A/N: I couldn't resist writing this one. I hated the scene at the start of S3 where Chuck didn't explain himself and just walked away from Sarah at the station in Prague, so this is an alternative take on that time in their lives. It's definitely not matching canon, being Charah-oriented. Starts where she asks him, "Will you run away with me?"
Beta thanks to Captainrick944 once again. He surprised me by doing this earlier that I expected, so I could get this out quickly. I better crack on with my beta work for his wonderful "Orion Cyber Security Systems."
With Me?
Since Chuck downloaded the new Intersect over Bryce's dead body, everything had changed. She hated what was now being suggested.
They were now in Castle and had been told to prepare Chuck,
She walked toward the room in Castle, hearing their conversation. "Go home, Bartowski, tell your sister you're going on a last-minute trip to Europe, six weeks, minimum."
Chuck sounded doubtful. "Where are we really going?"
Casey replied, "To a Red Site training facility."
Chuck still didn't get it. "Training for what?"
She saw Casey step up in front of him. "For you, moron. The new Intersect. They're gonna train you to use it, turn you into a real super-spy." He walked away and past Sarah, who continued to walk toward the room Chuck was in.
Chuck turned and saw her. "Sarah, did Casey tell you they're moving me to a training facility? I'm going to be a real spy."
She couldn't look at him, at his excitement. She looked away and walked past him, saying in a very monotone voice, "I know, I heard."
He turned and didn't let her escape. "What... ? What's the matter?" He looked so concerned. He was worried about her thoughts, her feelings.
She had to tell him. This was her chance to save him and for them to become what she thought they both wanted. She looked him in the eyes and said, pouring her fear and her feelings into every word, "If you do this, if you go, you're gonna be a spy for the rest of your life. Every city is gonna be a new mission and a new identity, and you're not gonna be the same person." She emphasized those last words, thinking, you won't be my Chuck anymore.
He didn't get it, and his eyes brightened. While they still showed his worry about her, his desire to be a spy was very clear. "Yeah. That's a great thing."
She needed to be more explicit, offer what she had in mind, offer herself, and really spell it out for him. She started, "Chuck, listen. We could..." This was really hard. She never talked about her own desires or her feelings.
"We could what?" he implored.
She poured all her feelings for him into her words while staring into those chestnut brown eyes that captivated her, "We could run? Together. You and me. We go now, and we never look back." Please, Chuck!
He looked stunned. "Are you serious?"
Of course, she was serious!
She rushed on before she lost her nerve, explaining, "I have some money saved up. I'd have to get us some new identities and create an escape route. For now, go to the training facility in Prague, then meet me at Prague's main railway station in three weeks' time at 7:00, and then I can figure the rest out later."
He just stared at her with disbelief written all over his face. "What are you saying?"
Tears were forming in her eyes. "I'm saying I want to be a real person again. With you." He still wasn't smiling or agreeing. "This is what you want, right?" She smiled tentatively at him. " I mean, this is it, Chuck. Will you run away with me?"
He was still frozen. She was terrified that she had gotten it all wrong and that he was going to refuse her. Her tears were threatening to escape now. Oh, please be mine, Chuck!
Then a smile grew on his face, and she knew it would be alright. He finally replied, "Yeah."
Her heart soared. If they weren't in Castle she'd grab the back of his head and pull him into a heated kiss. She was so happy. She beamed at him, and he did the same back at her.
She had been incredibly busy over the last three weeks, even though she had asked for time off. Sourcing their new identities had taken longer than when she last did it for herself and that baby. Planning their escape route had taken a while too. However, she had it all in hand now, just the last few final preparations.
Tomorrow was the day she would meet him, and they'd escape on that train, never to be seen again. Her whole body was tingling with excitement. They would be together for real. They'd be able to hold each other and kiss like they had always wanted to. They'd… they'd be able to do what they had nearly done in Barstow. That sent and shiver through her.
She had arrived in Prague earlier today and had checked in to a hotel under an assumed name, using a passport she would dispose of once she departed tomorrow.
She sat on the bed, thinking that she should get those final preparations made, then come back and sleep in this comfortable bed. After all, who knew when she would get another good night as she would be protecting Chuck again from tomorrow.
Her cell phone vibrated with a text message. She picked it up and was surprised to see that it was Chuck. He shouldn't be calling her but acting as if they had parted ways. She opened the message and read it, her heart sinking as she did.
I can't do it, Sarah. Meet me at 4pm today at this café:
The following line was an address in the City Center.
She dropped the phone and her face into her hands as she sobbed.
It took her half an hour to get herself under control again. By then, she needed to wash her face, apply new makeup and head out to meet him.
She arrived first and found a table out of sight from the front of the café. She assumed he shouldn't be seen here with her, so best to stay out of sight.
She had worn sunglasses and a sun hat to both protect her from the sun and also make her less visible as she moved around the city.
The café had a certain charm to it. You could almost call it romantic. Sarah wondered if that was why Chuck had chosen it.
The coffees she had ordered for the two of them had been placed on the table by a waitress who had smiled at her.
Although she couldn't be seen from outside, Sarah could clearly see out. She had always been good at blending into the background and finding a seat where she could see the most herself. Consequently, she saw Chuck walking toward the café long before he entered. He looked downcast. She guessed that their forthcoming conversation was the reason for that.
He entered the café and spotted her quite quickly. That was one of the things that she liked about him. Even though she blended into the background, he could always see her. He walked to the table and sank down into the chair opposite her.
"Hi, Sarah. Thanks for coming." He smiled at her, but the sadness was clear to see.
"We were going to meet tomorrow, Chuck," she said softly. "Now you don't want to? You don't want me?" Those damn tears were forming again!
He winced. He fumbled over his words. "I-I c-can't run away, S-Sarah." The tears in his eyes softened the blow… a bit.
She was desperately trying not to cry. Her whole plan falling apart. I'm losing him before I've even had him as a boyfriend!
A tear ran down her face, and she swiped at it before asking, in an even quieter voice, "Why, Chuck?"
He sighed. "I can't take myself away from Ellie. Our Mom and Dad did that to us. I can't do it to her, Sarah."
Sarah had never had a sibling, so hadn't even thought about that. Her shoulders slumped. Why hadn't she thought of that? She knew how close they were. What sort of girlfriend would she make if she couldn't even see things like that?
Then, she thought about what his life would be like as a spy. "Chuck, as a spy, you will rarely be able to come back to her. Worse than that, coming back to her might draw attention to her from enemy agents."
He acknowledged that but expanded his thoughts. "I know that, but she would know I was still alive and hadn't abandoned her completely. I would still be able to contact her, talk to her, and, as long as I was really careful, maybe sometimes get to see her."
"Would you tell her you were a spy?" Sarah asked.
He shook his head, knowing that telling his sister that would worry her. He replied, "That would frighten her, but I still need to do this." He folded his arms, and the determined set to his jaw told her that she would not convince him otherwise.
She didn't want to manipulate him by showing how upset he was making her and so making him feel guilty, but she didn't understand why he had agreed three weeks earlier and put her through all the hard work to make it happen. Nor did she understand why he was turning down a chance to be with her, something she thought they both desperately wanted.
She was deeply hurt, but, more than that, he had to understand what she had done for him, for them. Her voice was still very quiet, very controlled, although it did break occasionally. "It has taken me a lot of work to get things ready for us, Chuck. You could have saved me all that if you had rejected me back in California."
He suddenly gripped her hands and leaned forward. "I am not rejecting you, Sarah. I love you."
She looked at him in shock. Neither of them had ever used that word. "Y- you love me?"
He now also looked surprised that he had said it but held her gaze. "I do, Sarah. With all my heart. I just can't run away."
She had to extract her hands and take hold of her coffee. Her hands were shaking, but she managed to grip the cup and take a drink and then put it down again.
She decided she would ignore that word because he couldn't mean it. He was rejecting a life with her, after all. She continued to describe the plan. "I-I have your ticket and your new passport. Your name was to be Hector Caldaron." She couldn't hold back the tears now. "We would have been together." She looked away from him as those tears rolled down her face.
Before she'd turned, he'd looked at her tears starting. He must know how much this was hurting her. He was choosing his sister over her.
"Sarah, there is an entire facility here dedicated and designed to turn me into the Intersect 2. 0 agent I am meant to be. I mean, think about it. Think about that. Me, a real spy. I would be able to do things that really matter. Help people."
He'd claimed it was because of his sister before, but now he was saying he wanted to be a spy. So, she was losing him to the spy life.
Trying to ignore the pain, she had to get him to understand what that would mean. She shook her head and stared at him, desperately holding back any more tears so that she could see if he realized the consequences of this choice he was making. "It's not that simple, Chuck. You don't know who you're working for. It's complicated. Nothing is real."
He gripped her hands again. "But I would finally be worthy of you."
She gripped his hands back and said in a more forceful tone, "Chuck, that's crap! You're worthy of me now." She realized that she did love him but just couldn't say those three little words in the face of this rejection. Whatever he called it, it did feel like a rejection.
She gulped and then tried again. "Chuck, I don't want you to be a spy. It changes you as a person. It takes your soul. You become heartless." Her eyes pleaded with him.
He shook his head. "You didn't."
She just wasn't getting through to him. "I did until I met you."
He smiled. "Well, I have you, so I'll be alright."
She snapped and hissed at him, "If you become a spy, you won't have me. You will be sent out on your own. The Intersect spy. The ultimate killing machine."
His face hardened as he retorted. "I won't kill people; I'll be better than that."
"You can't be a spy if you don't kill people," she emphasized the word 'kill.'
He looked shocked for a second, then the resolved look returned. "I won't kill, Sarah."
That determination to avoid killing got through to her, even though he was refusing to be with her. She lunged across the table and grabbed his face. She kissed him hard, forcing her tongue into his mouth. He started to respond, but then, after a couple of seconds, he pushed her away. "W-why?"
She settled back into her seat, knowing that what she had done was so incongruous with the rest of their conversation. She had to explain, had to answer his question. "I love that about you, your determination not to kill. It's what makes you…. you. My Chuck." She sighed. "Don't ever lose that." Then, she grabbed his hands again, "I don't want to lose you, Chuck. You're everything I want."
She collected her thoughts. She confessed, "I'm so frightened of losing you to this world, Chuck." Her tears were escaping again. "If you can get through this training, or even if you can't, please come back to me as you, Chuck, not a killer, not a deadly spy."
He took one of his hands away from hers, reached over, and brushed her tears away. She leaned her face into his hand. God, I love his touch!
"Don't give up on me, Sarah. I do love you and want us to be together. Trust me?" His eyes bored into hers. How can I not agree to that?
"It's going to be hard for me, Chuck. I will worry every day and not sleep at night, worrying more. I do trust you, but I don't trust Beckman or this team here in Prague. I don't want to lose you, Chuck," she repeated as she looked down. "You know, if you hadn't downloaded that new Intersect, I was going to leave the spy business and stay with you."
She looked up at him to see what he thought of that. "Really?" he asked, looking surprised but happy.
She smiled back. "Really," she confirmed.
"But, you're the best spy in the world," he told her. "How could you leave that?"
She held his gaze and told him, really wanting him to understand how she felt, "I don't want to be a spy anymore, Chuck. I've done it for so long that it's all that I am. I want what I said before; I want to be a real person. With you."
"Maybe we can have both," he said tentatively.
She shook her head. "I don't think so, but we'll see." She sighed again. "I'm not good at relationships, Chuck, but I really want one with you." She placed her palms against his face again, tenderly this time, and looked into his eyes, imploring, "Come back to me as my Chuck."
He took hold of one of her hands and placed a kiss on her palm. Then, he faced her again. "I will, Sarah, I will."
It was around five months before she saw Chuck once again. All that time, she had been anxious, but at least he had called her most days to tell her what he had been required to do the previous day. Prague was nine hours ahead of Los Angeles, so he rang at six in the morning, his time, which meant she got the call at nine in the evening.
It was so good to hear his voice. Initially, he had been coping well but when they started running simulations of missions, it started to go wrong for him. Sarah wasn't surprised. This was where any normal trainee would shoot people to complete the mission, but Chuck just couldn't do that, even in a simulation.
She guessed he would flunk out of his training before the end of the year, and that is exactly what happened.
Apparently, Beckman went out there and personally closed down the whole training program, recording it as a failure, Chuck as a failure.
Before Beckman returned to the States, she called a briefing with Sarah and Casey. They had been running missions out of Castle without Chuck but hadn't had the big successes that they'd had before.
When Beckman told them that Chuck had been a complete failure and was to be sent home, Sarah bristled and complained about that label.
Beckman glared at her from Prague and snapped, "This is partly your fault, Agent Walker. He can't focus because he's thinking of you. Your calls are reminding him that he's not with you."
Sarah tried to stay calm but couldn't help pointing out something that Beckman was studiously ignoring. "He's never wanted to kill anyone, General. He's always stated that. It doesn't make him a failure, just not a killer."
"Well, he's no use to me, then," Beckman testily replied.
Sarah was surprised when Casey chipped in, "He's one of the best partners I've ever had. His ideas have saved the day on numerous occasions."
Beckman huffed and didn't reply.
Sarah thought about what Casey had just said. "General, could he rejoin us as a Field Analyst? We haven't been as successful since he left and really need him."
Casey nodded and added, "Better use of his skills, Ma'am."
Beckman looked at the two of them for a while, then said, "I'll think about it." She ended the call.
Sarah looked at her partner. "Best partner, huh?"
"Don't you ever tell him I said that, Walker!" He stomped off, leaving her smiling.
Sarah collected Chuck from the airport.
She knew he would want to see his sister as soon as he could, but she wanted to see him first.
His defeated look was the first thing she noticed as he appeared, the very picture of failure. She wasn't having that.
As he walked toward her, she ran to him, and he had to stop. She grabbed the back of his head and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him, passionately. He tried to pull away, but she wasn't having that either. She knew he hated PDA, but it had been so long since they had seen each other; she wanted him to know how much she had missed him.
After a few seconds, he responded and wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her off of her feet, kissing her back with just as much enthusiasm.
When they had to separate to breathe, she looked into those wonderful chestnut brown eyes of his, cupped his face in one of her hands, and just quietly said, "I've missed you, Chuck."
Always embarrassed by shows of affection in public, he joked, "Well, the failure is back now."
She slapped his arm and glared at him. "Don't you dare call my boyfriend a failure."
His smile was wonderful to see, "Boyfriend, huh?"
"Yes," she replied forcefully but with a smile on her face. "And I'm your girlfriend, so get used to it, Chuck."
He bent down and kissed her again. "I couldn't be happier, Sarah."
She grabbed his hand to pull him to her parked car. "I told you before, you don't need to be a spy to have me, Chuck."
He stopped suddenly. She turned to see why, seeing his crooked smile. "Have you?" he asked with emphasis on the first word.
She grinned and leaned in for another kiss. "Not in the airport, Chuck, but definitely later."
She had to pull him to kick start his brain and his legs. She was so happy to have him back, but tonight… she would rock his world, just as much as she expected he would rock hers.
A/N: I am definitely not continuing this one. I have one completed S3 story already, "Prove Yourself," covering the whole season, and two on the go currently, "From Paris, With Love" and "Missions." However, I did want to capture this alternative Prague one-shot.
Here, Beckman agrees to take him back on as a Field Analyst, and the team will be back together again. There will be no Hannah or Daniel Shaw, but the team will take on the Ring and win.
So, was this any good? Please let me know in a review.
