A/N Again thanks to all the readers and reviewers. I really appreciate the great response both good and bad to this story. The most difficult part of writing this has been to write it based on accepting all of canon through the end of Final Exam when Minirix began Beautiful Mess. There are so many things that bother me about season 3 and writing with them intact has been a big challenge. But that challenge is one of the reasons I chose to do it.
Thanks to Angus McNab for his read through. I still don't own Chuck.
Chapter 3
Revelation
Cairo
Audi sedan
"So what did you find out?"
"I followed her to a small cafe where she ordered two portions of Ful Medames, an order of Kushari, four bottles of water and two coffees."
"So she isn't alone."
"It appears that way."
"What else did you find?"
"She took a roundabout route through a back alley but ended up going into a small building diagonally across from Haji Hassan's shop."
"That small time gunrunner? What the hell is the CIA doing interested in a two-bit thug like Hassan?"
"Well sir, for the last year Hassan has been moving larger amounts of cash and weapons from the Black Sea through the Suez. It seems he's gotten on their radar."
"Why wasn't I aware of this? Nothing is supposed to happen in this part of the world without my knowledge." The tall American was getting angrier by the minute.
"Sir, this was authorized when you were still recovering from your... incident."
"Damn it! That bitch cost me three months of my life!" The tall American set his jaw shook his head while staring unfocused out the window of the sedan.
"Sir, I believe they are staying in the third floor apartment. The windows are drawn but I asked around and they said they have seen an older American military type enter that building though the same back alley. They said that apartment has been vacant for a few months."
"Shit. It's got to be Casey. I thought that bastard was in Afganistan. How the hell did he get back with the NSA? That idiot screwed that up too." He pounded his fist into the rich leather upholstery.
"Sir?"
"Nothing." He shrugged and thought for a few seconds. "Maybe he might be of value as well. I'm sure some of our friends would like to get their hands on a Marine Colonel."
The aide waited a few more seconds before speaking again. "What are your orders sir?"
The American took the scarf he had purchased and held it up to his nose. As he breathed in the faint scent one more time he closed his eyes. Its light, almost mystical aroma was in sharp contrast to the many conflicting smells from the bazaar. But here in the climate controlled back seat of the Audi its haunting perfume overwhelmed his senses. His thoughts now settled, his mission clear.
He opened his eyes and gazed eerily at his assistant. "I want two teams on full surveillance for the next twenty-four hours. Tomorrow we send a couple of 'known' operatives for a visit with Hassan. Maybe we can get my old friends to come out and play."
"Yes, sir." His aide nodded and stepped out into the warm Cairo evening.
The American took the scarf and neatly folded it back up and placed it in his pocket. He wanted it with him as a constant reminder of what she had done to him. Though the scar was certainly something he couldn't ignore, scent is one of the most powerful senses associated with memory. He had been hoping every day for a year that he would get his chance to make the beautiful blonde pay for what she had done to them.
He reached forward and tapped the shoulder of the driver signaling to head back to his base of operation. He needed to plan his revenge carefully so he could savor every minute. Nothing could be left to chance.
Burbank
Next morning
"Chuck I'm going out for a run, I should be back in an hour or so."
"Ok, Carina. I'm going to take a shower then I've got some dailies to look at for the General. I should be done by the time you get back." Chuck turned around and saw his redheaded partner dressed in black skin tight running pants, matching sports bra, and powder blue Adidas running shoes. Her long red locks tied up in a ponytail. Carina had been leaning against the doorframe of Chuck's room admiring the view as Chuck was bent over in just his jockey shorts downloading today's dailies onto his laptop. As he stood up and turned around he noticed the smirk on his partners face. He decided to turn the tables on his partner.
"See anything you like?"
"In your dreams nerd boy." Truth be told she definitely saw something she liked very much. She had seen him like this many times in their three year partnership and he had worked out a lot in that time. Chuck Bartowski would never have a body that exuded power but what he did have was one that was built on speed, lean agility and pure athleticism. He was more basketball than football, soccer than rugby. It seemed that some of the skills he learned from the Intersect had helped him get past the clumsy oaf stage he was in when she first met him going after the Alahi diamond.
Had Chuck been the kind of guy that Carina was used to, handsome, confident and in most cases a player, she would have jumped in the sack with him a long time ago. Spent a wild night or weekend in bed, the shower, even in the back seat of a limo, likely all three. But when she first met Chuck, he turned her down because he was already falling for Sarah big time. That dance had only continued when she came back with her 'fiancé' Karl. It was obvious to Carina that Chuck and Sarah loved each other but they were both miserable. Hell she had given Sarah the surveillance video where he told her so. Hell she had given Sarah the surveillence video Then when she was partnered with Chuck after he got his badge it was obvious something devastating had happened and she had broken his heart. He told her that Sarah had left with another Bryce Larkin type. For Carina, it reinforced the idea that she would never break the cardinal rule of spying again. Chuck was hurting and spies who are emotional wrecks tend to make mistakes, deadly ones.
When Carina saw Sarah again on a trip to DC about six months ago she could see that Sarah had changed. Carina never asked what or why but it was obvious she had been through a lot and not just professionally. She decided not to tell Sarah she was partnered with Chuck and not to tell him she had seen her. Just like she had known that Sarah wanted Chuck long before even she did, she knew that no matter what had happened to her, a part of Sarah still loved him. And Chuck was the kind of guy who would always love Sarah in some way no matter what happened between them. It was a painful wound they both had tried to mask but she knew better.
But for Carina this was part of the problem. When their partnership began he was just too heartbroken and he needed a friend much more than he needed to get laid. Over time she also began to realize that Chuck was unlike any spy she had ever known in many different ways. He was very reluctant to kill anyone, no matter how evil, and only did it to save her or an innocent's life. But she also realized that Chuck was not the kind of spy who would get off on post mission adrenaline filled sex just for the hell of it. If Carina was going to enjoy that body that stood before her now, she was going to have to give him hope that there was something beyond just eight hours of the best hot, sweaty sex of his life. It would have been so much easier if she had been partnered with someone like Bryce. Do your mission, do your partner and jump on a plane to the next one. Clean, simple, fun. But definitely not Chuck Bartowski. Maybe that's why Sarah left.
"Actually I think it's your dreams we're in, Carina."
"Nerd nightmares you mean."
"Suit yourself but after tonight you'll be singing a different story."
"Got something special planned for me I hope? It's my night and I'm about nerded out."
"Definitely. But you're just going to have to wait to find out what it is. And no complaining that spies don't like surprises. Tonight we are on a date and surprises are what make a date special. At least dates with Chuck Bartowski." Chuck gave her a confident yet teasing smile. He knew she would love what he had planned. He had booked a private curator tour of the FIDM Museum and Gallery. LA's Museum of Fashion.
"Okay Chuck but it better be good. See you in an hour." The redhead turned and headed for the door. Her grin got a little larger. She could tell from his expression that what Chuck had planned for her was going to be great. She also knew that with any other guy, once they got to her hotel after their amazing date the real fun would begin. She would be hopefully screaming his name for hours before she kicked him out the door in the morning with a kiss on the cheek and a have yourself a nice life. Or as she had done on more than one occasion before she was partnered with Chuck, leave them with a bullet wound in the head. But this was Chuck Bartowski and nothing was that simple or that easy.
One of the things that Carina enjoyed about their relocating to LA was that there were so many great places to go running. The beaches, Griffith Park, and one of her favorites, Echo Park Lake. It was a nice flat course and there were always lots of hot guys and other 'scenic views' to take in. She may have once called Burbank snoresville but it did have its plusses.
The redheaded agent was about 2 miles into her planned 5 mile run when her spy senses kicked in that someone had been closing on her for the last half mile. Carina never wore earbuds when she ran. Her agent training simply wouldn't allow it. It was too easy to miss the sound of a safety being released on a weapon or a knife being pulled from it's sheath. Her superior situational awareness had kept her alive many times in the field and she actually practiced her training many times when she ran.
This time was no different. She hadn't turned to look but she knew someone was there and they were slowly but surely getting closer. Up ahead she knew there were a couple of small park buildings and when she rounded the corner she quickly hid behind the cinder block wall. Once the person who was following her came around the corner she would be in perfect attack position. As the footsteps got close she set herself and waited. The tall handsome man almost ran straight into the intimidating beauty standing there with her hands on her hips and a knowing smirk on her face.
"I was wondering when you were going to notice me. I was afraid you were losing your touch." The man said with a cocky smile.
"Never gonna happen. But I might say the same thing about you. I've been aware you were behind me for the last half mile. Maybe it's you who should be worried about losing your skills. You used to be pretty good at tailing a mark and not being noticed."
"Believe me if I didn't want you to know I was here, you wouldn't have."
"So why were you following me?"
Her 'stalker' raised his hands in surrender. His sweat stained t-shirt lifting slightly showing off his washboard abs just enough to get her attention. "Well not that watching that beautiful ass of yours isn't reason enough, I actually wasn't. I was just out for a run and saw you in the distance. That's all I promise."
Carina ignored the compliment. "Sorry Marc, try again."
"Honest Carina. This is all just a coincidence. I found this place a few years ago when I was stationed here on a long term assignment. I come running here every so often. The lake keeps it a little cooler on hot days like today."
Carina had noticed the same thing. It was one of the reasons she liked running here to beat the LA heat. So maybe Marc was telling her the truth. . . . for once.
"Ok fine. But you're lucky I didn't drop you when you came around the corner."
"I knew you would be there. It's actually what I was counting on." He said with the same confident smile she was once so enamored with.
"Counting on for what?" Carina was using all of her spy skills to keep a straight businesslike expression.
"Look Carina, I just wanted to say hello and see how you are doing. Running into you a few weeks ago was the first time I've seen you in eight years. Well since,… you know when. I just hoped that if we are going to be running into each other again at Castle or elsewhere in the city, we could at least be friendly."
Carina looked intently at her former partner and saw the sincerity in what the handsome agent had said. One thing their partnership had taught her was how to read Marcus de Rossi by his eyes. He was a fantastic spy but the unspoken communication that good partners either develop or they die was one of the many reasons they had been successful. It's also one of the reasons that he was definitely not a nobody to Carina. As Marc waited for her response his eyes never left hers. They were trying to read each other and they both knew it.
A couple of other runners passed by the two former partners and it broke the intensity of the moment. It was exactly the distraction she needed but Marc decided to not let her off the hook. Before she could deflect he stepped forward closing the distance between them. He thought about reaching out and taking her hand but thought better of it.
"Carina, I'm sor..."
"Marc, don't. It was a long time ago. We were both a lot younger and a lot more foolish." The anger she felt when she saw him those weeks ago not evident in her voice this time. If anything it was tinged with sadness and resignation.
Marc realized that was about as much as Carina would ever do to acknowledge what had happened between them those many years ago. Forgiveness was probably out of the question. So he decided to change the subject.
"So how's working with Carmichael? I've heard some rather wild stories about him. He's kind of a legend with some of the analysts 'they' let us use on missions out of the country. But after meeting him, he wasn't what I expected."
Carina smiled a bit and her face softened. The thin ice they had been treading over now gone. "It's been great. He's the best partner I've ever had." She said with a signature Carina smirk.
"Ouch, you wound me once again."
"Just telling it like it is."
"Seriously Carina, I'm glad that things seemed to have worked out for you. You're a good partner and Carmichael's lucky to have you."
"Actually Marc, I'm the lucky one. Chuck is special. He's the best there is and the fact that he isn't what people expect him to be is one of the reasons for that. It's been an honor to be his partner." She beamed with pride as she said it.
Marc looked carefully at his former partner and with the same sixth sense that she had used with him earlier he could now see that she meant what she was saying. He also sensed that her admiration for Carmichael wasn't just professional. But as it had been for him those many years ago, getting a read on the real Carina Miller was just as difficult now. She was so good at her job that you wondered if there was anything more to her. She was the biggest enigma he had ever met. But that was part of her charm, even for a great spy like Marc Rossi. One day maybe he could share a beer with one Charles Carmichael and they could compare notes. He was sure that would be a fascinating conversation.
Marc reached for the bottle of water he had in the side pocket of his running shorts. Carina did the same with hers.
"To great partners."
"To great partners." She replied with a small smile.
They both took a drink and held each other's gaze just a little too long. Marc decided it was time to make a humble exit, breaking the moment.
"Well it was great seeing you again Carina. Give Carmichael my best and make sure he has your back. I wouldn't want that great ass of yours left unprotected."
Carina actually chuckled a bit. Marc Rossi was still just as charming as she remembered him. Plus it seemed the years had been good to him. Now in his mid-thirties he had a maturity about him honed from years in the field. Carina was sure many a female had fallen victim to that disarming charm and those gorgeous eyes. Probably a few men as well.
"Always the flirt aren't you."
"Well I learnt from the best." He smiled and closed the distance between them. He reached for her hand and gently squeezed it. She didn't pull away but actually squeezed his in return.
"Well I'd better be going. But Marc, next time you come up from behind me you might not be so lucky."
"Point taken. I do hope I see you again, Carina."
"Not too soon I hope." Carina smirked once more and turned and headed off to finish her run. As she moved away she felt those deep dark eyes of his watching her as she ran. It was a nice familiar feeling she hadn't felt in years. She quickly put it out of her head and headed off towards the apartment she shared with Chuck, Casey and Sarah. Tonight was another of 'her' nights and she wondered what Chuck had planned for them.
Cairo
"Casey, it looks like it's going to be another short report for the General when we check in later tonight. Same as yesterday. Nothing but a couple of small time criminals."
"Well, at least we are out of this hell hole tomorrow. I'm looking forward to a nice greasy burger and a bottle of Scotch."
"I'd forgotten how much I hated these kinds of missions."
Casey let out a 'hmmph' of agreement. "Not the glamorous spy life the CIA sold you on?"
"It rarely is."
"Ain't that the truth. At least I didn't have to spend a week listening to Miller ramble on. Can't say I was unhappy with the change in assignments."
Sarah tried to give her partner a small smile but he knew he had stepped in it. They had managed to not talk about it all week. He knew the change in plans was bothering her. Plus he had hoped that she and Bartowski could have talked out whatever tension there was between them and they could have gotten back to whatever semblance of professionalism they once had. But who was he kidding, Walker and Bartowski together were never simple and professional from the first day they met. Then you throw Carina in the mix and it was hell on earth.
"Walker look, what I meant was I like working with you. You're a good partner. I'm glad Beckman made the change is all."
Sarah lifted her head up from the surveillance gear and turned her head towards him with a little more sadness in her eyes.
"It wasn't Beckman."
"What?" He looked at her a little confused.
"Casey, Beckman didn't change the assignment on her own. Chuck asked her to."
"Why would the moron do that? He doesn't get to pick assignments."
"He did it so he could spend the week with Carina." She said as flatly as she could, but her disappointment came through.
Casey shook his head and grunted. "That kid really is an idiot."
"Casey I... shit! get my laptop." Sarah's attention had been diverted back to the surveillance gear when she saw an image that looked vaguely familiar.
"We got something Walker?" He said as he handed her the computer which she placed next to the one connected to the surveillance gear. She quickly punched the video feed from the camera up on the laptop next to hers. Scrolling back a few seconds the image of a man and a woman froze on the screen. Sarah clicked open a folder of old files she had encrypted. Entering the decryption key a number of image and text files appeared. Scrolling through the files she opened an image file and zoomed in on an image of a man talking on a cell phone. Zooming in on the video image it appeared to be the same man.
"There." Sarah said as she pointed to the image on the video. "That's Justin Sullivan, he was a mid-level Ring operative we were tracking when we first got to Paris. We lost him about eighteen months ago."
"What the hell is he doing with a low-level gun runner like Hassan?"
"Maybe Hassan isn't so low-level anymore."
"Who's the woman?"
"I'm not sure. I've never seen her before."
"So Hassan has some connection to the Ring. Maybe this mission isn't going to a bust afterall." Casey smiled as he pulled the slide back on his Desert Eagle.
"Casey, I'm going to go down and get a closer look. We need to know what's going on inside."
"Okay, I'll keep an eye out here and watch your six. If Hassan is involved with the Ring then..."
"I know. Let me know if you see anything on the comm link." Sarah grabbed her Smith and Wesson, her cell phone and wrapped her head covering around her blonde locks. She headed down the back stairs to the alley that led out to the street and eventually Hassan's shop.
As she exited the building she scanned the area. Seeing nothing unusual she decided to head south and swing around through the bazaar and come up on Hassan's shop from the crowded marketplace. She hoped the throngs of people would give her added cover.
"Any movement yet Casey?" She spoke softly as she made her way through the crowd.
"Nothing. They're still inside."
"Okay, I'm going to get a little closer and see if I can get a better look inside."
Sarah stepped behind a couple of carts and saw a stack of wooden crates that had been used to bring fruit to the market. It was dark in that area and with the sun setting above her and at her back it would be difficult for her to be seen. It would give her a good view of Hassan's shop. But from this position she couldn't see the dark Audi sedan parked in an alley thirty meters ahead of her position. Behind it was a dark blue Mercedes Sprinter van.
Inside the Audi the tall American watched intently as the scene was about to be played out in front of him.
"Everyone in position?"
"Yes sir. We have an eye on Walker and the red team is moving into position to grab her partner."
"Good, give them ten minutes and then have Agent Sullivan and his partner make their exit as we planned. Make sure she does as I instructed before she leaves the shop. That should be the distraction we need."
Sarah watched intently for any sign of movement from inside Hassan's shop. But all she could see was what looked like a casual conversation between who she thought was Sullivan, his partner who stood just to the side of him behind a display case and Hassan. After a few minutes went by she thought she saw Hassan hand over a small brown satchel.
"Casey, Hassan just handed a bag or something to them. Not sure what it was but when they come out I'm going to try and follow him. Keep an eye on Hassan."
"Roger that."
The American watched as a vendor pushed his canopied cart along the alley and turned onto the street in the direction of Hassan's shop. Once it passed the pre-arranged spot he simply nodded his head to his assistant.
"Now!" the assistant spoke confidently into his comm link. A group of local men headed down the street in the other direction blocking Sarah's view.
"Walker, I think they are coming out but I've lost sight of the entrance." Casey exclaimed.
"Me too I need to move."
"I don't like this Walker. Something feels off. I'm coming down."
"Casey head north and come around the other direction." Sarah stepped out from behind the fruit boxes and tried to move along the street towards the entryway when she saw Sullivan come out of the entry to Hassan's shop.
As Sarah stepped around the cart that was heading towards her she noticed the woman step out from behind Sullivan. When she saw the woman's head she stopped dead in her tracks. Her breath catching as she saw the scarf the woman was now wearing wrapped around her head. It was the same blue scarf she had seen at the bazaar the day before. The images she had daydreamed about came rushing back. Her slight hesitation was enough as she suddenly felt cold steel pressed against her kidney.
Before she could signal her partner he reached around grabbed her gun and a voice spoke his orders.
"Come with me, Agent Walker, someone would very much like to speak with you."
Burbank
a few hours later
"I have to hand it to you nerd boy, that was a pretty fun evening."
"So Miss super spy former DEA Agent approves?"
"Actually yes I do." The redhead kissed him briefly on the cheek, then smiled brightly as Chuck held the door to their spy apartment open and let his "date" enter before him. Of course Chuck had already scanned the security screen before he would allow his partner to go in. Gentleman or not, they were both still spies.
Carina walked in and flopped down on the couch. She kicked off her four inch black Dolche & Gabanna pumps. Chuck headed to the kitchen and grabbed the bottle of Pinot that he had stashed in the back of the cupboard before they had headed to the museum. Grabbing two glasses and the Brookstone electric corkscrew Chuck headed back to the living room and sat down on the other end of the couch.
Pouring them both a glass he handed Carina hers, smiled brightly and held his out to toast. "To great partners."
Carina hesitated for a split second. "To great partners" she replied and smiled back in her usual saucy way. But Chuck saw something in the redhead he had also noticed when she had returned from her run. It was brief but when he saw it again just now he knew something was up. But Carina wasn't someone you pressed on things like this. Like Sarah, you had to learn to read her expressions without asking. They were both too good at maintaining the perfect spy facade. Questioning them would only get you the standard answer they wanted you to hear. To see the true meaning you had to figure that out for yourself. And though he had gotten much better at it there was always just enough doubt to make him question if he saw anything at all. Sometimes the best thing to do was ignore it but sometimes you could steer the conversation to come at it another way. However, you did so at your own peril. Get too close and Sarah would shut down. Carina on the other hand always felt that the best defense was a good offense. Get too close to her and well... her verbal sparring was as lethal as Casey's armory.
"Ahh so you like me for my fine dating skills?"
"Well you do clean up nice, ... sometimes."
"And don't forget my extraordinary mission planning skills."
"Well you are a nerd remember."
"And proud of it." Chuck flashed his big Bartowski grin and the redhead just rolled her eyes.
Carina sat up, pulled her knees up and began to rub her feet. She grimaced just a bit as she rubbed her size eights that were finally released from their very expensive prison.
"Here let me, partner. I give very good foot massages remember?"
Carina stretched out with her head at the other end of the couch and put her feet in Chuck's lap. "How could I forget that mission in Buenos Aries. Those boots were two sizes too small."
"Yea but you looked super hot in them and the mark couldn't take his eyes off your legs."
"Chucky, was the nerd jealous?"
Turning red Chuck responded. "Me? No are you kidding? That guy was three hundred pounds and smelled like old stale cigars." He snorted.
"Well maybe I'm a bit of a chubby chaser." She said with a smirk.
"Please, I saw you cringing every time he dropped his hand a little too low on your ass."
She winced in remembrance. "Yea, he did cop one too many feels."
"Besides if I was ever going to be jealous it would be over Morgan." He said with a bit of a huff. She knew he was kidding as this was a subject that had come up more than once during their partnership.
"Still holding onto that one after all this time huh Chuck?"
"Well I don't think I'll ever get the idea of Carina Miller naked on Star Wars sheets out of my head."
"Hey, you turned me down first."
"You intimidated the hell out of me back then. You still do sometimes."
"Still your loss." She said with a smirk.
"One you'll never let me forget."
"Nope..." Carina closed her eyes and sighed. Chuck had hit on a particularly sensitive spot. "You do have some skills Chuck."
"Thanks," seeing his opening he began to steer the conversation. "So what's up with your feet? I know those museum floors were made of marble but I've seen you wear those shoes before and it's not like we walked ten miles. Did something happen while you were out running?"
Chuck felt just the slightest twitch in Carina's foot like the muscles tightened ever so slightly. He thought he caught her catch her breath for just a second s well.
'Shit.' she thought. She slipped up and she knew he caught it.
"No, I'm just tired and babysitting an injured nerd all week has made me soft."
"Carina, take it from me you are always soft." He thought about trying the Bartowski eyebrow dance it had always been destined to failure with Carina.
"So I'm soft huh?" She feigned being offended.
"No, not that." He answered embarrassed. "Never that. It's just ahh, soft in a feminine ahh, your skin,... well you know what I mean." He fumbled out.
"Well thank you Chuck that's sweet. I hope no one ever said that to you." She said with a very seductive look.
Chuck blushed bright red but he knew he had hit on something. Carina always deflected conversations away from subjects she didn't want to talk about by trying to embarrass him sexually. To be honest, it worked most of the time. 'So something definitely happened while she was out running.' he thought.
He gulped before he spoke. "No..Thankfully, no one ever has."
"Glad to hear it... for their sake." She smiled, lighter this time letting him off the hook.
After a few more minutes of Chuck massaging Carina's feet she pulled them back and leaned over and softly kissed him, this time on the lips. She was one confusing and frustrating woman.
"Chuck, I'm going to get some sleep. I'm going to need all my strength to get through that boring marathon you have planned for tomorrow. At least this one has that hot pilot in it."
"Well..."
"What?"
"You'll see."
"God, he's the only thing worth watching on that stupid show." She turned and headed towards the bathroom.
Stopping just before she headed in, she turned and looked over at her partner. She knew he had picked up on something. He was too good a spy not to notice. She had had a great time on their date but seeing Marc again today had thrown her just enough off her game that he had to pick up on it. She had thought about extending their kiss a bit longer, actually all night and well into morning. But she knew that wouldn't be fair to Chuck. He couldn't just wake up next to her and act like nothing had changed. If he had been able to, she would have screwed his brains out a long time ago.
Chuck was special and if Carina had learned anything from her relationship with Marc, it was that sex and partners can get sticky and the Chuck Bartowski she saw sitting on the couch with the TV remote was as sticky as an open jar of molasses. He was also the most honorable man she had ever known and the best partner she ever had. Taking that step with him risked all of that. Plus the one thing she knew was that a part of Chuck still loved Sarah. It was one of the things that made him so special. He gave his heart so easily and so completely. He could never simply take it back. She both admired him and felt sorry for him for that. That kind of love just wasn't for her or at least she had told herself that for the past eight years. The one time she opened herself up to it, she got burned and quickly made a promise to herself to always follow the cardinal rule of spying.
But one thing she had learned from her three years with Chuck was that he was like the ocean. Given enough time he could wear down the Himalayas. She had seen the evidence of it clearly in Sarah. She wondered if she would stand a better chance.
"Chuck?"
He turned his attention away from the TV screen he had turned on. "Yea?"
"Remember to change your bandage before you go to sleep and thanks again for a great night Chuck." She smiled sincerely.
"You're welcome, partner. It was fun for me too." He smiled sincerely back. Their kiss still fresh on both of their lips.
Cairo
Sarah felt the barrel of the weapon pushed into her ribs more firmly. Suddenly she heard a high pitched squeal in her earpiece. She knew they were jamming her link to Casey. Her captor reached around and took her weapon that she had in her right hand, hidden in the sleeves of her top.
"I'll take that Agent Walker. Now get moving and let's not attract any unwanted attention."
She did as he ordered all the while chastising herself for her slipup. The few spilt seconds of distraction caused by the scarf the female agent now wore were the kinds of small things that got Agents killed. It was one of the things she had prided herself on even going back to her days with the Cats. Situational awareness was one of their strengths and one of the reasons they were the best.
But if she was totally honest with herself her decline began the moment she stepped on that plane to DC three years ago. Working in an office at Langley was not what suited her talents best. She had let herself get rusty as she tried to make the best of a promotion she wasn't sure she ever really wanted. Leaving Burbank was mostly about other reasons she had tried desperately to put behind her. But she realized quickly that her personal life was as unfulfilling as the new job and professional partnership she had stepped into. Then ever since what happened a year ago, she had become even less focused, more easily distracted and now it had gotten her captured.
They continued to walk twenty or so meters and turned left into an alley near their apartment. She hoped that Casey had realized that this was all a trap and gotten out. Sarah Walker had been distracted and she hoped that her partner wasn't paying the price as well.
Casey stepped out of the rear door to the building and headed north. He hugged the walls as he looked for any possible danger above on the rooftops. These kinds of neighborhoods reminded him so much of some of the killing zones he had seen in Afghanistan and Iraq. They were death traps if the agent wasn't careful. Many times, even if they were. But even the best agent knew that you sometimes had to expose yourself and this one felt like one of those times.
As Casey was carefully scanning the surrounding buildings, he didn't notice the small plunger that stuck out of the ground. The grey sandy dust of the street blended it in perfectly. Feeling the subtle difference in pressure when he put his weight on his left foot, he knew he had stepped on something he shouldn't have. Lifting his foot would most likely be the end of him.
"Shit!" he exclaimed softly. From behind him, he heard the sound of a door creaking open. In that moment he thought about the partner he had let down out on the street all alone. He promised he would have her back and now someone nefarious no doubt, had his. He had seen how distracted she was all week and had been quick to try and cover for her. She wasn't the same agent she once was and she likely was in grave danger.
He thought about lifting his foot and at least taking out one of the bad guys with him but before he could react he felt a pin prick in his neck. As consciousness began to slip away he vowed that if he woke up and ever got the chance he would tell Sarah about what happened on the train tracks three years ago. She deserved to know and it might help bring her some peace. Maybe he could talk some sense into that moron Bartowski and those two would actually have the talk they should have had a long time ago. Two seconds later his world went black.
Sarah and her captor walked up to the black Audi that was parked in the alley. He grabbed her elbow and stopped her a few feet away. The smoked rear window began to open and a familiar face she had nightmares about appeared before her. The scar on his neck a brutal reminder.
"Well, ...Agent Walker, you must be getting sloppy. I never would have been able to sneak up on you like that a few years ago. I guess what happened in Dhamar shook you up more than you let on. But it's going to be fun getting reacquainted, don't you think?" The American smirked and tilted his head to the man holding Sarah. He quickly dragged her towards the Sprinter van parked behind them. The door slid open and Sarah was roughly thrown in the back. From around the corner she saw two men dragging her unconscious partner. He was thrown into the van along with her.
The agent in the front passenger seat quickly pulled out a scanner and moved it from her head to her feet. He pulled her phone from her left hip pocket. When he reached her right shoe it started beeping rapidly. The agent twisted the heel to reveal her emergency beacon. He quickly removed it and smashed it with a hammer. He then passed over the unconscious body of Casey and found what he was looking for. His cell and beacon were destroyed as well.
The two men who had been carrying her partner stepped in and the same one who had tranqed Casey took aim at her this time. Just as he was about to pull the trigger she noticed the rear door of the Audi open and saw Justin Sullivan and the woman who was still wearing the blue scarf step in. The Audi pulled out just as her world went black.
Burbank
36 hours later
"Ahh General we were just..." Chuck straightened himself up and moved away from his partner on the couch.
Ignoring him she got down to business. "Agent Miller, Agent Carmichael." Chuck knew something big was up in how she addressed them both.
"Yes, General?" Carina said before Chuck could stumble again.
"I'm afraid we have a serious problem. Agent Walker and Colonel Casey have not reported in, in 2 days. We have no GPS on their phones or any signals from any trackers. Nothing. Checking footage from all the cameras we could get access to in a fifty mile radius of their last location got us this footage. It's not much but we hope you can help us with this, Agent Carmichael. It may be our only lead."
Suddenly a dark grainy black and white image appeared on the screen. The image was from a camera in an ATM machine about thirty feet away. There was no way to tell for certain what they were seeing.
"General, there really isn't much there. What should we be seeing?" Carina asked.
"It's not what you should be seeing exactly but there is an audio file that goes with it. It's very low but our experts have processed and filtered it. It's not very long but you can clearly hear a man talking to Agent Walker." The General then pressed a button on her keyboard and a very poor quality, noisy recording began to play.
"Well, ...Agent Walker, you gssh... getting sloppy. I ne... would have been able gssh... sneak up ... gssh... like that a ... years ago. I guess what hap... gssh in Dhamar shook you up more than you let on...B... it's going... gssh ... be fun getting reacquainted, don't you think?" Carina then heard the sounds of bodies being thrown into a vehicle and speeding away but Chuck never did. As soon as he heard the name Dhamar, he flashed.
Chuck shook out of the flash and his face looked horrified at what he had seen.
"General, oh shit...oh shit… oh shit. Oh my God"
"What is it Chuck?" Carina asked. Her face was showing grave concern at the sight of her partner almost hyperventilating.
Chuck stood up and ran his hand nervously through his hair. He turned around, hurriedly walked a few steps before taking a breath and returning his gaze towards the screen. "Oh God... General, Sarah is in grave danger and we need to find her and Casey fast or I just... we can't..." His eyes closed in anguish.
"Oh God, what have I done?!"
He turned once again and began pacing in front of the monitors shaking his head. He wiped his right hand down his face as he tilted his head backwards. Carina got up and hurried over to him taking his hand in hers
"Chuck, please! This isn't your fault. Tell me. What did you see in your flash?"
He quickly pulled his hand from his partners and turned away from her towards the screen with the General who sat cold and expressionless.
"You knew, didn't you?" He said angrily.
Beckman just sat there stoically.
"General, how could you let me do this? How could you let me send her back there?"
"Agent Bartowski, we had no knowledge of any connection between..."
"General! Don't bullshit me!"
"Chuck! Sit down! Your outburst isn't helping." Turning her attention to the redhead who had a complete look of shock and confusion on her face.
"Agent Miller, get your partner back in his seat. The only way we are going to be able find Agent Walker and Colonel Casey is if we calmly talk this out."
Carina took his hand and pulled him back to his seat. She held his hand firmly not letting go this time.
"Now could either one of you tell me what the hell is going on? What connection didn't you have any knowledge of?"
Carina looked back and forth between her partner and her boss on the monitor willing one of them to speak. Getting frustrated that neither had begun talking she spoke once again. This time more forcefully.
"What connection and what does it have to do with Sarah?"
Looking over she saw Chuck lower his head and barely above a whisper he spoke.
"Dhamar"
"What did you say?"
The General spoke this time. "He said Dhamar. The connection we had no knowledge of was between the mission in Cairo and what happened in Dhamar."
She turned her attention towards the now very conflicted and guilt ridden Chuck.
"Chuck, when you asked for the mission assignments to be changed there was no way of knowing that there was a connection. I agreed to your request because I thought it would be good for Agent Walker to work this assignment with Colonel Casey. They were a good team and we need them back in top form. The Cairo mission was a simple surveillance on a suspected gunrunner who over the past year has been moving more guns and cash through the Suez from his storefront in Cairo. We just hoped to get a hit on some of his contacts. But we had no knowledge of any connection between him and the events in Dhamar."
Chuck leaned down, put his elbows on his knees and his fists against his forehead. Speaking to no one in particular, his voice cracking with emotion. "This is all my fault. Sarah's been captured and it's all my fault. If I hadn't been so selfish this never would have happened."
"Chuck, how can it be your fault? You've been here with me the entire time and haven't spoken to either Sarah or Casey in almost a week."
He looked up angrily at the redhead. "Carina, don't you get it? I asked for the change in assignments. I'm the one that put her in danger. Sarah was captured because of me!"
Carina reached out and tried to put her hand on his neck to comfort him but he pulled back with a look of unbridled remorse on his face she had never seen. Seeing him like this, riddled with guilt, broke her heart.
The General coughed to get the partners attention. Once they both looked at her she spoke quietly but deliberately.
"Agent Bartowski, we have no time to waste getting worked up about who is to blame here. The sooner we figure out the connection between Cairo and Dhamar, the sooner we can find Agent Walker and Colonel Casey. Understood?"
Chuck took a deep breath before answering. He knew the General was right. There would be plenty of time to worry about blame. Besides, it was all his. Now their attention had to be focused on getting Sarah and Casey back.
He sat back up straight in his chair and tried to compose himself. After a few seconds he responded, "Yes ma'am, understood." Carina watched him intently, his hands noticeably shaking.
"Good. Now tell us what you saw in your flash?"
Looking down again he spoke. "I saw the aftermath of what happened in Dhamar."
Carina still confused turned Chuck so that he was looking at her now. "Chuck tell me what happened in Dhamar and what does it have to do with Sarah?"
He looked up and stared into the eyes of his partner before him. His eyes steeped in anguish.
"Dhamar is where Sarah killed Daniel Shaw."
