I don't own Chuck. Actually, I don't own much of anything.

This is not new content. In fact, it is almost ten years old.

Look, I get that interest in things Chuck has waned. That's as it should be. So, while I'd always love to hear from you, I'm not doing this for hits or reviews. I'm doing this for me. Hopefully you can enjoy it as well.

Quick Thinking

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As soon as Sarah heard the word 'Fulcrum' she instantly transformed into agent mode and began searching the room for immediate threats. When she was satisfied that the room was safe, she turned to Chuck. "Does he know about you?"

Chuck shook his head. "I don't think so," he said. "From what I saw, I think he is using his DEA position to import heroin from Afghanistan. They are plotting to use the profits to sabotage a nuclear power plant. Do you think that Carina knows?"

Sarah's worried expression said everything. Fulcrum finding out that Chuck was the human Intersect would be fatal. At best, the brass would immediately order him underground. "I don't know," she said. "I don't think so. I trust Carina. But in our current situation, we have to be prepared for anything. It would draw too much attention for us to leave now. Let's try and get through dinner as calmly and quickly as we can. We'll set up your meeting with Carina as planned. While you're talking to Carina, I'll try and get close to our new friend here. Maybe I can get him to reveal what he's up to. Chuck, you have to sell that nothing is wrong. If you see me pull out my gun, hit the floor and stay there until I tell you it's okay. We'll contact Casey as soon as we're done here tonight."

At that moment, Carina noticed Chuck and Sarah. She waived and came running over. "Blondie," she said with a grin. "It's been too long." When Carina turned to Chuck, her grin turned predatory. "Always nice to see you again, Chuck," she said. "Or should I call you Stud like Blondie here does?"

Carina was obviously trying to embarrass her. She'd have plenty of ammunition. Sarah had to admit, she had gone into some uncharacteristic level of detail about Chuck's prowess in bed. It was a language that Carina would understand… besides, she couldn't resist telling somebody how wonderful her life had become. If Sarah was tense, and she definitely was, you couldn't see it on her face. In fact, she laughed as she turned to Chuck. "I don't call you Stud," she protested. "That's her term."

Carina was still looking at Chuck. "She may not call you Stud to your face," she insisted. "But she sure described one… in more detail than I've ever heard from her. What is this thing that you can do with your tongue? I'm impressed… and I don't impress easily."

Sarah was still laughing. "Will you quit trying to embarrass my… boyfriend?" She paused awkwardly deciding how should she describe him? Asset was probably the proper term in this setting. But that might hurt Chuck's feelings. And with her new partner around, it might get him asking questions. Boyfriend sounded lame. Chuck hadn't been just her boyfriend since that fateful night when her life changed forever. But fiancé would raise more issues. Boyfriend was probably best for now.

Carina ended any hope of keeping the dual nature of their relationship secret. "Boyfriend?" she asked sarcastically, still addressing Chuck. "Agent Walker fucking her asset? If I lived to be a hundred, I never thought I'd see that. If I hadn't heard it from her own lips, I wouldn't have believed it. Actually, Agent Walker fucking anybody is a huge surprise. I don't think you realize how proud you should be. There's a line of men from here to Langley who have taken their best shot at getting inside of her panties. She shooed them all away without a second glance. Until Larkin went around the country bragging to anyone who would pretend to listen that he had taken her mission virginity, people were starting to question her preferences. I wish I could tell someone. They wouldn't believe me."

Sarah was now officially annoyed. She expected to be teased. She had warned Chuck that it was going to happen. The mind blowing thing with the tongue had been for her ears only. Bringing up Bryce was a low blow. The virginity thing had been a running joke for years. Of course Bryce hadn't been her first. Carina always teased her about being a mission virgin. That part was true. Bryce wasn't really a mission. Now that was something she'd have to explain to Chuck. "It sounds like you've already told someone," she said angrily with a glance at the new partner, standing awkwardly by the door.

Carina was still enjoying her sport. "Relax," she said. "He doesn't know any details. He thinks you're fucking your asset. It happens. Maybe not to Sarah Walker, but it happens." She waived him over.

"Chuck, Sarah, I'd like you to meet my new partner, Agent Jim Smith."

Chuck and Jim shook hands with the obligatory reciprocal, "Nice to meet you." The rest of the meal was a blur to Chuck. He was much too occupied trying to stay calm to give much thought to the food or conversation. Fortunately, with Carina at the table, there was little need for Chuck to carry any conversation. Chuck thankfully listened to Sarah and Carina chitchat… mostly Carina.

Finally, Carina turned her attention back to Chuck, again with the predatory grin. "Well, Chuckie boy," she said. "Sarah tells me you want to have a chat with me. What do you want to talk about?"

Chuck probably should have been better prepared for that question. It was surely going to come up. "I'm not really sure," he admitted. "I'm guess I'm hoping that you can give me some hints on what makes my girl here tick," he said with a nod towards Sarah. "She's the strong silent type. You know her better than anyone. Maybe you can give me some pointers on how to stay on her good side."

Carina was clearly in a good mood. "There's no other side to be on and survive," she teased. "From what I hear, every side you've been on so far has been very, very good. If you want to stay on her good side, double down on the thing with the tongue. It's making a very, very good impression… if you know what I mean. It's all she talks about."

Sarah had finally had about enough of Carina's gloating. Poor Chuck was turning red. "Carina," she warned.

Carina had heard that tone from her about a million times. It was to be ignored at your great peril. So she calmed her voice. "Why don't you come over to our hotel room tomorrow about 7:00?" she suggested. "We can have that chat."

Carina wasn't the only one who could take a cheap shot. "Room?" Sarah asked. "As in singular?"

There was one thing about Carina… she could dish it out. But she could also take it. "Always trying to save the taxpayer's money," she replied with a grin.

And actually, this was a good thing. It gave Sarah her opening without sounding forward. "What's Jim going to do while you're talking?" she asked. "I have an idea. How about I pick Jim up and show him the sights while the two of you chat? How about it, Jim? Want to see the sights?"

Jim obviously didn't know Carina very well. "If the sights are better than this then I definitely have to see them," he said.

Sarah wished that he wouldn't have started flirting with her so overtly. In a way, it was a good thing. It would make tomorrow a lot easier. But Chuck was sitting right there watching. Carina's face also lost most of its mischievous grin. She had a very casual attitude about men. She traded them like baseball cards. But she was also very competitive. If she thought that someone was trying to steal one from her… even Sarah… look out.

"I guess we'll call it a night until tomorrow then," Carina said.

Carina and Jim said their goodbyes and left the restaurant. Chuck waited until they were out of sight. "From the way he was trying to look down your dress all night, I think I can guess what sights he's hoping to see," he teased.

Sarah breathed a noticeable sigh of relief. That he was teasing her about someone so overtly flirting with her while he was sitting right there was a very good sign. "I guess you could say that he's not exactly a one women man, couldn't you?" Sarah sighed.

Chuck grinned. "I can't really blame him," he continued teasing. "Now that I've seen the sights, I have to admit, they are spectacular. Do we have some time before we have to go to Casey's? Now that I know how to get on your good side, maybe we can go to your place and I can… um… execute."

That got them both laughing. "Getting a little cocky, are we?" Sarah questioned.

Chuck furrowed his brow in faux thought. "Um, I thought she said my tongue? I could do that as well. I don't think that it's little."

That got Sarah laughing even harder. "You're really asking for it," she was finally able to get out. "Unfortunately, no, we don't have time. I'm most definitely going to take a raincheck and cash it in later tonight. Just to clear up any confusion in your mind, I'll most definitely be expecting both."

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Sarah called Casey from the car and by the time they arrived at his place he had already started the videoconference with Washington.

"Jim Smith has had a rather unspectacular career in the DEA," Beckman said. "His most notable mission was Operation Poppy in 2005. That operation was a sting to intercept a shipload of heroin from Afghanistan. Unfortunately, when the ship was raided at the port in Los Angeles, it was empty. To this day, we're not sure where the heroin went. It had a street value of well over a hundred million dollars. If Smith is really part of Fulcrum, it's possible that he had a hand in diverting the drugs for them to sell and use the profits to finance their other activities. We don't know about Carina Miller's loyalties at this point. Is that correct?"

"Yes, General," Sarah replied. "I know her pretty well and I'd be stunned and very disappointed if she was part of Fulcrum. But I guess it would be prudent to fear the worst."

"I agree," Beckman said. "I understand that you and Mr. Bartowski have arranged separate meetings with Agents Miller and Smith to try and ascertain their intentions. Agent Walker, I understand why Smith agreed to meet with you, considering your… umm… assets. But why in the world would Miller agree to meet with Bartowski?"

It was a good question, one Sarah didn't have an answer for. Fortunately, Casey stepped in for the save. "She has a crush on him, General," he said. "She attempted to start a relationship with him during our mission last year."

"Really?" Beckman asked in surprise. "I find that a little hard to believe but I guess that there's no accounting for taste. That was quick thinking. I'm a little uncomfortable with the asset being alone with someone who we fear might be Fulcrum. But I guess we have little choice. Agent Casey, you will monitor Agents Walker and Smith. We know he's Fulcrum so we'll treat him as the higher priority. Mr. Bartowski, be very careful. You're going to be on your own with Carina Miller. We hope she's loyal but we can't be totally sure. I don't need to remind you that she is a trained agent who knows a hundred different ways to kill you. Well, you have your orders. Good luck."

Sarah was seething at Beckman's insulting skepticism that someone could possibly be attracted to Chuck. But she was even more relieved. As soon as the screen went blank, she turned to Casey. "Carina has a crush on Chuck?" she asked laughing.

"What was I supposed to say?" Casey questioned. "Chuck asked to talk to her alone so he could get some pointers on how to keep a girlfriend?"

Chuck stepped in before anything got out of hand. "How about, Chuck was the only one who wouldn't end up handcuffed to her bed?" he asked.

Sarah looked at Casey, fully expecting him to explode. Instead all three burst out laughing. "If Chuck ends up handcuffed to her bed, we've all got big problems," Casey said.

Sarah looked at Chuck.

"Some of us more than others."

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Chuck waited until they were back to the safety of Sarah's room. "Do you really think that Carina might be Fulcrum?" he asked.

Sarah's smile was calm and confident. "I really don't," she answered. "In fact, I would bet my life on it. The thing is, I wouldn't bet your life on it. So just to be on the safe side, be very careful. It's fine to talk to her about the things that you want to know about me but if she asks any questions about our mission, abort. Casey will be listening and get you the hell out of there."

Chuck looked at her with a grin. "It's going to be very hard concentrating on what Carina is saying," he teased. "I'm going to be too worried about you and Jim Smith."

Sarah couldn't keep the destressed look from her face. "Let's talk about that," she said.

"You misunderstood me," Chuck insisted. "I'm not jealous. I'm sorry if I'm making you question that. I get this is Fulcrum. We'll never be able to have a normal life until they're defeated. You're willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. So am I. In fact, I don't thank you enough for that. This isn't about me being jealous. I can deal with you getting felt up a little by some creep who you're itching to shoot in the head. Just for the record, I am more than a little concerned for your safety. This is a trained agent who is a member of Fulcrum. He is dangerous."

"Yup," Sarah agreed. "I appreciate your support." Actually, it was more than that. She had never felt closer to him than at this moment. "Let's put this on the table. I promised you that I would never try and deceive you. He is going to be all over me. Agents are aggressive anyway… especially after I encourage him. We're always going to be in a public place. That will crimp his style a little. Casey is going to have my back. Don't worry about me. In case you haven't noticed, I'm kinda a badass. I can take care of myself."

"Let's you and I make a deal," Chuck suggested. "You do what you have to do without worrying about me. After it's over, we tell each other every detail of what happened. Tomorrow will be like a double date. We'll make it a joke, laughing at them together. Then someday, as soon as our circumstance allows, we get out of this life and spend the rest of our days as a normal couple. Deal?"

Sarah felt the tears and blinked them away. She had been wrong earlier. Now she never felt closer to him. Maybe he wasn't on one knee with a ring… but that was definitely a proposal. What else could you call it? But he was also being sensitive to her fear of commitment at the same time. How sweet was that? "Deal," was all she could say.

"Just to be clear," Chuck teased. "With normal couples, it's usually unacceptable to get felt up by another man."

There it was. Today's reminder of how wonderful her life had become. He could always make her laugh. "I've heard that," she was finally able to get out.

Finally Sarah was able to stop laughing. Now it was her smile that turned a bit predatory. "We have something of a dilemma," she said as she began to unbutton her blouse. "I was about to offer you a sexy lap dance as tonight's reward for your support. But I just remembered that I'm owed a couple of rainchecks from dinner. What should we do about that?"

Chuck stepped up and kissed her. "I think that's fairly obvious," he said.

"We should do both."

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