his voice that sent a chill of desire down her spine. She loved all the manifestations of the man in front of her but determined, powerful Chuck definitely had a physical as well as emotional reaction in her. Something she had every intention of acting upon very soon.
"Chuck, it's ok. We will deal with that when the time comes. Beckman as much as told us she was ok with our being together. Plus your new agent status eliminates any official reason why we can't."
"I know. I was as shocked as you were. But when I spoke with her in DC after we got back from Marseille, she seemed to know that my ability to flash was tied to my emotions and that you, my beautiful blonde goddess, are the biggest factor in keeping those emotions in check. But she also said that she realized that our partnership along with Casey is what makes the Intersect work. I don't think she would do anything to jeopardize that."
"I don't think so either but remember Chuck even Beckman has a boss and I can guarantee they would have no problem forcing the issue should they deem it necessary."
"Sarah, I want to have it all. The chance to help people, protect them and the chance to share that life with you. My being an agent is important to me, after Stanford I would never have guessed my life would end up here but by some miracle it has and I won't ever lose sight of that. But the best part of that miracle is that I met the most amazing woman in the world and I somehow managed to get her to fall in love with me."
"Chuck, I want it all too. But what gives my life meaning is you. It's not the CIA or being an agent. What gives my life a real purpose is to show you the amazing man I've been blessed to get to fall in love with someone like me. A con-artist's daughter, a CIA agent, and yes a killer. You know more about me than anyone ever has, and yet somehow you still love me. I promise I will never take that love for granted and though I am so proud that you are now an official agent of our government, I am a thousand times more proud of the man you are and the fact that you somehow love a woman like me."
During both of their heartfelt speeches tears had been welling up in Sarah's eyes. And Chuck would be lying if he said his weren't moist as well. They both leaned in kissed each other tenderly at first but the passion began to overwhelm them. Chuck suddenly stood up, never breaking their kiss and in a show of determined strength he never used his arms other than to hold up the love of his life. He used years of subconscious memories to know exactly how to get from the couch to their bed without ever opening his eyes or removing his lips from hers.
Sarah for her part knew exactly when to reach out and grab the doorknob to let them into their room. Within a few moments they were both naked lying in each others arms on top of the duvet. Sarah was the first to open her eyes as she pulled back from the best ten minutes of intense kissing she had ever experienced. But she knew the time for the preliminaries was over. She had some congratulating to do. So she smiled lovingly and looked deeply into the eyes of the man who had changed her life forever.
"I love you, Agent Carmichael." The gleam in her eyes brighter than anything in their room.
"I love you too, Agent Walker." Chuck dove at her lips and in a blur Sarah had flipped them so she was now in the dominant position. This was Chuck's night and she was determined to show him just how proud of him she was and how much she loved him.
Two hours later
A very naked Chuck walked back into their bedroom with a couple of fresh bottles of water and some pieces of fresh fruit in a glass bowl. They both decided they needed some refreshments before they began round four of Chuck's agent status celebration. Both were determined to make this the best 'graduation' celebration in the history of the CIA. For the next things on the agenda they needed to refuel.
Chuck set the tray in the middle of the bed and began to feed his beloved a few pieces of honeydew melon, her favorite. After a few sips of water Sarah opened her mouth again waiting for Chuck to feed her once more. "Sorry sweetheart, no more melon pieces."
"Well then there's always blueberries." She reached out and fed Chuck a few of the succulent morsels.
"Mmmhh, these blueberries are amazing."
"I know, wait till you taste them with cream. I'll just..."
Suddenly their celebration was disturbed by sound of an incoming video conference. Realizing they were both naked Chuck quickly threw his discarded t-shirt over the camera on top of his monitor on the shelf opposite their bed. Sarah had been after him to move the TV to the opposite side of the room because of just this kind of situation but with everything going on with Shaw and the Ring, Chuck hadn't got around to it. After tonight it would be job one on his 'honeydo' list. The irony of the other spelling of that word was not lost on him either.
They both quickly scrambled to get something to cover both their bodies and activities.
"Agent Walker, Agent Carmichael. would you please hurry up and remove the cover from the camera. I'm not stupid but I'm also not a voyeur either."
"Yes, ma'am." They both answered a bit uncomfortably. Beckman's newly proclaimed acceptance of their relationship was one thing but neither wanted to give her visual confirmation of what she had suspected was going on between them ever since she ordered the 49B.
Looking over at Sarah she nodded that she was ready. Chuck's dress shirt big enough to provide the modesty she needed. Chuck reached over and removed the shirt from over the camera.
"Sorry, General we were..." he began sheepishly.
"Agent Bartowski, I don't need to know what two adult 'Agents' were doing in their free time." Chuck's face had probably never been redder. Sarah could almost chuckle at the adorable site before her except for the fact that under the sheet on their bed where she was sitting she was naked from the waist down in front of her boss. Sarah decided to take some of the heat and attention off her lover.
"General, I take it you heard from agent Saunders?"
"Yes, Agent Walker. We opened a brief link to her implant about an hour ago. She is in London with the Ring Director. Foster kept her in basic isolation on the plane but she believes he is planning something, something big."
"Any idea what that might be, General?"
"No, we had to cut the link off before she could tell us anything more. But the fact that the International Transport Security Expo is going on this week in London seems like something the Ring might be interested in." Beckman and Sarah both noticed the look of a brief flash on Chuck's face.
"Anything of value, Agent Bartowski?"
"No General. Just some data on the conference and a few of the things not on the "public" agenda."
"I take it we will be headed to London?" Sarah asked.
"Yes, you need to be at Edwards at 9am. You'll be taking a military transport to the UK."
"Oh, Casey will be pleased." Chuck said smiling.
"Well Colonel Casey will be at Edwards tomorrow but he won't be going with you."
"General?"
"No, many of the participants in the conference are ex-military and we don't want to risk someone recognizing the Colonel. So he is headed to Macau. I want him to see what he can find out about any financial dealings the Ring might have there. He'll join you in London in a few days."
"Yes, General, understood."
"Besides Agent Bartowski, you and Agent Walker are now officially partners. I understand the three of you, along with Agent Miller of late, felt like you always have been but now with your new status as an Agent, we can make it official... and permanent." The General said with a hint of a smile. She never thought after she had heard what happened in that Intersect room when Agent Larkin was killed that the disaster of that day would turn into such a rousing success. The 'geek' ahh 'nerd' had amazed her and made what could have been her worst nightmare, Chuck Bartowski re-intersected, into possibly her biggest success. She also knew that much of the credit went to Colonel Casey and especially Agent Walker. Her dedication and let's face it, her love for the asset had been instrumental in making Chuck the man that stood before her. She had truly proven that their 'emotional connection could be an asset to the ahh asset.'
"Thank you General." This day keeps getting better and better he thought.
Just as Beckman was about to press the button to end the conference, she looked up at the smiles on the faces of her best team. "Congratulations team, I'll make sure the link is closed and the camera shut down so you get back to 'celebrating' you new found 'partnership'." The screen went black in milliseconds but they both caught a glimpse of what might be an actual smile from their boss.
"Come here, partner!" Sarah said as seductively as a woman could who was just about to start round four of many.
"Absolutely, partner!" The grin on his face as big as Lake Mead.
Chuck, just because he's still Chuck, threw the t-shirt back over the camera just in case. There was still a lot of 'celebrating' to do.
A/N 2 I hope this set up chapter was worth the wait. I doubled up on the Charah scenes because I don't think we will be getting much for the next few chapters. Things are going to get serious as this Ring isn't the amateurs the show's version was.
Thanks again for reading and reviewing.
