The order had finally come down again, and much to Casey's personal disapproval it would not change. The Gamma Intersect is up and running and according to General Beckman, Chuck Bartowski has finally out lived his usefulness. Major John Casey was going to have to do what he did best. However Casey didn't want to fulfill these orders, he didn't want Chuck dead. The killer in him, however, was stronger than the man, the man that Casey thought was long dead until Charles Bartowski came into his life. He would never openly admit it but Chuck opened up several emotions inside Casey that he didn't even realize he had, despite himself, Chuck was his friend. Orders were orders, and Casey always followed his orders.
Casey knew exactly when he would do it. Chuck and Agent Walker had a real date planned for the evening at his apartment, their last before she was to be reassigned. He knew how they felt about each other. He had watched them for years now. Chuck was obviously in love with her, his body language practically emanates it. Walker, although hard to read at times was actually more in love with him, or so Casey believed. He wasn't blind and he wasn't a robot, not really.
He would strike after his sister Ellie and her Fiancé would clear out for their date, and before Walker would arrive, she had no idea of the termination order on Chuck but he was surprised if she didn't at least suspect something. Casey wished that he could let her in on it. Maybe together they would be enough to stop their bosses. She would have a role in it one way or another, He would make it look like a suicide, since Walker was going to leave in the morning, and it would be the perfect cover. Chuck would be grief stricken over the loss of Sarah and take his own life, as depressed he had been the five years prior to the Intersect being downloaded into his noggin, after losing her out of the blue that would push him beyond the breaking point. A part of him however wished that Walker would find out, learn his order and deal with him according, Life's not that simple, Casey thought, as tears began to shimmer in his eyes.
Chuck Bartowski was alone in the large apartment that he shared with his sister. He was going to cook for Sarah on their date tonight, since they were unable to do so last time they tried to have a real date, since the beta intersect had been destroyed. He felt both exhilarated and devastated that this real date was going to happen. He knew she would be reassigned after this somewhere far away from him, halfway across the globe with a new cover life so Chuck wouldn't be able to ever find her again. Then again, after this long assignment maybe she would be entitled to a vacation, something that he could tag along on. He was ready to leave the Buymore anyway. He would put his heart out there and maybe, just maybe, she would allow him to go along. Maybe their romance could last just a bit longer.
Then, there was the government. Something was going on with them, Chuck didn't believe they would let him just walk around LA with all of the secrets in his head. Hopefully y they had a plan to remove the secrets from his head, or…he didn't wasn't to think of the other option. If it did ever come to that, he hoped that either Sarah or Casey would do I, if it was some unknown G-man assassin it just wouldn't feel right to him, it would feel that he wasn't important enough to have one of their top agents take care of him.
Sarah Walker, or so she was known know, was running late. She had taken too much time deciding what to wear, which was something that was completely new to her. She revved her Porsche to 100mph and veered in and out of traffic, she couldn't wait to see Chuck, possibly for the last time. She wanted him to know that she loved him, enough to leave the CIA for, as long as they let her. She wasn't sure that ten years was enough time to undo all of the wrong that her and her father did during the first 18 years of her life, God she hoped so.
Time passed quickly as she finally arrived at Echo Park. She was nervous, something she hadn't felt in years. Her finger extended to ring the buzzer at Chuck's place, she eyed Casey's apartment in the distance. The lights were still on, she wondered if he was still listening to all of Chuck's candid conversations, she doubted it, the mission was over, by this time the gamma Intersect was up and running, knowing Casey he was already packed and ready to board the early morning flight back to D.C. He was always an agent first and a person second, he probably wouldn't even tell either of them goodbye. Sarah chucked at the thought.
Chuck opened the door to greet a wide smiling Sarah. He knew she was nervous, he could see it in her beautiful blue eyes, it always surprised him how ridiculously pretty she was. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek, which she graciously accepted.
"Hey you," Chuck exclaimed. "Come on in."
"Thanks," Sarah answered with a lump emerging in her throat.
"You know, you don't have to be this nervous around me, we've known each other for quite a while now, I'm still Chuck, and so nothing has really changed."
"Sarah smiled slyly, "I know that, but I'm no longer Sarah, at least not the same Sarah that you are used to."
"Yeah," Chuck said unsurely." I know you better than you think, Jenny Burton."
"Chuck, Jenny isn't my real name either, there are an exponential number of things that I want to tell you, tell you about the real…"
Out of the corner of her eye Sarah glimpsed a figure, its arms outstretched but hidden by the shadows, learning from their previously botched date she reached for the small of her back and pulled out her 9mm, in a matter of milliseconds Sarah had fired three shots directly at the center of the shadow. Chuck stood frozen, taken aback by the scene he had just witnessed. He was still frozen in fear when Sarah walked past him.
Sarah went to investigate the shadowy figure that had collapsed onto the floor. She took no more than five steps when she stopped dead in amazement. It was Casey. Sarah had shot him three times in the chest. He was down but still alive and aware. A gun lay only millimeters away from him. Sarah made her way toward Casey. Chuck realized who it was as well, followed suit. They both kneeled before Casey's hulking immobile body. Kneeling down together they looked at him, at each other, and then back at Casey.
Casey gasped for air, chuckled and finally spoke," Hey gang. How's my two favorite special agents." A small trickle of blood oozed from his mouth.
"Casey why," tears welled up in Chuck's eyes. "Was it orders?"
"'Couse Bartowski, I can't betray an order no matter how I really feel about it. It's…it's the agent in me…the killer…I didn't have a choice," Casey coughed, bold shot out from his mouth onto the floor. "Sarah," Casey reached out his arm trying to find hers, she finally grasped it. "I'm glad it was you that finally put down the killer in me."
Sarah said nothing, but tears began to pool down her cheeks.
"Casey, what are you saying? Did you do this intentionally? You had plenty of time to do it when I was alone, you waited didn't you," Chuck spoke in revelation.
"You were always a smart guy Chuck, I'm sure you knew it would have to come to this sooner or later," Casey's voice grew weak. "I waited until I saw Sarah come up to the apartment and then I made my move. I…I left the rest up to fate…Chuck there is something you should know about Sarah, she protected you as a woman protecting the man she loves not as an agent protecting her asset…The agent would have realized what I was doing here," Casey used the last of his strength to clench his face into a smile. "You…both…take care…don't let anyone…anyone…tear you apart…"Casey's face fell flat, his eyes closed and his body grew limp. John Casey was dead.
Chuck and Sarah looked at each other, nevertheless remained silent for several minutes.
"Sarah…I…" Chuck spoke first, however he was quickly silenced.
Sarah pressed her lips against his, the kiss lasted only seconds but the moment would be something they would remember for the rest of their lives.
"I love you," Sarah spoke as new tears began to flow from her eyes.
"I love you, too. I know there are so many things that are up in the air with us, I need you to know that I am here, by your side, no matter what."
"I know Chuck, I know. We're in this together, and together we can do anything."