Chuck and Sarah stayed at the after dinner social a short time longer just to make sure they could slip out unnoticed before making their way up to their room. The last thing they expected when they entered was to find Casey, seated on the couch staring at them as if he were Sarah's father and they'd missed curfew.
"Where the hell have you two been?" He demanded, "The wedding ended hours ago."
"We were invited to join them for the wedding supper afterwards," Chuck reminded him, "Or did you forget?"
A grunt of acknowledgement was all the response they got.
"We had to stick around long enough to speak to Frost without drawing attention to ourselves," Sarah explained, "Then wait long enough to make our exit unnoticed… why are we having to explain this to you? You're not either of our fathers."
"No, but unless you two idiots have forgotten, I am a member of your team," Casey pointed out, "And as such I am supposed to be kept in the loop, operationally. While this divide and conquer mentality may have worked the first day or so, the rest of the time I've been sitting on my gorram ass while you morons are gallivanting around as if this is a two-person op! Not only that, but the op you are running is not the one we were sanctioned for, and the one we were sanctioned for has made no progress."
"That's not entirely true," Chuck pointed out as he took a seat on the love seat, pulling Sarah down beside him, "Many of the wedding related events we have attended, Victor Federov has also been at. Every night he winds up in the same group of men who then retire to another room for some gathering or another. The mens' escorts, including my own mother and Ilsa, are not invited. Sergey "Noodles" Romanoff, Yuri Gorsky, Dmitry Siljak, and Grigory Krylov; all very, very bad men. Arms dealers, hit men, all under the control of Volkoff."
"So, it's not Fedorov's pipeline, we need to shut down, but Volkoff's," Sarah added.
"You mean the mission that the man's own daughter has failed to complete?" Casey gave them a skeptical look, "Yeah, good luck with that. How is the deprogramming coming?"
"Not as well as I had hoped," Chuck admitted, "I'm still working on it, but I think I'm going to need professional help."
"I could have told you that," Casey grunted.
Chuck responded with a mocking laugh, "I meant my sister."
"She doesn't have clearance."
"Actually, she does," Sarah countered, "It was awarded this morning, we need to bring her in on the Agent X override, Omaha, the Intersect, all of it. Her specialty could help us in successfully overriding the Volkoff programming and bring Frost in out of the cold. Not to mention, we really should have someone monitoring how Chuck's brain is adapting and reacting to the Intersect programming."
"So, what is our play?" Casey looked between the two younger members of his team.
"If we capture all of Volkoff and Federov's contact, that will set off alarm bells," Chuck pointed out, "I think the best bet would be to coordinate with Ilsa to capture Federov, preferably after the reception tomorrow so he won't be missed. Once Ellie and I are able to successfully create an override program for Volkoff, we'll take down the rest of the network then."
"I agree with Chuck, trying to take out he whole network at this time is risky," Sarah nodded, "One man isn't going to be missed for very long. They're in a dangerous line of work, their colleagues and contacts go missing and get dead all the time."
"Fine, we'll keep playing it the nerd's way," Casey grunted, "For now, it's late, I'm tired, and could use a snack. I'm gonna go order something to eat, I'm thinking pancakes, and get some sleep."
"Alright, good night, Casey," Chuck nodded as the older man rose and took his leave.
"I'm gonna go try to get some sleep," Sarah yawned, standing and heading toward the bedroom, "Join me?"
"I was hoping to get some work done on the…" He heard the sound of her zipper and the woosh of something falling to the ground, "Hi-oh!" His eyes popped out seeing her in the black lace bra and boy shorts she'd been wearing under her gown.
Sarah gave him an impish grin and disappeared into the bedroom. Chuck stared after her a moment then gave a brief look at his computer and the Intersect glasses sitting on the table, "Oh frack it!" He huffed, chasing after his girlfriend shedding his tux jacket, shirt and shoes as he went.
Waking up with Sarah in his arms was fast becoming one of his favorite, if not most favorite, ways to greet the morning. As she had been the morning before, she was spooned up against his chest, her fingers toying with his own intertwining them. She must have felt him smile against her shoulder as he kissed her because she was soon rolling over to look up at where he lay, head propped up on his hand, grinning at her. They held each other's gaze a few moments more before they couldn't take it anymore and their individual resolves snapped, sending them hurdling toward each other, lips and limbs tangling.
Chuck blindly reached toward his nightstand and came up empty, a quick glance confirmed his suspicion that the foil packets he'd piled there had truly been depleted. "Hold that thought," He hummed, pressing a soft kiss to Sarah's lips. "Don't breathe, don't move," He extracted himself from the bed trying his best to ignore the lascivious way Sarah was staring at him in the all together as he made his way into the bathroom.
Shutting the door behind himself, he opened his dopp kit, digging until he pulled out one last foil packet and checked to make sure it was still intact. He breathed a sigh of relief and headed back to the bedroom where Sarah sat, a sly grin on her lips, waiting for him. He crawled into bed, opening the packet as he went, "Now, where were we?" He smiled warmly at his girlfriend who took the condom from his hand.
"I think," She gave him a few strokes and rolled the condom over him, laying him back and straddling his hips. "Right about here," Sarah sunk down on him until they were fully joined, pausing to let her body adjust to him. He always loved that moment right after they joined, the snug but comfortable way they fit together as if they were two pieces of the same puzzle that only fit with each other. He felt her tighten slightly around him rising up as she leaned forward to press a soft kiss to him before slowly starting to rock her hips into him. "Make love to me, Charlie," She sighed as he lifted his hands to wrap around her narrow hips.
"As you wish, Jenny," He grinned, bucking his hips slightly, reveling in the throating gasp that escaped her lips as he flipped them until he hovered over her. Bracing his left hand on the bed beside her head, he leaned down to kiss her as he tucked the fingers of his right hand behind her knee and hitched her bent knees up until it rested against the side of his rib cage, her heel lightly resting against his lower back as he began to move inside her, changing his angle every so often just to watch her eyes flutter as he hit a particularly sensitive spot. He could feel her start to pulse around him, leaning down he whispered in her ear, "I got you, Baby, just let go."
She arched her back, pulling him deeper within her, as she let him carry her up and over the peak. "Oh my God, Jenny, you feel so good," He hummed, slowing slightly until she recovered before working them back toward that blissful precipice once more.
Sarah's deep blue eyes met his, which had turned from their usual warm hazel to an almost golden amber glow as he felt his own release nearing. She knew he was close and lifted her hand to caress his stubble covered jaw as she wove the fingers of her other hand into the curls at the base of his skull giving them a slight tug, smiling up at the strangled groan that emanated from deep in his throat as he gave a few sharp thrusts and rolled to the side so as to not crush her beneath his weight.
"Be right back," He slipped into the bathroom to clean up before returning to the bed and wrapping her up in his arms once more.
"You know, I'm required to be on the pill," She looked up from where her head was resting on his chest, "Even if you didn't have a condom, we would have been okay."
"Better safe than sorry," Chuck shrugged, "Although I do hope that someday we might be able to do without the precautions."
Sarah sat up, looking down at him, eyes wide in shock. "You want kids?"
"Well, yeah," Chuck slowly sat up, turning to face her, "I mean, I want to meet Molly and form a relationship with her first before we give her any sibling, but yeah. Someday, when it's safe to do so, whether we are still with the companies or not, I would love for a little person who is the best parts of both of us to be added to our family."
Sarah felt a small smile on her lips when Chuck had subconsciously reached out to lay his palm below her belly button where that new life could one day be formed. She laid her hand over top his, the fact they'd used the hands upon which they wore their wedding set did not escape her notice. "To be honest, I never really gave it any serious thought," She started softly, lifting her heat until her eyes met his. She could see the love radiating there, filling her with the delicious warmth she felt whenever they were able to connect like this, even back when they were kids sitting on that beach in San Diego. "At least not until Molly. Even then, I wouldn't even let myself dream of adding more… until Bryce's treason brought you back into my life." She felt a flutter in her stomach when he gave her that knee-melting, toe curling, smile that wrinkled his nose and eyes in that adorable way of his, "If I were to be honest, you are the only person I've ever even considered the notion of having kids with. I agree we should wait until after it's safe enough to have Molly home with us. Granted, we probably should have a home to bring her to first…"
Chuck cut her off, cupping his right hand behind her head and pulling her to him for a kiss so powerful it caused her brain to reboot. "Well, you have the rambling down." He smiled against her lips, "I'd say you're half-way to being a Bartowski already."
"Just shut up and kiss me," Sarah giggled as he dove at her once again, wrapping her up in his arms as their kiss grew deeper.
After showering and dressing in their casual clothes, they relaxed on the couch, reading to take a brief respite from all they'd encountered over the past few days. Sarah had her feet propped up on Chuck's lap as she read her copy of "Weapon of Choice" while Chuck read the latest issue of "Justice League" as he used his free hand to gently massage his girlfriend's feet. Every so often they would share a look, reveling in the simple domesticity of the moment.
The moment was broken by a knock at the door and a call of "Room service," from the attendant. They'd called down an order not too long before, since they hadn't eaten all day and knew that the reception would have little more than cake and passed hors d'oeuvres in the way of food. Sarah let out a sigh of complaint when Chuck gently moved her feet off of his lap so that he could retrieve their meals from the porter. With a smile and a generous tip, the porter was soon on their way as Chuck carried in a tray of soup, and water, setting them on the coffee table. Opening the water, he handed a bottle to Sarah who had turned to place her feet on the floor, he then uncovered one of the bowls of Gulyásleves – a Hungarian stew by the looks of it – and handed it and a spoon to Sarah. The kitchen had also included a round of country bread and butter, Chuck sliced off a few pieces for them to eat with their soup.
"I'm not sure if I should put much more work into the override algorithms or the glasses," Chuck sighed, sitting back after finishing his meal, "At least not until I have a chance to speak to Ellie."
Sarah nodded thoughtfully at his revelation, "I can see not working on the program it self until you speak to Ellie, no need to put in all that work and effort in case her input winds up setting you back," She postulated, "However, it couldn't hurt to keep working on the reconfiguration of the glasses, at least it would be on less thing to worry about once we're stateside."
"You may have a point," Chuck agreed, "Do we even know when we are going to get back stateside? I mean, it's a little over a week before Christmas, and I kinda want to be able to be home in time to celebrate with Ellie and Awesome. Not to mention the sooner we read Elle into all this, the sooner we can work on finding a solution for the Agent X Intersect so that Ellie and I, and Vivian can all have our parents back."
"There's really no reason to stay much past the reception tonight," Sarah shrugged, "Casey will likely get hands on Federov this evening as he heads back to his room after the party. Assuming all goes well, we can call up Ted and Elaine to set up our flight plan for the way home."
"Surely, you must be joking," Chuck snorted, "Are those really their names?"
"Yeah, Major Theodore Stryker, and Captain Elaine Stryker," Sarah gave her boyfriend a confused look as he burst out laughing. "Am I missing something?"
"Yes," Chuck squeaked out between guffaws, "But don't worry, you'll understand after our next movie night."
Sarah just looked at him perplexed before rolling her eyes, "While you get yourself together, I'm going to start getting ready for the reception."
"I'll be there in a minute," Chuck took some deep breaths to try to calm down.
Sarah shook her head at her boyfriend's efforts to calm down as she made her way into the bedroom and onto the bathroom to do her hair and makeup. The time it took for her to apply her makeup and style her hair, which she left town in a series of flirty curls, was just enough for Chuck to stop cackling and join her in the bedroom.
She'd already changed into the bra an panty set she would be wearing under her dress and attached her throwing knives to her upper thigh by the time she returned to the bedroom to find Chuck, dark charcoal suit, sanz jacket, pale blue shirt stretched taut across his shoulders as he bent to tie his shoes. It was clear he had not noticed her emergence from the bathroom until she'd slipped her dress on and walked to stand before him. She couldn't suppress a smile as she watched him register the black stilettos with the ankle strap she'd worn before letting his eyes drift up her shapely legs to the dress that hung loose on her body and kept going until his eyes met hers, the love and desire within his hazel eyes made her weak in the knees.
"Do me up?" She asked softly, turning and sweeping her hair to the side to give him unrestricted access to the zipper that ran up her spine.
"Su… Sure," He stammered, standing and locating the pull tab, slowly drawing it up as the dress she wore pull tighter against her, showing off her curves.
Sarah had chosen a simple, sleeveless, navy sheath dress that had a slit up her right leg that ended just below where her knives were holstered. It had a v-neckline and silver scroll detailing around the waist. She felt his thumbs brush across he nape of her neck, sending shivers down her spine when he lowered his head to replace his thumbs with his lips as he pressed a soft kiss there, making her weak in the knees.
"You are absolutely breathtaking, Jenny," He whispered against her ear as her breath caught in her throat and desire pooled in her stomach.
"Thanks, Charlie," She turned to press a soft kiss to his lips, "You are looking pretty good yourself," She ran her hands down the front of his shirt, enjoying the feel of he pecs and abs he'd started to develop since he'd started training with both her and Casey. "You should probably get your jacket on so we can be on our way," She advised pulling her wrap from her suitcase, just in case she needed it in the reception hall.
Chuck nodded and slipped his jacket on, before guiding her into the living room and, after checking he had his ID and room key, and Sarah had grabbed her handbag, opened the door of their suite to head down to the reception.
They spotted Cole and Vivian right away, Cole was wearing a nice black suit and Vivian was wearing an off the shoulders, white, fit and flare dress with a black sash around her waist. Her hair was swept up in a chignon at the right side of the nape of her neck, she wore a jeweled clip in her hair to accent her hair style. Since it had been established, at least with Volkoff and Frost that the coupled knew each other, and were friends, they were free and clear to approach.
"So, Mrs. Barker," Chuck teased his childhood friend, "How's married life treating you?"
"I have no complaints so far," She shared a knowing look with her husband which caused the group to chuckle at the implied meaning of the look. "Once we find a place to call home, we'll make sure you know how to reach us. We wouldn't want to miss it when it's your turn, and if we found our you did not invite us, we will be very put out."
"Was that a threat?" Chuck looked toward his girlfriend.
"No, it was a promise of retribution if we get married without them," Sarah chuckled before turning to their friends, "And I promise, after family you will be the first ones told if he ever works up the nerve to ask… but we're still a bit of ways off from that so you have time to enjoy your honeymoon and newlywed status for a while."
"Just don't make us wait too long," Cole advised, "Lest we have to beg off because Viv is eating for two."
The American couple's eyes immediately shot to Vivian, who blushed, "No, at least not yet. Our point is that the longer you wait the more likely it will be that I may be unable to travel due to being in a family way later on."
"We'll do our best to try not to potentially prohibit your potential procreation," Chuck responded drolly, causing the friends to burst out in laughter once more. "In all seriousness, Sarah's right, our relationship is relatively new-ish, and there are some factors that need to be considered before we take that step."
"'New-ish?'" Cole gave his friends an incredulous look.
"Remember that friend I told you about that I lost contact with?" Sarah sent a look her friend couldn't miss toward the man beside her.
"Right," Cole nodded in understanding.
"I still need a little more explanation," Vivian looked expectantly to her American counterparts.
"Jenny and I originally met I high school," Chuck explained, "At a band competition her school was hosting. It happened to coincide with ComicCon, another friend of mine snuck away from our chaperones to go. I only had enough money to get my access pass and go to a couple panels, but my buddy decided to stick around a little longer." Chuck smiled down at Sarah, "I had enough for the ferry to Coronado Island, so I figured I'd enjoy the beach for a bit before we caught the train toward the school to meet back up with our band. While I was there, I happened upon a girl about my age playing her violin for the crowd. I'd brought my guitar with me and wound up playing with her and spending the rest of the morning with her. She was fascinating, and one of the most beautiful girls I'd ever seen in my life."
"He's lying, I was really socially awkward, had frizzy hair, and braces," Sarah rolled her eyes.
"I stand by what I said," Chuck stated, "You of all people should know I could care less about physical appearance, although I'm not above appreciating it. I know I've said it before, but you grew up well, Jen."
"You already got the girl," Sarah chuckled, "You don't need to try so hard. Anyhow, like he said we spent the rest of the day together, first at the beach then once we arrived at the school, we spent every moment one of us wasn't on stage or next up together both that day and the next."
"We wanted to keep in touch an exchanged contact information," Chuck picked up the narrative once more, "We'd call every so often when we could. That went on for a moth or so, then one day I called her to invite her to my senior prom, and I got an automated message reporting that her phone had been turned off and had no forwarding number."
"My father had been arrested and the now director of the CIA gave me the choice of going to jail or working with him. I chose the latter," Sarah shrugged, "He arranged for a foster family to take me in and got me tutors who helped me to fast track my way thought the rest of high school. I was accepted as an early admission student to Harvard under the name Sarah Walker and went to my CIA training during breaks and summer."
"In the meantime; I was attending Stanford," Chuck supplied.
"I remember that was where you'd always wanted to go," Vivian smiled, "I'm glad you were able to go."
"Thanks," Chuck gave her a smile, "In any event there was a guy in my frat who framed me for cheating on a test and selling the answers, as it turns out he was trying to get my name removed from the list of potential CIA recruits that the teacher in question was in charge of. As a result, I was expelled."
"Don't worry," Sarah assured Vivian who'd let out a startled gasp, "We've since corrected it and he is officially a Stanford graduate, not as good as graduating from Harvard, but a close second. At least he didn't go to Yale."
"Anyhow between me being kicked out of school and receiving my degrees years later, I was working at a BuyMore in Burbank." Chuck continued, "The guy who'd gotten me expelled, and was incidentally Sarah's ex-partner, stole some important data and sent it to me. Jenny, or Sarah as she is now known, came back into my life. With her help my expulsion was reversed and my academic records expunged of the expulsion. I was then hired on as an analyst, we've been together ever since she returned."
"Okay, after all that, we'd better see an envelope in our post box within the year." Vivian looked at her friends.
"There are a few other things to take into account," Sarah hedged, "This is not the place to get into it."
"Understood," Cole nodded then looked past his friends to see Frost coming toward them, her eyes squarely on her son. "Uh, mate, your mum seems to be looking for you."
Before he could turn to look, he felt a sharp pain on the back of his arm, above his elbow, and let out a gasp of shock. That has been his mother's favorite way to get his attention when he was misbehaving as a child, and apparently it still was. Putting the Carmichael façade back on he turned, a pleasant smile on his face toward the woman who had given him life. "Good evening, Miss Frost."
"Don't you 'Good evening,' me Charles Irving," Frost lectured soto voce, but loud enough for his girlfriend and their friends to hear, all of whom were barely containing their laughter at his discomfort, much to his dismay, "I heard what you said about how you met your Jenny…"
"I'm getting bad Ellie flashbacks," Chuck murmured to Sarah who tried to suppress a giggle as his mom pinched him again, "Ow, damn it, woman! It was ten years ago; my punishment was appropriately meted out by my chaperone and then boss and Ellie put me through my paces earlier this year when she'd eventually found out."
"And now it's my turn," Frost gave him a pointed look, "You're just lucky you're too big for me to put over my knee, let alone ground you," She pinched him again in the exact same spot she'd gotten him with pinpoint accuracy since she'd come his way, "At least I still have that until I can come up with something else."
"Would it help if I said I was sorry and I know now that, despite how well it turned out for me, it was the wrong choice for me to make?" Chuck offered, "Even if it was mostly Morgan's idea."
Mary let out a frustrated huff while Sarah chuckled, "You're not helping yourself, Sweetheart," His girlfriend reminded him.
"Frost, my love," They heard Volkoff call to the Bartowski matriarch.
"This isn't over Charles Irving," She warned under her breath before affixing a smile to her face and walking away toward her brainwashed charge.
"Oh, believe me, I know…" Chuck groaned, turning to his friends, "I'm in so much trouble."