Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck; I don't own Sarah either for that matter. Given the choice of owning one of them, I think I know who I would pick. Sorry, Chuck.
A/N: Sorry for the wait guys. I'm thinking about once a week in what you should expect from this story…unless something comes up that causes me to delay it more. I appreciate your patience, though, and I'm happy to have you all still reading. The reviews for chapter 8 were awesome, as always. I didn't go for the surprise reveal with this chapter, because you all pretty much knew what was coming. I did a couple of flashbacks that I hope you enjoy. I don't name the chapters of this fic, but if I did, this one would have been called First Impressions…see if you get the double meaning to that one and let me know. Anyway, I owe a giant debt of gratitude to sm93starbuck and Yokaputo for beta reading this chapter for me. You ladies are simply spectacular, and I really appreciate the help. Kroblues also looked over an early version for me and was very helpful as well, so thanks Kro! Any mistakes you see are my own. Those three guys just saved me from having even more of them. And now, please enjoy Sarah vs. the Alternate Universe chapter 9!
Cast in order of appearance
Devon Walker….….Ryan McPartlin
Sarah Walker….Yvonne Strahovski
Jill Roberts…..….Jordana Brewster
Anna Wu….....................Julia Ling
Chuck Bartowski………Zachary Levi
Langston Graham………..Tony Todd
Alex Forrest…………....Tricia Helfer
Columbia University
Move in day
August, 1999
"Whoa, calm down little sis." Devon set down the final box of Sarah's things on the floor with a thud. She glared at him for the haphazard treatment of her possessions, but more so for his attempt to downplay the severity of the situation.
"Careful with my stuff, Devon," she huffed. Turning her back to stare out of the window, she made her best attempt at hiding her panic. It didn't work. Despite the fact that since her mother had left them nearly five years ago she'd become somewhat of an expert keeping her emotions internalized, she'd still never been able to keep them from her brother.
"This," he began as he patted the top of the box he'd just dropped "is linens. But that's not what's bothering you, so spill it." Sarah wouldn't look at him, trying to avoid his penetrating gaze. "It's about the roommate isn't it? Sarah, it's going to be fine. I'm sure this Jill's a nice girl." The blonde stiffened at the mentioned of her last minute addition roommate.
"I would have been fine with a roommate, Devon, if I had been told in advance that I would have one. But no, they just push this on me at the last second." Sarah's frustration continued to mount as she paced the room. "I mean I don't even know anything about this person!"
"Well I guess we'll have to work to change that," said a new voice. "Hi, I'm Jill," said the brunette.
"I'm Sarah," was the reply said through a sheepish grin. "It's nice to meet you Jill," Sarah added meekly.
"It's nice to meet you Sarah. And I'm sorry about the last minute change. I know you feel like it's an intrusion. But you know what?" Sarah looked up to the much more socially functional young woman who she'd be sharing a room with. "I think we're going to have a good time. Can I help you unpack?"
Pharmgreens
Greenwich Village, New York
October 31, 2007
"Why?!"
"You said we were going to be-"
"I said we were going to be the Bennet sisters. You're supposed to be Lydia, and I'm Elizabeth!" Sarah was not having a good day. She was still freaked out by the behavior of Forrest and Chuck, and hadn't gotten any answers for what may have caused it. Add to that the fact that she'd been unable to speak with Chuck at all since whatever happened, and he wasn't even at work today. And now to top it all off, Anna had screwed up their Halloween idea and come as…
"A nun, Anna? Really?"
"Listen, Lizzy, I'm sorry if I don't know who the hell the Bennet sisters are. I thought you meant Sister Bertrille."
"So you're not just a nun, you're a freaking flying nun?"
"Yes," Anna answered calmly. "And I thought it was a great idea for a costume, though I do admit I was curious as to why you would want us to be dressed exactly the same. Generally girls try to avoid that, Sarah."
Huffing in frustration, Sarah marched away from her clueless friend. Running her hand through her hair, she was resigned to spending the rest of the day dressed as some nineteenth-century freak all alone. On the bright side, no one would pay her much attention as long as Jeff stayed around dressed as a beer bottle with the label pulled off. And if that didn't distract people's gazes, then certainly the inappropriate contact between the nun and "Father" Morgan would keep them from gawking at the bizarrely dressed pharmaceutical assistant.
Sarah decided that once more she would try to reach Chuck to see what was going on. Once again, her call went straight to voicemail.
CIA Building
Langley, VA
February 2004
Finally, after over a year of menial missions that required little more than security detail of people who were far less important than they thought, and far less endangered as well, he was supposed to be getting some real work. He'd been 'Graham's Boy' since he first stepped foot inside this building as an awkward and lost seventeen year old kid. He'd spent three years earning a degree from Yale, and eight months going through training at The Farm, and all along, he'd been considered "full of potential" as they put it. It was time to finally get to put that potential to the test, he reasoned.
Today was the day he was to be paired with a permanent partner. He'd read her dossier, and she seemed capable enough. She was a Columbia girl, and apparently a bio-chemistry wiz, which could always come in handy out in the field. The very male part of his brain hoped she was the looker her profile had described. It was well known that a sexual relationship between permanent partners was inevitable and recommended as a means of release, and after the most boring fourteen months of his life, he was looking forward to that life.
Graham had been expecting him so when he arrived at the door to the CIA director's office, he walked right in.
"Ah, Agent Bartowski, right on time. Allow me to introduce you to your new partner: Agent Jill Roberts." The stunning brunette was the most beautiful woman he'd ever met. It wasn't professional to be rendered as speechless as he was at that moment, but he found it hard not to react that way. Finally finding his bearings, he schooled his features and calmly spoke.
"Agent Roberts, I look forward to working with you."
"Likewise, Agent Bartowski," she said. Her eyes never left his, and from the moment they touched in just a friendly handshake, the base physical attraction they held for one another was evident.
Chuck's Hotel Room
New York, New York
October 31, 2007
The irony of the day was not lost on him. Halloween and he'd seen an actual ghost. It was just like Jill to show up from the dead and completely screw his life up. It was what she'd done almost since the moment he met her. Chuck had never been a heavy drinker until he met Jill. Her maddening ways had turned him into a borderline alcoholic. He'd never been in love before Jill. He'd never let anyone that close, but what he felt was surely love. Or at least it was as close as spies got to love. And that was worse than the drinking in his occupation. Love made you weak, vulnerable, and indecisive and she'd made him all of those things. Love got you killed.
Then she'd gone rogue, and she'd died. As betrayed as he'd felt and as heartbroken as he was at her loss, there was a part of him that had become lighter while she was gone. He no longer felt burdened by what she had made him become. He still had issues to work though, sure, but they were finally his issues to correct. He'd enjoyed the feeling of not belonging to someone else for the past two months. He'd even started to form a friendship, a real one. And yes, when he was honest with himself, he wanted that friendship to become more, but that wasn't an option. He still felt warmed however by the fact that there was someone that genuinely cared about him as a person.
And to top it all off, the woman that had ruined Chuck's life time and time again, had ruined Sarah's life just the same. It was something else he could bond with his asset and friend over. Even after all that, she'd somehow arisen from the grave to come screw everything up for both of them again. A part of him wanted nothing more than to call Sarah and have her come over so that they could commiserate over the pain Jill had caused them both. But the larger part of him wasn't nearly ready for that yet.
He'd been in disbelief when Forrest first told him of the situation, but somehow, he knew she wasn't lying. That was something you always had to assume about other spies –even partners. A good agent was always weary of the truth behind the words of everyone, especially fellow agents. But when she'd said "Jill's alive. Call Graham," he'd known there was nothing misleading in her words. Still, when he found his way to the secure facility, and actually saw her, alive and breathing, it had been more than shocking.
He'd fled the facility and headed back to his room. He'd turned off all communications, and left no word of his whereabouts. And now, thirteen hours later, he was still here, holed up in his room. The shades were pulled closed; the lights off, only the smallest hint of light from the window was in the room. Chuck sat in the darkest corner; a nearly empty bottle of bourbon in his left hand and his phone displaying a picture of Jill in his right.
Pharmgreens
Greenwich Village, New York
October 31, 2007
"What the hell is with the outfit, Walker?" Forrest had to choke back a large laugh that would have certainly drawn attention and made their needed escape nearly impossible.
"It's Halloween Forrest. I see you've chosen to dress as a demeaning asshole. It fits you well." Sarah didn't get to many good ribbings in at her NSA handler, and she was proud of the ones she did. This one in particular felt good as it offset some of the frustration and confusion that she'd had since the previous night. Forrest didn't look the least bit amused.
"Whatever; get your stuff Elinor Dashwood, we have somewhere to be."
"Elizabeth Bennet," Sarah corrected.
"Listen Walker, I don't give a damn what fictional character you fancy yourself today, get your stuff," the agent said. "We have somewhere to be," she emphasized.
"You know what, Forrest? I'm about sick of all this cloak and dagger crap. So how about you be straight up with me for once? I'll ask you once more, and I expect an answer this time. What. Is. Going. On?"
Forrest looked at the blonde indignantly, but decided that a straight answer would probably move things along quicker than the smartass response she was more prepared to deliver.
"Your buddy Jill's alive." And then Sarah knew that her face matched the haunted look she'd seen Forrest and Chuck display the night before.
CIA Secure Facility
Undisclosed Location
October 31, 2007
"Why me?" All of the gusto that had led to Sarah's battering of the truth out of Forrest back at the Pharmgreens was gone. Now she was faced with this ghost of her past. And in many ways it felt like she was just faced with a ghost. It didn't help that her one strong hold in all of this mess that way the covert world –Chuck- was conspicuously absent and unreachable.
"It has to be you because she won't talk to anyone else," Forrest said rolling her eyes. "She asked for you." Sarah was taken aback. Why would Jill ask for her? She'd ask for you because you're the Intersect dumbass. She didn't know at what point that voice in her head had started to sound like Agent Forrest, but when she had the time, she'd work to correct that problem. It certainly wasn't comforting, and this was a situation that comfort was sorely needed.
Sarah moved to the door to the cell Jill was strapped down inside of. Before she entered, Forrest decided one more warning was necessary. "Remember Walker, your friend in there is a rogue CIA trained assassin." That was exactly the type of comment the blonde wanted to hear before she entered the room to see her college roommate and former bestfriend. She'd have to remember to thank Forrest for that one later. She glared at the NSA agent before continuing on as if she could convey the biting sarcasm of her thoughts with her eyes.
"Hey Jill," Sarah said nervously while swallowing back a lump in her throat. The brunette's gaze whipped around to face the new presence in the room. The restraints that confined her allowed only for head movement.
"Sarah?" she asked.
"Yeah Jill, it's me," Sarah said, still a little shaky.
"You're lying! Where is the real Sarah? What did you do with her?" Jill's voice was far angrier and more forceful that Sarah had ever remembered.
"No Jill, It's me, I swear. And why are you angry? You're the one that stuck me with this stupid Intersect thing!" Sarah was not one to play weak sister for long; especially to Jill who had destroyed her life more than once.
"Wait…it worked?"
"Yes it worked! It worked to well! You destroyed the Intersect and now I'm the only one! Why would you do this to me?" Sarah was taken back to their time at Columbia when she'd asked Jill a similar question. She was just as lost and just as confused now as she had been back then.
"Sarah…come here," Jill motioned with her head. Hesitantly, Sarah moved to stand by her former friend to hear whatever was to be whispered.
"Dammit Walker, what are you doing?" asked Forrest to no one in particular while standing in the next room. Sure enough, Jill had freed one of her arms and quickly wrapped it around Sarah's neck. Grabbing a needle from the nearby tray, Jill pressed against Sarah's neck and demanded the blonde to release the other straps.
"Let her go, Roberts!" said Forrest, bursting into the room, gun drawn.
"Think you can finish the job this time Forrest?" Jill teased. "Move out of the way or I'll kill her. You know I'll do it." Reluctantly, Forrest nodded her participation and stepped out of the way. In no time, Jill was leading Sarah down a hall, needle still at her neck until they entered the elevator.
"You know I wouldn't really hurt you, right?" Jill said with a laugh, releasing the old she'd had on Sarah.
"No, Jill. I don't know that. Why would I know that? You're a rogue agent-"
"I'm not rogue! I'm not FULCRUM," Jill cut her off defensively.
"Then what's going on, Jill? Because I'm kind of lost right now."
"Some shit's going on, Sarah." Jill sighed, rubbing a hand down her face. "I need you to take me to Chuck." Faced with the decision of either granting the wishes of the assassin or possibly facing her wrath, Sarah decided it would be more prudent to do the former. Besides, Chuck would protect her if that's where they were going.
"Okay, Jill. Just please don't hurt him."
A/N: Uh-oh…what will Chuck think when his asset and his ex show up on his doorstep? Could be fireworks (and since I'm writing it, I know that there will be haha). Thank you guys so much for reading, and if you'd take just a moment to leave me a review, I'd really appreciate it. I look forward to hearing your feedback, and you guys are awesome. Peace.
