AUTHOR'S NOTE: This chapter is now part of the August/September 2024 early retelling of Chuck and Sarah in Who Dares Wins.
Who Dares Wins
Chapter Five: Amongst Comrades and Friends
Thursday, 11 October, 2007
Sarah found herself surrounded by the warm ambience of a cosy pub in Hereford as she retrieved her drink from the attentive barman, enjoying the company of her six new teammates from Red Team. The only member missing from their team tonight, on their first official off-duty gathering, was Bryce.
Sarah's chosen drink was a Steamboat cocktail, which was a mixture of Southern Comfort, Lemonade, and Lime cordial.
The rest of her team had beers, but Sarah wasn't really a beer drinker. She didn't mean to come across as awkward or feel like the odd one out among her teammates. It was just that whenever she indulged in beer, she could always count on the inevitable stomach cramps that followed.
True to his word, Staff Sergeant Chris MacDonald had purchased the first round.
The entire group stood shoulder to shoulder at the bar, their drinks in hand.
Staff Sergeant Chris MacDonald raised his pint of Guinness into the air, offering a cheerful "Cheers" to his team members seated on either side of him.
"Cheers," Sarah replied, her response merging with the symphony of voices as the group of seven immersed themselves in lively conversations.
Sarah's immediate conversation partner was Trooper Daniel Thomas, or as the rest of her teammates called him, Big Dan.
"You sure scrub up well, Sarah," Big Dan said with an approving nod before adding a further comment, "Don't worry. I'm happily married. I'm just being friendly."
Sarah smiled at him. "Thank you. What about the rest of the guys?"
"Chris is married. It's not a happy marriage, though. He'll tell you that himself," Big Dan said.
Sarah watched on as Dan glanced to the left of her.
"Oi, Chris!" Dan shouted.
The Staff Sergeant turned to meet Dan's glance.
"Sarah was asking about your marriage."
Sarah's eyes darted to the left, locking onto the Staff Sergeant's troubled expression as he let out a heavy sigh and shook his head.
"My marriage is hell. There is only one reason we're still together, and it's because of our two kids. It ended a long time ago, and my wife will probably turf me out soon," Chris said.
Sarah's smile towards her team leader was filled with sympathy, conveying her support and empathy.
"He's been saying that for the past two years," John Murray said a second later.
The unit shared laughter.
"And what about you, Sarah? Is there a Mr. Walker?" the Staff Sergeant asked.
Sarah barely contained her laughter as she shook her head, her eyes scanning the faces of her team members, all of whom were watching her intently in wait for an answer. "Nope. I'm single, actually," she said.
In amusement, she observed as her entire team exchanged bewildered looks, shaking their heads in disbelief.
"No way!" Cole exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief and his eyebrows shooting up in surprise.
Sarah laughed. "Yep. I guess I have always put my career before my private life, ever since I joined the army," she admitted with a faint smile.
"Wow!" Jamie Hughes uttered, taken aback by Sarah's admission.
Sarah glanced around at her teammates, their mouths agape and eyes wide with shock, as if she had sprouted four heads.
"Now that I have told you all about my private life, what about the rest of you?" Sarah asked, her gaze shifting back and forth between Chuck, Cole, Jamie, and John, a smile playing on her lips as she spoke.
"Cole is engaged to be married to a lovely English lass. We've all been fighting over who's going to be the best man," Jamie Hughes chuckled, which earned approving laughter from the team again.
Chuck nodded. "Yes, we are fighting over that responsibility. Jamie and John are both single. And I have a long-term girlfriend that doesn't want me in the army. She is always down my throat trying to get me to leave it when I have no intention of doing so," he said tongue-in-cheek.
Sarah's attention suddenly diverted from Chuck, her eyes dropping to the bar briefly as she grew restless, fidgeting and absentmindedly toying with her arm. To complete her actions, she exhaled softly, a sigh of resignation.
I don't really want to screw the guys I work with, anyway. He's nice, but it could end in disaster and I'm only just settling into the team. Pull yourself together, Sarah.
Regaining her composure, Sarah changed the topic. "What will happen to Bryce?"
The atmosphere grew tense as a few members of Red Team instinctively tensed up.
"It's fifty-fifty. They will either return Bryce to his unit, or he'll stay on the team. Personally, I'm not too comfortable with him staying on the team, and I would prefer he be RTU'd, but it's not up to me," Chuck said.
Most of the team nodded.
Sarah's head drooped. "I feel terrible now that I may have ruined his career."
"Sarah, don't feel bad about it. He's brought it on himself," Jamie Hughes reassured, his voice filled with conviction.
Staff Sergeant MacDonald met Sarah's glance. "You were spot on last night, Sarah, and we all know it. If he had done his job properly, he wouldn't now be in the mess that he's in. It's his fault, not yours."
"Too right!" John Murray said emphatically.
As Sarah looked on, her teammates nodded in agreement, their eyes filled with hospitality towards her.
-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-
Amid their first off-duty gathering as a team, Red Team opted to remain at the pub and settled themselves in a corner, laughing and joking away.
Chuck's suggestion earlier turned out to be exactly what Sarah needed to find some relief from the distress she felt upon returning to base after their mission.
"So, what was your life before the army, Sarah?" Chuck, seated across from her, asked.
Sarah smiled at Chuck for his question and interest in her, then she took a glance at the rest of her teammates before she said, "I have always loved running. I am, or was, a very successful amateur runner. For quite a while, I thought about turning professional."
"No way!" Jamie Hughes, John Murray and Cole Barker said, awestruck.
Sarah nodded, her smile widening as she scanned her teammates again.
"So that's where you got your endurance from," Staff Sergeant MacDonald said.
Sarah gave a friendly smile to her team leader. "Yeah."
"You should have turned professional, Sarah. That would have been so cool," Chuck said with a grin.
She smiled in reply at Chuck, then turned her attention to her other teammates. "What about all of you?"
"For me, it was always the army," John Murray said, a half smile playing on his lips.
Big Dan nodded. "Same for me, Sarah."
"Me too," Jamie Hughes said. "A career soldier. My dad was a marine and my little brother has followed suit after me and joined the Paras."
Sarah smiled at Jamie, then turned her attention to the Staff Sergeant who winked and said, "I always fancied myself as a model."
The immediate vicinity of Red Team's table transformed into a cacophonous hubbub as the teammates unleashed a barrage of hearty laughter, creating an intense and raucous atmosphere that lasted for almost twenty seconds.
When Cole got his breath back, he chuckled, "I'd pay good money to see you in a bikini, Chris!"
The unit shared another prolonged barrage of laughter.
When the amusement calmed again, she gazed at Chuck opposite her, and asked, "What about you, Chuck?"
"The brains of the team," Cole said, casually draping his arm over his best friend's shoulder. "Chuck is probably the smartest guy in the regiment and, quite possibly, the entire army. None of us can understand why he skipped university and becoming a billionaire to sign up as a squaddie instead."
Sarah couldn't help but smile as her new teammate spoke fondly about her other new teammate. She also felt a sense of acceptance and a place of home from the rest of her team through their warm glances towards each other.
"It's kind of like a scale. On one end of the scale, I had the full weight of my dad and granddad screaming down my ear about how good and great the military is," he said with a grin. "But then, on the other side of the scale, I had my mum and sister screaming at me about my potential and the things I could have done with my life instead."
Sarah shone him a warm gaze, fully understanding what he was talking about because her own family hadn't wanted her to join the military either. Rather, it was the last thing they wanted her to do.
Chuck continued, "Though if I hadn't joined, then I'd have met none of these guys, and I love every one of them."
Sarah held her friendly gaze, touched by Chuck's words, which expanded as she observed John Murray joining Cole in placing his arm around one of his best friends.
"We love you too, ya wee beautiful bastard," John Murray said with endearment. He then moved in to kiss Chuck's cheek despite strong resistance from Chuck.
The Scot's actions caused howling laughter and camaraderie between the seven teammates as they continued to revel in each other's company.
-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-
Sarah took a slow sip from her drink, savouring the rich flavours that danced on her taste buds. During her solitude, she felt a profound sense of calmness engulfing her, enabling her to appreciate her own presence. She would occasionally smile and cast a glance at her six teammates.
As Jamie and John played pool, the room filled with the rhythmic clinking of balls and the satisfying thud of cues hitting their mark.
Chuck, Chris, Dan, and Cole, meanwhile, were engaged in a lively round of darts, the sound of darts hitting the board echoing in the room.
Above Sarah was a TV affixed to the wall, playing a news broadcast at a low volume.
She soon became distracted from her friendly glance at her teammates, tilting her head upwards to catch the news from the TV.
"This is BBC News at ten. We are still live with you from London as tributes continue to pour in, in response to last night's devastating terrorist attacks just twenty-four hours ago. We have live footage to show you right now. This is the Eiffel Tower turning its lights off as a show of solidarity with the UK. There have also been messages of support from the President of the United States. The President had stated that the United States stands in complete solidarity with its closest and most cherished friend. The President had also made further remarks that an attack on one ally is an attack on them all and they would defeat the scourge of terrorism side by side. In other more distressing news, in the wake of last night's attack, there have been several reports of several backlashes having taken place against several mosques in the United Kingdom, which have come under attack by angry citizens in response to the Islamist attack..."
An immediate deep sense of despair washed over Sarah, causing her to release a prolonged, melancholic sigh. Without hesitation, she propelled herself out of her seat and bolted to exit the pub, seeking solace in the open air. The details of the attack and her involvement in the operation had become too much for her to handle for one day.
A short moment later
Sarah sat on a bench outside of the pub, her gaze fixated on her hands. Suddenly, she looked up and saw Chuck emerging from the pub.
Upon his exiting the building, she cast a fleeting glance in his direction, only to be met with a charming grin as he positioned himself across from her on the bench.
In response, she mustered a small, feeble smile of her own.
"Is everything ok?" he asked softly.
Sarah sighed for a moment, gaining the courage to speak her thoughts to her teammate. "It's too much for me for one day, Chuck... I was just sitting at the table, and a news report came on covering the attack. I can't hear any more about it before my head explodes."
His grin faded into a consoling smile. "I'm sorry you're experiencing the distress you are experiencing. Do you regret joining the Regiment?"
Sarah shook her head, causing her hair to sway with the movement. "No, Chuck… Because I wanted to see if I was capable of it."
"And do you think you are?" he asked softly, his eyes fixed on her as if searching for something.
Her gaze broke from him briefly as she considered his question. Looking back at him, she pushed a smile and said, "I'm not sure…"
"Do you want my opinion?" he asked.
She nodded, trusting her teammate, who had proven himself to be a great friendly and compassionate guy already in the days she'd known him. "Sure."
He took a moment in pause, gathering his thoughts. "Sarah, you're one of the best soldiers I've seen," he said with a gentle nod. "And you're also extremely caring. Seriously, I don't think I have met many people as nice as you in my life, and that's even without the army."
She attempted to dismiss his praise, but the genuine warmth in his voice made it hard to ignore. "That's too kind, Chuck."
Chuck shook his head. "No, Sarah, it's not. The only reason this is eating at you right now is because you couldn't help all of those casualties on the street. It's not because of the terrorist you killed, because let's be real with ourselves here for a minute. That's what she was, a terrorist," he said, pushing a reassuring smile in her direction.
Sarah remained silent, but her breath caught slightly. The level of conviction behind what Chuck had said seemed to resonate with her, as if someone was telling her something factual and she couldn't find a single thing about it to disagree with.
He continued, "But the operation is eating at you because of all of that death and carnage that you saw. Sarah, it eats at me too, believe me."
The two teammates held their gaze into each other's eyes.
Sarah believed every word Chuck was saying. She could see by the look in his eyes and how he said those words that he wasn't lying to her about anything.
"What do you do to get over it?" she asked after a moment of silence, which seemed to add to the connection she felt towards him.
He shrugged, then forced a strained smile. "I don't. I bottle it up, I guess. In fact, I don't guess; I know that's what I do because I don't have anyone to talk to. I love my mates inside that pub, but they aren't the type to be sharing deep conversations about feelings with—"
"You can talk to me, Chuck," she said instantly, without hesitation, offering him a warm smile.
He grinned in reply.
Sarah nodded, reaffirming she meant what she said.
"I might just take you up on that one day," he said, gazing at her sapphire orbs.
She held his glance, her eyes not faltering. "I hope you do because I mean it. I would like to help you with that because I'm sure it bothers you as much as it does me."
He nodded, in a way as if a weight had already lifted from his shoulders.
After a moment of reflection for the pair, Chuck said, "So, in lighter news, how about a change of topic from everything that happened today?"
"Ok," she agreed.
Chuck grinned. "Have you found anywhere to live yet?"
She shook her head. "Not yet. I haven't had time. I've been so busy."
Chuck nodded. "So, do you need any help with it?" he asked, the sincerity in his tone matching the heartfelt look in his eyes.
Sarah shook her head, not feeling great about accepting help, plus she didn't want to burden him with her task, her expression softening as she bestowed upon him another affectionate smile. "I'll be fine. But thanks."
He nodded. "Ok. But if you need help, then please ask me."
She held her smile. "Thank you. But I'm sure you're busy outside of work to help me, what with your relationship and other things."
Chuck shook his head. "Nonsense. I'm never too busy to help my teammates and friends, Sarah. That is if you want to be my friend?" he said as a playful grin lit up his face.
Sarah found his expressions cute, showing him so by emitting a soft giggle. "I can think of worse people to be friends with," she teased.
He suppressed laughter, finding her playfulness stimulating. "Is that a compliment or an insult?" he asked, the playfulness in his tone matching his demeanour.
"A compliment," she admitted with another smile.
Chuck grinned, their glance locked at each other. "Oh, thank you! You don't know how happy I am to have such a beautiful lady compliment me. My dream has come true. I can die happy now," he joked.
Sarah bit her lip, stifling a nervous giggle as she realised just how cute and attractive he was. "What about your girlfriend? Surely, she compliments you?" she asked, looking back at him to contribute to their stare again.
"Jill?" he asked.
She nodded. "If that's her, yeah."
"I met her while out with the lads at a bar in Hereford. It just started as a bit of fun, but then she moved in," he admitted, then drew out a prolonged sigh, as if carrying a tremendous burden. "She's very controlling. Unfortunately, the relationship isn't going places, and I'm starting to really miss my own quiet space to just unwind and deal with all the intense crap we do at work, you know?"
Sarah's response was immediate - she nodded in agreement, her sympathetic smile reaching her eyes.
Wanting to make him feel better, she teased, "So, you don't like the leash or any kind of restraint, huh?"
"Exactly!" he laughed, then he put a hand to his throat to imitate choking, "I mean look at my neck, the restraint is so big that I'm choking to death!"
Chuck's joke caught Sarah off guard, causing her to spit out before erupting into a hearty laugh.
When Sarah calmed, she said, "You're funny," her words meeting the warm glance in her eye.
"Actually, I'd say I'm quite silly and still a child at heart. I never take myself seriously," he said with a loving grin.
With a tilt of her head and a flash of her pearly whites, she gave him her best smile. "Chuck, that's not a bad thing in a guy…"
-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-
Ten minutes later
Sarah and Chuck lingered outside, enjoying each other's company when their teammates left the pub.
Averting her glance away from Chuck, Sarah glanced up just in time to see Chris, Dan, John, Cole, and Jamie all exit together.
She smiled at each one of them, her eyes lighting up as they approached the seated pair.
"We thought you'd both bailed on us," Staff Sergeant Chris MacDonald said with a tipsy grin.
Sarah shook her head, pushing a smile between her teammates. "Nope, I was just getting some air."
"Yeah, me too," Chuck said.
Cole glanced between Chuck and Sarah. "We're going out for a curry now. Do you both fancy coming?"
Sarah took the slightest moment in thought, then shook her head. "No, thank you. If I eat that, then it will make me throw up again, as I did on the way back to Hereford earlier in the day," she said with a smile.
The team laughed in immediate reply, except for Chuck, who looked at her with sympathy.
"Oh, you get that too, huh?" John Murray asked.
She nodded. "Yeah."
"I still get it too and Jamie," John Murray said with a smile of understanding.
Sarah smiled. "I know. Cole told me."
"Oh, did he?" John Murray asked, then got Cole into a headlock. "Tha wee bastard!"
Red Team shared additional laughter for a moment.
"What about you, Chuck? Do you fancy one?" Big Dan asked, glancing at one of his best friends.
Chuck shook his head. "No, thanks. I'll have to pass too, guys. I should probably get home before Jill starts a manhunt looking for me 'cause I'm home late."
The team shared another exchange of laughter.
Chuck then continued, "Plus, I'm on driving duty anyway, and Sarah probably wants to head back to base now."
Sarah's eyes briefly met Chuck's before she redirected her gaze to her other teammates, nodding again. "Yeah, I do. But thanks guys, really though. I enjoyed tonight, and it was lovely to get to know you all," she said with a friendly smile.
"The pleasure was all ours, Sarah," Staff Sergeant MacDonald said.
Sarah glanced at her team, watching them all nod at Chris's words.
She held her smile towards her teammates.
"Well, goodnight both of you. Sarah, I'll see you in a few days. Chuck, if you want to do anything in the meantime, give us a ring," Cole said, his voice filled with warmth and a fondness clear in his eyes with a softened glance at his best friend.
Chuck nodded. "Will do, mate."
Chuck and Sarah moved to stand, taking a moment to shake hands with each member of their team.
Once the team departed, Sarah found herself alone with Chuck once more.
When they were alone again, Chuck continued their earlier conversation. "I'm glad you enjoyed tonight, Sarah. Because I remember my first days on the team, too."
"You don't seem like a shy guy, Chuck," she said with a warm smile.
He laughed. "Oh, I am, I can assure you. Don't get me wrong; my eight years in the army have made me very confident. But outside of my work, I'm quite reserved, and I just love to watch a good movie. I love and idolise all five of those lads, but I'm definitely not the biggest socialite compared to most of them."
Sarah looked at him with affection and gave a gentle smile. "You sound a lot like me."
He shook his head. "A woman as beautiful as you shouldn't have confidence issues. I sincerely hope you meet somebody soon. We all deserve to find that one person. Though I guess it's none of my business and I should shut my mouth."
She let out a brief laugh, her head shaking dismissively. "No, Chuck, it's fine. Maybe one day I will," she said as she continued to gaze at him.
Chuck grinned. "He'll be one lucky man, Sarah. I mean that."
Sarah smiled back. "Thank you."
A moment later, a powerful urge to yawn overcame her, and she released a deep, satisfying yawn to banish her tiredness—for now.
"Tired, huh?" he asked.
She nodded. "It's been a long twenty-four hours."
Chuck nodded. "Ditto. I'll drop you off at the base now. I don't know how the rest of the lads still have the energy to go out for a curry because I'm exhausted," he laughed.
"Me too," she said as she gave him a fatigued smile...
A short while later
Chuck pulled his car to a stop outside of G Squadron's accommodation section of the base. "Well, here we are. I'm sorry that you're the only one to not have somewhere to stay off base, Sarah," he said sincerely, with an apologetic smile.
She returned her teammate's smile. "Thanks. But it's only short term. Plus, Bryce is probably here if he's still in the unit."
He nodded in concession. "True. Well, goodnight, Sarah."
"Goodnight, Chuck," she said, giving a friendly smile to her teammate one last time. As she was about to depart from the car, she heard him call out to her again, causing her to pause in place.
"Oh, I almost forgot. Is it ok if I write you my number? I know you said you don't need help, but if you need my help with anything in the next three days before I see you again, then you can ring me. You can also tell me to shove off if you wan-"
Sarah interrupted him before he could finish. "No, Chuck, that would be nice. Thank you."
Chuck wrote his number and then handed it to her. "Ok, well, goodnight then."
"Goodnight," she said softly as she got out of the car, her hand raised in a gentle wave as her teammate drove away.
He waved in reply, and she watched until he disappeared from view.
Sarah took this as her cue to retire into the barracks, and she entered her quarters.
She moved to sit on the bed in the room where the demons of everything that had happened over the past day returned, but the time she had spent with the team, but mostly the amazing moments she had spent with Chuck throughout the night helped to lessen the intensity of the trauma slightly.
However, the intensity of her first operation prevented her from having a peaceful night's sleep.
-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-
Chuck stopped his car, an Audi A4, on the driveway of the home he was mortgaging in Hereford.
He took a long moment in pause inside the vehicle. After a challenging mission, spending time with his friends and teammates was everything that he needed to get over an intensive operation. The only downside to tonight was that because he was driving, he could only have two pints of beer. If he weren't driving, he probably would have consumed a dozen.
Making sure that he had collected everything from the vehicle, he departed the car and locked it before walking up to his door.
It was pitch black out in the street, and he couldn't see what he was doing as he fiddled with the lock for a moment until it clicked open.
Upon entering his property, Chuck closed the heavy wooden door behind him, sealing off the outside world.
His eyes met his girlfriend's as she emerged from the living room.
Jill gave him a soft glance. "Hi."
"Hi," he said, the exhaustion in his tone matching his body language.
"That was you on the news and in one of those videos, wasn't it?" she asked.
Chuck drew out a long sigh. "Jill, you know I can't talk about it. Everything is classified and more than my job's worth to speak about anything."
"Chuck, you always say that to me! I should be entitled to know where you have been for the past two days!" she said, her frustration seeping into her words.
Chuck sighed in defeat, having no strength left for another battle so soon after the bloody intense fight for his life in London less than a day ago. "Jill, you knew what you signed up for once we got together…. I don't want to get into yet another heated disagreement with you about the topic. I am so exhausted, and I just want to shower and go straight to bed..."
He sighed again, not having the strength to speak another word as he departed away from Jill, heading straight to the bathroom and jumping into the cold shower mentally and physically exhausted.
AUTHOR'S NOTE II: Don't be put off by Chuck already in a relationship :) It's clear it's not a happy one for either party.
AUTHOR'S NOTE III: And now for the writer's usual requests for you to give something back and to leave a helpful lovely review :)