Chuck versus The Last Wish

Chapter 3 – The Walker Identity

Chuck and Morgan stood in silence for a few moments, staring at the old Buy More building. The Subway logo was already displayed across the front. The old neon sign was nowhere to be seen.

Morgan sighed. Somehow, it felt harder than he'd expected.

“It’s still weird.”

Chuck gave him a faint smile.

“What?”

“This place exists without us.”

“Somehow, we survived,” Chuck said.

Morgan grinned and nodded.

“True.”

They crossed the street. Both of them fell into the same old routine as they headed toward the yogurt shop and stepped inside Orange Orange.

The place was empty. There was still no one behind the counter.

For a moment, Chuck imagined Sarah smiling at him as she walked through the door.

“Maybe we should hire someone for this place,” he mused. “Someone from the agency.”

They stepped into the freezer. The panel scanned Chuck’s retina, and the door opened.

They entered the Carmichael Industries headquarters.

“I miss the others,” Morgan said as he looked around. The room seemed bigger without them. “Especially the big grumpy bear.”

“Only Casey could express fifty different emotions with the exact same growl,” Chuck said.

The main screen came to life, and General Beckman appeared.

Morgan instinctively straightened.

“Good morning, Bartowski.” Beckman’s voice carried the same calm authority it always had.

“General.” Chuck nodded.

Morgan gave her a little wave.

“And good morning to you, Mr. Grimes.”

She paused only briefly.

“Let’s get to the point. Quinn’s death raised more questions than it answered.”

Chuck and Morgan exchanged a look.

Neither of them liked where this was going.

“According to current intelligence, Nicholas Quinn’s identity was fabricated. So far, we have found no lead to his true identity.”

Morgan raised an eyebrow.

“A ghost.”

He instinctively folded his arms.

“Precisely,” Beckman replied. “And that concerns me.”

Chuck leaned forward. His mind was already working.

“What do you want us to do?”

“The two of you are going back on active duty.”

For a moment, neither of them said anything.

Chuck blinked in surprise.

“Ma’am… we left the CIA.”

“I know.”

Beckman’s voice didn't change.

“I need the two people who know more about the Intersect than almost anyone else.”

“What do you suspect?”

Beckman was silent for a moment.

“That Quinn wasn't working alone. He had too many resources. Too many connections. Too much reach.”

Her expression hardened slightly.

“Find out what’s going on.”

“General,” Chuck said. “I’d like to ask for something.”

“What is it, Agent Bartowski?”

“An Intersect.”

A brief silence followed.

The weight of the request hung in the air.

“Approved. And one more thing.”

Her voice became slightly more personal. Beckman set aside the file in front of her.

The next question wasn't asked as a general.

“How is Sarah?”

The question caught Chuck off guard. He was silent for a moment before a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

“Better than yesterday.”

His smile grew despite himself.

“She said… she’s staying.”

Beckman nodded.

“I’m glad.”

She paused.

“If the situation requires it, can we count on your wife?”

Chuck swallowed.

He already knew what he was going to say.

“General… I don't think that’s a good idea right now.”

Beckman didn't interrupt.

“Sarah is still the best agent there is. But right now, she doesn't need to be an agent. She needs some time to figure out who she is.”

Morgan nodded in agreement.

Casey would have said the same thing.

Chuck continued.

“If we do need to involve her… I want her to stay here with us at Castle. Analysis, research, support. But, ma’am, I don't want to send her into the field yet.”

Beckman remained silent for several seconds, weighing his words.

“I trust your judgment, Bartowski.”

Several encrypted folders appeared beside her on the screen.

“Then find out who Nicholas Quinn really was. As for the Intersect, I’ll let you know.”

She gave them a brief nod.

“Welcome back to active service.”

The connection ended.

“Let’s get to work…” Chuck looked over at Morgan.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sarah held a dark blue coat up in front of the mirror and took half a step back to get a better look at herself.

“What do you think?”

There was genuine curiosity in her voice.

Alex tilted her head.

“Too serious.”

She folded her arms.

“Serious?”

“Yeah. It makes you look like you’re about to sell someone a fake passport in five minutes. Or chase some bad guy across a rooftop…”

Sarah smiled despite herself. The smile looking back at her from the mirror felt strangely familiar.

“That’s weird.”

“What?”

“For some reason, this doesn't feel unlike me.”

Alex laughed.

“Well, it shouldn’t. You and Chuck were constantly running around in disguises.”

Sarah continued looking at herself in the mirror, almost as if she were trying to recognize an old acquaintance.

“After all those missions…” she murmured. “How did you know who you really were?”

Alex considered the question.

“I think it was because you always had somewhere to go home to.”

The words lingered between them for a long moment.

Sarah slowly put the coat back on its hanger.

“Was Casey like that, too?”

Alex looked at her in surprise.

“Dad?”

Sarah nodded.

“Somehow… when you were talking about disguises, I thought of him.”

Alex smiled.

“Even though he hated disguises.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. He complained about them all the time. According to him, a good sniper rifle was a lot more reliable than a bad wig.”

Sarah laughed. For a moment, she could almost hear Casey’s familiar grumble.

Several other shoppers glanced in their direction.

“That sounds about right.”

Alex laughed too.

“He had to dress up as a cowboy once. He was angry about it for days.”

Sarah looked at her curiously.

“But he did it?”

The answer seemed more important than the story itself.

“For you guys?” Alex said without hesitation. “Anytime.”

Sarah’s smile slowly faded. She lowered the hanger to her side.

“He was really that important to you?”

Alex nodded.

“Chuck… you… Morgan…”

She paused.

“Dad never would have said it out loud. But you were his family.”

Sarah was silent for a long time.

Then she spoke quietly.

“Yesterday, at Castle, when we said goodbye…”

Alex watched her carefully. Sarah struggled to find the words.

“I had this feeling…” She swallowed. “That I was going to miss him.”

Her voice softened.

“I hope… someday I’ll remember him, too. Just the way I did before.”

She didn't wait for Alex to respond.

Instead, she reached for a stylish top and instinctively picked out her size.

“I’m going to try this on,” she announced confidently.

Then, a little more uncertainly, she added,

“Do you think Chuck would like it?”

The question sounded as though the answer genuinely mattered to her.

Sarah held the top against herself and looked at her reflection in the mirror once more.

This time, she wasn't wondering whether she liked it.

Without even realizing it, she was trying to imagine what Chuck would see.

“Knowing Chuck…” Alex smiled. “If he gets to see you wearing it, he’s definitely going to like it.”

XXXXXXXXXXXThey walked slowly along the row of shops. Now and then, Alex stopped in front of a display window, and Sarah looked around curiously beside her. Afternoon sunlight reflected off the glass, while people chatted around them and children ran past. For once, Sarah felt like an ordinary person simply passing through.

“I think Chuck would like this coat, too,” Alex remarked.

Sarah smiled.

“Maybe…” She wasn't really looking at the coat anymore. Her attention had shifted to her reflection in the glass.

A sharp scream suddenly cut through the air.

Several people turned toward the sound at once. Sarah instinctively looked over.

“Thief!”

A man in his thirties burst through the crowd. He was clutching an elderly woman’s purse, desperately trying to force his way through the people around him. He shoved two people aside, and the crowd jumped back in alarm.

Alex instinctively turned toward Sarah.

“Sarah…”

But Sarah wasn't listening anymore.

Her breathing slowed automatically.

The man was running straight toward them.

Everything seemed to slow down.

The distance.

His speed.

The rhythm of his steps.

His center of gravity.

The obstacles around him.

By the time the thief realized what was happening, Sarah was already moving.

One step to the side, smooth and almost effortless.

Her left hand caught his wrist. Her right palm struck him once, short and precise, in the chest.

The thief gasped for air and staggered.

Sarah twisted the purse free with a single motion, then used his momentum to sweep his legs out from under him.

He hit the ground.

The people around them instinctively backed away.

The entire thing had taken less than a second.

Silence fell.

Everyone nearby stared at them in stunned disbelief.

Sarah was just as surprised.

Only now did her pulse begin to race.

She slowly looked down at the purse in her hand.

Then at the man on the ground.

He scrambled to his feet and ran.

It didn't even occur to her to chase him.

Sarah finally looked at Alex.

“I…” She frowned. “I didn't even think.”

Alex let out a disbelieving laugh.

“I believe you.”

The elderly woman hurried toward them, still trembling and struggling to catch her breath.

“My purse!”

Sarah immediately held it out.

“Here.”

The woman hugged it to herself, tears in her eyes.

“Thank you… Thank you!”

Sarah gave an awkward nod.

“You're welcome.”

“Are you a police officer?”

“Something like that,” Sarah said, looking down at her own hand.

After the elderly woman had finally made her way off, Sarah turned to Alex.

“It just… happened.”

Alex smiled and gently touched her shoulder. She could feel that Sarah was still tense.

“I think I just got a glimpse of the real Sarah Walker.”

Sarah let out a quiet laugh.

“Alex, what do you want to do next?”

XXXXXXXXXXX

The monitors in Castle flickered to life one after another. Chuck sat down at the central terminal while Morgan headed straight for the coffee maker.

“I’ll get coffee.”

Chuck didn't look up.

“Okay, buddy.”

“It’s kind of funny that we can't just go upstairs to the Buy More for coffee anymore.”

“Morgan, I think we drank enough Buy More coffee to last us a lifetime.”

Morgan laughed.

“Fair point.”

A few moments later, he returned with two steaming mugs and set one down beside Chuck.

“Thanks.”

Chuck was already typing, his fingers moving so quickly that Morgan couldn't even follow what he was doing.

One after another, the CIA, NSA, and Interpol databases opened across the monitors. Quinn’s face appeared on the screens.

“What are you searching for?” Morgan asked.

“Everything.”

“That was a very Chuck answer.”

Chuck smiled.

“There has to be something. Some trace of this guy.”

Morgan took a sip of his coffee and immediately burned his tongue.

“You think we’ll find anything?”

“I hope so. He was way too prepared to have been working alone. Someone funded him. Equipped him. Helped him erase his tracks.”

“So someone left a trail.”

Chuck nodded.

“Everyone leaves a trail. Sometimes they just hide it really well.”

A news site suddenly appeared on one of the screens.

Senator James Harrison Resigns, Citing Unexpected Health Issues.

Chuck closed the page. Not what he was looking for.

The rapid clicking of the keyboard filled Castle. Morgan slowly stirred his coffee, the soft clink of the spoon mixing with the sound.

“What do you think the girls are doing right now?”

Chuck stopped for a moment. He gave an awkward smile.

“I hope… Alex managed to convince Sarah not to sit at home all day.”

“I hope so too. I told Alex to take her somewhere. According to the movies, this is when girls go to beauty salons, go shopping, get coffee… who knows what else.”

Chuck laughed.

“Morgan… you watch way too many romantic comedies.”

Morgan grinned and shrugged.

“Alex’s fault.”

After a brief pause, he added,

“Poor Sarah. She probably has no idea what she’s gotten herself into.”

Chuck laughed and shook his head.

“Alex will be good for her,” he said more seriously. “I think that’s exactly what Sarah needs right now.”

“Normal people?”

Chuck slowly shook his head.

“Normal days.”

Morgan nodded.

“She deserves that.”

Chuck turned back to the monitors.

The search continued.

XXXXXXXXXXXChuck closed the door behind him that evening. He automatically tossed his keys into the bowl beside the newspaper, one of the headlines reporting that an unidentified group of investors was financing a Middle Eastern port development project.

Sarah was sitting on the couch, a book resting in her lap. She looked up at him and instinctively slipped the bookmark between the pages.

“Hi.”

For a few seconds, Chuck simply looked at her. He was already smiling by the time he took off his jacket.

“It’s good to have you home.”

Sarah paused.

She hadn't expected that. Her smile slowly became more uncertain.

“It’s good to be here,” she finally said softly.

Chuck nodded. Nothing more was needed right now.

“I’m glad.”

He didn't ask questions or press her about how her day had gone. He simply sat down beside her on the couch.

Sarah instinctively turned toward him a little.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Later that night, Chuck quietly opened the bedroom door.

“Sarah?”

There was no answer. The bathroom door was slightly ajar, and a few seconds later, Sarah stepped out and walked past him, her hair still slightly damp.

Chuck froze. Sarah was wearing an oversized gray T-shirt—his T-shirt. Sarah noticed where he was looking and glanced down at herself.

“Is something wrong?”

Chuck quickly shook his head. “No… just…” He gestured toward the closet, where Sarah’s clothes were lined up.

Sarah uncertainly caught the bottom of the shirt between her fingers. “It felt good to put it on.” She looked down at it. “Like being home.”

Chuck couldn't decide whether he wanted to laugh or cry. “You used to do that, too.”

Sarah looked up. “I did?”

Chuck simply nodded, a lump forming in his throat.

Sarah stepped closer. “By the way… can I sleep here tonight, too?” She gestured toward the bed.

Chuck froze for a moment. “Of course. Yeah… absolutely.”

Sarah slipped into bed with a completely natural ease, moving as though she'd always slept there. “Good.”

Chuck was still standing in the doorway when Sarah looked up at him.

“Chuck…”

“Yeah?”

“I don't bite.”

Chuck laughed. “I know.”

“Then come on.” She impatiently patted the blanket beside her.

Chuck climbed into bed next to her. For a few seconds, neither of them said anything. Sarah turned onto her side, absently twisting the edge of the blanket between her fingers.

“Good night, Chuck.”

“Good night, Sarah.”

A little while later, Sarah’s breathing had settled into an even rhythm, and the tension had disappeared from her face. Chuck, however, was still awake. In the dim light, the oversized sleeve of the T-shirt poked out from beneath the blanket. He smiled.

Softer than a sigh, he whispered, “It’s good to have you home.”

Then he slowly closed his eyes, and silence settled over the room.

He was already half asleep when Sarah’s breathing changed.

At first, the difference was barely noticeable. Then she began breathing faster, each breath more desperate than the last. She shifted restlessly, her entire body gradually tensing, and exhaled sharply—as if trying to speak, though no intelligible sound came out. Just a faint whisper.

Then, a little louder and clearer: “No…”

A brief silence.

“No… please…” Her voice sounded as though she were speaking to someone else—someone who wasn't in the room.

Chuck jolted awake and pushed himself up on one elbow. “Sarah?”

Her eyes remained closed, darting rapidly beneath her lids as her breathing grew faster.

“No…” This time, there was desperation in her voice.

Chuck felt a chill run down his back.

“Please… no…”

He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and began rubbing it, switching on the bedside reading lamp with his other hand. “Sarah… wake up.”

Sarah suddenly went rigid, her fingers curling into fists. “No!” she cried out in pain, making Chuck flinch.

She shot upright, gasping for breath, her pupils wide with terror. Adrenaline made her whole body tremble. Her eyes darted wildly around the room as if searching for cover or an escape route. In one practiced motion, she pulled a knife from beneath her pillow and raised the blade instinctively in front of herself.

She wasn't looking at Chuck. She was looking for someone else.

“Where is he?!” she screamed, her eyes racing across the room. “Where is he?!”

“Who?”

Sarah didn't answer. Maybe she didn't know herself.

Chuck slowly raised his hands, making no sudden movements. He placed one gently over hers and carefully lowered the knife. “Sarah… easy. I'm here. Everything’s okay.”

Finally, she looked at him. It took several seconds before she truly recognized Chuck, and her posture slowly relaxed as she returned to the present.

“Chuck…” Her voice broke.

Chuck didn't ask any questions; he simply moved closer. Sarah was trembling, her whole body shaking in small, uncontrollable bursts. Finally, she released the knife.

“Was it a nightmare?”

For a long time, she didn't answer as tears streamed down her face. Then she gave the smallest nod. “I was so scared.” She went silent again and touched her chest. Her heart was still pounding wildly, the icy grip of terror barely beginning to loosen. “Someone… was chasing me. I couldn't get away.”

Chuck watched her quietly and swallowed almost imperceptibly.

“It was dark and cold.” Sarah brought her right hand to her mouth. “He was going to kill me… I couldn't stop him.”

Chuck carefully wrapped his arms around her, and Sarah didn't resist for even a second. She buried her face against his chest, clinging to him as though she were afraid that if she let go, she'd be back in the place she'd been in her dream.

For a while, they simply sat there holding each other. Sarah’s tears soaked into Chuck’s shirt while her body continued to tremble silently.

Finally, Sarah spoke in a whisper, her face still pressed against his chest. “Stay.”

“I'm here. I'm never leaving you.”

Chuck didn't let go, and he didn't ask anything else about the dream. They had time; there was no need to figure it out tonight while the experience was still too raw.

Eventually, they lay back down. This time, Sarah curled silently against him, resting her head on his chest as though Chuck’s closeness and the steady beat of his heart were enough to make her feel safe. Chuck held her gently but firmly.

Slowly, Sarah’s heartbeat returned to normal. Only then did Chuck allow himself to take a deeper breath and let out a quiet sigh.

A little while later, Sarah was asleep again. Chuck eventually drifted off too, but he woke several times during the night—checking each time to make sure Sarah was okay.