CHAPTER 51
Inside a two story house in Wilmington Kieran Ryker checked his watch before bringing the radio to his mouth. "Any sign of her?"
"Nothing yet, sir."
Just as the answer came through he felt the gun press against the back of his neck. "You didn't think I was just gonna use the front door, did you?"
"I knew you wouldn't," Ryker said, grinning as a baby's cries came from another room and he heard Sarah gasp.
"What is that?" She demanded, turning to look in the direction of the crying.
"Why don't we go see?" Ryker suggested, and a moment later he felt Sarah's hand on his shoulder guiding him around before releasing him so he could lead her out of the room and straight to a crib.
Sarah felt her stomach twist as she reached over to pull the blanket up, revealing a doll with a tape recorder on it. "What the-"
A fist to the side of her head knocked her unconscious and another knocked it back into her minutes later as she was tied to a chair beside the crib. Ryker grabbed her hair, yanking her head up as he leaned over to speak with her.
"I have to give you credit on that fake communique. Unfortunately for you I figured it might be some trap to try and finish the job you failed in Budapest." Ryker released her with a smug grin. "Tell me, did you just want to have coffee and catch up with your old handler?"
Catching her breath Sarah told him, "You're asking the wrong question." At that she swung her head into his face, making him reel back with a grunt. "Just get to the point, Ryker."
"The point is that it's not about money anymore," he said pressing a gun to her shoulder. "You know why I requested to be your handler? Why I brought you to Budapest in the first place? Because your file screamed loner. You had no family to speak of, never trusted anyone. I knew that you could keep a secret because you had no one to tell."
He shook his head and laughed. "And you still don't, do you? I read about your little assignment here. I bet none of your team even know that you're here. Do they?" A knowing smile took his lips. "You're so stuck on doing things by yourself you would pass up the one advantage you might have here. And that's why you're gonna die today… unless you tell me where she is. You wouldn't have killed her after saving her, so where's the little girl?"
Despite it all at least she hadn't screwed everything up. If she died here then at least he wouldn't get the baby or the money, and because he was right about her Casey and Chuck were far away, safe.
Seeing her lips curve into a smug smile he narrowed his eyes asking, "What?"
"You don't know where she is, and you're never gonna find out." Sarah leaned her head back against the crib. "That's all I needed to know."
Just as Ryker started to feel anger boil inside him one of the guards called out, "Sir, there is a problem in the foyer."
Backhanding Sarah as hard as he could, Ryker stormed out of the room ordering the men beside the door, "You two stay with her. You two come with me."
She was struggling to remain conscious when she heard two silenced gunshots a moment before she saw tall figures on either side of her. "Sarah, are you okay?" Chuck's voice filled her ears as she looked up and saw his face full of contained fury as he dragged a knife across the tape, freeing her wrist just as consciousness left her again.
"You take point," Casey told him as he pulled Sarah over his shoulder, leaving him with one hand free to aim his own pistol while Chuck held his tranq and lead them out of the house and back to the van. For once Casey was glad they didn't run into anyone since he had a feeling Chuck wouldn't be happy just tranqing any of them.
When Sarah next woke she was in Chuck's room, laying on his bed beneath a light blanket while he sat in his desk chair facing the bedroom door and rubbing his forehead. Once he heard her stirring and sitting up his head perked up. "Hey," he said softly, "you're up. Feeling better? You were kind of in and out but I managed to make you down an aspirin."
"Thank you," she said sheepishly.
"Sarah…" He sighed, sliding his chair toward the bed. "Whatever it is you thought your needed to hide. Not telling me the truth, going off on your own like that… You were wrong. The whole reason we went through with this, with us, was because we agreed that we're better together."
With a solemn smile she slid to the foot of the bed and nodded. "You're right." Her gaze downcast she pulled at lint from the blanket. "When Ryker captured me I kept thinking why am I doing it this way? Why do I feel like I have to do everything on my own? But…" She sighed. "It's not just what the CIA taught me, it's what my dad taught me. Both of them taught me you can only ever trust yourself. It's all I've known."
"Look" Chuck said reaching out to take her hand, making her raise her eyes to his as he said, "if you really believe we're better together than I need you to do something for me."
"Anything," she said in a whisper, squeezing his hand.
"Trust me, Sarah."
Gazing into his eyes she felt her heart swell in her chest, pushing the air from her lungs, the beat echoing through her like a shiver. When she had seen him in her half conscious haze at the safe house she worried the anger she saw would color everything between them, but it wasn't in his eyes. It should have been, she would have understood if he hated her for leaving him behind, but everything she saw in his eyes was bound together by the same thing she'd seen coloring his big browns for months; an overwhelming love for her.
"I trust you completely," she said shifting to face him more. "I want to tell you everything but I try and I just-I can't. It all feels like so much I just feel… stuck."
"With me?" Chuck asked frowning.
"No," she answered quickly. "No, never, you're the best thing in my life. When I say stuck I mean stuck as the girl who just wanted to disappear into some pretend life and spend my days on adventures, outsmarting people because it's easier than dealing with reality. I want to tell you so much I just-I can't even make myself sometimes. But I can tell you about my last mission, the one I had before I came here for you."
Chuck found himself smiling at her opening up. Even if it was a bit late it was still big for her. So he listened with rapt attention as she told him how Ryker was her handler and took her on a mission in Budapest where he sent her to retrieve a package that turned out to be a baby kidnapped by a gang who killed the infant's parents and were planning to use her to retrieve their enormous fortune. Sarah knew Ryker was after the fortune himself and fled with the baby.
When she first mentioned calling her mother for help getting the baby to sleep, Chuck was shocked. Not only did she have a mother who was alive, but Sarah Walker had sung a lullaby. He didn't dare linger on the image that came to mind of her doing that for a baby with curly hair and blue eyes.
She finished up by telling him how she talked to Graham and realized giving the baby to him would end badly no matter what. Either Ryker would find out about it or the girl would be raised in protective custody with no real chance to just live a normal life. So she lied and told him she didn't have the package anymore before flying back to LA and giving the child to her mother.
"The CIA didn't even know she existed," she explained with a frown. "As a kid my dad, he… we changed identities a lot. All the information they have on me before I was recruited is false. It's why none of that matters, Chuck. My past is all just… fake. This," she said tugging lightly at his hand, "us? We're real. You matter. It's why I wanted to keep you away from all of this.
"Not just to keep my mom or the baby safe, but to keep you safe. And now I know not only are you safe, but so are they. Ryker has no idea where she is. He has no idea my mom ever existed. I wish I could have told you all this before, and I'm sorry for what I put you through, I really am. I just-I didn't want to put anybody else in danger. But thank you for trusting me and putting up with it. For helping me even when I pushed you away."
Chuck rose from his chair with a helpless shrug. "I love you, Babe."
She snickered softly as he reached over to hug her, which was when they heard the electronic hum. Both pulled away asking what that was, though both had an idea. Chuck pulled his phone from his pocket and held it toward her, where the hum was steady. "That's feedback," he said tossing the phone down and digging his detector out of his drawer and turning it on silent, letting it lead her to the listening device hidden in her hair.
"Ryker," she gasped, taking it and crushing the bug between her fingers. "Oh my god, he knows that the baby is with my mom."
Chuck speed dialed Casey while Sarah tried calling her mother. Casey met them in the courtyard, rushing out to the van and driving while Chuck and Sarah got in the back. He watched her bring up some GPS application on her laptop, which she revealed was connected to something she'd left with a year ago when she dropped off the baby.
As tense as it all was, Chuck was almost relieved to feel a bit of anxiety over the idea of meeting Sarah's mother buried under all the worry and anticipation of a fight. It was a silent reminder that this wasn't all bad. Once they were done with this, Chuck would meet her, or at least know she existed, and could figure out some way to get her back into Sarah's life if they wanted that.
To their relief they arrived at nice suburban house with a white fence lined with flower bushes and found it empty. Sarah let out a breath once she came back downstairs, "They're gone and the emergency bag's missing. They must have got the coordinates."
"Yeah, El," Chuck said holding his phone to his ear, "they're gone. They're probably on their way to you. Just take care of them until we're back, okay? We'll be back as soon as this is done."
Once he hung up Casey came back from the kitchen asking, "How are we handling this?"
"Ryker will want to handle this himself to avoid one of his people running off with her like I did," Sarah said crossing her arms. "I'll go act like I'm washing dishes and let him sneak up on me so I can get the jump on him."
"That's… There has to be a better idea," said Chuck. "What about something like what I did at the hotel? Lure him with a phone, let him go past you and hit him from behind."
"He'll check corners and expect a trap like that. But if it's just me he'll think he beat us here and assume I'm just my mom."
"And us?" asked Chuck.
"I can handle Ryker, but not him and six other idiots. You two can take care of them."
Chuck groaned, clearly not liking the idea of leaving her alone, but turned to Casey. "We can't have a gunfight in the middle of the suburbs. I doubt they're all Fulcrum agents this time."
"Once I'm close enough I can keep most of 'em from getting trigger happy. Maybe you should try to tranq the ones that slip past me, keep them from sending bullets my way."
"I can do that," Chuck nodded.
"You can, but I doubt you'll wait long before getting more involved," Casey said shaking his head.
With a grin Chuck held out his arms. "At least we can all admit this without being upset." When neither agent shared his amusement, Chuck's grin fell. "At least I can."
Sarah put on one of her mother's aprons and put her hair up with a clip while Casey and Chuck went out the back, making their way through a few yards before coming back around to watch the front of the house. It was almost a half hour later that an SUV pulled up and six men got out, including Ryker who, just as Sarah predicted, went into the house alone.
When he came into the kitchen and found a blonde woman at the sink he tapped his ear telling the men outside, "I've got her." Just as he raised his gun toward her Sarah pulled her from the sink and turned, putting her gun in his face. He let out a laugh, "Nice apron."
Outside chuck lead the approach for the goons as a nosy, annoying neighbor. "Whoa, whoa, whoa guys, guys, sorry, but this street is permit parking only. You're gonna have to-"
Casey sneaked up behind them, grabbing one him by the neck and throwing him to the ground, stomping on his face while punching a second. The others turned to Casey as Chuck drew his tranq gun and fired on one of the guys drawing his own gun. The darts hit but it left Chuck open to a punch from the one guy who stayed focused on him. That was followed by a hit to his hand, knocking the tranq gun away.
Silently cursing, Chuck swung at the guy with his left hand, hissing as he hit the thug's jaw. When the guy swung at chuck and hit his shoulder, Chuck threw his now empty right hand around, slamming it into the thug's eye socket. He let out a yell, but grabbed Chuck and dragged him toward the fence, about to throw him into it until Casey grabbed the back of the guy's jacket and yanked him back.
That was when he heard a loud crash from the house and turned to the door whispering, "Sarah."
Casey growled, kicking the side of the downed goon's face while knocking the gun from another thug's hand. "I can handle these guys. Just go-" He'd intended for Chuck to go hide, but of course the moron ran directly for the house.
Inside Sarah and Ryker had disarmed one another with a flurry of strikes, before she got around him and went to shove her heel into his throat but he dodged and her foot was stuck on the cabinet until he pushed her away, throwing her so her head smashed through the glass cabinet doors opposite the fridge. When he took a knife from the drying rack she ducked his slash and grabbed the knife block, holding it to catch the blade he thrust at her. A kick to his knee made him slump forward enough for her to twist the block, forcing him to release the knife, and then slam the wooden block into his jaw.
Just as she went to bring it down on his head he'd grabbed a bottle off the counter and spun around, smashing it against her temple. His kick was easy enough for her to block after stumbling, but she missed her own slash as she drew the knife from the block. Just as she went to thrust the knife down into his collar he ran into her, lifting her off the ground as both went through the thin wall into a toddler's' room.
The moment they hit the ground, Ryker kicked Sarah into a dresser which smashed and crumbled around her. Before she could do much he was on his feet, yanking the apron across her neck, choking her as she tried to pull at it and tear the bunched cloth.
"You came so close to keeping her safe," Ryker said yanking her head up, "you really did, but I'm gonna kill you… and then I'm gonna kill your mom. And then after I get the money I'm gonna dump the girl's corpse in a river and kill your little boyfriend." He laughed as he tightened the cloth, making her gasp. "Even when you have a team and some idiot dumb enough to care about you, here you are, all alone."
"She's not alone."
Sarah felt a flood of relief that had little to do with the cloth suddenly going slack around her neck. Glancing back she saw that Chuck had come through the hole in the wall and wrapped his arm around Ryker's throat, his left hand latched onto his bent right arm as he pulled back. Both men stumbled until Chuck's legs hit the bottom of the broken wall and they tumbled back into the kitchen.
While she yanked the apron off her, Ryker had rolled and gotten to his feet. Though he was faster than Chuck, the former Nerd Herder thrust his palms into the ground and threw himself forward, slamming his shoulder into Ryker's torso and closing his eyes seconds before they slammed into the thicker exterior wall, causing a few of the plates hung on the wall to fall, two hitting Ryker's head while the rest shattered against the ground.
Ryker drove his elbow into Chuck's spine, forcing him to release him as Ryker's left hand pulled one of the remaining plates from the wall and swung it into Chuck's rising face. A boot to the stomach forced Chuck to stumble back, letting Ryker dash forward and slam his fist into Chuck's jaw, making his ears ring as he fell to the ground. But the agent's left hand grabbed his right wrist, twisting it as he fell, making Chuck yelp even before Ryker's right boot stomped on his chest, followed by his left slamming into the side of his head.
"Guess I'll have to kill you early," Ryker said yanking Chuck's arm, pulling him up to kick him in the side.
The thump of footsteps drew Ryker's attention to the whole in the wall, turning his body just enough so the knife Sarah threw went past his neck rather than into it. Glancing back to see the knife bury itself in a cabinet, Ryker smirked and released Chuck. Sarah however wasn't smiling as she stepped out of the toddler's room.
While Ryker turned to face her, Chuck was still conscious enough to glance at Sarah before turning himself around and pulling himself toward the hall. He had just enough time to slam his feet into Ryker's left knee, making the man hiss and buckle while Sarah charged forward. With him bent forward Sarah leapt up, driving her knee into Ryker's face.
The former agent stumbled back as blood exploded from his nose, but was caught by a fist to the cheek as Sarah punched his head into the fridge. He bounced off it, slamming his back against the counter as Sarah kept up the pressure, jamming her elbow into his throat, making him choke and gasp as she stepped back and turned, swinging her left heel into his stomach. During her turn she had yanked the knife from the counter, continuing her spin to drive it through the back of his neck as Ryker slumped forward.
He stared at her wide eyed, clasping at the tip of the knife sticking out the front of his neck and stumbling aside, falling to the ground and driving it slightly further when the handle hit the kitchen floor. In his dying moments all he saw was Sarah walk past him without a single look as she went to Chuck's side, helping him stand, grabbing his shirt and pulling him into a swift, searing kiss before both turned and ran for the front door.
Stepping through the doors they found Casey swinging the back of his fist into the jaw of the final thug, leaving him unconscious on the grass. Seeing both let out relieved sighs as he turned to them, Casey scoffed. "I'm offended you were worried." Coming to the porch, Casey looked past them and saw Ryker's body laying on the kitchen in a growing pool of blood. "Guess I better call in cleaners."
"How are we going to explain this to Beckman?" Sarah said with a sigh.
"Better to ask forgiveness than permission," Casey offered with a shrug as he pulled out his phone.
"I have a feeling Beckman won't agree with that sentiment," Chuck said turning to Sarah. His smirk faded seeing trickles of blood coloring her golden locks. "What did he do to you?"
"Nothing that mattered," she said sliding her arms around Chuck. "Thank you."
"You could've handled him," Chuck said with confidence. A slight frown on his lips, he shrugged. "I just-I think I just got in the way. Sorry."
"No," she said with a smirk, "thank you for not letting me be alone."
"Never," Chuck said brushing back a blood dyed strand of hair before leaning in to capture her lips with his.
They could hear Beckman yelling over Casey's phone when he called her after the cleaners, who showed up among the police and ambulances. Chuck called Ellie to confirm that Emma, Sarah's mother, had arrived with baby Molly. After Sarah forced them to quickly visit an ambulance when she noticed the side of Chuck's face was bloodied by a cut from the smashed plate, they all got into the van and sped back to Echo Park.
Ellie was always glad to welcome those in need, but the fact it was Sarah's mother made her perfectly excited to watch her explore the house and take in the pictures of them and Sarah that had found their way to the shelves over the last few months. Better yet was seeing Devon playing with Molly, the toddler giggling as he tickled her and tossed her in the air, catching her and swinging her around. She'd always known he'd be a good dad, but this was visual proof.
Emma smirked at a picture of Sarah and Chuck from Rio, one of the few they took before the mission started. Even as a parade of half naked women walked past them his eyes were locked on Sarah, who smiled up at him, their hands tightly intertwined. The adoration in his eyes was shared and on blatant display in the one beside it which showed Chuck stood by the couch with his hands raised in some display as Sarah laughed, her eyes locked on him and full of pure joy. Most shocking was her hair was slightly different, more like it was when she dropped Molly off, making her think this might have been not long after.
There were quite a few from inside a large house that wasn't the apartment she was in now. Ellie explained they were from when they were on a mission. "They said they wanted more real pictures instead of all the fake ones on the walls, so went around taking a bunch of them."
There were some of her and Chuck dressed up for the consulate gala, but Emma ended up staring at the one of them outside, Chuck wrapping his arms around Sarah as she put her hands over his, clearly comfortable in his embrace. Her little girl who had been quick to end their hugs and rush off on her own looked like she wanted nothing more than to spend hours in his arms. It was incredible to think that in only a few months someone could change the woman who gave her Molly and give her so much love, not only from themselves, but awakening it in her.
She had her hand on her chest, holding back tears when the door opened and she turned to see her daughter, Sarah now, stepping into the apartment. Molly looked on from the couch as Chuck and Casey moved in behind Sarah, her face filled with emotion upon seeing her mother. When they stepped to each other and hugged, Sarah wore a childlike smile feeling her mother's embrace for the first time in decades.
"I missed you," Sarah with with a breathy laugh.
"I know," Emma said patting her back. When they pulled apart Emma saw Molly had walked over, confused by what was happening. Guiding the toddler in front of her, Emma introduced them. "Molly, I want you to meet someone very important. This is your sister… Sarah."
Sarah gave a small, thankful smile to her mother before looking to Molly and extending a hand to the little round faced blonde girl. "Hi, Molly. It's nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, too," she said shyly pressing her back to her mother's leg.
That shyness quickly abated as they sat for dinner and Molly became the center of attention through most of it. "What do you do?" She asked Sarah, staring at her older sister.
"Sarah works with me," Chuck said while Ellie and Devon froze up. "I have my own company and we help keep people safe."
Molly looked to Chuck. "So she's like a hero?"
"She's the best," Chuck said with a nod.
Emma grinned hearing the sincerity in his voice while Sarah shook her head and looked down, failing to hide her smile.
When their meals were through and desert was had Sarah followed Molly over to the couch where she swiftly picked up her fluffy stuffed dog. "Who's this?"
"This is Rex," Molly told her, holding him up.
"Hi, Rex," Sarah said smiling at the plush before looking to Molly. "You know I used to have a stuffed dog, too, when I was little and I-I named him Bunny."
Molly giggled. "That's a funny name for a dog."
Watching them laugh together Chuck kept his smile from enveloping his face as he took the seat next to Emma. She wasn't as tall as Sarah, but she was pretty and gave this sense of strength making him wonder if Emma had been a secret agent. Or maybe it was just a mom thing.
"You know, I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am that I get to meet you."
Emma turned to him with a nod. "It means a lot to me too. More than you know." Watching Ellie and Devon head to the couch with Casey to speak with her girls, Emma sighed. "It's been so long since I'd seen her. I was worried I never would again. She was always a tough little thing, you know, but I worried about her. Growing up mostly with her father, she always kept to herself, she wouldn't let people get close."
Looking to Chuck, she saw him watching his family and hers and realized there was a good chance they'd be one in the same before long. "I know I don't know you really well yet," Emma said quietly, making him turn to her, "but thank you for giving her this."
They shared a shaky smile as Chuck shook his head. "I'd give her everything if I could. I love her. Not just the gorgeous woman she is, but the beautiful person she is. She's so protective, so smart and caring, funny in this great way so many people don't see," his gaze shifted back to Sarah as he concluded, "it's a gift to know her."
Emma's smile grew realizing it was a better than good chance.
As Ellie and Devon went to show Casey where the stronger liquor was, Chuck got up from his seat and Emma did the same, making her way to Sarah around the couch where they watched Molly sit on the floor. "Well I'm the lucky one now," Chuck said sinking to sit in front of Molly. "Who's this dog?"
Sarah failed to bite back her smile watching him. Beside her, Emma crossed her arms, looking between the two. "Joining the CIA and giving up everything you did, did you ever think it would lead you here?"
With a laugh Sarah answered, "No." Watching Chuck laugh with Molly, her smile grew. "No, but, uh, Chuck's taught me that every now and then it's okay to be surprised."
"You're making fun of me, aren't you?" Chuck said with a laugh to Molly, looking over to Sarah and sharing a smile with her before he turned back to the girl.
As the night went on and Molly started to get tired, Sarah told her mother, "The house is still technically a crime scene. You can go back but…"
"I'll put you two in a hotel for tonight at least," Chuck said making his way over to the door and picking up his car keys.
"No, you don't need to," said Emma.
"I can pay for it," said Sarah.
"Do they have big beds?" asked Molly.
Leaning down slightly and saying in a loud, conspiratorial whisper, "I'll get you a room with your own bed to jump on."
Molly gasped, clutching Rex. "Really?"
"Chuck, let me-"
"I'll put it on my card," Chuck said with a look that told her this was so Beckman would have one less thing to complain about. "Besides I'm probably about to come into a lot of money. I can handle renting a hotel room for a few days." Even if it would just about drain his account at the moment.
Sarah insisted on driving, though drove almost sensibly for Molly's sake. When they arrived and booked the room, Chuck handed over the keys and was surprised when Emma hugged him. He returned it with a grin, leaving her to hug Sarah while he took reached down to pull Molly into his arms.
"Let's give them a second," he said walking a few steps away, "I need to say goodbye to Rex."
Molly giggled, holding up Rex to kiss Chuck's cheek while Sarah and Emma hugged. Once they separated Emma asked, "Is it really done?"
"He's dead," she assured. "No one else should know about her. Once she'd older we can tell her and let her retrieve the money on her own, but for now we're the only ones who know. Us and Chuck."
"You really trust him," Emma said surprised.
"I do."
Glancing toward him as he spoke with Molly, Emma quietly asked Sarah, "Is this it? Will it be a while before I see you again?"
"No," Sarah answered with a smile, motioning to Chuck, "even if that was what I wanted he wouldn't let me."
"Well then I'm even more glad you have him." Emma's chuckle faded as she looked from him to Sarah. "I guess my little Sammy is really gone, huh?"
"I haven't been her in a long time." Sarah frowned glancing at Chuck, though it softened to a light smile as she looked back to her mother. "But I think I finally like being Sarah."
When Chuck returned to let Molly say goodnight to Sarah, she noticed him and her mother taking out their cellphones to exchange numbers. Molly caught Sarah shaking her head and looked between Chuck and her. "He's nice."
"Yeah he is." Sarah adjusted her grip on Molly. "Hopefully we can see each other a bit more now that I work nearby."
"Can we?" Molly beamed.
"If you'd like," she said carefully, "but Molly you need to understand the work I do, sometimes I have to pretend I'm not me. I might even go by a different name. So if strangers ever ask about me you have to pretend like you don't know me or Chuck, okay? If anything I'm just a friend of Mom's unless it's someone we know."
Molly frowned, the serious tone concerning her. "Someone like Ellie or Devon or John?"
"Yes. Right now they're the only other ones who know. It's our secret."
"Okay, I can pretend," Molly said hugging Sarah, "I promise."
Chuck held Sarah's hand as they watched Emma and Molly head to the elevators, waving until the doors closed and she finally knew they were safe.
AN:
Putting this stuff here felt more sensible than her reacting like this when she was married to trained spy Chuck.
I felt like having Chuck ask her to trust him was a nice wrap around to 'close out the season', so to speak. I considered having her say she loved him a few times but I think I'm gonna save it.
I originally intended to have Chuck get beat up worse to show how out of his league he is against a trained agent, but I feel like this was enough to get the point. No need to hospitalize him just yet. Chuck can out think them and get in cheap surprise shots, but in a fight he's losing against anyone decent, and Ryker held his own against Sarah. Plus it's another instance of Sarah becoming brutally focused to protect Chuck. She wasn't out of it enough to let the beating go on and Ryker isn't good enough to hold her off and keep up beating Chuck.
I figure Molly's like 2-3 here, just enough to talk with some sense and understand some stuff. I want her to have solid dialogue. Blame the Piranha for any timeline discrepancies. His meddling indirectly causes things to happen at different times.