A/N: I never really liked Carina in the show, but as with all characters I normally portray negatively, I have tried to present her differently in at least one story. This will be another.
No beta on this one, so it may be full of typos, Anglicisms etc. If any bother you enough, drop me a PM to let me know so that I can correct it,
Carina to the Rescue
The last time she'd been in what she'd called Snoresville, Carina Miller had worked with Sarah Walker and her team to secure a diamond. It had been secured, but Carina hadn't gotten the credit, which had been frustrating. However, when she heard the full story, she guessed that the CIA would take a strong interest in it, something not associated with the DEA.
This time, it was a major drug smuggler she was here to detain, so a definite DEA target. She needed Sarah's help again, and maybe the sharp brain of Chuckles.
Carina was sure that Sarah would probably have taken him to her bed by now. He was infatuated with her. That was obvious even before he resisted her own seduction attempt. Observing her friend had made her realize that Sarah was the same, although she'd not admitted it to herself back then.
Although his rejection had hurt at the time, Carina was pleased for Sarah to have someone like him after the self-serving Bryce Larkin.
She wondered if the two of them had tied the knot yet.
When she arrived at Maison23, Carina planned to check in to the room she'd booked and then head out, but she smiled when she saw Sarah's Porsche outside. That meant she'd get to see her friend here, rather than have to go to Echo Park to find her shacked up with her man.
She knew Sarah's room number, so after dumping her stuff in her own room, Carina headed there.
She knocked on the door and stood back to let her friend peek out and see her.
The door swung open. "Red?"
"Hi, Blonde," Carina happily replied.
Sarah frowned. "What's with the friendly arrival and not your sneaky one?"
"That nearly lost you your goldfish last time," Carina stated. She smiled. "Pleased to see me?"
Sarah sighed. "Yeah. Come in." She stood back and opened the door fully.
"What's with the sigh?" Carina asked.
Sarah slumped down at the end of her bed, and Carina grabbed a chair and turned it to face her. "Nothing, really." Sarah replied.
Carina glared at the liar sitting in front of her.
Sarah looked up at her and sighed again. "It's me."
Carina asked, "Why aren't you with Chuckles?" Sarah winced. "Talk to me?"
Sarah was silent for a few moments, then nodded to herself. "Chuck's not our analyst. Casey and I are here to protect him. He's brilliant, hence us wanting his help, but that means others want him too. That includes Fulcrum."
"I've heard of them, obviously. But that doesn't explain why you're not together. You're both into each other."
Sarah didn't respond immediately, but finally said. "I'm more than just his protector. He's my asset and I'm his handler."
Realization hit Carina. "So, you can't be together? Those fucking CIA rules?" Sarah nodded. "I heard that Graham's gone, though," Carina said.
"And General Beckman is still enforcing the rules. Hell, it feels like she's just waiting to order a 49-B!"
"Is that all?" Carina asked.
Sarah snorted. "Isn't that enough?"
"Hell, Sarah. You're smart enough to work around that!"
Sarah let it all out, "Since you were here, he's rejected me 3 times, Carina! And now he's not even talking to me unless we're on a mission, and even then, it's terse. Hell, he even screwed his ex, the woman who broke his heart at college!"
"And what have you done?" Carina asked, guessing it wasn't all Chuck's fault.
Sarah thought back. "We found what we thought was a bomb with a timer. We couldn't deactivate it and I told him to leave but he stubbornly wouldn't. When the countdown got to 4 seconds, I kissed him."
"It obviously didn't explode, but nor are you together."
"I shouldn't have kissed him and had to say it was a mistake," Sarah confessed.
Carina rolled her eyes. "Mixed messages or what?"
"It wasn't a bomb. It was some sort of life support for Bryce."
"Oh fuck! Bryce Larkin?" Sarah nodded. "Tell me you told him where to get off."
Sarah blushed. "He kissed me and it felt good, but that was all."
"I hope Chuckles didn't see that."
"He couldn't have."
Carina was doubtful, but didn't pursue further. "So, nothing else happened with your ex?" Sarah tried to look away. "Sarah?" Carina growled.
"He invited me to go with him and I almost did."
"Abandoning Chuck?" Carina gasped.
"I didn't go, though," Sarah defended herself.
"Did Chuck think you would?"
"I don't know. I never asked." Carina rolled her eyes. "He came again." Then Sarah frowned. "That did cause a problem because Chuck came to my room shortly after Bryce arrived."
"Oh god!" Carina groaned.
"It was after he left us that Chuck rejected me the second time."
"And you don't think the two were connected?" Carina asked incredulously.
"No."
"His ex turned up and he screwed her. He was even leaving us to go with her when Casey and I discovered she worked for Fulcrum."
"That must've hurt," Carina said, feeling really sorry for her friend.
"Yeah, it did, although I tried to hide it." She shook her head to try to get rid of that memory. "We had some other missions, and then Chuck rejected me again and I don't really know why." She looked so sad but also confused.
"Is that it?"
Sarah took a deep breath. "I got another offer to leave."
"Bryce again?"
"No. An MI6 agent, Cole Barker, was here recently and we worked with him. When he was going to leave, Cole kissed me and invited me to go on a beach vacation with him."
"Was he hot?"
Sarah nodded. "Very!"
"Was Chuck there when it happened?"
"No. We were on our own." Sarah looked at her friend. "It was very tempting, I've not had a vacation for a long time and he was really interested in me, but I turned him down." She smiled as she remembered it. "I said I wasn't the kind of girl who cheated on her cover boyfriend. He said that he'd seen the way I looked at Chuck when his life was in danger, so I knew I'd been caught."
Sarah then chuckled. "He said, 'Who'd have thought it? Cole Barker loses the girl to Chuck Bartowski.' and I replied, 'When you meet somebody you care about, it's just hard to walk away.'"
Carina could imagine both the guy being disappointed and Sarah making a comment like that, being so enamored with the nerd. "But you've not told Chuck any of that?"
"No." It was a very subdued, almost pitiful tone of voice.
"And it's since then that Chuck's behavior has changed?" Carina asked, thinking she already knew the answer. Sarah nodded. "And you don't think they're related?" Sarah shook her head. "God, Blondie! I do!"
"His moods are capricious, Carina, so I don't think Cole being here affected him." Sarah's face paled as she put two and two together. "You think he found out about me kissing Cole?"
"Or he actually saw it. You said you were alone. Where?"
Sarah's color drained completely. "In our new base underneath the fro-yo shop I work at." Seeing Carina's confusion, she explained. "They closed the Wienerlicious when they fitted out the base and converted it to Orange Orange."
"So, are there cameras in this base?"
Sarah groaned. "Yes, and he could've watched from above when he left."
"You definitely need to talk to him," Carina asserted.
"But he won't talk to me!" Carina had never heard her friend wail like that. "Even before this recent problem, whenever I tried to talk to him, which admittedly was rare, he'd stop me, demanding to talk first with something that dried me up completely."
All this firmed up Carina's mind. She was going to help. She knew she'd have to talk to Chuck out of sight of Sarah, and Casey. Both would try to stop her interference. She pulled her friend into a hug. "While I'm here, we'll work out what you should do."
"Thanks, Red," Sarah replied, sounding nearly in tears. Then she pulled back. "Why are you here, anyway?"
Carina nodded and explained.
The following morning, Sarah took Carina to Castle. It was a crazy name for an underground base.
Sarah had called Casey and then General Beckman about Carina's mission. The general had agreed to help and would discuss further with her equivalent in the DEA.
Sarah's outfit was certainly different to the Bavarian one from before. It showed less of her body, but was still provocative. Her shoulders and arms were bare, as were her calves, but that wasn't the issue. The orange top and the white pants were incredibly tight. The Chuck Bartowski that Carina remembered must surely find her friend really sexy dressed like that.
She persuaded the blonde to show her where 'the kiss' occurred. The camera she spotted will have captured it perfectly. Carina shook her head in despair, and her friend was so close to tears that she pulled her back to where the video call would occur. Sarah just about got herself under control when Casey started down the stairs, followed by a reluctant Chuck.
Chuck paused half way down, when he spotted Carina. His jaw dropped and he shot a quick glance at her friend. Sarah didn't notice as she was intently studying the desk and avoiding looking at him.
Carina greeted both men and would continue to surreptitiously observe the curly headed guy through the call. He studiously avoided looking at her friend. He looked like he was trying to formulate something to say, but wasn't managing it.
Carina realized that neither of the men had greeted Sarah, nor her them.
The large monitor came to life, initially with the NSA logo, and then General Beckman sitting in uniform at her desk.
Sarah sat up and Carina saw her looking alert and professional. To Carina, she was obviously acting. Probably needing to, worried that she could be sent away.
Chuck asked a question that Carina hadn't expected. "General, is Agent Miller here to replace Agent Walker?" Only Carina could see Sarah clench her fists under the table.
Beckman looked at the blonde with a frown. "Is there something you want to tell me, Agent Walker?"
Sarah looked at the woman. "I do not want to leave, General. I believe I add value here."
Chuck frowned, but said no more. The general looked at Sarah for a few moments, then said, "Good." She looked back at Chuck. "No, Agent Miller is here seeking help with a DEA mission."
She then launched into the details. She finished with, "I've discussed the situation with my counterpart in the DEA. Agent Walker will assist, as will Mr. Bartowski. Major Casey will provide support."
She paused, looking intently at Chuck, then added, "I'll leave the team to work it out with Agent Miller." She ended the call.
"Wow! That was abrupt!" Carina said.
"She's like that," a subdued Sarah responded. Casey grunted his agreement.
Chuck just stood and walked up the stairs without a word. Casey watched him and sighed. "I should get back over there, too."
After Casey had left, Sarah stayed silent for a few moments, then sat up. "I want to help you, Red, but going as a couple with Chuck will be difficult."
Carina nodded and they refined the plan. Sarah wasn't happy but acknowledged it should work. Carina said, "I'll explain it to him."
The grateful look Sarah gave her was heartbreaking. "Thanks."
The two of them walked up the stairs and then split up. Carina strode purposefully across to the Buy More.
Almost as soon as Carina walked in the store, Chuck's short bearded friend appeared at her side. "You came back for me!"
She looked at him. She remembered sleeping with him. He'd been surprisingly good in bed. "No, I haven't, Martin. I need to speak to Chuck about Sarah."
"My name's Morgan," he muttered. He looked deflated, but then took in what she'd said. "Please do. If you can get the two of them back together, it'd be good for everybody."
"Where is he?"
"In the Cage," he answered. She looked blankly at him, and he explained. "The place at the back where we store computers that need fixing. He's there working on them."
"Can you take me there, in a few minutes?" She asked.
"Will do." He walked off and she went in search of Casey.
Casey looked like he didn't want to talk. He probably knew she'd want to talk about her friend's state.
"Sorted out the plan?" he asked.
"Yeah. Talk about that later. What the fuck have you let happen?"
He glared at her. "It's not me! Those two are a mess!"
"And you haven't helped them out of it?"
He gave her an 'of course not' look. "You know me, Carina. I don't do lady feelings."
She threw up her hands. "She's so miserable, and is only hanging on because she can't face being without him!"
"You gonna sort it out, then?" he challenged.
She sighed. "I'm going to at least try."
She headed over to where she saw Morgan.
Chuck didn't even look up from the insides of the computer he was working on. Morgan hightailed it out of the oppressive atmosphere.
"Chuck, we need to talk," Carina said.
He sighed and pointed to a folded chair for her to use. "Do I really have to work with her?"
"Why don't you want to? When I was last here, you only wanted to be with her."
He snorted. "She doesn't want me."
"She shouldn't want you, with you constantly rejecting her!" Carina said, exasperatedly.
He glared at her. "She refuses to have a real relationship with me. And she kisses every spy who turns up!"
"Whereas you just dump her for another girl and then screw your ex, huh? That can't possibly upset her, can it?"
He couldn't answer that, so Carina continued, "She's human, Chuck. She has feelings. She also told me about both of those kisses. They both ended with her rejecting the man… for you." She knew she shouldn't say this, but Sarah wasn't going to. "She's desperately in love with you, but is terrified of being sent away if the general thinks she's compromised."
He didn't look like he believed that.
She had to explain what she knew. "I went to her room last night. I've never seen the strong, in-control Sarah Walker look so defeated. She's miserable as hell because of the way you're treating her."
Chuck wasn't accepting the blame for their situation. "She kissed a suave British agent who was here recently. There was so much passion in that kiss!"
"When did you last kiss her?" Carina asked in a controlled tone.
"Late last year some time," he mumbled.
"And when did you screw your ex?"
He winced. "A month ago."
"Sarah's still hurting from that. And before the British spy turned up, you rejected her again. So, when someone showed interest in her and kissed her, she didn't fight him off like you think she should have?" Carina added, "She wished it was you and regretted it because it wasn't."
His eyes bored into hers. "Sarah told you that?"
"She did. She didn't know you saw that kiss, though. I take it that you saw her kiss Bryce, too?"
He sighed. "Yeah. These attractive spies seem to sweep her off her feet. I can't compete with them."
"She doesn't want them!" Carina angrily responded. "They're just confident in themselves, unlike you. Do you want to know what the British one said when she told him she wouldn't cheat on her cover boyfriend?"
"She said that?" he asked.
"She did and he replied that he never expected to lose the girl to Chuck Bartowski."
A smile grew on his face.
"The two of you need to talk. Admit your feelings for each other. That'll be hard for her. Both her natural silent nature and her fears will be in the way, but she needs to. You need to stop making your own mind up on what she's thinking. And you need to let her talk, rather than talk over her."
She took a deep breath. "Most of all, you need to find somewhere away from cameras and kiss the hell out of her."
"I'll try," he said.
"Don't try, do," she responded. "Now, this mission…"
"He saw you kiss both Bryce and Cole," Carina told Sarah when they got back to the hotel.
Sarah nodded mutely.
"He's desperately in love with you, Blondie, but he thinks you want to be with spies because you kiss them so passionately."
Sarah put her head in her hands. "I want him, but I can't have him."
"You need to open up to him. Tell him the truth about how you feel. Then, the two of you work out how to make it work."
"But-"
Carina cut her off. "No buts. Casey knows you're both in love with each other. He's not going to cause problems. He says you're both a mess. Fix it after this mission, Sarah!"
Sarah looked at her. Nervous, but she at least nodded.
"Now put on that dress that'll wow Chuck this evening." The smile that appeared on Sarah's face brightened the room.
Sarah's dress was blue with very thin straps, so her arms and upper chest were bare. Carina was sure that it would cause Chuck's eyes to pop. Her own purple dress was more muted.
Sarah and Chuck were perfect together at the function they attended with Carina. They danced together and although he wasn't perfect, he let Sarah stun everyone.
Chuck made a huge difference when he recognized the Fulcrum leader and his two guards. The team found out later that they were there to negotiate the deal to enable large quantities of drugs getting into the United States. They would claim the government allowed it, sanctioned it, even. It was one of the guards that talked.
Casey listened to Sarah and arranged for the Fulcrum team to be detained as they left.
As he was leaving, Carina confronted the drug dealer. His people suddenly appeared, but so did DEA agents, as well as Sarah. They were also detained.
In a way, it all felt anticlimactic, but Carina was pleased with the result.
She watched as Sarah grasped Chuck's hand and led him to her Porsche.
When she finally got to the hotel, later that night, Carina caught the elevator to the eighth floor.
She stopped outside Sarah's room and pressed her ear to the door.
Hearing Sarah groaning and crying out Chuck's name, followed by him gasping and her name being called out, brought a huge smile to Carina's lips. The two lovebirds had more than resolved their issues!
She headed to her room and called Casey. "What?" he snapped.
"My other mission was successful, too," she replied.
He grunted.
She stated, "Don't expect Chuckles back in Echo Park tonight."
"You achieved that much?" He sounded really surprised.
"I just got them to actually talk to each other. Communication seems to have been a problem for them. They did the rest on their own," she replied.
"I hope they manage to hide it when we talk to the general," he muttered.
"You really like them both, don't you?"
Casey sighed. "He shouldn't be an asset. He should be a fully-fledged analyst, and she's the best partner I've ever had." Then he growled. "But you better not tell them I said that!"
She was now grinning. "My lips are sealed as long as you help them."
He groaned and she knew he would be the support they needed. He might grumble about it, but he cared for the two of them.
A/N: Obviously this is a deviation from canon, and a number of the events that follow will be different, but I'm leaving it there.
Apart from requests to extend it, which I won't, I'd love to see a review telling me what you thought about this one-shot.