I don't own Chuck

Enough Is Enough

(No More Tears)

Then….

Chuck swallowed, visibly nervous. "… you know that I'm not a very bad person, in fact, you know I'm not even a bad person. Hell, I'm the guy you don't choose when you see me and a bad boy."

"I have my orders," Sarah told him.

"I'm sure you do, but I also think you've had enough…" he trailed off.

"What's your name?" She gave him a look. "Come on, if you're gonna kill me, what does it matter?"

"Sarah," she told him. "Sarah Walker."

"Okay, Sarah, nice to meet you," Chuck told her. "I don't know anything about Bryce, or why he sent me that email, but I will help you find out, if you don't kill me, and that's not me begging or bargaining, it's me, saying, you deserve to know."

She put the gun to his forehead, and he gulped, but he held her gaze. She looked into his eyes. For years, men had used her to get what they wanted. So the question was, was Chuck Bartowski using her to live, or being sincere in his offer.

Now….

Sarah's finger felt the trigger, all she'd have to do is squeeze it, and end this. She had had enough. She made her decision.

"You don't have to do this, you know."

Her grip tightened around the trigger "I'm tired. I'm tired of doing what power hungry men tell me to do. I'm tired of being on an autopilot someone else programmed, doing what I'm told without a second though." Her face tightened in determination "Enough is enough. I can't go on. I can't go on no more. No. It has to end and I have to end it."

"But …. and I'm just asking here …. does this end it?"

Her frustration was growing as she spit out "Death ends everything."

"But it won't end for you. You'll remember. It'll haunt you, like all the others. It won't be the perfect answer you've dreamed of, it'll be just another nightmare – just like all the others."

She bit her lip as she answered in a softer, somehow younger more innocent sounding voice "I don't have nightmares."

Chuck walked up behind her, gently wrapping his arms around her waist, careful not to jostle her or the loaded gun she had pointed at Langston Graham. "Sarah, I hold you at night when you have them. I hold you and rub your back, letting you know I am here. That I'll always be here. That I'll protect you. And I'll keep doing that as long as you need me to – as long as you want me. And I'm doing that now too, trying to stop the nightmare before it happens."

"Trust me" he said, softly kissing the top of her head.

Sarah stared straight ahead at the man who had used her all these years. The great and powerful Langston Graham didn't look so great and powerful bound, gagged and quivering in fear in the corner. Blood was trickling down from a nasty gash above his eye, a gash that Sarah took great pleasure causing. His lower leg was bent in a grotesque manner going in two separate directions at the same time, thanks to the Kyokushin Wheel KickSarah landed. He was in pain. And he was scared.

He should be scared she thought. For the past year she and Chuck had searched for and found every dirty secret Graham had. The assassinations of rivals and political enemies. The missions done without sanction. The many slush funds hidden away that bankrolled his ambitions. Yes, they had found them all, each seemingly more horrible than the last. Chuck didn't think it could get any worse.

Chuck. A year ago, her gun at his forehead, she made the decision that changed her life. She knew in her heart that Chuck would never be involved with Bryce F-ing Larkin. She knew he didn't know why he was sent the Intersect. And she knew it wouldn't help anybody if he did and she killed him. What she didn't know was how much Chuck would help her, how important he would become.

He saved her.

He protected her.

He told her that Graham's sins were not hers. He argued that what he had done, he had done to others. Bringing him to justice was the right thing to do.

Until he found her file. Her full, unredacted file. That's when it became personal.

Chuck found out that Sarah had been recruited at the age of 16. That she had been given her first seduction mission at 17. That she was partnered with misogynistic, power hungry men – partners she had to defend herself against too many times to count.

And then.

And then he was horrified when he read about her red test, hurting for her in a way that no other man ever had.

Sarah was afraid that would be too much for him. The last straw. But that was when Chuck redoubled his efforts. He reached out to protect her and help her heal. He loved her like no other man could. It was then that Sarah knew that her fairytale dream of finding the perfect lover could come true. Chuck certainly was not like every other man she knew. And she loved him, not just for who he was, but also for who she was when she was with him.

Now they had Graham. They had enough evidence to put him away in a deep dark cell for the rest of his life. That was the plan.

Chuck kissed the top of her head again "He's not worth the nightmares." He said softly, gently.

Sarah sighed. She had enough of the killing. She didn't think - no, she knew - she should not pull the trigger.

Sarah took her finger off the trigger and brought the gun down.

Enough is enough.

This can't go on.

Chuck gently, carefully took the gun out of her hand while a strike team swarmed in, surrounding, securing and dragging the erstwhile director off. As they did, General Beckman walked up to them, her face a mixture of concern and satisfaction.

"Are you ok?" She asked Sarah, placing her hand on her forearm in an almost motherly way.

Sarah turned and snuggled deeply into Chuck and nodded, a single tear rolling down her cheek.

"I was worried about you for a minute there. No doubt Graham deserved whatever fate you chose for him, but alive he is worth far more than dead. I'm glad you made the choice you did."

Sarah took a deep breath before responding. "When I looked at him I knew I had enough, that I didn't have to put up with his stuff. I had my fill of all the horrible things he taught me and had me do. Killing him wouldn't have paid the bill. Enough is enough."

"Well, you don't have to worry about Lanston Graham anymore. Where he is going, there is no sunshine, no moonlight. He doesn't stand a chance of seeing them ever again." with that, she squeezed Sarah's arm one more time and looked up at Chuck. "Take good care of her" she said and turned to walk away.

"I will." Chuck said looking down at Sarah. "I'll hold you and protect you through all the nightmares until they are gone."

"No more tears." Chuck said, pulling her in tighter.

Enough, is enough, is enough, is enough, is enough, is enough, is enough.