Chuck vs. the Mission of a Lifetime

A/N – While I enjoyed the Chuck vs the Cubic Z episode that aired on TV, I always wondered what it would have been like if Chuck and Sarah actually went on their mission of a lifetime to Monaco as Lord and Lady Carmichael chasing a lazy oligarch down the French Riviera. Since this story won't take place in the guts of Castle, there will be a significant departure from canon. The having a child issue that was a major part of the episode will be a major part of this version though as will Sarah coming to grips with the fact that she has changed and doesn't want to be the cold hearted spy anymore. So without further ado… Standard disclaimer – I don't own Chuck.

Chapter 1

Sarah walked up the stairs to the cabin of the private jet closely followed by Chuck. After they settled into their seats next to each other the pilot radioed the tower for clearance and plane took off for the ten hour trip to Monaco airport. Chuck looked at his girlfriend and noticed she was a little tense, but she was usually that way at the beginning of a mission. This tension however seemed a little different though and he determined in his mind to find out what the issue was. Chuck reached over and took Sarah's hand in his, squeezing it gently, before raising it to his lips. Sarah smiled a thin smile at her boyfriend before he let go.

Her sparring session with Casey did nothing but make her arms and legs tired. The teasing she received from him as she told him about Chuck letting it slip that they could be next, having kids, repeating what Awesome said, didn't help one bit. She knew she needed to talk about it to Chuck. Casey was right. Chuck will know that something was wrong and will keep digging at her until she told him what was the matter. She hated sharing her feelings but knew this was something she needed to be able to do to enjoy a life with Chuck to its fullest. She just needed to figure out a way to bring the subject up without alarming him. She loved Chuck and loved being with him. She would have to find a way.

Chuck pulled out the mission files and handed one to Sarah before starting to read one himself. After a few minutes of perusing the files Sarah set hers down and turned to face her boyfriend. "Chuck?"

Chuck, deep in thought about something he was reading answered "Hmmmm?"

Sarah took the file Chuck was holding and set it aside. Chuck looked up in surprise. "What is it Sarah?"

"Chuck, can we talk?"

Suddenly alarmed Chuck answered "What is it Sarah? Are you OK?"

Sarah smiled inwardly at her boyfriend. "I'm fine Chuck. I just need to talk to you about something."

"Please talk to me Sarah. You know you can talk to me about anything."

Sarah nodded. "I know Chuck. First of all I love you and I love being with you."

Chuck grinned and said "Ditto, right back at ya."

"It's just that…..can we….."

Suddenly the big screen monitor in the cabin came on and the face of one General Diane Beckman could be seen on the screen. Chuck and Sarah stopped their conversation and looked up.

"Chuck, Sarah." General Beckman greeted them.

"Good morning General." Chuck and Sarah answered back.

'We just got some new intel that may have some bearing on your mission. It seems that two of Alexei Volkoff's lieutenants are also in Monaco right now. We don't know of any connection of the man you're following to Volkoff. We need you to find out if there is."

"Roger that, General." Chuck said.

"Who are Volkoff's men that are in Monaco?" Sarah asked.

Beckman looked at them through the monitor. "Actually it's a man and a woman. Two people you have dealt with before." She paused for greater effect. "They are Hugo Panzer and Heather Chandler."

Chuck and Sarah both froze for a moment before looking at each other and back at the screen. The general had posted their pictures side by side. Chuck flashed on the picture of Heather Chandler.

"Did you just flash?" Sarah asked.

Chuck put his hand on Sarah's knee and squeezed.

"What did you see Agent Bartowski?"

"Something about a prison network, General."

"Don't worry about that right now. Just focus on the mission and find out why Panzer and Chandler are in Monaco."

"Will do General." Chuck and Sarah answered in unison. The screen went blank.

Chuck turned to Sarah. "I also saw something else."

Sarah raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"There is a connection between Heather Chandler and an Agent Frost. Heather Chandler knows my mom."

xxxxx

Lester Patel and Jeffrey Barnes intercepted Morgan Grimes as he was heading back to his office. Morgan was taking his job as Manager of the Burbank Buy More very seriously, wanting to impress General Beckman and her superiors. After Morgan told those two not to embarrass him, Lester said "You talk like you have a lot of brass in your pants."

Morgan nodded and smiled.

"He's here." Jeff said.

"Who's here?" Morgan asked.

"The man whose job you stole." Lester replied.

Morgan looked behind him to see what Jeff and Lester were talking about. He spotted Big Mike lurking in the merchandise aisles.

"Whoopsie." Lester said before running away, taking Jeff with him.

Big Mike entered Morgan's office and told him what he had been doing. He had discovered the source of his happiness which was Morgan's mother and that he wanted to ask his permission to marry her.

Morgan freaked out internally. There was no way he wanted Big Mike to be his stepfather. When Big Mike pulled out the half-carat cubic zirconium ring Morgan thought he would lose it right then and there. But Big Mike asked him to think about it and hold the ring for him, to give it back when he thought he was worthy. Morgan was touched and decided to not come to any rash conclusions. So when he asked for a job to help with the game launch, Morgan agreed. After all, he could use the extra help.

xxxxx

Chuck got up from his seat to stretch his legs for a minute. He headed to the aft part of the plane and noticed there was a door. Knowing there was no one else on board with them, he opened it. Much to his surprise the door opened into a bedroom with a queen sized bed. This sure beats sleeping in a seat, Chuck thought. He exited the bedroom and called out to Sarah.

"Sarah?"

She turned around in her seat. "What is it Chuck?"

"Come here for a second. I want to show you something."

Sarah set down the file she was looking through and walked to where Chuck was. He opened the door.

"Ta daa!"

Sarah looked inside and saw the bed. She cocked an eyebrow. "You didn't know that was in here? Are you tired or something? Do you want to take a nap?"

Chuck's mouth dropped open and he clamped it shut again.

Sarah was teasing him, knowing full well he was thinking about more than just sleeping in the bed. She wanted that too, but she really needed to talk to him before she could enjoy the intimacy. Sarah took Chuck's hands in hers and looked him in the eyes. "Can we talk?"

Chuck tried to hide his disappointment but couldn't. He simply nodded.

She stood on her tip toes and gave him a light kiss on the lips. "I want what you have in mind too, Chuck. It's just I need to talk to you about something first. I do love you."

That got a bit of a smile from her boyfriend, but not the full blown Chuck Bartowski grin she loved so much. She led Chuck into the bedroom and had him sit on the edge of the bed. Sarah sat down next to him, their legs touching.

Just then the ride became very bumpy. The pilot spoke over the intercom. "Agents Walker and Bartowski, please return to your seats immediately. We've run into a storm."

Chuck and Sarah looked at each other as they saw the lightning and heard the thunder. Quickly they returned to their seats and buckled up. The plane was tossed to a fro and for the first time Sarah Walker feared for her life. Chuck gripped the arm rests of his seat and became very pale. Sarah took out air sickness bags for both of them just in case they were needed. After what seemed like days, it was actually less than an hour, the skies calmed down and both Chuck and Sarah fell asleep in their seats from fear and exhaustion. They didn't wake up until it was time to land.

xxxxx

Casey was grumpier than usual since he didn't get to go to on the mission. His trigger finger was getting a little itchy but deep down he was glad he wasn't going to France. He knew that Monaco was its own principality but as far as he was concerned it was still part of France. He hated the place. He was down in Castle with the new Greta. Where they got these women he didn't know. Another tall beautiful woman that he was sure was well trained in the art of seduction. Casey was reviewing the intel from where Walker and Bartowski were going when Morgan's face appeared on the screen. "Hey Casey, have you seen the new Greta?"

"She's right here." Casey responded.

Greta walked over to the monitor and said "I'm sorry Mr. Grimes, I know I'm supposed to be upstairs but those two nerd herders keep staring down my shirt and the losers in line are freaking me out."

"Not to worry. I need you to go on a very important mission."

"Mission?" Casey asked. "Why don't you send me?"

"Relax Casey. We're short on games. I'm sending Greta to another store to pick some up. I'm hoping she'll use some of her "skills" to obtain a few extra copies."

Greta frowned. "I didn't spend six months in training at Langley to pick up more games Mr. Grimes. This isn't exactly a national security matter.

"Not a national security matter? A super-secret spy base could be compromised if these nerds get out of hand. I need more games."

Casey grunted. "You better go Greta. We don't want Grimes here to get blamed for compromising a spy base."

Greta nodded. "I'm on my way."

Morgan said "Thanks Greta and Casey. I'll send the details to the Nerd Herder."

Greta headed out the secret entrance through the Orange Orange and got in the herder. After reading the directions, she headed out of the parking lot to the Beverly Hills store.

xxxxx

Hugo Panzer looked out from his hotel balcony. The Mediterranean Sea was in the distance looking as black as the night. Street lights illuminated the Monte Carlo streets below. He was looking for someone, a petite brunette to bring back to Alexei Volkoff. She had run off after failing to complete a deal of high importance to Mr. Volkoff. Everyone knew that disappointing Mr. Volkoff was a very serious matter.

Using cash and a fake passport, a petite brunette checked into a bed and breakfast on the outskirts of town. She hoped to make her way to the marina in the morning without being spotted by Volkoff's men to find transportation on some rich man's yacht. She had spent the evening at the casino wearing a very low cut evening gown hoping to draw the attention of such a man who wanted a little companionship. A rich oligarch that was already surrounded by a bevy of beauties caught her attention. She noticed they were all European and hoped he wanted an American for a change. She used her surgically enhanced 'assets' to draw his attention, especially when he asked her to blow on the dice for luck at the craps table. When she accidentally knocked the dice into her cleavage and had him fish them out, she knew she had a shot. Her ploy earned an invite to the man's yacht in the morning. It seems his wife would be leaving early to head home to tend to her ailing father. She would be safe soon enough.

xxxxx

Greta arrived at the Beverly Hills Buy More and immediately drew the attention of not only the shoppers but also the employees. She marched straight back to the manager's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in," said Scott Jones, the manager of the store.

When Greta walked in his jaw dropped to the floor.

"C can I help y you?" he asked as he looked her up and down.

Greta looked at the manager to size him up as she would a mark. Piece of cake. She sat down in the chair in front of his desk and crossed her right leg over her left, causing her already short skirt to ride high on her thigh. She noticed his not so subtle stare at her legs.

"I'm here from the Burbank Buy More to pick up the games you promised Mr. Grimes.

Scott nodded. "I see. We can spare twenty games. You can pick them up in back. Is there anything else I can help you with? Would you like to transfer to our store?"

"That is a tempting offer. Would I be working under you?" Greta answered.

Her choice of words didn't go unnoticed by Scott. He grinned like a shark. "Of course. But I would hope you would work your way on top."

Greta groaned inwardly but continued the game to get what she wanted. "Before I would seriously consider a transfer, I need to know if you're really serious. The best way for that to happen is for you to give me more games to take back to Burbank."

Scott looked Greta up and down and she pushed her chest out as she straightened up in the chair. He really wanted her. "How many more games?"

Greta grinned. "I'm stopping at the Glendale store on the way back. They're going to give us 100 games. Can you top that?" She didn't like lying to this guy but he deserved it for the way he looked at her.

Scott frowned and looked out at the store. He was sent 400 games, more than any other store and could easily sell them all tonight. He looked back at Greta who smiled, showing her perfect teeth. Scott really wanted her. "OK, I'll give you 150 games if you promise to transfer to our store. Deal?"

Greta nodded. "Agreed as long as it's OK with my supervisor at corporate."

"Corporate?"

"I'm on a rotation at the various stores around the country. I was sent to the Burbank store. I think I could just as easily be sent to this one."

Scott grinned. "Good. We have an accord." He scribbled on an inventory transfer form and handed it to her. He held out his hand which she shook.

"Thank you Scott. I'll be on my way. I'll contact my supervisor tomorrow."

Scott showed her the way to the loading dock where they parted ways. She handed the document to the warehouse manager and went to get her Nerd Herder. When she got back, the games were waiting. She smiled at the manager and asked "Is there any way I could get an even 200 games?" She was getting tired of men looking down her blouse and this manager was one of the worst. Greta nodded to another box that contained 50 games. "I'm going to be transferring here soon and would be VERY grateful."

The manager just stared and finally nodded. He loaded the fourth box into the car.

Greta smiled and thanked the man. She got into the car and headed back to Burbank. Grimes owes me big time for this.

xxxxx

The extra two hundred games Greta brought helped some with the unruly crowd at the Burbank store but just made the remaining hundred plus customers angry that they were going to leave empty handed. Jeff and Lester tried in vain to calm the crowd with poetry and by acting out scenes from the game. It didn't work and a mini riot ensued causing Morgan to lose Big Mike's ring. Big Mike restored order with an impassioned speech and the timely use of his disco stick on a very unruly and very large customer.

Morgan apologized to Big Mike for losing the ring and offered him the assistant manager position. After forgiving him about the ring, Big Mike was every happy that Morgan granted him 'permission' to marry his mom.

During the cleanup, the ring was swept into the vents where it lodged at one of the joints. As time went by, it gradually worked its way toward a vent into Castle.

xxxxx

After checking into their Diamond Suite at the Hotel Hermitage in Monte Carlo, Chuck and Sarah walked out onto the balcony overlooking the harbor. "Wow," Sarah said. "What a view."

Chuck smirked and looked at his girlfriend. "Yes…. It sure is."

Sarah smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "I was talking about the harbor silly." Chuck leaned down and kissed her which she happily returned. After breaking the kiss they held each other while looking at the yachts. On very large one caught his eye. The Serendipity. Chuck flashed.

"Did you just flash?"

"That yacht is owned by an Egyptian arms dealer. I wonder what he's here for."

"We better call Beckman." Chuck nodded in agreement.

After talking to Beckman and being instructed to ignore the Egyptian arms dealer as that wasn't their mission they ordered room service and settled in for the night. Sarah decided to take a quick shower before bed and was planning on talking to Chuck before they went to sleep. After her shower and brushing her teeth she left the bathroom wearing a tank top and panties. She walked to the right side of the huge bed and climbed in to snuggle up with her boyfriend. When she did so she discovered that Chuck's breathing was even and he was fast asleep. Sarah kissed him on the cheek before laying her head on the luxurious pillow. She blew her hair off her forehead and sighed heavily. Her conversation with Chuck would have to wait until tomorrow.

xxxxx

Heather Chandler, dressed in a white sundress over a skimpy red string bikini, headed down the ramp toward the large yacht. It was called the Golden Kimono, a rather unusual name for a yacht, she thought. Heather had waited hidden on a vacant yacht nearby waiting for the man's wife to depart, which she did thirty minutes earlier. When she reached the steps of the yacht she called out "Ahoy there. Permission to come aboard?"

A crew member came to the stairs and looked down at her. "May I help you madame?"

"I was invited by Victor. Is he here?"

The man looked Heather up and down. A never ending stream of babes when the wife is away. "I'll check for you. Who may I say is calling?"

Heather smiled. "Tell him it's Kathy. We met at the casino last night."

He nodded. "Wait here. I'll be right back."

Heather sat down on the steps and in a few moments he returned with Victor.

"Kathy! So nice of you to come. Please come aboard."

Heather took his hand as she stepped on the teak deck. He kissed her on each cheek. "Thank you for inviting me. You have a beautiful ship."

"I'm glad you like it. Would you like a tour?"

"Yes, please."

Victor offered his arm which she took and he led her below deck to his cabin.

xxxxx

After a delicious breakfast on the terrace Lord and Lady Carmichael decided to take a walk along the harbor and check out the beach. Sarah put on her leopard print bikini and cover up while Chuck wore his board shorts, button down shirt, wide brimmed plantation style hat and sunglasses. Sarah also wore a scarf over her head and sunglasses. They strolled casually down the sidewalk in front of the harbor looking at the boats and for any sign of their target or the Volkoff employees.

Upon reaching the far end of the harbor and spotting nothing unusual except for large yachts and bikini clad or monokini clad women (Chuck did his best not to look) they stopped and sat down on a bench that had a good view of the harbor. Chuck put his arm around Sarah's shoulders pulling her close. One yacht that was in sight was the Golden Kimono. Chuck leaned in and kissed Sarah on the lips and raised an eyebrow. "It this a good time for our long awaited chat?"

Sarah looked up at him and saw the concern in his eyes. She wanted to alleviate that immediately. "Yeah, okay. It's really not a big deal, but could be."

Alarmed Chuck asked "What is it? Is it a big deal or isn't it?"

Sarah took both of his hands in hers and looked him in the eyes. "I love you Chuck. Nothing is going to change that. It's just that….."

Suddenly a loud noise was heard from the harbor causing both Chuck and Sarah to look up. The sound came from the Golden Kimono. A large crate that was being delivered to the yacht was dropped on the deck of the ship causing a very loud bang and the crate to open. Loud curses soon followed as the packing materials spilled onto the deck. Men scrambled to stem the flow on the materials and set the container upright before closing the lid. After the commotion died down Sarah looked up to a higher deck and gasped. Chuck noticed her reaction and asked "What is it?"

Sarah said "Take a quick look but don't stare at the woman in the red bikini." Chuck looked up quickly and back at his girlfriend.

"OMG, Sarah. That's Heather Chandler."

xxxxx

Hugo Panzer left his hotel and headed to the beach. He figured that Heather Chandler would try and blend in as a tourist and maybe even pick up a sugardaddy by wearing not much more that her smile. He walked along the edge of the water looking at the scantily clad women. You've got to love the South of France he thought as three beautiful young women walked by in their monokinis. Panzer circled the beach as he looked for Chandler. When he didn't see her he decided to take a look at the yachts in case she already had found her sugardaddy. Panzer walked deliberately along the harbor scanning the yachts docked there. Some looked like they were vacant and haven't been used for months, while others were party vessels with a large contingent of men and women on board. As he walked along he felt his phone vibrate and looked at the screen. It was Alexei Volkoff. "Yes Mr. Volkoff?"

"Hugo….. how was your flight."

"It was very good Mr. Volkoff. Thank you for asking. How may I help you?"

"Any sign of Ms. Chandler?"

"None yet but I am looking for her now among the yachts."

"Good idea. Frost thinks she'll try to sneak out on a yacht too. I also called for another reason. There is an arms dealer in Monte Carlo right now I want you to keep an eye on. His name is Omar Shareem from Egypt. The name of his yacht is the Serendipity. Rumor has it that he's there to buy a large shipment of AK-47s from my rival. I want him to buy from me. Find out who and when he's meeting. I think this is one party I want to crash."

Panzer chuckled. "Very good sir. What about Chandler?"

"Keep looking for her but Shareem is the top priority. I have a feeling you will still be able to find her and bring her home."

"Yes sir Mr. Volkoff. I will contact you with a report this evening unless I find out something sooner."

"I'll look forward to your call."

xxxxx

Chuck and Sarah looked out over the harbor while keeping an eye on Heather. After the mess was cleaned up they watched her link her arm in an older man's arm while they walked to the bow of the yacht. He sat down on a folding canvas chair while Heather unfolded a very large towel that was sitting nearby. She then stood in front of the man with a bottle of suntan lotion and asked him to put some on her back. He nodded and poured some sunscreen into the palms of his hands before applying the lotion to her back. Heather reached behind and untied her bikini top and threw it on the towel. The man smiled as she did so and soon she was lying on the towel on the deck soaking up the sun.

Chuck said to Sarah "I looks like Heather has moved up in the world."

Sarah chuckled and nodded. "It sure does. The only questions are what is she doing here and where is Hugo Panzer?"

They were interrupted by a loud horn from an approaching ship. It was in excess of 200 feet of pure luxury and was too big to dock.

Sarah looked at the massive yacht and said "I think our lazy oligarch has just arrived."

Chuck couldn't speak right away as he was busy flashing. When it stopped he had a bit of a headache due to the length of it and he leaned close to his girlfriend's ear. "That is one bad dude who owns that ship. He funds terror groups all over the world with his Saudi oil money. We better go check in with Beckman to let her know we have found him."

xxxxx

Chuck and Sarah stood up and walked briskly toward their hotel along the boardwalk of the harbor. After they rounded a bend they came upon a large group of teenagers heading toward the beach. The girls were all wearing monokinis and the boys brief style swimsuits and were talking rapidly to each other in French. They were walking slowly so Chuck and Sarah crossed the street to go around them. After crossing the street Chuck and Sarah suddenly heard loud shouting from where they just were and turned to look. A large man was pushing his way through the crowd of teenagers heading in the opposite direction. The man's gruff voice could be heard over everyone else's as he demanded that they get out of the way. Chuck froze as he heard the voice which alarmed Sarah. "What is it Chuck?"

Chuck glanced over his shoulder quickly to confirm his suspicions and pulled his girlfriend farther down the street. After they were out of sight Chuck whispered in Sarah's ear. "I'm pretty sure that was Hugo Panzer."

Sarah looked at Chuck and said "Wait here." She retraced her steps until she could see around the bend. The unmistakable form of Hugo Panzer was across the street arguing with the teenagers with his back to where Sarah was watching. A policeman heard the commotion and started walking toward the group. Panzer turned his head toward the policeman giving Sarah a good look at his profile confirming his identity and that he was alone. Panzer, not wanting to get in any trouble with the police quickly turned away from the group and walked rapidly away toward the yachts.

After returning to where Chuck was waiting for her Sarah grabbed his arm as they hurried toward their hotel. "You were right Chuck. That definitely was Panzer and he was alone. We better tell the General."

After returning to their room they contacted General Beckman.

After her not-so-smiling face appeared on the monitor Beckman said "Report team."

Chuck said "Good news and bad news General. The good news is that we have spotted the oligarch's ship that is moored just outside of the harbor and we spotted both Hugo Panzer and Heather Chandler."

"And the bad news?" Beckman asked impatiently.

Sarah answered. "We don't know why they are here yet."

"I may be able to shed some light on that. We have just received intel that there is going to be the sale of a large arms shipment in two days, but we don't know where. We want you to find out where the sale will take place so we can intervene."

"What if we pose as new buyers? Sarah asked.

"That is a possibility. Go to the casino tonight and get noticed as high rollers. Chuck, I think we can count on the intersect to make sure you don't lose the government's money?"

Chuck smiled. "Of course, General. The government's money is safe with me."

"After what happened with Lon Kirk I'm not sure."

Sarah wrapped her arms around Chuck and kissed him on the cheek. "No problem there General. I'll be there to support Chuck in every way possible this time and not to get him upset."

The General actually smiled at that comment. "I'm sure you will Agent Walker. Dismissed." The screen went blank.

Chuck pulled Sarah into a deep kiss. After breaking for air he asked "Do you want to talk about whatever you wanted to talk about now?"

Sarah nodded. "Yeah, okay." They sat down on the foot of the bed and Sarah took Chuck's hands in hers. She sat quietly for a minute gathering her thoughts. Chuck was trying not to freak out but was having difficulty. Just when he thought Sarah was ready to settle down with him she wanted to talk. This couldn't be good. Finally she spoke.

"The other night, when you repeated what Awesome said, about us being next, having kids. It scared me."

The light bulb went on in Chuck's mind, relieved that he now knew what was bothering the woman he loved. "I'm not ready for parenthood either. I'm barely on solid food myself," which got a chuckle out of Sarah.

"The last four years with you have taught me that I'm no longer Graham's wild card enforcer, a cold hearted spy, and I don't want to be. That said, I do need to take things slow. "

Relieved, Chuck wrapped his arms around Sarah's shoulders and kissed her on the check. "Super slow."

Sarah lifted her head and looked into Chuck's eyes. She kissed him on the lips, relieved that he didn't want kids right now.

"Let's start small." Chuck said. "We're on a trip, one of us forgets their toothbrush. Do we share?"

"I am ready to share your toothbrush."

"Oh, using the bathroom… Door open, or shut?"

"Door shut, always."

"Preferably with the sink running or radio on."

"Yes." Both of them chuckled.

Sarah stood up and went to the bathroom door and looked back at Chuck. "We're going to have to get ready for our night out at the casino in two hours. Lady Carmichael needs a bath first." She winked at Chuck. "Care to join me Lord Carmichael?"

Chuck's brain finally caught up with what Sarah was saying and got to his feet. He joined Sarah in bathroom and turned on the water making sure it was the right temperature while she added the bath salts and bubbles. While the bath was filling they undressed each other and climbed in the tub with Chuck's back to the end and Sarah leaning against his chest. Glad and relieved that they had their talk, Chuck and Sarah thoroughly enjoyed the bath, especially since it included all the extras. It was very heavy on the extras.

xxxxx

A/N 2 - I'mplanning on this story to be three chapters of about 5,000 words each. Hope you like it and please let me know what you think.