A/N: Tommy's brief, slightly destructive and fatal (for him) visit has set a few things in motion and the mysteries are beginning to unravel, slowly at first, but the developments are going to be picking up pace soon.
I hope you'll find this chapter as good as the previous ones. Until next week, enjoy!
In addition to the street lamps, Franklin Street was lit by the flashing lights of police cars and ambulances. Inside Chuck's place, the people from the Coroner's office collected Tommy's corpse, while paramedics checked out Chuck and Sarah. He had a slight bump on his head, while she had a couple of cuts, plus some bruises. Detective White surveyed the mess when she entered and proceeded straight to the living room, where Sergeant Powell, an old acquaintance of Chuck's and cousin of his former boss Big Mike Tucker, was taking Cole's statement. Another officer had given her a quick briefing when she arrived, so she knew what to expect.
"Detective," said Chuck, getting up. "I would offer you something to drink, but your people are still not done here," he added, nodding towards the crime scene techs, who were bagging Tommy's gun as evidence.
"Why was this man after me?" Sarah asked, also getting up.
"The matter is being investigated," replied Alexis. "I can tell you, however, that his name was Thomas Delgado and is an escaped prisoner. What else can you tell me about your, um, altercation?"
"He acted as if I was responsible for his scar," said Sarah. "He said that he wanted his face back. It's crazy. I don't even know the man!"
"His file said he was mentally unstable," stated Alexis. "Maybe he saw you while on the run and, who knows, you may resemble the person responsible for his disfigurement. Luckily for you, Mr. Barker was also here."
"She hardly needed any help from me," Cole butted in. "She was holding her own pretty well against the intruder. I saw some of her moves. She's good."
"It was like I was a puppet with someone else pulling the strings. And you know the scariest part? The puppeteer must have been the old me," said Sarah. Unspoken was the 'just who am I, really?' question. She'd been asking it ever since waking up in the hospital, yet aside from her name she had no idea about the answer.
Alexis remembered something from Sarah's medical file, which she'd been given access to with Sarah's consent. "Dr. Bartowski did mention in your file finding markers indicative of intense physical activity congruent with extreme sports or martial arts. It could be the same phenomenon as with your signature."
"Muscle memory," nodded Sarah.
"I can find no other explanation. Your skills kicked in at the most opportune moment. As far as the LAPD is concerned, this was simply a case of self defense resulting in a justified homicide. No charges will be brought up against you or Mr. Barker."
"Thank you, Detective."
"We should be thanking you, Sarah. You and Cole here just took a very dangerous criminal off the streets."
Sarah pressed her body closer to Chuck's and merely nodded.
"Look, Sarah, I know taking a life is never easy and certainly doesn't feel good. It's not supposed to. When I first killed someone, and it was a gangbanger with an automatic weapon, I threw up when the gunfight was over. Ask Cole, if you like. He's a veteran of the war in Afghanistan. He'll tell you the same thing."
"Thank you, Detective," she said simply.
They had no chance to continue the conversation, because Ellie burst into the apartment with all the finesse of a sonic boom, Devon hot on her heels. They were both still wearing their hospital scrubs, so the cops outside paid them no attention and no one tried to stop them from entering the crime scene.
"What the hell happened here?" Ellie boomed. Then her gaze fell upon her brother and Sarah and her expression softened. "Are you two all right?"
"We'll live," replied Chuck.
Alexis decided to take care of the explanations, lest Ellie get Sarah even more stressed. "Dr. Bartowski, can I have a word, please? I'll explain everything." She guided Ellie into the courtyard with a hand on her elbow. Before leaving, Ellie shot a meaningful look at her boyfriend, who nodded and went to check up on Chuck and Sarah. Outside, Alexis told Ellie about what had happened earlier that evening in as much detail as she could, not leaving out the bit about how the doctor had been proved right regarding Sarah having practiced martial arts in the past. She also repeated that neither Cole nor Sarah would be in trouble with the law in any way. Satisfied with the answers, and now considerably calmer, Ellie went back into the apartment.
"Pack a few things," she told Chuck and Sarah. "You're staying with me and Devon in the guest room until a cleaning crew can take care of the mess here."
They both nodded, knowing that Ellie would forcefully drag them both to her place if she had to. As she got up, Sarah remembered something and went to the kitchen. The roast had survived the fight intact and was still warm since she'd left it in the oven while making the sauce and the salad. "I don't have much of an appetite right now, but you and Devon must be hungry and it'd be a shame to let this go to waste," she said, covering the pan with some aluminum foil and holding it out for Ellie to take. "Cole," she called out to the PI.
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry you got dragged into all this…"
"Don't be. I'm only glad I got here on time."
"I'd love to hear what you've got for me, but I don't think right now would be a good time."
"No problem," said Cole smoothly. "I can drop by tomorrow morning."
"Thank you," she said. "Take care."
"You too." They shook hands and he left, wanting to go to the office and reassure his partner. Alex was almost certainly still there, waiting for him to give her a full run down of the day's events. He'd called her just after calling 911 and told her there had been a complication requiring the involvement of the police. He hadn't had time to elaborate, so she was sure to be equal parts curious and worried about her partner. At least her fears were soon going to be put to rest.
-o-
It was pure luck that Langston Graham was still in his office at this late hour. In fact, he was finishing up some paperwork and was planning to go home the second the last file was done. His plans were however interrupted by a duty officer, who came to his office holding a message.
"Sir," he said, "this just came in from Los Angeles. Thomas Delgado was killed during an attempted home invasion. We had his name flagged in the system and it was included in the LAPD's initial incident report."
"Los Angeles, huh?" Graham mused. "It's an awful long way from Virginia. I wonder what he was doing there, considering his main contact is dead. What else does the report say?"
"The residence he was killed in belongs to a Charles Bartowski…"
"Did you just say Bartowski?" Graham roared.
"Yes sir. Is it important?"
"You bet your pension it's important. Contact the LAPD and tell them that this affair is to be classified top secret, effective immediately. As far as anyone is concerned, it was a home invasion robbery attempt thwarted in the last minute. They can take all the credit for it, if they so wish, too."
The duty officer nodded and made a quick note of his superior's instructions.
"Why are you still here? Go and start making calls. If anyone objects, I'll talk to them directly."
"You got it, sir," replied the duty officer and left.
Graham immediately picked up the phone and called his NSA counterpart. "General, Graham here. We have a potential problem," he said by way of introduction when her sleepy voice answered his call.
General Beckman became alert instantly. "Go on."
"There was an attempted home invasion in Los Angeles earlier today. The perpetrator was an escaped prisoner, who just happened to be a CIA agent gone rogue. The home he targeted belongs to Charles Bartowski."
"Bartowski as in related to Stephen Bartowski?"
"His son," confirmed Graham. "Stephen is a difficult target, all things considered, but his kids have no idea that he frequently offers his services to us. What if someone was trying to get to him through his son? The CIA cannot get involved in domestic matters and, since the Omaha Project is a joint venture, the NSA will have to take point on this, General."
"I have Major Casey in LA doing a security review of one of our facilities there. I'll contact him and ask him to look into the matter. Tell me more about this rogue former agent."
"His last assignment before he went rogue was with a team that had a peripheral involvement with the Omaha Project. Normally, he couldn't have known any specifics about it given his position, but he and another agent were involved in an unsanctioned operation for their own financial gain. The other agent was killed and Delgado was arrested, tried and sentenced to life in prison without parole."
"Do you think someone is trying to gain unauthorized access to the Omaha Project?"
"At this time it would be unwise to discount the possibility. Have Casey talk to Stephen and make contact with his children if he deems necessary." Graham knew Major Casey personally and he had confidence in him, since he was one of General Beckman's most trusted agents. He also had an impressive service record both with the Marine Corps and the NSA.
"I will make the necessary arrangements," said Beckman.
"Keep me in the loop," Graham reminded her.
"Of course," she agreed. "Anything I learn, will be immediately forwarded to you. I'll also set it up so that you will be able to receive Major Casey's reports the same time I do."
"I couldn't ask for more, General. Thank you."
"You are welcome, Director Graham. Do you think we should rethink starting the expansion of the Omaha Project?"
"Stephen thinks it still needs some tweaking and I'm not about to argue with the man behind its conception. Let's put it on the back burner for now and up the clearance level required to access any information about it."
"I concur. We'll handle it the usual way. Goodnight, Director Graham."
"Goodnight, General Beckman."
-o-
Considering how the previous night had turned out, the morning was great for Chuck and Sarah, not to mention funny. They woke up in each other's arms having slept peacefully. Of course, a lot of said peace of mind came from just being together. He had also managed to relieve her of the guilt of having a hand in taking a life ("You and Cole made a world a better, safer place by ridding it of the likes of this Delgado character," Chuck had said).
"Don't get up yet, stay in bed," mumbled Sarah when she felt her boyfriend move.
"Sorry Sarah, I gotta go."
She grunted something unintelligible in reply and curled up into a ball. He chuckled at her antics, which confirmed that she wasn't really a morning person. Fortunately, it was her day off from work and he decided to take a personal day – being his own boss made it easy – and stay with her. He'd also talked to Cole once they had all given their statements to the police and scheduled an appointment in the PI's office. After all, both he and Sarah were curious to learn what Cole and Alex had dug up about Sarah's past.
Humming softly to himself, he made his way to the bathroom. He visited his sister's place a lot, but even if he'd never set foot in it, the layout was identical to his apartment, so he could move around blindfolded. He yawned widely as he opened the door to the bathroom and made his way to the toilet bowl in a corner. He quickly did his business and went to the sink to wash up. The mirror was covered in condensation, so he used a hand to lazily wipe an area big enough to enable him to see his reflection clearly.
And then he did a double take. He wasn't alone in there, as he belatedly realized. In addition to his own face, he could see in the mirror that there were two more people in the bathroom. Devon was looking awkward as he gave him a little wave from behind the clear shower stall screen. Hiding behind Devon's bulk was none other than Ellie, who looked as if she might die from embarrassment.
"MY EYES, MY EYES, OH I'M BLIND, I'M BLIND!" Chuck screamed and ran out of the bathroom as fast as his legs could carry him.
Sarah was understandably startled when she heard Chuck's scream. On reflex, she grabbed her robe and put it on even as she headed for the door. Even as she rushed to go to her boyfriend, her mind analyzed the situation. He'd said something about his eyes, meaning he'd somehow managed to get soap or – and that would be something, even for an occasional klutz like Chuck – toothpaste in his eyes. She almost collided with him in the hallway.
"Whoa, Chuck, what's wrong?"
He squeaked something incomprehensible in reply.
"You are not making any sense. Slow down." She took a good look at him. His eyes seemed fine, if wide in shock. Plus, he was also blushing furiously. "What happened?"
"It's stupid…"
"For crying out loud, just tell me!"
"When I went to the bathroom… well, I found I wasn't alone in there. Ellie and Devon were taking their morning shower. Together."
It was all Sarah could do to stifle a laugh. Chuck had caught his sister and her boyfriend in the act, apparently. "That'll teach you to knock first," she said sternly. But she understood. In his still half-asleep state, he'd probably forgotten he hadn't spent the night in his apartment.
Even though both she and her brother were totally mortified, Ellie still managed to lay out an impressive breakfast buffet for the four of them. Devon was almost back to his normal self, believing he had no reason to be embarrassed about anything, especially after realizing that Chuck had not seen anything… compromising in the bathroom. Sarah had found the bathroom incident quite entertaining, although she tried to hide it for Chuck and Ellie's sakes.
Chuck finally broke the awkward silence. "I called the cleaners Ellie told me about last night," he informed Sarah. "They're going to make my place good as new in no time. I also scheduled an appointment with Cole Barker in his office."
"Fuck!" Sarah exclaimed and immediately clamped a hand over her mouth upon realizing she'd cussed out loud. "Sorry about that, but I'd forgotten all about Cole. He did say he had news for us, right?"
"Uh-huh," nodded Chuck.
"Then we really have to go see him."
"Finish your breakfast first," Ellie told her. "Your appointment is in a few hours. I overheard Chuck scheduling it last night."
"We'll need to go back to my place first. I want to change clothes."
"No need," said Ellie dismissively. "I can give you something to wear. I don't get to wear my nicer outfits often, so it's no problem."
"Thank you, Ellie. By the way, you're definitely going to have to give me the recipe for this scramble."
"It's nothing, really. I made it using the leftovers from the other night's dinner."
The four of them made a little more small talk and then Ellie took Sarah to the master bedroom. There, she had her try on a couple of outfits before they settled on a pantsuit that looked casual enough for everyday wear while being suitable for more formal occasions. Chuck definitely thought it looked good on her, although he was probably biased when it came to his gorgeous girlfriend. They had some more time to kill before their appointment, so they took a look at the morning news on Chuck's laptop and discussed possible ways to handle the news Cole was soon going to give them.
-o-
As Cole ushered them into his office, Sarah tried again to apologize to him for everything that had happened the previous night. He cut her off, saying he was glad he'd happened to be there and help.
"You said you had something to show me," Sarah said finally.
"Alex found your former landlady," he said. "She had to rent out your apartment to someone else after you disappeared, but she put your stuff in storage. It's paid with the security deposit you'd given her, and you're good for a while longer."
Sarah turned to Alex. "Thank you," she said simply.
"It's my job," shrugged Alex. "I borrowed one of your suitcases and put some stuff you might need in it. It's over there."
Chuck got up first and carried the suitcase to where Sarah was sitting. She opened it and took out a briefcase.
"We haven't opened anything," said Cole. "But Alex got stuff she thought might be important."
"Let's see what we've got here," Sarah mused and opened the briefcase. There were some neatly labeled manila envelopes inside. One of them contained a copy of her birth certificate and other important personal documents. "It's Lisa," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "My middle name is Lisa."
"Sarah Lisa Walker… I like it," said Chuck and placed a hand on her forearm reassuringly. She gave him a bright smile and continued browsing through the briefcase's contents. Another envelope yielded more interesting information, making her let out a long low whistle.
"Don't keep us hanging, Sarah," Chuck urged her. "What's so interesting?"
"I own a car," she replied.
"Great. I'll alert the media," he snickered.
"Shut up and take a look." She handed a few papers over.
"You own a Porsche?"
"A Porsche 911 Carrera 4S Cabrio convertible, to be precise," she clarified. "According to the documents here, I bought it at a police auction."
"Police auction or not, this thing is not cheap. Ellie was right. You really have had a good education and a well-paying job to match."
"According to the bank, you worked as an independent consultant and also did marketing analysis on commission before you sold the business and moved to LA. The reason the search of the DMV database came up dry is probably that your DC license hasn't expired yet."
Sarah merely nodded, her eyes glued to another item she'd just retrieved from the briefcase. Wordlessly, she showed it to Chuck. It was her framed degree from Harvard Business School. Chuck and the others were suitably impressed.
She was still looking at it, trying hard to remember something from her student years when Chuck spoke up again. "Where is the storage unit you got her stuff from? I think she'd like to visit it."
Cole handed over a slip of paper with the address written on it. "I've also included contact details for her former landlady. She didn't say anything about the car, but you can ask her."
"Thank you," said Sarah. "We will." She wrote Cole and Alex another check to cover the latest installment of their fee. After exchanging some more pleasantries with them, Chuck picked up the suitcase and they left together.
"Come on," he said after loading the suitcase in the trunk of his car. "I'll buy you lunch."
The car was in its parking spot and they were on their way to his apartment. Ellie had called to tell them that the cleaning crew had finished their job and his apartment was good as new. Chuck had also bought some stuff to replace items destroyed during the fight with Tommy. They were almost at the courtyard's wrought iron gate when a man approached them.
"Mr. Bartowski?"
"Yes?"
"John Casey, NSA," the big man replied, showing them his badge. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
Sarah shot a very Ellie-like look at her boyfriend. "What have you done this time?"
"He hasn't done anything wrong, ma'am," replied Casey. "It's about last night's business and the implications it might have for Mr. Bartowski."
"Well, in that case, Agent Casey, please follow me," said Chuck and led the way to his apartment. He was about to unlock the door when he noticed Casey looking at the place across the courtyard from his. "It's for sale and I know it's in excellent condition. Are you interested in it?"
"Maybe," replied Casey. "I am looking for a new place and this one seems nice."
"If I were you, I'd hurry up and grab it before someone else does," said Chuck and held the door open for Sarah and Casey to enter.