A/N: Yep, still going. We are heading toward the end though. Welcome to chapter 21, I'll Have What She's Having

I don't own Chuck.

Stephen and Chuck were both bent over the device, muttering to themselves. "There," Stephen said, pointing at something. Chuck nodded, and gently moved the tiny screwdriver to where Stephen pointed.

The rest of the team were outside the room, watching the two men. "So, it's a suped-up Faraday Cage to make sure whatever it is, no signals will be sent out," Sarah explained to Zondra and Carina.

Zondra gave her a look. "It's like a cell phone jammer for everything," Carina explained to Zondra.

"I know what it is, it's just… she seems excited about it," Zondra said to Carina.

"I think she's more excited about the man doing the work, and the pride she has for him," Cole said, standing beside the three.

"I just think he yanks her crank," Casey said, standing beside Cole.

"That's a bit crass," Carina said to Casey.

"You're just mad I said it first," Casey rebutted. Carina shrugged as if to say you're not wrong .

"There's nothing wrong with being excited over someone you care about, and the work they're doing," Cole replied. The other four all looked at him. "A woman I work with, Megan, gets very excited over similar things." He was silent for a second as everyone turned back to watch Stephen and Chuck. "I wish I had let her see how much I enjoyed her enthusiasm," he said softly. Carina, Zondra and Sarah all shared a look.

"Got it!" they heard Stephen exclaim from the cage. They all looked up and saw Stephen and Chuck smiling.

}o{

"So the plan is to set a trap?" Beckman asked. The group had set up a conference with Beckman after discovering the device did, in fact, transmit the signal.

"The easiest thing to do is use an abandoned building, where we cover the exits," Casey said, pulling up the drawings of the proposed trap site. "Set up the device, have a remote that will turn off the blocker. Once they arrive, spring the trap, and capture all the bad guys."

"Each of us will lead a team," Zondra said, referring to her, Carina, and Casey.

"General, permission to also have a team," Cole pipped up. "It is because of me that we are in this mess, and I'd like to do my part to help."

Chuck watched the sour look on Beckman's face. He wondered if she ate unripe persimmons daily to achieve it. "I'll allow it," Beckman said. "This should be a simple mission, no heroics."

"We like simple," Carina said.

}o{

A little while later, Cole was gently carrying in one of his team members, when he heard the commotion. "Is he okay?!" he heard Carina yell. He turned and saw her running toward Sarah, who was holding Chuck. Chuck was on the floor, unconsious.

Cole was stunned. What had happened? Everyone else seemed fine in Castle, but in the middle of the trap… well, everything had gone FUBAR.

Once the enemy agents realized they were surrounded, many of them began to try and take poison, killing themselves. Cole had managed to hit the leader, in the mouth, knocking the capsule out. She pulled something out of a bag she had, making Cole jump back.

It had been a syringe, the needle just missing Cole's eye. The two had fought, she had kicked one of Cole's teammates in the knee, the one Cole was helping inside, distracting Cole long enough for the enemy agent to take the capsule, killing herself.

Cole gently placed the teammate in a chair, and hurried over to Chuck and Sarah. She looked up as she saw Cole running toward them. "He's fine," she told him. "He just saw the needle almost hit you in the eye. We had the entire place on camera. He passed out."

"Our fearless leader," Casey said, and then dumped a glass of water on Chuck's face. Chuck sputtered awake, and Casey walked off, whistling.

"Casey!" Sarah yelled at him.

"Wha… what happened?" Chuck asked, wiping the water away from his face. "Cole! You're okay!"

"I'm fine," Cole said. He gave Sarah a look. She simply shrugged.

}o{

"Let me check that out," the blond doctor said to Cole a little while later. Cole gave the doctor a confused look, as the doctor pointed toward the rip in the shirt of the spy. "My bro said she did tag you with that needle, and who knows what she may have nicked you with, or what else could have been on it."

"Your bro?" Cole asked.

"Chuckster," the blond doctor said. "Beckman had us come in here and check on the team, instead of sending your team to the hospital."

"Your brother is Chuck?" Cole asked, shaking his head.

"Nah, his sister is my fiancée," Devon explained. Cole took his shirt off and Devon let out a low whistle. "Very nice, my dude. Wish I could get Chuckster on an exercise regimen."

Cole didn't say anything as Devon checked him over, noticing a fresh cut on Cole's pec. It appeared to be from the needle the enemy agent tried to use. "That is welting up," Devon said softly.

"I don't understand things here," Cole admitted. He was looking across the room where the other spies were gathered, listening to Chuck. "It's obvious he's in charge, and yet the disrespect he was shown…"

Devon looked over at the group, and chuckled as he turned back to Cole. "This will sting," Devon said, as he gently, but firmly pushed a cloth with disinfectant onto the cut. Cole made a hissing sound. "I'm guessing your talking about Casey pouring water on Chuck's face?"

"You know about it?"

"Oh, for sure, Chuckster told me," Devon said. "Let's put some ointment on it," he muttered to himself. Devon grabbed the ointment and glanced at Cole as he went to apply the gel. He couldn't help but smile. "Listen, Casey respects the hell out of Chuck, but Chuck… well…" He turned and looked over at his soon-to-be brother-in-law. "Chuck drives Casey insane. Casey is military, doing things the proper, orderly way. Chuck… Chuck is absolute chaos."

"So why does Casey respect him?" Cole asked.

"Why do you think?" Devon countered. Cole stared at Devon. Devon looked him in the eye. "No. Seriously. Why would a man like John Casey respect someone like Chuck?"

Cole looked across the room at the group. "He doesn't demand respect," Cole said.

"Nope," Devon agreed. "In fact, he is about as self-deprecating as any human I've ever met."

"He doesn't give orders," Cole continued.

"Absolutely not," Devon agreed. "He has idea, and suggestions, but as far as how to do things, he totally believes in his team."

"He seems… he seems too human," Cole added.

"Oh, totally," Devon said. "Our jobs are similar. We have to take care of people, and we have to make hard calls sometimes."

"He seems like the kind of guy that wants to save everyone," Cole added. "That kind can get others killed in this line of work."

"And he knows that," Devon agreed.

"Well, if he knows that, then…" Cole trailed off. "He would save everyone himself," Cole said softly. Devon bounced his eyebrows as if to say you figured it out. "But… but he has no training, at least none that is noticeable."

"Kinda makes him an absolute idiot, doesn't it?" Devon asked.

"That or a damned superhe… ro…" Cole looked up at Devon. "I see."

"Not sure I follow you," Devon told Cole.

"Oh, I think you do," Cole said. Devon raised an eyebrow. "It's why they gravitate toward him." Devon didn't say anything. "He does what has to be done. He does for others what he wishes people would do for each other."

Cole didn't say anything as Devon finished dressing the wound. He was lost in thought and didn't even notice Chuck walking over to the two. "Is he gonna be okay?"

"Better than you," Devon said, with a smirk. "You're the one with a goose egg on his head from passing out over needles."

"Listen, dude, that… that was scary," Chuck argued. "I thought Cole was going to lose an eye!"

"Clearly he never watched Faces of Death as a kid," Devon said to Cole.

"I'm not familiar with that," Cole admitted.

"It was a movie made in 1978, but made it's rounds in the eighties," Chuck explained. "It was based on a coroner showing people all the way that animals and people died."

"Why would people want to watch that?" Cole asked.

"Right?" Chuck replied.

"Why wouldn't I?" Devon said at the same time. Devon looked at Chuck and shook his head. "I guess that's why I'm a doctor."

"And I'm not," Chuck agreed.

"No, no you're not, are you Chuck?" Cole replied.

}o{

"I've been thinking," Chuck said to Sarah later, at home.

"Is that the best idea, given that you fell and hurt your head?" Sarah teased.

"Ha-ha," Chuck said. "Just for that I won't share the idea I had."

"Promise?" Sarah teased. Chuck mimed zipping his lips and throwing away the key. Sarah walked over, sat in his lap and kissed him. After a minute she pulled away. "My tongue was in your mouth."

"What can I say, I have no resistance training, nor do I want to resist you," Chuck told her.

"So, what was your idea?" Sarah said.

"It seems to me that Mrs. Bucket wants things peaceful and quiet around here, and with the Fulcrum agents all cleared out, the majority of homes left are ones with kids," Chuck told her.

"They are," Sarah agreed.

"Do you know what kids love that Mrs. Bucket would hate?" Chuck asked. Sarah shook her head negatively.

}o{

"How did I get volunteered for this fresh hell?" Casey grumbled. "Please take your shoes off before you enter," he said to a hyper seven-year-old, about to enter one of the seven bounce houses Chuck had put up in his and their neighbor's yard.

Their neighbor thought the idea was splendid, especially since it was thought by the whole neighborhood that Mrs. Bucket would hate it. She had already been by earlier, and accused Sarah of trying to buy the HOA vote with this 'stunt'.

One of the neighbors, who wasn't even aware of the upcoming election, told Sarah he was for sure voting for her now.

Chuck had convinced Ellie and Mary to make cookies. Morgan and Devon had been in charge of the drinks. Anna had been in charge of Morgan, to make sure the drinks were child-appropriate.

"Casey, please don't curse around the children," Zondra admonished Casey.

"Bartowski ratted me out, didn't he," Casey said, more statement than question. Zondra shrugged, and tried to look innocent.

"Charles," Stephen called out to Chuck. Chuck turned from the snack table he was managing, to face his dad. "Sorry to bother you, but our boss has a mission for the team."

"Right now?" Chuck asked, worried.

"No, later this week. But she told me about it, and something clicked in the back of my head," Stephen said. "She said we were looking for someone named Perseus."

"Doesn't register," Chuck told him. Stephen nodded. He pulled a picture out of a manila envelope, and showed it to Chuck. He pointed toward one man. "Yep," Chuck said in a high pitched voice. Sarah was beside him in a flash; she knew that yep. "Brain freeze," Chuck said.

"But you haven't had anything cold," a kid nearby said.

"He has delayed reactions," Sarah told the child.

"He should go to the doctor, it could be a tumor," the kid told Sarah.

"It's not a-" Sarah began, when she felt Chuck's hand on her arm. She cleared her throat. "Thank you, we'll take that under advisement."

The kid left and Stephen pulled back out the picture. "That's Howard Busgang," Stephen said, pointing at the picture.

"And you know him?" Chuck asked.

Stephen nodded. "He was on the original team," Stephen said. Chuck and Sarah nodded, understanding. "We all had code-names."

"Why does Beckman want him?" Sarah asked.

"He's supposedly building what Chuck and I have for the other side," Stephen explained the best he could, while somewhat in public.

"What's the play?" Sarah asked.

"You win the election, let us handle this," Stephen told her.

"MISS WALKER!" came the booming voice. "Do you have the appropriate permits for this?" Sarah's eyes went wide as Mrs Bucket walked toward them with purpose.

"We need permits?" Sarah asked.

"Yes," Chuck said. "The way this area is zoned, thanks to Mrs. Bucket here, more than six bouncy houses would require a permit." Carina walked by, handing Chuck a clipboard. "Which is why you made sure we had the appropriate paperwork filed," he said handing Sarah said clipboard. As he did, Zondra walked by, and handed Chuck another clipboard.

Mrs. Bucket peered at the clipboard Sarah had, scowling. "Which is why Sarah also filed paperwork to have that ruling reversed," Chuck continued, handing Sarah the clipboard with the paperwork, that Zondra had just given Chuck.

Mrs. Bucket stared at the newest paperwork in Sarah's hands, glared at Sarah, and began to storm off. She stopped, and turned. "You have to win the election first!"

"Who here is going to vote for Mrs. Bucket for HOA president?" Carina shouted to the group of people at the event. No one said a word. "And who is going to vote for Sarah?" A cheer went up. Mrs. Bucket's face, which had already been a thundercloud, clinched even harder as she turned, and stormed off.

"He's prepared for everything, isn't he?" Cole said to Devon. Devon nodded, having watched everything.

}o{

"Listen, this is volunteer only," Chuck began.

"Relax, Curls, we got this," Zondra told him.

"It's not you and Carina I'm really talking to," Chuck said. All three turned to look at Cole. "You don't have a dog in this fight."

"Or maybe I do," Cole said. "See, you have taught me some things, Chuck. I've been looking for what Sarah has."

"I didn't know he swung that way," Carina muttered. Zondra snorted. Cole and Chuck gave her a look. She held up her hands as if to say m y bad.

"As I was saying, Sarah looks…" Cole trailed off, looking for the right word

"Glowing?" Zondra offered.

"Sappy?" Carina countered.

"No, not sappy, but content?" Zondra replied.

"That's it!" Cole said, snapping his fingers. "She's content, and I want that. I want a relationship, I want to be loved for who I am. I want to be able to just be me, and I need to see if I can do this."

"I blame you for this," Carina said to Chuck.

"You blame me for everything," Chuck countered.

"Well, it's all your fault," Carina fired back.

"Oh, did Carina find a feeling?" Chuck teased. His eyes went wide and there was terror on his face as she glared at him. "You know what, I apologize. There was the line, and I went waaaaaay too far."

"As long as you recognize you did," she said in a cold voice.

"Is it always like this?" Cole asked Zondra softly.

"Usually worse," Zondra admitted.

}o{

Several hours later at Walkers Retrievals , the four gathered around Chuck's computer. He glanced toward Sarah's office, and confirmed that the door was shut. "What's our next step?" Cole asked. "Play the audio on a loud speaker for the whole neighborhood to hear?"

"Oh, I have something much more practical than that," Carina said. "Curls," she said, making a shooing motion with her hand. Chuck stood up and Carina sat down. "There's a message board for the local neighborhood, where all the gossips hang out online. Housewives can find the damnest things to entertain themselves."

"You're slipping," Chuck muttered. "You had an opportunity to make a joke about what those things are, that entertain them."

"You better thank your lucky stars that you work in this office and aren't at home during the day," Carina said. "I've seen more than a few of them eyeing you, and thinking about making you something to entertain themselves."

Chuck audibly gulped, and looked at Cole. "Welp, only time I'm working from home is when Sarah is around."

Cole studied Chuck for a second. "Commitment," Cole said to Chuck. Chuck nodded. Cole nodded in return, and turned to watch Carina upload the part of the video she had clipped. "That's it?"

"That's all we have to do," Carina said with a shrug. "Now we just let nature take it's course."

"It can't be that easy," Cole muttered. Carina chuckled.

}o{

Two hours later the whole team was called downstairs for a briefing. The screen popped on, and Beckman was rubbing her head like she had a migraine. "Why?" was the only word she said.

"I don't understand, General," Sarah said.

"I'm sure you don't, Agent Walker," Beckman replied. "Our agents in your neighborhood have witnessed some… things."

"Some things?" Sarah asked. Chuck glanced at Carina and Zondra, who both had their poker faces on. Sarah turned to Carina. "What did you do?" she asked, accusation dripping from her tone.

"Why are you always accusing me?" Carina asked. Everyone turned to look at her. "You know what, I get it. I said it as a defense mechanism."

"It was me," Chuck said. "It was all my idea, and if anyone should be punished, it's me."

"What did you do?" Sarah asked, worry in her voice.

"Hey, you didn't have that tone with me," Carina protested.

"You aren't buttering her biscuit," Zondra muttered. Everyone turned to Zondra. "What?! It ain't like it's a secret."

"I mean, we are spies," Cole said. "A blind man could see it."

"What did you do?" Sarah repeated.

"This," General Beckman said, hitting a button on her desk. Her window was made small, and a video of Mrs. Bucket came up, clearly from a camera somewhere on the person that was talking to her.

"Would it be okay if I sat down?" came an English voice that obviously belonged to Cole.

Everyone but Chuck, Carina, and Zondra turned to look at him. "What?" Cole asked.

"How the hell did you get roped into this?" Casey asked, shock in his voice.

"I volunteered," Cole admitted.

"I'd like to say I'm surprised, but that would be lying," Beckman muttered.

"Well, of course," Mrs. Bucket said, honey nearly dripping from her voice.

"I think I saw you last weekend," Cole continued. "Weren't you there, trying to stop all those children?" He paused and then under his breath, but loud enough for her to hear. "Nasty little buggers."

"You don't like children?" Mrs. Bucket inquired.

"I mean, they're fine," Cole began. "But… well, it kind of destroys the peace of the community you're building."

"Oh, tell me about it," Mrs. Bucket agreed.

"Is that why you're running for…. what is you are running for?" Cole asked.

"President of the HOA," Mrs. Bucket said, not even realizing how she drew up and said it with some airs about her. She leaned in. "If I get my way, I'm going to make sure no more families with children move in."

"Now, how would you do that?" Cole asked. "That doesn't seem legal."

Mrs. Bucket smiled a sinister smile. "Well, no, we can't have that be an actual policy on paper, but…" she trailed off. "Can I trust you?"

Cole reached out, and put his hand over hers. "Oh, of course you can," he lied.

She smiled at him. "You simply implant policies that restrict what children can do. None of these basketball goals, the yard must be kept up to code, absolutely no green spaces where they can run around and scream like they do."

"They can be loud, can't they?" Cole asked.

"They sound like heathens, all that yelling and screaming they do," Mrs. Bucket said with disgust in her voice.

"Well, those rules alone don't seem like they would be enough," Cole said.

"There is the big one," Mrs. Bucket said, an evil grin on her face. "No minor shall be outside without being accompanied by an adult. For the safety of our residents, no sports activities are to take place in our community. If we see anyone violating any of the above activities, or see any unsupervised children, they will be sent home immediately."

"For safety," Cole said.

"For safety," Mrs. Bucket agreed, a grin of pure satisfaction on her face.

The recording clicked off, and Beckman's window came back to full size in the middle of the screen. "Mr. Barker, perhaps it is time for you to return home… before you get in trouble with your superiors for… well, not doing proper agent things."

"General," Chuck began.

Beckman held up her hand, stopping Chuck. "No one is in trouble, Mr. Bartowski, it's just… well, you have a habit of affecting agents."

Casey grunted, a pleased grin on his face. Everyone looked at him. "What, he does, and Mrs. Bucket is right, those kids were annoying."

Beckman gave Casey a sour look, and hit a button on the desk, the video pulled back up.

"And I'm telling you, some of those people that associate with the…" Mrs. Bucket trailed off. "And that's another thing, their last names aren't the same."

"You think they're living in sin?" Cole asked.

Sarah buried her head in her hands. "Damn it," she muttered. "I screwed up and forgot to register as Sarah Carmichael."

Chuck leaned over to her, as Beckman hit the pause button on the feed. "Did you know that the house is listed under Chuck and Sarah Bartowski?" Sarah looked at him, and then realized what he said. Chuck's eyes went wide as he realized what he admitted. He turned back to the group.

"We know," they all said in unison, including Beckman.

"Guess the cat's out of the bag?" Chuck asked.

"The only thing in the bag, was you, in her bag," Carina quipped.

Beckman cleared her throat and hit the play button.

"I shudder to think," Mrs. Bucket answered. "Some of the company they keep… well… I question their origins."

"What do you mean?" Cole asked.

"That… large man that is around them," Mrs. Bucket said, leaning in close. "I tell you, I've seen him working around the neighborhood, and I think he has something to do with the mass exodus of our community members."

"I thought that was because many of those homes were found structurally unsound?" Cole offered. Mrs. Bucket snorted derisively.

"They were all gone at the same time," Mrs. Bucket said. "I realize many in the neighborhood don't know about other's comings and goings, but I do." She paused. "For everyone's safety."

"Of course," Cole said.

"I think, that big man targeted those families, and had them taken," Mrs. Bucket said.

Everyone watch Casey straighten, worry on his face.

"I'm positive he's a Russian, had them kidnapped, and sold into the sex trade," Mrs. Bucket concluded.

Beckman hit the stop button, and before Casey could speak, spoke to the team. "No, Major, you may not have Mrs. Bucket put on a government watchlist." Casey stood there fuming. "Permission granted to storm out." He did.

"Agent Barker, a pleasure working with you," she said to Cole. "Agent Walker… Bartowksi." Sarah grinned at that. "Congratulations, Mrs. Bucket has not only pulled out of the HOA election, she has put up her house for sale." With that, Beckman clicked off.

Cole said his good-byes, and left. The rest of the team departed, just leaving Chuck and Sarah.

"I didn't do anything but show the world who she was," Chuck said.

"A very nasty woman," Sarah agreed. She grinned at Chuck.

"She's no Janet Jackson," Chuck said.

"I don't understand that joke," Sarah told him.

"My name ain't baby, it's Janet. Miss Jackson if your nasty," Chuck said, telling her the lyric. Sarah just stared at him. "You know what, hearing it out loud, I kinda messed that one up.

"Nervous I'm gonna yell at you?" Sarah asked.

" Y ep !" Chuck replied.

She leaned in. "Well, you can call me baby, or Mrs. Bartowski if you're Nasty," she said.

Chuck gulped. "What if I call you… A gent Bartowski?"

"Chuck me," she muttered. "We're going home."

"We are?" Chuck asked. She gave him a look. "Of course we are."

She grabbed his hand and the two headed up the stairs, to the car, and quickly headed home.

A/N: Thanks for reading, I'll be back soon. Reviews are nice, so if you'd like to leave one I always appreciate it. Take care, fam.