A/N: I know, I know…it's been a little while…hope this chapter rewards your patience…I've got chapters percolating for ABFTP, SS, and RFW…hopefully I'll have something up before long…I must apologize for the fact that I have been sending out thank you note for all of you who make me feel appreciated by giving of your own valuable time in the forms of reviews…I'm really, very, extremely sorry…really…now, on to the stuff…I don't own Chuck or any of the characters that appear on the show…I don't make money by writing this thrilling, exciting, romantical stuff…go figure…all errors are mine because I perform beta-free…a HUGE thanks to everyone who reviews, alerts or favorites my stuff and last, but not least…thanks, Jim! - JT
Bryce Larkin - Douche Bag At Large - Chapter 18
Chuck was quickly losing patience as the de-briefing with General Diane Beckman and CIA Director Langstom Graham had stretched into it's third hour. Looking down at his wrist watch, he huffed when he realized that the meeting had actually reached the four hour mark. Looking back up he found everyone staring at him, his partners at either side and the big bosses from the video monitor that hung from the wall across from them.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Bartowski, are we cutting into your valuable personal time?" the General asked, the sarcasm practically dripping from her words.
"You know what, yeah, yes you are. We've been over and over this. We captured La Ciudad and thwarted whatever plans she had and I've explained this to you four times now…"
"Bartowski!" Casey barked at him, starting to get to his feet.
"Stow it, Major" Chuck replied, getting to his feet, stepping back from the table and assuming a defensive stance. "I've had enough. I'm tired and I really don't need any of your shit." Turning to face the monitor but keeping an eye on the big man next to him, Chuck to a deep breath before speaking. "General, Director, I'll be happy to send you a written report on everything that happened tonight but right now, I'm going home."
"Mr. Bartowski, you will sit down and you will go over whatever we want you to go over, as many times as we want you to" the General said . "That's what we're paying you for, that's why you're wearing your shiny new clothes and that's what you'll do."
Chuck began to unbutton his dress shirt, keeping an eye on both Casey and the monitor. Once he'd removed his shirt, he kicked off his shoes, undid his belt and then dropped his pants. When he was left with nothing on but his boxers and an undershirt, he slowly removed the wristwatch he'd been given earlier and dropped it onto the table top.
"Chuck, what the hell?" Sarah asked under her breath as he began to back away from the table.
"Is there a point to this strip tease, Mr. Bartowski?" Director Graham asked.
"Yeah, there is. While we may have a tenuous agreement about me working for you, until I've signed a contract, you're not going to treat me like I owe you something. Here's some of my 'shiny' new clothes and I'll make sure the rest are returned to you tomorrow, first thing. It's been a blast but I'm outta here" he answered before turning and walking out Casey's front door, slamming it behind him.
"General, permission to retrieve the asset" Casey growled, his fists clenched at his side as he struggled to control his anger.
"At ease, Major" the General responded before turning her gaze to Sarah Walker. "I was under the impression that you had the asset under control, Agent Walker. Is there something that we should know?"
After giving a quick glance towards the front door, Sarah turned back to the monitor. "Director, General…I can honestly say I don't know what prompted Chuck's outburst. As soon as we're through with this de-briefing, I will find out what is going on.'
"And you will inform us if there is a problem" Director Graham said, leaving no doubt that it wasn't a request.
"Yes sir" Sarah said, before getting to her feet and starting to gather up the files spread out in front of her.
"I'm sorry, Agent. Did I miss the part where we finished this meeting?" General Diane Beckman asked.
"Uh, no ma'am" Sarah answered, sitting back down.
"Alright then, where were we?" Director Graham asked.
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The meeting lasted nearly another hour and Sarah was on her feet moments after the video connection closed, her hands working furiously to gather up all of the files in front of her. After handing the stack of files to Casey, she gathered up the clothes that Chuck had left and carefully draped them over her arm before she turned and headed towards the apartment's front door.
"Gonna go find your boy toy, Walker?"
"Go fuck yourself, Casey!" Sarah yelled, slamming the door after leaving the apartment. After pausing to take a deep breath and then a second, she started across the courtyard, wondering just what she'd say to Chuck when she got to 'Casa Bartowski'. Realizing how late it was, she changed her course and went around to the 'Morgan' door, hoping to avoid waking up Ellie or Devon.
Finding the window closed and secured, she reached up and pushed the quick release she'd installed a couple of days before after a late night visit, or booty call as Chuck teasingly referred to it, had resulted in both Ellie and Devon walking in to see who'd been knocking on Chuck's window. Stepping into the room, she was surprised to find it empty. Looking around, she found all of the new clothes she'd help select sitting on the end of the bed. Crossing the room, she added the clothes she'd brought from Casey's to the pile and then opened the door, silently making her way towards the bathroom, hoping that Chuck might be showering. Easing open the bathroom door, she was about to step in when she realized that the shower was indeed occupied but not by the curly headed person she was looking for.
"Dammit" Sarah cursed under her breath. 'Where the hell are you, Chuck?' she asked herself as she retreated to his bedroom. Pulling her phone from her pocket, she hit the number 1 speed dial and then disconnected as soon as she heard the sound of her ringtone coming from the other side of the room where his phone sat on it's charging base.
Her brow now beginning to wrinkle with concern, she was about to activate the GPS tracking ap when she remembered that Chuck's watch was still sitting on the table at Casey's place. "Crap" she said softly before moving over to Chuck's desk and used a pen to leave him a brief note, asking him to call her as soon as he found the note. She really hoped to find him before he found the note but figured it was better to cover her bases.
Dreading her next step, she exited the room, closing and securing the window behind herself. Moving quickly, she made her way back to Casey's apartment and let herself in, her picks making quick work of the locked front door. Stepping into the apartment, she'd just closed the door when she heard the un-mistakable sound of a safety being clicked off followed by a round being racked into a chamber.
"Casey, it's me".
"What the hell, Walker? I was about to hit the shower. I figured you'd be letting the nerd fill your USB port by now. Why are you back here?" he finished while stepping into view while un-cocking his pistol.
"I need to check your surveillance feeds for the last hour" she answered while making her way across the darkened room and slipping into the chair in front of the NSA agent's desk. "Maybe you should find a robe."
"Why do you need to check the…don't tell me you've lost Bartowski. Why don't you just activate the tracker in his watch?"
"Because…" Sarah answered over her shoulder, using one hand to point towards the time piece still sitting on the table, "and before you ask, his phone's in his room, charging" she said while watching the different video feeds that where playing at an accelerated rate on the monitor in front of her.
Casey had disappeared while Sarah watched the video of her curly haired asset leaving Casey's apartment, crossing the courtyard and then disappearing through the front door of Ellie's apartment. By the time Casey re-appeared, Sarah knew that Chuck had left the apartment and driven away in Ellie's car.
"Shit!" Sarah said before backing the video up and re-watching as Ellie's car disappeared from camera range. "Where the hell did you go?" she mumbled to herself before backing the video up and watching it for a third time.
"Here" Casey said from her side, handing her his phone. She looked down at the display, taking note of the small blinking dot.
"This is Chuck?"
"No, that's his sister's car. I figured that it would be a good idea to chip both her and Woodcomb's car…just in case we ever needed to track either of them" Casey answered while moving closer and backing up the up the video Sarah had just been watching. He snorted when he found an image Sarah had missed, calling her just before she steeped out the front door. Once she'd returned to his side, he pointed out what he'd found and snorted again at Walker's sudden intake of breath.
"Mamma Bartowski sure looks pissed" Casey said as Sarah stared at the image of Ellie, standing outside her front door, still dressed in her scrubs and offering the one-fingered salute to the camera, obviously well aware of it's position. "Guess Chuck tattled on you" the big man said, obviously taking pleasure from Sarah's discomfort.
"Maybe, or maybe she just wanted to let you know that your Friday dinner invitation had been cancelled" Sarah replied as she turned to head back to the front door. "I'll bring your phone back" she added just before stepping out and closing the door behind her.
"You better not have gotten my dinner cancelled, Chuck" he mumbled to himself, remembering just what a great cook the elder Bartowski was.
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Sarah pulled into the empty parking space next to Ellie's Saturn, the GPS from Casey's phone having led her to the almost deserted parking lot that overlooked an equally deserted beach. After shutting off the headlights, she turned the key to kill the motor and quickly climbed out of the Porsche. After a quick inspection of the car next to her revealed no Chuck, she kicked off her shoes, pocketed her keys and headed towards the beach. Stepping off the boardwalk, she paused to look around and once she spotted her quarry, she took off across the still warm sand towards the man who'd taken a surprisingly important part of her heart, hoping that whatever had pissed him off earlier wasn't something she'd done.
'What the hell?' she asked herself, wondering just when he'd taken such a strong hold of her. Confused, she stopped moving, and stood still while she thought back, trying to remember the exact moment she'd given him more than she'd ever given anyone else. Unable to pinpoint the exact moment, she resumed her movement, promising herself to figure out the answer soon.
The sand seemed to be getting warmer and that told her that the air was simply getting cooler, the breeze from the ocean raising a bumper crop of goosebumps all over her body. Crossing her arms as she came to a halt just a couple of feet behind Chuck, she smiled when she saw the blanket wrapped around his shoulders.
"Chilly?" Chuck asked.
"How did you know I was here?"
"Chilly?" Chuck repeated, holding one arm out in an open invitation to join him under the blanket.
Deciding to take the invitation, Sarah scooted around and ducked under the outstretched arm, tucking herself into his side, her arms wrapping themselves around him and pulling herself closer to him. She wanted to purr when Chuck dropped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her t him, reaching across with his other hand and pulling the blanket completely around them.
"Better?" Chuck asked, resting his chin on the top of her head as she tucked in against his chest.
"Much" Sarah answered, the sound of Chuck's heartbeat against her ear already calming her. "I'm sorry" she said, not sure if she'd actually done anything wrong but deciding to try a pre-emptive apology, just in case.
"Sarah, you didn't do anything wrong. I should be apologizing but …well, I was just pissed about having to sit there for four hours and keep saying the same things, over and over again. I realize that is part of the job but it just pissed me off."
"And the strip tease? Hoping to get the General all hot and bothered?"
"What? Oh god! Absolutely not! Are you crazy?" Chuck blurted out as he leaned away from Sarah, his eyes opened as wide as they would go. Ready to continue with his denials, he felt Sarah shaking against him and realized she was laughing. "Oh, very funny. Maybe I should take my blanket back" he said, slowly beginning to move the arm that was draped across his companions shoulders.
"Oh no you don't, Chuck Bartowski!" Sarah said, using both of her arms to pull herself closer to him, even wiggling around so she was straddling his lap, her legs now locked around his waist. "You need to keep me warm" she added, her mouth now inches away from his ear.
"Yes ma'am" he answered, his arms drawing the blanket tighter around them as he fought against the growing urge to attack her lips. His battle was lost when Sarah chose the same tactic he'd been considering, her lips finding his and her toingue demanding admittance, which he happily granted.
Time seemed to stand still as they explored each other's mouths, finally taking a break for air after what seemed like hours. Chuck felt one of Sarah's hands begin to drift towards his crotch and as much as he never wanted her to stop, he knew that even though the beach was nearly deserted, if he let things progress much further, they both might end up getting arrested for extremely lewd behavior.
"Not here, Sarah" he whispered into her ear just as she'd reached her destination and started to stroke him through his sweat pants. "It's a public beach."
"So?"
"So, I'd like to avoid getting arrested, if at all possible."
""Trust me, Chuck" Sarah breathed into his ear, "my badge will get us out of any trouble we might get into" she finished and then nipped at his earlobe, catching it between her teeth and pulling at it while her hand continued to stroke him.
"Sarah" Chuck managed to gasp out, her attack on two fronts leaving him reeling, "sand, cold…Casey" he added, finally managing to get the attention of the blonde angel in his lap.
"Casey? What about Casey?" his lap mate asked, the confused look on her face providing Chuck with the opening he needed. Taking advantage of the brief lull in the action, Chuck released his hold on Sarah and quickly threw the covering off of both of them. Sarah jumped to her feet and moved away, intent on grabbing the blanket and then getting back to what she'd started. Bending over to grab the material she needed to complete her mission, she straightened back up and turned around only to find Chuck already up and on his feet.
"Calm down, Sarah" he said in what he hoped was a soothing tone while he slowly began to back away from her.
"Calm down? After you get me all hot and bothered? Oh no, that won't do at all, Charles Irving Bartowski, That. Won't. Do. At. All!" she hissed just before lunging towards him. She stumbled when her target sidestepped and before she could recover, he was moving across the sand, heading directly towards the parking lot at a surprisingly fast pace. She took a step to begin her pursuit and couldn't believe it when she tripped on the blanket that was hanging from her hand, going ass over tea-kettle to end up sprawled on her back. "Chuck" she called out, more in surprise than pain, "help me".
She slowly sat up and watched as a wary Chuck slowly edged towards her.
"Are you ok, Sarah?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I just tripped over your stupid blanket"
"Stupid? You really seemed to like it a few second ago."
"Don't argue, just get over here and help me up."
"No, no I don't think so" he replied, having seen something in Sarah's eyes that told him to keep his distance. "I'm going to go ahead and take Ellie's car back to the apartment" he said as he continued to slowly back away. When he saw Sarah make a sudden move to her feet and she growled at him, he turned and fled, once again moving as fast as his legs would carry him. "I'm taking Ellie's car back. If you would like to talk, I'll be happy to meet you at the fountain in the courtyard" he called back over his shoulder, not bothering to look back.
Sarah considered resuming the chase but chose instead to sit back down on the sand. It started slowly at first but soon she was laughing harder than she'd laughed in years. "Fine, Chuck" she called after him, "but we're going to have to work on this aversion you have to PDAs."
"PDAs?" Chuck's voice drifted back to her from the parking lot. "We'll have to compare notes on what we each think PDA stands for. Until then, you're cut off" he yelled back with a laugh before quickly climbing into his sister's car and driving away. "oh crap, what did you just say, you idiot" he mumbled to himself as he watched the rear view mirror.
When he reached the stop sign at the exit for the parking lot, he rolled down his window and as he began to pull away, he heard Sarah calling after him.
"I know where you live…and where you're going to be sleeping tonight!"
A/N: part 37 - Thanks for reading. Hope you liked it and maybe were rewarded with at least one smile for your effort. Any and all reviews are greatly appreciated.