A/N: It might actually be ok if Andy Farkas owned Chuck.
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The plane had to land in Oklahoma City to refuel on its way across the United States, so it was about 7:30 in the morning Pacific Time by the time they landed at Bob Hope Airport. The sun was bright, but the heat of the August day hadn't yet settled over the city.
Andor Farkas walked down the few steps from the jet, thanking the steward for taking care of him overnight.
Only a few yards away was a gray sedan with two people standing in front of it. The man was a tall, with dark curly hair and a friendly expression. The woman was spectacular. Tall, blonde, athletic looking, she might very well have been the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Both were smiling at him.
The couple approached him with their hands outstretched to shake. She said, "Good morning, Mr. Farkas. I hope you had a good flight."
"Just fine, thank you. You are Sarah."
"Yes. Sarah Walker. And this is my fiancé, Chuck Bartowski."
"How do you do?" They shook hands all around.
"Bryce asked me to say hi to you both, when I met you," said Farkas.
Chuck laughed. "I'll bet he's looking forward to a weekend in New York."
"Fitz said that he would stop Bryce from doing anything to hurt my reputation," said Farkas with a smile.
Sarah said, chuckling, "Yeah. You can count on Fitz."
"Fitz seems very fond of you both," said Farkas as Chuck dropped his bag into the trunk of the car.
Chuck laughed lightly, "Well, it's reciprocated. He's a great guy. He's going to be one of my groomsmen at the wedding."
Sarah said, "Mr. Farkas, you've been on the plane all night. We booked a room in a hotel...not under your name, of course. Would you like to go there and sleep or would you prefer to come to meet Bora right now?"
"I slept on the plane, so I'd like to see Bora please. It's been over a year and I am very much looking forward to it. And my first name is Andor. Please call me Andy, if you wouldn't mind."
"Ok, Andy. Hop in and we'll take you to her," said Chuck. He glanced at his watch. "She should be up by now and eating breakfast."
Farkas got into the back seat of the sedan and noticed the child seat strapped into the seat next to him. Thinking about Bora, he reached out and touched it lightly with his fingertips. This physical totem of her presence affected him deeply.
"We heard from New York. Your watchers are still at it. They watched Bryce have breakfast and are following him to the Met...the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Although he probably won't spend too much time walking around," said Chuck.
"Why not?" asked Farkas.
"His leg," said Sarah. "He's just out of rehab for a leg wound. It's why we asked you to carry the walking stick. He uses one and so we needed you to carry one."
"Oh, poor man. There was no one else to impersonate me? He was the best choice among your intelligence officers?" asked Farkas.
"Among our friends, Andy. Not officers. Friends. This isn't an intelligence matter. This is a personal matter. The government has not been involved. Our friends are spies, but this is completely unofficial. From among our friends, Bryce was the closest to your height and size," said Sarah.
"Not official? I don't understand. Your President..."
"Yeah. Well, we were just lucky we had a bit of an …'in' there. He did us a favor and called your Prime Minister. Szell and his people had been taken care of and...well, we wanted to see if there was a way to legally obtain...I don't know, guardianship, I guess. My mom fell in love with her over the last year. She'd be heartbroken to have to say goodbye to her," said Sarah. "So, we hope you will agree."
Chuck said, "And my sister and I worked like hell to stay out of foster care when we were younger...our parents had gone...so I really hated the idea of putting Molly into foster care. I mean, I'm sure the Hungarian foster care system is great, but..." His voice faded away.
"Molly?" asked Farkas.
"Molly. Molly O'Donnell. We couldn't very well call her by her real name, could we?"
"No. Of course not," said Farkas. "May I ask how you came to be taking care of her?"
Chuck and Sarah glanced at each other. Sarah sighed and said, "You may...but would you mind terribly if I didn't answer? Our work is very classified and I cannot legally tell you the truth, and I would prefer not to lie to you."
Farkas looked at the back of her head and said, "Certainly. I didn't mean to put you in an awkward position."
"No, it's alright. I expected you to ask. It's a reasonable question. Let's just say that we did come to be taking care of her. My mom, Emma O'Donnell was asked to take care of her and has done so for the last year. Chuck figured out that Szell had hired the killers..."
"How?"
"Chuck is a computer genius," said Sarah.
"Oh, come on," Chuck objected.
"Shhh," Sarah said with a grin, reaching out to squeeze his arm. "The grown-ups are talking."
"Andy, Sarah is deflecting. She is the genius in the partnership. The break-through idea was all hers."
Farkas found himself grinning at their back and forth. "And what was that?"
"Of the men who wanted to buy the Kossuth businesses only Szell sold the shares short in the days before the murders. That was the lead we needed," explained Chuck.
It was Farkas's first time in Los Angeles and he watched the palm trees pass by the window, thinking of all the times he'd seen the city in movies and on television.
"But then who got all that information from the various brokerage houses? Who figured out how to trap Szell and Fodor and their kill team?" said Sarah to Chuck.
At the mention of Fodor, Farkas grimaced. He still felt terrible about Anna and her involvement in the events. "Perhaps you are both brilliant," he said, as they passed the famous crenellated water tower from Castle Studios.
He was just considering the fact that the glass on the car's window seemed to be exceptionally thick when they arrived at a low-rise apartment complex. Chuck and Sarah led Farkas through an archway and went to an apartment on the left of a courtyard with a fountain. Opening the door, Sarah called out, "We're back and with a visitor."
Emma called, "Hey."
Molly held out her arms for a hug and said, "Sis."
"Yes, sweetie. Sister," said Sarah, giving the little one a hug. "Mom, I'd like you to meet Andy Farkas. Andy, my mom, Emma O'Donnell."
Wiping her hand dry on a towel, Emma said, "How do you do? Welcome to Los Angeles."
"Thank you, Ms. O'Donnell," he said, shaking her hand, but not taking his eyes from Bora.
"Please call me Emma," she said.
While Emma was busy, Sarah was paying attention to Molly, feeding her sliced strawberries and yogurt.
Farkas looked at the little girl with wonder and joy. The grin was splitting his face and he said, "May I?" He was clearly a bit choked up.
Both women looked at him and gestured to Molly in invitation.
With tears in his eyes, Farkas bent towards her and said, "Szia hercegnő. A nevem Andor." [Hello, Princess. My name is Andor.]
Molly looked at him with confusion. She looked from him to Emma and back again. Farkas smiled at her. Her little brow furrowed with the beginnings of a frown, but not unhappy, just confused. As if the sound of Hungarian was somehow familiar to her.
"I think she understands Hungarian," said Farkas with a grin. He was crying now. Happiness? Relief? Chuck and Sarah shared a look behind his back, but smiled at each other. He had some high expectations. "Would you mind if I try to help her with her breakfast?"
"Be my guest," said Emma. "She might be a little shy though."
With the big grin still on his face, Farkas took a seat next to Molly and began to feed her, helping her with the spoonfuls of yogurt. He spoke quietly to her in Hungarian, but then said to the adults, "I met her once...a couple of weeks after she was born. Istvan and Olga came to my office to sign their wills and they brought her with them. She was such a little thing, but such a beautiful smile. Her parents couldn't stop looking at her. Who could blame them? She didn't do anything. I'm not even sure her eyes were focusing on anything, but she would smile and smile. Olga was always a beautiful woman but at that moment...looking at Bora...she was just so happy she seemed to glow." He stopped and cried a bit more, but got himself back under control. He went back to feeding Molly. "When Szell had them murdered...it was horrible...and then to have Bora missing. I was waiting for a ransom demand. I thought that was what was happening. A kidnapping. But the weeks...the months...I feared for the worst. Was she dead? I feared we would never find her...her ...her body. I was so scared."
Emma reached out and put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. He reached up with one hand and squeezed her hand in return.
"She was such a beautiful little innocent. To be killed like her parents had been butchered. I didn't even want to think about it. I felt horrible about her parents, of course. And I was ashamed of myself that I was happy their killers had not lived to enjoy the rewards of their evil actions. But my fear for Bora … it was almost paralyzing."
"I'm sorry, Andy. We couldn't reach out to you until we had stopped Szell and his men," said Sarah.
"I understand. You did the right thing. You protected her from the assassins who wanted her dead. And you destroyed them." He said the last words with harsh anger. "Destroyed." He said the word with some satisfaction.
"Yes," said Sarah.
Farkas spun in his chair and looked at them seriously for a moment, then said, "I thank you with the entirety of my soul. You have truly done God's work. But the Old Testament God, who would see harsh justice done while protecting the innocent. Thank you."
Before there was a reply they heard a knock at the door.
With the open door came Ellie and Awesome. Introductions were exchanged. A few moments later, Casey arrived.
Farkas looked at Casey for a moment or two and said, "Colonel, what branch of service, if I may ask?"
"Marine Corps," he replied.
"Ah," said Farkas. "Semper fidelis...Is that right?"
"Yeah. Thanks," he said.
Chuck said, smiling, "Well, Andy. You're the guest. What do you want to do today? And going to the hotel for a nap is an acceptable answer."
Farkas smiled a bit and said, "Sarah, when I spoke to you the other day, you told me that Molly and Emma had been to the beach. Would anyone mind if that's what we did today?"
"Well, this little muffin wouldn't. She loves the beach, don't you, Sweetie?"
Molly smiled and clapped her little hands together.
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The day at the beach had been fun. Farkas watched everyone (except Casey, who had declined to go to the beach) play with Molly and cavort with her in the ocean. He learned about them. He learned what kind of doctors Ellie and Awesome were, and laughed with Chuck's explanation of the nickname. He heard about the wedding plans. And about Emma's move from Philadelphia. He learned about the cybersecurity company they owned and its huge success. He learned that Emma's husband had left her decades before, taking Sarah with him. And that she and Sarah had only recently been reunited.
He sat in the sand and helped Molly with her sand castles, which she was very proud of.
And while trying to be unobtrusive, he watched. He watched how they all were with Molly. That she was clean and healthy, and covered with sunscreen and a big floppy hat she kept taking off. He noticed the love with which everyone treated her. He appreciated the good sense and parental wisdom, even when Molly threw a little tantrum, wanting ice cream before lunch. (Which made him smile.) He also noticed that not once did anyone ask him about her money.
Now back in Chuck and Sarah's apartment, cleaned up and finishing dinner of steak and baked potatoes from the grill, accompanied by copious amounts of alcohol, he sat at the table and leaned back a bit, looking at his new friends.
"Hungary joined World War II in 1941 on the side of the Axis, the Germans. Not our finest moment, to be sure. The story we tell ourselves is that it was the fear of the Soviets...but, who knows? Antisemitism was an ugly fact of life in the country. Imre Kossuth, Molly's great grandfather, was in the government and was instrumental in reaching out to the Allies. He wanted the country out of the war. The Germans discovered the government's intentions and occupied the country. Imre was killed by them, among many others.
"His son, Janos, was six at the time. When the war ended and the Red Army 'liberated' Hungary from the Germans, well, that was the beginning of the Communist regime. Seven-year-old Janos was smuggled out to Spain. I think his mother knew some people there who would take care of them.
"Janos was a smart boy and incredibly ambitious. He trained as an engineer and began a business in aviation components. Then another in electronics. He acquired a company that sold high-tech components for the military, for NATO. He was driven, brilliant, charming, handsome, and single. It wasn't until he was in his late thirties until he met the woman of his dreams. Her name was Bora. She was Molly's grandmother. She was Hungarian and, like him, a refugee from the Communists.
"He was horrified by the Soviet reaction to the Revolution in 1956. The brutality and murder they brought to Hungary. As he became more and more wealthy and successful, he funded a charity for Hungarian refugees. He worked with all sorts of underground groups in the country to make life difficult for the Communists and encourage resisters. He kept open a back-channel between the Hungarian dissidents and the Vatican. There's a statue of him in Ugod. Although all of his businesses were in Western Europe, he never gave up on the land of his birth. The police state that it had become infuriated him. He would weep at the harsh conditions his fellow Hungarians were forced to live under.
"He met my father through one of the more vibrant expatriate groups and the men became friends. My father was the godfather of his son, Istvan, born in Germany in 1978. Molly's dad. Communism died the death it deserved in 1989. Janos and his family...Istvan was just 10 years old, moved back to Hungary. He immediately began the process of rebuilding the country. Starting new businesses there. Schools. Academies to train people to work in his factories.
"My father was his lawyer, until he retired from ill health. I became his lawyer after that. Janos and Bora died in a helicopter crash in 2005, shortly after Istvan and Olga were married. They never got to see their granddaughter.
"Bora's parents were wonderful people. I know you would have loved them. You certainly would never know that they had money. They were a lot like you...like you all. Incredibly accomplished, but with no pretenses. No arrogance."
He paused and seemed to shake himself a little bit. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bore you all. It's just that..well, I wanted you to know. Molly comes from a wonderful family. Heroic and generous. I'm very fond of them."
"Thank you, Andy. Thank you for sharing that with us," said Emma.
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For whatever reason, all the men decided to stay up late and watch The Dirty Dozen on TV. Farkas had never seen it and was teased about that. So, he, Chuck, Devon and Casey sat around the living room with bottles of beer and watched Lee Marvin berate Telly Savalas.
"You know Lee Marvin was a Marine, right, Casey?" asked Chuck.
"Wounded on Saipan. Of course, I know it, moron" said Casey.
"Quiet, you two. I'm watching this," complained Farkas.
Sometime later he said, "Fodor had a team sent to kill Molly. What happened to them?"
Chuck said, while paying attention to the movie, "They walked into a trap. They didn't walk out again."
"Would I be right to think they will never again be a danger to Molly?" he asked.
"They won't be a danger to anyone ever again," growled Casey.
Farkas nodded with satisfaction. "Good."
"Oh, this part is awesome," said Devon.
"Don't tell him," said Chuck.
They all watched Jim Brown run across the lawn. Casey looked at Chuck and said, "Are you crying, Bartowski?"
"No, of course not. That's ridiculous," said Chuck.
Casey grunted and said, "Andy, want me to drive you to the hotel? If you want, you can bag the hotel and stay with me. I have a spare room."
"Thanks, Casey. I think I'd like that. Staying with you I mean," said Farkas.
Casey, Farkas and Devon left, Devon peeling away to his own apartment. Casey and Farkas went out to Chuck's car to retrieve Farkas's bag from the trunk.
Casey had just closed the trunk when Farkas said, "Can I ask you something, Casey? Don't answer if you don't want to." Casey grunted. "The mansion in Budapest. It was you, wasn't it? You killed those men...the men who had killed Molly's parents...you killed them and saved Molly?"
They arrived at Casey's door and Casey replied, "There's an expression, Andy. Don't judge a book by its cover...no matter how beautiful that cover may be."
Farkas stopped dead in his tracks, only a foot or two inside Casey's door, as he understood what Casey had just told him.
"Ohhhhhh," he whispered to himself.
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The next day had been spent at the Santa Monica pier. Playing boardwalk games and eating various unhealthy foods. Once again, the whole tribe came, with Casey agreeing to join them this time. And once again, it had been a fun filled delightful day. The stuffed bear that Sarah won for Molly was actually bigger than the little girl.
Ellie and Devon had cooked dinner that night, salmon with spaghetti puttanesca on the side.
Dinner was over and no one could even consider another slice of Casey's cherry pie.
Andy Farkas was to leave the next morning and replace Bryce in New York. He took a drink of his wine and looked at the family before him. Molly was snuggled up on her mom's chest. Chuck and Sarah were in the kitchen cleaning up. Casey, Ellie and Devon were chatting at one end of the table.
He cleared his throat to get their attention. "My friends," he began. "I do hope it is acceptable that I think of you that way, as friends. We have not known each other very long, but I want to thank you for the warm welcome you have given me here in your homes.
"I also want to thank you for what you have done for Molly. You saved her life. You protected her, at great danger to yourselves. And, as unbelievable as it sounds, you destroyed the men who wished to harm her. Powerful, dangerous men, totally destroyed. You are her angels of mercy and love, but also of vengeance and death. You are truly amazing. Molly has been blessed to have found you. Thank you. Before I came out here to Los Angeles, Fitz told me that he considered you the finest people he had ever met. To my surprise, I find myself in agreement.
"I'm leaving in the morning and wanted to share my conclusions from the last two days. My conclusions about Molly's future.
"I have decided to endorse the plan for Molly to stay here and be raised by you as Emma's daughter and Sarah's sister."
Emma and Ellie started to cry with relief and happiness. Sarah put one hand to her mouth and the other grasped Chuck's hand, but her eyes never left Farkas's. Chuck and Devon were grinning and even Casey looked pleased.
Before they could say anything, Farkas held up a cautioning hand. "But...there are conditions. Please. First, I would ask that you, Emma, remain here in Los Angeles and not return to Philadelphia. Please stay with the rest of this family so that Molly will grow up as a part of this larger loving group."
"I was going to do that anyway," she said. "I don't want to be on the other side of the country from Sarah and Chuck."
Farkas continued, nodding, "Good. Second, when she is old enough, please explain to her about her blood family. Tell her about her grandfather and what he did. Tell her about her parents and how much they loved her. Tell her that they would be proud of her. When you think she will understand, tell her about what her parents left her. The Kossuth businesses."
"We can do that, Andy," said Emma.
"Thank you. But I'm not finished. Three, please teach her Hungarian and, when the furor about her has died down sufficiently, I would ask that you take her to visit Hungary sometimes. Once a year or so. I want her to be comfortable in the country of her birth. Not a stranger. I love my country and I want her to love it too."
"Of course," said Emma.
"Now the fourth and most difficult condition, I'm afraid. I'm going to be transferring to you Ten Million Dollars every year for her support. I'm sure Chuck and Sarah can create some brilliant arrangements so that the money cannot be traced between us."
Emma looked at him and said, "Andy, it's not necessary. We know she's wealthy, but that money should be saved for her. We don't want it."
Chuck said, "And, honestly, Andy, we are pretty rich ourselves. Carmichael Industries is doing great. We're making a ton of money."
"I know, Chuck. And of course, you don't want it, Emma. I understand that and approve of your feelings. I knew you wouldn't want it. But it is a tiny fraction of the income that her trust throws off annually. The documents governing my decision require me to provide funds for her support. There's no choice in the matter. I'm giving you the money."
"But...I wouldn't know how to spend that amount of money. It's too much."
"I trust you, Emma. I trust all of you. If I trust you with Molly, you can be damn sure I trust you with some money. The operation to protect Molly and defeat Szell must have cost you a great deal. Reimburse yourselves for that. Hell, the five men in New York who are still working to keep my presence here secret...why not split a million among them? Two hundred thousand dollars is decent pay for a weekend's work, isn't it? The rest of it? I don't care. Give it to charity, if you want to. But you will never have to worry about funds to raise her. I will keep up the payments every year until the trust is broken on her twenty-fifth birthday. Sorry, Emma, but the money is non-negotiable."
Emma looked at Chuck and Sarah. Chuck shrugged and Sarah looked at him for a moment and then nodded.
"Alright, Andy. Is that the last condition?" asked Emma.
"It is."
"Ok, Andy. I have one of my own. You obviously love Molly. You knew her parents, her grandparents. I want you to be part of this. I know it's going to be difficult to handle clandestinely, but we should think about it. I'm sure the brilliant spies here can come up with some kind of plan. You should get to see her grow up. As difficult as it may be to arrange, you are part of this family...of Molly's family."
Andy had a hard time speaking and began to cry a little, "I would be delighted, Emma. It would be my pleasure. Thank you."
Emma held Molly in her arms and the two of them gave Andy a long hug, Emma still crying a bit herself. Letting go of Andy, she hugged Molly and whispered to her, "I love you, little muffin."
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A week later Andor Farkas called a press conference at a Budapest hotel. Stepping to the microphone, he began his remarks by stating calmly: Bora Lives. From there he announced the withdrawal of the reward for her return. With a smile of pleasure, he informed the reporters that she was alive and being raised by a family who would love her and protect her. To allow her to be raised without the pressure of celebrity, he had determined to keep the arrangement secret and not to reveal to the world her whereabouts or status. He explained that, although he would entertain questions, any questions which might reveal identifying information about the family or Bora's location would not be answered. While the press hungered for more details, the news that Bora was alive and healthy was huge and they ran off to spread the word. Throughout Europe, but especially in Hungary, people celebrated that night.
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A/N: Took a while, but we finally managed to get Molly to stay with Emma legally. Some wrinkles and conditions, and a good bit of money, but we managed. Emma's condition that Andy Farkas come back for occasional visits just kind of popped out of her mouth. I think she (and the rest of them) liked him. What do you guys think? How'd I do? Next arc is another original one. Fulcrum comes back and Team B has to reach out in an unexpected direction to get some help.