Thanks everyone for continuing to stick with this story. Thank you to all of those who continue to leave me feedback. It really inspires me to write more and eager to get another chapter out. Anyway here ya have it, chapter 17. Prepare yourself to be heart warmed. Okay maybe not, but there is a little revelation in this chapter. Enjoy!
Chapter 17
The soft glimmer of sunlight streamed through the window, casting a golden glow on the two as they lay wrapped between the sheets. Their bodies still entwined with one another's.
As he woke, Chuck felt the extra weight from her pressing down on him and he slowly opened his eyes. He smiled when he saw her golden locks draped across his chest. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head and took in her scent. Sarah stirred in his arms and he tightened his grasp on her.
"Mmmm Chuck." escaped her lips as she snuggled in closer to him. Her eyes still closed.
Chuck brushed the hair from her face and gently caressed her cheek. Sarah's eyes opened and she smiled when she was greeted with his beautiful, smiling face.
"Good morning." he said.
"It is a good morning." she replied.
Chuck leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. She responded eagerly. What was only supposed to be a simple good morning kiss, quickly turned into something more and it wasn't long before the two found themselves completely breathless.
" I can't believe you're really here. Tell me last night wasn't a dream." he said as he gazed into her eyes.
"Last night was a dream Chuck. A dream come true." She smiled up at him before attacking his lips with hers once again.
Chuck and Sarah spent the majority of the morning making love and basking in their afterglow. They lied there tangled in the sheets for the longest time, just holding one another, loving one another.
"I have to leave soon." she finally said, breaking the silence and spoiling their afterglow.
"I know." he replied. "I wish you didn't have to. I wish we could just stay here like this forever."
Sarah propped herself up on her elbow to look at him. She reached out with her other hand and stroked his cheek, making her way slowly down his jaw line.
"We're going to have this… soon…I promise. We're going to have everything."
"I love you so much Sarah."
"I love you too."
The smell of bacon and freshly brewed coffee roused him from his peaceful slumber. Casey sat up in bed and took a look around the room. He found his boxers on the floor next to the bed. He grabbed them and slid them on.
His nose led him directly to the kitchen. Casey smiled when he saw her at the stove cooking up bacon and eggs, wearing nothing but his shirt from the night before.
"Erin? What's all this?" he asked making his way into the kitchen and over to her.
She smiled at the sight of him in nothing but his boxers. "I wanted to surprise you. I made you breakfast." She said as she shut down the stove and dished out the food onto two plates.
Casey came up behind her and wrapped his arms securely around her waist. "Thank you." he said as he nuzzled her neck. She smiled and turned in his arms. Erin wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. He moved in to kiss her. What started out as soft sensual kisses, quickly became heated and urgent. Casey lifted her up off the floor and she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist as he continued his attack on her lips.
Casey quickly made his way back into the living room and over to the couch. He laid her back against the cushions and come down on top of her. His lips worked their way down her neck as he worked at the buttons on her shirt.
"Your… breakfast… is going….to… get… cold… John." she said from underneath him, between kisses.
"I don't care." He said as her freed button after button from it's hole.
Erin managed to yank down his boxers as he opened the now unbuttoned shirt and slid the sleeves easily off her arms.
She moaned when she felt his tongue work it's way down her body. Casey returned the sentiment when her fingernails scratched the length of his back. His eyes met hers as he entered her. She wrapped her legs tightly around him and pulled him in closer to her.
"God don't stop." She said.
Casey's eyes met hers once again. They shared an intense look with one another. He cupped her face with his hands. Casey smiled and kissed her once again. One thing was for sure. He was a goner. Colonel John Casey was head over heels in love with this girl.
"Are you sure you can't stay a little longer?" he asked taking her hands into his.
"You know I can't." She replied. The tears welling in her eyes.
"Let me walk you out to your car. Carry your bag for you."
She shook her head no. "No. I'd rather say our goodbyes here… in private." She moved in closer and ran her hand lovingly over his chest. He took the opportunity to pull her into his arms.
"Thank you for the wonderful birthday. It was the best birthday I ever had."
She tightened her arms around his waist. "I love you." She rested her head against his chest.
"I love you, and I love telling you that." he kissed the top of her head.
She looked up at him. The tears had managed to make their way down her face. She kissed him softly on the cheek before pulling away from him. "I'll call you later." she said distancing herself as she picked her bag up from the floor and threw the strap over her shoulder. She didn't want to draw this out any longer than necessary. She wanted to make this goodbye as easy as possible.
"Goodbye Chuck."
She turned to walk towards the door.
"Sarah wait." She stopped and turn to face him again. Chuck approached her frantically and pulled her into his arms again attacking her lips with his. It was a desperate attempt on his part to keep her there or to at least remind her of what she was leaving behind, not that she needed any reminders of that. When their lips parted she rested her forehead against his. When their eyes finally met, she noticed the tears streaming down his own cheeks. Reaching up she brushed them away and left kisses in their place.
"Soon ... I promise." she whispered in his ear. "I love you Chuck Bartowski, more than you'll ever know, I love you."
"Don't forget about me Sarah."
"That would be impossible." She pulled away from him one last time and made her way to the door. She looked back at him one last time and wiped the tears from her eyes before making her exit. Chuck moved to the window and watched as she got into her car and sped off.
The tears poured down her face as she drove away. She looked at the cabin in her rear view mirror and it killed her to think about what she was leaving behind.
"Soon Chuck, I promise you, soon."
Just as Sarah was pulling out onto the main road, a text message came through on her cell phone. Sarah picked it up and looked at the screen. Sure enough, it was from Chuck.
"Be safe." it read.
She smiled and wiped at the tears making their way down her cheeks. He was always concerned for her safety. Her, one of the CIA's finest. The girl who saved HIS butt on a weekly basis. The girl who never ceased to amaze him.
Casey was already at Castle preparing for their mission that night when Sarah arrived.
Casey's good mood was obvious and Sarah couldn't help but feel just a tad jealous of him.
"Hey Walker." he greeted her as she made her way over to the computer.
"Hey." She replied, draping her coat over the back of her chair.
"How's Bartowski and McKinley holding up?" Casey asked. His voice barley above a whisper, catching her off guard. She had never told him she was going out to see him. She turned to face him, her mouth dropped open.
"What?" he asked. "I know you were up there last night."
"Casey…How did you know I was up there? I tried to be careful, I didn't want to risk Haz following me." She spoke softly as she leaned in to his ear just in case someone was listening to them.
"Relax Walker. I called last night to check in and one of the agents said you were up there. So how's everyone doing?"
Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. "They're good. A little stir crazy and anxious to get home, but good."
Casey grunted. "Well assuming things go as planned, perhaps we can make that happen."
Sarah nodded in agreement. "Let's get to work."
"That's right Vasquez, you are to proceed as planned. Let them intervene, think they have the upper hand and then a team will move in. I want Walker alive. You are to bring her to me to deal with personally, understand?"
"Yes Haz, don't worry, she won't know what hit her. It'll be like taking candy from a baby."
"Yes, well see to it that it is. Before the night is over I want her attained."
"Yes Sir, consider it done.
Haz flipped off the screen and ended the conference with Vazquez. Haz was getting frustrated to say the least. He wanted nothing more than to wrap things up with Lieutenant Walker. Haz wanted revenge. He had been unable to complete his own intersect and now with the 2.0 being lost in a plane crash he would never be able to complete it. She would pay for that.
Hours later, Casey and Sarah pulled up to the Le Montrose Suite Hotel just after 7 o'clock.
Casey moved to the back of the van and turned on his surveillance equipment. A team of agents had worked diligently over the past couple days to hack into the hotel's surveillance systems that they could intercept the feed from it. They now had access to every floor of the hotel, not to mention the main lobby, elevators and stairwells.
Sarah was dressed in a fairly short black dress. It was form fitting and hugged all her curves. She slipped in her ear wig and strapped a blade to her inner thigh. Sarah slipped a ring on her finger. It opened up and inside was a white powder substance. She could easily use the substance to drug someone should the opportunity present itself. Sarah's hair was up in a bun. The bun concealed a small tranc dart that was undetected by onlookers.
Casey checked in with his two other vans parked nearby, four of their best field agents in each one.
Sarah reviewed her make up in the rear view mirror and applied a touch up coat of lipstick.
"Ready?" She asked tossing the lipstick into her handbag right next to a small firearm.
"Let's do it." Casey replied.
Sarah nodded and exited the vehicle. Casey watched as she made her way towards the hotel.
"Alright, can you hear me Walker?"
"Affirmative." she spoke into the transmitter that was attached to the underlying edge of her dress.
"Looks like Vasquez is in the bar. Go do your thing…Oh and Walker….be careful."
Casey watched on the monitor as she made her way into the hotel and headed towards the bar.
"Sarah, Vasquez is in the lounge area." he informed her.
Sarah scanned the room and spotted him over in the corner by himself.
"I see him."
Sarah grabbed herself a drink at the bar and made her way across the room to him.
"Hello." she smiled as she approached him. "Is anyone sitting here?" she asked motioning to the seat beside him.
Vasquez sat upright in his seat. "No, no, by all means have a seat." he offered.
"Thank you." Sarah replied as she took the seat closest to him.
"Are you here alone?" he asked, trying to make conversation as he looked her up and down admiring the view. The picture Haz had showed him didn't do her justice.
"It appears so. I was supposed to meet a blind date here, but it appears as though I have been stood up." Sarah sipped at her drink.
"Well the man is a fool, he obviously has no idea what he is missing."
Sarah feigned embarrassment. "Oh stop it. You're too kind." She took another sip of her drink.
"What about you? Are you here alone?" She asked.
"I'm actually here on business. I'm supposed to meeting someone."
"Oh, that's too bad, I was enjoying talking with you." Sarah lied.
"Well he isn't here yet, and my meeting shouldn't take long. Perhaps afterwards you'd like to grab a bite to eat with me? I hear the hotel restaurant is actually quite good."
"That sounds lovely actually. I would like that."
Sarah continued to flirt and make idle conversation with Vasquez. Casey continued to watch the monitors and check surveillance.
"What the…" Casey watched as the man entered the hotel and made his way into the bar.
"Walker, Agent Stevens is there."
Sarah listened to Casey through her ear wig and tried not to react to what he was saying.
Sarah could see Vasquez, leaning to look past her. "Ahh, my colleague is here. Would you excuse me, I promise I will be very quick."
"Oh not at all, I actually need to go make a phone call, I'll meet you back here say ten minutes?" She suggested.
"Ten minutes would be perfect." Vasquez reached out and took hold of her hand. He brought it to his lips and kissed it before walking away.
Casey watched on the monitor as Vasquez made his way over to Agent Stevens.
"Sarah, he's meeting with Stevens. Stevens is with the ring."
Sarah continued to sit with her back to them. "You need to get out of there, you can't let Stevens see you, it will ruin the whole op."
Sarah stood from her seat and made her way towards the bathrooms. Once she was clearly out of sight, she turned to look back at Vasquez and Stevens as they took a seat at a nearby table. They appeared to be discussing business.
"Stevens is the buyer? I should have known he was with the ring."
"Should we abort the mission?" Casey asked.
"No, we're not aborting. We are taking down Haz tonight. When Stevens leaves, have one of the teams take him in. We'll then proceed as planned."
"You sure about this Walker?"
"Absolutely." She replied.
Sarah continued to watch Vasquez and Stevens across the room. Stevens handed Vasquez a bulky white envelope. Vasquez peered inside briefly before tucking in into the inner pocket of his jacket. The two men shook hands and Stevens stood to leave.
"He's leaving." Sarah announced in to her transmitter.
"We're on him." Casey replied.
Sarah took a deep breath and made her way back out to Vasquez. He stood up to greet her and pull her chair out for her.
"Sorry my dear, I hope you weren't waiting too long." he said.
"No, not at all."
Vasquez signaled a waiter over to them and ordered them each another drink.
"Stevens is in custody." Sarah heard Casey announce.
Sarah waited for the waiter to bring them their drinks before making any kind of a move. A few minutes later, Sarah retrieved a small gun from her handbag and instructed Vasquez to stand up and do as she say. He played innocent and did as instructed, just as planned.
Vasquez stood from his seat and walked with Sarah out of the bar and through the lobby. She instructed him to walk towards the stairwell.
"Easy Walker, his goons are moving in." Casey watched on the monitor as three ring operatives popped out of the woodwork, all in pursuit of Sarah. Everything was going according to their plan.
Vasquez, continued to do as Sarah instructed, he knew the ring agents were moving in. Everything was going according to their plan.
"Head down the stairs Walker. The agents are approaching from both above you and below."
Sarah did as Casey instructed. The next thing she knew, they were surrounded. Sarah surrendered her gun and allowed the men to take her into custody without putting up much of a fight. Casey watched them exit the hotel and load Sarah into a black van. He allowed them to get a good lead before he started following them. He instructed one of their teams to take Stevens back to Castle and place in the holding cell while the other team followed along with him.
They drove for about 15 minutes before the black van pulled down an old dirt road and came to a stop at an old abandoned warehouse. Casey dimmed his lights as he approached. He pulled off the road and parked in a well hidden area. He waited and watched as they dragged Sarah from the van and into the building.
Casey had lost transmission with Sarah right after they had tossed her into the van. They obviously had found her wire and disposed of it.
Casey instructed his team of field agents to leave their vehicle at the main road and approach on foot. They would surround the compound and take them by surprise when given the signal to do so. Casey placed a call for more back up should something go wrong.
The men dragged the blonde into the room, kicking and screaming. They bound her hands tightly to a pipe high above her head, her feet barely touching the floor. One of the agents moved in and placed duck tape over her mouth.
"Welcome Lieutenant Walker." one of the agents said approaching her, gun in hand.
"Your host has been awaiting your arrival. Unfortunately he has been delayed, but he will be with you as soon as possible. We'll be your entertainment while you wait." He leaned in close to Sarah getting right into her face.
Casey made his way around the building two men stood guard by the main door and another one at the back entrance. Casey froze when he heard Sarah's screams coming from inside.
"Walker, I hope you know what you're doing." he said to himself.
"Team stand by." Casey spoke into his radio as he approached a window. He peered inside and saw Sarah, her hands bound above her head. There was blood streaming down her face. A ring agent stood in front of her, baseball bat in hand.
The car pulling up caused Casey's attention to veer from Sarah. Casey watched as the man he knew as Dr. Haz exited the vehicle and entered the building.
"Lieutenant Walker, finally we meet again." He said making his way into the room. He came to stand directly in front of Sarah.
Haz moved in and removed the tape from Sarah's mouth in one quick motion.
"I specifically asked them to bring you to me alive. I'm a little disappointed that they started the torture without me though." He said.
"You bastard! You killed him. You were supposed to help him and you killed him!" She yelled at him.
"I didn't kill him Lieutenant. I never wanted him dead. I wanted his help. When he died, my hopes of replicating the intersect died."
"Who are you?"
"Don't you recognize me Lieutenant? We go way back." Haz replied. "Maybe this will refresh your memory." Haz stepped back and began to peel away at the mask. Layer by layer he removed the rubbery material that concealed his true identity.
Once the entire mask was removed the much younger man stood before her. Sarah's mouth dropped open. Casey watched from the window, not believing what he was seeing as Haz revealed his true identity.
"Recognize me now?" he asked in his real voice.
"Lazlo?" Sarah and Casey said in unison as they stared at the man unveiled.
Okay, so there you have it. A little blast from the past with Haz's true identity. Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading. I look forward to your feedback.