A/N WOW… Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing! I think that this chapter has gotten the most reviews I have gotten so far. I really appreciate you taking the time to write me a few words. Even though some were upset I mention a certain hated episode… Oh yeah, you know that show Chuck, I don't own it, but hoping for a rich relative to show up any day, fingers crossed.
Chapter 7 – Savin' Me
Outside Lydon's Headquarters
Cadiz, Spain
The NSA strike team had set up around the building, waiting for the order to breach. Casey was watching the house through his night vision goggles when he noticed a buildup of activity. He tapped Walker on the shoulder and handed her the goggles and whispered, "Something is up, there's a lot of activity all of a sudden." Then he smiled and said "Bartowski." Sarah took the glasses and watched as men ran in and out of the house and back and forth on the front lawn. "Oh Chuck what have you done, you better be safe," she thought to herself.
"This is going to make it harder to go in unnoticed, but at least it probably means the mo… Chuck is still alive," Casey said as he moved closer to the outer wall. Sarah and Casey situate themselves on the east side of the gate as Frost and Carina are on the west. The gate is locked by an electronic lock that needed a passcode. Sarah retrieves her handheld decryption device and plugs it into the keypad. Just a few seconds later and all the numbers flash on the screen and the gates popped open. Sarah slid through the gate followed closely by Casey. Frost and Carina follow suit and just before they split up again Sarah says, "As soon as one of us find Chuck, make contact and then we destroy it all." Everyone nodded in agreement and moved out. It had been agreed on earlier that Walker's team would go in and secure Chuck and then the strike team would descend on the house.
The darkness of the night provided good cover, as the team stealthily made their way around the complex. Sarah caught one guard stopping for a smoke and quickly dispatched of him. Casey crept up behind another and applied a choke hold, rendering the guard unconscious.
Frost and Carina were nearing one of the entrances to the house, when a guard jumped out and hit Carina, Frost performed a roundhouse kick and the man backed up, he recovered and pulled his gun and aimed at Frost, but he was too late she had already thrown a knife which embedded in his throat. Frost walked over twisted the knife and then pulled it out. The man quickly bled out. Frost and Carina entered the house and found the security office just one door down. They cleared the room and began searching the cameras for Chuck.
"Walker"
"Just a minute kind of busy," Sarah had rounded the corner of the house and there stood six guards, just talking. She tilted her head to the left and then to the right, rolled her shoulders and then grinned and said: "Oh boys." The guards all turned at once and saw, in their minds, their next meal. The two nearest Sarah looked at each other, smirked slapped each other on the back and headed for her. Sarah already had two throwing knives in her hand and released them. The knives hit their marks simultaneously, embedding into the men's throats. As these two were hitting the ground another guard ran at her, as he neared, Sarah grabbed his arm, pulling him forward, as she almost bent herself in two, placing a backward kick to his face. When he fell to the ground she drove her heel into his nose. The other three men look at Sarah, and then looked at one another, two ran leaving just one. The last man went into a martial arts stance and then began to perform all different types of moves. Sarah watched for a moment, took her Sig and shot him. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard Chuck say "nice Indiana Jones move." She was smiling to herself when Casey came up and said: "Damn Walker, you gonna leave any for me?"
"Go ahead now Frost"
"We have control of the surveillance cameras, but no sign of Chuck. There is one camera that is blacked out; it is the one marked basement."
"Roger… that has got to be where he is."
Casey and Walker crawl through an open window and begin to search for a way to the basement. Casey grabs a passing guard and pulls him into an empty room; he puts the barrel of his Sig Sauer in the eye socket of the man and says, "Where is the basement?" The man looked confused and said "No hablo inglés". Casey just rolled his eyes and grunted and said "¿Dónde está el sótano?" The man looked at Casey and told him it was the stairs two doors down. Casey knocked the man out with the butt of his gun and he and Walker headed toward the stairs.
"Agent Sindle"
"Go ahead Agent Walker"
"We are close, the minute I have a hand on him, I am calling"
"Roger"
Sarah and Casey reach the bottom of the stairs and entered the small hall leading to four doors. The two cleared three of the rooms. When Sarah entered the fourth she saw a chair that someone had been tied to not long ago. She felt physically sick thinking of the things that been done to Chuck in that chair. She saw the iron pipe lying beside the chair and she began to worry even more. Sarah was beginning to get nervous thinking that they may have moved him and she was too late, that is when she heard a small moan. She looked down and saw an air vent, and she ran and tore off the front cover. When she looked into the vent, her heart jumped into her throat, there he was and he was alive, then she saw who was holding him. Sarah pointed her Sig at Vivian and said in a low angry tone, "let go of him or I will put a bullet in your head." Chuck who was in and out of conscious heard Sarah's voice and willed himself to open his eyes. "Sarah," he moaned "Sarah don't hurt her, she is trying to save me." Before Sarah could take the time to figure out what was going on, she knew she had to contact Agent Sindle.
"Agent Sindle, breach"
She heard him say "Roger" and then she heard all hell break lose.
Casey pulled Chuck from his hiding place and when he stood, Sarah went over to hold him up. When they touched they both felt the electricity flow between them. Sarah turned to face him and kissed him, it was the long-awaited kiss, it was loving, it was passionate, it was what both of them needed. Sarah broke the kiss, and looked into Chuck's eyes and said: "Don't ever leave me." Chuck just shook his head and said "never". Casey looked at the two rolled his eyes and said, "I hate to break up the love fest, but we got things to do."
"Frost"
"Go ahead Walker"
"Package secure"
Frost leaned against the wall, blew out a deep breath and said: "Roger, Hartley is mine."
Frost walked out into the hall and open fire on the men running at her. The cold, haunting face showed no remorse as man after man fell.
Casey, Walker, Chuck, and Vivian began making their way back to the stairs when Panzer entered the hall. He saw the four and gave them a grin. He was going to take them all out, he started running toward them when Casey pulled his Sig and shot. Panzer was able to avoid a direct hit, but the bullet did graze his arm. Panzer reached Sarah and the two began fighting, Panzer landed a punch to Sarah's face, knocking her to the ground. He lifted his boot to smash her face, but he was hit by several strikes knocking him back. As soon as Sarah went down, Chuck had flashed, and even with a bad knee, he was able to move Panzer back. Chuck went after Panzer, but the limitation of his bad knee caught up with him and he went down. Panzer came at him, but this time, Casey shot hit Panzer in the upper chest. He didn't go down but he did run back up the stairs. Sarah and Chuck both struggled to get to their feet, but once up they continued on with the mission. Sarah turned to Vivian and put her gun in her face, "Our mission is to kill you and your father, I will hold off killing you, because of Chuck, but where is Volkoff… Lydon, what are we calling him today?" Vivian shrunk back from Sarah and said, "his office is upstairs near the back of the house."
Frost had almost single-handedly cleared the first floor when the strike team entered the house. The team had moved to the main room where the stairs leading to the second floor were when a rain of bullet fire came down at them. Everyone was able to make it out of the way, but going up the stairs was going to be impossible. Sindle made his way to Frost and said: "I'm sending a team to scale the house and come in on the second floor." Frost nodded and Sindle signaled his team.
Carina saw Sarah helping Chuck walk down the hall; she rushed up to help taking an arm. They headed to the security office. Once inside Carina stepped in front of Chuck, she grabbed him by his collar and said, "Don't ever do that to me again! I am your partner! We go in together, you got me!" She then pulled Chuck into a tight hug and whispers in his ear "she need's you." Carina lets go of Chuck and heads out the door looked at Sarah and said: "he is all yours." Sarah looked at Carina as she left the room and contemplated the meaning of how she said "I am your partner" instead of "I was your partner." Sarah shook her head to get rid of the thought and concentrated on Chuck.
The NSA teams used grappling hooks and rope and were soon scaling the house. The flat roof made it easy for the hooks to attach. The first agent went to the roof and found a door with stairs leading down. It was quickly agreed that they would infiltrate from there, instead of the riskier second-floor window. Agent Sindle advises that the team on the first floor would lay down cover fire and the 2nd team would enter.
Sarah had directed Chuck to a chair in the security office and was working on his knee; he watched her wrap a bandage around it, the pain was terrible but he could not help but smile, Sarah was taking care of him. "Sarah," Chuck said drawing her eyes to his, "I know you don't want to hear this, but I love you." Sarah moved up his body and kissed his lips and said: "I want to hear that every day."
"Really, don't you two know we are in a firefight out here," Carina said as she ran past the door. Sarah looked at Chuck and said, "I better get out there and help." Chuck shook his head and grabbed her arm and said: "No, you are staying with me, we have sacrificed enough."
Agent Sindle signaled it was time and said "Ready"
"Steady," came the response from the 2nd team leader.
"Go!" yelled Sindle and then it was total pandemonium. The 2nd team entered the stairwell and was soon on the second floor. They were met by minimal resistance as the majority of the Lydon's men were trying to defend the main stairs. The battle did not last long, the NSA superior skills, and strategy was no match for Lydon's group. Either by luck or by skill none of the NSA strike team was killed.
Soon the all clear was given and everyone was meeting in the main room. Sarah helped Chuck walk in and they were followed close by Vivian, who had been hiding in a closet. Agent Sindle reported to Sarah that they had searched the whole house but found no sign of Lydon. "Damn it," Frost screamed out in frustration. Chuck seeing his mother for the first time walked over and hugged her and said: "Mom, what are you doing here?"
She looked at him like he was crazy and said, "They told me what Hartley had done… what he had done to my family, and most importantly he had you. There was no way I was staying out of this."
Everyone was starting to relax and the teams were beginning to move out when Panzer rounded the corner screaming "Carmichael," before anyone could do anything he got off two rounds, they were answered by 16 armed NSA/CIA agents and Panzer went down in a hail of gunfire. Sarah turned and saw Chuck laying ground; she screamed and fell down beside him. She pulled him over to her and saw that he was holding Vivian in his arms. She had seen Panzer round the corner before anyone and placed herself between Chuck and him. The two shots had torn through her body. Chuck held her as she was taking her last breaths; and she said: "you were right I am not like him." Chuck just looked at her and said: "I know." The NSA cleanup crew arrived not long after the final shot was fired and the teams left, headed back to the safe house.
CIA Safe House
Cadiz, Spain
Sarah was staring at the computer monitor, looking at Director Webb and General Beckman. "How did he get away?" Webb asked after hearing Walkers report.
"He had hidden tunnels that lead to another house we believe he had a boat dock at it and used the boat to escape."
"How many casualties,"
"None on our end, we had four injured, but none life threatening. All but six of Lydon's forces were killed. Hugo Panzer was killed. Vivian Volkoff was killed, but I will go on record that she was helping Chuck escape when we arrived."
"So noted, Agent Walker, how is Chuck."
"His knee is pretty bad, and he was beaten pretty badly as well, but he is ok for the most part, but if you don't mind, I will file my official report later, right now I want to check on my husband. Oh and General you can call me Sarah Bartowski now." Sarah signed off and walked to the bedroom where Chuck was resting. She crawled in beside him and placed her head on his shoulder and got as close to him as she could without hurting him.
"Sarah, I'm sorry," he said as he moved his arm to wrap around her.
"Why are you sorry?"
"I broke a promise I had made to you, I said that I would never go out alone again."
"I remember that, and I also remember I told you I was a trained assassin," she says with a smile, "I think under these extraordinary circumstances I will give you a pass."
Sarah got up and walked over to her bag, pulled out the white shirt. She undressed, slipped on the shirt and slid back up beside Chuck. Chuck rolled over on his side to face Sarah and began playing with the top button of the shirt. "This looks familiar," he said smiling.
"I found it in my bag yesterday; I must have packed it without even realizing it. I put it on that evening and slept for the first time, without nightmares or waking up every 30 minutes. I didn't understand how much I was missing you."
"Sarah, what do you remember about me?"
"Right now I am mostly remembering events, but there is one overwhelming feeling I have been remembering for a while now."
"What is that?"
Sarah looks into his face and then moves closer to him, taking care not to hurt him and says, "How much I love you."
Sarah sat up and pushed Chuck flat on his back, she began kissing him. Starting with his forehead and working down his face, gently kissing every bruise, every mark. She lingered at his lips and moved to his ear. "I want you so bad," she moaned "do you think you can handle it."
Chuck pushed her up so he could look in her eyes and said, "I don't care if I can handle it are not I need you, too." Chuck then began to unbutton what has now become his favorite shirt.
In a Private Jet
Somewhere Over Europe
"That is correct sir, Vivian is dead. She was shot."
"Did Bartowski kill her?" Lydon asked in a low voice.
"We're not sure, we do know Panzer is dead also."
"What else, you're not telling me something."
"Sir, they collected all the data in the computers, and have frozen all your assets; this plane is about all you have left."
Lydon slammed his fist down on the armrest of his seat, "The Bartowski's have been a thorn in my side for far too long, and it is now time that I ended them all. I don't care about the intersects anymore, I just want them to suffer." Lydon got an evil smile, and said: "Tell the pilot to head to Hong Kong; I know just what to do."
CIA Headquarters
Langley, Va.
Director Webb sat looking at the split screen on his monitor, on one side was General Beckman and on the other was newly unretired Agent Frost.
"That's my deal," Frost said, "I will hunt down Hartley and put a bullet in his head, or take him to my cabin in the mountains; I could have fun with that." Webb gave a little shudder when he remembered the reports of what the clean-up crew had found in "her cabin." "All I ask," Frost continued, "is that you keep Chuck and Sarah out of this, and you protect Ellie, Devon, and Clara."
"So you want me to sideline two of our best agents, two agents who have and integral knowledge of this whole operation?" Webb asked.
"No, I want you to protect my family, Webb. The CIA owes us this, the NSA owes us this, the United States government owes us this, they owe my family!", although she was not yelling the force behind each word drove home her meaning. General Beckman had just been listening to the conversation between Webb and Frost and thought it was time for her to join in. "Frost," she started "no one knows the sacrifices you and your family has made better than me, but we can it end it, end it right here together. We have put together on of the greatest teams… ever. Once this is over, then they are free to do what they want. I made them that promise, Mary." Frost gave a little grimace when Beckman called her Mary. Right now Mary was not here, but Frost was though and she was not buying any of this. "Well let's look at this team shall we?" Frost said, "Chuck has a broken knee cap and Sarah… Sarah should have never been out there in the first place…"
"Excuse me?!" Sarah yelled from the doorway. Both Beckman and Webb could now see Sarah coming in front of the monitor. "How dare you presume to tell anyone anything about me?" Chuck followed Sarah and grabbed hold to her and pulled her back. When Chuck turned her to look at him, Webb saw the anger and icy look in her eyes; he knew this was not going to be good. Then he saw Chuck whisper something in Sarah's ear, and he watched the icy look melt. She gently placed a hand on his chest smiled and walked out of the room leaving only Frost and Chuck.
"Mom, what are you doing?"
"What I always do, protect my family. You are in no shape to be in the field." Frost said pointing to his knee.
"Four to six weeks, that gives me time to learn things, track him, by the time my knee is healed I will know everything I need to know to find him."
"In four to six weeks this will be over, Hartley will not wait that long to come after us… to come after you." Frost put her hand on Chuck's cheek. "Chuck, this is my fault, all of this, if it hadn't been for me introducing Hartley to Stephen…" Frost trailed off trying to compose herself. Chuck looked down at his mother, sighed and said, "I will let you go…"
"Excuse me, did you just say, you will let me go?" Frost said turning to look at her son with a raised eyebrow.
Chuck smiled, "Wrong phrasing," he said crawfishing, "Go and do what you can do, but if by the time my knee is healed and you haven't found Hartley, I am coming…"
"And hell comes with him." Sarah finished for him as she walked back into the room. Chuck then turned and faced Beckman and Webb, "Sarah and I are going to Chicago; Ellie wants to look at Sarah. When my knee heals I will be back, if Ellie thinks it is okay for Sarah to leave, then she will come with me, if not she will stay in Chicago."
"What?" Sarah said with an angry edge in her voice.
"We will talk about it later," Chuck said to Sarah. Chuck then looked back at the monitor and said: "and as for you two, goodnight." Chuck turned and limped back to the bedroom. "Frost looked back at the monitors and said "Well I guess I am going to go do what I can," Frost said repeating what Chuck had told her, and she also left the room.
Sarah faced the monitor and said "My husband is being overprotective, which I must say is kind of nice. But both of you understand, where he goes I go. He will not go on another mission without me, and by the way whose idea was it for Chuck to partner up with Carina!"
"Chuck's," both Beckman and Webb said at the same time.
Next: And perhaps I'd deserve you and be… Even worthy even you… If I only had a brain.
A/N Well Chuck and Sarah are back together! Just a word of warning, I am all kinds of fits writing the next chapter, so that update may take longer than usual. Thanks for reading!
