A/N One of the misgivings I had with Chuck, was being left out of Sarah's thoughts and feelings. YS did an incredible job of showing us where Sarah was at with her silent acting, but we were denied her inner motivations and emotions. I am hoping that I can be true to her character as I explore:
Inside Sarah Walker
Chapter 1 Sometimes the Beginning Starts at the End
The red door opens and three people walk into the simple homey house. The house has everything in it that made it home, but something is gone, the spirit. As they come into the small entryway their mood is somber, there is a sadness readily seen by even the most casual observer. The young man reaches over to flip the light switch, the yellow glow of the bulb does little to lighten the situation. The young man speaks to the older woman next to him: "We really appreciate you helping us out with this Aunt Molly, we need to get Mom's house ready for sale and I'm not sure we could go through this alone".
The older woman wraps her arms around the two younger people, "no problem, Stephen, you and Diane know how much I loved your parents, and with them gone you never have to worry, we will always be family".
The trio goes through the house, slowly picking up items, laughing, crying, remembering the moments of family and love they all shared in these walls. Walking upstairs the trio enter the rooms where Stephen and Diane grew up, just as they left it when they went off to college, and ready for when they come to visit with their families.
Peeking into their parents' bedroom, Stephen recalls, "boy I remember coming in here on Sunday mornings waking the folks up so Dad would read us the Sunday funnies.
Diane adds, "I was never sure who enjoyed that more us or Dad, he would read with all these funny voices while we smelled the breakfast Mom was cooking downstairs.
Molly laughs, "your dad did that for me before you guys were born, now you know why I wanted to sleep over so much on weekends", The three of them laugh.
Stephen looks around, pointing at Chuck's Tron poster, so out of place in the room, "Dad loved that poster, he said that his dad gave it to him when he was twelve".
Diane takes a seat at Sarah's dressing table, "Mom was such a beautiful woman, she didn't even need makeup, no wonder Dad fell in love with her".
Molly takes a deep breath, "you can still feel the love in here, I don't think I ever met two other people so in love".
Sadness fills the trio as they leave the room, the warm memories crowded out by grief.
Stephen moves into the room that his mom and dad shared as an office. "Hey look what I found". As the ladies enter the room, they see Stephen holding a strange looking round metal object. On the face of the item are the words, property of the Central Intelligence Agency. "Say Stephen, didn't mom and dad used to work for the government at some point" "Well yeah, but they weren't spies, were they"? Examining the object Stephen discovers what looks like a keyhole. "Look at this; I wonder if there is some kind of key that fits it".
The three of them begin to go through the office, looking for something that might fit the holes. After a brief search Diane calls out "Look what I found in the desk drawer, this could be it". Inserting the key into the hole causes the top of the object to roll back, revealing a small red plastic box and a data-recording device. The box is labeled Last will and testament of an employee of the Central Intelligence Agency. Opening the box Diane takes out a folded piece of paper and begins to read.
"If you are reading this letter, it means that I have passed. I have survived my husband Charles Bartowski, and so I leave all my worldly possessions to be equally divided between Stephen and Diane, our children. We own Carmichael Industries with John Casey and Morgan Grimes, and so you will receive half of that, and share the company with your cousins. Now to our third child, you will be well taken care of as well, that will be made clear later".
The three people in the room look at each other quizzically. Diane is the first to react as she blurts out "Third child…third child…, what is she talking about".
Diane continues to read aloud. "The most important thing that I leave behind is the recording on the data drive. The entries on that drive cover some of my childhood, but most of it is the story of when my life really began. My life really started the day I met the most wonderful man on the planet, Charles Irving Bartowski. He is my hero, my love, my heart. He is handsome, smart, brave, honest, trusting, he trusted everyone, even me. I do not believe he ever knew what a great hero he really is. All I know is that he saved my life and countless others repeatedly. Great deals of our exploits are documented in the government archives, but here you will find my thoughts, my feelings, my perspectives on the world saving events that My Chuck and I lived. I am grateful for the life that I lived, I have no regrets, being Mrs. Charles Bartowski, is the greatest adventure anyone woman could ask for".
"A final note to the two wonderful children, that I gave birth to, you are without a doubt the best adventure of all. You are the expression of all the love your father and I felt for each other. I am sorry that I had to leave you, I am sure it was not my choice, and I know it wasn't his. You must promise me to be brave, live good lives, love each other. Pass on your father's greatest gift to us. Love each other and the people in your lives unconditionally. Your father always strove to find the best in people, he taught it to me, and I am sure that living in his house he taught it to you. As you watch this recording remember these are my thoughts, my feelings, something you might call inside Sarah Walker. I love you always, Mom".
Silent, the trio walks down the steps to the living room, Across the room they see the marks on the doorframe where their parents marked their growth over the passing years. Sarah and Chuck carved into the top, Molly, Stephen, and Diane carved below. Stephen places the data drive into the reader and turns on the screen.
As the video starts, we see an attractive older woman, she is older, but we know that we are looking at Sarah Lisa Bartowski, "Hi kids, its mom, but you already know that…" off camera we hear Chuck, "Hi kids it's dad, love you". Sarah flashes an angry look at someone across the room, "Chuck, this is my story; you have your own to tell, now go away". "There are no words to tell you how much I love that man, but he can be so annoying". "As I was saying kids this is my story….
"When I first met Daddy…." Sarah shakes her head and smiles, "when I first met your dad, I never thought I would ever say those words". "You see Daddy was…is a nerd, he was not really my type at the time, but he sure did grow on me". She gets a faraway look on her face and glances around the room.
Sarah moves over to point the camera at the doorframe marking their growth, pointing her finger, Molly was a little taller when we started measuring her, but every year on your birthdays Dad measures and marks your age and height, it is a very special moment for him. Kids there is nothing more important to that man than family, he loves us all so much.
Moving the camera, she points it at the wall. "See this picture, that's the day we got married, you're Dad had just saved my life…again. As tears well up in her eyes, she points to another picture. Oh, look at this one, that's Uncle Morgan he's been your dad's best friend forever, this picture was taken when we got home, he saved our lives in the desert. That's right Uncle Morgan is a hero, some bad guys were going to hurt us, and Morgan stopped them, He died doing it, but we brought him back. She points to a picture of a man turning his back to the camera, "this is Uncle John, he hates pictures, that was the day he caught Daddy after he was dropped from a rooftop, yet another hero in your lives. Of course, these two she points to two pictures of Chuck holding babies, were taken on the days you were born, I don't think I ever saw your dad happier; I was pretty happy myself. Here he is again playing with Molly, that was the first day you met, he fell in love with you instantly". Sarah Laughs, "he thought you were a puppy and asked if we could take you home, I thought Mom would never stop laughing". The three people in the room laugh.
"Look at this one", Sarah points to a picture of her and Chuck dressed as Princess Leah and Han Solo at Comic Con. This one is fake, but it really tells our story, check out Dad's haircut, I told you, nerd. You see kids; this picture was put together by the CIA to protect our cover. Look at this one here, she points to the next picture, this is the first real picture of us we ever took, it was a gift from me to Daddy for saving the day again, and because I wanted to make him happy. I guess you're confused right about now, But I know you are smart enough to know, I am telling you that Mom and Dad were spies".
"So let me start at the beginning, well it's your beginning, because this is the story of How Mommy and Daddy met and fell in love, and how you came to be".