Chapter 1
Description – Lou Palone walked into the Burbank Buy More with a broken phone. Who would have ever guessed from that single broken phone that everything in the entire world would change for Chuck, Sarah, Casey, and the CIA and NSA? Complete AU
Song Recommendation – Telephone Line – Electric Light Orchestra
A/N1 – I always thought that Lou had great chemistry with Chuck on the show, and hoped that she would have been on more than two episodes. Lou was really the only one who stood a chance against Sarah when it came to winning Chuck’s heart. You could see that Sarah was jealous of Lou’s “real” relationship with Chuck. I wrote this story with that in mind.
Buckle in for an emotional rollercoaster ride for the right amount of spy, drama, family, angst, romance, and of course Charah, just like the show.
A/N2 – Thanks to my pre-reader. Kookykrumbs gave me some great feedback on the entire story. It helped a ton getting feedback from a woman’s point of view, so much so that I added six more chapters because she made me do it. If you like the story, it’s due in large part because of her. If you hate the story then it’s my fault.
A/N3 – In season one, I’ve always had problems with Sarah leading Chuck on so much when, at the beginning of the series, she was still figuring out her past feelings for Bryce while dealing with her new feelings for Chuck.
+ Everything came to the surface when Chuck met Lou at the beginning of the episode Chuck vs. the Truth
+ Halfway through the episode, Sarah tells Chuck they could never have a real relationship after she was drugged with sodium pentothal. It wasn’t at the end of the episode that she admitted to Casey that if she hadn’t been trained to withstand sodium pentothal, she would have told Chuck how she really felt about him.
+ Then, at the end of the episode, Sarah kissed him in front of the bomb.
+ It wasn’t until 2 episodes later (Chuck vs. the Nemesis) that Sarah picks Chuck over Bryce when both Chuck and Bryce call her at the same, and she decides to stay with Chuck.
What the heck was Chuck supposed to do with all of those mixed signals? Hope he could change his cover girlfriend's mind, even though he had already told her how he felt about her, while at the same time she told him they could never have a real relationship? Or should Chuck start a real relationship with a beautiful normal girl who wanted to and could be his real girlfriend? Lou certainly treated Chuck a hell of a lot better than Sarah had at that point in the series.
Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I don’t own Chuck.
Chapter 1 – The Broken Phone
Burbank, CA
The Buy More looked exactly as it always did on a weekday afternoon.
Televisions blared advertisements no one watched. Customers wandered aimlessly through the aisles, looking confused. Somewhere in Home Entertainment, Jeff and Lester were arguing over which science-fiction movie had predicted the future more accurately.
Chuck Bartowski barely noticed any of it. He was behind the Nerd Herd counter, replacing the cracked charging port on a laptop while trying to convince himself that his life was normal. Normal as life could be after receiving the Intersect. He had learned to divide his existence into two worlds, and lately the line between them had been getting harder to see.
Chuck Bartowski barely noticed any of it. His attention was fixed on the laptop in front of him, but part of his mind was always listening for the next interruption from the world he tried to keep separate from the Buy More.
One belonged to the CIA and NSA, a world of encrypted transmissions, covert missions, General Beckman's orders, John Casey's perpetual scowl, and Sarah Walker pretending to be his girlfriend.
The other world belonged to the Buy More. That world still smelled like burnt popcorn and cheap electronics. Chuck preferred that one.
The Buy More world had its own kind of chaos, but at least it was familiar.Here, Chuck knew what was expected of him. Fix the computers. Help the customers. Avoid Jeff and Lester whenever possible. Pretend that nothing unusual happened after hours.It wasn't a perfect life, but it was his version of normal.For a few minutes that afternoon, Chuck was grateful for it.
His concentration was interrupted by the hurried footsteps of a woman with shoulder-length dark hair who practically ran to the counter, clutching a silver cell phone with both hands as though it were priceless.
The frantic woman said, "I keep pressing the button, and nothing's happening." She sounded more frightened than angry, and Chuck immediately recognized that she wasn't really asking only about a phone. She was asking whether the things she trusted to keep her life together could be trusted again.
Chuck Bartowski smiled reassuringly. "Is it fully charged? Because sometimes…"
"My entire life is in this thing," she looked genuinely panicked, "I've got names… places… dates… music… recipes… photos…"
Chuck immediately recognized the expression. Not fear of losing a phone. Fear of losing memories. He had seen it before in people who were terrified of losing something important, and he knew that reassurance sometimes mattered as much as the repair itself.
"What if I lose everything?" she continued. "I can't start over."
Chuck softened his voice. "This is kind of my world."
She finally looked directly at him.
"This is what I do," Chuck said, pointing to the Nerd Herd sign, "And I'm pretty good at it."
The tension in her shoulders eased only slightly.
"So trust me."
For the first time, she smiled. The change was small, but Chuck noticed it immediately. He had managed to turn a panicked customer into someone who felt safe enough to laugh. "OK, I know I'm totally spazzing out."
"It's okay," Chuck replied.
"No, really. It's embarrassing."
Chuck shrugged, "I've seen worse."
She laughed. He liked the sound of it. There was something unexpectedly easy about talking to her. Chuck couldn't explain it.Maybe it was because she didn't know anything about the Intersect. Maybe it was because she wasn't looking at him as an intelligence asset, a mission liability, or a guy who needed constant protection.To Lou, he was simply the Nerd Herd guy who knew how to fix phones.Chuck found that strangely refreshing.
Chuck motioned toward the service counter, "Come on."
She reluctantly handed him the phone.
"Now," he said, "go someplace happy."
"My happy place?" she asked.
"Everyone has one."
She considered the question for a moment. "Turkey… Muenster cheese, egg bread." The answer came so naturally that Chuck smiled. It was an oddly specific happy place, but something was reassuring about someone who knew exactly what comfort looked like to her.
Chuck couldn't help smiling. "Was that a sandwich?"
She nodded, "I own a deli."
Chuck smiled, "That explains everything."
"I think about meats and cheeses more often than people probably should."
"Honestly," Chuck replied, "I respect that."
She laughed again.
"I'll have it ready tomorrow."
"Really?"
"I promise."
She extended her hand. "I'm Lou."
"Chuck."
She smiled. "It's been nice talking with you, Chuck."
"You too… Lou. Hey, that rhymed."
"I know," and she walked away, still smiling.
Chuck watched her disappear into the crowd before returning to the phone. For reasons he couldn't explain, he wanted to make absolutely certain it worked perfectly. He told himself he was simply being careful with a customer's property, but he found himself thinking about her even after the automatic doors closed.
XXXX
Sarah's attention remained on Lou even after she moved out of direct view.There was nothing immediately suspicious. That should have made Sarah relax. Instead, it created a different problem.Lou seemed friendly. Intelligent. Comfortable around Chuck. She wasn't trying too hard. She wasn't asking questions about his work. She wasn't showing any obvious interest in his life beyond the man standing in front of her.In other words, she looked exactly like the kind of woman Chuck could safely date.Sarah wasn't sure why that possibility bothered her.
From across the sales floor, Sarah had seen the entire conversation. She had been watching Chuck, as always, but this time she found herself paying almost as much attention to the woman standing across from him.
Casey stepped beside her without warning. "You've been watching him for seven minutes."
"I've been watching everyone."
Casey followed her gaze toward the Nerd Herd counter. "You've been watching her."
Sarah didn't answer. Casey didn't need her to. The silence between them said more than either of them wanted to acknowledge. Sarah knew the professional question was whether Lou posed a threat. The question she was avoiding was much simpler: why did the sight of Chuck enjoying himself with another woman bother her?
Casey looked toward Lou just as she disappeared through the automatic doors. "Civilian."
"Obviously."
"Problem?"
"No."
"You sure?"
Sarah folded her arms in frustration. She knew she was overreacting, and that knowledge only made the feeling more irritating.
Casey raised an eyebrow. "He smiles all the time."
"Not like that."
Casey looked back toward Chuck. The Asset was already carefully disassembling Lou's phone with the kind of concentration usually reserved for bomb disposal. Casey grunted, "He'll survive."
Casey watched Chuck continue working. He had seen the Asset distracted before. Usually it happened after a flash or a mission. This was different.
Chuck looked interested. Casey didn't like unknown variables, and a civilian woman who had suddenly caught Chuck's attention qualified as one. He filed the observation away.
Sarah hoped he was right, but she wasn't entirely certain why she hoped that. The thought of Chuck being interested in someone should have been nothing more than a cover concern. Instead, it had landed somewhere much more personal.
XXXX
At the end of the day, in the Buy More modified home theater room. General Beckman's face appeared on the large monitor: "Status report."
Sarah delivered the mission summary efficiently.
"No hostile contacts, no Fulcrum activity, no unusual Intersect flashes."
Beckman nodded, "And the Asset?"
Sarah replied, "Performing within expected parameters."
Casey glanced toward Sarah. He noticed she hesitated. Only for a moment.
"There was… one civilian interaction,” Sarah continued.
Beckman's expression sharpened immediately. "Explain."
"A woman named Lou Palone."
Sarah watched Beckman's face carefully. She knew the General would not remember the name. The report was deliberately brief. No unnecessary details. No assumptions.
Sarah had learned long ago that the safest intelligence report was the one that separated what you knew from what you felt. Unfortunately, she was beginning to discover that the two were getting harder to separate.
"Civilian?"
"Owner of a deli in the shopping center."
Beckman asked, "Any indication she approached deliberately?"
"No."
"Connection to hostile intelligence services?"
"None observed," Sarah replied.
Beckman considered the report. "Continue routine observation." Her tone was calm, but Sarah knew the order meant more than casual observation. Anyone who entered Chuck's life had to be evaluated, especially someone who seemed to have appeared without any obvious connection to the intelligence world.
Sarah nodded, but her attention remained on the report.The instruction was simple. Observe Lou. Determine whether she was a threat. Report anything unusual. Sarah had performed variations of that assignment countless times. She had no idea that this particular assignment would eventually force her to examine herself as closely as she examined Lou.
"Yes, General."
The monitor went dark.
Sarah released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She had reported the interaction exactly as protocol required, but something about saying Lou's name aloud had made the encounter feel more significant.
Casey noticed, "You could've left that out."
Sarah shook her head, "No."
Casey understood. The rules existed for a reason. Chuck Bartowski wasn't just a civilian anymore. He was the Intersect… a very important Asset to the CIA and NSA. Every new relationship, every friendship, and every stranger had to be considered a possible threat.
Neither of them realized that a simple broken cell phone was about to change all of their lives. More importantly, neither realized that Lou's apparently ordinary life would soon become the subject of a formal security investigation, an investigation Sarah would eventually have to conduct herself.
XXXX
Chuck had spent the morning pretending he wasn't waiting for her.He had checked the front doors more often than necessary. He had reorganized the same tools twice. He had even cleaned a section of the Nerd Herd counter that had not needed cleaning.He told himself he was being prepared.Morgan would have called it obvious. Chuck had been watching the front doors more often than he cared to admit. He told himself it was because he wanted to know whether Lou's phone was working properly, but the excuse sounded weak even to him.
Lou leaned against the Nerd Herd counter, folding her arms. "Okay," she said with a grin. "Just give me the verdict, Chuck. I can take it."
Chuck held up the phone. "You sure you want to hear?"
She pointed a finger at him. "If you're not teasing me… don't lie to me."
Chuck smiled, "Good as new…ish."
Lou laughed, "I don't believe you." The easy familiarity between them had already begun to grow. Chuck had known Lou for less than a day, yet talking to her felt surprisingly natural. That was precisely what made Sarah uneasy when she noticed it.
Chuck grinned.He had expected Lou to tease him about the repair, but there was something warmer in the exchange now.They were no longer just technician and customer.There was an ease developing between them.Chuck wasn't sure where it was going.He only knew that he wanted to find out.
"I actually learned a lot while fixing it," Chuck admitted. "You can learn a lot about a person through their cell phone."
"Oh, really?"
"For example… I noticed your Nana is the very first contact in your phone. You actually have her listed as 'A-Nana.'"
Lou's expression softened immediately. "Thank you," she said quietly.
Chuck shrugged modestly, "Hey… yeah."
Lou took the phone, turning it over in her hands before slipping it into her pocket. "You really saved my ass, Chuck."
Chuck chuckled, "You love your Nana, and you have the mouth of a trucker."
Lou laughed out loud.
"You're a very complicated woman, Lou."
"So I've been told."
Lou reached behind her back and produced a neatly wrapped package. "I brought you something."
Chuck blinked. "For fixing it?" he accepted the package and looked inside. "A sandwich?"
Lou nodded proudly. "It's turkey, Muenster cheese, on fresh egg bread. I'm even going to put it on the menu. I'm calling it the Chuck Bartowski."
Chuck stared at her. "I can't believe you're going to name a sandwich after me."
"You earned it."
XXXX
Chuck couldn't stop smiling. "This might be the greatest honor I've ever received." The sandwich was ridiculous, thoughtful, and somehow more personal than any gift he could remember receiving from someone he had just met.
Lou laughed, "You know, you should come by the shop sometime and try one fresh."
Chuck nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah… yeah. Yes. I'd love that. Lou, this is kind of the biggest honor…" He stopped himself before he could say more. He was already imagining what it would be like to visit the deli without a mission attached, and the thought felt strangely appealing.
Just then, Chuck's smile froze. Sarah had just stepped through the Buy More entrance, and she immediately noticed Chuck smiling at another woman holding a conversation that seemed far more comfortable than she expected
Chuck unexpectedly blurted out, “…. Sarah!”
Sarah walked toward them with practiced confidence, even though she could already see the question forming in Lou's expression. A faint flicker of curiosity crossed her face. "Hi," Sarah said politely. "I'm Sarah."
She immediately assessed Lou the way she assessed everyone near Chuck: posture, eyes, hands, exits, and awareness. Nothing looked suspicious. If anything, Lou looked almost annoyingly normal.
Chuck suddenly looked as though someone had unplugged his brain. "Lou…” He gestured awkwardly between the two women, "Lou is… her name."
Chuck suddenly looked as though someone had unplugged his brain. One second he had been talking comfortably with Lou; the next, the cover relationship he had almost forgotten about had stepped directly into the conversation.
Lou raised an eyebrow.
Chuck continued rambling, "This is … Lou… I was fixing Lou's phone for her."
Lou looked from Chuck to Sarah. "Who's that?"
Chuck swallowed, "That's Sarah."
Lou smiled politely, "She said that. Who's Sarah?"
Chuck opened his mouth, "Sarah… is…"
He searched desperately for the right answer, "What's the best way to describe…"
Sarah didn't hesitate, "… His girlfriend."
She extended her hand, "Nice to meet you."
Lou accepted the handshake, "Nice to meet you, Sarah."
She glanced back toward Chuck before pointing at the wrapped sandwich, "You should refrigerate that. It'd be a shame for the Chuck to make you sick."
Chuck laughed nervously, "Yes… absolutely. Great idea."
Sarah waited until Lou started walking toward the exit before turning her attention back to Chuck. Her expression immediately shifted from pleasant to professional.
Sarah waited until Lou started walking toward the exit. She could feel Chuck's attention following the woman. That should not have mattered. It did. Sarah told herself the reaction was about operational security, but the explanation was becoming less convincing every time she used it.
"Casey just called. Beckman wants us to contact her immediately."
Chuck nodded, realizing his brief moment of normal life had once again been interrupted by the spy world.
He glanced once toward the exit where Lou disappeared into the parking lot, then looked back at Sarah, "Looks like the Chuck Bartowski sandwich will have to wait."
XXX
Every time Chuck opened the refrigerator, he saw the package. It was ridiculous. It was also one of the nicest things anyone had done for him in a long time.The sandwich represented something he hadn't expected from a stranger: an invitation into an ordinary life. Chuck didn't know yet whether he wanted that life, but he knew he wanted the chance to find out.
Chuck barely remembered the rest of his shift. The mission briefing mattered, the reports mattered, and the Intersect mattered, but his thoughts kept returning to Lou and the look on her face when Sarah had called herself his girlfriend.
Every few minutes, he caught himself thinking about Lou's expression after Sarah introduced herself. Not angry, not embarrassed, but disappointed. He hated that expression. When his shift finally ended, Chuck hurried through the front doors of the Buy More. He looked around the parking lot. No sign of Lou.
He sighed and thought to himself, "Too late."
Then he noticed a familiar blue sedan backing out of a parking space. Chuck shouted, "Lou!"
The car stopped, and the driver's window rolled down. Lou looked at him with a polite smile. "Hey."
Chuck jogged across the parking lot. "Wait…wait…please."
She shifted the car into park. Chuck rested his hands on his knees, catching his breath. "About earlier…"
Lou smiled faintly, "Forget it, Chuck."
"… No, please."
She shrugged, "You don't have to be single to fix a broken phone. Maybe our signals just got crossed."
Chuck shook his head immediately, "No. Not at all."
He searched for the right words, "They weren't crossed. Sarah and I…it's complicated."
Lou tilted her head, "Well, is she your girlfriend or not?"
The truthful answer was impossible. Chuck couldn't tell Lou about the Intersect, Castle, or the CIA. But the dishonest answer felt wrong because Lou had been straightforward with him from the beginning. He hated that the secret life he had accepted as necessary could make an honest conversation with someone he liked almost impossible.
The truthful answer was impossible. Chuck couldn't tell Lou about the Intersect, Castle, or the CIA. But the dishonest answer felt wrong because Lou had been straightforward with him from the beginning.
Chuck immediately regretted saying it. "It's hard to explain."
He laughed nervously, "I really, really wish I could explain."
Lou studied him for several seconds, weighing the awkward explanation against what she had seen for herself.
She folded her arms. "Then let me explain something."
Chuck looked up.
"I like you, Chuck."
The words caught him completely off guard.
"I like almost everything about you."
A nervous smile spread across Chuck's face despite himself.
"I think you're cute. I think you're funny, and our vast height difference intrigues me."
Chuck laughed.
Lou smiled with him before her expression became more serious. "But do you know what I don't like?"
Chuck swallowed, "Very …very much."
"I think anyone who cheats on his girlfriend is a big, fat, stupid jackass."
Chuck nodded immediately, "Exactly. I completely concur."
Lou couldn't help smiling, "Of course you do, which is why I like you."
Chuck blinked. Even after calling him a jackass, she still liked him.
She stepped closer. "So let's make a deal. If your situation ever becomes less complicated…"
Chuck didn't know what to say. He had spent his life worrying about saying the wrong thing around women. Now Lou was standing in front of him, giving him a very simple choice: be honest about wanting something more, or walk away.The problem was that honesty was dangerous when the truth about his life was classified.
She smiled warmly, "…you let me know."
Chuck nodded, "I will. I promise."
Lou smiled one last time before getting back into her car, "Take care of yourself, Chuck."
"You too."
She drove away.
This time, Chuck remained standing in the parking lot until her car disappeared around the corner.
Only then did he quietly say to himself, "I wish I could tell you."
Chuck stood there for another moment. He wanted to go after her. He wanted to tell her that Sarah wasn't really his girlfriend. He wanted to tell her why he couldn't explain.Instead, he stood beside his car and watched the place where Lou's sedan had disappeared. For the first time, Chuck understood how frustrating his secret life could be.It wasn't just preventing him from telling people what he did. It was preventing him from telling someone how he felt.
XXXX
From the shadows near the Buy More entrance, Sarah had watched the entire conversation. Not because she wanted to, but because protecting Chuck required observation. At least, that was the justification she gave herself.
She couldn't hear every word. She didn't need to. She saw Lou smile. She saw Chuck smile back. She saw Lou step closer. She saw Chuck standing there long after the car disappeared.
Sarah felt an unfamiliar ache in her chest. She had watched Chuck in dangerous situations without feeling this helpless. Bullets were simple. Assassins were simple. Lou wasn't a threat at all, and somehow that made Sarah feel more vulnerable.
Casey stepped beside her, carrying a cup of coffee. "You've been standing there for ten minutes."
"I know,” she replied.
"You weren't watching for assassins."
"No."
Casey replied, "You were watching them."
Sarah didn't deny it.
Casey took a sip of coffee. "Civilian likes him."
Sarah nodded once. "He likes her too."
Sarah looked away before Casey could read too much into her expression.She knew what the facts said. Lou liked Chuck. Chuck liked Lou. Lou appeared clean. And Chuck was happier when he was around her. The facts were almost offensively simple.Sarah preferred problems that had solutions.
Casey watched Chuck walking slowly toward his car. "Good."
Sarah looked at him in surprise, "Good?"
Casey shrugged, "Sometimes a normal relationship keeps people grounded." He didn't say what he was thinking: if Lou really was a civilian, then she might be exactly what Chuck needed. Sarah understood the implication immediately.
Sarah didn't answer.
Casey continued, "If he's happy, he'll have something worth protecting."
Sarah stared at Chuck as he walked across the parking lot, looking more alone than she had expected. She wanted to call after him, but she had no professional reason to do so.
Somehow, Casey's words made her feel even worse.
Sarah knew Casey was right.Chuck needed something outside the spy world.He needed people who knew him without knowing the Intersect.He needed a reason to believe that his life could be more than missions and danger.Lou could give him that.Sarah just wasn't prepared for how much she wanted to be the person who gave it to him.
XXXX
Casa Bartowski/Woodcomb
Burbank, CA
Later that evening, in Chuck’s bedroom, Chuck and Sarah were in bed together, trying to keep up appearances that their cover dating seemed like they had a real relationship, at least to Ellie and Devon.
Chuck broke the silence.
"What exactly are the rules with our…our thing?"
Sarah looked at him. "What do you mean?"
Chuck leaned over. "What do I mean?" he laughed awkwardly. "I mean…hypothetically speaking…are we allowed to see other people?"
Sarah stared at him for a moment. She had expected the question eventually, but hearing Chuck ask it made the possibility of him dating someone else suddenly feel real. "Well, our cover is boyfriend and girlfriend, so tactically that would be challenging."
Chuck waited.
“Any prospective girlfriend would have to undergo a rigorous background investigation.” Sarah meant it as a security requirement, but part of her also knew that the investigation would force her to confront whether Lou was truly a danger, or simply someone Sarah didn't want close to Chuck.
Chuck considered the requirement. He could have complained. He could have argued that Lou was obviously harmless.Instead, he nodded. That was one of the things Sarah had always admired about him: when he understood that a rule existed to protect someone, he followed it.She just hadn't realized that this particular rule might put her in the position of deciding whether another woman was allowed into Chuck's life.
Chuck blinked. "A background investigation to determine her motivation? Wouldn't her motivation be love?"
The innocent question caught Sarah off guard. For Chuck, love was becoming the simplest explanation in the room. For Sarah, it was the one explanation she was least prepared to consider.
Sarah's expression softened almost imperceptibly. She wanted to tell him that he deserved something real. What she couldn't admit was how much she wanted that real thing to be with her. "Ideally, but you're one of the government's most valuable intelligence Assets, and you have to be handled with extreme care."
Chuck smiled, "That sounds oddly flattering."
For a moment, the room felt almost normal. No missions. No encrypted transmissions. No Fulcrum. Just two people talking about whether Chuck was allowed to date someone.Sarah looked at him and realized that he had already made his decision emotionally. The only question was what the rules would allow.
Sarah smiled despite herself, "Chuck, I don't have to be a spy to figure this out. You're interested in Lou."
Chuck hesitated, and then he answered honestly, "Yeah, I really am."
Chuck looked down at his hands. He hadn't meant to sound so certain. But he was certain. Lou had made him laugh. She had treated him like an ordinary guy. She hadn't looked at him like he was a weapon or a liability. For Chuck, that mattered more than he could explain.
Sarah nodded once. She had hoped he would deny it. Instead, he looked happier simply admitting it.
Neither of them realized that this conversation had just set in motion a decision that would change all of their lives. Sarah had just given herself a professional reason to investigate Lou. Chuck had just decided that if the investigation came back clean, he would follow the rules and pursue the relationship honestly. Exactly to the letter.
Sarah watched him for a long moment. Chuck had always been willing to follow rules when he believed they protected people. She had assumed the background investigation would discourage him.Instead, he was about to do exactly what she had told him to do.And Sarah was beginning to suspect that she had just created a problem she could not solve by following protocol.
XXXX
End Chapter 1