Chuck Vs The McGuffin
NOTE - this story is based on some spoiler material for episodes 2.12- 2.18. So if you don't want to any spoilage don't read this story. The spoilers are general but I don't want to offend anyone who wants to totally spoiler free.
This is intended as a possible episode so there won't be any angst or major show changes. The aim here is to write a story that fits in with the previous episodes up to 2.11, based on some spoiler knowledge of episodes 2.12 – 2.18, and set up Chuck and Sarah for the Ellie/Devon wedding episode.
I have no idea what the length will be at this point. Fairly long I would think.
Pardon any Canadian spellings, eh!
I do not own Chuck.
Chuck sat at what had become his work station in the Castle. He accessed the Video Surveillance System and confirmed that Casey was still occupied at the BuyMore helping unload a shipment. Sarah was back at her hotel room and probably still taking her frustrations out on her punching bag. Chuck smiled as he contemplated how the agents had vented their frustrations in physical outlets. He on the other hand had sought refuge in a marathon Call of Duty session. Controller chafe had finally forced to him quit.
The source of that frustration. Special Agent Alex Forrest.
The reason for her appearance. Sarah and Chuck.
Actually being honest with himself, it was Chuck's fault. Despite his best attempts to distance himself from Sarah ever since he had told her they had no future together, circumstances had brought them closer together than ever. Inadvertently Chuck had found out more about Sarah than he ever dreamt possible. Especially since Sarah guarded her past with all the fervour of a religous zealot. But fate had intervened. First there had been the tantalizing glimpses of Sarah's past as high school teenager, Jenny Burton. And then Chuck had met her father, Jack Burton. The end result of these revelations had been the discovery that the super cool, collected, and extremely beautiful CIA Agent Sarah Walker was really no different than him. In many ways their backgrounds were eerily familar. Soulmates. Chuck now knew that they were similar in ways he never thought possible. They were both lonely people looking for someone they could depend on. Someone they could trust. Someone they could share their life with.
Chuck felt more connected to Sarah than ever before. She had become a real person to him rather than the naive fantasy image he had at the beginning. Chuck could treat her as a person and a friend for the first time. They had real connection points now. As their friendship grew so did the other feelings he had kept at bay. The missions kept chipping at his resolve to keep their relationship professional. He was not alone in this. Sarah too had changed her behaviour. While she still refused to expand upon the unknown parts of her past, she occasionally shared tidbits with those parts Chuck did know about. She trusted him because of his willingness not to pry.
As their friendship grew so did the little moments between them. A shared look. Conversations about shared pains from the past. An involuntary gesture or touch. Usually on Sarah's part. Chuck reined that aspect in because of not wanting to have Sarah retreat and because of his lingering awkwardnesss about how the whole Jill business had gone down. He did not want Sarah thinking he was rushing from one relationship into starting another. So Chuck played the gentleman and only initiated appropriate contact in public.
Chuck's resolve had almost totally collapsed when Sarah's father, Jack Burton, had given his blessing to him. As the 'right schnook' Chuck said he would do his best to look after Sarah. And he would. But the peril of the Intersect gnawed at him. Their feelings had put them both in danger. He really did not want to open that can of worms again. Steps would need to be taken before he could fully declare his feelings. But in the interim, some form of gesture of affection had seemed appropriate. Chuck had decided that as a Christmas present he could safely give Sarah his mother's charm bracelet. At the time of his decision he was not sure what type of a Christmas Sarah was used to but he wanted to make this memorable. When he found out that Christmas in the Burton household meant the annual Salvation Army scam, his decision felt perfect.
It felt even more perfect when he saw Sarah's reaction to the charm bracelet. Chuck could see that she had been totally floored by the gift. A special moment cruelly cut short and snatched away from the two of them in the midst of the Christmas Eve hostage situation. Probably the last true happy moment the two of them had shared together. Since then everything built upon between them had been buried under crisis upon crisis. Sarah's execution of Mauser, his retreat away from her as he came to grips with the harsh reality of his choices, his exposure to the Dark Intersect, the confusion raised by the temporary addition of Cole Barker to the team, and the added chaos when it looked like Alex Forrest was being brought in to replace Sarah.
It had been an emotional marathon of mayhem for them all.
The general had officially dispatched Forrest to evaluate the team's performance after the Dark Intersect debacle. But it was pretty evident that her focus was on Sarah's strictly prohibitive, friendly behaviour towards the asset. Him. Chuck had tried to act as a buffer between Forrest and Sarah with little success. So he did the next best thing and faded into the background to minimize his interaction with the team and Sarah specifically. No words had passed between them but Chuck knew Sarah well enough to see her gratitude towards him.
Then as unexpectedly as she had arrived, Forrest had departed abruptly and the status of the team was up in the air. Reassignment for one or all of them was possible. The dreaded bunkerization for himself seemed a real possibility. None of them looked forward to the next meeting with General Beckman.
In the time since Forrest's departure Chuck mulled over his options. He circled around them endlessly looking for flaws in thinking or alternatives. No matter which way he viewed it, one inescapable conclusion became steadfast. It was time for Chuck Barktowski to step up and take control of his life. Too many people's lives depended on his choices; Ellie, Devon, the gang at the BuyMore, Sarah, and even Casey. The time for fooling himself that a normal life was possible was over. It was time to make a stand. A stand that meant a confrontation with General Beckman.
He had hoped to delay this moment with Beckman until after Ellie's wedding. If the meeting went badly, Chuck would not be there. He hated the thought of using Ellie's wedding as a bargaining chip but he could put this off no longer. The close calls were getting too close. He felt like he was living on borrowed time as it was. Checking one more time that Casey was still at the BuyMore and confirming that Sarah's cell phone showed that she was still at her apartment, Chuck initiated the call to General Beckman.
Almost instantaneously General Beckman flicked into view on the main screen. Does she ever leave that office Chuck wondered for the umpteenth time?
She scanned her image of the Castle looking for the rest of the team. ' Mr. Bartowski? Where is the rest of the team?'
'They are not here ma'am.'
Beckman realized this was not to be a normal meeting. She took in Chuck's stiff posture, so in contrast to his normal and overtly casual manner. She suspected the Asset assumed that manner on purpose. Beckman was right. Chuck was constantly irritated by how Beckman, Casey, and even Sarah had the tendency to treat him as a lessor member of the team; often making him feel like a tool instead of a person, an asset. His refusal to observe even minimal protocol was childish but it made him feel like a person. This time Chuck wanted the General to know he was serious so he stood with his best military at attention posture.
'So I see. This had better be important Mr. Bartowski. My time is valuable.'
'Yes ma'am. I appreciate that and request a few moments of your time.'
Beckman studied Chuck with a look a parent gave a child who had forgotten their place. She folded her hands on the desk in front of her and waited a beat to see if Chuck would get flustered. Chuck swallowed. Damn I need to stop doing that! But that was the extent of his discomfiture.
'Well Mr. Bartowski? I'm waiting.'
Chuck let out a deep breath. 'General we need to talk.'