SHE WILL BE LOVED

by mssupertigz

Chuck sneaks into the CIA sometime after he comes back from Prague looking into Sarah Walker's 'disappearance'. Getting word that the CIA is done looking for her and her whereabouts. But Chuck feels that there's more to it. Sarah wouldn't just give up and leave, would she? Chuck sets out on a journey but the realization that sometimes those you love don't go that far away.

1. Chapter 1

She will be loved.

Thanks to driving and listening to the radio. Maroon5

This story takes place in and around the end of S2 and the beginning of S3 episode 1 around 20 minutes into episode 1. But the rest is all me. Chuck sneaks into the CIA sometime after he comes back from Prague looking into Sarah Walker's 'disappearance'. Getting word that the CIA is done looking for her and her whereabouts. But Chuck feels that there's more to it. Sarah wouldn't just give up and leave, would she? Chuck sets out on a journey but the realization that sometimes those you love don't go that far away.

Chapter 1

Chuck ducked down typing on Beckman's secretaries computer. He just got back from Prague and had heard that Sarah had moved back to DC due to a new mission that kept her busy while he was training. But when he called to let her know that he was back, he got nothing. He had to explain himself and tell her all the why's. Chuck called Casey and by now he was tired of lying about her whereabouts he finally said to Chuck that she was gone.

As he typed he knew that Beckman had all of Sarah's files at her disposal and what he couldn't find here he would find in Castle. No one was giving him the answers he needed. Was he that much out of the loop since coming back from Prague? They said it was a successful training op much to the off days that he couldn't flash. After Beckman gave him the lecture that if he didn't step up to the plate he would be done. Sarah's voice popped into his head. 'You can do whatever you put your mind too, you are meant to be that hero, are you ready for that.'

Chuck continued to talk to himself which he had been doing a lot of lately. Finally getting past the security system he was in. 'She had talked about living a real life even after she became my handler.' Chuck sent all her files to his USB drive, all her missions and even those whom she wasn't really on. All was going as plan till Chuck heard a feisty red headed General standing over him with military police standing behind her.

"Please remove Agent Bartowski from my office and please Chuck don't fight this one." Chuck slid the USB into his pocket and raised his hands and walked to the door. Beckman turned to face him. Despite her height she stared him down. Chuck could feel her disappointment. "You were the last person that I thought would do this."

Chuck looked at Beckman as the two military police walked him out of her office. Chuck reached the stairs and walked the rest of the way by himself. He reached the outside doors when he felt his phone vibrate.

"Chuck."

"What do you want, you made it clear inside that I wasn't your favorite."

"All show Chuck, you should know me by now. Meet me at Rosie's around the corner and I will answer what I can."

Chuck put his phone into his pocket and headed around the corner. Beckman walked in shortly after. "Chuck."

"General."

The waitress brought two cups of coffee and left the bill. "I had to kick you out cause I know what you are doing."

"And that is?"

"You are looking for Sarah."

"Maybe."

"I don't know where she is."

"So why would the CIA stop looking for her? Casey mentioned that agents fake their death or disappear as their only way to get out of the CIA, is that what Sarah did? Is she dead?"

"No, but as far as the CIA is concerned she's done. When a CIA agent ops to leave the organization, we can't really force them to come back. We can, but its more of a hassle. Sarah had talked to me about leaving the CIA, on and off for a while but when she was teamed up with you I figured that she had changed her mind. She has been an agent for eight years and maybe she was done."

Chuck sipped his coffee and wondered why, she'd leave him. Was, he too blame? Of course he was, he didn't go with her when she asked him to leave with her but there had to be more to it. Beckman looked at Chuck. "Don't think it's you Chuck, in all honesty you were what she needed."

"If that was the case then why? Why did she leave?"

"I'm guessing she was done with her present mission or that mission forced her to evaluate her life. It's possible that she had info on someone, maybe make them believe that she was gone. Take the pressure off, maybe then, wait till it's the right time to come back."

"Who? Where did she go?"

"That I don't know but maybe you can find those answers on that USB drive you have on you. You know Sarah whether she's out for justice, needs justice, or just needs some peace. She wouldn't want to be remembered as a spy who quit."

"She gave this institution everything and you, maybe not you specifically, moulded her into the spy she became. She hated being labelled that title 'wild card'."

"Chuck use what you know. If you believe that she isn't gone then do whatever you can, move any rock or barrier that comes in your way and don't stop till you find her."

Beckman gets up. Chuck looks at her as she drops a five dollar bill. "Why are you?"

"Cause I don't think she's gone either. I think she just needs to find herself and whatever went on between the two of you might be apart of that."

Chuck smiled slightly and looked at the cash. "Coffee is on me. Take care Chuck and when your ready to come back you know where my office is."

Red eye flight back to LA

Chuck dropped his bag inside Castle and slipped the USB into the console and watched as the files were brought up. He headed to the back and opened her file drawer and flipped through the files, that Chuck felt would give him some idea of where she could have gone, or what would make her choose to leave. They had come back from Black Rock on a high note and they were spending lots of time together and were ready to take it to the next level.

Till the three of them got the email that Chuck's training was going to start up in Prague and he would be gone for six weeks, maybe more. Chuck grabbed the pile and walked back into the main room and sat down. He remembered that Sarah wanted to leave with him, that she was going to give up everything. But he went his way and she went hers.

Chuck looked into her files and saw her last report was on a guy named Gilles. He continued to read her report as specific as it was, his mind started to play tricks with him. Then he remembered their conversation at the Letenky train station. She looked so beautiful and in minutes they would be on a train just the two of them. Chuck walked into the train yard and saw her standing near her luggage and he felt bad that he hadn't brought his. He smiled when she turned. She was his and they were leaving. Chuck walked towards her as Sarah gave him the kiss of a lifetime but it wasn't the kiss she hoped for in return. 'Sarah, there is an entire facility here dedicated and designed to turning me into the Intersect 2.0…..Think about that, me a real spy'… 'It's not that simple…it's complicated. Nothing is real.' Sarah grabbed his hand. 'This is real…this is simple…this is a real life. Are you coming?'

Chuck returned the tickets. 'I can't, I'm sorry…

Weeks later

Chuck narrowed it down to three places that he thought would be somewhere she would go or at least head to. There was Paris but it was too obvious and Interpol was right in her backyard and if they knew that Sarah was there, she'd never be alone. Then Chuck figured maybe San Diego where it all started, but there was way too much hurt that came from that place. Her dad being arrested and her high school reunion, she wouldn't have the strength to fight that battle again. The name at the bottom of his list was a far cry and a huge leap of faith. But Chuck remembered when he met her dad that she briefly mentioned some of the con jobs she and her dad were on as they walked home one night. She listed a few places and Chuck remembered she kept on talking about one place that she felt bad for the con that she and her dad did there. Chuck circled the name Butte Montana and decided to start there.

Chuck finally saw her working in a florist/art store and just watched in the window. He had not seen her in months but she looked the same, she seemed at peace. He watched her for a little while, and chose not to disturb her so he left. He didn't go far and watched from a distance like she used to watch him. Now he knew what she felt like watching him. He watched her say good night to the last customer, clean up, lock up and watched were she walked to. It was a small craftsman house with a red door. Chuck laughed to himself. 'She was living a life that she had only dreamt of having.'

Chuck smiled. It was enough for one day.

He found a hotel near by well at least in walking distance from the main strip and Sarah's house. He continued to watch her, and wondered why she would want to work in a place that sold flowers, art and crafts supplies. It was a far cry from being a spy. Maybe she meant it when she said that she wanted simple, this was as simple as simple gets. He ducked behind a tree and watched as she came out and set up a table placing bouquets of fresh flowers out arranging them. She looked up once, as Chuck noticed. But it was just a car back firing. 'Always a spy' Chuck said to himself.

Sarah slipped inside and Chuck took the advantage and headed to her house. Chuck entered her place, seeing no signs that a spy lived there. There was no security system that he could see so he jimmied the lock and entered. He walked in and closed the door. It smelled like her, lavender and vanilla. There were flowers and plants nicely placed around the place. "I guess you bring your work home with you."

He walked from the front foyer to the living room then what could have been a dining room but there was just a table and some books at one end. He walked into the kitchen, simple but cute. The spare room and bathroom finished the main floor. Chuck headed upstairs and beside the full bath and her main room the spare room was renovated to become one main room. It made sense as it brought in the most light. He walked in further and stopped to look at the cork board and what was pinned there. It was something that he had seen before. It was more like doodling that Sarah would work on back in LA. Especially when she was making notes or doing reports. But this time to his right on an art easel, Chuck saw it on a much bigger scale. It was a lovely scenic landscape with blues, greens and yellows. He grabbed a chair, sat down and stared. Chuck looked at the brush strokes, uneven but yet perfect. He didn't know that she could paint. He knew she like art but figured it was because of the mission she had been on. When they were looking for the arms dealer La Ciudad she did spend a lot of time looking at the water color. Who wouldn't, but now that Chuck thought about it, she seemed to be drawn to it?

Chuck continued to look, tilting his head back and forth and looking at every inch of the canvass. Chuck thought to himself. 'Did this all stop when you were asked to join the CIA?'

Chuck heard a creak and got up and saw who was standing in the doorway. "What are you doing here Chuck?"

"How did you?"

"My neighbour called and said that a tall dark handsome man had entered my place."

"I asked her if she saw what shoes he was wearing and…"

"You asked her what shoes I was wearing?"

"No, Chuck."

Chuck swallowed hard.

"What are you doing here and how did you find me?"

"No one knows about this place, so how did you? Did Carina tell you?"

"No, of course not I haven't heard from Carina in years."

"Then how?"

"You mentioned it once and the other places I figured that you would go and hide, I mean go to. It was either some place in France or San Diego but whatever place you chose there would be something to cause you grief. Here you mentioned that it was one place that you wished that you could go back to and make a mends."

Sarah looked at Chuck. 'How did he remember that?' It was just a comment, what else did he remember?' But Sarah couldn't be okay with what he remembered or what he didn't remember. He broke into her house and she needed to find out why? Even if the why's were as important as seeing him.

"What are you doing here? I asked you to leave with me once and this time you chose the job."

"Well it shouldn't be any different than when you chose the job over me." (His tone a bit harsh)

"So why are you doing this? Come and find me now when I don't want to be found."

"I bet that you have been telling yourself that, make yourself feel better. Go hide, take off and not let anyone know."

Chuck sees Carina walk up the stairs and wonders why she knew and he didn't. 'Wasn't he important enough to know.'

"We were finally able to be together, you decide to go on a mission with Gilles because you didn't get your way so you left."

"No Chuck you left. You decided to go with Beckman, you decided to become a spy. You left me at the train station."

Carina walked in further. "I'll be downstairs having a stiff drink. Whoever wants to join me, or whoever is still standing." Carina left.

Chuck looked at her keeping the chair between them just in case. "When I uploaded the 2.0 I asked you if you were okay with it."

"Of course I was it was the same reason that you uploaded it the first time. To make a difference. But this time around I felt I was losing you. You weren't the same person…. I fell for."

Chuck looked at Sarah. "Chuck!"

"What! It's not everyday a beautiful woman such as yourself tells you that she fell for you then she leaves. If you cared for me then why? I never left you even when I told you that I had feelings for you."

"No but you sure broke up with me a lot."

"I had too, it was too hard, wanting to be with you and not being able to. Like moving in with you; you telling me that we needed to make love; kissing you, holding you acting like a real couple. The list goes on."

Chuck heads to the door and heads down the stairs. Sarah turns and she hears the door slam shut. Carina sees him walk past the front deck and down the stairs and down the side walk.

Carina sees Sarah coming down thinking that she was going to go after him. "I see Chuck left."

"He did." Sarah walks over and grabs a glass and pours a drink and sits down.

She hears Carina talking. Sarah shakes her head. "What?"

"Why is he here and where is he staying?"

Sarah partially knew the first part and the second she didn't know. And she didn't ask.

"Well Butte Montana isn't that big. A few hotels so if you wanted to find him you could." Carina looked at Sarah. "That's if you want to."

Sarah saw the empty glass on the table, that empty glass was an example of how she felt. Empty. Empty when she left and empty again now that he left. She hadn't had that feeling for years after she had met him. But when he wasn't around she felt that empty feeling creep back in. And she wished that everything that he had said to her upstairs, she could have been able to take it further. When they were in the shower, his kitchen with Roan, the motel, their kiss. But it was more than being intimate with him it was having that connection again. Having him in her life but this time she ran because he had made the choice, that she didn't want him to make, but it was what she was assigned to get him to do. Make him become a spy. She was told over and over in secret to make him into a spy and when he chose that over her, she left.

Days later

Carina found Chuck looking around town and convinced him to go for lunch.

"It was love at first sight wasn't it?" Chuck almost choked on his sandwich.

"Well you don't wait to rip off the band aid do you?"

"Chuck I have known Sarah for almost six years and she has never felt or acted this way for anyone before."

"Well she has a funny way of showing it."

"She does but it doesn't mean that there isn't more to this. Whatever happened between you and her was enough to make her come here and start over."

"Working in a craft store?"

"She wanted to do something that was completely opposite of her being a spy. She wanted to give back, whatever that meant."

Chuck wiped his mouth. 'I guess Carina didn't know everything about her friend.'

"So what are you going to do?"

"My flight doesn't leave for another few days so I guess I'll go check this place out."

Carina hugged Chuck and headed over to see Sarah as Chuck headed in the other direction.

Carina walked in and placed a coffee on the counter. "Hey you seen Chuck?"

"No why would I?"

"You, not notice a tall dark handsome guy like Chuck in a place like this. I call this yawn ville and I thought that LA was the placed a yawn would yawn."

Sarah smiled as she grabbed the cup. She remembered Carina saying that when she came through LA.

"I'm off but call me."

"I will and thanks for the coffee."

Carina hugged Sarah as Carina walked to the door. "He's staying at the Best Western."

Sarah looked up and Carina was gone.

Sarah looked at the time, she didn't have time to think about where Chuck was staying. She grabbed her apron and headed to the back where the art room was filling up with elderly ladies who signed up to take one of Sarah's art classes.

Sarah was surprised that people would be interested in any of her classes, but coming here over three months ago. Word got out and every week there was always one more person who showed up but this week she didn't think it would be him.

Chuck chose a seat at the back with an elderly lady with grey purple hair. Her eyes widen when this strapping young man sat down beside her. Chuck smiled. "I'm Chuck."

"I'm Gladys."

"Well nice to meet you Gladys."

Sarah walked around passing out the supplies needed for class. Avoiding his table but when Gladys wanted her supplies Sarah had no choice. "Sarah have you met Chuck. Chuck this is Sarah."

Chuck leaned over. "We know each other, she is, was my girlfriend."

Gladys looked at Sarah. "And you let him go." As she slipped her arm in his.

"Sarah how could you? Look at him." Gladys grabbed his face.

Sarah turned around. "We have lots to talk about."

"How long have you two been together."

"Almost three years."

"And she dumped you?"

"Well, actually I left her, we we kinda left each other. We planned something big and I-I chose option number two."

Sarah could still hear them talking and she strained to hear what he was saying to her. She heard a few, oh my's and really's and other words that made her wonder if he was making her look like the bad guy. Sarah turned to face the class and every chair was taken. The room was filled with ladies eager to learn and one who broke her heart.

Sarah walked them through the steps and discussed the process of doing water colors. "In some cases little water is better and other times you may need more. You have the options of using the water color pencils and draw your image then use your brushes to extenuate your shapes and designs." Sarah taped up a sheet of watercolor paper on the front board. "Just like a pencil you draw simple flower shapes and leaves. Flowers don't need to look like flowers but you want your leaves to have the look that they are different than your flowers." Sarah took her purple water color pencil and drew a pansy then added some yellow stripes then grabbed her green and drew a perfect leaf. "Now you want to take your brush and dip it into the water and brush over your pencil lines. As you can see here too much water it will run but the exact amount brings out your design. You can also dab your paper with paper towel to soak up the excess water. Or another option is you can dip the end of your water color pencil into the water and draw your image then use a brush if you wish. You can begin."

Sarah made her rounds adding her input and suggestions. "You can also shade the paper with other colors like you would with any pencil crayons and brush those colors to add color to the rest of the paper. Once you think your done with this one grab another piece and take a look at the table. You will see the bouquet, the colors and types of flowers I used. Try and recreate that bouquet."

Sarah finally came to Gladys's table. Sarah looked at Gladys's paper and commented on hers then looked at Chuck. Thinking that he'd be fooling around but when she looked at his, she was impressed. He had used blues and yellows and made it look so real, it reminded her the painting in the Chinese restaurant that hung near them as they went on their second real date. Gladys looked over to Chuck. "Very nice Charles. Ladies you have to come and see this."

Sarah back off when she heard chairs scrape on the floor and the elderly ladies hovered over their table. The woman giggled and padded Chuck on the arm and some grabbed his hand. He was a hit. Sarah was not thrilled and finding out that he could paint it surprised her. But she coughed it up to maybe it was something in the intersect. She never really asked him what he had acquired after the second upload even though they were becoming close after leaving Black Rock, but either way he had a talent.

The ladies returned to their seat as Gladys left the table to look at the others artwork. Sarah looked at Chuck as he busied himself with his. Sarcastically. "Don't you need to get back to the Buy More?"

Chuck took his time responding. "No I quit."

She never thought she'd hear those words come from his mouth. She had missed a lot in such a short time. "You quit?"

"Yeah, it was time and I was getting tired of doing both, when your heart isn't in the job anymore you make the choice to move on and see where things go." Sarah never let Chuck finish as someone had called her name.

The room emptied as Sarah finished laying out the watercolors paintings and placing a board over them. "What's that for?" Chuck came walking by with a handful of brushes. "You don't want the paper to curl so you put something heavy on it while it dries."

"Makes sense. Where can I clean these?"

Sarah sort of shook her head. "You don't need to help me."

"No, it's okay. It's the least I can do for crashing your class. You have many of these?"

"I have three a week and one on the last Saturday of the month."

"You like doing this?"

"It's different. I always liked art. It was the only thing I was good at. It kept me sane. Till my life changed. We were passing through here about 15 years ago and my dad saw the chance to make a quick buck. He found me a bike and I drove it around one of the blocks while my dad watched the armour truck do its drop off. They weren't the brightest duo and he waited till just the right moment to distract them by having me ride by while they were loading the truck. The driver thinking that the truck was ready to go, my dad signalled me and I swerved and knicked the front of the truck."

"Were you hurt?"

"My wrist was sore for a bit but I carried on while my dad continued to come up with the next con. He had grabbed a small bag but it was enough for us to live off for a few months. So when I came here I wanted to give back."

Chuck shut the water off and placed the brushes handle down in the jar and wiped up the excess water on the counter. He headed to the door as Sarah followed. "You quit?"

"Yeah, someone told me once that I could do amazingly on my own and not to rely on the Buy More. I quit about three months ago." It was a month after she came back from her last mission. She looked at him, she was proud of him but still wondered why?

"Well, I better head back to the hotel."

"You wanna get a coffee or something? It's still early?"

"Y-e-ah, sure."

Chuck walked Sarah back to her house and was about to head back. "Why didn't you come with me?"

Chuck turned to face her and hated seeing the hurt look on her face.

"Your job was to protect me, train me and make me into what you and Casey were by using what was in my head. Not end up having feelings for me, to fall for me to fall in...you did your job."

"Too well I guess." Sarah looked up.

"Sarah I fell for you along time ago. It took everything in my being to push down my feelings. Deny, cough it up to the thrill of the mission. But it was more than that. You knew it and I knew it but, because of the job, protocol, the rules you followed them, because that is the person that you are. That's what makes you Sarah. So I felt that if I went through training you'd see me differently. You'd see me as an equal. Love me the way that I loved you."

Sarah responded. "You were the most important person in my life and you left."

"I was scared."

"Why would you be scared?"

"Because what we had. What we could have?"

"I didn't deserve you." Chuck looked right at her.

"No Sarah, you deserved it as much as I deserved you. You left I left."

Sarah yelled back at him. "You didn't need to become a spy to be with me. I didn't care, but how could I tell you that. I thought that you would see that I didn't want you to. I arranged for us to go, to run."

Chuck raised his voice. "I KNOW."

Sarah wiped her cheek. She paused as Chuck's hand cupped her face. He held her close and kissed her. Liked the night of the bomb, the kiss the kitchen, the morning in the motel. Their lips remained close. They finally came up for air and held each other. Chuck looked at Sarah and wiped her tears.

"I'm so sorry. I was so stupid to leave."

"Why would you think that I would just make this up, make you believe that what we were going to do was not the truth. I told you long time ago to trust me not to believe me."

"It's not that easy. You stood there for months and watched me fight for you, drive myself nuts. Force to push my feelings down, be told right in my face under truth serum that you had no feelings for me. You watched me go out with Lou get back together with Jill and still you said nothing. And then you had your chance to go with Bryce and the way he kissed you in my room. Then the way you kissed Cole."

Sarah looked up at him. "You saw?"

"I guess giving me the pass code for the cameras upstairs wasn't the best idea, and kissing Bryce back in my room. Why do think I wouldn't want to go with you? To hear you say that was all I ever wanted, hoped for, wished for us. But it wasn't enough for you, I would never be a Bryce or a Cole unless I stayed. And now that I am one of them in the eyes of the CIA. You still left."

Chuck zipped up his jacket and walked the length of her sidewalk and left. Sarah lowered herself and sat on the step. She heard someone walking back. Maybe it was Chuck and she would be able to apologize. Sarah looked up only to see her neighbour walking his dog.

The next morning

Sarah didn't sleep and looked at the clock. She couldn't make Butte another mistake. She grabbed some clothes and headed to find Chuck. She saw him standing at the counter and ran up to him. "Where are you going?" Slightly out of breath.

"Home?" Sarah saddened by the news.

"Weren't you going to say goodbye."

"Of course, bye." Sarah saw his face, it was his hurt look. She had seen it enough times over the years but this time she could do something about it. Sarah turned to face him when he grabbed his phone. He walked off. "Yes Chuck here." Sarah watched as he continued talking. "Thanks for calling."

Chuck walked back to the desk. Sarah stood closer. He turned to face the desk and waited for the clerk to be free. She gave him his bill. "Yeah about this, my flight has just been cancelled. Could I get my room back for another day or so?"

She checked. "No sorry, big ball tournament. You we're lucky to get the room that you did, sorry." Chuck looked at the clerk an signed his bill. "Can you see if there are any other rooms available in the city?"

The clerk typed away. "We have one room at the Circle 8? Do you want me to put a hold on it?"

Chuck looked at the clerk. "Yes."

Sarah looked at the clerk. "No."

Chuck looked at her. "Yes."

"No."

The clerk spoke. "Which is it?"

"He doesn't need it."

"And why not? You have already knocked me down why not have me sleep on the street."

"I have an extra room, it's the least I can do. Then you can leave when you want." Sarah grabbed his bag and headed out. The clerk smiled. Chuck followed. Sarah placed his bag into the back of her jeep. It was a far cry from her sports car she had in LA.

Early Afternoon

It was awkward at first walking inside her place, now with permission but the tension between them could still be felt. Sarah showed him to his room then walked to the kitchen. Sarah busied herself in the kitchen, it reminded him of the time in the suburbs and how disappointing it ended up, when reality kicked in. He wasn't planning on anything to happen but the thoughts of them being together, cohabitating was a distant dream but a dream and dreams do come true.

"Chuck?"

Chuck walked to the kitchen. "Can you open the wine. We are having pasta with meat sauce for lunch."

"Sounds delicious, so what restaurant are you ordering from. There's not much of a selection here in Butte."

Sarah looked up as she popped in a red cherry tomato like she did when she popped in that strawberry, in the suburbs. "Not ordering anything, I am making this all myself."

Chuck looked around the kitchen and was surprised not to see all of her dishes strewn around the place. Chuck opened the wine a poured two glasses. "When I was on my last mission. I watched the cooks prepare the meals as I had tonnes of time on my hands."

"Weren't you there to watch him?"

"I was, but he slept most of the day and would go out at night so I would keep myself busy. Then have a nap, then come downstairs and watch them prepare his dinner. Then we would go out. You can get a lot of intel from the cooks and staff. If they like you they will spill more than beans, if you know what I mean. So I watched them make this dish. And so I have been making it ever since."

Chuck watched as she chopped the peppers, onions and added the spices to the hamburger. She grabbed a box of pasta and poured it into the pot of boiling water. She added some bacon to the meat.

"Bacon?"

"It adds a bit flavour to the dish."

She grabbed another pan and chopped the cherry tomatoes adding them into the pan with some olive oil and marinara sauce and the rest of the spices. The room started to smell wonderful. Chuck watched, but the night before and their argument still hung over their heads.

Chuck poured them some more wine as the food continued to cook. "I appreciate you giving me a place to stay."

"Well I couldn't have you sleep in a hotel again."

"Or the floor?"

They both laughed.

"Chuck I didn't plan any of this."

"When you told me that we would run. I knew that finally we could be together. I wanted to. But I felt that I was not who you wanted me to be. You told me that I could do whatever I wanted and be with whomever I wanted so I figured that I could do both. And if I did both I would be like."

"Don't you ever compare yourself to Bryce. He was a mistake and my past. You are not like him. He was all spy and nothing else. You are loyal, smart, caring, respectful, loving , patient and a friend."

"Don't forget adorable."

"Adorable doesn't even define you. Cole, was just a kiss, he knew the way I looked at him wasn't like how I looked at you. He sensed it right at the beginning. He said that he had been in this business long enough to know how people felt for each other and what we had no one could fake that. He was disappointed that he lost the girl to one Chuck Bartowski."

"I messed up."

Sarah shook her head. "No, you did exactly what you thought was best. It's just that I wanted for once, something, to go my way and not be dictated by protocols and crossing that line."

"And now?" Chuck looked at Sarah like he had the night they sat by the fountain. "One mission at a time Chuck."

Chuck hated that line then and he hated that line now. Sarah got up and came back with an envelope. She sat down and gave it to Chuck as she took a sip of her wine. Chuck opened it up and saw their passports and a few postcards. "What's this?"

"I was thinking we'd head to Italy then see how that went then head to France." Chuck looked at the contents and flipped through them as Sarah continued to talk. "We would have had to lay low till the CIA stopped looking for us."

"How long would that take?"

"Who knows, they would meet with Ellie and Morgan even Casey, to see if we had been in contact with them and they us. But they couldn't really do anything. Agents either retire, die or disappear. And even then the CIA keeps their noses into their lives. We would always be looking over our shoulders. But we would be together."

"That is what Beckman said."

"You talked to Beckman?"

"I did some checking in her office and got thrown out of the CIA but she told me to go with my gut." Sarah looked at Chuck then turned and walked to the stove. Chuck looked at the pile. She had done a lot of work, their future staring back at him. But Chuck sensed that the hurt was there but it wasn't as strong.

They dished up and sat at the table that hadn't see a visitor for some time. Chuck nodded his approval as Sarah twirled her pasta in her spoon. She finished her plate and offered Chuck seconds but Chuck refrained when he saw her bring in the mint chocolate ice cream. She dished him a bowl and sat down.

They sat at the table for hours avoiding cleaning up as Chuck reached for his glass and finished his wine. "Chuck I don't want to think, choose or fight. I am done fighting."

"Then we won't."

"Your my best friend. You've always had my back. And your still protecting me." Sarah lowered her eyes.

"You deserved to be loved and cared for." Sarah looked at him.

"Chuck will you love me?" Chuck looked at her almost exactly the way he looked at her that morning in the hotel and every other time he thought that it was going to go somewhere. Chuck leaned closer to her and gently placed his hands on her face, wiping the tear that had fallen then kissed her lips. She shuddered and trembled but Chuck continued to kiss her till she calmed down and fully kissed him back. She wrapped her hands around his neck as he slid his arms around her body and pulled her up making her stand. She tasted his lips that had a slight mint taste to them from the ice cream but she didn't care. Mint wasn't her favourite it was his. She came up for air and grabbed his hand and flipped the kitchen lights off and headed upstairs.

They continued where they left off downstairs. Chuck grazed her neck and his stubble tickled her making her giggle, slightly distracting Chuck, but she kissed him hard making him focus again. Sarah backed off looking at his chest. Chuck kissed her forehead as he watched her unbutton his shirt. She placed her hands on his chest and moved them around feeling his chest hairs in her fingers. Sarah slowly spread her arms apart separating him from his shirt. As it fell, Sarah stared at his chest again and placed kisses wherever she wanted. Chuck eventually met her lips and continued to kiss hers. Chuck fumbled with her buttons but eventually it was his turn to enjoy taking her clothes off.

They stood in their underwear as the excitement started to brew. It wasn't a feeling of butterflies, it was undefined. It was years of waiting, wanting, hoping, fearing, wishing. And now.

Chuck followed Sarah as she led them to her bed. She made him sit down to face her. He looked at her then focussed at, her taunt stomach. He kissed her flesh and ran his thumbs over her waist band of her underwear. His warm breath igniting her senses and sending a current to her toes and back up again. Sarah kissed his lips and pushed him back into the mattress. Chuck opened his arms as Sarah crawled on top of him. He held her face in his hands holding her hair back as he kissed her lips. Their bodies touching, knowing that they were almost there.