CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #1: Hello everybody! I'm not completely back, but I felt bad that I left all of you on this cliffhanger for all these months. So, to make it up to all of you, i'm posting this chapter. I've still got around five chapters to write in order to finish the second story arc and begin the third (there are seven planned now!) It's amazing how this quickly became my own personal version of "New Day." It's likely going to take me several years to finish Desire with all that I have planned, but it will be so worth it. I wrote this chapter months ago, and i've been sitting on it for a long ass time, which I know is planned, but to do it in the middle of a cliffhanger was cruel of me. This chapter isn't as long as my last several and the next several coming after this one, but this one does important work in launching us into the second arc.
CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #2: For those wondering, I'm still planning to release all of the chapters of the second story arc on a weekly basis when they are all completed. I still don't know when that will be, but if you ask my beta, nevr, he'll tell you that i've been hard at work. Right now i've got chapters twelve, thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen completed. I have plans for this coming arc to go to chapter twenty or twenty-one, but that is still rather fluid at the moment. It's looking like each arc is going to be about 80,000 words or so when finished, so you can see how this story is going to basically become a collection of smaller 50,000 to 80,000 word stories all under the banner of Desire. That's kind of how "What Fates Impose" turned out for Frea O'Scanlin, so it isn't unheard of in this community.
CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #3: Gotta thank my beta Nev AKA the ever talented nevr for beta reading this one, he's been hugely helpful the last several months. Make sure you go read his new stories, all of them are amazing and totally worth reading! His story Wake Up is honestly me favorite of all of his work, it's so damn good!
CHARMING'S ADDITIONAL AUTHORS NOTE: If you go back, you'll see that i've deleted all of the song lyrics from this story, I know that some of you liked that part, but I wanted to make this story more compliant with the rules of this website. This story means too much to me to have it taken down by some asshole white knights.
I Don't Want Your Desire
A Story by
CharmingCharles2896
Chapter Inspired by the Song
Chestnut Street by Trace the Sun
Chapter Twelve
The Beach
Malibu Beach
Malibu, California
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
6:35 PM PST
As the familiar palm trees finally came into view through the rush hour traffic, Sarah Bartowski found herself getting emotional once again. This place held so much meaning to her. A year and a half ago, she'd found her husband on this beach. He was feeling overwhelmed and alone, staring down the barrel of a world he knew nothing about. Then she'd sat down next to him and helped him little by little, see that the world hadn't ended. That was months ago for Sarah; just four days ago, she'd been overwhelmed by the crushing weight of a brand-new life that she was unprepared to start. Then, a complete stranger had found her sitting at that very same spot and had helped her see that the world wasn't ending, the symmetry of it wasn't lost on her. Now, she was driving to that special spot to reveal the two greatest pieces of news she'd ever had to tell, to her new sister-in-law. Sarah briefly looked over to her left at Ellie and felt and overwhelming joy, knowing that she was now part of this family. Sarah Bartowski had never had a big family, with lots of people who loved her. Even when her parents were still together, they fought all the time, so her childhood was nothing short of dysfunctional.
The Bartowski family, as unorthodox as it was, was truly the most complete family she'd ever been a part of. Now she was well on her way to adding a new member to the family, in roughly seven and a half short months. So much had changed for Sarah, so many things that she'd always assumed would be a constant in her life were no more. She'd always assumed she'd stay a field agent until the day she died in some godforsaken hell hole, but no longer. The 49B had taken her edge, she couldn't do it, just walking into that party on Friday had been terrifying. Without her edge, it wasn't safe for her to be a field agent, so she was basically retired and riding a desk at this point. With a child on the way, Sarah wasn't actually that opposed to the idea of riding a desk for the remainder of her career. A borderline desk job wasn't the most exciting job, but it kept her in Burbank, with her family, kept Chuck safe, and still helped her country, which was a win-win-win in her book.
Thinking about the present, Sarah was about to sit down on that beach, in that spot, and tell her sister-in-law all about the future. She'd hold her husband's hand and the two of them would tell his sister that she wouldn't get to go to his wedding, which might not go over great. The reveal of the baby, would most definitely serve to smooth out things though, that Sarah had no doubt.
"Are you taking us to the spot? The spot that you told me about last night?" Ellie asked, breaking Sarah from her silent musings. Sarah looked away from the road and towards Ellie, giving her a small smile and a subtle nod. The glowing smile that Ellie gave Sarah made the blonde feel all warm inside.
"Back to where it all began for us," Chuck interjected. Sarah simply nodded to herself as she made the turn into the parking lot, the sandy beach coming into view. Ellie squealed to herself excitedly, which made Sarah chuckle quietly. The enthusiasm Sarah loved in her husband was most definitely a family trait.
"We couldn't think of a better spot for this discussion to take place," Sarah said as she parked the herder and turned the car off. There really was no better place for this conversation about the future, than the place where it all began. The three of them filed out of the Tylenol capsule of a car that the Buy More made the Nerd Herd drive and stopped to look at each other.
"You want to lead the way?" Chuck asked Sarah, who simply smiled and nodded. Sarah turned and began the familiar trek to their spot, Chuck on her left, Ellie on her right. As they arrived at the sand, they each removed their shoes, and socks in Chuck's case, and continued their walk. As they passed between the familiar trio of palm trees, it was only another fifty yards before they arrived. Sarah stopped walking and simply looked out at the waves crashing into the shore. The last time was in this spot, she'd been consumed by self-doubt, her world seemingly crashing in around her. Now, only four days later, Sarah's life was perfect, more than anything she could have ever hoped for. Sarah sat down on the sand and crossed her legs, holding her shoes in her lap. Chuck and Ellie followed suit, sitting in much the same manner, in a line facing the shoreline. Ellie couldn't help but watch Sarah in this moment; the blonde woman looked so contemplative.
"This is where I found him," Sarah began, her eyes squinting in the sun and the wind, her hair blowing in the evening air. Ellie simply turned and watched the waves as well.
"You used to run off to go think after Dad left. Was this where you went?" Ellie asked quietly, looking over at her brother. Chuck simply nodded silently, remembering how hard that time of his life was.
"Yeah, this is the spot I've always run to when I needed to think. The night of our first date, I learned that this amazing woman wasn't who I thought she was, and she was only interested in finding out if I was a traitor. I'd just learned that my former best friend was a traitor, and now I was staring down the barrel of this thing in my head, not knowing what it was. It felt like everything I knew was a lie, and yet that didn't even carry enough meaning for what I was feeling. I'd seriously considered simply walking out into that ocean during the night and just never stopping…" Chuck admitted as he remembered how scared he'd felt after that first night.
"I watched him all night, from that bench back there," Sarah said, pointing over her shoulder towards a bench parked fifty yards behind them. Ellie glanced back at the bench before turning her attention back to the group.
"As the sun came up, Sarah finally came over to me and sat down on my left."
"He hadn't moved in nearly eight hours, I figured it was time, I'm glad I did," Sarah said with a hint of a smile on her face.
Chuck matched her smile and nodded as he spoke, "Me too."
"I told him that we'd protect him, that he shouldn't tell anyone to keep them safe," Sarah said, picking up where Chuck left off.
"Then you said three simple words that changed everything for us." Ellie could see the fondness for this story in Chuck's eyes as he finished speaking, this was a good moment for the two of them.
"What did you say, Sarah?" Ellie asked curiously. Sarah couldn't have said the "L" word, there was no reason at that time to say that, so Ellie was really curious.
"Trust me, Chuck," Sarah said with finality and a fond remembrance that was unmistakable. Ellie could see the love in both Chuck and Sarah's eyes and when she saw movement, she quickly spotted, Sarah's hand clasping around Chuck's bigger hand. Ellie wasn't stupid, she could see that these two were very much together, but she had questions that she needed answers to.
"Where were you two this weekend?" Ellie asked quietly. She saw Chuck and Sarah share a quick glance and had a feeling this was the first big reveal.
"Vegas," Chuck said simply, looking out at the ocean as he spoke. Ellie gaped at Chuck's answer, Vegas being the last thing she suspected.
"What?" Ellie asked quietly. Sarah simply nodded and smiled at Chuck, who returned her smile with one of his own.
"I was given an assignment here in Los Angeles, to extract an agent named Samuel Watkins from a party held by actor Rex Horn," Sarah began, before Ellie cut in.
"I love Rex Horn! Master of Disaster was hilarious." Sarah simply smirked at Chuck knowingly. "What?" Ellie asked as she saw the exchange between Chuck and Sarah.
"I remember Casey telling me yesterday that your brother said something similar the other day during a briefing," Sarah said to Ellie as Chuck huffed a laugh and nodded.
"What can I say, my sister and I are fans of Rex Horn." Sarah simply nodded and continued her story.
"Anyway, the Director of Central Intelligence himself, asked me to take the assignment over my opposition," Sarah began. Ellie simply nodded for Sarah to continue. "At the time, I was missing Chuck horribly, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to stay away from him if I came back here. I knew I wasn't allowed to contact him, so going to see him would have been a serious problem for both him and I. Still, it was all I could think about when I landed in LA." Ellie nodded as Sarah paused to for a moment, deep in contemplative thought.
"You ever wake up in the middle of the night and all you can think about is getting a drink of water?" Sarah began quietly, almost to herself, Ellie merely nodded. "Your entire being is fixated on getting that drink of water, to quench that seemingly unquenchable thirst." Sarah looked down at her hands, the hands of a killer, now the hands of a wife and soon to be mother.
"When I landed at LAX, it was like my soul ached for him. Like that drink of water, I just had to see him, but I knew I couldn't. I didn't even really need to talk to him, I just wanted to watch him sleep." Sarah looked out at the water, the waves crashing into the shore. "I just wanted to see him one more time." Ellie could practically feel the heartache in Sarah's words and it broke her heart. This woman loved her brother so much, and what had happened to them was horrible. Ellie saw Chuck give Sarah's hand a squeeze, lending her comfort as she retold what was obviously a difficult tale.
"I didn't know you wanted to see me that night," Chuck said in surprise. Sarah simply nodded with emotion in her eyes.
"While I was in DC, I'd call the Buy More after hours machine, to hear the voice message recording, just to hear your voice," Sarah said quietly before she turned back to the ocean. Ellie saw the look of realization on Chuck's face and she wanted to know what he'd realized.
"The woman crying into the machine every night, was you? Lester used to tell me about the crazy lady who called and cried." Sarah simply nodded and wiped at her eye to stop the tears.
"There were many nights where I couldn't sleep until I made that call; hearing your voice was the only thing that helped me find peace at night." Sarah said as she looked down at her hands, aching to have a ring on her finger, but knowing she needed to tell Ellie the news before the ring shopping could commence. "This is all to say, that my urge to go see Chuck was overwhelming, but I resisted that urge. I knew that if I went to see him, they might take steps to make sure it never happened again, and I couldn't do that to him, not after everything else that had already happened to him." Ellie simply nodded.
"So, I go to this party as ordered, my cover name is Charlotte Barstow, and I'm just terrified out of my mind…" Sarah said as she remembered that moment. As Sarah opened her mouth to continue, Ellie spoke up.
"Wait a minute, they made your cover, Charlotte Barstow?" Sarah simply nodded in obvious frustration as she remembered how angry she was at that cover name. "That is so fucked up!"
"Oh yeah, CB saving SW, talking about history repeating itself. Anyway, my superiors had given a message to this Samuel Watkins that he was to look for a blonde woman with a tattoo on her right shoulder. Because of this, I had to show off my tattoo, which was personal in nature." Sarah could see the look of curiosity on Ellie's face and simply groaned. "I'm really getting tired of taking my top off for every girl I'm friends with," Sarah said with a smirk as she reached for the hem of her tee shirt and pulled it up and over her right shoulder, pulling her arm out as well, but leaving the rest of the shirt in place. Sarah turned so Ellie could see the tattoo. Chuck could see the fascination on Ellie's face as she admired Sarah's beautiful tattoo.
"It's beautiful, what does it mean?" Sarah pulled her shirt back down and readjusted everything so that her bra and shirt were comfortable once again. Now that she knew why her bras no longer fit, it might be time to take Chuck shopping for new ones, he might enjoy the trying on/modeling portion of that trip. Refocusing on Ellie's question, Sarah spoke frankly.
"I was feeling low after I lost Chuck, I knew that he'd never love again, I knew he'd go on dates and maybe even try to have a serious relationship, but if Jill affected him as bad as it did, then he'd never love again after I was forced out of his life. I don't mean to sound arrogant or boastful, I'm just telling the truth," Sarah said in hopes to stave off any accusations of arrogance. Chuck simply nodded at Sarah's statement, confirming what she'd said about him.
"It's true, Sis, I was pretty broken." Sarah simply nodded and continued.
"This tattoo was a promise that I'd never love again either. Aeternum tuus, in aeternum solus is Latin; it translates to, forever yours, forever alone." Ellie's eyes softened ten full levels at that revelation, that was so tragic. Sarah simply nodded at the recognition, in Ellie's eyes.
"I was ready to spend the rest of my life alone, because nobody would ever love me like Chuck does, and I wanted a physical representation of that promise." Sarah said before she looked over at Chuck and gave him a quick hug and kiss.
"I know you said he means the world to you, but I had no idea," Ellie said as she wiped at a tear.
"The sun, moon, and stars, Ellie; everything that I am, is because of this man right here," Sarah said as she looked lovingly into her husband's eyes. Ellie could see the love in both of their eyes and now she was even more curious to know why they went to Vegas.
"So, you two went to Vegas?" Ellie said, to pivot back on topic, Sarah simply nodded yes.
"Yes, I'm walking around in this dress that shows off my tattoo, because Agent Watkins was notified of my tattoo as an identifying characteristic. I still remember it, I'd just snuck into a secret computer room, but I'd just missed Agent Watkins. I remember it like it was yesterday, I got close to the chair he'd just been sitting in no doubt moments before and I smelled it, Aqua Velva Ice Blue and Irish Spring." Ellie saw the shocked look on Chuck's face and had a strange feeling.
"I uh, kind of lost it for a moment; it smelled like Chuck and instantly I was bawling my eyes out. After that I was done, I got a drink and simply found a place to stand around and wait for this Agent Watkins to find me." Ellie simply nodded as she listened to Sarah, she could plainly see that Sarah had indeed lost her edge. If just the faintest smell of something that reminded her of Chuck had made her lose it, then she was indeed no longer able to work in the field as she explained it the previous evening.
"So, I'm leaning against this couch, basically wallowing in despair, when someone bumps into me," Sarah said as she looked over at Chuck, who had a smile of his own. Ellie looked between them and that's when it clicked.
"No way." Sarah simply nodded as she looked into Chuck's eyes with a loving smile.
"Mmhmm, I turned around and there he was, looking dashing in his tuxedo," Sarah said as she reached up and caressed Chuck's cheek. Ellie was freaking out internally. Looking at the two of them, Ellie couldn't help but think about how much they looked like an old married couple.
"Oh my god! How is that possible?" Ellie asked, which was the most logical follow up question. Chuck turned to Ellie and spoke, knowing he needed to take over from here.
"I was ordered to infiltrate Rex Horn's mansion to extract an agent, who was undercover there." In that moment, Ellie understood what had happened and she cut in.
"Charlotte Barstow," Ellie said to Chuck, who nodded in the affirmative. "That's twisted!" Sarah nodded as well, in total agreement with Ellie's sentiment.
"Oh yeah, it was a gambit by our boss, so she could justify reassigning me back to Chuck's team, but we didn't know that at the time." Ellie nodded.
"So, there we are, together again after six weeks, and neither of us knows what's going on. I know I was freaking out internally; there was Chuck, the man I love, who I was sure I'd never get to see again. I still remember it, we stuck to our covers at first, flirting scandalously with each other about the fact that we were in love with someone else, it was… great." The sigh that accompanied that, told Ellie more than enough. "But, we dropped the flirting and started catching up, telling each other about our time apart, things got heavy very fast as you can imagine." Ellie nodded for Sarah to continue.
Chuck spoke up next, feeling it was time he contributed to the conversation. "As I was telling Sarah about everything, she was getting more and more upset. The band at the party was playing a slow song, so I asked Sarah to dance. While we danced, she was telling me about her six weeks, she watched all of the movies that I like, I was amazed," Chuck said with palpable awe in his tone. Sarah laughed as she remembered that moment, having to lean on Chuck to stay standing.
"What's so funny?" Ellie asked.
"I remember telling him that I was so down, that I was starting to look like the dude, you would have thought I told him I was an alien." Ellie chuckled, but she stopped when she saw the serious look on Sarah's face. "I remember what I said next, I told him that I'd seen the Big Lebowski, that I wasn't grown in a lab. Chuck said it would help to explain how perfect I am. I tried to deny it, but Chuck said that I was perfect, that I was the smartest person he'd ever met, other than you, Ellie," Sarah said as she smiled at the elder Bartowski sibling, who blushed.
"Chuck said that I was the most fearless and bravest fighter he'd ever met. The most kind, most generous, most loving person he'd ever met. He said I took a broken soul like his and healed that soul, showed him he did deserve to feel loved, that he was worthy. Chuck said that I showed a loser, wasting away in a Buy More, that he was meant for more, meant for something bigger in life. Chuck said that I've fought evil, saved hundreds, maybe even thousands of lives." As Sarah's voice trailed off emotionally, she looked over at Chuck once again and stole another kiss from him. Ellie was busy wiping tears from her eyes at the romantic thing she was learning her brother had said to Sarah.
"How did you stay single for so long, Little Brother?" Ellie asked.
"I'm glad he did, because after he finished, I just knew in my heart what we had to do," Sarah said as she continued to look lovingly at Chuck, never taking her eyes from Chuck's. That was the moment where Ellie figured it out; it all fit together in that moment and Ellie gasped in realization.
"You got married?" Ellie asked as she bolted to her feet in shock, fighting the tears in her eyes. Sarah nodded as she got to her feet as well, anticipating an incoming Ellie hug, which she'd waited her whole life for, it would seem.
"We drove to Vegas that night and we've been married ever since," Sarah finished, while Chuck stood and pulled Sarah into a hug, Sarah quickly snuggling in close to his chest. The ramifications of that revelation were huge. Ellie had known that Chuck had been in love with Sarah, but Ellie never could have contemplated that it was that serious. Knowing that he'd married Sarah the first chance he'd gotten after seeing her again, made Ellie feel terrible for all of the things she'd said about Sarah after she'd been forced to leave. She'd called the love of his life a lying succubus, she's said horrible things about this amazing woman. That was just so far beyond the pale.
"Oh my god, you got married," Ellie said again, into her hands as she tried not to let the tears fall, Sarah simply nodded with an emotional smile. Sarah could see the emotions in Ellie's eyes and it was everything she'd thought it would be. For Ellie, her thoughts were a beehive of swirling emotions. Joy and sadness swirled around inside her as she processed what she'd just learned.
"So, you two got married, knowing you'd have to split up when you got back into town?" Ellie asked, only for Chuck and Sarah to nod. "You knew that you could never have a future together, but you got married anyway?" Ellie asked the two of them, only for them to nod.
"Of course I married him, if we got married, then that was something they could never take away from me, I'd always be a Bartowski," Sarah said with an emotional smile, that did nothing but make Ellie's heart soar.
"Oh my god, you got married," Ellie squealed happily as the realization began to set in. "We're officially sisters now, I've always wanted a sister!" Ellie raced to Sarah and pulled her into a hug only the strength of Ellie Bartowski could muster. Sarah didn't used to be a hugger, but in this moment, she reveled in the feeling of belonging she felt in Ellie Bartowski's arms. When the two ladies separated, Ellie turned to her brother and glared at him angrily.
"You jerk, you made me miss your wedding; after all we've been through, you make me miss your wedding!?" Ellie yelled at him in faux anger, a smile appearing on her face. Chuck stuck his hands up defensively; he'd been prepared for this reaction, but he was happy to see the smile on his sister's face.
"I'm sorry sis, at the time, we thought we only had a few days left before she'd have to leave forever, so we tried to make the most of it." Ellie simply nodded at Chuck's answer.
"Okay, so maybe that's a good reason. Must have made the sex pretty hot," Ellie quipped, much to Chuck's horror. Sarah cracked up, while Chuck turned beat red.
"Ellie!" Chuck began, trying to stop this line of thought before it could continue.
"What, it was your honeymoon? I wasn't born yesterday, Little Brother. I know what two young newlyweds, who think they're living on borrowed time, get up to in a hotel room in Las Vegas." Sarah was loving this, Chuck looked nearly on the verge of fainting from mortification.
"Trust me, you have no idea. It was bizarre, the feeling of impending doom made things feel urgent and incredibly passionate, but there was always this niggling feeling of dread right there under the surface." Ellie nodded, completely understanding what Sarah was hinting at. The elder Bartowski sibling could understand how believing your time with the love of your life was limited would make things feel more urgent, more passionate. A situation like that would naturally make a person feel like they had to make use of what little time they had left with their love, before they said goodbye forever.
"I'm so excited for you guys! We've got to go out for drinks to celebrate." Ellie said, excitedly pulling her brother into a hug. When she pulled back, she saw the look of apprehension on Chuck and Sarah's faces. In an instant her momdar as she'd heard her friend Laura call it, went off in spades. "What's that face for?" Ellie asked as she looked between her brother and sister-in-law. Chuck and Sarah shared a quick look, Sarah subtly nodding to him.
Ellie saw the small smile appear on Chuck's face as he took the half step towards Ellie and grasped her hands. Ellie searched Chuck's eyes, looking for any clue what he was about to say, but she found nothing as he spoke. "Elle, something's happened," Chuck began. "Something incredible." In an instant, Ellie was trying to decipher Chuck's meaning, but she couldn't imagine what was bringing this reaction from her brother.
"What is it? What happened?" she said back to him as she felt his hands squeeze hers.
"Sarah's pregnant, Elle." Ellie gasped in surprise, but that surprise quickly turned to joy, her hands shooting to her mouth as she looked between the two newlyweds. Ellie saw Sarah step towards Chuck, her arm encircling him and pulling him into an embrace, her head resting on his shoulder. Chuck's right arm quickly encircled around Sarah as well and held her close.
"You're pregnant? How?" Ellie asked, unsure of the timeline.
"When the 49B happened, I was barred from seeing Chuck again, but I couldn't just slip away without saying goodbye. You were at the hospital working late that night, so I snuck into Chuck's room to say my final goodbye. In that moment of pure despair, as our future together died right there in our arms… we created a new one, and we didn't even know it." Sarah's hand went to her still flat stomach, lovingly caressing the future child that would be gracing their lives in some seven months' time. Ellie's tears restarted and she pulled the both of them into a hug, squeezing the life out of both of them.
"I'm so happy for the both of you, you're going to get the life you always wanted." Ellie had no idea how right she was, and as Sarah felt the comforting arms of Eleanor Faye Bartowski around her and her husband, she felt like part of a family for the first time since she was a little girl.
"Ellie, can't breathe," Chuck squeaked out with a strangled voice, eliciting a giggle from both of the Bartowski women. Ellie pulled back from the hug and simply beamed at Sarah, before pulling her into another hug.
"I just can't believe I'm going to be Aunt Ellie; I was so sure I'd be the first one married with children," Ellie said as felt the strength of Sarah.
When the ladies separated, Chuck spoke. "Well, I couldn't let you be the first in everything, Sis." Chuck's joking tone made Sarah giggle once again and seek out her husband's touch, which she found as she grasped his hand in her own. Ellie simply shook her head, a proud smile on her face.
"Aces, Little Brother, you're aces." Chuck simply nodded to his sister, who turned back to Sarah, a question suddenly on her mind. "So, what does this mean for the team? If you're pregnant, then surely you can't be going on missions, right?" Sarah nodded in confirmation.
"That's correct, I am officially retired from field work, I'm riding a desk now, so to speak." Ellie nodded on understanding as Sarah spoke once more. "We've got a new person coming in to replace me in the field, Agent Nora Rogers, CIA. Chuck, Casey, and I hand-picked her, so this won't be like the last time. We told the General of our selection this afternoon so Agent Rogers should be in town Friday morning. She'll be replacing me at the Double O, while I transition to a different job." Ellie nodded, relief on her face.
"When this Agent Rogers, arrives in town, we'll have a dinner to celebrate your marriage and the baby. You can use that to establish her cover with everyone," Ellie said to the both of them. When she saw the apprehension on their faces, she shook her head. "Oh no, I was cheated out of your wedding, so we are having a dinner to celebrate my little brother marrying the best thing that's ever happened to him, end of discussion!" The determination on Ellie's face told Sarah that this was non-negotiable, so she merely nodded silently.
"I'm sure it'll be a fun evening, and it'll be a great opportunity to introduce Agent Rogers," Chuck replied in hopes of ending the conversation. Ellie nodded happily, a beaming smile on her face.
"And, it'll be a great opportunity for you to tell Morgan, because I know you haven't told him any of this yet." Chuck blanched, he'd have to tell Morgan all of this, well a version of it anyway. His friend was going to feel so upset that Chuck hadn't told him first. Sarah watched her husband's suddenly scared expression and knew why he was suddenly so nervous. Morgan was Chuck's best friend, and the fact that Morgan was going to be the last to know, would be a hard pill to swallow for the little guy.
"I'm sure it'll be fine; but remember, Ellie," Sarah began. Ellie looked from her brother to his wife and she continued. "Morgan is not to be read in, I got in a lot of trouble when I read you in, so he'll be given a version of events that is approved by our superiors." Ellie simply nodded, suddenly disliking all of the lies involved in her brother's life. Then again, she needed to help keep him safe, and that meant more lies, so she'd do what she had to do.
"I don't like it, but you know you can count on me," Ellie said with a shrug.
"I just hope Anna doesn't make a scene when Morgan invariably drools over Agent Rogers," Chuck said as he imagined all of the ways this could go horribly wrong.
"Why, is she pretty?" Ellie asked with amusement in her tone. Chuck simply gave Ellie that look that was normally reserved for Morgan when he said something stupid.
"Of course she's gorgeous, pretty women seemingly grow on trees in this business." Chuck said before he looked at his wife and spoke. "Don't make anything out of that, you know it's true." Sarah simply shrugged, knowing Chuck was pretty on point. "Truthfully, she looks like she could be Sarah's younger sister, which is what worries me, because you know how Morgan is." Ellie had to nod, she did in fact know how Morgan was.
"Don't you worry about that, when the day comes, I'll handle Morgan," Ellie said with a devious grin. Chuck and Sarah exchanged a look of confusion.
"What are you going to do?" Sarah asked curiously; Ellie simply gave her that same devious smile and spoke in a voice dripping with ominous intent
"Don't worry about it, leave Morgan to me." Chuck didn't know what to think about that tone.
~X~
The Buy More
Burbank, California
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
6:30 PM PST
Chuck was working at the Nerd Herd desk. The nerd herder had a stack of Lester's invoices that were just laying around and he knew that they'd never get put into the system if he didn't do something about them. Lester was a good technician, but he was a horrible employee, something Chuck was obviously masking by doing his work for him. The thing was, Chuck knew how bad the economy was at the moment, Lester wouldn't find another job out there, so Chuck was helping this one time. Even Chuck knew that was a lie, he'd done this before, but this would be the last one, for real this time.
"Come on Chuck, even you don't really believe that," Chuck grumbled to himself quietly as he typed away. Chuck shook his head in disgust with himself, he was the Nerd Herd supervisor, he should be running this shit heap, but he wasn't.
"Why the grumpy look, Chuck? I thought with your lady back in town, you'd be on cloud nine?" Morgan asked as he leaned on the desk, quickly spotting the pile of invoices with Lester's name on them. Morgan furrowed his brow and spoke once again, "Why don't you make Lester do that?" Chuck sighed, knowing he should just make Lester do this, it was his work after all.
"I don't know, Buddy, I guess I just know that he won't do it," Chuck said as he sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes like a man who'd worked too hard for too long.
Chuck's exhaustion wasn't lost on Morgan, his best friend looked absolutely dead tired. "Are you okay, Chuck, you look like shit?" Morgan asked with concern in his voice. Chuck merely nodded into his hands as he rubbed at his eyes.
"Yeah, Buddy, I'm fine, just haven't been sleeping very well the last few days." Morgan nodded; he could see that Chuck wasn't sleeping well.
"A lot's happened in the last six weeks, Sarah leaves, your life goes into a tail spin, Sarah comes back, now you're back together." Chuck just nodded, knowing that Morgan didn't even know the half of it.
"I'm spending my nights at Sarah's hotel room, we don't want to sleep apart anymore, but all of my stuff is at Ellie and Awesome's place, so I'm having to run all over the place all the time. On top of that, there's this god-awful job, where even though I'm Lester's boss, I still do all of his work." As Chuck finished he knew the real source of his problems, but he couldn't mention that. Morgan saw Chuck groan into his hands, which now rested on the desk.
"It might be time to find an apartment with Sarah," Morgan said to Chuck who nodded into his hands and sat up with a large sigh of discontent.
"Probably, everything is just so in flux right now, it's kind of overwhelming," Chuck said as he looked over at Morgan who gave him an understanding nod.
"It'll get better now that Sarah's back, things will start to turn around again." Chuck gave Morgan an appreciative smile and nodded.
"Thanks for the pep talk, Buddy, I guess I needed it," Chuck said to his friend as he saw Big Mike walking up from his office. Chuck sat up straighter in his chair, which did not go unnoticed by Morgan. The shorter, bearded man glanced over his shoulder and saw the portly black man approaching and bolted for another part of the story. Chuck spun his chair and stood up to speak.
"Oh, before I forget," Chuck began, Morgan stopped and looked back at Chuck. "Ellie's having everyone over for a big dinner on Friday, kind of a welcome back, Sarah thing." Morgan nodded with a smile on his face.
"Can't wait, you know I never turn down Ellie's cooking," Morgan said, pointing at Chuck as he backed away from the Nerd Herder. Chuck simply smiled a crooked smile and returned to his work.
"Bartowski!" bellowed Big Mike, scaring Chuck half to death and surely knocking ten years off his life.
"Yes, Big Mike," Chuck replied.
"Need to talk to you, Son," Big Mike said simply. Chuck nodded and glanced at the invoices he'd been working on. Chuck looked around quickly and spotted Lester.
"Lester, come over here and input these invoices that you've got piled up," Chuck called. Lester looked over to him and paid him little mind before returning to talking with Jeff. Chuck saw Big Mike looking at him and the feeling of embarrassment overwhelmed him.
"Excuse me for a moment, Big Mike," Chuck said before he left the Nerd Herd desk and walked over to Lester. When Lester saw the demeanor on Chuck, he turned to face the normally cheerful man. "You can either walk over there and input your invoices, that I've been doing for you, or I can hold you over tonight until you input them all, you choose, either way you will input them, today," Chuck said before he stormed off towards Big Mike's office, leaving Lester to stand there in stunned silence.
"That is a man who needs to get laid," Lester said to himself.
"The woman he loves just returned, and he's stuck in this dead-end job, he's just got a lot on his plate right now," Jeff said cogently.
"This is why I do the thinking, Jeffrey," Lester said before he walked off towards the Nerd Herd desk, Jeff simply shrugged and walked off in a different direction.
~X~
Chuck walked into Big Mike's office and sat down; Big Mike was looking at a document with great interest. Chuck sat there for a long moment and watched Big Mike look at the document.
"Looks like you had a busy weekend, Bartowski," Big Mike began succinctly, looking Chuck in the eye and sitting back in his chair. Chuck simply nodded quietly, not sure where this was going. "You missed two days of work, which we discussed yesterday, but now it would seem that you married your special lady friend, congratulations." Chuck nodded thankfully as Big Mike continued. "Now I've received this application for the Assistant Manager's position for Sarah Lisa Bartowski." Big Mike said holding up the document in his hand, obviously unsure what to do with this information. Chuck remained silent, not sure why Big Mike had pulled him into his office because of Sarah's application.
"Do you know how many possible HR violations it would be to hire your wife as the new Assistant Manager? Corporate just chewed my ass over the potential legal exposure of having your wife be your new boss, Bartowski. Are you trying to kill me?" Chuck saw the stress in his boss's eyes and reached for the application, which Big Mike had tossed down in frustration. As Chuck looked at the application and attached resume, he had to smile. The resume looked exactly as he'd expect his wife's work to look. It looked professional, impressive, and it was filled with information that told her story, but actually didn't. Chuck knew that her Harvard education was legitimate, but he'd have to ask her about everything else.
"I don't see what's wrong with Sarah becoming Assistant Manager," Chuck said as he set the application back down on Big Mike's desk. Big Mike simply gave Chuck a constipated look and grumbled.
"I hate his part of my job," Big Mike grumbled as he stood up and walked around his desk. Chuck saw the portly black man come to a stop next to him, leaning on the desk.
"Son, I know it's dumb, but I've got to ask. Will you be able to work with your wife as your boss?" Big Mike asked seriously. Chuck thought about it, but couldn't help it and laughed to himself. Big Mike didn't understand what was so funny.
"What's so funny?"
"Mike, it was my idea; I suggested that Sarah apply for the position. She's perfect for this job and she'll have this place running better than it's run in years. It'll certainly be better than it was under Emmett or Harry Tang," Chuck said with adoration in his eyes. Big Mike merely nodded, knowing how awful Tang and Milbarge had been.
"We'll see. She interviews tomorrow at five-thirty so you'll be here when she walks in. I expect you to do your job and not gawk." Big Mike said with a hint of a smile on his face.
"I mean I'm gonna gawk a little bit, you don't want me to get in trouble so soon into my marriage, do you?" Chuck shot back with a smile of his own as he stood. Big Mike snorted as he stepped aside to let Chuck pass him and walk towards the door.
"I guess we wouldn't want that now would we." Chuck simply nodded as he walked towards the door. "Oh, and Chuck," Big Mike began again. Chuck turned to look at him. "I saw that exchange with Lester, if he continues giving you grief, I'll support you if you hold him over. You're his supervisor, he needs to remember that." Chuck simply nodded thankfully and left his bosses office. It was apparent that things had gotten a little lax at the Nerd Herd desk in the last six weeks. With his depression spiraling out of control, Chuck had let a lot of things slide that he didn't used to. Now that Chuck was more like his old self, the rest of the Nerd Herd was finding it difficult to get back into the habit of listening to him all of the time. No matter, Sarah would be the new assistant manager in a few days and she'd have this place in tip top shape in no time. And, she'd do it without any of the bully tactics that Emmett had used. Yeah, things were definitely looking up at the Buy More, even if nobody knew it yet.
~X~
Maison23
Burbank, California
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
11:48 PM PST
The nightmares… she'd noticed them the night before, but tonight had been different. Chuck hadn't been sleeping well the last few nights, Monday night had been fine, but last night he'd tossed and turned all night. Tonight, they'd gone to bed early, knowing they had an early start to their day, Thursday morning. Sarah had been awoken from her slumber by the screams of her husband. He hadn't told her what the nightmare was about, not wanting to talk about it. Not knowing what else to do, Sarah had adjusted her pillows, piling them up high, so she could sit up more in bed. Then she'd welcomed her husband into her arms, his head resting comfortably on her chest. She was going to be there for him, for whatever was bothering him. God knows it could have been so many things that were giving him nightmares. He'd been abducted by Fulcrum for days, ultimately convincing them that he was just a civilian. They'd let him go and Sarah and Casey had found him unconscious on the side of the road in the middle of the California desert. That was immediately followed by the 49B and Forrest's abuse, which was its own can of worms. He'd been tortured, thrown off buildings, blown up, punched, shot by Bryce, he was basically a civilian and he'd been through more action than most agents saw in an entire career. So, yeah, it could be anything that was giving her husband nightmares.
The sounds of Chuck's terrified mumblings as he slept, grabbed Sarah's attention. Quick as a flash, Sarah shushed her precious nerd and caressed his head, her fingers running through his curls. "It's okay, I'm here," Sarah said soothingly to her troubled husband. Sarah Bartowski loved this man so much, and he'd done so much to help her find herself after so many years as Graham's pawn. Now, as she laid in bed, her nerd cradled in her arms, his sleeping mind racked with terror, Sarah Bartowski knew there was so much left on the road to recovery for the both of them. The scars of the 49B were still raw for the both of them, but especially for her husband, who'd seemingly suffered the most. Most of the bruises on his body from Forrest's abuse had gone away, many of them weeks old, but the deep wounds left on his soul, those would take a lifetime to heal.
"Don't worry, my love, we'll get through this, whatever it takes."
…whatever it takes.
CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #4: There it is, I hope this helps tide all of you over until this story returns in force! This chapter lays a lot of ground work to kind of pivot the story away from the angsty romance/drama of the first arc and into a story with a bigger and wider scope and focus when the second arc begins in chapter thirteen. The next chapter introduces Nora Rogers and boy oh boy was it divisive! Nev wasn't super keen, MarkeyDeSad loved it! I've made tweaks and changes since then and I really love chapter thirteen, it's different than anything I've written and it'll be the first time i've focused one of my stories so far away from Chuck and Sarah if only temporarily. The coming chapters will show us the world our characters are living in, show us new characters, and help us understand what is to come. It's all very exciting to me, chapters thirteen and fourteen are really great. I can't wait to share them with you!
CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #5: So, Ellie is in the fold now, Chuck is back at the Buy More and powers are a shifting! Let me know what all of you think Nora Rogers is going to be like and how all of you think the party is going to go! I'm curious to see what all of you think is going to happen now versus after you actually read Nora's intro chapter(s). The party is chapter seventeen so it's a ways off, but it looms large in the future.
CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #6: To be completely honest with y'all, I'm super busy with school work right now, so progress has slowed. On top of my classes, I took some time away from fanfic to write another new story on my Literotica page, i'm happy with how it turned out. That really reinvigorated me and I quickly wrote something like five-thousand words of chapter sixteen in three days after that. I can't wait to share it with all of you!
Until Next Time :D