A/N: Last chapter retold S3E17, but also incorporated some of S3E18. Thankfully, Stephen Bartowski did not get shot, but Daniel Shaw did, leaving our friends in a much better state than in the show.
This chapter is mostly a replacement for S3E18, "Chuck Versus the Subway," but will take some events from it.
Thanks for last chapter's reviews. I enjoy reading them all and really appreciate them.
JohnnyRayChandlett has, once again, helped by offering ideas on how to improve this chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, but have two wonderful daughters, so Emma's feelings here are well understood.
Prove Yourself
Chapter 24 – Baby?
As Sarah wakes, without her favorite pillow, she knows why. He will be agonizing over the equivalent of a spy will. Last night, he'd said he would do it today and she is not surprised that he was doing so before she awoke.
Writing hers had been important to make her realize what she had actually achieved during her time in the CIA, but it had originally felt rather pointless as she had no one to give it to. Her dad was either in prison or on the run somewhere. Her mom couldn't be contacted or would be at risk. Bryce had only been a temporary liaison. Now, however, she has someone she loves and is just the person who should have it.
Thinking about her mom makes her think about Ryker. Chuck has found what she needs to know, so, now that Chuck has the Governor, she wants to take Ryker down; for good.
She slides out of bed and dresses, then pads over to the bathroom.
A few minutes later, she heads to the kitchen for a coffee.
Chuck is indeed, sitting at his laptop, typing and frowning as well. Definitely the will document.
"Hi, Chuck," she says as she passes him. She doesn't kiss him, as he will probably not want her to see what he's typing.
He looks up and smiles, "Hello, Gorgeous."
She gives him a sexy look. "Gorgeous, huh? Planning on gorging later?"
He gives her an intense look back. "Absolutely."
She manages to keep walking, but that look and those words make her want to grab him and drag him back to bed.
Once she has a coffee in her hand, she looks back at him. He looks over his laptop and grins at her, looking so good. Control yourself!
She straightens her back and says one word, "Ryker."
That wipes the smile off of his face. "Yeah, Ryker. I have some disturbing intel on him. I've been checking all of Shaw's communiqués, texts, emails etc. He was in contact with Ryker. I think Ryker was also working for the Ring."
Sarah feels a chill run up her spine. Ryker and the Ring. Things are worse than I thought.
"God, this is bad," she mutters.
"Sorry, babe, you don't know the worst of it yet." He turns his laptop around so she can see the screen, which shows an email from Daniel Shaw to Kieran Ryker.
The baby is alive. Details to follow.
"Oh, shit!" Nothing could have motivated her to act more. "We have to get to him first, stop him."
She grips his shoulder. "We have to go now, Chuck."
He shakes his head. "We'll need Casey and we may need more. I'm thinking Zondra."
That takes her by surprise. "You've found more on Amy?"
"She's definitely met with Gaez on more than one occasion," he replies.
So, Sarah had falsely accused her friend, Zondra, and will certainly have damaged her career. Zondra will most likely hate Sarah for that. Sarah knows that no amount of apologizing will be sufficient. However, dealing with that cannot happen until they meet. "Do you know where she is?"
He grins. "Also in Budapest."
She narrows her eyes. "Have you done that?"
He holds his hands up in a defensive gesture. "No. Purely co-incidental."
She mulls that over for a few seconds. "So, two reasons to go there, then."
"Yup."
She is a bit nervous asking, but the Ring has gone very quiet, so it should be a good time. "General, Kieran Ryker is a rogue CIA agent. He went rogue after a mission where he was my handler. Shaw was in contact with him, so he is probably with the Ring. He's in Budapest. We'd like to go and get him."
"Send me the details, but, yes, proceed, I'll make the arrangements and send you details of your flights," Beckman approves.
Chuck chooses that moment to speak. "There's another CIA agent in Budapest that could help, General."
Sarah stares at Chuck. Why didn't he talk to me before mentioning her?
Beckman just raises a brow.
"Zondra Rizzo. She's clean," he tells her.
"If she's on a mission already, I doubt she will be able to assist," Beckman advises. ", but I'll see what I can do. The CIA owe us for all those Ring agents."
Chuck thanks her before she ends the call.
"Are all the male CIA agents you worked with rogue?" Casey asks, frowning.
Chuck defends her. "That's not fair, Casey. Only Ryker and Larkin."
Sarah smiles at him, thankful.
"So, just the last two she worked with," Casey mutters and walks to the armory.
Sarah follows him, intent on taking as much firepower as possible. She looks over her shoulder at Chuck. "We'll have to tell your sister and your dad that we're going. Join me at the car in twenty minutes."
"Yeah. That'll be fun," he replies, but starts up the stairs.
She knows they will want him to stay, well, both of them stay, but this is probably Sarah's most important mission.
"I know we haven't had our chat yet, Ellie, but this is really important. We have to go." Sarah can't tell Ellie what they are doing. Having her gripping her hands, vicelike doesn't change anything.
"Can't you go without Chuck?" Ellie pleads.
"She's not going without me, El. Not negotiable." Sarah loves him being so resolute in his determination to be with and help her. It fills her with a warmth that he is so protective of her.
"This is why I wanted him out of this," his dad comments. "It's like an addiction."
Chuck is firm. "No, Dad. This one is important to us, not just the CIA and NSA."
Sarah wishes he hadn't said that. Before either of them asks why, she states, "We can't tell you why, but he's right. This is important for us."
"You're not going after your mom , are you, Chuck?" Stephen Bartowski asks.
All three of them are surprised by this. "Mom?" Ellie questions.
The elder Bartowski, seeing the looks in their eyes, looks away. "I shouldn't have said that."
"You know where mom is?" Chuck asks.
His dad waves it off. "No. I don't. Not for lack of searching. Forget I asked."
Chuck looks like he wants to asks more, but they really do have to go. Sarah grabs his hand and pulls him towards the door, while saying, "We'll be back as soon as we can. Then, Ellie, we have a wedding to arrange."
That brings a smile to Ellie's face. It does to Sarah's too and, looking at her fiancé, she can see the same on his face.
"Sarah, is there anything we should know about Ryker, other than he's bad?" Chuck can never seem to keep quiet on flights. She just wants to go to sleep.
"Did some digging," Casey tells them. Obviously, sleep is not something for the near future. Sarah sits up and looks at the older partner. He continues, "Turns out, Ryker's whole file has been redacted. Which means whatever happened between you and him ended pretty damn badly."
"Yeah, it did." She knows she has to tell him, but it's been her biggest secret for two and a half years. She never thought she would have to tell anyone.
She takes a deep breath, to psych herself up, and tells him everything she's told Chuck. Once she has finished, Casey grunts, then adds, "Needs to die."
"I am going to kill him," Sarah states emphatically. Chuck frowns. He is starting to accept that some people have to be killed, but he doesn't like it. "They will only be completely safe if I do, Chuck."
He reluctantly seems to accept that. She knows he will go along with what she needs while not being happy with having to do so. Her heart beats a little faster thinking that. He's my wonderful supporting fiancé.
He mentions, "I'll tap into the traffic cameras when we get there and see if he does what I've observed every time I've checked so far."
"Been watching him for a while, then?" Casey asks.
Chuck looks at the NSA agent. "Yeah. Since I found him. I've also worked out the card he uses and therefore where he stays."
He hadn't told Sarah that, so she is as surprised as Casey. She does, however, recognize the worth of observing. "So, we don't just go there, as that may not be where the rest of his team meet?"
He nods. "Right."
She nods back. "Sounds a plan." She is proud of what he has done to make this easier. Another demonstration of how he has proved his worth to this team.
She leans her head on his shoulder. "I'm gonna get some sleep before we arrive."
As she drifts off to sleep, she is thinking of seeing her mom and the little girl again.
Their arrival is not what she was expecting. They knew their hotel and were going to go straight to it, but they have someone waiting for them.
She gasps, and her hand flies to cover her mouth, when she sees Zondra Rizzo standing there, looking pissed. Then she drops her bags and rushes to the brunette wrapping her arms around her. "Oh, God, Z, I'm so, so sorry."
Zondra pushes her back. "Who are you and what have you done with the Ice Queen?"
Tears are now rolling down Sarah's cheeks. "It's so good to hear your voice again, Z."
"I guess we need to talk," replies the still upset CIA agent.
Sarah hears a chuckle behind her and looks to Chuck, who grins. "She used that phrase on you, Sarah!"
"So, you're engaged… to him?" Zondra points at Chuck.
Chuck grins. "Just some guy…"
Sarah slaps his arm and mock glares at him.
They haven't gotten to introductions because Sarah couldn't stop apologizing.
She corrects the situation. "Charles Irving Bartowski, fiancé, meet Zondra Rizzo my best friend when we were in the CATS, the best marksman in the CIA." Zondra snorts at that. "And this is John Casey."
Zondra raises a brow on hearing Casey's name. "You two make quite the team." She focuses on Chuck. "And you?"
He smiles at her, which is impressive, as she can be quite intimidating. "I'm their Analyst."
Zondra smirks. "So why are you here? Worried she might run off?"
"I used to be…" he admits. "… but not anymore." He grins at Sarah, who leans up and gives him a kiss.
Zondra just stares at her for a few seconds. "Either you're acting, which I know you are good at, or you've changed a lot."
"It's painful to see," Casey grumbles.
Sarah wants Zondra to understand what Chuck has done for them, starting with Amy. "My fiancé…" she is keen to emphasize that. "… has tracked Amy's movements since we split up. She has continued to work in Central and Southern America."
Zondra frowns. "So?"
Chuck replies, "She's been in contact with Gaez on more than one occasion."
For most people it would look as if Zondra's mask doesn't slip. Sarah notices the slight widening of her eyes, briefly. "So, you deduced that she was the Mole, not me. Why not contact me sooner?"
Sarah answers, "Chuck only found that information a week ago and, we've been rather tied up with saving the world."
Zondra rolls her eyes.
Chuck doesn't know better and says, "Really. We have."
Zondra looks at him. Sarah recognizes the scan. She probably thinks he's pretty naive, which he still is to some extent. Then she nods, "Thanks, Bartowski."
She looks back at Sarah, "I was just told to meet you and accompany you to your hotel. Why are you here?" She then smirks. "Or should I ask your Analyst?"
Sarah ignores that prod. "We're here to kill a real traitor."
With Chuck's help, Sarah had sent an email to Ryker from Daniel Shaw. She is so glad she has the Piranha on her side. The email tells Ryker to meet at the café they last used on that awful rogue mission, at the same table as back then. Chuck reserves the table in Daniel Shaw's name.
The team move into a hotel across the street and Sarah sets up a rifle and its sights pointing at the café. "I will be there to kill him, but he won't know I'm there. Casey, you're the snipper to take out any of his other men. Z, no one will recognize you, so can you take another table at the café?" Both nod. She turns to her fiancé. "Chuck, please don't show yourself, you're too important to me."
Chuck is adamant. "Sorry, Sarah. Not an option. I'll be at the café too, but with Zondra. Better cover for her than another solo woman."
Zondra smirks at him. "Wanna get to know me?"
He turns to her and states, "Yes, I do, Agent Rizzo. I need to know all about you."
That surprises her, but it also makes Sarah nervous. "No telling CATS secrets, Z."
Zondra barks a laugh.
Sarah settles into the table near the wall, away from the one for the meet, but with a clear shot. Chuck and Zondra are already at a table the far end, drinking their coffees. The two of them chatting.
Sarah is watching them as much as surveilling the area. They seem to be a happy couple. Sarah knows Chuck can talk for his country, but Zondra had always been a silent one, like herself. Of course, that was three years ago. She had the same training as Sarah, so should be able to act, but she had always struggled. Sarah doesn't know if the change is what she has learnt in their years apart or if it is Chuck natural charm that is loosening her lips.
"No sign of anyone yet," Casey tells them over the airwaves.
Sarah looks at her watch. He's late. Ryker was rarely late. This feels off.
One of the waiters places a tray with a coffee in front of her.
"She looks up at him and speaks in Hungarian, "Excuse me. I didn't order this."
The waiter doesn't reply and just walks away. She looks down at the tray. There's writing on the paper underneath the coffee. She pulls it out and looks at it.
GET ON THE NEXT BUS. GET OFF AT VAMHAZ KORUT. COME ALONE.
She mutters, without moving her lips. "Bus to Vamhaz Korut. Supposed to go alone."
Chuck and Zondra get up, laughing. He drops some money on the table and they walk over to their car, with arms around each other. Sarah knows it's part of the mission, but she still doesn't like how they look.
She looks around and gets up. "Casey. I need you to follow the waiter. I think he might be working with Ryker."
"I'll get him. No one else showed up."
Chuck's voice. "Find out what he knows, then follow."
Sarah hurries over to the bus stop, just as one is arriving.
Chuck then speaks again. "We're following, Sarah. What's happening?"
She replies, "Ryker figured out it was me. I know exactly where to go. Vamhaz Korut in English means 'Customs House Boulevard'. The mansion where I found the baby is near there. I'll text you the address."
She feels so much better when she hears his reply. "You be careful, my love. We're coming."
"Thank you, but I need you safe too, Chuck."
Zondra replies, "I'll keep him safe, Blondie."
He probably couldn't get a better protector, other than herself, of course and she feels that bond of old times between her and Zondra and that safety that they would have each other's backs. "Thank you, Z."
She hasn't lost her ability to move silently. She crept up the stairs heading towards where she hears Ryker's voice.
"Any sign of her?" He obviously has men outside looking for her. "Well keep looking. She's coming." He lowers the phone and she presses her gun to the back of his neck.
"You didn't think I was just gonna use the front door, did you?" She's mocking him, of course. She's decided to do more than just killing him; she wants to know about his involvement with the Ring.
"I knew you wouldn't use the front door." He seems too confident.
"You tell me everything Shaw told you right now," she snarls.
Then she hearing a baby crying in the next room. She's not going to fall for that one, she'd used it on him before. She ignores it and presses the gun harder into his neck. "Talk."
"Or what? Shoot me?"
She hits him with the gun and he slumps forward, but then kicks his left leg back at her legs.
She easily jumps up and lands on that leg, hearing his fibula and tibia snap. He cries out and lashes back with his right arm, hitting the side of her head.
Staggering, she focusses and shoots through his right hand.
However, while doing this she doesn't spot his left arm moving and feels a stab in her side where he has embedded a knife. She ignores it and shoots through his left shoulder.
She steps back as he tries to kick her with his right leg. She shoots that knee, then the other knee for good measure.
He reaches for his gun which has dropped to the floor with his uninjured left hand, but she shoots through that too.
She scoffs at him. "Getting old, Ryker."
Then she hears movement behind her and twirls around, ducking in case someone is about to attack her. That was the right thing to do, as a bullet flies over her head, fired by a man coming out of the room from which the crying baby sound could still be heard. She is about to shoot him, when she hears another gunshot and a bullet hits the left side of the man's head, exiting on the right.
She looks in the direction it came from. "Thanks, Z."
Her friend grins at her. "No problem. This has been fun."
Chuck rushes to her side. "Sarah, you've been stabbed!"
She looks down at the knife in her side. "Yeah. Damn, that'll leave another scar." It's also why she is feeling weak, from the blood loss. Chuck catches her as the adrenaline that has been keeping her going is overwhelmed.
As she falls, she hears three more gunshots, before she passes out.
As she starts to wake, Sarah realizes she is lying on a bed and has bandages around her body with a pad on her right side, which hurts like hell.
She rocks her legs over the side of the bed and starts to get up.
"No, no, no! You're not getting up!" She looks up at Chuck rising from the only chair in the room.
"I need to get to Ryker," she says.
"He's not going anywhere. Casey's had him locked up for the last twelve hours and you incapacitated him, anyway. He's down the hallway. Casey and Zondra have been taking turns to sit with him." She could see him wince as he said that.
"Chuck, I had to do that or he would have overwhelmed me."
"He nearly did," Chuck replies.
Then she realizes he said twelve hours. "Was I out for twelve hours?"
"Yes. The CIA medical team got the knife out of you and made sure there were no internal injuries. You were lucky, apparently. Since then, you've been here recovering. Casey wouldn't let them keep you. Nor would Zondra."
"What about Ryker's wounds?" She hoped he was still in pain.
Chuck frows more. "They haven't been treated. Casey didn't let them see him."
"Good. Just need to get information from him, then he dies," she says, forcefully.
Chuck starts to say something, then nods. "I don't like all the killing, but I understand you have to make sure your family are safe again."
She grips his hand. "I do."
She sits like that, holding his hand, gaining strength from the contact. "What about his men?"
He looks away. "Dead. All dead. I saw Zondra shoot one on the way in and then execute the one that was going for you. I saw the bodies of the three that Casey shot, or more precisely executed, just before we made our way out. So those were the shots I heard.
She mulls over that for a minute or so. Only Ryker was still alive and Casey was staving off questioning him, at least until Sarah could join him.
She looks at Chuck. "You know I need to question him before I kill him, don't you? He won't willingly tell us anything. You can't be there when that happens, Chuck."
He swallows hard, obviously fighting with himself, wanting to support her, but knowing he would neither help nor be able to cope with what he would see. He simply nods. "I know."
She gives him a kiss. "Thank you, Chuck." And she hugs him, being careful of her side.
After a couple of minutes, she pulls away. "Help me get to Ryker, please, Chuck."
She stands and puts her right arm around his waist. He guides her through, knocking on the door to where Ryker is being held. "Casey, Sarah's here to question him."
The door is unlocked and opens slightly. Casey looks at her. "'Kay?" She nods.
With a grunt, he opens the door fully to let them in fully.
Ryker is chained to the hooks in the center of the table in the room. Two chairs sit facing him. Chuck guides her to one of these.
"Not looking so good there, Walker." Ryker's voice grates, just like it did all those years ago.
She has her agent mask on now. Cool as ever. "At least I can still walk and use my hands."
He sits back. "You know I'll not be telling you anything."
"I'm not so sure of that," she replies. She looks up at Chuck. "Leave us to it."
He obviously doesn't want to leave her, being as protective as he is, but then he nods and walks out.
Casey locks the door and moves to the remaining chair.
Sarah asks her first question. "What do you know about Daniel Shaw?"
Ryker calmly states, "I hear he's dead."
"Yeah. I shot him."
Ryker sharply focusses on her. "Ever the killing machine, huh?"
She looks at him coldly. "When necessary."
It felt almost like old times. The cold feeling that used to take over her, when she needed to be totally dispassionate, but there was a difference; she wasn't totally detached, this was now personal. She would go to extremes even the old Agent Walker had detested - nothing was off the table if it was about her family.
She looks at her prisoner. "What else?"
He smirks. "that's all I have for you, Walker."
"Can I help?" Casey questions her.
She doesn't look at him, but says, "Not yet, Casey."
"So, you aren't the loner any more. Never thought I'd see that and with John Casey too. Interesting."
In no time, she had the blade of one of her knives embedded in the table between the fingers on his right hand. "Not as interesting as it's going to get when you tell me about Shaw."
He looks visibly surprised at the speed at which that had happened, but he clenches his jaw, saying nothing.
She stares at him for ten seconds, waiting to see if he will talk. As he doesn't, she moves just as quickly as before. He cries out. She coldly states, "One down, nine to go. Of course, that's assuming thumbs are counted with the remaining fingers."
"You know that makes it easier for him to get out of the handcuffs," Casey advises her.
"Good job I started at the middle and just to the second knuckle, then, isn't it," she replies. Her ice mask firmly in place faces the man in pain. "Perhaps I should start at the first knuckle each time from now on."
Ryker now has both hands in fists, to avoid more of that. He is trying to look tough. "You'll get nothing from me."
She smiles coldly. She knows this look frightens people. "I think ears and nose next, Casey, don't you?"
Casey grunts.
"Who told you about Shaw?"
"People," Ryker replies.
She brings her blade up to his left ear. "I need more than that." She nicks his ear lobe.
He stays silent, so she lops off the lobe. He cries out and she says into that ear, "Tell us."
"Someone from the Ring," he chokes out.
She pats that side of his face. "Good. I need a name and need you to tell me about the Ring Elders."
It was good that Casey was here or she might have gone into a blood rage and lost the chance to extract more information from Ryker. Blood is thicker than water, and she would shed as much as necessary to protect her family.
For the next thirty minutes, she continues "encouraging" him and he tells what he knows, which is not a lot, but he does know that his contact, Clyde Decker, is a senior CIA operative who would know them.
Sarah looks at her partner. "Any other questions, Casey?"
He shakes his head. "Nah."
Sarah looks at the broken man in front of her. "You really shouldn't have let me get away." She pulls out her gun and shoots a hole in the center of his forehead.
She sits in silence on the flight back to the States. Chuck obviously wants to talk, but she shakes her head and looks away.
She is not proud of what she has done in Budapest. It was necessary to kill them all and getting the information from Ryker would help them, but the torture wasn't what she did anymore. That was a reversion to the cold-blooded assassin she had used to be.
However, the threat to her mother and the child was more than she could cope with and it had taken her back into that persona. She needs Chuck to help her from being like that again, but knows when he is threatened, she will do exactly the same. Anything to save him. It is both satisfying that she can do it, if necessary, but also depressing that she reverts so easily. It troubles her, but she is not ready to share that emotion with anyone, not even Chuck.
Chuck ends up talking to Zondra, who is returning to DC with them. Sarah hears her talking about the CATS. No details of missions, but stories of their drinking and dancing. She is thankful that Zondra doesn't mention Sarah's drunken one-night stands, few though they were. This was way before Chuck, so she doesn't feel guilty, but she wants to tell him her way, when they are both ready for such a conversation, whenever that is.
The stories about Carina, though, do make her smile.
She eventually manages to get some sleep and doesn't wake until Chuck tells her they are arriving in DC.
Casey had let General Beckman know about Decker, so when they meet with her she has done some investigations.
Beckman informs them, "Decker is a very highly regarded Senior CIA Operative and has the ear of politicians and CIA directors. You won't be able to take him through official channels."
Sarah notices that last comment. Is she saying take him unofficially? She needs to check with Casey who knows Beckman better.
Beckman then looks at Sarah. "I take it you will want to go and see your mother."
"I will, General. It has been a long time."
Beckman nods. "Take the rest of the week. Then we need to discuss what to do next."
As the call ends, Casey starts to get up. Chuck stops him and asks what Sarah needs to know as well. "Casey, did she just tell us to take Decker 'unofficially'?"
Casey stares at him. "She didn't tell us that at all. If we did, we'd be on our own." He walks out.
So, that's a 'yes'.
She turns to her fiancé. "Chuck, we are going on a trip to San Diego. We only have time to stop for one night, but I really need this and want you to meet my mom."
He pulls her to him. "And I want to meet her too."
Arriving home after those few days in Europe and DC, it feels like they have been away for a lot longer.
They had only been in for a couple of minutes, when there is a loud rapping on the door. Sarah grabs her gun and starts for the door, when they hear a voice that instantly stops them worrying. "Chuck, Sarah, it's arrived!"
Sarah puts the gun into the waist line at the back of her jeans and opens the door and Ellie burst in and hugs her with her left arm. She's holding a package in her right hand. She pulls back and thrusts the package into Sarah's hands. "I took this for you two days ago. Open it, open it!"
Sarah looks back at Chuck who is chuckling behind her. She hands the package to him. "I think you should do this, don't you?"
He looks at it, noticing where it has been sent from and pulls her over to the couch, sitting her down.
He quickly opens the package, taking out a small red item. He drops to one knee and opens this red case, and leans towards her with it. "Sarah Lisa Walker, I know this has taken some time, but this ring expresses what you mean to me. I love you with all my heart. Will you still marry me?"
Sarah has already accepted and this is really not necessary, but it still brings tears to her eyes. "Of course I will, my love."
He takes the ring out and places it on her ring finger. She looks at it for several seconds, admiring how it looks on her slender hand. Perfect!
She drops to her knees, wraps her arms around him and kisses him for all she's worth.
Once they separate to breathe, both stand; wanting to immediately go to the bedroom, to celebrate, but they are stopped by a pronounced cough by his sister. "When Devon proposed, we had the decency to show you the ring before we retreated to our bedroom."
Sarah laughs and separates from her fiancé and holds out her hand.
Ellie grasps her fingers and pulls her closer to examine it. "Ooh! It's just right for you, Sarah."
Sarah beams at her. "It is, isn't it!"
"No more people questioning why you don't have a ring," Chuck says, standing behind her, while wrapping his arms around her waist.
Sarah twists and kisses him again and it start to get deeper.
Ellie mutters. "Okay, okay, I don't want to see any more, he's still my little brother! I better leave you to it." She heads out of the apartment.
Sarah grabs his hand and heads to the bedroom, pulling him along. "You heard her. Let's get to it, fiancé."
Pulling up outside the house that she visited three years ago, Sarah is both happy and nervous. Her mom had said she could always come here, but it is still a big step. Bringing Chuck along makes it more so.
Looking over at him, she is surprised how calm he looks and compares it to her meeting Ellie for the first time. She had been nervous then, even though they weren't in a real relationship, but here, they are. "Why aren't you freaking out?"
He looks at her. "Should I be? Are you worried she won't approve of me?"
She realizes he is teasing her. "Not you, but will she believe her daughter wants to settle down?"
He grins. "Let's find out."
They walk to the door, hand in hand. Before they even reach it, the door opens and there stands her mom, teary eyed, holding her arms out to her.
Sarah lets go of Chuck's hand and quickly walks forward into that embrace, with her eyes starting to water too as she says, "I missed you."
Her mom replies, "I know. Me too."
It's a couple of minutes before her mom pulls away. She has been crying as much as Sarah has. "When you told me it was all over, I just wanted to see you like this. Sa- Sarah."
Sarah smiles at her mom nearly calling her by her birth name. "I did too, Mom, but I couldn't get here sooner."
Her mom turns to her left, raising a brow. "And this must be the man you mentioned you would be bringing."
Sarah turns. Chuck has been standing back, letting them enjoy their embrace. She reaches for his hand and pulls him forward. "Mom, this is Chuck Bartowski, my fiancé."
That takes her mom by surprise. "Fiancé? You didn't mention that."
Sarah turns back to her to reply, but Chuck does first. "Your wonderful, amazing daughter is not the greatest communicator."
That gets him an elbow to his stomach, but not too hard.
Her mom laughs as she hugs him. "I know that! She never was. Hi, I'm Emma. I am so please to meet the man who has managed to tie down this wandering spirit. Come in, come in."
They walk in and she ushers them through to the couch offering iced tea, which they gratefully accept. When she brings them, Chuck moves over to the chair next to where Sarah is sitting to allow her mom to sit next to her. Sarah smiles at him, thankful that he does this.
Her mom, grabs her left hand to look at the beautiful ring on her daughter's ring finger. "It's gorgeous, Sarah."
"Almost matches your daughter's beauty," Chuck comments.
Sarah doesn't let her mom focus on that. "We only got it yesterday."
Emma frowns, "Only got it?"
Both of them reply, "We were waiting for it."
All three laugh and the oldest says, "Almost rehearsed."
Sarah explains. "We got engaged in Switzerland and bought a ring there, but it didn't fit, so they were resizing it and have sent it, but it took a while to get here."
"Well, you've got it now and it is beautiful." She looks up at Chuck with a twinkle in her eye as she says that.
They all settle back, drinking their tea.
Emma looks a bit apologetic. "Molly's takes a nap about this time, but she should be awake soon."
Sarah has been trying not to immediately question her mom, but now feels she can. "How is she?"
She watches as her mom's eyes light up. "She's as adorable as you were at that age and just as inquisitive."
Chuck looks around the room, noticing photos on the wall that he obviously wants to look at, but then down to the floor. "The place is amazingly tidy for one with a three-year-old."
She has to tidy up before she goes to bed," Emma replies, then says, "Go and look at the photos, if you like; some are of Sarah."
That triggers Chuck to leap up. Sarah joins him. They are a mixture of two different girls who look like sisters, but there are photos of one of them as an older child. "You were adorable," Chuck gushes.
The voice behind them echoes that, "She was."
Not unexpectedly, the photos stop when Sarah reaches seven years old. Chuck looks at her, with love in his eyes. "She still is."
Sarah blushes and turns back to her mom.
Chuck doesn't stop there. "If you give me your email, I'll send you some more recent ones."
Her mom's face is painted with a big smile, "Ooh, yes please."
Sarah grabs her hands. "We wanted you to be safe anyway, but now you can come to the wedding."
Emma grabs her and pulls her into another embrace, crying with joy. Sarah quickly joins her.
Her mom quietly states, "I never thought that would happen."
Sarah snorts. "Nor me, Mom."
Sarah is facing away from Chuck, but hears her mom say, "Thank you, Chuck."
Sarah knows he will be embarrassed and isn't surprised when she hears his self-effacing comment. "Just lucky that she didn't pull away in time."
She separates from her mom. "He is the most amazing, kind and loving man I have ever met, Mom. And this wouldn't have been possible without him."
The tears in her mom's eyes are still there, but she expresses a heartfelt thanks to him.
Sarah points at him. "Take the thanks, Chuck."
A red-faced Chuck, concedes that point.
"Mommy?" A child's voice calls from behind them.
They all turn to see a blonde-haired little girl standing, holding onto the doorframe to what must be her bedroom.
Emma rushes over to her and takes her hand. "Molly, I want you to meet someone very important." She walks over to her first daughter. "This is your sister, Sarah."
Sarah crouches down. "Hi, Molly. It's nice to meet you."
Molly smiles, shily.
Sarah quietly says, "Last time I saw you, you were a lovely baby. Can I hug you?"
Molly looks up at their mom, who nods and Molly wraps her little arms around Sarah's neck. Sarah stands, holding on to her and gives her a kiss on her cheek. "I've missed you, little one."
Molly points at Chuck. "'s that?"
Sarah turns towards him. "That's the wonderful man I am going to marry in a few weeks, Molly. His name is Chuck."
"Chuck," Molly repeats.
"Hi, Molly," he says, smiling at her.
Molly turns back to Sarah. "I come?""
Sarah grins at her. "You better. You'll be our most important guest."
Molly grins back.
Both Sarah and Chuck had spent time alone with Molly and her mom while staying there. Sarah is eating the wonderful breakfast her mom had made. She casts her mind back to some of those moments.
= ! =
Molly has climbed up onto the sofa, sitting next to her sister. She has a soft toy dog grasped in her hand. Sarah looks down at the toy. "Who's this?"
Molly looks down at it too, then up at her sister. Sarah can't help thinking about Chuck commenting how she looked like a little Sarah, and he is absolutely right. No one would guess they weren't siblings. Molly is a beautiful child and will grow up to be a beautiful young woman, she is sure. The grin on her face is adorable. "It's Rex," she tells Sarah.
Sarah leans down to it. "Hi, Rex." That makes Molly smile, proudly. Sarah continues, "You know, I used to have a stuffed dog, too, when I was little, and I..." She hopes that what she is about to say doesn't confuse Molly with names, as she is still learning such things. She looks up at her mom who just shrugs. "I named him Bunny."
Molly frowns. "Funny name for a dog."
Sarah grins, happy that she already knows such things. "I know."
They both laugh. Sarah can't remember why she deliberately named her dog that name. She was obviously always an awkward child.
= ! =
She and her mom are standing in the kitchen sipping their coffees, watching Chuck who is sitting on the floor in front of Molly with his legs spread either side of her. He is happily playing with her. Molly seems to adore him.
"He's good with kids, Sarah," her mom mentions.
"I know, Mom. He'd say it's because he never grew up."
Her mom laughs, then points something else out. "You are too."
Sarah is surprised at that. "You think?"
"Well, you are with Molly."
Sarah ponders for a minute. "I think our traumatic first time together did create a bond. I missed her the last three years, almost as much as I missed you, Mom."
"Are you going to take her now?" her mom asks with some trepidation.
Sarah had never thought of that, but as she does, she realizes that just wouldn't work. "No, For one thing, Mom, I couldn't take another little girl away from you, but also my life is still one of an intelligence operative; that's not the life to bring a child into."
Emma has a mixture of emotions showing on her face. Sarah guesses part of it being relief that she will still be able to bring Moly up as she would have liked to have done with Sarah, had she stayed; part would be worry about her firstborn.
Sarah puts down her coffee and takes her mom's from her, then hugs her mom, who returns it.
When they separate, Emma looks back at Chuck, who, at that moment looks up at them grinning, then, before turning back to Molly, just looks at his fiancé with love in his eyes. She looks at Sarah and obviously notices the same look. "Joining the CIA and giving up everything you did; did you ever think it would lead you here?"
Sarah, still looking at the love of her life, softly says, "No." Then she chuckles. "No, but, uh, Chuck's taught me that every now and then, it's okay to be surprised."
= ! =
She comes out of her reverie and looks at Chuck eating his breakfast and chatting to Molly.
"Thank you for bringing him here, Sarah. It's good to meet him." Emma pauses. "… before you marry him."
Sarah turns to her. "We are really keen on getting married as soon as we can, Mom. Now that we've resolved the Ryker situation, I can have my wonderful mom and sister there. It will be so much better."
Emma just smiles.
"Mom, will you give me away? I know it's normally the father that does that, but he won't be there."
Emma beams. "I'd love to, Sarah."
"And could we have Molly as flower girl?"
Emma doesn't take long to reply. "Well, she might not understand everything, but I think she's love that."
Sarah feels so relieved. "Everything is starting to come together. It's really happening, Mom."
"You'll make a lovely bride, Sarah."
Driving home, Sarah is still thinking about the wedding becoming real. It is daunting, but with her mom there, she feels she has support. Ellie is wonderful, but now she has someone from her own family involved.
She has also asked Zondra to be a bridesmaid and Carina too. The conversation with the latter had been less traumatic than she had expected with Carina saying, "I knew it!"
Since she and Chuck became a real couple, a lot has changed. Not only are they working better together than ever before, but they will be getting married in front of more people than Sarah would have expected. Chuck's dad would be there, which a year ago would have seemed impossible, as would his sister and husband, who until recently they had thought would be in Africa. Zondra was a friend once again and would be a bridesmaid, along with Carina and her Maid of Honor, Ellie. And now, her mom would walk her down the aisle with her adopted sister in front as flower girl. Almost overwhelming.
The last two missing people would remain as such. There was no way her dad would come and Chuck's mom was still a mystery, but they will have far more than either of them could have expected.
She looks at the man sitting next to her, asleep in the passenger seat. Most of this was thanks to Chuck Bartowski for his skills at finding people and making things happen.
God, she loves this man so much!
However, now they had to get back and see what General Beckman and Casey had found out about Decker and what they should do to find the Ring Elders.
She just hopes that none of that stops the wedding.
"Don't go to Castle or your apartment." The call from Casey is unexpected, but then maybe it shouldn't have been. Shit always happens!
Chuck asks first, "What's happening, Casey?"
Casey grunts unhappily. "Beckman has been taken to a Kangaroo court session."
"A what?" Chuck replies.
"In front of a board of National Security directors to assess whether Team Bartowski should continue."
"Why?" Sarah asks, incredulously.
"Too expensive, too dangerous, maybe even treasonous."
"Who's running the court, Casey, and who's presenting the evidence?"
"General Merriweather and, guess who, Dekker."
Shit! We should have taken him out before visiting my mom!
Suddenly worried for all their sakes, Sarah nervously questions, "Are you there?"
Casey snorts. "No chance, but I'm getting a feed from it thanks to Beckman's Assistant who is there."
"How is she doing that, Casey?" Chuck is puzzled.
"Thanks to your dad, somehow, Chuck," Casey replies.
Chuck has already moved on in his thoughts. "Where should we go?"
Sarah chips in. "I have a safe house just outside DC. We should get there. If I send you the details, can you join us there, Casey?"
"Sure."
Chuck's next question is, "What about Ellie, Devon, Dad and Morgan?"
"I don't think they will be a target." Casey pauses. "Anyway, your dad has taken them somewhere. Don't know where."
Sarah tells Casey where to meet them and sets off across country, glad to have her Porsche.
Just when everything was falling into place, it all falls apart! Shit, shit, shit!
A/N: So, very little came from S3E18 in this chapter. The important parts had already happened in the last chapter.
Please let me know your thoughts on this chapter in a review.