A/N Looks like our favorite spy coupleis finding ways to make things work and stay safe for the moment. Casey has their back, the best he can. Beckman… well Beckman is Beckman. The mission comes first. Lady feelings have no place in the spy biz.

Chuck vs Everybody

A Charah Tale

By Lord Rapier

Edited and Guided by CliffM

Chapter 3: Home Sweet Home

Beckman tries to work. The pile of folders in front of her speak to her distraction. She slumps back in her overstuffed office chair. They're my best team. They've accomplished missions that no one else could have completed. Bartowski is a klutz and a royal pain in the ass. But he has the intersect. Nobody else has been able to make use of it. His ability to think outside the spy box, combined with the data he holds has worked incredibly well. His team has performed far beyond any other. She takes a deep breath. But duty is duty. I didn't become the head of the NSA by avoiding hard decisions. I can't let him fall into the wrong hands. I can only hope he hasn't compromised Casey like he did Walker.

Reaching across her desk she presses a button on her intercom. "Yes General?"

"Lieutenant, get the DCI (Director, Central Intelligence) on the phone. Make sure it's a secure line."

"Yes Ma'am."

The intercom on Beckman's desk buzzes. "Yes Lieutenant?"

"I have the DCI on line one Ma'am."

"Thank you, Lieutenant."

"Yes Ma'am."

Beckman picks up the phone and presses the flashing button. "Good evening, Lester. How have you been?"

"Hello Diane, it's nice to hear from you. Things are a little hectic. Graham left a mess behind. I mean besides the little pieces of his liver in the development room."

"That was a mess. We've been working on bringing down the people responsible."

"Diane, I know you well enough to know you don't make social calls. What's up?"

"Guess it's time to change up my habits. Lester, I have a problem. I may have two people gone rogue. Maybe three. One of them is on loan from your agency."

"I know the team you're referring to. How can I help?"

"I need someone who doesn't know them. I may have to "end" the problem quickly."

"It'll be hard to find someone who doesn't know her. She stands out as the best of the best. Her exploits are well known, and envied."

"I know that adds a great deal to my conflict over this decision. Perhaps you have a fixer who won't care?"

The line is quiet for a moment as the DCI thinks. "I may have someone who won't care. He's never personally interacted with her. He did have some involvement during her training days. Knowing him that shouldn't play a role. He's on special assignment. I'll need a few days to cut him free."

"That works for me. I'm still hoping the situation will resolve itself. Please, stay in touch."

"Will do. Diane are you sure you have all your ducks in a row on this one? The work that team has done is being studied as training scenarios for new agents. You may also want to keep in mind. If her old interagency squad gets wind of what you're up to, they may intervene."

Beckman sighs. "I wish those ducks didn't line up. My asset went AWOL when his family was threatened. He has no training and orders mean nothing to him. It's apparent that your agent is helping him to avoid capture. I may not have a choice. Let me know when your fixer is available. I'll let you know if I still need them. Thanks for the reminder and the heads up."

The drive is quiet as Sarah guides the vehicle to their hideout. Sand and cactus drift past the window as the jeep moves forward towards the edge of the national forest. Chuck is staring out the window on his right. Sarah looks over at him. His sadness is distressing to her. Walker what the hell is going on with you? He did what needed to be done. He's just pouting. Damn it why is it upsetting me so much? "Chuck, I know this is rough on you. I'm sorry you had to do something you didn't like doing. Remember, you did it to keep yourself safe. You did it to keep me safe."

Chuck looks at Sarah. For the first time she sees the tears. "I know. I've been doing a lot of things I don't like lately. Lying to my family, Morgan, you. I don't much care for me right now. Plus I'm really worried about my dad. He's only in this trouble because of me."

Sarah sighs, "I guess I own a big piece of that too. I'm the one who keeps putting you on the spot, forcing you to tell those lies. You seem to forget, I'm the one who found your father when he wanted to stay hidden."

Chuck smiles and squeezes her hand. "No Sarah, you didn't. Dad let himself be found. He wanted to be there for Ellie. He knew that I was the intersect and he also wanted to warn me, warn us, that Roark was up to something. He got caught trying to get the intersect out of my head. The only reason the three of us didn't die when you showed up is because he traded building the intersect for Fulcrum, for my life, for our lives. He sacrificed himself to save me."

After a drive through the desert scrub the couple starts to approach a wooded area with trees ahead of them. Sarah kills the lights on the Jeep and turns onto a side road surrounded by the rarely found trees. She stops the vehicle. Chuck looks at her with a questioning look. She smiles. "Another spy trick for you. We're about to head towards the house I picked for us. There aren't a lot of trees around here, It's almost all desert. I guess the people who built it wanted the shade and privacy, even if it was a drive from civilization.

We'll wait a few minutes to see if anyone drives past looking for us. I want to make sure we're not being followed." Sarah watches the mirror as she talks to Chuck. "I'm sorry Bryce pulled you into this. But I'm also glad he did. Our paths would never have crossed otherwise. Chuck, we're going to find your dad. We are going to rescue him. I promise I'll do whatever it takes. Then you can finally get that thing out of your head, and we can all go back to our lives."

Chuck Looks at her with sadness. "I want to save my dad. Yet somehow what you just said doesn't make it feel like a win." He smiles. "I like your hair, Rhoda."

Sarah leans her head on his shoulder. "I'm glad, I was worried you might be disappointed. It's just a rinse. I'll be blonde again before you know it. One mission at a time Chuck. We'll figure it out."

Chuck takes her hand in his. "You could never disappoint me."

Fifteen minutes pass as they sit in the dark holding each other. "Here's another little trick. The reason we're sitting in the dark is to give our eyes time to adjust. I'm going to be driving by moonlight. Our headlights could be seen for miles in the dark." Sarah starts forward slowly, making sure to not overdrive her eyesight. After about ten minutes, Chuck makes out a small house in front of them. Surrounded by a small copse of trees, it's somewhat hidden. There's a garage with the door open. Sarah does a three-point turn on the gravel driveway and backs in. "Are you paying attention? Always assume you may need to make a quick getaway. Park in preparation for that."

"Here we are, home, sweet home. Chuck, you did a great job. This is one of the properties you found. It's not perfect but it'll serve us for a short time. It's isolated, dry and has decent cover. It's an advantage that we can hide the Jeep in this garage. Be careful how you use light. Remember what I said. In this darkness light can travel a good distance. She reaches into the back seat. Here's a flashlight for you. Always keep it pointed down. Be careful not to shine it at any windows."

Sarah gets out and pulls the garage door down. She turns on her flashlight. "Come on, I've already taken our supplies inside. Grab your computer. I'll make us some dinner. I picked up some MRE's at an Army/Navy store."

Chuck is quiet as they find their way in the dark. They walk through what looks like the kitchen into a larger room. He looks around. It seems like a nice little home. He smiles inwardly. The kind of place I'd like to settle down in with Sarah to have our kids. Slow down Bartowski. Let the woman breathe. He sees a double sleeping bag against the wall in what must be the living room. It's resting on a two foam mats. There's a large fireplace, but it's cold. There are two wooden crates set up with a couple of old wooden chairs next to them. An uncovered window allows the moonlight in. It fills the room with shadows, making for an eerie environment.

"That bed you made looks cozy."

"I was hoping you'd like it. I got us some extra blankets. We're in the desert. It might get chilly during the night. Sorry we can't light a fire. The heat could get picked up by satellites."

Chuck, grabs her arm and turns her to face him. He wraps his arms around her. "You've done your part. I'll see if I can come up with a way to warm us up."

Smiling, Sarah moves back and towards the makeshift table. "I'm glad to hear you're willing to step up. Let's grab a bite to eat and relax a bit. It's been a long day." Uneasy with the closeness, the intimacy, thankful for the excuse to separate. Going about prepping the MRE's, she pours water from a plastic jug into the heater packs. That starts the chemical process that will warm the beef stew in the envelope. Setting them aside she pours some wine into a couple of plastic cups to drink while they wait.

Startled, Chuck's head turns quickly to the right when he hears a skittering noise. Sarah laughs softly. "Nothing to worry about Wiley. We're sharing the house with a family of mice."

Chuck looks down at the crate next to Sarah. He points to her gun. "Kind of overkill for mice."

She gives him a sad smile. "That's in case they brought along any rat friends."

"Sarah, you can't shoot Casey if he comes after us."

Sarah sighs, "I'm hoping I won't have to Chuck. By now Beckman has probably sanctioned a hit on us. What do you want me to do if agents come here to kill us? Here, your food is hot. Eat."

Chuck pushes it away. "I'm not really hungry."

Sarah pushes it back. "Eat it anyway. You need to keep up your strength. I'll need your help to get us out of this fix without hurting anyone. You'll need energy to rescue your dad when we find Fulcrum. Eat."

Chuck halfheartedly pulls a morsel of food out of the packet with his fork and eats it. "This isn't half bad. I was expecting nasty."

Sarah touches his hand. "I'm glad you like my cooking. When we get back to Burbank, I'll cook you a real meal."

"Sounds like something to look forward to."

"There's that, and there's that large sleeping bag."

Chuck smiles, "There is that. But I have to do some work first. Casey will be home now. He's out of sight of Castle's cameras"

"Chuck, I forgot to tell you. I called Casey." Chuck looks shocked. "I only said one word, 'soon'. He needs to know that we're bringing him in."

Chuck smiles. "I agree. He'll know for sure once I'm done. I have to do some computer work you can't help me with. Why don't you grab a nap. I got some sleep in the car earlier. I'll wake you before I do anything else."

Sarah leans down and gives him a kiss. "Thanks for thinking of me. Or is it maybe you don't want me in the way while you're doing your nerd thing."

Chuck shrugs, "Why can't it be both? May I have the phone please?"

Sarah gives him a cautioning look. "Chuck, who are you planning to call?"

"No one. I need to make sure we have cell service out here. If we do, I'll need it later."

Sarah turns the phone on and looks at the screen. "We have three bars. Will that do?"

Chuck smiles and extends his hand. "It will. Thank you." He takes the phone. "Now take that nap. I'll need about an hour."

Sarah grabs her gun and walks over to the sleeping bag. She lies on top and closes her eyes. Chuck smiles as he goes to work, happy to be playing the Piranha again.

Roughly ninety minutes later Chuck quietly walks over to the sleeping bag and bends to kiss Sarah's forehead. Her eyes pop open. "Sneaking up on me? Good way to get shot."

He looks down and sees her gun pointed at his stomach.

"I'll remember to tell that to the kids."

Sarah pops up, "Kids? What kids?"

Chuck gives her a sly smile. "Never mind, just fooling around. Come on, time to go to work."

Sarah gets up. "Be with you in a moment. I need to use the restroom."

Chuck looks surprised. "You mean the toilet works? I went outside."

Sarah laughs. "Yep, that's the restroom." She grabs her flashlight and a roll of toilet paper and heads outside. "Be right back."

When Sarah returns Chuck is sitting in front of the laptop. "Did you have a good nap?"

"I did, I feel refreshed. So what's going on? It looks like the computer is turned off. Is that wine bottle empty?"

"It is. It's part of my process. We have no power. I'm conserving the battery. I did get a power inverter but that will require running the car. I didn't want to wake you. Later, we can use it to charge the computer and the phone."

She stands close to him and puts her arm around his shoulders. "Thank you, I appreciate your consideration. Fill me in. What have you been up to?"

"Let's start with something you don't know. I configured Casey's personal computer so that it can't be monitored. In order to get a peek at what he's doing they would need to decrypt a 164-bit encryption. Without the key, it shouldn't take less than three years."

"Really? Casey let you do that. Who has the key?"

Chuck smiles. "He did. Seems he wanted to email with someone in France. I tried to ask him about it. I've never heard grunts that loud. What really got my attention was being lifted two feet off the floor by my neck."

Sarah laughs, "Yep that sounds like Casey. So who has the key?"

"Only two people. You and me."

"Me?"

Chuck smiles. "The key is based on the phrase; I could be your very own baggage handler."

"Damn you Bartowski. How many times do I have to tell you to turn down that charm?" She leans down and kisses him. "Are we ever going to share that sleeping bag?"

Chuck puts his arm around her waist. "Business before pleasure. Just thinking about you over there was distracting enough. Next thing you need to know. I hacked into the phone and reset our minutes. We have unlimited minutes now. I also set the phone up to bounce the signal all over the world. The starting point is in Moscow, Russia. You can talk on the phone for up to three minutes before it can be traced to anywhere in the United States."

"Three minutes, nice. You can do a lot in three minutes."

Chuck laughs. "Yep, that's all I need."

Sarah smacks the back of his head. "Think again wise guy. Tell me more and hurry. Your charm is beginning to wane."

"Ouch! Wow, you're really mean in the middle of the night in an abandoned dilapidated house with no lights or running water." Sarah laughs. "Here's the last bit. We can send a message to Casey using the cell phone to access the internet. It can't be traced. There's only a couple of things I don't know. Are there cameras in Casey's apartment? And of course, the big question. Can we trust Casey?"

Sarah sits down opposite Chuck. "First one is easy. No, there wouldn't be cameras in his personal residence. The second one is not quite as easy. Is your gut still telling you to bring him in?" Chuck nods. "Okay, let's work on that message.

Casey is asleep in his recliner when his computer chimes. He's a little groggy when he pushes the button to open his email. Instead of the familiar envelope for him to click on, a green unrecognizable face appears. He startles when it starts to talk to him in an electronic voice. "Hi Casey. I hope you're well. I'm counting on you to look after Sarah and Morgan for me. I would appreciate if you would look in on my sister too. Talk soon." The screen goes blank.

Casey freaks out. He pushes every button on the keyboard in an attempt to get Chuck back. "What the fuck? How the hell? Does he really expect me to believe he's not with Walker?" Casey leans back in his recliner sips his Johnny Walker and stuffs a cigar in his mouth. I knew I liked that kid. He's trying to cover Walker. I need to help him stay alive.

Sarah is angry. "Chuck, that's not the message we agreed to."

Chuck shrugs, "I just added one word. A small word. An inconsequential word in the overall scheme of things. You can't blame me. I'm tired. Don't you think it's about time we get into that sleeping bag?"

Sarah sits in his lap. "Thank you. Even if it won't work. It was nice of you to try. I'm sure he realizes that I'm with you. We've been using some fairly sophisticated spy craft."

Chuck looks shocked. "How can he know you're with me? He's never even met Rhoda, my raven-haired beauty."

Sarah stands up hands on hips. "How many times do I have to tell you? We're in this together."

Chucks looks at her adoringly. "I hear you. Why?"

Sarah's arms drop to her side. Sarah sputters, "Because…"

Chuck nods, "Go on, I'm listening."

Sarah stares at him. "Because…I…because… maybe I should separate those sleeping bags."

Chuck stands up. "Maybe you should. Do it quickly. I want to get some sleep."

Sarah steps up to him. She gives him a big smile. "I already told you. It's my job to protect you." She punctuates her statement with a punch to his gut. "Keep messing with my head and you'll find yourself alone."

Chuck bends over with a loud, "OOF! Maybe you could protect me a little softer."

"Maybe I could. Doesn't mean I will. What's it going to be? One sleeping bag or two?"

Chuck stands up painfully, catching his breath. "Why do I get the feeling I'd better say one? I mean we are in this together."

She smirks and answers sarcastically, "Wise choice. Let me guess, you had to flash to figure that out." She reaches up to stroke his cheek. "I'm sorry about the gut punch. But you had it coming. I already told you that you're important to me. If that's not enough for you…"

Chuck takes her in his arms. "You're plenty enough for me. I'm sorry. I was trying to be playful, not mean."

"Apology accepted. There's something I need to tell you. I didn't have time to grab my pills when we ran out of the Buy More. I did stop at a pharmacy and get some of these." She hands him three foil wrapped packets.

He stares into her eyes. "Ms. Walker are you trying to seduce me?"

Sarah's eyebrows raise. "Trying?"

"Well, I don't want you to think I'm easy. If you'll excuse me, I need to use the little boys tree." His eyes are adjusted to the available light. However, he grabs his flashlight just in case and heads toward the back door.

Sarah calls after him. "Chuck, I really am sorry I hit you. This is hard on me. I've been out in the cold before." She smiles, "But never with… someone as important to me as you."

"Why don't you get that sleeping bag warmed up. I'll be back in a minute."

Sarah removes her outer clothing and climbs into the makeshift bed. Am I doing the right thing? Am I doing the smart thing? Even if we find a way back, Beckman will separate us for sure. I'm not even sure why I'm compromising myself like this. He is handsome and smart. He's absolutely the kindest man I've ever known. SIGH! I have no idea what I'm doing.

Chuck comes back in and uses the hand sanitizer. He removes his outer clothes and climbs in with Sarah. She immediately wraps herself around him. "I like this. Let me warm you up."

He pulls her in tight, "You don't hear me complaining."

"That's it? That's the best you've got. You're not complaining."

He kisses the top of her head. "Are you sure you want more?"

She lifts her head and looks in his eyes. "I do. I want so much more. I'm just not sure it's a good idea. Go on, just go easy."

"I've dreamed about holding you like this for so long. Since the first day you walked into Buy More. Sarah I…"

She puts her finger on his lips. "That's good. Hold that thought. Show me what you wanted to say."

Chuck pulls her up and puts his lips to hers. He kisses her softly gently nibbling on her lips. She puts her hand up to caress his face as she responds. Moving her face back to speak, "That was nice. I like show, better than tell. What else ya got?"

Chuck takes her in his arms and kisses her hard, with passion. Sarah responds with a moan, pressing her body tighter to his. Chuck moves his hands over her body gently touching her. His mouth never stops moving. His lips move to her throat as his hand slides up under her tee shirt. His touch is soft and tender. He can feel Sarah shivering and it spurs him on.

She moans louder as he nibbles on her earlobes and pushes his hand into her briefs. Suddenly she shudders as his fingers bring her to climax. "Oh God, what are you doing to me?"

Chuck responds by pulling her shirt off and pulling off both of their underwear. "I'm showing you what you wouldn't let me tell you."

Reaching down next to the bed, he grabs the protection she purchased. He hands it to her. Smiling she tears open the package and slips the contents on him. She doesn't let go as Chuck continues his lovemaking. He moves on top of her, and her legs open to allow him access. Sarah's back arches when Chuck takes her. Her moans grow louder and closer together as he strokes into her. "Oh Chuck. OOOOHHH! I'm so close again, so many times… Finish with me. I want to feel you finish with me. You're making love to me."

Sarah screams as Chuck move faster and faster. They shudder together through their shared orgasm. His weight falls on her. Sarah wraps her arms and legs around him and holds him tight. She plants soft kisses on his face and throat as he works to slow his breathing. Finally catching his breath he lifts his head to kiss her. Smiling he asks, "Any questions?"

Sarah smiles and strokes his cheek. "No, I got your message loud and clear." She lifts her head to kiss him.

Chuck gets up, "I'm sorry I have to leave you for a minute. I need to dispose of the evidence."

"Make sure you bury it, under a rock if possible."

"Sarah, I'm naked."

She snickers, "I guess you'd better move quick if you don't want to catch cold. Oh and watch out for Poison Ivy."

"Gee, thanks for the heads up."

Sarah laughs whole heartedly. "Hurry back. It's spooky here. I need you to protect me."

Chuck laughs. "Yep, that's me, the big protector. I'll hurry back, but only because I'll miss you."

When Chuck returns, he's shivering. He climbs into the sleeping bag and Sarah let's out with a shriek. "Chuck, you're like an ice cube."

Chuck's teeth chatter as he answers. "Tttelll mmeee sssoommetthhiinngg. I dddon't knnnow."

Sarah laughs as she wraps her warm body around him. "Poor baby, let me warm you up."

"Okay but remember, your warming me up is what got me this way."

Sarah laughs. "You know what? I wouldn't want to be on the run with anybody else."

"Good to know. Saves me the trouble of kidnapping you. We should get some sleep."

She snuggles into him and sighs, "Good idea. Do we have a plan for tomorrow?"

"I have the coordinates I flashed on for the Fulcrum base. I plan on investigating that. I'll need to charge up the computer and the phone. Wish we had a portable generator. Do you think it would be safe to run into town for breakfast?"

"If we play it really safe. Maybe we can find a greasy spoon that has no surveillance."

Chuck yawns, "Okay, we can talk about it when we wake up."

Chuck drifts off to sleep his arm wrapped around Sarah her body pressed close to his. Sometime later he feels a chill and reaches out to pull Sarah closer. When his arms come up empty, he startles awake. He whisper shouts, "Sarah." No response. Getting up he pulls on his clothes. "Sarah." His eyes are fully adjusted to the dark. Moonlight makes it easy to look around.

Out the corner of his eye he catches a movement outside the window facing the front porch. He quietly approaches the window and looks out. Seeing Sarah's black hair he walks out the front door. He's facing Sarah's back. She's sitting on the floor, wrapped in the spare blanket. "Sarah, what are you doing out here? It's cold."

She doesn't turn around. "Chuck, go back to sleep. I'll be in soon."

He walks over and touches her shoulders. "Sarah are you okay?"

Clearly irritated, "Yes Chuck, I'm fine. Now go back inside."

"No. Not until you tell me what's going on."

"Damn you, Chuck. I don't know how to do this. I've never done this before."

He's confused. "Never done what? Run away? Hid out? Sex?"

Sarah snorts. "No Chuck. I've had sex. I've never… made love before."

Chuck shakes his head. "Sarah, I'm confused. I don't know much about your past. But I do know you were involved with Bryce." Sarah turns to face him, and he sees the tracks of her tears on her cheeks. "Sarah, I'm sorry. I never meant to make you unhappy."

She reaches up to pull him down. "Get under the blanket with me, You were right, it is cold." Chuck gets down and Sarah pulls him in close as she wraps the blanket around both of them. "Better?" He nods. She sighs. "You love making things hard for me, don't you?"

He shakes his head. "Not on purpose."

She kisses his cheek. "I know. I'm not unhappy, I'm scared. Bryce wasn't about love. He was about convenience. We were the same people. No anchors, no homes, no families. No real attachments. Not even to each other. We had a job, that's what we shared."

Chuck pulls her close and kisses the top of her head. "That sounds lonely."

Sarah nestles her head against his chest. "I suppose. But it's what I knew. Until some pain in the ass nerd started poking around in my feelings. Feelings I didn't know I could have. Feelings that scare the hell out of me."

Chuck puts his chin on her head. "I'm sorry Sarah. I never meant to hurt you."

"Hurt me? No Chuck, you didn't hurt me. What you did to me tonight, with me, I've never felt like that before. My body has never reacted like that. Chuck nobody has ever made love to me before." Her body heaves against his as she starts to cry.

Chuck sits quietly, allowing her the time she needs. After a while she reaches up to wipe the tears from her face. "It was wonderful. You didn't need say anything. I could tell how you feel about me."

"I'm sorry, Sarah. I don't know how to change my feelings towards you. Should I apologize because I…"

"Shhh, don't. You don't need to say anything. I know. No, I don't want you to apologize. I want you to give me some time till I can stop being scared. This is all new to me."

"Do you want me to separate the sleeping bags?"

She laughs, "No, I want you shut up. You didn't hurt me. You aren't hurting me." She sighs. "I can't imagine not sleeping next to you, cuddling. That would hurt. Just stop being so Chuck. Give me a little time. I have a lot to figure out. I need my head clear and focused for the task ahead of us."

"Sarah, I don't know what to do. I'm scared that no matter what I do it's the wrong thing. The intersect doesn't tell me how to do this."

"I guess it's my turn to apologize. You don't need the intersect. You're doing fine, better than fine. I like you exactly as you are. Don't worry about what I said. I promise. I like who you are. Keep being you."

"Okay, I will. But you have to promise to tell me if I'm making you uncomfortable."

"Okay, I promise. But only if you promise to make love to me again."

"Are you sure you deserve to be punished that way?"

"Okay wiseass, let's get some sleep."

They walk into the house and get undressed. Climbing into the sleeping bag Sarah lays her body against Chuck's. "You know what Wiley? I changed my mind. I'm going to show you how I feel this time." Chuck sighs as Sarah has her way with him.

A/N The drive-in location is another nod to the often alluded to movie, Spies Like Us. In that movie a secret base was located in a disused drive-in.

The GPS coordinates given for the base are 34 53' 56.40", -117 1' 19.20" (34.899000, -117.022000 which in reality is the center of downtown Barstow, CA).

Thanx to those of you for your support by way of reviews. I greatly appreciate the feedback and connection to my readers. I would love to hear from my overseas readers. PLEASE