Beautiful as you Ch 4 – Thanks for coming back and letting me know what you think… Mssupertigz
Chapter 4
Copenhagen
The three arrived at the address of the apartment that the were able to retrieve from the file. Casey went ahead with gun in hand and Sarah takes her out which surprises Chuck. As beautiful as she was, for a second he forgot that she was not his, 'what actually are you?' Chuck asked himself. She was a spy who was carrying a gun and by the looks of it she knew how to use it. Casey opened the door and takes a quick peek inside, then opens the door even more. Sarah follows with Chuck trailing in behind her looking down at three dead bodies. He looks up and runs out to the fire escape and vomits. Casey looks up to see him run. "I guess he doesn't have the stomach for this yet? Sarah looks at him. "You think!"
She wasn't a fan either and she remembered that they were told in training that it wasn't recommended that they look back at a kill but months ago she snuck a peek just to make sure. This time it was different, she didn't do the killing. She found Chuck outside with his upper body hanging over the fire escape. She placed her hand on his back. "I'm sorry, I didn't know". Chuck grabbed his sleeve and wiped his mouth then ran his hands through his hair. Taking a deep breath, Sarah continued to rub his back. He turned to her. "Casey covered them up and he's calling it in."
Chuck nodded as Sarah placed a comforting kiss on his forehead. They walked back and Chuck saw that Casey did cover up the bodies. Casey saw Chuck and Sarah walk back in. "We need to find something before Interpol shows up. We find it we keep it." Chuck looked around the room and saw lots of stuff that looked promising but he had no idea if it was good or not. Sarah saw that he was struggling and walked over to him. "Look for anything with the name McCutcheon or names that you have seen before, then we can take them back with us and look at them later. Once they come we can't take anything till they look at it and that might take months." Chuck continued to look around lifting things and touching things and forgot that there was a dead body near him as he took a tumble. He tried to catch his fall but grabbed the nearest thing he could find which knocked over a painting that was hanging on the wall. "Guys?"
Casey and Sarah turned to where they heard Chuck. They walked up to the spot and saw a safe. Sarah looked at Casey. "I can't open it."
"I can?" Casey and Sarah looked at him. He grabbed a glass and placed it near the dial and started turning the dial. "How did you learn how to do this?"
Chuck stood up and looked at Sarah. "We found an old safe in our dorm and we spent days trying to open it. We found out that it was put there in the 20's, so it was my turn to take a stab at it and I had it open in 20 minutes." Sarah was impressed. Casey not so much. "Well Sherlock we don't have all day."
Chuck called out a number then another which made Sarah take notice and grabbed a pen and wrote them down on her hand. Chuck got to the third number and heard a click. He stood up placing the glass down on the table, he slowly turned the knob opening it. Sarah looked inside. The three stared inside seeing two shelves full of paper. Sarah pulled out the first pile and Chuck saw that there were names in them that he recognized. Sarah kept taking out the papers and Chuck continued to nod. They heard voices. Chuck looked at Sarah and zipped up his jacket, motioning to her to stuff it with the papers. Sarah started stuffing the papers inside his jacket. Chuck zipped up his jacket just in time closing the safe and putting up the painting and standing behind Sarah.
In walked Interpol Agents as Sarah and Casey showed their badges and Chuck felt the need to show his passport. "He's with us, he's an analyst." Sarah giving Chuck a wink. Interpol Agents took down their statements, even asking Chuck questions that he breezed through. "Okay Major John Casey and Agent Walker we will be in touch, don't go far at least for the next day or so." Casey and Sarah nodded as Sarah pushed Chuck out of the room. Chuck wasn't watching which was beginning to be a thing but as he headed out the door he bumped into an Interpol Agent. Chuck held his arms in front of his jacket as they left the apartment.
Hotel
Casey dropped his bag and found his bed. He grabbed the pillows and propped himself up. "Well that didn't take long to get us out of there." Chuck unzipped his jacket. "That's not a good thing is it?"
"No Sherlock but what you have there they won't get their hands on." Casey extended his hand so Chuck gave him some of the pile. Chuck sat down and figured out what time it was. "Anyone hungry?" Sarah looked at Chuck.
Casey looked up at him. "Not sure if Chuck would want to eat after what he saw."
Sarah looked over at him. "You hungry?"
"Yeah, I guess more tired than hungry but I better eat."
Sarah grabbed her card and headed out of the room. Chuck stared at the pile then saw that Casey joined him. "I'm looking for page two of this?" Casey showed Chuck the page. Chuck flipped through the pile till he found it and gave it to him. Chuck picked up a pile and flipped through them finding a paper that was torn. He stared at the symbol. "Something look familiar?" Chuck looked up at him. "Maybe, but this page is torn so I only have the part of it and this symbol looks familiar."
Both Casey and Chuck looked up to see Sarah coming in. Chuck got up to help her. "Chinese?"
"You can always find Chinese."
Sarah wanted to kiss Chuck as he closed the door behind her but Chuck headed to the table. They ate and looked at the pile of papers till early in the morning. Casey grabbed the one bed as Chuck and Sarah debated on how they were going to solve the sleeping issue. Chuck grabbed a pillow and was heading to the couch. Sarah slipped her arms in around him. She kissed his back. "You don't have to take the couch. He knows about us." Chuck turned around. "If you want I can sleep under the covers and you can sleep on top of the covers." Chuck laughed. He wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear. "What I would love to do is….." Sarah's heart started to race. And when his lips touched that part of her neck, she knew that sleeping under the covers wouldn't help. Chuck took the far side of the bed making Sarah sleep on the other side, but as the lights were turned off she rolled into his arms, dirty thoughts and all, she didn't care.
Coffee shop – Sunday morning
Chuck was on his second cup of coffee by the time Casey walked into the small coffee shop and waited for his cup to be poured. "I just came back from the apartment. It's all cleaned up as if no one was there." He took a sip.
"So someone wants to put a lid on this."
"Your guess is as good as mine. At least we have the papers from the safe. Whoever was there could have been looking for them?"
"But most of them are receipts except for the one with the torn logo. But the logo looks familiar."
"How?" Sarah looking at him.
"Maybe I saw it in LA." Chuck took a sip then looked up and noticed someone staring inside. "Hey guys, why would an Interpol Agent be outside this particular establishment as us and is outside talking to that girl who happened to be at the same apartment we were yesterday and to boot, his photo was in the Scorpios file."
Sarah looked outside and saw the man standing by the girl. But as soon as Casey headed to the door he was gone. Chuck followed, looking down the street and saw the girl that the man was talking to, heading in the other direction. Chuck motioned to Sarah. "That girl was talking to him." Sarah ran after the girl as Chuck followed. The girl tried to run in heels and was making great strides but got stopped by Casey then got boxed in by Sarah. "Vi skai bare stille dig et spørgsmål– We just need to ask you a question." The brunette turned around. "I speak English."
Sarah looked at her. "Good cause my Danish isn't the best."
The four moved out from the center of the sidewalk. She rolled her eyes as Sarah asked her questions about the guy and she denied ever talking to him but Chuck noticed how she diverted her eyes when Casey asked her about the apartment. Chuck watched then took Sarah and Casey aside. "She's not going to talk to anyone related to police." Casey looked at him. "And you know this why?"
"The way she is looking at you."
"Looking at me?" Casey grunted.
"I can read girls. I have been turned down by many." Sarah smiled.
"Okay let him try at least." As Sarah looked at Casey.
Chuck walked over to the girl and motioned for her to sit down, the girl sat down. "Hi, I'm Charles but you can call me Chuck."
"Chuck, I'm Freja."
"Nice to me you."
"You? American."
"Yeah. We just need to know who the guy is. I mean his name. We met him after the brute over there, (they looked over at Casey and Sarah) smashed into his car. We assumed he lived in the apartment we were at, but when we got there he was gone till just now."
Freja looked at Chuck. "You just need a name."
"Just a name, it would be a big help."
"And he isn't in any trouble?"
"No, just a fender bender."
Sarah watched as the girl slipped her hand inside her purse and gave Chuck a piece of paper. Sarah watched as she leaned over and gave Chuck a kiss on the cheek. Sarah watched as the tall Danish girl got up and headed down the sidewalk. Chuck walked back with a grin on his face that Sarah didn't particularly like. Casey looked at him. "Do I knock it out of you or are you going to tell us?"
"Hang on." Chuck waited till the girl turned the corner. "His name is Reuters, Vance. His name is Vance Reuters. I don't think he's Interpol but that's the name she gave me."
Casey grabbed his phone. "Casey here, need a search on a Vance Reuters…thanks."
The three headed back to the hotel. Sarah looked at Chuck. "What did she give you?"
"Give me?" Chuck looked at her. "Oh, this." He pulled out a piece of paper and gave it to Sarah. Sarah unravelled it, then looked a it. "She gave you her number?"
"Yeah." Chuck answered as it was no big deal.
"And you took it?"
"Was I not supposed to? She gave it to me and I took it."
"Yeah you sure did." Chuck smiled and headed back.
Casey's cell rang as they entered the room. "Yes I can set it up now….right away.."
Casey walked over to his laptop and opened it up as Sarah and Chuck walked over. "Beckman wants to speak to us before we move further."
Casey pressed the link and instantly the red headed General came on the screen. "Good morning team, I wanted to catch you before I went home. I looked into the name that Chuck got and Vince Reuters is not Interpol but someone of interest which means that he is interested in you."
"Is he a threat, General?"
"At this point anyone will be seen as a threat. He was looking for something or someone and now that you have his name he might not be done. And with what you retrieved from the safe." Chuck looked at Casey and Sarah then whispered. "She knows?"
"Mr. Bartowski I know everything." Chuck swallowed hard, then he saw her smiled briefly.
"I will have you guys head back and I will be in LA in a few days to meet you all. Major Casey and Agent Sarah I will have you continue to look into Mr. Reuter's whereabouts and Mr. Bartowski."
"Call me Chuck."
"Okay Chuck I would like you to focus on the name Scorpios and what it might be other than a name on a file. I expect a full report when I see you."
"Yes General."
"Safe flight to you all."
Casey closed the lap top and tossed it into his bag. Sarah grabbed the papers on the table and started putting them into a pile. Chuck followed and grabbed his bag and took the piles and placed them into his bag.
Chuck looked at her as she was deep in thought about something, maybe the girl's name. "Sarah, speaking of girls. You and me?"
Sarah flipped her hair as she looked at Chuck. "What about you and me? What are we?"
"What are we?" Sarah repeated.
"Yeah, what we have, what do we call it."
Sarah stopped packing. "We are just two people, who are enjoying each other's company."
Chuck lowered his eyes, and repeated every word that Sarah had just spoke.
"Chuck?"
"Yeah…um… enjoying each other's company…right…makes sense." Sarah noticed his face and demeanor and knew he didn't like the answer she gave him, but as she started to explain herself, they were interrupted.
"Ready to go?"
"Yeah, the sooner we get back the sooner I can get back to work." Chuck grabbed his bag and followed Casey.
They arrived at the airport and boarded the jet and Chuck sat down but got up when Sarah sat down beside him. He left his bag and lap top on the table and got up and found another chair far from her. Sarah fell back in her seat and buckled up. The jet took off and when she was able to unbuckled her belt, she got up and headed up towards Chuck. She wanted to talk to Chuck but Casey stopped her. "He's out."
Sarah gave Casey a straight smile. She wanted to know if he was very tired or chose to shut the world off to prove a point. She wanted to explain to him that she was enjoying his company very much, but was scared to tell him that she was falling for him and maybe if she was that spy she would have seen that Chuck was already there. She walked back and looked at his screen and saw two movies. She clicked on one and saw that it was The Never Ending Story. She grabbed his head phones and plugged them in. She sat for the next hour and 42 minutes. She laughed and reacted on the defense at least once or twice to the events that were happening in the movie, nodding her approval. She clicked it off and slipped the head phones off and got up and walked over to Chuck. Casey was sleeping so she could do whatever she wanted to do to Chuck. She knelt down as he was still sleeping and brushed his hair back. She loved watching him sleep even from their time in Paris. She didn't want to wake him, she got up and gave him a kiss then covered him up. She walked back and clicked on the second movie he had on his screen. For the next one hour and 34 mins she laughed hysterically making Casey wonder what she was doing. Sarah looked up over the lap top and smiled. Sarah did the motion the same way that Eddie Murphy did in the Golden Child when he was trying to spin the sphere. Whispering 'I want the knife'.
Chuck checked with Casey and when he said that there was nothing more that they could do, Chuck grabbed a cab and headed home. Sarah took a deep breath and tried not to let Casey know that she was affected by Chuck's sudden exit. She returned to Castle making sure that Chuck had made it home.
Hours later
Chuck looked at the clock and he had just closed his eyes and his alarm went off. He managed to get a few hours of sleep. He showered and changed and headed to ACE putting on the coffee right away. He also had to find time to come up with his findings that he still had in his bag. He got the cash register ready and looked over the weekends receipts. 'Not bad, Morgan.' Chuck wasn't expected to make millions right away but the first few weeks it looked promising. He might have to hire his bearded friend full time.
Chuck put on some music and sat down and continued to look at the receipts. He saw that a few computers came in to be looked at which wouldn't take too long and a few orders that Chuck could fill by noon. He set the orders by the far counter as his afternoon employees were arriving. He filled them in and decided to head home and that he'd be back to close up. He grabbed his bag and headed home for some much needed sleep.
Sarah parked in front of ACE and slipped inside and looked around not seeing Chuck. She approached the counter. "Hey is Chuck in?"
The young worker looked up. "He was but he went home, he said that he'd be back later to close up."
Sarah smiled then headed out and got into her car. She drove to Echo Park and and headed to his apartment. She knocked but there was no answer. She looked around and picked the lock and walked in. Everything was in its place. She pulled out her gun and walked to his room. She stood in the door way and saw that he had crashed. Sleep sounded like a good idea but she had work to do. She walked back and closed the door behind her. She had to fix this.
Bryce snuck into LA charming a flight attendant and walking with her into the main area and past security with her arm in his. Hours later, he grabbed his jacket and slipped out into night leaving a well satisfied attendant sleeping in a hotel room. He grabbed a cab and headed to the place of the one person that mattered in all of this. Chuck finished with a customer and walked them out locking up behind them and leaving the exterior light on. He stared across the parking lot and saw her car and wondered what she did today. He took one last look and walked to the back and looked at some of the computers that were left to be repaired. He set up diagnostics on them and would come back in the morning to do the rest. He grabbed the receipts from today and did a quick count and took the day's cash and placed it into the safe along with the weekends. 'You need to get to the bank.' Chuck reminded himself.
He grabbed his bag and looked at the clock. "Wow 11 already."
He headed back to his apartment and unlocked the door and headed to his room. He turned on the light and saw Bryce sitting in the chair by the window. "One scream from me and they will come running."
"No they won't, you got rid of the bugs and surveillance for this place."
Chuck walked cautiously around his room. Bryce watched him ."So you got the blonde eh?"
"She has a name."
"Yes she does and a lot more."
"What do you want Bryce. I haven't heard from you for years and then all of a sudden your name is becoming a regular thing."
"So the Neanderthal?"
"You mean Casey."
"Yeah. He came a month or so ago and asked you some questions that got you working with them."
"Yeah they knew a lot about me."
"I figured."
"So why? Or are you going to drag this out." Bryce sat up.
"You need to stop what your doing. Is that straight forward enough."
Chuck looked at him. "And what am I doing that needs to stop." Bryce paused. "Looking into Scorpios."
Chuck turned to him. "Why would I?"
"It's too dangerous."
"And your the judge and jury."
"I am and trust me you'd rather like my choices than what can happen to you, if you continue with your team."
"They came to me."
"Yeah because you were on the list."
"Speaking of the list. Why me?"
"It's complicated."
"No kidding."
"You walk away and we will all be happy, and so will the other people."
"I know that someone is looking for me. It's not coincidental that you or anyone else is all of sudden interested in me. Professor Fleming, the list."
"What about the list?"
"Fleming's list."
Bryce stood up. "They have the list."
"Yeah and my name was next, so that is why Casey and Sarah are here."
Bryce looked worried. "Did they say what happened to the others?"
"Like what?"
"If they have finally got to you then those others weren't the ones."
"Weren't the what Bryce?"
Bryce got up and headed to the Morgan door. "Got to go, but I will be in touch." Bryce dropped a piece of paper on the bed as he left through the window. Chuck looked out the window and he was gone. He picked up the phone to call Sarah but he still wasn't talking to her so he tossed the phone making the paper bounce off the bed.
Chuck rolled over and got up and looked down and saw the paper and looked at it but was running late. He grabbed it on his way out heading to ACE. Still fighting jet lag he doesn't pay attention to who had walked in. Looking down he sees a hand touch his. Chuck looks up. "Can I help….you?"
He sees that it is Sarah. Then he notices the store is full of people looking at him. So he repeats the question. "Can I help you?"
"Yeah my phone doesn't work."
Chuck sees the phone in pieces. Not wanting to jump the counter and kiss her he picks up the pieces and looks at the phone. "Oh, yeah. The Intelicel." Chuck grabs his small screw driver. "This model has a little screw that pops loose right back here. Just go ahead and give it a couple of quick turns and it's good as new, no problems." Sarah reaches for the phone and grabs his hands replacing it with a small rose. He takes it and smells it then looks up. "Can we do lunch? Please?"
Chuck looked at her, wanting to kiss her. Then nods his answer with a soft spoken "Yeah."
Sarah leaned over the counter and kissed him, then headed out the door. He watched her cross the parking lot and brought the rose to his nose.
Chuck reached into his pocket and looked at the piece of paper adding it to the pile of things he needed to look at.
Sarah looked at her watch and had sat waiting for over an hour not to miss him coming out or attempting to come out and join her. She finally saw him as he walked towards her. Chuck saw the several cups of coffee knowing that she had sat there for some time. He leaned in and gave her a kiss out of courtesy then sat down. She looked at him. "I didn't order anything this time."
"That's ok, what would you like?"
Sarah grabbed his hand. "What would you like?"
Chuck looked around the food court. "Salad, ribs?"
"Ok."
Sarah got up and returned with two orders and two cups of iced tea. "I figured that you had some coffee already."
"Not since this morning but I see that you have had a few?" Sarah nervously smiled. They started to eat which was awkward enough. Then she spoke. "I'm sorry for how my answer ended up sounding like. I wasn't ready to hear what you had to say, let alone, answer it the way my head wanted me too and how my heart felt, how I feel."
"Well I told you or asked you, so what are we?"
"I've never had anything like this, a boy friend or some one that knows me. We have something I won't deny that. I hate when we are not together and wish that we could be together forever."
"So why couldn't you answer me?"
"Chuck my life is complicated."
"Been hearing that word a lot lately."
"Chuck before I became a spy I was on the run with my dad. My dad got into a lot of trouble and my superior at the CIA had him arrested when I was around 17. Then I finished my grade 12 and joined the CIA. When you met me in Paris I was there to do a thing called a Red Test."
"Red Test?."
"Yeah, it is the final task to prove that we are ready to be a spy. You are given a name and you are to go find that person and…"
Chuck looked at her, then leaned in.
"Take them out?"
Sarah nodded. "Yeah, so I did what I was told and I was supposed to go and be seen so I found the café and headed inside and that is where I met you."
"So it was the worst day of your life."
"Till I met you and it wasn't the worst day it was the best part of the worst day of my life. Whatever we have, I don't know how to define it or whether it needs to be defined. But I do care about you more than I should. And I am sorry that I didn't say anything when you asked me."
Chuck leaned over and kissed her.
Sarah barely unlocked her door of her hotel room before Chuck had her top off. He kicked his shoes somewhere then reached for his pants and slipped out of them as he fell on top of Sarah. She loved feeling his body over hers. He kissed her hard making up for the last few days. He took his shirt off as she kissed his chest as he fell down towards her. They rolled around reacquainting themselves till they moved under the covers. They moved as one, embracing, touching, squeezing and kissing. A lot of kissing.
Chuck lowered his head kissing her chest and spending some time making sure other areas were taken care of. Sarah grabbed his face and held it close as she looked at him. "I love you. I wanted to be the first to say it, not because I have to make up for what was said but to let you know that I am in this for the long haul and that you mean the world to me."
Chuck looked at her. He took her hand and kissed it. "I love you too, so much it hurts." Chuck rolled onto his back taking Sarah with him as they started up again, this time it was slower and intense, two bodies one soul.
A dark motel window welcomed the neon red lights of Chinatown as Bryce sat in the dark drinking from the fourth glass he had poured and the second bottle that he had purchased since lunch. He stared at his cell. 'They have to call…'
Bryce dropped his empty glass, hearing a thud which startled him, allowing him to hear his phone. "Larkin here."
"You called, and?"
"They have the list and he's."
"So that means, that the rest weren't the ones."
"No, so they are close."
"It looks that way, but he has a very good team watching him. A Major John Casey and Agent Sarah Walker. They have been watching him for some time."
"So your bread crumbs did work."
"Too well, Chuck knows about Scorpios."
"Then we move onto the next phase."
"And you think that it is a good idea?"
"They can't find out who he is."
"They have the list."
"I know but as far as they know he's just another name on Flemings list and nothing more, and we need to keep it that way…..you hear me."
Bryce sat up. "Yeah, I hear you."
Bryce poured himself his fifth glass full and tossed it back. Getting up and throwing the glass at the sink, hearing the glass smash against the wall.
