A/N: Posted 4/11
Wow. Two months since my last update. I have been suffering from an horrific bout of writer's block. I didn't even know what it was as, I ain't a writer. Fear is the only word that comes to mind to describe it. I knew what I wanted to have happen in the story, but I couldn't get past the sentence I was trying to write. Horrid.
This is Chapter 7. Beta work, with wonderful saves, was done by P.J. Murphy and my thanks go to him, yet again. He has Chapter 8 in his hands. Chapters 9 & 10 are almost done. There should be two more chapters after that, judging from the amount of material I have. And an Epilogue.
The story thus far;
Chuck is taken the day after Thanksgiving as he tries to do some early Christmas shopping. He sneaks out of his apartment and is nabbed leaving one of the stores.
Sarah and Casey are virtual prisoners. They want to find Chuck, but every time they poke their heads up, someone takes a shot at them. The family wants them to stay close. At least until there is real evidence pointing to where Chuck might be.
Hannah, yes, that Hannah, had been 'recruited' shortly after her breakup with Chuck last year. But, for whom does she work? We find out that she has been put through hell with mind altering drugs and has become a rather nasty, cold-hearted bitch. Or has she? Her 'treatments' seem to be wearing off and she tries to fight the urge to continue with her mission. She had already sent a sniper after Sarah, putting her in the hospital. Casey is next and Hannah almost succeeds. Casey has trained Morgan well as it is Morgan that kills Hannah saving Casey's life. But at a huge cost to his mental well-being; he thinks copious amounts of booze will help.
Carina is in town for Thanksgiving, but stays to help in the search for Chuck. There are quite a few surprises in store for her.
Castle has basically been abandoned; the other agents having been kicked upstairs into the Buy More. No one is trusted, save a single new agent, vetted by General Beckman.
Team B has gone dark for the duration…
Let me know how you feel! We live for reviews, right? Love it or hate it or some parts thereof, let me know. Don't get me wrong, the PMs are nice, so hit with those if you're at all shy.
Dec 2, 2010 - Noon - Casey's Vic
They drove behind their 'family', close enough to protect them but far enough back so Morgan wouldn't be able to spot them.
Sarah finally broke the silence. "I hope Ellie can help Morgan." A grunt was all she got in return.
Sarah furrowed her brow and stared at Casey; for the first time in a long time, she had absolutely no idea what he meant.
Casey caught the quizzical look on her face and sighed. "Walker, Ellie would make an incredible interrogator. If there's a crack, she'll find it and break it wide open." He put on a half smile but was troubled Morgan had to go through this for him.
He lightened a bit. "Morgan doesn't stand a chance."
"And what if she doesn't find that 'crack'?"
"Then we'll have to do it the old fashioned way." Johnnie Walker, he thought.
They resumed their silence for a bit as they followed behind Ellie. Casey glanced over at his partner.
"Would you text Devon? I'd like to make sure he and Alex still have their sidearms." Sarah took out her phone and began typing. "I promised Mortensen I would relieve him for a while."
Sarah's mobile phone beeped a moment later. She read the message aloud.
Yes, both. Ellie not happy but no grief. Something wrong?
"Good," Casey replied. "Tell him to keep an eye out; he's point. Alex has Morgan."
"OK. And done." Sarah looked up and realized they weren't headed home. "Where to?"
"It was definitely a sniper that got your Porsche. I'd like to scout out the area and see if I can find his position."
"Good. Anything is better than sitting at home and counting tiles."
"Tiles?"
"I couldn't sleep, so I counted the tiles in the Woodcomb's apartment."
She got a 'been there' grunt in response. "And reading mission briefs?"
She shot Casey a look. "How'd you know?"
"Mortensen told me you were searching through the briefs as well. I've been doing the same thing. Did you find anything?"
Sarah turned to him in wide-eyed anger. "Wait! What? You're spying on me?"
Casey growled in frustration. "No. Mortensen was worried about you. I'm worr…" He exhaled and kept his mouth shut, sorry he opened it in the first place.
"Just…stop looking over my shoulder, please," she curtly replied before closing her eyes. She didn't know why she was so angry, but she couldn't let it go. He's trying to look out for me.
"John…"
Casey was stone silent as he drove, giving Sarah no indication he even heard her.
The Room
He had a strange sensation. He felt as if he was watching himself.
You were right about children, Sarah. We should have had another.
No. That's not right. None of this is right.
The Freeway
They had driven down the freeway for the last ten minutes in total silence. Each agent stewed in their own anger, sadness and guilt. There was an impasse between them neither wanted nor knew how to get around. They dealt with it in the manner their old spy world habits instructed them: they ignored it.
Casey pulled off the freeway at the exit before the location where Sarah had been attacked and continued along the access road. He came to a stop at a nondescript point along the side of road. He reached over Sarah without a word and opened the glove box, extracting a yellow mesh bag and then closed the glove box. He got out of the car and walked up the incline towards the freeway.
Sarah got out of the Vic, felt a slight twitch, and took her sidearm out. She checked it before putting the safety back on and stuffing it back in her belt. She closed the car door and quickly followed her partner. The tension between the two was lifted for now as they slipped into their old spy selves.
Three days following the attack, and the tall grasses had rebounded from a previous visitor's presence…for the most part. A seasoned hunter would have recognized the broken stalks of grass, browned with a few splotches of black, just below the rise of the ground overlooking the freeway. Casey took eight measured paces, a little less than as many meters, back towards his car from where he suspected the sniper had positioned himself. He made a wide arc around that position, eventually completing a circle. He took a side step inwards and repeated the circle with Sarah about a meter behind him. Both stared at the ground looking for the spent casing.
He felt Sarah stop and turned around to see where she had her eyes trained. He opened the yellow mesh bag, took out pair of tweezers, and handed them to Sarah. He got down on one knee and laid the bag on the ground, taking out a small metal tray, a brush with long wispy hairs, fingerprint powder, and several plastic tabs.
Sarah held the casing above the tray as Casey dusted it all the way around. He looked up at Sarah and frowned. A perfect, unsmudged thumbprint had appeared in the applied dust.
"What the...? Why would someone have handled the round while loading the clip?" Sarah asked.
"I was thinking the same thing. He's either not a pro or got careless." His eyes moved from Sarah's face back to the casing. "Or, it's a plant."
Casey took one of the plastic tabs and peeled the backing off of it. He lined up the tape with the casing's edges and rolled it around the side. He then carefully peeled the tape from the casing and re-applied it to the tab it came on. He opened an evidence bag, slid the tape tab into it, and pulled out another evidence bag. He held it open under the casing. Sarah dropped the casing into the bag.
"Let's get back to Castle. We'll start running this through AFIS and the intelligence databases."
The Room
"Devil's got your boyfriend, he's got the one who said he'd always love you, he'd never leave you. Devil's got your boy and he'll never let go."
What the hell? I know that song. Who's the devil? That's the question.
He wasn't sure how long he had been awake, but his thoughts were clearer.
Is that a message or just some random piece of noise to stick in my ear?
If it is a message, who is it from and who is it for? And why? It's not like I could do anything with it.
An Office at an unknown location
He was quite pleased; the operation looked like it was progressing well. The subject was taking much longer than most would take to break, but the cracks were there. They had finally woken up and realized how dangerous the Intersect really was. Chuck. He wasn't even a real agent. Despite not being formally trained, his team had already amassed one of the best records in the business. But those little girl screams, they had to be a cover.
He cringed at the next folder his assistant had at the ready for him. It contained the next quarter's budget. Another slash. Damn NSA. The Intersect project was supposed to be a joint operation, but they were keeping a lion's share of the seizure proceeds. Did they think intelligence grew on trees? It had to be cultivated; it took money…hard cash…to fund these operations. He banged the top of the desk with a closed-fisted hand, shoved the folder to the bottom of his pile and moved to the next folder.
The first item in Krang's dailies was about a murder the local LEOs were investigating that was characterized as an execution in the newspapers. From the description of the murder victim, he knew what had happened. She killed Hoover and was on the loose. That stupid bitch is going to take everything down with her. He'd have to find her and get her contained, even if it meant going out there in person.
He pulled out his phone and stabbed out a number. He heard the ring and put the phone to his ear. "Bring the car around."
He hung up and made another call. "Prepare Barcelona. And stuff the intel." Who is running this op, him or Payne? Damn guy is a real pain.
Krang pocketed his phone, collated the papers on his desk, and placed them into a folder. He stood, grabbed his bag, and shoved the folder in next to the other folders. He made a quick check of the office to be sure nothing was left exposed and headed out the door.
Krang's Limo
He spotted a food truck. "Driver, pull over!" Krang jumped out before his driver could get the door.
He looked back at the driver. "Care for a dirty water dog?" He didn't wait for an answer; he just walked up to the food truck and ordered six dogs, all with mustard, hold the kraut. He hadn't had one since he was a kid growing up in Brooklyn.
He returned to the car with his prize and held out two for his driver, who was standing by the rear door, holding it open for Krang.
"Sometimes, you just have to stop and live a little."
The driver took the dogs and held them in his outstretched hand, not sure what to do with them.
Krang unwrapped his first and took a bite. He smiled, "Not as good as I remember them, but this ain't Brooklyn." He looked at his driver and frowned. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing, sir. I've just never had one of these before."
"Well, damn it boy, take a bite before it gets cold." He unwrapped his second hot dog as he got back into the car. "We need to get going. I have a chopper waiting for me."
Castle
Mortensen looked up to see Casey and Sarah enter through the air lock and smiled. His smile slowly faded as he saw their dour faces.
"Colonel Casey, sir. Agent Walker, ma'am. What's the problem?"
"We found the casing and there is a perfect print on it," Casey reported.
"Well, that's great!" He paused and thought that through. "Or is it?"
"It seems a little too convenient." Casey walked over to the forensics station and laid the bag down. His tone changed; it was almost jovial for Casey. "OK, Mortensen. Get going. I don't expect to see you until tomorrow morning."
"You sure?" He gestured at the evidence bags.
"You think I started doing this yesterday? Move it!"
"Yes, sir," he turned and walked towards the stairs.
Sarah could have sworn she saw a salute. "Hold on. Mind giving me a lift home? I don't think my Porsche will see pavement for a while."
Mortensen nodded and waited.
She turned to Casey. "Unless you have something?"
"Yeah, check in on Morgan for me."
She smiled. "Sure thing." Sometimes we do think the same way.
Casey was already busy getting the fingerprint search started.
She turned to leave with Mortensen. "Shall we?"
"Yes, ma'am."
She stopped cold in her tracks. "I swear, if you ever call me ma'am again, I will pop you one. It's Sarah."
He flinched ever so slightly. "Yes, m… Sarah."
"See you later, John."
"Walker."
She swore she heard him laughing as she departed with Mortensen. It brought a smile to her face she hadn't felt since this started. At least we're not completely broken.
…
Casey started the database search and decided to perform some much-needed weapons cleaning. He was alone in Castle and found it comforting. All the other agents had been cleared out of Castle and put on Buy More duty. We'll need to get a cleaning crew down here. He shook his head and grunted. A man with a mop needs a security clearance to clean a toilet. That's the government for you.
He checked his email, several of which were from Mortensen. Good Lord, the man has been busy. He had all the bases covered, even the supply closet inventory.
The moron and Walker will not be too pleased about that, he smirked, which quickly faded when he realized his gaffe. The moron. Sorry. Chuck.
"Damn it, we're no closer to finding him than we were a week ago," he cursed aloud to the empty room. "I can't even blame this on distractions." He exhaled in frustration. What the hell did we miss?
He walked into the armory and got busy with what he had originally intended to do to pass the search time away. A few moments later, he was ramming the brush through the gun barrel. He smirked at the action as his mind began to wander to thoughts of Carina. Not a bad woman really, but sometimes she can be a real pain in the ass. "Literally," he muttered. Next time it's my turn.
…
With a loud plomp, Carina dropped her bag on the floor by the armory door.
Casey looked up from the table where he was cleaning his weapon. His face was impossible to read.
She was tired but horny as hell. "Hey, baby! Miss me?"
Casey put his weapon down and stood up, apparently with a little difficulty.
Her eyes dropped down to the bulge in his pants and smirked. "Looks like you have."
He didn't say a word as he walked over to her and kissed her roughly. Casey grabbed her hand and dragged her down the hallway towards the living quarters.
"Hey slow down, will ya, Johnny?" She kicked off her heels and tried to catch her balance.
Casey never heard her; he just kept pulling her along with an increasing urgency. He remembered the second room on the left was unoccupied and slid his key card in the security lock. The door opened and he pulled her in behind him. As soon as the door closed, he locked it.
He turned to Carina and got inches from her face. "Strip!" he commanded in a guttural voice.
Carina's eyes widened. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" she shouted at Casey with a bit of a snarl.
He paused in brief shock before turning away from her, walking to the wall on the opposite site of the room, and banging his hands on it. He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself. He knew he had gone too far. Their past encounters were always just fun filled diversions. He always letting her take control; she seemed to need it. This time, he just wanted to fill an emptiness, to use her for his own pleasure without her games, and he forgot to take her into account. She was changing and he was falling back into their old rut.
She took a step forward and put her hands on her hips. "Excuse me, Johnny, but how about a little respect here?"
She saw his shoulders slump at the words. She softened her tone. "You're afraid for Chuck. I get that. I know what he means to you and Sarah. Why do you think I volunteered for this?" She paused, almost imperceptibly, and continued in a much quieter voice as she stepped closer to him. "But you need to know what you mean to me."
Her words bit into him, except that last part. What did she say? He was startled when he felt a gentle touch on the back of his neck. He lowered his arm, straightened himself up and took a deep breath. He turned towards her with every intention to apologize.
"Carina…" His jaw dropped.
She was standing just behind him completely naked. And she never felt so naked, as she had an overwhelming desire to cover herself. She looked down at the floor and blushed when she saw John's face.
I must be very horny or…Oh God! Just don't laugh at me. She took a deep breath, straightened up and smiled, looking directly into John's eyes.
There was a huge lump in his throat and all he could manage was a croak. "Car..."
She wrapped her arms around his neck, grabbed his hair in her hands, and kissed him passionately.
His surprise evaporated as his hands grabbed her around the waist as he kissed her back. He moved his hands down to her ass and was about to lift her up, but Carina had her own plan. She pushed away from him and put a finger on his lips. He had a confused daze on his face and Carina smiled.
She knelt down in front of him, slowly untied a shoe, and lifted his leg. He complied and picked it up. She removed the one shoe and repeated the act with the other.
He looked down at Carina, seeing a beautiful softness he had not noticed before.
She reached up, pulled down his zipper, and wiggled his pants to his ankles. When he tried to help, she gently brushed his arms away. She was being excruciatingly slow, lifting one leg, freeing it when he shifted and lifted. She did the same with the other leg. He backed up and leaned against the wall.
She stood up, looked into his eyes, and reached for his shirt buttons. He tried to help, but she took hold of his wrists and gently pushed them down to his sides. She returned her hands to his shirt, her fingers working on his buttons, slowing the pace with which she unbuttoned him.
Damn buttons. He wished he had only worn a t-shirt.
When she had all of the buttons undone, she pushed the shirt back over his shoulders and pulled him slightly towards her, letting his shirt fall to the floor.
He closed his eyes and decided to let her finish unwrapping him. No, that wasn't the right word. She was taking care of him, completely focused on his needs. His breathing grew heavier as the muscles in his back slowly relaxed. He felt her lift his t-shirt up and he raised his arms as she pulled it over his head.
He felt her breath on his neck and her tongue on his ear. He put his hand back against the wall to steady himself. He groaned when he could not feel her and opened his eyes.
She took his hand and led him to the bed, turning him around and gently pushing down on his shoulders to get him to sit. She grinned at him and gave him a soft nudge backwards. Moving to the side of the bed, she slid a hand under his back and made a lifting motion. He did as she commanded and rolled over onto his stomach.
She climbed onto the bed and straddled him, her ass sitting on his. Her hands pressed down onto his back, and he felt her kissing his neck, her breasts brushing against his skin. She sat up and moved her hands across his back, kneading his muscles where she felt tight ribbons. He groaned and flinched with each spot she found. It was as if she was lifting weights off from him. His breathing softened and got shallower.
She lifted her leg, slid her hand under his chest, and pulled up. She wanted him to roll over again, this time onto his back. He tried to reach up to caress her, but she wasn't finished. He closed his eyes and relented. She lowered her leg and rested her chest on his. He felt her sweet breath as she kissed him again. He felt the wetness between her legs through his boxers as she playfully grinded against him. He wanted to take them off but waited, knowing she liked to control him. He just let his mind float as her kisses on his chest relaxed him.
Her kisses increased in passion and intensity. He looked up at her to see a mixture of both lustful want and emotional need in her eyes. There was a sense of urgency and desire in her as she stripped his boxers off of him and the two began moving together in perfect synchronicity, as if they had performed the act of lovemaking many, many times. Her lips seared when they came into contact with his; their tongues electrical sparks against each other as their combined passion built up inside of them. The feel of her sultry, sweaty body against his was pushing him past the point of no return as his hands roamed all over her, resulting in a very powerful moan emanating from deep within her. They held each other tightly as they reached the heights of ecstasy.
She collapsed on top of him and lay there for a few moments. She looked at him and gave a devilish smile as she brushed his hair away from his cobalt eyes. "Been a while, Johnny?"
Casey raised an eyebrow. "For you too, it seems."
She smiled at him. It was the sort of smile he saw Chuck and Sarah give each other many times. And now he understood why they did.
She gave him an amorous kiss, sliding her hands all over his body. Her eyes widened a bit.
"Mmmm, someone hasn't lost his stamina," she said with an impish grin as she started kissing him again for Round 2.
The Courtyard
"Thanks for the ride."
Sarah smiled at Mortensen as she got out of his car; a truly uninspired heap of CIA-issued transport. She preferred her Porsche over Casey's Vic, but even the Vic had more style than the Ford POS Mortensen drove. She gave the car's door a push and tapped the roof. She watched as he drove off and then turned in towards the courtyard.
She saw the stray chalk mark about a foot from the floor just inside the archway. She kicked it lightly with her right foot, smudging it away. When did he get a chance to do that? She continued her way into the courtyard towards Casey's apartment and grabbed the hose from the caddy and pulled out a few feet. Sarah gave the flowers by the door to her apartment a good soaking then dropped the hose. She walked over to the caddy and cranked the hose back in. With her fingers, she squeezed the note into the palm of her hand.
She looked over at the Woodcomb's apartment and decided to test the waters with Morgan. She pulled her phone out and called Ellie. "Yeah, hi!" Ellie's voice sounded good and reassuring to her. "Still sitting vigil?" She looked down at her feet and listened to Ellie's update. "No, I understand. It'll be a few days at least." My first kill was awful. She shut her eyes tightly, as Ellie's picture of Morgan's well-being…or current lack thereof…was painful to envision. "Ellie, let him drink. At least he will have you and Alex to watch over him. If you push too hard, he'll still drink, you just won't see it." She smiled at Ellie's response, and then a frown came to her face as Ellie continued. Oh, God. Friday dinners. She brought her free hand up to her forehead and absently brushed a few errant strands of hair over her ear. With a slight grimace, she nodded at Ellie's suggestion. "You're right, we should postpone for a few days. I'll talk to you later."
Sarah hung up the phone, slid it back into her pocket, and dug out her keys. A moment later she was inside. She kicked the door shut with her heel and continued towards their bedroom as she slowly opened the note.
Agreed, Mrs. B. Be strong.
Tears came to her eyes as she read those words. He has compassion. I just wish he could talk to me in person.
Late evening - Chuck and Sarah's Apartment
Sarah reached for her towel. She had heard it. Someone was banging at the front door. She got out of the shower, grabbed her Browning 1911 and robe and made her way into the living room, pulling her arms through the sleeves of the robe. She stuck a finger through the blinds and took a peek.
Carina!
She smiled and opened the door. Carina stood there holding a super-sized bottle of Stoli.
"What the hell, Walker? How long were you going to make me wait out here?"
"Sorry, I was in the shower." She spied the bottle and sighed. "No, you can, but nothing for me." Pointing to the couch, she stepped aside to let Carina in and closed the door.
"What? Walker, this is for you as much as it is for me. Don't worry; Beckman has a dozen or so of her heavy hitters patrolling." She paused and assessed her friend. "Besides, you need this. You look like hell, sweetie, and I want to crack that valve a bit."
"Ugh," she grunted in frustration. "Okay."
Carina smiled; her 'assignment' became a lot easier than she thought it would be.
One dead bottle later, the tension was slowly ebbing, although neither of them thought they felt it. Sarah squeezed the last few drops into Carina's glass and then headed, in a decidedly crooked line, to the kitchen with a few stops for support from the walls. She returned with a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label. It was meant as a gift for Casey. I can get him another one, she thought with a smile.
Carina watched Sarah as she came back in to the living room. "A little wobberwy… wobberlwy… Aw crap! Jus don' drop it, Walkie." Carina laughed uncontrollably while trying not to tip over on the couch.
"Jabberwho?" Sarah giggled in a most unspy-like fashion and almost collided with the couch. She made a left turn at last minute and used the back of the couch as a guide. "Never mind."
Finally! "Sarah, time to fill me in. I want to know everything."
She knew what Carina meant. "Oh, no. Please." She sat down on the couch next to her, still clutching the bottle of scotch.
"You owe me. I saw some of that knife fight and Casey filled me in on a couple of details, but I want to hear it, all of it, from you."
"Knife fight? What are you talking about?" She was sobering up quickly.
Carina rolled her eyes. "This relationship you have with Chuck is epic. You two fooled no one. Even I saw through the bullshit. Remember? I gave you that little video. You never admitted to anything for over two years."
Carina took Sarah's hand and squeezed it, "'It's complicated' just doesn't cut it. Even Casey hated the way you two hurt each other." Her voice became stern as she made circles in the air with her. "Over and over."
Sarah gulped. She never realized how much what she did to Chuck affected those around them. "I can't." Her eyes welled up. "I was supposed to protect him. Even from the CIA." Her voiced cracked. "And I was afraid."
She started to sob and hit Carina repeatedly on the arm. "Oh, fuck you! Goddamnit, Carina! I've lost him!" And then she lost her façade completely as her sobs turned into a wailing cry.
Carina sat there for a split second, as she was completely jarred by seeing her best friend like this. Shit, you really know how to twist a knife, Miller.
Carina leaned in and held her. "Okay. Sarah, you didn't lose him, we'll find him. However long it takes, I'll stay." That's a big promise, she thought before blocking it out. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against Sarah's. Johnny needs this, too.
She pulled away from Sarah and watched her. The wailing actually scared Carina. It was frightening to see her friend like this. Nothing ever fazed Walker. Sure enough, Sarah slowly recovered.
Carina grabbed the tissue box sitting on the coffee table and put it between them. "Sweetie, are you okay?"
Sarah nodded slowly and let out a breath as she grabbed a tissue. She blew her nose and wiped her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed. When she opened her eyes, Carina was staring at her and had her arms around her.
"Wow, I never thought you had something like that in you." Carina brushed Sarah's hair out of her face and smiled.
Okay, stupid, get this to a happier time.
She smiled at Sarah. "Tell me when you first knew."
Sarah smiled, although tears still ran down her cheeks. "The day we met."
"Really? The nerd got to you that quickly?"
Sarah play-punched Carina a little harder than she intended.
"Ow!"
"Oh, sorry," Sarah replied. Had it been any other situation, she might have hit Carina even harder without remorse.
"S'okay," Carina replied as she rubbed her arm. "Go on, but start at the beginning," she prodded her friend. "Leave nothing out."
"Bryce stole the data from the Intersect computer and destroyed all the hardware. He was able to transmit it to Chuck before Casey shot him dead…or at least that's what we thought at the time. Bryce was roommates with Chuck at Stanford and figured he could trust Chuck with the information. We traced it out there, and I was sent to retrieve it." Sarah paused for a moment, shook her head, and smiled. "I thought it would be simple. Lonely guy like that, working at a computer desk. I just turn on the charm, and he'd be putty in my hands. I've never been so wrong in my life."
She wiped the last of her tears away and continued. "It felt like it was working. I played a damsel in distress with my cell phone, and he had to 'rescue' me. But not two minutes later…and I mean literally two minutes, Carina…he left me for a ballerina."
"Huh?"
Sarah gave a small laugh at Carina's puzzled look. "A very distraught father came up to the Nerd Herd counter with his daughter. She was all decked out for a dance recital. She was so adorable. He was supposed to film it, but he screwed up and was desperate. Of course, Chuck knew what to do. He rallied Morgan and the other nerds to help. They set up the Buy More as a one-girl show. One of them got the music ready, Anna had the camera, and Morgan patched in all of the monitors. Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch, even the customers. But that poor little girl froze. She was nervous. Chuck smiled, walked over to the girl, and knelt down next her."
Another tear came to Sarah's eye, but the smile drawing itself across her face made Carina believe it was a happy memory. "I can close my eyes and picture that moment as if it just happened. He gave her one of his smiles and talked to her. I have no idea what he said, but I swear, her eyes never left Chuck. She got herself ready, Morgan started the music and she went through her entire routine. First take and she was perfect."
She shook her head. "He saved that little girl's day."
She choked up a bit, and Carina put a hand on Sarah's shoulder. Sarah regained her composure and continued. "And he has been saving the day ever since." Sarah let out a sigh. "God, I miss that smile."
Carina marveled and gave Sarah a big smile. "Yeah, I hate to admit it, but those smiles affect me, too."
Sarah frowned and gave Carina a glare.
"Oh, come off it, Walker!" She waggled a finger at Sarah. "He's yours, but if he wasn't I would definitely take a bite!" She laughed and kissed Sarah's forehead. "He was the only one to ever say no to me."
That made Sarah laugh. She wiped the last of the tears from her eyes.
Carina smirked. "So, when did the goof actually fall for you?"
She responded with a deep sigh. "I'm not really sure. Sure, he was attracted to me, but he never leered. He was very cute about it. He always told me how he felt." Sarah shook her head. "Talked about everything, more than I wanted to. I tried to explain to him we couldn't be together, but he'd just find another angle to chip away. He wore me out, and I'm not all that sure I didn't let him. I held him at arm's length for a long time. I…pushed him away. And then, idiot me, I get upset when he finds other women willing to be with him. Jill, Lou…well, almost Lou…and then Hannah. That got ugly."
I am not going there, Carina eyes narrowed a bit. "Oh, yeah. Hannah. That was around the time you started up with Shaw. What did you ever see in that guy?"
Sarah glared at her. "Everybody says that. It's obvious now, but in the beginning? Shaw was handsome, charming and a great spy. Casey hated him, but I thought it was because he was pushing Chuck to do things he wasn't ready for."
"He was obsessed with finding his wife's killer for five years." Carina stopped. "Listen, Casey told me a lot …"
"Carina, stop!" Sarah looked down at her shaking hands. She really didn't want to get into the red test debacle. That was my fault. When he needed me most, I abandoned him. She rubbed her hands against the robe, trying to still them. "Daniel Shaw was nothing more than a bed warmer."
Sarah hesitated a moment. "Chuck hurt me. Badly." She swallowed hard when she said that and looked into Carina's eyes. She's the one who gave me that thumb drive. "And I hurt him even more." I acted like a stupid little girl. "Carina, there are days when I wake up and watch him while he sleeps, and I am dumbfounded he even speaks to me, let alone be in love with me."
Sarah steeled herself. She knew she would have to get it all out at once, or it would never come out, "Chuck met Hannah on his first solo mission. They hit it off and were going to do some sightseeing in Paris, but Chuck was called back to Burbank. He offered her a job at the Buy More but didn't think she would take him up on it. A few days later, she shows up and starts working with Chuck. She wasn't there for the job; she was more interested in him. And once again, I held him at arm's length. Then to make it worse, Shaw decided to start putting the moves on me. Chuck broke up with me. He even gave me the 'let's be friends' thing. Chuck started dating Hannah, and I found comfort in Shaw." Her breathing started getting more rapid, and she closed her eyes to calm herself.
Carina stared at her friend, open-mouthed at, what was for Sarah, a long speech. She reached out a hand to Sarah's arm.
Sarah opened her eyes and gave a sorrowful smile. "Shaw was…convenient." She hated how it sounded, and it made her feel cheap. "But he was a spy and he understood what that meant. It was easier. Not that that's an excuse, it's just an explanation."
"Wow."
"What?"
"That was a lot more than I was asking for."
Sarah laughed quietly. "I never said all that out loud to anyone. It felt good to get it out of my system." She looked for the bottle. "Are you hiding the scotch?"
Carina pulled the bottle up from the floor and tilted the bottle as if to pour.
Sarah held out her glass as Carina poured. Okay, now it's your turn, Miller, Sarah thought.
She looked straight ahead, took a sip, and turned to her friend with a playful smile as Carina started downing her shot. "Have you told John how you feel about him?"
Carina spat out her drink and glared at Sarah. Sarah had a big smile on her face.
"Hey, this stuff is expensive!" Sarah was starting to giggle, but Carina wasn't laughing. Suddenly Sarah was very lucid and even more wide-eyed.
"Are you serious? Have you fallen for the big ape?"
Carina shook her head and gave a Casey-like growl before looking at Sarah. She merely shrugged.
"Oh boy!" Sarah laughed hysterically and fell off the couch.
Dec 3, 2010 - The Room
They've changed the music. Thank God!
"They've given you a number and taken away your name…"
Oh, that's rich. 'Secret Agent Man'! Johnny Rivers! Someone has a sense of humor. John Drake. Patrick McGoohan.
Wait, he did The Prisoner too. Drake resigns and they take him away to a strange land. The Village. Number 6. They wanted to find out if he had turned. His own people did it to him.
Whoah, wait. Do they think I've turned? It makes sense in a twisted way. But, I didn't resign and I'm loyal to my country. Wait! What if they had heard Sarah and me talking? We were planning an exit strategy. We talked about taking care of Volkoff and getting my mother back. And then…
He didn't dare smile or make any movement that might give himself away. His lucid moments were few and far between. He couldn't waste them. Things were tough enough as it was.
Casey! He turned the surveillance back on and heard us. That son of a bitch!
Mid-Morning - Echo Park
It took Sarah a few moments to realize she was awake and the phone was ringing. Her head was pounding and the damn phone was just too loud. She opened her left eye and groaned as she was blinded by the sun shining on her face.
Where is that damn phone?
She leaned over the side of the bed and saw Casey's face staring up at her. Three missed calls. Unfortunately, when she grabbed the phone, she hit the answer button.
Casey's voice boomed over the speaker. "WALKER! It's about time!"
"Ugh! Casey, what do you want?"
"Get over here. Beckman called; she has a lead on Chuck."
The headache was suddenly forgotten. Sarah flew out of bed, almost dropping her phone in the process. "Where are you?"
"At home. Coffee's a little old, but still hot. So drag that sorry ass of yours over here."
"Be right there," she hung up the phone and was halfway to the door before she realized she was wearing nothing more than a bra. She grabbed a cushion from the couch and ran back to the bedroom. "MORGAN!" she shouted. She grabbed a pair of sweats from the pile of clothes on top of the laundry hamper and shoved her legs into them. "MORGAN!"
Then she remembered. Hannah. Morgan's with Alex. It felt so weird. A few years ago, Sarah tolerated Morgan as a mild annoyance at best because he was Chuck's best friend. Now she wanted to hug him and comfort him for what he was going through.
She looked down at her feet to see half of the pant legs still curled up at her feet. Chuck's sweats. Casey's gonna start with me on that. Ah, fuck him. She grabbed a sweatshirt, which also belonged to Chuck. UGH! But she relented in the name of speed and comfort. So what? It feels good. She put her legs on the bed and rolled up the cuffs. She pushed up the sweatshirt sleeves. It felt so weird she was a tall woman, yet Chuck was still eight inches taller than her. She felt like a small child playing dress-up. She smiled.
As quickly as the adrenaline rush got her up and about, it dissipated and her heart started to beat normally again. She bent down and her head exploded in pain. Whoa! Aspirin. She grabbed her sneakers, snatched her Browning 1911 from the nightstand, and staggered a bit as she headed to the bathroom.
She fumbled with the aspirin bottle, fighting the lid off and spilling most of the tablets on the floor. She managed to hold on to a dozen or so, tossed the bottle, crammed a bunch in her mouth, and ran out the front door towards Casey's, almost retching on putting so many aspirins in her mouth without any water. Dry chewing aspirin is no way to start a day.
Casey poured a cup of fresh coffee for Sarah. He had a heart this morning, pouring in some milk and sugar, popped in a stirrer straw and headed to the front door. He opened it just as Sarah was about to bang on it with the butt of her gun.
She dropped her sneakers and grabbed the coffee, taking a tentative sip and looked at Casey. "Uh, Casey, this is perfect." She leaned forward to kiss him, her appreciation for his efforts outstripping decorum.
He moved back. "Walker, lady feelings. Beckman is waiting for a call back."
"Yeah, yeah, under control." She took another sip of the coffee. "Call her back, call her back," she implored like a little kid.
He tossed her his hairbrush and turned to page Beckman. He watched as Sarah juggled one too many things and held out his hand with a grunt. Sarah gave him the gun and coffee while she brushed her hair, all the while staring at Casey.
He gave her a 'now what?' grunt.
"You're being sweet. And it's scaring me."
"Agent Walker, while Casey's sweetness is admirable, could I get your and Colonel Casey's attention now?" Beckman's face was staring out at them from the monitor.
"Sorry. Yes, ma'am." She hurriedly tossed the hairbrush on the couch and grabbed her coffee back from Casey. Casey smirked and stuffed Sarah's gun in his belt.
Coffee's her priority. Given everything going on, I can't blame her.
Beckman resumed. "We have some intel that suggests that Chuck is being held in a hospital in Barcelona. "
Sarah beamed. "Do we have anyone over there that can check?"
"No, I'm afraid not. They have an analyst who will assist, but she is not field ready. You two will head out immediately to investigate. I need not remind you that you will be on foreign soil, and though it may be friendly, please tread lightly." She paused and cocked an eyebrow. "Agent Walker, I trust you will find more suitable attire."
Sarah blushed. "Yes, ma'am."
"Oh, and Sarah? Our prayers go with you." The monitor went dark.
"FINALLY! Something, somewhere!" screamed Sarah.
"Sarah."
"I gotta go pack."
"Sarah," Casey grabbed her arm.
"Huh? Sorry. What?"
"The General said 'suggests'. This is an investigation, not a rescue mission."
"I know, I know. I just couldn't take sitting on the bench anymore." And I need a break from the hangovers.
Carina walked out into the living room with a towel around her hair and a towel wrapped around her body, although it looked like she found the smallest towel Casey had.
"Johnny, do I smell fresh coffee? I could use… oh, hey sweetie!" She had a vague sense of confessing something to her friend last night and felt a slight flush.
"Good morning, Carina." Sarah watched as Carina appeared to squirm a bit
"I'm going to get dressed," Carina responded flatly as she turned and walked out of the room.
Sarah looked over at Casey. He was silent, his eyes fixed on Carina as she left the room. "Make her a cup and refill mine," Sarah said as she handed Casey her cup and followed Carina. He barely held on to the cup as Sarah let go of it.
Damn, I wish things were a little different. "Carina?" She continued down the hallway to John's bedroom. The door was closed, and she was about to knock when she heard Carina inside.
"Son of a bitch!"
"Carina?" Sarah knocked on the door this time.
"Go away!"
Sarah was about to comply with her wishes when she heard Carina yell out from behind the door.
"No! Wait." The door opened. Carina grabbed Sarah by the arm, pulled her inside, and closed the door behind her. She had already removed the towel from her head and was rubbing her hair dry. "Listen to me. Not a word to Casey. I was drunk and said some stupid things to you last night. I know what he thinks of me, of my past. I just want things to stay the way they were."
Sarah was feeling a bit overwhelmed by how she could help her friend. She started to think what Chuck might do in this situation. "Carina..."
Carina looked at her in an almost frantic state but continued to get dressed. She dropped her towel and grabbed her bra. "Walker, I'm serious. Don't pull a 'Chuck' on me and try to make things right with Casey. Just let it be." She reached around behind her back to fasten her bra and started to pull on her panties. "Please."
Ouch. Okay. Don't be Chuck, be a spy. Sarah exhaled. "Fine, I won't say a thing. And don't you say anything, either. I need Casey's head to be clear on our mission."
Carina had her pants on and was about to pull her shirt over her head. She stopped and looked at Sarah. They stared at each for a few heartbeats. Carina now had her spy face on. Good. It was what Sarah needed to see.
"And I need you to do something for me."
"What's that?"
"Casey and I were just talking to Beckman. We have a lead to check out in Barcelona." Sarah hesitated, uncertain how to put what she wanted into words.
Carina looked happy at the news. "That's great. What do you need from me?"
"Watch my family."
"Watch your…" Carina was a bit confused. Then it dawned on her what Sarah meant, "Oh! Yeah, of course. You know I've got your back," she said with a smile for her friend.
She slipped into a pair of sneakers and bent down to tie them. Sarah watched Carina for a moment and almost envied her ability to shut off her emotions. She had already forgotten how to do that for the most part. She headed towards the bedroom door and had her hand on the knob when Carina placed her hand on the door to stop her.
Carina's spy face was gone and replaced with worry. Sarah looked into the eyes of Carina and swore she saw traces of fear from the lithe DEA agent.
"Is this what it's supposed to feel like?" Carina timidly asked. "My stomach is in knots."
Sarah gave Carina her best reassuring smile and hugged her. "Yeah, sometimes. But the good times make up for it." She gave Carina a kiss on the cheek. "And don't worry. I've got his back." Sarah opened the door and returned to the living room.
Carina stared at the door her best friend just exited. Chuck is turning all of us into human beings.
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