A/N: This one came to me following a conversation with CharmingCharles2896 about what Sarah Bartowski would behave like after having a child. Would she still be the deadly agent or would married life and motherhood soften her?
Beta thanks go to Captainrick944, particularly for pointing out how I should enhance it and add details in various parts. If you're not reading his amazing "Orion Cyber Security Systems" you definitely should.
This is definitely only a one-shot, so there will be no further chapters.
Protector
Thinking back over the last three years, Sarah was still somewhat amazed at how different things were from the previous fifteen. Admittedly, five of those had included Chuck, in a different way, but all of them had included the espionage business in one way or another. The last three had been espionage-free years.
She kinda missed it a bit, the excitement, the pleasure at completing some of the missions, even some of the people she had worked with. She had to focus to remember the less pleasant parts sometimes, the assassination missions, the gunshot and knife wounds and the torture she'd undergone, or given for that matter. However, even though there were things she missed, she wouldn't go back to any of them and give up what she now had.
She looked down at her two-year-old son playing with his dinosaur toys, surrounded by a mix of jigsaw pieces and building bricks. Jim was not the tidiest of kids when he was playing and loved to be in the middle of a messy floor, but he did help in tidying it up at the end of the day, so there was some of his dad in his behavior.
His dad, who still did work for the government which took him away at times, spent as much time as possible with his son and wife, both of whom he loved very much.
When she cast her mind back to the time three and a half years ago, when she had sat on the beach trying to decide what to do next, she still shuddered to think what would have happened if she had made a different decision.
Sitting on that beach before he joined her, she had been surprised at just how much Chuck Bartowski meant to her. She had only known him for three weeks, and he'd already wormed his way into her heart. That scared her to death. No one had gotten to her like that in all the time that she could remember, not even Bryce. However, this curly-haired nerd had won her heart once before, and they had even married, for real, not for a mission.
She'd already started to have feelings for him, which had confused her, as she didn't know him and was only just getting over the idea that Bryce was dead, although not by Chuck's hand, she'd discovered. The fact that she'd married him was a shock, really married, not the false one that Quinn had tried to convince her had happened. She should have known that Quinn's story was ridiculous. She never did long-term assignments, never in the States either because CIA didn't operate there. Not only that, she never had sex with a mark and there was no way she could be married to him without that happening. Besides, a five-year mission to retrieve something she could do so easily? But she had been duped and had nearly killed both him and his sister.
In addition to all of that, she had a huge five-year gap in her memory, so it wasn't just Chuck she couldn't remember; it was everything that had happened during that time. Some of it had started to come back, which gave her hope, but what if some didn't? What if that part was important? What if it was important to her and Chuck? What if it affected how he saw her going forward? What if it affected their love for each other?
Her fear had been partly the unknown. Spies were not supposed to fall in love and were not trained to cope with that. She'd also feared that if she stayed with him, she wouldn't be able to be the woman he loved, and he would resent that. She also hated failing, and could see herself doing that if she stayed.
She already had been amazed at how much he adored her and how he would have given her up if that was going to be the thing that made her happy. He even jumped in front of a bullet to save her!
Then he'd sat next to her. Thoughts of her video log came back to her as he did, and she'd asked him to tell her their story so she could hear his thoughts on them. He was a great storyteller. No, that's wrong. It wasn't a story. He was great at relaying the facts but injecting humor and emotion into them.
She had laughed at some things, teared up over some, and could believe all of it, even though it was all crazy. Some of the detail had brought back memories that both supported his words, but also made her fall for him that little bit more. At the end, he'd mentioned Morgan's crazy idea that a kiss would restore all her memories. She'd doubted it, but found herself desperate to kiss him. Maybe it would work, but more likely, it would make her know part of why she had fallen in love with him before.
The kiss had been magical in a way. It had brought back some memories of wonderful kisses, but it had also brought back all her feelings for him.
When they finished, he'd asked if she had all her memories back. He must have known how unlikely that was. She'd shaken her head, and saw the pain in his eyes as her words reinforced his expectation she would leave, had ripped her heart apart.
However, the kiss had been magical, in a way. Some of her memories had already started returning before the beach, and him telling her their story, some of which was corroborated by her video log, had triggered more memories. The kiss, into which he poured all of his love for her, had drawn hers for him from her heart; that was the magic of the kiss; she was in love with him, just like that and some memories had returned with that feeling.
She'd remembered their first meeting that he had mentioned in their story, but suddenly it returned to her with far more detail; their first date, the very first, and how she knew then he was such a great guy that she had to protect from the CIA as well as the NSA; their wedding day even.
Over the next six months, he'd helped her remember more, as had his family and even General Beckman and Casey who had helped with mission memories. She still occasionally saw the two of them, but those were her last days working with them, helping them tidying up the Quinn mess as best she could.
Her love for Chuck just grew and grew. It wasn't long before they shared a bed again and then slept together in every way that meant. Now, she found being away from him hurt. She just wanted to spend every minute of every day with her love. and he certainly felt the same. Being in his arms was glorious and their love making sublime.
She did have to separate from him for some things, however. For her, they were little things. She had still kept fit and skilled with the tools of the trade, however. Well, you never knew when you might need them again, did you? So, running each morning, which Chuck sometimes joined her being fitter than he used to be, gym twice a week, and target practice at the local gun range.
When she got pregnant, they were both over the moon, and when Jim arrived, she felt her life was finally complete. She adored this little bundle of joy so very much.
She got back to fitness after giving birth as soon as she could. She managed this with Chuck's help when he was at home, so he'd look after Jim when she well out. When Chuck was away, her mom would usually bring Molly over and stay with them. A couple of times, Ellie, Devon and Clara had come over from Chicago in Jim's first year, but then Ellie's pregnancy with Stephen had stopped that.
Mary helped occasionally, too. She fully understood Sarah's needs and would even spar with her to keep her fighting skills at full strength.
Of course, those fighting skills were tested, just as they had been in the old days when Carina paid a visit. Somehow that woman seemed to instinctively know when Chuck was away. She then waited for Sarah's mom to have taken Jim for a ride in her car, as she liked to do, insisting that Sarah have a break. It was almost as if her mom and her friend coordinated things.
Fortunately, Sarah's instincts remained sharp, so while Carina might surprise her, she was never able to overpower her.
Jim looked up at his mom. He had a good memory for a child his age. She'd promised to take him to the beach this afternoon, and he seemed to instinctively know they should go soon.
Jim was probably missing his dad, just like his mom was.
These NSA assistance trips seemed to be getting more frequent again. This latest one, however, felt more personal. It seemed this Quinn had a brother who had also joined the CIA. He went rogue once Nicholas Quinn had been identified that way. Thomas Quinn didn't join his brother, however, but disappeared, went completely off-grid. Apparently, the CIA hunted for him for two and a half years before deciding he must have been killed somewhere.
However, a month ago, he was spotted in Mexico. Rumor had it that he was building his own Intersect with some Russian scientists.
Beckman heard about it and had asked Chuck to join Casey, and both of them join a CIA team being sent out there.
This was the first time any of them had worked with the CIA since the whole mess three and a half years ago. Sarah herself had left the CIA four years ago, thanks to Clyde Decker, and found it amusing that they had been asked back to help. She was included in all the briefings and would support from home as she did not want to leave Jim.
Chuck was primarily there as the resident Intersect specialist. He had happily gone, but Sarah was sure that part of that was to keep his sister out of it. She was the real expert, but, as Beckman had said, she was clueless about how to work in the field, so Chuck would relay anything he found to his sister.
The plan was sound. Casey and Chuck had set off from LA and were joining a team of NSA agents in Mexico City. They would travel over land to the location where they would join the CIA team to plan the way forward.
Chuck had called her when they arrived in Mexico and again on arrival at their final destination. That was a routine they'd gotten into, keeping her updated on his progress. Their communication on phones Chuck had designed routed away from normal channels. The combination creating more secure phones than the agencies themselves used.
"The CIA has a mole in Quinn's organization, leaking information to them," Chuck told her. "Seems their security is tight and even those on the inside are mostly in the dark about what happens in the lab that is secured further." He paused for a few seconds. "Feels like the Fulcrum site all over again."
Sarah hated that site. It was where Bryce had died, but also where Chuck took the second Intersect download. Third, if you counted the one he downloaded when he was young. That was a hard time for their relationship with both making false assumptions and hurting the other.
"You be damn careful, Charles Irving Bartowski," she growled.
He chuckled. "Will do."
Her mom came over that night to stay, as she knew how Sarah was when Chuck was away and potentially at risk.
Chuck called shortly after Sarah put Jim to bed following his bath. They were going in.
Emma watched her daughter pacing up and down for the next hour. Sarah still thought of herself as Chuck's protector at times like these and hated not being there for him. Emma knew better than to try to get her daughter to calm down or to even sit down. She loved that Sarah had found someone to care for as much as she did Chuck and that Chuck felt the same about her, but sometimes these two stressed each other out so much.
"How long are they likely to be in there, dear?"
Sarah snapped her head around and her eyes bore into her mom's. "I don't know, Mom, but I kinda thought they'd be out by now."
After another half hour, Emma couldn't watch her daughter like this anymore and took herself off to bed.
Sarah was still up and fretting at midnight. It would now be 2 am in Mexico. She'd heard nothing. She'd had enough. She called Beckman who was three hours ahead of her. Sarah knew her, though. She wouldn't be asleep with this mission on the go.
"Sarah," Beckman answered.
"Have you heard anything from them, Diane?" They'd used first names since she had returned after Quinn.
"Not a thing," Beckman answered. "I have contacted Doug Cooper, my equivalent in the CIA, and they are in the dark as much as we are. He has men closer, so he's sending them there to find out what's happening?"
"How can this have gone wrong?" Sarah asked.
"Again, I don't know. The CIA intel seems to be suspect."
"I'm going there," Sarah declared.
"You no longer have clearance," Beckman replied. Sarah could tell she hated to tell her that.
"I don't care," Sarah replied. "That's my husband out there."
"And what about your son?"
Sarah thought about little Jim upstairs in his bed. "He'll be fine. He has his grandma with him."
"I'll try to rush through some clearance for you. Go to Los Alamitos airfield rather than LAX. NSA will fly you out."
Sarah felt relieved to hear that. "Thank you, Diane. I really appreciate this."
"I'll let you know a time as soon as I can." Beckman paused and her tone hardened. "Go save your husband. Save Casey too, if you can."
Leaving wasn't anywhere near as simple as it had been back in her CIA days. Then, it was just grab the always-ready bag and go. Now it was waking up her mom and explaining what was happening and then arguing about it; then making sure her mom had everything she needed to look after Jim; then, packing her bag. Of course, she also had to take some weapons, but that was part of packing her bag this time, so she opened the safe and took out her set of knives, in the knife holster, and her Smith & Wesson 5906 and dropped these into her bag along with spare ammunition. Then she had to wake Jim and fuss over him because she was going to miss him like hell.
Fortunately, Beckman didn't call while all this was happening, so she caused no further delay.
Sarah got into her car and set off. If she stayed longer, she might never leave.
The journey would take longer than back in her CIA days. Now she had to abide by speed limits, so this slow canter to Los Alamitos went at what felt like a snail's pace.
Beckman's call came through the car speakers. "Sarah, Casey got a message out. They didn't have to destroy the Intersect device to stop it from working. It wasn't ready. However, it seems they know the Bartowski connection to it. Not yours and Chuck's one in your heads, but his dad being the creator."
"What about Chuck?" Sarah asked. "He hasn't called me."
"Casey said Chuck was shot in the assault and is currently unconscious. Casey does not believe the injury to be life-threatening, and given his years of experience in the field, I trust his judgement. Casey and the team were in the process of exfiltration, and we will know more once they are safely out of the area of operations and the doctor can get Chuck patched up. One of Casey's marines was carrying Chuck out," Beckman explained.
"Not Casey?" Sarah asked, surprised that the big guy didn't do it.
"No. He was already carrying a gagged and taped senior enemy agent who will become our new informant."
"So, Chuck was shot and is alive but currently unconscious?" Sarah asked, just for clarification.
"Looks that way," Beckman replied.
Sarah needed to get out there to Chuck. "When's my flight?"
Beckman laughed. "When you get to the airport, it'll be ready. I take it you are on your way now."
"Yup."
Beckman's next question was, "Which passport?"
Sarah blushed. "Sarah Walker or Sarah Bartowski."
"I thought so. Use the Walker one, and I will make sure everything is set up that way."
"Thanks again."
Beckman's last words were, "One thing. The prisoner is needed, so you can't kill him."
Sarah had just arrived at the Los Alamitos airfield, been allowed through the gate, and directed where to go. She had just started off when her phone rang. It was Chuck's number. She stopped the car and answered, "Chuck? You alright?"
"Not Chuck. He's still out, but we are well out of the danger zone physically and medically, and he is steadily improving. He'd shown me how to access his phone, so I'm using that. I don't have your number," Casey's responded.
Sarah felt let down, but asked, "What is it, John?" She'd stopped calling him Casey at the same time as she'd changed with Diane.
"We haven't fully started the interrogation yet, but already gotten some things from the guy we grabbed. They're really after Dr. Woodcomb, but planning to use Bartowski here as a test subject later." He paused, the explained further. "They want his sister to help with the build and then him because they want someone who'd downloaded the Intersect to experiment with." A cold shiver ran up and down Sarah's spine at the thought of them doing that with Chuck!
Casey continued, "They're coming after you too, Walker. They feel that taking you separately may be easier."
Sarah normally reprimanded him for calling her Walker, but not this time. "W-where?"
"They know where you live," he replied.
Sarah took a second to calculate the risks and priorities. Given that Chuck was out of danger and improving, her top priority was to Jim, that was obvious, but after him, Ellie Woodcomb came next. Her love out there, sadly, came third.
She instantly turned the car and accelerated to the gate. The men were surprised but let her through.
Sarah spoke again once through. "I need to call my mom, John. She's looking after Jim there, and I need to get to them."
"Good luck," Casey replied.
Sarah called home. Thankfully her mom answered immediately. "Sarah?"
"Mom, get you, Molly and Jim out of there. Men are coming to try to capture me, and I don't want them finding you."
Emma remembered the time before when it was just her and Molly, and being fearful for their lives. "Where to?"
Worried that the line would not be fully secure, Sarah responded. "Somewhere safe out of LA."
Emme knew exactly where that meant and that talking about it was not a good idea. She did ask the question that would tell her where Sarah was. "How long?"
It had taken Sarah half an hour to get to the airfield, but she wasn't going to stick to speed limits on the way back. "twenty, max."
"Ok. May see you later," Emma replied.
Sarah realized her mom was right. Getting the two kids out of there in less than twenty minutes was going to be unlikely for one adult. "Ok," she replied, indicating that she understood and would be there for them.
She put her foot down a little harder and called Beckman. As soon as the call connected, she started, "Casey called. I need to get to Chicago but have to get to my family first."
Beckman replied instantly, "He called me too. I'll inform LA police to let you drive whatever speed you want."
Sarah smiled, "Thanks, Diane." She ended the call to concentrate on her driving. Her skills were good, but it had been three years since she'd driven at speeds over one hundred miles per hour.
Sarah pulled into the drive. Emma's car was still there, but there were no other cars or vans around, so all seemed good. She thought maybe they were not coming until the following night. She hoped that was the case. It was now 1:40 am.
She quickly entered the house. Emma had Jim in her arms. He was silent. Sarah was so proud of him. He sensed when he needed to keep quiet and did so.
She took Jim into her arms and gave him a kiss and a hug. "Mom, given that Chuck's team hit the target today, and that it takes some time to pull together a strike, I'm not expecting an attack until tomorrow, but I do want you and Molly away from here to I can focus on getting myself and Jim ready. After the scare I've just had, I'm not letting our little one out of my sight."
"You're flying out to Chuck?" Emma asked.
Sarah shook her head. "No, I have to go to Chicago first."
"Chicago? Ellie?"
"Yes," she didn't want to say more.
She needed to get some additional things for herself as well, so she rushed upstairs, put Jim in the middle of her bed, and quickly grabbed more clothes and bagged them; she'd consolidate the bags into one at the airport. Picking Jim up again, she rushed back downstairs. Her mom was still standing there and quickly took Jim off of her. Sarah nodded to her; this would make loading the car easier. She rushed them out to her car before returning and taking Jim from her mom. "Go, Mom."
Emma quickly took Molly out. Sarah watched them. Molly was another child who knew when to keep quiet. The seven-year-old quietly got into the car after a quick wave to Sarah and Jim.
Emma drove off, and Sarah thought it best to change Jim's diaper before setting off. She headed upstairs with him.
She quickly changed Jim and put him down on the floor to play with his favorite soft toy, a green stegosaurus. The nursery's light blue walls decorated with cartoon dinosaurs completed the theme of this little slice of domesticity.
Her phone beeped. The chime from Chuck's home security app alerted her to a possible problem. Sarah scooped the phone from the changing table, where it had lain while she'd changed him. She flicked the app on and saw the view from the camera over the front door, seeing a four-man tactical team clad in black and all carrying SIG-Sauer P220 guns.
Sarah slipped the phone into the back pocket of her jeans.
Her Agent Walker persona kicked in. She had already packed a small arsenal into her car for the trip to Mexico, but that was no use to her right now. She quickly decided she needed a semi-automatic gun to face several men. Fortunately, she had one here. She flipped up the top of the changing table and pulled the Uzi Pro pistol along with four magazines of ammo from the hiding place. She methodically loaded a magazine into the weapon and slipped the remaining three into her other back pocket.
Sarah and Chuck had argued about her hiding weapons all over their house but she'd won by pointing out the need to protect their son. She was very glad he'd relented and seen reason.
Sarah picked up her son, re-balanced him on her hip, adjusted her grip on the Uzi, then quickly moved out of the nursery.
She remembered the last semi-automatic she used when hunting Nicolas Quinn, the Heckler & Koch MP5K. She also remembered the outfit she'd worn. If she was honest with herself, she was glad the days of dressing like that and using such weapons were behind her. Neither were appropriate for what she needed right now.
She quickly headed downstairs. Just as she reached the bottom, the front door burst open and three of the men rushed in brandishing their handguns. They were followed by a man she recognized from her past. He was one of Quinn's men. "Put the gun down, Bartowski. You should come with us, or your husband will be killed. Maybe your son, too."
He obviously didn't remember what she was like, and he also didn't know that Chuck was now safe. His words still pissed her off, though.
She twisted slightly, making sure Jim was not a direct target anymore. She started to lower the gun but flicked the switch to set it to automatic. A quick shift of her wrist and the gun shot out mowing the three front men down as she growled, "No one threatens my family!"
The rear, mouthy one, was lifting his gun, when the bullets hit that arm. He dropped the gun, and she flicked the automatic off, then shot both his calves. She slowly walked to the man, now a crumpled mess on the floor, trying to raise himself on one elbow.
"That was a mistake," he gasped. That pissed her off even more, so she shot him in his other shoulder, which caused him to fall backward.
She put the heel of her boot in his groin and started pushing down as he cried out in pain, but that wasn't enough for the mood she was in. With the gun pointing at his head, she bent slightly. "I will single-handedly take you all out," she hissed. Then a hole appeared in his forehead, and she walked away.
Before she left the house, she quickly checked for movement outside. Seeing none, she ran to the car, secured the gun in the waist of her pants to keep it accessible, opened the back door and placed Jim in his car seat. "You've been a very good boy. I'm sorry you had to see all that, but we're going to see daddy now." She kissed his forehead, closed the door, and went around the car to climb into the driver's seat. She pulled the gun out and dropped it on the passenger seat. They were soon off.
She called Beckman, "I hope you have men with Ellie. I've just had to kill four men at our house."
"We have them secure," Beckman replied. "which way are you going?"
"Same plan as before. Taking our son, though. Seeing him will help Chuck."
Sarah knew she should have interrogated the man before shooting him, but the rage that filled her had been overwhelming. Now that she was calming down, she realized that going straight to Chuck was the wrong thing to do. He was safe with Casey there, whereas Ellie had unknown NSA agents with her.
She made another call. Beckman answered. "Sorry to change my mind, Diane, but I think I should get to Ellie first."
"I agree," Beckman answered.
"W-why-" Sarah started.
"Why didn't I say anything before?" Beckman asked, with some humor in her tone. "Because if you wanted to get to your husband first, I wasn't going to stop you."
"Thank you, Diane, but I think this is best," Sarah said. Then she smiled to herself. "Besides, I'd get an earful from Chuck if I went straight to him."
Beckman chuckled. "Only Chuck can do that," she declared.
Through her smile, Sarah replied, "Damn right."
She arrived at the airfield once again and was waved through. She had the baby carrier strapped on in no time and Jim in it sleepily resting his head on her chest. She quickly climbed the steps, found a seat, and sat. Fixing her belt with Jim there was a bit more tricky than normal, but they were soon ready.
Thankfully, Jim slept through the whole of the four-hour flight and only woke when Sarah got up to disembark.
During the flight, Sarah had contemplated what had happened to her back there.
The dormant Agent Walker had not only returned in full protector mode, but she had intensified. Obviously, having a child hadn't softened that side of her at all. In fact, in certain ways, it had strengthened her. Having a husband to protect had brought out those feelings, but having a two-year-old dependent just turned her into a protective lioness.
As she walked to the exit of the plane carrying Jim, she called Beckman. "Any news from Casey?" she asked, knowing that was unlikely. Casey would've left her a message if there were news.
"Not yet. I have booked a car to be waiting for you, with a driver. I arranged for a car seat. This way you can sit in the backseat next to your son, or, if he's sleeping, just prepare yourself."
Sarah noticed how Beckman said that and smiled. "You personally arranged that? Why not get one of your staff to do it?"
"Sorry, Sarah, that's not something I wanted to share with them."
Sarah reached the car, loaded Jim into the car seat, and climbed into the back with him. The driver watched with some amusement. "We don't get to see toddlers in this business much." Sarah smiled and then gave him the address.
On arrival, she reversed the process and carried her son to the front door of the house, wrapping sharply. She nodded to the NSA agents outside.
Ellie opened the door and ushered her in.
"What the hell is going on, Sarah?" Ellie demanded.
Sarah almost smiled. The situation didn't warrant it, but, as always, the force of nature that could not be resisted skipped pleasantries.
"Hi, Ellie. Chuck was nearly captured on a mission, but he and Casey found out that they sent men to capture you."
"Me? Why?"
"You're the leading expert on the Intersect. They're trying to build one of their own," Sarah explained.
Sarah told Ellie what had happened to Casey and Chuck and what they'd found out before Chuck had been knocked unconscious. "He's ok, though," she hastened to add. Then, she talked about the attack on her home.
"So. you took out all four of them?" Ellie asked.
Sarah just nodded.
Ellie grinned. "While holding this little one?"
Sarah nodded again.
Ellie leaned in and kissed her sister-in-law on her cheek. "You still got it, missy."
Sarah smiled sadly, "Not sure that's something to be proud of anymore."
Ellie held her at arms' length. "Saved your son, didn't you?"
Sarah sighed. "He wasn't going to get hurt if I co-operated, Ellie."
Ellie held her gaze and looked very intently at her. "Do you really believe that, Sarah?"
She'd been trying to convince herself about that, but the question dispelled it. "No. They'd keep him and experiment on him when he was old enough."
"So," Ellie started as she sat back on her own. "What now?"
"Well, you and Devon stop work for a week or so and move somewhere safe with Clara," Sarah explained. "I will pretend to be you, Ellie, wearing a brown wig. Anyone watching will assume Devon and Clara are upstairs in bed."
"First of all, we are not giving up work," Ellie began.
Sarah stopped her. "Have you listened to a word I've said, Eleanor? These men will burst into this place and take you and maybe Devon and Clara too. Or they may decide Devon is not needed if they have Clara, so just shoot him." She paused to let that sink in. "They mean business."
"What about the NSA guards?" Ellie asked.
"I saw how lax they were here. They'll be dead in seconds."
Ellie looked fearful. "So, where will we be safe?"
"Somewhere several car changes and possibly a flight away," Sarah replied.
"So, not Chicago?"
"Absolutely not."
"Devon was on a late shift, so is asleep upstairs. Clara's asleep too. I'll wake them, and we'll pack." Ellie got up and headed upstairs.
They were surprisingly quick. Within twenty minutes, all three were ready to go. That included a very brief chat with Devon to explain the situation and a minute convincing Clara to go.
While they were upstairs, Sarah had arranged the first two car changes. She had also explained what was happening to the two NSA guards who were to remain. One supplied the driver's plates from his car, which Sarah swapped with those on Devon's people carrier.
"Devon, We'll go in your Chevrolet Traverse first, but I'll drive it. You arrange the seats to enable you and Ellie to hide, so it looks like I am a mom taking the two kids out."
"Won't that be strange at night?" he asked.
Sarah shrugged. "Weirder things happen." She looked at Ellie, "I'll feed Jim quickly."
Ellie nodded and led Clara through to the garage, following Devon.
Eventually, they got into the car in the garage. Thankfully, they still had a car seat they could use for Jim.
Devon had left the garage remote by the side of the driver's seat. Sarah checked everyone, turned and pressed the remote to open the door, then she set off. Once out of the garage, she used the remote to close the door, then placed it in the car door pocket.
As she started down the road, she started scanning for tails. She looked like a mom with two kids in the back, which she was, but she would still be careful.
After forty minutes, they got to the first exchange. Sarah pulled up next to a 9-seater SUV, one with darkened window at the back. An NSA driver was waiting beside it.
Sarah left Jim in his car seat but followed the others over to the new car. "There will be another car change and then a flight followed by another car ride to the safe location," she told Ellie and Devon.
Ellie gripped her arm. "You be careful, Sarah. I don't want anything to happen to you or Jim. Get news to us somehow, including about Chuck."
Sarah hugged her sister-in-law, then quickly walked back to Devon's car. Opening the trunk, Sarah took out the plates she had earlier removed and swapped them back onto the car.
Tossing the other plates back in the trunk, she took out the brown wig and put it on and climbed back into the driver's seat.
Jim was fast asleep. She looked at him lovingly. "You are such a good little sleepyhead."
Straitening up, she set off again, this time heading back to Chicago.
She had put Jim to bed upstairs in the room she would be sharing with him. He lay contentedly in the cot Ellie had set up for when they visited. She sauntered back down the stairs to make herself a drink and a quick bite to eat. It had been a busy day.
She initially left the curtains open as she wandered around downstairs but closed them before settling down at the dining table to eat.
Sitting there with her trusty Smith & Wesson 5906 on one side of her and the Uzi Pro pistol on the other side was not how she'd expected this night to go a while ago. From where she sat, she had a great view of the front door. She moved the outside camera viewer to be next to her. She'd carry that with her along with the other things when she moved to the couch.
She'd just finished her food when the viewer went blank. Someone had probably shot the camera. She picked up both guns and prepared herself. She held both behind her back and sauntered fully into view of the front door.
Just like at her house, the door burst open, and three men rushed in holding guns but not actually pointing them at her. Unlike before, she just stood and looked shocked at them as a fourth walked in behind them. "Dr. Woodcomb, you have to come with us," he told her.
"No, I don't!" she growled and lifted her Uzi and mowed the three men down, catching the fourth in the leg in the process. As he dropped he pulled his gun out and lifted it, but she shot, with her 5906 and hit his knuckles, causing him to drop the gun.
Sarah quickly fired twice more, with the first bullet hitting his uninjured shoulder and the second to the knee of the undamaged leg, bringing him down.
This time, she didn't kill the man but knelt by him poking the handgun in his side. "I want to know where I was to be taken," she hissed.
"Not telling," he responded, struggling through the pain from all his existing wounds Sarah had inflicted.
Sarah calmly pulled the gun away and shot his ear, the slug tearing through his flesh. He screamed in pain.
"You've another ear and another knee, as well as fingers and toes I can remove. That's before I puncture your abdomen. Or maybe I should first shoot your balls off. I know where to shoot for most pain and little risk of you passing out or dying. I suggest you talk."
"You're not the doctor, are you?"
She ignored that question and shot his other ear. He screamed again.
"Can't hear you talking," she commented, moving the gun down between his legs.
He talked.
In ten minutes, she had the details of where they would fly Ellie out from, where to, plus details of where their team was based, both locally and further afield, all of which she relayed to Beckman. "I hope it's all accurate."
"Apart from their plans for Dr. Woodcomb's transport, that ties in with information from Casey's interrogations. So, I suspect all of it is true," Beckman advised. "We are going after the bases as we speak. Is he still talking?"
"Sorry, General." She looked down at the hole in the center of his forehead. "He can't talk anymore."
Beckman grumbled, knowing what had happened.
"Jim and I are going to get a night's sleep before we move again. However, please also send that car back so Jim and I can sleep somewhere else. Can you arrange for a cleanup crew again?"
Beckman agreed, "Very well. Where next?"
"Chuck," Sarah replied. "We need our nerd."
Sarah checked on Jim straight after the call with Beckman. He had slept through everything. This was great while he was little, but she would have to train him to be more alert when he got older, just in case.
She waited until the cleanup crew arrived before collecting Jim and their things and heading out to the car, stepping over the two dead NSA agents just outside.
In the morning, drinking her coffee and watching Jim eat his breakfast, she thought about her easy transition between soft, loving mom, Sarah Bartowski, and the hardened Agent Walker, who not only protected, her family but had no compunction torturing enemies when necessary. She reminded herself that it was all for the same purpose, keeping her family safe, not just Chuck and Jim, but Ellie and her family too.
Casey called her as she sat there. "He's whining because he hasn't spoken to you or his sister."
Sarah was so relieved to hear Chuck was ok. She had been worried about him. Thoughts of seeing her gorgeous husband again buoyed her spirits further. "Put him on, Casey."
"Are you ok, Sarah? What about Jim? And have you heard from Elle? Is she ok?" Chuck rushed it all out without taking a breath.
She grinned at this tirade, so typical of Chuck when worried. It just made her love him that bit more. "Slow down, my love. Everyone is fine, better than fine, actually. I'm particularly happy to hear you are awake and talking."
"Hmm, yeah, well, I came to last night but they wouldn't let me call you then," he grumbled.
She told him the events while he'd been, as she called it, 'on his little jolly.'
"Are you worried about Jim seeing you shooting them?" he asked.
"I think he's too young for it to affect him," she replied.
She looked at her watch and sighed, "Chuck, I need to let your sister know they can come back home and arrange for that to happen. These people are all gone now."
"I can't wait to see you again," he replied.
"Good, because your son and I are coming out to you." She smiled to herself as she added, "We need a jolly, too." Sarah Bartowski persona back in force.
Before she and Jim left the States, Casey told her that his team had interrogated their captive further. They had found out where Thomas Quinn was hiding, secured him, and were now interrogating him.
When she arrived, she discovered what they had discovered. His plans were quite detailed, but, on interrogation, it became apparent that although he had a good overall picture of what he was trying to achieve, he needed the help of the scientists who had already been killed to make it happen. It also seemed that he didn't share the reason for wanting Sarah or Ellie with anyone else.
Sarah was pissed off that this Quinn had tried to escape and had almost made it before being shot by one of Casey's men. She had been considering ways to make him suffer all the way over, but she would now have to put Agent Walker back in her box.
Sarah was surprised to find that Diane Beckman had also travelled to Mexico to see the team. She walked with Sarah to where Chuck was recovering.
Sarah knew that Chuck would be desperate to see Jim as well as her, but she wanted their first time together to be just the two of them initially. She grinned as she thought about how this could be achieved.
Diane Beckman, still in full military uniform, suddenly found herself holding a two-year-old boy. "Be good for Aunty Diane, Jim. Mommy's just going to see Daddy for a bit before you see him."
With that, Sarah swept off into Chuck's room.
When Chuck saw his beautiful wife, his eyes lit up. Then he looked slightly confused. "He's just outside," Sarah told him. "I needed to see you first."
She rushed to him, and their embrace made up for all the suffering and anguish of the last few days. When their lips crashed together, all vestiges of Agent Walker were washed away, and Sarah Bartowski virtually devoured her husband's lips.
If it wasn't for the fact he still had drips attached and General Beckman was outside with their son, Sarah and Chuck would have taken this a lot further. Their love for each other was as strong as ever.
The knock on the door caused them to part. General Beckman carried a smiling boy in with her. Sarah knew what was about to happen, so she quickly rushed over as Jim's eyes lit up and he tried to dive toward his father, crying, "Daddy!"
Sarah quickly took him from the general, who looked shaken at how quickly she nearly lost control. Sarah took Jim over to Chuck, who happily hugged his son.
"God, I love you two," Chuck gasped out, with tears forming in his eyes.
Sarah's tears were already running down her cheeks as she looked at the two men in her life. "We love you too, Chuck."
"I'll leave you to it," Beckman commented and hastily departed.
As Sarah looked at the scene in front of her, memories of the recent events came back. Protecting their family is what every man and woman will instinctively do, but the Bartowski lives were such that sometimes it needed that little bit more. That meant there would always be a place for Agent Walker, the protector, in their lives.
A/N: leaving it at that. Hope you enjoyed Sarah taking on the world.
I wanted a cover with Sarah holding an automatic of some sort, so thanks to CharmingCharles2896 for sending me the screenshot from the finale on the plane. Sarah thinks of that one here.
I'd love to hear what you think of this, my thirtieth story, if you have the time.
Additional A/N: I forgot to say a huge thanks and give credit to MarkeyDeSad for the Uzi being located within the changing unit. That brilliant idea was all his.