CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #1: Welcome back, everyone, it's been over a week since chapter three debuted and boy oh boy did y'all have some opinions! I expected the heat to rain down upon my head after chapter three and I was not disappointed. Some of you either still don't understand Chuck and Sarah's different dynamic in this story, or you are refusing to accept that this story is the way it is. Until Chuck and Sarah clearly stated their feelings for each other in chapter one, neither of them had any obligation to the other, because they weren't in a relationship! This is the last time i'm saying it, because at this point either you're in or you're out. I don't mean to be combative, but i've explained this two times now and some of you still don't get it. For those of you who acknowledge it and still have gripes, then I can respect that. I welcome constructive criticism, it helps me grow as a writer. My last words on this topic are as follows... while morally grotesque, ethically bankrupt and degrading, seduction missions are completely legal to order in this story's universe. Orders are orders in this story, so Sarah's seducing Barker and the Albanian, is something she has to do if she wants to continue as an agent of the CIA. Okay, that's the last i'm saying about this.
CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #2: Now on a somewhat lighter note, this chapter sheds more light on Sarah's past as well as who Yevgeni Volkoff is. It's ironic that I named him Yevgeni when a very different Russian Yevgeny is making headlines in a major way as I type this. This chapter, as well as the following two chapters were originally one large chapter. As my fourth draft has progressed, i've found the need to split this entire mission up into several chapters. I've still got many more revisions and rewrites to go before I finish this one out. I have a feeling that this story's original seven chapters is actually going to be ten or eleven when i'm done. I've got a complete rewrite of the ending to do (tonal shifts during revision necessitate a tweak to the ending.) On top of that, i'm likely going to add some form of epilogue at the end. So i've got to finish revising chapter's five and six, rewrite chapter's seven, eight and nine, and then write an epilogue to finish this one out. No big deal, i've obviously got time, so expect things to continue as anticipated.
CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #3: No beta readers were harmed in the construction of this fanfic.
Numb
A Story by
CharmingCharles2896
Chapter Four:
Spectre
Chuck, Sarah, Casey, and Beckman were all gathered around the conference table at Castle. The mood was rather subdued, but everyone was ready to get this thing over with. Casey stood up, obviously ready to spearhead this briefing.
"First things first, Bartowski," Casey said, turning to Chuck, who perked up. "Everyone will understand if you want to sit this one out. I don't know if I could handle it if I was you, so we'll understand. Now, if you decide to be a part of this thing, check your feelings at the door and lock in so we can get in, get the information we need, and get out with as little trouble as possible." Chuck knew this was going to suck, that went without saying, but he was a part of this team, so his reply was quick.
"I'm a member of this team, Casey." Chuck saw the recognition on Casey's face, a hint of pride.
"Copy that," Casey said as he picked up the file on Yevgeni Volkoff. Looking at the picture of Crown Prince Yevgeni in his full Rusovian Army dress uniform, numerous medals across his chest. Casey couldn't help but hate this man. The Rusovian puke had never fought a day in his life, even as the Kingdom of Rusovia fought a protracted war with the Russian Federation to their south for the last eighteen years. The two countries had been at odds since the Soviet Union had fallen and Tsar Alexei I had declared the Kingdom of Rusovia in the North West of Soviet Russia in nineteen ninety-one. The two countries that used to comprise the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic had been in a state of stalemated attritional war ever since. Numerous peace treaties had interrupted the bloody periods of war between the two countries. At the moment, there was a tense peace in place, but who knew how long that was going to last. The Russians called it the Russian Civil War, the Rusovians called it the War for Independence. Regardless of what the conflict was called, Yevgeni Volkoff hadn't fought one damn second of that bloody war, and that stolen Valor pissed Casey off.
Knowing that Bartowski was a part of this thing, Casey wasn't sure where to begin. Looking up at the people in the room with him, he remembered what Sarah had said earlier, what he'd replied. It was time to be blunt.
"This is Crown Prince Yevgeni Alexeivich Volkoff, age thirty-five," Casey said as a different image of the Prince appeared on screen. "The man is the eldest of the five children of Tsar Alexei I. Analysts here in the states believe that he will take his rightful place atop the Throne of Saint Peter sometime in the next ten years when Tsar Alexei's declining health forces him to abdicate." Clicking a button on the computer stationed to his left, a new picture appeared on screen. The image on screen was one of Crown Prince Yevgeni walking out of a club along with a group of men beside him.
"A man with deep ties to the Rusovian mob; Crown Prince Yevgeni is viewed by many here in the States as decidedly less friendly to the west, compared to his father. This makes his willingness to cooperate with U.S. Intelligence, that much more surprising. That being said, Crown Prince Yevgeni was a known associate of Langston Graham, the two doing favors for the other on more than one occasion." None of them wanted to look at Sarah, who merely looked away to an empty spot on the wall.
"I really hated that man," Chuck said under his breath, getting a nod from Casey, who continued his briefing.
"Known for his heavy use of drugs, mainly cocaine, as well as a veritable revolving door of women in his bedroom, Crown Prince Yevgeni makes Kwame Kilpatrick look like a saint. Standing six-feet six-inches tall and weighing some two-hundred seventy-two pounds, Crown Prince Yevgeni is an imposing figure. On top of his temper and drug use, Crown Prince Yevgeni has a notorious history of violence towards women." Without another word, Casey clicked his computer again and an assortment of pictures of the numerous battered women from Crown Prince Yevgeni's past appeared on screen. "The man is rumored to have viciously brutalized some ten different women in six countries, all investigations ending under mysterious circumstances. Being the Tsar of Rusovia's son and having such deep ties to both the Rusovian mob and former DCI Graham, Crown Prince Yevgeni has been essentially untouchable for the last sixteen years." Sarah was too preoccupied looking at the pictures of the battered women, and subsequently reliving her own experience, to pay close attention.
"Guy sounds like an asshole," Chuck grumbled. Nobody responded as the images changed once again, to reveal a shirtless Crown Prince Yevgeni, flexing and showing of his numerous tattoos.
"He reminds me of Saddam's son Uday," the General remarked. Casey grunted to himself, having to agree with the General's comparison.
"Given the sum total of our information on the man, it goes without saying that a man like this is a woman's worst nightmare. Knowing all this, do you have anything to add?" Casey said to Sarah, who didn't respond.
"Walker?" came Casey's voice a little louder, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"What?" Sarah replied, looking left and right a few times before focusing on Casey. The General couldn't help but notice the change in Agent Walker, she was normally so focused, but her mind seemed a world away.
"Not to be crass, but you've had the Yevgeni Volkoff experience, anything to add? Thoughts?" Sarah didn't dare look at her boyfriend, she just couldn't if she was going to have this conversation.
Clearing her throat and sitting up straighter, Sarah began. "Volkoff is a very strong man, that goes without saying. He uses his size and strength to overpower women, and beats them up if they try to resist." Chuck noticeably flinched, which wasn't lost on anyone in the room, least of all Diane Beckman.
"Volkoff refuses to wear condoms and doesn't pull out… ever. What the NSA obviously doesn't know is that Yevgeni Volkoff has something like forty illegitimate children across the globe. At least, that's all the children my own research could track down in the days leading up to my own night with the Crown Prince of Rusovia, seven years ago. Who knows how many more he has since then." Sarah heard Chuck fidget in his seat, but he didn't say anything. Sarah almost wished he'd make a wise crack, say anything to break the tension.
"When I was last with him, I was only nineteen years old, compared to Crown Prince Yevgeni's twenty-eight. I hadn't even completed training at the farm; Agent Montgomery and Graham having to give me a crash course in seduction to get me ready. Graham told me this was a part of my training, doing something I knew I didn't want to do, because I was ordered to do it."
"Sounds familiar," Chuck mumbled in response, making the General fidget uncomfortably.
"Volkoff was very rough seven years ago. He uh…" Sarah's voice trembled briefly, the blonde obvious not wanting to dig all of this up again. After a deep breath, Sarah continued. "He pinned me down on the bed, my chest on the mattress, him on top of me. Whipping, slapping my face, spanking, hair pulling, not to mention demeaning language directed squarely at me was all a part of the experience." Casey had to smother the groan of disgust as his partner continued her tale of humiliation and degradation.
"When he finally finished inside me, I had bruises and welts all over my back, arms, legs, and butt. It was very traumatic for me and I didn't go on another mission for almost two years. I didn't do another seduction mission of that intensity until I was ordered to, four months ago." Sarah said, making something in General Beckman constrict. To hear it in such brutal detail was so much worse than reading the report she'd found in Sarah's file. Beckman now understood why Graham had refused Beckman's plans to send Sarah to seduce Colt into giving up the cypher. While Sarah had been sent to seduce Lon Kirk, she had been given means by which to extricate herself from that situation. Afterall, the goal of that initial encounter was not to go all the way that first time, but to build a report that could possibly used advantageously at a later date. To now understand that Graham had been protecting his star agent, made the General feel just the least bit guilty. Of course, the greater good was more important than the feelings of any one agent, but still.
The room fell into silence as Sarah finished, none of them knowing exactly what to say.
"Where is this taking place?" Chuck asked, breaking the silence. Chuck's posture was contemplative, the wheels obviously turning in his head. Beckman spoke up to answer Chuck's question.
"The Waldorf in Beverly Hills, penthouse suite, top floor. Security should be minimal, two men at most. This is assuming he upholds his end of the deal. I insisted upon it to minimize Agent Walker's exposure." Casey wanted to roll his eyes, the General thought she'd been so considerate.
"Given the briefing we just listened to, as well as Sarah's own prior experience; we need to be able to intervene, at a moment's notice if needed. Risking physical harm to Sarah isn't worth it, nuke or not," Chuck said with clarity in his voice.
"Mr. Bartowski, be reasonable. We have to get that information. No matter the risks, the prospect of a nuclear detonation on American soil is something we cannot allow to happen," General Beckman said to Chuck, who slammed his palm against the table loudly, making everyone jump. Turning in his chair to face the General, Chuck spoke with a venom in his voice that had never been there before.
"This isn't about a damn nuke. You know as well as I do that radiation sensors across the United States will detect any device long before it is able to go off. The only reason we're here is because U.S. and British Intelligence screwed up. This is about saving the government's ass before the press hears about a nuke on the loose." The General didn't respond, hating the insinuation that this was all just to cover anyone's ass. What was wrong with trying to prevent the public from learning about something that would cause a panic?
"Sarah's wellbeing isn't something that should be tossed aside to save the ass of some clueless drone on Capitol Hill. I refuse to accept that sending Sarah in there to be brutalized and sexually assaulted is something we should accept without taking appropriate precautions. Sarah is not disposable, she's not some piece of hardware like a tank or a plane. We can't just build another one if she's hurt or worse. Any damage, physical or psychological, will have long lasting effects. If things go off the rails, we need to be able to get in there before she gets seriously injured or worse. Volkoff knows he has us over a barrel, he knows he calls the shots; more so than seven years ago. What if he feels like playing tic tac tow with a knife on Sarah's left thigh? What if he decides that carving his initials across her forehead is a fun thing to do? We have to have contingencies, General, otherwise this entire clusterfuck is a tragedy waiting to happen." The anger radiating off of Chuck was something none of them had ever seen before. It clearly took a lot to get him angry, but it was an ugly sight to see such a bright and kind person so filled with rage.
"I promise you, General, if Sarah doesn't walk out of this, I will make sure the entire fucking world knows what happened here. I will make it my mission in life," Chuck's menacing growl sent the message clearly to the General who didn't even begrudge his anger. No matter what she said, she'd still done something he had every right to be angry about. Watching Chuck sit back with a huff, the General got the sense that several years' worth of anger and frustration had just come to the surface. Sarah reached over to her left and took one of Chuck's hands, giving it a comforting squeeze in an attempt to calm him. Having never seen the man she loved get so angry, she hoped this was the only time she ever saw it. Anger and furious rage were a grim look for her boyfriend; one that didn't belong anywhere near Chuck Bartowski.
Casey eyed everyone at the table and couldn't help but sympathize with Bartowski. The last several months had been a reality of the General's making. Chuck had been forced to stomach a lot and clearly, the festering anger had finally come to the surface. It shouldn't have been a surprise to anyone, that the final trigger for all that anger, was the possibility of the woman he loved being subjected to some of the most unimaginably horrific treatment that Casey had ever had to confront during mission prep.
"Bartowski's right, General," Casey said in a much more subdued tone than Chuck's. The General turned towards Casey as he spoke. "We should have a backup plan in place, before she goes anywhere near Volkoff. To go ahead without any plan to possibly extract Walker, puts her at far too great a risk for my liking," Casey said, backing up Chuck's argument. Sarah was a little emotional, watching her team have her back, unlike the last time she'd been thrown to the wolves like this.
"A room, one floor below the penthouse suite," Chuck proposed. "Casey can be there suited and booted, waiting for the call. I can monitor from Castle, that way we don't have to move equipment in, attracting attention. If anything happens, I give the word, Casey takes the fire stairs up to the penthouse and kicks some ass," Chuck offered. "This also offers Sarah a place to go afterwards." Swallowing uncomfortably, Chuck continued. "After Sarah has… erm, achieved her mission objectives, she can simply go down a floor and get in the room to shower, rest, whatever is needed. If Sarah didn't do another mission for two whole years after her last interaction with this monster, then this is the least we should be doing right now." Chuck's far more subdued tone showed the emotionally taxing nature of this entire conversation.
Feeling sufficiently chastised by Chuck, the General paused to consider his proposal. Given what the General had already learnt about this Yevgeni Volkoff, as well as Agent Walker's own harrowing tale, the risks were pretty steep for Agent Walker.
"What do you think, Agent Walker?" General Beckman said, turning in her chair to face the quiet blonde. The General's look was all the affirmation that Sarah needed to understand that this was a genuine request for her opinion. On the one hand, having backup would be a massive relief while she was up there. The thing was, would Chuck pull a Lon Kirk and intervene when everything was still under control? Sarah would have to talk to him about that before it was showtime. Eventually, Sarah sighed, her eyes closing in resignation. Silently, Sarah gave a single nod, looking at the General as she did so.
Understanding Sarah's decision, the General stood. "I'll call the Waldorf and get a room reserved," General Beckman said as she walked off. As the General left the room, the three members of Team Intersect sat in silence. Without speaking, Chuck brought Sarah's hand to his lips to kiss.
Eventually, Chuck looked over at Sarah and spoke quietly. "I'm sorry you had to dig all of that up. I know that was hard for you," Chuck said, giving her hand a tender squeeze. Sarah gave him a soft smile in return.
"I've never seen you so angry," Sarah replied softly, a look of concern in her eyes. Chuck looked away, trying to wrangle his thoughts.
With a hefty sigh, Chuck spoke, looking back over to her as he did so. "I'm tired of people treating you like you're disposable. It's bad enough that she treats you like a prostitute, but to act like your safety is irrelevant is just…" Chuck just trailed off, shaking his head and looking away, still clearly angry.
"The practice of sending agents to seduce marks is barbaric and should be outlawed," Casey growled to himself as everything involved with this mission began to sink in.
"Too many of the old guard still believe in the practice," Sarah mumbled flatly.
"Copy that," Casey said with equal amounts of numbness. The sound of footsteps behind them made Sarah turn in time to see the General return to the room.
"A room has been secured. As negotiated yesterday, he's expecting Agent Walker tonight at seven. That gives us six hours to prepare."
"The only thing left to sort out is a method of observing," Chuck said as he sat back in his seat. Neither of the two agents at the table spoke at first.
"Listening in would be difficult if they sweep Walker, so it will have to be some form of video," Casey mentioned as the complications mounted. Tossing together a mission of this magnitude on such short notice was never a good idea. The prospect of Chuck seeing what was happening to Sarah was legitimately her worst nightmare.
"Oh god, you're going to see everything," Sarah groaned into her hands, mortified at the idea of Chuck seeing her in such a degrading state.
"Don't worry about me, I'll live," Chuck offered, obviously trying to be strong for Sarah. To say that Sarah was proud of Chuck would be an understatement. Never in all of her life had she been so proud of another person for setting aside their very justified objections. Thankfully, this would be the last time the man she loved was ever going to be in this situation. When this was all over, she owed Chuck time, not to mention her undivided love and admiration.
"What about the XB-53?" The General pitched "A set of those should have been included in the last delivery of equipment, back in May." Chuck perked up quickly, having read the report about those months ago.
"Those are the contact lens cameras. They're low quality and only in black and white, but given the constraints we have… it might be our best option," Chuck said as he rose and jogged to the armory where they stored all their tech.
After Chuck was out of earshot, Sarah turned to the rest of the table and spoke in a primal growl. "That footage better be destroyed when we're done here. I don't want fuzzy footage of my tits floating around the halls of the NSA," Sarah's tone left nothing to the imagination, she was not happy about this.
"Trust me, the only one here with any desire to see your body is Bartowski, and I doubt this is what he had in mind," Casey said honestly, making Sarah huff a laugh as she shrugged. "When we wrap this up, I'll destroy it personally," Casey promised just as Chuck's voice sounded from the armory.
"Found it!" A moment later he returned with a small plastic box, tossing it to Sarah. Chuck watched as Sarah caught it in one hand and looked at the contents within. The pair of contact lenses looked no different than any other, except for the little flesh colored sticker that lay beside them.
"Two contacts and a transmitter that goes behind my ear, I assume?" Sarah asked Chuck who nodded.
"Once the transmitter is on your skin, it uses your ambient body heat to power itself." Chuck's explanation didn't make a lick of sense, but tech wasn't her area of specialty. The General piped up, after Chuck's explanation.
"Don't forget that the chip is also a tiny microphone. It isn't the most powerful microphone in the world, but when other agents have used the XB-53, the effective range of the microphone has been shown to be about four feet, which should be more than enough."
Seeing the pained expression on Sarah's face, Chuck spoke up. "I know what you're worried about," Chuck said, looking right at Sarah. Taking her hands in his once again, Chuck knew this was a moment where he needed to be especially strong for her. "Maybe one of us can monitor the audio and one of us the video, divide the labor so that no single person has to experience the entire thing?"
"But who's going to do what? There's only three of us, Chuck, and Casey's going to be away from Castle," Sarah asked, poking some valid holes in her boyfriend's attempt at a solution to her worry. It was clear that Sarah didn't want to Chuck to listen again. Maybe it was memories of how hard Chuck had taken it with Barker, maybe it was something else. Regardless, it was clear Sarah didn't want him to have video and audio.
"I'll do it," The General said quietly, the three members of her team turning to face her.
"Excuse me?" Sarah said, clearly not believing what she'd heard.
"We can all agree that Chuck shouldn't have to listen again. I'm the one ordering you to go through with this. I'll stay here in Castle and monitor audio so that he doesn't have to." Sarah was positively shocked. She was surprised that Beckman was being this hands-on, it was certainly different from how Graham had done business.
"The video is going to be so low quality, It won't be like I'm in the room with you or anything," Chuck added, knowing just how small the cameras were. Sarah paused to think, before running both her hands over her face and through her hair.
"Walker," Casey said, seeing her look at him through her fingers. "It's the only play we've got." Sarah knew Casey was right, but she didn't have to like it, which she most certainly did not.
Sarah stood from her seat and spoke to her superior, "Let's go with the XB-53." Casey nodded and sprang into action, knowing all of the things he needed to prepare before it was showtime. Turning to face General Beckman, the diminutive general saw the emotional exhaustion that seemed to emanate off of Sarah Walker. The blonde CIA agent was positively at her limit and it was clear that any more right now, would push her over that limit.
"Agent Walker," General Beckman began, getting the slightest hint of an eyebrow raise as the only acknowledgement that she was listening. "When Castle was built, we installed a fake bedroom in the back. The place is fully furnished like any normal bedroom; It's just filled with surveillance. A smart guy like Chuck should be able to circumvent such things." Sarah didn't understand what Beckman was hinting at. At this point her mind was in a haze of negative emotion and stress.
"I need you and Chuck here in case something comes up," the General began. "Why don't the two of you go to the back and just…" The hand motions the General was making in the absence of words didn't help Sarah understand. With a frustrated sigh, General Beckman motioned for Chuck.
"Your girlfriend is freaking the hell out. Considering all that's been said and everything that's going to happen later tonight, why don't you take her to the back, so that the two of you can relax and forget about all of this craziness for a while. Neither of you will be worth anything tonight, if she has a goddamn nervous breakdown." The desperate look from Sarah as she looked over at Chuck was all the incentive he needed.
"Thank you, General," Chuck said as he wrapped his arm around Sarah's back. Silently, Chuck led the two of them past the General and down the hallway.
As the nascent couple made for the depths of Castle, Beckman and Casey's watched the both of them. Casey had never seen Walker and Bartowski like this, especially Walker. He'd never seen the legendary Sarah Walker so vulnerable, emotional, and unfocused. The trauma she'd experienced so many years ago clearly still weighed on her.
"How do you think tonight's going to play out, Major?" Beckman asked mutedly, eyeing the hallway that Chuck had Sarah had disappeared down. Casey paused for a moment, obviously contemplating.
"If Walker can hold it together, then I think we've got a shot."
"That's a big if, Major," Beckman said, having just seen the emotional basket case that was Sarah Walker.
"Bartowski's got this; he'll have her settled and ready to go by the time she has to leave." Casey's tone conveyed complete faith in his asset. "The real question is how long that calm will last once she's in bed with Volkoff and he's hitting her and shit," Casey said, still grappling with everything that would happen later in the evening.
"Do you really think it will come to that?" the General asked in what Casey felt was a hint of naivete.
"Given his track record, I'd almost guarantee it. If Walker's first encounter was as bad as she described it, then tonight could be ugly." Beckman just nodded silently, something that irked Casey. The General was sending a great agent into harm's way, possibly needlessly, and she seemingly refused to grasp the gravity of what was likely going to happen in only a handful of hours' time.
Continuing his list of concerns, Casey spoke once more. "My biggest concern is Bartowski," Casey began after a brief pause to collect his thoughts. "I worry that he'll make himself watch, just like he forced himself to listen the first time." Beckman only nodded, understanding what Casey was saying. "It ain't right for a man to have to watch his girlfriend be brutalized by someone else and be powerless to stop it. No matter what he says, no matter how well this goes, this is going to affect him. I didn't do anything the first time and I regret that. This time I'll be out, so he'll be here with nothing to do but watch Volkoff have his way with Walker." General Beckman had never seen so much empathy from the Major.
"He'll be fine, Major Casey, he's stronger than you think," the General said, looking back towards the hallway. The General missed the disbelieving shake of Casey's head, the Marine obviously stunned by General Beckman's baseless denial of reality.
~X~
In the depths of Castle, there was indeed a fully furnished bedroom. It had been constructed ostensibly to act as a controlled environment for interrogation and seduction type assignments. So far it hadn't been needed. Because of its lack of use, Chuck and Sarah would be the first people to ever actually use it. The walk back had been silent for the two of them, neither of them able to come up with anything to say. At the moment, Chuck was typing away on a computer to disable all of the surveillance devices in the fake bedroom. Chuck didn't want to tell anyone how easy this was, lest he reveal his hidden talents. With a few final keystrokes and a firm press of the enter button, all bugs and cameras within the room went dark. Looking over at Sarah, he gave her a thumbs up and watched her sigh.
Chuck could see the signs that Sarah wasn't in a good place at the moment. He'd spent the better part of two years studying her every mood and reaction. If his totally not obsessive study of the enigma that was Sarah Walker had taught him anything, it was that it took a lot to get Sarah to the edge. That said, once Sarah was on the edge, it was usually ugly. Right now, if the tremble of her lip, the glassy nature of her eyes, and the general tremble of her features was any indication, Sarah Walker was beyond the edge.
Without a word, Chuck opened up his arms. Just as he'd expected, Sarah crashed into his embrace, burying her face in his chest. As he held her tight, he could feel her shaking. He knew it was time for him to be strong for her, to help her like she'd helped him only days prior. "It's okay," he whispered into her ear before kissing her on the head. He knew she was in a dark place where all of this was concerned. "I know you're scared, you have every right to be, but we can get through this." As he held her tight, he could feel her emotional shakes as she silently cried into his chest.
"I'm so scared," Sarah mumbled into Chuck's chest, her tears creating little wet spots on his shirt. "It was horrible the last time, he was so rough, hurt me so bad," Sarah said between sobs.
The fear Sarah had held onto following that night had made her into the agent she was today. A desire to never be so helpless in the field again had made Sarah Walker into the best CIA agent ever. When Sarah returned to the farm to finish her training, she attacked her training with vigor and determination that the farm hadn't seen since the legendary Frost had gone through it in nineteen seventy-three. Sarah broke all of Frost's records with ease, her training and focus unmatched. When she'd left the farm, the innocent little girl that had been served up to Yevgeni Volkoff two years prior had been turned into Langston Graham's Enforcer. Fast forward five years and Sarah suddenly felt no different than she had when she was nineteen. The idea of returning to that man made her knees shake with fear. She knew she was prepared to handle a man like Volkoff, but the idea of facing him again made her heart race and her head swim. Worse still, everything that happened would be broadcast back to the man she loved. He'd get to see her used and abused, helpless, a shadow of the woman he knew and loved.
Feeling Sarah's form continue to shake in her arms, Chuck held her tighter and whispered into her ear. "No matter what happens tonight, no matter what you have to say or do, it won't change anything between us," Chuck said, trying his best to help the woman he loved regain control. "You do whatever you've got to do to come back to me safe and sound. Casey and I are going to be with you every step of the way to keep you safe." As Chuck finished speaking, Sarah pulled back to look into her boyfriend's eyes. Chuck saw abject terror in her eyes while she saw nothing but love and the strength she needed from him at the moment. Sarah had never needed a person more than she needed Chuck right now in this moment. Chuck was her rock, something which she could use to anchor herself in such a difficult moment. Kissing him frantically, Sarah held onto the man she loved for dear life, not wanting to be apart from him until she absolutely had to. As they continued to kiss and embrace, Sarah's mind couldn't help but cry out internally.
"Lord, take me away from this place, take me away from this life, give me the strength to endure what's coming!"
CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #4: Sarah is terrified of what's to come, but she knows she must press on for the greater good. The question now becomes, how will everyone around her react and can the team survive this? For the answers to those questions, you'll just have to tune in for the rest of the story! I will say, my revision of this story really changed things. This story has grown by over 8,000 words since I began revising the completed first draft. Another thing that has changed over time is the titles of the chapters. Last week I said this chapter would be titled "A Girl, a Boy, and a Graveyard." Clearly the title of the chapter changed. The titles of the chapters may not make much sense to all off you, because i'm naming each chapter after a song that I feel reflects the tone of the chapter. Just to educate all of you, i'll list all of the songs below, maybe give all of you some insights ;)
Chapter One: The Silence by Manchester Orchestra
Chapter Two: You & I by PVRIS
Chapter Three: Wake Up by Macintosh Braun
Chapter Four: Spectre by Radiohead
Finally, next week's chapter is titled... "Horizons" inspired by the song Horizons by Scott Buckley.
CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #5: I recently heard that Yvonne Strahovski is pregnant with baby number three! She's really embraced motherhood, which I just love. It does bum me out, because it likely means we'll see her in fewer and fewer movies and TV shows going forward. I refuse to watch Handmaid's Tale, because I don't want to watch her as a villains lol. Still, i've got Chuck and movies like the Tomorrow War to give me my Yvonne fix XD.
CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #6: Anyway, if you enjoyed this chapter, if you hated it, if you have any opinions at all, then leave me a review and let me know! I love your reviews and have gotten so many more than I thought I would for this story already. Stay tuned for chapter five, some time next. The fifth chapter is one that i've gone over countless times, it's intense, powerful and filled with all sorts of revelations about what's to come.
Until Next Time :D
