A/N Just so many unaddressed plot points in this part of canon. My plot is often progressing by filling in some of those gaps.

I don't own Chuck yet. (sigh)

"Maybe love really has made me a better man."

"Live a little."

"Sam is no one you know."

"Spies never fall in love."

Big Mike was on a roll, fewer calories than a doughnut, or even a danish. Buy More Corporate had seen fit to give him a second chance at management, and he was determined to make the best of it, beginning with his inaugural speech. "Are you prepared to do your best?"

Suddenly Chuck realized that Mike had been talking to him. "Uh, yes, sir. Every day." Do his best. Every day. He had people counting on him, and he could not, would not, let them down. Not even Carina, whatever this mission of hers might entail. Anyone could say no. The trick was finding the right way to say yes.

"Yes, Morgan, I'm sure you have every chance in the world to recapture the affections of a six-foot-tall Swedish supermodel," said Chuck. If he'd ever captured them in the first place, that is, but since Morgan hadn't, it wasn't technically a lie. When he'd finally returned from the bar with some drinks, it had been to see Carina leaving on the arm of another man, and he'd been pining ever since. It didn't help that Jeff and Lester could smell pathetic hopes and dreams from a mile away. When they pressed their prey for some lurid details Morgan was more than willing to embellish on his delusions. Chuck could only watch. Fortunately, the situation could hardly go any further downhill.

Then Carina herself walked in the store. Morgan was the first to see her, too bad, and Chuck ran to catch up before his friend embarrassed himself any further than he already had. Morgan didn't even get a word in before she walked right past him, grabbed Chuck, and dragged him off to the Home Theater room.

"Yeah, it looks like she's really into you, Grimes," said Lester.

"He's…just…being my wingman," said Morgan desperately. "I'm sure he's in there right now, talking me up."

"Whatever." Some female customers entered the store, and Jeff and Lester turned their one-track minds onto a different track.

Morgan walked up to the HT room, listening carefully, but he didn't hear anyone talking in there. The curtains were drawn. Fearing the worst, Morgan cracked open the door to the room, to see…nothing. No one was there. What the hell?

Chuck sat listening to the briefing with only one ear, less concerned about the details of Carina's mission than he was about the way she was undercutting all of Sarah's progress so far, with lines like 'spies don't fall in love'. Or maybe she was trying to undercut him, get him to doubt, to think that Sarah was playing him the way she was playing Karl. Assuming she was playing Karl. Maybe Karl was playing her. But in either case, neither of them had been kissing in that gross motel room in Barstow and he had, so no, he wasn't about to start doubting Sarah now.

"Agent Carmichael, any problems?" asked the General.

Chuck snapped back to full attention. "For our part, no, General, but having checked Carina's math I really don't think Casey will fly as her father, or as a brother."

Beckman nodded. "A good point. The Colonel will pose as Agent Miller's uncle."

Chuck tuned out the grunts from both sides of the room, one satisfied, one less so. Carina's calm assurance that she could get a hold of Karl's security key troubled him a bit.

"Karl has also just installed a state-of-the-art security system inside the vault room," said Carina. "You'd better be prepared for anything you find there."

"Chuck is," said Sarah, with absolute confidence. "He can handle any security obstacle. There won't be a problem."

Carina was less confident. This whole thing was riding on the skills of a goddamn trainee. "There better not be." As if her wrath was the thing to fear if they blew this op.

Later that day…

Chuck was decking himself out in his engagement-party finest when Morgan came in dressed in his slacker casualest. "Where are you going, what are you doing, and who are you doing it with?" he asked, in subtle inquiry.

"Out," said Chuck. "Nothing, and no one special." His phone rang, with Sarah's image. "I better get that."

"Yeah," said Morgan. Wait a tick! Sarah and Carina are friends! "I can go…"

"No you can't."

"Okay."

"Okay." Chuck put phone to ear. "On my way out now."

"He's moving," said Sarah, tossing the phone on the bed. She picked up a knife for her shoe.

"Good," said Carina. She chambered a round in her pistol, and stuck it into the thigh holster under her dress. "Let's go get me engaged."

"Hold on," said Sarah, picking up her charm bracelet.

Carina watched her put it on with practiced ease. "Not something a spy would wear."

Sarah rotated her hand, felt the charms settle. "No, but it is something a woman in love would wear." She stroked the charms. "It's a good cover."

"Yeah," said Carina. "A good cover."

Chuck looked around, as he put his phone away. "Where are my keys?"

"I'll help you look, but…" He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket. "You have to promise to give this to Carina."

Chuck took the paper and unfolded it. "A housewarming party? Here?" Great, that would keep Morgan busy, but Carina would be long gone by then. "Sure."

"Oh, look." Morgan pulled Chuck's keys from his pocket.

"Should have known."

"Have fun."

Chuck and Sarah spun into the driveway of Karl's mansion in her Porsche, not a cool-looking spy car at all. There was valet service, but like many of them, she parked it herself rather than risk the slightest scratch. Hordes of well-dressed people were walking around them. "How does he know all these people?" asked Chuck as they walked in.

"I'm pretty sure ATF is asking the same question," said Sarah, quietly. No doubt most of these vehicles would be carrying some form of tracker when they left the grounds, a nice bonus.

Carina and Karl were waiting to greet everybody in the foyer. "Congratulations, Karl," said Chuck. "You're a lucky man."

"Thanks, Chuck." Karl punched him lightly on the shoulder. "I'm sure you're gonna be the next up at the altar."

"Maybe," said Chuck, "But I think we both have a way to go before we're ready for that. I know I don't want to go there until I think I can make her the happiest woman on Earth."

"And I really would be," said Sarah, laying her head on his shoulder.

Carina watched her cozy up to Chuck with a slight frown, and turned to look elsewhere. "Oo, Karl, Honey," she said, "Let me introduce you to my Uncle Johnny." Carina led Karl away, but Chuck and Sarah didn't try to see Karl's introduction to a disguised John Casey.

Following a waiter with a tray of baby lamb chops, they headed further into the house and the crowd. "You know, I've been to these things a million times," said Sarah. "It never occurred to me before, to imagine it for real, you know."

Chuck snagged a chop, not that he planned on eating it. "What, you, a real girl, really getting engaged, to a man you really love?"

"Yeah," said Sarah breathlessly. She stroked a hand up his arm. "Crazy, huh?"

He took her hand. "Not at all," said Chuck. He kissed her hand. "Just really bad timing. It really needs to be just a cover, for now, Sarah."

She came closer, as if planting a kiss on his cheek. "The target bedroom's at your six o'clock. Meet you there?" She walked away, leaving him gaping.

Something slammed into him from the side, and he dropped the lamb chop, forgetting to flash in his anxiety for the flooring. Carina pushed him along until she was sure she had his attention. "What the hell are you doing to my mission?" she hissed. "I've been watching you more than you've been watching me. I need two spies at my back, not some blissed-out loving couple."

"I'm trying to keep it cool," said Chuck.

"Try harder," said Carina. She punched him lightly in the chest. "She's breaking the cardinal rule, Chuck. She's falling in love." With a light pat on his cheek she left him, to go after Karl.

Chuck went after his partner. Would being a real girl, having a real life, make Sarah vulnerable? He couldn't allow that. Not while she was a spy too. Agent Carmichael would have to guard her, even as she was guarding Agent Bartowski.

Carina caught up to Karl in the library, where he was going over his notes, yet again. She liked that stack of cards, the size of it. It meant a long speech, plenty of opportunity for her team to complete the mission. "You must know that toast by heart."

"Yeah, pretty much."

"You're gonna do great."

"Thanks." If Karl hadn't initiated the embrace himself she would have. "What did a bloke like me do to deserve someone like you?"

Carina ran down the list of charges in her head, as her hand dipped into Karl's pocket. Just as she pulled out the vault key, the library doors opened, and a couple stumbled in, obviously more interested in their kissing than they were in where they were going. The man's foot caught on the carpet and the stumbled, almost falling, but Karl and Carina were there to keep them upright.

"Chuck?" said Karl with a grin.

"I blame you," said Chuck breathlessly. "You and those altars of yours."

The happy couple laughed. "Let's leave them to it," said Karl. "I have a toast to deliver."

"Let's do it," said Carina, taking his arm and pulling him away.

Karl wanted their attention, and he got it. Whoever all the people were that he'd invited to his little party, they gathered obediently at the base of the stairs when summoned to do so. No one noticed Chuck and Sarah skulking around the upper bedroom. "I'd like to make a toast to my beautiful bride to be," said Karl, pulling out his stack of cards. "Since the first time I met Carina, I knew I'd found the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I've never met anyone more real, more honest, more good. Not never. A toast to the future Mrs. Stromberg."

The crowd raised their glasses as required, and began to disperse.

"Is that it?" asked Carina. "All those cards…?"

"Pretty much, yeah," said Karl. "I hate long speeches. I just put different versions on each card. I'd try them out, to see which one felt right." He shuffled through them, and Carina saw basically a single sentence on each, some longer, some shorter, none of them long enough for her needs.

"Oh, wait a bit," said Karl. The crowd paused, and regrouped, and he directed his words to them. "Um…Also, may our first child be a masculine child." The crowd raised their glasses as required, and began to disperse.

Carina we just got to the vault, said Sarah's voice in her ear.

"Please, Karl," said Carina loudly. "I just know my Uncle Johnny is dying to say something."

Normally when Casey felt that many eyes on him he'd go for his gun. "All right." He walked over to the stairs and climbed up to the step below Carina's, as slowly as he could. "I'm not ordinarily a man of many words. Or any words, for that matter." He grunted, and the crowd laughed.

Be that guy, said Sarah's voice in his ear.

Casey took a deep breath. "But in this case I'm willing to make an exception. I remember when I first set eyes on sweet Carina," he said pausing in silent contemplation, listening to Chuck grunt into his ear, trying desperately to remember any child he'd ever met. "I was practically just a boy when my big brother brought home the most beautiful baby girl in the world…" Not working. Time to move on. He pulled a memory from later in his life. "I'm so proud of Carina. So beautiful, so giving, so warm, so kind. Approachable, so good at conversation. All of those qualities are reflected in the man she's chosen to be her life partner."

Chuck! said Sarah's voice in their ears. Behind the crowd, Karl's henchmen raced to the stairs.

Casey kept the crowd's attention, and Karl's, on himself. "And I just know that if my brother were still alive today, well, he'd wanna say welcome to the family. And take care of our little girl."

There's gas in here! said Chuck.

"You're doing fine, Johnny," said Karl, practically in tears. "Let it all out."

Chuck, listen to me! I'm turning off the gas. Take shallow breaths, and focus on the sound of my voice. Chuck, I know when we met I was just a regular spy…"

"…just a regular guy, but I have to say that since you came into my life I've become so much more than I ever thought I could be. I'd learned a lot of wrong lessons, but you made me see how wrong they were. Love can be a source of strength, not a weakness. It isn't just for suckers. You've made me a better…guy, a real…man. Thank you for that." He raised his glass again, still strangely full. "A toast to Karl and Carina. Their love is an inspiration to us all."

Sarah looked at the fallen guards, but none were trying to get up again. They'd entered the combination and readied their weapons for an attack coming from inside the vault, not from above. She pressed 'Enter' on the pad, and the door hissed open.

Chuck sat in a yoga position on a chest, his face serene but pale, almost not breathing at all. "Chuck, wake up," said Sarah.

His eyes opened, and he took a deep breath. "Sarah." He hopped off the chest, and picked up the case. "Did you just say something?"

For a moment Sarah looked bewildered, almost sad. Then the moment passed. "No," said Agent Walker.

A/N2 I noticed a few interesting bits of symbolism, too. 1) right after Jeff tells Morgan he has to be a stallion, Morgan is shown wearing a t-shirt with a silhouette of a stallion on it. That scene wasn't in here since I had no plans to change it. 2) When Carina tells Chuck Sarah loves him, she smacks him in the jaw and then pats him on the chest, which reminded me of Chuck saying 'go with your heart, your head will only mess things up'. I did change that here, reversing the order.

Casey's speech in canon really was a paint-peeler, wasn't it? I hope you'll drop me a line and tell me what you think of this rewrite so far.