A/N: I know I promised that the action would start in this chapter, but in the end I preferred to delay it and lay some groundwork for it.
Once again, thank you all for the encouragement and the wishes for my birthday last week.
Chapter 11
"Good morning, Mrs. B," Sarah said, calling Mary by the name she knew the older woman liked. "Is Chuck with you? I can't get hold of him."
"No, Sarah, he's not. He asked for the day off, in fact."
"Then why isn't he answering his phone? Could it be that…?"
"He would have told Stephen and me. Trust me, he's not going anywhere."
"Okay, but where is he? I have like a million questions to ask him, as he's the game developer!"
"Try calling his sister. She's not at work today, so she may be able to help you find him."
"I will. Thank you Mrs. B." Sarah hung up and immediately dialed Ellie's home number.
"Hello."
"Ellie? Sarah Walker here." Sarah had talked to Chuck's sister at the party and knew she disliked to be called Ms. Bartowski by those she considered friends, and Sarah was definitely in that category as far as Ellie was concerned.
"Oh, hi Sarah. How are you doing?"
"Lousy. I have to refer an urgent matter to Chuck, but he's not answering his phone."
"Hold on for a sec." Ellie went next door to Chuck's and spotted his phone left on the bed, recharging. "He's not at home, but his cell phone is on the charger. Do you want me to tell him to call you when he gets back?"
"No need to, I'm coming down there. I have a stack of papers for him to sign, plus a lot of other stuff I need him to look at."
"Drop by my place, in case he's not back when you get here."
"OK. See you soon, Ellie." Sarah gathered a stack of papers and stuffed them in her briefcase before going to Mr. Watkins' office and telling him that she had to go out on business. When she reached her Porsche, she got behind the wheel and loosened her tie. She had chosen to wear a pantsuit with a buttoned up dress shirt and a tie, the combination being mostly intended to hide the hickey on her neck.
"Sarah! Over here!" Ellie called when she spotted the blonde in the courtyard.
"Is Chuck home yet?"
"Not yet. You can sit with me and wait for him though. Would you like some coffee?"
"Coffee sounds just about great, thank you." Sarah followed Ellie into the doctor's apartment.
"It's great having the day off from the hospital," Ellie said as she poured Sarah a mug of coffee. "Before New Year's Eve, my schedule was rather chaotic."
"I can relate to that. My last job, before I came to work for Orion, was just as tiring."
"And do you know the most infuriating thing? Devon's schedule is rarely as screwed up."
"Is that so?"
"Yes! I mean, all I want is to be able to spend time with Devon, but with us getting different shifts and all…"
"You'd better look into the matter, Ellie."
"Why, what do you mean?"
"Let's face it, Devon is the personification of an ideal male specimen."
"He has his faults."
"Everyone does. In this case, however, your shift screw-ups are probably due to some girl in personnel at the hospital liking him a little too much, if you know what I mean."
"I'll find her and rip her hair out! No, scratch that! I'll run her through the X-ray machines until she gets a new job as a glow stick!"
"Ellie, I was kidding."
"No, it actually makes sense. And I know the skank responsible. She'll learn the hard way that you don't mess with me and expect to get away with it."
"Just try to be subtle about it, okay? I don't think the overpaid corporate attorneys at Orion do criminal cases."
Ellie laughed. "Maybe I'll just settle for telling her, in no uncertain terms, that Devon is taken." Then she thought for a moment. "Maybe I'll drop some hints about another doctor I know, who happens to be single. They'll definitely be a match made in Hell."
"Now that's a fitting punishment."
The discussion then moved to other subjects, fashion being one of them. Ellie confessed being somewhat jealous of Sarah, as the latter got to wear whatever stylish outfit she wanted, while the former was limited to scrubs and a white coat at work. They were still chatting and missed Chuck's entrance into the courtyard. They only realized he'd come back when they heard music blaring from the stereo system in his apartment.
"I guess that's my cue to go back to work," Sarah said. "Thanks for the coffee, Ellie."
"I should be thanking you for the company, Sarah."
"You're welcome, then."
"Chuck is very lucky to be working with someone like you. Just make sure you have time for play, too."
"Excuse me?"
"You know what I mean," Ellie smiled conspiratorially. Sarah's blush confirmed her suspicions. She had indeed smelled Sarah's perfume on Chuck yesterday morning. "And no, he didn't brag. I just smelled your perfume on him when he came back from the party."
"Um, this is kind of awkward right now, Ellie. I mean…"
"You have nothing to be embarrassed about. I overheard Mom telling Dad that you and Chuck make a nice couple and I wholeheartedly agree. So what if you work together? It was the job that brought you to each other. Besides, I always hoped he'd meet a girl like you."
Sarah's blush deepened, this time at the compliments. "I have to go," she stammered. Very smooth, Walker, she scolded herself as she walked to Chuck's and knocked. She waited, but Chuck didn't come to answer the door.
"He can't hear you," Ellie called from her living room window. "Go in through the Morgan Door."
"The what?"
"His bedroom window," Ellie explained.
"I guess it is so named because it's Morgan's preferred method of entry," Sarah ventured.
"Yes, it has been at the time when Chuck, Devon and I shared the apartment, before ours was ready."
"Well, I'll take your advice." Feeling just a little silly, Sarah entered Chuck's place. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the Tron poster, the computer and the extensive graphic novel, music – both CD and vinyl – and movie collections. She chuckled when she spotted a post-it note pasted on the computer, which read 'I'M A PROFESSIONAL NERD'. The bed was unmade, but in general the room had just about the right tidiness/sloppiness ratio. "Chuck!" No reply. "Chuck, I'm here!" Was the music too loud for him to hear her? Definitely not. He must be in a room with a closed door. They ran into each other in the hallway. In fact, they collided as she exited his room.
Chuck recovered from the surprise and took a fighting stance, before recognizing her. "Sarah, what are you doing here?"
"I brought work," she replied, patting her briefcase.
"Oh. I'm kinda busy now, but go ahead and make yourself comfortable." He showed her to the study. "The computer is networked to the Orion mainframe, so if you need anything… Just let me turn it on and activate the connection."
"Thanks. What are you doing, anyway?"
"It's housekeeping day," he informed her. "But I'm almost done here, so can I offer you anything while you wait?"
"No thanks. Ellie and I had coffee next door while waiting for you. And she knows we slept together." The last part was said hesitantly.
"She's pretty sharp. Besides, the scent of your perfume on me was hard to miss."
"As was the hickey you gave me. Carina saw it and she too knows we slept together." She gave him a small smile and logged in to check her emails. He hurried through the remaining tasks and soon the place was squared away.
"That was fast," she commented when he rejoined her in the study.
"Like I said, I was almost done. Now show me what you got."
"I brought some papers you need to sign, plus some more suggestions regarding the game's promotion." She took the folders out of the briefcase and handed them over.
Chuck quickly read through the documents and signed them. Then they had a long discussion on the advertising campaign, which was progressing nicely. Sarah also had some figures Big Mike had sent her from the Buy More. Many people were preordering the game, which was fantastic news.
"Big Mike will have a separate desk where those who preordered can pick up their copies of the game," she finally said. "He thinks the flow of shopper traffic will be smoother inside the store that way. He'll have everyone on the sales floor, so he won't need reinforcements from us. All he asked for was to make sure we keep them supplied. He doesn't want the store to run out of games and leave customers hanging."
"I trust you'll handle it."
"I will. Now that we've covered everything, I should get going. Mr. Watkins knows I'm out on company business, but he may need me there."
"Nonsense, he would have called if he needed anything from you. Besides, it's almost five."
"Already?"
"Yes, we really got into it. I'm not complaining though. We covered a lot of ground. Tell you what, I'll call Watkins and have him clock you out." He picked up the phone and settled the matter in a couple of minutes. "He was happy to learn of the progress we made today," he told Sarah after hanging up. "And now you're free to stay for dinner. I was planning to ask you out today, but you showed up and we got caught up in work. Still, I can cook for you."
"You cook?"
"It's a small part of my skill set. Do you like chicken pepperoni? Or I could make the chicken with balsamic glaze, like my Dad taught me."
"Chicken pepperoni will be fine. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"You're the guest. Sit back, relax and enjoy the display of my culinary prowess."
"At least let me go get us some wine. Your wine rack is empty."
"Yeah, I kinda emptied it a few days ago, while putting the finishing touches on the game."
"What kind of wine do you prefer?"
"I have taken a liking to chardonnay as my thinking juice, but I won't say no to a good cabernet."
"Chardonnay goes well with chicken. I'll get us some."
"Okie-dokie. Don't be long."
"I'll be right back." On the way to the nearest liquor store, Sarah called her mother and asked her which chardonnay to buy. Being a restaurateur among other things, Emma knew all about wine and food pairings.
-o-
"What's that?" Chuck asked when Sarah returned, pointing to a bag she was carrying.
She smiled. "I dropped by my parents place on the way back here. Mom gave me a chocolate soufflé to bake for dessert. You're gonna love it."
"I have no doubt I will." He took the bags from her, moved to the table and pulled a chair out for Sarah. "Take a seat. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."
"It smells good. I didn't realize until now how hungry I am."
"That's odd. The cafeteria at the office provides very filling and delicious meals."
"Well, I skipped lunch. I was too busy."
"Never skip lunch again. I'm giving you a direct order."
"You're not my boss, Chuck."
"No, but my parents are. All it will take is one phone call and they'll be on your case immediately. We can't have one of our best people passing out from hunger in the office just because she got too caught up in work to remember to eat something."
Sarah decided it was best to concede defeat. "Have it your way."
The timer on the oven pinged, indicating that the chicken was ready. She watched as he took it out of the oven, garnished and served it. The appetizer, the main course and the side dishes were all delicious and the presentation wasn't bad either.
"Dinner was amazing, Chuck. Thank you."
"It's not often that I have to entertain someone special, so I am pulling out all stops tonight. Next item on the agenda is the movie."
"Movie?" Sarah echoed.
"The perfect evening requires a movie showing on my amazing Great Nebula home theater system."
"Orion makes TVs?"
"You didn't know? Well, Dad designed this amazing computer monitor, so I suggested we market it as a high-def TV as well. I implemented the necessary changes and the rest, as they say, is history."
"Then why do you still work for the CIA when you can have a fulfilling career at Orion? I'm getting the idea that you thoroughly enjoy creating games and designing hardware."
"Good question, Sarah. And there is no easy answer to it. Granted, I signed up for a five year term and it expires soon, but I may renew my contract. Hell, I don't know what I'm gonna do. I am a professional nerd, yes, but on the other hand I like serving the greater good."
"Chuck, I didn't mean to upset you," Sarah said, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Who's upset? Just wait until I clear the dishes and then we can make popcorn and pop the movie in the player."
"Let me help."
"You're the guest," he reminded her. "Plus, you also brought this heavenly soufflé. Speaking of which, could you ask your Mom for the recipe?"
"I'm sure we can work something out."
"Goody. And now, just like I promised you a few days ago, we'll enjoy True Lies, a movie very special to me." He didn't have to be asked to explain. "I drew parallels between it and my own life, especially when Ellie found out about my other job. Let me tell you, she wasn't pleased to have been kept in the dark. Eventually she accepted it, but at first she was really mad at me."
"She must worry about you every time you go on missions."
"She does, but she knows I'm like the proverbial bad penny. Plus I bring her and Devon the best souvenirs."
"You're the lucky one. If Carina or my parents ever find out about what I used to do… it won't be pretty. Dad will be even angrier than Mom or Carina, too. He never wanted this kind of life for me."
"Okay, enough with the serious discussion. It's time to continue with the fun. And like I said, we need popcorn." He brandished a bag of kernels.
"You don't like the microwave variety, I take it."
"Nope. I prefer them fresh. I even bought an in-home maker from the Buy More."
"So do I! Mom has like a million and one ways to make popcorn. When Carina and I were little, she'd often pop some for us while we were watching cartoons."
"Morgan and I used to do the exact same thing. Can you grab some soda from the fridge?"
"Not grape soda, I hope."
"You may find some in there, but it's Morgan's stash. I'm more conventional in my preferences."
"I beg to differ," she said, holding up a glass bottle. "This is hardly your usual soda."
"Ah, this," Chuck smiled. "It's Biral."
"Is it like a beer cocktail?"
"No. It's a cola-like drink, made from the fruit of the carob tree. It's very popular in Greece, especially on the island of Crete, where it's made. I tried it for the first time while on leave after a mission in the Middle East and I was hooked instantly. Try it."
"For your sake, I hope it's not something one has to acquire a taste for."
"If you like cola, you'll love it," he assured her. Within minutes, having a generous supply of popcorn and soft drinks, Chuck and Sarah settled on the couch to watch the antics of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis.
"I had an awesome evening, Chuck," Sarah said when he turned the TV off. "But I bet we can have an even greater time."
He was in total sync with her. Pulling her close, he gave her a kiss that curled her toes. "I couldn't agree more."
"At least I won't be doing the walk of shame in the morning. I picked up my suits from the dry cleaners' on the way here."
Chuck just picked her up and carried her to his room. They were kissing all the way there.
-o-
In the morning, Ellie got up and roused Devon from his slumber. Together, they showered, made breakfast and enjoyed it while watching the morning news. After tidying up the kitchen, they left for the hospital where they worked. And then Ellie covered her mouth with a hand to muffle a joyous squeal.
"What is it, babe?" Devon asked.
"Look!" She gleefully pointed to the Morgan Door. Clearly visible inside the room were two bodies in bed under the covers. The head of one had an unruly chocolate mop, while the other had a flowing blond halo.
"Way to go, Chuckster," Devon said admiringly.
"I'm seeing it with my own two eyes! Chuck really found himself a girl! I knew it since yesterday, but now I have more proof."
"It could be casual, you know."
Ellie shot him her death glare. "You didn't see how her eyes sparkled every time he was mentioned. Besides, you know my brother isn't exactly the one night stand type."
"Whatever you say, El. Come on, let's go to work."
-o-
Three men were gathered in an upscale café in downtown Washington DC. All wore crisp suits and carried expensive briefcases. To the casual observer they looked just like any other business executives. The oldest of the three spoke first.
"Did you find anything?" The question was addressed to the youngest man.
"I managed to get my hands on Carmichael's report. He never mentioned the consultant he hired for the Zurich job by name. I also checked any travel arrangements he might have made for said consultant. I got zip. Payments for services rendered were made in cash, by Carmichael himself. We have no money trail to follow."
"Dammit Shaw," the third man growled. "We need to find out who this person is."
"I know what's at stake, Ryker," Shaw replied irritably.
"Whoever it is, the fact remains that the item he or she stole in Rome can lead the CIA straight to our own private venture."
"We don't even know if it's the same person!"
"Shaw, Carmichael made the detour to Rome for a reason and I don't think it was sightseeing."
"I concede the point, Decker. But we still have nothing to go on with. Graham himself may be in the dark as to the consultant's identity."
"Thieves usually dispose of such valuable items through high end fences. I'll have my contacts on the lookout for anyone who tries to sell it."
"What if it's sold?"
"Then we'll buy or steal it back. I don't think the thief would bother to look for a hidden compartment in it. Our secret may be safe."
"If we're lucky. And I don't believe in luck."
"That's because you don't have half the experience Kieran here and I do. If you had it, you'd know luck sometimes plays a part in our business."
"Clyde's right, kid," Ryker said, knowing how much it would irritate Decker if he used his partner's given name. "Find out who Carmichael hired, tell us and we'll come up with a plan to learn what happened to the item. And make sure your wife doesn't catch on to anything."
"If she does, I'll just kill her," Shaw shrugged.
"A marriage on the rocks," Decker commented dryly.
"Nah, she's probably giving him a hard time and not the happy kind of hard," Ryker laughed. "To be fair, keeping a leash on today's women is all the more difficult."
"Why don't you get your sidekick, what's his name… Perry? Yes, Perry. He can take her out while you have a rock solid alibi."
"You know, I might do just that."
-o-
Chuck and Sarah were completely oblivious to the storm brewing on the East Coast. Right now, they were in the shower, trying to milk their time together for all it was worth. Later, Sarah was dressed in a clean suit and left for work. Chuck had a little shopping to do first, but promised to meet her at the office for lunch.