Chapter 13
A/N: Welcome back to the "Mollyverse". Thank you all for the reviews, follows, and all-around love. I do believe the Christmas story is over. I may have a new one (to three) shot down the road to talk about developments in that story. But, you’re here to hear more about how we got there. Shout out to Steampunk. Chuckster helping me figure out how to dress Chuck, I am totally clueless. Sit back, relax and enjoy our newest chapter, The Devil you Know
Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, or White Collar, but I watched and enjoyed each.
Clara was walking by the door, holding Molly’s hand, when the door opened. Chuck walked in, wearing a light grey three-piece suit, with the jacket slung over his shoulder of his lavender dress shirt. His dark purple tie, was slightly loosened.
“Dada!” Clara yelled. Chuck smiled down at her and bent down.
“How’s my girls?” he asked. “You taking Molly for a walk?”
“Olly!” Clara yelled, and tottered over and hugged Molly. Sarah came out into the room to see what was going on. She stopped at the sight in front of her, and things danced in her that had in years….well, not until the last week or so. She may have made a slight moaning/groaning sound of hnnnng. Chuck looked up at her.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said softly.
“He looks good doesn’t he, Mommy?” Molly asked. Sarah didn’t answer, but the smile on her face, and slow head nod showed she agreed with her daughter.
“I feel as though you might be undressing me with your eyes, Mrs. Walker,” Chuck said. Sarah bit her bottom lip, and Chuck’s eyebrows went up. He turned back to Molly. “Don’t even say it,” and Molly made a zipper motion across his lip. He pulled her in for a hug with one arm, and Clara with the other, letting his coat fall to the floor. He looked up and saw Sarah watching him. She turned, walked into the other room, found her phone, and text Alex, praising her on the choice of clothing.
“You okay?” Emma asked.
“Oh, I’m fine,” Sarah replied. “There’s just the man of dreams out there, in a three-piece suit, hugging both of our kids. I’ve never been better,” she said, looking up at her mom from her phone.
“You know no blood test is required, right?” Emma asked. Sarah nodded.
“Blood test for what?” Chuck asked, walking in with each girl in a different arm, Molly holding his jacket. Sarah turned to him, looked back at Emma, who shook her head and left the two alone. Sarah turned back to Chuck.
“For a marriage license,” she replied, with no hint of humor in her voice. “Don’t even need to have a waiting period once you apply for it. Just a picture ID.” Chuck blinked.
“Mama!” Clara yelled, reaching for Sarah. Sarah took her, and raspberried her cheek, making the little one burst out into a fit of giggles.
“I’m going to go give her a bath and put her to bed. We got you food, it’s on the stove,” Sarah said, as calm as could be. Chuck blinked again. “You okay?”
“Just feeling a little uncomfortable,” Chuck replied. Sarah bounced a shoulder, holding Clara.
“Completely comfortable on my end,” she said with a sparkle in her eye. With that, she turned and took Clara upstairs talking to her the entire time. Chuck felt a small hand, turn his head toward her.
“NOW IS YOUR CHANCE!!” Molly said softly but insistently.
“Don’t you think it’s a bit quick?” Chuck asked.
“You’ve know her for almost a week, what else do you need?” Molly asked. Chuck slumped.
“Molly, look, I love you mom,” Chuck said.
“And she loves you. Why is it so complicated?”
“Well, there’s you and Clara,” Chuck began. She grabbed his face again and turned it toward her.
“Dad, we’re a family. I may be five, but those were marriage vows you two said the other day.”
“Look, can you let your mother and I figure this out?” Chuck said, pleading. Molly shrugged. He set her down, and ran his hand through his hair. She handed him his coat and looked him right in the eye.
“I think she’s already figured this out,” and turned and went upstairs. Emma came through, and Chuck looked at her.
“You’re right,” she said softly. “You two need to figure this out.”
“Thank you,” Chuck said. Emma shrugged and started upstairs, grinning without Chuck seeing it.
“But she’s right too, Sarah has figured it out.” She left Chuck in the kitchen by himself.
}o{
Chuck passed on the food for a moment. He went upstairs to change, checked in with Sarah to see if he could put his daughter to bed, was denied with a smile, but make no mistake he was denied. He sighed, kissed his daughter goodnight, went to check on Molly, was run off by Emma, kissed Molly goodnight, and wandered back downstairs. He got the food off of the stove, found his interview online, and cast it to the TV. He took a deep breath and begin to watch, knowing how horrible it was going to be. He never noticed Sarah come in behind him.
“Well, I didn’t sound like a complete idiot,” he said to himself, and reached for his food. Sarah came up behind him and ran her fingers through his hair, surprising him.
“You never sound like an idiot,” she replied, smiling at him.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Chuck responded. “I think one day, you’ll look back and realize the first few times I talked to you, I was a bumbling fool.” Sarah laughed.
“You were sweet,” she said. Chuck raised his finger as if to say “ah-ha!”
“See, sweet,” Chuck retorted. “That does not rule out idiot or fool.” Sarah snuggled against him, giving him room to eat, but just.
“I know it’s crazy with the game, but do you have any time tomorrow to come by?” Chuck tried to answer but was mid-chew. Sarah shook her head at him, grinning. He swallowed and grinned.
“Unless another surprise interview comes up, I have literally nothing,” Chuck said. “Game is currently in production, distribution is figured out.” Chuck looked around to see if anyone was listening. He leaned in, and Sarah leaned in to hear him. “Don’t tell anyone, but Alex over at Burton Industries might have taken care of all of that.”
“She’s good, I hear,” Sarah whispered back.
“Not as good as her boss,” Chuck said leaning back. Sarah playfully swatted him.
“What was that for?”
“Stealing my employee.” Chuck gave her the eyebrow dance.
“Think I can make it up to you?”
“No, but I’ll let you try,” Sarah said chuckling. Chuck laughed.
“So, what do you need me for tomorrow?” Chuck asked nervously. Sarah shook her head.
“I’m not dragging you down to the courthouse to marry you if that’s what your worried about.” Chuck mock wiped sweat off of his brow. “You’re such a nerd. I need your help, and by help, I mean you create an ID for Charles Carmichael.” Chuck grinned. Sarah’s look turn predatory, and she leaned in and whispered into Chuck’s ear. “If I decided I wanted you to go to the courthouse with me, there would be no dragging on my end,” Sarah whispered, and lightly nipped his earlobe. With that, she got up and walked away, heading upstairs. Chuck looked at the rest of his food, picked it up, put it in the fridge, and raced upstairs.
}o{
“So apparently Jerry has been kissing girls at preschool,” Sarah said. Chuck turned to her, worried. Sarah grinned. “Not, Molly,” she said quickly, knowing he would be worried.
“That kid, that’s the one I’m going to need you to have a talk with if he ever asks her out, and feel free to show all of the knives,” Chuck said. Sarah felt a smile crawl up the left side of her face that Chuck couldn’t see.
“So, just to get it out there, you do want to marry me someday, right?” Sarah asked.
“Are you asking me to marry you?” Chuck asked. Sarah, not able to resist, turned to him, raised her left eyebrow, and then turned back to watch the road.
“I’m not buying you a ring,” Sarah deadpanned.
“Uh,” Chuck gasped. “Am I not good enough to give a ring to?” Sarah rolled her eyes. “Yes,” he said softly. “I do want to marry you someday. I just think it’s too soon.”
“Why?” she asked softly. Chuck’s eyes went wide and turned back to her. She was being serious. “I’m a former CIA agent, I’ve got a body count, I’ve got a child that is intent on pestering you until she gets what she wants, and being with me could expose you.”
“Because you and that wonderful little girl who you claim pesters, loves without asking anything in return, because you see past all pity I had on myself and you saw me. You both did. So yes, someday I want to marry you, and change my name to Chuck Walker if I have to.” Sarah laughed at that. “And I want to adopt that little girl. I want to do all of that sooner rather than later, but right now, there is so much going on in both our lives, I want to slow it down and get to be us, whatever that is. But one day if you’ll have me, I want to marry you.”
“Yes,” she said softly. Chuck looked at her, confused. “Yes, I’ll have you.” Chuck went pale. “What’s wrong?”
“Did we just get engaged?”
}o{
The rest of the ride was quiet, and awkward. Well it was on Chuck’s part. He wasn’t sure what it was on Sarah’s. She never answered him, but last night she said she was completely comfortable. Did that mean she was now? If she was, then why didn’t she answer him. He was jerked back to reality when they pulled into the parking lot. She parked the car and turned toward him.
“I need to trade my vehicle in,” she said.
“Okay…”
“I don’t mind taking your vehicle every time we go somewhere, but you never will take mine. It’s been sitting in the parking lot for days now.” Chuck nodded. Sarah grinned. “Your choice.”
“My choice what?” he asked, barely able to breathe.
“If we’re engaged,” she replied, and hopped out of the car. Was that a trick? Was it not a trick? Chuck was close to spiraling. He got out of the SUV, walked around front where Sarah was waiting for him, and took her hand.
“Don’t tell Molly,” he said, and winked at her. Sarah’s eyes shot up in surprise.
“Does that mean?” she began, but couldn’t finish the sentence. Chuck shrugged and started to the door. Sarah came with him, trying to look upset, but couldn’t, impressed she had been beaten at her own game.
}o{
“How about a yacht owner?” Chuck asked.
“Why a yacht?”
“Charles seems like an America’s Cup kinda guy,” he said, trying be aloof.
“I figured you’d get seasick.”
“Oh, I might, but not Charles Carmichael.”
“He sounds like a jerk,” Sarah said, grinning. Chuck’s mouth dropped in fake shock. He would have retorted, but Casey stuck his head in.
“Beckman would like a word,” he said.
“We’re on our way,” Sarah said. Casey left. “Leave Carmichael here,” she said, and started out of the office, then turned in the doorway. “In fact, leave him out of our house.”
“Our house?”
“Our house,” she said. Chuck grinned. “Got a problem with that?” He shook his head. “Good, come on.”
They went into the conference room and Casey handed her a printout. Sarah looked at it for a second, and then handed the paper to Chuck. Chuck looked at it, and gave a low whistle.
“Is this for us?” he asked. Sarah shrugged.
“Since I currently can’t pay, but I can barter, I thought this would be an acceptable trade for a little computer work,” Beckman said.
“What work?” Chuck asked.
“We currently have…questionable motives with some of our operatives within the NSA and CIA. We have a CIA agent that is working to eradicate that group, but he needs intel, and I need people I can trust,” Beckman explained.
“So nothing that could get us in the line of fire?” Sarah asked.
“Correct,” Beckman said. “You will be working with an agent based there. He should have already been there.”
“I’m here, General,” the voice said. Three of the four people in the room knew the voice. They all turned.
“Chuck me,” Sarah muttered.
“I thought I killed you,” Casey said.
“I got better?” Bryce said shrugging.
“You should have aimed at his head, Casey,” Chuck said, and got up and left the room. Beckman observed the reactions.
“I thought you said you knew them, Larkin?”
“Oh, he does, General,” Sarah answered. “He knows us, and we unfortunately know him.”
“I need you to work with him,” Beckman said.
“Actually, I only need Chuck,” Bryce replied. Sarah shot him a look, and he flinched.
“Why Chuck?” the General asked.
“They know each other fairly well,” Sarah replied, giving Bryce a “shut up or I will personally kill you!” look.
“Figure this out,” Beckman said, and cut off the feed. Sarah got up and began to walk past Bryce. Bryce grabbed her arm. Sarah looked down at her arm and then back at Bryce. The next thing Bryce knew he was facedown on the table, a knife to his throat.
“You don’t ever touch me again,” she said.
“So you’re seeing someone?” he asked. Sarah cranked on his arm she had twisted behind his back. “My bad! My bad!” Sarah let him go.
“I’m going to find Chuck. Casey keep him here, and if he tries anything, aim higher this time.” She started to walk out, but paused at the door. “On second thought, aim lower,” and with that, she left.
“It feels like she’s angry with me,” Bryce said.
“Ya think, Moron?”
}o{
Sarah headed to the lobby, looking for Chuck. Alex raised her head.
“I shouldn’t have let him back there, should I?” Alex asked. Sarah shook her head.
“It’s fine, really,” she said. “Did Chuck come this way?” Alex shook her head. “Call me if he does.” Sarah scratched her head, and decided to try her office first. She went there and no one was to be found. She passed Ted in the hallway, the man dating Emma, and one of the “maintenance men” that worked at Burton Industries. Ted and the other two maintenance men were actually all former agents with one agency or another. They provided some backup if needed but were all men who were “retired” but wanted something to do with their lives. She started to ask if he had seen Chuck, but he pointed to the computer room and winked at her.
Sarah walked in, and saw Chuck looking at the computer banks they had. He was looking at the paper, and visualizing all the new bounty for helping Bryce.
“Is it worth it?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Chuck grumbled.
“Not the computers,” she answered, her arms wrapped around herself. Chuck turned. “He knows your Piranha, doesn’t he?” Chuck dropped his head. “This, this is why I asked you what I asked you in the car.” She went and sat down at the desk, and lowered her head. “I knew it was too good to be true. I knew I would never get it all.” Chuck walked over and wrapped his arms around her.
“Hey, don’t you dare give up on us,” he said. “I told you I can’t lose you.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said, ruefully shaking her head. “It’s just I don’t get the fairy tale ending. People like me don’t deserve them, but I’ve spent five years thinking I could. I had the perfect daughter, and I thought I was going to get the perfect husband.” Chuck hung his head.
“So you found out about my addiction and you’re dumping me?” Sarah looked up.
“What are you talking about?” she asked. “What addiction?”
“I have this addiction to a certain woman that helped me get past some of the worst moments in my life,” Chuck said grinning. Sarah shoulder bumped him.
“Three months,” she said softly.
“What?”
“Three months,” she said, looking him in the eye. “We try this three months, and then we reevaluate.”
“What is this?”
“All of it,” she said.
“Nope,” he answered. “I am not going to put some stupid schedule on when we will do what we want to do, and I am not going to give up on us because of some arbitrary date. Sarah Lisa Walker, I am not going anywhere. Three months, three years, thirty years, three hundred decades, I am not going anywhere unless you remove me, because let’s be honest if you wanted to, could-” He would have continued to spiral, but Sarah jumped up and kissed him. It was thank you, I love you, and I need you, all rolled up into one. Eventually they had to come up for air.
“Come on,” he said, taking her hand. They walked back to the conference room. Casey and Carina looked up when they entered. “We’d like a word alone with Bryce.” Casey nodded, Carina came over and hugged Sarah, and squeezed Chuck’s shoulder, and they both left. Bryce stood to say something, and Chuck slugged him knocking him back into the chair.
“OW!” Bryce yelled, blood coming out of his nose. “What was that for?”
“Your pick,” Chuck said calmly. “Jill or getting me kicked out of Stanford.”
“Jill was FULCRUM,” Bryce explained. Chuck looked at Sarah who shrugged.
“Do you need a topical cream for that?” Chuck asked. Bryce rolled his eyes.
“You know the bad agents Beckman keeps talking about, FULCRUM.”
“You’re trying to tell me that not only you are a spy, but so is Jill, and she’s part of the bad guys?” Bryce nodded. “What’s next, I was going to be recruited?” Bryce slowly nodded. Chuck turned to Sarah who was slowly understanding.
“He scored too high, didn’t he?” Sarah asked. Bryce nodded. “He scored too high so you set him up to appear to be cheating and they had to dismiss him.” Bryce stood up, and started to approach Chuck again. Chuck slugged him again. Bryce fell back into the chair a second time.
“WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?”
“Remember a minute ago I said choose?” Bryce nodded. “Well it’s for the one you didn’t choose the first time.” Bryce groaned. “You just don’t get it, do you? You didn’t give me a choice. You didn’t explain anything to me and let me make my own decision. You took it all away, you weren’t my friend, you were my parent.” Chuck looked down.
“So you’re blaming everything since Stanford on me?” Sarah looked away. Bryce was right about that, whatever Bryce did do, he wasn’t responsible for anything since Stanford.
“No,” Chuck said in a forced whisper. Both of them snapped their head around and looked at him. “I did it. I did everything or nothing as the case may be, after Stanford. I can’t blame you, and I don’t. I blame you for getting me kicked out, and not telling me about Jill, but that’s it.”
“I’m not standing up this time,” Bryce said. Chuck laughed.
“You probably shouldn’t,” he replied. “You owe me, so here’s what you’re going to do, you are never, EVER, going to tell Beckman who I used to be at Stanford.” Bryce nodded.
“I haven’t, and I won’t.” Chuck looked at Sarah.
“I’ve said my piece, I’m going to leave you two alone so you can say yours,” Chuck said, and started to leave. She grabbed his arm, and he turned and looked at her, questions in his eyes.
“Going forward, whatever I have to say, you get to hear,” she said. She turned to Bryce. “Bryce, this is my boyfriend/fiancé. I am going to marry him. I am living with him with our two kids-”
“You have a kid?” Bryce asked Chuck.
“Ellie’s daughter.”
“Where’s Ellie?”
“Her and Devon…they died in an accident,” he replied. Bryce looked down.
“When?”
“Three months ago, my niece/daughter is turning one Friday,” Chuck said. “We’re having a party if you’d like to come.” Bryce looked up at him.
“Just like that.”
“Bryce I carried what was inside of me way to long, I had to get it out. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your viewpoint, your nose just happened to be in front of my fist.” Bryce nodded. “Sorry, Sarah, go on.”
“I am done with missions, Chuck and I are merging businesses, we have children to protect, and you will do nothing that put us in danger.”
“Got it, no more Andersons,” Bryce said. Chuck looked at Bryce who grinned. Chuck looked back at Sarah.
“Really?” he asked, grinning.
“What, it was our cover.”
“Bryce picked the name, didn’t he?” Sarah nodded. Chuck shook his head. “You’ve never seen The Matrix have you?” Sarah shook her head.
“Apparently his nerd powers are nothing like yours,” she said. Chuck grinned. Bryce looked from one to the other.
“Really?” Bryce said. “This isn’t some crazy cover? This isn’t you playing him to get him to work for your security company? This is real?”
“It’s been more real in a week than it was our entire relationship,” Sarah blurted out, and then regretted it as soon as she did.
“Chuck, a week? Dude, she’s playing you.” Sarah started to reply, but Chuck shook his head.
“Okay,” Chuck said. “I hear what you’re saying, I get you believe it, but I’m pretty sure she’s not, and even if she is, it’s my life to screw up. It’s not yours Bryce. She’s a mom, a business owner, funny-”
“Sarah’s funny?” Chuck barked a laugh. He turned to her.
“He never knew you, did he. He never actually met you. He met Agent Walker, but not the real you.” Sarah smiled, and kissed his cheek.
“Bryce, we’ll help you, but so help me God if you hurt him again, I’ll make sure Casey doesn’t get the chance to shoot you, are we clear?”
“We’re clear. So you both know, I care about both of you, I just don’t want to see you two get hurt.”
“Then let us live our life, and keep my secret,” Chuck said, reaching out his hand. Bryce shook it. “I’m done punching you.”
“I’m not if you hurt him,” Sarah said.
“How about we meet tomorrow and I’ll show you my problem,” Bryce suggested. “Seriously, if anyone can figure this out Chuck, it’s you.” Chuck nodded and he and Sarah watched him leave. Carina and Alex burst through the door.
“When’s the wedding!?” Chuck and Sarah shared a look. They turned back, both shrugged, and headed to Sarah’s office to finish up on Charles Carmichael. Casey stuck his head in the door.
“I wouldn’t tell the general if I were you,” he warned. “Not knowing a date is just as bad as there not being a wedding.”
}o{
That evening saw Molly and Clara being brought home by Chuck, while Sarah went shopping for party supplies. Chuck offered to go, but Sarah thought she’d get more done by herself than with the four of them. Clara was sitting on the couch between Molly and Chuck watching the Mario Kart race. This one was for all the marbles, the bragging rights, the King or Queen of Casa de Bartowski y Walker. Chuck was losing, just barely, as Sarah came in. She watched as Chuck made a “mistake” near the end, and then acted like he couldn’t believe he had been beaten. Molly, did the mature thing, and danced around in a victory lap. She sat on Chuck’s lap for a second, told him she still loved him, even though he lost, and took her little sister’s hand and walked her to go color in the other room.
“If you wouldn’t punch guys in the face all day, you probably would have won that,” Sarah said. Chuck grinned.
“I apologize for that barbaric response this afternoon,” Chuck replied. Sarah winked.
“I gotta admit, I was a little jealous.”
“A bit turned on too?” Sarah leaned down next to his ear and spoke very deliberately.
“When I’m around you, I’m always a bit turned on.” Chuck’s brain overheated. Sarah smiled, pulled his arm around her and snuggled in to him.
“You know I’m not playing you, right?”
“I trust you, Sarah,” Chuck replied. “Deep down I know, but that insecure part of me, it wonders.”
“That’s why I said three months.”
“Nope.”
“We could do this all night,” she said.
“Nope, I’ve got a three piece suit up there that will change you mind.” Sarah’s mouth dropped and she leaned away, swatting his chest.
“Chuck Bartowski, that’s seduction!”
“So I shouldn’t?” Sarah grinned and leaned back in to him.
“Do your worst,” she said.
“Okay, you asked for it,” he said. He snuggled closer to her, put his mouth right up next to her ear. “I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” Sarah melted.
“You win, and I never like losing.”
“Sarah, if we do this right we both win.”
“I like the way you think, Mr. Walker.”
“Wait until you see the rest of my ideas, Mrs. Bartowski.”
A/N: Hope you all enjoyed it! Bryce will be here for a bit, and one more time, there will be NO Bryce and Sarah. NONE….but I’m not sure he still won’t get punched a few more times. See you soon.
DC