CHAPTER 2

Hi again.

Thank you so much for all the positive response I have received for the first chapter. I also found this part of season 3 to be very stupid. There were so many ways to create drama in the show, and the creators chose to go down this one. I totally agree with the idea that they botched the first half of the season completely. As a huge fan of the show, I thought of a way to correct it.

Now, Chuck may decide to embrace the spy life, but I won't make him lose himself to it. He will reach the brink, but will be pulled back. And just because he kills someone doesn't mean he changes. Another thing that really irked me was that when Sarah thought he killed the mole, she thought he had changed. But when they thought he had killed Shaw, it was fine because he saved her life?

So, this is my view on what could have happened had Chuck stood up for himself instead of being down in the dumps that Sarah was leaving. Chuck needs to be more assertive and this story will be my version of a self-sure Chuck.

-Break-

Sarah Walker was not someone who was speechless a lot. She could remember a whole couple of times when she was rendered completely mute. First was when she watched the sweet, bumbling, clumsy nerd take down five trained spies with relative ease. The second time was more painful. It was when Chuck had rejected her at Prague. He absolutely destroyed her when he told her he was going to become a spy and was not going to run with her. It felt like he had chosen the spy life over her. After that she decided that she was never going to put her heart on the line ever again. Even after watching Chuck fully confess everything in the video Carina gave her, she couldn't find it in herself to forgive him. She distanced herself from him in order to regain her bearings and some semblance of her former life.

Now, hearing Casey say that Chuck did not kill the mole, she had no idea how to react. On one hand, she was extremely happy that Chuck did not kill someone in cold blood, and that he was still her Chuck. But on the other hand, she told Chuck that she didn't trust him. That he had changed. She could still remember his face when he left Castle. It was not something she wanted to see on his face.

Looking at the shock on her face, Casey remarked, "Yeah. Looks like you really dropped the ball on this one. The one time he needed you to trust him; it was nowhere to be found."

But Sarah was still silent. She had no idea what to say to him. It was like she was stuck underwater, and had no idea how to swim to the surface. She finally looked up at Casey. Her eyes gave nothing away, but Casey could see it was starting to mist over.

"You know why Casey. Spies learn to never trust anyone. It's so ingrained into me that I find myself trying and losing. Whenever I seem like I'm about to lose myself to the normalcy of Chuck's life, I panic. I have no control whatsoever. I just react and distance myself. I was able to curb that to an extent for a while. But the incident in Prague just pushed that to the maximum. Seeing him change, burn that asset, pull your tooth out, and the fact that he did not seem bothered at all, just cemented the fact that he was no longer my Chuck. That's why I when Shaw seemed interested, I let myself believe that I could have something with him. I wanted to prove to Chuck, or rather myself that I didn't need him, and that I could have a relationship with someone else. I admit that I told Shaw my real name, as a way of acting out. Chuck was changing so quickly that I latched on to something to save myself from drowning. I know it hurt him badly when he heard me but at that time I didn't really care."

She continued, "I am not good for him Casey. He wanted to become a spy to be with me. And now, I can't be with him because he's a spy? I know how hypocritical it seems, but I can't change how I feel. I'm sorry but I can't be with him anymore." She seemed ready to burst into tears.

Casey gave her a look of sympathy, but he also gave her one last word of advice, "I understand the spy life better than you think Walker. But just remember my last piece of advice. You are being very foolish. You are so dead set on the thought that Chuck has changed that you are unable to see it from his point of view. He is changing yes, but you know the kid better than to think that he would allow himself to change that easily. I know I really give him a lot of grief, but I am absolutely sure that if being exposed to us and the absolute scum of the earth for two years does not change him, then this little bit of training will not change him. The fact that he is letting himself go in this world, must give you a message. It's not my place to tell you what it is. That's for you to find out. But remember, even Chuck has his limits. Have a nice life Walker"

Casey gave her a nod, and left. Sarah looked at the door, and looked at the ground. His words were running all over her head. She had no idea what to do, or think. Her brain was just a giant jumbled mess of thoughts. Fortunately, or unfortunately, her training kicked in. She put all those thoughts away, finished packing and looked around. She was going to miss this place. Her mind went to the times she and Chuck spent here. Immediately shaking away those thoughts, she sighed deeply and left the room for the last time.

With Chuck

He sighed. His head hurt, but not as much as his heart did. It was all over. He was leaving tomorrow. Sarah was probably leaving today. As much as she hurt him, he could not bring himself to hate her. But that doesn't mean he was going to mope around like he did after Jill. He was going to make himself into something she said he was not. He was going to become a spy's spy. Not whatever he was now. He didn't know if he could be like that, but it was all he could do to maneuver around his current issue.

He used the sound of the water from the fountain he was currently sitting near, to soothe him. He calmed himself down before he broke down in tears. He saw Casey coming in to the courtyard and called out, "Hey Casey, can I talk to you for a second?"

Casey looked at the source of the call and found Chuck sitting near the fountain. After the talk he had with Walker, he figured he could help Chuck come to terms with whatever was happening. He walked over and sat next to him. They were both silent for a while before Chuck spoke.

"Hey buddy. I have some good news for you." He said with a smile.

Casey raised an eyebrow and grunted. Chuck translated it as "Well get on with it"

With an amused smile, Chuck told him, "I want you to pack up your stuff. I mean all your stuff, like your clothes, weapons, your bonsai, anything else valuable. We are going to Rome, Major Casey."

Casey was wide-eyed. He was reinstated? But how? He gave a grunt of surprise.

Chuck chuckled, "I have been assigned to work in Rome for a while. We are taking the fight to the Ring at their home turf. Ring has a large number of operations in Europe, so I am going to be in the midst of it. Beckman wanted me to choose my partners for this mission. I could not trust anyone else other than you and Sarah, because we have no idea how far the Ring has infiltrated the IC. I did ask Sarah, but you must know how it went. So I need you. I have already cleared it with Beckman. She agreed to reinstate you, but with a demotion to Major. It was all I could do to get her to agree."

Casey grunted and said, "Thanks Bartowski. When are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning at 10am we have a flight to DC. We have our briefing, packages and other needs to collect, and from there we move to Rome. We'll also meet our new partner there. Her name is Agent June Wells. She will join us on our flight to Rome."

He could see Casey's look of uncertainty at the female agent joining them and said, "Don't worry. I know your doubts about the CIA, so Agent Wells is a DIA agent who has been transferred to our team. She has been thoroughly vetted, and her background check was extensive. She was an Analyst first, after which she underwent serious training to become a field agent. She is still rather young, but a bit older than me at 32 years old. She has been cleared for the Intersect so we have nothing to hide."

Casey still had his doubts, but he accepted the explanation. He excused himself, saying he needed to pack and sleep.

Chuck sat at the fountain for some more time. He was thinking about the stuff that was going to happen. He had no idea what was in store for them in the future, but he was sure of one thing. In order to move forward in his life, he needed come to terms with everything. He needed to accept that Sarah did not want to be with him. But more importantly, he had to numb himself to the heartache, and needed to put her far away in the back of his mind, and focus on the mission. He had no idea if he could do that successfully, but he sure as hell was going to try.

TBC

End of chapter 2. The story is going to move to Rome from the next chapter. Sarah and Shaw will work the US part of the Ring whereas team Intersect will take care of the European wing. I have no idea how I am going to take this story. I am just going with the flow, so any reviews and thoughts you post may help me with my thought process.

And as for Agent June Wells, just picture Emma Lahana in Cloak & Dagger with her hairstyle in Power Rangers Dino Thunder. She is very different from Sarah. As to how, you will see as the story develops.

See you soon.