"I need to be able to trust you on missions Chuck, not be worried about your personal life."
Sarah's words cut into Chuck Bartowski like knives through butter. He was hurt. He was hurt that she would speak so casually about his feelings, as though they were irrelevant. But more than that, he was angry.
"Stop the car Casey."
"Sorry Romeo, but we've got no time to-"
"Stop the DAMN car John." Chuck said angrily. Casey stopped the car a moment later, although whether it was Chuck's use of his first name or profanity not even John Casey could say. Maybe it was the fact that the kid was growing some kind of backbone, and Casey needed to decide whether or not to break it.
"Chuck we don't have time to-"
"Sarah, please be quiet. I'm speaking."
Chuck's tone was polite but firm. He had something to say, and he didn't want any interruptions.
"Now Sarah, I like you. I really do. You are badass, and beautiful and funny and way out of my league. But you do not get to give me a lecture on trust. Neither of you do. You ask me to trust you, ask me to lie to everyone I love, but you lie to me. Nothing I know about you is real, other than the fact that you slept with Bryce fucking Larkin. Hard to trust someone like that. John, I admire you, and I am grateful for everything you have done for this country. But I also know some of what you do. I think we all know how this ends when I become expendable. Bag over my head, or a bullet in my brain. Just promise me a clean death. After all the shit this computer in my head has caused me, you owe me that much."
Sarah put a hand over her mouth. Was Chuck really so cynical that he thought that was what they did to innocent Americans? Did he truly think he was disposable? To them? To her?
"Bartowski...Chuck I-"
"I'm not done John. This whole thing where you treat me like some chore or some kid you have to babysit, that ends today. Either we are a team of equals, or we aren't. Like I said, you need me. I don't need you. Oh, and since I'm sure the question of how I would dare to consider us equals in any regard will come up, ask your bosses about someone named Pirana."
"You're Pirana? No. He's some kind of legend, the best hacker in a decade. No way he-"
"Just like there's no way a guy who works at a Buymore could have all the government's dirty laundry in his head right Casey?" Chuck said, opening his door and getting out.
"I'm going home. It's been a hell of a day, and I feel like a walk. Call me when you two are ready to talk."
Sarah and Casey sat there for several minutes after Chuck had walked away, neither saying a word. Then Casey broke the silence.
"Shit. Kids got some balls, huh Walker? Walker?"
Sarah didn't respond. She was thinking about Chuck's words, about what he'd said. She hated the truth she found in them. Truth. What a novel concept. Chuck had been right. The only true thing he had known about her was that she had a thing with Bryce Larkin. Her trigger finger itched as she thought of him. The narcissistic asshole had hurt her, betrayed her, and ruined the life of a good man like Chuck. If Casey hadn't already killed him, she would hunt the bastard down and kill him herself.
Kill. Chuck had mentioned a clean death. He had asked Casey to give him a clean death.
"Casey, tell me right now. Do you have a kill order on Chuck?"
"Not for six months. But once the new intersect becomes operational-"
"I can't let you kill him. I won't." Sarah said, her Smith and Wesson pointed at the back of Casey's head.
"Relax Walker. I may be a killer, but I don't like the idea of killing one of our own. If I had to, I would give him a clean death. A soldier's death. He has earned that much."
Casey chuckled. Chuck was the most unorthodox individual he had ever met. No one else would have thought to use porn to disable a brick of C4 or been able to keep their cool with La Ciudad long enough for backup to arrive. He may not have training, but he was a soldier.
"He's a soldier." Casey said quietly.
"He's a civilian who got thrown into this mess." Sarah said, still not lowering her gun.
"Yes, but he's been thrown into situations where he's had to think outside the box, adapt and overcome. He is a soldier, a comrade. It's time we start treating him like it."
"You won't kill him?"
"No. That's off the table as of right now. Now please put the gun away, and let's go talk to Chuck. We've got work to do."
A/N: So I was rewatching Chuck vs. the Wookie and I was disgusted over the way Chuck was treated. This is a result of that. I hope you all enjoyed, and the next chapter will be up soon!