A/N: Welcome back to the struggle bus that is my writing during long Covid. I get it, you're probably tired of me saying it, I promise you I'm sick of having it. Take care friends, on with the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck

Castle three weeks ago

"Chuck, uh," Emma began. She was standing in Castle's motor pool, wondering what this had to do with his plan for Gaez.

"I need to explain some things," Chuck assured her. "It's both complicated, and ridiculously simple." She gave him a confused look. "Ever see the movie The Sting?"

Now

"What's going on?" Gaez asked, into his phone.

"All sorts of Feds," Luis, Gaez's employee, replied. "It appears there's a big to-do going on between the Fed in charge and whoever is running the port."

"Makes sense, the Feds will want to close down the port," Gaez replied, nodding.

"Wait, they're taking Mandy's body, and putting it into the shipping container," Luis reported. "And they're moving the crane."

Gaez thought about that. "Moving the crime scene," Gaez replied. "This is one of the biggest ports in the world, and to shut it down…" Gaez trailed off. "So, she is confirmed dead?"

"Sheet's over her, and everything," Luis replied. "She's gone boss."

"Damn it," Gaez muttered. He turned to his driver. "Back to the club."

}o{

Castle, three weeks ago

"So, what is your goal?" Chuck asked Emma.

"Get back in with Gaez, and get some type of usable information on him," Emma replied. "We need to take him down. He has an internal firewall that is damn near unhackable. Sorry, kid." Chuck looked a hair offended. "I'm sure you can, but we don't have that kind of time. He'll be coming for me sooner rather than later."

"She's right," Chuck grumbled. "How advanced is his IT team?" Jack and Emma laughed. "That bad?"

"He purchased the firewall, so he doesn't have to have any IT team," Jack explained. "The only way to get into the system is to hard-wire into it, and even then he has cameras on everyone. The only way you could access what he has is if you were to get inside, get connected, and then somehow make a computer access whatever remotely. If he sees you typing, he'd know in seconds, with all of his cameras. He's paranoid as hell."

"Does he have Wi-Fi?" Chuck asked.

"Yeah," Jack replied, shrugging. "But again, locked down." Chuck grinned.

}o{

Gaez's club two weeks ago

"Gaez," Emma said, as he was showing her where she could stay. "I have a weird request. I got certain privileges in prison, and I found this game online that I can play, kept me sharp, helps relieve the tension and stress from knowing I can't see my family. Any way I could get the Wi-Fi password?"

Gaez was silent for a moment. "I know, you watch everyone to see if they're trying to hack you, or steal info, but I just want to play the game. I will sit in clear view of any camera." Gaez nodded, thinking.

"I have a laptop you can use that has the Wi-Fi already on it. I will be able to see anything you do."

"Fine," Emma replied.

}o{

Three weeks ago, Castle

"You want me to play an online game?" Emma asked, confused. "What the hell good is that going to do?"

"If he doesn't have an IT team, then he won't see what I'm doing in the background of the game," Chuck told her. "One of the ways we finance what we do here is through this huge online game we developed, and we have a team manage it. I'll go in, get into your computer. You'll allow me access to his intranet in his club when you install the game, and I'll get in and find what we need."

"Okay," Emma replied. "Then how do I get out?"

Chuck turned and looked at the two cargo trailers they were standing in front of.

}o{

Now, secured building in Miami.

Sarah reached up and opened the door of the cargo container on the semi that just had arrived from the port. "You look good for a dead woman… I was talking to my mom, Casey, not you."

Casey just grunted, as Emma hopped down and hugged her daughter.

}o{

Castle, three weeks ago.

"Can you skip the cute stuff and just tell us what the end result is?" Casey muttered.

"Fine… Emma shoots you, mortally wounding you, and as you're dying, you shoot and kill her," Chuck said with a shrug. Casey glared at Chuck. "You said to get to the end result."

"Fine, how does this work?" Casey asked, shaking his head as he muttered to himself.

"So, you see the container," Chuck began. He led them inside. "Notice anything?"

"It's the inside of a container, numbnuts," Casey growled.

"This is over that John-John crack I made a while back, isn't it?" Chuck asked Sarah.

"He's not as impressed with your big brain as I am," Sarah said with a shrug. Chuck looked over at her, grinning.

"How many grandchildren?" Emma asked, making both of their eyes widen. "On with the plan." Chuck walked to the back of the truck, put his hand up towards the top, feeling for something. He found what he was feeling for and spread his hand. "What are you…Oh!"

Chuck had pressed his hand against the wall, and a door swung open. Casey walked outside for a moment, then back in. "Son of a bitch, I never noticed."

"A secret compartment?" Emma asked. Chuck nodded. He walked into the back section, and opened the door. "And it connects to the other container?"

"No one pays attention to these things at a port, on a semi, or just anywhere. It's perfect for surveillance, and we can make it our command center," Chuck explained.

Casey picked up the bag Chuck had brought inside and began to look through it. He looked up. "I gotta admit, I'm impressed, Kid."

Chuck just shrugged.

}o{

Now, secure building in Miami

"Is it working?" Emma asked Chuck.

"Oh, is it ever," Chuck said, giving her a hug. He had been worried about her the entire time she was undercover with Gaez, and he didn't know if he could forgive himself if Sarah lost her mom, and Jack lost the love of his life. "I've turned Gaez's computer into a basic microphone. Everything he's saying, is being transmitted back to us, and we have access to everything he's putting down on the computer in spreadsheets."

"We're about to shut down a major gun-runner," Sarah told Emma. "We're about to take down the man that tried to destroy your family, and it's all because of you.' Sarah hugged Emma. Emma was near tears.

}o{

Castle, three weeks ago

"So, I'm posing as a gun smuggler, hence why I am located in these shipping containers. I plan to load the guns I'm going to receive, and send them back to whatever country I represent."

"Exactly," Chuck told him.

"Emma makes me, moves up on me, and walks inside, where no one can see. We fire off two shots, pause, and then another," Casey continued.

"Meantime, I have a blood pack on under my shirt and it goes off, so that when I walk out it looks like I'm hit," Emma continued. "What about John?"

"I'll have on blood packs as well," Casey said, nodding. "It's a damn sound plan, Bartowski, but what about the extraction?"

"It's taking place at the Port of Miami," Chuck reminded them. "You think they're gonna be okay with any of it being shut down over deaths?"

Casey looked back at the shipping containers. "Son-of-a-bitch," he breathed. "You're going to have them load the shipping containers on to semis and have them taken somewhere."

"Preserving the crime scene while keeping America's commerce moving," Chuck replied. "Plus, Gaez thinks Emma's dead by your hand, so he won't be suspicious why we don't charge him for murder." Chuck turned to Emma. "Will there be any blow-back from Boston with all of this?"

"There shouldn't be," Emma replied. "I secure Jack and Sarah's freedom, and then…"

"Then you get to decide what you do with the rest of your life," Chuck told her. "But, I will tell you, we could always use a great strategist."

Emma looked over at the container truck. "Not so sure you need one."

}o{

Now, Miami

"So, what's the plan now?" Emma asked. Chuck grinned at her. "I was told you could use a strategist."

"When do you think the is the best time to bust Gaez in a gun deal?" Chuck asked. The smile Emma gave made him shiver.

}o{

Two weeks later, Castle

Chuck was sitting in the interrogation room. He'd made sure Sarah, Emma, and Jack were nowhere to be seen. Gaez was brought in by Zondra, and cuffed to the table.

"What a lack of respect, one guard, and it's a woman," he spat.

"That woman would gladly remove your teeth with nothing but a spoon," Chuck told him. Gaez looked confused. "She'd just pull them out, but with the spoon, she could dig into the sockets."

"And I'd enjoy every minute of it," Zondra said in a low voice.

"Why am I here?" Gaez asked. "Oh, I know, you want me to give you something. Well, I have nothing for you."

"You killed my fiancée's mother," Chuck said softly. He looked Gaez in the eyes. "They're going to stick a needle in your arm, and you're going to die. That's a fact. By you not talking to me, your death warrant is sealed."

"Wait a minute," Gaez said, looking at Zondra. "He's supposed to be the weak, wishy-washy one."

"You made him," Zondra said. "You made him into that with everything you were a part of. He's gonna find every player that killed his friends, hurt his family, and caused the woman he loves pain. You know Amanda. Her daughter just lost her mom… again… because of you… again. He's your one chance of not dying, but you just gave him what he wanted. He wants you to die. He wants to be there seeing you in the chair as your life drains out of your body."

"I don't have what you want!" Gaez spat out quickly. "I don't have direct connection with Volkoff."

"But you get his weapons, right?" Zondra asked.

"I guess, I have no idea," Gaez admitted. "Everything we do, goes through a man with a code name of The Director." He turned to Chuck. "You have to believe me."

"No, I don't," Chuck said with a shrug.

"I don't want to die," Gaez told Chuck. "I will give you anything I have on the Director, but I have nothing – absolutely nothing – on Volkoff." Chuck sat there, but then… then he and Zondra shared a look as they both heard a wet noise dripping on to the ground.

"Did he…?" Chuck began.

Zondra peered over. "Yup, pissed himself."

"My bladder…" Gaez began. "I sometimes… I sometimes have to wear… undergarments."

"Oh," Zondra said, shaking her head. "That, and you don't want to die."

"Yes, there is that," Gaez admitted.

"Get him out of here," Chuck said. "You better tell them everything you know about The Director." Gaez nodded as Zondra hauled him up, all the while being careful where she stepped as she left the room.

Chuck walked out of the room, turning up the hall toward the living quarters. He was walking past his room toward where Sarah and her parents were, when he felt two hands grab him, and haul him into his room. The door closed and he heard it lock. The room was dark, but he noticed the low light of candles.

"You saved my mom, twice," Sarah began, her voice low.

"I feel I did something wrong," Chuck said, a little worried.

"And you told Gaez I was your fiancée," Sarah continued.

"It was to-" He went quiet as her finger laid over his lips.

"You told Gaez we were engaged before you asked me," Sarah told him. Chuck's eyes went wide. "Did I mention you saved my mother… twice? I'm going to forgive you for the slip about asking me to marry you."

"Thank you?" he said, very confused as she removed her finger from his lips.

"I hope you know that I do plan on celebrating," Sarah told him.

"Sarah, I think you misunderstand," Chuck began.

"I think you misunderstand," Sarah told him. "You saved my mom. My family. During that interview, you dropped 'the cover' of us being married and told that man that you wanted me to be a part of your family. Maybe you didn't propose, but you asked me to be a part of your family."

"But you are a part of my family," Chuck protested.

"You just don't know when to keep that pretty little mouth of yours shut, do you?" Sarah asked. Chuck's eyes widened. "I'm glad you don't," she whispered. "It's time for you to debrief." Her hands reached for his belt.

"Sarah," Chuck said, stopping her. "Are you sure it's not time for you to debrief and me to use my pretty little mouth again?"

"Chuck me!" Sarah said hoarsely.

A/N: I wanted to get the rest of the con out, and I did. Sorry it wasn't more. Next time, the hunt for The Director, and the continued hunt for Vincent Smith. Take care fam.