A/N: hi again! I'm gonna keep this short and apologize for the delay on the update. I also wanted to apologize because the site seemed to change all the italics, which might have made the chapter harder to read. I had to fix this one manually.
Thanks for the reviews, alerts and favorites, they make me happy :)
Thanks again to Aerox. I own nothing.
Chapter eight
Chuck rolled over on his back and turned the alarm off. Still not opening his eyes, he smiled and thought about his plans for the day. The day before, he had set up a schedule: In the morning, he had to clean up his apartment and do his laundry; after lunch, he was supposed to play COD online with Morgan and then, a couple of hours after that, he had to start making dinner, because later that night, he had a date with Sarah. He slowly opened his eyes as his smile widened. This was going to be a great Sunday. Just as he was thinking about just that, his cell phone rang. Looking at the picture of the angry Major holding a fork and narrowing his eyes at the camera, he chuckled and picked up.
"Good morning, sunshine!" he greeted. He imagined Casey's expression must've been pretty similar to the one he'd had when Chuck had taken that picture of him, after taking away his lunch and teasingly asking him to smile for the camera.
He heard a disgusted grunt on the other side of the line. "Carmichael, get your ass out of bed and come here! The bosses called, they want to talk to us in twenty."
Chuck smiled. Not even Casey's rudeness was going to ruin his day. "Ok, Casey, I'll be there."
He hung up and got dressed. He deliberately waited until the last minute to go across the hallway.
"Wow, Casey, you look especially grumpy today. You're not an early riser, huh?" he asked when the Major opened the door. Casey only mumbled his response, but Chuck caught the words "dear", "sleep" and "weekend", so he decided not to push it.
A minute later, Beckman's face appeared on Casey's TV.
"Good morning, Agents. You'll be glad to know we finally found out, just exactly what was on the flash drive Agent Larkin stole for FULCRUM. It turns out that it contains a list of FULCRUM Agents and that's why it was so important for them to retrieve it. You can surely imagine how important it is for us to have it back."
"Yes, General," both Agents replied.
"We have a team trying to track it down, but thanks to the information Agent Larkin has provided for us, it'll be easier to do retrieve the drive. We'll contact you when we do."
"What about Walker, General?" Casey asked.
"She's already been briefed about this by Director Graham. Once we have the location of the flash drive, your mission is going to be to bring it back to us. Until then, have a nice day." She disconnected the call and Chuck sighed.
"Ok, so if we get it back, it's going to be a good help to bring down FULCRUM, right?"
"Yes, I guess. But I won't believe it until we see the list, and catch all the rogue Agents that are on there," Casey answered.
"Ok," Chuck nodded. "Well, I have a lot of things to do today, and I'm sure you do too, so I'll get to work. If anything happens, you have my number," Chuck said, walking towards the door.
Casey only grunted, and Chuck went back to his apartment.
After Graham's call, Sarah decided she would go for a run. She changed into her usual outfit and headed to a park a few blocks from her apartment. She wasn't really a morning person, and she was still asleep when Graham had called, but after she hung up, she couldn't go back to sleep. She'd blamed the sunlight coming through the curtains of her bedroom, the healthy eight hours she'd already slept and the loud ticking of the clock she had in the kitchen, but the truth was, she was just too excited. In fact, she'd had trouble to fall asleep the night before, just thinking about her dat… dinner! she thought, with Chuck.
She wondered what he was going to cook. Maybe I could bring some wine. No, that would probably give him the wrong impression. Or the right one. She scolded herself for having that kind of thoughts about Chuck. Again. Something is seriously wrong with me. Trying to think about something else, she focused on what Graham had told her about the flash drive. If they retrieved it, it would be a huge step to start taking down FULCRUM. That would look nice on my file, she thought, smirking. Not that her file needed any more successful missions to look good. Ever since she'd been recruited, she'd trained hard to be the best. Maybe too hard, considering that she had always felt the need to compensate the things she had done in the past helping her father. In the Agency, only her superiors and Carina knew about the special circumstances of her recruitment, and she wasn't planning on sharing them with anyone else. Then again, there was one person who deserved to know the truth more than anybody. She quickened her pace thinking about what Chuck's reaction would be if she ever told him about her life as the daughter of a conman. He'd probably feel sorry for her and the life she'd had, and she didn't want his pity. I have to tell him, though. He deserves to know the truth of why I left and why I acted that way when we first met at Graham's office. So she decided that night she was going to tell him. As much as I don't want to, and as much as I suck at the whole sharing thing. She reduced her speed and started to walk briskly, while wishing she wouldn't have to reveal her past to Chuck. She was too embarrassed of it, and there were things that still haunted her, no matter what she did, where she was, or who she pretended to be.
Chuck had called Ellie that afternoon to ask her for her Spaghetti recipe, but she hadn't picked up, so he figured she would be at the hospital. He looked for it on the internet, and –letting out a relieved sigh- he found out it wasn't too hard to make. About an hour before Sarah was supposed to come over, he started gathering the ingredients. He actually enjoyed cooking, although he didn't think he was too good at it. The truth was, living with Ellie, you didn't have to learn how to cook; you just had to enjoy eating. But he had managed to make some edible dishes back in college for his dates with Jill, so he figured it wouldn't be too hard.
He had bought everything he needed the day before; remembering Sarah had said she loved Italian food, especially this particular dish. Singing a song he had heard on the radio that morning, he started to go around the kitchen, putting the water to boil, dicing and frying the bacon and making the eggs, cheese and cream mixture. When he was about to finish, he heard the knock on the door.
"I'm coming," he said, quickly pouring the red wine he had bought especially for the occasion in two glasses.
He opened the door with a huge smile, and was met with a similar grin plastered on Sarah's face.
"Hi!" she greeted, truly glad to see him.
"Hi, let me get that for you," he said, reaching for the chocolate soufflé she had brought and gesturing her to come in. "Wow, this looks good! Did you make it?"
"Wasn't that the deal?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow and with a playful tone.
"Yes, it was. You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" he replied, imitating her manners.
"You have no idea," she said, thinking about her earlier resolution of finally telling him everything. Her stomach twitched but she kept smiling in spite of it. There's no need to ruin the night before it even starts.
"So, how was your day?" she heard Chuck asking from the kitchen.
"Good, normal. A little boring, to be honest," she answered, approaching to where he was draining the pasta. "Wow, Chuck, are you sure Ellie's the cook in the family?" she said watching him handling the pot and frying pan expertly.
"What, this?" he smiled. "Don't be deceived by its appearance, you still have to try it," he said, winking at her. "Could you take those glasses to the table, please? I'll be right there."
She did as he told her, admiring the way he moved in the kitchen and noticing he'd already set the table, where there was a lighted candle in the middle. She couldn't help but smile at the detail. It was the first time someone cooked for her, and she found that she really liked all the dedication Chuck had obviously put on doing it.
"So… here it is. Spaghetti alla Carbonara for the lady," he theatrically said, while he arranged the plate in front of her. Sarah took her napkin and put it on her lap, smiling at Chuck's antics. He really is adorable.
Chuck finally sat in front of her and raised his glass. "I want to make a toast," he said. Sarah gazed at him and raised her glass as well. "To friendship, one of the most beautiful things life gives us; and to reunions, that make possible for old friends to meet again, even in the most incredible circumstances. We, I believe, are the living proof, so I drink to that."
Sarah grinned and knocked her glass against his. "Cheers."
"Chuck, this is delicious!" she truthfully stated, after having a forkful of pasta.
"Really?" he shyly asked.
"Yes, really. I told you, you're an amazing cook," she replied. And she was glad she did, because the way he was smiling at her made her feel like she was the only person in the world. Damn his smile and his perfect teeth, she thought, feeling the need to reach out and kiss him.
"So…," Chuck started, "Beckman told me and Casey that Graham had informed you about the flash drive?"
Sarah was surprised to find out she didn't want to talk about work. That was all she ever talked about. "Uh, yeah, he told me about the list," she answered. "But there's not a lot we can do unless they manage to find it."
"Yeah, well… it's always nice to have a vacation," he said, taking a sip of wine.
She was going to agree, but, until now, she'd always been reluctant to have free time from work. "It is, this time." She said, glancing at him.
"This time?" he frowned. "I'm guessing you don't have a lot of time for yourself, right?"
"I didn't. Before this mission I was always travelling around the world with… my partner," she gave Chuck a significant look.
"Bryce," he said.
"Yeah. But then, he disappeared, and Graham gave me this new assignment. Before you and Casey joined me, I was the only field Agent who knew about FULCRUM," she added, proud of having the Director's trust to do such an important job.
"Wow, that must've been exciting… and extremely dangerous," Chuck said, frowning a little.
Sarah shrugged. "It's what we do. It was a great opportunity and I took it."
"I'm still glad you have us now. It couldn't have been easy to have to deal with all of this alone. I know I couldn't do it."
"I, uh… I had some trouble sleeping the first few weeks," she admitted, catching Chuck's attention, "It doesn't make any sense, because I had done pretty dangerous things in the past, but this felt different. I guess, what I'm trying to say is… it's nice to know that I have you now." Chuck smiled brightly at her, and feeling a little overwhelmed, she had to add "You both, I mean. Casey's a good spy too."
"Oh, yeah, sure, Casey, that guy too. He keeps grunting and barking and giving me dirty looks, but I know he likes me," he joked.
"I bet he does," she said in the same tone. If he doesn't, he's crazy.
Chuck thought about what Casey had said about Sarah being weird around him. Now or never.
"Sarah, can I… can I ask you something?" he asked, suddenly getting serious.
Sarah's breathe caught in her throat. Oh, God, this can't be good. What does he possibly want to know? Maybe he noticed that lately I'm always about to jump him. Oh, my God, I don't think I could live with the embarrassment if he asks me about that. She forced herself to meet his eyes. She had visibly paled, and –of course- Chuck noticed.
"Hey, are you ok? It's not that important… I don't want you to feel uncomfortable or anything…" he stammered.
Pull it together, Walker, you're a spy, for crying out loud! "No, I'm, I'm fine. What do you want to know?" she bravely asked, resisting the urge to divert her eyes to her now empty plate.
"Well… I was talking to Casey the other day, and he said something that got me thinking," he glanced at her, wondering why she looked so… terrified. "I mean, it's just… like you don't want me here, you know?" Sarah's eyes widened in shock, and she was going to protest when Chuck kept talking, "I just got the impression that you weren't all that happy to see me and be partnered with me. Sure, after a while, things changed a little and here we are, having dinner on a Sunday night, no work involved, and I couldn't be happier… but I just wanted to know if we are… you know… ok?"
Sarah's mouth hung open, horrified about Chuck's little speech. Oh, God, I'm a horrible person… here I am, shielding myself from anything that could hurt me and I end up letting the kindest guy in the world think that I don't want him around. Fix it, Walker, fix it right now! She knew she would hate herself if she let Chuck think for just another second she wasn't happy to be his friend again and to have him back in her life.
"No!" Damn it! "I mean, yes! Yes, we are ok, Chuck." She corrected, sighing heavily. "I, uh… I have something I want to tell you. I've been thinking about this all day, and I had decided to tell you before you… said what you just said." She looked down for a second trying to gather the strength she needed to come clean. She gazed at his eyes and setting her jaw before saying, "My father was a conman."
A shocked expression appeared on Chuck's face. He had never seen that coming.
Sarah looked down, embarrassed, not wanting to face Chuck's judgment. "I spent my whole childhood moving around. Because of his occupation, we couldn't stay in one place for very long. I… that Christmas morning… I didn't want to leave," her voice cracked, and Chuck's heart stung. She inhaled deeply and looked at him again, a sad smile on her face as she continued, "for the first time in my life, I'd found a friend. That first day, in class, I didn't even say hello to you, and then you saved me from those bullies. I wasn't a loser when I was with you; I was just Jenny. I was normal. And I liked that." Chuck could see the tears brimming in her eyes, and he had to fight a few of his own. "My dad conned the wrong people when we were staying in Burbank. We had to leave in a hurry, and we ran for a few months, until the CIA found us. They arrested my father and Graham offered me to pay for college if I agreed to work for them. With my dad in jail, I had nothing, so I did."
Chuck was stunned. He couldn't believe what she was telling him. All the pain she'd had to go through, and all alone. He wanted to hug her and tell her he'd always be there for her. But Sarah wasn't done. Clearing her throat, she said, "You were right. Seeing you again made me realize that, no matter what I do, I'm still Jenny Burton, daughter of a criminal, and I've never deserved someone like you in my life. I lied for a living; I still do. So yes, I remembered you the instant I saw you, but all those feelings came back to me and I was overwhelmed and didn't want to have to deal with it. I'm sorry for the way I treated you, I was only trying to be professional, to be a spy. I'm sorry that I lied to you, because if there's someone who doesn't deserve to be lied to, it's you, Chuck. You've always been there for me, and all I did was betraying your trust," after she finished, a tear rolled over her cheek, and she looked down again.
Chuck didn't say anything, but he stood up and went over where she sat, kneeling next to her. Making her shift in her chair so she was facing him, he took her hands in his and softly spoke, "Sarah… I don't even know what to say. I'm so, so sorry that you had to go through all of that when you were just a little girl. I'm so sorry that you couldn't tell me, because I would've loved to help you in any way I could; but I'm not mad. You couldn't do anything about it. You couldn't tell me the truth because that would've meant betraying your father. You were put in an impossible situation and you had to deal with it all by yourself. You're the bravest person I've ever met, and I can't tell you how much I admire you. Things haven't been easy for you, and you are still one of the most beautiful, capable, strong, independent woman I know. I just want you to know that I'll always be here for you, and I promise, I will never let you down. You can trust me, Sarah."
Sarah had been about to cry a few times while she was telling him about her life, but what he just said and the way he was looking at her made it impossible for her to hold back the tears any longer. Silently, Chuck reached out and wiped the tears that were streaming down her cheeks. Once she was able to control herself again, she looked at him. He had the kindest expression she had ever seen in her life. Gently, he stood up and, still holding her hands, he pulled at her so she was standing in front of him. Sarah felt his arms wrapping tightly around her waist and his head resting on her shoulder and let out a shaky, relieved sigh. She put her arms around his back and held him close, trying to convey everything she was feeling in that hug. After what felt like hours, but still wasn't long enough, they let go. She looked at him in the eye and told him "Thank you." He just smiled and kissed her in the cheek. She felt her skin burning at the gentle touch of his lips, and a warm feeling spreading through her body. Too many emotions for one night.
She silently started cleaning the table, smiling brightly despite everything she had felt while she told Chuck the truth. I have a friend. A real friend, she thought.
Chuck was in the kitchen loading the dishwasher and thinking about how honest and open Sarah had been with him. He was a little embarrassed now of how worried he'd been that she wasn't comfortable around him, when she'd had to deal with such important things in her life. He couldn't imagine being so lonely. Even in his darkest moments, he had always had Ellie or Morgan to talk to. And it pained him that Sarah had had to go through all of that alone. And quite frankly, he was kind of mad at her father for being so selfish, for putting his needs over his daughter's. But all of that was over now. He was there and he was going to make sure she'd never be alone again. Sensing her presence in the kitchen, he jokingly said, "I hope your appetite isn't ruined, because that soufflé looks awesome!"
He heard her chuckle behind him and then her response, "You'll need a lot more to kill my appetite. Besides, I have to help you; you can't possibly eat all that by yourself."
"Oh, is that a dare, Agent Walker?" he playfully asked.
"No, it's not. You're sharing, Bartowski. But first, I need to go to the bathroom… I think I made a mess with my makeup."
He slowly shook his head. "You're beautiful. But if you insist, down the hallway, the second door on the left."
Sarah ignored his compliment and headed down the hallway. Looking herself in the mirror, she thought the worst was over. Now Chuck knew the truth, and not only he had accepted it and didn't blame her, but he had promised to always be there for her. And she believed him. Smiling brightly, she tried to fix her makeup the best she could. Her mind drifted to the hug he had given her. She couldn't remember the last time someone had hugged her in a non-sexual way. And it had felt good. Almost too good. She'd been reluctant to release him, but she figured she would've seemed needy, and she couldn't have that. So she'd had let go. For now. I might as well admit it once and for all. If there's a guy I'm going to fall for, I'm glad it's Chuck. She was surprisingly calm about the possibility of falling for him, and that was news to her. But she would take things slowly, because she wasn't sure how Chuck felt about her, and, to be honest, she didn't even know what to do with her feelings either. All of this was new to her, and there was a friendship and a partnership at stake. She opened the door and was surprised to hear voices coming from the living room.
As soon as Sarah went into the bathroom, Chuck took the soufflé to the table. It really looks great, he thought, admiring it. He looked for his iPod and turned it on, thinking that music could help to light things up a little. Although she had seemed relieved after everything she'd told him. He still felt like he needed to protect her, and, if he was frank, he'd never wanted anything less than break that hug from before, but he didn't want to make her uncomfortable. He was about to steal a piece of the dessert when he heard a knock on the door. If it's Casey, I'm going to go all Intersect on his ass and send him home. There's no way he's ruining tonight. Angry at the interruption, he opened the door with a frown and a not-so-friendly expression. He was shocked to see Ellie and Devon's smiling faces. Before he could say anything, Ellie launched herself at him and hugged the life out of him.
"Oh, my God, Chuck, it's so good to see you!" she squealed.
Trying to breathe and extricate himself from his very strong and no-so-aware-of-her-strength sister at the same time, he finally said, "Guys, what… what are you doing here?"
Devon stepped into the apartment carrying their suitcases and explained with a smile, "We had a lot of vacation days left and Ellie missed you a lot, so we figured we'd come and surprise you."
Chuck turned to look at his sister with an unsure smile "Surprise!" she said.
"Uh… yeah, yeah, that it is." He loved his sister, but she couldn't have chosen a worse time to show up. "Well, come on in, I guess I'll show you to the guest room…"
When Ellie finally took the time to look around her, she saw the candle, the music and the dessert on the table. "Oh, my God, Chuck! You're on a date?"
"What?" Chuck thought it was going to be really awkward to introduce Sarah to her sister, and even more awkward if Ellie recognized her as Jenny. "No, no, this is not… it's not a date, we were… it's just a dinner with a friend," he was sweating. A lot.
"Dude, we didn't know! We'll leave you two alone, we can go to a hotel," Devon said.
"No, that's really not… that's nonsense. You're family, you're staying here." Chuck insisted, but only because he had been raised to be polite. By his sister, who was trying to make him spill about his date.
"Who is she, Chuck? Is someone from your new job?" He had honestly no idea how to answer that. "I'm so happy for you!"
"Ellie, I told you, it's not…" he trailed off when Sarah stepped into the room.
"Dude, well done!" he ignored Devon's high five and turned to look at Sarah, who seemed to be frozen in place.
"Uh… Ellie, this is… uh…"
"Jenny?" Ellie asked, before he could say anything remotely coherent. "Jenny Burton?"
Sarah was shocked. She hadn't counted on Ellie recognizing her, and she didn't know what to say. She finally decided that the truth was the only way out, so she plastered a smile on her face and extended a hand. "Ellie, hi!"
Ellie ignored her hand and embraced her in a tight grip, like she'd done to his brother before.
"Jenny! How are you? How have you been? Oh, Chuck was so sad when you left! How did you to meet again? You look so good, it's so nice to see you!" she said all of that without taking a breath and Sarah had to admit that was quite impressing. Chuck, on the other hand, was the reddest she'd ever seen him.
"Actually, it's Sarah now, Sarah Walker. I had to change my name some time ago. And to answer one of your questions, Chuck and I work together," she said with a small smile.
Ellie frowned. "You… you changed your name? What happened?"
"Ellie!" Chuck tried to intervene, but Sarah just smiled.
"It's ok, Chuck, it's not really a secret," she said. Turning to face Ellie, she added, "I had a… problem with an ex-boyfriend. After we broke up he wouldn't let go. I tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't listen and instead he became kind of… stalker-ish. Seeing that a restraining order wasn't going to be enough, I decided to move and have something like a fresh start." Chuck was surprised at her ability to think fast. He could see Ellie falling for that already.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have asked… it's just, it's so weird to see you after all this years, and then to learn you have a different name…," Ellie seemed truly sorry for making her talk about what she thought was a painful memory to her.
"I know, Chuck called me 'Jenny' our first week working together," Sarah replied, and Chuck quickly nodded.
"Yeah, but I got used to your new name. And I really like it," he said.
Ellie smiled. "It suits you, that's for sure. And I meant what I said before; it's really nice to see you."
Someone cleared their throat, and Ellie finally realized Devon was standing next to her, waiting for being introduced. "Oh, this is Devon, my boyfriend," she said, while he offered Sarah his hand.
"Hi, it's nice to meet you," Sarah shook his hand. "So, uh…" she didn't really know what to say. She was glad to see Ellie and all, but she was also a little disappointed about her dinner with Chuck being cut short. "So, you guys are staying for a while?"
"Oh, yes, we're staying for a few days. I just missed my little brother too much and had to come to see how he was doing. But apparently, he's doing more than fine," Ellie said, smiling at her.
"I'm fine, yes. I like my job and I found and old friend from high school, so I'd say I'm pretty good," Chuck said, putting an arm around his sister's shoulder.
Sarah smiled at the display of affection. It seemed so… easy for him to be like that, so sweet and caring and just too adorable for his own good.
"Well, we're going to leave you guys alone so you can continue with your date," Devon told them, noticing Sarah's obvious discomfort.
Sarah blushed a little, but Chuck quickly said, "I told you, it's not a date, it's just a friends' night, right, Sarah?"
Chuck turned to look at her too late and he missed the flash of disappointment that crossed through her eyes when he said that, but Ellie didn't. She smiled inwardly, ecstatic that Chuck had been able to reconnect with a girl that had been so important in his life when he was a teenager. Even then, it was obvious for everyone that they cared deeply for each other, and she'd always been sure that, if Jenny had never left, they would've end up being together.
"It's not a problem, Chuck, seriously, we'll go to a hotel tonight, we'll see you tomorrow," she stated.
"No, please, Chuck is right… besides, it's getting late, I should probably go home," Sarah said. Chuck had said it himself, this wasn't a date. And she wasn't going to be the reason for his family to have to pay for a hotel when Chuck had plenty of room in his apartment for them to stay there.
Chuck was happy to see his sister and Devon, but he was also frustrated that their visit was ruining his dat… dinner. "What? No, we still haven't tried your dessert!" he protested.
"It's ok, Chuck. I'm really tired and we have to be up early for work tomorrow, so I'll get going."
Chuck almost let out a whine. This wasn't the way he'd imagined the night would go. But seeing that Sarah was clearly uncomfortable, he didn't complain. Instead, he told her "Ok, then. I'll walk you to your car."
"Chuck, it's not necessary…" she started to protest, but he opened the door, waited for her to say goodbye to Ellie and Devon, and followed her to the elevator. They said nothing until they reached her car outside.
"I'm sorry about the interruption, they wanted to surprise me and they just showed up unannounced," he apologized.
Sarah smiled. "It's ok, Chuck. You're really lucky to have them."
Chuck looked down to his black Converse and said, "I know, it's just… I like spending time with you and I'm sorry we didn't get to finish our dinner." He looked up. "But I'll make it up to you," he added.
"Ok. Maybe next time you can make lasagna," she joked.
"Oh, so this was your plan! Making me feel guilty so you can get another free dinner!" he answered playfully.
She chuckled. "Yes, you caught me. I called your sister and told her to crash our dat… dinner only so I could get another one. Maybe next time I'll call Morgan."
Chuck noticed she had been about to say "date" and the light blush that covered her face when she corrected herself, but didn't say anything. Instead, he told her, "Sure, call Morgan. He'll eat everything."
She smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yeah." He watched as she got into her car and fastened her seat belt. "Drive safe!" With one last smile and a wave, she took off.
Chuck stood there for a few minutes, just watching the black Porsche disappear around a corner, and then headed back to his apartment.
Waiting for him was a deeply remorseful Ellie. She didn't even wait for him to get into the apartment as she started apologizing when he opened the door.
"Chuck, I'm so, so sorry! I didn't know you were with her! I just wanted to surprise you and we ended up ruining your date! I'm so sorry, we shouldn't have come," she shook her head and sat on the couch.
"Ellie, come on, don't be absurd! I told you, I'm not with Sarah, and I'm really glad you came!" he sat down next to her, smiling. "So, how was your flight?"
Ellie gazed at him and asked, "So, you've already forgiven me?"
"Of course!" he said.
"Ok." Her face changed and he feared the beast had been awakened. Trying to contain a loud squeal –and failing miserably- she inquired, "So, how was the date?"
"I… I just told you! It wasn't a date!" Chuck knew this was a lost battle.
Ellie gave him a knowing look. "Seriously, Chuck? You cooked for her! Candles, pasta, wine, chocolate soufflé?"
"Hey, she brought the soufflé!" he weakly tried to defend himself.
Ellie's smile just grew bigger. "Oh, did she? Did you know that chocolate is considered to be an aphrodisiac?"
"Oh, stop it!" Like Sarah would ever think about me that way. He shook his head at the absurd idea. "Now, you're probably exhausted from the flight… don't you want to go to bed?" he asked suggestively, standing up.
She stood up as well. "Yeah, I do. But you do know I'm going to keep asking tomorrow, right?"
"I know, but hopefully, after a good night sleep I'll have more energy to deal with the inquisition," he joked. "Where's Awesome, by the way?"
"Oh, he was talking to his mother in the kitchen, she just called him… Maybe he went to the bathroom."
"Well, then. I'll show you to your room and you can tell him I say good night…"
"Don't you need to brush your teeth?" she said, narrowing her eyes in a way that reminded him of their mom.
"Yeah, yeah… but I happen to have a bathroom in my room too," he grinned.
"Wow, this place is very nice, Chuck! You must do a pretty important job for the company if they gave you an apartment like this."
You have no idea. And it was better that way. He could picture Ellie freaking out and losing it if he ever told him he'd been about to get shot about 48 hours ago. "Uh, you know, just computer stuff…," he said, dismissively. "Now, if you follow me…" he started to walk through the hallway until he reached the guest room's door. "Here we are. I hope you find the accommodations to your liking!"
Ellie grinned and hugged him again. "I'm really glad to see you, and I'm very happy for you."
"Thanks, sis. It's great having you guys here. I'll be up by seven and I'll make some coffee for you."
"Seven? Isn't it kind of early for you?"
"I have to go for my morning run," he said, and started to walk away, leaving Ellie with her mouth open. "Goodnight, sis."
Ellie just shook her head and smiled. "Goodnight, Chuck."
After his run, a quick shower and a healthy breakfast, Chuck was stepping out of his apartment when he almost crashed into Casey.
"Watch it, moron," the Major gruffly told him.
"Good morning to you too, Johnny," Chuck smiled, used to getting that kind of treatment from Casey. He enjoyed the pure rage that appeared in Casey's face every time he teased him.
This time, though, Casey just smirked and asked, "How was your date, Carmichael?"
"What? How… How did you…?" Suddenly, an idea crossed his mind. He wouldn't! "Casey, you don't have me under surveillance, do you?"
Casey shook his head with a disgusted expression. "God knows I couldn't bear to have to see you and listen to you every day! I'm a spy, Carmichael, and I'm good at my job, that's all."
Letting out a relieved sigh, Chuck said, "Well, if you were that good, you'd know it wasn't a date." Casey grunted. Sarcasm, uh? "It was just dinner with a friend. In fact, I was going to ask you next," he grinned when he saw Casey's horrified look.
"Over my dead body, Carmichael! Now, if you need a ride, I suggest you to shut up and start moving, or we're going to be late."
"Yes, Sir," Chuck mockingly answered, and started humming, just to bother him.
Luckily, Casey seemed to be in a fairly good mood, because he didn't try to strangle him even once on their way to work.
When they reached the conference room, Sarah was already there, along with Graham and Beckman. Once they sat down, Beckman started, "Good morning, team. We finally discovered who has the flash drive and where he is staying. We suspect he's in charge of recruiting new Agents for FULCRUM. His codename is Leader."
The flash hit him before he knew it. "Wow! That's… that's a big guy! Are you sure just the three of us are going to be able to handle him? I mean… he's really, really big."
Sarah tried her best not to smile at his words. Casey, on the other hand just told him, "I'm a soldier Carmichael, of course I can handle a traitor, not matter how big he is."
Regaining their attention, Beckman told them the specifics; that he was staying at a hotel in the area and that -because they had been able to bug the room-, they he had a meeting at the bar of the hotel, and he would have to be there at least for a few minutes, which would give them time to get into his room and look for the flash drive.
A couple of hours later, they were about to climb through the air ducts. Their plan was easy, but Chuck quickly discovered it was easier said than done. He was too tall to fit comfortably in the ducts, and his body twisted in an unnatural way every time they reached a bend in the ducts. And, to be honest, the sight in front of him wasn't helping at all, considering that Sarah's… behind was kind of distracting.
They finally reached their destination, Leader's hotel room. It was empty, as they expected it to be.
"Ok, we have to move fast, we don't know how long he's going to be away," Casey told them. They started to search every inch of the place, looking for the flash drive.
"Guys, I think I have something!" Sarah said. She was pointing to a safe badly hidden behind a horrible painting. It was an older model, one that still had a little knob you had to twist to line up numbers. "Chuck, you think you can open it?"
"Let's see," he answered. He focused on the lock and flashed on safecracking instructions.
"Jackpot," he said when he opened it and found what they were looking for.
Casey nodded. "Good job, Carmichael, now let's get out of here!"
Chuck helped Sarah and Casey into the air ducts again, and he was about to put the ventilation grille back in its place when he heard voices and the door opening. He motioned Sarah and Casey to be quiet as he tried to hear what the people in the room were saying. Having trouble to do it, he moved a little forward and looked down. Not only did he recognize the second voice, but he also recognized the woman who was now talking to the rogue Agent. He freaked out. He started shaking his head and biting his lips trying to keep silent, but he wanted to scream. Better yet, he wanted to punch something, like right about now. He tried to focus on their conversation, but they were talking too quietly for him to hear more than just a few words. He only learned that they were trying to move -or was it lure?- a scientist who was conducting research on some kind of weapon. This can't be good. Once Leader was alone in the room again, Chuck gestured his partners to move.
Back at their room, Sarah asked him, "Chuck, what happened? What was all of that about?"
"Uh… Leader was talking to a woman… I think it had something to do with a scientist and a weapon. I couldn't hear everything they said, but I'm pretty sure it's something bad." It has to be bad if she's involved, he bitterly thought.
"Chuck, are you ok? You don't look so good," Sarah asked with concern.
"Uh… yeah, I'm… I'm ok. Don't we need to take that back to the bosses?" he said pointing at the flash drive Casey had in his hand and changing the subject.
"Yes, we do. Let's go!" Chuck and Sarah quickly followed Casey to the van and they took off.
Back in the CIA headquarters, Beckman and Graham were more than pleased with their team's work.
"Excellent work, Agents," said the Director, "We'll have our analysts work on the decryption, and hopefully we'll have that list by the end of the day. You're now dismissed."
Chuck didn't wait for his partners, as he usually did. Instead, he headed down the hallway and sat in one of the chairs. He didn't know what to do. He knew he should've said something to his bosses and his partners, but now it was too late. What was she doing there? Could it be that she was just an innocent civilian, getting caught in a trap elaborated by an evil organization? Or was she working with them? He wanted to believe this was all a huge misunderstanding, but something told him it wasn't.
He felt Sarah sitting down next to him. "Chuck…" She didn't know what to say. Something was clearly wrong with Chuck, but he didn't want to share it. She put a hand over his and softly said, "I'm here, you know? You can tell me anything."
Chuck looked at their hands and then at her. Making a decision, he blurted out, "I know who was talking to Leader in that room." He saw the shock in Sarah's face. If only you knew. "I don't know if I should tell Graham and Beckman about it. I mean, it could be nothing, I could be wrong."
Sarah frowned. "Didn't you say they were talking about a weapon?" He nodded. "Well, that sounds kind of dangerous. Even if it's nothing, we should look into it. Better safe than sorry."
He looked at her, realizing she was right. He would have to put his work before his feelings on this one. "You're right, I know. Wait here, I'll go talk to Graham," he said as he stood up.
Sarah didn't know what was going on, and, for the first time she could remember, Chuck was reluctant to tell her. She just waited in her chair for him to come back.
When he did, about twenty minutes later, he didn't look any better. After assuring her he was ok, he told her he would walk home and they would see each other the next day. She gave him space, silently deciding that she would ask him about it later.
When Chuck arrived at his apartment, he found a note from Ellie, informing him she and Devon were out for dinner and they were going to be late.
Great. This will save me from some uncomfortable questions. He skipped dinner –he had lost his appetite earlier- and went straight to bed. It wasn't easy for him to fall asleep, since his mind insisted on recreating the events from the afternoon. What was she doing there? He asked himself for the gazillion time. Her body language had shown she was comfortable with the man, so it wasn't the first time they talked. And what about the scientist? What if they are holding him against his will until he develops a weapon for FULCRUM? He thought about dozens of scenarios where FULCRUM could use a specially designed weapon, each darker than the other one. It was past midnight when he finally fell asleep, wishing he wouldn't have nightmares this time.
Chuck was late for work. Sarah was sitting in the conference room, waiting along with Beckman, Graham and Casey for her partner to show up. When he did, there were dark circles under his eyes and he didn't happily greet them like he always did. Instead, he just sat down in the free chair and waited for the briefing to start.
"Well, Agents, you'll be happy to know that our analysts were able to crack the code and retrieve the list of FULCRUM Agents. This is a big step in our fight against them, and you deserve the commendations. You've done a very good job so far, and you've been extremely helpful to your country." Beckman was very impressed by how well the three Agents had adapted to work together, and she couldn't be more satisfied. "This," she added, giving each of them a large folder, "is the information of every Agent on the list. We'll get another team to work on apprehending them. You'll keep working in the dark like until now."
Chuck didn't want to open the file, but Casey and Sarah were already going through it. He started to turn the pages, barely looking at the pictures, until he finally saw the one he was looking for, but hoping not to find.
Casey looked at him and carefully said, "Carmichael…"
Sarah, frowning at her partners' demeanor, kept looking through the file, until she found it too. Her eyes widened in realization. "Chuck, isn't this…?" she trailed off when she saw his expression.
Chuck felt like he was going to be sick. In front of him was the proof he had been so afraid to find. Jill Roberts, his ex-girlfriend, was FULCRUM.
A/N: so? What did you think? It would really, really mean a lot if you hit that button down there and let me know.
P.S. I've already started writing the next chapter and it shouldn't take me this long to update.