Cape Town, South Africa 2012
Sarah was exhausted. She slogged into her apartment at 5:30 in the morning. She'd been out trying to tack down a lead on a weapons smuggler believed to be selling Uranium on the open market. He was known only as Johnas and was reportedly partying it up in Cape Town, South Africa, she had not, however, managed to find him. She'd gone club hopping all night trying to locate anybody by that name. These kinds of searches had been easier when all she needed to do was have the Intersect with her.
She slipped her uncomfortable shoes off and walked around on the carpet. She'd been living in the party scene for three weeks trying to gain an introduction. Men had been propositioning her steadily during the entire assignment and she felt dirty. She didn't mind the sexy clothes, or the flirting, she just wanted to do it for someone else. Plus she'd been purchased thirteen drinks just tonight. She'd had to talk to all those men and pretend to drink their drinks just in case one of them happened to be Johnas or know Johnas or know somebody who actually knows Johnas instead of just telling her that they do to try and get her to have another drink with them.
Sarah peeled off her dress as she walked into her bedroom. She felt filthy and as tired as she was she wanted a shower before she went to bed. As she walked into the bathroom something on her bed caught her eye. Her stocking was propped on her pillow obviously filled. She stared at it in shock. "How the hell did you get here? I left you in a secured storage facility in DC under an assumed frigging name!"
Sarah hadn't heard a peep from Chuck in the last year. The stocking in Ecuador had freaked her out a little, but it was cute and sweet, but she'd been utterly unable to determine how Chuck had done it. How had he found her? How had he gotten into her room? How had he walked into her hotel room planted something and left undetected. It was impossible.
Sarah stood there in her lingerie and dumped the stocking out on her bed. She knew what she was looking for. She grabbed at the white box and opened ripped it open. Inside were ear rings…ear rings. There was a slip underneath it. You lost a set in Hamburg, I know these won't replace those, but I hope you'll find these as versatile. I love you, C
"Damn it!" Sarah yelled at the top of her lungs oblivious to her neighbors. "If you're going come and visit at least stick around for a little fun!"
Sarah quickly checked the rest of the contents of her stocking. There was nothing remarkable other than a stuffed bear holding a heart that said WUB YOU TONS!
Sarah wanted to not care about the trinkets and chocolate from her stocking, but the year and a half since she and Chuck had parted ways, she'd never felt so lonely. She opened up the locket he'd given her two years ago and stared at his picture. It was the only picture she allowed her self to travel with. Today, she did what she never allowed herself to do. She cried with the ache of missing him.
She wanted to call Ellie and see if she had heard from him, but it wasn't even Christmas there yet. Devon and Ellie would be asleep. Sarah grabbed some clothes and cab to the airport. Parked herself in front of security checkpoint to the international gates and waited until noon, but she didn't find Chuck. Exhausted and completely drained she headed back to the hotel to sleep away the rest of Christmas with her new stuffed bear. It proved a pretty poor replacement for the man that gave it to her