A/N: This was written from Nirvana12's idea by 1 of the most brilliant minds on FF SeaJay28 and ArmySFC. What happens when Chuck and Sarah meet under different circumstances? We don't own any of the characters from Chuck nor are we making any money off this. Beta'd by rockchick4jc. So grab a chair sit back and enjoy the ride!
A Tale of Two Runners
May 15, 2007
Sarah Lisa Walker was just returning from her rewarding day at First Bank of America where she successfully negotiated a multimillion dollar business deal. She paid the driver her fare, exited the cab and entered the apartment complex, passing through the lobby to the elevators to complete her journey home. Her apartment was on the fourth floor facing the ocean.
Sarah was slightly taller than most women at five feet nine inches tall. She had long flowing blonde hair and legs that seemingly went on forever. She was the talk of the complex for many of the male tenants but remained and enigma for most people that shared her floor. She would rarely leave her apartment except to go to work or shopping. Men were rarely if ever seen entering or leaving her place and if they were it was always on the same day they arrived. Her job as a financial consultant for overseas investors allowed plenty of opportunities for travel outside of the country. Most people that met Sarah believed she was the perfect example of the girl you want to bring home to dinner and show to your family.
Sarah plopped down on the leather sofa in her living room and turned on the large plasma TV. She took a sip of her wine as she settled in to watch her favorite shows she had TiVo'd earlier in the week. She began to feel tired as the stress of the day slowly faded away. Within minutes she was in the state between being awake and asleep, she could still hear the TV but her mind was seeing something else…
She was breezing through her senior year of college with a four point zero grade point average, when she came across an online ad for a rewarding career working with the Federal Government. She sent in her resume and waited for their response. She was contacted a few weeks later and invited to Washington for an interview. She was offered a position with the CIA as an Agent. Her new handler explained what her duties would be if she accepted the position as an agent.
She would be used mostly for undercover work gathering financial information on businesses overseas that may pose a threat to national security by funneling money to know terrorist organizations. Because of her natural ability to track financial records and interface with people she would be working with a team at all times. These teams already had positions within the organizations they infiltrated.
The ring tone from her cell interrupted her thoughts, and she struggled to reach it before it went to voice mail.
"Hey girl what's up?...The deal went down fine, but I would give it a few days before you make the move… Nothing like that! If you invest that much this soon, someone may get suspicious. Do it a little at a time but do it before the end of next week… Dinner on Friday? I suppose I can make it, will the hubby be there or just us girls?... Ok, see you then."
Still feeling the effects of the dream she got up and prepared for a long soak in the tub.
x-x-x-x-x-x
Chuck Bartowski had finally finished moving into his new house just outside of San Diego. With the item on top of his to-do-list complete, he decided to move on the number two, finding places to work out and trails to run on. He still had a week to report to his new company, so this would be an ideal time to look. Many of the fitness centers in the area had indoor running tracks but Chuck preferred to run in the open air. He asked around and was given the names of several places that well known for having good trails to run on but also provided the runner with some excellent views to observe while running.
June 1, 2007
Chuck had just finished another grueling day hunched over his computer trying to work the last of the bugs out of the new software the company he worked for was trying to develop. He exited the bus he normally took to work and walked slowly down the street towards his small two bedroom ranch. Standing at four inches over six feet tall and weighing in at just over two hundred and thirty pounds Chuck looked like any normal person his age.
If you asked his neighbors about Chuck their replies would almost echo each other's. By all accounts he was the perfect neighbor, quiet yet easy to talk to, slightly reserved but would attend all the social functions the home owners association held. He kept the outside of his house in pristine condition often spending hours each weekend tending to his garden or manicuring the large bushes that surrounded his house.
His lawn was the pride and joy of not only himself, but the entire neighborhood, often receiving praise that it look like someone cut out a section of the outfield from PETCO Park. Chuck's job as a software program debugger meshed well with his outward appearance as a nerd. After a quick change of clothes he headed out for his nightly run.
Chuck arrived at the San Diego Bay Shore running trails for only the second time since he began his training again in earnest. His normal park was better suited for a fast paced run while this one was better for endurance. He was just starting the stretch of trail that offered a good view of the ocean. When he began to let his mind wander, it was a tool he used to relax and clear his mind of all the stress he encountered during the day. His mind drifted back to how it all began.
Chuck entered Worcester Polytechnic Institute on an academic scholar ship during the fall of 1999; he fully intended to pursue a degree in electrical engineering. Everything in his life was just about as perfect as he could have ever hoped. At the beginning of his junior year Chuck began to hone his hacking skills by attempting to gain entry in a Government data base in response to bet he made with some of his frat brothers.
The intrusion was noticed immediately by the security programs that were in place to prevent these things from happening. The program sent an immediate alert to several of the intelligence agencies, who in turn sent agents to see who managed to get their secure system. The CIA was the first to arrive on scene, and they took Chuck into custody.
Catching his foot on a rock Chuck stumbled slightly, he wasn't hurt, but it was enough to break him out of his inner musings. He collected himself and finished his run.
x-x-x-x-x-x
Chuck was currently resting in the first class section returning from Germany where he had to reprogram the software of his company's biggest client. One of their employees brought in a video on a flash drive that was infected with a virus that quickly spread through the company's mainframe doing considerable damage. Chuck saved what he could before wiping the system clean and installing the new software.
The upside to the trip was he sold the company's new virus protection software that was more advanced than the one they were currently using. After his second Jack and Coke his eyes closed and he fell into a deep sleep. The trip had stirred up memories long forgotten…
Over the next couple of days the CIA agent sent to retrieve Chuck put him through a battery of tests to see what his hacking capabilities truly were. After watching Chuck hack into place after place and manipulate data like it was a walk in the park; he offered Chuck a job with them as a hacker and computer expert upon his graduation from Worcester Polytechnic Institute, in exchange for his freedom. Chuck readily agreed to the offer and was returned to Worcester Polytechnic Institute where he graduated third in is class. He began to train with some of his friends from the football team, nothing major, just some light lifting and mild cardio; he was after all still a nerd.
He was woken up by the announcement that the plane was on final approach and to prepare for landing. When he arrived home he was still full of energy so he headed out for a quick run to clear his head.
…
August 15, 2007 First Bank of America
"Excuse me Sarah," the voice of Sandy came from the open office door, followed by the owner of said voice "You just received a letter via FedEx and I thought I should give it to you right away. It's from Berkeley, isn't that where you went to school?"
"Since you seem to be a bit more excited than me, have a seat and we can see what they want." Sarah said with a hint of laughter lining her voice.
Together they opened the letter and found an invitation for an alumni dinner that was going to be held in November on the campus. It was for her and a date. Sarah shrugged mentally, 'just frigging great! Where am I going to get a date by then? I'm not taking any of the horn dogs from here.'
"I'm sure it will be fun Sarah, in fact I know a guy that is perfect for you." Sandy smiled mischievously and Sarah could practically see the matchmaker wheels turning behind her eyes.
"Sandy I appreciate the offer, but I think I can find a date on my own. Now why don't you go get lunch for us and we can get on with our day?"
"I'll be right back with our usual," and she left Sarah's office.
Sarah looked at the far wall where her BA and Masters degrees currently resided. She closed her eyes and thought back to how she earned her degrees and what happened afterwards that got her to where she was today…
She would continue her education and get her masters before being released for field duty. Her training would be less intense than most agents that went to the field for undercover work. Not because she couldn't handle it, but because she would never be sent on solo missions. Her handler explained to her that despite what most spy movies led people to believe it was only on rare occasions did the CIA ever leave an agent behind.
It cost too much money to keep training and replacing agents. He also gave her his opinion of what a good spy was, to her handler a good spy was one that could do their job by collecting all the information they could and get out before the shit hit the fan without people knowing it was you that turned them in. Sarah Walker was too valuable of an asset to be tossed aside or put in danger.
She had been taking kick boxing classes since she was five, she'd did quite well in the competitions she'd entered in, even at such a young age, so the conversion to martial arts was fairly easy. They concentrated her training on bladed weapons that could be concealed easily and thrown accurately.
Upon completion of her masters Sarah was sent to the Defense language Institute for language training. During the two years she attended the DLI she picked up two languages fully and was able to get the basics of several others. After almost eight years of formal education she began her career just like every other financial expert, at the bottom and worked her way up.
She was placed overseas in an entry level position where she transferred out just before the mission completed. Her missions were mostly the same just on a larger scale until she returned to the states after three years of moving around Europe. In 2007 she was hired on at First Bank of America as the head financial investment counselor for overseas investments. What they didn't know was that behind the quiet and peaceful exterior, she was a trained CIA agent. For the time being Andrea Cole was on sabbatical.
Sandy brought back her lunch and continued on with the rest of her day.
September 11 2007
If there was one day a year that affected Chuck it was this day. He was currently standing in the crowd that was assembled at the Naval Station in San Diego paying tribute to the men and woman who died that day six years ago. Where ever he was in the world he paid his respects in whatever way he could. For the first time in years Chuck could pay tribute on American soil.
He was just getting out of the shower when his frat buddies began screaming for him to come to the living room. There was panic in the voices that were calling to him. Chuck along with the rest of the country watched in horror as the events of September the Eleventh unfolded before their eyes. He was semi opposed to the taking of a human life but that day changed him forever. When the people on board flight 93 gave up their lives so that others could live he changed his views quickly.
Chuck made the easiest decision of his life that day, calling his handler and requested that he be removed from consideration as a hacker and instead be considered for a position as a field agent. He made it clear that if he couldn't be an agent he would rather be allowed to join the armed forces instead of serving the jail time. Several days later Chuck's handler met him and laid out the duties he would need to perform as a member of the CIA.
Chuck began his training in earnest the next week using the recommended gyms and Dojo's the CIA provided him. His weapons training was conducted at a local gun club with occasional trips to Twenty Nine Palms for his assault weapons training. Over the course of the next two years Chuck was paired with a senior agent and was involved in several short relatively easy missions stateside and overseas. They were easing the new agent into his role rather than just tossing him into field work like they had done in the past.
By the end of his senior year Chuck had mastered several of the military's Crew Served Weapons and held a black belt in several forms of martial arts. His biggest thrill was when he passed his snipers course. He was always the sniper when he played Call of Duty with his frat buddies. Upon graduation from Worcester Polytechnic Institute Chuck was sent to Quantico for the next phase of his training.
He would be trained to defend and if necessary give up his life to protect dignitaries, both foreign and domestic. For six months he was assigned to several foreign dignitaries. Chuck's boyish looks and charm fooled a lot of people. He quickly ascended the ranks of the CIA's top agents, he could have been number one but he hated to do seduction missions unless it was a last resort.
When the ceremony completed Chuck got into his car and headed in to work. Unknown to the people he worked for the soft spoken well-mannered man was a trained CIA assassin. For the time being Sam Bradford was on vacation.
September 17 2007 Balboa Park San Diego
Chuck exited his '07 dark blue Charger dressed in his usual running clothes. When he got to the beginning of one of the many trails used by runners and bikers alike, he started his stretching routine. He had been performing the same ritual for the past couple months since his last overseas mission ended and he returned home. Once he completed his warm ups he began his daily run.
On the upslope of one of the hills he over took a beautiful blond haired woman who's hair was pulled back in a loose pony tail and swung back and forth with each stride. Her long legs were eating up large chunks of trail with each stride she took. He could tell from looking at her legs she was an avid runner like he is. As he passed her by he gave her a small smile and a nod and continued on his way. Finishing his run at the same place he began Chuck began his cool down exercises and toweling down his now sweat covered head.
When he finished he paused for a few minutes to watch some of the other runners pass by. Coming down the trail was the blond he had passed earlier she was sweating and her hair had come partially out of the bun it had been earlier. He gave her a polite smile, waved and got into his car and drove off.
x-x-x-x-x-x
Sarah was at the midway point of her morning run when she heard footsteps behind her and coming up fast. A few short minutes later the sound of gravel crunching was almost upon her so she glanced backwards and a man about her age gaining on her quickly. What surprised her was he just gave her a small smile and head nod as he passed. No hello, no leering looks none of the normal male posturing she received on a daily basis. When he had passed her she got a good look him from behind.
He was several inches taller than she was and from her vantage point she could see the muscles in his legs working as he slowly but steadily pulled away from her. She could also make out his sculpted back and shoulders through his muscle shirt that was now soaked with sweat.
Going down the last part of the trail she approached the lot where her car was parked. She saw the tall curly haired man toweling off and making his way to a blue Charger. She was met with a warm smile and a small wave of the hand. He got into his car and drove off. His actions had her slightly confused. She had dealings with many men and he was the first one that actually looked at her like a person.
These interactions continued on for a couple weeks. Chuck always seemed to pass her by somewhere on the trail, no matter if she started her run five or ten minutes earlier or late he always passed her by. Sarah was just about the three quarters of the way through her run when she heard the foot falls that by now had become a morning ritual. The shared glances and locking of eyes had been getting longer and more frequent as the weeks went by. She was startled when a voice spoke up from behind her.
"Good morning miss…" Chuck paused in his question hoping to get an answer while not having to ask the question.
"Walker" Sarah replied in a winded tone.
"I'm Chuck, glad to meet you Miss Walker. I noticed, as I'm sure you have, we come here almost every day. Would it be ok if I joined for the rest of your run?"
"I'm sorry Chuck but I prefer to run alone."
"Not a problem Miss Walker, enjoy the rest of your run." Chuck flashed his warm smile and returned to his normal pace and pulled ahead and began to fade from her sight.
What the heck is wrong with me? I turned down the chance to run with a hot guy and for what, to run by myself again? Well catching him is out of the question, I hope he is still there when I finish.
Chuck was just about ready to leave when he heard a very out of breath woman calling his name
"Chuck! hey Chuck, wait up a minute will you?" came the feminine voice from down the path.
"Hello again Miss Walker, is there something I can do for you?" while he was waiting for her reply he reached into his car and pulled out a bottle of water and handed it her. "You look like you could use this."
"Thank you," she replied, twisting the cap off the water bottle and taking a long drink from it. "I've been thinking about your offer of running with me. You asking to join me took me by surprise; normally guys don't ask they just fall in step with me until I ask them to leave."
"I would never think of intruding on your privacy, that's why I asked instead of just joining you." He again reached into his car and fumbled around for a few seconds. When he turned around he was holding a white gym towel that he passed to her. "Here you go Miss Walker; there is no sense for you to be dripping all over the place while we talk."
"Why do you keep calling me Miss Walker, Chuck?"
Sarah use to his smiles by now was amazed at the smile she was now getting from Chuck. His lips were pulled up towards his eyes and his lips parted slightly displaying a perfect set of brilliant white teeth. His brow furrowed slightly as well. Her only thought was Oh…My…God. He could light up a room with that smile!
Chuck let out a small chuckle, pausing a second to look into the blue pools of Sarah's eyes before he answered, "What else should I call you Miss Walker? I don't know your first name, and Walker doesn't seem to do you justice." She is just too cute the way she looks right now.
Sarah chided herself silently, I finally meet a nice guy and I'm acting like i have never talked to a guy before. "Sarah, Sarah Walker," and she extended her hand towards him. Mimicking her actions but keeping his eyes locked on hers he extended his and grasped hers firmly in his. The second their hands touched they both felt something the thought they would never experience. Their palms began to tingle, like a small bit of electric current was passing between them. Sarah released his hand first still locked into the Chuck's deep brown eyes.
"Chuck Bartowski." He shook her hand, "Sarah Walker, it is a pleasure to meet you. Would you like to join me tomorrow morning for a run? I usually get here about five thirty or so."
"Really? I get here about the same time, so that would work perfectly. Let's say we meet here tomorrow morning at five thirty."
"That sounds great to me." Chuck replied, once again reaching out to shake her hand. "Until tomorrow then, have a great rest of the day!"
The hand shake was more firm this time, and to their surprise the tingle they both felt was there again like it was the first time.
Chuck climbed into his car and drove off. Sarah watched as his car disappeared into the early morning light.
She stood there in a slight state of shock because of what had just happened between them. She was not used to interacting socially with men, and to have a guy as nice and good looking at Chuck paying her attention was almost too much for her to handle. The number of serious relationships she had could be counted on one finger. That one ended because her boyfriend had trouble dealing with her constant travels around Europe. The thing that surprised her the most was that tingle she felt both times she shook Chucks hand.
Unknown to Sarah, Chuck was having similar thoughts about Sarah. He had dated many women before but none ever had the effect on him that she did by just shaking hands. He figured an intense work out would help get his mind back in focus, so he made his way to the gym for his daily work out. After leaving the gym he headed off to work- another boring day of debugging software.
The next morning Chuck watched as a white Camry pulled into the lot and made its way over to where Chuck was parked. Sarah exited her car her long shapely legs immediately drawing the attention of Chuck's eyes. They lingered briefly before capturing eyes with his.
They exchanged hellos and began stretching. They were soon on their way around the trail. Because they were running, it was difficult to really get to know each other, but near the beginning of their run, they did manage to get a little idle chit-chat in.
"So," Chuck began breathlessly, "Where you from?"
"D.C," Sarah replied, "What about you?"
"Burbank. Born and raised." Chuck turned his head and smiled, "You're actually from DC? You look more like a west coast girl to me."
"Do you often stereotype, or just with tall blondes, Chuck?" Sarah teased, moving closer to him so she could nudge him in the ribs.
Chuck smiled, but disregarded the question. "What brought you to LA?"
Sarah brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face and wrinkled her forehead, "Uh, work." She answered tentatively.
Chuck wondered why she was so hesitant to talk about it, but he didn't pry. Pretty soon the conversation died down and they just ran in silence.
The run seemed to be shorter with the two of them. When they returned to the parking lot, they stood there catching their breath for a few minutes. Then they stood there for a few minutes more. Pretty soon it was just awkward. Finally they said a brief goodbye and walked to their cars.
Just as Sarah opened her car door, she heard Chuck calling her name, "Sarah!"
She turned around, "Yeah Chuck?"
"I go running at the San Diego Bay Shore running trail once every other week. I'm going next Monday. You wanna come?"
Sarah stood in thought for a moment, "Sure I'll go. What time?"
"Let's say we meet here at five a.m. We can drive together." Chuck proposed.
When the day finally arrived for the run they met up at the arranged time. Sarah exited her car and joined Chuck in his. The left Balboa Park and a short time later they arrived at the San Diego Bay Shore running trails. It was a completely different style running trail than the one they used on a daily basis. There were more hills and steep inclines than Sarah was used to.
Chuck ever the gentleman let Sarah dictate the pace of the run. Sarah was moved once again at the consideration Chuck was showing her. It caused her a little bit of concern when a certain thought crossed her mind. He's good looking, athletic, and well-mannered. He works for a good company. What's wrong with him?
When the run finished they crabbed a bottle of water and toweled off. They were soon back where they started and just as Sarah was entering her car she turned back to Chuck and called out, "Thanks for taking me there. It was more of a work out than I normally get. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Till tomorrow then, Miss Walker." This was said with a teasing tone and a glint to his eyes that let Sarah know he was just tweaking her. They pulled out of the parking and headed their own separate ways.
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