AN: I know it's been a while but life can sure throw you curves. For those who might be interested, the cause for my absence is mentioned in my blog and that's why I'm not gonna talk about here. I want to thank OM and EAD for their thoughts and kind words. This chapter is drastically shorter than my usual stuff and that's mainly because I wanted to post something and this happened this afternoon while we had a lull at work. I'm gonna try and get back to my other scribbles and hopefully have some more up soon…no promises but I'm gonna try. I'd really appreciate your thoughts on this, thanks. As always, I don't own Chuck or anything connected to the Chuckverse. I also don't own Hot Pockets but I have marveled at their tasty goodness. Jim, thanks for the nudge. Sorry I've been away. JT

CHUCK Vs. THE RETURN FROM WALKABOUT - Chapter 11

Chuck and Sarah had barely entered the courtyard of the apartment complex when the front door to their apartment flew open and a smiling Ginger was moving quickly towards them. Before they'd taken another two steps the redhead had taken up residence at Sarah's left side, a slightly worried look on her face as she seemed to hover while glancing from Sarah to Chuck and then back again.

"I thought you weren't getting sprung until later today" the school teacher stated while falling into step beside the pair, clearly ready to lend assistance if Sarah needed it.

"Ellie let her go early after claiming that the entire wing of the hospital might slip into a 'sugar coma' because my beautiful wife was acting to 'lovey-dovey' and sweet, right , Mrs. Bartowski?"

"That's exactly right, Chuck" Sarah replied, her tone of voice leaving no doubt that she thought the exact opposite. "It wasn't because you're a big old softy who tricked me into getting out of bed so you could leer at the open back of my hospital gown. I'm sure she didn't notice the way you were staring as I made my way to the bathroom so I could brush my teeth, after you accused me of having morning breath."

"I did no such thing" Chuck spluttered, missing the wink his wife quickly shot at the woman walking beside her. "You were the one who insisted on getting out of bed for some tandem dental care and the whole 'open gown' thing was just a happy by product which, ok, I will admit to maybe taking advantage of…once."

"You only looked at her ass once?" Ginger asked with a snort of disbelief as she paused at the front door and waited until Sarah had stepped into the apartment and then slipped in between the pair, effectively blocking Chuck's entry. "John and Diane need to speak to you, Chuck. It seems that General has something for the two of to do this afternoon and I need some time with your wife before the welcome home party tonight."

"But I…"

"Chuck, go. I'll be fine" Sarah announced before grabbing his collar and pulling him in for a quick but obviously passionate kiss.

"Oh god! I see what your sister meant" Ginger's voice echoed from further in the apartment. "Get moving, Chuck. You know you don't want to keep the boss waiting."

"Yes ma'am" Chuck replied before giving his wife another quick kiss before then turning around and starting across the courtyard.

"Quit staring at your husband's ass" Ginger's voice said from just behind her as Sarah stood in the doorway. "I think that Ellie might have been right about the two of you being dangerously sweet. Now close that door and come give me a hand in the kitchen. "

"Yes ma'am" Sarah said with a laugh before closing the door. "It is a nice ass" she mumbled quietly and then laughed when she caught Ginger's raised eyebrow. "What? It is!"

"Yes. It is. Coffee?" she replied before turning around and heading towards the kitchen.

"That sounds wonderful" Sarah admitted, following her friend into the heart of the apartment, a smile playing about her lips as she silently planned how to get her husband alone and how to 'work' around her injured shoulder.

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After a quick knock, Chuck let himself into John Casey's apartment, calling out his arrival as he closed the door behind him. Stepping into the kitchen, he couldn't help the double take when he caught sight of General Diane Beckman, wearing her worn leathers, sitting at the dining room table with a bottle of Sam Adams clutched in her hand while she tapped away at the tablet sitting in front of her. Casey sat across from her, staring down at a pile of paperwork spread out in front of him, his brow furrowed in deep thought.

"General, Casey" Chuck said, pausing to stand in the doorway between the kitchen and the small dining room, giving serious thought to following the General's example and grabbing a cold beer for himself. Turning and taking a small step, he reached for the handle of the refrigerator door and froze when the head of the NSA spoke.

"Grab me one as well" Diane Beckman instructed without bothering to turn and look, simply lifting the now empty bottle and wiggling it gently.

"Yes ma'am" Chuck answered, stepping over to the refrigerator and then standing, stunned, once he'd pulled the door open. In the years that he'd known the gruff NSA agent, he'd never seen much more than bottled water, beer and old take out cartons barely filling the shelves but now the entire appliance was packed full. Allowing his eyes to wander, he took in the wide variety of healthy looking food stuffs and, because he couldn't resist the temptation, he pulled open the freezer door. He thought the sight of healthy food making their home in the big man's refrigerator had been shocking but he wasn't prepared for what he found, or more precisely, didn't find in the freezer.

"Casey, what happened to your stockpile of Hot Pockets?" he asked in a hushed and stunned voice.

"There's no beer in the freezer, moron" the older man barked at him, his eyes never lifting from the papers in front of him. "Get the beers, close the frigging doors and get your bony ass over here so we can go over this material" he added with a grunt.

"What happened, Casey? Did the wife take your Hot Pockets away from you?" Chuck teased, pulling out the two beers and then making his way to the table. After handing a beer to his boss, he slid into the vacant chair to her right, a little surprised when he noticed the ghost of a smile on the General's lips. "So, Ginger put her foot down about your nightly scotch and Hot Pockets dinner?"

"Shut it, Bartowski, or else…"

"Or else what, Sugar Bear?" Chuck shot back with a smirk. "You'll put your foot up my ass?"

"No, I'll have Ginger tell your wife that she needs to do away with your sugar bombs breakfast cereal since they're really not that healthy…and maybe the red bull as well."

"That's not funny, Casey" Chuck shot back, suddenly wondering if he'd pushed the big man too far.

"I'm not joking, Chuck. Now, look these over" he said, pushing a small stack of papers across the table. "The sooner we get through this, the sooner we can begin putting together a plan."

"A plan, Casey?"

"Yes, Mr. Bartowski" the General jumped in, "we need to formulate a plan to deal with 'The Ring' and what we've managed to uncover of their possible plans for the future. "

"Well, what's our first step?" Chuck asked without looking up from the sheaf of papers in his hands.

"As soon as the other guests arrive, we'll get started" Diane Beckman replied before taking a swallow from her beer. "I know we'll have to go over some things more than once but I'd like to keep the repetition to a minimum. I'm going to go over and explain a few things to Agent Wal…Bartowski. When I return…"

"General, are you expecting Sarah to return to duty so soon after…" Chuck blurted out, sounding worried.

"Calm down, Chuck. I've already spoken with Team Bartowski's doctors" the diminutive woman explained as she got to her feet, "and I agree with your sister that Sarah needs time to heal before returning to the field. We're going to need everyone at 100% and I'm going over there now to give her the news. I'll be back shortly."

"Yes ma'am" Chuck answered, returning his attention to the papers in his hands.

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Chuck was just finishing the last page of the stack in his hands when a knock sounded at the apartment's front door. Looking up after Casey's grunted invitation to come in, he was surprised to see his father walking in, followed by Carina and, most surprising of all, Bryce Larkin

"Just fucking great" Casey mumbled under his breath when he caught sight of Bryce Larkin walking into his apartment. "The things you see when you don't have a gun…or orders."

"Easy, Casey" Chuck said softly, making eye contact and giving a quick shake of his head. "Let's wait to see what the General has in mind."

"I hope it's to use him as bait" Casey replied, no longer trying to speak quietly and leveling a murderous glare at the agent who actually seemed to be looking less confident than he usually did.

"Dad" Chuck exclaimed as he got to his feet and turned to great the man who'd been absent from so many years of his life. "It's good to see you" he added, reaching out a hand, tentatively, and then stepping into a quick hug. When he stepped back, Carina moved forward and ignored the extended hand, pulling him into a hug that he was sure Sarah might not have approved of. Just as the thought went through his mind, the sound of his wife clearing her throat cut through the air. Stepping back quickly, he looked towards the front door and found his blonde angel standing next to General Diane Beckman.

"Alright, since everyone's here, let's get this meeting started" the short woman announced and moved to take her seat at the table. "The sooner we go over all of this information" she said with a wave toward the papers scattered in front of her senior agent, "the sooner we can get to Agent Wal…Bartowski's 'welcome home' party. Find a seat, boys and girls, and pay attention" she continued, taking control of the gathering, leaving no doubt who was in control. "Now, first things first, it appears that "the ring…"

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AN: again…Once again,I know this is much shorter than my usual but it was really just an exercise to see if I could get back into things. I'd appreciate any thoughts on my effort. JT