Chapter 2
Song Recommendation – Don’t You Want Me – Human League
Disclaimer – Unfortunately, I don’t own Chuck.
Chapter 2 – Permission
Burbank, CA
The following morning, Chuck and Sarah were in Chuck’s bedroom getting ready for work.
Chuck took a deep breath and told Sarah, "I've been thinking about what you said last night."
Sarah asked, "About Lou?"
He nodded, "You were right."
Sarah wasn't expecting agreement. "I was?"
Chuck smiled sadly, "This fake relationship, it serves its purpose. It kept me alive. It protected my identity. It gave us a believable cover, but it isn't fair. Not to Lou, and not to us."
Chuck's smile faded as he looked at Sarah. He had expected the conversation to feel like a decision. Instead, it felt like a loss.He knew ending the cover was the right thing. Lou deserved the chance to meet him without a pretend girlfriend standing in the background. What he hadn't expected was how much saying goodbye to the cover would hurt.For a moment, he wondered whether that meant the cover had become something more. He pushed the thought away. There were too many other things he needed to figure out.
Sarah felt her stomach tighten.
Chuck continued, "I can't ask someone to date me while pretending to have a girlfriend. I don't want to start a relationship with a lie."
He looked directly at Sarah, "So…I think we should end our cover relationship."
The words hung in the air. Sarah had imagined this conversation many times, but she had never imagined that hearing it would hurt this much. She had prepared herself for Chuck wanting a normal life; she had not prepared herself for the possibility that his normal life might no longer include her.
She asked, "So, you've made up your mind."
Chuck nodded, "I want a chance at something real."
Sarah forced herself to smile. "If that's what you want, but we will need to clear it with General Beckman."
Chuck smiled with genuine gratitude. "Thank you,” he hesitated. "I really do appreciate everything you've done for me."
Sarah nodded once. "So, we're broken up." The words sounded strangely final, even though both of them knew the relationship had always been a cover.
Chuck tried to laugh. "I guess we are."
Neither of them moved. Neither knew how to say goodbye to a relationship that had never really existed, except that, somewhere along the way, it had become real for both of them, even if only one of them was ready to admit it. Chuck saw a cover story. Sarah saw the closest thing to a real relationship she had allowed herself to have in years.
Chuck left to go to work. Only after Chuck left did she whisper to herself, "What have I done?" Sarah stood alone in the bedroom, staring at the closed door. She knew she had done exactly what her job required. What she didn't know was how to live with what it had cost her.
XXXX
Casey’s Apartment – Burbank, CA
Later that day, Sarah and Casey had their daily morning debrief with General Beckman.
General Beckman's image appeared on the large monitor. Immediately, she said, "I understand there's been a change in your cover."
Sarah answered professionally, "Yes, General. Chuck and I mutually agreed it would be better for him to establish a genuine civilian relationship." She kept her voice steady, carefully hiding how much the decision had affected her.
Casey folded his arms. "She got dumped."
Sarah shot him a look. "We decided that it would be best for Chuck to date a civilian. It will help secure his cover if someone identifies me."
Casey didn't even look up. "Yeah, because she got dumped."
General Beckman ignored the interruption. "I don't like the idea of this breakup at all."
She looked directly at Sarah. "What the hell happened?"
Sarah maintained her composure. "Chuck met a civilian named Lou Palone. She appears to be genuinely interested in him."
Beckman's expression hardened. "Let me get this straight. Some woman comes in off the street and starts dating the Asset, and this doesn't strike either of you as suspicious?" The General's concern was genuine; anyone who came close to Chuck had the potential to become a vulnerability.
Sarah answered carefully, "It's not completely unfeasible." A faint smile crossed her face despite herself. "He is a reasonably charming guy." She immediately regretted letting the personal observation slip, but Beckman had already noticed.
Casey smirked.
Beckman remained unconvinced. "I've heard enough." She leaned toward the camera. "I want to know everything there is to know about this woman before she gets too close."
Sarah glanced toward the empty chair where Chuck normally sat. For the first time, she realized that the background investigation she herself had insisted upon might actually clear Lou to date Chuck. The thought should have reassured her professionally. Instead, it made her stomach tighten, and if it did, she would have no professional reason left to stand between them. The realization worried her more than she expected.
XXXX
Buy More
Burbank, CA
After work, Chuck, Sarah, and Casey went to the Buy More modified home theater room to review the day's intelligence reports that they were sent for Chuck to review, and see if he flashed on anything.
Chuck remained where he was. He looked unusually thoughtful.
Sarah noticed, "Something on your mind?"
Chuck nodded, "Actually, yes."
She expected another question about spy training, or perhaps another concern about the Intersect.
Instead, he smiled politely, "I'd like to speak with General Beckman."
Sarah looked up, "Now?"
Sarah studied Chuck's face. There was no nervous rambling. No attempt to make a joke. He had clearly decided that whatever he wanted to say mattered enough to ask directly. That alone made Sarah uneasy.Chuck was usually at his most unpredictable when he was being serious. “If she's available."
Sarah studied him. "What about?"
Chuck shrugged. "I'd rather tell her myself."
Something in his voice made Sarah uneasy. She pressed the secure communications button. Within seconds, General Beckman's image appeared on the large monitor in the movie theater room.
"Report."
Sarah spoke first, "No mission updates, General."
Chuck stepped forward, "I actually requested this meeting."
Beckman looked directly at him, "What is it, Mr. Bartowski?"
Chuck stood straighter than usual. He had rehearsed this conversation several times in his head, but every version had sounded easier than the real thing. Asking permission to date someone shouldn't have felt like asking for clearance to enter a hostile country.
"General, I'd like to request authorization to begin dating a woman named Lou Palone. She lives in Burbank and owns a deli next to the Buy More."
Silence filled the home theatre room. Chuck suddenly became aware of how strange the request sounded when spoken aloud. He was asking a General for permission to go on a date, but everyone in the room understood that this was about far more than dinner and a movie.
Sarah blinked.
Casey slowly lowered the clipboard he had been holding.
Beckman remained expressionless. "Continue."
Chuck nodded. "Yesterday, Sarah explained to me that since I am an Asset, any civilian I wanted to date would need to undergo a vigorous government background investigation before she could become involved with me."
Sarah suddenly realized exactly where this conversation was going. A strange feeling settled over Sarah.She had spent days telling herself that a background check was necessary. Now Chuck was voluntarily asking for one. He was giving her exactly what she had claimed she needed. The problem was that she wasn't sure she wanted the answer anymore.
Chuck continued, "I understand why. I'm the Intersect. My life isn't normal. I don't want to put anyone in danger; I also don't want to violate protocol."
Sarah stared at him. He had listened to every word she said. Every single damn one. She had expected Chuck to treat her warning as another obstacle to work around. Instead, he had taken it seriously because he trusted her judgment.
"So,” Chuck finished, "I'm formally requesting that the NSA or CIA conduct whatever background investigation is necessary. If Miss Palone passes, I'd like permission to ask her out."
Nobody spoke. Casey looked toward Sarah. She looked genuinely stunned.
Finally, Beckman broke the silence, "Mr. Bartowski, were you under the impression this was an official requirement?"
Chuck answered immediately, "Yes, General."
Sarah closed her eyes for a brief moment.
Beckman shifted her attention toward Sarah, "Agent Walker?"
Sarah chose her words carefully, "I informed Chuck that any civilian becoming personally involved with the Intersect would require a thorough vetting process."
Beckman nodded slowly, "So you did."
Sarah couldn't tell whether the General approved or disapproved.
She replied, "I believed it was the safest course of action."
Sarah kept her expression neutral. It was the safest course of action. That was true. It was also true that part of her had hoped the investigation would uncover something that would stop Chuck from moving forward.She hated that both things could be true at once.
Casey folded his arms. "It is."
Sarah glanced at him, surprised by his support.
Casey continued, "If she's clean, she's clean. If she's dirty, we find out before she gets too close."
Beckman leaned back in her chair. The request itself was unusual. Not because it was unreasonable. Quite the opposite. In her nearly thirty years of intelligence work, she had never encountered an agent or intelligence asset who voluntarily requested additional government scrutiny before beginning a relationship.
Most agents tried to hide relationships after one starts. Chuck understood that his life created risks for ordinary people, and he was willing to accept scrutiny to protect someone he barely knew.
Chuck Bartowski was asking permission. He was trying to do things correctly. It spoke volumes about his character.
Beckman said, "Mr. Bartowski.”
"Yes, General?"
"I appreciate your willingness to follow protocol."
Chuck smiled, "I figured that's what I was supposed to do. That’s what Sarah told me I should do."
Sarah looked at him. There wasn't a trace of manipulation. He wasn't trying to work around the rules. He genuinely trusted them.
Beckman made her decision, "Very well, I am authorizing a complete background investigation into Lou Palone…"
Chuck's face brightened.
"… The investigation will be comprehensive. Financial history. Criminal record. Foreign contacts. Employment. Family. Known associates. Travel history. Everything."
Chuck nodded, "I understand, ma’am." There was disappointment underneath the words, but he didn't argue. He had asked for the rules, and now he was prepared to follow them.
Beckman told him, "Until that investigation is complete, you will not initiate a romantic relationship."
"Understood, Ma’am."
"And if the investigation reveals anything suspicious…"
Chuck answered before she finished, "Then I won't pursue the relationship."
Beckman looked at Sarah. "Agent Walker, you'll oversee the investigation.”
Sarah felt the room suddenly become much smaller. "Yes, General." She had wanted the investigation as a safeguard. Now she understood that it could become the very thing that forced her to let Chuck move forward with Lou.
Casey grunted because he knew it was an impossible assignment.
Sarah had wanted the background check because she believed it would create an obstacle. Instead, she had just been ordered to prove whether the woman she secretly hoped would fail the background check deserved to date the man she had strong feelings for, even if she wouldn’t admit it to herself.
Beckman's voice interrupted her thoughts, I expect a preliminary report within four days. "Dismissed."
The monitor went dark. Silence returned to the Buy More.
For several seconds, nobody moved. The secure room suddenly felt much quieter than it had before.Sarah looked at the dark monitor and realized that the next four days could change everything.If Lou was clean, Sarah would have to tell Chuck. If Lou was clean, Chuck would finally have the permission he wanted. Sarah wasn't sure which possibility frightened her more.
Chuck let out the breath he had been holding. "Thank you."
He looked at Sarah. "I know this probably creates more work for you."
Sarah forced a professional smile, "It's my job."
Chuck nodded, "I appreciate it." He meant it. That was what made the situation harder for Sarah. He trusted her to be fair, even though she wasn't sure she could be completely objective.
He genuinely meant it. He was trusting Sarah to give Lou a fair chance.
As Chuck left Buy More to return home, Casey watched Sarah standing motionless in front of the now-dark monitor. "You just volunteered to investigate your competition." Casey's words were blunt, but Sarah knew he was trying to make her confront what she was doing before the investigation made the truth impossible to ignore.
Sarah didn't answer. Casey watched her carefully. He didn't need another answer. Sarah's silence told him enough.She had spent the entire conversation insisting that the investigation was about Chuck's safety. Now she was standing in front of the dark monitor looking as though the investigation might determine her own future.Casey knew better than to say it aloud, but he wasn't finished. "You know what's going to happen."
She finally looked at him. "What?"
Casey shrugged. "If she's clean, you'll be the one who tells Chuck he can date her."
For the first time since becoming a CIA agent, Sarah found herself hoping a background investigation would uncover something. Anything. Because if Lou Palone came back completely clean, Sarah would have no one to blame but herself.
XXXX
End Chapter 2