Sarah produced a couple of glasses and poured the wine as Chuck set down the tray next to her. It was only then she realized he had prepared what appeared to be a full course meal. It had a plate of a different variant of egg salad with creamy avocado and greek yogurt added in the mix. There was even a side containing all sorts of assorted fruits.
"Sorry if this isn't what you normally eat." Chuck scratched the back of his head sheepishly, the grin on his face widening so much that it nearly caused his eyes to squint, "My sister makes this when she isn't really in the mood to cook too much. I wish I could have made you something hearty and satisfying but I am not that good with cooking so..."
She couldn't help but smile, this Chuck seemed like such a nice young man, and so helpful too! Though a part of her was slightly disappointed he wasn't a little more aggressive.
"It's fine." Sarah told him gently as she grabbed the fork that had come with the food, taking a bite of the food he prepared for her, she blinked in surprise "This is very good." , she complimented, causing him to beam
"Thanks. I can't make anything too complicated yet but I have always been relatively decent at following basic recipes. " Chuck laughed heartily, a bit of self depreciation mixed with good humor, "When you live with an awesome sister who is basically good at everything for as long as I have, you gotta pick up a thing or two."
"I see." Sarah gave him a smile. Her curiosity was definitely piqued about Chuck's seemingly perfectionist sister, making her wonder if her life might have turned out to be different with an older sibling like that to rely on. She quickly banished these thoughts though. She didn't want anyone else to go through same things she did and make those inhuman choices in order to survive.
"Now it's my turn to know about your family. I bet must have been some sort of modern day princess growing up" Chuck looked at her inquisitively with a playful smile
"I wish." Sarah shook her head with a miserable sigh, looking away a bit ashamed but decided to continue with the conversation. With anyone else this would have been terrifying for her. Yet with Chuck it wasn't. Besides that, she wanted at least someone to know the kind of person she was before she sold her soul in the name of greater good.
"My parents were never married and they didn't plan on having me in the first place. I was born after they separated and my mom didn't want anything to do with me. The only reason I didn't end up in an orphanage because my grandmother threatened to throw her out of the house and stop paying her allowance. And even she didn't like me much. I only met her may be a half dozen times. This was basically an act of pity on her side, nothing more, nothing less. I was kinda glad when my father showed up and took me away from that hellhole. He was indeed very kind to me but I figured out much later...things weren't as simple as I once thought."
"What do you mean by that?" Chuck blinked in confusion.
"He was..." She hesitated for a brief moment, " a swindler. Quite...notorious one as well."
"Oh." Chuck wasn't sure how else to respond.
"Does that make you think less of me? Finding out I am an illegitimate daughter of a criminal?"
"No of course not!" Chuck reached gently squeezing her a hand a bit, "I am just sorry to hear you had to endure all that while growing up."
"Nah, it's fine, it's fine." Sarah waved his apology with a melodious laugh, "While the things from my past still bothers me every now and then, I turned my life around at the right time and right place." her smile softened a bit, resembling a mix of nostalgia and a bit of regret, "So just treat me the way you would everyone else."
"I will try..." Chuck rubbed the back of his head, " but since you are so amazing and kind, I don't know if I will be able to manage it."
"Oh my..." Sarah trailed, raising a hand and covering her mouth with it to hide the smile on her lips as she continued in a mock stern tone, "flattery won't get you anywhere you know..."
Though not having the idea in the slightest about her not being upset with him at all, Chuck kept apologizing ferociously throughout the evening, much to Sarah's dismay and mild amusement. The Bartowski male was easy to mess with after all.
...xxxxxxx...xxxxxxxxx...xxxxxxxxx...
Michael Kernan put away the last sheet of paper work he had to sign for the day. He let out a sigh of relief as he set down his pen, grabbing his pipe. Before he could begin his celebration though, he heard his phone ringing in the background. The noise neither coming from his cell nor landline but from the satellite phone, a relic from his old day, something which he hadn't used since a very long time. His wrinkled face grew grim as he set his pipe down, there weren't many people who could contact him through that, which meant he couldn't just refuse or ignore the call if he wanted to.
Reaching out for his cane and after a slow and painful walk, he finally managed to answer it on its fifteenth ring. He really should have gotten the knee transplant Dr Woodcomb advised him to get on his last marriage anniversary.
"It's been a while Warhawk." A feminine voice grunted on the other hand, "I need to talk with you."
"Of course you do." Michael grimaced, "Any particular subject , or would you simply like to catch up."
"Actually I thought I might discuss about a promising employee of yours who has recently started making a name for himself." The female voice responded in an all too innocent manner.
"What of him?" Asked the Admiral, inwardly groaning.
"Warhawk, would you care to tell me if there is any reason in particular you are recreating the legendary Orion."
"I am sure I don't know what you are talking about, Frost."
"Big brother..."
"Don't you dare call me that." The Admiral snapped, eyes hard, "You lost that right when you went rogue and destroyed Hartley and your own family's lives. I don't deal with traitors and criminals, as far as I am concerned I already buried my sister decades ago ."
The woman on the other end took it all in stride, "I didn't call you to settle out past grievances. Both of us know something's coming. You could use my help."
"The last time I asked you to help, I ruined six lives, and lost many others ." Michael replied, "I have learned not to make that mistake again."
The voice didn't respond for a good few more seconds before responding back in a hardened tone, "Then I shall act alone, As I always have. Make sure to take your medicines at time." The voice softened a bit towards the end before the line went dead.
After putting down the phone, Michael let out an irritated breath as opened his drawer and took out a torn picture of what appeared to a blonde woman with sparkling green eyes. Waiting for a few seconds , he banged a fist onto his desk, At the sound of various content spilling on the floor, he almost screamed in pain and agony, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.
...xxxxxx...xxxxxx...xxxx...
"Ha, I never really thought about swirling chocolate and vanilla frozen yogurt , but it's really delicious." Chuck said as he looked down at the cup and took another byte. As he and Sarah took a walk along the streets, She couldn't help but feel shy around him. She was almost struggling with finding the words to say.
"This place makes the best frozen yogurt you can ever get in DC." Sarah nervously giggled while placing another spoonful in her mouth. She thought for a moment as she looked at him, seeing Chuck staring at her with smile, "You know if it wasn't for you, I probably would have stayed home and eaten pizzas all night. To be honest, I am not that interesting."
"Oh, I don't know about that." Chuck shrugged his shoulders lightly, "Even without all the James Bond/Sydney Bristow stuff, I think you are pretty awesome. Always were, always will be."
"Chuck." Sarah giggled in amusement, her voice taking an almost amorous tone while addressing him, causing the Bartowski male to blink in confusion, "Not even my boyfriend thought I am amazing all the time. Whenever we had time to go out, he spent like half the time on his phone keeping track of his league of legends account."
"Ha, what a douche! Let the dude find someone else because he clearly wasn't the right one for you. If it was up to me I would have gladly given away all of my blue essence to be with my girlfriend !" Chuck folded his hands while glancing at Sarah . And for the first time her gaze caught his attention. It was a gaze warmer and fonder than anything he could remember being directed at him . A gaze he could only remember Lou giving him apart from her , However a more logical and deductive part of his brain noted that it was far, far more intense then anything Lou had ever given him.
She tilted her head slightly and her smile widened a bit, her gaze not wavering in the slightest.
"Would ...you consider going out with me then?" She asked, blurting the majority of sentence out, afraid she might stop mid thought.
Surprise flashed on Chuck's face, because that question clearly came out of nowhere.
"You mean like you want me to go shopping with you because you need me to carry something?" Chuck asked quizzically, cocking his head to the side
Sarah slowly shook her head in no, a slight blush on her cheek was present this time
"I mean...I want to be your girlfriend." She calmly explained herself
Chuck didn't say anything for a moment, staring at her with stunned astonishment on his face.
The CIA agent couldn't comprehend why Chuck is just staring at her like that. She knew Chuck wasn't that fortunate when it came to dating but was that really such a big deal that she had shown interest in him?
It wasn't like she had been hiding her intentions from him. She had been very clear (at least according to herself) she wanted something more than friendship.
"Was that so hard for you to understand?" Sarah asked, a little bit of her frustration from previous night starting to show up,
"No, I get that you are trying to ask me out. You just surprised me for a moment back then, that's all!" Chuck exclaimed, scratching his head in embarrassment and letting out a nervous laugh.
Sarah slightly narrowed her eyes, her curiosity piqued.
"Why was that surprising?"
"Are you sure you are ready to jump into another relationship so soon especially when you recently came out from a serious relationship?" Chuck asked gently, " I mean I still can't fathom how I felt when Jill left me and apart from all that you are in this whole spy thing, I am sure a job like that would put you under a lot of duress on daily basis. Do you really want to date someone in the first place?"
Nodding Sarah closed her eyes for a moment, that was surprisingly mature coming from Chuck and even caused her contemplate about her and Bryce's relationship. She didn't particularly feel too sad at the loss of her longest partner till date. And there were many reasons behind that. In a rare moment of truth when she admitted the reason behind her grudge and why she was so much against becoming her partner, Bryce showed her the clip of his conversation with Fleming which made her realize that his devil-may-care attitude and carefree go getter was just a mask he put on in order to fool everyone around him. She never really called him out on that but it had made her quite reluctant from connecting with him on a personal level. While he was a good partner and she would risk her life for him without a second's hesitation on any missions, at the end of the day, they were together only for the sake of convenience , nothing more, nothing less.
At least that's what she kept telling herself ever since he went rogue, he had made his own bed and had to lie in it. Quite ironic that the death came to him in the form of an agent from sister agency.
Chuck saw a flash of worry strike her face but it disappeared as fast as it appeared, a knowing smile emerging on her face, "I am fine. If I weren't ready I wouldn't have asked you out in the first place. And it's pretty obvious you like me. "
"H-how do you know that?" Chuck choked a little on his yogurt , not expecting to be put on spot like that.
"Last night when we were out there in the parking lot..." Sarah began when Chuck interrupted her
"Perhaps I had too much to drink and had a moment of weakness. Giving into alcohol isn't something I am proud of. I am really sorry you had to see that coming out from a guy, much less someone like me." Chuck spoke out in a courteous tone. For all that could be said of his hard headedness when it came to women, he wasn't blind. And he wasn't made of stone either. It was just that the thoughts of relationship and what else came after that had to be brushed aside for the crap he was dealing with right now. Besides he was certainly not in the mood to talk about what might have been a possible make out with Sarah.
"It's not that. I looked at you and you looked at me. I could tell you were about to kiss me but changed your mind at the last moment." Sarah raised an eyebrow, getting even closer, The gap was getting narrow between them. She bore her eyes into his and Chuck felt himself being surrounded by warmth.
He didn't reply right away, too many thoughts were fighting a battle in his brain. Could he trust her or had she been playing him all along ever since he met her in the nightclub? Was she really on his side or one of the bad guys? He shook his head. It didn't really matter whether he chose to believe in her or not, this incident was as weird as one could get, just may be Admiral or Dr Dreyfus could help him figure out what to do with the information inside his head. He didn't have anyone else to turn to or any other ideas.
A traitorous part of him kept reminding him that someone as beautiful as she is would have never given him the time of day if she didn't want anything from. Unfortunately he was also privy to her psych profile and knew how well she had been trained in gaining the confidence of her targets by whatever means necessary. Someone like her could kill him relatively easily and quickly, knowing where to hide his body where it will never be found as well. At the same time he couldn't help but see how she seemed genuinely concerned for him. He could also see the hurt and pain still swimming in her icy blue irises. Perhaps he was just being paranoid and she was only trying to move on, with him of course, after coming out from a messy relationship. Even in that case, he couldn't afford to let her get close to him any more than she already did. Some extremely dangerous individuals were after the information inside his head And he couldn't let a friend risk their life for his sake if he could help it.
"Sarah, can I be completely honest with you?" Chuck asked suddenly, Sarah frowned and rolled her eyes in response.
"Shoot!""
"I think you are good person, you put your faith in me when no one else did, and you always tried to see good in me. But to be honest my life is messed up in more ways than one can imagine, and you deserve to be with someone better."
"You are breaking up with me?" Sarah asked indignantly.
"We weren't technically dating, you know."
"Since when did you have a right to decide who I date?"
"You can date whoever you want, as long as that person truly respects you and cares about you. I on the other hand will bring nothing but disappointment and confusion in your life." Chuck replied in an almost pleading tone, which made Sarah's anger melt away, just a little bit. But then it flared back tenfold.
"Do you seriously think you are protecting me when you say that? We are stuck together until you finish working on the program. This could put me in a lot of bad situations where you might see me doing things you normally won't expect me to do. Would you still think of me as good person then? You can't protect me from any of that!"
Sighing, Chuck answered with a grudge, "I need to be alone, at least until I sort this out. I can't afford to put anyone at risk."
"Why?"
"What do you mean by "Why"?" Chuck asked looking at her.
After a while, Sarah came close and put a hand tenderly to his cheek which he wanted off but couldn't find it in himself to do so which made her put her other hand on his other cheek as well, he resigned struggling and looked up in her eyes.
"Why should you be alone?" She whispered, pressing further against him, one hand clutching at his jacket and other going up to play with hair at the back of his neck, "Why should any of us be alone?"
"Of course not." He finally stated , like it was the most obvious thing in the world, "I just don't want you to,,,," Chuck couldn't finish his sentence as Sarah grabbed his leather jacket by it's lapels and she crushed her lips against his. Passed his shock , he took her by the waist and brought her closer to him, before he could reply to his kiss though, something distracted them all of a sudden causing them to break apart.
Up ahead, several police cars pulled up. Some even parked right next to where Sarah was standing. A police officer came out of the vehicle. Chuck looked at Sarah who seemed as much shocked as he was. Something about this man was giving off extremely weird signals to his brain. He didn't know if his intersect was acting up or whether it was his good old fashioned nerves. The man's aura was very negative for him, that much he could tell for sure.
"Something's off about this guy."
Not even the Frankenstein who dragged him all the way to Ft Mead made him that much anxious.
"Mrs Amelia Anderson." The officer spoke out with an unusual grin, "Pleasure to have finally meet you. I have been meaning to have a chat with you for a while."
The moment Chuck's mind registered his words, he could already feel the now familiar but still very much unpleasant sensation of another download of information. Different red tinted pictures all pertaining to one Frank Mauser began appearing in his mind's eyes.
Monkey playing with banana
Mauser's police entry exam
Transfer letter to section 7 Special Activities Division
Gecko
His picture and classified records, part of them blacked out
Top secret red tab psych files
Semi automatic rifle
Killsheet with thirty confirmed kills,
WARNING: KNOWN FULCRUM OPERATIVE,
Monkey playing with banana,
The sensation stopped as abruptly as it began,
"Damn! I knew there was going to be trouble." A visibly distraught Chuck muttered under his breath.
It was going to be one hell of a long night.
