A/N: EDC here. You know what's ridiculously fun? Catching something your writing partner wrote and trying to one up the gag. Taking an idea and turning it up to 11. That's what this rewrite has been. Yeah, it's gonna take a BUNCH of chapters to do what we want. Yeah, we know some of you are chomping at the bit. But you've all read our work, you KNOW we give you the payoffs. I say all this to say, trust us, we are trying to make all of this worth your while. Also, I need to publicly thank SC. She has made me a better writer by doing this. She has made me not rely on my fluff crutch (and early on she almost had to take that crutch and beat it out of me.) I promise you, when we get them there….it will be worth it. Thank you SC, I've learned so much, I've had so much fun, and I have laughed so much doing this with you. You are the best.
I'm just okay. - SC
Disclaimer: We don't own Chuck, because if we did it wouldn't be behind Psych and Veronica Mars in movies.
Sarah emerged from Casey's bathroom in full Wienerlicious regalia, still wrapping a hair tie around one of her pigtails as she met him in his living room.
"Any of this feel weird to you?" she asked him.
He looked up at her as he shut down his laptop, slipping the lid closed, and shrugging. "She's gone rogue to save her brother. Agents have done that before, they'll do it again. Don't make it the right thing to do."
"Why did the Chinese government refuse the deal?"
"Easy. Lee's not important, the Triad they've got in prison is. They're the Chinese, Walker. Stop pretending like they're gonna be as civilized about these things as we are."
Sarah gave him a long look. "You've been in this business longer than I have, most likely. And you know what you just said is bullshit. I've had to leave innocent people in the dust, and I've had to let them get thrown under the bus. And you have, too, no doubt. It's part of the job. But can you really blame Mei Ling here? They are letting the Triads do whatever they want with her brother."
"There isn't room for sentiment here, Walker. We aren't getting involved. Those are our orders."
"Yeah, well...You understand orders. And I do." She wasn't going to delve too deep in whether or not she always followed them, even if she understood them. "But that's kind of a foreign concept for Chuck. That guy's over there most likely having lost sleep because he helped Ben Lo Pan get away."
Casey let out a bit of a cruel snicker. When she glared, he shrugged, killing the smirk on his face. "Sorry. Just...the image of him running out of that restaurant and pushing a Triad leader to his getaway car...kinda funny."
Sarah purposefully ignored him. "How do we get Chuck to understand us not doing anything to help Mei Ling?"
"Tell 'im he has to deal with it. People die. Sometimes it isn't fair. That's how life works."
"That's so fucked up. I don't even know where to begin."
Casey shrugged and shoved toast in his mouth, grabbing his backpack. "Life is fucked up, Walker. You and I do what we can to try to minimize the damage it does to our republic."
She had no choice but to follow him out into the courtyard. Her mind was going a mile a minute as she stood off to the side and watched Casey move to Chuck's door, wondering if there was a way for her to ease Chuck's guilt.
Part of her wondered if they could maybe figure out a way to keep him from finding out what eventually happened to Mei Ling's brother—whether the Triad made him disappear or made a big deal out of his murder. She knew they wouldn't let him go. Not after the Chinese government refused to release their high-level Triad comrade.
And if Chuck found out, it would eat at him. She knew this firsthand. It was like she'd told Casey; she'd watched innocents die because she'd had to. The greater good and all that. It was a rare occurrence, but it happened enough that it had wrecked her from the inside out. There were nights when she couldn't sleep because she saw their faces, people she could've probably saved, but her orders had been not to. Because there was something bigger at work. Either more people would survive because of it, or...well, it didn't matter why. She'd done it.
If it plagued her, it'd be worse for Chuck. He was the type of person who'd let it destroy his soul. He was a good person. She didn't want him to go through this, already, mere weeks into this damn operation.
Chuck slipped out of his door, a flat look on his face, looking somewhat rested, she supposed. He immediately glanced at Casey and the look on his face became even flatter. "What are we, carpooling now?"
Casey ignored the quip. "Just heard back from Washington. They confirmed Mei Ling's story. Her brother Lee Cho's a low level bureaucrat from Beijing. He was kidnapped on a business trip to LA by the local Triads."
"The Chinese received a ransom call," Sarah swept in to stand in front of Chuck, watching him jump a bit at her sudden appearance. Maybe he hadn't slept well after all. She unconsciously reached up to pick a bit of lint off of the shoulder of his shirt, then spotted the curl askew on his forehead, liking that her efforts were futile when she tried to fix it. That part was unconscious, too. "Asking for the release of a Triad captain in Beijing. They refused." She exchanged a look with Casey. "Mei Ling is here on her own. The government never signed off on a rescue op, per General Beckman's talk with the MSS Minister. She's rogue."
Chuck frowned. "What's the connection to the guy in the wheelchair?"
"The feds have always suspected Ben Lo Pan had Triad roots but they could never prove it." And she thought she could've proven it with a few quick clicks on Google, but that was just her being petty, perhaps. This whole thing had the stink of incompetence all over it.
They all turned towards the gate to slowly move past the fountain and she slung her arm through Chuck's, just in case anyone was watching.
"Okaaay, so what do we do now?" Chuck asked.
And this was the hard part. Before she could answer, Casey did. And that made her frown even harder. "Nothin'," he grumbled. And Sarah was frustrated by the pointed tone in his voice. "We stay out of it." It was like he was goading Chuck to even try to argue.
Chuck was undeterred. Which was on brand.
"Hold on a second," he said, stopping and turning to face the NSA agent. His voice was strong, steady, and this was going to be harder to do than both of them had thought. "I watched that guy get stuffed into a trunk and it's because I got it wrong."
"We're not gonna start an international incident over someone not even the Chi-comms care about," Casey said, a glint in his eye. "Let it go, Chuck, huh?" And then he left the courtyard altogether.
Chuck spun on her as she wracked her brain for what to say. How could she convince him he had to do this, without the guilt eating at him? She didn't know if she could. "Sarah, this is my fault!" he snapped. "Okay? It's my fault! I screwed up! Her brother's gonna die and it's all my fault!"
"No!" she interrupted. "It's Ben Lo Pan's fault. Triad's fault. And she shouldn't have gone off grid like this. She was disobeying orders from her superiors by coming here."
"Yeah, but her superiors didn't give her any choice! Come on!"
"Chuck, it isn't that simple. In this business, it's never that simple! Choices have to be made. A lot of people were in on the decision not to let that Triad captain go. A Triad captain, Chuck. That's a big deal. Letting a criminal like that go…?"
"So they just let an innocent man die?"
"You make it sound simple…"
"Because it is simple, Sarah. Her brother's on the chopping block and her superiors said, 'CHOP AWAY!' and she's supposed to just stand by and let that happen? That's not what you do. Family is more important than this, than this superspy stuff."
"It isn't just 'superspy stuff'. Don't trivialize how important this work is," she said quietly, calmly, and she found herself feeling a bit ill as she defended the agency she'd been so ready to leave before Bryce sent Chuck the Intersect and trapped her here. No, she wasn't trapped. Not really. She was making this decision...but sometimes it felt like she was trapped. "Hard decisions have to be made every day. And it never gets easy for those of us who have to carry it out. It was...hard for me, too. When I first started. It's...still hard. Honestly." She felt fidgety, saying that out loud. But it seemed to take some of the bite out of the hard look on his face.
"We can't just let this happen. I won't stand off to the side and watch Mei Ling's brother die. If it were Ellie, I'd never obey orders. I'd ditch out on those assholes in a hot second to save her life. I'd do exactly what Mei Ling did." He was almost daring her to challenge him.
But she wouldn't.
"I know you would, Chuck," she said softly. "It's why I'm not just here to protect you. I'm here to protect them, too. Your family. Your people."
"Nobody's protecting Mei Ling's people." There was something in his look, in his tone of voice, that made her wonder if Chuck meant to be the one who stepped into that role. But how did he think he'd ever manage that? She and Casey weren't letting him out of their sight. That much was certain. And she'd make sure Casey was well aware of his duties today at the Buy More.
"Look. Chuck…I know how you feel. I do. Trust me. But this is something you need to understand about...our duties...as intelligence agents. You have to make choices, because you just can't...save everyone all the time. We aren't superheroes."
She turned on her heels and walked away from him, leaving the courtyard but hearing him slowly follow behind. She let her eyes drift shut for a moment and she sighed. She hadn't done what she needed to do. She could feel it. Chuck was still wracked with guilt. And he knew that ambassador, Mei Ling's brother, would likely die. It would fall on his shoulders, as unfair as that was. And she didn't know how she and Casey were going to handle the fallout.
}o{
Chuck was sitting at the Nerd Herd desk thinking about that morning, and considering eating his cheeseburger. If it had been Ellie that had been captured… He shook his head. He had to convince Sarah to do something to help. He had to. He couldn't let Mei Ling's brother die. He had to do something. He took a bite of his cheeseburger and as if on cue, the phone rang. He looked at the phone. It never failed; take a bite of food, phone rings. Customer service 101. He decided he would answer the phone and then figure out what to do about Mei Ling's brother after he solved the next computer crisis...probably a virus hidden in porn downloaded from the Internet.
"Nerd herd. Bartowski speaking," he said without the usual cheeriness in his voice.
"I'm looking at you right now," the female voice said.
Chuck began to laugh. He had heard them all. "Oh, you're looking at me right now," he mocked. "Hehhehhehhehheh. Who is this?"
"Let's just say you owe me," the voice replied. "For ruining my rescue operation."
Chuck had opened his mouth to take another bite, thinking it was a prank call and not worrying about good customer service. His hand froze when he realized what that meant. "Mei Ling," he said softly. He needed Casey. "Mei Ling," he said a bit more forcefully, turned, snapped his fingers and waved his hand at Casey.
"Put your hand down," she hissed at him. Chuck dropped his hand immediately. "If you signal your friend, it's the last thing you'll ever do. By the way, nice mustard stain."
Chuck glanced down. Damn it, there was a mustard stain. He had to keep her on the phone. They bugged the calls, right? Someone would trace it...right? "What can I say, I love mustard on my burger. Who doesn't?"
"I didn't call you to talk about your questionable food choices," she replied.
"Okay, okay, but was that really necessary? I thought we were trying to have an open dialogue," Chuck replied, looking around. There was silence so he continued. "Where are you?"
"Not near the sorority girls looking at the Kelly Clarkson display," she replied.
"Two things: one, that's oddly specific, and two, I don't see you as a Kelly Clarkson fan."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Mei Ling asked.
"I don't see one of China's top spies as someone who'd have a lot of time to follow music," Chuck said, still scanning.
"What do you know about top spies and their music tastes?"
"More than you'd probably believe," Chuck muttered. "What exactly do you want?"
"The Triads put a clock on my brother's life. He dies in nine hours if I don't do something."
No. This was exactly what Chuck was worried about. "Okay, yeah, about that. About that. Listen, I'm really, really sorry. And if there's anything that I can do to make up for it…"
"Help me rescue him," she demanded.
It was at that moment, Morgan showed up with his fabulous Morgan timing. "I'm a dead man," Morgan said, nearly making Chuck jump through the roof. "Dude, I'm in last place in the sales competition. If you do not help me, I am gonna get fired."
"One word to him and you're a dead man, too," Mei Ling said.
How was she doing this? "Not now, Morgan, please. I have a really, really upset customer." Morgan started to say something, but Chuck pointed away and made a noise, "Dit!" Morgan walked off, throwing his hands in the air.
"Listen to me. Listen to me," Chuck pleaded whispering. "I'm a good samaritan. Seriously, I just made a mistake. It could have happened to anyone. I saw a guy in a wheelchair, and thought, you know, he needed to get away from all the shooting. I just helped the wrong guy. I help people run computers, not rescue operations. But I know some people—"
She cut him off. "I tailed you and your handlers. You have a team watching your every step, which means you can help, and you will."
"So you do know about spies and their music tastes," Chuck groused.
"I'll be in touch soon," she said and he heard a dial tone.
"Hello? Hello…" Chuck noticed Casey walk by and hung up. "Want a hot dog?" Casey gave Chuck a look. "It's an emergency." Casey raised an eyebrow and Chuck rolled his eyes. "It has nothing to do with loading the clown into the cannon."
Casey shook his head. "You're weird, Bartowski," and with that Casey headed to the Wienerlicious.
"I swear he sets me up every chance he gets," Chuck said to no one, and then headed to the Wienerlicious. Chuck walked in and saw Casey ordering. Sarah raised an eyebrow at him. "I had a cheeseburger earlier."
"I can tell, you have a mustard stain on your tie," she replied. "Ever think maybe I'd want one?"
Chuck blinked. "It was a fast food one Morgan grabbed me, not a good one," he replied.
Sarah studied him and nodded. "Only the best for me, huh, Chuck?" Casey gave Chuck a look, heard him mutter, "too easy," and turned away. Chuck went to the table, not sure what to say.
Casey took his food and sat down at the table, and Sarah came to join them. "So, listen, I've been thinking a lot about last night. And, you know, you guys were talking about how the spy could be valuable to us." As he spoke he kept looking at Sarah, her face cool, stoic. She was giving away no hints, her spy face was working perfectly. Chuck wasn't sure if he was doing the right thing, or getting in a ton of trouble. Either way, there was a top secret Chinese spy watching him. "So, I was thinking, she might not be very happy right now with her government. She might be really pissed they're gonna let her brother die. What if we could convince her to, I don't know, like, uh, give up some secret stuff…"
"You mean defect?" Sarah said, in a tone and look he couldn't read. She had told him he couldn't save them all, and she was right, he couldn't...but they could. Was she mad because he hadn't listened? This could be bad.
"Defect! Yes! People do that kind of thing all the time, right?" His face was pleading with her, but she was giving away nothing...except she might be a hair, and by a hair he meant majorly, pissed. She gave the smallest nod, either she was agreeing with him, or she was thinking of all the ways to yell at him. He prayed it wasn't the latter, but was pretty sure it was. He pressed on, playing dumb. "The Hunt for Red October. White Nights? White Nights— Gregory Hines, Baryshnikov, dancing their way to freedom." He used his fingers to simulate the dancing.
The look on Casey's face said he might have gone too far. "Well, as long as you've done serious research on the subject," Casey quipped while chewing on his corndog. Sarah glanced at Casey. Chuck was pretty sure he had that look figured out. It was either, "Do you want to kill him or me?" Or it was, "How are you eating that? I cooked it." Casey continued on. "You get her to defect, I'll help rescue her brother personally."
"Why are you bringing this up?" Sarah asked in a direct clipped voice.
Shit. Well, it had been nice not being in a bunker. He couldn't look her in the eye, and that was a bad sign. "Well, she sort of... just... called me."
Casey swallowed. Sarah had a look on her face of...well...it was either, "YOU IDIOT!" or "I MAY KILL YOU!" or "DID YOU HEAR NOTHING I SAID?" or something to that effect.
"She called you?" Casey asked. "Where?"
"At the Buy More," Chuck replied. Casey stopped chewing and stared at him. "I think she might've been in the store, too, because she knew my every move." He held up his tie. "She even knew that I had mustard on my tie." Casey and Sarah sprinted out of the Wienerlicious. "What? Hey, where are we... Wait a minute!" Chuck followed them to the Buy More.
"What were you thinking?" Sarah hissed at him.
"I was thinking of doing things in a way that made both of us happy," Chuck replied. Sarah just stared at him. "Why do I think you're not happy?"
She stared at him for a second, and he couldn't read what was on her face. "Real observant, Chuck, go over there with Morgan where I can keep an eye on you." Her tone made it clear it wasn't a request, but that had never stopped Chuck before.
"Sarah—"
"Chuck, I don't have time for this. Go."
Chuck walked over to Morgan, who was looking depressed. "Hey! Hey, Morgan... Hey, buddy. Listen, I'm really sorry about last night. I got home really late."
Morgan waved it off. "Yeah, don't sweat it, man. It's just my livelihood at stake."
Ouch. Chuck had to do something. "What about tonight? Maybe after Mother's Day."
"Working a double shift, you know. It's my last chance to kind of make enough sales to, uh, not get fired. Thanks, though, pal." Morgan patted his shoulder and walked off, leaving Chuck feeling helpless and he wondered what else could go wrong.
That's when Jeff walked up, and Chuck didn't notice him. "Chuck." Chuck screamed in surprise. "There's a delivery of hard drives in the storage cage you need to sign for."
Chuck was trying to calm down so no one would notice his edginess. "Great. Thank you... Jeff." Jeff gave him a look. Seriously? Jeff could tell he was nervous? Chuck headed toward the storage cage. He opened the door, walked into the back room, and started looking for the delivery. He saw the delivery person in the back. "Oh, hey, I think that's for me." Mei Ling spun around, a gun under her clipboard. "Please tell me that's not real. The gun, not the clipboard."
She stuck it into his stomach as he raised his hands. "Real enough?"
Chuck began pleading. He wasn't too proud to admit it. "Listen, listen, they agreed to help if you would just defect."
She gave him a look like he was an idiot. "What?"
Chuck hurried on, seeing that she wasn't thrilled with the idea. "It's really not that bad here, you know. You're pissed at your government. The Chinese food's pretty good. Have you tried sizzling shrimp? You can also listen to Kelly Clarkson without too much judgment."
It was in that moment that Casey and Sarah stormed the room. "Drop the gun! Drop it!" Casey yelled. Mei Ling spun Chuck and put the gun to his head.
"Let go," Sarah said, her face stone. She was wearing her mask again, but he could see a thread of fierceness there.
"Shoot me, I shoot him," Mei Ling spat back.
"Hey, hey, I got an idea," Chuck began, trying to figure some way out of this. "How about a new plan that involves less shooting. Casey...Casey. You agreed to help if she defected, right?"
Both agents continued to have their weapons pointed at Mei Ling. "I would never!" she said emphatically.
"Why? Too much loyalty to your government? The same one that left your brother for dead?" Casey asked.
Chuck thought Casey might have hit a nerve, but couldn't tell because Mei Ling was behind him. "If I defect, I can never go back to China. I will never see my brother again."
Chuck closed his eyes and prayed. This had to work, because if not…..Sarah was going to be real mad if he got shot, and Ellie...Oh, God! She would kill him, and if he was killed, Ellie would dig up his body and kill him again. "And if you don't, you'll lose him forever. And you don't want that." They locked eyes, and Chuck saw her wavering. "This isn't the first time you've ignored your government, is it?" Her eyes widened, but not as much as Casey and Sarah's. He was hoping that what he flashed on was right. "Those kids, three years ago, you saved them. The government said no. The family wasn't rich enough, not influential enough, but you did it anyway, didn't you? Those families were just poor, regular people, not worth making waves over, and it just didn't sit right with you, did it?" She said nothing. "Casey and Sarah get that."
Mei Ling, Casey and Sarah all locked eyes. Casey gave the slightest of head nods, as did Sarah.
"God, country, family," Casey said. "But sometimes the country fucks things up."
"You can say that again," Sarah muttered.
"And seriously, ask Sarah, you can listen to Kelly Clarkson without being mocked," Chuck added.
Mei Ling shot Sarah a look. "How would I know?" Sarah replied. Casey gave her a look. "Fine. I liked Breakaway."
"From The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement?" Mei Ling asked. Sarah nodded, giving Chuck a dirty look. He was gonna pay for that later, but right now, he had an in.
"Guys, promise Mei Ling you'll help rescue her brother if she defects. Please." Neither Casey or Sarah moved. WHAT THE HELL?! "Please?" he asked more insistently.
Sarah never moved a muscle to speak. Chuck was confused. "Promise," Casey said. "Now let the kid go."
"How do I know I can trust you?" Mei Ling asked.
Sarah stared at her. "You don't have any other choice." Mei Ling pushed him forward, knocking Chuck to the ground. Sarah and Casey lowered their weapons, and Chuck wondered how much trouble he was in.
}o{
She watched Chuck go into his and Ellie's apartment. It had been a quiet ride back from the Buy More. Well, Chuck was quiet, Mei Ling and Casey were talking. They were going over ideas for how to get her brother out, Chuck was staring at his feet, and Sarah was sitting beside him, stewing. She didn't say anything, but she really didn't have to. She felt him looking and glanced at him. He mouthed, "I'm sorry." She gave a quick shake of her head, and he dropped his head again. She caught a look from Casey in the rearview mirror and wasn't sure what that was about.
How the hell had he known that about Mei Ling? Had he flashed and not told them…?
Or was it something else?
"How about you go inside, and let me talk to my partner for a second?" Casey suggested to Mei Ling. "And don't touch anything." She gave him a look, nodded and went in. Casey turned toward Sarah. He was silent for a second, looked over at Chuck's apartment, and then Sarah saw him reach a decision. "What's got your skirt twisted?"
"I swear to God, I hope one time we have to do a mission at a Drag Show where you have to wear a skirt and heels and have to shave your legs," Sarah retorted. Casey made a face and growled. "He's the problem," she said then. "He doesn't seem to get how important he is."
"When life takes a shit on you, you begin to think you aren't that important," Casey retorted. "Walker, you know him. He'll do anything for family. You can't be surprised. Hell, that was a good piece of spy craft. He turned one of China's best spies. He made her defect. What's really got you torn up?" Sarah looked over at one of cameras in the courtyard. Casey nodded, opened the door, and headed in.
"One sec," he told Mei Ling as he led Sarah to his bedroom.
Sarah raised an eyebrow as she followed him. "And here you've been giving Chuck grief about getting me into his bedroom."
"And you think you aren't funny," Casey sassed. Sarah wondered exactly how much Chuck said about her. He shut the door and flicked a switch. "We're safe, now spill it."
Sarah couldn't tell him everything, but she could tell him some of it, because it was a real concern. "He's not us, Casey. He's taking chances he shouldn't."
"Agreed, but again, we both know that he will do anything…for anyone." Casey studied her a minute. "Walker, what's the problem? We both know you're gonna protect him, and if I have to I will...just don't tell him that."
She looked away. "I won't always be here."
Casey grunted. "Yeah. Because you're gonna listen to Graham when he tells you to go."
She looked at him. "Casey, if that's the order…" She trailed off.
"Walker, you don't even believe that."
"Casey," she said softly. "He deserves a real life, a normal life. The life he had before Bryce sent him that email. He belongs in his life. But that life isn't for people like me. Like us," she added, even though she knew Casey understood full well what was going on in this conversation. And the slightly flat look he gave her really pounded that home. She was only a little uncomfortable. "We know what we've done, seen, what kind of lives we've lived. This? The spy life? It isn't his world."
"Ever thought the kid might want a choice in the matter? Hell, he's not bad at what he does, with a little training—"
"NO!" she said softly but intensely. "Do. Not." Casey nodded. "Now, we have a job."
"Walker," Casey said as she turned. "You know he has to go on missions." She nodded. "I know you'll protect him." She nodded. "I won't let them take him."
She turned back to him and studied him. What was Casey's game? She didn't know at that moment but they did have a mission. "Thank you."
Casey nodded, studied her a second, and then asked what had apparently been bugging him all day. "How the hell did he know that about Mei Ling?"
"He flashed?" Sarah guessed.
Casey groaned and rolled his eyes. "When did he flash, and what made him?"
"All excellent questions," Sarah replied. "I have one better. Why didn't he tell us?"
Casey pointed towards her. "That is a better one. Can I hit him if I don't like his answer?"
"No, because I may." Casey nodded and led her back to the living room where Mei Ling joined them.
He unrolled a map. "This is the floor plan of Ben Lo Pan's estate."
Mei Ling pointed to a spot on the map. "My intel says they're holding my brother here... Near the center of the mansion."
Casey looked at the spot and shook his head. "Getting in is one thing, getting out is going to be the real trick. Lo Pan's got a private army of security guards. When the alarms go, they'll be all over us." He looked over at Sarah. "We need our analyst to see if he can spot anything. Want me to do it?" Sarah nodded. Casey pulled out his phone to call Chuck while Sarah wondered if she could actually keep him safe.
}o{
He had a weird feeling in his gut, and he didn't know why. He'd managed to get everyone everything they wanted in this situation. Mei Ling's brother wasn't going to be left to the wolves because with her, Casey, and Sarah working together, they'd get him out. And U.S. intelligence was getting an incredibly seasoned Chinese spy to defect. And, though this was low on the list, his conscience would be clear.
He wouldn't have to live with Lee Cho's death for the rest of his existence.
So why did something feel...off? Maybe it was everything he'd learned while breaking into the MSS database? Or maybe he just felt like this because he'd gone back into Piranha mode for the first time in years and it didn't sit well with him, doing something that illegal. Especially with two U.S. intelligence agents watching his every move.
Or maybe it was just that he was a few hours away from Mother's Day and he was afraid something would derail it and Ellie would murder him as a Mother's Day gift.
He shivered just as he heard the door open. Grabbing a glass and a bottle of fizzy water, he turned and grinned at his sister coming in, arms laden with groceries. "Heeeey, what up, sis?"
"Oh, good!" She looked relieved to see him there and he wondered how much of her thought he wouldn't be here for this, that he'd miss it. That had never been something she'd been afraid of before. And the thought that she was afraid of it this time around bummed him out. "Did you remember to defrost the chicken?"
"You know that I did!" He made room for her to put the bags down as she came around into the kitchen. "And you know why? Because it is Mother's Day and I am here for you," he said emphatically.
"The prodigal brother returns!" she announced and he giggled as she seemed to struggle a bit with the bags.
"Need some help?"
"Yes, please! Thanks!" she chirped, and he laughed, grabbing a bag and setting it on the counter for her. She was brimming with excitement, relief, almost even a bit bouncy, and he loved her a lot in that moment. His big sister. Forever his protector and biggest supporter.
He found himself chuckling at the big smile on her face.
"So this'll be fun," she drawled, "just you and I." She turned and looked up at him. "It's been a while."
"It's been too long." He shrugged. "But tonight is all about brother-sister bonding, you know, catching up. Catching up," he repeated, emptying the bag, "by the way, with no distractions." And just as he said that, he heard his phone ringing.
Fuck.
He took his phone out as he shut the fridge. It was Casey. The op was tonight. They were saving Lee Cho. Shit. Shit shit. Shit. "And as soon as I answer this call, I will turn it off," he promised Ellie, pointing down at his phone. He brought it to his ear, answering. "Hello…"
"It's Casey. Get over here. Wanna see if you flash on anything." Chuck winced. God damn it. Damn it. Damn it damn it. He didn't respond, knowing Casey didn't need one. And he figured Casey had probably already hung up anyway, so he just hit end and lowered his phone.
The look on Ellie's face wasn't fun. And she waited there expectantly, hand on her hip. "What was that?"
"Nothing. Nothin', it's Casey. John Casey, my coworker. He needs some help with um...uh...decorating tips." He made a what can ya do face.
But Ellie just narrowed her eyes and curled her lip a bit. "Like...color swatches? I could help with that."
"No, no, no!" He rushed out, crossing the kitchen as she continued emptying the bags. "You don't wanna—No, that's very thoughtful of you. I really appreciate that. But he's a guy's guy. You know? He wants a man's opinion…" He rolled his eyes dramatically. "He's a … hunter." What the hell? "So he's really into hunting. And...he doesn't quite know which...deer...to mount...on…" He wasn't even finishing that. What in the hell was wrong with him?
"Ew!" Ellie groused, walking past him. "Well, you have a couple of hours before dinner, so… And I need to focus in the kitchen anyway."
Chuck blinked. "You sure?"
"Yeah! Oh! You know what?" She dug in the fridge and stood up with a bowl in hand. "Why don't you take him some of my special guacamole? You know? Like, as a housewarming gift?"
"That—Wow. Thank you, Ellie. That's so nice of you. Thanks." He turned to follow as she crossed the kitchen and started piling chips in the bowl, peeling the foil off from the guacamole. "And please, make sure he eats it and you don't bring any of it back. I made way too much and I kinda can't stand the sight of it anymore. At least not for a few months."
Chuck laughed and nodded. "Sounds good." She handed it over. "Okay. I promise I will be back by eight. I promise."
He dashed out of the kitchen, went to the door and opened it, walking into the courtyard. He waited for the door to shut before he cursed. This was the feeling. The bad feeling. Part of him had known there might be an interruption.
Chuck knocked on Casey's door. It swept open immediately. "Hey, hi...Okay, no greeting, that's fine." He stepped inside as Casey just walked away, further into the eerily dark room. "I brought Ellie's secret recipe, guys, if anyone...uh…"
He shut the door as Casey walked right back to the board they must have set up in the last four hours since they'd left the Buy More early to plan. He saw the blueprints laid out. Mei Ling stood at the board, Sarah at a computer, the blue glow from the screen lighting her face as she lifted her gaze to him. She wore that mask still, and he thought he was still in trouble. As much as he respected her, that bullshit about not saving everyone was just that: bullshit. Maybe they couldn't save everyone, but what was the point of all of this if they didn't even try?
"Just tryin'a help out the mission in any way that I can," he chirped, coming in to set the guacamole down. "Sarah? You want, uh…?" He pointed at it and she didn't respond. "Mei Ling? Casey? Listen, guys, I can't stay," he finally said when none of them answered.
"There are at least ten guards we know of stationed at these points here…" Casey pointed to the map on the board, completely ignoring Chuck. "Here...and here."
"The security cameras are TKS50s. They're a little outdated but they're equipped for mode access," Sarah said, turning to face the board as well. Chuck gaped a little at her. Because as much as he knew now wasn't the time for this, he found it sort of made him hot under the collar hearing her talking about TKS50s and mode access and...he really needed to focus here. Why'd they need him for this? "Either of you familiar with them?" Sarah continued, turning to Mei Ling and Casey.
Neither of them seemed to be.
So he raised his free hand. "Uh, I am." They all gave him surprised looks. "Yeah! We, uh, we used to sell them at the Buy More. Did a bunch of installs a few years back. They're pretty easy to access," he said with a shrug. And he didn't realize until later that he probably should've kept his damn mouth shut.
"Good," Mei Ling said. "Every warm body helps."
And there came the realization. "I'm sorry?" He gaped. "Me? No, no, no, no… as much as I wish that I could help you," and he really did, he really really did, but he just couldn't do this tonight, he couldn't, "I can't. I made plans with my sister. Those are non-negotiable. Seriously. No."
He wasn't budging, either. Even with the way Mei Ling gave him a hard stare, Casey crossing his arms… Sarah lowered her chin and looked up at him through her eyelashes. Why was she smiling a little? He knew. He knew why. When they stood in that courtyard together, he made a point of going on and on about how guilty he felt because this was all his fault. He raised his voice at her, trying to protect Lee Cho after he let Ben Lo Pan get away with him in his trunk.
Sarah knew exactly what she was doing. But she really didn't know how bad the consequences would be for him if he wasn't back here by eight. She couldn't have even a semblance of a clue.
"But of course," he said, his voice serious, measured, "I know you wouldn't even be in this mess in the first place if it weren't for me. I wanna be with my sister, and you...obviously wanna be with your brother. We're like...one big wacky...transatlantic family." He chuckled but got nothing out of anyone else. "I owe you. I'm in."
"Okay. Fine," Sarah said, as if she hadn't just been giving him that look a few moments earlier. "But you don't leave the van under any circumstances."
"I just need to be home by eight. If that's at all possible."
"Don't get your undies in a twist, Chuck. We'll have you home for your little sibling dinner," Casey said as Sarah climbed up from her chair and shrugged her jacket on. Mei Ling and Casey started gathering their things as well.
"My undies are just fine, thank you. I'm just—It's very important I don't miss this. It's a special date we never miss, Ellie and I."
"Listen, kid. We miss it, we miss it. You wanted to do this, so we're doin' it." Casey threw a bag at him. "Carry that, will ya? And take the chips and guac to go. Ain't lettin' that go to waste."
Sarah spared him one quick look, he noticed, as they all swept out into the courtyard past him, and he still wasn't all that sure she didn't currently hate him for his antics today.
A/N: Next time….SC does Mother's Day. Get your feels ready, seriously, I wasn't prepared.
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