A Common Spy Problem
A/N: Okay guys, here's the deal: Seeing as 21 is my lucky number, and this is the 21st story I've posted, and you were kind enough to leave me more than 21 amazing reviews on chapter 1 (thanks for that), I've decided to expand it into a longer fic. This story will however replace the sequel I was considering for Covers, as it would have been along the same vein. Speaking of Covers, for those of you who don't follow Frea O'Scanlin on Twitter or the blog Castle Inanity (you totally should), she was kind enough to convert some of my fic's to EBooks (Covers, Ugly Truth, The Fight and The Fight NYE) and she made some pretty awesome covers for those. Thanks again, Frea.
I also want to say a big thank you to Nervert for the beta. There were some rewrites based on his suggestions that he haven't seen, so if you do pick up an error or two, that's all mine. Lastly, I don't own Chuck, but then, you already knew that.
Chapter 2
Sarah sent two quick left jabs straight into Emmett Milbarge's face, followed by a right hook to the jaw. Then she spun around, her left heel connecting with his temple. That would have rendered him unconscious, had she been fighting the man and not the punch dummy, renamed for the week. She couldn't believe anyone could be that anal. Of course not all her fury was channeled at the BuyMore's latest ass man. Chuck had not broken up with Jill yet. The fact that it had been an order made it a little easier. And a lot harder.
Earlier:
Once Casey had confirmed that the powder was harmless, and she and Chuck acted as surprised as was expected, they realized they hit a dead end. Jill had worked closely with Gee for several years and they had to enlist her help, which meant keeping on her good side. The plan almost went off without a hitch. Jill put the clues together and led them straight to the flash drive containing the identities of the Fulcrum agents Le Fleur was in contact with. Sarah's heart stopped when they opened the box and saw the clock counting down. Casey cleared out the opera house, but Chuck stubbornly refused to leave. Jill was convinced it was not a bomb; Sarah vehemently disagreed. Then Chuck sided with Jill, working on the puzzle when all Sarah could do was watch helplessly as the time ran out. The relief that washed over her when the timer stopped, seven seconds short of what she was still convinced would have been a disaster, was quickly replaced by a wave of jealousy when Jill threw her arms around Chuck's neck and kissed him. She turned her back on the scene, but not before Casey got his stab in.
Once outside, they got out of the way of the bomb squad that was called in to examine the box they'd found. Casey relieved Chuck of the flash drive; apparently the lesson that grabbing something from another person was rude was not something choir boys were taught, or it hadn't sink in.
"A thank you would be nice!" Chuck called after Casey who was heading to his Crown Vic.
"Chuck, why don't you take Jill home? Casey and I will brief Beckman." Chuck looked undecided for a moment, his eyes darting between her and Jill. Sarah knew he wanted to discuss what had just happened, but she needed time to sort through her feelings. "I'll see you tomorrow." She gave Jill her most sincere fake smile before taking off for her car.
Sarah had almost reached her destination when she heard Chuck behind her and sighed. She should've known better than to hope that he would just let it go.
"Sarah, wait." She spun around, crossing her arms and cursing silently at the fact that he always managed to see through her mask. He stopped a few feet from her and stuffed his hands in his pockets.
"Sarah, I'm really sorry you had to see that. If I was expecting it, I would have…"
"It's okay, Chuck," she cut him off. He didn't get it. Yes, she was upset about the kiss, but it didn't hurt as much as the fact that Chuck trusted Jill over her. It turned out to be the right choice, but it still stung.
"No, no, it's not. Look, I'll tell her tonight that it's over. We've got the list, so there's no need for me to pretend…I just want her gone. For both our sakes."
Sarah let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. Then her conscience won out. "Not tonight, Chuck. She's a little shaken up, so…it'll keep until tomorrow."
Chuck shot her a questioning look. "Are you having second thoughts about us?"
"What?" His question caught her by surprise. "No. I just don't want you…don't be cruel to her, she doesn't deserve that." Chuck rewarded her with his trademark Bartowski grin.
"You're amazing, you know that?" He did a quick perimeter check before taking a step forward to give her a soft kiss. "I'm your guy, Sarah Walker, and I'll wait for you. No matter how long it takes," he whispered before pulling back. Sarah felt the corners of her lips tucking upwards. He always knew the right thing to say.
"Thanks, Chuck."
It was a long night down in Castle. Sarah and Casey were filing their reports while waiting for the CIA encryption software to decipher the information on the thumb drive.
"So, you two gonna break up again?" Casey asked as he closed his folder and pushed it aside.
Sarah choked on her coffee. "Excuse me?"
"The moron is gonna blow your cover if he keeps this up. Grimes already saw him and Jill together at the BuyMore."
"Chuck's not getting back together with Jill." She focused on the papers in front her, ignoring Casey's amused grunt.
"What did you promise him? A little undercover chocolate dipping?"
Sarah felt her calm center slipping, but she managed not to throw her pen down on the table. Or stab Casey through the eye with the blunt end. Before she could respond, the picture of the first identified Fulcrum agent appeared on screen.
Much to Sarah's relief, they worked for the next couple of hours in silence. Sarah was disturbed that quite a few of the names jotted down were agents she had worked with in the past. It only reaffirmed her belief that very few people were to be trusted. She stole a glance in Casey's direction, wondering if the day would come that he would turn on her and, heaven forbid, Chuck. She sighed inwardly. She was still working on a way for them to be together for real, but if she couldn't count on her partner, that would make the situation incredibly difficult, if not totally impossible.
"Shit." Casey's profanity shook her out of her thoughts and she turned to the screen. For a second her brain stopped functioning. Then she jumped up and grabbed her car keys. "Walker, where are you going? We need to contact Beckman."
"I'm going to secure Chuck." She was already halfway up the stairs. "His safety is top priority, in case you've forgotten." She didn't wait for his predictable grunt.
Sarah made it to Echo Park in record time, grateful that the freeway was quieter at three a.m. Forgoing having to knock and explain to Ellie or Devon why she had come over at this time of the morning, she made her way to the Morgan door. She quietly opened it and snuck over to the bed. Chuck was lying on his back, the covers tucked tightly under his chin. She clamped a hand over his mouth to prevent a girlish scream from waking up the complex before giving him a light shake. Chuck's eyes shot open in alarm, but he relaxed when he recognized her. She felt a smile form under her palm, sending a slight shiver up her arm. Mindful that Casey was probably watching the live surveillance feed, she pulled herself together and removed her hand.
"Chuck," she spoke quietly, "I need to get you to Castle right now."
"Why? What happened?" he asked as he sat up.
"I'll explain on the way." Sarah grabbed the jeans, discarded over the recliner in the corner, and a t-shirt from his drawer. "Don't forget your shoes."
"I can't go out in my PJ's. Are you crazy?"
"No one's gonna see you, come on," she urged and practically pushed him out the window.
"I hope you don't expect me to get changed in the car," Chuck deadpanned when he closed the door. "My limbs simply can't twist like that."
Sarah suppressed a smile, but retorted anyway. "You better not try. Unless you want me to cause an accident."
From the corner of her eye she could see him gaping like a fish out of water. Then a silly grin broke over his face. Sarah decided to use the lightened atmosphere to break the news. "We've got the list of Fulcrum agents."
"That's great. So you need me to flash on them? Try and identify their locations?"
"Not exactly." Sarah hesitated for a moment. "Chuck, Jill's a spy. She's Fulcrum." She took her eyes of the road to gauge his reaction. His smile dropped and he shook his head.
"No, no, that can't be right. She's Jill. I know her. I thought I knew her."
"I'm sorry, Chuck." Sarah didn't really know what she was apologizing for.
Chuck ran a hand over his face. "Is everyone in my life a spy? Should I start questioning everyone now?"
"No, we've vetted everyone you're in daily contact with. They're clean." Sarah didn't have much experience consoling someone, but with Chuck it seemed to come naturally.
"Even Jeff?" Chuck asked with no humor in his voice.
"Even Jeff."
"Then you should really start questioning your methods, because…"
"Chuck," Sarah interrupted before he went totally off track, "I need to know exactly what you told her."
"Nothing that's not on tape, I promise. She doesn't know I'm the Intersect."
"Okay, good. But I'm not letting you out of my sight until we bring her in. Just to be safe."
"Are you sure? About Jill I mean?"
"Yeah, we've got her file. Her code name is Sand Storm." Chuck went quiet again and Sarah caught his eyelids fluttering. "Chuck, did you just flash?"
He simply sighed and nodded. Sarah gave his hand a quick squeeze and parked in front of the Orange Orange.
The night went from bad to worse when General Beckman came online. She shot down Sarah's suggestion to bring Jill in for interrogation. Instead she ordered Chuck to use his relationship with Jill to see if she would make contact with the leader of Fulcrum. Sarah protested. Casey grunted. Chuck freaked out. But it was all for naught.
Sarah hadn't slept at all. She was still not convinced sending Chuck straight into the hands of Fulcrum was a good idea. She absentmindedly served a customer, keeping the BuyMore in her sights. She and Chuck had spent what was left of the night in Castle, in separate beds, and she handed him over to Casey in the morning for their shift. Once the yogurt shop was empty, she fixed the 'back in five minutes' sign to the door and headed over to the electronics store.
She spotted Chuck behind the Nerd Herd desk. His face lit up when he saw her, causing her heart to miss a beat. She leaned over the counter to give him the customary cover kiss. With great difficulty she pulled away seconds later. She didn't miss the look of disappointment that crossed Chuck's face and remembered why she was there in the first place. Telling Chuck that she wasn't going to make him wait too long didn't exactly mean 'catch you in the BuyMore broom closet tomorrow', but she hadn't counted on Beckman ordering him to seduce Jill. Sarah knew she had no reason to be jealous. Chuck made it clear who he had chosen, not just with his words, but with the way all their pent-up emotions exploded the afternoon before. She'd never known such passion existed. Yet she couldn't help the constant nagging at the back of her mind that he had sided with Jill last night. Nothing in their world was as simple as black and white.
"Let's get away from prying eyes, shall we?" She motioned in the direction of a drooling Jeff who didn't quite hide the fact that he was ogling her. Grabbing Chuck's hand, she led him to the back of the store. As they rounded the corner past the cafeteria, they almost bumped into Emmett, who stood there waiting for them. His feet were planted firmly, his arms folded across his chest.
"I'm sorry," he started, not sounding the least bit apologetic, "but this area is restricted to BuyMoria citizens only."
Sarah raised a questioning eyebrow, but it quickly morphed into a sweet smile. "I understand, but surely you don't object to people visiting this lovely country of yours?" She winked at him and immediately felt Chuck tense next to her. She couldn't tell if he was getting upset with his supervisor for interrupting or at her for trying to flirt her way pass him. Either way, she'd kiss it right out of him the minute they reach their destination, if Emmett would just move. But he didn't.
"I bet…" he paused for dramatic effect, pulling an imaginary piece of lint of his vest, "…you're used to your baby blues and blonde locks getting you just any little thing your heart desires." He leaned closer, his eyes boring into hers, their noses almost touching. He was really starting to get under her skin, but before Sarah could react, Chuck stepped in between them.
"Boundaries, Emmett. Get out of my girlfriend's face." Emmett straightened and snorted.
"You're on thin ice, Mr. Bartowski. If you want to keep your humble position at this fine establishment, I suggest you start towing the line. And you can do that by seeing your girlfriend out the door and returning to your post."
"I'm on my break."
"Not according to the schedule." Emmett placed a hand on each of their shoulders in an attempt to turn them around. Sarah was about to withdraw her hand from Chuck's to inflict some serious harm, but once again, Chuck beat her to the punch. His fingers curled around the other man's wrist, pulling his hand off her.
"Touch her again and I'll break your face," Chuck warned in a low voice and Emmitt took a small step back. Sarah was rooted to the spot, stunned. She'd never seen this side of Chuck before. It was probably a good thing, given that she suddenly felt a little hot, despite the tank top she was wearing. Just as quickly though, Chuck returned to his old self and tugged on her hand. "Let's get out of here."
Once they reached the relative safety of the home theatre room, Chuck started to apologize. "Sorry about that, I know you're better equipped to kick his…to deal with guys like that, but I had to protect the cover and…that's a lie, it's a guy's job to protect his girl's honor and I just thought…"
Sarah did a quick scan of the store while Chuck was babbling, spotting Casey demonstrating the features of the latest Beast Master to a potential customer. She used the opportunity to shut Chuck up with a brief kiss. That was a mistake. They were supposed to be in a cramped space where she could remind him what he'd be missing if he fell for Jill during the mission, but there wasn't much she could do about that at the moment. Deciding to deal with her anger later, she smiled up at Chuck.
"You can defend my honor any time, but please, no breaking of people parts. That's my job."
"Agreed. What did you want to talk to me about?"
Sarah sent another glance Casey's way, but his customer had left, so she snapped back into agent mode. "Tonight's mission, but we can discuss it later. Come by Castle later so I can prepare you, okay?"
After getting an agreement from Chuck, Sarah slipped out of the home theatre room, careful to avoid Casey. She wasn't in the mood for explanations. Back at the Orange Orange, she didn't bother to remove the sign on the door. Instead she headed down to Castle in search of her boxing gloves.
A/N: Last week's episode did nothing to inspire a new chapter of The Wedding Gift. It tomorrow's follow suit I will go AU and post the new chapter after the weekend. In the meantime keep an eye out for chapter 3, should be up around Thursday/Friday. Happy Chuckday everyone!