A/N: Thank you all for continuing to read this alternative Chuck story. In particular, I'd like to thank all that have taken the time to leave reviews. The really mean a lot to an author.
Beta thanks go to Captainrick944 who somehow finds time to help me.
This chapter is loosely based on S1E5, ""Chuck Versus the Sizzling Shrimp."
Piranha vs The Intersect
Chapter 8: Shrimp
Sarah has been joining Chuck and Morgan playing video games every Saturday night. Neither of them seemed to be required at the Buy More on Sundays, so they played long into the night.
Sarah usually left them to continue without her by about 1am. That had caused Chuck some concern on the first night, as he felt he should stop and go to bed with her, after all, they were playing in the bedroom, but she persuaded him it was not a problem and went and slept on the couch. She wore a t-shirt in case Morgan saw her, but knew that Chuck would let him out through his bedroom window, so it was unlikely.
Chuck came and picked her up, with one arm behind her knees and one under her back. She woke instantly, but had now gotten so used to being with Chuck that she didn't react badly. In fact, she wrapped an arm around his neck and kissed his cheek.
When he lowered her onto their bed, she pulled him down into a deeper kiss and they didn't get to sleep for some time after that, making Sarah very happy.
As far as the gaming was concerned, Sarah was enjoying it more and more. It didn't take her long to get used to the controller she was given and soon was as good as, and then better than the other two. A lot better at some games.
Not surprisingly, Morgan found it hard to accept that a girl who had never played before beat him. He wasn't a good loser, by any means. His competitive nature, which had been so obvious when playing that board game with Ellie and Devon before Carina turned up, was becoming a bit of a problem, she thought.
The incident with the sandworm costume further emphasized that Morgan was feeling threatened by Sarah. Sarah asked Chuck what they could do about it.
"Sarah, you have to understand that Morgan has never left Los Angeles. I at least went to Stanford until it all went wrong. The only times he's stayed away from home overnight is when he's been forced, and I mean forced, to work overnight or when he's stayed here."
She huffed. "I'm aware of that. I also know you haven't been out of California for years as well."
"Thanks," he muttered. "So, I'm not as well traveled as you, my jet-setting girlfriend."
She grabbed his collar and pulled him to her. With her face only inches from his, she said, "That's not where I was going with this. I'm sorry if it sounded like that." She kissed him and all his tension just disappeared.
When she released him, she said, "What I was going to say was that you've not traveled much, and you're much more mature than Morgan. Travel doesn't make you mature. It's what you do with your time that makes a difference."
He sniggered. "So, playing games and reading comics isn't sufficient?"
She sniggered. "There's nothing wrong with either of those. As long as that's not all you do."
He grinned. "We also watch movies and some tv shows."
She lightly slapped his arm. "You went to Stanford to make something of yourself. I know it didn't work out, but you tried. What's Morgan done?"
Chuck sighed. "He doesn't have any ambition, but he's always been there for me. If it wasn't for him, Ellie and Devon, I wouldn't have coped with what Bryce and Jill put me through."
She nodded sadly. "He cares about you."
Chuck nodded.
"I want to get to know him better. That can't happen during the gaming."
"He loves his food," Chuck said. His eyes then lit up. "And he always knows the best places to eat."
She snorted. "So, when he's not with you, he tours the restaurants?"
Chuck chuckled, "Well, he lives at home and probably doesn't want to spend too much time with his mom."
"Can I ask him to take us to one of those restaurants?" she asked.
"He'll feel like the third wheel."
She grinned. "I'll sit next to him, with you opposite."
"So, I'm the odd one out?"
She shook her head. "I'll try to give him my attention, but there will be this gorgeous man sitting on the other side of the table. The biggest distraction possible. I might just have to slip off one of my shoes and stretch my leg across and caress him with my foot."
"Come here," he growled and pulled her in for a deep kiss.
"Really?" Morgan looked at her incredulously after she suggested he took them to his favorite restaurant.
"I won't know it as I've not been anywhere. Chuck says you're the expert on eating establishments."
He frowned. "I don't want to spend an evening watching you two lovebirds ignoring me."
She leaned closer. "Maybe it should just be you and me. We leave Chuck."
He just looked at her for a while, then shook his head. "I can't do that to him."
She knew this before she suggested something she would never want to do. Going anywhere without Chuck was not going to happen. "Okay. No kissing and cuddling? I'll even sit by you in the restaurant. I want to get to know my boyfriend's best friend."
He pondered that and then nodded. "We'll do it."
"You plan the evening and tell us when and where to meet you," she replied.
As she walked away and headed back to the Wienerlicious, she left him standing next to the Nerd herd desk, frantically scribbling ideas on a notepad he had grabbed. There was a lot of thinking and scribbling.
She chuckled to herself. She had never seen Morgan so industrious in the Buy More before.
Sarah was walking on one side of Morgan and Chuck the other side. Morgan was, as planned, the center of attention. He announced to the two either side of him, "'An evening with Morgan' will consist of three acts." He paused for effect. "Act one, dinner."
For Sarah, that was the whole point of the evening, that and the conversation, so she asked, "What are we having?"
Morgan's eyes lit up. "A little delicacy called sizzling shrimp." He looked at her. He pointed at her stomach. "That's right. We're going to pack our bellies so full of shrimp you're going to make a seal jealous."
Sarah couldn't help grinning. "Wow! Sounds like quite a night."
Morgan responded instantly, "Oh, that's just the beginning. Dinner will be followed by a screening over at your place of the greatest kung fu film ever made."
Morgan and Chuck simultaneously said, "Enter the Dragon."
Chuck stepped back and took a martial art pose. "Prepare to die, my bearded friend."
The two men acted out as Sarah watched, bemused. Fighting was nothing like that.
They walked a little further and Morgan stopped. "Okay, and the third act can only be found here in Chinatown. There he is," he said looking across the street. "Be cool."
Chuck frowned and grabbed him. "Hey, wait a minute. I thought you were off this stuff, buddy."
Morgan replied, "Yeah? Well, I'm sorry, Chuck. I need this fix, you know?"
Chuck was now annoyed. "You know how I feel about fireworks!"
Morgan shrugged. "You know what? To defeat fear, one must embrace fear."
Chuck glared at him. "I'd rather embrace my limbs. Specifically, all of them. No fireworks. No sale."
Sarah had found the whole exchange amusing. She said nothing.
Morgan finally shrugged. "We've still got our shrimp on, though." He high-fived Sarah. She was pleased he did that.
They reached the restaurant, Bamboo Dragon, which had a sign saying it was closed for a private function.
Morgan didn't take that well. "No, no, no, no. You got to be kidding me. They can't be closed. 'An evening with Morgan' has to at least include sizzling shrimp."
Sarah placed a hand on Morgan's arm. "Morgan, it's okay. We'll do it another time."
He looked at her and shook his head. "No, no. I got this. I got this." He walked around the side of the restaurant to the back door. "Lucky for us, I got connections. My friend Juan, he's a dishwasher. Leaves his keys for me in case of emergencies."
Chuck looked at his friend. "I don't know Juan."
"You don't regularly come here for food like I do," Morgan replied, giving Chuck a look that said his friend was saying something stupid.
"So, we weren't eating in?" Sarah asked.
"No," Morgan replied, looking at her just as he had Chuck.
Sarah was now completely confused. "Why did we all have to come?"
Morgan blushed. "I guess we didn't." He then hit his head with his palm. "Damn! You could've picked me up in your Porsche and brought me, if we'd left Chuck behind."
She sniggered. "You would have fit in the back, Morgan, and Chuck still come with us."
"Not with all the food," Chuck commented. "That's why I borrowed Ellie's car."
Morgan turned and found the key and opened the door and they all quietly walked in. They came in the back of the kitchen.
"You hear that sizzle?" Morgan whispered. "Like the sound of angels' laughter. Wait here."
As Morgan walked further in, Chuck noticed and flashed on a woman in there. He pulled Sarah to him. "That waitress. She's Mei-Ling Cho, Chinese intelligence. Never stepped foot on US soil before."
Morgan returned. "Sizzling shrimp, anyone?"
Sarah didn't respond to Morgan, but to Chuck, seeing the woman's tattoo. "My god!"
Morgan smirked. "Well, you can just call me Morgan, but I appreciate the enthusiasm."
They headed back to the apartment complex. The two in the front of the car no longer thinking about shrimp.
In the end, the evening was very different from Morgan's plans.
Chuck had eaten a small amount before saying he needed to go to bed. Sarah had gone with him initially, but when in his bedroom, he said he wanted to find out more about the Chinese woman. She agreed to eat the rest of the meal with Morgan, but then take him home before joining Chuck.
They didn't watch the movie, but she and Morgan did talk while eating.
He mentioned wanting to meet her friend, Carina. She knew about the crush the bearded-guy had on the redhead. She told him, "She's a bit of a wild one, Morgan."
"Maybe that's what I need in my life," Morgan said.
"She's also not one to settle down. She never stays in one place for long," she further explained. "I think you'll find someone better for you, Morgan. I'm no matchmaker, but I am sure there are girls here in LA who wouldn't disappear like she does."
"I never thought I could find anyone," he replied. "I thought Chuck was the same after Stanford, but he found you and that gave me hope."
"Hold onto that hope, Morgan," she said. "After the disaster of my last boyfriend, I stopped looking and never expected to be in a relationship again. Then, Chuck found me. It takes you by surprise when you find that special person." She was still surprised at how that had happened to her.
"So, you think there's someone out there for me?" Morgan asked.
"I do. Keep looking," she replied.
They'd eaten as much as they could at this point.
She looked at Morgan. "Can we do this another evening and have the full Morgan experience? I'm a bit worried about Chuck. Do you mind if I drop you home?"
"And take me in your Porsche?" She smiled and nodded. "Hell, yes!"
She grinned. "Let me just make sure Chuck's ok and then we can go."
She popped her head in the bedroom. "I'm taking Morgan home. Be with you soon."
Chuck looked up from his computer. "Good. I need your help with all this Chinese!"
She grinned and nodded, then left.
Morgan loved his ride home. "A beautiful car and driver. Chuck's a lucky guy," he said as Sarah pulled up outside his home.
"He is," she said, grinning. "But then, I'm lucky too, having him."
"And I've never gotten home so quickly!"
"I do drive a little fast," she admitted.
"You can't drive a car like this any other way," Morgan replied.
"Can you tell Chuck that?" she said. "He's always scared when I'm driving."
"He's such a wuss!" Morgan said. They both laughed, nodding to each other.
Morgan got out of the car. "Thanks, Sarah. In spite of Chuck, this was good."
"We'll do it again, Morgan. Thank you."
When Sarah got back home, she found an extremely frustrated boyfriend. "Their writing is like artwork, not words!"
She sat beside him. "Let me help."
Over the next hour, they read what they could find about Mei-Ling Cho. She was a Chinese Intelligence agent who had recently been going undercover with the triads. She had gone AWOL after her brother, Lee Cho, a low level diplomat working at the US Chinese consulate, had been kidnapped. It was thought that it was by Chinatown Triad leader, Ben Lo Pan, here in Los Angeles. The notes recorded that rescuing him was not an action her government would do, on foreign soil.
"She's not a threat. She's here to save her brother!" Chuck exclaimed.
"Looks that way," Sarah agreed. "However, to do that, she might kill a lot of the triad men. If she kills the leader, Ben Lo Pan, it would destabilize the triads here. Chaos would ensue."
"So, what do we do?" he asked.
"We let our bosses decide," she replied.
She called Casey and discussed it with him. He agreed with her.
While Sarah was doing that, Piranha ran a check on bookings for the restaurant and told Sarah they shouldn't call the bosses until they talked.
They walked over to Casey's apartment.
"I haven't called them yet," Casey said. "What do you want to talk about, Bartowski?"
"Tomorrow night, Ben Lo Pan has a table booked at the Bamboo Dragon restaurant. I think Mei-Ling has been working there and will know that. I think that's when she will make her move." He looked at the two agents. "Other dinners will be there too. If shooting starts, there will be chaos."
"So, we stop her," Casey stated.
"And her brother does not get saved," Chuck explained. "We need to help her, not stop her."
Casey attempted to contact Beckman, but failed. Sarah contacted Graham, who said he could talk, so they got him on a video call.
"Well?" he asked.
Chuck explained what he had found and a suggestion for the way forward.
Graham pondered that for a few seconds. "We had heard that Agent Cho had gone rogue, but didn't know why. I think you're right about her allegiance. Do it."
"Thank you, Sir," Chuck said before the call ended.
"I'm still not sure she'll turn," Casey muttered.
"That's up to us now, isn't it?" Chuck replied.
Sarah just looked pensive.
When she and Chuck returned home and climbed into bed, he said, "You're not sure about this, are you?"
"Chuck, I don't fully understand the lengths she is willing to go or that she is thinking properly. She might just get herself killed and achieve nothing."
He gazed at her. "Imagine it was me that Ben Lo Pan was holding. What would you be prepared to do?"
"Anything!" she instantly replied.
"And that's what she is doing for the brother she loves."
She sighed. "I'd like to think I would plan better than she seems to be."
"We don't actually know what she has planned," he reminded her.
The three of them got to the restaurant at around 6pm. The table booking was from 7pm, so they hoped to talk to Mei-Ling well before that.
They used the key Morgan had showed them to get in.
After watching all the staff coming in and out of the kitchen, it was obvious that Mei-Ling was not there.
Chuck suggested asking Morgan's friend about her, but both spies vetoed that.
"She is not here, so is either planning to arrive to tackle them or just isn't coming," Casey muttered. The look on his face said he thought the latter and they were wasting their time.
Casey had parked his car opposite the restaurant and they returned to it and waited.
Forty minutes later, a long limo arrived. Men poured out of it and an old Chinese man was helped out of it and onto a wheelchair. Ben Lo Pan didn't look well, but he did look determined.
The three watched the group walk in. Six men walked and one wheeled.
"I suspect there will be more of his men in there already," Sarah commented.
"And what about her brother?" Chuck asked.
"Probably somewhere else," Casey said.
Then, a motorcycle pulled up outside the restaurant. All three knew instinctively that was her. They got out of the car and made their way across the street while Mei-Ling took off her helmet and opened the box behind her seat.
She was about to rush into the restaurant when she felt Casey's gun in her back. Sarah then stood in front of her with her gun pointed at her as well. "Drop the gun, Mei-Ling," she said.
Mei-Ling dropped it. "Who are you?" she hissed.
"CIA and NSA," Sarah replied.
Chuck said, "We're here to help you."
The woman snorted. "Doesn't seem like it."
"We know you're better than this," Chuck said. "But you're so distracted that we were able to surprise you so easily. I doubt anyone could do that normally."
"You'd stand no chance in there on your own, and certainly not like this," Sarah commented.
"They have my brother. Maybe in there," the deflated woman replied.
"If you go in there, it won't be long before guns are fired. Other patrons will get shot, as well as you." Chuck pointed out.
Mei-Ling looked at the two in front and over her shoulder at Casey. "Why would you help me?"
"Your government doesn't care about your brother," Chuck stated. "They aren't doing anything to get him back, so you've gone rogue. Go a little further and defect. Our government would welcome you."
"We have that from the director of the CIA. Our direct boss," Sarah said.
"How do you know about any of this?" Mei-Ling demanded.
"I'm the best at getting information," Chuck claimed.
"He's our best analyst," Sarah confirmed.
"Think about your government's betrayal. If you get him back, you'll still be rogue in their eyes," Casey said.
Chuck asked, "Will you defect?"
Mei-Ling stared at him. Her conditioning kicked in initially, "I would never-"
Casey cut in, "Why? Too much loyalty to your government? The same one that left your brother for dead?"
"If I defect, I can never go back to China. I will never see my brother again," Mei-Ling replied.
"After this, why would he go back?" Chuck questioned. "China has left him for dead."
Mei-Ling was wavering. Sarah gave her another push. "You aren't going to be able to take on as many people as are in there on your own, Mei-Ling. We can help you. Then, you can consider defection, together."
Casey was going to state it was a condition of their assistance, but Sarah glared at him and he kept quiet.
Mei-Ling knew that she would be outnumbered in the restaurant. She frowned. "So, just two agents sent to help me?"
Chuck answered her. "No, the CIA and NSA's best agents."
Mei-Ling looked at Sarah and Casey. "Who are you?"
Sarah pulled out her CIA card, which showed her as Sarah Walker. Mei-Ling frowned, not knowing the name. "I'm Langston Graham's top fixer."
Mei-Ling knew of Graham. Her eyes widened slightly before she accepted Sarah for who she was.
Casey showed his identification. Mei-Ling recognized his name and nodded. "You two should be able to help."
"We wait for them to come out," Chuck stated.
Mei-Ling snapped her eyes to him. "No! I think they may execute Lee in there!"
"Why would they do that in public?" Sarah asked. "Surely they'd do that somewhere more private."
"Besides, why do you think he is here?" Chuck asked.
Mei-Ling looked at him. "I feel him here."
Casey snorted, but the others just looked sympathetically at her.
"What if I go in, and listen to their conversations?" Sarah suggested. "And then let you know what I hear."
"Will you understand it?" Mei-Ling asked.
Sarah nodded. "She's good with languages," Chuck commented. He then said to all of them, "Tranquilizers only in there."
Sarah smiled. She'd already brought three with her and went to the car and brought them. Mei-Ling looked doubtfully at the one Sarah handed her, and Casey's distaste was obvious. "It's almost instantaneous," Chuck assured the Chinese woman.
So, with her gun back in her bike box, the three agents headed to the entrance.
Chuck knew he'd be told not to go in, so held back, but then rushed around to the back again. He'd be in the kitchen.
It was only ten minutes later that Sarah's voice came over the earpieces Chuck and Casey wore. "Lee is in a storage room. They're going to bring him out soon."
Mei-Ling rushed in and off to the side, knowing exactly where her brother was.
Casey walked in and through to the dining area. "You and I take out the ones downstairs," he said to Sarah.
Soon, Chuck heard cries from out in the dining area of the restaurant, and then shots. He was surprised when the door from the kitchen to the restaurant opened and Ben Lo Pan pushed his way in.
The shots had stopped and Sarah's voice came through, "Where did Lo Pan go?"
Chuck walked through the kitchen and quickly spun the wheelchair around. "Coming back from the kitchen," he replied to Sarah.
"Don't do this," Lo Pan hissed.
"Sorry, you're wanted in there," Chuck replied. He pushed the wheelchair through the door.
There were a lot of patrons hiding under tables. Lo Pan's men were all on the floor, some with the darts showing. The wall behind both Casey and Sarah was pocked with bullet holes but neither had been hit. Mei-Ling was helping her brother out from the storage room.
Sarah pulled out a collection of zip ties from her bag. She used them on the downed men's wrists and ankles, and then Ben Lo Pan's, too.
Mei-Ling and her brother walked out of the restaurant talking quietly.
Casey called in that the triad men had been caught, trying to kill people in the restaurant.
Chuck and Sarah walked out and found the Chinese siblings.
"We have talked about your suggestion," Mei-Ling said as she looked up. "Maybe we both have secrets that will interest your government."
Lee agreed. "And thank you for helping Mei-Ling rescue me. I think Lo Pan was close to giving up on the ransom and would execute me soon."
"So, you'll both work with our government?" Chuck eagerly asked.
"Yes," they said in unison.
Chuck was over the moon and Sarah hugged him. "You did this, Chuck."
Lee Cho was been taken separately. The others had just watched the siblings hug and he got into the car that was taking him for his initial debrief.
Casey commented about the woman. "We just turned one of China's top spies."
Sarah nodded. "And helped her save her brother."
Chuck smiled. He looked at Sarah, "We need to go. We have a family get together to attend."
"Just a sec, Chuck," Sarah replied, having seen another car pulling up.
Mei-Ling walked up and looked at them, then focused on Chuck. "Thank you... Chuck. I know you instigated this."
Chuck, as usual, didn't like thanks. "Oh, yeah, hey... Don't... Don't mention it. You're welcome."
Mei-Ling turned to the others. "And thank you for making it happen."
The two agents nodded.
Chuck thought about what he was holding. "Uh, but before you go, would you mind, uh, would you mind signing this?"
Mei-Ling looked down at the paper in his hand. "What is that?"
Chuck blushed, "Oh, it just says that I was off-site fixing your computer and that you're satisfied with the level of customer service I provided. It's for my cover."
She smiled and happily took it from him, along with the pen he held out.
After she signed it, she handed it back. The car was now waiting for her, she walked over and climbed in. As it drove off, she waved to them.
That evening, Chuck and his sister celebrated their version of Mother's Day. Sarah joined them. "Your mother leaving you must have been awful."
Ellie looked at her. "Our dad effectively left at the same time. He was with us, but not really. In body, not mind."
"We've celebrated Mother's Day on the day she left ever since," Chuck commented. "The day we lost her."
"I feel like I'm intruding," Sarah confessed.
"No, no," Ellie said, placing a hand on Sarah's. "Devon would be here, but he couldn't make it. It's great to have others with us. God, even Morgan has been with us sometimes."
"He's trying to come to terms with me being with Chuck now," Sarah said.
"Oh, he was here earlier, Chuck," Ellie said. "He says there's a sales competition on while you're not there and that if he loses, he'll lose his job too."
Chuck sighed. "Big Mike wouldn't do that," Chuck said. "He's just trying to motivate the Sales team. Besides, he can't fire them. They report to me now. In fact, he should have run the competition by me first."
"That maybe true," Ellie replied. "I still think Morgan would appreciate some help."
Sarah looked at her boyfriend's sister. The two women nodded to each other.
When Chuck needed a comfort break. Sarah leaned over the table to Ellie. "Anything you need from the Buy More?"
Ellie chuckled. "Great minds, huh? Yes, I think presents for the boys?"
Sarah nodded. "All thanks to the man who helps us there. Mr. Grimes."
Ellie grinned and nodded.
And that is what the two of them did. Ellie took all the presents from both of them in her car. Morgan went from the bottom of the team to near the top, only beaten by John Casey for all the expensive grills he sold.
Two days after Mei-Ling left LA, Graham and Beckman were facing the three of them. "Well done, team," the director said. "Agent Cho has been providing a lot of information we were unaware of."
Beckman said nothing. Mei-Ling was with the CIA and so her team was getting nothing from this. Then, she looked up. "Her brother has been providing information that helps with communications set up and internal emails. That will help too."
"You're welcome, General," Chuck brightly stated.
She nodded and ended her connection.
Graham looked at them for a moment. "I know the Intersect only played a small part in this success." He focused his attention on Chuck. "You think differently to the normal intelligence operative, and that alone is making a difference here, but the team works well together. I think the Intersect just enhances what you could do anyway. Keep thinking outside the box, Chuck." He then ended the call.
Casey grunted and walked to his kitchen.
Sarah kissed Chuck fiercely. As she pulled away, he breathlessly said, "As great as Graham's appreciation feels, that kiss means more to me." He then pulled her back in for another kiss.
"Get out of here," Casey called to them.
Sarah pulled her lips from Chuck's. She grabbed his hand and pulled him out of Casey's apartment and over to theirs.
Chuck had seen in her eyes what she had in mind. He wasn't going to argue about that, although he did mention, "I guess we're going to be late for work."
A/N: Some slight differences to the events in the episode, but close. And the way it panned out meant that Chuck and Sarah didn't miss the Mother's Day celebration.