CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #1: Hello everyone! This is the end of a long journey that I began the last weekend in July. I've put so much work into this story, much more than any other story I've previously written. I hope all of you have enjoyed this story, because it really is my favorite that I've ever written. Part of me debated writing an epilogue at all, but I knew many would have questions about what comes next for Chuck, Sarah, Molly and everyone else. I like how this epilogue turned out and I hope all of you enjoy it too.
CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #2: I have to give a massive thanks to my friend Nev Rawlins, AKA nevr. Can you believe he's been beta reading for me for over two years now? Time flies, my friends; cherish it while you can. Thanks Nev, no matter what anyone says, I couldn't do this without you.
The Monster You Made Me
A Story by
CharmingCharles2896
Epilogue
Malibu, California
August 10th, 2037
2:47 AM PDT
Fourteen Years Later…
When Mila Marie Bartowski heard footsteps down the hallway, she wasn't surprised. Mila had been living in this house for a little over seven months and this wasn't the first time she had heard the same footsteps as they walked down the hallway, to the stairs and then down to the ground floor. Rising from bed, Mila threw on a pair of pajama pants, her slippers, and left the room. Creeping into the hallway, Mila paused and listened, hearing the familiar shuffling of tired footsteps. The sound of the sliding back door surprised Mila, but maybe it shouldn't have. As quiet as Mila could manage, she crept down the hallway and made to follow the sounds she'd heard. As Mila moved through the house, she made doubly sure not to wake her siblings, both older and younger.
Once Mila had made it down the stairs, she turned around and made for the kitchen. Through the kitchen was the fastest way to get to the back porch and the sliding glass doorwall that separated it from the interior of Casa Bartowski. Once in the kitchen, it wasn't hard for Mila to spot the troubled woman, standing alone on the beach below, toes in the sand. Mila watched the troubled woman for long moments, watched her stand stoically and stare out into the ocean. This had happened a few times since Chuck and Sarah Bartowski had legally adopted Mila.
Mila was aware of what her adopted mother used to be. Sarah Bartowski was a very famous woman, with a New York Times bestselling book about her time as an Enforcer, not to mention the subsequent film adaptation. Sarah Bartowski was a name that the world knew all about. The first time Mila had ever heard about Sarah's previous life, was when she'd first seen the film on television, some two years ago. The woman who'd run the foster home that Mila been living in, had told her all about the infamous Enforcer. To hear that someone like Sarah Bartowski had been able to make something of her life after all of the troubles that she'd encountered had been a tremendous inspiration to Mila. When Mila wrote her letter to Sarah the following week, little did she know how consequential that would turn out to be.
Mila took a deep breath and gently opened the doorwall, stepping onto the shaded back porch. The breeze from the ocean was brisk at this time of night, but rather comfortable. Mila stepped out of her slippers and onto the large, wooden deck; making for the stairs down to the beach in no time at all. When Mila got to the beach, she watched her mother, who had sat down in the cold sand, still stoically staring out into the inky, black of the horizon. It took very little time for Mila to walk to the spot on the beach where Sarah had parked herself.
Without a word, Mila sat down next to her mother; sitting in silence. Mila was originally born in Ukraine, back in two-thousand and twenty. The charitable organization that brought her to America in the wake of the Russian invasion of twenty twenty-one, sent her to a foster family, the Bishop family. She never got to know her biological parents, both of them killed in a Russian missile strike on Kyiv. As is often the case, Mila bounced around the American foster system for most of her life, that is until she sent that letter.
"You're supposed to be in bed, young lady," Sarah said to Mila in a soft, motherly tone.
"You're supposed to be in bed, old lady," Mila replied whimsically, getting a soft chuckle from her mother. Mila looked over to her right, seeing the small smile on Sarah's face. That smile was the first thing Mila saw when she first met Chuck and Sarah. The kind, welcoming eyes and warm smiles were unlike anything Mila had seen. After spending years, angry at the world, feeling forgotten and unseen, Lyudmila Alexeievna Kurylenko, found herself surrounded by truly welcoming people. The Bartowski family, all four of them, were an amazing bunch. As Mila had been welcomed into the family, each member of the family was incredible in their own right.
Mila's adopted father, Chuck Bartowski had survived an ordeal most couldn't imagine. He'd lost his first wife to cancer at such a young age, yet found a way to be happy anyway. Sarah Bartowski's story was well documented. After meeting Chuck, it was almost seven years before Chuck asked Sarah to marry him, though their courtship only lasted two years if the differing versions of the story were to be believed. Chuck's child from his previous marriage, was the vivacious Molly Bartowski. Molly was one year older than Mila, though the two of them were on opposite ends of the same academic year, Molly oldest in their class, while Mila was the youngest. The two of them went to the same private high school. Mila had never really had friends that she could rely on before the Bartowski's had adopted her and taken her in. Molly and Mila were thick as thieves, the two of them making plans to attend college together in the fall. The youngest member of the Bartowski family was Chuck and Sarah's first and so far, only biological child, a five-year-old boy named Stephen James Bartowski. As far as Mila was able to gather, he was named after both of his grandfathers.
In moments like this, on this beach, beside her mother, Mila couldn't help but think of the family she had these days. Before she was adopted, Mila was the one up in the middle of the night, brooding. Now, with a life as stable as the one Mila now had, she was the one helping the troubled soul. It was because of that stability, that Mila Bartowski was sitting beside her mother.
"Another nightmare?" Mila asked softly, feeling like it was time to get to the bottom of her mother's troubles. Sarah said nothing, she merely nodded and continued to look out towards the ocean.
"You'd think after fourteen years, the nightmares would stop," Sarah said with a hint of disappointment. "But, they don't, they just pick the right moment to get to me all over again."
"I know you miss him," Mila said softly as she reached out for her mother's hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. Sarah said nothing, she just tearfully nodded. "Sleeping alone never gets easier, does it?" Mila asked, already knowing the answer.
"He's only gone for another two days and yet I'm a basket case the first night without him," Sarah declared, angry at herself.
"He's the same way without you, Mom," Mile replied, softly. The small smile that appeared on Sarah's face, gave Mila a clear indication that her mother was going to be alright. "Not that it's any of my business," Mila began nervous.
"When has that stopped you?" Sarah said as she gave Mila a shoulder bump, making Mila chuckle.
"Not that it's any of my business, but what was your nightmare about?" As soon as Mila asked, she saw the growing smile on her mother's face, fall away, replaced by a familiar brooding expression.
"Same as it always is," Sarah began. "Dead people from another life." Mila got the hint and nodded, knowing that was all her mother would say on the subject. As the two sat in silence, a lingering question reappeared in the back of Mila's mind. She'd wanted to ask for a long time, but never had the courage.
"What's it like?" Mila began, finding the courage to ask. "Killing someone, that is," Mila finished in a small, less confident voice. Mila watched her mother, saw the stormy clouds in her eyes, the lingering regret and guilt. Sarah said nothing, telling Mila all that she needed to know. With the silence continuing, Mila nodded to herself and stood, taking the hint.
Mila began to make for the stairs, when she heard a small voice, behind her. "The gunshot is loud, even with the silencer." Mila turned in place, seeing her mother sitting in the same place as before, even now as she spoke. "Blood isn't like in the movies, it smells horrible and gets on everything. The wounds aren't like the movies either, it wasn't uncommon to see holes blown in people, heads blown off, arms missing. The last man I killed, I shot his arm off from a distance of less than ten feet," Sarah said as she replayed that moment in the urgent care clinic. "I shot him twice, once in the shoulder, and once in the back. The hole in his chest was huge; blood went everywhere."
Mila walked back towards her mother, having never heard the woman speak like this. "Even as he was breathing his last, he looked like he'd won… I can still see his face," Sarah said in a ghostly voice, troubled by it now as much as she was then. Mila sat back down beside her mother, extending her arm over her mother's shoulders and pulling her in for a hug.
"I'm sorry for asking," Mila said, genuinely remorseful for bringing so much back to the surface.
"That was fourteen years ago, today," Sarah said with a strained voice, clearly trying to hold back her emotions. As Mila understood her mother's words, she pulled her mother in tighter, her head resting on Sarah's shoulder. "As I think about all that happened, I can't help but wonder if I've done enough. After all of the things I did, have I earned this?" Hearing her mother's question, Mila rose to her knees and moved around in front of her mother so that the older blonde had nowhere else to look, but at Mila.
"Mom," Mila began. "You and Dad pulled me out of that awful foster home when I was sixteen. Do you know how few orphans get adopted at sixteen? In spite of everything that the world told you about me, you took me in, you let me pick a new name for myself, and you have made me a part of a family for the first time in my life. I was going to be out on my own before too long, with no life prospects and no hope of ever being anything more than a statistic. Thanks to you, and Dad, and Molly, and even little Stevie, I am part of a family. Because of you, I am getting a real education. Because of you, I have friends who care about me. Because of you, I actually have hope." Sarah saw the truth in her daughter's eyes as she stopped talking, overwhelmed by her admission. "Who knows where I'd be without you," Mila croaked as the moon's light reflected in her teary eyes.
Sarah pulled Mila in for a hug, the two women embracing tightly. Adopting Mila had been Sarah's idea. When she'd gotten the letter from Lyudmila Kurylenko, saying how much of a fan she was of Sarah's story and how inspiring it was, something in her heart spoke to her. When Sarah looked into Lyudmila's story, she found another lost soul, perfect for someone like Langston Graham to take advantage of. In that moment, Sarah knew that she needed to break the cycle, and save someone from that life before it had the chance to begin. It took several months to get the adoption done, during which time Lyudmila continually pushed back and resisted getting to know Sarah's family, disbelieving that they actually wanted her. Sarah knew this was a defense mechanism, to protect Lyudmila from disappointment, which made Sarah and her wonderful husband, Chuck, all the more determined to welcome the beautiful, young woman into their family.
That was almost ten months ago, back when they were all in the old house in Burbank. With five people living under one roof, Chuck had suggested they buy a newer, larger house, and do something else with Sarah's dream house. Sarah had been hesitant to tell her story, but Chuck and her therapist, Dr. Dreyfus, had both suggested that it might do her some good to face those memories. Sarah never could have imagined that the manuscript that Chuck secretly sent to a publisher, would become a bestseller. The thing is, without that book and the subsequent movie adaptation, Chuck and Sarah never would have found Mila Bartowski, the daughter neither of them knew they were missing.
After the book deal and the movie about her story, they weren't struggling for money, so they bought a second house. These days, the old house as it had come to be known, was rented out to Morgan Grimes and his growing family of four. Her dream house now had the opportunity to become the dream house of another, growing family.
Looking over at Mila, Sarah spoke softly. "I love you, Sweetie," Sarah whispered to Mila before giving her a kiss on the head.
"I love you too, Mom," Mila said back between sniffles. In that moment, Sarah understood that her daughter was right, she had earned this life, she had made it all worth it. The cycle of abuse and despair that Edwin Mathis started back in nineteen seventy-three, had finally been broken, the lasting legacy of the Enforcer Program dead and buried.
Sarah released her embrace of Mila and stood up, extending her hand to help Mila up off the sand. "Come on, let's get back to bed," Sarah said to the blonde-haired, young woman who reminded her so much of herself. Mila nodded and walked beside her mother. It really struck Mila that after so many years, her mother was still haunted by her time as an Enforcer. Then again, the mental and emotional scars the violence and horror of war gave many combat veterans, was something they would carry around for their entire lives. Mila knew that her mother would likely carry those scars around with her, buried deep inside, for the rest of her life as well. Considering all that Sarah Bartowski had done for Mila, she knew that she would be there for her mother, no matter what. As her father would no doubt say, it's what Bartowski's do.
The End
CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #3: Thus ends only my fourth multi-chapter story that i've ever finished! I think i've left everyone in a good place, as well as answered some questions that I knew many of you were about to have. To elaborate one thing mentioned in the epilogue, Sarah wrote a bestselling book about her story, which was then turned into a film. I have ideas about her life after the Enforcers, but I'll talk about that in a minute. I know Chuck had a much smaller role in this story and he was honestly more of a secondary character. I also understand that many of you wanted a singular moment of sappy Charah, but that just isn't what this story was about, i'm sorry. I promise that if I follow this story up in the future, you'd get your Charah goodness. The idea of Chuck and Sarah adopting an orphaned teenager and breaking the cycle that started with Graham and continued with Sarah, just felt so fitting as a way to wrap this story up. The idea that she was a Ukrainian baby is both heartbreakingly real, and interesting to write about.
CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #4: Focusing more on the story as a whole, it's amazing how far this story has come since I began writing it in July. Originally, it was titled "Operation Red Sun" and it was about 35,000 words. The second draft was titled "A Girl, A Boy, and A Graveyard" and was about 55,000 words in length. The third and final draft is what you read here. What's craziest of all, is the fact that each draft had a different prologue and epilogue. In the future I have ideas about fleshing out the singular alternate prologue as well as the two alternate epilogues into one-shots (or more in one case ;D). If you all want those stories, then let me know. Either way, my plans for this story is to keep this version up, and make an adaptation of it that I can publish as my own work. My parents tell me I should publish this story, so i've begun that process, though it looks to be a larger task than I originally thought. As a child, I was always drawing picture books, I guess this whole thing has kinda come full circle.
CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #5: With 2023 drawing to a close, I want to thank each and every one of you for reading my stories, reviewing, and showering me with positive vibes. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I do this because I love it, but also because I love entertaining all of you wonderful people. Going into next year, my Chuck FanFic resolutions are to finish Desire (Finally...), I also want to write a super fluffy multi-chapter Charah story (like DC levels of fluffy goodness XD), and I wan't to write a story about IndyCar racing or about football (College or Professional). Furthermore, I want to write more holiday centric one-shots (Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, etc.)
CHARMING'S AUTHORS NOTE #6: Sadly, I have nothing else to share with all of you, so if you liked this story, consider checking out my thirty-two other stories. It's kind of a strange feeling, writing this final authors note, it feels like the end of the last episode of a TV show. Everything's all wrapped up; just got to say goodbye one last time. Either way, for those of you who celebrate Christmas, I wish all of you a very merry Christmas. For those of you that don't, I want everyone to have a happy New Year. We can make 2024 better than 2023, all it takes is one little choice, each day, to brighten the world for everyone. Cherish your friends and family; spread joy to everyone you meet. This time next year, I want all of us to hope that 2025 is as great as 2024 was. Take care my friends...
Until Next Time :D