Hello. I must concede this chapter didn't take me that long to write because it had the most material that was show canon of any of the chapters thus far. A few minor tweaks had to be made here and there, but nothing serious. It's mostly from the story Chuck vs. the Undercover Lover but it has a few minor elements from Chuck vs. the Marlin as well (you probably already know which ones). And of course, all material from the show remains the property of NBC and Fake Empire Productions.
I'm still trying to work out the logistics of the season 2 episodes that will be in this story. The only thing I do know is that most of the episodes in chapter 2 will be skipped apart from ones relevant to this story or ones that have a very fascinating sub-arc. You'll see as we go along.
If you have suggestions for what should remain in this story from season 2 (and how you'd handle it in this AU), please let me know.
Thanks, and please leave reviews!
Grand Seville Hotel – Los Angeles, CA
December 11, 2015
9:15 PM PST
Chuck walked into the ballroom. The fans had left an hour ago and Casey was the only one there. He had procured a bottle from one of the hotel bars and was currently easing the pain of the evening with some scotch. Chuck wasn't entirely surprised to see Casey looking like he needed a friend…if Casey was even capable of such an emotion. Still, the image of Casey's reaction to Victor Federov announcing Ilsa was his wife-to-be was burned into his mind. And if it hurt him this badly, he couldn't even begin to fathom how much hurt Casey was going through right now.
"Hey…buddy," Chuck said as he approached Casey. "How are you feeling?"
"How am I feeling?" Casey replied.
"Yeah, uh, you know, about what happened earlier?"
Casey straightened up in his chair. His guard was completely up. It even had multiple levels. "Our mission was a success. You IDed Victor Federov, Walker, Miller, and Slade are setting up surveillance even as we speak. In short, I feel fan-eff'in-tastic."
"Well…OK. I-I mean, I guess…uh, you know, I was referring more to the you-and-Ilsa situation. Thought maybe you'd want to talk about the fact that the girl you thought was dead isn't actually dead."
Casey downed the shot in his hand and refilled the glass. "No."
"Great. Great, good. Really good session here, Casey. Really feel like you're making a breakthrough. Look, I just…I just want you to know that I'm a good listener, OK? So, if you ever want to talk about anything, or use me as a sounding board for your emotions, well…"
Casey took several cocktail napkins, rolled them into a ball, and shoved them into Chuck's mouth. He moved away from the bar and walked towards the opposite end of the room with the bottle in tow.
"Great, just wonderful," Chuck said in frustration as he pulled the napkins out of his mouth and followed Casey. "Come on, just give me something…anything. Where is she from? Or where did you two meet?"
Casey turned around. "Why is this so important to you, Chuck? Why the hell do you care so much about me and Ilsa?"
"I don't…I don't know, man, OK?" That wasn't exactly true. It still shocked him Casey had a hot girlfriend like Ilsa once. Chuck had a big marlin on his line and didn't want to play catch-and-release. "I just…I-I think it would be nice to know that you had a life before…this. I just figured, if a guy like you can find love…no offense, Casey…then maybe there's hope for me, too. Maybe this whole spy business isn't as screwed up as I think it is."
Casey shook his head with a grunt and started to turn away. Chuck was livid.
"OK, you know what? If you want to go through life all emotionally constipated and alone then suit yourself. I'll let you get back to protecting the greater good, you freakin' robot! And don't bother giving me a ride home. I don't want you to miss the chance of taking down a terror cell because you were giving me a lift!"
Chuck started to storm out of the ballroom. Casey slunk into a chair and took another swig from the bottle. "I met her in a flower market. In Rome. I left a fiancé fifteen years earlier to join an elite ops group. They faked my death. I didn't want to be close to anybody after that. But that day in Rome…Ilsa was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen."
Chuck turned in open-mouth shock. Not only did he land the marlin, it was now stuffed and mounted on his wall.
Slowly his shock turned into an ear-to-ear-grin. "I knew it…IT'S ALLLLIIIIVVVEEEE!"
~/^\~
Jimmy finished connecting the last of the monitors to the computer and powered up the system. He had already hacked into the hotel's cameras so observing the public areas was no problem. However, none of the rooms had surveillance on them, so they would have to plant their own for those. He printed a list of the people Chuck had already identified with their room numbers.
"Federov is in the Bridal Suite on the 16th floor," he told Sarah and Carina, opening a case with 2 dozen surveillance bugs in it.
"I'll wire that floor," Sarah replied. "Carina, you take the 15th, and Jimmy will take care of the rooms here on the 14th."
Sarah and Carina took a copy of the guest list, enough bugs for their respective floors, and an electronic card device for picking the door locks. Jimmy grabbed a similar set for himself, and the three went out to set up the surveillance.
~/^\~
"Sure, it was great. Amazing. You know, we had what we had, but it's over," Casey said quietly, the alcohol having loosened him up enough to tell Chuck the entire story. "I never thought it would happen to me again. Honestly, I didn't deserve it after what I did to Kathleen. But Ilsa didn't really care. It's over now, though."
Chuck looked at him in surprise. "So, that-that's it? You're just going to let her walk back out of your life?"
"Seems like the smart play, Chuck," Casey replied, even though both of them knew that wasn't what Casey truly wanted. "After all, nice girls don't marry corrupt Russian oligarchs."
"Well, I hate to break it to you, but nice girls don't go around marrying guys like you, either." Casey gave him a look. "G-Man assassin? International spy? I mean, pardon me for saying it, Casey, but at least on paper, you're kind of an unsavory dude."
Casey nodded in agreement. "Granted. But Ilsa never knew what I did for a living. She didn't even know about the old show. That was easy to hide from; I was just a cameraman then. I wouldn't meet anyone on the team until six years later. Walker and Larkin were just out of college, Slade was still locked up, and Miller was undoubtedly seeing the world on ten screws a day."
Chuck shook his head and gave a little laugh. "All of those are true. Even Carina, sadly. But that's my point. What if Ilsa doesn't know what her fiancé, Victor, does for a living, either?"
Casey straightened in his chair, only it wasn't because he was putting his guard up again. "What are you saying I do?"
"Stick to your strengths, buddy! Come on. You're a fighter. You got to fight for her!"
Chuck got up from his chair and held out his hand. "Come with me if you want to live…again."
Casey rolled his eyes and knocked Chuck's hand away. He got up and the two took the elevator to the 14th floor.
"This is a terrible idea, Chuck," Casey said as they got out of the elevator. "We shouldn't be here. I was supposed to take you home. Can we just go…"
"Negatory," Chuck replied in an authoritative voice. "We have passed the point of no return. No retreat, soldier."
"This isn't a mission," Casey hissed. We're just two guys sneaking down a hall like a couple of numbnuts."
A door opened ahead, and Jimmy emerged from one of the suites, having bugged the last of his rooms on the 14th floor. He saw Chuck and Casey and rolled his eyes. "Why are you two still here?"
"Don't even try to tell me I need your permission to work," Casey growled.
"Uh, you need Sarah's permission," Jimmy replied. "She told you to take Chuck home for a reason. You need a night off after what happened. Setting up surveillance isn't that complicated."
"Actually, I suggested it," Chuck replied. "Maybe…maybe I could flash on some stuff. Some stuff…some cool stuff or some things or whatever."
Jimmy knew he was full of it. "Or maybe you talked Casey into spying on his ex."
Jimmy shook his head in aggravation. He knew he wouldn't win an argument like this against Chuck, especially since he wanted to see if Casey could get back with Ilsa, too.
He handed Chuck a keycard. "Surveillance is set up in the laundry room. Second door on the left on the other side of the elevators. I'll go check on the ladies."
Jimmy turned and went to the stairwell. Chuck and Casey went back down the hall and entered the laundry room. There were thirty different camera angles to observe. Fifteen of them came from the security feed of the hotel, the rest were from the bugs Sarah, Carina, and Jimmy were planting. Most of the hotel occupants were sleeping off the party, but a few Russians had call girls in their rooms. Casey took it in stride, but now Chuck understood why Casey thought they were a couple of numbnuts.
"Um, Casey?" Chuck asked after twenty minutes.
"What, did you flash?" Casey replied.
"Look who's hitting the bar the night before her own wedding." Chuck pointed to the shot of Ilsa drinking and put it up on the main screen. "Now, does that look like the face of a woman who's happy about getting married?"
Casey stared at Ilsa. Chuck was right.
"Where's she going?" Chuck asked as Ilsa changed locations in the bar to somewhere more secluded. "Look, look, look, look. This is your chance, buddy! This is your chance! Look at her, Casey! She's just sitting there waiting for you."
Chuck looked at Casey. He thought he had seen everything since getting the Intersect, but nothing prepared him for this. "Wait a second. You're scared, aren't you."
"Don't be an idiot," Casey grumbled as he got up from the chair and stopped looking at the monitor.
"Kemo sabe, come on, man. Look, you don't want to spend the rest of your life hating yourself for what you didn't have the guts to say tonight. OK? Believe me. I know."
"Huh," Casey grunted. He couldn't deny Chuck had a point. If Ilsa shot him down, he'd be no worse than he was right now. He had to take a chance. On top of which it grated Casey to no end that anybody would accuse him of not having guts, especially the annoying nerd in front of him.
"I'm heading down there," he said, his voice finally finding some resolve. He went to the door.
"Proud of you, soldier," Chuck replied, giving Casey a salute.
"Knock it off, moron." Casey departed for the bar.
~/^\~
Sarah walked down the hall to the Bridal Suite. It was the last bug she had to plant. Federov had a few bodyguards on this floor, so her list of rooms to bug was a bit longer than either Carina's or Jimmy's. She reached the door and took out her skeleton keycard to pick the lock. From around the corner, a bodyguard walked up to her.
"Hey, this is a private floor," the bodyguard said. He then recognized who Sarah was and put the pieces together. He grabbed his radio. "U nas yest' narushitelya (We have an intruder)!"…
He never got the message out as someone delivered a hard shot to his shoulder blades from behind. He collapsed unconscious to the ground.
Despite the rescue, Sarah was not happy. "You always seem to forget I lead this team and can take care of myself," she said to Jimmy in irritation.
"And you always seem to forget half the frickin' planet can recognize your face instantly," he retorted as he pocketed the bodyguard's radio and picked him up.
She got on her radio. "Carina, you'll have to deliver the package to the Bridal Suite. Jimmy and I have a body to take care of."
"I'll need a few minutes," Carina replied. "This floor is swarming with horny Russians and they think I want to party."
"Dammit," Sarah said to Jimmy. "Why does she always have to do this?"
"Uh, two things," Jimmy replied. "One, everybody knows she's single while you have a boyfriend, and two, this body isn't getting any lighter. Casey's at the surveillance desk. Have him do it."
Sarah eyed him oddly. Casey was supposed to be taking Chuck home, but there was no time to deal with that. "Casey, plant a bug in the Bridal Suite," Sarah said into her radio. "Jimmy and I have a body to take care of. Key's in the sconce by the door."
Chuck, looked wide-eyed at the monitors. He didn't want to tell Sarah what Casey was doing and he prayed Jimmy wouldn't say anything, either.
"Casey, do you read me?"
Chuck looked around and figured he had nothing to lose at this point. "Yeah, uh, copy that," he said in a guttural voice in an attempt to imitate Casey. "On my way."
Chuck grabbed one of Jimmy's bugs, sprinted out of the laundry room, and took the stairs up the two floors to the 16th. He pulled the keycard out from behind the wall sconce and entered the Bridal Suite. He tried attaching the bug to a nearby light, but he instantly removed it, figuring every last person in the place would see it.
He then saw a briefcase on the desk. He went over to it and tried to find the catch to open it. However, a side drawer opened. He leafed through the paperwork and found a document from the French Secret Service, the DGSE. It contained a picture of Ilsa. He had a flash, seeing images of Ilsa's passport, a more detailed DGSE file on her, and a security video of her slitting the neck of a man with whom she appeared to have been romantically involved.
He didn't have time to think as he heard both Casey's and Ilsa's voices outside. He panicked and ran for the bed, getting underneath it as quickly as he could.
~/^\~
Sarah and Jimmy arrived at the laundry room, Jimmy put the unconscious bodyguard on the ground as Sarah looked at the monitors. She then turned to Jimmy and looked ready to kill him.
"What is going on?" she demanded.
"What are you talking about?" he asked in full denial.
Sarah pointed angrily at the monitor, which showed the hotel security camera on the 16th floor. Jimmy walked over to the monitor to see the shot of Casey and Ilsa kissing in the hallway.
He shook his head in exacerbation. "Aaah, hell."
~/^\~
"These stupid keys never work," Ilsa said as she gave Casey a kiss and unlocked the door to the Bridal Suite. She entered first and made sure Victor wasn't there. "Come here." She grabbed Casey and pulled him into the room, the two in permanent lip-lock. She pushed Casey towards the bed.
"Oh, Ilsa," Casey panted.
"Oh, Casey," she replied, equally turned on at this point. The two fell on the bed, and the bedsprings almost nailed Chuck in the face. If he wasn't feeling regret earlier about pretending to be Casey and planting the bug, he was really feeling the regret now.
"I missed you," Ilsa purred.
"I missed you, too," Casey said in response. Chuck wished he was anywhere else in the world right now. And when his phone started ringing, he really wished he was anywhere else in the world right now.
He tried to silence the call from Sarah, but it was too late. Casey was looking at him from above.
"Bartowski," Casey murmured. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Listen, I'm-I'm very sorry. I know this is very awkward, but Ilsa is a bad girl. She's a very bad girl."
Casey was stunned and went back up with his weapon…only to discover the gun Ilsa had pointed at him proved Chuck right.
"Drop the gun, Sugar Bear," Ilsa said in a very cold voice.
Casey was not used to being caught in a compromising position. Usually, he was the one to cause the compromising. "Mind telling me what a nice girl like you is doing with a gun, Ilsa?"
"Same thing as you, Casey," she replied evenly.
Chuck got out from under the bed. "I tried to warn you: she's a spy."
"Who do you work for?" Casey demanded.
"Why don't you ask your friend? He's already seen my files."
"Uh, yeah I did. She's French Secret Service. But wouldn't that put us all on the same side, kind of, sort of, doesn't it?"
Casey looked ready to kill Ilsa despite having a gun under his chin. "You lied to me."
"Says the energy consultant?" Ilsa mocked. "Or the actor, or whatever you say you are?"
"Actually, he does…he does act," Chuck eked out, trying to vouch for Casey. "I mean, he did this really big scene earlier today…"
Casey and Ilsa ignored Chuck. "What about the bomb in Grozny?" Casey demanded. That 'I never forgot your face' garbage?"
"Oh, that bomb," Ilsa replied dismissively.
"Ilsa!"
The three turned to the door when they heard Federov's voice.
"Quick, hide," Ilsa told Chuck and Casey. Casey didn't look convinced. "You have to trust me."
Casey relented and got under the bed with Chuck as Federov opened the door. "Ilsa…Ilsa!"
She lay back on the bed and pretended to be as drunk as he was. "Baby…"
He threw his keycard away and got his shoes off. "Where have you been hiding, Ilsa?" He climbed into the bed with her. "I can't wait any longer. How about we start our honeymoon now?"
He fell on top of Ilsa. "Oh, Victor!" she screamed. He started kissing her neck.
Casey readied his gun. "Don't even think about it," Chuck quietly growled. "You don't know who's on top."
Thankfully, Victor passed out right away. Ilsa extracted herself from under him and leaned over the bed.
"You guys have to get out of here before he wakes up," Ilsa told them.
The two pulled themselves out from under the bed and left the suite in silence. They returned to the laundry room on the 14th floor. Sarah was waiting for them with a temper that could melt steel, Carina had a huge grin on her face, and Jimmy looked like he just received the ass-chewing of his life.
"What were you two doing?" Sarah asked with enough smoke coming out of her ears to set off the sprinklers.
O.C. Studios – Hollywood, CA
December 12, 2015
11:00 AM PST
The cameras were rolling as the final scene was shot. Most of the work had been done yesterday before the DVD party, but they had to get the final scene filmed where Duke was going to kill his former commander and Lance had to stop him.
"ACTION!" Director Fred Toye shouted.
Lance grabbed Duke, who was brandishing a knife that would make Crocodile Dundee wet his pants. "You can't do this."
"Out of my way, McCall," Duke growled.
"Hey, you want revenge. Nobody could blame you for wanting that. This bastard killed your wife, almost killed Jen and Jill, and put me in a damn coffin! He has to pay for what he did, but not like this."
"You think he deserves a trial?" Duke growled. Anybody else would have backed off, but Lance had a thing for loyalty.
"We got him, Duke. He'll be staring at metal bars every day until he's dead. Don't give him the satisfaction of getting the best of you! You'll throw away everything that matters to you and it still won't bring back your wife."
"Get out of my way, now," Duke ordered.
Lance grabbed his arms. "I can't let you do this. Think about your team. Think about your future!"
Duke grabbed Lance and tried to throw him out of the way to no avail. Lance tried to push him back from where his former mentor was being kept. Duke finally shook himself loose from Lance.
"Don't try to stop me," Duke warned him.
"Don't do this!" Lance yelled and tried to grab Duke again.
Duke swung hard and knocked Lance to the ground.
"GODDAMMIT, CASEY!" Jimmy screamed as he held his eye. "Warn me first if you don't plan to pull your punches!"
"CUT!" Fred yelled. "What are you doing, John?"
Two assistants went over to Jimmy, who was still on the ground. One of them applied an icepack to his face.
"It's…" Casey muttered, looking at the ground. "My fault."
Fred eyed Casey warily. "Let's take lunch now. Back at one o'clock, everybody!"
The buzzer sounded to end filming and the word spread filming would continue at 1PM. The two assistants helped Jimmy to his feet and led him to his dressing room. Chuck followed Casey to his.
"Uh, what's going on there?" Chuck asked him. "You want to talk?"
Casey collapsed onto the couch and held his fingers over his forehead. "Is it related to last night?"
"Well, uh…yeah."
"Then I don't want to talk about it."
"You'd prefer…to punch out innocent people?"
"Slade probably had it coming anyway."
"Listen, Casey…"
Casey bolted up from the couch. "No, you listen. Whatever you thought existed between me and Ilsa, you were wrong, all right? That person has gone back to being dead to me."
There was a gentle knock on the door. Chuck turned around and saw who it was.
"Dead woman knocking," Chuck said gently. "I'm going to see how Jimmy is doing."
Chuck left the dressing room as Ilsa slowly entered. "Are you OK? I was watching that scene. You really nailed your friend. I hope that wasn't about me."
"How did you even know I was here?"
"It didn't take much to put the pieces together." She held up the bug Chuck tried to implant last night. "Your partner, Chuck, is not much of a spy."
Casey grunted in agreement. "Why are you here?"
"I didn't want to leave things the way we left them last night."
"With you getting plowed by a drunk Russian crime boss? You should get used to that."
Ilsa steadied herself and ignored Casey's nasty quip. "We've been investigating Victor Federov since the Paris commuter train bombings back in '02. My agency has tried everything to take him to trial, but his organization is airtight. Totally legit from the outside. The only way we could take him down was…"
"By screwing it out of him?" was Casey's malicious retort. "How, uh…French. If you are French."
"Casey, please…"
"I make one call and you, Victor, and half the Grand Seville are packed on a plane and shipped off to the nearest detention center of my choice."
"You're not going to do that."
"Really? Why is that?"
"That would be unprofessional. And that's not you."
Ilsa looked into his eyes. She could feel the hate coming from Casey. This wasn't what she wanted. He had been one of the only pleasant things she experienced in her fifteen years with the DGSE. But now even that bridge had been burned.
"I wish things could be different," she said quietly. "I'm sorry, Casey."
She took his hand and put the necklace he gave her in it.
"Goodbye."
Casey stood in complete silence as Ilsa turned and walked out of the door.
Echo Park – Los Angeles, CA
December 12, 2015
2:45 PM PST
Chuck arrived at the apartment and was ready to crash. They finished the scene thirty minutes ago. This time, Casey did pull his punches playing Duke and they had completed the episode. Some makeup was used to cover the developing black eye Jimmy had, but it was enough to get through. Sarah escorted him home, mainly so she could read him the riot act again for what Casey and he did the previous night.
"Just the bro I'm looking for!"
Chuck jumped back in fright as Devon greeted him at the door. "Must you do that?" Chuck asked him with not a little annoyance.
"I've got the plan for the proposal! But I need a few things from you."
"What do you have in mind?"
"I'm going to take Ellie out to dinner, then I'm going to bring her back home to have her favorite dessert, pecan pie. Then I'll have a bottle of champagne at the ready, get down on one knee, and pop the question. Dude, she won't see it coming!"
"Sounds very well-planned. But why do you need me?"
Devon handed him a list. "I need you to pick up these items after I take Ellie to the restaurant. You can't do it before or she'll get suspicious. Everything is ordered and paid for; you just have to get it and set it up."
Chuck looked at the list. "OK, I can get these."
"And you have the ring, right?"
Chuck was silent for a moment. "Yes! Yes, absolutely. Not a problem, Devon."
Devon gave him a hug. "Oh, man. This is, like, the biggest night of my life. I hope nothing gets screwed up."
Chuck returned Devon's embrace. Certainly he could understand Devon wanting everything to work out perfectly. But he couldn't remember the last time something went without a hitch.
Toluca Terrace Apartments – Burbank, CA
December 12, 2015
7:00 PM PST
Chuck knocked gently on the door to Casey's apartment. Unlike his co-stars, Casey preferred renting a one-bedroom that was near O.C. Studios and only a few blocks from the hotel where they were set up. Certainly the place was quiet enough, which Chuck figured had to be the biggest selling point for Casey.
Casey opened the door and stood aside to let Chuck in with a touch of irritation. "What do you want?"
Chuck wished he could say he was surprised by what he saw, but the way Ilsa left him earlier in the day had clearly put Casey in a deep funk. Not to mention only walking around in boxer shorts and an unbuttoned shirt.
"A lot of scotch and a little Neil," Chuck said as Love on the Rocks blasted out of Casey's iPod speakers. "Everything OK, buddy?"
Casey slumped into the only chair in the room, a very comfortable recliner. "Just enjoying myself a little R&R."
"Mm-hmm."
"Want a drink?"
"No, no. Thanks, though. I really appreciate it." He gave one of his nervous laughs. "No, just uh…just thought I'd check in on you, you know. What, with Ilsa getting married in an hour and…"
"Thanks for reminding me." Casey tipped his glass towards Chuck then raised it for a toast. "Here's to John Casey dodging another bullet."
He downed the shot as Chuck sat on a crate next to him. "It's not like I want the wife and kids and the little league practice and the minivan and the Costco runs on the weekend."
Chuck laughed at that image but suddenly stopped. "Yeah, really? You don't? 'Cause I…it seems to be that you'd kind of be into the whole American dream."
Casey shook his head and sat up in his recliner. "Nah. I do what I do so all those other slobs out there can have it."
"What…what would you say your dream is?"
Casey smiled and laid back in the recliner again. "You're looking at it," he said proudly as he took a large bite from a candy bar.
"That's…that's…no, Casey. That's sad. Even I think that's sad, and you've seen the people I used to work with. Come on, there's a lot more to you than this. OK, you're not exactly Brady Bunch material, but what's wrong with you doing something for yourself? Do something or meet someone that will make you happy? It doesn't have to be Ilsa; there's plenty of women looking for a guy like…well, what you'd bring to the table."
Casey huffed. "You really are a crazy optimist. None of us have life figured out. That's probably why we're so good at our jobs, because we're shit in our personal lives. Walker falls for Bryce and forgets how to be a spy, Miller will mount anything that moves, and Slade could be at the Playboy mansion with an instruction manual and still not know what to do. Me…well, now you know why I do this job instead of doing the whole settling down thing."
Casey stood and pulled the necklace he gave Ilsa off of a bonsai tree. "Besides, it's not like Ilsa left me empty-handed."
"What's that?" Chuck asked, pointing at the necklace.
"Just a cheap little trinket I used to think meant something."
He tossed it on the table, and the locket on the necklace broke. A small circular object rolled out of the locket. Chuck picked it up and began to flash, seeing images of a turtle, Soviet tanks on parade, and the specs for the bug that was around Ilsa's neck the entire time.
"It's an RX-77 long-range audio transmitter."
Casey sat up in the chair and stared at the bug. "Someone was listening in on Ilsa?"
"With a Russian-made bug," Chuck said, the alarm in his voice growing quickly.
"That means they heard last night. That means Victor knows she's a spy!"
Casey bolted up from his chair to grab his gun and car keys.
"Whoah, uh, hey Ca-Casey, Casey, Casey, Casey. Hey hey hey hey! Where are you going?"
"To stop a wedding, Chuck," Casey slurred as he tried to put on his holster.
"No, no, no. No you're not, no you're not. Scotch and driving? Very, very bad combo and…and as far as I know, also illegal."
"You're absolutely right." Casey slapped the keys onto Chuck's chest. "You're driving."
Casey ran for his bedroom. "I need pants!"
Grand Seville Hotel – Los Angeles, CA
December 12, 2015
7:30 PM PST
Chuck and Casey ran into the main entrance, Casey stumbling left and right from the effects of the alcohol he drank.
Chuck got out his phone and dialed. "Sarah, Victor planted a bug on Ilsa. He knows she's a spy. She's walking into a trap. Get everybody over here."
"On my way," Sarah replied. She ran to her car and called Carina and Jimmy.
Casey and Chuck got out of the elevator on the 16th floor. Casey pulled out his gun despite still being drunk, which didn't make Chuck feel any better. They walked down the hall to the Bridal Suite.
"How do we…" Casey started. "Wait, that keycard Sarah gave you…"
Chuck stared in surprise and then patted his pockets. "Right, I still have it."
He pulled the keycard out and inserted it into the lock. Casey nodded that he was ready. Chuck removed the key and opened the door. Casey went charging in with Chuck right on his heels.
Ilsa wasn't there. But Victor was with several armed men. They took Casey's gun and Chuck's smartphone.
"I assume you're with the bride's party?" Victor asked.
~/^\~
Sarah ran into the lobby of the hotel and began to look around. She didn't see Chuck, Casey, Ilsa, or Victor Federov. There were, however, several people in tuxedos and evening dresses walking towards the outdoor pool.
Carina and Jimmy ran into the lobby a moment later. "Anything?" Carina asked Sarah.
"The ceremony will be by the pool but I haven't seen anyone else," she replied.
"We better find them fast or the term 'shotgun wedding' will have a whole new meaning," Jimmy said.
"You look for them at the ceremony," Carina said. "Jimmy and I will go upstairs. Weddings never start on time, and we might get lucky. Jimmy, see if you can get any of the bugs on your smartphone."
Sarah ran for the pool while Carina and Jimmy went to the elevators. Jimmy went through the CIA-designed apps on his smartphone to locate the program he needed.
~/^\~
"Ow! Ow, that's tight."
Chuck and Casey were tied up back-to-back in chairs by Victor's men.
"You make for a handsome groom," Victor told Casey, who was placed in a tuxedo. "It's a shame to ruin the suit."
"Ruin it how, exactly?" Chuck asked. "How would you ruin it? With bullet holes or blood or…"
"Shut up, Chuck," Casey growled.
"Shutting up."
"Where's Ilsa?" Casey inquired.
"Waiting at the ceremony," Victor answered. "Quite a woman, huh? I'm going to miss her."
He shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, well. At least we get to enjoy our wedding night, huh?"
"Leave her out of this."
"I have another proposal. I was so moved by listening to you and Ilsa say goodbye, what if I told you you get to keep the girl?"
"Casey, do you want to tell me what's going on?" Chuck asked in confusion.
"In fact…" Victor continued. "…how would you and Ilsa like to go on my honeymoon?"
"I love that idea," Chuck replied. "I don't even have to go."
Casey's eyes narrowed. "You mean let me die in your place? What did you have in mind, Victor? A plane crash over the Pacific? A fiery wreck that leaves nothing behind but our two charred corpses?"
"Three corpses. Your friend will play the role of pilot, or maybe one of those man-stewardesses? I'm sure your girlfriend will find someone else, Mr. Carmichael. If she really is your girlfriend."
Victor straightened up and fixed his tie. "If you'll excuse me, my associates have come to see me married. I would hate to disappoint them." He smiled and pointed at Casey. "You guys…"
He turned and walked out of the suite with two of his men. The rest of Victor's men stayed behind and sat down at a table across the room, keeping a sharp eye on Chuck and Casey.
~/^\~
Jimmy finished setting up his smartphone to listen in with an earpiece. He kept switching between one bug and another. Most of them were silent.
"Anything?" Carina asked as the elevator was almost to the 16th floor.
A grin spread across Jimmy's face. He set his phone to record the conversation. "Just Victor explaining how he's going to screw over his associates to Chuck and Casey. Chuck must have Ilsa's bug on him."
Carina took her gun out and cocked it. "Let's get ready. This should be interesting."
~/^\~
"Casey, I don't want to die as a man-stewardess," Chuck whined.
"Relax," he replied. "I think I see a scenario where we both get out of here with acceptable losses."
"What exactly is your version of acceptable?"
"Breaks and punctures, possible loss of a limb, no major organ damage."
It wasn't what Chuck wanted to hear.
~/^\~
Sarah looked through the crowd at the ceremony. Victor was waiting with the Justice of the Peace for Ilsa to walk in. She knew she was running out of time. She dialed Chuck's phone.
She was surprised to hear the ringtone that he set for her number: Sara Smile by Hall & Oates.
As Ilsa walked to the center aisle, apparently unaware Victor knew she was an agent, Sarah observed a man get up quickly and answer his phone, walking to a row of bushes out of sight. It was poetic justice he was the same bodyguard who found her last night.
"My turn this time," she said as she walked up behind the man. He tried to throw an elbow, but she nailed him with a back kick, sending him crashing into a wall. She pulled out her gun and put her shoe on the man's throat.
"Where is Chuck?"
~/^\~
Casey looked across at the men sitting at the table. "Hey, comrades! Mind if I ask you fellas a question? Where did you learn how to tie people up? A Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoon?"
That got one of Victor's men up. "I don't think that you're helping right now," Chuck hissed.
"No wonder you lost the Cold War. Couple of girl scouts could tie people up better than this.
The man walked towards Casey with a snarl.
"Casey, what are you…?"
Casey lurched forward and head-butted the man, lifting Chuck's chair up in the process. "Whoah!" Chuck screamed.
Casey swung around, and Chuck inadvertently kicked the man in the face. Casey kicked a chair towards a second man, tripping him.
"Like you said, Chuck, I'm sticking to my strengths," Casey said as the adrenaline kicked in.
A third man sent a spinning kick at Casey's face, who was undeterred. The man followed it up with a punch to Casey's stomach and his head, which snapped back and nailed Chuck in the back of his head.
"Oh, that had to hurt," Chuck groaned as he felt the pain.
The man tried to throw another punch but got Casey's skull instead. The man recoiled in pain, and Casey kicked the man back, sending him crashing into a lamp.
"Baddie at six o'clock!" Chuck yelled.
Casey turned to face him, gave him a kick to knock him back, and then spun hard again. Chuck finally got wise to what Casey was doing and landed a vicious kick to the man's face.
"Oh, how you like me NOW, sucka!" Chuck shouted in triumph.
Casey kneed one man back and spun to take out another man, only to be nailed by a nasty elbow. Chuck and Casey fell to the floor still tied together. Chuck kicked upward to send the man back and both tried to get up.
"Casey, Casey!" The man went after them. Casey turned to face him and took a kick to the stomach which knocked Chuck and him onto the balcony. Chuck almost went over the railing.
"Oh, high! It's so very high!"
Casey tried to fight his way back in, but the man was getting the upper hand, knocking Casey back several times in a row with consecutive punches. Each time, Chuck was forced further over the balcony. He was barely hanging on.
"Get him! Get him!"
The man sent a kick to Casey's face, then a second, and a third. Casey was dazed and couldn't keep his balance.
"I can't hold us! I have very weak thighs!" Chuck screamed as more of him was pushed over the railing. "Casey! Casey!"
"Last chance," Sarah threatened the man who had Chuck's smartphone. "Where is Chuck?"
The entire crowd heard a high-pitched squeal as Chuck and Casey went over the balcony railing. Both of them yelled in terror as they fell sixteen floors.
They landed in the pool.
Sarah knocked out the man who had Chuck's smartphone as Casey came up to the surface with Chuck in tow. The two exited the pool.
~/^\~
As Carina and Jimmy exited the elevator, they heard the screams coming from the Bridal Suite. They sprinted down the hall and got to the door. They readied their guns and Jimmy kicked the door open. Carina charged inside as Chuck and Casey went over the balcony. The man who sent them over immediately pulled out his gun but Carina was too fast, drilling him with three consecutive shots. Jimmy came in behind her and looked to his right, opening fire at a man who tried to aim at Carina. Carina opened fire at a third man but did not see the two hiding behind the curtains. They drew their weapons.
Jimmy dropped to the ground with both guns and nailed the two men hiding behind the curtains.
Carina turned around and looked in complete shock at Jimmy, who was bug-eyed and clearly in pain.
"When the hell did you learn how to do the splits?" she asked in amazement.
"I didn't!" Jimmy said in an octave many levels above falsetto.
~/^\~
Casey stepped out of the pool and walked purposefully towards the middle of the ceremony. The party guests were shocked and Ilsa was in awe.
Unfortunately, all of Federov's associates turned their guns on him.
"Hope I'm not too late to object to this union," he said in defiance.
"Take these two to my plane," Victor told one of his lackeys. "And strangle them."
"They're not going anywhere," Sarah said with her gun aimed right at Victor's head.
"Really? Who's going to stop me? One little girl with one little gun?"
Sarah took a glance at Ilsa, who nodded. Sarah held her hands up and slowly put the gun at her feet.
"Casey, this is unacceptable!" Chuck whispered fearfully.
"Shut up, Chuck," Casey ground out.
Sarah kicked the gun towards Ilsa, punched out one of Victor's associates on her right, and took his gun.
Ilsa caught the gun and put it to the back of Victor's head. "Try two little girls."
Victor stared for a moment before a hint of a smile came across his face. "Lucky for me I have a lot of friends out there. This is a minor setback at worst."
"How would you and Ilsa like to go on my honeymoon?"
"You mean let me die in your place? What did you have in mind, Victor? A plane crash over the Pacific? A fiery wreck that leaves nothing behind but our two charred corpses?"
"Three corpses. Your friend will play the role of pilot, or maybe one of those man-stewardesses?"
The crowd looked up into the air and then towards the DJ. Carina was there playing the recording Jimmy captured explaining how Victor planned to swindle his associates. All of the weapons aimed at Chuck, Sarah, and Casey were now pointing at Victor.
Ilsa cocked her gun. "Still a minor setback…Victor?" she said with a smile.
Casey nodded in approval. "She looks good with a gun."
Grand Seville Hotel – Los Angeles, CA
December 12, 2015
8:45 PM PST
Sarah and Carina supervised the apprehension of Victor Federov's associates. Processing him was the easiest capture they ever made; he practically begged to be taken to France rather than be on the streets of Moscow now that so many killers and criminals wanted him dead. Chuck watched everything from the table, taking the occasional glance at Casey and Ilsa, who obviously had reconciled.
"We're all set," Carina said as she walked up to Casey and Ilsa. "We'll have Victor on a private flight tomorrow and you can take him back to Paris."
"Not too early, I hope," Ilsa replied before giving Casey a mean 'come hither' expression.
Carina smiled and walked over to Jimmy, who had an angry scowl on his face and held two large icepacks to his groin. She whispered something in his ear.
"Aaaaaaagh!" Jimmy screamed, clutching at his groin even harder. "Knock it off! That wasn't funny the first three times you did it!"
Chuck and Sarah turned in surprise. "What exactly happened up here?"
Sarah shrugged. "Just Jimmy doing something stupid to save Carina again." She then walked up to Jimmy and also whispered something in his ear.
Jimmy roared in pain enough to make the room shake. "Goddamn it! Cut that out!" Sarah and Carina couldn't help but laugh. "I am SO out of here!" Jimmy spat as he walked gingerly out of the room still holding the icepacks to his crotch.
"And I thought I had a rough day," Chuck said.
"He'll be fine," Sarah replied. "We get on his case a lot, but he's a tough guy." Sarah grabbed his arm. "Come on, let's go get some dessert somewhere."
Chuck's eyes widened. "Oh, my God! I totally forgot about Ellie and Awesome!"
"What do you mean?"
Chuck pulled out the list of items Devon asked him to pick up. "Devon is going to propose tonight, but I was supposed to get all of these things and set them up while they were at dinner!" He checked his watch. "Oh, God. I've totally ruined this!"
"No!" Sarah couldn't believe Chuck fell sixteen stories, helped capture one of the biggest criminals in Russia, and all he could think about was ruining a marriage proposal.
She grabbed the list. "We'll get these things right now. I'll help you."
Chuck shook his head. "Most of the stores are closed by now. We can't do this."
Sarah raised an eyebrow. "I've got a Porsche and mad break-in skills. We're doing this."
Sarah grabbed Chuck's hand, and the two ran out of the hotel room.
Echo Park – Los Angeles, CA
December 12, 2015
9:45 PM PST
Devon opened the door to the apartment and allowed Ellie to enter first. His eyes widened.
"Uh, you know what? I forgot to bring in the mail earlier," he told Ellie.
Ellie rolled her eyes in mild annoyance. "I'll go get it."
Ellie walked out of the apartment to the mailboxes, and Devon began to panic. He started looking around the apartment in desperation.
"Here! Here!" Chuck whispered quickly as Sarah and he ran into the room. Sarah handed Devon a single red rose and started throwing rose petals all over the floor. Chuck put the pie and the champagne on the table and ran into the kitchen to retrieve a pie server, a pair of plates and forks, and two champagne flutes.
They heard the door click open and ran for Chuck's room.
"Wait!" Chuck whispered in a rush. He ran back and handed Awesome the engagement ring. Chuck and Sarah exited out of Chuck's window and walked around the apartment to the window just outside of the living room. They watched Devon get down on one knee and propose to Ellie, who was already in shock at seeing the rose petals, champagne, and pecan pie. And given she was in tears as Devon put the ring on her and she embraced him, it was clear her answer was 'yes'.
Chuck and Sarah stood there with smiles on their faces, especially Sarah. She had to concede she never expected to be part of something like this. But what she told Bryce rang even more true now than it did when she said it. She wasn't a lone wolf, and she was no longer Langston Graham's wildcard enforcer as she was once described. She was a leader of a team so loyal to her, they also became her best friends. And no matter what situation came up, no matter what the danger, whether Casey's gruff nature, Carina's libidinous attitude, or Jimmy's insane teddy bear persona got her hackles up, she always could rely on them to take care of her and each other.
And now she was protecting an asset who cared very deeply about everyone in such a short time. She knew she was a very lucky agent.
"God, she looks so happy," Chuck said quietly as they watched Ellie and Devon kiss.
"Yeah, she does," Sarah replied with a smile on her face it would take forever to fade.
"It's…everything they've been through because of me…"
Sarah took his hand. "Chuck, don't. Do not condemn yourself. You've done everything you can to help them. And it's clear you always have. You didn't ask to be the Intersect, but you've done a wonderful job with it. And once it's out, there isn't anything you can't have. You deserve it."
Chuck looked down at the ground and smiled abashedly, squeezing Sarah's hand in the process. "You want to come in with me?"
Sarah shook her head. "Oh, it's family time."
Chuck looked her in the eyes. "I know."
She gazed at him. She saw a different look in his eyes. It wasn't the look she was used to seeing when an asset wanted a relationship with her to be more than just a cover. This was the look of someone who wanted her to have something, to belong to something. She realized he wanted her to be part of his life, one way or another. And in that moment, she wanted the same thing. She didn't know where it would lead, but she knew she wanted a part of this life. Away from the world of espionage, away from the show, a whole new beginning.
She squeezed Chuck's hand in response and the two went inside to congratulate the newly engaged couple.
Grand Seville Hotel – Los Angeles, CA
December 13, 2015
10:00 AM PST
Casey and Ilsa walked down to the lobby of the hotel. They spent a wonderful evening together and even ordered room service…both last night and this morning. And even a couple of times during the night.
"Thank you for helping me, Casey. And thank your friends for me," Ilsa said.
"You've got some skills," Casey replied with a raised eyebrow.
"As do you. And on missions, too."
"Wish you didn't have to leave so soon," Casey said quietly as Ilsa held his hands.
"I was ordered to wrap this up quickly," Ilsa replied. "After what happened in Paris, the DGSE has a lot of work on their hands. I have a deep cover assignment on the Syrian-Turkish border."
"I'm jealous. Take out a few terrorists for me, will you?"
Ilsa smiled. "You got it." She gave him a kiss. "I hope to return someday."
Casey cradled her face in his hands and gave her a passionate kiss. "I'll be waiting."
She gently caressed his face. "Goodbye, Casey." She turned and walked towards the exit.
"Ilsa?" Casey called out, which prompted Ilsa to turn back to him. "I'm glad you're not dead."
Ilsa gave him that devilish smile of hers, the one that got Casey's motors running, before exiting the hotel.
His mobile phone began to ring. Casey saw Graham's name on the Caller ID.
"This is Casey," he said.
"Good news, Major," Graham said. "The new Intersect computer is almost complete. We'll be ready to bring it online in the next few weeks."
"That's excellent news, Director."
"Operation Bartowski is almost over."
Casey hung up his phone. He thought he would be jumping for joy when they announced the Intersect was ready and Chuck would no longer be needed.
But he wasn't.
~/^\~
Graham hung up the phone and turned to the man sitting in his office.
"You know what to do. That's what Division 7 is for. Once we've verified the Intersect computer is working normally, your team is to eliminate Chuck Bartowski. He's just gone from valuable asset to a high security risk. If Walker or any of her team tries to stop you, kill them too."
"Yes, sir," the man replied and walked briskly out of the office.