77A/N: A few months back my beta and I were talking about how we'd do an actual Season 6. Not 5 years later, or whatever, but an actual Season 6. Now why I think Sarah is with Chuck, if you're gonna have a season 6, what would work on TV? Well, I think they'd be together, but not all the way there yet if that makes sense. It wouldn't be will they/won't they, but when will they. With Zettel's I Assassin, it made me think about this one I had tinkered with for weeks. So here's the basis, Chuck has the Intersect, he doesn't want to push Sarah, and Sarah is questioning if he loves "her" because she's not his Sarah and he didn't chase her. This story, is kinda Season 1 all over again. Little angst if any, more comedy, more romance. I have too many balls in the air to do another story, but I thought maybe I'd throw this out there and see what people thought. If I did Season 6, back in 2012. Chuck V2 Ch 1, Chuck vs The Intersect, Again
Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck.
Prologue (four weeks after the finale):
They marched through the halls, one had been here often, one had not. They came to Beckman's office door, and were admitted by the secretary. Beckman nodded for them both to take a seat and they did, one sitting a briefcase on the floor beside himself. They sat there quietly for a moment, and finally she broke the silence.
"I appreciate you coming on short notice," she said, looking at the pair. "We have an opportunity." She looked at the pair, male and female. He grinned, he wasn't much of a grinner for all the years she knew him, but the past five years, they had changed him.
"We're in," he said.
"We?" she asked.
"ALL of us," he replied. She leaned forward, intrigued.
"Casey, who is all of us?" Beckman asked, glancing at Gertrude.
"General, Operation Moron is happening, with or without the NSA," he said. Beckman grinned and pushed a folder in front of Casey. He glanced at it, shut the file and looked at a wall. "I don't like it."
"Casey, I know Chuck has the Intersect," Beckman said. Casey didn't move a muscle.
"He does?" Casey asked. Beckman gave him a look.
"You have a tick with your pinky when you're lying about something big, John," Gertrude said. Casey looked at her, and grunted. "Our phones haven't stopped ringing, Diane. Everyone wants to help them".
"I would have thought for sure they'd be back together by now," Casey said.
"Chuck refused to push, and Sarah wanted him to do more," Beckman said, shaking her head. "She needed something to do and when she met with me, I asked her if she wanted back in. She said only if she could be stationed in Burbank. I told her I could arrange that but only if she agreed to work with Agent Carmichael, which made her quite pleased."
"I thought he was done," Casey said. Beckman grinned.
"Daniel Shaw has had his memory erased like Sarah's," Beckman said. Casey about jumped out of his chair. She held up her hand. "It was over my head. Now they want him in the field. He has an Intersect, a governor, no memories of what all went wrong, and for them that's enough."
"How the hell did you convince Bartowski, and well, Bartowski, she is still Bartowski, isn't she?" Casey asked, confused as he could be.
"She is still a Bartowski, and I may have lied a little," Beckman said. Casey grinned at her. "I told Sarah about Daniel and the red test. I also told him that the government was going through with this project and since Chuck had nothing holding him to Burbank he agreed to be his handler since he best understood the Intersect. I told Sarah that Daniel hated Chuck and Sarah, but his goal would be to get Chuck to his former colleagues in the Ring if his memory returned."
"How'd she take that?" Casey asked, intrigued. Beckman smiled.
"She was furious, worried, and decided she would be his personal bodyguard, which was best, since Chuck has the most current Intersect," Beckman said. "I also told her it would be in Chuck's safety for her to live with him." Casey's lips twitched. "I know, it was a bit devious."
"But truth in it all," Casey said. "Does Sarah remember anything?"
"She's having feelings," Beckman said. "She doesn't know what to do about them."
"Because Bartowski helped her deal with those feelings." Beckman nodded. "So did Chuck actually agree to these things, or did you have to get him to join up after." Beckman looked away for a second and when she turned back there was mirth in her eyes.
"I called Chuck and told them that Sarah was being assigned to Shaw and I had gotten him a spot on the team if he wanted it," Beckman said. Casey shook his head.
"And the living together part?" he asked.
"Whatever she needs, he said," she replied. Casey and Gertrude smiled at each other. "Echo Park okay as an apartment?"
"Two bedroom preferably," Gertrude said. "I need somewhere to store all my guns." She looked at Casey. "Our guns," she corrected herself.
"Does Chuck know about the wedding?" Beckman asked. Casey shook his head.
"I felt it wouldn't be right, given his current situation," Casey said. Beckman nodded.
"I have the building, Carmichael Industries is back, with room for a full staff," Beckman said. "Medical," Casey opened the briefcase and handed her two folders, she looked at them and nodded. "Logistics," Casey grunted, pulled out a folder and handed it to Beckman. "Seduction and infiltration," Casey pulled out two more folders. These made Beckman's eyebrow go up. "Both of them?" Casey nodded.
"Don't forget foreign relations," Casey said, handing her another folder. Beckman gasped. "He thinks they belong together. Like I said General, Operation Moron is happening."
"Welcome back Colonel Casey, and a word, I wouldn't use the term Operation Moron around his sister," Beckman said.
"Who do you think came up with it for him not chasing her," Casey said. Beckman grinned.
-ooooo-
It had been a little over four weeks since she last saw him, well that she saw him face to face. They had talked on the phone, while she tried to figure out what she felt…what he made her feel. He scared her, he made her feel things, and Sarah Walker was in control of her emotions. She looked down at the rings on her finger. Sarah Bartowski. She was a Bartowski now, and somehow, that just felt right. She thought for a second, was she a Bartowski? She was, the old Sarah, his Sarah, she was a Bartwoski. The whole thing made her head hurt. If she could just remember, but she couldn't. What she had to do was protect Chuck. She couldn't let him get hurt. Chuck's Sarah would never forgive herself if this Sarah didn't protect him. She wished he loved her, but he hadn't chased her, he hadn't fought for her, he let her go, and that's what ever guy in her life had ever done. They used her and left when they were done. She didn't think Chuck would do that to his Sarah, but she wasn't his Sarah, she was a different Sarah. She shook her head, these thoughts were getting her nowhere. She would protect him from Shaw, and whoever else was out there, and maybe someone could figure out how to get her memories back for her, so she could be what Chuck needed.
She looked out the window, watching the scenery as they were on the descent to California. This was her home now. She had gone to Washington to plead her case to get back into the spy game because she had to do something and watching Chuck was feeling much too stalkery. It was weird how she had perfectly followed him and he knew she was there. She had been living with Emma and Molly, which was crazy, because Molly was a baby two months ago, but losing five years of your memory makes them grow up quick. Once this was over, however long it took, she would be back with them. She was a little hurt, if she were honest, that Chuck didn't tell her he was going back to being a spy, but he didn't owe her anything.
The plane landed, she exited, walked past security, and there he was, a smile on his face. A genuine smile, for her. God, she missed that smile. She missed him even though she didn't know him. She walked up to him, hugged him, surprising him, and gave him a kiss.
"Hi, Honey," she said, not having to fake what she felt.
"Hey, Baby," he said, a little unsure of what was going on, giving her a strange look. "Something you want to share with me, you remember something?"
"No, your mom said we should really play up the cover, the Ring could be anywhere," she whispered into her ear. Chuck looked at her with a "really?" look.
Ooookay," he said. "Well, I'm glad your home," he said loudly. She laughed, and shoulder bumped him. There was something in his eyes, a spark she hadn't seen the last time she had been this close up to him. "Come on, let's get you to the apartment." He walked her to the car, his mind churning. She took an assignment as part of the Intersect team with Daniel Shaw, his mother told her they should play up the cover. What was going on? She got in the car and they took off, the drive felt familiar to her. She felt comfortable. What would she do? What would his Sarah do?
"Why didn't you chase me?" she blurted out softly.
"WHAAAA?" Chuck asked, shocked. Who was this beside him? Sarah Walker wouldn't have asked that. Not under torture, threat of death, or truth serum. The only way she'd do this is if she thought his life was in danger….was his life in danger? "Sarah?" he began, but wasn't sure what to say.
"Don't worry about it," she said, shaking her head. They sat there quietly, the silence uncomfortable. Chuck thought very carefully about what to say. He looked over at her, her eyes red. Sarah was crying. Chuck nodded to himself.
"Do you remember Lou and the bomb?" Chuck asked. Sarah looked at him, and shook her head.
"You mentioned it on the beach, but I don't remember everything," she said. "Something about sandwiches, imported salami and I did not like you dating her." He smiled. No, she did not like him dating her.
"Let me sum it, because, well it was us, so complicated." She chuckled. That was one thing she knew, they were complicated, but worth it. "So you were my handler and determined not to show me how you felt, because of the asset rules." She snorted.
"That was stupid," she said. He shook his head. "What?"
"You…you say you're not my wife, yet, you don't act like my handler," Chuck replied.
"I never said I wasn't your wife, I just said I wasn't the woman you married," Sarah retorted. Chuck was quite for a second and played that through his mind. He dissected it every which way he could and finally, after going through every possible scenario let out a groan. "What's wrong?"
"I'm a moron," Chuck said.
"No, you're not," Sarah said a little fiercely. Chuck grinned.
"You say you're not her…" he trailed off and shook his head. "You wanted space."
"But you would have chased her," Sarah retorted.
"I know you know 5,849 ways to kill me, but I'm gonna chance it," Chuck began. "I may not be the only moron in this car." Sarah raised an eyebrow and Chuck hurried on. "Look, you went with what you remembered just like I did. I was trying to be the older, wiser, Chuck. Give you space to work it out, the way you wish I did after you kissed me when you thought there was a bomb on that pier."
"That's right, you told me that's where we kissed," Sarah said. She looked down at the rings on her finger, gave them a twist, and decided to go for it. "You used to push and push."
"And you hated it, and I stopped," Chuck said. Sarah let her head fall back against the headrest, realizing they both had been thinking things that weren't true. They hadn't communicated. That felt familar. "Why did you take the job without talking to me?" She snapped her head over at him.
"Uh, don't you have that backwards?" Sarah asked. Chuck's eyes narrowed, and so did Sarah's.
"Beckman," they said together. Chuck laughed.
"They're trying to get us together," he said. He reached his hand across to her. She looked at him, then down at it. She swallowed and took it. The electric shock that ran through her hand was like nothing she ever experienced with anyone else. "They're good."
"Not as good as us," she said softly. Chuck gave her a soft smile.
"No," he agreed. "Not as good as us." They rode quietly until they were less than a mile from Echo Park. "So, just to be clear, because you know, I'm the talkative one." She snorted. He grinned at her. "You consider yourself my wife?"
"I do," she replied. "I'm just not her."
"Sarah, you're always her," he replied, pulling in front of the complex. He shut the car off, got out, came around, opened her door, and offered her his hand. She took it, and got out of the car. She wrapped her arms around him. "Oh, yeah, the cover." She grinned at him.
"Chuck, I'm your wife, there is no cover," she told him. His eyes got wide. "We have an…opportunity. Let's figure this out. This place is home. I love my mom and Molly, but I want to be with you."
"You don't ever have to leave," Chuck told her.
"Do you trust Shaw?"
"Do you ever remember me talking about shooting someone?" he asked.
"Seriously, I don't remember stuff," she said with a grin. He threw back his head and laughed. "You want to shoot Shaw?" Chuck nodded. "Haven't you shot Shaw?"
"Yeah and I didn't kill him," Chuck said. "Not that I wasn't trying." Sarah stiffened. "He was trying to kill you."
"Oh, I know, it just dawned on me what that meant, you willing to kill him to save me," Sarah said.
"Sarah, I'd die for you. I told Roan Montgomery that, right there in the courtyard. For better or worse, I'm here," he said. "I know you don't remember, but I'm here." Tears were in his eyes. Sarah gave a half smile.
"I don't remember, but I've never forgotten, here," she said, taking his hand and laying it over her heart, her hand on his. "I'm here, Chuck. It's going to take a bit to get it all sorted out, but I'm here."
"How come it always takes one of us being scared for the other to act on our feelings?" Chuck asked.
"Because we're complicated," she replied, kissing him on the nose. She headed toward the apartment while he grabbed her bag.
"I wonder if she remembers more than she realizes?" he said to himself, as he headed inside, with his wife.
A/N 2: So there's the premise. If you didn't know (I'm sure you did) the team was Ellie, Awesome, Carina, Zondra, Cole, Morgan, Gertrude, Casey, Chuck, and Sarah. Chuck and Sarah would be the primary handlers on Shaw. Yes, love would win, there would be zaniness, and just good ole Chuck goodness. Just a taste of what I would envision. Hope you liked it…reviews and PMs are welcomed and encouraged! Til next time
DC
