Fate
Chapter 9
A/N: Thanks again for your patience. Hopefully your wait will be properly rewarded in this chapter. Please read and review. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Thanks to Kroblues for the beta work.
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The Kroblues TIMELINE
1990.4 A.D. Snapshot of Chuck/Ellie/Orion/Mom (Ch7)
???????? Creamy Charah video file (CH4)
2009.6 A.D. Sarah/Chuck/Casey on a Mission (CH1)
2009.6.3 A.D. Chuck talks with Beckman and the plot thickens (CH3)
2009.8 A.D. Chuck gets shot / Sarah freaks out (CH1)
2009.10 A.D. Chuck/Sarah/Casey in Venezuela on a mission (CH2)
2009.11 A.D. Cream Charah Fun in the Caribbean Sun (CHARAH) (CH6)
0000.0 A.S.L. Chuck finds Sarah gone (CH1)
0000.2 A.L.C. Sarah confronts the new CIA Director (CH1)
0000.3 A.L.C. Sarah fights with Beckman (CH5)
0000.12.31 A.S.L. Chuck learns more about the Intersect and hears from Bryce (CH5)
0001.2 A.S.L. Chuck finds out Sarah was shot and flips (CH4)
0001.2 A.L.C. Sarah in Italy after being shot (CH2)
0002.3 A.S.L. Chuck is in Australia in the "Bush" (CH1)
0002.3 A.S.L. Chuck's real reason for being in the "Bush" (CH3)
0003.4 A.S.L Chuck vs. the Chinese Station Chief (CH2)
0003.4 A.S.L. Chuck's real reason for being in China (CH3)
0003.5 A.L.C. Sarah in South America missing Chuck (CH3)
0003.9 A.S.L. Chuck takes out Sarah's targets in South America (CH3)
0004.4 A.S.L. Chuck returns to L.A. (Prelude)
0004.11 A.L.C. Sarah returns from South America (CH2)
0004.12 A.S.L. Chuck in Sweden getting ready to climb a mountain (CH1)
0004.12 A.L.C. Sarah looses the sat signal and freaks out (CH2)
0005.1 A.S.L. Chuck renews his non-disclosure agreement and sees Casey (CH1)
0005.1 A.S.L. Chuck leaves D.C. for LA and gets a text (CH2)
0005.5 A.S.L. Chuck meets Lisa (CH5)
0005.6 A.S.L. Chuck eats a Chuck (CH5)
0005.6 A.S.L. Chuck returns to Case Bartowski again (CH6)
0005.7 A.S.L. Chuck gets a new partner and goes looking for Casey (CH5)
0005.7 A.S.L. Chuck and Lisa are in Venice on a mission (CHARAH) (CH6)
0005.7 A.S.L. The Venice mission continues (CH7)
0005.7 A.S.L. The Venice mission continues 2 (CH8)
0005.8 A.T.C. Beckman recalls the after mission report (CH8)
0006.5 A.T.I. Casey reminisces about the good old days (CH6)
0006.5 A.S.L. We all morn the loss of Colonel Casey and Chuck catches Obama...I mean Osama (CH4)
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0005.7 A.L.C.
Air Italia Flight 654
Row 4 Seat A
Sarah sat frustrated with herself and with the problem she had been attacking. She been sitting on the plane for hours pouring through the code book she had, trying to make sense of the stream of numbers Chuck had left for her to figure out. Nothing was working. She closed the laptop and sat back, visibly pouting. The man sitting next to her had been watching Sarah with guarded interest, noting the strange sequence on her screen and the intensity with which the woman was attacking the problem. He piped up apprehensively.
"Miss?" The man asked.
Sarah looked over at the man letting her eyes take in the sight of her fellow passenger. She realized with horror that in her anticipation of cracking Chuck's code and discovering the secrets it held that she had been remiss in her normal patterns; namely assessing her situation and the persons in her vicinity.
Sarah looked at the man questioningly. The man took it as an invitation and continued. "I'm sorry to have eavesdropped, but I couldn't help but notice your frustration." The man paused as if apprehensive with continuing, "I...have some experience with codes and I happened to catch sight of what you were working on. I'm sure you need to keep whatever is in the message to yourself but I believe the key to your riddle is in that first line."
Sarah looked again at the man, noticing the older man for the first time really. He had that 'experienced' look of someone with many secrets, adventures in his past. She also noticed the older woman sitting; or rather laying up against the man's other side. The woman wore a serene look of happiness on her features and Sarah couldn't help but smile. She had worn that very same smile not a few hours ago.
Sarah opened up the laptop again, with a renewed vigor. Hopefully the man knew what the hell he was talking about.
Sarah pulled out a notepad and began scribbling out a series of numbers and letters hoping the substitution code she'd decided upon based on those numbers was going to work. She tried it on the first word.4260436053...S...a...r....a....h. It worked! Sarah set to work on the rest of the message. She was pleasantly surprised by the message. Her suspicions were confirmed. There was a password. She thought for a moment and typed in her answer...what?! It didn't work. The prompt informed her she could try again in one hour. There were only two more tries left before the program scrambled the data. Shit.
How can I get this wrong? It's my name for Christ's sake. Sarah paled slightly. Does Chuck know my real name? If he does than he knows everything about me. Even the not so stellar parts. Sarah recalled her history. The highlights leading all the way back to her childhood was in those files. Including her not so stellar mission profiles from her days right after the Farm. Those telling reports would highlight some rather shady goings on along with the accompanying referrals. Referrals, the agencies politically correct term for a big stinking black mark. Ones that would call in to doubt someone's character.
Sarah replaced her thoughts with others. If he had seen them, they didn't seem to bother him. He didn't treat me any different from how he ever had before. That was a good sign. He seems to be telling me that he knew and it didn't matter. Sarah got a warm fuzzy feeling inside as she realized Chuck was, even with something as simple as a password, reassuring her again.
Apprehensively she typed in a different set of names, in anticipation of the one hour period. The time wasn't passing quickly enough now. Fifty-three minutes remaining. Sarah turned to the man to thank him but realized that he has dozed off. She would write him a thank you note before they landed. Maybe it will be in code.
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The old man stole a glance at the woman sitting next to him and smiled. She was a smart one...this agent. There was no doubt in the man's mind the woman was an agent, probably CIA. Likely the message was from one agent to another. The agencies themselves didn't send data to personnel computers. It was too risky. Part of his old life flashed through his mind and he grimaced ever so slightly while keeping up his charade of sleep.
Always glad to help a fellow agent.
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0005.7 A.S.L.
Italy
Venice
Chuck's wrist lit up. Sarah had accessed the files and had made a try at the password. He'd anticipated the wrong answer as the first entry. He grinned to himself slightly. His grin however was quickly replaced by a scowl. The camera, now streaming remotely to his wrist had picked up something unexpected. Sarah was being watched by an ex-spy. Rather a pair of ex-spy's. Chuck quickly went through their files.
Honorably Discharged, Sanctioned Relationship, on pension, currently on assignment, previous assignments redacted. What?! That makes no sense whatsoever. Pulling up more files, specifically on the mission profile Chuck laughed aloud. Chuck laughed for a full minute until his sides hurt. Someone with a sense of humor had written this one. The mission profile was short and concise. "Live happily ever after." Now that is the mission for me, even if it is a bit Disney. Chuck mentally tagged it for discussion with both the General and The Director. Chuck laughed again. In lawyers terms, now he precedence.
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Sarah lay back in her chair, having dozed off during her wait, lulled to sleep by the throb of the engines. The atmosphere in the plane changed as it maneuvered for landing. The change stirred her out of her slumber and she again turned her attention to the laptop. It waited, now, for the next try at the password. Sarah typed in a name that probably four people in the world knew, three until the last few years. She hesitated before hitting the enter key, unsure of herself momentarily. Setting her jaw and resolving herself to her answer, she pressed the button. Here goes everything.
The screen went black. The onboard camera blinked once, on and then off again.
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Chuck typed furiously on his wrist after checking her webcam again. The spy's were still there. Despite appearances at least the male spy was awake and being quite observant. He had to delay the reveal. He felt a small amount of chagrin for making Sarah wait even longer for the information he so desperately wanted her to have.
"Chuck, I need the bathroom. Seriously, you're hogging the awesomeness. I have to pee Chuck." No movement or opened doors. Lisa decided to play dirty. "Don't think I won't come in there and undress right in front of you." The demure voice of Lisa called out through the door.
Chuck was out of the bathroom nearly two-seconds later; the inevitable creep of a blush making a run for his ears. He shot a condemning look at his partner before moving out of her way so she could take over the room. When she shut herself in he finished his inputs into his wrist computer.
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Sarah growled. The laptop was now displaying a countdown. A lengthy one, with nearly three hours showing on the clock. Sarah shut the laptop abruptly and shoved it into her bag. Chuck was going to get it the next time she talked to him. I hope it's soon. Really soon.
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The old man chuckled internally. After the countdown appeared on the screen he put the pieces together. Whoever had sent the female spy the message was smart. Apparently, very smart and quite talented with electronics. The man had caught the flash of the camera and deducted that he had been caught looking.
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Trying to maintain a semblance of calm, Chuck dragged himself out of bed. Too many things had transpired in the last week. On top of that the position he'd found himself in this morning wasn't helping. Once he'd realized the warm figure snuggled up next to him wasn't Sarah it had become a pitched battle of heart versus matter. His solitary existence over the last five years had taken a toll and the comforting sensations of a companion were nearly irresistible. Eventually Chuck's heart, like it always had, won over his mind and the decision to remove himself from the bed solidified itself in action.
After extricating the various limbs that had become entangled with his partners he stole away, down into the garden, preparing to enjoy the spectacular sunrise over the Venetian lagoon, alone. After settling in Chuck was rewarded with a breathtaking view of the sun breaking over the blue green water surrounding the city.
It hadn't taken Lisa long to miss Chuck presence pressed up against her. She awoke too quickly, extricating herself from the mess of sheets and blankets enveloping her to locate her missing partner. She frowned when she found him sitting in just his boxers out in the garden, alone. Didn't he know you could catch cold like that? She leaned over the railing of the balcony and switched between watching him and the sunrise breaking over the horizon, arguing with herself on whether to join him in the garden or wait for him to come back inside.
Watching and being with Chuck was becoming a torturous seesaw of joy and consternation. Chuck always made her feel safe and comfortable, a quality she never found in a man. Lisa's need for hot and sexy usually left her wanting in the other departments. Chuck was the real deal. The whole package. It was the knowledge that he was and would likely remain quite definitely off the market, which was beginning to drive her mental. She decided recently that she couldn't give Chuck up, and she'd just take whatever Chuck would give her. She found if reassuring that Chuck was, in all things, a generous person. It wouldn't be hard to be satisfied. If Sarah Walker ever did come back to him she would certainly need to be ready to put up a good fight. She didn't intend to simply give this amazing man away.
Cole burst into the room behind her, sending her sprawling for cover and searching for a weapon.
"I found Casey!"
Lisa looked at Cole, dumbfounded, still trying to identify friend or foe.
Chuck had heard the commotion from the garden and was in the room, knife at the ready by the time the words had spilled from Cole's mouth. After discovering it was only their new partner for the mission Chuck lowered his weapon and waited for more info.
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0006.7 A.S.L.
Los Angeles
CIA Training Station
Chuck tossed his backpack on and adjusted his riding jacket. Turning around he planted a peck on Lisa's head. "See ya later Lisa. Keep Anna in check will you? She's been taking 'liberties' with the students. I don't want Beckman getting an irregular report and trying to set up some kind of oversight. I'll give you a call when I get in."
"I'm sorry, Chuck. I'm sure this is hard for you. You know I'm always available." Lisa said tightening the embrace she had subjected Chuck to. Chuck returned the squeeze before pulling himself away. Chuck straddled his motorcycle and fiddled with his keys before sticking them in the ignition.
"Casey was a great guy. An ass for sure, but still, he was like the older brother I never had." Chuck said sadly. "It took nearly all my favors to get him properly buried. You would think the government wouldn't have such a problem honoring one of their own. "
"Well, then he's lucky to have you then. Just like me." Lisa said, trying to be comforting and sneaky at the same time.
Chuck just smiled, "You're not going to give up are you?"
"Nope. Not until all hope is dashed, and Chuck Bartowski says that there never will be." Lisa said smiling her biggest smile.
Chuck shook his head and pinched her cheek. "Fair enough." Chuck slipped his gloves on and started the bike. The low growl beating out of the twin exhausts, drowning out all the other noises around him. Lisa snuck a last hug in before moving away. Chuck donned his helmet and dropped the bike into gear. The low growling moved up into a fast cacophony of mini explosions as the v-twin roared out of the parking lot.
Lisa wasn't too happy about her partner leaving. First of all he was going without her. The fact that she hated being without him aside, she worried about him in his present state of mind. Secondly she had never gotten used to him and his 'daredevil mode' as she had coined it when he got on any of his motorcycles.
Lisa was, to Chuck, quickly becoming like a spy sister. She was much closer to him than just a partner, and despite her obviously different intentions, they entirely comfortable with each other and for the most part inseparable. Ellie had remarked several times on the fact and had on several occasions hinted at a 'more than friends' situation. The thought had admittedly crossed his mind. There were some things about Lisa that were the polar opposite from Sarah. Namely the openness. Sarah was without a doubt closed off in most respects, Lisa shared everything, which occasionally was just a little too much. But if Chuck was anything, he was loyal, down to his very bones, and Lisa remained firmly in the friends category until moving solidly into the family category. Chuck didn't have to wonder how Sarah would take his and Lisa's relationship as one may call it when he finally got Sarah back. It was going to be messy and exciting for a while.
California
Simi Valley
Hours later as he safely arrived in Simi Valley, he was suffering from the heat. His jacket was currently black and for some reason it refused to shift to a lighter color. The malfunction was causing Chuck to sweat profusely under the overhead sun. Deciding to see if he could fix it he pulled over into a nearby parking lot. He didn't have a lot of time though, the caretaker for the plot of land he'd reserved was being an ass and had demanded Chuck reserve the plot in person before he could ensure it was secured. The appointment was in half an hour.
Chuck wasn't in town thirty minutes when he saw a face. The face that had been haunting his dreams for a long time. It was from far away and he had no hope of following after it. He had stripped out of most of his gear and was sitting in a parking lot after his quick meeting with the evil caretaker. Chuck had in fact decided that he was evil, despite the comical Scottish accent the man had. It reminded Chuck of groundskeeper Willie.
Taking note of the car the face had been traveling in he pulled out his wrist computer, and tapped into the local traffic cameras. A quick scan netted nothing and he started a trace program and slid the computer back under his sleeve. After gearing back up he sat straddling his bike again. The jacket finally cooperated and turned white. Moving out of the parking lot and into traffic he headed in the direction he'd last seen the car moving, waiting patiently for his trace to produce results. His helmet cleverly doubled as a secondary screen for his wrist computer and when the search finally coughed up a result he noted it in the corner of his vision, changed course and sped up. Chuck was hoping she would stay in view a little longer to enable him to catch up.
After a brief minute Chuck intercepted his target and fell in line behind it. Not wanting to make contact in public he tagged the vehicle and sped off ignoring several lights in the process. Chuck made a big loop and circled back to the graveyard. He pulled the bike into a spot hidden by a shed and dismounted. Using a nearby business Chuck changed into the appropriate attire for the funeral and waited patiently for groundskeeper Willie to make the final preparations, setting up the area around the burial site. Turning his attention to his wrist he noted that all but one blip he had anticipated was within range. Minutes later it too appeared and Chuck grunted, not quite like Casey, in satisfaction and sat up waiting for the arrival of the rest of the attendees.
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0006.3 A.S.L.
Greenland
Avannaarsua Ice Flow
"OK, I've had enough. This is ridiculous. I don't care if it's the most exciting piece of Chinese Intel ever. It's not worth this ridiculous trek. Chuck, I can't feel my freaking toes anymore. I thought these boots were supposed to keep me warm." Lisa said, pouting.
"Lisa, our identities are on that chunk of space junk. If we don't find this damn thing were both going to have to live in some bug infested jungle to stay alive." Chuck responded, his face a mixture of tired determination and pessimistic hope.
"I still don't see why we have to do this on foot. I swear someone invented this thing called a helicopter." Lisa quipped. The cold was really starting to get to her.
Chuck didn't hold any illusions. The probability of success was low, even with the small search area. The camp they set up was dead center in a half mile square. If it hadn't been for Chuck's chance encounter with a Chinese operative in lower Hong Kong, they wouldn't have even known about the leak of their personnel details. As a result the search couldn't be left to anyone but themselves.
"Chuck I'm going back to the tent. I'm rather attached to my toes, and I'm not ready to let them go just yet. I could think of worse things than living with you in a jungle. I see a shirtless Chuck in my future, and I like it."
Chuck had long since grown used to Lisa's unabashed advances. She'd never pushed too far and it kept him entertained playing with her sometimes. He'd decided she was fair game since he'd made clear to her his situation. If she wasn't above playing the game then neither was he.
"I'm sure the CIA would spring for some prosthetic toes if you did in fact lose yours." Chuck quipped.
Lisa huffed, screwing her face up in mocked distain and then a pout waiting for its effect. Chuck just stared at her, suppressing a knowing smirk. She plodded off through the snow toward the tent intent on saving her toes from eternal blackness.
Chuck watched her head off and then continued his grid search. With the constant storm plaguing their search, the original plan for a week on the frozen wasteland, had stretched to three weeks with at least another two weeks left unless they got lucky. Chuck frowned; his wrist computer was only registering minimal signal strength, not enough to be effective. It had been like that since they gone past the seventy-fifth latitude. He had, like for so many other things, made a note to himself to write a note to Steve Jobs regarding satellite coverage in the northern parts of the globe.
Chuck turned on a predetermined axis tightening his search pattern as his search continued. Several hours later, still empty handed Chuck marked his progress and trudged back towards the tent. His hands stuffed firmly in his parka pockets, his head down, braced against the ever increasing winds, he squinted through the wind whipped ice clouds.
As he arrived at the front of the tent Chuck grinned, letting an anticipatory groan escape at the sight of the warm meal waiting for him just inside. Lisa hadn't just been warming her toes.
"Warm beans and crackers. I think we have a week worth left before we're going to have to go back in and refit." Lisa said as Chuck closed the door of the ten behind him. Lisa had found it eternally amusing to watch Chuck's gangly form maneuver within the constricting walls of the small tent. He was fully bent over at the waist in order to move the few feet to his bedroll. Aware of the smirk on Lisa's face and impending giggle waiting to be released Chuck shook the snow off the hood of his parka, making sure he rained as much as possible on top of his partners head.
Lisa shrieked as the cold flakes of snow and ice fell on her exposed head. She kicked out catching Chuck by surprise sending him sprawling out across the tent, supplies and rations and bedding sent flying into disarray.
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"Sir, those heat signatures are blipping in and out again." The shadowed figure said as he sat as his work station.
An imposing person moved out of the shadows and up behind the speaker. "Show me."
"Sir it looks at times like two people, but if they are the same blips as before then they have been up there with no support for nearly three weeks now." He replied.
"Get a team out there and check it out. There's been some chatter coming from the American's regarding some operation gone wrong. Let's be ready to render assistance if needed."
An evil grin spread across both faces. Render assistance indeed.
"Any comms in and out?"
"Negative, sir. We are still smashing his comm device. The device is only getting a trickle of signal."
"Good. Keep it that way."
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"Chuck, you're looking thin. Are you eating your lunches?" Lisa asked a worried look crossing her face momentarily. Chuck looked at her sheepishly. "Chuck do I have to babysit you? Eat your damn lunch bar, Sarah will kill you if you lose that beautiful ass, you know."
Chuck's eyes flashed in anger before shifting back into neutral. Lisa didn't often mention Sarah, probably because it wasn't a pleasant subject for her, but when she did it was generally for his own good. To force him to do something he would otherwise balk at doing.
"Sarah will be fine, with or without my ass, thank you. But, you win. I'll eat those damn pieces of cardboard." Chuck responded. He took Lisa into a bone crunching hug. He spoke into her ear as he let her go. "Thanks for looking out for me." Chuck turned around abruptly not waiting for her response, rummaging around through his things. Lisa sat frozen in time, Chuck's sincere and comforting words rendering her speechless. And that hug... Before Lisa had had time to recover Chuck turned around with a pair of socks in his hand.
"Here, try these. Maybe tomorrow you won't have to quit on me. We wouldn't want those toes to come to any harm, now would we?" Chuck said his hand extended, waiting for Lisa to take the socks from his hand. Lisa snapped out of her Chuck induced coma and grinned sheepishly taking the socks from his outstretched arms.
"I'm sorry for being grumpy today; this cold is starting to effect my brain. I won't leave you out there alone again. I take it you didn't find anything after I left?" Lisa said.
"Nothing. I'm starting to think it's lost forever. Buried under layers of ice." Chuck said grimacing. As long as this piece of satellite eluded them they could never be sure of their safety. Chuck was determined. He was going to get his normal, come hell and high water. A half melted piece of Chinese space junk, least of all was not going to undermine that.
"Chuck, eat your food. It's time to hit the sack. You know how much I look forward to sleep time." Lisa said.
With an eye brow waggle and a devious grin Chuck shot back, "I don't know how you stand it, I mean, look at me, it must be torture."
"So sure of yourself there are we?" Lisa responded. Two could play this game.
"Oh don't think for once that I believe the whole 'body heat' justification. Even if it is necessary." Chuck said, as he sat on the bed roll taking off his boots. He shivered and quickly shimmied into the sleeping bag. Lisa was only a few second behind him.
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"All right people let's move out. Remember, our targets are armed and more than dangerous. Don't let them get anywhere near you without at least four people for backup. First priority is the two targets. Second is whatever they're out there looking for. Let's go."
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A/N: Thanks for reading...again. Please let me know how I'm doing.