Hi there. I had hoped to publish Chapter 15 yesterday, but work decided otherwise. I've been putting in some long hours at the workplace, so my updates are going a bit slower than I like. Of course, I'm fairly certain the only person worried about that is me.
I admit to not being certain how long this story would be or how long it would take me to write it when I first started. The good news with that is it allowed me to come up with some new ideas on the way. The bad news is I also struggled at more than a few points to keep the story readable and logical. I admit with three chapters to go, I was having trouble organizing things. Hopefully I got everything straightened out now.
Enjoy this chapter, please review and let me know what you think. And Happy Birthday, Yvonne! And welcome to Twitter, Josh! Just thought I'd throw that in on the off-chance one of them might read this. And if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go laugh my head off at that previous sentence.
Unknown Location, California
June 12, 2011
8:30 PM PDT
Sarah looked up at Mr. Diaz while cradling Chuck in her arms. Mr. Diaz had his gun aimed at her head. He was beyond furious for Chuck lying there with two bullets in him instead of her.
"You are about to join him," Mr. Diaz seethed as he pulled the trigger.
A series of shots rang out, and Mr. Diaz was knocked to the ground from a hail of bullets as Jimmy emptied his pistol into him. He stepped forward and looked at the man who tried to take everyone he cared about away from him.
"Never piss me off," he said quietly.
Jimmy walked around the car to where Sarah was. "Sarah, are you…shit!" Jimmy looked down in horror at Chuck lying on the ground. He immediately knelt by Chuck's side as Sarah was still shaking. He pulled off his jacket and pressed it against the two spots where Chuck was shot.
Sarah was holding Chuck tightly. She was crying as she gripped Chuck's face, unable to let go of him.
"Chuck!" She continued to rock back and forth on her knees, refusing to let go of Chuck as tears streamed down her face. Jimmy wanted to lift Chuck, but Sarah wouldn't budge.
"Sarah, come on! We have to get him to a hospital!" Jimmy tried to gently pry her arms off of Chuck, but she wouldn't move.
"SARAH!" Jimmy screamed and wrenched her arms away to get her attention. He lifted Chuck into his arms and ran for the closest SUV. Stephen came out of the house in a slight daze. He saw Jimmy carrying Chuck.
"Oh, my God."
Stephen ran the rest of the way to the SUV, stumbling a bit from dizziness. He opened the rear doors of the SUV, and Jimmy slid Chuck inside. Stephen grabbed Sarah and put her in the passenger seat as Jimmy climbed in the back with Chuck and closed the doors. Stephen got into the driver's side and found the keys still in the ignition. He spun out of the dirt driveway near his house and floored it to the hospital. He looked back in the rear view mirror to see Chuck as Jimmy found a first aid kit in the SUV and put bandages on Chuck's wounds. He then rolled Chuck on his side. He tossed Stephen his mobile phone to call the hospital as Sarah continued crying in the passenger seat.
Holy Trinity Hospital, California
June 12, 2011
8:45 PM PDT
A gurney was waiting as Stephen pulled the SUV up to the emergency entrance of the hospital. Two orderlies opened the rear doors of the SUV and carefully pulled Chuck out, placing him on the stretcher. A doctor arrived to examine Chuck as he was wheeled inside. Sarah hung on to the gurney as the doctor pointed to a room in the hospital's trauma center.
"You'll have to wait here, miss," a nurse replied to Sarah as they entered the room, but Sarah wasn't listening.
"Miss! You must wait outside!"
"No! I can't leave him!" Sarah was still crying and refused to take her hands off the gurney.
"Miss, I won't tell you again!"
Two orderlies tried to pull Sarah's hands off the gurney, but she lashed out at both of them, knocking one to the ground.
"Chuck!" Sarah was still frantic and not registering where she was. Both orderlies looked ready to tackle Sarah. Jimmy and Stephen intervened.
"We got her, we got her," Stephen replied as Jimmy tried to grab Sarah. She lashed out at him, too, but he ducked out of the way.
"Sarah, please! Let the doctors do their work!" Jimmy got one of her hands loose but Sarah still struggled to remain in the room. Jimmy grabbed her and pulled her away. Sarah tried to break free, but she had no chance getting out of the bear hug Jimmy had on her. Stephen led them back to the waiting room. Both of them stayed with her until she could be trusted not to run into the room to be with Chuck. Twice a nurse came by to take Jimmy in to treat his injuries, but he refused to go until Sarah calmed down.
Holy Trinity Hospital, California
June 13, 2011
2:00 AM PDT
Jimmy walked slowly down the hall from the emergency room to the ICU. A nurse bandaged his head and applied stitches to the knife wounds a couple of Diaz's men inflicted on him. The hospital loaned him a set of scrubs, as his own clothes were covered in both Chuck's blood and his own.
Sarah stood at a window that looked into the ICU. The hospital was all but deserted at this point. Chuck was lying on a bed inside with several IV's running into him and a large oxygen mask covering his face. Sarah watched the monitors paint a grievous and dire picture of Chuck's condition. Although she had quieted down a bit, she had her arms wrapped around herself and a few tears could still be seen running down her cheek. Her clothes were also covered in Chuck's blood. She was still shaking as the events of the night enveloped her in fear and heartbreak.
Jimmy walked up to her and held out a cup of coffee, but she didn't acknowledge his presence. He placed the cup on the table next to her, along with a set of hospital scrubs she could wear instead of her bloodied clothing.
Jimmy's voice was soft. "I…I contacted Casey. He's coordinating things with Beckman. They sent a team to Mr. Bartowski's house to process everyone there. He's going to make his way up here in a few hours. He said he'd bring Morgan. Chuck's…Chuck's father drove down to tell Ellie and Devon. He…didn't want to tell them on the phone. I offered to go down and pick them up, but that'd be a bit hard to explain. They'll be here in an hour or two. I'm…sure he'll come up with something to explain this."
Sarah struggled to say something, but she couldn't do any more than gesture towards Chuck. She was shaking uncontrollably as a sudden blaze of wrath ran through her. She threw her fist at the window. Jimmy reflexively put his hand out to block it from connecting with the glass.
"Uh, wire glass," Jimmy said in the same soft tone as he pointed at the window. "Not exactly a good idea to put a fist through it. I kind of learned that the hard way."
"We never should have come up here. I never should have taken him here," Sarah said quietly, still not acknowledging her surroundings.
Jimmy was a little confused. "Chuck was getting his Intersect out. The computer's up here. What else could have been done?"
"I should have kept him locked in Castle until they found Diaz. I should have guessed Diaz would go after him."
"Sarah, nobody knew what Diaz had in mind. He couldn't have known Chuck would be up here."
Her voice kept rising as her tears returned in full force. "I'm supposed to be protecting Chuck. How did I let this happen to him? I should have stopped those bastards!"
Jimmy's voice shot up as well and took on a hardened edge. "Yeah, maybe you could have stopped the bullets with your magic bracelets. Or maybe Mr. Bartowski had something on his utility belt that would have held them off. Hell, I should have stood in front of you and the bullets would have just bounced off my chest, right?"
Jimmy's antagonistic words finally broke through. She turned to him in horror. "Do you think this is some kind of joke?"
"No! And neither is you thinking you could have done something to stop this! This is not your fault, Sarah!"
"It's my job to protect him!"
"You did everything you could to protect him! They came after us with everything they had and still failed! You didn't do anything wrong! Tonight couldn't be prevented! It just…happened, OK?"
"I should have…"
Jimmy grabbed her shoulders hard and held her against the wall. "No, you are NOT doing this! You want to be angry and upset because Chuck was shot, fine. Nobody could blame you. But I am not going to let you beat yourself up over this. This was NOT. YOUR. FAULT!"
"But it's…"
Jimmy grabbed her face and looked right into her eyes. "Hey, you wouldn't let me take the blame for Ellie being held hostage. There isn't a chance in fucking hell I'm letting you take the blame for this! OK?"
Sarah stood there shaking, her entire being replete with fear and hurt. Her face was reddened from the onslaught of emotions over the last few hours.
Jimmy lessened his grip but still held on to her. His voice was soft. "OK?"
Sarah gave a slight nod as she shook uncontrollably. Jimmy wrapped his arms around her and held on. Sarah buried her head in Jimmy's shoulder as the fear and anguish overtook her. The tears came unabated as she collapsed in his arms.
"He's going to be fine, Sarah," Jimmy whispered gently in her ear. "He's one of the toughest guys out there. He learned from the best. You and Casey taught him well."
Sarah continued sobbing into Jimmy's shoulder as she held on to him. "Why did he do that? Why did he have to take such a crazy chance with his life?"
Jimmy took a deep breath and gently shrugged. "He did what any guy worth his salt would do. Protect the woman he loves. We've been doing that since we were cavemen. It's hard-wired into our DNA. We can't turn it off. "
Sarah gently scoffed. "It's that easy to explain?"
Jimmy gave a slight smile. "Well, if anybody has a better reason, they're a lot smarter than me. 'Cause I don't know what else it could be. I mean, love makes guys do crazy things. If it wasn't for love, Casey doesn't travel halfway across the world and throw away his career to find Ilsa, and I don't strap fifty pounds of C-4 to my chest to rescue Alex. I have no clue what it is about women that make men do all sorts of crazy shit. But I guess we figure having one in love with you is worth everything. Even our lives."
Sarah's tears gradually subsided. "I don't want anybody dying for me; especially not Chuck. I'm nobody special."
Jimmy suppressed a laugh. "And you get on my ass when I say stuff like that? There are some women guys wouldn't even give the time of day. And there are other women we'd start wars over. Believe me, kiddo. You're in that second group."
Sarah looked at him with a disbelieving glance. "Now I know you're exaggerating."
"Hey, would I blow up a building with me in it for just anybody?" Jimmy paused. "Actually, I would. Bad example. Sorry about that."
In spite of her emotional state, a tiny smile graced Sarah's lips as a doctor approached them.
The doctor exhaled and smiled. "It'll be touch-and-go for a while, but we're fairly confident he should make a full recovery."
Sarah was beyond relieved and looked down at the ground, trying to stifle a tear of joy on hearing the good news. She glanced to her left at Jimmy. If he was dying to give her an I-told-you-so look, he was keeping it to himself.
"How long will it take him to recover, Doc?" Jimmy asked.
"He lost a lot of blood, and it will take time for the lung to be completely healed. Fortunately, the fluid build-up was minimal. Whatever you guys did to keep him stable on the ride to the hospital probably saved his life. We have a chest tube in him just to be on the safe side. He'll probably be out for a while, but he will be OK. I'll keep you posted on his condition."
"Thank you, Doctor," Sarah quietly replied as she could feel the fear and terror that was in her for the past several hours fade away. The doctor walked back into the ICU, and Sarah turned to Jimmy with a smile.
"Go ahead, say it."
"Say what?" Jimmy played innocent.
"You said Chuck would be OK. You're not even going to be a tiny bit smug about it?"
"Would I do that to you?"
"Not to my face, no," Sarah replied, her mood transitioning more to joy with each passing moment.
"Ah, you know me well, Miss Walker."
Sarah gave a little laugh and put her arms around Jimmy, gripping him tightly.
"Sorry if I was a little rough on you earlier, but I was trying to get you to focus," he said quietly.
She squeezed him tighter. "Oh, come on. You were there when I needed you. Thank you for everything you did tonight."
"No sweat, you would have done the same for me," he gently replied. "You should get some rest in the doctors' lounge. You look exhausted. I'll keep an eye on him until his dad brings Ellie back."
Sarah shook her head. "I can't leave him."
"Sarah, don't make me have a doctor tranq you," Jimmy answered a bit forcibly. "You need some sleep. No arguments."
Sarah exhaled in annoyance. "You can be a real hard-ass when you need to be."
Jimmy nodded and smiled. "I know. One of the few talents I've always had. It's easy for me to be a complete bastard. Just have to wake up in the morning and get out of bed."
Sarah growled and moved her hand up towards Jimmy's head. He gently grabbed her wrist.
"Wait a second," Jimmy interrupted. He turned her engagement ring around so the diamond was facing in. "OK, go ahead."
She laughed and gave Jimmy a light smack. He looked at her in surprise.
"That wasn't much of a hit," he said with amusement.
"I didn't want to break the diamond on your thick skull," Sarah replied with a bit of a grin.
"Ah, good thinking. Now get some sleep, kiddo."
She hesitated, and Jimmy didn't miss it. "I promise, if he even breathes differently, I'll come get you."
Sarah grabbed the coffee and hospital scrubs and walked slowly down the hall to the doctors' lounge, taking a long look in the ICU as she passed by. Jimmy leaned against the wall as he looked in through the window at Chuck. He couldn't believe he held in his own panic enough to keep an eye on Sarah. But he remembered what happened when Ellie was taken hostage. He barely knew her, and he fell apart about her almost being killed. Sarah was there for him then when she was probably panicking herself about someone so close to her being in danger. Jimmy didn't want a repeat of that tonight. It was nothing short of crazy that he was needed more in the last two years than he was in the previous 39. But he finally realized sitting on the sidelines in life was no place to be. Now he had people who relied on him and who cared about him. He promised to be there for them, and he would do whatever it took to keep that promise.
Holy Trinity Hospital, California
June 13, 2011
7:00 AM PDT
Ellie, Devon, and Stephen, and Morgan were sitting quietly in the waiting room of the hospital just a few doors down from the ICU. They arrived three hours ago, and Ellie spent most of that time staring at Chuck in his hospital bed, a look of panic frozen on her face. Stephen found Jimmy at the hospital, who told him what the doctor said about Chuck's condition. Jimmy quietly slipped out of the hospital so Ellie wouldn't see him and went back to Stephen's house to assist Casey in processing the men who attacked them last night.
Sarah walked down the hallway after catching a few hours of sleep in the doctors' lounge. She changed into the hospital scrubs and managed to clean off most of the blood that had gotten on her arms and face. She ran down the hall at the sight of Ellie. The two women hugged each other.
"Are you OK, Sarah?" Ellie asked in a rush.
Sarah nodded while holding on to Ellie. "I am now, yes. The doctor told me during the night his condition improved greatly. I didn't want to leave him, but they insisted I get some rest and wouldn't budge."
Ellie gripped Sarah fiercely. "God, I want to scream at him for risking his life like that, but he did it to save you."
Sarah exhaled deeply, fighting off more tears. She wasn't sure what story Stephen made up about last night, but she was certain he told Ellie and Devon something along the lines of Chuck saving her life. After all, it was the truth. A few details simply needed to be altered.
"I know, Ellie. I can't tell you how thankful I am. It's just been…" Sarah let the words drift off. She was exhausted despite the four hours of sleep. And staring into the ICU at Chuck, in spite of the fact he would recover, was still overwhelming.
"Anybody would do that for you, Sarah," Ellie replied while holding on to her. "You're one of the best things that has ever happened to this family. And you're going to be a part of it in a few months. Really, you're part of it already."
Sarah smiled at that. After all of the effort and work she put into being an agent, all the sacrifices and betrayal she went through, her job finally rewarded her with the one thing she never truly had. She couldn't believe she came upon such good fortune, although Chuck would rebuke her for thinking she was lucky to have found him. He would say she earned it, and he was the lucky one.
"I could really use some coffee," Ellie said as the two women separated.
Sarah pointed down the hall. "I'll take you to the cafeteria." The two women walked down the hallway as Stephen looked through the window at his son. Morgan and Devon joined him.
"What happened, Mr. Bartowski?" Morgan said in a hushed voice. "Casey said something about being attacked."
Stephen nodded. "They were trying to get at some of the programs I was writing for the government. They also tried to take Chuck and Jimmy Slade."
"Whoah, wait," Devon replied. "I understand attacking the house to get whatever it is you're working on, Mr. B., but why would these people want Chuck and Jimmy? What did they do?"
Morgan quickly looked at Stephen, who gave a slight shake of his head. Morgan quickly agreed.
"Dude, trust me. The less you know the better, right? You want to try lying to Ellie again? Next thing you know, she thinks Chuck is in a punk band and doing meth every night."
Devon's posture sank, but he knew Morgan was right. "I'm gonna go check on the girls." He walked down the hall as Stephen gave Morgan a quizzical look.
"How much did Chuck tell you?"
"Oh, uh, pretty much everything, Mr. Bartowski. You know, about Castle, why Sarah really came to the Buy More, running into Slade, just about all of it. I'm sorry to send Devon off like that, but like, Casey's had to pretend to be a drunken jerk around Ellie because Devon has a hard time lying to her."
Morgan paused for a second. "Wait, did this have to do with…" he eked out while pointing at his head.
Stephen nodded. "Chuck is getting the Intersect taken out, yes. That's why he's moving to Washington, D.C. Sarah and he will work for the CIA from there. Jimmy will be the new Intersect."
"Oh, sweet. So he'll also be able to do the..wah! Wah!" Morgan made a couple of kung-fu gestures in the air…badly.
Stephen shook his head and almost laughed. "Now that I think about it, the program's not going to need that anymore." Between what he had seen of Sarah and Casey, and given the fact he woke up in his house to a dozen bodies strewn all over the place, Chuck certainly knew how to picked talented friends.
Present company excluded, he thought, as Morgan continued his pathetic display.
Unknown Location, California
June 13, 2011
10:30 AM PDT
Casey watched the last two government vehicles leave Stephen Bartowski's house. They recorded a statement from Jimmy Slade and talked on the phone with Stephen Bartowski about the attack by Mr. Diaz. Normally Casey would have to get information from Sarah as well, but her report could wait for a much more opportune time.
This shouldn't have been fazing him. He had to deal with more than his fair share of partners and friends being injured, even killed, on the job. Many faces haunted his dreams over the years. The thoughts of his buddies on his old unit murdered by a traitor while playing poker always made him shudder. For years after thinking Ilsa was killed, Casey worked even harder to shut himself off from his emotions. He did not want to go through that same hurt again.
But those emotions were threatening to burst through more than they ever did before. He knew there was nothing more he could have provided in the way of protection had he been up there, but that didn't help. Based on the reports from local police about the 16 men they found in the house…four were dead, and the others were injured…it was obvious Bartowski, Walker, and Slade did everything they could. It made him sick to no end that Diaz almost killed Chuck, but getting the news from Slade that Chuck would recover mollified those thoughts.
"Is there anything else we didn't cover?"
Casey turned around as Jimmy walked up. He looked like hell, even by Casey's standards. Based on the reports collected from the local police, Mr. Bartowski, and the hospital, Slade did a lot of the heavy lifting during the attack. He was banged up quite badly, but Casey was surprised Slade was still coherent after taking out a dozen attackers single-handedly. To say he had a long night was a colossal understatement.
"We're pretty much done, other than typing up a dozen reports back at Castle," Casey replied. "Hopefully Beckman will cut us some slack on that one."
"Oh, yeah. That'll happen," was Jimmy's sarcastic reply. Casey could hardly argue with him on that.
"Helluva job you and Walker did last night. Not a lot of people could have taken on a mob like that and walk away from it."
Jimmy was barely keeping his eyes open at this point. "And to think I used to get the crap beat out of me in school. Even I have to admit doing a full 180."
"I would say don't get cocky about it, but you've got the opposite problem. Something you better fix so it doesn't get someone killed or compromises a mission."
Jimmy shook his head. "I feel like such an asshole now. I get all bent out of shape for not stopping those clowns in Paris, and Sarah had to deal with the love of her life being shot. Christ, I gotta get my head out of my ass, the way I went off like I did."
Casey gave a dismissive wave. "Most rookie agents learn the hard way you can't control everything on this job. You just have to bide your time and pick the right moments. When you assert yourself is sometimes more important than how you assert yourself."
Jimmy nodded his assent. "Have you heard anything about Alex? Chuck and Sarah told me last night she completed her mission, but they didn't know where she was."
Casey shook his head. "That's as much as I know." His phone began to ring. Casey looked at the caller ID. "But I'm guessing Beckman might." Casey gave a series of nods and grunts to Beckman Jimmy would need a translator to understand. He then handed the phone to Jimmy.
"General?"
Jimmy listened for several seconds before a smile slowly came across his face. Where he looked haggard a few moments ago, suddenly he had enough energy to run a dozen wind sprints. Casey took a wild guess that Alex Forrest was not badly hurt and was waiting for Jimmy to return to Los Angeles. He also got the feeling that Jimmy may have found his new partner. Supposedly they worked well together in New York and San Diego. It wasn't a stretch to think they could keep that going. Provided Beckman could handle another potential round of relationship angst.
"I take it you want to head back to L.A.," Casey said.
"I can finish my work here. I don't have to run right back. Besides, don't you have Ilsa waiting for you, too?"
"We've been inseparable since returning to the States. We both needed a few hours off from each other. We plan to do this right and not drive ourselves crazy. We're not going to Chuck-and-Sarah the relationship."
Jimmy gave him a weird look. "Chuck-and-Sarah the relationship?"
Casey gave a slight grunt of jealousy. "Consider yourself fortunate you've only known them since they've been together. And don't ask for any stories about it, either. I'd rather be left hanging by my balls in the middle of the desert than remember that crap."
Jimmy gave him a look. "Gee, so glad Ilsa has settled you down. I'm going to check with Sarah and Mr. Bartowski at the hospital before I go. I'll be back soon. If I'm not, then Alex probably has me handcuffed to a bed somewhere."
Casey growled in disgust as Jimmy exited the house and drove back to the hospital.
Holy Trinity Hospital, California
June 15, 2011
11:00 PM PDT
Sarah sat by Chuck's bedside holding his hand. She spent most of her time in the last three days at the hospital sitting by him, save the times Ellie dragged her away to get some sleep at a nearby hotel. Although he still hadn't regained consciousness, the doctors noted his condition was improving. Normally watching Chuck sleep was something she found soothing, especially when she contended with the more-than-occasional restless nights the job imbued on her. It was a source of comfort, a constant she could rely on to feel emotionally secure. But it was now a source of fright. She knew Chuck would recover, but waiting for the moment when Chuck would wake up was an immense toll on her psyche. She always considered herself a much grounded individual when it came to being an agent. She was never overconfident like Bryce or Cole Barker were sometimes, nor did she ever berate herself like Jimmy at every little minor setback. But her agent training wasn't helping her now as she looked at Chuck. It wasn't about hoping a partner on a mission recovered. It was about her best friend, her lover, her future husband. She was now convinced beyond a doubt she wouldn't survive if something happened to him.
She was starting to nod off to sleep when she heard the bedsheets rustle. She looked up to see Chuck slowly turn his head towards her. His eyes gradually opened, and he blinked once or twice. His movements were sluggish, but he could feel Sarah's tight grip on his hand.
"Hey beautiful. Are you OK?" Chuck's voice was strained and weak, but it was a symphony chorus to Sarah's ears.
"Thank God you came back to me," Sarah replied as she couldn't stop the tears from flowing.
Chuck gave a slight laugh. "Jimmy was right. I never want to let you go. They'll have to pry you from my cold, dead hands."
"That was almost the case."
Chuck gently pulled her hand towards him, and Sarah sat on the edge of the bed so Chuck could kiss it. "I'm sorry to make you worry about me, but I couldn't let that guy harm you. I had to do something."
Sarah pulled his hand towards her and rubbed it gently on her cheek. "You saved my life. Again."
Chuck could only muster a weak smile, but it was the most beautiful thing Sarah had ever seen.
"I never kept count, Sarah."
Sarah carefully leaned down and ran her hands on both sides of Chuck's face. She softly placed her lips on his. It was a kiss full of passion, but it was also a kiss that felt like something even more important. It was a kiss that felt like home. Not the home she tried to have in her youth that was constantly snatched away by her father or the one she tried to find as an agent. It was the home she felt by finding Chuck. And it was something she wanted to have for the rest of her life.
W Hotel, Los Angeles
June 14, 2011
10:00 PM PDT
Alex finished a quiet dinner at the hotel and was content to just rest. She spent two days completing the wrap-up on her successful mission. The facility for The Ring to build their Intersect was completely destroyed. Although it did not spell the end for that organization, certainly her work had put a huge dent in their plans. Once she was done, Beckman told her to stay on the west coast until she was needed again. She decided to pamper herself a little bit, something she hadn't done in some time. She spent a few days by the pool, and she was considering the full spa package at Bliss the next day. If nothing else, it was the most sleep she had in almost a month.
She quickly went to the door when she heard the knock while hiding her gun behind her back. She looked through the peephole. The person on the other side of it made her heart jump. She opened the door.
"James, I've wanted to call you since being out here, but you were gone and then I was deep undercover tracking down and destroying the facility The Ring was using to build their Intersect, and I'm…"
She didn't say anything else as Jimmy grabbed her and kissed her with a fire inside him that was such a welcome change from the fear and anger he felt for the last two days. He held her in his arms and caressed every inch of her skin as he felt the electricity from her lips. They came up for air, and Jimmy sported the biggest expression of delight.
"God I missed you," she whispered while holding his face in her hands. "I thought about you every day for the last two months, and I was worried that you were OK, and…"
She stopped and smiled at seeing him in wide-eyed desire. She raised a mischievous eyebrow. "Take my goddamn clothes off?"
Jimmy laughed and looked down at the ground in embarrassment. "I promise I won't throw you into a wall first."
Alex gave him a pouty look. "Awww, you do some of your best work when you have me up against a wall."
Jimmy gave her a hard kiss and teased her tongue with his. He then reached into his pocket and handed something to Alex. She quickly looked at it and was confused.
"Cough drops? But I don't have a sore throat."
His expression was of complete desire and lust. He lifted her and wrapped her long legs around him. "You will before I'm done with you. Hope your vocal chords are all warmed up."
Alex matched his look as Jimmy took her to the bedroom. "Oh, this ought to be good."
Holy Trinity Hospital, California
June 18, 2011
11:00 AM PDT
Chuck was happy to be leaving the hospital. And Sarah was even happier Chuck was leaving the hospital. Ironically, she got more sleep once Chuck woke up. Life was starting to return to normal again. Relative to what Chuck and she did for a living, of course. Chuck was still exhausted from the time spent recovering in the hospital. Just to play it safe, Stephen decided to hold off on removing Chuck's Intersect until he had the opportunity to rest. Time was certainly not a factor, and there were still a few more details to iron out about the wedding. Sarah also hadn't talked to her father in a couple of weeks, and she was eager to know if he accepted that job.
"Beckman sent me a copy of the report Casey wrote about what happened. I guess it's not complete yet. He needed your side of the story, but he wanted to wait until you were ready for it."
Sarah smiled. "Casey was actually being considerate? Wow, Ilsa really has changed him."
"Oh, he's not that heartless, Sarah. He even brought my PSP up here."
"Why did I never see it?"
"I hid it when you were here. I figured you would get mad if I wasn't getting my rest."
"Oh, believe me. You will get your rest when we get back. I'll lock you in a holding cell in Castle if I have to."
Chuck gave her a naughty look. "Will I at least be granted conjugal visits?"
She glared at him. "If you behave, maybe." He made a playful face at her, and her angry façade disappeared in an instant. She gave him a kiss for his efforts. It was impossible to stay mad at him, even when he pulled a crazy stunt like taking two bullets for her.
Chuck zipped up the duffel bag with his clothes in it. He looked around the hospital room and sighed. "Are you ready?"
Sarah wrapped her arms around him. "Let's go home."
They shared a kiss before walking out of the room.
W Hotel, Los Angeles
June 19, 2011
6:30 AM PDT
She definitely needed those cough drops. Actually, she had to buy a second pack.
Alex and Jimmy were together in her hotel bed once again, the same place where they had spent a significant portion of the last five days. Although they had gone out to a few restaurants and clubs and even spent some time by the pool, most of the time was spent in the bedroom. Jimmy was determined to return the favor for what she did to him at the hotel in Philadelphia. And succeeded, too.
Alex certainly didn't want to leave, but she was expected to return to Washington, D.C. She wanted Jimmy to go with her, but Jimmy said he had to stay in California for a while. He was very quiet about the reasons why. Ordinarily, she would have written it off to the job; that it was a mission he couldn't talk about. However, as she lay in the bed holding him, something didn't feel right. She gently caressed his cheek, and she could actually feel a chill go through him.
He's afraid? she thought. What could he be afraid of?
She wasn't sure what was going on. She only saw this from him once: when he told her about his father. But why would he be afraid now? The thought entered her mind he may not love her, and she was unable to get it out. Now she was scared, too. She knew she loved him, and she didn't want to let him go.
He sat on the edge of the bed. She watched him for a moment, but he didn't move. She crawled across the bed to him and put her arms around him.
"Everything OK?"
Jimmy didn't answer the question, but he drew Alex's arms even more tightly across him and placed a gentle kiss on them. But he was still shaking.
"Talk to me, babe," Alex gently pleaded in his ear. "What's wrong?"
Jimmy looked down at the ground. Alex never saw him so unsure before.
"I…I can't. I'm sorry." He turned to her and his eyes were welled up. He cupped her face gently and kissed her, lingering there as someone who couldn't accept such a wonderful moment ending. He then retreated into the bathroom, leaving Alex sitting there wondering what he couldn't tell her.
Los Angeles, CA
June 30, 2011
8:30 PM PDT
Sarah had to give Chuck credit: he actually listened to her for once.
It was one of those habits that drove her crazy. He always tried to do too much and didn't have much regard for himself. Granted, she was still alive because of that, but she thought she really would have to lock Chuck in Castle to get him to recuperate from his gunshot wounds. However, he did rest and did not do anything strenuous during that time. The closest he got to any actual activity was helping research a couple of cases some local agents needed assistance with on the computer.
He even agreed to stay with Casey and Ilsa tonight while she met with her father again. It took her a bit of time to find him again after Chuck and she returned to Burbank, but he agreed to meet her for dinner. On the phone, he merely said he had been 'busy' with other things, but he really wanted to see her.
"So why didn't you take that job, Dad?" Sarah found this out over the phone and confronted him about it as they finished their meals.
"Well, I called around to a few people, and there was something that just didn't feel right about it on closer inspection," Jack Burton replied. "Besides, you're moving out East in a few months, and I would hate to have an entire country between us."
Sarah knew not to take that at face value, but she also knew the direct approach never worked in getting information from her father.
"How are the plans going for the wedding?" he asked her.
"They're set. I still have to get you down to the store to be fitted for your tuxedo. I take it you can stay around long enough for that, right?"
Jack felt the sting of her words as he put some cash down for the meal, gently pushing her hand away from the check. "OK, I deserved that. I wasn't the most trustworthy person you ever encountered. But I always knew you'd be a success at whatever you decided to do. And I knew you would find someone who loved you for you. That you wouldn't have to pretend to be someone else with him. You have to admit I was right about that. Chuck would never betray you."
Sarah got up from the table but conceded the point. "I guess it just feels weird to have what I have now."
Jack took her hands in his. "Trust me, sweetie. You earned it. And no one deserves to have it more than you."
Sarah smiled and gave her father a hug. Through all of the cons and all of the betrayals, he still knew she was more special than she realized.
They exited the restaurant and began walking down the street to his car. A trio of government vehicles suddenly pulled up, and Sarah and Jack were surrounded by a half-dozen FBI agents.
"Jack Burton, FBI. Would you please come with us?"
Two of the agents handcuffed him while Sarah stared in shock.
"What? What is going on? Why are you arresting him?"
The two officers led Jack to the back of one of the cars while another officer read him his Miranda rights. None of the officers paid any attention to Sarah, who was left on the sidewalk full of confusion and rage.
Westside Medical Center
July 1, 2011
10:30 AM PDT
Ellie chided herself a bit for forgetting to do this. She should have mentioned it when she went through the things that needed to be done for the wedding with Chuck and Sarah. However, she could certainly sympathize if Chuck and Sarah had forgotten about it, given what they went through three weeks ago. Besides, she could take care of this easily. Just to be on the safe side, she decided to get it done now so she wouldn't forget. She could sacrifice a break at work for it.
"OK, so the name is Bartowski. B-A-R-T-O-W-S-K-I. Charles Irving. And Sarah Walker, correct. September 24th, 3PM, yes. And you have the picture I emailed you? And the announcement will run in the paper the Sunday before? Excellent. Thank you so much for your help."
She scanned the picture from one she had from their Christmas party last year. She always liked that picture. Chuck and Sarah looked so cute in it. It'd be the highlight of the wedding section in the Los Angeles Times. She planned to buy plenty of copies.