A/N: Thanks for the reviews and PMs. I really appreciate all of them and do try to reply to all. I obviously can't with the guest reviews, though. Thanks also for the likes and comments on the Chuck FanFiction Facebook group about this story; those are great too, although the one about how beautiful YS is in the cover photo however true, wasn't the point of the post!
MarkeyDeSad once again did the beta work. He pointed out topics that needed expanding as well as the usual corrections needed. Thanks for all of it, my friend.
So, Chuck and Sarah got interrupted at the end of the last chapter and he was called away to a video call that he wasn't allowed to join from Sarah's place. What could that be about?
The Novelist
Chapter 9: Sarah's Past
Chuck had been getting more and more worried as he drove. If Beckman's team had found something they didn't like about Sarah, what could he do?
Sarah meant more to him than any of the things he did; for the government or for his own company. In so little time, she had become the center of his world.
One thing he did know. If Beckman told him he couldn't be with Sarah because of his job, he'd tell her what she could do with that job, because he could never forsake the love of his life, his Sarah.
Then he thought that Beckman might want Sarah to stop her writing to be with him. He'd say the same to that.
Whatever happened, he and Beckman were likely to be falling out big time.
He continued to stew on it until he arrived at Casey's apartment block. He trudged up to the door and knocked. He'd never felt this sour toward General Beckman before.
Zondra had already arrived and was the one who let him in. She looked pissed about being there, but managed to give Chuck a hug. She said nothing, but Chuck could tell her thoughts probably echoed his, leaving this air of gloom about both of them.
Casey was sitting waiting for both Chuck and the general. He offered a grunt, but Chuck could see sympathy there too. Obviously both his partners expected this to be bad news about Sarah.
Chuck looked at his watch as he sat down. Two minutes to go. He turned to Casey. "Do you have any idea what she is going to say?"
Casey shook his head. "Not a clue, but the fact it is after your girl got vetted…" He didn't finish, but nor was that needed.
Chuck puffed out his cheeks and released the air, full of anger and frustration. "She's just a novelist, for Christ's sake, and has been writing those novels for years."
"She writes the best, most accurate spy novels around, Chuck," Zondra softly reminded him.
And that was the problem. Did they think, or had they found evidence, that she had inside information about the CIA? And did that make her a threat?
"I really wish I had kept her a secret from all of you," he moaned.
Before either of the others could respond, the video link lit up with General Beckman facing them. She immediately started, "Thank you for joining this call at such short notice, especially when you are all on leave. This is about something we found when Major Pauls dug into Sarah Walker's background."
Chuck frowned. "Major Pauls?"
Beckman looked at him. "The interviewer. I think he told her his name was Paul James."
When she saw he acknowledged that, she continued, "It seems her father is a person of interest. We need to find him as he is believed to have knowledge of one of the Fulcrum actions we have been following."
Chuck put two and two together and breathed out a sigh of relief. "So, you don't want me to stop seeing Sarah or anything worse than that?"
A smile crossed Beckman's face briefly before it returned to normal. "No, she herself checks out fine. There is no barrier to your relationship… if you chose to pursue one."
He blushed. He had already more than pursued it! "Thank you, General."
"However, she may not be totally happy with what we need from her," Beckman replied.
In his relief, Chuck hadn't thought things through, but now it was instantly obvious. "You want us to get her to help find her father so we can take him into custody?"
Zondra had been thinking about this since Beckman had mentioned Sarah's father. "She might already know where he is, but is keeping quiet about it."
Chuck swung round to face her. "To keep him from being caught?"
Zondra nodded, Casey grunted and the general said, "Indeed."
This wasn't good. He knew what was coming next, and the general confirmed it. "You need to get the information out of her, Mr. Bartowski."
And there it was. The order to force Sarah to give up her father. Shit!
Sarah had been fretting about what this General Beckman was going to demand of her team. When they were all on leave!
From what Chuck had told her, both of his partners needed rest after the last mission and the one she had never met, Major Casey, would not be able to participate in active missions for a while. Did that mean Chuck would have to go in his place?
Unfortunately, pacing up and down in her living room was not achieving anything, not even relieving her tension. Was it always going to be like this when he left for NSA related work?
She needed to calm down and decided alcohol would help.
Half an hour later, after knocking back nine vodkas, she was more relaxed. Almost too chilled. She rarely drank these days, so her tolerance had greatly reduced from that of her college days.
She was now slumped on her couch with her legs up on the coffee table, thinking of just heading to bed and facing whatever came the next day.
She was just reaching for her phone, when a text message came through.
Any chance of coming back there tonight?
She fumbled over her reply, but eventually sent it.
Yesh
It looked just about right. His reply came back almost immediately.
Are you drunk?
He'd find out as soon as he arrived, so there was no point denying it. More fumbling as her stupid phone had decided to work against her and held onto her thumb.
Mmmmmmmm
She wasn't sure if she'd get a reply, but did.
Will you be able to let me in?
She hadn't thought about that. She couldn't just slip up to bed and wait for him there.
Yip
That didn't look right, but his final text came through quickly.
Be there in 30
Shit! She needed to get sober enough to talk to him in only thirty minutes! She staggered up the stairs, almost pulling herself on the rail at times. Finally, she got to the bathroom and stripped and took a shower.
As he pulled up to Sarah's driveway for the second time that day, Chuck found he was nervous, just as he had been the first time. This time the cause was different, though.
Last time, he'd been nervous about their relationship and whether she really liked him. He had no doubt about that now.
This time he had three new worries that hadn't even occurred to him back then, but at least one might affect that relationship.
Was she hiding her dad and would him needing to know the guy's whereabouts cause her to get mad and dump him? That was the biggest worry, but he also worried about her dad, too.
The second worry was what had her dad gotten himself into?
The final worry was Sarah getting drunk. It had amused him initially, but as he drove over he worried about it. Was it because of her dad and fears her knowledge of her dad's whereabouts being found out and her getting into trouble?
He strode to her door and knocked, determined to get all these answered.
When Sarah opened the door, he'd expected her to be in a bad state due to the alcohol, but he couldn't have been more wrong. Sure, she had no makeup on, but her beautiful features never needed that really. She looked nervous, but was still a vision. He gaped, just as he had before, gazing on this stunning beauty in front of him. That slowly brought a smile to her face, transforming it further into perfection.
He scooped her up and kissed her, only then noticing the combination of alcohol and minty toothpaste on her breath.
He carried her in and kicked her door shut.
As he put her down, she rushed out, "I was so worried about you."
It then clicked in his head. She thought he was being sent on another mission and it frightened her. His gut tightened and he admonished himself. He hadn't thought of that possibility and had to explain.
He led her to her couch, noting the half empty bottle of vodka on the coffee table. She had obviously drunk a lot of it, which just made him feel worse.
He clasped her hands as they sat facing one another and he thought to himself, orders be damned, he had no intention of deceiving the woman facing him, the woman he loved. He was going to tell her everything, including what he had been ordered to do.
He took a deep breath. "I don't know if you were worrying about the vetting they did on you, Sarah, but the briefing was about that."
She tensed up. That had completely slipped her mind, but now came crashing back. "Oh shit! Have they decided you can't be with me? In case you slip and tell me something that I then use in my novels?" She took a breath and said, emphatically, "I would never do that, Chuck, you have to make them know that!"
Her spiral was both painful to watch, but also helped convince him he was right about her innocence. He spoke softly, "No, it's not that at all. Beckman sees no reason to keep us apart."
Her expression transformed into complete happiness and she pulled her hands from his wrapping them around him as she dove in for another kiss. A kiss they both got lost in for a while.
However, Chuck had more to tell her, so he eventually pulled away and took her hands once again. "She wants us together, Sarah, for a different reason than just benevolence; although I think she is happy for me, in a way."
Sarah smiled at the last part, but focused on the first. "So, what does she want?"
He sighed again. "Your dad."
That threw Sarah completely. "My dad? Why would someone in the NSA want him?"
This was definitely taking him into a topic that he really shouldn't mention, but, hey, this was the love of his life asking.
"You really shouldn't know any of this, Sarah." He paused to let that sink in. "However, I want you to know, and for there to be no secrets between us."
He was about to continue, when she stopped him. "I don't want you getting in trouble because you have told me anything, Chuck."
That warmed his heart. She would stay in the dark to protect him. "No, it affects you in a way. It certainly affects your dad." He watched her eyes go wide and he rushed on. "There is an organization that is both trying to infiltrate the US intelligence services and is a threat to our nation's security. Your dad apparently has knowledge of one of their deals the NSA has been following. He is a person of interest."
Her shoulders slumped. "Oh God! Dad!"
"Do you know where he is, Sarah?" he asked.
Sarah looked at him sadly. "Is that why she wants you to date me? To find out what I know about Dad?"
Chuck braced himself as he told her, "I really do think she is happy for us, but about your dad… she isn't sure, but thinks you might know where he is and are keeping quiet about it. My orders were to get that information from you."
She gasped. "You weren't supposed to tell me, were you? You were supposed to do exactly the opposite and hide that from me. Then, wheedle the information out of me."
He was watching her as she spoke, thankful that she didn't seem angry with him. He just nodded.
She looked confused. "So why tell me?"
He held her gaze as he replied, "Because I love you more than anything and, like I said, I won't hide things from you and I certainly won't deceive you. I am 100% sure you aren't doing anything wrong, so I just need your help."
She placed her hands either side of his face and kissed him again, deeper this time, but not for long.
Pulling back, with her hands still in place, she replied, "I love you too, Chuck. I won't hide anything from you, either."
She paused for a long time after that and dropped her hands. Her eyes lost their shine. He waited for her to tell him her thoughts.
She was reflective as she spoke. "I have no idea where my dad is. I haven't seen him in about twenty years." She then looked sharply at her boyfriend. "How do we convince your general of that?"
He had no idea and shrugged to express that. He tried to think what they should do.
Sarah was the one to answer her own question. "We track him down. You and me helping the NSA together."
He grinned at her. "Perfect! You're perfect and your idea is too."
She grinned. "let's start that first thing in the morning. Tonight, I'm too wasted and tired for what I had planned earlier, but will you sleep with me tonight? I mean really sleep with me?"
He smiled, stood and held out his hand to her. "I can't think of anything better, but you might have to tolerate me holding you all night."
She grinned and took his hand, letting him pull her off the couch. "I can put up with that."
Sarah always wore pajamas in bed, so was momentarily surprised to find herself naked when she woke the next morning. Then, she felt the arm around her body and the breath on her neck. Her feet warmly entangled in his was another reminder of her going to bed with her boyfriend. For the first time.
This felt so good! Or it would, if it wasn't for her pounding head and the foul taste in her mouth. She groaned. Damn hangover!
The arm about her moved to tighten its grip around her waist, and pulled her against his body. God, that feels good too!
The adrenaline rushing through her body, unfortunately, made the headache increase. "I'm so sorry, Chuck," she said quietly. "I have to do something about my hangover. Unfortunately, that's not the sex that the rest of my body wants."
He chuckled and released her. Her mind and most of her body mourned the loss of his warmth as he rose out of the bed. She foolishly switched onto her back to look at him, but saw nothing as her eyes closed as she squeezed them shut from the pain in her head.
"I'll make you some coffee and breakfast," he mentioned, leaving the room. He didn't know his way around her kitchen, but she left him to it. He'd work it out.
She slowly rose and staggered to the bathroom to wash her face and, hopefully, remove this taste from her mouth.
She eventually staggered into the kitchen, squinting her eyes at how bright it was with sunlight seeping in through the still closed blinds. How does it do that?
Chuck was humming a song she didn't recognize and didn't really care to know. The coffee on the table drew her to it, as did the bottle of Tylenol tablets.
After downing two tablets, she looked up at Chuck standing by her stove in a t-shirt and shorts. He looks like he belongs here; not specifically cooking, just living here.
That thought started Sarah imagining a life living together. She would have shaken her head at herself if it weren't for the lingering headache. They'd only been a couple for a short time and had only slept together for the first time, in both senses, within the last twenty-four hours and yet here she was imagining it to be a permanent thing, cohabitate.
Chuck noticed her deep in thought. He wondered if her thoughts they were the same as his. He loved waking up with her and the thought of not doing that in the future was undesirable, to say the least. Unlike the gorgeous, hungover, blonde sitting there, who he desired with all of his being.
He turned back to the stove and plated her breakfast and a similar plate for himself..
When a plate full of cooked food appeared in front of her, smelling wonderful, she looked up at him. "You know, I won't want you to ever leave, my gorgeous chef."
He sat down beside her. "I want to stay, Sarah. I have never felt more in tune with my surroundings or with anyone else, for that matter.
She chuckled. "I don't feel that good, Chuck. Maybe sleep over again tonight and I'll feel better tomorrow."
She then thought that sounded needy and was going to correct herself, but Chuck just sighed and said, "I'd love that, Sarah."
They smiled at each other, before she started to eat, both of them in tune on that at least.
"Tell me about your parents, Sarah."
They were sitting back on the couch, sipping coffees, Sarah on her second. She sighed and cast her mind back to a time she had almost forgotten.
"I was born in England; London, actually. My parents weren't rich by any means. Mom worked as a primary school teacher." Seeing confusion in Chuck's eyes, she added, "That's kids from age four to eleven.
"Dad worked a variety of jobs, from barman to warehouse picker / packer, never staying in any job for long, apparently, but shortly before I was born, he managed to get a job, 'moving things around' was how he put it. It turned out he was working in one of the gangs in the East End of London, a petty mobster, if you like. He was a driver carrying whatever was required, from booze, to drugs, even weapons. He sometimes was the getaway driver on their raids. I didn't know any of this at the time and neither did Mom.
"When I was five, he was caught, along with many others, by the Met." Sarah noticed Chuck frown, so expanded that for him, "The Metropolitan Police." She then continued, "He provided evidence to convict the gang leaders, and was released. We were moved around England as the government and police tried to keep us safe."
She sighed. She hadn't had to think of this for a long, long time. "I later found out that Dad's testimony ended up helping the FBI team in London with one of their cases and they worked with the US Marshals to move us to the States; to Boston.
"I was six by this time and totally fed up with being moved around. Mom was pretty pissed too, but we thought this was finally it, we were settled and safe."
She rolled her eyes, remembering. "Dad apparently never lost his criminal mindset and got involved with something shady again; Mom and I never found out what. I was seven when I last saw him, before the US Marshals moved Mom and I from Boston to San Diego with new names.
She thought about her mom back then. "Finding out Dad had restarted his criminal life made Mom snap. A breakdown. I'm not sure if the move was recommended on medical grounds, but it did get us away from Dad. Since then, whenever Mom is reminded of him, she struggles."
Sarah stopped and looked up at him. "She can't know about any of this, Chuck."
"Anyway, Mom got a job as a teacher at a local school and things settled down. I did well at school and earned a scholarship to USC and majored in creative writing with a minor in languages."
"Mom stopped teaching before I graduated. She has never told me, but I think seeing the kids with two parents was getting to her, reminding her of how I'd only had one for most of my time back then. She turned to writing science books, something as far from what she had to deal with as a single parent."
Chuck had been listening with rapturous attention, but finally noticed the tears rolling down his girlfriend's cheeks, thinking about what her mom had had to go through all those years. He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. She clung to him and sobbed for a couple of minutes.
Eventually, she pushed away and looked up at him. "So, I haven't seen my dad for nearly twenty years, but I'm sure your general won't believe that."
He doubted it, too. "So, your idea of tracking him down?"
"If I rustle up a picture of him, admittedly from twenty years ago, do your NSA have the ability to check traffic cameras or the like to detect him?" Sarah was hesitant, but hopeful.
Chuck grinned. "Probably, but I am probably better at it."
She raised an inquisitive brow.
He'd already decided to tell her this, so now was as good a time as any. "I was recruited to the NSA due to my hacking ability." Her eyes widened, hearing that. "I was in college at the time, and thought I'd managed to do it without detection, but I wasn't that lucky. I was detected accessing the CIA and NSA servers. Anyway, long story short the Piranha joined the NSA before leaving college."
"The Piranha? Is that your hacker nom de plume?" Sarah breathed out.
He nodded. "Since then, I've enhanced my skills. Accessing those feeds is one of the things I can do. Luckily they are all archived off to a central hub before been erased from local storage. Can you find one of his photos?"
She grabbed his hand. "Let's look together."
They spent the morning sifting through photos from her early childhood. Chuck loved seeing the little Sarah back then. Of course, her name wasn't Sarah then, but she dismissed that. "I have been Sarah Walker for so long now, twenty years in fact. Sarah Walker my name and my lovely mom had the same last name. Emma Walker. I never want to be known by any I had back with my dad. Besides, it has kept both him and his pursuers away all these years."
Chuck nodded, but still loved these early photos of her.
They finally found a photo of Jack Burton, as he was called when in Boston. Sarah scanned it onto her computer and, using a memory stick, Chuck took a copy onto his laptop. He found the app he needed to use and, securely, took both to the records database and kicked off the search. "Not sure how long this will take, but I should get a notification on my phone if it finds a match."
"If?" she asked.
He looked solemnly at her. "Your dad may not still be with us."
She'd not thought about that. She felt nothing. "It's been so long, I don't think I really care, but if your general thinks he has information of use, he must have been around fairly recently. My gut feeling is that he still is."
He thought about it. "Yeah, me too."
Then, he felt her gaze upon him as she said, "So, what do you want to do while we wait?"
He picked her up easily and carried her up to the bathroom, saying, "I need a shower."
She giggled all the way up the stairs and only stopped when he put her down. They helped each other prepare for that shower and then stepped in.
They'd needed the take out to refuel after going without food since breakfast and expending all that energy.
Just before it was delivered, Chuck had checked on his laptop, but nothing had shown up, as of yet.
As they started eating, Sarah looked at him. "Any idea how long before the whole database has been searched?" she asked, thinking that would indicate Jack was no longer alive.
"I didn't set any criteria to stop it, timewise. So, I don't know. Of course, he may have changed his appearance over the years and not look like he does in the photo."
She was irritated with herself for not considering this. "So, he might be out there, but we still may not find him?"
He put his fork down. "If that's the case, we'll get the NSA scientists to try to enhance this photo to show how he may have changed. It would most likely be age changes, but maybe some scaring too, if he's had any trouble."
Sarah pointed toward his laptop. "So, is this a waste of time?"
He shook his head. "We might get lucky."
They finished their meals and took coffees into the living room and sat on the couch with Sarah leaning back into him. They sat comfortably like that, neither feeling the need to talk, just enjoying each other's company.
Sarah was starting to drift off when Chuck's phone buzzed. He eased her to one side and walked to his laptop. Sarah soon joined him, looking over his shoulder.
Chuck stated the obvious. "A match." He looked closely. "…in San Francisco."
Sarah was instantly nervous. "Will I have to come?"
"Zondra and I will have to go," he told her, "but much as I would like you with me, you might have to stay out of sight, so it could be boring for you."
Sarah pondered that for a while, then looked at the screen showing a red dot over central San Francisco. "No, I think I should go. I will recognize him and introduce myself."
Chuck frowned. "He won't recognize you after all that time."
"I know things that others wouldn't about his past. He will know me when I mention them." She held his gaze as she informed him, "Your team can see me as the bait for the trap, but in reality I will be the trap."
A/N: Parents! Always trouble makers? Maybe that's just her dad.
