Here's the next chapter to Chuck Versus the Unrequited Love. I hope you like it!
Please R&R!
Disclaimer: Chuck (c) Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak.
: Cry (c) Mandy Moore
Claimer: Lara, and anything else (c) me
Chapter Seven: There Is No Round Three
Chuck paced around nervously, twiddling his thumbs.
"Is something wrong?" Leah Reynolds inquired, looking at him with false worry.
"Uh y-yeah, I'm alright," he replied before she left, then he turned to Sarah, who walked up to him, "Sarah, I'm freaking out here! Help!"
"Chuck, calm down," the CIA agent said in a low tone, "I'm sure that Lara and Casey are alright."
"But we haven't heard anything good from them," he argued, really freaking out now.
Suddenly, Casey ran up to them. "Hey, have you guys seen where Lara went?" he asked quickly.
"Uh... last time I checked, she was heading back to her dressing room to change into her last dress," Chuck answered, "Why? Is something wrong?"
He nodded, his eyes grave. "I'm not exactly sure why, but after Lara's performance she seemed like she was on the verge of fainting. I'm going to make sure that she's okay," he explained.
"Maybe she's just tired, that's all," Sarah suggested, "I'm sure that perhaps because of all the stress and everything she's just exhausted."
The NSA major shook his head in disagreement. "I don't think. She's sung for longer times but has never experienced any sort of fainting spells," he elaborated, "I really think something might be wrong with her."
"I have to stay here and continue hosting or else people might suspect something," Chuck said.
"Meaning I have to stay here and protect the asset," Sarah added, "Let us know if you have any problems, but be careful, Casey."
He nodded gravely before heading off in a fairly quick pace, his hand continuously twitching towards his gun as he prayed in his heart that nothing bad had happened to his beloved CIA agent.
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Lara Clark grunted as she tried desperately to push Fulcrum agent Jason Wilson away from her. Her hands fluttered weakly against his shoulders, trying to force him off of her, and very soon her arms fell limp at her sides.
Jason chuckled as he saw that she had fallen near unconscious. "I'm really going to enjoy this, though I'd probably rather take it to a more private place. Anyway, my brother chose to immediate select the winner from the top 5, most likely you. Ah well, beggars can't be choosers. Then again, with Fulcrum agents, who you can't have, you kill so that no one else will have them either."
"I-I thought you hated me," Lara whispered, "And let go of me dammit! Cause I hate you, so just leave me alone. I don't have anything you want."
He grinned evilly. "With someone like you and a body like that, there's nothing else I need but you," he retorted, his lips brushing her cheek.
"No one but my boyfriend can speak to me like that," she hissed, slapping him hard on the face with the last bit of her strength.
He smirked at her, unfazed. "I like my girls spicy," he commented, punching her across the face, knocking her to the floor.
Suddenly, Jason heard a sound behind him and turned around. "How dare you hit my girlfriend," a deep, familiar voice grunted, and punched Jason in the face, hitting him hard enough that he was knocked out.
NSA Major John Casey cracked his knuckles as he stared –correction, glared down at the unconscious man. Then he kneeled next to his girlfriend as her body was slumped on the ground.
"Lara, Lara, Lara!" he exclaimed, pulling her against him, one hand tightly on the back of her head, pressing her against his shoulder.
She half-opened her eyes and moaned weakly, "C-C-Casey..."
He looked back at her, his eyes filled with relief. "Lara, thank God you're awake. I'm sorry I didn't come sooner. Are you okay? Did he do anything to you? Did he hurt you? Other than the punch, of course."
"I'm okay," she muttered quietly, "He didn't hurt me much. You came just in time. Thanks."
Casey lifted her into his arms and held her tightly against him as he still kneeled with her against the wall. "Lara, something's wrong with you. My instincts tell me that you've been poisoned, but I hope I'm wrong about that."
"Can't be unless I inhaled something," she whispered, "I honestly hope not. Maybe I just need a drink of water."
"Lara, your heartbeat is slowing down, as in, really slowing down," Casey noted, his tone growing worried, "Damn it, I've got to get you to a hospital or something."
Her hand touched his arm, and he stopped moving, gazing down at her. "C-Casey, w-we need to stay here. J-Jason s-said t-that James was planning o-on directly selecting the winner a-and if that's the case... C-Chuck's in danger."
"You know Walker can always save him too," he retorted.
She smiled weakly at him. "I know, but we have a job to do too, and that's protecting him. Forget about me, if you must, but we need to go help Sarah protect him," she reasoned, "We can't let Fulcrum destroy our Intersect. Lower me down, Casey, I-I think I can stand."
The major lowered her onto her feet, and she grabbed his shoulder for support. "U-Ugh, okay, I'm okay. What should we do with him?" she implored, motioning to the still-unconscious Fulcrum agent.
"One; never let him near you again," John Casey growled, "Two; I guess we'll just leave him, but not without taking his gun. He'll probably be even more tempted to shoot you after he wakes up. We actually should tie him up or get rid of him or something. He's too much of a threat to our mission."
"Your mission, actually," Lara corrected, placing a hand on his chest, "You want to protect me, and I thank you for that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go change. I'll be back in a jiffy." Then she made her way over to the dressing room, and she disappeared out of his sight.
Damn, Casey thought, that was too close for comfort. If I hadn't been able to come in time... He shivered at the thought. Enough about that, I'm not suppose to think of what would have been, what's done is done. I've got to focus on what's happening now, and what might happen in the future.
5 minutes later, Lara returned wearing a white spaghetti-strap dress that reached her heels. Clear sequins patterned the fabric around her waist before it spread into waves around her legs. Her hair was tied up into a high, fancy bun, but a few bangs framed her face. She had reapplied her red rosy lipstick. From close up, Casey could see the faint bruises that were beginning to form on her soft, exposed skin. He embraced her.
"You look beautiful," he commented quietly, tucking one of her bangs behind her ears, "Do you feel any better?"
She giggled, "Yeah, I'm a bit better after drinking a little water, thanks. Now, here's the part where you'll stand on the side of the opposite stage Chuck, Sarah and I are on, so that if something happens, we should be able to get together faster. Plus, you can probably control things on your end, while we can deal with ours."
"Okay, let's do this," he determined, kissing her gently as he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer.
She pulled away, smiling. "Okay, okay, come on; don't go messing up my lipstick now," she teased, half-joking, "Maybe later when we're back at the apartment."
"Love, lust, all the good stuff," he agreed.
"Hey, hey, hey, no lust, arousal, or anything of the sort," she reminded, "our relationship is strictly professional, remember? Forget that and I'm going to have to hurt you."
"Ooh, getting vicious, are we now? Like you could hurt me..." he chuckled, "Now, come on, let's get going before the others start to suspect."
"Got it, let's go," she agreed, "Sarah and Chuck should be waiting for us. Keep your eye out for anything strange going on, and alert us if you see any shooters."
He kissed her once more before they went their separate ways.
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Chuck and Sarah both smiled when they saw Lara return backstage in her white night dress.
"Nice to know you made it out of the dressing room alive," Sarah joked, not knowing what really happened outside the dressing room.
Lara chuckled nervously. "R-Right, anyway, did you hear any news about the competition?" she asked, immediately drawing the attention away from her.
"Yeah, James made the announcement that he's immediately announcing the winner of the competition directly after the last competitor performs. I have a bad feeling about this," Sarah informed.
"Hmm... that's what he said too," she muttered to herself.
"Who said?" Chuck informed, hearing what she said.
"Uh, no one," she lied, "Don't worry about it. Anyway, who's performing now?"
"No one," Sarah replied, matter-of-factly, "You were the second last contestant, remember? James called a 10 minute intermission before the winner is announced. According to what we've heard, the winner will give one final performance before they receive the prize presented by the host. Lara, if you win, keep a sharp eye out for anything strange or suspicious during your final performance. Casey and I will be on either side of the stage and make sure that no one will attack you from the sides."
"Okay, sounds like a good plan," Lara agreed before turning to the Intersect with a grave look on her face, "Chuck, if something happens to me, you run to Sarah. Casey will cover your escape."
His eyes looked worriedly. "But what about you?" he asked worriedly.
She looked at him with sad eyes. "You're going to have to leave me, no matter what happens. Your safety is what matters here, not mine, not Casey's, and not Sarah's, but you," she told him, "If something should happen to me, I would rather know that the asset is safe with the two people that he trusts the most in the government. You'll be okay, Chuck, don't worry, Casey and Sarah are here to take care of you, as am I. You can trust us."
"She's right, Chuck," Sarah agreed, "You can trust us. We're here to protect you, no matter what happens."
"B-B-But s-she j-just got here, Sarah," he argued in a stammer, "W-We can't let her die."
She smiled, throwing her arms around his neck and embracing him into a hug. "Chuck, you're a good person, and I respect that, but I've got a job to do, and that's protect you, the asset, no matter what happens. Sure, I wouldn't mind at least a few more days on the job and with Casey and everything, but I can't choose my destiny. Destiny chooses me."
Leah Reynolds walked over to them as Chuck and Lara broke their hug. She tapped Chuck on the shoulder and said, "Mr. Bartowski, you're on any minute now. Get ready." She handed him a sealed envelope. "Here's the result of who won. Good luck!"
"T-Thanks, Ms. Reynolds," he thanked, trying to keep playing it cool, "and thanks for helping me tonight. I probably wouldn't do such a good job at hosting if I hadn't had you here helping. It was really sweet of you to help out."
She shot him a seductive smile and gently stroked his arm. "Maybe if you came over to my place tonight I could really show you how sweet I am," she tempted, but actually did the complete opposite effect on him, as he shrunk back from her touch.
"Um... no thank you," Chuck declined politely, "B-But thanks for the offer."
Sarah glared at her, Death raging threatening in her eyes.
"Very well," Leah sighed, brushing back blonde locks before turning to Lara, her eyes hard and threatening, "Miss Clark, good job on your performance, I daresay, your singing could nearly kill."
The CIA agent chuckled, her eyes narrowed. "Well, then I must say, we're lucky we didn't have any casualties," she challenged.
Now it was the undercover Fulcrum agent's turn to chuckle. "There's still one more round, Miss Clark. Let's not forget that anything could happen," she retorted before giving a single nod, "In any case, good luck. You'll need it." Then she walked away.
Lara tilted her head so that her mouth was closer to the tiny communicator attached to her dress. "Casey, did you catch all that?" she asked quietly.
"Affirmative," he responded automatically into her invisible earpiece, "You be careful there, Lara. I have a bad feeling about this, and you know I'm usually right. Note the word, usually. Please be careful, Lara, I love you."
Chuck's eyes widened as both he and Sarah also heard what Casey said in their own earpieces. "Whoa," he breathed, "D-Did Casey just say 'I love you'?"
"Can it, Bartowski," the major growled, "You're ruining the moment."
She giggled, "See? Was that so hard, John? I love you too though, and yes, I'll be careful."
Applause could be heard from out on stage and Chuck said, "That's my cue. I'll be calling you guys up pretty soon." Then he went out, an uneasy smile on his face. He made eye contact with Morgan in the crowd, and the bearded buddy of his gave him a nod of encouragement. "Well Folks, I hope you've enjoyed this night, and now, it comes down to this. Now, may the five finalists come out on stage; Erica Stanford, Christopher Reynolds, Lara Clark, Miranda Laurens, and Jared Lark," he announced, and the crowd applauded and whistled as they came out. "Great job, all of you, and good luck. The winner of the James Wilson Burbank Talent Competition is..." He unfolded the letter, a bit nervous at first but more positive after nothing happened. He looked at the name and smiled, calling out, "Miss Lara Clark!"
Applause burst from the room and Lara stepped forward, smiling naturally and waving, blowing kisses into the crowd. "Thank you for your support!" she thanked.
Christopher, Miranda, Erica and Jared walked off stage, and Sarah silently told Christopher to get out of the opera hall while he still could and he obliged. His instincts told him something was beyond normal.
James Wilson stood up and grinned at Lara. "Congratulations, Miss Clark. You've earned it. Now, may we please request one last song?"
She nodded, and Chuck stood on the side of the stage, and Lara began to sing her last, final song.
"I'll always remember,
It was late afternoon,
It lasted forever,
But ended so soon,
You were all by yourself,
Staring up at a dark gray sky,
I was changed.
In places no one will find,
All your feelings so deep inside,
It was there that I realized,
That forever was in your eyes,
The moment I saw you cry.
I wanted to hold you,
I wanted to make it go away,
I wanted to know you,
I wanted to be your everything, all right,
I'll always remember,
It was late afternoon,
In places no one will find."
Lara took note of the two positioned snipers on the top balconies, with no clear target, but she knew that things were gonna get ugly. She had no way she could alert the others silently, and so she had no choice but to leave it and hope the others caught eye of it.
"In places no one will find,
All your feelings so deep inside,
It was there that I realized,
That forever was in your eyes,
The moment I saw you cry.
In places no one will find,
All your feelings so deep inside,
It was there that I realized,
That forever was in your eyes,
The moment I saw you cry."
Lara took a deep curtsy as Chuck returned to her side, presenting her with the ten thousand dollar check, signed by James himself. That was when Lara realized the direction of the barrel of the first sniper's gun, and pushed Chuck out of the way and a small dart spiralled into the side of her neck, and she drew out her gun, shooting down the sniper that shot at her.
Immediately, screams broke through the opera hall as people, including Morgan, Jeff and Lester ran out screaming. The second sniper shot again towards Chuck, but was once more intercepted by Lara as she viciously pushed him to the ground, the second dart sinking right into the side of her throat. Sarah scrambled to Chuck's side and helped him up after shooting the second sniper.
"L-Lara!" Chuck exclaimed, realizing that the CIA agent had fallen unconscious, her body motionless. The sight of her made Chuck think that she was dead.
"Chuck! We've got to go!" Sarah shouted, pulling him up with her as they left the stage.
Casey met up with them on the side of the stage and grunted, "Let's go. I've taken care of some of the Fulcrum agents already, but I know more will come. We've got to go before they do, and I've already called in our own backup. Move it, Bartowski!"
Before Chuck could even mention Lara, Casey and Sarah dragged him out through the emergency exit, threw him into the black armoured van and immediately drove off back to Chuck's home.
"Casey! Casey! We've got to go back!" Chuck complained, panicking.
"Can it, Bartowski! What is it?!" the older man demanded, "This had better be important!"
"We've got to go back and get Lara! She was shot twice in the neck with this dart-like-thing and then she was out cold!" he blubbered.
"She's dead, Chuck! Forget about her!" Sarah snapped, "We can't go back!"
Casey's grip tightened on the steering wheel, and pain flashed across his face. Dammit... Lara... I can't believe I forgot about you, he thought, You can't die on me. I'll come back for you, I promise. The asset comes first.
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Casey dropped Chuck back home and told him, "Bartowski, you stay in your home and don't leave. Walker, stay with him if you must. I'm going back to save Lara if I can."
Sarah looked gravely at the major. "Casey, I'll come with you," she said, turning back to Chuck, "Be careful, Chuck. Just stay with Awesome and Ellie. We'll be back as soon as we can."
He nodded as she stayed in the car with Casey before the two agents drove off.
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"Be careful, Fulcrum might still be here," Sarah warned as they silently crept into the opera house, guns drawn, "Last time I checked, Lara was lying on the middle of the stage. She should be still there... unless Fulcrum took her with them."
Casey growled, "Oh God I hope not. If they do anything to hurt her I swear I will hunt them down and make them pay."
Sarah held her tongue, not wanting to remind the major that Lara may already be dead. She knew this was hard on him already, and she didn't want to make it any tougher than it was already.
When they ensured that the room was cleared, they both saw that Lara's body no longer lay on the stage. Casey bent down and picked a familiar golden heart necklace. He instantly knew it was Lara's. It was the same one he had helped put on earlier that night.
"No..." he whispered, feeling tears prickling at his eyes as he clenched the necklace against his chest, "Lara..."
John Casey's one true love was gone... and Fulcrum had taken her, with a good chance that she may already be dead. But what really happened to her? Is CIA agent Lara Clark really dead? How is Casey going to handle the trauma at the 'death' of another lover? Or is he not going to handle it at all?
YAY! Another cliffy! I wonder what happened to Lara? *Hint, it involves the AY-63 dart mention two chapters ago.* Will Casey find her in time? Or will she be longggg gone by then?
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