Author's note: Here's my ode to the Charah terrorists. Leave my other stories alone! LOL! I don't own anything but my computer and my imagination.

The song I used for inspiration is Anastacia's "One More Chance."

One More Chance

As Sarah entered the airport terminal she breathed a sigh of relief. It had been so long since she had been back in the States. So much had changed since the last time she had been there.

Looking around, Sarah smiled and her body relaxed. She was home. She was back in Los Angeles.

Can we talk a while?
'Cause I need you
Lord, I miss your smile

It had been eighteen months since she asked for a reassignment. She had called Graham after a particularly bad night when Chuck had left the car to check on her safety and nearly died.

Casey had saved Chuck, but it had so upset Sarah that she had cried in front of Chuck and even worse, Casey. It had set her off.

Sarah had requested and received a reassignment that night. She had packed up and left two days later without even a word to Chuck. To her regret, she never even said goodbye.

Her hasty departure haunted her. Her stomach clenched at the mere memory of that time period.

Said, I need you
I know I'm not the same, you see
If we could only be, the way it was
Then I'd never let you go

Sarah had been sent to Rome. The city was one of her most favorite places in the world. She had received a high level assignment that would have garnered envy from any agent within The Agency. But to Sarah, it fell flat.

As she had wandered through the busy streets of Rome and took in the breathtaking fountains of the Piazza Navona and markets at Campo Dei Fiori, Sarah couldn't help but think about Chuck. She had wandered the streets of Rome endlessly. It reminded her of the times that they had walked together on the beach. It made her feel closer to him.

As she looked back upon the assignment, she couldn't believe how much she had thought about him.

Sarah had missed his endlessly deep brown eyes, and the times when they would snuggle together for their cover. She hadn't realized how much pleasure she took in laying her head on his shoulder or tracing her hand along his chest and into his hair.

During her overseas assignment, there were times when she thought she would explode if she didn't hear his voice.

Taking a risk that was almost incomprehensible to her, Sarah would walk across the city to find a random payphone where she would use an untraceable phone card to call the Buy More in the middle of the night. She knew it was dangerous, but she didn't have a choice.

She had to do it. Sarah just had to hear Chuck's voice. It didn't matter that it was only the greeting on the Nerd Herder's answering machine. Somehow hearing his voice calmed her.

She never left a message, but just hearing his voice was enough to get her through her most trying day. Those were the days that it felt like something was dying inside and his voice helped keep her together.

Just one more chance
I know I was wrong
Don't give up so easily
Don't you know it's killing me?
Just one more chance, to sing this song
I'll never let you down, no
Just one more chance

So here she was after a sixteen hour plane flight outside the LAX terminal. Sarah was on her way to see him. Her need to see those brown eyes was so strong, so innate; it felt almost as strong as her need to breathe.

Sarah wanted to race to The Buy More and confess everything in her heart. But she knew better. She had to speak with Casey first. He was after all, Chuck's defacto protector, and she suspected that Casey would not be happy to see her.

She dialed Casey's number by heart. She had to smile when she heard his normal greeting, "What?"

Bracing herself for what she knew would be a difficult conversation she replied, "Nice to know some things never change."

There was a few seconds of silence on the line and then Casey replied somewhat belligerently, "Walker, what the hell do you want…as if I don't know already."

Sarah gulped. "Casey, I want to see him."

"You mean your midnight calls from Italy weren't enough?"

Sarah blanched. Casey had known about her calls. Embarrassed, she almost hung up the phone. But her need to see Chuck outweighed her discomfort.

With more emotion in her voice than she would have liked, she replied, "Casey, I was wrong. I shouldn't have left like I did. This is my first time back in the States. I need to see him. I need to make this right."

I know that I hurt you
Don't you realise?
Confused, thought we were through
Can I tell you that I, I never felt like this?
This pain, I can't ignore

The phone was silent for what seemed like an eternity. Finally Casey spoke.

"Sarah, you can't come back and turn his world up side down again. He's finally doing well. Don't take that away from him."

I want you back, and I'll never let you go
Just one more chance

"Casey, I'll just stop by the Buy More and say, 'hello.' I just want to see how he is doing and apologize for how I left. It's important."

Again there was a lengthy pause before Casey replied, "Sarah he doesn't work at the Buy More anymore. Things have changed."

"What? I heard his voice on the answering machine?" replied Sarah, somewhat alarmed by Casey's news.

"It's an old greeting. He left the Buy More about five months ago."

For some reason, the thought of Chuck not working at the Buy More shook her. It was a blatant reminder that time changed everything. She suddenly wondered if it had changed Chuck's feelings for her.

"Stop by my place around 10 pm tonight. There are a few things you need to know before you decide whether you still want to see Chuck. Everyone is having dinner at Bartowski's place…so don't show up early. I have clean up duty, so I won't be able to talk until at least 10 pm."

Sarah hung up the phone and felt a twinge of jealousy. Casey had talked about dinner like he was a member of the Bartowski clan. She remembered how that felt.

Trying to recapture something that felt lost, Sarah decided that she wanted to stay at her old hotel. She tried not to think about how wonderful it would be to see everyone at dinner, especially Chuck.

I know I was wrong
Don't give up so easily
Don't you know it's killing me?
Just one more chance, to sing this song
I'll never let you down, no
Just one more chance

Once she was settled in her hotel room, Sarah decided that she couldn't wait. She needed to see Chuck and Casey's warnings were just holding her back. She had risked everything to be back in Los Angeles. She couldn't let Casey stop her now.

After showering and trying on several different outfits, she finally was ready to see Chuck. Rallying her courage, Sarah drove to the Bartowski's apartment complex. But outside the building, her courage left her and Sarah decided that she needed to do some reconnaissance before seeing Chuck.

Knowing about Casey's surveillance equipment, Sarah broke into Casey's apartment. She justified her actions with the thought that their first meeting was going to be critical and it was extremely important that she had some insight on Chuck's new life when she approached him.

It's not the way we planned it
Or the way it's gonna be
Just give me half a chance to make your heart believe

Sarah switched on the surveillance equipment on the Bartowski's place. She wasn't at all prepared to hear an unfamiliar feminine voice talking to Ellie.

It so shocked her that she stopped and looked out the window trying to understand what she was hearing. Ellie and the feminine voice talked like they were the best of friends. They hadn't mentioned Chuck implicitly, but something made her feel uncomfortable. Their conversation seemed to indicate that the feminine voice had some intimate connection to Chuck. She couldn't help but remember that she used to hang out with Ellie, in order to prepare for their frequent family dinners.

Peering out the window, Sarah watched as a dark haired woman opened the apartment door and started setting up the barbeque in the courtyard. Sarah couldn't help but note the young woman's prettiness and her build. It was similar to Lou's, the girl that Chuck had liked at the beginning of their cover relationship. Sarah thought back to Chuck's dossier and remembered that Jill was also was a brunette.

Sarah felt a stab of jealousy when she looked at the woman. She was Chuck's type.

Sarah's introspection was interrupted when she heard a noise at Casey's backdoor. Glancing towards the kitchen, Sarah saw Casey's angry face as he entered through the backdoor.

"Walker, I have motion detectors in my place. I knew when someone entered my apartment, it had to be you."

Sarah shrugged. "I saw the sensors Casey. I didn't want to surprise you, so I tripped them. I didn't want to be impolite."

He grunted and ran his eyes across his surveillance equipment noticing that several things had been moved. "So did you hear what you wanted?" asked Casey sarcastically.

Sarah stared at Casey for a long time. Sarah was afraid that she already knew the answer to her question, but her heart needed to hear it voiced.

"Is the relationship a cover?"

Casey didn't respond until Sarah looked up at him sharply.

"What does it matter? You knew it would never work. You did the right thing leaving," offered Casey.

Pursing his lips, Casey's eyes showed his irritation with her. However it quickly passed. Then with more emotion than Sarah thought that she had ever heard from Casey, he offered. "Walker, just let him go. He's not like us. He deserves more than what you could give him. Agents are broken people. He doesn't deserve that."

Her eyes suddenly felt entirely too dry and she couldn't stop swallowing. She had never thought that Chuck might have a new girlfriend. Nor did she think that Casey would voice her deepest fear.

She had thought…suddenly she didn't know what she thought. Sarah felt the urgent need to leave. "John, it was nice... I have to leave."

Casey looked like he wanted to say more, but he just nodded and indicated for her to use the back door. Sarah didn't even try to say goodbye. She just wanted to get as far away as possible.

'Cause I know just how you feel
I can see it in your eyes
There's nothing in this world
That can tear this love apart

Just one more chance
I know I was wrong
Don't give up so easily
Don't you know it's killing me?

Sarah started walking down the alleyway behind the Bartowski's apartment complex. She couldn't stop her tears. She knew that she deserved everything that she had gotten from Casey. It was all true. Sarah decided that it was good that she hadn't seen Chuck. She would have said something stupid. She would have hurt him again.

"Sarah?"

Just one more chance, to sing this song
I'll never let you down, no, no, no
One more chance
Don't give up so easily
Don't you know, don't you know

Chuck had just returned to the apartment from a customer sales meeting. Frustratingly, all the parking spots in front of his complex were full. So he was forced to park around the block and cut through the alleyway to get his apartment.

That's when he saw her.

He knew the blond hair anywhere. His heart started beating faster. It just couldn't be. She had left him so long ago.

"Sarah, is that you?"

Sarah stopped walking and held her breath for a moment while she tried to calm her calamitous emotions. Finally knowing that her control won't get any better, she turned towards Chuck and said, "Hello Chuck."

The very first thing she noticed was that his hair was short. Really short. He was dressed in a well fitting suit and tie. He looked good. Too good.

With a faltering smile and wary eyes, he asked, "What are you doing here?"


One more chance

It's killing me
To sing this song
I'll never let you down
Just one more chance

"I was visiting Casey."

She watched his eyes, looking for a clue to his reaction upon seeing her. She prayed for any 'tell' that would indicate that he still cared. She couldn't quite believe that he was before her and he looked so good.

Her words stung him. Of course she wouldn't be back to see him. He really shouldn't be surprised. It was the same old Sarah. Chuck rallied control of his emotions. He wouldn't let her see how much she could still hurt him.

Chuck gave her a half smile and veiled eyes. He wouldn't wear his heart on his sleeve for her anymore.

"Well…I hope you had a good visit."

Sarah felt the remoteness of his response like a knife to the heart. This wasn't 'her' Chuck. Even worse, she saw him give her a small hand wave and a wry smile as a goodbye and started to walk towards the apartment complex. He was leaving her.

Sarah stood still, not knowing quite what to do. He was walking away from her. Her heart thudded in her chest. Her breaths started coming in small gasps. She couldn't give him up. She had to try one more time. She had promised herself that if she had 'one more chance,' she wouldn't waste it. She couldn't let it end like this.

"Chuck…"

He ignored her plea. It made her heart falter.

She ran after him and grabbed his arm. She swung him around to look at her. But when she looked up into his face, she stammered. She couldn't speak. She just stared desperately at him. She willed him to know what was in her heart.

Seeing the hard resolve in his eyes, she knew that she was about to loose him.

"I'm sorry Chuck! I came to see you. But….your girlfriend was…"

His eyes immediately softened at her admission and she was able to stop her desperate plea.

She grew quiet as she tried to find the right words. Looking at him with watery eyes, she finally whispered, "I saw your new girlfriend and I realized that I didn't have a right to ask. I came because…."

Her desperation for him crested while her words failed her. Unable to express herself any other way, Sarah grabbed his shoulders and pulled him down to her. She pressed her lips to his in a desperate measure to reach him.

Chuck stood immobile at her onslaught. Seeing that she wasn't going to stop, he pushed her away. Stepping back, she looked up into his eyes. For the first time she saw raw emotion in his eyes.

"Chuck, I wanted one more chance to…"

Chuck interrupted her. "Just stop. You made your choice. I gave everything and you tossed me aside...like I meant nothing. I won't let you do that to me again."

The words felt like someone had taken a knife to her heart. Sarah dropped her head and sighed. "I had hoped that you…that we…well, you know. I have no right to ask." Her shoulders sagged and she stepped away from him. Her attempt to reach him suddenly felt very foolhardy.

Chuck felt like he was in freefall. Sarah was saying everything he ever wanted, but he was afraid. When she had kissed him, he had felt his heart race. But he couldn't quite trust himself when it came to her.

"Why did you leave like that? Didn't I mean more to you than that?"

Sarah looked up into his eyes. She saw the pain and distrust in his eyes. Her kiss had resurfaced some of his emotions. She had to explain why she had rejected him. Sarah grabbed his hands. He deserved at least that.

"I was afraid to admit to myself that I had failed yet another mission. Chuck you have to understand. All I ever had was my job. It kept me sane. But I had failed at it once again."

Chuck gave her a puzzled look. "I don't understand. You protected me. You didn't fail your mission."

"Yes I did. Chuck, you need to remember that I was coming off the Bryce fiasco. It was a mar of my service record. Then I get the assignment to protect you. I was supposed to be your handler. I was not supposed to compromise myself again. I wasn't supposed to develop feelings for my asset. But my emotions got the best of me."

Sarah released his hand and looked down at the ground. "I never really had a family Chuck. Work was everything to me and I failed it twice in a row."

Chuck put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "Come on Sarah, no one expects you to be a robot and you didn't fail."

She looked up at Chuck with watery blue eyes. He saw the pain in her eyes.

"What really counted Sarah was that you kept me safe. You saved me from the bad guys and you helped me accept my new life. I would have never survived my introduction to the spy world without you. If you hadn't been as caring as you were, I don't know if I would have trusted you like I did. And since we're being honest, If I hadn't trusted you….I don't know if I would be alive now."

Sarah wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Chuck, as soon as I left, I knew I had done the wrong thing. But I was ordered overseas as soon as I left Los Angeles. I couldn't return. But as soon as the assignment was over I came straight back here."

She saw the question in his brown eyes. Her heart sped up.

"Chuck I didn't think I had anything in my life but my job. But after I left, I realized that wasn't true. I had you."

"I was miserable without you."

Chuck let out a deep sigh. "Sarah, I've grown a lot since you've been away. I'm a freelance programmer now. It's flexible hours and it allows me to do both my jobs. I've learned to stand on my own feet more and I have a better idea of what I want out of my life."

"I can't go back to they way that it was before."

Sarah's eyes dulled. She seemed to crumple before him. "I guess I should have known." She had been a fool. Sarah grabbed his hand and kissed it. "Goodbye Chuck Bartowski. I should have said goodbye…properly the first time."

Sarah turned away sharply and started to walk down the alleyway quickly.

Chuck watched her walk away from him. It was agonizing. It was forever. Suddenly he couldn't bare the thought.

He had to try. Chuck broke out into a jog to catch her rapidly departing figure. He touched her arm. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

Sarah stopped and gave him a small smile. Looking up into his face, she sighed.

"Of course." How could he think that she would deny him anything?

"If you had to choose between being a CIA operative and me, what would you choose?"

Sarah sighed. "Chuck, I….." Not knowing quite how to respond, Sarah looked down at her feet.

Seeing her response, Chuck stood up straighter. He pulled his hand from her arm, as if it had burnt him.

"That's what I thought."

Sarah looked up and saw the pain in his brown eyes. She grabbed his hand.

"No, you don't understand. What I was having a hard time saying was that I already left the CIA for you. I realized that you meant more to me than the job. I've already chosen."

Chuck looked at Sarah in shock. Then a huge wave of feeling overtook him. It was everything he had ever wanted from her.

Unsure what to say, he encircled her waist with his arms and pulled her to him. "That was the right answer."

He looked deeply into her eyes and said, "I love you."

Sarah's body trembled at his words. She wasn't sure she believed it, but they felt so right. She didn't want to think about anything but the man in her arms. Sarah pushed herself up on her toes and whispered into his ears, "I love you too," before she captured his lips with her own.

When they broke apart for air, Sarah asked haltingly, "Chuck, your girlfriend…"

He hugged her tighter and grinned. "You mean my cover girlfriend?"

Sarah felt a wave a relief course through her. She knew then that they were meant to be together. She gave him another blazing smile and pulled him down for yet another passionate kiss.

Suddenly, she broke their kiss, grabbed his arm and started dragging him down the alley.

"What? Where are we going?"

Sarah turned towards Chuck and with a mischievous look, replied, "My hotel room."

Chuck's face lit up and he gave her his most classic goofy grin.

Sarah saw his reaction. It made her heart constrict. She marveled at how much he meant to her. This was her last chance and Sarah wasn't going to mess it up.

She pulled his arm indicating that he should move more quickly. Sarah proceeded to lead him down the alley.

"You better call up your cover girlfriend and break the news."

Chuck asked somewhat dumbfounded, "What news?"

Sarah smiled slyly. "You have a new girlfriend."