Here Comes Trouble

Sarah awoke feeling comfortable. She was, after all, wrapped in Chuck's arms; and it was, after all, a Saturday, meaning she didn't have any work. She pulled herself deeper into Chuck's embrace, swung her leg over his, and pushed her hand beneath his Stanford T-Shirt, lightly running her fingers up and down his spine. She felt rather than heard him sigh in his sleep and smiled. But there was something off about this morning, something not quite right. She had, as all agents do, picked up what Chuck referred to as a spidey-sense. And it was tingling.

"You never used to sleep in so late before" said a voice accusingly.

Sarah bolted upright at the sound, a knife in her hand. She looked around to find the source of this mysterious voice a few inches to the right of the blade that was in her hand a second ago but was now protruding from the wall; and saw a familiar redhead sitting on a chair facing the bed, legs crossed and looking utterly unconcerned.

"Carina?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Could ask you the same question" Carina replied smugly. To make her point, she very obviously let her eyes roam across the bedroom; across the photos on the nightstand of the couple eating hotdogs and sitting on park benches. Across the clothes splayed over the floor, and the guns resting on the chest of drawers. "Though I see you're still just as cranky in the mornings." Sarah ignored her.

"Wussgoinon?" Chuck, having groggily opened his eyes, had taken in the scene and was no less confused than Sarah. "Carina? What are you doing here? How did you get in? Wait, how long have you been there?"

"Long enough and easily enough that I could have killed you two lovebirds several times by now. The security for this place is terrible. As to what I'm doing here, it looks like we're working together for a mission, Chuckie" said Carina, the last part of her answer sounding gleeful. "Beckman's request."

"Request?" echoed Sarah acidly.

"Oh, all right, approval at least" sighed Carina. "But in any case, something that requires you getting off your boy here and getting to work. I didn't drag my own butt out of bed so early just to find you having a nice lie-in, you know" she added.

"It's Saturday, meaning it's far too early to get up." mumbled Sarah, and threw herself back onto the pillows with vigour, pulling Chuck down by his T-shirt with her and wrapping her limbs firmly around his to prevent escape.

"Um, Sarah, you know that if we don't get up she's just going to go harass Casey, which means that in turn he's going to harass us" reasoned Chuck. "Or at least more than usual" he added ruefully.

Sarah groaned in frustration at his logic, but acknowledged its correctness and slowly got up, shuffling towards the kitchen.

"Ooh, coffee" said Carina eagerly.

"No coffee for people who break into my house and watch me sleep" Sarah grumbled as she walked out. "Why are you really here?"

"I told you, mission" repeated Carina. "But I see you and Chuck resolved all your girly feelings"

"God, you sound like Casey" said Sarah.

"Honey, that was low" said Carina, but she was grinning. "But you look much more relaxed than the last time I was here. He must be good in the sack"

"Shut up" was the only response, but it was not exactly a denial, noted Carina. "So what is this mission? And how on earth did you get Beckman to approve it? I thought that after last time, she would never that happen again. But then again, I thought the same thing after Pakistan..." she mused.

"I promised her you would keep me in line" laughed Carina, as if such a prospect could ever be true.

Sarah rolled her eyes and went about making coffee. Carina took the time to scrutinise the apartment, looking around at several more pictures on the mantelpiece and the video games sprawled across the floor in front of the television. "Where's Martin?" she asked curiously.

"Morgan. No idea, probably off doing something we're better off not knowing about." Sarah replied, sipping the coffee carefully.

Chuck chose that moment to emerge from the bedroom dressed, and pecked Sarah on the lips briefly before picking up his own cup of coffee. "So what is she doing here again?" he asked, eyeing Carina suspiciously.

"To help me...acquire...some, erm, things" said Carina, her eyes very much fixed on Chuck's recent actions.

"Acquire? Things?" repeated Sarah sceptically. "I sense this may go off a little like when we helped you acquire that diamond. Meaning not well."

"Look, I can't tell you what it is we're meant to be taking because even I don't know. For once, it's a request from the higher-ups. It seems you three have been making quite a name for yourselves in the agency" explained Carina. "We have to get in, take some briefcases from some bad men who do bad things, and get out. It should be simple."

"If only things stayed that way" muttered Sarah, and Chuck couldn't help but silently agree.