A/N: Well I'm back and judging from the reviews and PM's, I guess people wanted me to continue with this story, so that's what I'm going to do. I appreciate all the words and reviews as they are what convinced me to continue on.
I also want to thank my Beta, Gladius who is still sticking with me and helping me with this story.
This story takes place around the time frame of Chuck vs. The Tic Tac. As always I don't own Chuck. Hope you enjoy.
Chapter 32 - Family Reunion
{Briefing in Castle – One Week after Bartowski Wedding}
Sheryl really wanted to vomit as she sat across from the most obnoxious bitch she had ever known. It was bad enough she was completely upset by the accident to Daniel, but now she had to deal with Agent Sarah 'look at my wedding ring I'm married to Chuck' Bartowski. Since the moment the blonde bimbo came in to castle, she had done everything in her repertoire to flaunt her ring and her marital status. Sheryl really had just about enough of this obnoxious behavior. Not to mention the nonstop hugging, kissing, touching, that Chuck and his slutty wife were doing. It was just plain disgusting.
The large monitor in castle suddenly crackled to life as General Beckman appeared on the screen.
"Good morning Team. And welcome back Mr. and Mrs. Bartowski." Beckman couldn't hold back her smile as she saw the look of pure happiness on Sarah and Chuck's face. Of course she was even more thrilled to see the look of pure disgust on that of Jill Roberts.
"Good Morning General." Sarah couldn't help but put her left hand out in the dead center of the table, tapping her fingers to a rhythm only she heard. She wanted everyone to know just how happy she was and how much she loved being the wife to one Charles Irving Bartowski. Of course displaying the beautiful sparkling diamond wedding ring so that it was practically blinding Jill was just an added bonus.
The General continued as she turned to Sheryl. "Agent Walken, you are being called back to Washington for a meeting concerning the Ring. Since Agent Shaw has lost the ability to speak, you will be needed for a meeting of the heads of the agencies. It will be for a few days so please be packed and ready to go by 6:00 p.m. tonight." The General could see the eagerness in Jill's eyes as it was obvious the Agent wanted to do anything to get out of Burbank. "Your dismissed Agent Walken."
Sarah made sure to wave her left hand towards Jill. "Have good trip Sheryl."
Jill just smirked at her nemesis as it took everything in her power not to flip her off. She nodded to the rest of the team and then hurried out.
Once Sheryl was gone, Beckman continued. "Colonel Casey and Agent Bartowski, I want you to take the next few days and continue training Chuck on his spy skills. He has made great progress and we don't want him to get to complacent." The General smirked as she looked over at Chuck. "Other than that, just make sure to be available if a mission presents itself." Beckman then disconnected.
Chuck could barely contain his excitement. It seemed like it had been forever since his two partners had trained him. Of course there were some very wonderful distractions that had come up, but he was ready to get back in game. "So guys, where do we start?"
Casey and Sarah just looked at each other, each with a smile on their faces, as they saw the uncontainable excitement emanating from Chuck. Casey spoke first, knowing he had some things to finish up. "I have to go check in some of that Ring equipment we confiscated a while back. After that, we can go over logistic planning and informational retrieval techniques." Casey didn't look at Sarah as he knew she was giving him a dirty look.
"Sound great. I'll be ready." Chuck then got up, reaching out a hand to his wife as Casey headed off to the equipment room. "Hey sweetheart, I was hoping sometime later if we could talk about some ideas I had concerning upgrades to the Intersect. I want to get your opinion before I bring it before Ellie and my dad."
Sarah stood up quickly as Chuck practically twirled her into him. She couldn't hold back the giggle as she could not believe how cute her husband was acting. As she landed firmly into his embrace, she quickly reached up and gave him a kiss, knowing that this 'discussion' was very important to him. "Sure thing Chuck. But I also want some time tonight to continue our discussion from our honey moon." Sarah gave him another kiss to let him know how important 'her' discussion was.
Chuck couldn't help but smile as the thought of Sarah being so open about wanting to start a family just made his day. At first he was reserved and a bit scared of the idea, it being so soon and all. But after witnessing her determination, and realizing just how special a mother she would be, his excitement just overtook any nervousness he might have had about starting a family. "I can't wait." Chuck gave Sarah a quick hug, and then he headed to the equipment room to check on how Casey was doing.
. . .
Chuck was rounding the corner of the supply room when he saw Casey just put down something that looked very much like the Ring phone they had confiscated. He could tell by Casey's actions that he was not happy. "Hey, what's wrong big guy?" Chuck nearly jumped backwards as Casey spun on him as if he was going to shoot him.
"It's nothing." Casey grumbled as he started to walk out the room. He needed to get away so he could gain some semblance of control so that his partners would not question him. He nearly made it out of the room when he was stopped suddenly by Chuck's hand on his arm.
Chuck knew the safety of his hand, not to mention his own life, was in question, but he could tell something was going on and he was not about to let his best friend handle whatever it was alone. "John, I know something is wrong. I don't care what you say because you know I'm not going to let this go until you tell me."
Casey was seconds from breaking the hand that held his arm. If it was anyone but Chuck, the hand would have been snapped already like a twig. The anger inside of him was already at a boiling point after just getting the call from his former Colonel, one James Keller. Keller had pretty much black mailed him into stealing a special pill from the local Government facility. Normally he would have handled this alone. There was no way he would ever bring in anyone to help him. Unfortunately that kind of thinking left him the day one nerd took him to his hero's memorial. "Chuck, just let this go. I don't want you involved."
Chuck could see the change in the big man and finally let his arm go. He still was not done though. "Sorry John but it doesn't work that way anymore. Whatever you face, I face, and we do it together. So tell me what is going on."
Casey could see the stubbornness in Chuck and knew there was no way to keep this from the kid. "Damn it Bartowski, why do you have to be so stubborn?"
Chuck folded his arms across his chest as he replied, "That's easy Casey, I married a spy. The best spy that ever lived actually."
Casey couldn't argue with that. "Point taken. But I still don't want to get you involved." Casey knew Chuck wouldn't give up until he knew what was going on. It didn't take him long before he decided to tell Chuck the truth. After all, Chuck and Sarah were the only two people that he completely trusted in this entire world. He walked over to the keypad to lock down the room for privacy but Chuck stopped him again.
"Casey, we're a team. All of us." With that, Chuck turned and called out to Sarah, who moments later came in the room.
Oh this is just wonderful, Casey thought as he saw the other Bartowski come rushing in.
Sarah could see the looks on both mens face and she knew right away something was up. "Care to tell me what's going on guys?" Sarah stood with her hands on her hips waiting for their response.
Casey just sighed. "Fine. Bartowski here…" Casey paused as he looked at Chuck and then Sarah. "The other one, just couldn't let it go."
"Let what go Casey?" Sarah turned to Chuck for answers but he just shrugged his shoulders and nodded towards Casey.
Casey rubbed the side of his head as a sudden migraine seemed to hit him. "I just got a call from my former Colonel in the marine core. A Colonel James Keller." Casey knew this would trigger the Intersect as he waited for Bartowski to finish.
Chuck's eyes shot wide open at the information downloaded into his brain. "Oh Boy."
"Yeah, tell me about it kid." Casey would have rather Chuck not find out about his past like this, but the current situation didn't exactly call for patience.
Sarah walked over to stand next to Chuck, taking his arm in hers. "You okay?" Chuck just shook his head yes.
"Well as I'm sure Chuck will inform you later. Keller is now heading up a group of black op Ring agents. He has blackmailed me into stealing some kind of special pill from the government facility over in LA. Whatever this pill is, apparently it is very important to the Ring."
Chuck was confused at part of Casey's statement. "What do you mean blackmail? What could he possibly blackmail…" Chuck stopped as he started shaking his head, a fear growing in the pit of his stomach.
"Yeah kid, he said he will kill my daughter and her mom if I don't… Where the hell are you going Chuck?" Casey just stood dumbfounded as Chuck quickly left the room.
By the time Casey found him, he was in a conference call with Beckman, Sarah standing curiously right next to him.
"General, I understand that the government facility in LA has had some new security features added to it. I was hoping as part of my training, that our team could use this as an opportunity to not only test the security system, but to also provide me with training on infiltration and information retrieval." Chuck stood erect with a fierce determination in his eyes.
Casey and Sarah could only stare at him in disbelief.
"Actually Agent Bartowski. That is a wonderful idea. This op will be completely off the books so that you and your team can effectively train in the right environment. Good job Chuck and good luck." Beckman disconnected.
Casey turned on him, "Damnit Chuck, what the hell are you doing? I'm not getting you and Bartowski involved. You two just got married for Christ's sake."
It was then it finally hit Sarah what her husband was doing. She was never more proud of him than she was right now. "Let's get geared up and we will leave within the hour."
Casey looked at Sarah, then to Chuck. "Are you guys kidding me? Did you not hear a word I just said?"
Chuck turned to Sarah, completely ignoring Casey. "I will load up the blue prints to the facility and gather what information I can on the security features. Meet you back in 20 minutes." With that, Chuck kissed his wife and him and Sarah both went their separate ways to complete their tasks.
That left a stunned Casey just standing there, not quite believing what he saw. "This is crazy."
"Come on Casey, we have an op to prepare for." Sarah's voice came from the far room.
"Two Bartowski's. Double the fun." Casey just shook his head as he knew this wasn't going to be easy. But as long as he had his friends… his family behind him, there was nothing they couldn't do.
{* * *}
{3 Hours Later at Echo Park}
Team Intersect was meeting in Casey's home. The mission was a complete success, thanks to the flawless teamwork, and the incredible skills that Chuck used to bypass security. Now that they held in their possession the Ardenal pill, the team was considering a plan to get Casey's daughter and her mom to safety, and also taking care of Keller and his goons.
"So what's the plan Chuck?" Casey could see Chuck was in deep thought. The team had gone over all the details, everything they needed to know about Keller and his men, the layout of their hideout, and the location of Kathleen and Alex's home.
"Okay, here's what we are going to do. Casey, you and my wife are going to Keller's hideout for the exchange. Sarah will stay hidden while you go in for the 'fake' exchange. Once you have made contact, Sarah will take out any guards that are outside." Chuck looked to his wife for approval.
Although Sarah did not like the idea of being away from her husband, she knew that she was better prepared for this kind of tactic. She nodded her head in agreement.
Seeing that his wife was okay so far with the plan, Chuck continued. "I will go over to Kathleen's house and somehow convince them to leave. Hopefully I can get them to safety before Keller sends any of his goons over. I will hold onto the real Ardenal Pill just so Keller has no chance of getting it if things go bad. We all good?"
Casey and Sarah looked at each other with such pride in their former asset. Casey couldn't help but have so much respect for Chuck. "Well Sarah, you finally picked a good one. Our boys become a man."
Sarah just beamed with pride as she gave a prideful smirk. "Impressive isn't it?"
Okay, this was just a little weird Chuck had to admit to himself. His two partners were acting very strange towards him and it was causing a slight blush to appear. "Well, if you two are done with your Nerd love fest, let's go save Kathleen and Alex… and ouch." Chuck was rubbing both arms from where Casey and Sarah playfully punched him.
{* * *}
Sarah was hiding under the SUV that Casey had taken to Keller's hide out. The plan was to wait five minutes and then take out any guards. The problem was, once they arrived at the cabin, she didn't see anyone around. She comm'd into Casey. "Casey, do you see anyone here?"
"No I don't, but keep frosty. Maybe they're in the cabin. I'm going in to check it out."
Casey cautiously approached the door, scanning everywhere for any sign of enemy personal. There was nothing and as he reached the door to knock, he started to get a really bad feeling.
. . .
Chuck had just informed Kathleen that they needed to leave do to a gas leak. It was right after that when he saw some men approaching the house from the front so he quickly entered, changing the story so Kathleen would let him in.
"What are you doing?" Kathleen was starting to feel a little awkward about the way the gas man was acting.
"Sorry ma'am, but the gas leak is apparently outside. I really need you to find a safe place, maybe a closet to hide in until I give the all clear." Chuck then heard a knock on the door. Without thinking Chuck grabbed Kathleen and shoved her into the nearest closet and locked the door.
Oh this is not good Chuck thought as he quickly called Sarah and Casey, hoping that Casey wouldn't hear Kathleen's yells to let her out. "Guys we have a problem."
"Chuck you have to get out of there, NOW!"
Chuck could hear the urgency in Sarah's voice but unfortunately, he had to tell her the news that he knew she would not like to hear. "Yeah, about that. Were kind of surrounded here." Chuck could see through the windows that the armed men were now all over the place. It seemed like they were coming out of the word work.
Casey's voice boomed through the phone. "Kid,you have to take the pill."
"What?" Chuck could then hear what sounded like an argument on the other side of the phone.
"Look kid,it was a trap.Keller and his men were not at the cabin which means they are all probably coming to your current location. You have to take the pill and do what you must to get Kathleen out of there."
Chuck could hear the desperation in Casey's voice, which was rarity in its own right. He had never heard such a tone coming from the hardened marine and he knew he had to do something. He was about to reach for the pill when he felt a sharp pain suddenly strike him in the back of the head. Then darkness over took him.
. . .
Chuck was just coming to when it felt like he was at a mega death concert. Someone was screaming at him, or at least that was what it felt like as the pain in his head was almost unbearable.
"Where's the package?"
Chuck heard it clearly that time as his eyes slowly opened, trying not to let the sudden burst of bright light make his brain explode. There, standing right in his face was the one and only Colonel Keller. Chuck tried to move but suddenly realized that he was tied securely to a chair. He heard a slight whimper and turned to his right to see Kathleen sitting next to him. Tears were streaming down her face and he could see a slight bruise forming under her right eye.
"I asked you a question, WHERE IS THE PACKAGE?"
Chuck was about to respond when to his surprise, his wife came around the corner near the back hallway, two men holding her arms securely behind her back.
"Sir. Look what we found trying to sneak in through the back." said one of the men holding Sarah.
Keller turned to the blond. "Well I guess our little party here just got bigger."
"Don't you touch her." Chuck demanded as then a punch came crashing across his face, splitting his lip. He tried to initiate the Intersect but nothing was happening. It was as if the Intersect was waiting for something.
Sarah could see Chuck struggling and she knew she had to do something. Casey should already be taking out the guards outside, but it might be a few minutes till he got in. She wasn't thrilled with the plan of giving herself up as a distraction, but she knew with Kathleen and Chuck in the room, she didn't want to come in guns blazing. But now seeing her husband, the blood dripping from his lip, she just reacted. Throwing the original plan out the window, she quickly struck out with her leg to the guard to the left of her.
The guard screamed in pain as he let her go, grabbing at his knee. Sarah then sent a hard left into the jaw of the other guard holding her. She reached down to grab a weapon when the butt end of a rifle was slammed across her face.
She instantly dropped to one knee as the pain shot through her entire face. She shook her head to try to clear the cobwebs as she saw the man with the gun standing above her, nuzzle end pointed directly at her face. She just smiled as she looked up at him, wiping the blood from the side of her face. "You guys are really going to want to run now."
"Shut the hell up you…" The man never finished as shards of broken chair went flying everywhere. He only caught a glimpse of curly, brown hair as the wooden end of the remains of the chair came crashing through his skull.
Sarah tried to get to her feet but Chuck pulled her up and sent her flying towards Kathleen. The momentum knocked both her and Kathleen behind the far table. She was shielding Kathleen as gunshots rang out. She turned to see Chuck, as he dodged each shot. She could not believe the speed at which he reacted as he positioned himself at an angle where each time someone fired, it hit the other man. The shots were just barely missing Chuck, but he kept the fire from her and Kathleen's position.
It did not take long and the room was silent once again. Sarah helped Kathleen up as she quickly ran to Chuck who was panting heavily in the middle of the room, bodies lying all around him.
Sarah gently laid her hand on the side of his arm as his face shot towards her. She saw the look in his eyes, but it was only there for a second as recognition came across him. She lifted her hand to the side of his face as she needed to calm him. "It's okay honey. We're safe now." Sarah then brought his face down to hers so she could kiss him. She smiled as she felt Chuck let out a deep breath, as if the Intersect was releasing its power through him.
"Touching, but we ain't done yet."
Chuck and Sarah both turned to find Keller holding a younger woman by the neck at gun point.
"NO! Please leave my daughter alone." Kathleen tried to reach for her daughter but Keller commanded her to back away.
Chuck could see the look on the girls face, and surprisingly, it was not of terror. It was an all to familiar look that he was used to on his own partner's usual visage.
"Now I'm only going to ask this one more time and if I don't hear the answer I'm looking for, then the girl dies first."
It was then Casey entered the room, gun pointing right at Keller's head as he maneuvered towards Kathleen, making sure she was okay.
"Ahhh, John Casey, wondered when you would show up. Quite the family reunion, huh John." Keller smirked. "Or should I say Alex Colburn."
Kathleen tensed at the name, staring deeply into the eyes of the man coming towards her.
"Dad?" Alex stared at the man holding the gun near her mom. She had thought he had died.
"Don't mean to break up this happy family reunion, but I really need the package. John, be the good soldier you've always been. Hand it over."
Casey had a decision to make. He knew he could take the shot, he was the best after all, but something strange stopped him. It was a feeling in his heart that was blocking him from taking even the slightest chance that it could hurt his daughter. That's when he saw the look in his daughter's eyes. They may have never met before, but it was as if they had known each other all their lives. Casey knew exactly what his daughter was trying to say as he gave a slight nod.
Chuck sensed something was about to happen as he moved he and Sarah back towards Kathleen. "Close your eyes." He whispered to Kathleen making sure she understood as he positioned himself in front of Kathleen blocking her view of Keller.
"Not another…"
Keller never finished as Alex slammed her elbow into his gut, falling down to one knee as a shot rang out. She froze as she dared not look up to see what happened. It wasn't until she heard the loud thud behind her that she knew her father's shot was on the mark.
It was also then that she realized what just happened. Her father. Her father was standing right before her and she could not control the emotions as she looked up into his hardened eyes. She could see what looked like pride in his eyes as he made sure she was alright.
"I guess I have some explaining to do." Casey announced as he looked towards his daughter and one time fiance'. 'Oh boy' Casey thought to himself.