A/N Finally Shaw is dead, we think. Casey can breathe easy, Chuck and Sarah are back together. Hmmm was it my imagination? Did Chuck seem…um apprehensive. Nah can't be. His heart is finally healed. The love of his life is back, and all is forgiven. Casey is a damn miracle worker. Time for everyone to catch a nap and let go of some stress. Right?
A Heart Torn
A Charah Tale
By Lord Rapier
Edited and guided by CliffM
Chapter 9:
So Close…
Chuck finally gets a chance to relax and falls asleep for a brief time. He's awakened by a knock at the door. He sits up, kicked back in his rack, hands behind his head, and calls out, "Who is it?"
A female voice answers, "That's up to you. Am I Agent Walker, Heartbreaking asshole or just Sarah?"
Chuck laughs, "All three of you can come in."
Sarah comes in smiling, she's wearing a red silk blouse and short black skirt, "You look comfortable, may I join you?"
Chuck wolf whistles, and thinks, red is definitely her color, slides over and pats the mattress next to him. "Are you trying to cause a riot? These sailors have been at sea for a while."
Sarah smiles and quickly lies down next to him. Chuck puts his arm across her stomach and rests his head on her shoulder. She pulls him in close.
Chuck sighs deeply, "I can't deny it Sarah. I still love you, never stopped. When you left me to pursue your spy career, you hurt me bad. I know you got everything you wanted. I just don't want you to be in the spy biz, it's too dangerous. I almost lost you so many times. Then I lost you to the spies anyway, I don't like it, but I don't want to stand in your way."
Sarah sits up and Chuck's head moves into her lap. His hand slides over to caress her naked thigh while she plays with his hair. "Chuck, I put my papers in. When team Bartowski finishes this mission, I'll be debriefed, and I'll be a civilian. I didn't get everything I wanted, not even close. I wanted you, but I was too terrified to have you. Soon I won't have a job or a place to live, but maybe… maybe I'll have you. That's what I really want, to be with you."
Chuck groans, "You are an asshole, Walker. How am I supposed to trust you. You tore my heart in half, now that I own half of CI, maybe I can find you a job as a janitor or something equally smelly."
Sarah strokes his head, "I know Sweetheart. I have the other half of that heart torn in two. I'll take the job if it will keep me close to you. Any chance you might rent me a room, temporarily, at your place in Echo Park?"
Chuck shakes his head, "Ellie and Awesome moved to Chicago, but I'm sure you already knew that."
Sarah smiles, "Maybe."
Chuck takes a deep breath, "Frickin' spies. Bottom line, I don't live on Franklin anymore, but you knew that too."
Sarah softens her voice to sound innocent seductive, "Really sweetheart where are you living now?"
Chuck shakes his head, "Uh, uh, sorry Agent Walker that's on a need-to-know basis, and you don't need to know. But I do have a house that's empty. You can stay there."
Sarah is confused, "Baby, why do you have an empty house?"
Chuck sighs, "I bought it as an investment. But some, cold hearted lying jerk vandalized it and carved stuff right into the living room wall and I can't bear to stay there."
Sarah shrugs, "Well if it's not too bad maybe I can fix it up. Is the rest of the house, okay?"
Chuck pulls his arm tight around her. "It's not too bad, if you can stand a white picket fence and a red door."
Sarah gasps, "Chuck, you bought our house?"
Chuck grumps, "No, you are the coldhearted, lying jerk. I bought my house, not ours. Stop calling me Baby and Sweetheart. You will address me as Colonel Carmichael."
Sarah smiles as she plays with his ear, "Aye, aye Baby, Colonel Carmichael Sir, understood. You're going to take me back, aren't you?"
Chuck pulls her close, "We'll see. If you do a good job cleaning the breakroom, then I'll decide. Plus my girlfriend may not be willing to give me up."
Sarah smiles, "Well if she can cook, she can live with us. Is she cute?"
Chuck growls, "Shut up Walker. I'm trying to figure out how to get rid of you."
Sarah wants to get up and dance, no matter what he says, he's not pushing her away. She also knows she can't celebrate just yet. "Well Colonel Carmichael Sweetheart, let me save you some time. You'll never be rid of me. You're stuck with me forever. I'm just hoping that someday you'll forgive me for being so incredibly stupid. I know it's a lot to ask for, considering I haven't forgiven myself."
Chuck sighs, "I've already forgiven you, I'm just not sure I can forget."
Sarah gently strokes his cheek. "I know baby, I will prove myself to you, I promise."
A few minutes pass as Sarah and Chuck hold each other. Both of them relishing the two halves of a Heart Torn, finally close enough to begin healing.
Suddenly there's a loud banging on the door, "Is everyone alive in there?"
Sarah laughs, "Come on in General. Watch out for the blood splatters."
Casey walks in takes one look at the two of them and collapses into a chair, "Boss are you sure this is a good idea?" Knowing full well he pushed Chuck into it.
Sarah chokes, "Boss, did he just call you, Boss?"
Chuck keeps his head on her lap, "Hush, the men are talking. Nope, probably the worst idea I've ever had. Comes right before making you a partner in CI. By the way, Sarah will no longer be a partner. I just hired her as junior janitor, unless you want her in your division, then you can be her boss."
Sarah tries to interrupt, "Hush? … The men are talking… what the hell?"
Chuck smiles and winks at Casey. Casey ponders, "That might be fun. Hey, I have it, we can hire Miller and make her Walker's supervisor."
Chuck smiles, "I like it, let's make that happen as soon as we get back."
Sarah takes all of this in with a grin, "Well men, if you're done hushing this lowly woman, that is not going to happen. You promised me janitor, that's what I am, junior janitor, in charge of cleaning up my mess. I promise you both, I'll work hard to make it up to you, both of you. I don't need to be a partner. California is a community property state. I'll get half anyway, and the next time you tell me to hush... well you just shouldn't talk to your wife that way."
Chuck's head pops up, "Whoa there, you went a little fast from toilet brush to wedding ring."
Sarah soothes his head and gently pushes it back to her lap, "You would honestly let me be an unwed mother?"
Casey pipes in, "Ugh, seriously. Do I need to hear this?"
Chuck begs, "Please Casey, find us another terrorist. They're much easier to handle than this one."
Casey shakes his head, "Well if you two can take a minute from your wedding planning…"
Chuck interrupts angrily, looking up at Sarah, "No planning. No wedding planning, stop talking about a damn wedding."
Casey, is taken aback by Chuck's strong negative energy. He notices that he's yelling at Sarah at the same time he's holding her. He ignores the outburst and continues, "… I want to remind you, we're not done here yet. The ship still needs to be searched for explosives. They'll be flying the bomb sniffing dogs out here tomorrow. Then the Nuke experts will need to examine the plant. They'll need you here for that, to explain your new software. I'm guessing we'll be on board Ford for a least another three days and nights. The good news is the phones aren't jammed any more so we can call home and find out what's left of our business. Although it could be Grimes Industries by now."
Chuck adds, "To be honest I liked the break, worrying about the company and taking care of the personnel is a heavy weight."
Sarah seems amazed, "Did you actually leave Morgan in charge?"
Chuck moves his head around becoming uncomfortable on Sarah's lap. He sits up and moves his hand off her thigh. "Suddenly you care about the business? Morgan will be fine. He stuck around when things got tough. Plus he's got Alex and Mrs. Sawyer to watch his back."
Sarah is sad, "Chuck, I know you're angry with me, but every time you attack me it hurts. Can we agree to talk about it later when we're alone?"
Chuck is emotional, "Fine, we'll talk later, but when do I get to stop hurting?"
Casey takes a deep breath and thinks, this isn't working. He wants to take her back, but he can't get over the fear. They're so close…, but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. They've both been hurt too much. I don't know if I can help them.
Casey stands up, "I'm sure you think I came in here to listen to your whining, but the Captain sent me to get you. He wants you both in the Wardroom in fifteen minutes, be on time."
When the couple arrive in the Wardroom, Echo Team and the Master at arms are waiting with the Captain and Casey. Kirk sees them enter, "Colonel, Agent Walker please come in, stand here in front of me." Chuck and Sarah stand as requested. "Before we begin, Agent walker I want you to let you know, your partner, Agent Rizzo has been flown to Naples for proper medical attention. Master at Arms if you please."
"Colonel Charles Carmichael, CIA Station Chief Sarah Walker , I am Chief Master At Arms, Pete Malloy I am investigating the alleged offense of violation of Article 134 of the UCMJ, also known as the "General Article," which is a list of prohibited conduct that is of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces or is prejudicial to good order and discipline.
I advise you that under the provisions of Article 31 of the UCMJ, you have the right to remain silent, that is, say nothing at all. Any statements you make, oral or written, may be used as evidence against you in a trial by court-martial or in other judicial or administrative proceedings. You have the right to consult a lawyer and to have a lawyer present during this interview. You have the right to military legal counsel free of charge. In addition to military counsel, you are entitled to civilian counsel of your own choosing, at your own expense. You may request a lawyer at any time during this interview. If you decide to answer questions, you may stop the questioning at any time. Do you understand your rights? Do you want a lawyer? Are you willing to answer questions?"
Chuck is shocked, "What? we didn't do anything, and Sarah's not military."
Kirk scowls, "You deny that you placed your hand on the naked thigh of a woman you are not married to, on my ship? Are you saying the General is a liar?"
Chuck gets flustered, "Well yeah, but I mean no. He wouldn't… I did but…"
The CO turns to Sarah, "Agent Walker, Colonel Carmichael admits his guilt, how do you plead?" Sarah looks over to Casey, he winks at her.
Sarah replies sadly, "I plead guilty to all charges. I beg forgiveness for disrespecting your command and I ask for mercy."
In a very stern voice, "I'm sorry Ms. Walker there can be no mercy for such behavior it. Is my determination that you are both guilty of the offense of which you are accused. You will be placed in hack (restricted to quarters) in my inport cabin for no less than three days. You will take all of your meals there. You will leave those quarters for official duties only. At those times you will be under guard, do you understand my orders?"
Chuck is turning back and forth between Casey and the Captain, "Wait, I didn't do anything wrong. I saved your ship. I saved frackin' Europe. I want a lawyer."
Casey steps up, "With the Skipper's permission I would like to represent the Colonel."
The CO turns to Chuck, "Is that acceptable to you Colonel?"
Chuck nods his head rapidly, "Well yeah. What choice do I have?"
Kirk turns to Casey, "Very well General. What do you have to say on behalf of your client?"
Casey smiles, "He's a major pain in the ass and guilty as hell. Lock him up."
Sarah puts her hand in front of her mouth to hide her laugh.
Kirk smiles, "Well said General. Echo Team remove the prisoners. Escort them to my inport cabin. Be sure they stay there."
Chuck is freaked out, "What? No. I don't want to be locked up with her. Put me in the brig, I'm not ready for this." Two of the Seal Team members grab Chuck and pull him out of the space, kicking. Another offers his arm to Sarah, she willingly takes it and walks out with him.
Casey and the CO laugh and high five each other. Kirk says, "Cupids are us. I sure hope this works, or they'll both be very pissed. Granted for different reasons, but pissed none the less. Okay let's work out the cleanup plan so I can get my ship back to port. I have a very antsy crew right now who can use some liberty (time off)."
General Casey sits down with the CO and his officers to put together a plan to get the carrier group back to normal operations. Casey sits back as the officers gather and share info. Messengers move in and out of the room relaying radio communications from the rest of the ships in the group.
Captain Kirk turns to Casey, "With your permission General I think we should start with CAG's plan." Casey nods his approval.
The CAG takes over the briefing, "Okay, first I'd like to secure our rotary aircraft. I need to ensure they weren't tampered with and will fly."
Kirk steps in, "As soon as we have choppers cleared, I want to send them to the base and bring back bomb sniffing dogs. Also the SIMA (Ship's Intermediate Maintenance Activity) and contractor techs, to go over the power plant."
Casey shakes his head, "I have some concerns about Chuck's ability to focus right now." He takes a deep breath, "Hopefully, he'll be in better shape by tomorrow. If not, I'll put my foot in his ass and make him ready. Where do we stand with regards to the plant right now?"
The CHENG looks worried, "Right now we're breaking regs. We're still running, but we shouldn't be. The only thing we're going on is the Colonel's assessment that we're safe. Following regs we should be shutting down and waiting for inspection. Generally, that would happen tied up to the pier. Obviously, we have a new circumstance here. It would be up to you and the CO to determine what we do."
Casey rubs his eyes, "Jim, talk to me."
Kirk sighs, "Let's face it Casey, if something goes wrong, they'll be looking for someone to hang. That would be you, me, or both of us. CHENG, have you run all the PMS (Preventive Maintenance System) checks you can?"
CHENG nods, "Affirmative, all checks are green. I don't carry the weight here, but it seems to me the Colonel did a bang-up job."
The CO takes a deep breath, "We've been running two days, all systems are green. I trust Batman. My two cents, we keep running."
Casey smiles, "You had me when you said you trust Batman. Write it down. I'm ordering you to keep the plant up and running, I'll sign the order. Bottomline, they won't be able to run a full operations check until we're tied up, and I'm unwilling to leave the area vulnerable until we get a replacement out here. Any word on that?"
Kirk shakes his head, "It would take weeks to get another crew up and running, moving a carrier from somewhere else would leave that area uncovered, we're it. On the upside I think we'll be okay. If need be, we can launch from the bases and use tankers to extend their range. Let's just hope we kept this close enough to the vest and none of the troublemakers hear about our vulnerability. DC is already looking for stories to explain the explosion. I'm guessing one of the destroyers put a bird on the rail (missile in launch position) in test mode and fired accidentally. Sorry CAG. We went off on a tangent, go ahead and finish up."
CAG picks up again. "Once we clear the choppers, I suggest we fly the aircraft out where they can get a good once over by the maintenance crews on the base. I won't use any fixed wing until I'm sure our launch catapult is safe, and the dogs have been through all related spaces. I want the dogs to start with Ford first, seems that we were the primary target. It's going to take days to walk them through the whole ship."
Casey takes a deep breath, "All right guys, good first steps. I know I'm new to this, but you guys are taking good care of my very tender butt. Make it happen. I do have one question. Is there some reason we can't land aircraft from the base? Wouldn't that speed things up?"
CAG answers, "The Skipper and I discussed that as a possibility. Our concern is that we're in the dark as to whether or not we're still at risk for hidden explosives. Bringing helicopters and more personnel onboard puts them at risk, right along with the rest of us. However, you're the Carrier Strike Group Commander, it would be your call and your six on the line. "
Casey listens carefully, "I take it since you didn't bring it up, you would suggest we wait." Both men nod their heads. "Okay that works for me. CAG what do you think about rotating the fixed wings say twenty-five percent at a time? Once we can launch, it'll give the flight crews some walk around time, and we won't be totally unarmed. In an emergency we may have to take the risk and launch the unchecked aircraft."
CAG nods, "Good plan."
Casey nods and starts leafing through the piles of papers in front of him, "Looks like all the reports coming in from the group are negative on bombs from visual inspection. As soon as the dogs are done sniffing Ford, I want them flown over to the other ships in the group. Gentlemen how many Ships can we allow to tie up to get more support from base personnel, and still maintain Fords' security?"
Kirk considers, "That's a great idea Sir, I'll put it to my officers and have COMMO contact the other Captains and get back with you in say two hours with a recommendation."
Casey lets out a long sigh, "Jeez, this is going to take a while. We're limited by resources, but we can't take the risk that we missed something. Get on it, get back to me ASAP." Casey rubs his temples and thinks, I'm just glad that bastard is gone. He's been making my life and my team's life miserable for years.
Bringing his mind back into the room, "Sorry to keep yanking your leash, Skipper. How are we looking on the review of the crew? Has your Ship's office interfaced with Justice and Walker's office?"
Kirk nods, "We're connected to both offices. Justice acknowledges that they're reviewing records. However, the crew members weren't paid up front there won't be a financial paper trail. They're going to have to do a deeper dive. They say it'll take time, but they're starting with the most recent crew transfers and going back in time from there.
The Agency is a different story, huge wall went up. I heard some scuttlebutt that there was a Shaw connection in Washington, but they're unwilling share to with us. They just refer us to DC and Walker every time we inquire."
Casey is showing his poker face as the discussion continues. He thinks, Jim, I'd love to fill you in, but need to know is clear and present. I still have to figure out how to tell Walker that Shaw is the one that broke them up. She's going to find out eventually, better from me at the right time. Chuck is going to build a time machine go back and kick Shaw's ass. When did I get so damn entangled with other people's relationships? Bartowski did this to me, made me soft. Speaking to the CO, "I wouldn't worry about it too much Jim. I'm sure they're looking into everybody on board. By now they know what size butt plug CHENG uses."
Barclay's head pops up from the paperwork in front of him, "Hey, that's private." The officers at the table crack up laughing. It's obvious that the level of tension has gone way down. Still plenty of work to do though. These are mature professionals tasked with protecting the American people, joking is one thing, fooling around another. These people are not fooling around.
Casey rubs his temples, "WEPS, I'm going to need an inventory on everything that can go boom. Let's start with the big boomers. Three different two-man teams, three separate times, three counts. Then move on until we have counts on all the little stuff. How long?"
Weps considers, "WMD's six hours give or take. Everything else two or three days."
Casey nods, "Take your time. Make sure they check for signs of tampering. Make it happen. What's next?"
Kirk picks up a stack of papers, "Supply Officer says we have enough supplies on board to feed the crew fresh for another week maybe two. We can go quite a bit longer after that if we go to powdered and canned, and then ration. Hopefully we'll be able to either tie up, or fly in fresh, before we have to go powdered. It kills morale, and my people are pretty tense already."
Casey is concerned, "There's nothing more important than keeping the crew happy. We don't need fights and accidents added to the problems we already have. Let's work on short days. Of course it's up to the Department Heads and DIVOS (Division Officers), but no late nights. Let's make sure we set up some extra movie times, maybe a smoker (boxing matches) or two. Is there any reason we can't use the flight deck for exercise and maybe some games?"
Kirk nods, "All good ideas. I see no reason we can't bring the tempo down for a few days."
The officers work diligently clearing one issue after another, until Casey finally declares, "That's it. No JW Black, no cigars, this old leatherneck has had enough. Gentlemen it's rack time. Jim, do we have anything left that can't wait until morning?"
Kirk laughs, "Old leatherneck? Yeah, I guess that fits. No, I think we're good, thanks to you. I guess taking orders from a Marine isn't as nasty as I thought it would be. I mean once you get past the smell it isn't too bad."
The wardroom cracks up, Casey stands up and stretches, "I guess it wasn't all bad, let me know if any of you want to become fighting men. I'll teach you how to keep sand out of your skivvies. Someone please make sure the prisoners get fed in the morning. By the way you do know the difference between the United States Navy and the Boys Scouts of America?"
The officers stare at him with blank faces, shaking their heads. Casey smiles, "The Boy Scouts have adult supervision. G'night all."
It takes a moment, but they all start laughing as Casey leaves the space.
