Scene V - DCI Enterprises
Casey casually strolled towards the side entrance of a dated multistory office building, dressed in a dark suit and carrying a wide black leather briefcase. His carefully crafted demeanor suggested a business executive whose mind was elsewhere. Closer inspection would have revealed the occasional survey of the surrounding area to ensure he wasn't attracting attention.
The side entrance had a badge reader, and although the DCI badge Casey sported off his pocket looked official, it wouldn't grant him entrance. However, this entrance was where the smokers slipped out on their breaks, and there was no guard station.
Four smokers loitered on an expanded section of the concrete sidewalk near the door, two of them engaged in a conversation, the other two pensively staring off into space on their own. A subtle expression on Casey's faceshowed thathe was judging each of them for their nicotine habit as he timed his approach to the side door.
A pretty brunette woman in a maroon executive suit stubbed out her cigarette in the ash tray on top of the trash can on the patio. Casey sped up slightly so he could tailgate her through the door. She swiped her badge; the reader gave a loud beep and the light turned from red to green. She pulled the door open; Casey had timed his walk perfectly, so he was there in time to hold the door for her. He didn't count on her noticing, or caring, that he didn't swipe his own badge as he tried to enter.
"Hey, don't forget to swipe your badge: we can't afford another audit." If Casey somehow had any doubts about her seriousness from her tone, the look on her face would have dispelled them.
Casey smiled at her, managing to make it look fairly genuine. "Sorry. I'm running late and I wasn't thinking." Casey pulled the badge off his pocket and reached back through the doorway to swipe it against the reader. The magnetic device in the card triggered a reading and a beep. The woman was inside and couldn't see the panel, and the smokers were facing away from the building, so nobody noticed that the light on the panel stayed red.
The woman smiled her thanks, and headed inside, Casey close behind. Casey stopped for a moment to put the badge back on his shirt, re-orienting the camera in the oversized clip and giving the woman time to move further ahead at the same time. He started moving down the hallway again, his long strides appearing casual but eating up ground at a deceptive pace.
Chuck was getting a little seasick because of the way the camera bounced around as Casey walked. He was sitting with Sarah in the back of the black Suburban, parked towards the back of the lot next to Sarah's Porsche. Sarah had changed out of her Weinerlicious outfit into a semi-professional, form-fitting outfit in case Casey needed any help. Chuck didn't bother to change out of his Buy More gear: it was already semi-professional, and besides, he knew he wasn't going anywhere.
The back of the Suburban wasn't exactly made for this kind of reconnaissance work, but since a plain black van would have looked out-of-place in an office parking lot, they made it work. Sarah and Chuck sat in the third row to minimize the chance of anyone seeing them or their equipment.
With all the equipment beside them, there wasn't much room for the two of them, so their thighs were usually pressed together and their arms often touched. There was probably enough room for Sarah to slide over a little, and while Chuck decided it was good thing that Sarah felt comfortable enough with him again to sit like that and not be worried, she really should know what that would do to him. Chuck tried very hard not to take things the wrong way.
"Remind me where the stairs are?" Casey whispered into the mike on his watch as he walked.
Sarah checked the building plans, and activated her mic. "Three more doors up on the left. Take them to the fifth floor." She alternated between checking Casey's progress on the monitor and keeping an eye out for anyone who might notice the two of them through the tinted windows.
Casey found the door to the stairwell, with its dingy white walls and industrial looking steps. With Casey taking the steps two at a time, Chuck decided to take his eyes off the monitor. There was just too much bouncing and too little chance of flashing on anything in the stairwell. He declared, "Next time, I'm taking a Dramamine before I do this."
Sarah gave him a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry; you get used to it after a while."
She also took the opportunity to take a break, stretching with her backed arched a little to work out the kinks. Chuck diverted his eyes; he definitely was getting distracted. In fact, he was so distracted that, for the briefest of moments, he thought Sarah caught him peeking at her out of the corner of her eye. He even thought he saw her smile grow slightly. He desperately tried to keep his focus on the mission ... and to find a safe place for his eyes.
Sarah slowly unwound from her stretch and took another quick look around the parking lot. Nobody was close to the SUV. She casually asked, "So, what does your sister have planned for the holidays?"
Chuck rose up awkwardly in the cramped space so he could fish out the folded itinerary from his pants pocket. "See for yourself."
Surprised, Sarah unfolded and scanned the paper. "Wow. Your sister sure is thorough."
Casey was at the door to the fifth floor, so Chuck's eyes were back on the monitor. He joked, "Yeah, Morgan and I thought she had too little time for the eggnog and the tree-trimming." If Chuck had been looking at Sarah, he might have caught her blushing slightly; she collected herself quickly.
Chuck continued unaware, "I was trying to reduce the time allotment for Pictionary, figuring that you could just trigger a few flashes and we'd be done in no time."
"I'm not sure my art skills are that good."
"That's OK; once upon a time I was looking forward to a week of forgetting that I've got this stuff in my head. I'm probably better off with at least a night off."
Casey listened at the door to minimize the chance of running into anyone in the halls. When he thought the timing was right, he quietly opened the door and headed out into the hallway, walking as if he belonged there.
He was in a long, straight hallway with a series of doors along both sides, interrupted only occasionally by some generic art hanging on the walls. A man in a crisp white shirt and suit pants approached from the other direction; they heard Casey give a perfunctory greeting as the other man nodded.
Sarah said, "Unfortunately, our job is a 24/7 thing. If we're not on a mission, we're maintaining a cover. And speaking of covers, we've got a little repair work to do to ours over the holidays."
Chuck took a quick look at her, shooting her a knowing smile. "Ah. So we're to be a little touch-feely at the festivities?"
Sarah nodded, affirming, "Definitely a little touchy-feely, but mostly we should just make sure to hang out near each other and have a good time. Just follow my lead."
"Will do," Chuck responded, once again focusing on the monitor.
Casey passed by several doors and a secretary station, nodding to the prim middle-aged woman seated behind the desk. According to their reconnaissance, Liniman's office should be a little further down the hall.
A thought occurred to Chuck. "Hey, that reminds me. Ellie called me on my giving you an alarm clock, and to be a good boyfriend, I think I need to up the ante a little."
Sarah gave Chuck a surprised look. "Wow, you actually admitted to your sister that you got your girlfriend of three months an alarm clock for Christmas?" she asked, a bit mockingly.
"What can I say, she's a natural interrogator and she pulled it out of me. If you ever need a 'good cop', she's your man."
Sarah wasn't going to let him off that easily. "An alarm clock for a girlfriend of three months; what a romantic."
Casey stopped outside a door; the name plate on the wall read, "S. Liniman". The door was partially open; Casey knocked quietly before opening it. The office was empty, but the stained glass desk lamp and the computer were both on. Casey slipped in and shut the door. He was gambling that Liniman wouldn't return soon, but he should be out of there inside five minutes.
Chuck's eyes were glued to the monitor, trying to catch anything that might make him flash. "OK, if our relationship were remotely real, what should I be getting you?"
"Actually, I already took care of that."
"You bought yourself a gift from me? Now who's the romantic?"
Sarah looked a little abashed. With a sheepish grin, she conceded, "All right, all right."
Chuck grinned, and Sarah grinned back. It felt good to have a normal conversation with Sarah. Chuck was surprised that a conversation about their cover could feel "normal", but it did. Her look lingered a little longer than he would have expected, and then Sarah's business-like manner returned, although she somehow seemed a little more playful than usual.
"I am getting you a watch, and you are getting me a heart-shaped necklace with a compartment for a picture." And then Sarah's grin was back in full force. "It's a little cheesy, but then again, so are you. So it's a perfect fit."
Chuck rolled his eyes. "Great. You bought yourself a gift, and I'll get dinged for it. This is getting better and better. So, what spy gadgets are in the watch?"
"Nothing," Sarah responded, shrugging her shoulders.
"Really? No spy gadgets at all? 'Cause I was really hoping for the Bond-style watch laser, although that really is more of a three-year spy anniversary gift than a three-month gift."
"Nope, no spy gadgets. These are just props, designed to convince people that our three-month relationship is still going strong."
Both of them watched Casey for a minute. He had settled on mounting the video camera on top of the cabinet for the white board across the room from Liniman's desk.
While Casey was installing the camera, there wasn't much for Chuck to scan. He leaned back, his eyes glazing over, pondering Sarah's last statement. His tone was completely serious when he said, "I guess that is what's so weird about all of this: the whole thing is like a big theatre production … with the occasional car chase, ticking time bomb or body count."
"Well, that just goes with the job." Her face told Chuck she considered it no big deal.
Chuck disagreed. He looked over at her curiously. "How do you do it? How do you live a life where nothing is what it seems?"
"We made a choice to defend something greater than ourselves. That involves sacrifices."
Chuck turned to face her as best he could in the tight space, his arm resting along the back of the bench seat. He countered, "And don't get me wrong: that's unbelievably noble, and nobody could ever thank you enough for that. I just wish you could have something that's real."
Sarah's face showed just how much the comment genuinely touched her. She looked down for a moment before looking back at Chuck; she said with complete sincerity, "Moments like this are pretty real. Thanks, Chuck." Her stare was intense. Chuck felt he should look away, but he couldn't.
The moment was over all too soon. Casey finished installing the camera above the white board across from Liniman's desk, and whispered "Test camera," into his watch.
Sarah flicked on the other monitor; the reception came in clearly. "Camera 1 hot," she confirmed into the microphone.
Casey quickly placed a magnetic bug on the base of the lamp on the desk, and Chuck turned on the receiver to ensure he could hear Casey's movements in the room. The equipment checked out.
Casey closed up his bag and slipped out the door, carefully placing the door about as open as it was before. Sarah and Chuck turned on the recording equipment, and turned off the monitors and the receiver. They hopped out of the SUV, Chuck offering Sarah his hand before closing the Suburban door. Taking a quick glance around, they climbed into Sarah's Porsche, and headed back to the Buy More plaza. Lunch break was just about over.
Scene VI: Casa Bartowski
The apartment was decked out for the party. The Christmas tree gleamed by the front window, and tinsel garland of various colors lined the walls and the columns. The apartment was comfortably full of smiling people, many with a drink or a plate of food in hand.
Ellie looked happy as could be playing hostess. She circled the room, replacing hors d'oeuvres on the trays of food and taking time to speak with everyone.
Devon was telling stories over by the kitchen counter, engaging each of the people around him and cracking everyone up as he tended bar.
Over in a corner, Casey looked out of place with his dark suit and cosmopolitan. He politely listened to a pair of doctors from the hospital, managing to look neither overly engaged nor bored.
Chuck was sitting on one end of the couch, wearing a nice-but-somewhat-casual outfit that Sarah helped him put together, comprised of a red-and-white striped button down and a pair of dark brown cords. Another couple sat to his left, while Sarah sat on the arm of the couch, wearing a cute little green top with a pair of black pants and heels. They talked and laughed with Morgan and Anna; Anna sat in the chair, legs folded under her. Morgan lounged on the ground in front of the chair; Anna reached down and ran her fingers through Morgan's hair affectionately.
Morgan leaned over and asked mischievously, "Hey, Chuck, do you think we should tell Ellie we're behind schedule?"
Sarah glanced down at Chuck, who took a look over at his sister with a satisfied expression on his face. Ellie laughed at a joke made by one of her guests, her facing alight with happiness. "No, Morgan. I really don't think we should."
Ellie laughed a little more, touched one of the guests on the shoulder affectionately, and moved along to talk to another couple. Devon walked over to join her. Ellie greeted him with a "Hey!" barely audible above the noise in the room and puts her arms around him with an affectionate smile. Sarah watched Chuck watch his sister, a smile on her face. Sarah placed a hand on his back, and he looked up to share a smile with her.
As the evening wore on, Ellie and Devon seemed to be everywhere, and even Sarah and Chuck circulated and mingled a fair amount, staying side-by-side most of the evening. Guests gradually started to make their exits. Casey was one of the first to leave, stopping off to say a few casual goodbyes before ducking out.
Eventually, it was down to just the three couples. Devon was ensconced in one of the chairs withEllie reclining in his lap, his arm wrapped around the front of her shoulders. Chuck and Sarah sat close together on the couch, almost as if they wished they could be touching but weren't sure how. Morgan and Anna lingered in the same places they had remained most of the night.
Chuck leaned forward, hands emphasizing his words, as he finished telling the group a story about a Christmas past. "And we wake up Christmas morning to the sound of Ellie absolutely sobbing her eyes out. I come out of my room to find our father screaming down the stairs at Ellie: "Eleanor Fay, what have you done?" He waved his arms in an exaggerated impression of his father.
Sarah, looking around and laughing with the group, interjected, "Ooh, you know you're in trouble when they break out the middle name."
Chuck was momentarily distracted by Sarah's reference to middle names; it was just another reminder of how little he knew about her. Other people were laughing knowingly at Sarah's comment, so he had time to regroup before continuing, "Ellie was sitting almost completely under the Christmas tree, surrounded by the absolutely tattered remains of wrapping paper. We're talking trailer-park-after-a-tornado scale disaster area. She had opened every last one of our Christmas presents, and was still crying." The group burst out laughing as Ellie buried her face in her hands with an embarrassed smile.
With a smiling but quizzical look, Sarah asked, "What were you doing?"
Ellie removed her hands, but was still unable to meet anyone's eyes. "Well, I was absolutely convinced that one of the boxes had the puppy I wanted. When it wasn't in any of mine … well, I just opened up all of them. And then I realized I wasn't getting a puppy." At that, she was finally able to look some people in the eye with a sheepish smile.
Sarah's face crinkled into a sympathetic expression that matched the little, "Aww…" she emitted. Devon tightened his arm around Ellie for a second; she looked up at him before sharing a private smile with Chuck.
Anna looked a little jealous that Ellie was getting all the attention. Although she managed to put up a decent front, Morgan sensed Anna's unhappiness. "Well, it's about time for Anna and me to hit the road."
Ellie sighed, "It is getting late." Morgan and Anna got up, and said their goodbyes to the rest of the group.
She had walked the couple most of the way to the door when she remembered something. "Wait! You can't leave yet." She scurried into her bedroom.
Morgan looked at Chuck. "Aw, dude, She's not…"
Chuck shrugged. "You know Ellie." Morgan sighed.
Anna looked puzzled, and a little annoyed. Sarah just looked puzzled.
Ellie came back into the room with a three packages. Two were identical: rectangular, wrapped in beautiful deep red wrapping paper with golden ribbon and a matching bow. The third was much smaller, cylindrical in shape and decorated with a deep green wrapping paper and the same golden ribbon/bow combination. Ellie handed the packages to Morgan, then leaned over and gave Anna a hug, whispering in her ear. Anna resisted at first, but whatever Ellie said worked: Anna couldn't help but smile.
Sarah leaned over and whispered in Chuck's ear, "What's this all about?"
Chuck shook his head, whispered back, "Oh, no. I'm not about to steal my sister's thunder."
Morgan and Anna made their exit, offering one more good night to everyone as they left. Ellie shut the door behind them, and made her way back to the sitting area. The other three stood up, Chuck offering Sarah a hand, and exchanged Christmas greetings. Devon hugged both Sarah and Chuck somewhat violently, invading their personal space a bit too much in the process.
Ellie finished giving her brother a hug. Chuck whispered into her ear, smiling, and Ellie's smile somehow managed to grow even bigger. They held hands for a moment, extending their arms to extend the touch as Chuck moved back towards Sarah.
Ellie told the pair, "All right, guys. We'll get the dishes and the lights. Good night!"
Chuck and Sarah headed back to Chuck's room. As they headed down the hallway, Sarah asked, "So what was the deal with the packages?"
Chuck simply said, "You'll see," and opened the door to his room.
In the room were three packages identical to the packages Ellie had handed to Morgan: the cylindrical package sat on the book shelf by Chuck's iPod dock, while one rectangular package sat on each side of the neatly made bed.
The two entered the room. Sarah sat down on "her" side of the bed, next to one of the packages. The tag read, "To Sarah, from the Bartowskis".
As Chuck walked around the bed, Sarah asked, "Do we open them now?"
"Yep." He sat on his side of the bed, watching Sarah as she opened her gift.
Feeling a little self-conscious, she tore open the paper and opened the box. The box contained a two-piece set of dark red pajamas with a camisole top and full-length pants. Sarah looked at Chuck questioningly.
Chuck explained, "It's a family tradition that started with my parents. They would give us each a set of new pajamas at Christmas so we would all look good for pictures Christmas morning. As we grew up, Ellie and I kept the tradition alive: pajamas make a great present, and nobody needs to stress at all on Christmas morning. I guess it's a little hokey…"
"I love it. I really do. So what's in the other package?"
"Well, it's massage oil. From Devon."
Sarah's face went a little flat. "And what kind of tradition is that?"
Chuck was about to reply when Sarah cut in, "You're joking, aren't you."
Unable to keep a straight face any longer, Chuck broke down laughing. Sarah laughed a little ruefully.
He walked across the room and tore the wrapping paper from the package. "It's a bayberry candle. You burn it on Christmas eve for good luck."
Sarah looked at the candle, then back into her pajama box. "Your sister really gets into this kind of thing, doesn't she."
"After Mom left, she kind of stepped up to fill the void. As much as any kid can, anyway."
"Well, I think she's sweet. But does she really expect us to wear the PJ's?"
"Just be glad she didn't hear you say that."
Sarah showed mock fear as she said, "Uh, oh. I'd better go change."
"That would be smart," Chuck said with a smile.
Sarah grabbed her overnight bag from the corner and headed into the bathroom. Chuck crossed the room to unwrap the plastic from the candle, pausing for a moment to look at the picture of Sarah and him from the night of the Halloween party. In times past, Chuck would have loved the idea of Sarah changing into night clothes in the bathroom, but things had changed.
He flashed back to the last time he was lighting candles in his room. Sarah was spending the night for cover, and they were going to "make love". That night had not turned out so well, but events since the night had given him hope of other, better nights. Heck, the connection he had felt with Sarah at the party tonight would have given him hope.
However, Sarah had put those types of thoughts to rest a little while back with one harshly worded declaration in the living room.
Chuck sighed and lit the candle. Sarah was here for the job and only the job; he had to remember not to confuse the cover with anything real.
In the bathroom, Sarah had already changed into her pajamas. She had to admit Ellie did a good job picking them out: the top was cute and just a little bit sexy, but Sarah would be perfectly comfortable lounging around in them Christmas morning. She stared in the mirror for a minute, and started messing with her hair. She tried the Weinerlicious pig tails to keep things fun, but decided they were out of place. Next, she tried letting the hair hang completely loose, but she didn't like how the hair hung.
Sarah got frustrated. "For goodness' sake!" she muttered. She felt like a teenage girl going on a first date. Only this wasn't a first date: Chuck had offered himself up more times than she could remember. And it was time to take him up on his offer.
The last few days had been agonizing. Sarah had tortured herself over the scene in the living room. She had come into the room, accusing Chuck of getting overly emotional on the mission, when it was she who was struggling to control her emotions. And then she had compounded that misstep by telling him that the kiss was a mistake.
It must have absolutely crushed Chuck to hear her words; those terrible, untrue words. Sarah wouldn't take back that moment in the warehouse for anything. She still remembered every detail so vividly.
As the timer ticked down, Sarah suddenly knew they were going to die, and time slowed down to a crawl. When all she had left in the world was that moment, everything became crystal-clear. Everything became so simple.
She relished the memory of the absolute sense of freedom. How she threw herself at him with complete abandon. The taste of him in her mouth. The feel of his body pressing against hers. The way they clung to each other.
The kiss seemed to last forever. If only it could have.
Eventually, when it became apparent there no bomb would provide an easy exit from the moment, Sarah fled like a frightened child. She had basically told Chuck she regretted the moment, when nothing could be further from the truth.
Chuck could have been easily forgiven for protecting himself as well. But while the seasoned secret agent was in full retreat, the man who was so utterly shattered by the betrayal of both his best friend and his girlfriend put himself out there for her again. And again. And yet again.
Sarah didn't deserve that. She kept demanding his trust, yet she kept lying to him about the thing that mattered most to him. When Chuck was at his most honest and brave, she was at her most untruthful and cowardly.
She told Casey that she would fix things with Chuck. Tonight, she would fix things, just not in the way she implied.
Sarah finally settled on pinning her hair back loosely, allowing it to fall straight down about her shoulders. Sarah closed up her overnight bag, and took one last look at herself in the mirror. Taking a deep breath, she turned, drew open the door and flipped off the light.
Chuck was already in bed, reading a dog-eared paperback book as he waited for her. His hair was tousled a little more than usual, warming Sarah's heart. A new dark blue pajama top with buttons down the front wrapped the portions of his torso and arms visible above the covers. She turned as she entered the room to drop her bag in the corner. "I see Ellie made a nice choice," she heard Chuck compliment her. She dropped the bag and turned back to face him. She caught him struggling to drag his eyes away as she turned, just a little too late to avoid her noticing. Her heart skipped a beat.
Sarah smiled, and began to cross to room. "Thanks; Ellie has excellent taste. And, apparently, a very good eye for size," she added, a bit puzzled. The pajamas fit her perfectly.
Chuck stared hard at the novel as he responded,"That's actually Awesome, believe it or not. He can take one look at a woman and figure out her size."
"That's kind of weird," Sarah suggested while drawing back the covers on her side of the bed.
"Yeah, well, it's just one of Awesome's many talents."
Sarah sat on the edge of the bed, facing away from Chuck for a second. She took a moment to re-assure herself, "You know Chuck wanted you before tonight. He's been sneaking peaks at you from the moment you walked in. All you need to do is take the first step. You can do this." She thought through what she wanted to do for a moment, then climbed under the covers. She rolled over on her side to face Chuck, propping herself up on one arm. "Hey, Chuck?"
Chuck looked up from his book.
Sarah looked at him fairly intensely. "Thanks for tonight," she said simply.
"Hey, it's the least a fake boyfriend could do for his fake girlfriend on Christmas Eve."
Sarah winced a little on the inside. She needed Chuck to not think about her as an agent on assignment. It was her own fault: she was the one who always insisted everything between them was just a cover. How was she going to get past that?
She looked down, and back up. "It was more than that. The party, the way you and Ellie are taking me into your home on a night that's obviously important to your family..." She paused, searching for the right words. "It's something that I just don't get very often."
"Well, I'm glad it was more than just a cover assignment for you. Ellie really likes you, and not just because you're my first girlfriend in five years." Despite Chuck's light tone, Sarah was touched.
Chuck continued, "Besides, it's just great seeing you happy again. You've been pretty down since Thanksgiving."
"Things got pretty confusing for me for a while. It just took some time for me to figure out what I wanted."
"Well, I'm glad you got things figured out." Chuck paused for a second, his smile fading into a more serious expression; he looked at Sarah with his heart in his eyes. Sarah found it difficult to breathe, her heart racing, her eyes darting back and forth between each of his. He was going to do it. He was going to put himself out there again. This time, she was ready.
Chuck's eyes pulled off hers to the left, and then came back to meet her gaze again. "In case I haven't thanked you in a while, thanks for protecting me." His gratitude was sincere, but the delivery was awkward.
Sarah's heart sank. He wasn't going to put himself back out there again. And it was hard to blame him.
"You're welcome, Chuck." She fought to keep things from going too far in the wrong direction. She forced a smile and a lighter tone. "As I've told you, I've never considered our time together work, and tonight was certainly no exception."
Chuck's smile returned a little bit. "I'm glad. Good night, Sarah." He rolled over to turn off the light, and slid further under the covers.
In the sudden darkness, Sarah responded, "Good night, Chuck." Sarah rolled over to lie on her back, feeling defeated.
Then a spark flickered within her. What had she really done to let Chuck know how she felt? Nothing. She had tried to lead Chuck down a path to make things easy for her yet again.
Sarah became angry with herself. Chuck had put himself out there countless times. It was time to put herself out there for once. She owed him that. She owed herself that.
As she was about to call out to him in the darkness, Chuck said the only three words that could have stopped Sarah in her tracks: "Good night, Casey."
Sarah was floored that she could have forgotten that Casey had the room bugged. After their conversation the other day, she could be fairly certain he was monitoring their interaction that evening. Regardless, she couldn't take the chance: if Casey found out she was compromised, she'd be shipped out the next day.
It was unlike her to forget something like that. Sarah rolled over to face away from Chuck, realizing that she had almost made a horrible mistake. But lying there in the darkness, hearing Chuck breathe and sensing his warmth, it took all the willpower she had to not make that mistake.