A/N Hi again. Once more, I've played with time. Let me explain if you get up to warp nine then fly near the sun using it's gravity, you can slingshot… oh wait wrong series. Okay you punch a bunch of buttons and push a lot of levers and then there's this weird metallic sound, and this spinning thing happens.

Nah I just played with time to make the story move along. It takes a while to run DNA tests especially if you have to retrieve the samples from the bottom of the sea. Don't look at me that way, I did it for you, I knew you would want the results as soon as possible.

A Heart Torn

A Charah Tale

By Lord Rapier

Edited and guided by CliffM

Chapter 15:

Interagency Cooperation

After visiting the wardrobe section, Chuck, and Casey are both now dressed in civilian clothes. Casually dressed the group heads out. Leaving the CIA station, Zondra drives about half an hour to her favorite mom and pop restaurant on a hillside overlooking a small vineyard. It was really more like being invited into the proprietor's home for lunch. The two tables outside on the patio could accommodate ten people at most. The tables sit in shade, under a trellis covered in grape leaves. Being late in the afternoon, Team Bartowski are the only diners.

Chuck can't help but take deep breaths of the fresh air. The flowers in bloom all along the hillside fill the air with sweet perfume. Chuck sees something and walks off. Sarah calls after him, concerned, "Hon, Where are you going? Stay with us."

Chuck smiles, "I'm not going far, be right back." Walking around the side of the small house Chuck finds an older man tending to a small vegetable garden. Chuck flashes, and in Italian, asks the man, "Good day senor, may I purchase some of these flowers from you?"

The man smiles, "You like my flowers? Please be my guest."

Chuck bows slightly, "I'm honored by your generosity, but these flowers are a gift for my wife. I'm concerned if she thinks they're from you she may become enamored, and I would lose her to the better man. I insist." He presses a ten Euro note into his hand. The man smiles a semi-toothless grin and nods his head laughing, returning the bow as he takes the money. Chuck bends and picks a small bunch of the fragrant flowers. Smiling at the man again, he leaves to return to his party.

Sarah has kept an eye on the corner of the house where Chuck disappeared, worrying about him. When he turns the corner, she sees him and what he's carrying. Jumping up she runs to him and hugs him hard then stretches her neck begging for a kiss. Chuck kisses her gently, but long. Their embrace lingers until Casey yells out, "Get a room you two."

Sarah takes the flowers from her husband. She wraps her arm around his waist and rests her head on his shoulder, as they walk back to the table. Chuck holds Sarah's chair and helps her sit. When Chuck sits down, Sarah scoots her chair closer to him and once again rests her head on his shoulder. She gently breathes the fragrance from the white flowers Chuck brought her. Extending her arm she offers them to Zondra. "They're gardenias, my favorite. Z you have to smell them, they're beautiful."

Zondra sniffs the flowers and smiles, "They are nice Sarah. More and more, I really get your decision."

Sarah looks up at Chuck, "Yeah, me too."

Casey grunts, "Can we order please? I'm starving."

Zondra laughs, "Casey, you don't order. La padrona di casa, the lady of the house will bring us what she's prepared today. No menu, no choices, simply great home cooking. You're about to eat real italian food. By the way there are also no prices.

We pay what we feel the food is worth. The wine comes from the grapes grown in that little vineyard in their backyard. I come here to eat when I want peace, serenity and great food, I've been trying to get Sarah to join me here for ages, but..., anyway I'm glad she's here now, and happy."

While they wait to be fed, the group discusses the present situation, Casey leads off, "Yeah, I can't tell you how relieved I was when the bones recovered were proven to be Shaw's. I had them show me tests from six different bones to be sure. They were shattered and scorched, that man really knew how to build a bomb. Echo Team told me they were scattered over a half mile on the sea bed.

We had to run lots of DNA tests to put them together, it was like a gross jigsaw puzzle. There are still fragments unidentified. Maybe we can create the tomb of the unknown traitors.

The Ford was cleared by the dogs and the outside search teams brought in. When they finally cleared the...," suddenly a gentle breeze blows past them, even Casey has to stop and smell the sweet fresh air. ... "um cleared the catapult. Damn, it smells nice up here. They flew my relief in and I was able to grab a COD out.

Just a reminder I have an appointment to have drinks with the officers this evening, you guys are invited of course. You know something Boss, I just realized, I've never seen you drunk."

Chuck looks confused, "I'm sorry John were you talking to me or my boss? If you're talking to me, it's happened, right after the Manoosh situation. I was alone. Then there was that other time," he smiles at Sarah. "I have some concerns about what effect it'll have on me."

Sarah laughs and smacks his arm, "Stop it, you're the boss, we had this discussion. Do I have to start calling you Mister Bartowski to remind you. Please stop beating yourself up over that, you did what needed to be done. I remember that other time. It was too special to forget, for many reasons. I never want to forget how badly I screwed up.

Mostly I never want to forget the first time I admitted to you how I felt about you." Chuck puts his arm around her shoulders and pulls her close to him.

Casey shakes his head, "Come on guys, I came here to eat, not to get nauseated."

Zondra laughs, "Tell you what folks since I'm on duty as long as Sarah is still Chief, I'll play designated driver/bodyguard . You can all have a good time tonight."

Chuck smiles, "Sounds good. I guess a couple of drinks wouldn't hurt. I would love to toast my bride, with something other than bug juice."

An older woman wearing a simple worn flowered housedress and apron walks out onto the patio. She's plump and bosomy, like a person might picture an Italian Mama. She's carrying two bowls and right behind her carrying two more bowls is the older man that Chuck met in the garden.

They place the bowls of soup in front of the group and she pulls four spoons out of the pocket of her apron, placing them in the center of the table, "Mangiare, Mangiare, eatta you soup while she is still hot, Mangiare."

Chuck puts his face over the bowl of reddish liquid, the smell makes him salivate. The bowl is filled with large chunks of vegetables and pasta. He takes a small sip careful not to burn himself. As soon as the liquid hits his tongue he lets out with a sigh, "Oh, so good." Now aware of the temperature, he takes a big spoonful and fills his mouth, moaning he declares, "Così buono. You have given my mouth a gift, un regalo."

The woman claps her hands and laughs, bending over she kisses Chuck's cheek. "Mangiare, I bring more, you are, how you say, too skinny, mangia," she turns and heads back into the house laughing all the way, her husband following.

Zondra takes a spoonful of soup, "Come on Chuckles, do you have to hit on every woman you meet? Isn't Sarah enough for you?"

Chuck smiles at Sarah, "Every woman? You mean there are other women? I only see one."

Sarah blushes as Casey grunts, "Damn it Bartowski, this soup is delicious. If you make me throw it up, I will kill you."

Zondra stops laughing when Sarah asks, "That reminds me Z, weren't you saying something about all the of the CAT Squad being in heat?"

Zondra stammers, "Me Chief? I don't remember saying anything like that. You must have heard me wrong."

Sarah laughs as she finishes her soup, "I guess I must have, my mistake."

The woman of the house returns carrying two large platters, she places them on the table in front of her guests. Pointing to one of the platters she explains in broken English, this pasta, with how you say, whore sauce." The party laughs, "Forgive me, my english not so good, Pasta Puttanesca."

Pointing to the other dish, "This Pollo Caccitore, the chicken from hunter, yes?" Her husband comes out with four plates, cutlery, and a large bowl filled with fresh salad, and a bottle of wine. "Is good yes?"

Chuck, not willing to give too much away, asks Zondra, "Would you translate for me please? This is beautiful. The only thing more beautiful, is the woman who cooked it." Zondra gives Chuck a smirk and shakes her head as she translates.

The woman throws her hands up as she laughs and says something in Italian. Zondra translates, "She says you've had too much wine, your eyes are fooling you."

The party laughs as the woman walks away shaking her head laughing. Her husband says something in Italian and Zondra translates, "He says if you try to steal his wife, he'll take yours. Can she cook?"

Chuck shrugs and answers as Zondra translates, "I don't know. We're only married three days, but I know she makes me hungry."

The man laughs and yells, "Mama they are honeymoon."

The woman comes out screaming, "Ahhhhh honeymoon, so young, so beautiful," she bends, hugs and kisses Sarah then Chuck. She points at Casey and Zondra, "You also honeymoon?"

Casey shakes his head vehemently, "No, nyet, uh uh."

The party laughs, the woman asks in her broken English. "But why you say no? She so beautiful, make for you beautiful children." Casey was in the middle of eating pasta he coughs and it comes flying out of his mouth, the others roaring with laughter. The woman waves her hand as if shooing away a fly, "Ah, young people, think everything funny. I make for you special honeymoon dessert. Eat now, be strong for honeymoon love."

As the party digs in Chuck restarts the conversation, "Seems to me we have at least two problems. Where are we going to sleep tonight, and how the hell did Decker know we were married?"

Casey looks up from stuffing his face, "What? What do you mean Decker knew you were married? That can't be, the only ones who knew are at this table, us and the officers on the Ford."

Sarah puts down her fork after eating her last bite. "Well, just before Chuck broke Decker's body, he said happy honeymoon, Mrs. Bartowski. Somehow he knew."

Casey shakes his head, "There's no way I'm going to believe that those officers, or Echo team would betray us." Casey sits back and closes his eyes, thinking outload, "The only other person who knew was the Marine Lieutenant I called. I had him go to the courthouse to get the license so it could be flown out with the dogs. Him, and the clerk at the courthouse, one of them has to be Decker's source. My money is on the clerk. Decker must have bribed a bunch of locals to be his eyes and ears. My guess is they were told to lookout for anything American or pertaining to the names Bartowski or Walker. Sorry kids, I should have thought this through better. I guess I'm not the spy I used to be."

Sarah gets up and hugs Casey's neck from behind. "Right, because you didn't have anything else on your mind. No earthshattering threats, or the responsibilty for thousands of lives, nothing important." She kisses his cheek, "You did fine, and to be honest I enjoyed watching Chuck kick his ass. You should have heard him howl when his knee was shattered."

Chuck puts his fork down, he looks sad. "I should never have hurt him that way. It was cruel, but I was so scared he was going to hurt you. I was so angry that he did..., it was wrong. I hurt that sailor on the ship too. He was willing to blow both of you up. What's happening to me? I don't hurt people. That's not who I am."

Zondra looks at Chuck and is seeing what Sarah warned her about. "Chuckles, you were protecting Sarah, and it sounds like, Casey too. If you didn't do that, I would be disappointed. I know that it's not like you to harm others, if you can avoid it. Our little scuffle is proof of that. However, I hope you're always willing to do what it takes to protect your wife and friends. I can't think of anyone else I would trust Sarah to. I know you'll always do the right thing."

Chuck shakes his head as Sarah hugs him from behind, "Why do people keep saying that to me? Yes Z, I'll always do what it takes, whatever it takes. But I also have to live with it afterwards."

The woman comes out of the house carrying a tray and seeing Sarah hugging Chuck she says "Ah amore, amore." She places four dishes down and pull out four spoons, "Special for honeymoon, tiramisu, mangia, eat." Her husband follows and serves dessert espresso in small cups. Chuck and Sarah laugh as they feed each other. Chuck remarks, "Senior Chief really got it right, his was just as delicious." Sarah nods as she feeds him a forkful.

Casey grunts, as he wolfs down his dessert, "Rizzo, if I ever act that way, promise you'll shoot me."

Zondra looks at him surprised and bats her eyes at him. "Casey, why would I shoot you, we can make beautiful children together?"

Chuck and Sarah snort as Casey pushes away from the table, growling. "Damn Bartowski's, they got to you too." They all laugh.

Finishing up their meal, Chuck calls out, "Mama, Papa, per favore."

The man and woman, come running out, "Si, signore." Chuck presses two hundred Euros into her hands. The woman gets upset, "No signore, it is wedding gift. You come back with bambino. I cook for you again."

Chuck pushes the money back into her hand and whispers, so no one else can hear. In perfect italian, "The hands that cooked this meal were blessed by god. It's my privilege to put this food in my mouth. Use this money to give this gift to others."

The woman is moved to tears. She hugs Chuck and asks his name. "Il mio nome è Chuck." The woman hands the money to her husband then steps away from Chuck.

The man walks over to him and says in Italian, "Gratzi signore, you are most generous. But I should be giving you money."

Chuck is puzzled, "Give me money? But you provided a most beautiful afternoon and wonderful food. Why would you give me money?"

The man smiles and says, "You have filled Mama with amore. Papa will be a lucky man tonight."

Chuck and Papa laugh together as Mama walks over to Sarah to hug her. She says in Italian, "You are blessed to have a man such as Chuck. He will be a good husband and give you much happiness and wonderful children."

Sarah hugs her back and answers in perfect Italian, "I am blessed. There is no better man. I hope to return with our children. They must meet you and taste your food. Now we have to go. We want to see Naples, and we don't have much time."

Mama walks over and gives Zondra a hug and in Italian says, "You come back soon, bring your friends. Mama will make you special meal."

Climbing into the car, Casey in front with Zondra, the couple in the back. Sarah puts her head on Chuck's shoulder as Zondra starts to drive, "Baby, are you still upset about hurting that sailor?" Chuck groans and nods. Sarah sits up and looks at his face, "Well, you doing that, saved that woman and her husband. That asshole was part of a plot to kill those fine people and destroy the lives of millions. You would never have tasted her delicious food."

She holds up her flowers, "If it weren't for you, my lovely gardenias would be ash, radioactive ash. Their beauty destroyed, taken from me and others like me, who love them so much. Chuck, You're a hero, and sometimes heroes have to do the hard things others can't. Chuck, you're my hero, and there is not one little thing I would change about you, including your sadness over harming others. It's what makes you great."

She leans over and whispers in his ear, "I love you Charles Irving Bartowski, and I'm the luckiest woman on earth, no... the universe. One other thing, having you as their dad, our kids are going to be the luckiest kids in the universe." She leans back and says in full voice, "Suck it up Bartowski, man up, stow those lady feelings. Today we celebrate our lives, our friends, our wedding, our freedom from the agency, Z's new job. Most of all Robin the Boy wonder, who helped save the world this week. Baby, we are going to party tonight."

Casey turns around looking peeved, and grunts, "Walk... never mind I forgot, you're a Bartowski, can't expect anything different, tonight we party. I want to get so drunk I won't remember Shaw's name. Hell, I won't even mind if I forget my name."

Leaving the hillside Zondra drives along the shoreline. "Guess the first thing we need to do is get you people settled in with a place to crash. I left orders at the office for them to have your stuff moved to the company hotel. You'll be staying at the, Relais Della Porta. It's luxurious, near the airport and close to tourist attractions. As Sarah knows, it's where we house our VIP visitors. There's a buffet breakfast every morning on the property. Casey, you'll be in the room right next door where you can keep an eye on our VIPs. Before you ask, the sound proofing is excellent.

Your dress uniforms have been cleaned and pressed for your flight home. Sarah, I took the liberty of having casual evening wear brought to your suite for both of us and a business formal suit for your trip home so that you're dressed like the Colonel, for me as well. They also have a great lounge. I suggest you call your sailor friends and have them meet us there at say 1800 hours (6 P.M.). A good drunk deserves an early start.

Sarah pulls out her cell phone, "Jenkins, Walker…, we're doing great… Jameson is gone, good. Jenkins have a security detail populate the Relais Della Porta hotel lounge by 1700 hours (5 P.M.). I'll be entertaining some high-level Naval VIPs. Agent Rizzo will be going off duty at 1800 hours…, no we won't need another driver. Make sure you have a room reserved for her…. That's right General Casey on one side of my suite. Yes, Colonel Carmichael will be sharing the suite with me. Rizzo on the other side. Good man."

Sarah presses the button to disconnect the call. "Zondra when we arrive at the hotel, you're officially off duty. Tonight we all party. You have the room next to ours. No designated driver required. How about a little sightseeing? Then let's get to the hotel at around 1700, so we have time to freshen up?"

Casey interjects, "What about the clerk who talked to Decker?"

Sarah thinks for a moment, "Decker's dead, so is Shaw. We're out of the country soon enough, why don't we let Z's people look into it."

Zondra nods, "I've got it."

Casey agrees, "Works for me. We have about 3 hours before we meet the crew. Zondra, you're gonna love these guys, lots of fun."

Zondra sounds happy, "Casey, I'm going to party with my best friend and her new husband, that's good enough for me. I've met the Captain, but he wasn't much fun at the time. As a matter of fact he stonewalled us. Kept us out of all the briefings."

Chuck reaches over the back of her seat to touch Zondra on the shoulder. "I'm sorry Z, that one is on me. I couldn't bear the thought of seeing Sarah just then. I had a lot to do. I couldn't be distracted."

Zondra answers sarcastically, "Oh, you mean when you were doing, just some computer stuff?"

Sarah sounds angry, "Z, stop it. Chuck and I were going through a lot of pain at the time, and he… had things to do. Once you're Station Chief you can be fully briefed on the role he played. Until then, can we play nice? Do you know what? Head to the office right now. We're going into the SCIF (Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility) and we're going to brief you. Sightseeing can wait."

Zondra is upset, "But Sarah what about your honeymoon?" She looks at Chuck in the rearview mirror, "Sorry Chuckles, I know you did important stuff. I did see Sarah hurting. I can only imagine the same is true for you as well." She smiles at him in the mirror, "I'm glad things worked out."

Sarah speaks softly, "Z, Chuck and I will have a lifetime together, to travel, to sightsee. For right now this is more important, and the right thing to do. Plus, I only have today and tomorrow to get you caught up. If we get this done now, we can have the whole day tomorrow to play."

After the security screening in the garage, the group arrives at the office. Sarah unlocks the front door with a cornea scan and a numerical code. "Z, protocol dictates that all the locks and codes must be changed with 24 hours of my departure. This will all be yours, you lucky girl."

Walking through the maze of corridors, designed to slow down unwanted visitors, they arrive at Sarah's office. "Smith, so you relieved Jenkins, it's been a while, how's the family?"

The Agent stands, "All's well Chief, the wife is about ready to pop again, but she's feeling okay."

Sarah smiles, "Wow, that makes three, right. Well, you certainly proved it can be done. Career and family, nice. Smith we're going into the SCIF. We're not to be disturbed unless it's a crisis. In case you haven't heard, Agent Rizzo will be relieving me as Station Chief, time for me to move on."

Smith stretches out his hand, "I did hear, congratulations Agent Rizzo, I look forward to continuing to work with you."

Zondra shakes his hand, "Thanks Smith, let me know when you need that family leave. We'll make sure you're covered."

Smith sits back down at his desk, "Thanks Chief, I'll keep you updated. When I know something, you'll know something."

As the group walks towards the SCIF, Sarah mentions, "Congrats Z, you just got called Chief for the first time."

Entering the SCIF, Sarah pushes the button on a recording device and reminds Zondra of the rules, "This is a secure space, we can't be heard, bugged or eavesdropped on. As the new Chief of Station, you have access to anything I know as long as it's within the scope of your new position. Nothing of a personal nature will be discussed. However, this briefing will be recorded and only the people in this room will have access to it. Us, and it will be marked Top secret, Eyes Only, for the President and anyone he determines has need to know. With that in mind, you can ask me any question. General Casey and Colonel Carmichael aren't here to answer questions. They both have access to information that neither you, nor I, need to know. If I don't know the answer, you don't need to know. They're here to keep me honest and out of trouble. Agent Rizzo, do you have any questions about the process or procedure?"

Zondra shakes her head, "No Chief. I got it."

Sarah takes a seat and gestures for the rest of the group to be seated, "The purpose of this briefing is to bring the soon to be Station Chief, Agent Zondra Rizzo, up to date, and to close out the file on the Ford incident.

Here's the outline of the incident, some of which you already know. A terrorist attempted to extort the United States Government out of one billion dollars. He threatened to cause the power plant on a nuclear aircraft carrier, The USS Ford, to go into overload and cause a nuclear explosion in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea.

Included in the threat was an explosion which would destroy The Ford, the ships around it and a big piece of Europe. The resulting radioactive cloud would have made the rest of Europe unlivable for the foreseeable future. The cost in human casualties would have been in the millions. My team was flown out to the Ford, it included myself and Agent Rizzo, to setup an interface with the intelligence community and the command of the Ford. We were watching for chatter and any information that might lead to the terrorist or group involved. My team was sidelined when a team of experts was flown in to determine the validity of the threat and find a possible solution. That team was comprised of General John Casey, and Colonel Charles Carmichael, callsigns Hardcase and Batman.

Colonel Carmichael is a cyber security expert who examined the servers that were compromised. He determined the threat was real and set about removing the computer virus that threatened the power plant. He did his job, the virus was rendered harmless, the threat removed. In addition, he created new virus protection software that would prevent a similar threat from ever recurring on board the Ford. While the Colonel was working in the server room to remove the virus General Casey was running an investigation to determine who planted the virus. He was looking for who else was involved and what else threatened his new command."

Zondra puts her hand up to interrupt, "Chief, you said his new command?"

Sarah smiles, "Good catch Agent Rizzo. In the course of his investigation there was an attempt on the General's life. He killed the assassin. It was at this point I joined the General's team, searching Rear Admiral Frederick Mason's quarters. We discovered three thumb drives, later determined to contain the computer virus that he uploaded to the ship's servers. As the saboteur, he was removed from his position and the senior member afloat took his position as Carrier Strike Group Commander. That was General Casey."

Zondra holds her hand up to interrupt again, "You searched the Admiral's quarters, but what put you on to him?

Sarah laughs, "I'll allow the General to answer that question."

Casey smiles and puts his feet up on the table, "It was a gut feeling. He was asking questions about me and the Colonel he shouldn't have been asking. I trumped up a charge to isolate him, until I could prove I was right. Station Chief Walker saved the day on that one. She found the thumb drives proving Mason was the saboteur."

Sarah picks it up again, "It was about this time, you were hit from behind and injured in the line of duty. You were still protecting the information we had gathered with your body when we found you unconscious on the floor. You've been cited for a commendation."

Zondra puts her hand up again, "So Chief, who slugged me?"

Sarah sighs, "Based on limited information, and my quick glimpse of a man running away from our stateroom. We believe you were struck by Daniel Shaw, who was also the architect of this whole incident. Shaw has now been confirmed dead, by General Casey and the Seal team assigned to the Ford team. He was blown up by his own explosives when his accomplice, Mason, attempted to scuttle the Ford during their escape."

Zondra looks at the people in the room and raises her hand, "What would possibly possess a Rear Admiral to blackmail his own government and threaten to destroy his own ship? Did he have an escape route planned?"

Sarah smiles, "It would seem Agent Rizzo that I selected the right person to replace me as Station Chief. Your questions are intuitive and insightful, the mark of a superior investigator. In his investigation, the General determined that Mason had cancer, with less than six months to live. It was his intention to go down with the ship. He had somehow convinced twelve crewmembers to join him is his extortion scheme. They died with Mason and Shaw in the helo explosion.

Our office traced a one-million-dollar payment to an offshore account in Mason's and his wife's name. Justice is investigating whether or not she was complicit, in any case. She is presently in custody and all of the Mason's assets are frozen until the investigation is completed."

Zondra nods, "I get it. And Shaw, how did he plan all this and intend to escape?"

Sarah takes a deep breath and looks at Chuck, she mouths the words, "I'm sorry Baby." Chuck smiles and winks at her. "As we learned in our previous encounters with Shaw, he was very charismatic, a master manipulator. He could somehow get people to do things that were against their very nature and good judgement. We recently discovered that he had compromised the Director of Central Intelligence and was able to gain clearance and pose as the Executive Officer on the Ford as Commander Charles Walker.

He admitted to the Colonel, before his death, that his secondary motivation was to kill me, the Colonel and the General. As to his escape plan, we're still not sure if he intended to follow through on his nuclear threat, whether he was paid or not. Nor if he would have sunk the Ford. He did have explosives planted in strategic places all over the vessel. General Casey's team was able to find them and hide them on the helicopter that Shaw used to escape. It should be noted that it was Mason who set off the explosion, not Shaw. Our guess is that Shaw intended to steal an aircraft and escape, leaving Mason behind to destroy any evidence and kill the unwitting sailors. We will probably never know for certain, although the investigation is still ongoing.

We've also confirmed that Shaw's old stooge Clyde Decker was somehow involved. You killed him Agent Rizzo when he forced his way into my private residence and tried to shoot me. I'm sure that your report will include any pertinent information about that action."

Zondra raises her hand. Sarah points at Chuck and shakes her head. Zondra puts her hand down.

Sarah leans back and with a sigh, "Do you have any other questions at this time Agent Rizzo?"

Zondra shakes her head, "Not at this time Chief."

Sarah looks at her watch, "It is now 1623 hours. This briefing is concluded, end recording." Sarah shuts off the recorder.

Sarah looks at Zondra, "Z, Decker didn't have a gun in his hand when you shot him. Nobody outside this office will see the body. You have to leave out Chuck's involvement, you shot him because he was about to shoot me."

Zondra, nods, "Thanks for covering me Chief. Now let's get to that party."

The group arrives at the hotel early as hoped, going up to their rooms together and separating to freshen up and relax a bit. As soon as Chuck and Sarah close the door behind them, Sarah finds a glass fills it with water and puts her flowers in it. Then she falls on the king-size bed and stretches her arms out, "Husband come kiss your wife."

Chuck salutes, "Aye, aye Ma'am," he moves quickly to the bed and is folded into Sarah's arms.

Sarah moans softly into his ear, "Mmmm that's much better. Hubby remove my clothes and perform your husbandly duties. Make sure you perform your duties slowly, make your wife scream. I want our neighbors to complain about the noise. I want them to know your name." Chuck removes all of Sarah's clothes, then jumps up and removes his own.

Sarah looks up at him, "What a good soldier, always at attention for Wifey."

While the newlyweds are working off their afternoon meal, General Casey is climbing into the bathtub thinking, ah a hot bath. It's nice they leave bubble bath for the guests. The Bartowskis better not out about this. They'll never let me forget it. Closing his eyes he lets his thoughts wander. I really thought I'd never see that kid happy again. It does my heart good. I believe it's gonna stick this time. I'm gonna be a grandpa again. That Rizzo babe ain't bad either, that's one tough cookie. She's hot too. Mm we would make beautiful babies. Nope too incestuous. Gotta get that thought out of my mind. Can't go there. Can I?"

Two doors away from the General, Agent Rizzo is also soaking in a hot tub, her mind wanders as well. Man, I never thought I would see Sarah happy again. I guess she had it worse for the nerd, I mean Chuck, than I thought. I had him all wrong, that whole nerd thing is just a part of him. That guy is pure hero. I've never seen anyone kick ass like him. Well maybe Mr. Miyagi, but that's just a movie. Chuck is the real thing. The way he dotes on her, I am so jealous. She almost caught me when I admitted he made me hot. Okay she caught me, but she let me get away with it. I mean he is hot, but he's so sweet and loving. I want one too. Casey's not bad, I mean that guy is all muscle, and he ain't stupid. General and Mrs. Casey, sounds good, and I do like older men.

Hold up Rizzo, you don't need someone else's title or name. You're CIA Station Chief Rizzo. Zondra relaxes, resting her head back, closing her eyes. The warmth of the bath water relaxing her, she nods off. After about half an hour the water turns cold and wakes Zondra up, just in time to hear a knocking at the door, she calls out, "One minute." She climbs out of the tub and wraps the hotel robe around herself, the robe is plush and feels soft against her skin. She thinks, that feels nice, and I was freezing. When she gets to the door she asks, "Who is it?"

A familiar voice comes back, "It's me, they left your dress in my room."

Zondra opens the door and Sarah walks in carrying a dress bag on a hanger. Sarah is wearing a short red dress, that shows off her boobs in a spectacular manner. Zondra's eyes go wide, "Damn Sarah that dress was made for you."

Sarah smiles wide, as she spins around, "I know, right? Chuck is still trying to catch his breath. He loves me in red. I don't know who picked this out for me, but they read Chuck's mind. Here's your dress. I guess they sent it over before I ordered your room."

Zondra takes it and throws it on the bed, "Okay, give me a minute. I need to do a quick rinse, then you get to help put me together."

Sarah nods as she sits on the bed, "Don't take too long. I miss Chuck already, and who knows what cats in heat are prowling these halls."

Zondra stops at the bathroom door and looks back, "Bitch." Then she walks into the bathroom and closes the door to shut out Sarah's laughter.

Sarah and Zondra, finally dressed, walk into the room she shares with Chuck. He's sitting in a grey suit with a pale blue shirt, open at the collar. He's watching TV in Italian. Watching as if he understood what the actors are saying. Sarah walks over and kisses him, "Come on Hon. Sorry to keep you waiting, someone fell asleep in the bathtub. You do know there are English language channels?"

Chuck looks up and sees Zondra, "Um… yeah, I wasn't really watching. I was sitting here thinking about how much I was missing you in that dress. I'm ready to go, unlessss… you would rather stay in."

Sarah laughs as she lifts him up by the arm, "Come on Lover, plenty of time for that later. Right now we need to be sociable."

Chuck takes another look at Zondra and whistles, "Damn, I'm walking out the door with two gorgeous women. People are going to think I won the hot lady lottery."

Zondra laughs, "Down boy, even if I were so inclined, Sarah would kick my ass. But thanks anyway, it's nice to be appreciated." Walking into the corridor, Chuck offers an arm to each woman. Sarah and Zondra take the offer. "Damn Sarah where did you find him? I want one."

Chuck laughs, "She found me in the Buy More. Check your local listings for the one nearest you, ask for the Nerd Herd Desk."

Sarah laughs, "And don't forget to bring your broken phone. It's a great conversation starter."

Stopping in front of Casey's room, Sarah knocks. The door opens and Casey steps into the corridor, wearing a suit and tie, cigar in his mouth. "Bartowski, are you gonna hog all the babes? You got blondie, lemme have the other one." He offers his arm to Zondra.

She takes it, as they walk towards the elevator, "Sarah you're surrounded by gentlemen. Maybe I will go back to Burbank with you. Tell me General, you wouldn't happen to have another cigar? One you wouldn't mind sharing with a lady?"

Casey reaches into his inside pocket and hands a cigar to Zondra, "Bar… I mean Carmichaels, I think I may be in love. This women kicks ass, shoots big guns, and smokes cigars. Lady if you drink Johnnie Walker, we're getting married tonight."

Zondra laughs, "Well John, you better order up that preacher, cause I like my Johnnie straight up and walkin'."

As the group enters the elevator, they're all laughing, enjoying a night off, no spying, no bombs no crisis to handle, just fun. When they get to the lobby and enter the lounge the party has already started. The CAG spots the group entering and yells, "Hey, here come the guests of honor." The crew rushes to the entrance to greet our heroes. There's hand shaking and back slapping and kissing as the four of them are ushered to a large couch in the lounge. The whole wardroom is there, WEPS, CAG, CHENG, COMMO, even Echo Team made it. In a departure from usual protocols, The MAA and Senior Chief Child were invited to an officer gathering.

The alcohol starts flowing and everyone is having a great time. Sarah looks around the room to make sure her agents are in position. Satisfied that Chuck is safe, she has a drink, she has two. Sarah is feeling relaxed when Jim Kirk comes over and sits next to her. "Glad to see your partner is doing alright. She seems to have healed okay, but what's with that bandage?"

Sarah had forgotten about the wound. Even though Chuck had cleaned it and replaced the dressing after their shower. "It's nothing, just an occupational hazard. Shaw's partner tried to kill me this morning."

Kirk looks concerned, "Are you okay?"

Sarah smiles, "I'm fine. Him not so much. The Colonel doesn't like people threatening his wife. My partner didn't take kindly to it either."

Kirk stands up awkwardly, clearly drunk, "Well you tell us where he is. Me and my people will kick his ass."

Sarah laughs, "I appreciate the gesture Skipper, but he wouldn't feel it. He's in the morgue."

Kirk slurs his words, "Well that's where the bastard belongs. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to buy a General a drink."

Kirk staggers off and Sarah turns to Chuck, "Are you okay Babe? You don't seem to be having a good time."

Chuck leans over and whispers in her ear, "Hon, I have some concerns about getting too drunk. I could give myself away or hurt someone inadvertently. This really isn't my scene anyway. Personally, I would rather be peeling that dress off of my incredibly hot wife. This is our honeymoon you know."

Sarah strokes Chuck's cheek, "Do you know how much I love you? Can you even guess how much? Do you think anyone would notice if we were to sneak off?"

Chuck laughs as he stands up, "I don't think they would notice if we sat on their heads. Let's go." Reaching down he takes Sarah's hand and helps her up, as she stands her legs part slightly.

Chuck catches a glimpse of flesh, "Sarah Bartowski, you're not wearing underwear."

Sarah puts her hand to her lips, "Oops, I knew I forgot something. I hope you don't plan on taking advantage of my mistake Colonel. After all I'm a married woman."

Chuck makes a disapproving face, "Well Ma'am, I am a Marine, and we do need to practice our maneuvers, to be sure we get them right in times of crisis. I'm afraid I have no choice. Those are two hills I'm going to have to climb."

Sarah laughs as the elevator door closes and Chuck's hand moves up her thigh.

The morning sun comes through the window and hits her in the eyes, she groans. She's lamenting the alcohol she drank the night before. Her arm is over his side, "Ya know Marine, I have to say you do take your maneuvers seriously."

Rolling over Casey smiles, "Thanks Rizzo, you're pretty good on the battlefield yourself."

Zondra smiles as a hand reaches over to caress her left breast from behind and Lt. MacLeod the Ford's COMMO, says, "Hell, I'll go to General Quarters with both of you anytime. Especially when the General has such nice quarters."

Zondra laughs, "I guess this gives a whole new meaning to Interagency Cooperation. I think we need to have another meeting to discuss the benefits of our mutual arrangement" She reaches down under the sheets and caresses both the Marine and the Sailor. "Permission to come aboard Sir, Ma'am."

A/N For those of you who know Julie, this Character is not her, I used her name as a tip of the hat to our FB friendship. She does not know Zondra. She does not know Casey, (although she might want to). She pre-read this chapter and approved the use of her name.

Also if you didn't know CIA employees are not called agents. They are called Officers as in CIA Officer Zondra Rizzo. However, I decided to stick with canon on that issue.


[U1]