A/N I think this is the first time I watched Three Words since I saw it on Hulu years ago. I was amazed at how bad Carina looked in the nightclub sequence. They went out of their way at times to make the beautiful women on this show as unattractive as possible.

"I understand, General."

"This is not a good thing."

"I've got to do better."

"Let's make it fun."

Somewhere with trees and hills and things…

The guy running frantically through the underbrush, a/k/a 'the Target', was terrified. The guy with the sniper rifle, a/k/a 'the Villain', was a really bad shot, never managing a quick kill. Maybe it was because of damage to his shooting arm, as evidenced by the long scar on his wrist. Or maybe he just wanted his target to suffer a bit. Either way, terror seemed to be the proper reaction.

A shot to the belly left the Target crawling feebly down a filthy slope in pursuit of the case he'd dropped, as if he had a hope of still getting away. At the top of the hill, the Villain handed off his rifle to a henchman, a/k/a 'the Henchman', walked down to the bottom of the slope, and pulled out a smaller weapon. "Now I'll have two of these to clean, thanks to you," he said, before putting an end to his target's suffering.

"Feeling merciful today, Boss?" asked the Henchman. Henchmen are allowed to ask things like that. The lackey next to him, who would be the one to do the actual cleaning, was not.

"What can I say?" said the Boss, with a smile. "Maybe love really has made me a better man." He grabbed the case and stopped smiling. "Now get down here and take care of this mess." He kicked the dead man in the head before stomping off with his prize.

In a somewhat more urban environment…

Sarah Walker opened her door with one hand on her gun. Today was her day off, and no one was expected. On the other hand, both her enemies and most of her few friends could be expected to bypass the door entirely. Someone who used the bell would most likely be someone she actually wanted to see. Like Chuck, or…well, that was just about it.

Not that she wasn't seeing him at work. Although they were both agents, he was in an 'enhanced' training program and she was one of his trainers. The new Intersect skills were glitchy at best, both deadly and unreliable. The worst of both worlds. After wasting millions trying to get him to flash more or less at will, General Beckman wasn't about to move him out of a situation that got him to do exactly that. He had to learn control, with the assistance of someone who could take it if he failed.

At other times, like now, he would be, in a manner of speaking, her trainer. She wanted a real life, but she had no idea what a real life was, or how to live it. He would bring her music and movies, sometimes to experience together, like the first Star Wars trilogy (which, for some odd reason, started in the middle of the series) but often for her to listen to alone (like the second Star Wars series, which was supposed to be the beginning). He wanted her to make up her own mind what she liked or didn't.

She'd been cleaning her gun while listening to something called bluegrass when her bell rang. In the time it took her to stand up the weapon was reassembled and loaded, as she checked the monitor to see who it was. There was a peephole, but no self-respecting spy would use that. The screen showed a face she knew all too well, which was why her hand was on her gun when she opened the door. "What do you want, Carina?"

Across town…

Chuck hung the last of his Nerd Herd outfits in his closet, his other suits stored away at Castle. His laundry was done, the dishes were done, the bed was made, the floor was vacuumed. He stood in the center of his domain and gave a satisfied nod. Naturally, that was the moment when his phone buzzed at him, and he checked the message. Carina wants to go clubbing. Help!

Time to go to work. The only problem being Morgan wanted to play. If Chuck didn't play with him, he would insist on joining in on whatever game Chuck was playing. Not a lot of options when Morgan was involved.

With a soft sigh, Chuck seemed to deflate slightly. His shoulders slumped, his posture sagged. He shoved the phone in his pocket and opened his bedroom door. The living room floor was almost bare, a few items of furniture and lots of boxes cluttering it up. Ellie and Devon had taken their furniture with them, of course, and Morgan had been living in the Home Theater room at the Buy More, so he didn't bring much to the partnership.

The only part of the room that was set up was the area where the gaming station waited, with two chairs. Morgan was taking the concept of the Bachelor Pad far too literally for Chuck's liking. If he could work at the Buy More from home, he would. Chuck shuffled over that way and plopped himself down in a chair, picking up one of the controllers. He played the game a while, pondering how best to do this, before settling on the old tried and true. "I heard Jeff and Lester talking about Sarah today."

Morgan lowered his controller with a thump. Slacking at work and video games at home were all well and good, but this had to end. He'd been hearing from Jeff and Lester and great drooling length about all the sugar daddies Sarah had taken up with in Chuck's absence. "Dude, you have got to stop listening to those two about Sarah." He'd seen her himself, that night at the Buy More, and knew she was totally into his bud.

Chuck pointed frantically at the screen. "You can at least pause the game!" Please, Mr. Fox, don't throw me into that briar patch…

Morgan looked at him sadly. "Sure, I can pause the game, but there's no pause control on life…"

Night. Club. "Not a single word," said Sarah to her companion.

"You know me, Walker," said the red-haired beauty. "Never use a single word when I can use lots."

"And yet you use none," said Sarah. "You show up unannounced–" on her doorstep, how odd "–and drag me off to this place like mine was bugged or something." Which it wasn't, she checked for bugs every day. She waved at the air, the noise. Leering men, jealous women. "I have to put up with this sort of crap enough at work."

Carina recalled the scene she'd walked in on, Sarah cleaning her guns, alone, while listening to that…sound. "Live a little."

The same words, yet they meant opposite things by them. How odd. Sarah preferred Chuck's method. "I was." She lifted her drink to her lips.

"That music had only a little more cultural panache than a porta-potty."

Sarah slammed her drink back down on the bar. "I'll tell Agent Carmichael you said that."

"Jesus, Walker, what's gotten into you?" said Carina, taking a sip of her drink. "Or should I say who? Agent Carmichael, huh?"

The Ice Queen mask went up, and Sarah tried that whole 'drink' concept again. "We have a very professional relationship."

"I'm sure," said Carina, but then her eyes went wide. "Well, well, well, Walker!" She seized Sarah's wrist, pulling it close and holding it still. "Two hearts?" she asked, touching the charms without bothering to ask. "You have been busy. Chuck and…Sam? Who's Sam, is he Carmichael?"

Sarah pulled her wrist back. "Sam is no one you know. Chuck is Carmichael."

Carina remembered Chuck. The only man to ever make her feel guilty. "Your asset? The stereo store clerk?"

Sarah shook her head. "None of the above. He's an agent now."

Carina smirked. "And you went from being his handler to being his handler, good move."

Sarah gave her the stink-eye. "Purely. Professional."

"Oh." Carina nodded. "So you're sleeping with him." Hearts on a bracelet was a bit classier than notches in belts. "As long as you didn't break the cardinal rule."

Chuck knew exactly where Sarah was, of course, but since Jeff and Lester were already on the job he let Morgan do the work. Soon enough he was being 'reluctantly dragged' into some club somewhere, they popped up like mushrooms in LA. "I don't know, Morgan, perhaps this isn't the best time…"

"Hey, there's Sarah," said Morgan loudly, pointing. Then he saw who was following her across the floor. "And Carina." He pounded Chuck on the shoulder. "I'll go rustle us up some drinks, while you go make sure about your lady." Before Chuck could say anything he disappeared into the crowd.

Chuck flashed, and disappeared into the crowd himself, practically invisible. The only time Sarah or Carina saw him was when he loomed up out of the crowd right in front of them. "Hello, ladies."

"Chuckles?" said Carina. "What is this, you're stalking us now?"

"Not at all," said Chuck, much less flustered in her presence than he used to be. "Sarah asked me to be here. Well, not here here, but wherever she was here."

"I sent him a practice distress call," said Sarah, playing along easily because it also happened to be true. "He was supposed to use his skills to track me down without letting me or any hypothetical kidnappers see him."

Carina wasn't sure how she felt being cast as a kidnapper, hypothetical or otherwise. "Good job, Chuckles. Or do you go by Carmichael now?"

Chuck made shushing gestures with his hands. "Ix-nay on the Armichael-cay," he said, looking around. "I'm in character." He gestured toward Sarah, but spoke to Carina. "Morgan thinks he's doing me a favor, trying to get us back together."

"Who's Morgan?" asked Carina.

Apparently their one-and-only 'date' was more memorable to his best bud than to her. "You're breaking his heart, in absentia," said Chuck.

Suddenly a man in a white shirt grabbed Carina from behind, and Chuck flashed. Sarah was watching her friend's hand as Carina pushed a huge diamond around so it showed on her left hand, and didn't notice Chuck's flash until he started to attack. Before the punch landed, she grabbed his arm and pulled him around, pressing his hand against her shoulder as she kissed him soundly. This proved to be a good distraction, and she felt the tension leave his body.

"I see it's going around," said the man in the white shirt, in a thick accent.

"You are inspiring," said Sarah, turning to face them with a smile.

"He's more than that," said Carina. "He's also my fiancé, Karl Stromberg. Karl, this is Sarah, my best friend, and Chuck, her–"

"Boyfriend," said Chuck, emphasizing his grip on Sarah's shoulder. "Carina's told us so much about you. Good to finally meet you, put a face to the name."

"You're exactly as she described you," said Sarah.

"I hope not," said Karl. "Every day with my smooshy makes me better–" smooch "–and better." Smooch. "I really hope that shows."

"Never as much as how I love you, smoosh," said Carina, with more sloppy kissing noises. It was almost nauseating, and Chuck and Sarah were having a hard time keeping their smiles in place.

Mercifully, it ended. "How about you, Chuck?" asked Karl.

Um…"I can honestly say that Sarah holds my heart in her hands," said Chuck. He looked over Karl's shoulder, noticed Morgan making little headway at the bar. "She's the shining star on my horizon. Keeps me on course."

"That's terrific, Chuck, and I'm very happy for you both," said Karl. "But for right now, I have a lovely romantic dinner for two all arranged–" Smooch.

Chuck wasn't hungry, not after all that. "That's great, yeah, you go do that…romance thing."

"I'll meet you at the valet, smooshy," he said to Carina. Smooch.

"I'll miss you, smoosh," she said. Smooch.

"Wow," said Sarah, as Stromberg left. Carina waved, and they turned to see Karl wave back, the gesture revealing the long scar on his wrist. Chuck flashed, but he was facing away from Carina and she didn't notice, although Sarah did. "Chuck?"

"Arms dealer," said Chuck.

"Exactly," said Carina. "This wedding is my mission, and you just got yourselves invited. Congratulations." She smacked Chuck's arm lightly with her purse. "Let this be a lesson to you, Chuckles, the cardinal rule that Sarah already knows. Spies never fall in love."

A/N2 Three Words is already pretty close to what I had in mind for this series anyway. Not too many changes to be made. Just have to turn it upside-down and inside-out, and we'll be good. I hope you'll drop me a line and tell me what you think of this rewrite so far.