A/N: Hello faithful readers! I apologize profusely for the delay in getting this chapter out! I had an unexpected interruption in my ability to access the site but I finally managed a work-around so I can finally resume writing. Hopefully it ends up being worth the wait. Bit of a warning to any sensitive readers, there is a section that gets a bit, uh, steamy. Not all that graphic, certainly not smut, but definitely suggestive, so just wanted to give you a heads up So without further ado...
"I'm sorry, did you just say Daniel Shaw?" Chuck asked in disbelief.
Carina nodded while shrugging her shoulders, not understanding why it mattered.
"Carina, how much do you know about him?"
"Not much. Most of the files on him are highly classified, a.k.a. accessible only to people way above my pay grade. General Beckman did say she would be granting me access to them before he arrives. Why? What's so special about him?"
Sarah snorted. "I'd hardly call him special" she said derisively.
"It's a long story" Chuck added. "But the cliff notes version is he was originally tasked with evaluating Project Intersect, my readiness to go into the field as a spy, and the effectiveness of Casey, Sarah, and I as a team. The Ring turned him into a double agent and eventually they managed to get ahold of the intersect program and uploaded it into his head. He killed my dad, and tried to kill me, I kicked his ass and got him arrested. A few years later he broke out and tried to create a new version of the Intersect which would've made the current one in my head obsolete, but I tricked him and instead of a new Intersect I got him to delete the one he already had in his head, then I kicked his ass again. He went back to jail and that was supposed to be the end of it, but apparently now you're telling me it isn't."
Sarah cleared her throat.
"Oh yeah, and he also dated Sarah before he found out she killed his wife, who was the target of her red test."
"How about the fact he also tried to kill me by paralyzing me and throwing me off a bridge, or the fact he broke into Castle and had me dangling by my hands which were tied above my head, duct taped my mouth, and tried to freeze me to death, and then tried to blow up the Buy More with us inside as a cherry on top?" Sarah added indignantly.
"So long story short, really really bad dude" Carina replied. "Got it."
Chuck ran a hand through his hair and sighed.
"Like it or not, it sounds like we're gonna have to deal with him again." He turned to Sarah. "You ok with this?"
"No, but it doesn't sound like we have a choice. But I swear Chuck if he steps out of line for even one second, I will kill him."
Carina and Chuck were both startled to hear the intensity in Sarah's voice, but neither said anything to oppose her statement. After a few moments of silence, Carina spoke.
"Ok... well on that note... I'm gonna go. I'll be in touch."
Chuck had trouble focusing on the road. He kept glancing over to see Sarah's face, trying to determine what she was thinking. She hadn't said a word since they'd left Buy More. Her expression was blank but Chuck saw anger in her eyes. Finally he decided to break the silence.
"Sweetheart is everything okay? I mean besides the obvious?"
Sarah sighed, but it was a decidedly angry sigh.
"It just seems like every time we deal with Shaw, I feel helpless, either physically or emotionally. First he's my superior, then he's my..." Sarah hesitated a moment.
"Boyfriend" Chuck finished for her.
Sarah sighed again, even louder.
"Anyway, then he's my abductor, then he's got the Intersect and weasels his way back into power and ends up with total government backed authority over my fate, then as if that's not enough, he comes back again and uses his Intersect powered skills to quite literally wipe the floor with me and use me as bait! No one person has ever made me feel so helpless in my entire life, and he does it like it's the easiest thing in the world! I can't lie Chuck, he's gotten under my skin! No one's supposed to be able to do that but he has and now he's coming back, and I don't know if I'm gonna be able to handle it!"
Chuck found a spot and pulled the car over so he could face her.
"Sarah, are you ever afraid of me? The fact I have the Intersect in my head and could do all those things?"
The anger faded from Sarah's eyes as she reached over and gently cupped Chuck's face with her hands.
"Not for one second. You're probably the only person on earth I trust completely with it."
"Well I'm the only one who has it now. Shaw doesn't have it anymore. He doesn't have any control over you except the control you give him in your mind. Besides, on an even playing field I'd bet on you to kick Shaw's ass every time."
Sarah smiled and pulled Chuck in close for a kiss.
"You're amazing Chuck. Only you could make me feel better about something like this. It's just part of why I love you so much."
Chuck grinned.
"I know it's not exactly a fun topic for you, but I can't even begin to tell you how it feels to be able to talk to you like this again, even about unpleasant stuff. Quinn thought he could break you, and for a minute there I thought maybe he had, but you're one of the toughest people I know Sarah Walker. I know I joke about it all the time, but you really are."
Sarah's eyes moistened as Chuck finished.
"Not just here" he said, pointing to his head, "but here too" he moved his finger and pointed at his heart.
"And you are just the right amount of cheesy and romantic" Sarah replied, smiling and hold back a giggle. Suddenly her smile disappeared and her eyes went wide.
"What?" Chuck asked, concerned at the sudden change.
"Quinn!" Sarah exclaimed. "We got so caught up with Shaw that it slipped my mind! Chuck you might be in danger!"
"Well Sarah no offense but the fact I was getting shot at just a couple days ago kinda clued me in to that."
"No!" Sarah exclaimed, shaking her head impatiently. "Remember when I told you there was something I couldn't remember? Something I felt was important?"
"Then you said you remembered what it was, right before Carina interrupted to tell us about Shaw, yeah I remember."
"It slipped my mind when Shaw came up, I just got so distracted with the whole thing, but Chuck there is something you need to know."
"Okay, feeling suddenly alarmed but that's nothing new. What is it?"
"I remember how Quinn wrecked my memories and convinced me my mission was to kill you. It was Flash cards."
Chuck frowned, clearly confused.
"Flash cards? As in, like, adding, subtracting, multiplying, hold up the card and answer the question?"
"No, flash as in Flash."
Sarah started gesturing towards Chuck with her arms in frustration, trying to get Chuck to understand as he frowned, still confused.
"You know, Flash. As in your Flash. The Intersect Flash."
"Oh! You mean... oh, okay I got it, I get it, sort of, okay not really but now I know what you mean by Flash, so keep going."
"The cards he had, whenever I looked at one, it instantly triggered an uncontrolled flash. He had like a deck of them and he just kept making me flash, over and over, stripping my memories one flash at a time, just like what happened on the train, only faster, one right after another."
Chuck ground his teeth. Now he knew exactly what Sarah had gone through at Quinn's sadistic hands, and he felt a white hot fury building up inside him.
"What he did to you..."
"Is not important right now Chuck" Sarah interrupted. "I know you want to get angry but I need you to focus. Those Flash cards... they looked exactly like that sign in the warehouse that you Flashed on. I think the Overseer got the information about them from Quinn before his death. Chuck do you understand what this means?"
Chuck looked at her blankly, trying to piece it all together, and recalling the Flash at the factory.
"Chuck, the Flash cards Quinn used weren't billboard sized. They were hardly bigger than a deck of cards! If the Overseer knows about them, you could have one slipped to you almost anywhere! In a letter, a movie case, inside a stack of papers, they could be concealed almost anywhere for you to stumble across!"
Now Chuck understood the gravity of what Sarah was saying. The implication was terrifying.
"So the Overseer..."
"Could potentially get to you whenever he wants"
Sarah had never seen General Beckman so rattled. As she stood next to Chuck, holding his hand with both of hers, as much for her comfort as his, she glanced at the people around her. Morgan looked freaked out, Carina was nervous and fidgety, and Gertrude was mostly unreadable, but she occasionally glanced at Chuck with an expression that looked to Sarah like sympathy. But what made Sarah feel truly anxious was Casey. The stoic, confident look he so often wore even when bad news was being given was nowhere to be seen. No, there was no question about it: John Casey looked unsettled. If Casey was actually bothered by something, everyone else had a right to feel downright scared.
Sarah had just finished briefing everyone on what she had already told Chuck about the Flash cards, and the response had been deafening silence. It seemed no one knew how to respond to hearing about such an unprecedented threat. Sarah couldn't hold back the feelings of helplessness that were beginning to creep back into her mind. Somebody here has to know what to do! she screamed inside her head, but it was clear no one did. Sarah felt a pit in her stomach. After what felt like an eternity, the general finally broke the silence.
"Do we know for certain the Overseer has full access to this technology?"
Chuck cleared his throat, and it was obvious to Sarah that he was fighting hard to keep his voice from sounding shaky.
"So far all we know for sure is the Overseer was able to put up that sign in the warehouse. We don't know if he knows how to make it smaller, or how detailed he can make the flashes. The Flash I experienced was pretty basic, just the simple message, but even that had to require a pretty decent amount of knowledge to pull off."
"Agent, I mean Ms. Walker, do you remember if Mr. Quinn ever caused you to have specific flashes while he was using his cards on you?"
"No general, I don't remember flashing on anything specific. If anything they seemed like their purpose was just triggering a Flash.
"So we don't know then whether Mr. Quinn knew how to program specific flashes, or whether the Overseer obtained that information separately?"
"No" Chuck replied. "Sarah and I are also holding out hope that the size of the image is related to how much it can interact with the Intersect. For example, maybe the small cards can only trigger a generic flash, whereas a more complex pre-programmed Flash would require a much larger image."
"How confident are you in that theory, Mr. Bartowski?"
"To be honest general, we're just grasping at straws for the moment. I'd call it simple hopeful optimism at this point. There doesn't seem to be anything in the Intersect about this technology, and without knowing how it works, we don't think it's a good idea to try to re-create one of these, for lack of a better term, "Flash cards," without knowing what it might do."
"A prudent precaution and one I support as well" General Beckman replied. "Very well. For the time being I want everyone to keep their eyes open for anything suspicious. Our first priority is to protect the Intersect. Finding the Overseer will have to take a back seat for the moment until we can figure out how to handle this threat. Perhaps Mr. Shaw will be able to assist in some capacity when he arrives. That will be all for now."
The video screen went blank as the general ended the call.
"So... what now?" Chuck asked.
That night, as Chuck and Sarah lay in bed together, Chuck found himself feeling so much anxiety that he couldn't sleep. In fact he was wide awake. Normally the feeling of Sarah's body cuddled up against his, her head nestled comfortably on his chest, would have been the most comforting feeling in the world, and he would have happily slipped into a deep sleep. But not tonight. Chuck was fighting the scary feeling that every time he looked somewhere, he would find himself staring at a Flash card the Overseer had planted, and would be forced to Flash something beyond his control, maybe even be turned against the people he loved and used as a weapon. The thought terrified him. He was also aware that Sarah was awake as well, even before she spoke, barely above a whisper:
"You're awake too aren't you?"
"What gave me away?" He asked softly.
"Well your heart is racing, your breathing is heavier, and most of all I've slept with you enough to know when you're awake."
"Am I allowed to be proud of that last one?"
Though he couldn't see her face, Chuck could tell Sarah was smiling.
"What's keeping you awake?" she asked.
"I'm guessing the same thing that's keeping you awake."
Sarah shifted her body, pulling back just enough so she could raise her head level with his and look into his eyes. He turned his head and met her gaze. She looked at him with a loving but concerned expression. He tried to give her a reassuring smile but found he couldn't manage one.
"Honey, we don't know that there's even anything to worry about." she soothed. "For all we know, that sign at the warehouse was the only one the Overseer has. Maybe he didn't even make it. For all we know he got it from Quinn before he died."
"If you really believe that, then why can't you sleep either? Face it Sarah, you're as scared as I am about what might happen."
"Okay, yes, I'm scared, I admit it. I don't remember all the details but I remember enough to know how horrible it was to go through everything Quinn did to me. I can't bear the thought of the same thing happening to you."
"Honestly, I'm more concerned about the possibility the Overseer could cause me to turn on everyone and hurt the people I care about. Sarah, I've been lying here, mulling over something I never thought I'd ever consider. We don't know what the Overseer can or can't do with this technology, and I don't want to take a chance that you might get hurt, or worse. Maybe, for your safety, we should think about you moving-"
Sarah stopped Chuck mid-sentence with a kiss.
"Not for a second" she replied after she gently pulled away.
"You didn't even let me fin-"
Sarah again interrupted Chuck with another kiss, this one even firmer.
"If you're gonna interrupt me like that every time I speak, maybe I should just talk all night" Chuck said, finally managing a bit of a grin.
"Not if you're suggesting I stay somewhere else. I just got you back, and you had to go through a nightmarish time all alone. Don't get me wrong Chuck, I think it's really sweet that you want to protect me, but I'm not going anywhere. Besides, I'm already having a hard time sleeping because I can't stop thinking about what's going on. Sleeping alone is only gonna make it that much worse."
"I love you so much Sarah" Chuck said softly, moved by her words.
"I love you too Chuck. But you know we aren't gonna be very useful to anybody tomorrow if we can't get some sleep."
"Any suggestions?"
"I suggest you put your arms around your loving wife, hold her close, and think of nothing but her until you drift off to sleep, knowing she'll be thinking of nothing but you until she falls asleep too. And maybe you could kiss her first, I think she'd like that."
That's exactly what Chuck did, and soon enough, with Sarah in his arms, he was sound asleep. And so was she.
Sometime during the night, a figure crept up to the bedroom door, behind which Chuck and Sarah slept soundly. The figure listened at the door for a few moments, then crept into the living room and approached the television. Without a sound, the figure managed to squeeze into the area behind where it sat, took out a tool, and silently went to work on the back of the unit. After a few minutes of work the figure put the tool away, crept to a window, opened it without making any noise, climbed out, then just as quietly closed the window behind them and disappeared into the night. No one stirred and the rest of the night passed undisturbed. To the rest of the household, it was as though nothing had happened at all.
Chuck slowly woke up, gradually noticing an unusual sensation on his face. After a few moments he managed to barely open one eye and realized the sensation he was feeling was being caused by Sarah's hair. His face was pressed up gently against the back of her neck, and some of her hair had fallen across his face during the night. He took a quiet, deep breath, inhaling her scent. Almost before he realized he was doing it, he was gently kissing her neck. Sarah moaned softly. In response, Chuck slowly increased the intensity of his kisses on her neck. She moaned again, a bit louder this time as she began to awaken. Chuck lifted his head slightly so he could kiss down the side of her neck. Sarah raised her right arm, reached back, and wrapped it lovingly around his neck, gently pulling him closer, allowing him to kiss even further down her neck. Chuck was about to lift himself up a bit so he could reach her face, but Sarah reacted first, turning her head towards him, and wrapping both her arms around his neck so she could pull his lips to hers. They kissed deeply and eagerly, neither one remotely interested in stopping. From there the intensity only grew as Sarah deftly relieved Chuck of his boxers, which were soon joined by Sarah's underwear. Hands roamed, explored, caressed, and then stimulated as Chuck and Sarah both gave in to a hunger only the other could satisfy.
Carina was enjoying a quiet morning. She was sitting at a table in the courtyard, reading a newspaper and enjoying a steaming cup of fresh coffee, when she heard the unmistakable voice of Sarah Walker scream "Oh God!" She grinned and took a sip of coffee.
"Atta boy Chuck" she murmured, still grinning.
Chuck stepped out of the shower feeling euphoric. He reached for his towel, only to notice it wasn't there.
"Hey Sarah, where's my towel?"
"Why do you need it?" she asked, as she peeked over his shoulder to the empty towel rack. "The view's better without it anyway."
Chuck grinned, his face turning red as Sarah playfully smacked him in the rear.
"Well, I mean I guess I don't technically need it" he replied, glancing around the bathroom for it. "But there is the little matter of me being soaking wet right now."
Chuck shuddered involuntarily in pleasure as Sarah took a step forward and intentionally pressed her naked body up against his backside.
"Me too." she whispered into his ear, using her most sultry voice. "And I'm not just referring to the shower water. I think we should get back in for a little longer."
"Sarah!" Chuck exclaimed, now beet red.
She took two steps back so he could turn around, quickly positioned herself into a sexy pose, and as he turned, she gave him her most seductive look. Any further response died on Chuck's lips as he took one look at her, and in one quick motion gently pushed her back under the shower head and turned the water on.
Sarah couldn't stop smiling as she dressed. That morning had been the best morning of her life. Even now she still felt a bit weak in the knees. Glancing quickly at Chuck, who was getting dressed next to her, she saw that he was beaming as well. For a few moments, Sarah considered wearing something provocative to keep the energy of the morning going, but ultimately decided against it, in part because Jill was still sharing the residence with them despite being a virtual ghost, preferring to stay in her room most of he time, and partly because they could be called in at any moment and if there wasn't time to change, she didn't want to look unprofessional.
Next to her, Sarah noted Chuck had donned blue jeans and a red t-shirt, and an idea came to her that if she wasn't going to wear something sexy, she could still do something cute, while still giving a nod to their wild morning. With the decision made, Sarah quickly changed into a red top with capped sleeves and a jean skirt that almost reached her knees. Chuck had stepped into the bathroom for a moment so Sarah had to wait a few moments to show him her look.
It's so funny she thought as she waited. The idea of wearing a matching outfit with someone would have made my skin crawl a few years ago. Now I'm actually excited about it! Sarah knew Chuck had brought out a whole new side of her personality since they'd met. She actually felt normal, and was amazed at how good normal could feel. Sarah had loved being a spy and living that kind of life, but part of that meant keeping everyone at arm's length emotionally, even Bryce. But letting Chuck in had been the best decision she had ever made. Sure it had taken quite a bit of time, and more than a few missteps on both their parts, but falling in love with him had felt so right, that she'd finally let her guard down. She'd bared her heart to him, and it turned out he'd been everything she had been looking for, and more. Her heart felt so full now, and so here she was, doing something she would have laughed at and made fun of just a few years ago. But now she loved that she'd had the idea, and was truly excited to see Chuck's reaction.
Chuck's expression when he stepped out of the bathroom and saw her outfit was so adorably wonderful, that Sarah wished she had a picture of it so she could see it again and again. His eyes lit up, and the huge smile he had on his face reminded Sarah of when they had first told General Beckman they were dating, and the general had told them off the record that it was about damn time.
"We match" he said, clearly very happy about it, and still smiling that big bright smile she loved so much.
"Well I wanted to do something special" she replied lovingly.
"I love it. I love you"
Sarah closed the space between them and wrapped her arms around him, looking up into his eyes.
"And I will always love you too Chuck." Her eyes sparkled as she added "Especially after mornings like today."
Chuck laughed and to Sarah it was one of the sweetest sounds in the world.
"It was an amazing morning. Best ever to be honest, at least for me."
For a second, Sarah thought about teasing him, but the moment was just too sweet to risk spoiling.
"For me too" she replied softly, smiling. "It's not even close."
Sarah didn't think Chuck's smile could get any bigger but somehow it did.
To the surprise of both Chuck and Sarah, when they finally emerged from their bedroom, Jill was sitting at the table outside of the kitchen, using the laptop that had been provided for her use. It had been bugged of course, to monitor her activity and notify several people, including Chuck, Casey, and even General Beckman, if she did anything she shouldn't. So far she'd been using it to help them, including finding the abandoned buildings that had led to the failed attempt to track down the Overseer.
Jill also used it as a personal computer, which is what she was doing now, browsing a popular shopping website. Chuck was able to see the screen and noticed she was looking at noise cancelling headphones. He pretended not to notice, feeling embarrassed because he had a good idea of why she was looking to buy a pair. But it was also a surprise to see her out of the room she was using. She'd become almost a recluse since Sarah's return with her memory intact.
"Hey there Jill, it's nice to see you out here, I mean here at the table, not here in general, since you've been here for awhile now. Uh...good morning!" Chuck stammered.
Jill didn't look up from the screen.
"Almost afternoon" she replied flatly.
"We didn't disturb you did we?" Sarah asked, a bit awkwardly.
"I've been sitting here awhile. So if you mean right now, no you're not disturbing me."
She still didn't look up.
Chuck glanced at Sarah, unsure of what to do next. Jill made the first move by closing her laptop with a bit more force than she needed to, and finally looking up at them.
"Probably about time we got back to work right?" she asked, with a bit of an edge to her tone. "I imagine you two must be pretty hungry, so after you take care of that, I'll show you what I've been working on. You know, the whole reason I'm here?"
Yep there's no question she heard us Chuck thought. As if things weren't awkward enough already.
"Sarah, if you wanna grab a pan from the cupboard, I can make a couple of those "wake up" breakfast sandwiches for us." Chuck instructed, trying to relieve at least some of the tension in the air.
"Sounds great" she replied with a warm smile. She turned to Jill, still smiling, though definitely not as warmly. "Jill do you want one? I promise it's no trouble."
"I'll pass" she replied, going to retrieve some papers she had printed out that Chuck could see were still sitting in the printer tray.
"It really is no trouble" he insisted. "Though honestly if you really do wanna pass I wouldn't blame you, this was originally Morgan's recipe, hence the basic name for it, and it definitely isn't for the feint of heart. He came up with them as a way for us to keep up our energy, and stay awake during our late nights gaming. Plus they're quick to make and not messy. You now there's nothing more annoying like the hassle of trying to get cheese dust out of-" he stopped when he saw the look Sarah was giving him.
"Well one thing hasn't changed about you Chuck" Jill said as she returned with her printouts. "You can still ramble on about video games and Morgan."
Chuck grinned at her, but Jill's expression remained flat, and somewhat cold. He immediately turned his full attention to the task of making breakfast, not even looking up as Jill began to go over the printouts with Sarah. He just listened quietly.
"As you can clearly see from comparing the original images of the exterior of the building that you guys infiltrated, to the ones taken by the drone, there haven been some significant changes."
"When were these taken?" Sarah asked, clearly bothered by what she was seeing.
"Yesterday. That guy Casey was able to get someone to fly an unarmed drone with a high resolution camera over the site and provided me with the photos."
"Leave it to Casey to be on top of things."
"It was nice to work with someone still interested in finding the Overseer" Jill replied, with definite bite in her tone.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard what I said. While you two have been preoccupied with other things, I've been working at trying to stop the person who is probably going to kill me if I don't."
Now Chuck looked up. Sarah looked shocked and Jill looked angry.
"Hey, same team here, remember?" he said, trying to sound friendly and calming.
"I'm sorry if the fact I'm getting to spend time with my husband who I just very recently reunited with bothers you, but I'm not apologizing for it."
Now Sarah was clearly angry too.
"Well maybe if you weren't alerting half the neighborhood about what you were doing, it wouldn't be such a big deal!" Jill spat back.
"Oh. I get it" Sarah responded with a mock laugh. "You're jealous that I have what you threw away. Or should I say, who you threw away."
"Jealous? Please. If I weren't in hiding I could get a guy better than Chuck in no time."
"That's my husband you're talking about you little-"
"LADIES!" Chuck yelled. They both stopped and looked at him. "Sarah, grab a seat so you can eat, and Jill, could you please just go over the information you have? I heard you say something about pictures?"
Jill and Sarah glared at each other with sheer contempt but did not continue their argument. Sarah reluctantly took her seat, and Jill spread out the printed pages on the table. Chuck walked over, putting Sarah's plate with the breakfast sandwich on it in front of her, then he intentionally took a seat in between the two women and was about to take big bite from his own sandwich when he saw the images and froze.
"Jill you said these were taken yesterday"
"Time stamp is right on the bottom if you don't believe me."
Chuck's eyes were wide as he looked up at Sarah, who looked rattled as well. The pictures taken by the drone showed the same area as the original pictures Jill had provided, and there was no doubt it was the same spot. But the building, every trace of it, was gone.
"How does an entire building just disappear?" Sarah asked, failing to hide the alarm in her voice.
"When the person who wants it gone in a hurry has the right connections" Casey answered calmly. "Clearly this Overseer guy knows what he's doing."
"But if that really was some kind of base of operations, or even just a trap, the Overseer has clearly packed up and moved on. Where would he go?"
"Pretty simple answer to that one, Walker. Here."
Sarah stood up, too anxious to sit. She glanced around Casey's living room, then started pacing.
"Why here? What makes you think he'd come here?"
"Two reasons. First, he told Jill Roberts that he knew she had connections here when he threatened her, and secondly, if that abandoned factory setup really was a trap, and for the record I believe it was, it was likely intended to determine the identity of the Intersect. All roads lead to Burbank."
"So if you're right, then that's the reason the Flash sign was there. He was hoping to lure the Intersect there and cause them to Flash, which would identify them. Which means..."
"The Overseer was probably there when we were."
"How confident are you that it was a trap?"
"They had us dead to rights and backed off. Taking out a few platforms wouldn't have caused that kind of a retreat unless it was planned."
"But Casey, if you're right, that means he knows who Chuck is."
"Which means it's just a matter of time until he makes a move."
"Which begs the question, if you suspect all this, why aren't we holing up in Castle right now?"
"The Overseer doesn't want us dead. Or at least he doesn't want Bartowski dead. He's after the Intersect, but everything so far has been cloak and dagger. Trust me Walker, people like this guy stick to what works. This guy won't come in guns blazing. He'll make his move once we get comfortable, let our guard down a little. Our job is to let him think that's exactly what we're doing. One thing we have right now is time. He won't be in a rush."
"And if his next move is to send one of those Flash cards to Chuck to get him to do... whatever he wants him to do?"
"That's why we used to get paid the big bucks from Uncle Sam, Walker. We're good at keeping that kind of thing from happening."
Sarah took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself. After several more deep breaths she felt better. She opened her eyes, looked at Casey, and smiled.
"What?" he asked, suspicion in his voice.
"The other night at the party, you were acting pretty strange when you showed up with Gertrude. Especially when I was about to tell her how emotional you got at my wedding. You told me we'd talk later about it. It's just you and me at the moment, so spill."
Casey groaned, but was clearly not angry.
"I was hoping you'd forget about that."
"Funny."
"Sorry, I wasn't taking a shot at your memory. It's just not a topic I'm exactly comfortable with."
"Okay, now I'm really curious. What has you so worked up?"
"It's Gertrude."
"Okay, I guessed that much already. So what, you don't want her to see your soft side? I highly doubt it would bother her to see it"
"I'm not confirming anything, but if I were trying to conceal something, it would be because I want to reveal it at the proper time. For a reason."
He gave Sarah a look indicating he expected her to pick up on what he was saying without actually having to say it. Sarah frowned for a moment, then suddenly gasped.
"Casey are you telling me you're-"
"Hey!" he interrupted firmly but not angrily. "Don't say it. I told you I'm not confirming anything."
"Okay, well the thing you're not confirming, am I allowed to tell Chuck?"
Casey made a sound somewhere between a sigh and a growl.
"If you think Bartowski can keep it to himself. But that still doesn't mean I'm confirming anything, got it?"
Sarah nodded in agreement, a hint of a smile appearing on her face.
In an office illuminated only by moonlight streaming through a large window that covered most of the back wall, a lone man stood in silence. Without a sound, he reached down to the large desk he stood next to, and picked up the phone sitting there. After dialing, he patiently waited until the person on the other end answered.
"Hello?" came the voice he was expecting.
"You know who this is. You may proceed with your assignment at your discretion. But no excessive delays. I've been waiting a long time for this."
"Yes Mr. Overseer."
Chuck was sitting by the fountain in the courtyard, enjoying the warm evening air. The day had gone by surprisingly uneventfully. Ever since their near-blowup, Jill and Sarah had been keeping a respectful distance from each other. Carina had been briefed on the almost unbelievably fast demolition of the Overseer's building, but after her initial shock wore off, she'd spent the rest of the day alternating between rearranging her belongings and some of the furniture in Ellie's old house, and lounging in the courtyard. Chuck had noted she seemingly always had a cocktail either in her hand or nearby. He wondered if she was drinking so much simply because she was finally taking some time to relax, or if it was actually a coping mechanism for her, to help handle stress. Either way, she seemed in good spirits, though the first time he'd run into her earlier in the day, she'd had a curious expression on her face. It was sort of a knowing smirk and it left Chuck wondering if she somehow knew about the wild morning he'd had with Sarah.
Chuck grinned thinking again about the incredible way his day had started. By comparison the rest of the day almost felt like a letdown. But I have to admit, he thought to himself, it's definitely nice to have some time to just unwind and take it easy. Even Sarah had been able to take advantage of the down time. Other than a brief visit to see Casey, which she was oddly reluctant to talk about, she'd spent most of the day poring through various books and magazines, before surprising him by making dinner. It was nothing extravagant, but even so, Chuck had been wowed, and everything had been really good. It reminded him a bit of their undercover mission as a couple living in the suburbs.
Chuck looked up at the night sky, sighed with contentment, then reached over and picked up the bottle of beer sitting next to him. He was in the middle of taking a drink when he heard a door open and close. He lowered the bottle and smiled as he saw Sarah walking towards him, looking radiant in the courtyard lighting. She returned his smile and sat down next to him.
"What are you doing out here?" she asked, gently taking the beer bottle from him.
"Just enjoying a quiet night for a change. Haven't been too many lately."
Sarah took a sip from the bottle and handed it back to Chuck.
"Do you want some time alone?" she asked. "I can go find something to do Chuck, I don't mind."
"No, hun I'm glad you came out. We can share this beautiful evening together."
Taking the cue, Sarah scooted closer and rested her head gently on Chuck's arm. He responded by wrapping his arm around her shoulders as he drew her closer.
They sat like that, quiet and comfortable, for what felt like hours. The peace was only broken by a door opening and Carina rushing outside. She started to head towards their door then stopped when she spotted them by the fountain.
"Hey Carina. We're just enjoying the evening but you're welcome to join me and Chuck if you want to."
"Sorry guys but I'm afraid I'm about to spoil your evening."
They sat up simultaneously.
"Is something wrong?" Chuck asked, concern in his voice.
"Not exactly, but you're not gonna be thrilled either. I just received a message from General Beckman. Shaw will be here tomorrow morning."
Chuck looked at Sarah.
"Like I said, haven't been too many quiet nights lately."
The morning arrived quickly. Too quickly it seemed. General Beckman's orders were for Shaw and his escort of guards to meet Carina at the airport, and the group would then proceed to Castle, where Shaw would be placed in one of the holding cells, and a guard would be posted outside of the cell 24/7. When needed, Shaw would only be allowed out of his cell under the watch of fully armed guards. Of course, Sarah, Casey, Gertrude, and Carina were also armed, and Chuck had his tranquilizer gun. No chances were going to be taken.
Chuck wanted to pace. He was antsy. But he forced himself to stay in his seat. The whole team minus Morgan and Carina, were gathered in the Castle briefing room. Chuck was holding Sarah's hand under the table. He knew she was nervous. Her face didn't show it, but her hand was a bit sweaty, and trembled slightly. Gertrude, who had never met Shaw, looked calm cool and collected, like it was just another day at the office, and Casey had his best "don't mess with me" expression on his face.
Chuck leaned over to Sarah so he could whisper in her ear.
"You've got this Sarah. You're strong, he's not. He can't get to you if you don't let him."
Sarah gave his hand a squeeze, and she gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
Chuck was about to give her some extra encouragement, but before he could, the entrance at the top of the stairs opened. First in were two armed guards who looked like they were ready for war. They had military gear on and carried assault rifles. Right behind them, a smirk on his face, was Daniel Shaw. Behind him came three more armed guards and Carina.
"Take him straight to his cell. We'll bring him back out when we're ready for him" she ordered.
"Yes ma'am" the guard in front of her replied.
They descended the stairs, and as soon as Shaw reached the last step, his eyes were on Chuck and Sarah. He was still smirking.
"Hello again Chuck" he said in a maddeningly calm voice as he walked by them. He then glanced straight at Sarah. "Sam, I hope we have as much fun in here as we did last time."
"Shut it!" one of the guards yelled, giving Shaw a push.
As Shaw disappeared down the hallway leading to the cells, Chuck could swear he heard him laugh. He turned to Sarah to make a crack about Shaw, but stopped when he saw she was shaking.
A/N: So this chapter was definitely full of more Charah but it was also important in terms of setting up more of the foundations for what I hope will be a great final few chapters. Yes, we are getting closer to the end but there is still plenty to go! Hopefully this was worth the wait, and I promise the wait for the next chapter will not be as long!
