NoMoreNextTimes01

A/N: OK. I admit it. I was bored and I finally watched some Chuck on Hulu. I am appalled. I am boycotting Subway until the brain-damaged, overpaid and uncaring writers put the show back on course. Shaw? Yech. A piece of wood acts better. I am one person. What can I do? I can create my own season 3…bwahaha. OK, Lumberton, OR is a pit, no offense, but if I had 6 months to live I'd move here…it would seem like 6 years. Only two more weeks here and then…Cancun!

Disclaimer: I don't own a damned thing but my bad attitude and you couldn't pay me to say 'I own season 3'.

T/N: I almost missed this and after reading it I almost didn't post it. It's good but it's bad. I know why he didn't say 'goodbye'.

Nik

In retrospect

It was obvious to everyone in the Castle, all 4 of them, that Sarah/Sam had made her decision, her choice, her selection, whatever it might be called, and that it had not been one Charles Irving Bartowski. And he was OK with that. Really, he was.

In his mind, he'd betrayed her in Prague and the thing with Hannah had been a mistake, not only because he couldn't get Walker off his mind but also because he couldn't lie anymore, not to anyone. His confession to Morgan had been a cathartic act and now he was ready to do what had to be done.

The next evening, he and Casey had a long discussion about the spy life and his place in it. He'd asked Casey for advice and the older man had at first told him he didn't give advice but then relented. Chuck had thanked him and then returned to the Castle and cleaned out his locker and gone to the Buy More and repeated his actions and returned to the Castle.

He dialed up General Beckman and requested an immediate teleconference and the General connected from her home.

"Agent Shaw…Bartowski! Is anything wrong? Where is Agent Shaw? Where are the others?"

"General, I'll cut to the chase since you always seem to be in a hurry. Shaw and his vendetta against the Ring, while noble and worthwhile, have destroyed my team. He's going to be stuck here, inside the Castle, since he's known to be in L.A. and there are hunter/killer teams searching for him. He's a target. That makes my team a target, or at least, collateral targets."

"I've spoken with Colonel Casey and he agrees. Shaw has to go. He can do what he does from anywhere. So send him there. He can take Walker as his partner and just do his thing from WitSec or Ganymede. He can task teams to pursue his leads and act on his intel. That leaves us free to do what we should be doing: destroying Fulcrum and the Ring, not running around, half-cocked, responding to local threats against Shaw."

Beckman's eyes narrowed. "Your team, Bartowski? Your team?" She was going to say more but Chuck cut her off.

"Yes, General, Team Intersect. Give us replacement agents and we'll reform our team. We'll be better and more effective without Shaw and his distractions, especially after I return from the concentrated 30-day agent training course you're going to send me to."

"Ha! You already failed once, Bartowski. Why should I bother sending you anywhere but to a hole in Utah or Nevada?"

"Because I can flash at will now. I'm at peace with myself. I've figured out a way around the emotional trigger problem. I can handle it and we need 2.0 in the field in the mind of a capable agent, not some wimpy Buy More tech supervisor. It's what you wanted, wasn't it, General? Well, like it or not, you got it. Me."

"Good Lord…you're serious. You really think you can do this? Shaw has been very instrumental in your progress to date. He's been a mentor and guide for you…"

"Bullshit! He's been controlling things to accomplish his own agenda: taking down the Ring because of his wife's death, not for love of country. And he doesn't care who gets hurt in the process or what other operations he might compromise or disrupt."

Beckman thought about all that she'd heard. There was a lot of truth in it. And a lot of potential.

"Be at the Burbank Executive Air Park at 5am tomorrow morning. A plane will be waiting for you. I'll send Shaw into WitSec and we'll test your theory. I want Walker to stay partnered with Casey. You need…"

"No deal. They both go. She's compromised. She's chosen. She goes with him. She's a distraction and they have a…thing. It's a question of ultimate loyalties and I…don't trust her to make the right decisions any longer."

He disconnected and grabbed his bags and left to explain to Morgan why he quit the Buy More and would be gone for 30 days. He'd leave it up to him to explain things to Ellie. Devon would back him up.

Before waking Morgan he went to tell Casey about the General's decision and thank him for his advice.

"You know Walker's going to want to stay, Chuck. She knows you dumped Hannah and she's hoping that next time…"

"No more 'next time', Casey. What's done is done. She's going with Shaw as his partner. At least you won't have to listen to them having loud and noisy sex anymore, Casey, when you review the internal security tapes. She'll – they'll do well together."

"So, when are you going to tell her so I can be elsewhere?"

"I'm not. Spies come and go without hellos or goodbyes. Why should this be any different? I leave at 5am but first I'm going to fill Morgan in and he can deal with Ellie. Awesome will back him up. I'll see you in a month, Colonel Casey. Behave yourself. Think of it as a vacation from the Nerd." He laughed and left.

Casey started to go back to bed but instead went and found his bottle of 100 Pipers and poured a large glass and sat in the dark for quite a while sipping the single malt and trying to assimilate all that had happened. Walker was going to be pleased and he figured that once again Bartowski had made the right decision but for the wrong reason.

CIA Residential Hotel
6am

Daniel Shaw woke and scrubbed his face with his hands and looked at his watch. He reached for the room phone and was going to order breakfast when he saw Sam sitting, wrapped in his shirt, looking out the window over Los Angeles. It looked like she'd been crying.

"Sam, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Have I done something to upset you?"

"No, Shaw. I've done something to upset me. This," she waved her hand at the rumpled bed, "was a mistake. I did this for all the wrong reasons, mostly because you were available and I was hurt and vulnerable. I – I never should have told you my name, Shaw. I've been with Chuck for almost 3 years and I haven't even told him my real middle name after years of his badgering and I told you…"

"Sam, please, we're good together. He's just your asset despite being the intersect host. You should never tell him anything true about yourself. It's just not done outside the profession. You know that."

"He's not just my asset and you know it. You know how compromised I am. You saw it. You used it to get me where I am right now. You manipulated situations and people to get what you wanted at the moment…and right now it's me."

"Sam, that's not true…"

"Bullshit. You played me. I'm a pro but you're incredibly better at it than I am. Casey saw it. Chuck saw it. I was blinded by emotional pain and now…it's over, Shaw. Never again. Get out. I have to get ready for work."

"But Sam…"

"No. No Sam. Sarah. Sarah Walker. It's who I'm going to be from now on because it's how he knows me. Now, go. I have to get ready. Make sure you get everything that's yours, Shaw, because you won't be coming back."

Castle
8:25am

Shaw walked out of his room/office and nodded to Casey and went for coffee. Sarah walked down the stairs from the Orange Orange entrance, dressed for work. She looked around and saw Casey but not Chuck.

"Casey, where's Chuck? We have a meeting in 5 minutes and he's not here. You know Beckman has no tolerance for tardiness. The store's not open yet. I'm going to call him."

"Walker, don't. The General will explain everything. Bartowski won't be in attendance."

As if on cue the large plasma screen lit up with the NSA logo and Casey called for Shaw to 'get your ass in here, Shaw'.

They were seated around the table when Beckman connected.

"Good morning, I see we're all in attendance and on time for once. This meeting will be very brief. Agent Shaw, you and Agent Walker are relieved and will report to Burbank Air Park by 2pm to catch the courier plane to DC where you will be debriefed and reassigned to WitSec. You will continue directing efforts to combat the Ring remotely since you've become quite popular in some circles. You and Agent Walker will be undercover as husband and wife."

"But General…" Shaw didn't like this one bit and was prepared to rebut the General when she cut him off at the knees.

"Agent Shaw, you have your orders. Team Intersect is no more. If there are no further objections or questions, I'll speak with Colonel Casey alone."

"General, where's Chuck? What do you mean 'Team Intersect is no more'?" Sarah was staring at the bracelet. She'd worn it hoping Chuck would notice it and she could start a conversation and start rebuilding their shattered relationship.

"Bartowski's whereabouts are of no concern to you, Agent Walker. You have been reassigned. Without Mr. Bartowski there is no intersect and therefore no 'Team Intersect'. You can thank Agent Shaw for the changes. I'm sure you have no objections." Her lips almost curled in distaste but years of dealing with military politics had taught her a thing or two.

General Beckman had spoken to Casey earlier and discussed the situation and Bartowski's analysis. Casey was very supportive of Chuck's position and explained why Chuck was so adamant about Walker's leaving. She wasn't sure if she totally agreed but Casey was very convincing.

"Agents, you are dismissed. I need to discuss restructuring the Burbank Project with the colonel and you have no need to know. Please leave the conference area."

Sarah walked up to the Orange Orange followed by Shaw. He saw this as an opportunity to continue a relationship with Walker. Until this morning, she'd been very 'enthusiastic' about their physical relationship and he saw no reason why it couldn't continue in WitSec now that Bartowski was out of the picture.

"Sam…" he began but stopped when she whirled and began screaming at him that her name was Sarah, Sarah Walker and that he better learn it because it was her name. Not Sam.

"But Sarah…"

"I'll meet you at the airport, Agent Shaw. You have things to do. I suggest you go do them."

When Shaw had gone back to the Castle and she was sure she was alone she called Chuck's cell. We're sorry but the number you have dialed has been disconnected or is no longer in service.

She left the Orange Orange and went to her hotel to pack. She thought about finding Morgan and giving him Chuck's bracelet but realized that she couldn't part with it. It was a promise and she wanted him to keep his word.

She wrote him a letter and left it with Casey making him promise to give it to him when he saw him.

"Walker, I don't know when I'll see him again. Things are fluid right now. Leave it and I'll try to get it to him." He could see that she was fighting her emotions and the last thing he needed from her were tears. What he needed was her absence.

"Well, Casey, I'll see you. Maybe next time…"

"No, Sam, no more next times. You're going with Shaw. I just never figured…"

"If you see him, tell him…" but Casey walked away from her and went in to inventory the office to make sure that asshole Shaw hadn't made off with something else that wasn't his. It was bad enough he was taking Walker.

She left the Castle for the last time.

A/N: Will they find their lost love? Ha! Not if those idiots at NBC have their way. And before anyone says 'you hate Sarah' ask yourself…don't you right now? At least how she's being written? And how they make her look physically? Washed out and pale and whorish? Fire the makeup & wardrobe artists. Better my version than theirs.

Charah lovers…maybe. Right now I don't like her. But I do understand her better than you think.

Armor-Plated-Rat