Don't own Chuck

Roan and the General were almost at their destination. The charter flew down the Atlantic seaboard then after Florida detoured around Cuban air space to continue on south by south-east. Once past the Turk islands and the Dominican Republic they entered Puerta Rican air space. They were now nearing the end of their flight with their Mecca fast approaching. They said good bye to the air traffic controllers at José Aponte de la Torre Airport in Ceiba after switching over to tower control at Cyril E. King Field on Saint Thomas.

"I should really contact Mary and see how the notification went. I can't believe that fell through the cracks. It's for reasons like this I need to be in the office and stay on top of things. This was totally unacceptable."

"I agree and you can take it up with the Major when you get back. But for now, don't worry, you said Colonel shoot 'em up was going to handle it with Charles. I was concerned about the Colonel and his... well lack of tack to be polite as well as he might shoot the widow but I'm sure Charles will be able to handle the situation."

"That really doesn't make me feel that much better. Do you really believe that or are you saying that so I won't call to find they screwed it up? Don't answer that I think we both know the answer. Anyway, I put Mary in charge and now I need to let her run with it. If I call her over everything I might as well have stayed in Langley."

"There you go now you're talking. I knew you'd come to your senses. What's the good of being the boss if you have to handle everything yourself? You have people who work for you so let them work as you said yourself the acting director needs to act and it's only a notification... I mean it's not like they're going out to drag the woman in. What could happen?"

"I guess you're right but I've never been the type of person who lays back and waits for things to come to them. I find it's better a proactive approach and jump out in front of things whatever comes head on. Sure, I get a little bruising and headaches that way but it's never failed me so far."

"You mean it's better to charge forward to keep from being bitten from behind. I don't know about that logic. It certainly did work on the 'Walking Dead'," said Roan as he topped off their glasses. "Well that's our second dead soldier... sorry no pun intended."

"Actually, he was a Marine so there was no pun but okay. You might want to slow up a bit before we pop the cork on another bottle. We and your liver have to pace ourselves. We've got two weeks to enjoy this."

"My liver? I just had my physical a few days ago and the doctor told me I was a perfect specimen and that I was well preserved."

"Preserved in alcohol you mean and the 'perfect specimen' you say he said... well I highly doubt he said that. Remember, I get a copy of the physicals and I don't remember reading that in the write up. By the way it wasn't a few days ago but a few months ago. You know they say the mind is the first thing that goes."

"Well mine is still as sharp as a steel trap. I can still remember our first time together and how you liked it when I did a certain thing. The way you were carrying on I thought we were in church or something. The way you were yelling in my ear I thought I was going to go permanently deaf in it. I can even remember what you screamed..."

"This is when I remind you that I'm armed," said Diane as she tapped on her purse.

"And this is when I do the same but I left my Walther PPK back home. Maybe we do have time for another bottle and if we don't finish it we can always take it with us."

"I forgot to ask you where are we sleeping tonight? Are we going straight onboard or at we spending the night in a hotel before checking on boat?"

"We're spending the night in the Waldron then transferring onboard tomorrow. I thought a night in a hotel with running water and all the amenities would be nice before we go below decks."

"Of all the hotels on Saint Thomas you had to pick the one where the General was killed. I guess you couldn't have predicted there would be a homicide inside and we'd be investigating it but I swear I'm not spending the night in the room he was killed in."

"We're not investigating anything. We're on vacation remember and even though I know you're dying to do it, don't contact the agent in charge and ask him how everything is going. That will only put undue pressure on the man to report into you on everything he finds out which will go on the whole time we're there."

"He or she because I'm not sure who's investigating but they won't be able to contact us once we set sail. So, what's the harm in asking how things are going?"

"The harm is this is supposed to be a getaway not a get caught up and you know as well as I do there's an invention called the radio and they have them on every boat."

"All right, I guess you're right. I'll leave our people alone while we're in the hotel. Besides they've probably already confirmed that the General was a victim of a robbery gone wrong."

"Well, whatever's been determined it's not our concern. Remember Mary's in charge for the next two weeks so let her run with the ball like you said you were going to do. I think someone else has problems with their memory."

"Okay, I said I'd leave it alone and I will. Just how are we getting from the airport to the hotel? I could call our people and have them pick us up."

"Nice try but no dice. We can take a cab like normal tourists."

"And get ripped off like them too."

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Sarah had just pulled up in front of a high-end boutique on Rodeo drive, the kind that offered champagne when you walk in the door after a credit check. She didn't like the idea of buying Sam clothes here. Already when Mary said it was at Rodeo drive she had a bad feeling and now sitting in the car in front of it her worst feelings were confirmed. It's not that they couldn't afford it because they could. It was just sending the wrong message to Sam and children she'd be going to school with. She remembered going to school and hating the girls who flaunted their parents' money.

"Mary, this is the shop? You should've said boutique. This kind of shop the more holes the jeans have the more expensive they are. Do you think this is the place six-year olds come to buy clothes for school?"

"Well, they sell clothes and she's going to school. Why does one have to exclude the other? Come on it will be fun."

"Depends on your definition of fun. I don't know about this," said Sarah as she got out of the car and looked at the front. "I wasn't brought up like this and neither was Chuck."

"And look how you turned out?" said Mary. Sarah was pulling Bunny out of the car so she couldn't answer but she was about to when Mary's phone rang.

"Saved by the bell," said Sam as she smiled at Sarah. Mary pulled out her phone and held it next to her head then walked off.

"What do you mean they arrested her? They were just supposed to… Oh she is. Are we sure? I don't want this to come around and bite us. … I see. He called him. Okay, don't send a car. I'm not far from you. I can be there in ten minutes on foot and I need the walk," said Mary then she hung up and put her phone away.

"Is something wrong? Is it about Chuck? Do you want me to come with you? I can call Kat and have her come for the girls."

"Yes but no, you stay here and buy something nice for my granddaughter and that's an order. I have to run to our downtown office. It seems Charles and the Major arrested the widow."

"But they were just supposed to go over and notify her. How does comforting someone go to arresting them? And why would we arrest her?"

"Because she is or was a Russian spy. I can't get into this here in the open like this especially where there are little ears present. But Chuck took it on himself to call Moscow and their director confirmed her identity. He's also arranged for an exchange of agents. I don't know whether to thank him for the agency or kick his behind for not consulting with me first."

"I think Beckman has been in that dilemma a number of times. However, so far, he's always been right and his deals are usually good. I say usually because he forgets to talk to me about them too especially if he knows I won't go along."

"It's called selective memory. His father had a bad case of it too. I need to run and you need to buy something nice. They'll want a major credit card when you walk in the door. Tell them Frost sent you. I used to buy Vivian things here for Alexei to send to her and we ran up quite the tab."

With that Mary disappeared as she made her way to the downtown office. Sarah watched her as she vanished into the crowd.

"You make fun of me then you tell me you bought things here for Vivian and we all know how she turned out… a homicidal bi… Come on let's get back in the car."

"But Nanna Mary said we should buy something here… not that I think they'll have anything I like. But you don't want to get her mad."

"I know what she said. She said I should buy you something nice but she didn't specify where I had to buy it at. Come on I know where there are some good second-hand stores."

"But what about the things on my list? We still have to buy them. Why don't we do that first then worry about things I really don't need."

"This is what we'll do Kiddo. We'll go get the shorts you want then go for ice cream and while were eating ice cream we'll order the things off your list from Amazon Prime. Thye'll be delivered at the apartment either this afternoon or tomorrow."

"Now that's a plan," said Sam as she got in the car then buckled up.

[Meanwhile]

In that exact moment Mary was walking through the front doors of their downtown office. There to greet her was the Major. Mary looked at him strange as she walked in.

"Where's the agent that called me and why are you still here in town? I thought you were supposed to go back to Langley."

"I had some business to take care of getting the body shipped up here and decided to stay until it arrived."

"Is that the real reason or did Diane ask you to keep an eye on me? She still thinks I was involved in that mess at Supermax. When will she let that go?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Agent Carmichael and Colonel Casey are down in detention with the prisoner. I need to tell you that the prisoner's daughter is in the waiting room. She's asked to see her mother and wants to know what we plan on doing with her."

"I won't know that until I've brought up to speed and if she was involved in the General's murder. Do we know how much she compromised?"

"Chuck… I mean Agent Carmichael is taking her statement now. From everything I've seen and heard so far she seems to be cooperating. I should tell you that State has signed off on the prisoner exchange. It's a good deal. The Russians have an American businessman that got himself lost at a Russian Naval Shipyard where they are building their latest fast attacks."

"Is he one of ours?" asked Mary as they went to the elevator. The doors opened then they walked in. Both had to do retinal scans before a new set of numbers came up and pressed a number in the subbasement.

"We have no record of him but that doesn't mean anything. You should know the CNO is anxious to get his hands on him. He's a friend of the Admirals so…"

"You think the Admiral might've asked his buddy to take a walkabout while he was on a business tour of the shipyards but got himself caught," she said as they went down.

"Well it sounds like this is a done deal. My only concern is, are we letting the person who placed that target on the General's back walk away Scot-free? If that comes out afterwards no one is going to remember the guy we got back but the murderer we let go."

"I think that's a fair assessment of the situation as we have it," said the Major as the elevator stopped and the doors opened.

"I'm glad you agree but your butt isn't the one on the line here. It's mine."

"Again, that's a fair assessment," said the Major. Mary gave him a look then proceeded down the corridor. "But in all fairness, it's not just your butt that's on the line here."

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Luiz sat in a bar in the airport waiting on the flight. He'd been there most of the afternoon wondering how long it was going to take for the charter to arrive. He'd already gone through two espressos and was nursing a dark rum when one of his men came looking for him. Luiz motioned for him to sit down at the table with him.

"Please tell me you've got some good news. The coffee I had before is eating a hole through my gut. Thank goodness they have decent rum."

"We just got word from the tower that they've got them on their radar now. They should be on the ground in an hour."

"That's good but from your tone there's a but. Don't tell me something has gone wrong? Donna Rosenda won't like it and you know how she gets."

"It's not our fault but we've spotted agents in the airport and we found out they're waiting for the same plane."

"Crap, how many are there?" asked Luiz. Donna Rosenda would definitely not be happy with this. He had to think things through maybe everything wasn't lost yet.

"If we had to we could take them. I've counted eight agents but that doesn't mean there aren't more. But, we'd have the element of surprise."

"I don't know. We could be worried about nothing," said Luiz as he tried to think. "We need to stay out of sight and watch what develops after they land."

"Come on we need to get somewhere where we can see what's going on. Do we know which hangar they're going to use?"

[A little over an hour later]

Roan and the General's charter landed at Cyril E. King International. They taxied off the runway and on to the apron then over to an empty hangar. Once inside the plane powered down and the ground crew put the ladder next to the hatch.

"Well we're here. I'll have the grounds people have our bags sent to the hotel. Let's just go grab a cab then close out the rest of the world."

"Sounds…" Diane started to say when a group of men in black boarded the plane. Roan thought for sure his plans for a quiet holiday just got shot down.

"General, my name is Agent Marley and I'm sorry for bothering you on holiday but the acting director has been trying to contact you on your phone but you haven't been picking up…"

"That's not possible I have it with me. It's charged and I know it's on," said the General as she started digging for it in her bag but found it missing.

"Are you looking for this," said Roan as he pulled it out of his jacket pocket handing it to her. "I wonder how that got in here."

"I do to," said Beckman taking it from him. "If Mary's been trying to get in touch with me then it must be important."

"I have a briefing folder for you Ma'am in my vehicle. If you follow me I can take you to it so you can read it then contact the Acting Director via secure net."

"We've got reservations at the Waldron so why don't we combine business with pleasure. Your men grab our bags and give us a ride to the hotel."

"Not a problem, just follow me," said Agent Marley. He led them off the plane then into his waiting Ford SUV. They pulled out of the airport then headed around the bay to the port of Saint Thomas and to the Waldron. What they didn't notice was the dark van that pulled out behind them.

[Inside the van]

"Hang back, we don't want them to notice us," said Luiz. "I said hang back I didn't say lose them. Get up where we can see them in case they turn off."

"You heard them in the hangar. They're heading for the Waldron so even if we lose them we know where they're going."

"Call our people and have them there waiting for them. I want to know what room they check into and I want our people to call me as soon as they check in. I need the call Donna Rosenda and tell her they're here."

Before Luiz could call they came around a curve to find a fruit and vegetable truck over turned in the middle of the road. The driver yelled curses as he had to jam on his brakes and counter steer. The van went sideways and stopped just short of squashing the truck driver between the two vehicles.

"We've definitely lost them now," said Luiz as he dialled Donna Rosenda. "Mom, I have good news and I've got bad which one do you want to hear first?" he said as the two drivers yelled insults back and forth.

[Meanwhile in the Ford Expedition]

The General sat in the back seat with the tablet in front of her listening to Mary explain what had happened and what was going on. Beckman sat there silently just nodding her head. She was so silent that Mary thought Diane was livid with rage but much to her amazement she wasn't.

"Okay, I appreciate the heads up. You were right in contacting me," Beckman said as Roan rolled his eyes. "This is something that could sneak up and bite me from behind. You've done everything I would've so there's nothing to say but keep up the good work. The only thing I would say is make sure we get a good damage assessment then sign off on the deal."

"But what about her part in the General's murder? Sure she says she just reported the General's phone call to her handler, but she had to have known what that could've caused."

"Is the butterfly responsible for the tsunami? Look the General had a hand in his own murder. Had he reported his wife's extra-curricular activities when he found out about it none of this would've happened. Not to mention this makes him an accomplish. I don't care if she was his wife, she was also a foreign spy… a KGB agent no less."

"But he still was a General," said Mary as she looked over at the Major standing next to her. But he just shrugged his shoulders. "Gee thanks."

"He wouldn't have been if this had come out while he was still alive. He would've been busted down to E nothing and sent to Leavenworth where he would've been call prisoner. No one and I mean no one in the Pentagon or the White house is going to jump up and defend him not after they find out about this."

"So you expect me to just let her walk after everything she's done. I don't know I'm having a hard time seeing this."

"Don't think about this as setting a murderer free but that we're bring home an American patriot. If what you told me is true, the guy isn't a trained operative so how long do you think he's going to last in a Russian prison? It's hard enough for a person who's been through training let alone a civilian."

"The man had no business being over there to begin with," said Mary as she looked over at the Major who nodded his head. "At least you're on my side on this."

"He's like that but he'll keep you out of trouble and you're right. Our guy had no business being over there and doing what he did so we need to bring him home. That's why if this works then I say go for it."

"Yes, Ma'am I'll make it happen," said Mary then she signed off. The screen went blank then she handed the tablet back to Agent Marley. "Now we need to talk about you taking my phone," said Diane as she looked over at Roan.

"So, Agent Marley, your first name wouldn't happen to be Bob? And how do you feel about Reggie Music?"

"Ma'am, we're here at the hotel," said the driver as they pulled up outside. Roan smiled thinking he was save by the bell which was the bellhop in this case who met their SUV.

"Don't think this has gotten you out of hot water. We're still going to have that talk," she said as she got out of the Ford Expedition."

"Speaking of putting me in hot water there's a hot tub in the room."