The Intersecting Con
Title: The Intersecting Con
Rating: PG
Fandom: Chuck and Leverage crossover
Pairings: mentions of Chuck/Sarah and Nate/Sophie, implied Parker/Hardison
Length: 4,150 words
Summary: After a run in with each other that nearly cost them a mission, the CIA and NSA have to work with Nathan Ford's gang of thieves to fix it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Chuck, though sometimes I feel like I have the Intersect inside my head, only a different version of it. I do not own Leverage. I can't even figure out how most of the cons work before the big reveals.
Author's Notes: *spoilers for the Chuck episode 'The Push Mix' and the Leverage episode 'The San Lorenzo Job'* I wrote this fic for
astridv after winning my offering at 
help_japan. Thanks, tamswitter, for beta-ing it for me even if you are only just now becoming a Chuck fan! I hope you like it, astridv!
"Look," Chuck Bartowski was saying to the group assembled in front of him, "I know that we got off on the wrong foot here but that doesn't change the fact that we're going to have to work together to fix our mistakes. And to do that, we're going to have to-"
He broke off just as he was about to say 'trust each other' after he had noticed that for what had to be the fifth time, his Nerd Herd badge was no longer attached to his shirt. Instead, a blonde woman was holding it in her hands, examining it with interest. Again. "W-would you give me that back, please," he said, reaching out to take it back from her.
"Parker!" Nate Ford said warningly, gesturing with a nod of his head for her to listen to Chuck.
Sighing, Parker held out her hand, the ID card dangling between her fingers. Chuck took it from her and put it back on.
"Thank you," Chuck said before he continued to give them the sort of speech both Casey and Sarah had become accustomed to hearing from him. "To fix our mistakes, we have to not only work together, but we also have to trust each other. Innocent lives are at stake and we don't have much time."
He looked around at the faces of the people he had just met that afternoon and quickly formulated a plan of attack, hoping they'd all go along with it. He started with Parker first, hoping it would keep her from trying to steal his ID card again. "Parker, you're going to be the one to go in and plant the bugs for us. We need to be able to know what is going on in there; we don't want anyone getting hurt."
"As long as I get to fall down an elevator shaft or jump off the roof," she said, smiling off into space as she thought about the ground rushing up to meet her.
"Yeah, fine," Chuck agreed, noticing that Nate was giving him a signal not to say no to her no matter how crazy her demand seemed to him.
His gaze fell on John Casey and he tried not to notice the expression that had been on his face ever since General Beckman had said they would all have to work together to fix their mess. They'd gotten themselves into it, and they'd have to get themselves out of it. No help from the CIA or NSA this time.
"Casey," he said, "I want you and Eliot to make sure security is taken care of, but not by shooting them! We don't want anyone getting upstairs while Parker plants those bugs, just knocking them unconscious should do the trick."
Casey let out his signature grunt but didn't say anything. Eliot looked over at Nate as though seeking some sort of confirmation. When he saw Nate nod, Eliot turned back to Chuck and said, as he cracked his knuckles, "You've got it, I hate guns."
"Great! Another one on team no guns necessary!" Chuck exclaimed happily while Casey made a sound of distaste.
Chuck was gaining more and more confidence about working with this group as time went on. Plus, as long as Nate continued to agree with him, he was sure that the two of them would be able to keep everyone in check. He turned to his fiancée, Sarah Walker, and he couldn't help but smile. She always had that effect on him, even when they were in the most dangerous situations.
"Sarah," he said, trying to keep everyone from noticing his feelings for her in case they thought he was favoring her, "you and Sophie will be in charge of distracting anyone in Parker's way and then getting everyone out of there." He paused for a moment then added, "Maybe take a couple of different outfits with you guys, have some sort of a variety, just in case you need it."
His tongue was starting to get tied up as he noticed the way Sophie had her brown eyes fixed on him. It was as though she knew all about him and Sarah just by looking at him. Trying to ignore it, he turned his attention to Hardison, hacker extraordinaire. "Hardison, you and I will be staying down here in Castle along with Nate. You'll be using your hacking skills and I will be-"
He stopped himself just in time from revealing to everyone that he was the Intersect. He quickly finished, "and I will be using my knowledge to help make sure there are no bogies on anyone's tail while Nate is in charge of communicating with everyone through the comms. Any questions?"
"Yeah, I have one," Hardison, who had not stopped looking around the room in wonder since he'd walked inside, said. "Do I get to use this state of the art government technology or do I have to use my own? 'Cause I'm not looking to get into any more trouble with that small general lady."
"That's General Beckman to you," Casey growled at him.
"Casey," Chuck warned, fighting the urge to call him 'buddy'. He knew that would only make matters worse. He turned back to Hardison and grinned, knowing that he was feeling the exact same excitement he had felt the first time he had seen Castle's systems. "Whatever systems of ours you need to use are at your disposal."
"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about, age of the geek, baby!" Hardison exclaimed, turning to Eliot and holding up his hand for him to high five in his enthusiasm. Eliot stared at him for a few seconds then shook his head in annoyance as he turned away and Hardison let his hand fall to his side. "I mean, cool, that's cool," he said in a more subdued tone of voice, trying to cover up the awkward situation.
Casey let out a small snort of laughter. He was glad he wasn't the only one who suffered thanks to having to be around computer geeks. "Well," he said, "looks like we've all got our orders. Now how about we go and actually carry them out instead of just standing around here?"
Half an hour later, Nate was pacing around Castle, talking to Sophie over the comms while Chuck and Hardison were working at the computers. "Okay, Sophie, I want you to break the heel off of your shoe and-"
"You want me to ruin my favorite pair of Jimmy Choos?" Sophie asked in horror, as though Nate was asking her to do the worst thing imaginable. "Nate, these are shoes cost me almost a thousand dollars! I am not going to break the heel off of one of them!"
"It's fine," Sarah told them, "I can break one of mine, I've done it before, and besides, these are my least favorite pair."
Sophie smiled at her. "You've got that, Nate?" she asked.
"Yeah, yeah, I got all of that," Nate answered, rubbing his forehead in annoyance. "Okay, Sarah, when you're about ten feet away from them, break off the heel of your shoe as you're walking. Sophie, reach out and grab her to stop her from falling. Then let the guys come to you."
"Not a problem," Sarah told him, just as she saw Sophie turn off her comm. She gave Sophie a confused look and she mouthed, 'turn your comm off'. Sarah nodded and did as Sophie wanted.
"Sarah? Sophie?" Nate asked. He sighed and turned to Chuck and Hardison. "They turned their comms off. What have we got as far as visuals?"
"Nothing much," Hardison answered. "They're just talking. Oh, and Sophie is gesturing to Sarah's left hand."
Chuck cleared his throat slightly, trying to continue to cover up the fact that he and Sarah were a couple. "Girl talk, that's all it is. Sarah, she's, uh, she's engaged."
Nate groaned and Chuck turned to Hardison. "What's his problem?" he whispered.
Hardison grinned at Chuck. "Sophie and Nate have this sort of... relationship. Sophie probably wants to know how Sarah managed to get a guy to propose, much less admit his feelings for her."
"Ah," Chuck said in acknowledgment. He turned his attention to another of the monitors, hoping it would help him focus on something other than what Sarah might tell Sophie about them. "Whoa, hold on. Casey, Eliot, stop."
"What you got?" Nate asked, moving over to the monitors.
Chuck rubbed at his eyes. Being the Intersect never got any easier. "Eliot, you don't happen to be an acrobat by any chance, do you?"
"No, why?" came Eliot's response over his comm.
Chuck sighed. "Looks like I'm going to have to go in, then," he mumbled, half to himself.
"No, no, hang on," Nate told him. "It's not a problem. Whatever it is, Parker can handle it. Besides, if you go in there and they see you, we won't have a chance to fix this."
"Okay, Eliot, Casey, when Parker gets there, I want you to move back and give her her space," Chuck told them, relieved he wouldn't have to show off his Intersect abilities. "And, Hardison, you're going to have to hack into the security for that corridor and make sure that the laser beams will become visible."
"Laser beams?" Hardison asked as soon as he finished gulping down more of his orange soda. "How do you know there are laser beams in there? There's no sign of laser beams anywhere."
Chuck gave him a wry smile. "You can say that my brain is kind of like a computer, that's why Casey and Sarah have kept me around as an analyst. Trust me, there are laser beams in there."
"So how do you and Chuck manage to work together and still be in a relationship?" Sophie asked Sarah.
"How do you know we're together?" Sarah laughed, brushing her hair back.
Sophie pointed to Sarah's left hand. "The ring, the way you two look at each other."
Sarah smiled, looking down at the ring on her finger. "We've been dating for about a year now and he just proposed to me a couple of weeks ago. Why? Is there someone you're interested in?"
"Nate," Sophie admitted. "We slept together after our last con and he still hasn't said anything about it. We've been sort of sidestepping our feelings for the last few years but now it's just getting ridiculous that we can't talk about it."
"Oh, yeah, I can understand that," Sarah agreed. "Chuck and I have had a few rough patches over the years, but I'm not sure how I can help you. I mean, I'm not exactly great at relationships myself as anyone can tell you."
"You already have," Sophie told her, "you've shown me that relationships are possible with the kinds of lives we live."
Sarah smiled at her. "Well, I know a way that we can maybe make Nate feel just a bit stir crazy."
"What's that?" Sophie asked, intrigued.
"Keep our comms off as we flirt with those guys," Sarah told her, a twinkle in her eyes as she started walking again.
Eliot and Casey stood together in silence as they waited for Parker to show up. While neither of them were the talkative type to begin with, they were using this time to size the other one up.
"So, you hate guns, huh?" Casey finally asked, breaking the silence. "How can someone hate guns and still live as long as you have in this business?"
Eliot continued staring ahead as he responded, "I may not like them, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to use them."
Casey nodded. "Yeah, well, don't expect to see me giving up any of my guns any time soon. I'm just glad that you can actually use one. Chuck's only used one once, every other time he's used stun guns."
Eliot didn't answer. He was just wondering why someone who was supposed to be nothing more than an analyst for the CIA and NSA, as Chuck himself had said he was, would need to be let out in the field as much as Chuck obviously was.
Parker came running up a few seconds later. Looking around, she asked, "Where are the lasers? I was told there'd be lasers!"
"Don't ask us," Eliot told her, "ask Chuck, he's the one that told us not to go any farther. There's nothing here that makes me think there's lasers anywhere."
Hardison's voice crackled through the comms, "Okay, Parker, I'm still hacking into their security systems but Chuck is positive there's lasers in there and if you trigger them, well, let's just say that you don't want to do that."
"But how did he know there are lasers to begin with?" Eliot demanded. "I'm not an analyst but that doesn't mean I don't know how to spot when someone's using lasers as part of their security system."
"Everyone, just calm down," Nate interrupted. "Like Hardison said, he's looking for a way to make the laser beams visible but until then, you've got to just stay put and stay calm. We're working as a team, remember."
Chuck got up and looked over Hardison's shoulder at the monitor he was using. "There it is," he said, pointing at a file called 'recipes'. "That controls the laser beams."
Hardison hacked into the file and then, upon making the laser beams visible in the corridor Eliot, Casey and Parker were in, looked up at Chuck and asked, "How in the hell did you know that?"
Nate was staring at Chuck now too but rather than give an answer, Chuck just shrugged and said, "I'm just a really good analyst."
"Okay, Parker," Nate said into the comms, trying to focus on the mission at hand, "Time for you to get across to the other side of the room and turn off the system for Eliot and Casey to get through, it'll take longer for Hardison to turn them off from here, there's no point in wasting time."
"Wasting time?" Hardison repeated. "Oh, hell no, my job is not a waste of time. You try pulling off all your little cons without me and just see how much of a waste of time my hacking into security systems and bank accounts really is. Waste of time, my ass."
Ignoring Hardison, Nate asked, "You ready to go, Parker?"
"You got it," she said. She took a deep breath and then started doing cartwheels and handsprings to get through the laser beams and to the other side of the corridor. "Whew," she said, standing up and smiling over at Eliot and Casey as she turned off the system. "That was a work out."
Casey was staring at Parker, his mouth hanging slightly open. "We could use someone like her on our team," he said, stunned."
Eliot looked over at him and smirked. "Maybe so, but you'd have to deal with twenty pounds of crazy in a five pound bag."
Nate turned to Hardison and Chuck once Parker told him she was on her way back to plant the bugs. "What's up with Sophie and- Hardison, is that Doctor Who you're watching?"
"Oh, yeah. Honestly, Nate, you would not believe how much less of a waste of time it is to download and watch Doctor Who on one of these CIA computers," Hardison told him, leaning back in his chair. "Almost as much of a waste of time as hacking into a security system is."
"Hey, is that the Tom Baker era you're watching?" Chuck asked, leaning over with interest.
Hardison looked over at Chuck. "You watch Doctor Who?" he asked.
"Yeah, can't get enough of it!" Chuck told him. "Of course, I prefer Pertwee's era over Baker's, I just loved how much time his incarnation of the Doctor had to spend on Earth working with the Brigadier rather than being able to travel-"
"Damn it, Hardison!" Eliot shouted through his comm. "How many times have I told you to stop talking nerd in my ear?"
"Well, uh, technically speaking," Hardison said, "that was Chuck who was talking 'nerd' as you put it, and secondly, it's called talking 'geek', Eliot, okay? Geek. G-E-E-K. Learn your facts, man, it's 'age of the geek', not 'age of the nerd'." He turned to look at Chuck again and shook his head. "Honestly, when will people learn?" he asked, earning a grin from Chuck.
He shrugged and told him, "You've got me. Casey's the same way."
"You have to listen to this garbage too?" Eliot asked Casey, ready to turn off his comm just so he wouldn't have to listen to Chuck and Hardison talk about Doctor Who anymore.
Casey grunted. "Yep. Just be glad that Hardison isn't the one leading you guys through your cons. When Chuck and his friend Morgan are in charge.... Trust me when I say it can be worse than torture."
Eliot gave a slight nod. "Oh, I trust you, believe me."
"Hardison, turn off Doctor Who and get back to work!" Nate commanded.
Hardison folded his arms across his chest as he continued watching. "What, and waste my time hacking into more security systems? No thank you."
Nate sighed. "Look, Hardison, I'm sorry, your job itself is not a waste of time. You've done some great work for us over the last few years, what is a waste of time is hacking into something and potentially getting noticed when someone else can do it without that risk."
"Shoot, all I needed to hear you say was 'I'm sorry'," Hardison told him, as he turned off Doctor Who and turned his attention back to the security systems.
Nate took a step back and rubbed his forehead in irritation. "Can one of you please tell me what Sophie and Sarah are doing?"
"They're... laughing," Chuck told him, moving his chair out of the way so that he could see.
"That is not good," Hardison commented. "You get girls laughing like that, it is never a good sign."
Sophie and Sarah were bent over laughing when Parker ran up to them and asked, "Need me to distract anyone?"
Sophie tried to regain her composure as she looked over at Parker. "No, no, Parker, we're okay." She gestured towards a closet and said, "We put the last of them in there. You're all set to go plant the bugs."
"Okay," Parker nodded. She waited a few seconds and then, not making any move to leave, asked, "What's so funny?"
Sophie and Sarah exchanged glances and, after a nod from Sophie, Sarah told Parker, "We were just talking about the men in our lives and how crazy they must be going after seeing us flirt with those guys before knocking them out."
"Men? What men?" Parker asked. "You mean Nate?"
"Well, Nate could be one of them," Sophie admitted, knowing Nate would be picking up what they were saying from Parker's comm, "or he might not." She reached out a hand to fix a loose strand of Parker's hair and asked, "So, Parker, what have you and Hardison been up to?"
Just as Parker started to respond, Sophie turned off her comm.
"Sophie just turned off Parker's comm," Nate announced to Chuck and Hardison. "And you were right. The laughing, definitely not a good sign."
"But who's the other guy?" Hardison asked, staring at the monitor. "Sarah said 'men', who did she mean besides you, Nate?"
Chuck cleared his throat. "That would be me," he said with a slight wave of his hand.
Hardison's face broke out into a grin and he let out a whoop of glee. "What did I tell you, Eliot?" he called over the comms. "What did I tell you? Chuck and Sarah are engaged. Age of the geek, baby!"
"Yeah, well, good for Chuck and Sarah, but it hasn't given you any luck with Parker, has it?" Eliot retorted.
"Cold, man, that was cold," Hardison replied, glaring at his monitor.
Nate shook his head. "Come on, guys, focus, we're almost at the finish line."
Parker hooked up her harness and inhaled a deep breath before running across the roof and diving off the side. The air was rushing into her face, her hair blowing behind her, the ground growing closer and closer with every passing second. She let out a laugh and closed her eyes, enjoying the moment.
"I told you that girl was crazy, didn't I?" Eliot asked, looking over at Casey, who was standing next to him, both of them on the ground near where Parker was supposed to land.
Casey nodded. "Yes, you did." He waited a moment and then asked, "So what's next for you?"
Eliot shrugged, "I dunno. Whatever Nate asks me to do, I guess. Why?"
"Well, I was just thinking," Casey said, "maybe we could use some more muscle around here from time to time. You know, if you ever get bored or whatever."
Eliot grinned. "Thanks, man, I'll think about it," he said, reaching out and shaking Casey's hand. "Now how about we get Parker and the girls and go back to that Castle of yours?"
Casey gave a slight grunt. "I'll get the crazy one, you handle the gigglers."
Sophie smiled and gave Sarah a hug. "Congratulations on your engagement, Sarah," she told her. "You and Chuck are going to be very happy."
"So are you and Nate," Sarah told her. "Just hang in there, I'm sure he'll come around soon enough. It took me awhile, too."
"Thanks, I'll let you know. And if you send me a save the date, I'll try and make it to your wedding, maybe share some of those stories you told me," Sophie said, a twinkle in her eye.
Sarah laughed. "You've got it," she agreed.
Hardison walked up behind Chuck and tapped him on the shoulder. Chuck turned around and smiled at him. "Hey, man, what's up?"
"I know you aren't just an analyst," Hardison told him.
Chuck's eyebrows rose. "Really? And what do you think I am then?"
Hardison sighed and put his hands in his pockets. "I don't know, Chuck, I don't know, but I saw you on the monitors before we joined teams. An analyst cannot do what I saw you doing. Eliot can't even do half of what you did. And knowing those laser beams where there and then finding the file...." He let out a low whistle. "You're something special, Chuck, but you're not just an analyst. And I'm not going to tell anyone, not even Nate. Your secret's safe with me. Us geeks have got to stick together."
Chuck's smile vanished slightly. He looked over to where Sophie and Sarah were saying goodbye. "You're right, I'm not an analyst. But I didn't lie to you, not entirely." He turned back to Hardison and asked, "You know how I said my brain's like a computer?"
"Yeah. Why?" Hardison asked. Chuck turned to him, a wry smile on his face, but he didn't say anything. "Ah," he said, nodding. "Well, like I said, your secret is safe with me." He paused before adding, a grin on his face, "And I promise not to hack into you."
Chuck let out a laugh and clapped a hand on Hardison's back. "Thanks, man, I appreciate it."
"So what did you think?" Nate asked Sophie as she walked over to him.
"Think about what?" she asked.
"Working with the CIA and the NSA," he clarified, smiling at her.
Sophie shrugged. "Wasn't too bad, the three of them were nice, welcoming," she admitted, standing next to him. "And even if they are the law, it was better than when we had to work with your wife." She looked up at Nate for his reaction.
He didn't look at Sophie but he knew she was watching him as he said, "You mean my ex-wife. Maggie is my ex-wife."
Sophie smiled as she looked up at the night sky, thinking about what Sarah had told her. She was right, things were going to work out between her and Nate.
Eliot and Casey walked through the Buy More together, Casey now back in his green Buy More shirt. Morgan looked up from his rounds as Store Manager and saw the two of them talking and laughing together, faking punches at each other. He hid behind a rack of DVDs and took out his cell phone, speed dialing Chuck.
"Chuck, we have a problem," he whispered, looking around the rack at Casey and Eliot.
"What is it, buddy?" Chuck asked.
Morgan's voice came out as an anxious squeak. "There are two of them! Two Casey's! Oh, man, you've got to get up here, I can't handle two Casey's in the store!"
Chuck laughed. "Morgan, it's fine," he assured him. "There's no trouble, I promise. Well, not from Casey, but you might want to check on Jeff and Lester."
Rating: PG
Fandom: Chuck and Leverage crossover
Pairings: mentions of Chuck/Sarah and Nate/Sophie, implied Parker/Hardison
Length: 4,150 words
Summary: After a run in with each other that nearly cost them a mission, the CIA and NSA have to work with Nathan Ford's gang of thieves to fix it.
Disclaimer: I do not own Chuck, though sometimes I feel like I have the Intersect inside my head, only a different version of it. I do not own Leverage. I can't even figure out how most of the cons work before the big reveals.
Author's Notes: *spoilers for the Chuck episode 'The Push Mix' and the Leverage episode 'The San Lorenzo Job'* I wrote this fic for
astridv after winning my offering at help_japan. Thanks, tamswitter, for beta-ing it for me even if you are only just now becoming a Chuck fan! I hope you like it, astridv!"Look," Chuck Bartowski was saying to the group assembled in front of him, "I know that we got off on the wrong foot here but that doesn't change the fact that we're going to have to work together to fix our mistakes. And to do that, we're going to have to-"
He broke off just as he was about to say 'trust each other' after he had noticed that for what had to be the fifth time, his Nerd Herd badge was no longer attached to his shirt. Instead, a blonde woman was holding it in her hands, examining it with interest. Again. "W-would you give me that back, please," he said, reaching out to take it back from her.
"Parker!" Nate Ford said warningly, gesturing with a nod of his head for her to listen to Chuck.
Sighing, Parker held out her hand, the ID card dangling between her fingers. Chuck took it from her and put it back on.
"Thank you," Chuck said before he continued to give them the sort of speech both Casey and Sarah had become accustomed to hearing from him. "To fix our mistakes, we have to not only work together, but we also have to trust each other. Innocent lives are at stake and we don't have much time."
He looked around at the faces of the people he had just met that afternoon and quickly formulated a plan of attack, hoping they'd all go along with it. He started with Parker first, hoping it would keep her from trying to steal his ID card again. "Parker, you're going to be the one to go in and plant the bugs for us. We need to be able to know what is going on in there; we don't want anyone getting hurt."
"As long as I get to fall down an elevator shaft or jump off the roof," she said, smiling off into space as she thought about the ground rushing up to meet her.
"Yeah, fine," Chuck agreed, noticing that Nate was giving him a signal not to say no to her no matter how crazy her demand seemed to him.
His gaze fell on John Casey and he tried not to notice the expression that had been on his face ever since General Beckman had said they would all have to work together to fix their mess. They'd gotten themselves into it, and they'd have to get themselves out of it. No help from the CIA or NSA this time.
"Casey," he said, "I want you and Eliot to make sure security is taken care of, but not by shooting them! We don't want anyone getting upstairs while Parker plants those bugs, just knocking them unconscious should do the trick."
Casey let out his signature grunt but didn't say anything. Eliot looked over at Nate as though seeking some sort of confirmation. When he saw Nate nod, Eliot turned back to Chuck and said, as he cracked his knuckles, "You've got it, I hate guns."
"Great! Another one on team no guns necessary!" Chuck exclaimed happily while Casey made a sound of distaste.
Chuck was gaining more and more confidence about working with this group as time went on. Plus, as long as Nate continued to agree with him, he was sure that the two of them would be able to keep everyone in check. He turned to his fiancée, Sarah Walker, and he couldn't help but smile. She always had that effect on him, even when they were in the most dangerous situations.
"Sarah," he said, trying to keep everyone from noticing his feelings for her in case they thought he was favoring her, "you and Sophie will be in charge of distracting anyone in Parker's way and then getting everyone out of there." He paused for a moment then added, "Maybe take a couple of different outfits with you guys, have some sort of a variety, just in case you need it."
His tongue was starting to get tied up as he noticed the way Sophie had her brown eyes fixed on him. It was as though she knew all about him and Sarah just by looking at him. Trying to ignore it, he turned his attention to Hardison, hacker extraordinaire. "Hardison, you and I will be staying down here in Castle along with Nate. You'll be using your hacking skills and I will be-"
He stopped himself just in time from revealing to everyone that he was the Intersect. He quickly finished, "and I will be using my knowledge to help make sure there are no bogies on anyone's tail while Nate is in charge of communicating with everyone through the comms. Any questions?"
"Yeah, I have one," Hardison, who had not stopped looking around the room in wonder since he'd walked inside, said. "Do I get to use this state of the art government technology or do I have to use my own? 'Cause I'm not looking to get into any more trouble with that small general lady."
"That's General Beckman to you," Casey growled at him.
"Casey," Chuck warned, fighting the urge to call him 'buddy'. He knew that would only make matters worse. He turned back to Hardison and grinned, knowing that he was feeling the exact same excitement he had felt the first time he had seen Castle's systems. "Whatever systems of ours you need to use are at your disposal."
"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about, age of the geek, baby!" Hardison exclaimed, turning to Eliot and holding up his hand for him to high five in his enthusiasm. Eliot stared at him for a few seconds then shook his head in annoyance as he turned away and Hardison let his hand fall to his side. "I mean, cool, that's cool," he said in a more subdued tone of voice, trying to cover up the awkward situation.
Casey let out a small snort of laughter. He was glad he wasn't the only one who suffered thanks to having to be around computer geeks. "Well," he said, "looks like we've all got our orders. Now how about we go and actually carry them out instead of just standing around here?"
Half an hour later, Nate was pacing around Castle, talking to Sophie over the comms while Chuck and Hardison were working at the computers. "Okay, Sophie, I want you to break the heel off of your shoe and-"
"You want me to ruin my favorite pair of Jimmy Choos?" Sophie asked in horror, as though Nate was asking her to do the worst thing imaginable. "Nate, these are shoes cost me almost a thousand dollars! I am not going to break the heel off of one of them!"
"It's fine," Sarah told them, "I can break one of mine, I've done it before, and besides, these are my least favorite pair."
Sophie smiled at her. "You've got that, Nate?" she asked.
"Yeah, yeah, I got all of that," Nate answered, rubbing his forehead in annoyance. "Okay, Sarah, when you're about ten feet away from them, break off the heel of your shoe as you're walking. Sophie, reach out and grab her to stop her from falling. Then let the guys come to you."
"Not a problem," Sarah told him, just as she saw Sophie turn off her comm. She gave Sophie a confused look and she mouthed, 'turn your comm off'. Sarah nodded and did as Sophie wanted.
"Sarah? Sophie?" Nate asked. He sighed and turned to Chuck and Hardison. "They turned their comms off. What have we got as far as visuals?"
"Nothing much," Hardison answered. "They're just talking. Oh, and Sophie is gesturing to Sarah's left hand."
Chuck cleared his throat slightly, trying to continue to cover up the fact that he and Sarah were a couple. "Girl talk, that's all it is. Sarah, she's, uh, she's engaged."
Nate groaned and Chuck turned to Hardison. "What's his problem?" he whispered.
Hardison grinned at Chuck. "Sophie and Nate have this sort of... relationship. Sophie probably wants to know how Sarah managed to get a guy to propose, much less admit his feelings for her."
"Ah," Chuck said in acknowledgment. He turned his attention to another of the monitors, hoping it would help him focus on something other than what Sarah might tell Sophie about them. "Whoa, hold on. Casey, Eliot, stop."
"What you got?" Nate asked, moving over to the monitors.
Chuck rubbed at his eyes. Being the Intersect never got any easier. "Eliot, you don't happen to be an acrobat by any chance, do you?"
"No, why?" came Eliot's response over his comm.
Chuck sighed. "Looks like I'm going to have to go in, then," he mumbled, half to himself.
"No, no, hang on," Nate told him. "It's not a problem. Whatever it is, Parker can handle it. Besides, if you go in there and they see you, we won't have a chance to fix this."
"Okay, Eliot, Casey, when Parker gets there, I want you to move back and give her her space," Chuck told them, relieved he wouldn't have to show off his Intersect abilities. "And, Hardison, you're going to have to hack into the security for that corridor and make sure that the laser beams will become visible."
"Laser beams?" Hardison asked as soon as he finished gulping down more of his orange soda. "How do you know there are laser beams in there? There's no sign of laser beams anywhere."
Chuck gave him a wry smile. "You can say that my brain is kind of like a computer, that's why Casey and Sarah have kept me around as an analyst. Trust me, there are laser beams in there."
"So how do you and Chuck manage to work together and still be in a relationship?" Sophie asked Sarah.
"How do you know we're together?" Sarah laughed, brushing her hair back.
Sophie pointed to Sarah's left hand. "The ring, the way you two look at each other."
Sarah smiled, looking down at the ring on her finger. "We've been dating for about a year now and he just proposed to me a couple of weeks ago. Why? Is there someone you're interested in?"
"Nate," Sophie admitted. "We slept together after our last con and he still hasn't said anything about it. We've been sort of sidestepping our feelings for the last few years but now it's just getting ridiculous that we can't talk about it."
"Oh, yeah, I can understand that," Sarah agreed. "Chuck and I have had a few rough patches over the years, but I'm not sure how I can help you. I mean, I'm not exactly great at relationships myself as anyone can tell you."
"You already have," Sophie told her, "you've shown me that relationships are possible with the kinds of lives we live."
Sarah smiled at her. "Well, I know a way that we can maybe make Nate feel just a bit stir crazy."
"What's that?" Sophie asked, intrigued.
"Keep our comms off as we flirt with those guys," Sarah told her, a twinkle in her eyes as she started walking again.
Eliot and Casey stood together in silence as they waited for Parker to show up. While neither of them were the talkative type to begin with, they were using this time to size the other one up.
"So, you hate guns, huh?" Casey finally asked, breaking the silence. "How can someone hate guns and still live as long as you have in this business?"
Eliot continued staring ahead as he responded, "I may not like them, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to use them."
Casey nodded. "Yeah, well, don't expect to see me giving up any of my guns any time soon. I'm just glad that you can actually use one. Chuck's only used one once, every other time he's used stun guns."
Eliot didn't answer. He was just wondering why someone who was supposed to be nothing more than an analyst for the CIA and NSA, as Chuck himself had said he was, would need to be let out in the field as much as Chuck obviously was.
Parker came running up a few seconds later. Looking around, she asked, "Where are the lasers? I was told there'd be lasers!"
"Don't ask us," Eliot told her, "ask Chuck, he's the one that told us not to go any farther. There's nothing here that makes me think there's lasers anywhere."
Hardison's voice crackled through the comms, "Okay, Parker, I'm still hacking into their security systems but Chuck is positive there's lasers in there and if you trigger them, well, let's just say that you don't want to do that."
"But how did he know there are lasers to begin with?" Eliot demanded. "I'm not an analyst but that doesn't mean I don't know how to spot when someone's using lasers as part of their security system."
"Everyone, just calm down," Nate interrupted. "Like Hardison said, he's looking for a way to make the laser beams visible but until then, you've got to just stay put and stay calm. We're working as a team, remember."
Chuck got up and looked over Hardison's shoulder at the monitor he was using. "There it is," he said, pointing at a file called 'recipes'. "That controls the laser beams."
Hardison hacked into the file and then, upon making the laser beams visible in the corridor Eliot, Casey and Parker were in, looked up at Chuck and asked, "How in the hell did you know that?"
Nate was staring at Chuck now too but rather than give an answer, Chuck just shrugged and said, "I'm just a really good analyst."
"Okay, Parker," Nate said into the comms, trying to focus on the mission at hand, "Time for you to get across to the other side of the room and turn off the system for Eliot and Casey to get through, it'll take longer for Hardison to turn them off from here, there's no point in wasting time."
"Wasting time?" Hardison repeated. "Oh, hell no, my job is not a waste of time. You try pulling off all your little cons without me and just see how much of a waste of time my hacking into security systems and bank accounts really is. Waste of time, my ass."
Ignoring Hardison, Nate asked, "You ready to go, Parker?"
"You got it," she said. She took a deep breath and then started doing cartwheels and handsprings to get through the laser beams and to the other side of the corridor. "Whew," she said, standing up and smiling over at Eliot and Casey as she turned off the system. "That was a work out."
Casey was staring at Parker, his mouth hanging slightly open. "We could use someone like her on our team," he said, stunned."
Eliot looked over at him and smirked. "Maybe so, but you'd have to deal with twenty pounds of crazy in a five pound bag."
Nate turned to Hardison and Chuck once Parker told him she was on her way back to plant the bugs. "What's up with Sophie and- Hardison, is that Doctor Who you're watching?"
"Oh, yeah. Honestly, Nate, you would not believe how much less of a waste of time it is to download and watch Doctor Who on one of these CIA computers," Hardison told him, leaning back in his chair. "Almost as much of a waste of time as hacking into a security system is."
"Hey, is that the Tom Baker era you're watching?" Chuck asked, leaning over with interest.
Hardison looked over at Chuck. "You watch Doctor Who?" he asked.
"Yeah, can't get enough of it!" Chuck told him. "Of course, I prefer Pertwee's era over Baker's, I just loved how much time his incarnation of the Doctor had to spend on Earth working with the Brigadier rather than being able to travel-"
"Damn it, Hardison!" Eliot shouted through his comm. "How many times have I told you to stop talking nerd in my ear?"
"Well, uh, technically speaking," Hardison said, "that was Chuck who was talking 'nerd' as you put it, and secondly, it's called talking 'geek', Eliot, okay? Geek. G-E-E-K. Learn your facts, man, it's 'age of the geek', not 'age of the nerd'." He turned to look at Chuck again and shook his head. "Honestly, when will people learn?" he asked, earning a grin from Chuck.
He shrugged and told him, "You've got me. Casey's the same way."
"You have to listen to this garbage too?" Eliot asked Casey, ready to turn off his comm just so he wouldn't have to listen to Chuck and Hardison talk about Doctor Who anymore.
Casey grunted. "Yep. Just be glad that Hardison isn't the one leading you guys through your cons. When Chuck and his friend Morgan are in charge.... Trust me when I say it can be worse than torture."
Eliot gave a slight nod. "Oh, I trust you, believe me."
"Hardison, turn off Doctor Who and get back to work!" Nate commanded.
Hardison folded his arms across his chest as he continued watching. "What, and waste my time hacking into more security systems? No thank you."
Nate sighed. "Look, Hardison, I'm sorry, your job itself is not a waste of time. You've done some great work for us over the last few years, what is a waste of time is hacking into something and potentially getting noticed when someone else can do it without that risk."
"Shoot, all I needed to hear you say was 'I'm sorry'," Hardison told him, as he turned off Doctor Who and turned his attention back to the security systems.
Nate took a step back and rubbed his forehead in irritation. "Can one of you please tell me what Sophie and Sarah are doing?"
"They're... laughing," Chuck told him, moving his chair out of the way so that he could see.
"That is not good," Hardison commented. "You get girls laughing like that, it is never a good sign."
Sophie and Sarah were bent over laughing when Parker ran up to them and asked, "Need me to distract anyone?"
Sophie tried to regain her composure as she looked over at Parker. "No, no, Parker, we're okay." She gestured towards a closet and said, "We put the last of them in there. You're all set to go plant the bugs."
"Okay," Parker nodded. She waited a few seconds and then, not making any move to leave, asked, "What's so funny?"
Sophie and Sarah exchanged glances and, after a nod from Sophie, Sarah told Parker, "We were just talking about the men in our lives and how crazy they must be going after seeing us flirt with those guys before knocking them out."
"Men? What men?" Parker asked. "You mean Nate?"
"Well, Nate could be one of them," Sophie admitted, knowing Nate would be picking up what they were saying from Parker's comm, "or he might not." She reached out a hand to fix a loose strand of Parker's hair and asked, "So, Parker, what have you and Hardison been up to?"
Just as Parker started to respond, Sophie turned off her comm.
"Sophie just turned off Parker's comm," Nate announced to Chuck and Hardison. "And you were right. The laughing, definitely not a good sign."
"But who's the other guy?" Hardison asked, staring at the monitor. "Sarah said 'men', who did she mean besides you, Nate?"
Chuck cleared his throat. "That would be me," he said with a slight wave of his hand.
Hardison's face broke out into a grin and he let out a whoop of glee. "What did I tell you, Eliot?" he called over the comms. "What did I tell you? Chuck and Sarah are engaged. Age of the geek, baby!"
"Yeah, well, good for Chuck and Sarah, but it hasn't given you any luck with Parker, has it?" Eliot retorted.
"Cold, man, that was cold," Hardison replied, glaring at his monitor.
Nate shook his head. "Come on, guys, focus, we're almost at the finish line."
Parker hooked up her harness and inhaled a deep breath before running across the roof and diving off the side. The air was rushing into her face, her hair blowing behind her, the ground growing closer and closer with every passing second. She let out a laugh and closed her eyes, enjoying the moment.
"I told you that girl was crazy, didn't I?" Eliot asked, looking over at Casey, who was standing next to him, both of them on the ground near where Parker was supposed to land.
Casey nodded. "Yes, you did." He waited a moment and then asked, "So what's next for you?"
Eliot shrugged, "I dunno. Whatever Nate asks me to do, I guess. Why?"
"Well, I was just thinking," Casey said, "maybe we could use some more muscle around here from time to time. You know, if you ever get bored or whatever."
Eliot grinned. "Thanks, man, I'll think about it," he said, reaching out and shaking Casey's hand. "Now how about we get Parker and the girls and go back to that Castle of yours?"
Casey gave a slight grunt. "I'll get the crazy one, you handle the gigglers."
Sophie smiled and gave Sarah a hug. "Congratulations on your engagement, Sarah," she told her. "You and Chuck are going to be very happy."
"So are you and Nate," Sarah told her. "Just hang in there, I'm sure he'll come around soon enough. It took me awhile, too."
"Thanks, I'll let you know. And if you send me a save the date, I'll try and make it to your wedding, maybe share some of those stories you told me," Sophie said, a twinkle in her eye.
Sarah laughed. "You've got it," she agreed.
Hardison walked up behind Chuck and tapped him on the shoulder. Chuck turned around and smiled at him. "Hey, man, what's up?"
"I know you aren't just an analyst," Hardison told him.
Chuck's eyebrows rose. "Really? And what do you think I am then?"
Hardison sighed and put his hands in his pockets. "I don't know, Chuck, I don't know, but I saw you on the monitors before we joined teams. An analyst cannot do what I saw you doing. Eliot can't even do half of what you did. And knowing those laser beams where there and then finding the file...." He let out a low whistle. "You're something special, Chuck, but you're not just an analyst. And I'm not going to tell anyone, not even Nate. Your secret's safe with me. Us geeks have got to stick together."
Chuck's smile vanished slightly. He looked over to where Sophie and Sarah were saying goodbye. "You're right, I'm not an analyst. But I didn't lie to you, not entirely." He turned back to Hardison and asked, "You know how I said my brain's like a computer?"
"Yeah. Why?" Hardison asked. Chuck turned to him, a wry smile on his face, but he didn't say anything. "Ah," he said, nodding. "Well, like I said, your secret is safe with me." He paused before adding, a grin on his face, "And I promise not to hack into you."
Chuck let out a laugh and clapped a hand on Hardison's back. "Thanks, man, I appreciate it."
"So what did you think?" Nate asked Sophie as she walked over to him.
"Think about what?" she asked.
"Working with the CIA and the NSA," he clarified, smiling at her.
Sophie shrugged. "Wasn't too bad, the three of them were nice, welcoming," she admitted, standing next to him. "And even if they are the law, it was better than when we had to work with your wife." She looked up at Nate for his reaction.
He didn't look at Sophie but he knew she was watching him as he said, "You mean my ex-wife. Maggie is my ex-wife."
Sophie smiled as she looked up at the night sky, thinking about what Sarah had told her. She was right, things were going to work out between her and Nate.
Eliot and Casey walked through the Buy More together, Casey now back in his green Buy More shirt. Morgan looked up from his rounds as Store Manager and saw the two of them talking and laughing together, faking punches at each other. He hid behind a rack of DVDs and took out his cell phone, speed dialing Chuck.
"Chuck, we have a problem," he whispered, looking around the rack at Casey and Eliot.
"What is it, buddy?" Chuck asked.
Morgan's voice came out as an anxious squeak. "There are two of them! Two Casey's! Oh, man, you've got to get up here, I can't handle two Casey's in the store!"
Chuck laughed. "Morgan, it's fine," he assured him. "There's no trouble, I promise. Well, not from Casey, but you might want to check on Jeff and Lester."