Four:
Sarah Walker walked into the Burbank Buy More; the quintessential California Girl of song and story; golden blond hair, bright blue eyes and preternaturally beautiful. She moved through the sliding doors with an unconscious athletic grace; tall, long legged and broad shouldered.
She paused for a moment to take in the commercial surroundings with the rapid assessment of the well trained CIA agent. The Buy More was full of typical Southern California as they wandered about shopping, helped by employees in green shirts and khakis.
She shivered as her body adjusted to the crisply chilled artificial air after the muggy heat of Burbank noon in the shopping center parking lot. Sarah grimaced as she noted her pokies and decided that she'd need to visit a Victoria's Secret and purchase some bras with thicker padding... much thicker.
A chunky young man with bushy hair, pink cheeks and vacant eyes sidled up. He simpered as he held out what looked to be a sales flier. " Welcome to the Burbank Buy More! Can I help you find something? "
She glanced at his name tag. " Hi, Fernando? I'm looking for Chuck Bartowski? "
" He's probably at the Nerd Herd desk... " He tittered and waved helpfully or hopefully in the vague direction of the center of the store.
Sarah saw the Nerd Herd logo past shelves of computers and lap tops and gave him a chilly smile of thanks. Fernando's smile grew uneasy as he dragged his gaze from her chest and finally met her eyes for a brief moment. He then gave Sarah an abbreviated nod and scurried away as though making an escape.
" Whoa! Look at the rack on her! "
Sarah frowned as she glanced about, looking for the tall man with curly brown hair and chivalric impulses; the man who'd rescued her from an inebriated MI6 agent the previous year.
" That my friend is a case of nature and man working as one, " a tenor voice mumbled in reply.
" What? You don't think they're real? "
She finally saw Chuck Bartowski standing beside what had to be the Nerd Herd desk and took a brief moment to study her potential asset. She supposed that he was kind of cute if a girl was partial to tall, lanky, bushy hair and goofy smiles, but Bartowski really wasn't her type.
She was glad of that for a couple of damned good reasons. Infatuations on the part of an asset were understandable but often got messy and made doing her job more difficult. She was aware of the rumors floating about the CIA and the NSA of her relationship with Casey. She wasn't thrilled with her growing reputation for getting involved with assets or partners.
Chuck was smiling down at a petite and very pretty woman. That had to be his wife, Lou, a local deli owner Sarah thought they made a very cute couple; young, happy and very much in love. And she was grateful that Chuck was married as it lessened the chance for emotional complications.
The prissy tenor voice continued. " And you think they are Jeffery? Just how much did you have to drink last night before Bennie's cut you off? "
" Not so much that I don't recognize prime flesh when I see it. I'd bet a case of brew that they are... "
" And do you have a case of that swill you drink, Jeffery? "
" Well... not exactly... "
" So this is nothing more than a ploy and recycled doesn't count either though I'm not sure just how the discerning palate could tell the difference... "
" Well I could so wreck that... "
" You really don't want to finish that thought, " Sarah snarled dangerously. She glared contemptuously at the two men standing in a nearby aisle.
Both were dressed in the Nerd Herd black and white. The scruffy looking Indian gulped quite audibly and began to tug at the other man's arm. " I think now would be an appropriate time to see what needs to be checked on in the cage... "
" Are we gonna get the boobies cam? " the other asked hopefully. He was older looking with a Larry Fine hair style.
" Not now Jeffery... "
Putting the two Nerd Herd creeps out of her mind, Sarah sauntered casually towards the Nerd Herd desk and Chuck Bartowski.
The diminutive, bearded individual behind the desk spotted her. " Oh crap! "
She noted Chuck's response with professional interest as it rather resembled the threat assessment of a spy or soldier. Casey would have been impressed. As their eyes met she saw an odd flicker of something in Chuck's eyes.
" Hey Sarah! " He smiled warmly at her. " Are you here to get your phone fixed again? "
Sarah shook her head while she shook his hand. " Not this time, thanks. "
" So, Lou, this is Sarah Larkin... " Chuck seemed unaware of the cool hostility in his wife's eyes as she eyed the much taller blond. " ...and Sarah, this is my wife Lou... "
" You're the one who was married to Bryce the tool Larkin? " Lou sounded as though she were dealing with something noxious scraped from the bottom of her shoes.
Sarah nodded with a grimace of a smile. " Ah, I see you knew Bryce or... "
" Heard the sordid tales? " Lou said helpfully.
" Right... Well I've recently decided to go back to Sarah Walker. "
Lou's voice warmed a few degrees. " Congratulations then... "
And so did Sarah's voice. " Thanks. "
Chuck finally seemed to be pick up on the not so subtle under currents between the two women as his gaze shifted uneasily between them. Morgan was oblivious of everything but the brown bag in his hands which was par for the course.
Lou turned, grabbed Chuck's tie again and hauled him down for another quick kiss. She was blatantly marking her territory. " I've got to get back to the deli babe so I'll see you later, okay? "
" Yeah, sure! " Chuck responded with a big, goofy smile.
" Morgan... Ms. Walker... " Lou gave each a brief wave and head bob.
Sarah glanced curiously at the short, bearded man. He eyed her warily in return, hunched over as though protecting both his man parts and his lunch.
" What's with your friend? "
" He thinks you're Australian. " Chuck dragged his awareness from his bride and her walk away shimmy. The goofy grin he gave her was rather sheepish.
Sarah blinked with a total lack of comprehension. " What? "
Chuck shook his head and shrugged. " Sorry, never mind! It's a personal problem. He's my best friend... "
" More like life partners, " the bearded gnome interrupted.
Chuck ignored the interruption and soldiered on. " Morgan Grimes. We've been best friends since about the fifth grade... "
" G' day mate! "
Morgan stepped back with a look of horror and interposed his body between Sarah and his lunch.
" You're not really an Aussie are you? " Chuck asked with bland innocence.
" Nope, but I saw Crocodile Dundee a few times as a kid... "
Morgan looked stunned at her attempt at humor, eyes round and mouth agape. Chuck seemed more appreciative of the attempt with a subtle twinkle in his eye and the slightest of smiles.
She grimaced. " I've been told I'm not very funny. "
" It could be worse, " Chuck drawled. " You could be a cannibal... "
" Or a zombie, " Morgan volunteered helpfully. " At least I think being a zombie would be worse than not being very funny... "
" So not helping here Morgan. " Chuck frowned at his irrepressible friend. " Do you really think she looks like the Bionic Woman? "
" Or Vicki Vale? " Morgan nodded. " Oh yeah! "
Sarah decided she needed to try and get control of the conversation as it threatened to spin off into geek territory. " Chuck... is there somewhere we can talk? "
" Sure, we can use the media room if no one is in there. " Chuck motioned towards a glassed in room full of large television monitors and sound systems. " And it looks deserted for the moment so Jeff must be running late on his nap time... "
" Fine, " Sarah said agreeably. She saw the scruffy creeps standing with Fernando, and the three watched her warily.
She briefly entertained a fantasy of slicing and dicing the three creeps with a very dull knife and scattering the bloody remnants across the Mojave Desert. She then considered the paper work that would be involved... Not all plans, or fantasies for that matter, were perfect.
Chuck held the door open for her, then motioned for her to take a seat on a mangy looking sofa. Sarah chose to remain standing. With an understanding grin, Chuck did the same.
" So Chuck... " she began.
" What can I do for the CIA's finest? " Chuck asked quietly. " Sarah Walker aka Jenny Burton... "
Sarah noticed the odd flicker in his eyes again and almost missed that he knew she was CIA and knew she was Jenny Burton. How in the hell? Did he have it?
" aka Samantha Lisa Kent... "
Oh shit! This was so not good! Not even Bryce knew...
The flickering in his eyes grew more pronounced. Chuck paled, made a funny whimper noise and staggered back.
" Don't freak out! " he moaned.
tbc
A/N: I like to put these authorial notes at the end so they can be skipped... A couple of things about the extended dry spell between chapter postings. I'm not a holidays type and this past December was the first holiday season without my Dad, who was a holidays fan. I then got hit with a plot notion for the story that I had to get out of my system. I actually wrote several chapters... I toyed with having Alex Forrest show up in this chapter rather than Sarah. It was so tempting but I didn't.