A/N: If you took a tour of Warner Brother's Studio in Burbank, do you think they would show you ownership of Chuck?
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Chuck and Sarah parked the large SUV on the quiet street in Falls Church, Virginia behind a black SUV with government plates and tinted windows. It would have been a leafy street in warmer weather, but the January trees lacked that coverage. The sun set early this time of year and it was already getting dark. Although there was no snow cover on the lawns, there were still small piles of white on the edges of the street and by the corners of the driveways.
Leaving the car, Sarah and Chuck walked up to the SUV in front of them just as two men got out. Jerry Barker and another man greeted them. Sarah expected that there was a third security officer located inside, or maybe behind, the house.
"Evening, Agent Walker," Barker said with a smile.
Sarah smiled back, "Agent Barker. Good to see you again. This is Agent Carmichael."
Barker reached out his hand and said with a pleasant smile, "Good to finally meet you, Carmichael."
"How do you do, Agent Barker?" replied Chuck.
Barker said, "This is Agent Simmons." He gestured to the African American man in his thirties standing next to him.
Shaking hands, Simmons said, "How do you do Agent Walker? Agent Carmichael?"
"Good to meet you," said Sarah. Turning to Barker she asked, "The Director expecting us?"
"Yeah, expecting you both. Whole family's there," said Barker. "Have a good night. Nice meeting you Carmichael."
"You too," said Chuck.
As Sarah and Chuck walked away to head up the path to the large old house, Simmons said to Barker, "I thought he'd be older."
The front door was opened by Anna Graham, an African American woman in her sixties with graying hair and a radiant smile.
Chuck could tell Sarah was a tiny bit nervous, but, even so, she gave the older woman a big smile and said, "Hi, Anna."
"Hello, yourself. Come here." She wrapped Sarah in a huge hug. Chuck thought that the hug lasted a little longer than he would have expected. Anna Graham broke the hug and held Sarah at arms length with her hands on Sarah's shoulders. "Too long," she said softly.
"I'll do better, Anna. From now on. I promise," said Sarah.
Anna Graham smiled warmly at her and squeezed her shoulders. Then the older woman turned to Chuck and, if anything, her smile got bigger. "And you are the famous Chuck..." she glanced over Chuck's shoulder at the parked SUV and lowered her voice to a bit of a whisper, "...Bartowski. The man who won Sarah's heart. I can't even tell you how happy I am to meet you, Chuck."
"Pleased to meet you too, Mrs. Graham. Thank you for having us for dinner."
"You call me Anna, Chuck." she said shaking his hand with a smile.
Grinning, he said, "Thanks, Anna. These are for you." He handed her a bouquet of flowers and a bottle of wine in a shiny mylar gift bag.
"Well, thank you. The flowers are beautiful and you better believe we'll drink the wine. Come on in out of the cold."
They stepped inside the large, comfortable house as Anna yelled, "Sarah and Chuck are here." She led them into the living room and introduced Chuck to the family. Graham, himself, of course, Chuck knew. There was his son, Kevin, who was as tall as his father, but slender and fit looking. Kevin's wife, Mickey, a pretty woman in her thirties. She was holding her squirming two-year old daughter introduced as Tory, short for Victoria, he was told. Off to the side, somewhat shy, was their seven-year old son, Jimmy. And finally, Graham and Anna's other child, their daughter Karen. Karen seemed to be two or three years younger than Chuck and Sarah.
The greetings Chuck got were warm and polite, except for Karen who wrapped him in hug and kissed him on the cheek with a huge smile. The greetings Sarah got, though, were for a family member who has been away for a while and just returned home. Warm hugs and touches. Gentle chiding about being a stranger. Jimmy was shy around her, notwithstanding his mother's admonitions, "Come on. You remember Aunt Sarah." Baby Tory though, had apparently never met Sarah and hugged her mother tight with her face turned away when presented with the new people.
Chuck wondered about what he was seeing. In keeping with his determination not to probe into her past, he knew he wouldn't ask. She'd tell him if and when she was ready to tell him, but he thought that what he was seeing was unusual, to say the least. She was not one of Graham's agents come to his home for a dinner with her boss. She was a member of the family. And Chuck, by virtue of his relationship with her, was now a member of the family as well. So far as he could tell, Graham and Sarah had always had a respectful, friendly, professional relationship, but he now understood that the professional relationship they showed others (including he and Casey) was a mask for a much deeper and more personal relationship that had somehow arisen. To say he was curious would be an understatement.
Kevin said, "Sarah, still white wine?" Sarah nodded. "Chuck, my mom and dad are drinking scotch and I'm drinking vodka. What can I get you? Wine or beer is available too, but I thought you should know that at least some of us are starting with the hard stuff, in case you are in the mood to join us, dude. I don't know your preferences."
"Thanks, Kevin. A glass of wine would be great. Can I help you get it? With your own drink you don't have enough hands."
"Sure, come on," he said, leading Chuck to a far corner of the room where a bar was set up.
Graham said, "Sit down, everybody. How'd it go today, Sarah?"
Sarah gave a quick laugh, "Busy day. You know I submitted the paperwork to establish my permanent residence in Burbank?" Graham and Anna both nodded. "So, today we cleaned out the apartment here and shipped everything west. Safe deposit box, all that stuff. Everything."
Taking a sip of her scotch, Anna Graham said, "Maybe you'll visit more now that you live farther away." It was a gentle tease, eased by a grin.
"I got it, Anna," said Sarah, with a look. "I will. Anyway, then we had Chuck's talk at Fort Meade. I think it went well. It was a full house."
"It went very well. The tech guys were blown away. I spoke to the General before I left the office. She said that her top technical guy was begging her to get Chuck in house there. Begging. He was pulling out all the stops. She put him off, obviously. I also have two messages from our top scientist who attended the talk. I have a feeling I know what he's going to ask me."
Sarah was looking at Chuck's back as he and Kevin were pouring drinks and chatting quietly. "Yeah, he's pretty special." Anna and Graham exchanged a look. Karen looked at Sarah with unconcealed joy.
"So, what then?" asked Anna.
"We had lunch with General Beckman. Then we left and checked into a hotel at the airport. We have an early flight. I had some firearms to ship west, so we stopped by Langley and I turned them in to some of the logistics people. I didn't trust Fed Ex or UPS or whatever with that stuff."
Chuck sat down next to her on the love seat and handed her the glass of wine. "Some? Man, you had a ton. And all kinds. We could open a shooting range at home."
Graham said, "Part of the job, Chuck. We aren't supposed to be more than thirty feet from a weapon at any time. Even at home." Anna gave him an elbow and glanced at the children. He looked suitably abashed.
"I understand, Sir," said Chuck, trying not to look around the living room too blatantly in an effort to find the weapons there.
"Chuck, when we have a conference call tomorrow or whenever... you can call me 'Sir' or "Director.' Tonight, I think Langston is fine," he said with a smile.
Chuck smiled back, and said, "Thank you, Langston. So, the rest of the day...we only had a couple of hours left before dinner, but we had time for a quick stop at the Air and Space Museum. Man, that was just the coolest museum ever." Chuck's enthusiasm was plain for all to see.
Jimmy Graham, the seven year old, piped up and said, "I love that one. It's my favorite."
"Totally, Jimmy," he said, as he reached out to give a high five to the happy boy. "I think it's my favorite too. The next time I come to visit Washington I want to spend all day there. What is your favorite part?" Chuck asked.
Jimmy was grinning like crazy, so happy to be able to join in the adult conversation. "I like the planes. Did you see the X-1?"
"I did. Glennis. So cool. I loved that stuff," said Chuck.
"When I grow up I want to be a pilot," said Jimmy.
"Did you know your Aunt Sarah is a pilot?" asked Chuck.
"So's my dad. He flies bombers for the Air Force," said Jimmy, gesturing towards his dad.
Chuck looked up at Kevin startled, "I didn't know that."
Sarah said, with a laugh in her voice, "He taught me to fly, Jimmy. Your dad taught me."
"He's gonna teach me, one day," said Jimmy.
"Yes, he is," said Sarah. "Hey, Kev, your dad got me a ride in a Citation X the other day."
"Fastest civilian plane. And?" he asked, taking a sip of his drink.
"It's nice. I was talking to the pilots. They work for the Agency. They agreed to take me out in it. Work me through a checkout."
With a bit of a smug smirk, he said, "And?"
"And I've been busy. Ok? I don't even have the book yet. Jeez, you are such a pain."
Mickey, who had been quiet for a while, tending to a squirming Tory, said, "Yeah. Tell me about it." Everyone laughed.
"What book, Aunt Sarah?" asked Jimmy.
"If you want to learn to fly a new aircraft, one you haven't flown before, you have to read the book they make to teach you about that particular plane. They can be pretty different from one another. The book is called the operating manual."
"Seriously, Sar. It's cool. I know my dad keeps you busy. Every time one of us asks about you, that's what he says. 'I'm keeping her busy.' It's cool. But if you want to learn the Citation, just do it. Don't procrastinate."
Sarah looked to Langston and Anna. They looked back and Langston said, with a shrug, "So? You were right. He is a pain in the.." He glanced at the children. "...neck." Everyone laughed.
"He sure is," said Sarah. "You are a total... I can't say it in front of Tory," she said with a laugh.
"Buster," said Jimmy, laughing at his dad being teased.
"What's that?" asked Chuck.
"It's what people call my dad when they don't call him by his name," said Jimmy.
"Well, yeah. 'Buster' is my call sign," said Kevin. "Professionally, that is. At least when they let me fly."
"When they let you?" asked Chuck.
"Oh, don't get him started," said Anna.
"Seriously," said Mickey.
"I've been assigned to the Pentagon. That's why we're here in DC. I'm sitting at a desk. It's a waste of a pilot," griped Kevin.
"It's a use of a good mind, Kevin," said Langston.
Mickey rolled her eyes and said, "Here we go." And a spirited discussion was begun about Kevin's professional development in the Air Force. It was clear that this was ground that had been plowed repeatedly. The discussion hadn't ended by the time Anna called the family and their guests to dinner.
Chuck and Sarah were seated on either side of Langston. Karen, Mickey and Kevin were helping Anna in the kitchen. Sarah offered to help and was firmly told to sit. The meal was chicken parmigiana with penne on the side. Several bottles of red wine were put out on the table.
Sarah smiled and said, "Oh, my favorite."
"I didn't know that, sweetie. I'll try it when we get home. I know it won't be as good as Anna's, but maybe I can come in second," said Chuck.
Karen started to laugh, "Oh, my God. This is so cool. Sarah has a boyfriend. A real boyfriend. And we get to meet him. First time ever. This gives me hope for my love life."
"Wait a second, do you mean to say, if even a loser like Sarah can get a guy there's hope for you too? Cause that's what I thought I heard," said Sarah.
Giggling, Karen said, "Of course not. Not loser...I mean not totally anyway..."
"Hey..." said Sarah, laughing.
"Oh, I'm not sure you should be the judge of this one, K," said Kevin.
"Oh, get off my back, Kev," she said with a laugh.
"Well, that new guy...what's his name...?" said Kevin.
"Almo," said Mickey.
"The one with the tattoo on his face," said Langston. "That's a perfect way to make sure you never have a job in an office. Get a face tattoo."
"He wants to be a kindergarten teacher," said Karen, defending Almo.
"Gotta agree with dad on this one, K. A face tattoo. Really?" said Kevin.
"Is he a boxer? Like Mike Tyson? He has a face tattoo," said Jimmy.
"No, not like Mike Tyson, Jim," said Karen. "What can I say, guys? It's not easy to meet people."
"If I may ask, Anna," said Chuck, "how did you and Langton meet?"
"We met at work. I was a spy. I was working deep cover in Malta at a bank. I have a Masters in International Finance, so it was easy to handle that bit. It was the height of the Cold War and I was trying to gather evidence that the KGB was using the bank to fund the Red Brigades terrorists. They were causing trouble in Western Europe at the time. My cover was blown and they sent Langston in with a team to pull me out. The extraction went wrong and we ended up having to go to ground in a safe house for a week. Anyway, one thing led to another and we started dating. When we got married I was still an agent. We were a team. I didn't retire from the job until I had Kevin."
"Retire?" said Karen. "You didn't really retire. From the CIA yeah, but you just started doing other stuff. Heck, Mom, you're busier now than you've ever been with all the charity stuff you do." She turned to Sarah and said, "She turned your old room into another home office filled with paperwork."
The conversation over dinner went back and forth over many topics. The election was a hot topic, with primary season in full swing for both the Republicans and the Democrats. The agreement around the table was that the Republicans best bet was McCain, whose reputation as a maverick made it most likely that he could avoid being tarred by association with the deeply unpopular current President.
Jimmy asked to be excused, and soon afterward the sounds of a video game came to them through the doorway.
Kevin had just finished telling a somewhat embarrassing story about Karen, to the amusement of the rest of the table. Karen said, "Oh, come on. No picking on Karen any more. Dad, tell a story about Sarah. How about that one from college? With the boat?"
"Oh, no," said Sarah, putting her face in her hands.
"Well, there was that time when you stole the boat," said Langston.
"Borrowed," said Sarah.
"What boat?" asked Chuck.
"Uggghhh. I hate you all," said Sarah.
Graham settled down and smiled, as if he was really looking forward to the story. "So, Sarah and her roommate, Rachel, had finished exams...I think it was junior year...Anyway, the two of them had finished exams and were celebrating in Boston. They'd had more than a little bit to drink. In fact, it was the middle of the afternoon on a work day, but they were totally hammered. They couldn't get a cab by the harbor, and they wanted to get back to their dorm room for some reason..."
"We needed to change clothes for a party that night," said Sarah.
"Right. Anyway, down at the harbor and no cabs in sight. So, Sarah decided to steal a boat and sail it up the Charles River back to Cambridge..."
"It was Rachel's idea.." said Sarah.
"She sounds like Carina," said Chuck.
"Yeah, those two'd get along," said Sarah.
"Anyway, I don't know if you're familiar with Boston Harbor or the Charles, but this is a very busy waterway. So, these two drunk girls make it past the all guards at the marina, and three locked gates, jump start a boat and take off. They make it all the way up the river and tie the boat off to a tree on the riverbank near Harvard. Sarah insisted that they stop to fill the boat with gas."
Sarah hung her head, but kept a small smile. She said, "We weren't really stealing the boat. We just borrowed it. I wanted to return it full of gas. It just seemed to be the polite thing to do. At least when you are really, really drunk. Mojitos."
Laughing, Chuck said, "Did you get in trouble?"
"Naw, I never did get caught. But when I sobered up, I made sure that the owner got his boat back," she said, looking at Graham. "With a full tank of gas."
"You don't think that the woman who ended up as the best spy I have would get caught for lifting a boat? Come on, Chuck. Even then she was better than that." Everyone laughed.
It was sometime later, dinner was over and Chuck and Jimmy were playing Super Mario together in the living room. Sarah was sipping her coffee and watching them from the doorway behind the sofa when Anna came over and put her arm around Sarah's waist.
"Thanks for bringing him to meet us," said Anna quietly. Sarah looked at her warmly and gave her a one armed hug as she nodded her head. "He's wonderful. I can see why you fell for him. And he is head over heels in love with you. When you met him, I think it changed everything for you. People always say someone wasn't ready to find the right one. Maybe, I don't know. Did you have to be ready before you could find Chuck? I have no idea. But you did find him. You found each other. It's changed you, Sarah. You are happier and more at peace than I've ever seen you."
"I am," said Sarah, softly.
"I've known you for almost ten years now. From the day I met you at your high school graduation to now...being the CIA's top spy. As driven as you were and as successful as you became, there was always something … I don't know. A connection to others. To other people...not that you were standoffish, that's not what I'm saying...I guess it was a reserve. As if there was a part of yourself you held back and just didn't want to share. The whole time you were with us, you never even unpacked…unpacked your suitcases. That used to make me cry, you know. It was like you wanted to be ready to leave us on a moment's notice. And then when you graduated and moved on to working, you were a stranger again. Only occasionally visiting or calling. That reserve is gone now, Sarah. You are now the open, loving person you've always been meant to be. I can see it. Langston saw it when he went out to see you after Thanksgiving. I wasn't sure if I could believe him, but it was true. For sure." Anna wiped a happy tear away from her eye with the back of her hand. "I'm so happy for you, dear. So very happy."
Sarah put down her coffee mug, turned and gave the older woman a full hug. She whispered, "Me too."
Both women felt a tug at their pants' legs and looked down. Tory was there with her arms raised. "Hug too, please."
Sarah smiled at the little girl, happy that her previous shyness had been put aside, and said, "Of course, sweetie. Here we go." The little girl was lifted off the floor to join the hug of her grandma and her Aunt Sarah, giggling with happiness.
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A/N2: The X-1 was the first plane to break the sound barrier. Chuck called it Glennis because the pilot, the first man to break the sound barrier, Chuck Yaeger, named it after his wife (Glamorous Glennis). As of this writing (2/2020), Brigadier General Chuck Yaeger is still alive.