When the team arrived at the airport, the pilots greeted them. It was apparent to Chuck that both Casey and Sarah had met them before and the pilots were familiar with them, if the jokes the pilots were making about being superfluous as Sarah and Casey could easily have flown the plane instead of them, although they appreciated the flight hours since they were approaching the end of the year. The larger baggage was quickly towed in the hold and the team boarded the plane. The first officer came in not too long after them and began her preflight checklist while the Captain completed his walk around.
What had surprised Chuck was that when the Captain had entered the cockpit, he leaned over and gave his first officer a peck on the cheek. When he turned to Sarah, who had seen interaction as well, for explanation, she smiled and explained that the pilots had been married for several years and despite it not being officially in their files. Beckman was aware of their marital status and allowed them to be scheduled on the same flights the majority of the time, the exceptions being the couple times the first officer had been on leave for the birth of their children who were now school aged.
"As a general rule, Beckman has no issue with relationships between those in her command structure, unless it is in violation of a military code." Sarah explained.
"Even then, she's likely to push through a OCS application to eliminate that disparity," Casey added, overhearing their conversation, "Happened for a buddy of mine a few years back, he was a Staff Sergeant when he met this pretty young thing and they hit it off, come that Monday he found out she was a First Lieutenant. When they found out, they initially were going to let it go, but wound up seeing each other on the sly. When it got serious, he applied to OCS, Beckman got wind of it about the time she had pegged his girl for NSA work. She pushed his application through and extended an offer to both of 'em."
Chuck nodded his understanding just as the first officer shouted over her shoulder that they had just gotten clearance to take off before closing the cockpit door for take off as the captain had already closed and secured the cabin door when he'd completed his walk-around. They heard the left engine start up and the plane give a slight jolt as it began to move down the taxi way. They didn't taxi long before arriving at the runway line. When they heard the right engine join its twin, the sound of the turbines spooling up growing louder, they checked their seatbelts for takeoff. The plane gave a jump and started down the field at an ever-accelerating pace until they felt the first moment of weightlessness as the plane started it ascent into the sky. The plane banked a few times according to the headings they were given by the tower in order to safely join the flow of air traffic for their journey.
A few dozen miles off the eastern seaboard, they reached their cruising altitude and were advised by the pilots that it was safe to be about their business. Since they wanted to go over the mission parameters once more, they retrieved their carry-ons, withdrawing folders and laptops, spreading them over the table that had been previously stowed against a wall and was brought down between them for this purpose. The seats in that section of the cabin were configured to have two forward facing and two rear facing seats to accommodate meetings and create a workspace when needed.
Casey held the envelope with their travel documents and promptly distributed the necessary passports, visas, and other identifying items to the team. Sarah's held the information on Fedorov's previous dealings and associates, and Chuck's held an incomplete list of potential guests of the events that were to occur over the next several days. According to the intelligence, Mr. Fedorov was to be attending the wedding of an associate's daughter, the analysts had not been able to discover the identity of the bride or her parents prior to the trip. Since Fedorov was the primary focus, their identities were deemed inconsequential. Along with the briefing information, several photos with dossiers printed on the back were included.
Sarah had handed the photos to Chuck to familiarize himself with the possible other attenders of the wedding. He hadn't been flipping through the photos long when he began to flash. Once the flash subsided, his eyes shot over to Casey. "Uh Casey, there something you should be aware of."
Casey raised an eyebrow with a clear meaning of 'Get on with it,' implied in the gesture.
"I hate to break it to you, but you know Mr. Fedorov's newest gal-pal," Chuck looked at Sarah as an impish grin lifted the corners of his mouth, "I just thought you should be aware that your old flame, Ilsa, might be there… Sugarbear."
The speed at which Casey lept across the table, scattering files and papers every which way while thankfully avoiding the laptops, was remarkable. Growling as he loomed menacingly over the younger man, he grabbed Chuck by his tie, "Don't you ever say that name again, do you understand?" The hurt in his eyes was clear only for the briefest of moments before he regained his composure and slowly released his hold on Chuck.
Sarah watched the interaction with wide eyes before picking up the photo from where it had landed on the table in front of her looking briefly at the picture before turning it over and scanning the information on the back. "Casey, he's telling you the truth."
"Can't be, she died 4 year ago in Grozny," Casey shook his head refusing to admit what he was starting to know was true, "Must be someone else using her name. Those commies do that all the time, recycle identities."
"While that may very well be true," Sarah turned the photo back over and pushed it over to lay face-up at him, "It's not as likely they have the ability to recycle her face. I'm sorry Casey."
Casey stared at the photo, his finger absentmindedly tracing along the line of her pictures' jaw. He had loved her once, if she had asked, he would have left it behind just to be with her. His mind flitted back to that morning, she had been so happy at the little trinket he'd found for her at the local bazaar and was modeling it for him as he tried in vain to get her to forgo work for a little longer and come back to bed. She had simply laughed, gave him a kiss that promised more later, and said that she would be back before he knew it.
The fear that racked his body as the explosion's concussive force rocked the building and made his heart skip a beat still lived on in his memory. He had pulled on his pants and shirt from the night before, slipping his feet into his tactical boots and securing the laces, all with a speed he'd never achieved even during his time in basic training or at the academy. The scene that met him when he'd exited the hotel was grim, he'd seen scenes such as this throughout his military and NSA career, many times they were worse than this. Shrapnel and detritus were scattered over the roadway from the black hole that had previously been their favorite café, where they had started most of their mornings during their time together. Bodies in various states of brokenness and life followed the reverse trajectory of the blast, many were burnt, but not so bad as to prevent identifying by the local authorities who, by the sounds of the approaching sirens, were close. He made his way through the chaos desperately searching, but the only thing he found was her camera. He assumed her body had been close enough to the explosion to burn up on impact, and he hoped that her death had been quick without any suffering, although he knew the likelihood of that was doubtful.
The sound of his name being called brought him out of his reverie as his partners looked at him, concern evident on their faces. "I don't believe it," He barely whispered, but the evidence was clear by the picture in his hand. She was a little older than he remembered, but the light in her eyes was the same. The only thing that gave him pause was the chain around her neck, the pendant had been cut off, but… could she still have the necklace he had given her that day?
"There's more, Case," Chuck called his attention once more, "She's DGSE, her 'death' was staged. Her agency knew about the two of you and while you were in Grozny. They also had received info about the café bombing and used it as a reason to remove her from the situation. I am so sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry about," Casey sighed, "Happens more often than you think, Hell, I've had to fake my death a few times over the years."
"Yes, but your deaths didn't cut you off from your loved ones," Chuck pointed out, "Kathleen and Alex always knew you were safe because you had ways of letting them know it was fake."
"Is there anything else we need to go over before we get to Paris?" Casey changed the subject, "I want to try to get some shut-eye, so I don't get jet lagged."
Chuck looked like he wanted to say something but was stopped when Sarah laid a gentle hand on his arm. "There's nothing more that can't be handled on the flight to Hungary in the morning." She assured him.
Casey gave a sharp nod of acknowledgement as they packed up their workspace. Once the table was secured once more, he settled on the couch, since he figured his partners would want to share the bed in the small stateroom located to the aft of the aircraft. As he watched the young couple retreat into the room, he let out a weary sigh. He wasn't in the least bit tired enough to sleep, which was fine, jetlag didn't really affect him anymore after all the traveling he had to do for his job. One thing he did know, he needed to sit with this information for a while, allow himself a brief time, while his team was otherwise occupied, to build up the wall he would need to get through this mission and seeing her again. He would deal with the emotional fallout once the mission was completed and he was alone in his personal quarters once more. He wasn't nearly as hardened as he let the majority of the world believe, only his daughter and the scant few women he'd opened his heart to, Kathleen, Ilsa, Gertie, had even seen glimpses of his vulnerable side. It was why Ilsa called him Sugarbear, he'd let her see more of him than even Kathleen had ever seen. Opening up to her had been so easy, he just hoped he could get through this with his heart still intact.
Chuck closed the door behind them and turned to see Sarah sit on the side of the full-size bed, which took up most of the room, and bend down to slip off her shoes. He gave her a small smile and shrugged off his jacket, hanging it on one of the hangers that was attached to the bar in the conveniently provided alcove to the side of the door. Sarah had shown him where it was earlier in the flight when she had put her own suit jacket away shortly after boarding the plane. It only took him two small steps to get to the bed where he sat beside her, toeing off his own shoes.
"Jen, I'm sorry, I know we were kinda looking forward to our flight today," He started out softly, taking his girlfriend's hand in his, "But it somehow seems wrong when Casey is out there hurting. I know he'd refuse to admit it if I pointed it out but…"
"You're right," Sarah nodded, "On both counts, and your empathy is one of the things I love most about you, Charlie."
"I love you, too," He kissed the top of her head, "Besides, it's not like there won't be other flights. We have at least one more to get to Debrecen, and then there are the return flights…"
"True," She smiled up at him.
"So I'm thinking we get comfy and really cozy in the tiny bed at try to get some sleep," Chuck suggested, undoing his tie as he spoke, "The big guy wasn't wrong when he said we should at least try to rest so we aren't hit as hard with jetlag."
"Alright," Sarah nodded, standing and reaching behind her back to lower the zipper of her skirt which she folded over the bar of the hanger that already held her jacket. She also slipped off her stockings and blouse, hanging them up as well. She was down to her bra, chamise, and panties by the time she climbed into the bed and scooted over toward the far wall against which one of the long sides of the bed was secured.
Chuck, likewise, didn't waste any time stripping himself of his tie, shirt, slacks and socks, hanging and folding them so they wouldn't get wrinkled. Clad in his undershirt and boxers, he slipped under the covers and pulled Sarah into his arms until her head rested on his chest and her legs entwined themselves with his in their favorite sleeping position. The combination of their early start, the mission prep they had been doing since before the left Burbank, as well as the travel that they had done over the past week or so, and the exhaustion of everything that had been going on since they had reconnected settled over them, leading them to drift off into a peaceful sleep that lasted nearly the full remaining length of the flight.
They'd had just enough time to wake, dress, and fix their appearance before Casey knocked on the door to the stateroom informing them that they'd better come take their seats for landing. When they'd emerged from the room, they saw Casey in one of the rear facing seats, buckled in for landing and took their seats opposite him, securing their seatbelts just in time for their final descent into section of the Charles De Gaulle airport designated for charter and private flights. When they had taxied to the gate and the door opened the team and their flight crew busied themselves collecting their various bags and departed the plane to clear customs.
Thankfully, it didn't take long to clear customs as they had shipped their weapons and more sensitive equipment to the consulate where they would be picking them up the next day upon their arrival in Hungary. Since the pilots legally needed to rest after the long flight, the five of them split up, in order to maintain their covers, Chuck and Sarah as well as Casey were booked in a high-end hotel for the night and he pilots were put in a mid-level accommodation.
When Chuck had found out that they would be overnighting in Paris, he had been excited to take in the sights, especially the Eiffel Tower, which he'd been fascinated by since he was a young child. His enthusiasm dimmed slightly when Sarah had pointed out, as gently as she could, that their stop over wasn't going to be long enough to do more than eat a quick dinner, sleep, grab something on the way to the plane for breakfast, and take off again. This, however, was followed up by a promise that they would come back again someday when they had all the time they needed to explore and enjoy the city.
Chuck tried not to stare in awe at the grandeur of the hotel with its high ceilings and elegant chandelier in the lobby. He had never dreamed he would be allowed into a place such as this, not even when he had first entered Stanford with the dream of making a name for himself in the tech industry, did he think he would make it to the level of such opulence. Of course, with the elegant Sarah Walker on his arm, he at least looked as if he might possibly belong there despite feeling like a total fraud. Pushing all this to the side, he approached the front desk as confidently as he could to check into tnhe rooms that they would be occupying for the night, making a point to ensure Casey was put into a room adjoining the suite that Sarah and himself would be using. This gave Casey the illusion of easy access to his 'employers' for security purposes, but also left a rather large living area between his room and theirs so as to not be disturbed by any extracurricular activities they may wish to engage in.
Once they had received their room keys and a porter had been called by the front desk to deliver their bags to their rooms, they made their way upstairs. The three of them stayed in the living area, Chuck and Sarah seated close together on the sofa and Casey in a chair nearby. They could easily follow the movements of the porter in each room from their vantage points, in case he tried something he shouldn't. It only took a few moments for the young man to unpack their toiletries and place them in the bathroom as well as their charging stations for their phones which were placed on the dresser of the room. He had been under strict instruction to not disturb their clothing as they would be only staying the night. When he indicated his work was done, Chuck tipped him generously and sent him on his way while Casey swept the rooms for bugs.
When Casey was satisfied the rooms were clean, he made a point to inform his partners that his adjoining door was going to be locked the remainder of the night and he was to not be disturbed for any reason. Chuck and Sarah nodded their understanding and retreated to their own room for the night. Changing into their pajamas, they slipped into the large bed which was much more luxurious than the small bed in the state room of the jet they'd flown in on. Their intention was to simply snuggle until sleep overtook them, but after a bit, the snuggling lent to small kisses between them, which progressed to making out, and concluded in them tired and spent after indulging in a round of love making as they drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.
They were awoken the next morning by Casey pounding on their door telling them to get a move on. As it turned out, they had forgotten to set their alarms, so Casey's abrupt wake-up call was helpful for them. Sarah called back that they would be out shortly as she and Chuck slid out of bed and quickly got ready for their day, Sarah showering first while Chuck shaved, then switching places so that Chuck could shower quickly as Sarah dried and styled her hair and did her make up. After quickly dressing and packing up the items they had used the previous night, checking that nothing was left behind, they joined Casey in the living area of he large suite where an assortment of breakfast pastries, fruit, and coffee sat waiting for them. They ate quickly while they waited for the porter to retrieve their luggage to take them out to the SUV that would return them to the airport.
The pilots had beaten them to the airport, completed their walk around, and were already in the cockpit with the heater warming the aircraft by the time the team had arrived. As soon as the ground crew had stowed their luggage, the first officer closed the main cabin door before returning to the cockpit and closing the door behind herself. A moment later they heard the breaks disengage and felt the plane begin to taxi. The captain informed them that it might be a bit before they could take off as they were in line behind all the larger, mainline and regional, aircraft for take-off. A half hour later they heard the engines roar to life as they started down the runway, launching into the sky on their way to Debrecen.