I don't own Chuck
He was standing in his bathroom, looking in the mirror at the wounds that were healing.
He had just finished securing the baby, thinking he was safe. Chuck had a new mission now that Bryce had disappeared. Ryker had a gun, pointed at Chuck. "Give me the kid."
"No," Chuck refused. Ryker lifted the gun and pointed it right between Chuck's eyes. Chuck put his hands over the baby's eyes. "Don't do this," Chuck said, tensing to spring.
"Come on, Carmichael, I can't give up this much ack!" Ryker quit talking and looked down at the blade that had run through his body. Ryker slumped forward and Chuck saw Bryce standing behind him.
"You don't hurt kids," Bryce muttered. He looked at Chuck, resigned. "I'm sorry, Chuck, but we're going to have to go our separate ways," Bryce had told him, pulling the knife out of Ryker's body.
"What are you doing?" Chuck asked, trying to make sure the baby in the carrier attached to his chest couldn't see.
"This is where we split up," Bryce told him. "You take the child to safety, and I'm getting the codes."
"You're a traitor to the US!" Chuck argued.
Bryce sighed. "We really gonna do this?" Bryce saw the look on Chuck's face. "Really, Chuck? Fine, take off the carrier. You know I don't hurt kids."
Chuck gently removed the carrier laying the baby down safely. He picked up a knife. "Bryce, I have to take you in."
"I really wish I didn't have to do this, Chuck." Bryce flicked his wrist and the first of many cuts appeared on Chuck's torso.
"You okay in there?" Chuck heard through the door pulling him out of his thoughts. He had a towel wrapped around his waist and had left his clothes in the other room. He snorted.
"Yeah, uh, all I have on is a towel," Chuck called back.
"Want me to leave?" she replied.
Chuck opened the door, and she grinned at him and then hissed as she saw the wounds that were nearly healed. "Yeah, you know the best part, he made sure not to hurt me too bad so I wouldn't pass out and no one could take care of the baby."
Sarah didn't say anything, he grabbed a pair of boxers and went into the walk-in closet. "You know, he did kind of have an unfair advantage," she said. He stuck his head out, confusion on his face. "Bryce." Chuck nodded and went back into the closet to finish dressing. "When we seduce, we are taught how to do it without ever using sex. That if it requires sex, it's too far, and we've failed."
"And he was taught to do whatever it takes," Chuck said, walking back into the room wearing jeans and a tee shirt. "I never saw it coming."
"No," Sarah said. "And he knew that and used it."
"He knows our weaknesses," Chuck said with a grin. Sarah gave him a confused look. "I know Bryce Larkin, I know how he thinks, that means I know how to beat his ass."
"There he is," she said softly, a smile on her face. "You've put it all together about Russia then and the baby."
Chuck nodded. "Now knowing who he is, he had us take down a rival, and his family took over the assets. The CIA has been helping out Volkoff's Red Mafyia for years now, thanks to me."
"Chuck," she said in a tone telling him not to go down that path.
"It's the truth, Sarah," Chuck told her. "I'm not mad, I'm not upset, I'm just analyzing the facts, the way a spy would."
"And I think I've told you, you're allowed to be human," Sarah reminded him. "And if I haven't then I'm telling you right now."
"Well, which is it," he teased. "Am I human, or am I spy trying to figure this out." She shook her head, a soft smile on her face. He stuck his tongue out at her, making her giggle.
"Okay, so my turn to tell you a story, about me," Sarah said. She glanced at the bed. "Mind if I sit, it's a lot." Chuck nodded, and sat in a chair facing the bed. "My dad was a conman."
}o{
"Holy shit," Chuck said softly when she finished. "You say I went through a lot but Sarah…"
"Chuck, what would Bryce had done if I had been his partner? What would I have done with my background? I didn't have Ellie like you did, Chuck." Chuck sat back, digesting that. "I owe you, and when this started, I saw that file, and I'm not going to lie, I saw you in it. I saw the times you went the extra mile and saved someone. I heard it in Bryce's voice, the disgust, when he mentioned one or two you went beyond the parameters and saved someone." She paused a second. "And then I saw it in your eyes at that bar. I saw the pain." She shook her head. "God, I know it's got to be hard to trust me in all of this after what he did to you, but I am going to show you, that there are decent people out there. I'm going to show you that you did make the world a better place…if you'll let me."
"I will," he said softly. "I'm not going to lie to you. I might be wary of you at times."
"Fair," Sarah said with a soft chuckle. Her phone went off and she sighed. "Well, that's Graham. I have to go back to DC to finish off some things." She looked up at him. "Your choice, stay here, and heal up." She nodded at his side. "Or, you could come with me, I promise Casey will watch Ellie, Devon, and the family."
"I'd like you to meet them," Chuck said softly. "I think it's time I move out of here and into Echo Park."
Sarah nodded. "Uh, how do we want to handle the cover, or are we just gonna say fuck it?"
"Ellie knows who I am, and maybe it's a mistake…" he trailed off. She got off the bed, came over and took his hands.
"No, I don't think whatever you're thinking is," Sarah told him, locking eyes with him.
"Bryce trained me to be a one man machine," Chuck told her. "It's time for Charles Carmichael to retire. Does he know you?"
"I wasn't Sarah Walker then," she told him. "Speaking of names-"
"Sarah, I don't need to know your name," Chuck told her. "It's probably safer that I don't. In less than twenty-four hours, I learned who you are, and that's more important." She beamed at him. "What do you think about getting a two bedroom apartment in Echo Park and me being Chuck Walker? He'll never look there."
"If you think it's best," Sarah replied, grinning. "I'm sorry what he did to you."
"Not as sorry as he's going to be," Chuck replied. Sarah nodded. "Thank you."
"Any time, Chuck."