Disclaimer: We don't own Chuck and we aren't making any money from this story.
Sarah absolutely dreaded this, but it had to be done.
She opened the door to the apartment and winced as Ellie looked up. The smile that was on her face dropped as soon as she saw Sarah with Chuck's arm around her shoulders, helping him slump inside.
"Chuck! Are you okay?" Ellie asked.
"Fine, Sis, I'm fine," Chuck mumbled, as Sarah continued to support him. "Head is killing me, but I'm fine." Sarah sighed, repressing the urge to roll her eyes. He'd explicitly told Sarah he didn't want to rile Ellie up when they got inside. Mentioning his head was killing him to his sister, a neurologist? The easiest way to rile her up.
"Put him here," Ellie said, pointing to the couch and even the Ice Queen knew better than to argue with sister/doctor Eleanor Bartowski. "Did you hit your head?"
"No, too many flashes," Sarah replied when Chuck just pressed his lips together. "It's my fault. I put him in charge of the op and, well..."
"You can't say it went bad," Chuck interrupted, nearly pleading. "For the love of God, my head almost exploded, but we caught so many bad guys. They won't be able to hurt anybody anymore."
Ellie looked up at Sarah. Nodding, she gave her a weak smile. "He did good, Ellie, really good." Ellie raised an eyebrow. "It was a good plan, Chuck, we just...didn't plan for there to be a crowd of criminals there. And the Intersect is so variable with what it has you flash on..."
"I should've thought about that. I'm the one with the Intersect. I should've known it would happen and I didn't. I screwed up, Ellie, but we made it work, still. We were successful. That's what spies do, right, Sarah? When things go bad, we make it work, right?" Chuck asked, his eyes closed as Ellie helped him lie down across the couch.
The sound of Chuck trying to get her encouragement and approval felt like a knife to the heart, as he lay there in excruciating pain he might not be in if it weren't for a decision he made that was primarily based around getting her approval … it was a vicious, painful circle.
"Yeah, that's what they do," Sarah said as encouragingly as she could manage, wrapping her arms around herself as Ellie checked him over. She felt his forehead, checked his pupils, and asked him quiet questions, to which she received quiet answers.
All the while, Sarah was feeling more and more lost in this situation.
"Is he okay?" she asked Ellie after a few minutes, unable to resist. Ellie nodded. Sarah stepped in close, her hand aching to take his, feel its warmth and reassurance. But she didn't. She just flexed her fingers and then dropped her hand back to her side. "Um. I'm gonna go wait outside for a bit, by the fountain. If you need me, I'll be out there, Chuck, okay?"
"I'm fine, Sarah, thanks," Chuck said, eyes still closed.
Sarah nodded and escaped outside, immediately going towards the fountain and sitting on the edge of it, tilting her head back to look up at the stars.
Huffing out a breath, she ran her hand through her hair. Ever misstep, every ache and pain, every hurdle Chuck faced as a new agent had Sarah feeling a deep and relentless guilt. All of it was her fault.
He joined the NSA to help people, to stay out of a bunker, but he admitted it was mostly to be the kind of guy she might find worthy of her. And tonight, flashing on every single criminal, the dozens who were there, wouldn't have ever happened if it weren't for that. What had she done? How had she made him think he wasn't good enough for her? It had to be something. She hadn't done it purposely, whatever it was. And that didn't matter.
She blinked up at the stars, what few of them she could see, and fought the tears pooling in her eyes.
How didn't he get that she wasn't enough for him? He'd flashed on her. He'd seen that she'd killed people. She was a killer…She'd made decisions that had ruined and in many cases ended people's lives. And for all she knew, some of them might have been innocent lives, considering most of her missions and ops ended with Graham telling her it was above her pay grade to know.
How didn't he understand that by doing this, the chances of him getting out of this mess alive were minute?
She was going to be the reason Chuck Bartowski was killed, and it was killing her from the inside out. She was going to be the reason that the best guy on the entire planet died. And for that matter, she still didn't understand how Chuck's family—Ellie especially—was affording her so much kindness and understanding. What with the way Ellie knew she was the reason why Chuck was inside lying on the couch in head-splitting agony.
She heard the door open and close and she quickly wiped her eyes, removing any evidence of tears. Ellie was walking towards her, a glass of wine in each hand. Sarah gave her a warm, grateful smile and accepted the wine as Ellie sat down next to her.
"He's okay, right?" Sarah asked, staring down at the wine in her hand.
"He's okay," Ellie replied, nodding. "In fact, he and Devon are talking about fixing the TV now. That was what he'd promised to do tonight before this mission came up anyway." Sarah started to apologize for taking Chuck away for a mission but Ellie shook her head. "No, don't start. Do you know he's paying us rent now?" Sarah smiled. She wasn't surprised. "He's using the extra money NSA is paying him to pay us rent. He tried to get us to accept all the back-pay, but I wouldn't let him. He's lived with us since he was kicked out of Stanford. I'm not doing that to him." She huffed and shook her head. "But he did buy us a new TV."
Sarah gave her a look and Ellie snorted. "That's what went through my mind, too, it's definitely for movie night." Sarah shook her head. "But, he's totally buying things we all can use, and I love him for trying. ...He's trying so hard."
Sarah could only stare down at her wine again. She knew he was. And not just with Ellie and Devon.
"You want to tell me what happened?" Sarah gave Ellie a look again and the other woman held her hand up. "For strictly medical reasons, and please, start at the beginning so I have all the info I need to help my patient."
"Strictly for medical reasons," Sarah muttered, shaking her head. "God, you Bartowskis are all alike."
"We are," Ellie said, mock sighing. "It's our burden to toll in life."
Sarah burst out with a giggle.
Sighing, she began. "We picked up on some chatter about a hitman we've been after throwing a birthday party at a local karaoke bar and Beckman wanted to see if we could get in and spot the guy, maybe take him in." Sarah swirled her wine a bit and sipped it, careful not to look at Ellie. She was nearly as transparent as her brother. "He's trying SO hard to give me space. Avoiding potentially awkward arrangements. Partly for himself, I'm sure, but mostly for me." She couldn't help smiling a little at the memory of the look on Casey's face. "His idea he came up with…He decided that Casey and I would in as an uncle and his niece. He insisted Casey has a beautiful singing voice."
Ellie fell against Sarah's shoulder laughing. "Which…." She couldn't finish the question from laughing so hard. She finally sat up, and wiped tears from her eyes. "Which one of you shot that down?"
"We did this thing where we both looked at each other and said no at the same time," Sarah said, shaking her head, still laughing. "As awkward as I knew it might be, I suggested Chuck and I just go in as a couple. And if he signed up to sing, it would get him up on the stage where he'd have an easier time of spotting the guy we were looking for."
Ellie nodded, thankfully not commenting on Sarah's decision except for a steady, "Makes sense. So, what went wrong then?"
"You know who goes to a hitman's birthday party?" Sarah asked. Ellie's eyes widened. "That's right, a bunch of really bad dudes. Criminals who are all in the Intersect's database." Sarah shook her head.
She looked away from Ellie and thought back to Chuck at the karaoke bar, leaning in and muttering, "Listen, I'll go up there, sing your song, and I'll flash on the dude. We'll know who he is, we can tag him, and bring him in. Easy peasy."
Sarah had stared at him for a moment before replying, "Chuck, nothing in the spy world is easy peasy."
"Well, not everything in the spy world is complicated," he'd countered. There'd been a moment where she'd seen the look on his face, like maybe he shouldn't have said that. And she'd gaped a little at him as he'd cleared his throat. "You know I'm right."
She'd been miffed.
"No, you aren't right, this whole life is tremendously complicated and I don't think you understand that," she'd shot back. "I don't think you understand you can't trust everything you see or are told."
"I don't have to," Chuck had countered. "I trust you, and that's all that matters." She hadn't had anything to say to that. "I get up there, sing a Michael Bolton song to you, flash on the jerk, and it's over."
She'd known she shouldn't, she'd known that all it would do would be to fuel him, but part of her...part of her hadn't been able to help herself. "I don't like Michael Bolton," she'd snapped.
Chuck had stopped mid-stride, turned toward her, and with a small grin, gave a nod. "Right, noted." She'd allowed herself a private smile, but then he'd gotten on stage and alarm bells had gone off in her immediately. He'd no sooner looked into the crowd than it had began, one after another. Flash after flash after flash. She'd yelled, shoving people out of the way as the flashes had obviously become too much for him, his knees buckling, and she had ran towards him with the intention of getting him the hell out of the place as quickly as she could.
Now, as she sat beside Ellie, she slipped her spy mask on, holding her wine glass so tight between her fingers that her knuckles went white.
"Hey, he's okay," Ellie said, gently sliding her fingers over Sarah's. Sarah immediately eased up on the glass. "Really. It just overloaded his brain a bit, but like with any old headache, with some rest, he'll be right as rain." Sarah nodded. "Are you okay?"
"Yo! Babe!" Devon called from the door. They both looked toward the apartment. "You need to see what the Chuckster's done."
"We're not done," Ellie said, squeezing her hand. They both walked in to look at the TV. Chuck had kept it on a local channel, the news anchor announcing something about some general from somewhere, and a attack. But before Sarah saw anything else, Devon's beeper went off, making her jump.
"That's me! Super secret doctor stuff," he said, with a smile and a wink at both Sarah and Chuck. Jesus Christ, no wonder Chuck always acted like he did with Awesome encouraging it like this.
But then she saw the strange look on Chuck's face, and it was a look she recognized. Before she could ask him if he'd flashed, Chuck widened his eyes and gave the minutest of head shakes, speaking up quickly. "You know what? I forgot...er, something about the mission. Sarah...can you… We're just going to...my bedroom?"
"Oh. Right. Um, okay." As they walked, she took his arm and held him steady. "Did you flash?" she whispered out of the corner of her mouth.
"Oh, big time."
"Why didn't you just say something? Why are we going into your bedroom?" They stepped into his room and she shut the door. "What is it, Chuck?" she asked in a regular tone of voice now.
"Look, I just didn't want Ellie to know that I flashed again. After the way I looked when you helped me inside earlier, after flashing on all those criminals at the karaoke bar. She'd be way too worried and overprotective. I still feel like I need to protect her from as much of this as I can."
Oh. She nodded. "I see." Chuck already had his cell phone out. "Are you telling Beckman? Was it the general on the news?"
"Yes and yes." There was a quiet beep from his cell and then she felt her own phone go off in her pocket. "And there it is. Another mission. Let's go," he said with a sigh. He still looked like he was in pain and it worried her more than she could say.
They made their way back down the hallway.
"El, we're off on another mission, looks like. I'll see ya later, huh?" He closed the distance and kissed his worried sister on the forehead.
"Wait. Sarah, he can't—There's no way he can drive in this condition."
"I know. It's okay, Ellie. I'm driving."
They walked back through the courtyard a few moments later and Chuck got into the passenger seat of the car. Sarah paused before she swung in to sit behind the wheel, and she looked up to the heavens, begging whatever was up there to go easy for God damn once.
}o{
The three of them stood shoulder to shoulder in Castle as Casey made the call to Beckman, and they watched the screen come to life. The moment Beckman appeared, Sarah spoke up beside him.
"General, I'm not sure if we should be putting Chuck back into the field so soon after what he went through tonight," she said, clasping her hands together in front of her. "He must have flashed upwards of twenty times or more. That can't be good for his health."
There was a long pause as Chuck stared straight ahead, his brow furrowed. He could still feel a direct ache between his eyes.
"Agent Carmichael?" Beckman caught his eye. "Are you all right?"
He could almost feel Sarah's nervous tension. He couldn't read her. Was she that worried for his safety that she'd try to keep him out of the field tonight? Or did she think he wasn't experienced enough to handle more than one mission per day the way she and Casey might be.
The thought of it maybe being the last thing made him shrug.
"What's one more flash, right, General?" Chuck asked. The General gave him a glare. "I apologize ma'am, I am trying to do what my trainers would do in this situation and just... work through it."
"Agent Carmichael, Agents Walker and Casey do NOT have the Intersect in their brain," Beckman reminded them. "You are valuable."
"So are they," he replied. He felt Sarah go rigid but he wasn't sure why. "I am okay, General, seriously. It's just a headache, and as long as you don't ask me to flash on a bunch of papers I'll be okay."
"Agent Carmichael, I refuse to send agents on missions that put them in situations they are not prepared for unless it is absolutely necessary. I know some of the things we've had you do in the past might have felt that way." She gave a sardonic sigh and he wasn't quite sure what to do with her candidness. Was it the absence of Graham hovering over her shoulder that had Gen. Diane Beckman's true colors showing? "I hope you understand things will be different now, and we will not put you in those kinds of situations if we can help it. You're an agent. In training." she added pointedly.
He got the hint.
"Thank you, General," he said sincerely. Beckman nodded, and began the briefing.
"The Costa Gravan premier is listed in critical condition," she began. Casey looked giddy.
"Outstanding. Want me to crack the bubbly?" He rubbed his hands together then turned to Chuck and Sarah. "Remind me to tell you about the time I lived in his wall for a month," he said.
"No. I want you to go to the hospital and guard against further threats to his life, natural or otherwise," Beckman replied. Casey looked personally insulted.
"But haven't you personally given me the order to kill that commie crackpot on three separate occasions?" Casey argued.
"And three times, you have failed to complete your orders," Beckman said, taking off her glasses and giving Casey a look.
"I thought you said you had a perfect record," Sarah replied, never looking up, all while taking notes.
Chuck spun to look at Sarah. She gave him a smirk and for just one second it was almost like old times. The two of them, taking shots at Casey, Casey making inappropriate sexual innuendos.
The smirk faded but Chuck opened his mouth before he could stop himself. "Wow. This is getting entertainingly uncomfortable."
"Our relations with Costa Gravas have changed, Major," Beckman continued trying to ignore the snipes at each other. "The Premier is here to announce plans to open his nation up to democratic elections."
"Oh, and you believe that?" he snickered.
Beckman continued right over him. "Our duty is to stop anyone who would stop him from going through with his plan. Understood?" That was definitely directed right at Casey.
"Yes, ma'am," he replied through gritted teeth.
"So, we're assuming this was an assassination attempt?" Sarah asked.
"We're not assuming anything until we've secured his medical records," Beckman replied. "That brings me to your assignment. The premier is being treated at…"
"Let me guess. Westside Medical?" Chuck cut in, having a terrible feeling about this.
"Correct," Beckman replied.
"General, are you suggesting that I exploit my sister and/or brother-in-law to acquire confidential medical records for governmental use?" Chuck asked, deciding Beckman could handle him being up front with his questions.
Beckman squirmed a bit. He'd never seen her do that before. "No, Chuck, that's not what I'm suggesting."
Chuck had an even worse feeling about this. "It's not…what you're suggesting..." He paused and saw a storm cloud look on Sarah's face. "General, what are you suggesting?"
"Chuck, your soon-to-be brother-in-law knows who you are and what you are. Bring him here for a confidential debriefing," Beckman explained. "You really watch way too many spy movies." With that she cut the feed.
"Way to go, Numb nuts," Casey grumbled, and left.
Chuck turned to Sarah, hoping for back-up. "I've been trying to tell you that for months," she muttered, stepping away from him and making her way out of the room as well.
"I'm listening," he replied. She paused, shook her head, and walked off. He knew he shouldn't hold onto the fact she had paused. He knew he shouldn't.
}o{
Chuck trotted down the stairs into Castle and spotted Sarah sitting on the edge of the conference table, watching a local news station on the screen. He slowed when he saw who was on the screen.
"Whoa, is that—?"
Sarah turned and smiled over her shoulder at him. And then she turned back to the screen, turning up the volume a bit as he stood next to her.
Reporters were asking Devon questions and he was talking to them about how he saved Costa Gravan Premier Alejandro Fulgencio Goya's life. He looked like a full-blown hero in his doctor's coat, the stethoscope around his neck, that big perfect grin.
One of the reporters asked him a question in Spanish and he responded in the same language. Sarah straightened up and turned wide eyes to Chuck, her jaw falling open. Apparently she hadn't realized he spoke Spanish. She seemed quite impressed.
"Is there anything your almost brother-in-law can't do?"
Chuck glanced her direction. "Well, thus the nickname." He should let it go, and be professional. He started to go with that, when he thought back to his bedroom and what she had said. "But it's just those two languages, as far as I know. And you know, what, like, ten...eleven languages?" She shrugged. "You're more than worthy of that nickname yourself, you know." She didn't say anything to that, merely ducking her head. "You're pretty awesome. Not just as a spy, but as a person. I don't know if that's something you hear enough so I thought you could hear it again. Right now. From me."
She was silent for a few seconds, not seeming to know how to respond. But there was no spy mask. And that surprised him. She was just...unsure. Or something.
"Devon should be here soon," Sarah said, turning back to the screen to watch as Devon excused himself and hastened away from the gaggle of microphones. "He knows to come here, right? You did text him?"
Chuck held up his phone and gave it a little shake between his fingers. It dinged and he grinned as he opened it.
"We're good to go," Chuck said. "I'll wait out front for him." He felt he'd probably be a little bit more welcome out there than in here. Not that he really blamed her. He headed for the stairs again.
"Wait," Sarah said, grabbing his arm. He gave her a look. "I need to explain something. It's important."
"Okay," he said softly, coming back to stand in front of her.
"To make all of this work, we have CIA employees working in the Orange Orange. They are beginner agents. We have two, one is Victoria Dunwoody, the other, the one who will be manning the counter the most, is Betsy Braddock." Chuck stared at her, his jaw falling open. "What?" she asked dubiously.
"Betsy Braddock?" he asked, pushing his pie in the sky hope for what she meant to talk to him about back into the deepest recesses of his mind. Sarah shook her head, confused. "Psylocke? ...X-Men? Really?" Chuck looked around the room. "Is there no one else…? Nobody can share this moment with me. Seriously. I'm just...nevermind." He shook his head. "Betsy...HA!" He turned to leave and she grabbed his hand again.
"Chuck, for your safety, we have told them you are an analyst," Sarah explained.
Chuck faced her again and nodded. "Gotcha." he said.
She must have seen something in his features because she held his hand a bit tighter and caught his eye. "This isn't us downplaying your role on the team, Chuck. You're still in training but it's to be an agent, a full-fledged field agent. But the fact that you have the Intersect is need to know," she said, lowering her voice and stepping in a bit closer. "To be frank, literally no one but the people who already know...needs to know." She winced at her phrasing.
"No, I get it. I get it." He smiled, feeling warmth bloom in his chest. "Thank you for explaining though. I appreciate that." Even after everything, Agent Sarah Walker was still looking out for more than just his physical safety.
He pulled away and moved towards the staircase again. "Hey, when I bring Devon down, can we have the room?" he asked over his shoulder. "Just, you know, hermano y hermano."
"Got it," she said, nodding once. "Good luck."
He widened his eyes a bit at her with one last look and then jogged up the stairs to wait for Devon in front of the shop.
}o{
"Bro, this is so cool!" Devon said. "So, is this a debriefing? Like an official debriefing? Are we in your secret base?"
"Yep," Chuck replied, thankful someone was impressed with him and his ...analyst role. "Listen, all I need to know is what happened with the Premier. The...prognosis. Or whatever."
"Well, I know he didn't really have a heart attack," Awesome replied. "His potassium level was off the charts. I don't know how something like that got into his system…"
"He was poisoned," Chuck muttered. Then he nodded, his hands on his hips. "Okay, that's all I needed to know. Thanks." He clapped him on the back and then tried to walk him out again.
"Whoa, Chuck," Devon began, pulling him back. "You know, if there's anything else I can do... If the CIA needs an extra set of hands…"
"Good to know," Chuck said, cutting him off, trying to pull him along again.
"Chuck, you're not hearing me. Okay? Nothing against my life with Ellie, but I could use some real excitement."
"Devon, you're an adventure sports cardiologist," Chuck said, amazed by what he was hearing. Didn't Devon understand the danger? How much trouble this life could be? He could be killed, for God's sake...
Oh. Was this how Sarah felt with him? Was this how he sounded to her?
"Whatever, man," Devon replied, pulling Chuck out of his thoughts. "I can do that in my sleep. I need some real action, you know? Some real adrenaline. I want to feel like I felt out on the football field, dude. You know I can still run a four-four-40."
Chuck knew he had to cut this in the bud. "Devon, listen, this is great. If we ever need a tight-end, you're the first call I'm making, but until then, you're my soon-to-be brother-in-law. Ellie would kill me. Like worse than she ever was about me joining the NSA." Devon nodded, looking crestfallen. "I think I scare her enough, you know?" Chuck looked up through the see-through glass wall of the room they were in and spotted Sarah at another table, giving them space, clicking away on a computer.
"Any change on that front, Chuckster?" Devon asked, being serious for a moment. He'd followed Chuck's gaze and frowned.
Chuck shook his head. "I don't really know. Which I guess is better than knowing I don't have a chance. Right? But not much change, no." Chuck looked Devon in the eye. "What you have with Ellie is too special to give up, man. Don't do what I did." Devon looked at him for a long moment, nodded, and headed upstairs alone as Chuck stayed quietly ruminating in his own thoughts.
}o{
The group gathered in Casey's apartment the next morning waiting on their briefing. Beckman popped onto the monitor and all three turned to face her.
"Thanks to your soon to be brother-in-law's intelligence, we have to assume that the assassin is still in play. There's an event at the Costa Gravan Consulate this evening. I need your team there to guard the premier."
"You want us to break in?" Chuck asked.
"Technically, that's invading sovereign soil," Sarah replied. Chuck looked over at her, eyes wide.
"That is why the CIA and NSA has no official knowledge of this mission," Beckman replied.
Chuck looked from Sarah to Beckman. "Uh, just spit-balling here, General. Why don't we just tell the premier that his life is in danger?"
"Would you trust a country that spent the better part of three decades trying to kill you?" Sarah asked. Chuck pressed his lips together and tilted his head, conceding the point.
"Your protection must go undetected," Beckman said, looking at Chuck.
"What? So, that-that's... that's it?" Chuck asked her. "If we get busted, U.S. intelligence disavows us, and we rot for the rest of our lives in a Costa Gravan prison?"
"In Costa Gravas, the punishment for sedition is death by firing squad," Sarah added.
Chuck looked from Sarah to Beckman to Casey.
"Numb nuts," Casey growled. "Do you think the General would send the Intersect on that kind of mission? For the Premier? Did you pay any attention to what was said earlier?"
Beckman had only the slightest look of amusement on her face, while Sarah was nibbling on her top lip, obviously trying not to laugh.
"What happened to be professional?" Chuck asked drily.
Beckman just gave him a knowing smirk, then turned to look at Casey. "Major...you know you can't be a part of this mission."
"Wait, what? This is his type of mission, and he's bailing?" Chuck asked. Casey shrugged and Chuck looked over at Beckman. "He's bailing on us?"
"I can't show my face on Costa Gravan soil. I'm a wanted man," Casey said, nonchalantly, as though that was a totally normal thing for any normal person to say. "You know what they'd do if they knew I was in Los Angeles? I spilled a helluva lotta blood. You ever see those, uh, what're they called...those 'Seen' movies?" Casey stopped as Chuck began to laugh. Casey glared at Chuck.
"If you're talking about the Saw series," he emphasized, "don't you think you're being a little paranoid?"
Casey got a pleasurable look on his face and a bit of a smile. Chuck and Sarah shared a look and each of them looked as uncomfortable as they felt. "They call me el Angel de la Muerte. The Angel of Death."
"Please. Bro, wasn't it, like, the '80s? Come on. You really think the Premier gives a flying crap about you, John Casey? Oh, no! It's the Angel of Death!" Chuck was laughing over the entire thing. Casey just glared at him. Chuck realized he might get himself murdered by said Angel of Death so he shut his trap and soberly turned back to Beckman. "So if we're not going to break in and possibly be disavowed, how are we to get in?"
Beckman gave him a look and locked her fingers together. "Devon will be given an invitation to the gala and you and Agent Walker will attend as a couple."
"How do you know this?" Chuck asked.
"I listened in on your miniature debriefing with Dr. Woodcomb," Beckman replied. "And before you get on your high-horse, you are a new agent, and you were discussing intel with a civilian. Of course we're listening in." Chuck rubbed out the affronted look on his face and sighed, nodding, knowing she had a point. "As for the invitations…"
"It's the Costa Gravans," Casey replied, shrugging. "They make a production out of everything."
"You can't kn…...what's that noise?" Chuck asked.
Casey peaked out the window shade. "It's the Costa Gravans," Casey replied. Casey looked over at Chuck. "Did you ever learn the male part of the tango?" Chuck grimaced as Sarah looked away.
}o{
"You know, for a party thrown by a small-time dictator, it isn't half bad."
Sarah shot Devon a wry look. She wouldn't tell him about the time she went to a gala that was hosted by a big-time dictator. That probably wouldn't go down so well with the alcohol he'd already had to drink.
"You ever do this before?" Devon asked then, and he bobbed his eyebrows excitedly.
"What?"
"You know, have to protect a super important person who has bad guys after him. Be a bodyguard. Like secret service or something."
God, he was just like his future brother-in-law. She sighed in exasperation as Chuck jumped in from where he stood next to her, his arm out a little for her to tuck her own arm into for their cover.
"She's CIA, Awesome. Not Secret Service."
"Oh. Right."
"I did a year in Secret Service, so trust me...I've got this handled." The arm she was holding onto went tense and she frowned a little, turning to look at Chuck. He was gaping at her, his eyebrows practically at his hairline. "What?"
"Y-You...You were...You protected...You were Secret...Secret Serv—hah—oh…"
"That's awesome!" Devon chirped, going in for a high five. She let him have it, shaking her head and smirking. Chuck was still trying to form words, staring at her so hard it was starting to get a little weird. "I think you broke my future bro, Sarah."
It really looked that way. She clamped her teeth down on the inside of her cheek to keep from showing too much amusement at Chuck's antics, and then glanced over Devon's shoulder, her gaze resting on Ellie over near the dance floor. She was awkwardly drinking her wine in big gulps as none other than Alejandro Goya himself, the man they were here to protect from assassination, talked to her. He was way, way too close. Crap.
"Looks like Ellie's found our charge," she said, this time letting her amusement show.
Devon smiled and looked over his shoulder. The smile died immediately. And he took a step towards his fiancée, his body going rigid. Thankfully Chuck sprang into action, putting himself in between the doctor and the dictator.
"Whoa, whoa...hold on. Whoa."
"Chuck. Bro. My future wife is talking to…" He looked to and fro, then lowered his voice thankfully. "...a guy who lots of other bad guys are trying to kill. I don't think they're gonna care if they get an innocent person along with him. I'm not letting Ellie be collateral damage."
"Neither are we, Awesome. Okay? You have to trust that we've got this." She watched as he caught sight of security guards at the exit that she'd pegged herself right when they walked into the place, then he glanced over Devon's shoulder at the other exit. "Which reminds me…" He brought his watch up to his lips. "Casey, I got guards with submachine guns at both the north and west exits."
"Copy that," she heard the Angel de la Muerte say in her ear from where he was running things in the van. "Main doors have hidden metal detectors. Someone should go around back and check the service entrance."
"What? What...Is it Casey? What's the guy saying? Is Ellie in danger? Is someone makin' their move on Goya?" Devon whispered.
"Devon, it's okay. Calm down. If any of Goya's men see you're nervous, they'll suspect something. Okay?" She glanced over at Ellie and Goya and smoothed one hand down her dress. Then she gave Chuck a look she hoped he understood.
He gave her a small, serious nod. He obviously trusted she'd take care of his sister.
"Let the professional handle this, 'kay, bud?" He put a reassuringly hand on Devon's shoulder, but Sarah already turned and made her way through the crowd towards the small scene Goya was making over Ellie's hand.
She moved even faster, miffed she hadn't just stepped in earlier. There was no reason for Ellie to have suffered in this asshole's presence for this long.
"I hope I'm not interrupting," Sarah chirped, stepping around Goya and sidling up close to Ellie's side.
"NO!" Ellie burst out desperately. "No. You are not. Interrupting. At all." She read the help me look clear as day. "Uh, Sarah? Sarah, this is, uh, the Premier." The brunette quickly pulled her hand out of Goya's grip, with more grace and subtlety than Sarah expected...and here she thought the doctor couldn't be any more impressive than she already was.
"Call me Generalissimo," Goya half growled, sticking his hand out.
"It's an honor to meet you, sir," Sarah said, taking his hand with a faked reverence.
He moved in as if to pull both of the young women closer to him, a bit of a lecherous snicker coming from him and she quickly put her hand out to strong arm him, giggling. "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry, Generalissimo, but I'm just going to have to borrow her for a second. You know, girl talk."
"Yes, yes, of course," he chuckled, holding his hands up, and Sarah grabbed Ellie by the arm, still grinning at the dictator as she tugged Chuck's sister out of harm's way and over to a table in the corner.
"Oh my God. Oh my God, that was so slick. Wish I had you around at every bar and nightclub I went to before I got a ring on this finger. You're a gift, Sarah!" Ellie hissed, hugging herself close to Sarah's side.
Sarah laughed quietly. "I've had a lot of practice."
They sat down, Sarah careful to take a chair that still leant her a view of the entire room.
"Thank God you rescued me. That guy's cologne is practically a WMD."
Sarah threw her head back with a genuine laugh and squeezed Ellie's arm in camaraderie. "It wasn't so much the cologne I smelled, but the hubris." She paused then, glancing over at where their men still stood, shoulder to shoulder. "Besides, one of us had to step in before Devon caused a scene."
Ellie made a face. "Really? He was going to cause a scene? He's usually not the jealous type." She snorted and waved in their general direction. "I mean, he doesn't have any reason to be. Look at him. He's an Adonis." She wrinkled her nose. "It's why I'm marrying him."
"Oh!" Sarah laughed. "The only reason?"
"Yep!" Ellie shrugged. They laughed.
"No, it was just that, you know, Goya is sort of a dangerous man and Devon's worried about your safety being around a guy like that." Sarah shrugged.
"Awww. That's kinda cute. Though I'd also be okay with him being a tad bit jealous. Just between us girls." She giggled and leaned her chin on her palm, propping her elbow on the table and just taking it all in. Then she seemed to almost snap out of all of it and shook herself, turning to put her hand on top of Sarah's knee to squeeze it. "Oh. God. Sorry. You said you wanted to talk to me. Girl talk." She gave Sarah a dry look at that.
"Sorry, I was talking in terms his caveman brain would understand. But, um… It-It's okay. I'm good. I just wanted to rescue you, that's all," she said, and she could hear how unconvincing it was. Without realizing it, she glanced across the room towards Chuck and Devon. They were still standing there, facing their table, almost as if they were both watching over them still.
Part of Sarah wanted to snap into her bracelet that Chuck better be watching the room for any potential threats to the generalissimo. But she caught his eye across the room and quickly looked away instead.
He knew what his role was and she needed to get a hold of herself.
Ellie wore a supreme look of Really? on her face. "Sarah. Come on. It's me." She winced then. "And I realize me is, uh...also...his sister. Ugh. I'm sorry."
Sarah tried really hard to just shrug it off. "I don't know what you mean." All Ellie had to do was look at her a certain way and Sarah sighed, sinking in her chair just a bit. "Look, it-it is what it is, Ellie."
"It is what it is has always been one of those phrases that makes me wanna tear my hair out. It doesn't have to be...what it is. That made no sense." She grumbled at herself. "It has to be hard, you and Chuck in this rough patch with him joining the NSA—"
"It isn't a rough patch, Ellie, okay? There is no patch. There never was a patch. Not really. It was...us...dancing around a patch and then...Well, I walked away from it. Because he...set it on fire."
"The patch?" Ellie asked, looking like she might laugh in spite of herself. Sarah snorted, which turned into a giggle, and then they were giggling together.
"God," Sarah groaned, shaking her head. "It's so hard for me to talk to you two. Easy but hard."
"Yeeeah, we're stinkers, us Bartowskis. But you should talk to me anyway." She wrinkled her nose cutely and Sarah couldn't resist. There was just something so warm and patient and calming about Ellie Bartowski's presence. She set her at ease in a way no one ever had. Chuck had his moments, but that just tended to freak her out even more because there'd always been something else there too.
"It is hard," she admitted, nodding, and she looked over at Chuck again. He was talking to his future brother-in-law. And even then, she saw he really was keeping an eye on things. He was good at this. He'd kept Devon calm when he easily could have freaked out about his sister's safety too. And maybe he had freaked out on the inside, but he let her handle his sister instead. Teamwork. He was good at this. "It's really hard," she breathed.
"Do I need to knock the guy in his head?" Ellie asked, a thread of teasing in her voice.
"No," she chuckled. "No. I think I've already dragged him through the coals enough." She wasn't sure how much she could tell Ellie here. After all, this really was her brother they were talking about. At least Ellie knew said brother was becoming an NSA agent. And she seemed to be oh so slowly coming to peace with it. Much better than Sarah was.
"Yeah, he's been looking sort of roughed up lately. If I'm being honest. He's finally getting some sympathy from me. This whole thing is still...it's crazy. And I still hate it. But I just have to...find ways to get past it. But that's me, you know? I have to. It's different for you." Ellie shrugged.
"I made a choice to stay here and protect him. I haven't wavered in that for even a second, Ellie. But there's just…" She took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"Sarah, do you have feelings for Chuck? I'm hesitant to add 'still' in there, because I'm not really sure what the whole situation really is or was between you two. I'm very confused about it. You two are extremely different and give off vibes that are totally the opposite from one another. It's really fascinating." Sarah furrowed her brow. "Sorry. Not to get all David Attenborough on you. Yikes."
Sarah giggled in spite of herself. But she sobered up quickly and bit her lip, watching Chuck again. "I never stopped," she said, and she felt Ellie's hand take hers and squeeze gently. "I don't know if I ever will. Maybe that's why I acted so...intensely. But it isn't that easy. Nothing's easy in this life."
"The spy life?" Ellie asked wryly. "I don't get that. I mean, you guys are still human, right? You spies?"
"Of course. But there are… My life is just very different from the typical person." She turned her eyes down to the tablecloth when Chuck shifted his weight to look in her direction, and then she moved in her chair to face Ellie full on. "Ellie, he did this to be with me. He wanted to...save the world, do something good with what's in his head, which is prime Chuck Bartowski—"
"Yep," Ellie breathed, emphasizing the 'p'.
"But I know for sure now that he also did it because he wants… The asset and handler thing? It couldn't happen…"
"But as partners it can?" Sarah didn't answer. "So why not?" She looked at Chuck's sister in confusion. "You're partners now, he wants to be with you, that door is open, right? Unless...you don't want that." Ellie leaned in. "You can be honest. You're my friend, too."
Sarah gave her a weak smile. "You don't get it."
"Okay, I don't get it. Explain. We've got time."
They really didn't have time. But Ellie didn't know that. She was never told the real reason why her brother and his "girlfriend" were also invited to the gala. She was here having an exciting, romantic night out with her soon-to-be husband.
"Ellie, Chuck chose to be a spy, he chose this life that...morphs people into…" She halted, realizing the only way Casey'd heard any of this was if she pressed the button on her watch and spoke into it, thank God. "Into Casey." Ellie tilted her head as if she had to hand her that point. "And he did that because he thought he needed to, to be good enough for me."
Ellie was silent, just listening apparently. So Sarah continued.
"If anything ever happens to him out there, Ellie, it will be because of me. It will be because he did this to be worthy of me. I'll be the one that destroys everything that he is. All of this... " She took a deep breath. "He thinks he doesn't add up and I know it's...because of me. I must've done something to—And anything else that happens to him is going to stem from that."
She felt so melodramatic saying it out loud, but it was what she'd been obsessing over ever since she watched the video footage of Chuck in that vault. And then the second time she'd watched it on her laptop in her own room. And the third time, the fourth time… She didn't know why she'd gone back to it over and over. It hurt every time.
The fact that he thought he was so beneath her made her want to scream. And shake him. She wanted to cut open her past like a gutted fish and just slam it down on the table in front of him. Let him look at the grisly details and he'd finally get it. He'd stop thinking she was the embodiment of the woman he'd have to reach upwards for. If anything he was far above her, reaching down, grabbing onto her hand, and trying but failing to yank her up with him.
But more than anything, watching him stand there and confess to the real reason why he didn't tell her when he was making the decision was so infuriating. He didn't want to have to listen to her as she told him he wasn't good enough to be a spy. And this, after all of this time she went out of her way to encourage him, tell him when he did a better job than most actual agents she'd worked with. What, had it gone in one ear and out the other?
He was good enough to be a spy. He was an incredible spy with the most impressive brain...perhaps on the planet, considering he was the only known person who'd survived the Intersect being jammed into his head.
"I did a lot of things wrong, Ellie. And it's led us here. I can't dive deeper into a relationship because I don't want to know how much more I can fuck it up, fuck him up. Am I making any sense?"
Ellie was quiet for a while. And then she sighed. "It makes sense. And then it doesn't." She sat up straighter. "Sarah, you aren't where Chuck's self-esteem issues began. I have news for you, that guy's self-esteem had been busted for years before you came along. So…" She shrugged. "Whatever blame you're trying to take for him not thinking he's good enough for you is bull. Why do you think I liked you so quickly—I mean, besides the fact that you're likable?" Sarah raised her eyebrows instead of answering the rhetorical question. At least, she thought it was rhetorical. "Oh my God, Sarah, you put light back into his face that I haven't seen in him since he was at Stanford. And sure, knowing now that it was a cover—complications aside—it is a little different. But you awoke something in him, and yeah, I'm pretty sure you kicked his lack of self-esteem's ass. Look at the guy."
She gestured at Chuck and Devon again and Sarah reached out to grab her hand to make her stop, eyes wide. It made Ellie giggle through her nose and Sarah couldn't help smirking and shaking her head. "He was confident enough to join the fuckin' NSA, Sarah. Pretty sure you had a lot to do with that confidence. Before you, life stomped my brother down. Then you came along, and for once, he had someone...I dunno, buoying him. Supporting him. And, I'm sorry, but if this is the result, I'm okay with that. Better than the depressed sad-sack he was for, like, four years. God, he gives a shit about himself now."
"You make me sound heroic," Sarah muttered a little bitterly. "I wouldn't have done everything I did if he wasn't so...him."
"Yeeeah, he's insufferable, isn't he? Try knowing him his whole life, ugh." Ellie made a face.
It made Sarah snort. "I wish." His sister softened at that. "Maybe lots of things would be different. But that doesn't matter. I'm not… Ellie, I can't get more involved with him than I already was."
"You are obviously crazy about him, and he's been...God, pining is an understatement. He thinks he's fucked it all up, Sarah. And it's killing him."
"He needs to know that it was me," Sarah said desperately. "I did this."
"You're both so annoying." Sarah gave her a surprised look. "Sorry. I love you. It's why I'm telling you the truth." Ellie put her hand on her shoulder. "You both need to get over these hang-ups, sit down, and talk. You think he's way above you, he thinks you're way above him. You think you'll screw up his life if you give into your feelings because I don't know why. He freaking jumped headfirst into a dangerous life when he maybe had the option of going back to a regular life, and he did it to save the world and be with you. You're both dancing around patches and setting them on fire…"
Sarah laughed because she couldn't help it. And she ducked her head in a self-deprecating way. "It just isn't that simple, Ellie."
"Okay, okay. Fine. I can't tell either of you what to do. Just know… I think you're both being silly. Yeah, of course it's complicated. Devon and I are complicated." Sarah didn't mean to give Ellie a doubtful look. "Oh honey," Ellie scoffed, "You have no idea what goes on behind closed doors. We have hot and cold streaks, and those weird lukewarm bits in between. Life's up and down, relationships are up and down. But you're still here, Sarah. You didn't leave him. You're staying to protect him, but I think deep down you're readying yourself to finally just let yourself have him. And that's why you're still here." She squeezed Sarah's arm. "And I'm here to be someone you can talk to about it until you are ready. You know I won't tell a soul. Not even that loudmouth sweetheart I'm marrying."
Sarah sniffed in amusement and nodded, everything Ellie said flooding her brain, making her feel so unfocused and out of her depth. "Thanks, Ellie. I appreciate it."
Ellie smiled. "Of course."
As they both turned back, Casey's voice came over her earpiece again. "Hey, you still there? Our foreign head of state looks like he's about to make a speech," he snarked.
"We're good, Casey. Still eyeballing the place," Chuck responded. Thankfully. She wasn't sure she could manage to respond without Ellie figuring out someone was in her ear. And she was smart enough to know that meant they were on a mission.
Sarah had half a mind to just tell her, but then it would ruin the night for Chuck's sister. She'd said in the car that she was determined to make this night magical, and she'd hissed it between gritted teeth. They all got the message loud and clear, which was why none of them mentioned the mission to her.
The spotlight came on with a pop and illuminated Goya on the dance floor. As he started his inane speech, Sarah saw that Devon was making his way over to stand by his fiancée, so she switched places with him, sidling up next to Chuck.
"Why is he doing this? He's putting a target on himself?" he whispered.
"Ego," she whispered back. He widened his eyes and tilted his head in agreement.
"—And so I would like to invite...the future Mrs. Doctor Devon Woodcomb out onto the dance floor to celebrate this...unprecedented meeting of two great countries."
Chuck's eyes about popped out of his head as he spun back to the floor. Sarah spotted Ellie clinging to her fiancé's side with a vice grip. She was grinning politely but shaking her head no. It seemed Goya wouldn't be put off this time, though.
"Sarah," Chuck muttered in a sing-songy voice through a clenched jaw.
"It's okay. Just keep your eye on the crowd," she said. As long as they kept watch for the potential assassin, Ellie would be all right. Uncomfortable, apparently, with the way Goya's hands were all over her as they began to tango. Sarah thought Devon might be a little jealous this time if his furrowed brow were any indication. He then swept his blue eyes to hers and widened them, as if begging her to do something. She shrugged helplessly.
Casey's voice came over the comms again then. "Ran the database against the guest list. This guy looks like he's been arrested on Costa Gravan soil before and he's there somewhere at the consulate. Right now. Subject entered on a stolen passport. Uploading you the photo now. You get it?"
Chuck took his phone out and nodded, flashing it for Sarah to see. "He looks like a happy guy," he chirped. "We got it Casey. We're looking for him now." It took only a few seconds before Sarah felt Chuck tense beside her. "There. Sarah, I see him." She followed his gaze.
"Okay, there he is," she breathed, watching as the same man in the photo Casey'd sent them slowly weaved his way through the crowd. "Chuck, we need to get across the dance floor but if we make a move toward the Premier, the guards will shoot first, ask questions later."
"I know, I know, I know. We...Hold on." His hand clamped down on hers then. She looked up at him in question. "Follow my lead, huh?"
She nodded, not knowing what he was planning until he stepped in front of her and pulled her into his embrace. It clicked. "Good idea, Chuck," she muttered, and she was pleased to note he had the perfect form, his hands in the perfect place.
He immediately brought her around with a few steps and they paused. Chuck straightened his spine and glanced over...She followed his lead and saw that the assassin was creeping even closer to Goya and Ellie. Her heart rate sped up. "Chuck," she hissed. "I taught you how to lead, remember? Lead us closer or we won't be able to stop him."
"Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah…" He was concentrating on the steps though, still watching the assassin. And she saw him mouthing "slow, slow, quickquick, slow…"
At least he'd picked up on the extra lessons she'd given him in her room, trying to erase what Devon taught him, teaching him how to lead this time, working on his posture. He'd requested it and maybe she'd agreed because it might be fun for her, too.
And it had been. That was before it all went to shit.
Chuck surprised her then when she felt his hand clamp down onto her thigh, pulling it up to his hip and quickly dipping her. She clung to him, tightening her leg around him, and when he pulled her up, their chests crashed together, noses brushing, his hand still large and warm on the bare skin of her thigh. She felt the heat of the moment, in spite of the dangerous situation they were in.
"Chuck," she breathed.
That seemed to snap him out of whatever stupor he was in and he let go of her leg quickly. They did a few quick turns and took big steps to get them closer to Goya. Ellie caught her eye and gestured to Chuck with a 'what the fuck' look. Apparently she had no idea Chuck had gotten quite this good at the tango.
Sarah couldn't read much more into it though because the assassin was mere feet away and he was going into his pocket. "Chuck, he's behind you! Do something!"
Apparently his version of do something was to wrap one hand behind her neck and tug her in against him so that their foreheads were touching, every inch of her body pressed against his.
And then he yelled, "Olé!" and punched his arm up and out behind him, opening his fingers in a flourish. It slammed into the assassin's face and the man staggered back, crashing into a table and rolling onto the floor in a stupor.
Sarah found herself reluctant to pull away from Chuck, and she did it anyway, hurrying to the assassin to really put him out of business if he wasn't already, but Chuck seemed to have done the job well enough. Sarah saw a shirt under the suit the assassin wore and tore it open to reveal a picture of Goya's face with an X over it. She looked down at his hand, the yolk dripping from it. He'd been pulling an egg out to throw at the dictator.
"An egg?" Chuck gasped from where he stood behind her.
"Shit," she muttered, pulling her watch up. "Casey, false alarm. He was a political protestor. He was going to hit him with an egg. The assassin's still—"
"All right, that's enough, you two. Drunk and disorderly. We're escorting you both out." The guards had them in their grips and she was hoisted off of the floor.
"No, you can't!" Chuck gasped as they pulled him away. "You can't. We're protecting the Premier!"
She would kick him if he was close enough for her to actually do any damage with it. But then they were on the other side of a locked door. "Damn it!" she groused. "Casey! Do you copy? We were just kicked out for taking the protestor down. The assassin is still in there somewhere—"
Chuck grabbed her arm and pulled her around to face him. "Sarah, I flashed. I flashed. On our way out. One of the guards. One of the guards is the real assassin!"
"Casey, one of the guards is the assassin and Chuck and I aren't in there. The Premier is completely unprotected! You have to get in there."
She heard Casey's grumble in annoyance but grabbed Chuck by his arm. They had to get back inside somehow. Or Goya was dead. And anyone else near him was in big trouble too. That meant Devon, and it especially meant Ellie.
A/N: Thanks for reading.
-SC and DC
