A/N: In case there is any question, this is an AU, and takes place present day.
Warning: This A/N may be longer than the fic itself. So, here I am writing a mystery fic, and there is a good reason I've never really written one. Let me tell you a little backstory. I wrote a bunch of mystery novels. Honest to God, novels, on sale, wherever you get books. (Not in many stores but there was one place that had them three years ago still.) I never sold many. It didn't bother me, but writing it help me realize something, I had autism.
After I got my diagnosis, I decided to do something I don't do well, and that's meet people. Now, it happened on twitter, but I me a bunch of people who like Chuck. And somehow, in a way that makes no sense, I became friends with the woman you know as Steampunk Chuckster. I had no idea she wrote fanfic. Hell, I didn't know what fanfic was. One day on twitter, I saw she had posted a link to a fic called Dive. (It was chapter 4 in case you were wondering.) I began to read it but it made no sense so I went back to the beginning, and for the next half hour ignored the world. It was good. You guys know that. But I asked her if she wrote it, and she told me yeah. (What's funny is, she was worried I would shame her or make fun of her.)
I gushed my friends, GUSHED! And then she told me about everything else she wrote, and I began to devour it all. And then one day she published DATG. I didn't know she wrote DATG at the time, and…well…I lost it. I absolutely fell in love with it, and it is my favorite all time fic.
I say all of that to say to you, SC is a sister to me. During the last three years especially, outside of my family, she has been my rock. That's why I have stayed away from a long ongoing detective fic. I'm down to three ongoing fics, and finally I couldn't resist the siren's call. This could be long. AND I MEAN LONG. It may not. But it could be. And while there will be on PLI, it may be a bit before they're together.
To be clear, SC has done nothing but encourage me to write this fic, I just don't want anyone thinking I'm taking her idea. I hope you enjoy it. Remember, you all asked for it. 😊
Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck
Chuck stood there, sweat pouring off of him, trying to figure out what they were going to do. This was bad. Really bad. He looked over at Sarah, who was lying on the ground, unconscious. "I'm going to have to take off her clothes." He blew out a breath. "And then I'm going to have to take of my clothes."
Chuck hoped she could forgive him.
}o{
Seventy-two hours earlier, or four hours after the end of the last chapter.
Sarah wiped the condensation off of the mirror, staring at the reflection of the twenty-six-year-old that looked back at her. Seven years in the CIA… maybe, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that Graham forced her to join the agency at sixteen, and then… she had been forced to leave seven years after that. She rotated her left shoulder, and it felt a little tight. Three years later, and it still gave her trouble some days. She shook her head and let her thoughts take her back to that day, three years ago.
}o{
Then
She made her way down the halls of Langley, each step determined, yet ginger. She refused to show weakness in her gait… her face and arm in a sling showed her weakness just fine. She still couldn't believe the outcome of the scuffle… fine, it was a full-on fight. She stopped in front of the door of her destination, and gently rotated her jaw, hearing it pop. This was ridiculous. It had been three days, and she still looked like fresh hell from the fight.
She knocked with her right hand, hearing a voice on the other side of the door call for her to enter. "I'm here to see Director Graham," Sarah said to the secretary, after she had entered the office. A look Sarah couldn't place flashed across the secretary's face.
"Ag… Sarah Walker?" the secretary asked.
Sarah schooled her features, and replied, "Yes." Why was she not being called an agent? Before Sarah could speak, she was told to enter the far office. Sarah nodded, and walked over to that far door, opened it and entered. "Director, your secr-" She trailed off as the person sitting behind the desk was not Langston Graham. It was a woman. Sitting across from the woman behind Graham's desk was a short woman, with red hair, in an Air Force uniform. Sarah looked at the desk and saw the nameplate.
Director Gale Busman.
"Agent…" Gale trailed off. "Miss Walker," she corrected herself.
"Uh, where is Director Graham?" Sarah asked, looking at Gale, and not having a clue what was going on.
"In custody," Gale replied. "Please, have a seat." Sarah sat. "I have seen your file." There was a pause. "Your entire file." Sarah pressed her lips together. "Sarah… you might want to hire a lawyer."
"Why? I'm in trouble?" Sarah asked, stunned. "I was doing my job. I was-"
"You misunderstand," Gale told her. "You have every right to sue the Central Intelligence Agency."
Sarah couldn't stop her jaw from dropping. She glanced over at the red-headed woman sitting beside her. The woman in the Air Force uniform nodded. Sarah turned back to Gale. "I don't understand."
"There were… multiple laws that Graham broke with your recruitment. Child labor laws, forced labor… you were sixteen, Sarah… sixteen." Gale shook her head. "I am sorry."
"While I appreciate that, I would like to just move on from all of that," Sarah said. "I was hoping once my shoulder heals up, I could go back to being a solo agent."
Gale and the seated general, as Sarah noted the stars on her shoulders, shared a look. "That will not be happening," Gale said softly. "We cannot have you as an employee, given all that has happened. You will be compensated, and won't have to worry about working ever again."
"That's not what I want," Sarah blurted out.
"Sarah," the general said, "I am General Diane Beckman of the NSA, and Gale and I have a proposition for you." Sarah glanced at Gale, who nodded for her to listen. "There are many civilian contractors we utilize in the NSA, and we feel you might be a natural fit."
"So, I'll work for the NSA?" Sarah asked, confused.
"No, you will be… a civilian, but you will have the support of the United States government," Diane told her. "Right now, I have a liaison in place with the Burbank police department."
"Burbank?" Sarah asked, confused.
"Less red tape than LA," Beckman admitted. "Plus, it's very close. There are many things going on in LA, but some of it… well…"
"It's not worthy of federal agents?" Sarah offered. Beckman winced but nodded. "So, you want me to be a police officer?"
"Not exactly," Beckman admitted. She looked over at Gale, who looked very uncomfortable.
"We were thinking perhaps a private detective," Gale told Sarah. Sarah stared at Gale. "And… you might be able to help us with another issue we have."
"Something else Graham did?"
Gale nodded.
Sarah let out a deep sigh. Gale pushed a folder to Sarah, a photo of a man about her age clipped to the top. He was cute, a lopsided smile on his face, and curly hair. There was something about him. "Who is this?"
"This is Chuck Bartowski," Diane told her.
}o{
Now
Chuck wiped the condensation off his mirror. He didn't think the bags under his eyes were that big, but he had walked in the bathroom to shower without bringing a change of clothes. He didn't like to do that. He knew Morgan freely walked around his own apartment naked, but Chuck just wasn't comfortable doing it.
He had made up his mind to watch one of his ghost-hunting shows on YouTube to get his mind off everything. Fine, to get his mind off the Lou Incident… and Sarah. He blew out a breath. Sarah-Mae-Lisa-freaking-Walker. God, he wanted to punch Bradly for how he had treated Sarah. Fine, he wouldn't have punched him, but he had some harsh words for Bradly.
He blew out a rough breath. Bradly hadn't done anything wrong. What he and Sarah did was what he and Sarah did, but… God.
When she walked into the Buy More some three years ago, his mind has been blown by her. She had offered him a job, a way out of the Buy More. He had taken it gladly, wanting to become the best private investigator he could. Somewhere along the way, he had gone and fallen in love with her.
He had fallen in love with his partner, and that… that was a no-no. This business of theirs was the best thing that ever happened to him, and soon, very soon, he would be a PI himself. But if he were honest, he'd give it all up to be with her.
He couldn't do that, though… he couldn't say anything to her about it, because this was her life. She wanted a career, after having her life stolen from her by Langston Graham.
If he lived to be one hundred, he would never forget the evening on the beach when she told him how she was 'recruited' into the CIA, about how she had been trained by a special officer since she was sixteen.
Chuck had tried to keep his face neutral as she had told him, but she either read him perfectly, or he hadn't succeeded in his goal. She quickly assured him she wasn't sexually assaulted in any way, but the training… it was brutal. When she went to the farm the summer between her junior and senior year in high school, she passed the courses with ease. Graham had falsified her records to make her seem older than she was.
After high school, there was Harvard, then the CAT Squad. Chuck couldn't help but chuckle, seeing in his mind's eye the face she would make when she didn't think he was looking as she discussed the group. It reminded him of Captain Kirk's face, when he yelled Kaaaahhhhnnnnnn!
Chuck Bartowski loved Sarah Walker, and there wasn't a single thing he could do about it.
Not one.
}o{
Then
"Who is Chuck Bartowski?" Sarah asked looking up from his folder.
"Someone screwed over by the CIA," Gale said, a hint of disgust in her voice.
"Director?" Sarah asked, unused to people caring about others in the CIA.
"What Graham did was absolutely despicable," Gale spat out, venom in her voice. "People already think enough wild and crazy things about us, and then… he does something like this…" Gale gestured toward Chuck's folder. "And throw in how he recruited twelve others like yourself-"
"Wait, there are thirteen of us?" Sarah asked.
"No, there is only one," Gale said gently. "The rest… didn't make it." Sarah stared at Gale. "Either they were KIA, left the CIA and went on the run, or…" Gale looked over at Beckman.
"Some took their life," Beckman said solemnly.
"Oh," Sarah said.
"I hope the bastard rots in jail," Gale spit out. Sarah couldn't help but smile at Gale.
"I'm not used to someone actually caring about me, or other agents," Sarah admitted.
"How the idiot thought he wouldn't get caught…" Gale trailed off, and shook her head. "How many agents do you know that get their orders directly from the director?" Sarah had never thought about that for a second. "See, you think that's the norm, but there are channels, layers to the agency."
"Breathe, Gale," Diane said gently. Sarah chuckled, making both women look over at her. "We have been working on cleaning up his mess for months, and you're the last piece. The reason you were last…."
"Some didn't want you removed from the CIA," Gale told her. "It wasn't fair, Sarah, not what was done to you. But, I am also practical. I've read your file. I know the type of person you are, a survivor. You are amazing at what you do, and I know part of you is scared to be out of the CIA. That's why I will make you this deal."
Sarah sat forward, interested.
}o{
Now
Chuck opened the bathroom door, and double-checked the towel wrapped around his waist. He paused, sensing something was wrong. Three years being trained by Sarah Walker had taught him many things – he couldn't help but learn from her. However, Chuck Bartowski was still Chuck Bartowski.
"Hello," he called out. "I don't know who is here, but I am naked except for this towel. If you jump out to surprise me and tell me to put my hands up, we could be quite uncomfortable."
He grinned at the giggle he heard coming from the living room. "Also, if you are my partner, while I trust you with my life, I don't think either of us are ready to see how red I can turn if I were to drop my towel in fright."
Full on laughter was heard from the living room. "Your safe, Chuck," he heard Sarah call out. "I'll guard your front door and make sure no one surprises you."
"Thank you," Chuck sang out. She grinned as she heard his door close. Sarah couldn't help but smile, thinking the best thing she ever did was take the deal she had been offered.
}o{
Then
"Chuck Bartowski was removed… excuse me, kicked out of Stanford, due to an agent's lie," Beckman began. Sarah looked back down at the picture and found herself smiling softly. There was something about him. "Chuck Bartowski was at Stanford on a full scholarship." Sarah looked up. "His roommate, a CIA operative, told Stanford that he stole a test."
Sarah found herself getting angry. "After his parents left, and his sister raised him-" Gale began.
"Wait, what?" Sarah asked, finding herself now fully angry. "This man," she gestured at Chuck, "gets a full ride after his parents leave him, and then a CIA operative gets him kicked out?"
"Exactly," Gale said gently. "He was on his way to getting a degree in electrical engineering. He is highly skilled with computers." Beckman snickered. "Fine, we have reason to believe he was the hacker Piranha."
Sarah's eyes widened. "So, you want me to keep an eye on him and keep him from hacking?"
"No," Beckman said, shaking her head. "Piranha – if anyone ever personified the term White Hat, it's Piranha – If Chuck Bartowski is Piranha, and it's never been proven, but there is a ton of evidence to suggest there is – we want him to remain in the wild, so to speak. Piranha has never done anything but point out flaws in cybersecurity. He has actually saved the country millions of dollars, providing patches to holes in our security."
Sarah glanced down at Chuck's picture and then looked back at Beckman and Gale. "This guy?"
"That guy," Gale said, chuckling. "Here's the thing; we know Mr. Bartowski has a love for eighties' private-eye television shows. That is one of the few things that Agent Larkin put in his file."
"Agent Larkin?" Sarah asked. "Is he the one who got Chuck kicked out of Stanford?"
"Yes," Beckman said. "He was working under orders from Graham. Agent Larkin has been punished."
"So where do I come in?" Sarah asked.
"You remember we said we thought you might have a career as a PI?" Gale asked. Sarah nodded. "So, here's my offer. For the next three years, you be a private investigator. Over those three years, you train Mr. Bartowski, so he can get his PI license. We can easily use your career in the CIA to get yours immediately. Chuck will need the hours and apprenticeship to get his."
"And after the three years?" Sarah asked.
"After three years, you have a choice," Gale told her. "You may reapply to the CIA. You will be accepted back, given a senior position, and be a proper agent, not a personal vendetta for whoever the director is."
"The other choice?" Sarah asked.
"You remain a PI," Beckman said. Sarah looked at her. "If you decide to remain a partner with Mr. Bartowski, then that's up to you."
Sarah sat there quietly for a second. "And he's agreeable to all of this?" Beckman and Gale exchanged a look. "Ohhhh," Sarah said, nodding understandingly. "He knows nothing about any of this." Gale cleared her throat. "So, you want me to what, seduce him? There is no way-"
"Wait," Gale said, cutting her off, and holding up her hand. "That is not how we operate. If you make the offer and Mr. Bartowski turns you down, my deal stands at the end of three years."
Sarah stared down at the picture of Chuck, and then looked back up at both Gale and Beckman. "Okay. Say I agree to this. How would I get cases?"
"The old-fashioned way," Beckman said, and then she grinned. "We will send you some cases, and as you make a name for yourself, there will be people who seek you out. You don't ever have to take one of our cases."
"But you really hope I would," Sarah said, not asked. Beckman nodded. "What if my partner disagrees?"
"Sarah, he would be your apprentice," Gale reminded her.
Sarah shook her head. "No, if I do this, it's going to be full honesty, full transparency. I've been used too much in my life, and apparently so has he. I'm not doing this to us… to me."
Gale and Beckman shared a look. "Told you she was perfect," Gale said, grinning. "Do we have a deal?"
Sarah glanced down at the picture of Chuck and then looked back up at Gale. "My father would call me a schnook for trusting you two," Sarah began.
"Your father is being released from prison," Gale told her. Sarah blinked, surprised. "Regardless of what you decide."
"Okay," Sarah said, sticking out her hand to Gale. Gale stood and shook it.
"I promise you, Sarah, we are not out to screw you. We are trying to right a wrong." Sarah nodded. She prayed this was on the up-and-up
}o{
Now
Sarah looked down at her phone as she waited for Chuck to change clothes. She had a decision to make. She glanced at the email again. Chuck was now a licensed private investigator. She could return to the CIA. She could quit the civilian life. She could get away from Chuck Bartowski.
She wanted to groan. She didn't have to be here tonight. It was obvious he forgot what tonight was. Movie night, sci-fi night, tv night, or whatever they wanted to watch.
She was in love with Chuck, and it was killing her.
All she had to do was reply to Gale's email, the one that was open on her phone. All she had to do was accept the position that was being offered her. She would be a senior agent. She would make excellent money, not that she needed it. She would have her own team, and not have to worry about someone turning on her.
There would be a clear chain of command, instead of what she had in the CATS. She stared at the email. It was open, the reply was ready to be typed out. All she had to do was accept it, and hit send. That's all she had to do. She wouldn't see Chuck Bartowski ever again.
She wouldn't have to think about his hair. She wouldn't have to think about his kindness, his goodness.
"Sarah?" Chuck asked, standing there, looking at her. "Everything okay?"
She looked up at him and grinned. He had opened the door and walked up on her, and she had no idea. She was so far gone with him, that she knew she needed to get away from him. She had let him in too far. Sarah smiled up at him. "Everything's fine," she said. "I just need to reply to this real quick."
All she had to do was type in accept and hit send, and this slow torture would be over. I decline the offer she typed. She hit send and looked up at him.
"Okay, all good."
It wasn't all good, but it would have been worse if she had gone back. Besides, she loved her current life. She loved working with her partner. The problem was that she loved her partner. That was her problem. She loved her partner, and didn't know what to do about it.
A/N: Guys, no angst, no love triangles. Just SHENANIGANS. The first chapter was the "pilot" so to speak. This chapter, begins the first case that I'm calling Sweat Equity. Hang on, many more familiar faces returning, in places you probably thought you'd never see them.
Next time:
"You had plans tonight," Sarah said, not asked.
"No," Chuck said, shaking his head.
"Chuck," Sarah said, giving him an amused look.
"Fine, I was gonna watch porn." Sarah burst out into laughter.
"Something got awakened in you last night, buddy?" She asked, making him laugh. "Now, what plans did you have?"
"Nickleback concert was online," Chuck tried again.
"You know what I should?" Chuck shook his head that he did not know. "I should take a picture of your face, and every time you lie, show it to you and scream, LOOK AT THIS PHOTOGRAPH! THIS IS HOW YOU LOOK EVERY TIME YOU LIE!"
