A/N: I'm not going to say anything. By now it's quite clear how the Chuck fans feel. I do agree that it couldn't have ended another way, given where they'd taken this arc, but it would've been more suited in the middle or end of season 4. Oh well, just a fanfic writer here. I wasn't going to upload this, but a comment from MyNameIsJeffNImLost on Chuck This blog prompted me to. It might not fit in 100% with cannon as I only watched it once.

Please note that this is not beta'd. I've read through it to catch any errors, but as the finale was aired between 3am and 5am, I had about 1 hour sleep in the last 30.

I don't own Chuck.


"Sarah, wait."

She stopped in her tracks, but she couldn't turn to face him. Everything he'd said, how he'd said it, it was all there, just below the surface. She'd pushed it down, categorized it as his reaction to a job done too well, but she knew the truth now. She'd seen the mission logs. And even though she didn't feel it, the admission she'd made so boldly, yet at the same time out of desperation, she felt something. Guilt. Her instincts told her he deserved better. He had better.

Sarah heard Chuck approach and still didn't move. He circled her, but stayed out of her personal space. His eyes locked onto hers and he swallowed audibly.

"I'm not the type of guy who says things like this," he started, a little unsure of himself. "Actually it's only the second time…" His gaze darted away. Then it caught hers again and he strengthened his resolve. "Sarah, you're wrong."

She didn't react. Her first reaction was disbelief, but that wouldn't be fair to him, so she schooled her features.

Chuck raised his left hand, allowing the porch light to reflect from his ring. "He took our life." His jaw tightened. "This is our future Quinn is toying with."

"What are you saying, Chuck?" she found herself asking.

"I'm saying that you shouldn't go out there alone. We need to do this together."

"Chuck…" Sarah started to protest. Yes, she believed him, and perhaps she could trust him, but this was different. "You're not a spy, Chuck."

"I am," he argued. "You trained me."

She didn't believe that either. A spy would've fought back, no matter what. Chuck had just stood there, taking her blows. He'd been willing to let her shoot him. But then again, he had survived the blast and reacted quickly enough to take a bullet for her.

"Look," he continued when she didn't speak, "I don't expect anything from you. I won't push you into anything, but let me have your back." He wiggled his finger, drawing her attention back to the ring. "I made a vow and even if you don't remember, I do. I get that having a husband must be really weird for you right now, but before all this, we were partners. Semper fi. There is no reason for you to go alone."

"You're not asking, are you?" Chuck shook his head. "This is a complicated situation," she pointed out, hoping to dissuade him. She was starting to relate to that girl in the video. She had no idea what to do about Chuck Bartowski.

"We've done complicated," he countered. "I have the t-shirt somewhere." He took a step towards her, and when she didn't back away, relief flashed across his face. "This is just business, Sarah," he reiterated. "For now at least. We can deal with the other stuff later, when you're ready. One mission at a time."

It sounded like something she would have said. Then it occurred to her that it probably was. She'd been this person once, before Chuck, but somehow he'd managed to break through her walls. If he'd done it once, he might be able to do it again, if she'd let him. All they needed was a start.

"Okay, Chuck," Sarah agreed, albeit reluctantly. Then she stuck out her hand to shake on it. "Partners."