Buy More, Burbank, CA, Sunday Evening
"I was beginning to think that I couldn't trust you anymore, Sarah," Chuck Bartowski said with those utterly sincere puppy dog eyes, and Sarah could feel her shaky resolve weakening even further.
She'd done it. Called the few people she needed to get in touch with before leaving Fandom, thrown the possessions she couldn't be without into a small suitcase, taken Gabe to Everything But the Monkey to be placed for adoption. And now she was back in Burbank, feeding Chuck a full meal of lies about how his father had been found, and she'd been reassigned to help him again and -- it never used to bother her, the lying. This time, she choked. It didn't matter if it was what the government wanted. She couldn't see him stuck in some secure facility for the next forty, fifty, eighty years.
"... that the CIA was never gonna let me go. That they would always put their best interests ahead of mine. But not you. Every time you've been here, you've always looked out for me. Thank you."
The boy was going to break her heart. Sarah pasted on a faltering smile, held up her arms for a hug. And then, as he drew her close and before she could change her mind and do her damn duty: "Take off your watch." Her whisper was hoarse.
"Why?" Chuck whispered back.
"Because it's all a lie. Your dad is still out there. Beckman got me to get you to bring you back to HQ. They're going to take you underground." Her fingers clenched on his shirt. "We have to run."
He took the watch that served as a tracking and communications device in one off and put it into her palm. Fifteen minutes later, they were speeding away in her car.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"I don't know."
"Maryland?" he suggested.
"They'll look for me there," Sarah didn't let herself glance at him as she shook her head. For now, she was driving up along the coast on a back road. They'd have to trade in this car soon.
"You're disobeying orders for me. You're committing treason, Sarah. You could go to jail."
Sarah swallowed. "I know."
[OOC: And Sarah is off to have more adventures in canon. Dialogue still largely from Chuck vs. the First Kill. NFB, NFI, OOC welcome.]
She'd done it. Called the few people she needed to get in touch with before leaving Fandom, thrown the possessions she couldn't be without into a small suitcase, taken Gabe to Everything But the Monkey to be placed for adoption. And now she was back in Burbank, feeding Chuck a full meal of lies about how his father had been found, and she'd been reassigned to help him again and -- it never used to bother her, the lying. This time, she choked. It didn't matter if it was what the government wanted. She couldn't see him stuck in some secure facility for the next forty, fifty, eighty years.
"... that the CIA was never gonna let me go. That they would always put their best interests ahead of mine. But not you. Every time you've been here, you've always looked out for me. Thank you."
The boy was going to break her heart. Sarah pasted on a faltering smile, held up her arms for a hug. And then, as he drew her close and before she could change her mind and do her damn duty: "Take off your watch." Her whisper was hoarse.
"Why?" Chuck whispered back.
"Because it's all a lie. Your dad is still out there. Beckman got me to get you to bring you back to HQ. They're going to take you underground." Her fingers clenched on his shirt. "We have to run."
He took the watch that served as a tracking and communications device in one off and put it into her palm. Fifteen minutes later, they were speeding away in her car.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"I don't know."
"Maryland?" he suggested.
"They'll look for me there," Sarah didn't let herself glance at him as she shook her head. For now, she was driving up along the coast on a back road. They'd have to trade in this car soon.
"You're disobeying orders for me. You're committing treason, Sarah. You could go to jail."
Sarah swallowed. "I know."
[OOC: And Sarah is off to have more adventures in canon. Dialogue still largely from Chuck vs. the First Kill. NFB, NFI, OOC welcome.]