Chuck vs The Speed of Life

by MyroomisC203

Chuck and Sarah reunite in 2016. They hope to restart their marriage and live a quiet family life, but as always, the fates have other plans.

Chuck vs. The Speed of Life

Chapter 1

Chuck vs. The Inescapable Past

Thursday March 31, 2016

At the end of her workday Sarah Walker drove to pick up her daughter Carina at the home of Shirease Coles who kept her when she was working. Shirease's husband also worked for the Secret Service, and she had taught the first grade until baby number three made daycare too expensive. Sarah appreciated that she organized the mornings in her home as a free form classroom, with daily reading lessons. Carina thrived there and seemed happy. Sarah let herself in and was greeted by Carina with a hug.

"Your child is surely different," sighed Shirease.

"I know, what did she do today?" ask Sarah.

"I took the kids to Barnes and Noble for story time, and then I told them they could pick out a book to buy. Little princess here, marches over to the magazine rack and insists on buying a copy of Fortune magazine which is about business and millionaires and such."

"My goodness, sometimes I just don't know where I got her!" chuckled Sarah as she began to put her daughter's coat on.

Shirease continued, "She has been looking at it most of the day, I just found it very odd, she can barely read, let alone understand something like that, I barely can, but here it is, she is really into it."

The cover of the magazine featured a tall, dark, and handsome man standing on a beach at sunset, adjusting a button on his sleeve. When Sarah saw it she became visibly unsteady, she handed it back and sat down on a bench in the foyer. She was flashing. It had happened occasionally since she had a faulty Intersect planted in her head some four years before. This one, however, was huge and disorienting. She suddenly had a memory of her husband Chuck Bartowski with one foot on the toilet seat letting her trim his toenails. She was complaining about them scratching her feet and he was making stupid jokes about toe trucks and toe jobs. These flashes had become more frequent lately, and they were always memories of Chuck Bartowski.

"Are you OK? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Sarah put hands together and covered her mouth and nose.

"Seriously Sarah what's going on, are you getting sick or something?"

"It's him," she said pointing at the cover of the magazine.

Shirease animatedly perused the magazine's cover, "He's good looking, I don't know if he's faint on your feet good looking, but he's probably really rich, so I might pass out for him, if that's what he wanted."

Sarah looked up at her and said, "Charles Bartowski, the man on the cover is Carina's father."

Shirease got louder and exclaimed, "Let me get this straight, you've got a baby-daddy who's a zillionaire and you're going to work every day at Homeland Security? You need to get yourself a lawyer and a DNA test!"

Sarah drew a deep breath, "He's not my baby-daddy, he's my husband, I can't talk about it right now, but I will tell you the story when I catch my breath. I'm going to take her now; I need to figure this out."

As soon as Sarah exited the house Shirease called her husband, "Have I got a story for you."

Chapter 2

Chuck vs. The Rebirth of Memory

Friday April 1, 2016

Sarah got very little sleep starting Thursday night. She rarely remembered her dreams, but this morning she did. She and Chuck were on the couch in Ellie and Awesome's apartment, the room was dark and she was very close to him. They were watching Carina ride a small bicycle around the room. The scene was impossible, but it seemed very real. When she woke up she wondered if she should call a retired CIA psychiatrist Dr. Leo Dreyfus. Dreyfus knew more about the effects of the Intersect on the brain than anyone and he was cleared to talk about it. She decided not to, because the flashes and dreams were not unpleasant, they were about her and Chuck, a life she longed to reenter.

When she arrived at work Sarah went straight to her supervisor Jim Reynolds. Reynolds was divorced and in his early forties, he was clearly interested in Sarah, and she was just as clearly not interested in him.

"I need to take some leave next week; I need to fly to California."

Jim looked concerned and said, "Sure, no problem is everything alright? Anything I can do?" Reynolds was always looking for a way to insert himself into Sarah's affairs in hopes they could become closer.

"No, I just have some things I need to take up with Carina's father,".

Reynolds saw his chance to be her protector and he dove in.

"Oh trouble with the ex, I can relate, if he is not paying his child support or threatening you, I know people who can help, don't try to handle this yourself, remember we are the cops."

Sarah, a born fighter, decided to deliver Jim Reynolds a knockout blow. "No, it's nothing like that; it is just an issue between my husband and me." She watched him deflate as the word "husband" took hold.

"I didn't know you were still married," Jim mumbled dejectedly

Chapter 3

Chuck vs. Fortune and Fame

Saturday April 2, 2016

Sarah and Carina's flight to LAX left on time just before seven in the morning. Carina quickly fell asleep, and when she did Sarah took the copy of Fortune from her lap, and read the article on Chuck, twice. It was a puff piece glowingly recounting Charles Carmichael's almost supernatural abilities with computers; and success in the cyber security field. It also mentioned that he wore a wedding ring, but that no one had ever seen him with his wife, or even knew her name. It was clear to her that he still probably had the Intersect, and that he remained true to his word that he would wait until she was ready, because he still loved her. She hoped he still loved her, because in spite of all they had been through, she still loved him.

Sunday April 3, 2016

Sarah rented a car and drove her daughter to Disneyland for the day. Sarah had gone there with Chuck and Morgan when she and Chuck were still a cover couple. Carina had great fun and like any child after a day there had to be carried out of the park.

Monday April 4, 2016

To start the day Sarah and Carina went to a nearby toy store, and then had lunch downtown Los Angeles, before returning to the hotel to splash around in the kiddie pool. Sarah requested a sitter starting at three o'clock. She had researched Carmichael Industries, and the career's of Chuck's sister and brother in law. She would make contact with someone she could trust today. When the sitter arrived Sarah left for the Carmichael offices in her rental car. At the security gate the guard inquired who she was there to see, and she decided to quickly cut to the chase. She flashed her Secret Service badge and was ushered through. At the reception desk she was told it was impossible to see Mr. Bartowski or Ms. Beckman without an appointment, and Sarah once again flashed her badge. She was then sent to Chuck's appointment secretary on the sixth floor.

Susan Huffman had come to Carmichael from the Verbanski Corporation when the companies had merged two years before. She adored her down to earth and warm boss, whom she called Chuck as opposed to Charles or Mr. Bartowski. She was always a little astonished that he remained loyal to his mysterious wife who rumor had it had left him years ago.

Sarah marched up to her desk and directly asked, "I'd like to see Mr. Bartowski."

Susan looked at her a bit perplexed and wondered how she got this far into the inner sanctum of the company.

"If you don't have an appointment it is simply impossible for you to see Mr. Bartowski, he has a very tight schedule."

Sarah looked directly at her and said, "I'm certain he'll see me, my name is Sarah Walker, and I'm his wife."

Susan was taken aback to say the least, "His wife?"

"That's right, if you let him know I'm here, I'm sure he will see me."

This woman was well dressed, poised, and gorgeous. She decided to let him know what was going on, at the same time she was prepared to push the panic button under her desk. She knew when she made the announcement Chuck would look on his monitor to see what was going on.

She picked up the phone, "Chuck there is a woman here without an appointment, she says her name is Sarah Walker."

Chuck was staggered by those words. He had always known that this day would come, the day when Sarah came and demanded a divorce. He took a deep breath, looked at his monitor, and said to Susan via the intercom, "Please, please show her in, and uh hold all calls."

Susan got up and led Sarah into Chuck's office, she caught a glimpse of Chuck standing in front of his desk both hands gripping its edge. His Tron poster was perfectly aligned behind him. Susan thought he looked like a scared little boy. She returned to her desk, picked up her telephone and called her husband, "Have I got a story for you."

Chuck's voice was breathy and restrained, he had taken off the jacket of his suit and in his white shirt and charcoal pants he looked like a nerd herder again, sans pocket protector.

"Sarah it's so good to see you...again," he was afraid to ask why she had come to his office.

She was stunned by his appearance. He had put on about twenty five pounds of solid muscle. She surmised that his fitness buff brother in law Devon had something to do with that. He was still dressed like a nerd herder, but his shirt and pants were tailored and expensive. His black hair was cut short and neat and he had a beard. Sarah did not like beards, but he pulled it off better than most, and she had to admit she still thought that he was still the best looking man she had ever met. Sarah was trained in the art of hiding her emotions, still seeing her husband after four years made her almost giddy.

Sarah smiled at him and said, "Chuck we have something important we need to discuss, would it be possible for you and I to have a private dinner tonight?"

"Yeah, yeah, I live here, not in this room, but on the campus, I don't know why we call it a campus, it's not really a school. We can have dinner in my apartment; it's in another building, right over there. Now? When?"

She sensed his nervousness, she was nervous too, but years of field experience had taught her to refocus quickly on the mission at hand.

"How about seven tonight, I have something in my hotel I need to bring, can you arrange it all Chuck?"

Chuck thought about what it was she had in her room, and it was obviously divorce papers. They had not been together in four years, yet it was crushing to think about what was coming next.

"Yeah, yeah, um just come to the gate and someone will bring you to the apartment, unless you want me to meet you at the gate? I could do that."

"No, that will be fine, it is good to see you again, you look well, and wow what a business you've built."

"It was mostly Beckman, and Verbanski, I'm just the IT guy, a glorified nerd herder."

Sarah turned toward the door, "I know you're busy, see you at seven Chuck".

Chuck gave a little wave from the waist "Goodbye Sarah."

Sarah decided to find a restroom before she left the Carmichael complex, she would also do a little reconnaissance of the place, for no particular reason, it was just her nature to look for escape routes and cover, just in case. She followed the signs to the food court and walked inside. It was impressive, an atrium design with tables and food stations on two levels. Around a clear oculus was a circle of stained glass in an abstract pattern. It was opulent, expensive and she owned it. A woman in a business suit holding a clipboard was standing in front of a food station called "Lou's Gourmet Italian Deli". Sarah recognized her, and when she did, she flashed. It was an old memory, but Chuck was in it, as always. Chuck and Morgan were leaning on the Buy More nerd herd desk at getting off time. They were planning a night at an arcade where they liked to hang out near the beach. She was in her Wienerlicious outfit and she wanted to go with them, despite their utter indifference to her as they planned their nerdy evening. It gave her a feeling, one she had felt frequently in their first year working together. The feeling was wanting to be with Chuck no matter what he was doing, it was the feeling of falling in love.

Chapter 3

When she got to her hotel room Sarah paid the sitter, and climbed onto the king sized bed with Carina. She took the copy of Fortune off the nightstand and laid it on the bed in front of them.

"Sweetie I'm going to take you someplace tonight and we're going to meet this man," she said pointing at Chuck's picture.

Carina smiled and said, "I like to look at him...is he nice?"

Sarah looked at her daughter and smiled, "Yes he is very nice, his name is Chuck and he's your daddy. He loves you very much."

Carina was not particularly impressed at the promise of meeting her father for the first time. She thought for a second and asked, "Does he have a dog?"

Sarah and Carina arrived at the campus just after six. Sarah had left early; she remembered Los Angeles traffic all too well. A chubby security guard, former Buy More Green Shirt Fernando, driving a golf cart led them to a parking garage. She parked and they were led to an elevator. Fernando was a childish looking man with a fleshy face, as he pushed the button for the elevator he spoke, "I really miss the Wienerlicious. It was my favorite, except for Subway."

Chuck paced around the living room of his palatial ultra-modern penthouse. He was a wreck, and this was going to be another painful chapter in the Chuck and Sarah story, but he'd always expected it, but he wasn't going down without a fight; too much of his life had been invested in Sarah Walker just to give up now.

Sarah stepped off the elevator and rang the bell; Chuck who was standing by the door opened it immediately. There stood Sarah, as beautiful as ever. In front of her wearing a white tee shirt with a dancing hippopotamus on it, purple shorts, crocs, a backpack, and an oversized watch, was a child who reminded him of a young Ellie. Chuck looked at the child, he began to shake.

"Hello, hello, hello to both of you," he stuttered.

Carina looked up at the tall man and said, "It's him mommy."

Chuck just stared at the little girl. He thought of Forrest Gump.

Sarah put her hands on the little girl's shoulders and spoke, "Chuck this is Carina, Carina this is Chuck Bartowski, he's your father."

Carina continued to look at him, smiled sweetly, and said without any hesitation, "Hello daddy."

Chuck got down on his knees; he needed to, and looked the little girl straight in the face. She was his; every fiber of his being told him that.

"It's so nice to meet you Carina, could I have a hug?"

She stepped forward and hugged her father for the first time. Chuck could feel tears welling up in his eyes; he looked up at Sarah and saw her face was streaked with tears already.

"Are you hungry?" Chuck asks shakily.

Sarah offered, "She's fine, I fed her at the hotel."

Chuck stood up, "If there's anything you want, just ask."

Chuck took Carina's hand, "I have a playroom just for little girls, you have two cousins, really four cousins if you count Morgan's girls," he said looking at Sarah.

Chuck was not sure how much Sarah remembered so he would try to fill things in as he went along. He hoped he could make her feel at home, that she would remember that this was her home. He led the two of them to a room just off the living room that was full of stuffed animals, doll houses, and board games. The centerpiece of the room was a ball pit, something Carina loved, and she went straight for it.

"We have menus on the table to order from, would you like something to drink? A Chardonnay perhaps?"

Sarah smiled, "A Chardonnay? So are you still doing the "Routine?"

Chuck was stunned that she remembered the "Routine", a combination of high speed hacking and swilling wine that was still, occasionally, part of Chuck's toolkit.

"Sometimes, yeah."

Chuck poured two glasses of a very expensive reserve chardonnay from his own vineyard. They sat down on the couch facing each other. Sarah found she was strangely excited at the sight of him, and smiled slightly cocking her head to the side in a look that Chuck had always found breathtaking.

Chuck took a sip and looked her in the eyes, "I'll uh start, this is from my vinyard up in Sonoma, really ours, community property and all that."

Chuck took a deep breath, "Thank you, God thank you Sarah for bringing her here, I'm so sorry for not..." his voice began to break a bit, "I can't begin to tell you how much this means to me to see her, I mean both of you."

Sarah looked down and then up at him, "Chuck I'm so sorry, it has taken me so long to recover myself. I left you to find myself, and when I found out that I was pregnant, I was confused and scared. I was even afraid she wasn't yours, because of all the things Quinn had taken from and done to me. I just needed time to heal"

Chuck looked at her with a sad empathy, "She's mine, I know it."

Sarah went on, "She is, of that I have no doubts, and I know she needs you in her life, I want you in her life."

Chuck perked up and began to talk fast which he always did when excited, "Sarah I'll do anything, anything, nothing means as much to me as she does, from the moment I saw her, I knew that. Just tell me, I'll quit here, I'll move, whatever, just let me in her life." Chuck plunged in, "I love her, I love you, and nothing can change that!"

"Chuck, we've been apart for so long, it will take us some time, we can't just pick up where we left off before Japan."

"I, I, know, I know that, Sarah, but you must understand how much…, how important this is to me, all this, the business, it was just a diversion, my life has been so empty without you, and now you're back. I'm not a fool Sarah, it's been a long time, I'm not trying to jump into bed with you, I just want us to find some form of family, our family, I mean we've already got all the elements."

Sarah was moved, as she always had been, by Chuck's heart on his sleeve sincerity; it was one of the things she had loved about him since they had met a decade before. Still she was nagged by doubts that they were still right for each other in the here and now, but it felt right and this was what she wanted.

Chuck went on, "I want her to meet her family, Ellie's girls Clara and Lucy, Morgan's little girls Katherine and their new baby Rose. Most of all my mother, and your mother, and Molly. If you remember anything about me, you know what friends and family mean to me."

Tuesday April 5, 2016

The next day was a blur of family and friends. Chuck sent a car to pick up Sarah's mother and adopted sister Molly. His mother Mary came to see her new three year old granddaughter. Even Casey seemed genuinely moved to see Sarah again. Carina for her part fell right into the family as if she had always known them. She became best friends with her cousins, and when the hour became late, the three of them pitched a small fit for Carina to stay for the night with Awesome and Ellie. Grandmother Mary egged them on as she found it heartbreaking to be separated for her new grandchild. Sarah relented and let her stay. Chuck had put up Emma and Molly in a hotel near Carmichael, and he and Sarah dropped them off around eleven.

As they drove away Chuck spoke up, "Get your things and bring them to my apartment, it makes no sense for us to stay apart. Sarah, I'm not up to anything, I just want us all together," he was expecting some sort of counter argument.

Sarah just looked at him, smiled a bit and said, "OK".

When she parked the car at Carmichael Chuck leaned over, "What are we going to do now? We're still married, I mean if you want to be...What I'm trying to say is I want to be her father everyday, and your husband everyday, like I promised I would be."

Chuck leaned further in and their eyes met, he gave her a look that asked for permission to kiss her and she returned with a look that said yes. Sarah had always found a kiss from Chuck electrifying and despite all she had been through that had not changed. They began to make out like overheated teenagers in the elevator. Once in the apartment they began to undress each other and tumbled on to Chuck's huge bed. True to form Chuck had no condoms; Sarah insisted that he go after some. Chuck rode his motorcycle to a nearby twenty four hour grocery store, bought two boxes and sped back to the campus. She was waiting for him.

Wednesday April 6, 2016

They lay in bed cuddling.

Sarah looked at him, "Well, now you have to marry me."

Chuck gave her a sideways glance, "I really can't imagine your dad with a shotgun. Doesn't this feel right? We are meant to be together no matter what."

Sarah sat up, "Is there something meaningful I can do at Carmichael? I'll put in my retirement papers with the government, but I don't feel ready to stop working, at least, not yet."

Chuck then sat up himself, "We own this place, you would never know it, but I am Beckman's boss. There is a lot you can do here, a really good thing would be to learn how it runs at the top. I think you are the perfect candidate to replace Beckman, one day."

She looked over at him, "Seriously Chuck?"

"Yeah, why not? You were the CIA's best field agent, I'm sure you didn't start that way, but you grew into it, Beckman started in the field and worked her way up, you just got a little derailed by events, and falling in love with a nerd, an irresistible nerd notwithstanding." He winked at her with that last statement, "I am going to show you around the place this morning and we'll meet with Beckman. Ellie and my mom are bringing the girls here for lunch, then there is something else I want to show, a surprise."

"You know I hate surprises Chuck."

"Indulge me, it's been a long time since I surprised you."

She moved a little closer to him, "You surprised me last night."

"Well Mrs. Bartowski we've got a little time, care to be surprised again?"

They kissed.

...

The usually imperious Beckman seemed genuinely pleased to see Sarah; they even hugged which surprised Chuck.

Beckman cut right to the chase, "Are you back? For good? If you are staying and it works for both of you, we could really use someone like you here. In cyber-security these days we have to go beyond just stopping them at the firewall and investigate the source of these attacks, and occasionally counter attack."

Sarah was intrigued, "Well, I'm not going back into black ops. Chuck and I have a child; at Homeland Security I've been investigating threats to public officials, but I rarely leave the office."

"I know," said Beckman; this was her way of letting Sarah know she was still in the loop with government contacts.

Sarah replied, "I would be very interested in moving into that field, I have loose ends to clear up back in Washington but I'm anxious to jump in as soon as I can, Chuck is going to show me around this morning, but I would like to discuss it further when your schedule allows."

"That will be fine; Ellie invited me to lunch today so I'll see you then," with that Beckman returned to her desk letting her bosses know the audience was over.

The Carmichael campus was abuzz with rumors about the reappearance of the mysterious Mrs. Bartowski. One of the campus IT guys, Jeff Barnes, was known to be an old friend of Chuck's, and he was proving to be an endless font of knowledge on the stunning blonde Bartowski was showing around the facility.

One particular group showing an inordinate interest was an informal cadre of women and gay men known as the "Chucksters". Chuck was handsome, buff, charming, and rich; a combination that made him interesting to many women and men at the company. Rumors about his personal life had swirled about him for years, selflessly Jeff filled in the gaps with his "special" knowledge of the subject.

Sarah was a CIA agent in the past, maybe still was.

Sarah had dated a ridiculously handsome bisexual CIA agent named Daniel Shaw, the same guy responsible for the Omen virus, but Chuck had won her by beating up Shaw with the help of his sister.

Both Sarah, Shaw, and Ellie had expressed a sexual interest in Jeff, but he couldn't do that to a friend.

Sarah had dumped Chuck, broke his heart, and ran off with the proceeds from the sale of the Buy More to hook up with Daniel Shaw again, subsequently giving birth to Shaw's daughter, and had now returned broke, hoping to entice Chuck to support her and the child.

Other gaps had been filled in by the rumor pipeline at Carmichael. It had been confirmed that she had used a Secret Service badge to gain access to Chuck, and that she was staying in Chuck's apartment. Jeff Barnes did have actual photographs of their May 2011 wedding on his cellphone, and would show them to any interested party who could endure his recounting of his glory days in the band "Jeffster", and the unjust deportation of his Canadian best friend forever, Lester.

Chuck and Sarah walked along a bike path around a small man made pond. The campus of Carmichael was dotted with heavily watered green spaces and paved paths. Employees had a well equipped gymnasium, a first rate dining facility, and all the amenities that were part of a plan to attract the best to work here. The kernel of campus ironically had once been part of Roark industries founded by Chuck's father's nemesis the late Ted Roark. Chuck thought it a small victory.

Sarah turned to Chuck, "Thank you for letting me back in your life without a lot of questions about where I've been, and why I'm returning now. The last few years have been hard for me...they've been hard on both of us."

Chuck took a breath, "Sarah I love you, always have, and though I have only known her a few days, I love Carina so much it almost overwhelms me. For the past few years this has been my dream, my only dream that we would be together again, just like we're meant to be."

Sarah smiled, "Mine too, it feels so right. I think this is the life the three of us are meant to be living."

Chuck was about to lean down and kiss her when another couple walked up to them. They were John Clinton and Madison Thule software engineers from one of Chuck's teams.

Chuck backed away, looked up and said, "Hey guys, what's up?"

Madison, a thirty year old Cal Tech PhD smiled and said, "We've missed you, we thought you were out of town."

She'd heard the rumors, but wanted to glean her own information by playing dumb. John, her thirty five year old boyfriend was just as curious, but let her take the lead. Possessing a roving eye, he was busily checking out Sarah.

Madison went on, "Build 3.2 is ready for the Bartowski test, and we are just waiting on you."

Chuck smiled, "Bring it on; I hope your game is strong grasshopper."

Madison looked at Sarah, "Hi I'm Madison and this is John we are humble acolytes of the invincible cyber-sensei Chuck."

Chuck realized he had not introduced Sarah, "Oh sorry guys, this is Sarah Walker, she is with Homeland Security. I'm interviewing her for a position here."

Sarah gave Chuck a sideways glance and Madison saw her chance to get some real intel,"You were holding her hand, boss; you didn't do that at my interview."

Chuck smiled, and looked at Sarah, "We're different here at Carmichael; we go the extra mile to show we care more than say, those heartless bastards at Apple."

Sarah jumped into the conversation, "Just so you don't think I'm sleeping my way into a job, Chuck and I are married, and have been for a while. I've been working back east, but I am relocating back here, so hopefully you will be seeing more of me, of us."

Madison saw her chance, "You see John they're married and they want to work together, marriage is not an impediment to a career! If you don't mind my asking how long did you two date before you got married?"

Chuck squinted a bit and volunteered, "Couple of years I guess, we lived together, and then I proposed in France at a very romantic vineyard."

He was testing Sarah and she knew it. Even before the memory flashes had begun Sarah had worked hard to rebuild her memory of their life together through the study of mission logs and surveillance videos. She did not always remember, but she knew the details of their life as part of Team Bartowski. With the flashes more memories had returned, she could absolutely remember their Echo Park apartment in great detail, and how she had once discovered that Chuck used the back of his beloved Tron poster to try and piece together details of his involvement with national security. She could handle any curve balls he would toss her way.

Sarah perked up and said, "He proposed in the corridor of Westside Medical when his sister was in labor, and we dated for almost five years, though there was a bit of turbulence along the way," she looked up at Chuck, "remember hurricane Jill?"

Chuck waived his hand, "Long story, and I've got one on you, as you well know, Sam. Well we've got to get ready for lunch, talk to you later."

As they walked toward the building that housed Chuck's apartment Sarah spoke first, "I want you to know that I never slept with Daniel Shaw. We came pretty close, but I just couldn't go that far, at the time I was very much in love with you."

Chuck considered this for a moment; did she remember that whole mess?

"I always wondered why you told him your name was Sam, instead of your real name?"

"I would never tell him that, we just weren't that intimate, he was pushing me, so I threw him a bone."

"It doesn't matter any way now, at the time I guess you could say we had a troubled relationship, we were hurting each other in those days, but hey, we got past it and got married, and now we're back together with a baby, I mean a little girl. That's a good thing."

"Chuck let's drop it, we're happy right now. Now does the Bartowski test have something to do with the Intersect that you have?"

The more they were together the more they fell into the old rhythm that had made them, eventually, a natural couple. Sarah had pieced together that the listing of Ellie on Carmichael's website as a neurological consultant had something to do with her continuation of her father's research. She had glimpsed the entrance to her lab during her tour of the facility.

Chuck knew how smart an investigator Sarah was and so he divulged his billion dollar secret, "Yes I have an Intersect in my head. It is not government secrets this time, but rather an enhancement of my ability to find vulnerabilities in software. That's what I do here, the engineers write software and then I test it. This Intersect is a lighter version of my old one without the debilitating side effects; I don't need a governor for it."

They were now at the door of his apartment, Chuck placed his hand on the biometric scanner that operated the lock.

Sarah walked into the foyer and looked up at Chuck, "Do you think she can help me, you know, get back all that I lost?"

"She's been working on it for three years."

Sarah smiled, "Good."

Chuck smiled at her, "You know the girls won't be here for another hour and a half, we could shower and change."

Sarah began to unbutton her blouse and said, "You're right; I think we're going to need a shower."

After they had finished in the bedroom, Sarah and Chuck showered, together, and got dressed to wait for Ellie and Awesome to arrive with the kids for lunch. Incredibly neither of them, despite offers, had had sex since their breakup. Now they were like newlyweds giddy with the possibilities of making love with someone they felt totally comfortable with, and they were looking for opportunities to sneak one in, any chance they got.

They sat down on Chuck's large white leather sectional and Chuck drew a deep breath, "Sarah I need to tell you something." He then took another breath, "I knew where you were, and I knew when Carina was born, I know my name is on her birth certificate. Everyday I sit and watch her daycare's camera on a monitor in my office. I've even flown to Washington to watch the two of you in Rock Creek Park." He went on, "I guess I was afraid, afraid that if I approached you that you would go underground, and I'd never see either of you again." He drew a breath, "Now I feel like a fool who wasted so much precious time."

Sarah smiled slightly, "I know what you did, do you think someone could watch my child through binoculars and me not know it? Chuck I don't blame you after what had happened between us. I pulled a gun on your sister, and threw you down a flight of stairs. I wasn't myself, and it has taken me some time to find myself. I know this, I want to be the person I was…, I am with you."

Chuck, his voice breaking a bit said, "You don't know how good it feels to hear you say that. I often felt like I was wasting my life, but now I don't."

Sarah smiled, "This is real, and I feel so comfortable being back in California. I want more than anything for us to be a family, you're my home Chuck, you always have been."

Lunch was held on the roof of the Carmichael dining facility. Chuck invited everyone he could think of from the old Buy More orbit. Chuck had a sentimental weakness for his old workmates, and had, against Beckman's better judgment, hired many of them to work at Carmichael. He had made sure as many of them that could make it were there. Chuck for his part doted on Carina and his nieces, they were wearing matching outfits and purses purchased for them by their grandmother Mary Bartowski. Red afroed Skip worked IT, often alongside Jeff Barnes who had gotten his ex-stripper sister a job in housekeeping. They were all present, gorging themselves at the buffett. Sarah mostly huddled with Ellie, and after eating they left for Ellie's neurological lab nestled in one of the nondescript buildings on the campus.

Chapter 4

Ellie's lab was impressive and obviously well funded. There were only a few people working in it when they arrived, but there were workstations for at least twenty. Several offices had names on their doors ending in M.D. or PhD. Sarah surmised that this was not Chuck indulging his sister's hobby. Carmichael Industries would not have invested this much money and effort into something like this unless it was profitable or potentially so. Sarah followed Ellie into her office the walls of which were festooned with her many degrees and awards.

"I can't tell you how much I've missed you Sarah, it's so good to have you back. We just love Carina. You've both made Chuck so happy, not just Chuck all of us and my girls."

"It feels so good to be back, it feels like home, everyone has been so nice, and understanding."

Ellie smiled, "Yeah things were tough, a few years ago, but let's not dwell on that."

"Chuck tells me you can help restore more of my memories that Quinn erased."

"Have a seat," Ellie sat down behind her desk facing Sarah. "I can't work miracles, but I have had some success with Morgan. His intersect was the same as yours and created the same problems. Quinn went a step further with you. He actively attacked your memories using some rather crude and brutal techniques."

"I have been recovering some memories on my own, things come to me, being back here with my friends and Chuck has really brought me back, but huge gaps remain."

"We've developed what we call mini-intersects that very specifically implant skill sets into a patient's brain. We have also used them in a limited way with Alzheimer's patients. In both cases the results are promising but far short of miracles."

"Ellie, I have no preconceived notions, I didn't come here expecting anything like this, I just wanted my daughter to know her father. For a long while I forgot my love for your brother, but over the years as memories have returned I came to realize that he was the only man I have ever, could ever love. I want back what we had, even if we have to rebuild it from scratch."

Ellie smiled at this, "What I plan to try with you has its advantages and disadvantages. You are unique in that your life in Burbank was chronicled in great detail. Chuck has given me access to literally years of CIA surveillance video. I've got to tell you I was stunned to find the government had a camera in my bedroom!"

"I'm so sorry Ellie it just came with the territory. Casey and I tried to protect your privacy as best we could. After I moved in with Chuck I turned the camera in our bedroom off."

"It's alright," Ellie smiled a bit and leaned forward, "before we had kids Devon and I used to romp around quite a bit. One night we watched ourselves, you know, at it, back in the day. It was weird and it kind of made me cringe, but Devon was really into it, like he was watching a football game."

Sarah smiled at this, "I don't know if I want to watch me and Chuck doing it, maybe we should save that for later."

Ellie straightened up and spoke, "There is an issue. I call it the Bartowski Problem. My father designed the original intersect around his own unique neural patterns. Later when Chuck was accidentally exposed to the early version of the Intersect he incorporated his patterns into the design. The issue is that everyone is unique. That's why it failed so miserably in Hartley Winterbottom, but worked so well in our Chuck. The intersect Quinn implanted in you and Morgan was a crude weaponized version of The Ring's attempt to make their own. That said, we have kept our versions simple and small and they seem to work well."

Ellie stood up, "I have prepared a small one for you, containing something pleasant from your past. I don't want to tell you what it is, I just want to see if it triggers any revival of your memory."

"I'm ready when you are. I trust you completely."

"It is ready now."

Ellie handed a pair of goggles that reminded Sarah of night vision glasses.

"I just have to establish a Bluetooth connection and send you the file. Stay in your chair and I will give you a countdown."

Sarah had experienced it before, but the installation of an intersect was still an overwhelming experience. Nothing compared to it, images, sounds, and feelings came at you like a brutal assault. It was over very quickly. Sarah felt like she was coming out of anesthesia when Ellie gently lifted the goggles off of her face.

"Don't get up, just sit still for a few minutes and breath, you should start to remember things right away.

"It feels so strange, but thoughts are in my head, I can't tell if they are real or not, it's like I have no control over them."

"That's exactly what you should feel, take a walk around the campus, when a memory comes try to pull up more detail. You will kind of zone out, but stay in the memory and see what it brings to you."

After a few minutes Sarah felt stable and stood up, "Chuck is alone with Carina, I need to go to the apartment."

"Oh honey, you don't have to worry about her, she'll be fine with him."

"It's not her I'm worried about, my little girl can be a handful and he's new to the parenting game."

"Let him have a little trial by combat, if he gets in too deep he'll call me or mom."

Sarah left the lab and began the short walk to Chuck's apartment. She took a detour around the duck pond next to the main administration building. Just then she was approached by Madison Thule.

"Hello again, I hope you're settling in here."

"I am, it is good to see you again."

"Notice anything different about me?"

Madison then raised her left hand revealing an engagement ring, "I'm engaged!"

"Congratulations! Good for you, keep me in the loop. I'm just headed to the apartment. Poor Chuck is home alone with our daughter, so I have to go save him."

"I will, when we set a date you and Chuck will be the first to know."

Sarah needed to get away fast, the flash she was experiencing was harder and more realistic than anything she had experienced since Japan four years before. There were some benches around the pond and she sat down on one. The memory she was having felt exactly like she was in the moment. It was her wedding day. She was sitting on a folding chair in a short bathrobe while a woman did her makeup. Her bridesmaids Carina Miller, Zondra, and Ellie were all flitting about in various states of undress. Her cellphone rang, and she was surprised to hear her father on the other end.

"I just wanted to wish you luck and tell you I love you, Sport!"

"Don't make me cry dad, it will ruin my makeup, but thank you, I love you too."

The flash ended with that. Sarah was almost on the verge of tears, but it was wonderful. She stood up and began to rush back to the apartment. This was exactly what she wanted and needed.

Chapter 5

When the luncheon was finished and everyone had left, Chuck took Carina back to the apartment. Tired, overwhelmed, and missing her mother Carina became increasingly agitated and new father Chuck started to panic. Sarah had been gone for two hours and was not answering her phone.

The fit got worse and Chuck, who had no capacity to scold her, finally blurted out, "Can daddy buy you something?"

Carina stopped crying and looked up at him, "I want a puppy, a white puppy, mommy says I can't get one because we don't have a yard."

Chuck seized on this, "We have a yard here and at our other houses; we've got great big yards."

Carina considered this information for a moment, and calmed down, "I want a white puppy with its own doghouse and a collar, and it can be in my room!"

The fact that she had calmed down was enough for Chuck, and besides, he wanted a dog himself. Just then Sarah let herself in and Carina ran toward her ecstatically shouting, "I'm getting a puppy! Daddy said."

Sarah looked at Chuck sideways, but she wasn't mad, she did wonder exactly how well a dog would fit into a crowded and busy place like Carmichael.

Chuck volunteered, "Let's take a ride there is something I need to show both of you."

Chuck drove them into a middle class neighborhood and stopped the car in front of a house Sarah immediately recognized.

She smiled and said, "It's our dream house, I hadn't dared to imagine it was still available after four years."

Chuck put his arm around Sarah, "Its mine, er uh ours, community property and all that. I bought it two years ago on the off chance that someday you would come back to me." Opening the door Chuck offered, "There's not much in it, just my old gaming chairs, and all my memories. There is one special thing; it was for a while all you remembered about us."

"I know what it is," a smiling Sarah said as she walked toward the archway between the dining and living room of the house with the red door and the white picket fence. There in the wood was "Sarah + Chuck" carved there by Sarah when they realized it would be some time before they could afford to move in.

Chuck looked at Carina and asked, "Can you write your name baby?"

Carina mumbled, "Not a baby, mommy helps me write my name."

Chuck smiled, "I know you're not a baby, that's just what I used to call mommy."

Chuck pulled a purple sharpie out of his pocket protector, and handed it to Carina. With Sarah guiding her hand she scrawled her name below that of her mother and father.

Chuck knelt down and examined the new signature, "Well now it's complete, our family is complete, it says so right here."

Sarah looked up at Chuck and smiled, "There's still room for more names."

Chuck grinned back, "Noted."

That night, Sarah's last before heading back to Washington, the family gathered at the apartment. John and Gertrude took turns holding their grand-baby Rose, and whatever child wanted to cuddle at any given time. Mary Bartowski gathered the children around and told them stories of the Frost Queen which they listened to with rapt attention.

Morgan spoke up, "So which house are you guys going to live in?"

Awesome took this queue and offered, "If it was me, it would be the ranch or the boat, you could get Carina bouldering or jet skiing early, she could develop some awesome skills."

Sarah looked at Chuck with a puzzled expression, "How many houses do you own?"

Chuck looked at her a little defensively and said, "Well there's this apartment, and the picket fence place, and eh, the ranch up near Tahoe, which is really just a house with some land and a horse barn, but no horses, I'm allergic."

Morgan jumped back in, "And the vineyard at Windsor in Sonoma, and that yacht, whoa baby!"

Sarah looked at him a little suspiciously and said with just a hint of sarcasm, "You've been busy in the real estate world, where do you find the time, with your grueling work schedule sweetie?"

The truth was that Chuck had spent millions on properties he rarely visited. The Lake Tahoe house was mostly loaned to friends and family. Chuck found visiting Sonoma alone boring. He had taken the yacht to Mexico a few times with Morgan and Casey. Casey had used the opportunity to shoot traps off the side, and they had both been witness to the nauseating sight of Morgan swimming naked in the Pacific. The yacht itself was the one the government had seized from Lon Kirk after one of Sarah and Chuck's missions. All these things were bought to try and fill the void in Chuck's life that was now filled, finally, by his wife and daughter.

Chuck spoke up, "Well buddy we are just going to have to work that out, but I have made an unbreakable promise involving a member of the canine family that will require some room and a fence."

This news excited Morgan, "Peaches III, I can't wait!"

Chuck smiled and nodded.

Saturday April 9, 2016

Carina had started the night lying between her parents, but by morning they were spooning and she was at the bottom of the bed sideways. The silver alarm clock that woke them was the same one Chuck had given Sarah as a replacement for one she had destroyed with a well-placed knife throw. Mary Bartowski had spent the night in the guest room and was already up early and cooking breakfast when a groggy Chuck appeared in search of coffee. Chuck helped Sarah bathe and dress Carina for the flight. They rode to LAX in Mary's Cadillac with Mary at the wheel, Chuck and Sarah sat in the back with their child between them. They were quiet and just a bit sad to be separating even for the few days Sarah would need to make the move back to California. Mary and Chuck walked them to the TSA checkpoint, there were kisses all around and waves as mom and daughter disappeared down the long corridor to their gate.

Mary and Chuck drove back silently until they were almost home. Mary looked at Chuck and blurted out, "I want you to get rid of those damn motorcycles, you're a father!"

On the plane Sarah was lost in thought. Just after boarding the plane she had a flash. Chuck and Sarah had set out to honeymoon in Charleston S.C., but the introduction of the Volkoff fortune had diverted them back to California after a few days there. The memory was of Chuck finding a woman's shoe in a gutter as they strolled from their hotel to the restaurant where they were having dinner. It was a good brand, and after he found its mate, he suggested she try them on. The shoes were obviously too small, and this prompted Chuck to make a silly joke about Sarah having to shop in the amazon section of shoe stores. She smiled, it was thrilling to recover yet another mundane but endearing memory of her relationship with her husband. Ellie had prepared dozens more of the programs which she would carefully expose Sarah to over the next year, she was looking forward to it, but a nagging question remained. Why was she having Intersect flashes before Ellie exposed her to the mini-Intersect she had developed?

Chuck had upgraded their seats to first class and Carina sat in the window seat, it was overcast and there was nothing to see but the tops of clouds. Instead she looked at a couple dozen photographs Chuck had given her. They were taken at the rooftop lunch and mostly featured Carina with various guests.

Carina tugged at Sarah's sleeve, "I need to go potty."

Sarah took her to the first class restroom and on the way back to their seats the little girl turned right instead of left. A trio of two men and a woman were sitting in the middle seats; the man in the middle seat was talking to the woman on his right with a copy of Fortune magazine resting across his knee. Carina stepped into their aisle bent down and kissed the cover of the magazine.

"Daddy", she said as she stood up. The people were taken aback by her behavior, but she was cute, the flight was boring, and they found her behavior amusing.

The man with the magazine turned and said, "No unfortunately I'm not your daddy."

Carina pointed at the magazine and said, "My daddy is on your book."

The man held up the magazine and said to the obviously confused child, "Oh, is this your daddy? Well good for him. What's your name?"

Sarah had sat down and was watching the exchange; she wanted to see how Carina handled herself interacting with these adults.

"Carina Zondra Bartowski three years old!" she shot back quickly.

The woman in the group then said, "I like your purse, it's pretty."

Carina then pulled it to her front and opened it, "Do you want to see my pictures?"

The woman smiled, "Oh yes I would love to."

This prompted Carina to move closer to her and pull the photos out of her purse.

"That's Nana, she has a black car."

The woman and the men smiled, it was a cute diversion to interact with this charming child. Carina continued "Molly", and then she stunned all three of them. "Daddy!" she said with squealing emphasis, "He is going to get me a puppy, a white puppy and it can sleep in my room."

The photo showed Carina being held by a beaming Chuck. The man in the photo holding this little girl was obviously Charles Bartowski, the fastest rising star in the software world. The trio all worked in software and they suddenly perked up, Bartowski was famously aloof; here before them was a connection, and these people were all about networking. The next picture in her collection was the family; Chuck was holding Carina with Sarah standing next to them.

Now she was standing next to the trio of business people, Sarah spoke, "I'm sorry I hope she's not bothering you."

"No not at all," said the man with the magazine. "She was just showing us pictures, she saw my copy of Fortune," he said holding it up for Sarah. "She told us that was her father on the cover, and well, that appears to be the case."

Sarah had the three's undivided attention, "She has been a little obsessed with that magazine since it came out, and yes, Charles Bartowski is my husband." Anticipating that she would soon be an executive at Carmichael, Sarah decided to take her first stab at business networking. She held out her hand, "I'm Sarah Bartowski."

The man in the aisle seat shook her hand, "Ifran Josi, this is Miller Adams, and Penny Royter we are with Wells Fargo Securities."

They each began to bring out business cards. Sarah reached across the aisle and dug into her bag. Penny Royter noticed that while nice, Sarah's purse wasn't what you would expect to find with the wife of a billionaire. For that matter what was she doing on a Delta flight to DC? Surely Carmichael Industries had private jets, but who knows what the story is. The men were too mesmerized by Sarah's looks and short skirt to think such thoughts. Sarah handed them her cards which Beckman had made up and delivered to her.

Sarah L. Bartowski

Executive Vice-President

Carmichael Industries

Penny Royter was still a bit suspicious, but one thing was for sure. The child was convinced Charles Bartowski was her father, and had real photos of herself with him, she would look into it. If she was who she said she was this could be an "in'' at the top of a hot company.

Chuck face-timed that night and they both expressed sadness at having to spend even a few nights apart.

Monday April 11, 2016

At 6:00am the alarm went off and Sarah headed to the coffeemaker, her phone was charging next to it, and was already buzzing, it was Chuck.

"Hi Chuck," a smiling Sarah answered.

"I did something crazy, but I had to," Sarah wondered if he had bought something expensive. "I'm in front of your building in a rental car, I was so lonely without my girls. I took one of the company's jets and flew in this morning."

Sarah wasn't angry or annoyed, she missed him too.

"Come to the door, I'll buzz you in, but don't think this is a booty call. I have to go into work after I drop off Carina."

Chuck walking and talking said, "I'm shocked and disappointed that you would ascribe such base motives to me, my intentions are honorable."

Sarah let Chuck in, they kissed and he looked around the apartment, "This is nice, have you contacted a mover?"

"I was going to in the next day or so, I have a lot to do, maybe you could take care of that."

"No problem, you can probably fit a lot of your personal stuff on the plane I came in, I guess the next question is; have you decided where we are going to live?"

Chuck followed her into the bathroom where she began to undress to shower, "Mmmm Mrs. Bartowski are you trying to seduce me?" Sarah was now completely naked waiting for the hot water to come up.

"Far from it horn dog, you need to cool your jets, I think for now we should live in the apartment. We can walk Carina to the daycare and I can check in on her all day, having her cousins along with Morgan and Alex's kids there seals the deal."

Chuck got her towel off the hook and waited for her to come out of the shower, "I agree, in all honesty I think it's the most sensible place for us right now."

Chuck rode with Sarah to the Coles' home. He followed Sarah and Carina to the door where Shirease was waiting.

"Shirease I'd like you to meet my husband Chuck Bartowski, as I told you on the phone I'm leaving the Secret Service to move back to California, but I'll be working this week and Chuck has some business to attend to in town."

Chuck chimed in, "I'll pick her up today around lunchtime."

Shirease looked Chuck up and down, "We are really going to miss her, she's the sweetest little girl, but I'm glad you all are going to be together".

As Sarah and Chuck walked away she spoke up, "I hear that the daycare at Carmichael is one of the best in Los Angeles."

Chuck answered, "It is, Beckman saw to that, it's associated with UCLA's College of Education, we've got politicians and celebrities on the waiting list."

Sarah looked at him and said, "Well I hope we can get her in."

Chuck shot back, "Don't worry I know a guy."

After dropping off Sarah at work, Chuck drove to Carmichael's offices in DC. The company had about sixty employees there who lobbied and handled government contracts as part of the billions of dollars in business done between the entities. Chuck had little interest in his company's financial dealings, he was richly rewarded and got to spend his days deep in the world of software. Chuck had put on a suit so he would fit in, but all he really wanted to do was use a desk and a telephone to handle the business of moving his family. Chuck being Chuck walked up to the reception desk and introduced himself, sort of.

"Good Morning, I'm Chuck Bartowski, I work for Carmichael back in LA, and I was wondering, well I'm in town on personal business, I'm trying to get my wife and little girl moved out to LA, and I wanted to know if there was maybe an empty office with a phone, and maybe I could borrow a pad to write things down on, I have a bunch of things to do and I want to keep them straight. And, and a desktop computer would be nice so I could check on some things back at headquarters, where I work."

The receptionist found this awkward man, dressed in jeans and a tee shirt, quite odd, and was not sure if he was legitimate.

"Let me call my supervisor, maybe she can help you."

The supervisor, Mrs. Brodus, was also skeptical of this man's request. She explained that for safety and security reasons allowing him into the offices was out of the question, and suggested he use his hotel's business center. Chuck decided to pursue a different approach after he was invited to leave.

"Uh General, this is Chuck; I need you to help me out here."

Beckman made a call to the Chief of Operations in DC. Within seconds the man flanked by his assistants burst into the lobby. He had met Chuck a few times and began to look for him. He said to the receptionist and Mrs. Brodus.

"Was a man in here? Tall, beard, Mr. Bartowski?"

The receptionist pointed through the glass doors to Chuck standing outside. The men rushed out and came back in profusely apologizing to Chuck.

"Mrs. Brodus this is Mr. Bartowski the owner of Carmichael Industries, obviously we will be extending to him every courtesy, and we will make sure he has anything he wants or needs. This way sir, you can use my office."

When the lobby cleared the receptionist picked up her cell phone and called her husband, "Have I got a story for you."

As he led Chuck to his office he asked, "Is there anything you need sir?"

Chuck looked around surveying the office and answered, "Some Milk Duds would be great."

Chuck came into the Carmichael offices for a few hours every morning that week. Moving the girls was easy, he donated Sarah's car to charity, her Lotus was in storage in California and it was more of a fit than her Toyota despite its best in class reliability. Beckman made sure he was sent work to look over and approve, Chuck had not done much in the way of work since Sarah had reentered his life, and she wanted him back on track as soon as possible. The employees of the Washington office were somewhat bemused by their boss, but they were also eager to make contact with him, he was after all the biggest boss of all at Carmichael. Chuck played the part of unassuming down to earth boss perfectly. Each day between 10 and 11am he would sit in the break-room eating Milk Duds and drinking a Dr. Jibb. He would answer software and computer hardware questions, but mostly he talked about his wife and daughter. At lunchtime he would leave and pick up Carina, taking her to some of the capitol's attractions or meeting Sarah for lunch. On Thursday he dropped Carina off at the Coles' home for the last time and then he went into the office, worked on a few things and then back to retrieve his daughter. He took Carina to an animal shelter in Virginia to pick out a puppy for the flight home to California.

Carina picked out a sleepy brown pit-bull mix abandoning the white puppy she had been talking about endlessly. She, at her mother's suggestion, named her Bunny. A small get together had been planned for Sarah at a Bennigans in the Washington suburbs. Chuck left Carina with a sitter in the nearly empty apartment and joined Sarah there. He found Sarah and a dozen of her coworkers at some tables pushed together, he gave the bartender his black credit card and told him to take care of the party on his tab. Sarah stood up and waved for him to come to her.

She kissed him and said, "I want everyone to meet my husband Chuck."

Chuck gave a small wave and looked around for a chair. Then a large woman, Anita Wright, stood and tapped her glass for attention, "I think we can all agree we are really going to miss Sarah, and I hope she'll remember us when she's living the good life with this hunk in sunny California." She then reached into her purse and pulled out a copy of Fortune magazine.

"Check this out, just so you know, he flew here to get her on his private jet!"

The others let out a collective woo, "So Sarah honey, all I've got to say is have fun baby, you've already got good luck!"

Sarah then stood, "I have to say it's with a heavy heart I'm leaving, we've had some good times and have done some good work these last few years. Just so you know I'm not a gold-digger, when I met him he was making ten dollars an hour fixing computers at a Buy More."

Chuck jumped in, "Hello, twelve fifty."

The crowd laughed, Sarah continued, "I really am going to miss you all, I've left a stack of cards from my new job and I want each of you to take one I'd love to hear from you, and we'll be back every so often."

When Sarah's coworkers found out the tab was covered they started ordering drinks and food with wild abandon. Chuck didn't care, he loved seeing Sarah happy and smiling, by eleven everyone had left except for a drunken downtrodden Jim Reynolds.

He staggered up to Chuck and offered, "You take good care of her, God she's so pretty, and Sarah if he doesn't treat you right, call me and I'll be right out there to Los California," he then glared at Chuck and added, "Secret Service, I carry a gun."

Chuck looked down at him and said, "Thanks Jim, I'm going to call you a cab."

Friday April 15, 2016

The next morning Chuck had the crew remove a couple of seats from the Gulfstream private jet and build a small dog pen with plastic fencing and AstroTurf. After takeoff and the climb out Carina lay in the pen with her puppy and played until they both fell asleep. The couple then went to their seats, sat down and began to talk.

Sarah began, "Beckman has been sending me material on the first investigation she wants me to direct. It's pretty disturbing stuff coming out of Syria. She has promised me a full briefing and an introduction to my team when we get in."

"That's great; sounds like you should be able to hit the ground running."

Sarah sighed, "I hope so, I hope I'm not resented as the boss' dilettante wife, coming in and taking over because I'm sleeping with the right person."

Chuck chuckled a bit and said, "You'll show em, you were the CIA's best field agent, and that ought to show in your work, and you're not there because of who you sleep with, you co-founded the company, and the Volkoff Industries money was given to both of us, but you earned it going undercover for months with that monster, in that black wig and leather suit. By the way do you still have them? Just curious."

Sarah smiled, "So you're already thinking about cheating on me, with me?"

Chuck leaned over and kissed her, "It seems like lately I've only got one thing on my mind."

"Me too, but there is something else I need to discuss with you. The beard; I hate it, it's just so Morgan, and it's pretty rough on my face especially the way we've been going at it lately", she then whispered, "rough on the thighs too."

Chuck smirked, "Well I could stop visiting the south land, so to speak".

They were forehead to forehead now, "No you're welcome to visit anytime the notion strikes you; I just want you to shave off that damn beard. Do it in front of Carina so the change is not too jarring for her, you're still pretty new to her, daddy".

Just then Carina mumbled "mommy" and crawled into Sarah's lap, Sarah tenderly cradled her and she fell back asleep almost instantly.

Chuck then whispered to Sarah, "Do you think she'll ever be that comfortable with me?" Sarah looked up at him, "She is, she just came to me because this is something we do. You're a good father Chuck, and you will get better, quickly, we've got this."

Chapter 6

Monday April 18, 2016

Sarah was nervous about her first day working at the company she owned. Chuck walked with her to the building where the Investigations Department was located. Essentially their job was to follow up on cyber threats and attacks, and then try to persuade the countries hosting the hackers to crack down on them. This side of the work was done in those countries by operatives that were hired as independent contractors; most of them came from the ranks of the alphabet soup of intelligence agencies in the US and abroad. Her team at Carmichael headquarters was mostly nerdy computer wizards recruited from Silicon Valley and California's top universities. They were all shocked when their team leader told them that they were getting a new boss who was at Beckman's direction going to expand the scope of investigations beyond computer crime. The twenty six members of the team were gathered in a conference room. They were a diverse bunch, about two thirds male, and they were typically slovenly in appearance. The men in the room perked up at the sight of Sarah, immaculate and gorgeous as ever in a very short skirt.

She smiled and began, "I'm sure what I'm here for has been the subject of some speculation, I hope when we finish today you will have, at least, a rough idea of what direction the company is hoping to take the Investigations Division."

Sarah surveyed the room and decided to see if she could win them over early, "I'll start with who I am; my name is Sarah Bartowski. Five years ago along with my husband, Chuck Bartowski, I co-founded Carmichael Industries. The other rumor you've heard is true; I was a CIA officer. I was recruited while still in high school, and was posted all over the world for over a decade. For the past three years I have been at the Secret Service, but now I'm back home and it is my hope that you will give me a chance to become a part of your team. I understand how this looks, that I'm coming in and taking over without paying my dues. I don't think I know it all, I know I can learn from you all."

She let the meeting go informal and spent two hours answering questions and getting to know the members. Sarah spent the rest of the day moving about the campus sitting in on meetings and introducing herself to the movers and shakers with the organization. She finally made it home to the apartment after six that night. She was greeted at the door by her niece Clara and Sister Molly; they were both there to see the puppy. Chuck, Ellie, Emma, and Mary all greeted her effusively congratulating her on her first day at the new job. A catered meal was waiting and they spent a few hours of family time focused on Sarah and, of course, the puppy. Carina went to bed exhausted leaving Chuck and Sarah on the couch each with a glass of white wine.

Chuck started, "So how are you feeling about everything? Do you feel comfortable with everything?"

She took a sip, "I'm good with it all; I think I'm going to love it here, everyone was wonderful. I'm pretty worn out, and I started my period, rah rah."

Chuck smiled, "Does that mean I get to keep my beard a little longer?"

Sarah laughed, "No it doesn't, but there is something I want to discuss with you."

Chuck studied her face, "Go ahead, what's on your mind?"

Sarah looked up at him and took a breath, "I want a baby, I want us to have another baby. I think it's the right time and my hormones are screaming, this is what I want, us together with our babies."

Chuck was a little breathless, "Uh yeah, that would be great, I think we're solid as rock, but you know you're just starting a new job and a new life, are you ready for all that at once? And I did buy all those condoms."

Sarah gave a small smile, "I am ready to come at life full throttle and I don't want to feel like I'm wasting any more time."

Chuck stood up, "full throttle, I like it, but for now my tank is empty, you wanna hit the sack, I guess owing to present circumstances making a baby tonight is out of the question."

They went to bed, it took Chuck a while to fall asleep; he felt life coming at him full throttle.

Tuesday April 19, 2016

Beckman had set a meeting for eleven am to brief Sarah on her first big investigation for the company. When Sarah arrived at the conference room she was surprised to find Casey there along with two Air Force officers she'd met before, Majors Victoria Dunwoody and Rick Noble, both were in uniform and sat stiffly at the table. Sarah sat down in front of a laptop and legal pad. Beckman looked at her watch and scowled at the door. Just then, in burst Chuck in jeans and a t-shirt so faded the name of the band was unreadable.

Beckman began, "I believe you all know Major Noble, he is going to brief us on the mission."

The word mission made Sarah and Casey perk up; Chuck on the other hand just squinted. Beckman stepped back and motioned for the Noble to take the front.

Noble, ramrod stiff, began a PowerPoint, "Four months ago our intelligence assets in Syria detected an attack on a remote village that is hostile to the regime in Damascus. This attack, which killed more than forty people, was carried out using a very sophisticated chemical weapon, similar to the Norseman device developed by Volkoff Industries."

Chuck and Sarah both winced at the thought of the Norseman which had nearly killed her just before their wedding.

Noble, aware of this, continued, "This particular weapon appears to be capable of killing and sparing people based on their haplogroup, in layman's terms, who your father is."

Chuck tentatively raised his hand like a school boy, "Uh this is all very interesting, but we're a computer company, you know viruses and stuff like that, and I don't do missions anymore."

He looked at Sarah and volunteered, "We don't do missions anymore; we have a little girl, Carina, and a puppy!"

Chuck flashed a picture of Carina and Bunny on his phone to Noble, who ignored it.

Beckman spoke up, "He's not finished, I think you are going to be interested in what he'll show you next."

Noble looked at Chuck derisively and continued, "We have developed intelligence that this device was developed in Turkmenistan under the direction of a Polish chemist named Andrzej Szczeklik, who is as sleazy as he is brilliant. He had the help of several other expatriate chemists and biologists. We have identified several of them including this young lady, whom I believe you are familiar with." The next slide brought the room to silence. It was Jill Roberts. Her hair was longer, dyed lighter, and she was wearing contacts, but it was her.

Sarah spoke first, "Is she mixed up in this?"

Rick Noble continued, "She has been identified as one of the team working on several black biology weapons including the one used in Syria."

Now Victoria Dunwoody stood up and spoke, "She is our key to stopping this thing, this weapon is ethnic cleansing in a can, and it can be used to eliminate whole groups based on ethnicity. What's more it doesn't leave much of a footprint; it looks like the victims died of the flu."

Noble took the floor back, "After she escaped your custody in 2009 Dr. Roberts made her way first to Mexico, and eventually to Turkmenistan without our knowledge. After the defeat of the Ring, by your team, we dropped surveillance on her family. When she was identified as part of this operation surveillance was restarted and we discovered that she has returned to the US with some regularity, to meet with her parents at locations other than their home."

Chuck raised his hand, "Why don't you just arrest her, she's a fugitive."

Dunwoody jumped back in, "We want her cooperation, she's been in prison, and when she was there she didn't give an inch. This time, however we believe we have two factors that can work in our favor."

Sarah anticipating that they might be planning to use Chuck in some capacity asked, "And they are?"

Noble looked straight at her and said, "She is pregnant and her parents believe the father is her husband, Chuck Bartowski."

With this Chuck jumped out of his seat, and began to speak quickly like he always did when agitated, "That's preposterous I haven't seen her in years," raising a finger he looked around the room, "and even then I was very careful!"

Noble, unperturbed answered this, "Obviously, but the fact remains that her parents believe you are the father. What we want you to do is surprise her at the resort where she is meeting them and get Dr. Roberts alone at some point and make her an offer."

Chuck again raised his hand but Noble ignored it, "The offer is this; controlled residency in the US, she can keep her baby, and she works with the Defense Intelligence Agency to understand and counter these sorts of weapons. We will let her maintain the charade of her marriage until such time when you two get a divorce. It is a fair offer considering all she has done." Chuck had sat back down and once again raised his hand to speak, but Sarah touched his arm to quiet him.

She then asks, "This sounds like a Team Bartowski mission, and that part of our lives is long buried, we haven't been on a mission in years, and we have a child to think of."

Noble answered her, "Understood, all Chuck would need to do is make the offer, if she accepts or turns it down our team is going to move in. If she accepts we let her spend the time with her parents and then we take over, if she resists, we arrest her on the spot. You are just a messenger, someone who can deliver the offer."

Chuck, his mind racing and his speech sputtering, jumped back in, "So if she says yes I have to stay there with her? In her room? I, I can't do that, I'm a married man, or do you want me to seduce her, I've got mad skills at that, I guess you heard about Sasha Banacheck?"

Beckman rolled her eyes while Sarah narrowed hers and gave Chuck a look of disdain and anger he knew well.

"Maybe I could say I can't sleep in the room with her because the baby kicking makes too much noise."

Sarah frowned at him, threw her head back and rubbed her eyes. Casey snorted and smiled just a bit at Chuck's ridiculous comment.

Rick Noble then firmly took back the floor, "Chuck, all we're asking you to do is use your pre-existing relationship with Dr. Roberts to get our message to her. We don't want to spook her, we are giving her the opportunity to help her country and move back into the mainstream. If she turns it down, she has her baby in prison. That's what she needs to understand and what you need to communicate to her."

Dunwoody chimed in, "This is not a mission in your old understanding of the word, we just need you to go in, wired of course, and make her the offer. We know she is being watched, but we can extract you and her easily. We have evidence she carries a large, probably encrypted, hard drive with her, we're hoping it contains data on her work."

Chuck stood back up, "I'll do it. I cared a lot for Jill at one time, but most of all there's a child involved and I don't want to see anything happen to her baby. Maybe I can help."

Their plan was simple. Jill was going to meet her parents at a resort near Palm Springs, on their second night he would show up at dinner time with a story about missing her so much he couldn't stay away. The entire resort and the rooms booked for her family had been bugged and rigged for video. Chuck and the team would improvise based on what they heard, but the plan was to get her alone in her room, their room, and make her the offer. There was some small element of danger, but it was nothing like Chuck's missions with the CIA.

That night before going to bed Chuck and Sarah discussed the mission over a glass of wine. Chuck spoke first, "Well how do you feel about me doing this? We've been out of the game and I had hoped I would never go back, it has cost me, us, a lot."

Sarah took a sip and looked up at the pacing Chuck, "I spent my whole life in government service, and as you know I've done some things…," she took a gulp, "but this should be ok. That said I'm not going to be there with you, I can't have your back on this one, and that scares me a little." She then raised her hand with the palm toward Chuck before he said anything.

"I know you can handle this without me, I just know you're better, we're better as a team. I've asked them to put me on the feed, so I can be there for you."

Chuck sat down next to her, "I love having you in my ear; we were a great team. It's just strange being pulled back into the world of spying, the deception and dangers; I thought I had buried Charles Carmichael, super spy, for good."

Chapter 7

Saturday April 23, 2016

The DIA team drove Chuck to Palm Springs in a black spy van, the type he had spent many hours in back in the day. Behind them was a second and third van filled with hard black ops commando types including John Casey. As they entered the resort the thought of the mission finally sunk in and Chuck became nervous.

"Guys what if she calls my bluff?'' he said into the air.

Major Dunwoody spoke up, "We will have eyes on you the whole time, if things go south, and I don't think they will, and we will be on you in a flash."

Sarah then cut in "I'm right here sweetie, just keep calm and carry on."

They arrived at the resort just before six in the evening. There was a rental car waiting for Chuck and a new cell phone, the DIA held his phone to avoid any unwanted calls or photos of his real life to blow his cover. A third voice came into Chuck's earpiece,

"Agent Bartowski, this is Captain Rod Barton the surveillance coordinator. I have been listening in on the Roberts family and I wanted to give you a few updates to insure your cover. Dr. Roberts told her parents you were in Moscow on business, and she would meet with you soon in Los Angeles. They have seen and read last month's Fortune magazine and are aware of your business, it's a good thing we made sure the article called your wife a mystery."

Chuck thought about this for a moment; the DIA was behind that article? Sarah had told him it was the catalyst that brought her back to him in the first place.

Chuck spoke back to Barton as he moved the car to another parking spot, "Yeah, OK good, I just want to get this over as quickly as possible."

Chuck parked the car and walked toward the suite of rooms Jill had rented.

Chuck walked up to the door and knocked. Wally Roberts, Jill's father opened the door and roared,

"Look who it is!"

He then engaged Chuck in a mock boxing match while a wide eyed Judy Roberts made her way to him for a hug. Jill for her part sat a dining table on the patio clearly stunned. Chuck quickly made his way toward Jill,

"I couldn't stay away from my love bug; I caught the redeye out of Moscow last night."

This let Jill know the room was bugged. She recovered quickly, stood up and let Chuck kiss her on the lips, there were smiles all around for this happy family.

Judy offered, "We're just sitting down to eat, there's plenty, let me fix you a plate."

Chuck replied, "Oh no thanks Judy, I ate on the plane. I'm pretty beat. I just want to unpack, get a quick shower, and hit the old rack. We can all catch up in the morning."

For emphasis Chuck gave a big noisy yawn. He then wheeled his suitcase into a bedroom followed by Jill. Her parents watched them close the door to the bedroom.

Judy Roberts smiled warmly and said, "They're so much in love."

Jill was calmer than Chuck expected, she was calmer than Chuck. They stood in front of the bed.

Jill spoke first, "So why did the CIA send you in undercover? What are they offering?"

Chuck looked her up and down, she was still gorgeous to him, and despite all they had been through he still felt a wave of affection wash over him.

"Cutting right to the chase? I thought I'd at least get a compliment on the beard."

He sat down on the end of the bed, "They know what you are involved in and want you to work for them."

"Prisoner or Slave? I know what the Agency does with rouge scientists and so do you. Remember Manoosh Depak? I see you've done alright, that's a hell of a cover they've given you with Carmichael Industries."

"Carmichael is real. I'm not with the CIA anymore. This is just a one time thing."

"You may believe that, but I don't. I see you're wearing a wedding ring, let me guess that knockout blonde handler you had, Sarah I believe. I know she left you but I am guessing she is back and in love again".

Heavily pregnant she sat down on the bed next to Chuck.

"No, I mean yes I'm married to Sarah, but it's not like that, it's a real marriage and we have a child, a little girl named Carina, and a puppy!"

Jill lowered her head, shook her hair and came back at him, her voice growing more forceful, "My sources tell me she suddenly showed back up in your life, kid in tow, about a month ago, and heavens look who's back on missions for the CIA. I assume she told you the kid is yours?"

This prompted Chuck to wonder who was keeping such close tabs on him and why? If she's getting this information it's being collected somewhere that her spy network can tap into.

"She is mine! We were trying to have a baby before Sarah left, I know she's mine, I can tell."

"It's possible, but what do you really know? I have sources; Chuck. She shows back up after four years with a child, and hops right back into your life with both feet like nothing happened? Oh Chuck you are always so trusting, it's a wonder you have survived this long."

"Jill I'm not going to debate this with you." Chuck stood up, "The deal is on the table, if you tell them what you know, and share your data on these DNA weapons, they will let you keep your baby and work in a government lab somewhere, the alternative is a return to prison."

"You mean our baby. You are her father Chuck." hearing this Chuck moved in closer to the seated Jill.

"I may have flunked Bio-Chem but I can do the math and there is no possible way I am your baby's father, you are just wasting time here Jill."

"Remember at Stanford, Chuck; almost every afternoon after classes we'd make love in your dorm room, you would put a necktie on the doorknob so Bryce wouldn't interrupt us."

"That was a long time ago; you haven't been pregnant for fifteen years Jill."

"I froze your semen that you left in condoms, I planned to use it in my graduate school experiments, or if we needed it after we got married. I found out a few years ago that the samples were still at Stanford, perfectly frozen and viable. I obtained them and performed an in-vitro procedure on myself in my own lab."

Chuck was getting very nervous now. Something about what she was telling him rang true. It was at that exact moment he realized he had heard nothing in his earpiece since he had entered the suite. He had expected something from Sarah to counter what Jill was saying, but there was nothing.

After the van carrying Casey and the assault team designated Team Silver had arrived at the resort he had left the vehicle to scout the location. He was dressed as a linen deliveryman and was carrying a sack that contained soiled sheets and hand grenades. Casey had studied a map of the resort but now he was studying the tactical situation at present. He studied the cars in the lot, possible cover, escape routes, fields of fire; all the things thirty years in the business had taught him to look for in the midst of a mission. Those decades of experience were now telling him that something wasn't right, his gut instincts told him this mission had turned. Casey quickly made his way to the command van. It was a larger vehicle with "Doug Wald's Linen Service" emblazoned on its sides. He gave the coded knock and let himself inside. There he found Dunwoody and Noble anxiously watching Captain Barton furiously working at a computer.

Casey asks Noble, "What's going on?"

Noble who never took his eyes off Barton replied, "We've lost Bartowski's feed and we can't make contact with Walker and Beckman, nothing is working."

Barton then turned and breathlessly said, "It's not an equipment malfunction, our signals are being jammed, even our cellphones are shut down. We're deaf; I can't raise Team Silver or Gold. This is bad sir!"

Noble grimaced and spoke, "This means she is not alone, she's got help, very sophisticated help. Colonel Casey you go to Team Silver's van and have them deploy to the woods on the east side of the resort. I'll hook up with Team Gold and we'll go in after Bartowski and Roberts."

Casey quickly made his way to the Team Silver van, he gave the coded knock and when no one on the inside opened the sliding door he opened it himself. He knew right away they were dead, still he checked the neck pulse of the commando nearest the door. He then grabbed one of their assault rifles, a tactical vest, and a night vision helmet. Colonel John Casey USMC was now in combat mode and he had to make several life of death decisions in a matter of seconds. He was up to the task.

Casey assumed, correctly, that Noble would find Team Gold dead. Team Silver's members had not been shot; they had probably been killed by one of Jill Roberts' exotic weapons. If Rick Noble was still alive he would return to the command van and repurpose the hopefully still living Dunwoody and Barton as an assault team and lead them to the Roberts' suite. Casey would deploy to the scrubby wooded area on the east side of the unit the Robert's suite was in. If Jill was going to escape she would need to exit the complex on the road beside the scrub, Casey could use the scoped assault rifle to disable the vehicle and then move on whoever was in it. He would make stopping Jill Roberts his primary goal, saving Bartowski would be secondary, he loved Chuck, but she was a threat to the country.

"Jill what are you going to do with that?"

Chuck was standing at the foot of the bed with his hands up; she was six feet away with a pistol pointed at Chuck, its laser projecting a small red dot on his heart.

Chuck was scared like he hadn't been in years, "Your parents are in the next room! Are you going to shoot me with them right there?"

Jill's expression didn't change, "Why not? You have been using me for years. You came here with this gun to kill me and my baby so you can be with your other wife and her child." Jill's voice got higher, "Mom just look at his Facebook page, and he's got his blonde bimbo plastered all over it. I've been planting the seeds that you are an abusive cheater for years."

Chuck made a pleading motion with his hands, "Jill no, this is not right".

Her expression didn't change, "We are going for a walk Chuck we have things we need to talk about; one wrong move and I save myself from you. Just cooperate and you can finally be with someone who really loves you, who is having your child. We will be the real family you have always wanted."

Wally and Judy were watching television in the living room when Jill and Chuck emerged. Jill had the gun in her windbreaker's pocket aimed at Chuck, her other arm was entwined with Chuck's.

"We're going to walk around so we both can unwind, we won't be long."

Judy said, "Be careful dear, I heard they killed a snake in the parking lot yesterday." Jill smiled at her mother, "We will be."

"See Judy, they're doing all right, that boy has turned out pretty well, he's rich, has a beautiful wife, that baby will hopefully settle those two down, and we'll see more of them."

Judy mumbled, "I hope so, sometimes I just don't know about him."

John Casey watched them exit the building, he could tell she was holding a gun on Chuck, and he assumed she was taking him to an older Chevy Beauville van occupied by two thuggish types speaking Polish that was parked in the eastern corner of the parking lot just a few meters from where he was hiding. Casey could have simply killed them and set an ambush for Jill, but his gut told him she had more people here than just those two. Two highly trained teams of soldiers had been taken down, and communications were out, he wanted the odds more in his favor. Casey rolled under the van and used his Paracord bracelet to lash his GPS tracking watch to the undercarriage of the vehicle, he activated its emergency beacon, and rolled back silently into the scrub brush.

Jill was still talking as they approached the van, "Sarah has been manipulating you for years, which was her job. Do you think she would be with you if Bryce hadn't died? And what about Daniel Shaw? She jumped right in the bed with that jerk after pretending to love you, it was only after he tried to kill her, with some justification I might add, that she oscillated back to you."

Chuck nervously asked, "How do you know all this stuff? I mean that's one way of looking at things, but we were happy until Quinn showed up and that was not her fault."

Jill shot back, "Real love could have survived that, I know everything about you two, we have sources inside the NSA and I have studied them all. Anybody else would come to the same conclusion, but you are just so trusting Chuck, you can't see the forest for the trees. I told you a long time ago, the CIA, NSA, Fulcrum they are all the same, once you are no longer a useful piece of meat, they'll let you die or rot. They let me rot in jail, until you saved me, because you loved me."

Chuck's training and experience told him not to argue with her, if she believed they were in love, then that might help keep him alive.

They were at the van now, the sliding door was open and the two rough looking men were standing on either side of it. Chuck glanced from side to side, it was dark and he wondered if he could dash into the scrub brush on the other side of the van, he also wondered where his backup was, where was John Casey who had always been there to catch him when he fell. Just then Chuck felt a sting where his jaw and neck met, the sound had already told him it was a tranq dart, his knees buckled and the men pushed him into the van. He was conscious, but his limbs felt like lead, he heard Jill tell the driver to get moving, and the van lurched out of the parking lot and into the night.

Sarah Walker, an agent since high school, did not panic, but she was feeling close to it. She was in a surprisingly sophisticated operations center on the just off the Carmichael campus with Beckman and Morgan and they had heard nothing from Chuck or Casey. One of the monitors sprang to life, it was Rick Noble. Noble quickly brought the room up to speed on the situation.

Gertrude Verbanski was now on the split screen, she made an offer that surprised Sarah, "My team and I are en route to the van's location."

With this Sarah stood up, "I'm suiting up, Chuck needs me, he's unarmed, and Jill is dangerous, and I'm not sure he understands that!"

With that Beckman stiffened up and went into full General mode, "Sit down Agent Walker! Your responsibility is to your daughter; Chuck has Casey and now Verbanski there for him! He would not want you to go charging into this situation potentially leaving that child without parents at all, use your head. We're going to have to wait this one out, trust our team."

With that Sarah sat back down, she knew Beckman was right, but her blood was up, and she hated feeling helpless.

Now Casey was on the screen, "CALL HER OFF! They killed twelve operatives before they even got out of the vans! If my gung ho wife goes charging in there like she always does, they'll all die. We need to know what they used to kill those soldiers, I know she's got Chuck, but for now we have got to use our brains not our brawn or this thing is going to go south real quick."

Just then Captain Rod Barton popped up on the screen, "We have a lock on Colonel Casey's tracker, they're headed southeast into the desert, the Air Force is redirecting a drone but it will take some time, I recommend that Verbanski's helicopter not enter the area, we don't want to spook them."

Sarah stood up and walked to where Beckman was standing; "Now you are going to tell me exactly what's going on, for instance, why is it Grandma Gertrude has an assault team and a feed to a government channel? Why do you?"

Beckman turned to Sarah and said, "As you have probably guessed there is a lot more to Carmichael than meets the eye. We have a second branch called Apex, housed in a building downtown, which handles the darker sort of operations. Chuck was deliberately kept out of the loop, but I had every intention to bring you in. Apex is civilian, but is closely integrated with intelligence operations carried out by a variety of agencies."

Sarah sat back down, "So how did you get me here?"

Beckman pursed her lips and straightened up, "We used one of the mini-intersects that Ellie developed and ran it through your television. Our psych team surmised that you were, at least to some extent, still emotionally attached to Chuck, and we wanted to accelerate those feelings. The magazine article was just a few of the triggers we planted, the plan was to put the two of you in the same hotel, and have you stumble into each other."

Sarah's voice got a little lower, and she glared at Beckman, "Please tell me no one did anything to my child, she was the one who got this started with that magazine."

Beckman looked her directly in the eyes, "That just happened, Carina was always off limits, but she has a natural connection to him, it was just a coincidence."

Sarah turned to Morgan who had been sitting silently throughout the exchange, "Morgan is this true?"

Morgan was nervous but he couldn't lie to Sarah, "Yeah, yeah I knew, know about Apex, and it was my idea to try and bring you back, but that was just because Chuck was just so sad without you. And I knew he could be a great father if given the chance." He then looked up at Sarah and clasped his hands together, "You and Chuck are meant to be together, always, I believe that with all my heart, no harm was meant. If you want to be mad at someone it's me, sometimes I'm just a little too hopeful."

Sarah turned back toward Beckman and said "Ok what now? What has she got in the desert and what is she going to do with Chuck? I don't believe he would willingly go with her."

Beckman turned to the large screen on the wall and barked in her General's voice, "Captain Barton is the drone in position?"

Barton then appeared on the screen, "General the van has stopped at what looks like a makeshift airstrip. There are a couple of military style camouflage tents there, some sort of hanger or barn and two small planes."

Beckman was going into command mode and both Sarah and Morgan were dazzled by her clarity and speed.

"Langley! Is there a combat strike team on go here in California?"

Another face popped up on the screen, that of a female Air Force officer. "A team is standing by in a C-17 at Travis Air Force base, General Beckman, they just need to know where to go."

Beckman then said, with some real grit in her voice, "Are they equipped for chemical warfare?" The clearly intimidated woman answered her, "Yes General they are, but are not suited up, they are prepared for a jump."

Beckman sat down at a computer on the table that had the same display.

"Get the plane in the air now! It can do a wide orbit around the target site, deploy an Osprey to pick up Dunwoody, Noble, and Casey, make sure there are chem-suits on board, and get them in the air!"

Captain Barton came back on the screen. "A third airplane has landed at the site, it's larger, a twin engine, the people on the ground are loading cases into it." Sarah and Morgan were standing behind her watching intently,

Beckman then swiveled in her chair and announced, "They are probably about to light out for Mexico, if they make it there we will lose them and their weapon. I am not going to let that happen."

Sarah was distressed and said "What about Chuck? If you go in there guns blazing, he won't stand a chance!"

Beckman shot back "If that weapon gets out, we could all be killed, I am going to stop this now, I care about Chuck too. If anybody can save him, it's John Casey."

Sarah was flooded with old memories. Early in their partnership Chuck frequently found himself in over his head. The stalwart Casey, who claimed to hate Chuck, would always risk life and limb to pull Chuck out of the fire. If there was anyone on Earth she would want to go in for Chuck, it was John Casey. Things began to happen quickly now. The C-17 dropped ninety Marine Raiders about two miles from the airstrip, while a V-10 Osprey with Dunwoody, Noble, and Casey on board was orbiting the target. Gertrude Verbanski, in full hazmat gear, was en route in her helicopter, an Air Force medical team was driving to the desert location to treat casualties on site until the nature of Jill's weapon could be ascertained.

Chuck was beginning to get some movement and feeling back. He could tell that his pants were soaked with urine, but still couldn't walk. He was lying on the floor in the van, the side door was open. He looked around and could see a flurry of activity, there were several men working furiously to move some cases on to an airplane.

He tried to speak, "Jill" he gasped, "Jill what is going on". Jill walked over to him, and put her head in the van.

"It's alright, you're going to be alright, we're going to leave here now. Don't try to get up."

A man came over to her and spoke in heavily accented English, "Why we have him, he no good? ''

Jill gave him a hard look and said, "Just load the planes, he is with me."

The tranquilizer was wearing off; Chuck could move his fingers and feet. He thought about making a run into the dark desert or maybe trying to put up a fight. He wondered if he could call up his old intersect skills and once again transform into the fighting machine he had once been. He tried to flash; his head swam for a few seconds but then nothing. Still for a split second he had that old familiar feeling, he'd felt his body stiffen up and he began to assess the situation based on his intersect skill set, but just as quickly it was gone. Maybe he still had it! Maybe it was just suppressed by the tranq dart or maybe he was just fooling himself and he would lose everything he had gained recently, he thought of Carina and Sarah.

Suddenly there was a series of loud flashes and bangs. The men loading the airplanes began to run in different directions looking for shelter. One of the vehicles, a Toyota Land Cruiser, suddenly accelerated away from the scene. The flash effect had nearly blinded Chuck. He began to stagger toward the hanger. Once he was inside his old training slowly kicked in and he began to look for some cover. Now bullets were flying and as his eyesight came back he began looking for Jill. He did not want to see her hurt in the melee, but he also wanted her back in jail. There was a rusty metal staircase going up one wall of the hanger. At the top was a catwalk and some sort of room, possibly an old office. Chuck's ears were ringing, but he could hear someone shouting on a bullhorn and parachute flares were being dropped around the area.

After climbing some of the stairs he looked back and saw Jill coming up behind him with surprising speed and agility for a pregnant woman. He wondered if her belly was fake. She was carrying a rifle with a funnel looking device at the end of the barrel. It reminded him of a cartoon blunderbuss.

Jill screamed at him, "You left me out there! You're my husband, you are supposed to take care of me! You left me! It's that bottle blonde whore, you just can't stay away from her."

Chuck put his hands in front of him in a pleading defensive manner, "Jill, Jill I just want us to get away! Maybe we can hide up there," he said pointing to the room at the top of the stairs.

"Liar! You're lying again! This thing will kill you in a way you deserve!"

She began to raise the weapon. The shooting outside had stopped and glancing away from Jill, he could see several figures in camouflage moving cautiously toward them. The largest figure was unmistakably John Casey. Casey was holding an assault rifle in a firing position trained on Jill.

Now Chuck had to think fast. He gestured toward Casey with one hand, "Everybody just calm down!" he shouted while starting slowly back down the rickety stairs.

Jill saw the approaching soldiers and relaxed her weapon a bit.

Sounding panicky, but trying not to, Chuck spoke again, "Jill just put the gun down, you need to think of your baby."

Jill responded with fury and anger, "Our baby you cowardly piece of shit! You don't care, you never did!"

She rapidly raised the weapon to Chuck and then her head exploded. Chuck jumped down the steps toward where she was lying motionless and the rusty step underneath him gave way. He fell through it tearing his clothes and skin on the dangling metal. Chuck fell about six feet and landed on his side with a thud. Casey ran up to him, but all Chuck could focus on was Victoria Dunwoody slowly lowering her smoking gun. He looked up at Jill's limp body and saw that blood was dripping from her head on to his shoes.

Colonel John Casey now took command. He called for a medic while bounding up the stairs to Jill. Two BDU clad Air Force EMT's soon appeared and began to examine Jill. Now an Air Force doctor along more EMT's pushing a gurney came and gently lifted her onto it. One of the medics came to Chuck and began to examine him.

"She's pregnant, you've got to help her," Chuck sputtered.

The medic was a young woman, probably a teenager. She shouted to him, "I will let them know, we are going to get you out of here, you are going to be OK."

The combination of whatever tranquilizer Jill had shot into him and his injuries left Chuck unable to lift himself off his gurney. He thought he could see Beckman, in BDU's, barking out orders and lot's of other camo clad men and women unloading the planes and vehicles left by Jill's team.

Chapter 8

Chuck was admitted to the hospital in Palm Springs overnight for observation. He was pretty beat up from his fall, but despite dozens of cuts and bruises; physically unharmed. How he felt mentally was another story. Chuck had suffered a great deal of misfortune in his life and he was not one to wallow in self pity, but once again he felt himself gripped by uncertainty and disappointment. The numbing question that played over and over in his head was this; is anything in my life as it seems or just another CIA created illusion?

In the meantime Beckman put her forces to work. Jill's traumatized parents were briefed on what had transpired. They had been given the devastating news that their beloved daughter was a traitor, a fugitive, and dead all in the course of one day. They also learned of the baby and at least could cling to the hope of a healthy granddaughter.

Ellie and Beckman entered Chuck's guarded hospital room the next morning. Ellie was clearly shaken and began to cry at the sight of her brother.

Ellie gasped, "Are you okay Chuck? I was so worried you were hurt."

"I'm fine sis, just a little sore. Where's Sarah?"

"She is here in the hospital. She's checking on Jill's baby, she left Carina with mom and Alex."

Chuck activated the bed lift so that he was sitting up facing the two women. Beckman was grim-faced but calm, she had been through worse.

Chuck looked directly at Beckman and then turned to Ellie, "Ellie could you give Dianne and I a minute?"

Ellie looked puzzled and then issued a barely audible "sure" and left the room.

"Well, what do you know that I don't? My first concern is that little baby. Is she mine?"

Beckman stepped closer to the bed; she felt a wave of sympathy sweep over her. She cared more about Chuck than she had realized before. For years now this innocuous man had risked his life and had rendered what was undeniably heroic service to his country. His family, his marriage, his dreams, had been torn apart as a result and yet he had remained throughout it all surprisingly unjaded. Beckman knew the answer. The CIA had administered a rapid DNA test and the results sent to her phone.

Chuck spoke again, "How many people did we lose? I only picked up bits and pieces at the field."

Again Beckman was amazed by his consistent decency, asking about people he didn't know.

"We lost both assault teams to Jill's weapon. The thugs from the air field were all killed with one exception, and of course, you know about Jill."

Chuck sighed, "I'm sorry, that's why I wanted out of this terrible business. What about the baby? Is it ok? Is a boy or a girl? Who is going to take care of it?"

"She's yours Chuck. We did a DNA test and it was a match."

Now it was Chuck who felt a wave sweep over him. He had a daughter, another daughter, but did he have a wife? Jill had stirred doubts about Sarah that had existed in Chuck's mind since even before they became a real couple. Chuck had always been insecure about Sarah's love for him. He had been nagged with the idea that he was to her simply a safe consolation, after Bryce had died and Shaw had proved murderously unstable. After Quinn had erased her memories she had become, with stunning rapidity, a monster who did not bother to confirm the misinformation he was feeding her about Chuck. He had often wondered if the woman who accepted the idea that she had married a man just to spy on him, was a glimpse of the real Sarah Walker. Her sudden return, with a child in tow, and the revelations about Carmichael Industries had sent his thoughts into a swirl. Now Beckman, another woman he did not completely trust, was standing before him informing him that he had become a father for the second time in as many months. There was a gentle knock on the door, it was Sarah with Ellie.

Chuck looked at Beckman and said, "We are going to have to have a long conversation General."

Beckman smiled slightly and replied, "I know, but not now. I have some things I need to check on, but I will drive you back to LA."

Sarah came over to the side of the bed caressed his head and kissed him on the cheek. She said, "I'm so glad you are not hurt; how do you feel?"

Chuck looked at both of them, "I'm fine just a bit banged up. I've got some news about Jill's baby."

Ellie spoke up, "We know she's yours, Dianne told us."

Chuck drew a breath, "I've got to take care of her, I'm so sorry, but she's my responsibility regardless of how she came about."

Chuck's words hit Sarah like a gut punch. She was his wife and this baby was theirs. She knew something was wrong, that something serious was bothering Chuck.

Beckman then spoke, "Our lawyers are going before a judge tomorrow afternoon, they think she will order another DNA test. They are going to ask that you and Sarah be given temporary custody."

Chuck got slowly out of the bed and groaned a bit as his feet hit the floor, "Is she ok? After what happened with Jill, I was afraid…"

Ellie the physician spoke up at this point, "She is healthy, just a little small, she was about three weeks or a month early, but she is going to be fine. She is just gorgeous, Chuck."

Sarah put her hand on Chuck's shoulder, "We will take good care of her, you don't ever have to worry about that."

Chuck was discharged later that morning. He and Sarah checked into a hotel, they were both exhausted, they went to bed early and were awoken by their cell phones the next morning. In the afternoon the four of them went before the judge to gain custody of the baby. Chuck and Sarah were represented by no fewer than five lawyers; three from the government and two from Carmichael. The judge called Sarah and Chuck to the bench.

"I have been informed of the unusual circumstances involving this child's conception and birth, so I wanted to get to know the two of you before I consider releasing her to your custody. I understand that you were injured in the incident that resulted in Ms. Robert's death, how are you Mr. Bartowski?"

Chuck was wearing a suit with no tie and had some obvious bruises on his neck, "I'm fine, your honor."

The judge then looked at Sarah who was smartly dressed in a business suit, her hair back in a ponytail.

"Mrs. Bartowski, are you prepared to take on the responsibility of this child, who is possibly your husband's but not yours?"

Sarah poised and proper replied, "Yes, your honor I consider her my baby. Chuck and I have a three year old and we have already set up a nursery in our home."

The judge took a breath. "That's not what concerns me. It is my understanding that both of you are some sort of undercover government agents. My worry is that the two of you may be in danger or perhaps be targeted creating a threat to her safety."

Beckman then stepped up, "Your honor if I may be allowed to speak to this"

The judge asked, "And you are?"

Chuck and Sarah looked back at her.

"Your honor I am Lieutenant General Diane Beckman United States Air Force. Mr. Bartowski has not been an active intelligence agent in almost five years, and Mrs. Bartowski has been working at the Secret Service until recently but is now with Carmichael Industries as a Senior Vice President. This particular incident was an anomaly and neither of them has plans to reenter the world of covert intelligence. I can vouch for them as caring conscientious parents who should be given custody of this baby."

Chuck mouthed "thank you" to Beckman but he was also thinking about the fact that she was still active duty and thus another piece of the puzzle fell into place.

The Judge turned toward Sarah and spoke again, "This baby is a month premature. Are you prepared to deal with the special needs of a premature infant?"

Sarah looked directly at the judge, "I will do whatever is necessary to insure she has the best possible care, I am taking maternity leave to care for her. My sister in law Dr. Elenor Woodcomb is a physician and intends to check on the baby everyday. I will obtain a local pediatrician and we will make sure she is monitored and examined on a regular basis."

The judge looked at the two of them and said, "I am satisfied that the Bartowskis can provide a safe environment for the child and this court will grant them temporary custody pending the outcome of the court ordered DNA test. If that test should confirm that Mr. Bartowski is the biological father, I will issue an order granting him full custody. The baby will be referred to as Baby Doe Roberts until legal custody has been finalized."

As they left the courthouse Chuck was quiet. Exhaustion and doubt and the horror of watching Jill die were clouding his thoughts. Sarah knew this side of Chuck; Casey had often derided him for wanting to talk about everything, but she knew he had a quiet introspective brooding aspect to his personality. She had seen it when he thought the earliest version of Carmichael was going to fail, it was ultimately, something she loved about him. He cared about others, he cared about himself, and she knew that the future of this baby was weighing heavily on him.

Ellie spoke first, "What are you going to name her? She needs a name."

Sarah smiled, "I want to call her Holly, but I need some input from daddy."

Chuck who was sitting in the front seat next to Beckman looked in the back and said, "I like Hope. How about Holly Hope? Or maybe, Grunka if you don't have dibs on that one Ellie."

Sarah smiled at this, "I love it, Holly Hope Bartowski it is. Now we have to get some things before we pick her up from the hospital."

Chuck, an inexperienced parent, was baffled. "What does she need?"

Ellie jumped in, "Plenty. We need a car seat, clothes, preemie diapers, the list goes on, and we need them now, so pony up Chuck, this is going to cost you."

Chuck considered this, "Can't she just wear some of Lucy's or Rose's old stuff? I know you have bottles at your house Ellie."

Ellie shot back, "Lucy is a Woodcomb, they are twice the size of regular babies. She needs new stuff, turn left at the light Dianne."

They stopped at a large Babies R Us store. Beckman demurred saying she had some calls to make and Chuck hoped to stay in the car with her so he could talk further about his situation, but Sarah insisted he come in with her and Ellie. Sarah and Ellie filled the rear section of the Navigator with baby things. Chuck thought they seemed to take special delight in buying the most expensive of everything in the store.

He hoped his wealth wasn't an illusion, like the rest of his life seemed to be.

Chapter 9

The Carmichael Industries lawyers met the Bartowskis at the hospital with the order for temporary custody. The small entourage then proceeded to labor and delivery to get baby Holly. Chuck was so nervous waiting for her to be brought out, that he had to sit down, and when he did he began to incessantly tap his foot. Finally after a very long ten minutes two nurses appeared, one was carrying a clear plastic bag with some baby items in it. The other was carrying Holly tightly wrapped in a blanket.

Without being asked Sarah volunteered, "I'm her mother!"

Chuck could only stare as she was gently handed to a very emotional Sarah. The moment she was brought into the hallway Sarah had put her hand over her mouth and began to cry. Sarah was a good actress, Chuck had seen that many times, but this time she was a mother and this time he knew her emotions were real.

Ellie had also begun to cry, "Oh Chuck, she's beautiful, look at her."

Chuck felt tears welling up in his eyes when Sarah handed Holly to him to hold. Beckman and the lawyers were holding up just fine. He thought it an incredible turn of events that he now had two daughters, one with a wife who had left him before he knew she was expecting, and another scientifically conceived with and by his, now dead, college girlfriend. Sarah didn't care how this baby came to be, she just knew she loved her because she was hers, this baby was hers and nothing could change that.

Ellie had come in a separate car and left ahead of Beckman, Chuck, and Sarah. Sarah carefully placed Holly in a car seat in the middle of the backseat. She and Chuck sat on either side of the sleeping infant. The doubts Jill had reignited in him were erased by Sarah's tender handling of Holly; she couldn't fake that, it was clear she loved this baby. There was no agent in the world so dedicated to the job that they would raise two children with their mark. It was fundamentally illogical that Sarah was faking it, they were married, they had Carina and Bunny. Craziest of all they were happy, he loved her and he believed she loved him.

Chuck put his finger on the cheek of the sleeping baby and said, "So how are we going to spring this little surprise on Carina?"

Sarah began to stroke Holly's dark hair, "We will just tell her we adopted a baby, I think she will be excited and fascinated. We just need to remember she needs attention too."

"No problem there, I can't wait to see her. Do we have any baby food at the apartment? What are we going to feed her? I don't see any teeth in there."

Sarah smiled and chuckled at this; Chuck, despite being around quite a few babies over the years, did not seem to know very much about their care and feeding.

"She will be on breast milk and preemie formula."

Chuck looked at his wife with a puzzled expression and asked, "Are you going to do that? Do they work for babies? Because…"

Sarah raised the palm of her hand toward Chuck to quiet him, "No, I'm not able these days, Alex is pumping for her. I know what you are thinking, she will have plenty left, don't worry about Rose starving, that's why we have two."

"I'm glad you have two, one would be weird, and three would be overkill, two breasts that's a good thing!"

Beckman just slowly shook her head at this, while Sarah smiled. She loved this goofy side of Chuck and always had.

Sarah began to think about what she should do in the short term. She had just started at Carmichael and was excited about the work, but now she had the second baby she had been longing for. She continued to stroke the sleeping infant's hair, she could see Chuck in her, but her coloring and hair, those came from Jill. Poor Jill, Sarah thought about how a person of such promise had gone so wrong. She also thought, how far off from her am I? The paths we followed both led us into the world espionage and moral uncertainties. The other thing they had shared was men, Chuck and Bryce Larkin, maybe they were two sides of the same coin.

Chuck looked up from the baby and said to Sarah, " Does your mom know about all this?"

"Yes, she is coming Friday after Molly gets out of school, she is, I think she is a little perplexed by the way I keep acquiring babies in this line of work"

Chuck chimed in, "Yeah, but I always say don't look a gift baby in the mouth, because they have no teeth. When will she get teeth? And will we need to cut her hair?"

Before Sarah could answer there was a tremendous crash on the left side of the car where Chuck was sitting.

Chapter 10

Chuck vs The Other Guy Again

Chuck heard the noise and felt pain in his shoulder. Already beat up from the incident in the desert it took him a moment to focus on what was happening. He saw that Sarah had instinctively draped herself over the baby's carseat. The baby was now awake and crying.

A dazed Beckman turned amid the jumble of deployed airbags and shouted, "Is everyone alright, we've been hit!"

Chuck felt panicky as he reached for Holly, but then in his peripheral vision he saw two men exit the vehicle that had hit them. He recognized one of them, Andrzej Szczeklik.

The man who had been driving was carrying a small submachine gun while Szczeklik had a larger peculiar looking rifle with an oddly shaped stock. Both Sarah and Beckman had guns in their purses, Chuck, being Chuck, was unarmed. Chuck tried to open his door and he tried to flash. Neither worked.

For the second time in as many days Chuck woke up in a hospital room. Ellie and Devon were both in the room as was another man.

Chuck found it difficult and painful to speak, "Sarah? Where's Sarah?" he mumbled to the room.

Devon spoke first, "She's fine, she is in the hallway, I'll get her for you."

Sarah came into the room and the look on her face frightened him. Her face was at once stricken, but at the same time a mask of grim determination.

Before Chuck could speak, she exclaimed, "They took our baby, and I am going to get her back!"

Chuck tried to get up, when he did he felt a burning pain in his right shoulder. The other man in the room stepped toward him. "I'm Dr. Melvin. I'm with the Air Force. You had a mild dislocation of your left shoulder, we are going to put your arm in a sling for a few days." Anticipating Chuck's next question he went on, "the three of you were attacked with the same type of weapon used against the assault teams in Palm Springs. Our assumption is it did not kill you because they did not want to harm the baby, who shares your haplogroup."

Chuck had never felt this way before, even when his wife left him, this was much worse.

"She's gone? What are we going to do?"

Ellie came close to him, "Chuck honey, General Beckman is putting everything we have on it, they will find her and get her back to you."

Sarah put her face up to his ear, "Chuck I love you, but I can't sit back and wait, promise me you will take care of Carina, she is our little girl, I love her more than anything, but I'm going to get our baby back no matter what it takes."

Oddly, Chuck found Sarah in combat mode comforting, even if he didn't fully trust her, he trusted her skills and single minded intensity. Now he had to do what he did best; focus on the task at hand, clear his mind and develop a plan, but now there was yet another mystery. How did someone know that he was the biological father of Jill's baby?

Sarah kissed him and left the room.

He looked at the doctors in the room, "I need a phone and I need to go home."

In the car on the way back to LA Chuck called Beckman, "General this is Chuck, I need access to the CIA mainframe and someway to communicate with Sarah in the field."

Beckman was businesslike but a little of her buried humanity came through, "Chuck I'm so sorry about what happened with your daughter, rest assured we are doing everything we can to find her."

"Thank you, General."

"Chuck if you remember your old password it has been reactivated, your cellphone will find her through our system no matter where she is."

"One more thing, can I have Morgan?"

"He's yours."

Chuck's mother and mother in law were both at the apartment with Carina. Chuck went to his office and found Morgan there waiting for him. Chuck was in full computer genius mode. If Sarah Walker was the brawn of this partnership, Chuck was the brains. This was what he did best and now everything he cared about was on the line.

He began by exploring the files on Szczeklik. After a brilliant academic career, marriage, and children he had at some point drifted from academia to the drug trade, using his considerable skills to produce a variety of highly profitable and sought after illegal substances. This was a change Chuck had thought about many times. The shift from a normal life to the entrance into the hidden world of crime and espionage. Whatever prompted this change Szczeklik began to appear on the radar of international law enforcement around 2002. He then showed a real resourcefulness in changing identities and locations. He disappeared for a time but began to show up again around 2007 in reports on finances in the Russian and Polish mob. Those reports were written by Daniel Shaw.

If there was one person in the world Chuck hated, with complete justification, it was Daniel Shaw. Shaw had tried to steal Sarah from him, but that was nothing compared to his cold blooded murder of his father; that was unforgivable. Whatsmore Chuck did not respect him as an agent. Chuck had thoroughly reviewed his reports and mission logs years before in a Paris bound airplane when he was trying to save Sarah from Shaw's murderous intent. In Chuck's opinion Shaw was nothing more than a glib self promoter who used his talent for conflation and ridiculous good looks to make himself into what others perceived as the perfect spy, a consummate professional. In their first week working together Chuck had saved Shaw's life twice when he blew missions. Chuck had twice beaten the superbuff Shaw to a pulp, and despite being a novice with firearms he had outdrawn him and shot him three times in the chest. But Shaw, or someone under him did know how to write a report, and he clearly had come to an understanding of Andrzej Szczeklik.

Chuck looked up from his screen, "Morgan get me a cop car, we're going to the desert."

They drove in grim silence into the desert, Morgan finally broke that silence, "We are going to find her Chuck, we're going to bring her home, I just know it. I'm so sorry you're having to go through this."

Chuck took a breath, "I don't know if I could handle something happening to her, you know I only knew her for a few hours, but she's mine, I know that. I've never seen Sarah so happy; when they handed her that baby it was a wonder to behold." He shook his head, "It's a long shot but maybe we'll find some answers here."

Just before sunset Morgan stopped the car in front of the garage door of an abandoned gas station. Chuck dialed a number on his cell phone and gave a code word. The door automatically opened and Morgan inched the car into the room. It then descended about two stories to an underground parking garage.

Morgan roared "That is badass, that is some real James Bond."

They exited the car and walked toward an elevator.

"Why are we here Chuck?"

"Because this is where they keep Daniel Shaw and I'm going to see if he can help me find my daughter."

Chuck had been to the facility before, but it still astonished him. What all was down in its depths was a mystery, but it held a super secure prison for some of the worst of the worst brought down by America's intelligence services. Team Bartowski was responsible for several of the inmates, and Chuck hoped that Andrzej Szczeklik would soon find himself rotting in this hole. He also knew that if Sarah of Casey got to Szczeklik first he would be in a different kind of hole.

A uniformed guard led Chuck and Morgan to an interrogation room in the depths of the complex. Chuck went in alone. Shackled to a chair sat Daniel Shaw. His hair was long and he wore a gray flecked beard, but he was still heavily muscled and retained an air of arrogance despite his present circumstances.

Shaw roared like he was greeting an old friend, "Chuck! How are you old buddy? Wow you're pretty beat up, trouble with the wife? That Sarah, she's a tiger. Of course she never beat me up like that; she just sucked my dick."

Chuck grimaced at this crudity but he didn't take the bait.

"I am here because I need your help with an emergency situation." Chuck pulled a metal chair up about five feet from Shaw and sat down. "It involves someone you tracked, Andrzej Szczeklik. I need to find him as quickly possible; he kidnapped my daughter."

Shaw eased back in his chair, "So you and Sarah have a kid? Never saw her as the maternal type."

"We have two, this one, Holly is a premature infant, she needs medical attention now."

Now Shaw leaned forward trying to get as close to Chuck as his chains would allow. "And why the fuck should I help you? You're the one who put me in this shithole."

Chuck awkwardly inched his chair a little toward the menacing Shaw, "Because I saved your life, twice, and because you murdered my father. I'm just looking to see if you have a shred of decency left in you. If you do, you will help me save her. Just don't waste my time. I can't offer you anything, you're staying here."

Shaw's expression changed and he leaned back just a bit, "You have two kids? Show them to me."

Chuck took out his cell phone and showed Shaw a photo of a smiling Sarah holding Carina.

"This is our three year old, Carina. This is the baby I'm looking for, Holly."

"Nice, it should have been me. Here is what I want. There is a photo printer here; take your phone to it and give me those pictures for my cell, and tell them they have to let me keep them. All I have left is my fantasy life to keep me sane, those photos will give me something new to dream about."

Chuck dispatched Morgan to fulfill Shaw's weird request, when he returned Chuck put the prints on the table.

"Ok Shaw how can I find him?"

Shaw sat up like the military officer he had once been, "Where did this happen? When he took the baby?"

"Palm Springs, he rammed our car and disabled us with some sort of exotic weapon."

"What sort of weapon?"

Chuck did not want to waste time on the details of how this mess came about, so he reached into the briefcase he had brought.

"Here is the mission report so far. You can read it, I'll make sure they let you keep it, I'll keep you in the loop. I may need your help again."

Shaw clearly relished being on a mission again, and Chuck hoped to use that.

"He will head for Mexico. Tijuana, Szczeklik is no good with languages, he's got a colleague, an old friend from Poland, down there who owns a pharmaceutical company that is heavily involved in the dope trade. He has a younger sister who is also a chemist, he paid for her education. I know she studied in the U.S. she may also be mixed up in this, her name and background should be in the reports. Then he will try to go to Cuba or Costa Gravas to lay low."

Shaw spent the next half hour recounting everything he knew about Szczeklik and it helped Chuck formulate a picture of this brilliant and dangerous man. The one thing he could not wrap his head around was why he took Holly. What was her value to him?

Chuck stood up, he needed to go, and Shaw, who loved talking shop again, was beginning to repeat himself.

Shaw looked up at Chuck and pathetically said to Chuck, "Do you forgive me for the things I did? I wasn't in my right mind."

"No, I never will, but you did a good thing today, and maybe you can do some more. I won, I got the girl and the life." Being Chuck he had no capacity for cruelty or recrimination, so he just let it go.

"I'll keep you in the loop Daniel, I may need you again on this, if I have to spring you I will. Enjoy my family."

He felt that giving Shaw some hope of usefulness might keep his mind working on the mission.

Morgan activated the blue lights on the federal SUV and gunned it back to Los Angeles. Chuck was immediately on the phone with Sarah and Beckman; they were in the Apex nerve center in a nondescript building near the Carmichael campus. Shaw had given them something, maybe not a true lead, but at least something they could check out.

When he got there the team members along with Gerturde Verbanski were all dressed in black tactical wear and sitting at computers. Beckman had launched a drone after they had identified the business in Tijuana. They were looking for any clue that Szczeklik was there, or had been. An assault team was standing by to storm the building if necessary. Exhaustion and his injuries were beginning to break Chuck down. There was a couch against a wall in the room and he shakely sat down on it. Sarah saw him and came over to where he was sitting.

She sat down next to him and whispered, "We know why he took her. He thinks she's his, one of our teams raided his compound in Turkmenistan and they found evidence that he and Jill were sleeping together."

Chuck looked up at her, "Well now it makes sense, he is trying to save his daughter from us, and I'm just trying to save my daughter from him."

Sarah gently touched his cheek and corrected him, "Our daughter."

Chapter 11

Tuesday April 26, 2016

A V-22 Osprey tilt rotor aircraft briefly touched down on the rooftop helicopter pad at Apex. Team Bartowski, Verbansky, and a dozen other commando types from within the building scrambled aboard. Chuck had painfully changed into tactical gear complete with a black sling for his left arm. Sarah and Casey did not want him to accompany the unit, but he insisted, claiming he felt like he would be able to flash. The unique aircraft leapt into the air and roared south to Mexico.

Chuck pulled out an armoured laptop and put on a set of noise cancelling headphones, the Osprey had wi-fi and he connected to Beckman at Apex. He opened windows to video feeds coming from the drones orbiting the pharmaceutical plant and the owner's home.

He spoke directly to Beckman, "Have you seen any activity at either location?"

"No Chuck, both locations are quiet, a decision is going to have to be made about which one to go to. Once either one is penetrated they'll alert the other one. I got a communication jamming aircraft on the way, but your team will get there first."

Chuck thought about this for a moment and said, "I'm going to let Casey and Sarah make the decision about which one to hit first, I trust their instincts."

"Agreed, keep me informed Chuck, and stay in the plane!"

Casey, Gertrude, and Sarah were all huddled on a fabric bench sheet discussing the operation. Chuck approached them and shouted over the roar of the props, "I think we should go to the factory, not the house. It's his element, if he's getting ready to run, he will want to stock up on things you'd find there. Drugs can be used as currency in some parts of Mexico."

Sarah spoke up, "There are probably weapons at both the house and factory, our priority has to be Holly's safety, I don't want to draw him into a gunfight. It's going to have to be a fist fight."

Casey roared, "Agreed! I'll set up for a long range headshot, Gertrude will take the short range headshot. We will not hurt that baby."

The factory was near the American border just east of the city center. The Osprey began to slow down and tilt its rotors for landing. Sarah made her way toward Chuck, she then reached up with both hands and pulled his head down and shouted directly in his ear.

"You should stay on the plane! I know you want to go but you're hurt and this could get ugly, one of us has to be alive for Carina. You need to let me go on this one last mission!"

Chuck contemplated this for a moment and then there was the thud of the landing gear impacting the ground. The rear door opened and the team began to run out of it into the darkness. Chuck hesitated for a moment and then shouted at the sprinting figure of Sarah.

"It's never safe in the car!" he then ran into the darkness, scrambling with all he had to catch up to his wife.

The Osprey then quickly leapt back into the air for a rendezvous with an Air Force tanker. Casey and Verbanski both carried exotic looking scoped rifles. Sarah had a shorter scoped assault rifle. Chuck had a holstered tranq gun. There were twelve Marine Raiders with them and they took point, practically sprinting toward the factory's chain link fence. At the fence they cut what Chuck thought was a rather large hole in it, his memories of missions were of small breeches to crawl under, but they were the professionals and he slipped through with his team.

The Marines approached the large sheet metal and concrete block building and began to check the doors. There were two metal doors along the outside wall and three garage doors at the rear. They checked them all and then they simply opened one of the side doors and entered the building. Team Bartowski was nervously waiting to hear gunfire, but there was none. After a few tense minutes the lights in the building came on and the Captain in charge of the assault team stepped out and signaled all clear.

Chuck made his way into the building and what he found was not what he expected. There was pharmaceutical machinery inside but it obviously had not been used in a while. Helicopters and trucks were arriving at the site now. Americans and Mexican authorities were on the scene looking around. The second team that had breached the owners home had reported it empty. He was almost on the verge of panic when he saw a familiar and stunning figure walking rapidly toward him. It was Carina Miller. Unlike the others in the building dressed in baggy BDUs and black tactical gear, she was in what could only be described as a black cat suit, complete with high heeled boots. Every man in the building watched her elegant stride as she gracefully made her way across the floor. Sarah spotted her and went to where Chuck was standing. Carina hugged Sarah and whispered something in her ear.

"Sarah called me, I'm here to help. Is your arm OK?"

"I'm fine, we are glad you are here."

Sarah spoke up, "Is there anything you can tell us about this place?"

Carina looked around and dragged her booted foot across the floor. "This is dirt not dust." She then focused on a large piece of machinery on a short pedestal next to a wall. She then ran to it with surprising speed, considering the height of her heels, motioning for Chuck and Sarah to follow her.

"Get some of those hunky Marines over here to give me a hand."

The pedestal slid out of the way easily, revealing a sunken room accessible by an open freight elevator and metal staircase. Joined by John Casey they quickly made their way down the stairs to the opening of what was obviously a long tunnel. Carina found a light switch and illuminated it. Strewn about were metal wagons like gardeners use and it was obvious that the tunnel, which pointed north to the United States, was well used.

Carina looked down the dimly lit shaft, "They're running drugs and illegals through it. This one is pretty well done with lighting and a flat floor. Let's see if it is finished. John?"

Casey barked into his radio, "Captain send me your two shortest Marines."

Two leathernecks appeared and were dispatched into the tunnel, with orders to mark the end with their GPS units.

Just then Sarah called out, "Chuck! She was here!" Sarah had picked something off the floor in the corner of the room. It was a preemie diaper.

Chapter 12

Wednesday April 27, 2016

They arrived at the Apex operations center early in the morning. Everyone was exhausted and worried. Beckman greeted them, she was in a desert camouflage uniform.

"Mission briefing in ten minutes, then you are going to get some rest. I don't need anyone blowing this mission because they're tired."

They convened in a conference room; Chuck, Sarah, Casey, Verbanski, Morgan, and they were interestingly joined at Beckman's invitation by Dr. Devon Woodcomb. Major Noble addressed those present and evidently a large group via the internet. Chuck opened his laptop and turned the camera toward Noble.

"Hopefully I can bring everyone up to speed on where we are in this investigation. A pdf. of this briefing will be emailed to each of you at the conclusion. Sarah reached under the table and took Chuck's hand. Sarah was as tough as they come, but she was also a mother and this was hitting her like she never imagined it could.

Noble went on, "The weapon is, as we surmised, a more sophisticated, portable, and lethal version of Volkoff's Norseman device. The operatives who died in Palm Springs were killed by it and it is very dangerous and absolutely silent at close range, but it has its limitations. It is being analyzed as we speak and we feel that countermeasures can be developed."

Chuck was agitated because Noble did not lead with the search for Holly, but he held his tongue, he didn't want to upset Sarah anymore than she already was. Noble's tag team partner Dunwoody then took the lead.

"We have to remember that our first priority is the location of Andrzej Szczelik and the safe recovery of the infant Holly Hope Bartowski." The hospital photo of Holly was now on the screen. Sarah bit her upper lip and closed her eyes. Devon let out a small whimper, but Chuck just stared at the photo, he saw himself in her face, and he knew at that moment he could kill Andrzej Szczeklik if he needed to.

Dunwoody went on, "We know she was alive and eating at least twenty four hours ago. We don't believe Szczeklik means her any harm, but have to question how well he can care for her on the run. She was delivered in good health but she was a month premature and that can lead to complications." A photo of Szczeklik was now on the screen.

"It is our belief that he returned to US soil via a drug tunnel and that accomplices may have brought him into Los Angeles. We are on the lookout for arms dealers."

The briefing went on for a while and mostly concerned the military assets available for the investigation. When it was over at about 7:00 am Sarah whispered in Chuck's ear that she wanted to go home and see Carina.

"Devon will drive you, I have a lead I need to follow up on, but I will be home shortly, kiss her for me."

Sarah just gave him a plaintive look. He smiled and simply said, "Trust me"

Chapter 13

The grizzled but still handsome face of Daniel Shaw appeared on the screen of Chuck's laptop.

"Did you see the briefing and read the mission report?"

"Yes I did, and I don't think he's in the US."

"Why?"

"He's always been about misdirection and he's a loner. He is more comfortable relying on himself. I think he would cross back into Mexico and go in deep. He avoided law enforcement in Poland by camping in a forest for nearly a year. He is very resourceful, always armed, and he carries a lot of local currency."

Chuck rubbed his eyes, "Give me something, what do we do next?"

Shaw thought about this for a moment, "Is Sarah there? I want to talk to her."

Chuck mumbled to himself, "Good God what now?", but he took a deep breath and let it go. "She's not here, she's sleeping and I'm not going to wake her." He knew he had to give Shaw something so he added, "I'll let her know you want to talk to her, but since the last time you two met you tried to kill her, I don't know, she is pretty distraught right now."

Shaw grimaced slightly, "I owe her an apology, I just want to make amends for my past with her. I'm sorry for...the things I did. We were once deeply in love." Chuck chewed on that for a moment and then, once again let it go.

"What should I do? There's a baby's life at stake here Daniel, help me save her. That would mean more to Sarah than an apology."

Shaw drifted away for a moment, but then he refocused, "Your right Chuck. This is about Holly. I think about her all the time. Szczeklik has two major vulnerabilities as I see it. One is language, as far as I know he doesn't speak a word of Spanish. He will need someone to assist him. Check a list of employees of Pinaculo Pharmaceuticals, see if any are missing, that may indicate they're with him. The next is the baby. The report says he changed her diaper. He's trying to take care of her, but he is going to need supplies like formula. He has older children back in Poland, so he should have some idea about what to get for her."

Chapter

After completing his call with Shaw Chuck drove back to the apartment. There he found that Sarah had taken Carina out of daycare and they were now both asleep in the master bedroom. He stood in the doorway looking at them both. He had always loved looking at Sarah sleeping, but her finely honed spy senses meant that he could rarely catch her asleep for any length of time. She would open her eyes, survey the room and then close them again. He wanted to kiss them both. He took off his boots and lay down on the couch in the living room and fell asleep.

Carina woke him up. She was kissing him on the cheek, "I'm going to Clara's house with Bunny."

Chuck sat up, Ellie was standing in front of him holding Carina's overnight bag.

"I'm taking her to my house, Devon and your Mom are at the operations room with Sarah. How are you Chuck?" she moved closer and knelt down, "How does your shoulder feel?"

"It is still very stiff and sore, but I'll be Ok. Is she gonna be alright? She is so small, even if he is trying to take care of her...We've got to find her now!"

Ellie's face took on a pained expression, "I know, I know, we will find her and bring her home. She is a Bartowski, and we don't give up."

Chuck got up, walked over to her and gave her a one armed hug. He was still in his tactical gear.

"I am going to the operations center and I may need Devon for something; nothing dangerous I just need that brain of his."

Chuck kneeled down and hugged Carina kissing her gently on the cheek, "I'll see you soon, I love you."

Carina looked up at her father and said, "Bye bye daddy, don't hurt your arm again."

Once he was at the Operations Center Chuck asked for a quick huddle with his team. He briefed them on Shaw's ideas regarding Szczeklik's whereabouts. Beckman spoke first.

"I'm skeptical of anything that comes out of that man's mouth, but we don't have much else at this point so I think you should pursue it if you want."

Sarah pulled Chuck into the hallway outside the room.

"Do you believe him? He has done some terrible things to you...and me, can you trust him?"

"I don't need to trust him, it's just a lead, but I don't think he's playing me. It's creepy but I believe he sincerely wants to help save Holly. I think he believes it will help him win you back."

"He's crazy!"

"He is, but I want to look into one of his ideas."

Chuck sat down at a computer, cracked his knuckles and went into Piranha mode. He went to the database on the Mexican Ministry of Finance and searched through the records for Pinaculo Pharmicutiles. He found what he was looking for. There on the list of employees were three Polish names, but one stood out for the others. One of the chemists was named Maria Szczeklik.

"Morgan!"

Hearing his name Morgan ran to where Chuck was sitting.

"Chardonnay, I'm going in deep...and some Milk Duds"

Sarah saw this exchange and flashed. They were down in Castle and Chuck was at a computer and he was hacking into a system to get them tickets for a concert before they went on sale. She found it delightful and a little sexy to watch him master every security entrapment he encountered. Now he was at it again and it was comforting to watch him summon his considerable skills for their baby. She loved this man.

Morgan appeared with an open bottle and Chuck took a swig. He was moving quickly now, multitasking his way through a cyber jungle. He confirmed that Maria was Andrzej's younger sister and had advanced degrees in Chemistry. Maria Szczeklik had lived in Mexico for eight years, that meant she probably had some command of Spanish, something her brother lacked. He then went looking for her cellphone and found it on the move south and he narrowed it down to a couple of Pinaculo owned vehicles they could be in. Next he brought up satellite imagery of the area they were in based on the GPS coordinates from her cellphone. A small crowd had gathered around him as he juggled a dozen balls in the air.

Beckman who was standing behind him exhaled, "You never cease to amaze me Bartowski." Never taking his eyes off the screen Chuck spoke to the room where all eyes are fixed on him. "He has run from the cops enough to know that cellphones can be tracked. He either doesn't know she has it, he forgot to check, or he gave it to someone else to draw us away from his trail."

Chuck looked back at her and said, "I think we may have something to go on. Someone bought a lot of baby gear at a Wal-Mart in Tijuana and they paid cash. I'm pulling up the security footage now."

The monitors in the room were all suddenly filled with grainy footage of a couple checking out with two shopping carts filled with baby things. It was the Szczekliks and Maria was holding Holly.

Sarah gasped, "There she is, there's Holly. Oh God I hope she is Ok."

Victoria Dunwoody who was standing next to her put her arm around Sarah's shoulders. Sarah was afraid if she showed emotional weakness the team would become suspicious of her field skills, but this was her first mission as a mother and the feelings that came with this were unlike anything she had ever experienced as an agent.

Dunwoody whispered into her ear, "I'm a mother now too, and I promise we will do whatever it takes to get your baby back."

Chuck kept up his narration, "This was an hour and eleven minutes ago, they could not have gotten as far south as Maria's cellphone. But he just bought three track phones, let's see if we can determine if he's made any calls."

Chuck took another swig of his "thinking juice" and began to break through the walls of security surrounding the Track Phone network. Here it is, he called another Track Phone in the United States."

Chuck looked up from the screen, "I think he's coming back here. He still wants to sell that weapon, that's his retirement. He won't try to cross legally, that's why he bought the hiking gear in Wal-Mart! I bet he has paid a Coyote to bring him in as an undocumented immigrant."

Carina Miller DEA was part of the crowd watching and listening to Chuck. She now brought her particular expertise to the mix.

"There is too much chance of getting caught with a Coyote led group. He's going to do it the cartel way."

All eyes were now on her, although a sizable number of the men were already watching her.

"The cartels bring VIP's across the border in helicopters, they dash across at night at treetop level and meet a car on a desert road. They fly too low to track on radar. We have to get a visual on them."

John Casey jumped into the conversation, he had never trusted Carina Miller, but he respected her as an agent and he knew she was close to Sarah, "The desert is huge, we can never cover it all in the time we have until dark. We need to focus on places we can cover and get to quickly!"

Carina had a ready answer, "Most of the pilots are Americans, ex military, they are going to put down at a place they trust, a place where they have landed before, where they know the ground to be solid and not kick too much dust into their engines. I know several places east of San Diego, they always land close to the border so they can dash back into the protection of cartel country."

Beckman took charge, "Get us the GPS coordinates on those sites. I'll have the Ospreys drop two man observation teams near them. We don't want to engage them when they land, we'll stop them someplace safe."

Carina stepped toward a computer, "I will download my file with the coordinates."

Chuck loudly spoke up, "Done! I've already loaded the file into the navigation systems of the Ospreys."

Carina looked at him derisively, "How did you get into my files?"

"Hello, they don't call me the Piranha for nothing."

Chuck then raised the wine bottle up for another swig when Sarah gently but firmly took it from his hand.

"You've had enough, you need to stay sharp."

"Oh well I've got to obey the old ball and chain."

Chapter 14

Early Evening April 26, 2016

One of the observation teams planted in the desert reported a Jet Ranger helicopter had sat down near a road and that a man and a woman had exited it into a waiting Toyota Land Cruiser. It was tracked by a drone as it sped across the desert westward toward San Diego. Soon it was on a paved secondary road where it was slowed down by some road work. As it maneuvered around a flag man the engine died and four hard hatted construction workers snatched the doors open and slammed wand like devices against the necks of the occupants rendering them unconscious. The adults in the vehicle were dragged from their seats while another man in a day glow yellow vest and hardhat unhooked the baby's carseat and lifted the sleeping baby out, he handed it to another man not in construction wear but desert camo, who then sprinted to a Humvee that had just appeared on the scene. It was over in seconds.

The team leader radioed the operations center that the baby was safe and her kidnappers were in custody. The room erupted. Handshakes and hugs were given freely. Chuck just sat at his screen. A weird feeling of relief mixed with trepidation swept over him. It was easy, it was a clean op. Sarah, on the verge of tears, went straight to Beckman with her cellphone in her hand

"Thank you General, I'm so relieved, I can't tell you. Where are they going to take her?"

"The medics are going to check her, if everything is alright I'll have her flown here. Awesome can check her out when she arrives and then she can go with her parents."

Just then an aide handed Beckman a phone.

"I see, yes, we are standing by, I will brief the teams." Beckman's face told Sarah something was seriously wrong.

"That was Major Noble. The couple in the vehicle were not the Szczekliks and the baby is not Holly. I'm sorry, it appears he has misdirected us again."

Now Chuck was on every screen in the room.

"He's in Costa Gravas, he's sitting by the pool with Alejandro Goya."

The screen was now filled with a live feed from the Presidential Palace of Premier Allejandro Fulgencio Goya. Shirtless, Goya and Szczeklik were lounging poolside smoking cigars. Next to them was Maria Szczeklik, in a bikini, she had her hand on a stroller that she was gently rocking back and forth. John Casey looked up at the screen.

"This time I am going to kill you like I did your dog."

He then looked directly at Beckman, "General I think it is time for the return of the Angel de la Muerte!"

Chuck called his mother.

"Mom, remember a few years ago when we saw each other for the first time in years? Meet me there at nine tomorrow morning."

Chapter 15

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Chuck took an Uber to the Griffith Park Observatory and made his way to the playground. He had brought Carina with him so he wouldn't look like a pervert watching children play, besides he wanted to spend some time with her. His mother materialized next to him, she had that habit and considerable skill. It never ceased to amaze him how great a spy she was.

"What's wrong dear?"

"I'm pretty certain Szczeklik and whoever is backing him has a mole embedded with us."

She did not seem surprised. "What makes you say that?"

"He's always one step ahead of us, like he knows what we're going to do. Let me rephrase that, he absolutely knows what we are going to do. And Jill, she knew things about me...someone is in deep and they are directing this mess, it's not him."

"I see, ok, who do you trust? Who in your life are you certain is not on the other side."

Chuck took a breath and smiled slightly, "Well, you."

He nodded toward Carina, "Her. Casey, Morgan, Gertrude, Beckman."

She studied him briefly, "You didn't say Sarah."

"I just don't know. She's back, and my life became everything I wanted it to be, everything I've dreamed of for four years, but it nags at me. It seems too fast. I want to trust her, she's my wife, and I'm still in love with her."

He looked up and watched Carina chasing another little girl, "She brought me her, but you know what happened to her and if I'm honest with myself, there's always been that impenetrable wall she has up. Even after we married, she kept it"

"You don't suspect her do you?"

"No, no, not at all, despite everything, I know she loves this child, and I never knew her to have the deep deep computer skills this mole has. Whoever it is, is good, I'm as good as anybody and I'm flummoxed. Here's the thing, I think they're trying to lure my team to Costa Gravas. It was subtle, but they steered me to check those old cameras in the Presidential Palace and low and behold there's the little family perfectly framed sitting by the pool. It is just too perfect."

Mary could see that Chuck had thought about this and her gut told her he was right.

"So what are you going to do next? Why are they trying to get you to Costa Gravas?"

"I think it's because they know Beckman can only send civilians into a sovereign country. Costa Gravas is not Mexico, Goya won't cooperate with the US, a grand jury indicted him a few months ago, he's all mixed up with the cartels and he is greedy. They want to get us there and kill us, it's an ambush."

"Focus darling, why do they want your team dead, what threat to them does the team present? What is team Bartowski's reason to exist?"

Chuck sat up straighter, looked straight forward and gasped out, "They protect me! I'm the Intersect. The team's job was always to protect me."

Just then his phone buzzed with Beckman's scowling face. There would be a mission briefing in Apex in ninety minutes.

"She's sending us in."

"What do you need me to do?"

Chuck turned to his mother. He studied her face for a moment, and said, "Protect her, and the people I love. Take them underground if you have to, but don't let anything happen to them. Trust me, I've got a plan. I'm going to get to the bottom of all this and I will get Holly back to us."

Chuck stood up and called to Carina. She and another child ran over to the bench. When she saw her grandmother Carina came to her and gave her a hug.

"I have to meet mommy at work. Nana will take you home when you're both ready."

"I want to play with my friends."

"I know. I want you to be a good girl and do what Nana tells you. Now give me a kiss and I'll see you later alligator."

Mary took her son's hands and looked up at him, "Have you thought of everything? Who's your backup?"

"I'm taking dad on this mission, he's my backup." Mary looked puzzled, but Chuck simply said, "I'll explain it all later."

Chapter 16

Late Afternoon Tuesday April 26, 2016

Beckman's plan was like the woman, clean and straightforward. The team would be delivered via Osprey to a small nuclear submarine en route to Costa Gavras, it would resurface at a safe distance from the beach in front of the Presidential Palace. The team would then make their way to the jungle next to the beach in rubber rafts. Led by John Casey they would locate the baby and the Szczekliks, whom they would tranquilize and if possible return with to the submarine which would then head for international waters. Casey would have no problem if he had to take out some of Goya's bodyguards or the tyrant himself, but as a highly disciplined Marine officer his mission was to recover the baby. John Casey was the grandfather of two little girls and they meant the world to him, he would protect this baby with his life.

Chuck made a point of attending the briefing without his sling, his shoulder still hurt, but he didn't want to give Beckman or Sarah an excuse to keep him off this mission. The Osprey that would take them out to the submarine touched down on the Apex roof and the team was flown out to rendezvous with the vessel that would deliver them to Costa Gravian waters. The assault team consisted of Chuck, Sarah, Gertrude, and Casey they would enter the Palace to extract Holly. Staying on the submarine were Noble, Dunwoody, and Barton, along with Devon who was there for medical emergencies. They would monitor the raid via body cams and drones. Beckman, Morgan, and Carina Miller would quarterback the mission from the Apex operations center. It would take the submarine three days to reach Costa Gravas. This would give them a chance to discuss the mission, prepare their equipment, and possibly get some rest in the tiny hard bunks of the sub.

Chuck and Sarah got their own cabin with two fold down bunk beds. Sarah had brought her guns and a variety of other tactical gear in a black backpack, Chuck was carrying a black plastic waterproof case containing his laptop and some other computer gear for hacking into systems. Chuck unlatched the bunks and they dropped down on their hinges supported by chains. The beds were obviously too short for Chuck.

He patted the thin mattress and spoke, "You want to get on top? I don't feel threatened in my masculinity when you get on top, just saying."

Sarah smiled slightly at this and answered with a hint of sarcasm, "Thank you for being so selfless and sensitive, you're a prince among men."

There was a small desk in the cabin, Chuck leaned over it and wrote something on a white dry erase clipboard he had pulled from his gear bag. He finished and held up the board for Sarah to read.

There's a mole in our midst

This room might be bugged

Sarah read it and nodded. He then revealed to her that underneath the padding in his computer case was another laptop. He wrote again.

It's my dad's

I think I can track the mole with it

We're being setup

It's an ambush but I've got a plan

Trust me Sarah

Sarah nodded.

Chuck spoke, "I'm going to check the communication with Apex, I've never used the internet underwater."

Sarah then took the clipboard and wrote,

Do you know who it is?

Chuck shook his head. She wrote some more.

How?

Chuck wrote,

My dad's computer is special it can't be traced

When I find out who

I will unleash the Casey

The rest of the voyage was spent preparing weapons and studying every aspect of the Presidential Palace. Casey had once spent nearly a month living in the walls of the seedy building and he took the lead in surmising where Holly was being held. Chuck continued to study the feed coming in from the hidden cameras. He quickly determined that whoever was directing the roose wanted them to attack from the north. Several times a day Maria Szczeklik would bring Holly on to the balcony of a bedroom on the north side of the building. Maria was in this thing deep, but she clearly was taking good care of the baby, Chuck surmised that she probably believed Holly to be her niece. Maybe he would try to tranq her before Casey or Sarah killed her.

The team met in an equipment room near the bow of the sub. They all knew the plan and had been on countless similar missions just like it. Casey was leading the operation, or so he thought. Gertrude as the sniper who would position herself to pick off any opposition. Sarah would take the baby while Chuck took out Maria with his tranq gun. If Andrezej was easily and quietly accessible he would be taken back to the sub. If not, Casey would terminate him. The compound now had a US drone in constant orbit, if he tried to leave a missile would vaporize his vehicle. Chuck was ready.

Chapter 17

Friday April 29, 2016

At 1:30 am local time the submarine surfaced. Team Bartowski boarded two small black inflatables powered by nearly silent electric motors. The mood was tense and quiet, Chuck had his plan, if it didn't work they would probably all die leaving Carina an orphan and Holly with criminals. Something deep inside him told him to trust himself, the plan was good and he was a Bartowski. As soon as they were ashore he would take control and implement it, he would be the leader on this mission.

The trip seemed to take forever, Chuck was pensive, everything was riding on him. He took off one glove, reached over and took Sarah's hand, she squeezed it, and then put her hand back on the stock of her gun. Finally they were on the beach. The team pulled the boats into the brush and covered them with camouflage tarps. They all marked the location with their GPS watches, that way they would not have to rely on any missing team members to return to the sub. The plan was to make their way about one hundred meters inland to a goat path used by prostitutes who visited the soldiers guarding the Palace. There was a pre-cut hole in the chain link fence they could easily wiggle through. Guards were supposed to be walking the exterior at all times, but they didn't. Most of them would slip into a tool shed just east of the hole in the fence where they would sleep or canoodle with the local hookers. Team Bartowski were to slip in and quickly scale the wall to the second floor bedroom where Holly supposedly was. It was going to go differently.

As they turned away from the boat to make their way toward the path Sarah grabbed the sleeves of Casey and Verbanski. She pulled out a pocket scanner and began to scan them for bugs. Attached to the rivets of their sidearm holsters were tiny bugs. At the same time Chuck had extracted his father's laptop from his waterproof case. He had covered it in camouflage film and tape, he threw a black rain poncho over himself so that the glowing screen would not give them away. He gave Sarah a thumbs up letting her know that he had control of the bugs and body cameras were his. Chuck then gestured for the team to join him under the poncho.

Casey was the first to speak, "What the fuck is going on Bartowski?"

"I discovered that we're being spied on and manipulated, this is an ambush!"

Casey growled, "Who?"

"That's what I'm about to find out, I'm following the bugs back to whomever is controlling them."

Chuck diverted the stream of information from the bugs to his computer, they would be communicating via hand signals at this point so the operator would only expect to hear them moving through the jungle. He followed the signals through various cyber corridors until he found a name. The name was Captain Rodney H. Barton USAF. Chuck could see streams of information had been moving between Barton and Goya, there were Polish translations for Szczeklik, someone in the Cartels was also in the mix. The traffic all centered on one goal. That goal was to gain control of Charles Irving Bartowski, giving them control of Carmichael Industries and Apex which would reward them with dominance of the Intersect, the most valuable asset in the world of espionage. Chuck could see that almost everything else was part of a brilliantly elaborate ruse to manipulate him back into the field, even the return of his wife and daughter was a set-up to draw him in, to turn him into a family man who would do anything to protect his family.

Barton was deep inside Carmichael and Apex. He had sent several mini-intersects through Sarah's television to make her long to reconnect with her husband. He had done the same with Jill, reminding her of his frozen semen at Stanford and making it easy for her to obtain, inplanting in her the bizarre notion that she could win back her lost love Chuck Bartowski by implanting his baby. Once again Chuck saw himself as a pawn on a giant world security chessboard, but Holly was his and he was going to get her back. Everything else could be dealt with later.

Casey growled "The Air Force, you can't trust those soft bastards!"

Gertrude now spoke up, "I assume you've got a plan, that's what you're famous for."

"I do. There are exactly fourteen mercenaries waiting for us to come through the hole in the fence. I want you and Casey to take them out quietly and when we're out with the baby you make it look like there is a firefight going on. While you're doing that Sarah and I will slip into Goya's old nuclear operations center in the basement. That's where Holly and Maria are sleeping. When the firefight starts I will make everything go dark but hopefully Sarah and I will have Holly and we'll be at the boat."

Chuck reached into Sarah's backpack and brought out a drone about the size of a grapefruit.

"I got this at the Buy More Spy Store I encrypted it's video feed, let's see where his men are"

Chuck threw the drone straight up and then flew it to Goya's compound. Soon he could see the heat signatures of fourteen men in "ghillie suits" arrayed in a semi circle around the hole in the fence. Casey and Gertrude studied it for a minute.

"John how about I deploy east and go high, I get these guys while you go low and west and knock out those guys. When Chuck and Sarah return from the Palace we will lay down some fire and a few flash bangs then cover them back to the boat."

"Yeah that makes sense, I just hope his excellency makes an appearance so I can put one in him."

"I'm sending Barton a false feed, but we need to get moving."

Guided by GPS and their night vision goggles the team swiftly made their way down the path. Just short of the fence Gertrude broke off into the jungle, a few steps later Casey broke off in the other direction. Chuck and Sarah knelt down and watched the action on the computer. Chuck found the killing that went with missions repellent but he had learned to live with it over the years. They watched silently as Rose and Katherine's grandparents killed the hidden snipers with ruthless efficiency.

Now it was their turn. The Bartowskis swiftly made their way to the east side of the palace where they found a small door they had used on a mission here years before. They crawled in, it was just as wet and nasty as Chuck remembered. Crawling on their elbows; they both remembered exactly how to get to the old nuclear operations center. Sarah was prepared to breach the locked door, but it wasn't. She opened it and crawled into the room which had been converted into a rather opulent bedroom. There was a king-size bed obviously occupied by two people and next to it was a bassinet draped with mosquito netting. Sarah raised her silencer equipped rifle and made her way silently to the sleeping trio. Chuck painfully crawled through and stumbled a bit making his way to his feet. Just then Holly cried out, Maria Szczeklik raised up and gasped when she found herself on the business end of Sarah's short automatic rifle. Maria raised her hands in a defensive pleading motion. Sarah spoke to her just above a whisper in Polish.

"Don't make a sound or I will kill you."

Chuck was beside Sarah now. The man in the bed stirred slightly and Chuck realized it was Goya himself.

"Oh my God, he's cheating on Hortensia!"

Never taking her eyes off the couple Sarah said to Chuck, "Knock em out."

With the skill honed over many hours of "Duck Hunt" Chuck quickly fired two darts hitting Maria and Allejandro in their necks, rapidly rendering them unconscious. In an instant Sarah reached into the bassinet and scooped the baby up in her arms.

"Is it her?"

Sarah didn't answer, she just smiled. There was a bottle in a warmer on the nightstand. Sarah took it out, checked its temperature on her wrist, and began to feed Holly.

"We need to move now mommy. Can you keep her quiet?"

Sarah nodded and then in a move that surprised Chuck reached into her backpack and pulled out a black frontal carrier. Sarah then gently placed Holly in it. Holding her head and the bottle with one hand she locked it into place with black carabiners. It impressed Chuck, when she was placed in it Holly was covered by ballistic panels on her three exposed sides.

"Let's go Chuck, I want to get her out of here."

As they turned to return to the tunnel the main door to the room flung open and two soldiers pointing automatic weapons appeared. Sarah instinctively spun to put herself and her bulletproof vest between her baby and the men.

And then it happened. The best description Chuck could ever come up with to describe a flash was that it felt like he was a glove suddenly occupied by a very powerful hand. When a flash occurred he suddenly knew just what to do and how to do it, and this full flash, the first in years, was just like the flashes of old. In an instant he was on the soldiers kicking their rifles out of their hands. He then delivered a smashing blow with his elbow to one's jaw and an instant later a roundhouse kick to the other man's head. They tumbled over in opposite directions. Chuck looked up from their limp bodies to see if the hallway was clear. When he did Andrzej Szczeklik appeared and shot him in the chest.

Sarah heard Chuck fall and without exposing the infant called to Szczeklik in perfect Polish,

"I have her! Please don't hurt the baby!"

Szczeklik was stunned to hear his native language and paused for a moment. He looked to the bed and saw his sister lying limp and glassy eyed next an equally limp and glassy eyed Goya. He raised his gun toward Sarah aiming below her vest. He had just begun to squeeze the trigger when John Casey shot him in twice in the chest causing him to tumble forward into the room.

Casey was still crawling through the door when he shot Szczeklik, but now he was on his feet, "Is she OK?"

"Yes, we need to get going, the whole house is up now!"

Casey went to a dazed and coughing Chuck, extended his hand and yanked him off the floor by the front of his vest. He growled and said, "Quit clowning around, let's go!"

Helped to his feet Chuck shook his head and caught his breath.

Sarah looked at him for a moment, "That was a flash, wasn't it?"

"Yeah the intersect is buried pretty deep in my brain, but it appears that it still works."

She then handed him one of the unconscious guards' rifles.

"You need to be prepared to use this!"

"I know."

They crawled through the tunnel and then began to run across the yard toward the breach in the fence. All the lights in the Palace were now on and there was a lot of shouting in Spanish swirling about the scene. Three guards in khakis came around the east corner of the building and spotted the team. Almost immediately the unseen Gertrude cut them down with three expertly placed shots.

Sarah had been on countless missions, but never as a mother. This was the second time she had found herself trying to protect an infant from gunfire, the other had been a decade before in Hungry, that time the baby was her adopted sister Molly. As they sprinted across the yard Chuck was trying to keep himself between the Palace and Sarah. Sarah and now Holly were worth dying for.

Two pickup trucks arrived at the Palace, one carrying armend soldiers the other had a machine gun mounted in the back. Verbanski destroyed both of them with grenades launched from her rifle. She was putting up a magnificent defense but she could only carry so much ammunition. They would need something more than just fighting their way out if more soldiers arrived.

They slithered under the fence and began to run down the goat path to the spot where they had hidden the boats. At the beach they in unison lifted one of the boats and carried it to the surf. They clambered aboard and Casey steered it out to sea.

"I can't raise the sub! Barton is blocking our calls!"

"What is your plan B, Chuck? It better be good! You have one right?"

"Turn the boat north, you see that blinking light inland? That's a cellphone tower. Get me in it and I can make contact with the cavalry!"

Casey followed Chucks instructions and the tiny boat made its way slowly up the Costa Gravin coast. Sarah was quiet, Holly was quiet, the team sat in silence. They were all wondering if they would make it home, something they had never really done in the past, but now there were people they loved waiting. Casey turned the boat inland and found a small creek which took them to within a kilometer of the tower.

It was still dark as they made their way through a small village surrounding the tower. People saw them, but left them alone. People carrying weapons was a common sight in Central America so when locals spotted the black clad group jogging through the streets they just went indoors hoping they would pass without trouble. Once they got to the tower Casey shot out the lock on the gate and did the same at a small brick building below the tower. Once inside Chuck put down his weapon and took his real weapon, Stephen Bartowski's laptop, out of its case and connected it via USB to the system. The building was crammed with electronics, but it was air conditioned and the exhausted team member sat down on the cool concrete floor. Sarah lifted Holly out of her carrier and cradled her in her arms. Chuck began to peck away opening up window after window as he began to make his way toward help. Casey sat with the door cracked looking out into the darkness for signs of trouble. Gertrude scooted over to where Sarah was sitting with Holly.

She whispered, "I never cared about babies until I married John and then Alex had her two. I love those little girls so much, I think I finally understand."

Sarah never looked up; she continued to gaze at the sleeping infant, "Being a mom has taught me so much about everything, she is just so perfect."

Casey backed out of the door and went to where Chuck was working.

"So what's the plan, are you trying to get ahold of Beckman or the CIA?"

"In a roundabout way. The person I'm trying to contact is Jeff Barnes."

Casey roared, "Barnes! Why are you going after that idiot?"

"I don't know how deep Barton has gotten into Apex, but I can't take a chance. Jeff uses a very sophisticated encryption system to protect his on-line presence."

"On-line presence?"

"Yeah, Jeff is on-line a lot and well, he has some unusual interests."

"I'll bet."

Suddenly the face of Jeff Barnes filled Chuck's screen.

"Oh hi Chuck, didn't expect to find you here. I was just talking to Lester. We're working on some new songs, not covers, all original material, I'm gunna go to up to Canada and record with him just as soon as I get a chance, you wanna come?"

"Jeff listen carefully to me. You know how Sarah and I used to be spies? Well we still are and we're in a bit of trouble right now."

"Oh wow, do you want me to come and help?"

"Yes, you're going to help us right now. I'm sending you a file, I want you to print it, and then take it to my apartment and give it to my mom."

"Oh, oh Chuck your mom is really pretty, my mom is kinda rough, you know she's getting out in a few weeks, it would be great if she could get a job here...at you know at Carmichael."

Casey leaned in to the camera on Chuck's end, "Listen here you knitwit, do exactly what he tells you to do or when I get back, I'll kill you."

Gertrude Verbanski spoke up, "So our fates are in the hands of Larry from the Three Stoges. Great."

"If he can get to my mom she will know what to do, she's a great spy and I trust her. I can't see what Barton is up to, that means the sub is still submerged. My guess he has told the crew that we've gone dark."

Gertrude mulled this for a moment, "So what happens next."

"I can see what's going on in the Palace. Someone is preparing a press release saying four bandits were killed outside the Presidential Palace. Goya is calling in more soldiers to look for us. I hate to say it but, it is going to come down to how quickly Beckman finds out our situation and sends help."

Casey stood up and looked out the door.

"It will be daylight in an hour, everyone needs to go outside and piss, we are going to have to hunker down in here until help arrives."

Chuck looked up from the laptop. "I can disrupt their communications using this tower. I can misdirect them and cut some of the troops off. The danger is that they will figure out where it is coming from. I can't trust any contact at Apex. Barton is really good and he had access to everything, he's set up all sorts of entrapments and back channel controls. He has spent years on this and I think I know why he's after us."

Sarah was cradling Holly and looked up from her baby, "Why?"

"This is going to sound arrogant but I think this whole thing was to get at me."

He let that sink in for a moment and went on, "Barton has worked at building a phenomenally elaborate network of computer power with cartel money, I've done some pretty high level hacking in my day, but I have never encountered anything close to it. To me it looks like he was building a network that could infiltrate Apex to the point that the drug and weapon cartels he was working with would be able to know everything government intelligence and law enforcement were up to in real time."

Casey, who was pacing across the floor, stopped and said, "That still doesn't explain what the hell we are doing here!"

Chuck's tone grew graver, "The reason we are here is me. Barton has studied me for years and he used that knowledge to set up several possible scenarios where he would somehow get me in the heart of cartel country."

"Why didn't he just kill you?"

"I have a lot of weaknesses, but Barton surmised my two main ones were my children and my wife. I know what you are thinking, when he started this thing I didn't have either, but I can see how he worked it from several angles. He found Jill, and exploited her desire for a child by manipulating her into retrieving my old, you know, man stuff, from the Stanford lab He found Hannah and manipulated her into applying for a job with Carmichael in Paris, he worked Lou into opening her deli on the campus. He wanted to hook me up with a wife, a child or both."

Sarah had a pained look on her face, "Is that why I'm here?"

Chuck answered quietly, "Yes. He knew we had been married and that I was Carina's father. He also saw that you were in no hurry to reconnect with me. He used the intersect and even Morgan to plant the desire to restart our marriage in your brain."

Sarah was on the verge of tears. She looked at Chuck and asked. "Am I just a pawn in this game of his?"

"Yes. What he really wants is me, he wants control of me. He thinks that I am the only person on this planet who can stop him and that's because I'm still the Intersect and my Intersect predates his actions, it's pure."

Gertrude took a breath and asked, "So what happens next?"

"He wants to use Holly, Carina, and Sarah to control me, he wants me on the inside of the tent pissing out, and if help doesn't arrive in time, that's what I'm going to give him."

They all looked up with collective shock.

"I'll agree to work for him. I hope I can convince Barton to let the three of you alone. He knows I will stand by my word. I did it when Casey killed the mole and I'll do it now. I'm worth a lot more to him alive and working."

Casey grew angry.

"I can't let you do that, I'm not going to let you do that, I'll kill every damned one of them, before I let that happen!"

"No, no that's what has to happen. They get me and you get away. Then you have to put everything you have into finding and killing me."

Hearing this Sarah put the baby down and moved to where Chuck was sitting.

"Chuck I love you! This is not going to happen and I'm here because I love you. I've loved you since you fixed my intellicell phone. I'm not here because I was tricked."

"Were you in love with me a year ago? We both knew where the other was and we never made a move. I didn't have the guts and you didn't have the love or the memory of love. I honestly don't know if I would have ever sought you out. After all that happened I simply didn't trust you."

Sarah was devastated to hear this from Chuck. She knew parts of it were true, but she also knew he misunderstood her. Being with him again had made her the happiest she had ever been.

"How can you say that?" She pleaded, "We're happy, we are in love."

"Sarah, I don't care what brought you back, you are here with me and our little girls. It has brought me the greatest joy I've ever known, but I've got to protect them and you. Giving myself to them is the only way I know I can do it. We can't fight our way out of this and if you have Holly and Carina you will have a part of me, the best part of me."

Suddenly Beckman's face appeared on Chuck's computer screen. "I received your message from Mr. Barnes, I'm with him now. Are you certain this is a secure channel?"

"Yes General I am. You may not want to look at any of the files on his computer, just saying."

"Are you certain Barton is the mole?"

"I am."

"I've gotten a report from the submarine that you are overdue and the Costa Gravian military has released a report that four intruders were killed near the Presidential Palace, I presume that was you."

"They're setting us up."

"I understand and help is on the way but, you will need to hold on at least four hours. I am making some back channel diplomatic inquiries, but the US has no formal relations with Goya as he is under indictment here for drug trafficking. He was friends with Manuel Noriega and no doubt that's in his mind."

"As I told you, don't make any moves against Barton on the sub. He's probably controlling all communications there and he is clearly in contact with Goya's people. I can disrupt their communications, but he'll eventually see it, and surmise it's me. We are just going to have to wait here"

"Good luck Chuck. Stay strong."

The sun came up and the people living near the tower went about their business. The rumor of armed gringos breaking into the cellphone tower was already spreading. This did not necessarily spell danger for Team Bartowski as these people were just as wary of their own government as the were of the armed crew hiding in the tower's support building. Goya had his minions out in force and they would eventually hear of the hiding gringos. Chuck could follow the action as it unfolded, his Spanish was rusty but he could see the ring tightening. Goya's goons would find them, it was just a matter of time.

Sarah had never felt like this on any mission, or for that matter in her life. She sat on the floor cradling the precious gift that had come to her. She had, almost without effort, built the life she truly wanted. She was with the only man she had ever loved, they were a family, and yet somehow it was being snatched from her. She was afraid for Chuck, afraid for Carina, and very afraid for Holly. One moment kept playing over and over in her head. It was a scene from the many hours of surveillance videos she had watched while working to regain her memories of her life in Burbank. It was Chuck and Roan Montgomery in the courtyard of his apartment building. Roan asked Chuck if she was worth dying for and he had without hesitation answered that she was. That same night Chuck would hurl himself off the roof of the Buy More to save her in the bravest most selfless action she had ever witnessed. Now he was preparing to sacrifice himself again, to save her.

Chuck looked up from the computer and announced, "They know where we are, they're coming!"

He closed the laptop.

"It's magnet time."

He then crawled over to where Sarah was and sat down beside her.

"I'm so sorry Sarah. This is what I have to do. I don't know what's going to happen to me but, remember if you can, that I don't give up, I'll keep trying to get back to you no matter what."

She did not speak, she just looked at him with a tear streaked face that begged him not to go.

"Hey you know maybe one day maybe Goya will let me go, and I'll come home, and meet my grandchildren, you can push me around in my wheelchair."

John Casey who was still looking out the door now spoke, "Bartowski, don't do this, Gertrude and I still have a lot of ammo. This building is solid. We can hold them off until Beckman's help arrives. You go out there and you'll get shot right in your dumbass. I know how to fight these people."

"John, he's got a recoilless rifle out on the road and even a tank. I can't take a chance on that. I've done this before, it's our move, I'm the magnet."

Chuck reached into his backpack and pulled out a satellite phone.

"I'm calling Jeff Barnes' computer; it's the only one I can trust."

"Jeff are you still with Gen...Diane Beckman?"

"Oh hey Chuck. You know if Lester could get a sponsor maybe he could move back to California. I really think we need to work on our new music face to face."

"I'll do what I can. Let me speak to her please."

"General they've made us, Goya's forces should show up shortly. I'm going to try and distract them, but you've got to save my wife and baby and and Casey and Gertrude!"

"Chuck our drones are already in the area, the Ospreys are in route but need about thirty minutes to arrive at your location. If you are going to go through with your magnet plan, activate the emergency beacon on your watch, that way we can track you until somebody steals it."

Chuck tightened his belt and checked his bootlaces, it would be hot out there in all black, but his training in Prague had taught him to hang on to everything he had until he no longer could. He then went to where Sarah was sitting rocking Holly in her arms and sat on the floor beside her.

"I have to go now, this is the best plan I can come up with; I want you to trust me, I know I've let you down, you and Carina."

He took a deep breath.

"I love you, and her, and Carina and everyone else in our lives. Sarah kiss me. I think someone needs her diaper changed."

She said nothing. They kissed, barely. Chuck stood up, Gertrude took his place next to the dissolute Sarah. Chuck walked to the door where Casey was standing. He did not say anything he just looked Casey deeply in the eyes and smiled slightly. Then he stepped out onto the grass that surrounded the building and jogged to the gate. He went through and closed it behind him. Chuck had decided he would head toward the ocean. A message flashed on his watch informing him his emergency beacon was activated. He just kept walking down a rutted dirt road, it wasn't long before a Toyota truck with four soldiers came speeding toward him. The truck skidded to a stop just a few feet in front of him. A soldier jumped out of the bed, ran up to Chuck and hit him in the head with the butt of his rifle.

The man who hit Chuck was considerably shorter than him and only managed to hit him in the lower jaw. It hurt, but it wasn't broken and he was still conscious. Chuck dropped to the fetal position, covered his head with his arms and braced for another blow, that didn't come. The driver had exited the cab and he was obviously in charge; he motioned for the man to back off. The sergeant did not have a radio, instead he was using a standard cell phone for communication. Chuck knew that wasn't going to work, he had shut the tower down for local communications. The frustrated sergeant did not know this and kept trying for several minutes.

At Apex General Beckman watched as an elderly American made tank followed by a truck with an American made recoilless rifle lumbered toward the cell phone tower. Beckman gave an order and two drones that were orbiting the area fired their "HellFire" missiles and the vehicles vaporized. A truck with about fifteen soldiers was following, it stopped and the occupants jumped out and ran away. A few seconds later a missile hit the truck sending it high into the air. John Casey watched the action with a smile, he had 190 rounds of ammunition and he was willing to use them all on the Costa Gravan Army.

Chuck was now sitting on the ground with five rifles pointed at him. Their commander had given up on the cell phone and dispatched one of the men to go and find someone and inform them they had captured the American assassin that had tried to kill the President. He then heard two explosions followed by a third. He assumed it was the tank firing at the building where the other assassins and kidnappers were hiding.

An Air Force Lieutenant Colonel in Las Vegas informed General Beckman that their drones had a visual on Charles Bartowski. A window popped up on her screen and there was Chuck sitting in the middle of a dirt road, even sitting down he was almost as tall as his captors. He looked up, not at the drone but something else in the sky. It was a formation of four Marine Viper attack helicopters headed to the tower. Just behind them at a higher altitude were three Black Hawks.

"Gentlemen that's my ride!"

With that he flashed. In a split second the guns were kicked out of the hands of the stunned soldiers. He then kicked the sergeant in the head, lept over him and jumped into the driver seat of the truck.

"Where are the damned keys?"

Chuck had to exit the truck and engage in a Kung Fu battle with the four conscious soldiers. It was epic, the villagers who had been watching Chuck's capture now watched with bemused interest as the lanky bearded gringo executed a series of high kicks, flips, and punches that soon had all five of the soldiers sprawled in the road. Chuck took the keys from the fat sergeant's pocket, started the truck and headed out for the tower. As soon as he was gone the locals moved in and took the dazed men's guns, wallets, watches, shoes, and belts.

As Chuck floored it back to the tower he sped past the burning hulks of Goya's armoured vehicles, smashed through the gate and jumped out of the truck just in time to watch the Black Hawk carrying Team Bartowski disappear into the clouds. Chuck had to think and think quickly. He could try and head for a neighboring country in the truck or hide in the jungle, any idea he came up with seems like a long shot. As he began to climb back in the truck he saw a column of vehicles approaching. There was an armoured car in front followed by a truck full of soldiers and behind that a black Toyota Land Cruiser. The Land Cruiser had the seal of Costa Gravis on its side. It was Goya himself. He felt himself begin to deflate. He wondered if he would ever see his family again or even be alive one more day.

Just then, two Marine vipers dropped out of the clouds. The lead ship hovered a few hundred feet in the air, anti-heat seeking missile flares flying out on both sides. It fired a burst into the ground beside the vehicles prompting the soldiers in the truck to scramble out and run into the village. Seconds later the crew of the armoured car abandoned their vehicle and ran for the haven of the village. Goya's driver threw the Presidential vehicle into reverse, but it was too late. The second Viper fired several rounds into the front end of Goya's Land Cruiser. Now a third helicopter, a Black Hawk, swooped in on the scene and in a flash six camo clad Marines rappelled from it and ran to the Land Cruiser. They used a giant pry bar to open the driver's side rear door and yanked Goya out of his seat. The Black Hawk then sat down in a vacant lot about a hundred meters down the road.

Chuck was on foot now, running with everything he had toward the Black Hawk, he watched as the Marines roughly tossed Goya into the chopper. They then began to climb into the helicopter themselves, one of them noticed a tall man in black running toward them and began to raise his gun in Chuck's direction. Before he took aim a Marine inside the Black Hawk tapped him on the shoulder and motioned for him to get in. Chuck kept running, he was too close to the Black Hawk for the Vipers to fire on him, but he could see that it was about to lift off. He gave the helicopter a hard look, let his mind flash and he leapt toward the open middle door of it as it rose into the air barely catching hold. Chuck could feel his injured shoulder starting to give way when a set of hands grabbed both wrists and pulled him in.

"I'm CIA, I'm CIA, my name is Chuck Bartowski, I'm an American, from California!" Chuck sputtered to a big Marine first lieutenant standing over him.

"I know who you are, we're going to get you home. I'm Lieutenant Coburn"

Lieutenant Cobun helped Chuck onto a canvas seat and strapped him in. Next to Chuck sat a dazed looking Alejandro Goya, his hands and feet bound with zip ties. He looked at Chuck squinted and bit and shouted over the roar of the blades "You seem familiar, have we met?"

Chuck was surprised by this, they had met on two missions several years back. He decided to reacquaint.

"My sister is married to Dr. Devon Woodcomb, he treated you in Los Angeles in 2010." Chuck decided not to remind him that he had once penetrated the Royal Palace on a mission.

"Oh yes, I remember Mrs. Woodcomb, she is very beautiful, as is her husband. Yes, yes she is a spectacular woman."

Goya didn't seem to remember much else, he was clearly disorientated by his situation, the noise of the helicopter, and his age. Chuck's training told him not to say anything else, never jog the memory of the enemy, so he just sat back and closed his eyes. He thought of everyone he loved and hoped they were safe.

Chuck dozed off for a moment and then he felt the helicopter begin to descend. As it turned he could see an aircraft carrier, its decks covered with helicopters below them, soon they landed and were ushered onto the flight deck. Goya was met by two FBI agents who promptly arrested him and took him into the tower of the ship. Chuck was led to an Osprey whose engines were already running. As soon as he was aboard it took off.

Chuck motioned to the crew chief of the noisy bird, "Where are you taking me?" he shouted.

The crewman handed him a set of headphones with a microphone.

"Where are you taking me? Do you have a phone so I can call my wife?"

"You're going to Mexico, they are going to put on a plane for the US. We don't have cell phones, maybe you can call her from the airport."

The crew gave him some water bottles and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich MRE on the three hour flight inland. He watched as they crossed the Mexican coast and made their way to the interior. They finally landed at a medium sized airport where he recognized one of Carmichael's Citation jets sitting on the ramp. He watched the rear ramp lower and there a man in a suit motioned for him to follow. He was led through the terminal to a VIP lounge. Once inside he was greeted by John Casey.

"Buena tarde you magnetic moron! The Marines got us out of there with firing a shot. Your wife has been worried sick after you stupid sacrafice."

"Good to see you too John my heart soars at the sound of your voice."

Chuck stepped past Casey toward Sarah. She was sitting facing him with Holly on her shoulder gently patting her back. Chuck knew that look, she was mad and disappointed in him, he could also read that she was relieved.

"She needs changing. Have you ever changed a diaper before?"

"No I've seen it done, but never hands on."

"I'll show you how."

They walked over to a table against the wall. Sarah spread a changing pad on it and removed Holly's pungent diaper.

"You have to wipe from front to back so you don't get anything in her urethra." Without looking up from her baby Sarah said, "I'm glad you're OK Chuck, I was freaking out. We've got a lot to talk about."

"Have you talked to anyone in LA? Is Carina OK?"

"Everyone is fine, we were waiting on you, we can shove off anytime now. Put the wipes in the garbage and put a little bit of powder on her bottom. I'm going to put a clean onesie on her for the flight."

The flight back to Los Angeles was uneventful, they all fell asleep at various times throughout the night. Chuck held Holly while Sarah slept. He was fascinated by her tiny fingers; they had tiny but perfect nails that looked like they had been manicured. He did not know where things were headed with Sarah, but he knew this baby was his and he would do anything to keep her.

Chuck called Ellie to see if she had heard from Devon. She had not. He connected his computer to the internet and began to search for traffic between the submarine and Apex. There was none. He could feel a small panic beginning to build inside him. He decided to try and directly contact the submarine and to his surprise Major Rick Noble appeared on his screen.

"Major Noble is everything alright? Is my brother in law Devon Woodcomb available?"

"Dr. Woodcomb is fine, in fact he is a hero on this boat. When Captain Barton discovered that we were on to his deceptions and criminality he tried to escape by using a diver's airlock. He attempted to reach the shore by employing an electric swim aid. The sub's Captain surfaced and Dr. Woodcomb dove in, overtook Barton, took control of him, and brought him back to the deck, where I arrested him. I'm putting the Doctor up for a decoration. That man is absolutely awesome. When I'm in LA he promised to show me his lats routine."

At LAX there were two Carmichael vans waiting for them. The first took John and Gertrude home, Chuck and Sarah rode silently to their apartment in the other. It was mid-morning when they got home, they both wanted to see Carina who was at daycare, so they showered in separate bathrooms and got dressed.

"Chuck let's talk."

"Yeah, yeah, I guess we have a lot to discuss about everything, about you know, ... us."

"Oh, that conversation is coming, but not now. We need to introduce Carina to her new sister. She's not going to understand it all, but we have to make sure she doesn't feel left out. We have Holly's adoption paperwork to sign on Friday. Everybody is going to be coming to see the baby, I don't want it to make her jealous or sad."

"Why do we have to adopt Holly? I'm her father."

"I'm adopting her, if we can't work this marriage out, I'm not giving her up."

"Sarah, I'm pretty new to this child rearing stuff, help me along if I screw up. I just want them... both to be happy and you too." He took a breath, "We're still together right? I know I said some things and I know we've got a lot to discuss, but we're going to stay married right?"

"Yeah, we've been through worse. We have real responsibilities, I brought Carina to you so she would have her daddy. You are still my husband, and I love you, but like I said, we need to have some long talks. I've called the daycare, one of the students is walking her over now."

The doorbell rang and Chuck opened the door. He reached down and scooped Carina up in his arms. It felt natural to hold her, it was something he wanted to do until he no longer could. He carried her to her mother who was holding the surprise.

Sarah looked at the baby and then at Carina, "This is Holly she is your new baby sister."

"We are going to keep her?"

"Yes, she is part of our family now."

"Like Bunny!"

"Yes, only she is a baby and we have to do a lot to take care of her. She can't walk, or talk, or feed herself. So mommy and daddy have to do a lot of things for her. I hope you can help us take care of her. Do you want to hold her?"

"Yes."

Chuck sat Carina down on the couch and Sarah placed the baby in her lap. She scooted next to her and placed her hand under Holly's head.

"Mommy how old is she?"

"She is just a few days old, that's why she is so small."

"Did she come out your stomach?"

"No, she is adopted, she needed a mommy and daddy so we asked to be her mommy and daddy."

"Where is she going to sleep?"

"She has her own room, but most of the time she will sleep with me and daddy because she needs to be taken care of."

"Can she stay in my room? I want to help take care of Holly."

Chuck got on his knees in front of the couch and stroked Holly's head.

"Do you know what her name is? It's Holly Hope Bartowski."

"My name is Carina Zondra Bartowski! Three years old!"

"Do you know what my name is?"

"Daddy!"

"No I have a name, it's Charles Irving Bartowski."

Sarah flashed. She was standing at the Nerd Herd desk, it was September 24, 2007. She had been assigned to make contact with a loser who had somehow been sent the nation's most powerful intelligence tool. She was now standing before him and she realized this wasn't going to be the piece of cake, she had thought.

"What's mommy's name?"

Chuck smiled at Sarah, "That's a good question, why don't you ask her?"

Sarah spoke before she could ask, "My name is Sarah Lisa Bartowski."

Chapter 18

May 7, 2016

Colonel John Casey USMC Retired stood before General Dianne Beckman as he had done so many times before. He liked dealing with Beckman, despite the fact she was Air Force, she was straight forward and always to the point. Beckman began.

"I assume you are aware that Hortensia Goya has assumed the Presidency in Costa Gravas. She doesn't seem to be as connected to the drug cartels as her husband, but I can't believe she wasn't aware of where all the money was coming from."

"It is my experience with her that she pays lip service to Marxism, but she likes her designer clothes and trips to Paris more than Das Kapital."

"Andrzej Szczeklik is alive, he was wearing a vest, you broke his sternum, but he survived."

Casey growled.

"We don't want him and his sister setting up shop in Costa Gavras. If you want it, this is an officially sanctioned mission. The Szczeklik's pharmaceutical franchise needs to be terminated."

Casey cracked his neck, "Mission accepted."

Chapter 19

Chuck vs. The Long Talk

Sunday May 22, 2016

It was a rough night with the kids. They both had colds. Sarah stayed up with the baby, and Chuck slept on the futon in Carina's room. By morning both children were in bed with Sarah. In the weeks since the mission to save Holly Chuck and Sarah had been circling each other. They slept together, but had not made love. Some of the separation came from being the parents of a newborn, but there was also a tension whose genesis was Chuck's magnet move. It was Sunday. Chuck left the apartment, got on one of his motorcycles and rode north toward Malibu. He felt like he was being pulled there, to that spot on the beach he had been to so many times in the past. He sat where he always sat, and looked out at the vastness of the Pacific. It was calm that morning, Chuck's thoughts were not.

After hours of sitting on the beach he felt a hand lightly touch his shoulder, and Sarah sat down next to him.

They looked at each other, Sarah spoke first, "It seems like we always find each other here doesn't it?"

"Sorry I left like that, how are the girls?"

"They're fine, feeling better, your mom is with them. Is there anything I can do? I can tell you're troubled by something."

Chuck pursed his lips, "I was just thinking about things, you know, a pity party, Bartowski curse, etc."

"No that's not it. As long as I have known you Chuck, I've never known you to feel sorry for yourself."

Chuck looked at her and took a breath and said, "The subject on this beach always seems to be trust. I was thinking there's one thing in the world I don't trust, and that's happiness. I should be really happy right now, and I am, but I can't get past this feeling that some disaster is out there waiting for me." Chuck ran his hand through his hair. "It seems that whenever I feel like things are going my way; like when I went to Stanford and met Jill. That whoever is pushing the pedals on the vast national security apparatus decides to slap me down. I found my dad, I mean we found my dad, and he died. I married you and then you forgot who I was and left me. I thought I'd built a billion dollar company; it was just a front"

Sarah wanted to hear him out. In the time since they had reconnected this was the first time he had opened up to her. Listening to him pour out his pain was teaching her about the man she knew she loved, but still had great gaps of knowledge about. She simply offered, "I know sweetie."

"You know the first time we were on this beach you ask me to trust you, and I did most of the time, but there was always something in the way. In our first four years together I saw you kiss three different men and it churned in my guts. I know you saw me with other women. We worked that out, but something always felt unsaid. After Japan, and when you left, I started thinking about the flaws in our relationship. I know I was rationalizing, but I really believed I would never see you again."

Chuck looked away from her toward the ocean, "You know I thought about killing myself after you left." Sarah was deeply shocked by this revelation and her face took on a pained expression. "Yeah, yeah it just seemed like an easy way...the only way to quickly end the pain and loneliness. The idea became a comfort to me. I thought about it all the time, I planned it, I wrote letters to everyone and I went to see if you were alright."

Sarah let him go on, but this was making her very emotional, she suddenly remembered the feelings she had felt when Chuck was kidnapped by the Belgian. Chuck stopped for a bit and then went on. "I hacked into some government databases. I know your birthday and even your birth name, it didn't take me long to find you at the Secret Service. So I flew to D.C. and did a stakeout, it felt good, like a mission." He took a long breath, "I saw you in the parking garage at Treasury. You were walking to the elevator with Jim Reynolds, you were laughing at something he'd said, and you were pregnant."

She put her hand on his back to reassure him, he went on "I thought you had found someone and you were happy. I didn't want to mess that up with a letter from some husband you couldn't remember. So I flew to Chicago to see Ellie." He smiled slightly, "My mom was there, and one night she told us the story of when she found out my dad had died. She couldn't cry because of Volkoff, but she went outside that night to a spot where there was no surveillance and looked up at the stars. She saw a shooting star go by and she said to herself that was dad. She saw two twinkling stars and she said those were Ellie and me. She said she knew then that she would see us again. It sounds corny but it made me think that one day we would reunite, even if we were not still in love. That we would see each other and maybe you would know that I once meant something to you." He drew a deep breath.

"That's when I dropped the whole idea of offing myself, I couldn't do that to my family, besides I'm not sure I had the guts to do it anyway. I came home, called Doc Dreyfus and got back in therapy."

Sarah was in tears at this point, "Oh my God, Chuck. I'm so sorry for everything you've been through." She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and put her arm around him. "I just...I just want you to know that my love for you now is real, just like it always has been. We've got our girls. That's real. I know I've caused you pain, and I'm so sorry."

Now Chuck felt bad. He stretched one of his long arms around her and pulled her into him. "We've had our issues, for shure, but I have loved you since the first time I laid eyes on you. Now we are mommy and daddy, and there is nothing better in this world. I love them so much I have no words" He put his head close to her's, "I want to spend every second I can with them; even nights like last night."

Sarah chuckled and wiped her eyes. He went on,

"Let's go home; but first, you know that thing that sucks snot out of the baby's nose? I broke it, by accident, so we need to get a new one on the way home."

Sarah wiped her eyes with her sweater, and said "We need a few things, and I have really got to pee."

Chuck stood up and offered her his hand, "We'll stop at a Buy More, I know just which alise."

Chapter 20

Sunday December 25, 2016

Interested parties gathered around a massive television to watch the Ravens vs. the Steelers at Chuck and Sarah's home at Lake Tahoe. They had already gone through the traditional Bartowski Christmas rituals of present opening, eggnog toasts, and Twilight Zone marathons. Big Mike, dressed as Santa, Morgan's mother Bolonia, and Ellie had prepared the food and the stuffed adults had mostly migrated to the living room. Chuck was lying on the floor, with half his body on a large pillow. Carina was lying on top of him staring blankly at the television with one arm dangling, she could never remember a time when she did not live with her mommy and daddy. Baby Holly was on a pad next to him playing with her toes. Chuck had little interest in the game, but Awesome, Casey, and Awesome's dad Woody all wanted to watch it, so it was on. Awesome's brother David, known to the extended family as Captain Handsome, had come with his new wife Jennifer who made an announcement.

"I'm going to plait Molly's hair, anybody else want theirs done?"

The little girls worshiped the gregarious and playful Jennifer and they all sprang to life. Clara and Katherine, bolted toward her prompting Carina to loudly exclaim, "Me!" as she painfully scrambled off of her father's back and ran to the dining room where the irresistible hair dressing would take place. Sarah, who had just entered the room carrying a tray of beers, smiled at this. She began to hand the beers to the men in the room.

John Casey looked over his shoulder at the squealing girls gathered around the chair where Molly's hair was being braided. He looked at Sarah and grumbled,

"I hope you've got a boy in there. This family needs some boys, of course if he's anything like his father…" He looked at the inert Chuck, smirked and gave one of his derisive growls.

As she handed him his beer, Sarah shot back, "Well there's two in here so maybe you've got a shot."

With this Woody Woodcomb roared in his family's fashion, "Twins! That's awesome! Honey, did you hear that? Sarah is having twins! That's great, we're so happy for you!"

Sarah then got down on her knees in front of Holly and began to play with her. Sarah looked around the room and thought about the life she was now living.

Chuck was not the perfect husband or father, but he tried to be. He was learning to be firmer with Carina, but still, despite Sarah pleas tended to give in to her. They were working on the marriage too. Three years as a rich bachelor had ingrained certain habits in him that were hard to shake. He had become used to people picking up after him, and he still tended to leave things wherever he felt like leaving them. Someone would put it away. Sarah thought this set a bad example for their girls, especially Carina, as she constantly reminded Chuck.

Their years apart were still a lingering issue between them. She also wondered why he feared her so much. He had seen her with Carina in D.C. on several occasions, but he refused to come forward. It was extremely upsetting to her that she had seen Chuck, in mufti, watching her with their daughter at a kite flying contest in Washington. She became so distraught that Carina, just two at the time, had perceptively asked her what was making her so sad.

There was also something truly wonderful about him. He was kind, funny, patient, and good. As her memories returned and she made new ones she was constantly astonished by how happy she was to be with him. The path she had taken to arrive at this place had not revealed any clues to the life she was now leading. Sitting there on the floor playing with her baby Sarah felt blessed. Chuck had rolled over to where the baby was lying.

"So next year we are going to have a house full of babies, not to mention the hellspawn Carina. It's going to be a lot of work for mommy."

"Oh let me correct you, daddy will have plenty to keep him busy."

"Yeah gaming and drinking with the boys."

"Chuck you're a rich housewife, you don't cook, clean, or do laundry. We've got it easy compared to most working parents. We own our own daycare."

Chuck reached out and shook Holly's foot, "Most working parents don't have to deal with the hellspawn. What if she infects this one? Together they'll break us."

"What time are you leaving for Barstow?"

"9:00 am. Mom has decided to come with me, so if you want me to take Carina with me you could get a break from our various offspring."

"No I want her in daycare, she's had enough time off. I'm going to work on Tuesday and she needs the structure. Are you using your mom as a buffer with the Roberts'?"

"They are always going to blame me for Jill's life...and death. It's just weird. They've constructed their own narrative and I'm the bad guy. Mom is teaching a class at Fort Irwin, so I'll just work in my hotel room. Maybe I'll go to the movies or something, or maybe I'll hit some country music clubs, you know boot scooting and romancing the cowgirls."

"Yeah just don't make any more babies for me to raise."

Chuck answered in a goofy voice, "Oh well, I'll use protection."

With that Sarah scooped Holly up and kissed her belly button, "I'm going to miss her so much."

Chuck crawled over to get in on the action.

"Oh here comes daddy with his brillo beard, you stay away from her belly, you'll give her a rash. And why is it coming back? I don't think you've shaved since you shaved it off."

"Extreme virility, guys like Morgan and myself are just excessively masculine, that's why the ladies love us!"

Just then the football watchers let out a combination of groans and hoots when something transpired on the screen.

"I'm going to change her and give her a bottle."

Chuck followed Sarah to the nursery they had installed in one of the mansion's rooms. Sarah lay the baby on the changing table. When she did Chuck touched her arm. He spoke to her just above a whisper.

"Hey, hey it's going to be alright. We'll just be gone a few days."

"I know, it's just, it's just I'm different now. Since she was taken, and just having her. I love her so much. When I had Carina, I was alone, and it changed me. From the moment I saw her face I knew I would never be the old me."

Chuck smiled, "I liked the old you, you smelled like sausage it was like some sort of pheromone."

"I always wanted us to become a normal couple. I'd been on missions since I was eighteen and my only boyfriend was Bryce who was running missions until he died on one. With you, I saw a light at the end, and I loved you, you were unlike anyone I had ever met. Sometimes I have to pinch myself."

"I've said this many times, I don't know if we'll ever be a normal couple, but we've got a lot of money and pretty soon we're going to have a lot of kids. So stick with me and don't freak out."

The End