A/N: Thanks for sticking with this story. Special thanks to those that left reviews.
As usual, thanks to my beta, Captainrick944
This chapter is loosely based on S1E9, "Chuck Versus the Hard Salami."
Piranha vs The Intersect
Chapter 11: Transport
"Are you really sure about this," Chuck asked Sarah.
She nodded. "I don't see her as competition for you anymore. However, her deli is for the Wienerlicious."
"Why do you care?" he wondered out loud.
Her shoulder slumped. "Okay. I don't about that. I am still threatened by her," Sarah confessed.
"You really don't need to be," he reassured her. "I'm head over heels in love with you."
Sarah decided to change the topic. "Aren't you intrigued to know what her sandwiches are like?"
"In case we want to buy some? Or to check her out more?"
She stopped him and stood on tiptoes to give him a peck on his lips. "I'm sorry I'm insecure. I know you are too. Can we please just go and sample her food?"
"Sure," he replied, then added, "You know that your insecurity makes me feel better, don't you?"
"That we're as bad as each other?" she asked with a grin.
"That I'm more of a catch than I think. That someone as amazing as you could possibly think she could lose me to another woman."
She playfully slapped his arm. "You are a catch, Chuck, in spite of not believing it."
"Thank you, my wonderful girlfriend," he said just as they reached the deli, hand in hand.
He opened the door for her and they stepped inside.
Coming over after the lunchtime rush, meant fewer customers there.
Lou was at the counter and looked up as the door chime rang. A brief frown appeared on her brow, before she hid it and brightly said, "Hi, guys. What can I get you?"
They both looked up at the board behind her listing all the choices. Before reading the details, Sarah quickly scanned for one called the Chuck Bartowski. She was pleased to see there wasn't one. Then, she started reading those that were there.
"I think you'll need to give us a moment, Lou. We've not been here before," Chuck said.
"Okay," Lou replied and looked back down at the notes she was making.
"Wow! Quite a selection," Sarah said.
Lou looked up at her and grinned. "I try to keep changing it, so it doesn't get boring."
"I can't see this getting boring," Sarah honestly replied. "So much choice!"
"Thanks, Sarah," the brunette said.
Sarah had decided on her sandwich and quickly glanced at the drinks' selection. She looked at Chuck. "Decided yet?"
"Yeah. I think so."
They placed their orders, only being slightly delayed by having to choose the sandwich type. Chuck paid and Lou told them to sit and she'd bring it to them when ready.
Sarah automatically headed for a table by the wall and took the seat facing outward. Chuck smirked at her for doing that.
"You never know," she said.
"Fair enough."
Lou brought their coffees first.
"Thanks, Lou," they said simultaneously.
Lou rolled her eyes at them. "Really? Synchronized responses?"
Sarah grinned. "Can't deny it."
Lou walked away shaking her head.
It only took one sip of her coffee for Sarah to declare that she only wanted coffees from the deli.
Chuck laughed. And then took a sip of his, realizing she was right. It was great coffee.
Lou brought their sandwiches next. Sarah looked at hers. "Wow! Impressive!" She looked up at Lou. "If it tastes as good as it looks, I'll be coming over regularly."
Lou grinned. "Won't your boss be upset with you eating at somewhere he must see as competition?"
Sarah held her gaze. "Junk food is his competition, not food from a place like this."
Lou beamed at her. "Thanks."
"Why here?" Sarah asked. "Surely there must be better locations for your deli."
Lou sighed. "This is all I could afford."
Sarah nodded. "A bit like me and my job. That was all I could get."
Lou smirked. "You still have that amazing car."
Sarah nodded. "That's something I got cheap second-hand before coming here. She's my pride and joy. I'll never let her go."
Lou laughed at that. "Enjoy your sandwiches," she said and headed back behind the counter.
"You seem to be getting on well with her," Chuck observed.
She looked at him. "I think you must be influencing me. I was never one for small talk before."
He grinned. "That's me, the great influencer."
She chuckled.
They then both dove in, eating their sandwiches. Sarah had to stifle a moan of pleasure. Once she finished that first mouthful, she waved to Lou and when the brunette looked over, Sarah gave her the thumbs up. Lou chuckled on seeing that.
When they both finished, Chuck turned around in his chair to repeat what Sarah had done, but a card on a surface just below Lou's noticeboard, with the top resting back on that noticeboard, caught his eye. It triggered a flash.
The card was a promoting DJ Mocean playing at Club Ares that evening at 22:00 hours, the host being Stavros Demetrios. Chuck's flash was on that second name. Stavros was a known smuggler, the son of an influential man, Yari Demetrios.
He turned back and quietly told Sarah about him.
They both got up and Sarah wandered over to Lou. "Definitely will be eating here more, and drinking your coffee."
Lou grinned. "Great." She seemed to have lost all bad feelings about Sarah.
Sarah pointed over to the noticeboard. "What's the flier?"
Lou looked over at it. "The invite thing?" She walked over and picked it up, dropping it in a bin. "It's nothing. Some invitation for a party at Club Ares."
Sarah asked, "Stavros Demetrios?"
Lou honestly replied. "Yeah. My ex. He owns the place."
Sarah replied, "I get the feeling there's no love lost there."
"Nope." Lou said. "I should have known better than to date him. He's volatile, to say the least." She frowned. "Stavros once thought I was dating some guy and he trashed his car. Threatened to kill him. Believe me, the last thing you want is that lunatic anywhere near you."
She walked back to behind the counter, her happy mood completely destroyed.
Chuck and Sarah looked at each other, then headed out to contact Graham and let Casey know so he could contact Beckman.
They had only just got back to Echo Park when the call came through from Graham. Sarah and Chuck were sitting at the end of his bed looking at Chuck's monitor. Both were still in their work clothes. Chuck had let Casey in, so he reluctantly came and sat next to Sarah to ensure his was seen by the director. He muttered, "Seems disrespectful to sit."
Graham chuckled on hearing that. "I don't require you to stand to attention, Major."
Casey grunted his acknowledgement.
"The general is unavailable currently, so I'm the one contacting you." He looked down at his computer and brought up a photo alongside his image. "Stavros Demetrios, a playboy, owns and operates a number of LA clubs. He's the son of Yari Demetrios, the shipping magnate."
Chuck commented, "So rich, irresponsible and has lots of women."
Graham nodded, but said no more about that. Chuck couldn't help wondering why the seemingly nice deli girl had gotten caught up with this guy.
Graham continued, "We have information that a volatile package is coming to Los Angeles. The cargo itself is time-sensitive, which, knowing the Demetrios family ties to the Middle East, could mean a weapon." He looked at the two CIA staff, "Sarah, Chuck, we need you to go to this event at Club Ares and, Chuck, see if you flash on anything related to the shipment."
The two of them acknowledged the order. They had expected it.
Casey commented, "Remember it's a mission, not just a night out partying."
Sarah glared at him.
"Good luck," Graham said and ended the call.
"Casey has a point," Chuck said as he looked at his girlfriend. "You always look gorgeous, but taking you out clubbing looking like that is a huge distraction."
They were walking toward the club from her car parked a little way off. Sarah was wearing a short black dress. Her long legs perfectly on show. She grinned and gave him a quick peck on his cheek. "It might distract Stavros too."
He frowned. "I know that's the intention, but I hate other men seeing you like that."
She stopped him and pulled him in. She looked into his eyes and whispered, "But only you get to see underneath the dress, Chuck." His eyes unfocussed and she gave him a kiss full of promise.
She had to grab his hand and pull him along.
"Get in the game, you two," Casey's gravelly voice came over the earpieces.
The two walked in. The bouncer took one look at Sarah and didn't stop them. Once inside, they both scanned the room.
Casey had said, "We're going to be tapped into the club's surveillance feed. All we need is the audio of Stavros talking."
"I'll get Stavros' attention and plant a bug on him," Sarah said.
Chuck didn't like that part of the plan, but knew it was the best approach. He'd checked the surveillance feed Casey had set up earlier and it did look to be working.
Now, they just had to find Stavros.
In the end, they didn't have to. He found them, or more specifically, he saw Sarah and hastened over to her.
Seeing him coming, they got into their act. They started arguing. She slapped his face, which he'd expected and pulled away subtly, minimizing the impact. It was not as hard as she would have slapped a mark, obviously.
Stavros quickly put his arm around Sarah pulling her away from Chuck. "Seems you need some time apart," he said, seemingly to both of them, but they both knew his attention was on Sarah,
She easily planted a bug on him as he guided her toward the table he'd come from where two girls watched, looking daggers at Sarah.
"I've got a signal," Casey told Chuck through his earpiece.
Chuck rushed to follow them and begged Sarah to come back to him. "Let me make it up to you. I'll buy you anything," he told her.
Sarah looked back at him. "It'll cost you."
"Anything!" he replied.
Sarah pushed herself away from Stavros. "Thank you for caring," she said to him.
Stavros was clearly disappointed at her doing this. He glared at Chuck. "You treat her well, or you will suffer."
Chuck clutched her hand when he could and pulled her in for a kiss. She had to stop herself from moaning into it.
Stavros huffed and walked back to his beaming girls.
An older man pushed past Chuck and Sarah. Both recognized him.
"Casey, his dad is here," Chuck said. "And he looks frightened for some reason."
The older man shooed the girls away and then sat by his son.
"I've got them," Casey said.
Chuck and Sarah took this as their signal to leave, although Sarah couldn't help wishing they could have stayed and danced.
"Yari told his son he has an important package arriving at four, tomorrow afternoon in San Pedro," Casey told Graham, once they were in his apartment. They were all standing, Chuck and Sarah following Casey's lead. They knew the camera was set up expecting that.
Casey continued, "Yari said, 'The package is time sensitive, so, if it expires, we're all dead.' Stavros will be collecting it."
"Whoever they are working for frightens them," Chuck commented.
"Or it is a bomb that will explode, taking us all out," Sarah said.
"Great!" Chuck muttered.
"Good job," Graham said. "So, a trip to the docks." He looked at Chuck. "Can you keep an eye on the deli woman when it happens, in case she is involved."
Chuck nodded. "I don't think she is."
Graham nodded. "But just in case," he replied. He ended the call.
Chuck looked at the other two. "I don't like not going with you."
Casey chuckled. "Which is probably why Graham has given you another task."
"We'll be fine, Chuck," Sarah told him.
"You know saying that phrase usually means the speaker is anything but fine," Chuck grumbled.
"Only in movies," Casey replied.
"I really don't like this," Chuck stated.
As usual, Chuck took a late lunch break. He did that primarily to be with Sarah after the busy Wienerlicious lunch period, but it also meant he effectively covered for Anna and her crew while they had their lunches. He wandered over to Lou's deli to eat. One of her team served him and brought his sandwich.
As he was eating, Lou walked over to him. "Blondie dumped you?"
He looked up at her. "No. She's got other things to do this afternoon."
"Couldn't resist coming to see me, then?" she teased.
He laughed. "Sorry. It's your sandwiches that draw me here."
She grinned. "I know. Just teasing." She sat opposite him. "I really like Sarah," she commented.
He grinned. "Not as much as I do!"
Lou laughed out loud at that. "Probably not!"
Chuck got a call then, so Lou stood and walked back to the counter. Chuck looked at his phone to see who was calling and saw his beautiful girlfriend's face. "Hi, Sarah," he answered.
"They must have found the bug. They'd already cleared it out. The only freighter left was empty apart from a camera pointing at us."
"Well, no movement here," he replied.
"We will have to check the video recording at the port."
"Maybe I can help," he offered.
Sarah chuckled. "As always."
Chuck sat next to Sarah and Casey as they watched the earlier surveillance footage of the ship Chuck had linked them up to. Nothing was obvious, although many trucks arrived and drove off carrying containers.
"There must be dozens of containers taken from there around that time," Sarah said.
"Yeah. And none show what they are carrying," Casey grumbled.
"Don't they have to be processed and recorded at the port?" Chuck asked.
"We've checked. Some didn't show up," Sarah told him.
Chuck smiled. "So, we operate on a process of elimination. The ones that go through the gates that aren't on record are the ones. Then, we use traffic cameras to follow them."
"Go for it, Bartowski. I'm not stopping you," Casey said as he walked to his printer.
Chuck got started. "Go for it, Fishy," Sarah whispered in Chuck's ear, making him chuckle.
"This is interesting." Casey walked over and showed them both a photo. "This was taken at the docks from earlier." The photo showed Lou handing money to Stavros.
"I doubt she pays her ex to stay away," Sarah commented.
Chuck shook his head. He really thought Lou was innocent. Sarah noticed. "I didn't think she was involved either, Chuck."
"I suspect he's illegally transporting meat for her from somewhere. That salami was so much better than normal," Chuck muttered. He turned back to what he'd been doing.
An hour later, he had identified six unrecorded trucks between three and four that afternoon. He'd followed them on traffic cameras and found one had gone to a separate warehouse from the others that went to another warehouse, on the other side of town.
"That must be it," he declared, pointing at the first warehouse.
"We should check both of them," Casey replied. "To be sure."
"Why would they risk damaging the rest of their cargo?" Chuck asked.
"We have to be absolutely sure," Sarah commented, agreeing with Casey.
They called Graham.
Casey told the director, "We can raid both warehouses tonight. Bartowski is probably right about where the bomb is, though."
Graham agreed. "So, focus more attention on that warehouse."
Casey stated, "I'll arrange for NSA men to go to the other warehouse. They will wait for the results of our raid before attacking."
Graham said, "It's possible the bomb is to take out that side of LA. The radius of destruction not reaching their other warehouse."
"I should go," Chuck stated. When the other three looked at him in confusion, he added, "Who's defused bombs recently?"
"No. You're too valuable," Sarah stated.
"I would agree with you, Sarah," Graham said. "However, I think Chuck should go in case there are others involved that he flashes on."
Sarah reluctantly agreed.
"Obviously be careful," Graham said.
Sarah wondered if that was for Chuck's personal safety as an employee, or that of the Intersect.
The raid on the warehouse that the single truck had gone to was where they found Stavros Demetrios arguing with his father about the cargo they had brought there.
Yari was waving his arms and declaring they had to deliver what was in the next room or they'd probably all be dead.
"We can take anyone, Dad," Stavros declared.
"I don't know, son," the older man stated. "But maybe we can hold out for more money."
As if to prove that wasn't the case, a shot was fired from somewhere and a bullet pierced Yari's chest and he fell to the ground.
All the men took cover and started firing up into the rafters from where the shot was fired.
Casey and the NSA men with him also took cover as shots came their way.
"You two go and find what's in there," Casey hissed at Sarah and Chuck.
She pulled her boyfriend out and headed into the next room, another large one with a huge wooden crate in the center.
Sarah grabbed two crowbars from a nearby work bench. She threw one to Chuck and they prized the crate open, the front falling to the floor.
Inside was what looked like a massive bomb with a timer ticking down in front of it and beeping as it did so. The timer read forty-six seconds when they first saw it.
Sarah rushed to it and opened the timer exposing lots of wires insides. She had no idea how to disarm it.
Chuck stood and muttered to himself, "Okay, Intersect. Flash. Show me how to do this."
Sarah heard him and turned to look his way. "Did you flash?"
Chuck shook his head, "No. Nothing." He started pacing. "Come on! Come on, come on, come on, don't fail me now, Intersect!"
Sarah stood and walked to him and stopped him pacing.
They both knew that trying to run from a bomb this size was pointless. Same for those in the next room so there was no point calling Casey.
They both looked at the timer. Seven seconds. They looked back at each other, knowing they were about to die.
Sarah grabbed Chuck's shirt collar and pulled him to her. "I love you," she declared before crashing her lips to his.
He wanted to say the same, but knew there was no time and so he deepened the kiss while pulling her even closer.
Tears were running down her cheeks at the thought this was where her wonderful boyfriend would die, but at least the two of them were together, like this, at the end.
Then, she realized the beeping had stopped.
Part of her wanted to just continue kissing the man she loved, but she had to know what had happened. She reluctantly pulled away from Chuck, who had also realized that nothing bad had happened.
They both looked at the timer which was now reading all zeros.
"The things you do to get kisses from me!" Chuck said.
"You know I only have to look at you and you want to kiss me, Chuck," she replied.
"True!" He grinned and pulled her to him again and she was amazed that they didn't just lie down and screw each other senseless as the relief washed over them. She guessed it was because Casey or others might appear, but it was so tempting.
"We better get the experts looking at this," she said.
"I hope you mean at the non-bomb and not us making out," Chuck replied.
She grinned. "I think people know exactly what happens then, Chuck."
"But only I get to see it happen!" he said smugly.
She leaned on him. "You're an active participant, mister."
The next morning, Chuck couldn't justify leaving the Buy More. He wasn't spending as much time on his Assistant Manager job as he should. He decided to drop in on Lou before going there.
Lou looked up as he walked in. "Hi, Chuck. After a coffee?"
"Please," he replied.
As he watched her making it for him, he decided he would ask the question that had stuck in his mind since Casey showed him that photo, especially after his research the night before. "Did Stavros used to source your salami for you?"
She froze and turned to him. "Why'd you ask that?"
"The salami is so much better than I've had anywhere else. I couldn't get it out of my head. I searched online for meat imports, wondering where you got it from." He looked suitably embarrassed. "I couldn't wait to ask. I saw that it takes ten days to clear customs, and I suspected that was probably not good."
She sighed. "You're right. What i use is better because there's no additives or preservatives in it. That ten days would mean it goes bad. So, yes, Stavros imports it for me." She looked nervously at him. "You're not going to report me, are you?"
"What? And miss out on the best sandwiches in town? No way!"
She grinned. "Free one when you and Sarah next come in."
He grinned back. "Deal!"
She handed him his coffee. "Thanks, Chuck. You're a good friend." She paused for a second, then said, "If you weren't with Sarah, we could've been more."
He blushed. "Thanks for the compliment, Lou, but there's no way I'm splitting up with Sarah."
"Oh, I can see that from how you both look at each other."
As he walked over to the Buy More, Chuck contemplated Lou's words. Everyone seemed to recognize the love Sarah and he shared. He still felt unworthy of her love, but was so grateful for it. He was determined that nothing would ever get in their way.
That last thought triggered a memory. He and Sarah were going to ask Graham if he knew or could find out about Beckman's thoughts on Chuck's future after they realized Casey was hiding something. They had been so focused on the mission that they hadn't done that yet. When they were back at the apartment, they really needed to contact the director.
Sarah and Casey went back to the warehouse.
"Bartowski managing the Buy More?" Casey asked.
"He didn't need to come for this and he has been away a lot," she replied.
The bomb disposal guy made a final check and then nodded to the scientist, who walked to the two agents. "All clear. Looks mean, but it's nonlethal. That timer wasn't a fuse. It was measuring an oxygen supply." He looked serious. "Not sure what will happen to what's inside if it's run out. We're about to open it and find out."
He turned back and starting the process and the two agents move closer
As the top lifted, it exposed a naked man lying on his back, with a cloth covering him from his waist down. Various sensors covered his chest.
Sarah was shocked. "Oh, my god. Bryce!"
"Didn't I kill him?" muttered Casey.
Relief that her ex was still alive never entered Sarah's head. Nor did thoughts of being with him again..
What she actually thought about was how this would affect her boyfriend. Her real boyfriend. It would probably bring back all of Chuck's insecurities. She would definitely have to reassure him that she'd never go back to Bryce and dispel whatever other crazy ideas came into his head.
A/N: Well, no drama with Lou, and the scene in the trunk of the car didn't happen either. I know some will miss the latter.
We all knew Bryce would be there, didn't we? So, the next chapter will obviously cover "Chuck versus the Nemesis."