I found my old external hard drive and was clearing out the trash when I found this. It predates MOAH and was my first Chuck fiction piece but I got off on a - for me - project and forgot about it. It's done although depending on YOUR responses, it might not have the original ending. Then again, it might end up in the trash after all.

Chuck is still Chuck, Beckman's still a witch, Graham's Graham and Sarah's the cold and indifferent agent dedicated to her craft and her image. She's a flake in the beginning and a whole bowl of cereal by the end.

Disgustingly Charah although not at first blush. OFCs come and go but she remains constant.

Enjoy it. I promise to finish the others. These will be all short chapters since I fired my editor so those of you with limited attention spans won't suffer through too much verbiage.

APR

Prologue

He looked up at the concrete ceiling. It didn't look back. He tried to get comfortable but it was hard to do. He wasn't afraid anymore. He almost sighed with relief when he sensed that the long night was finally ending. It didn't matter one bit that when the sun rose he wouldn't see it. It would still rise and warm the earth and those he loved. They'd made it out. Now it was only a matter of time.

If he'd known 2 1/2 years earlier that he would his end lying in a growing pool of blood in a subway tunnel, he just might have taken the bunker option. But then he'd never have married - twice - and missed loving and being loved by the most incredible woman in the world.

He owed it all to CIA Agent Sarah Walker and her slip of the tongue.

A Slip of the Tongue - Chapter 1

"And so, Mr. Bartowski, since the cat's out of the bag so to speak, you have a choice – the bunker or relocation. I've explained what both options entail, so make your choice. Time is short. You'll either be in a high security facility or in transit to your new home in a few hours."

He glanced over at his 'team mates' for some indication of support or anything other than being completely ignored and was not surprised to see Agent Walker examining her cuticles and Major Casey staring straight ahead like a cadet at West Point.

"I guess I'll take relocation, General, since it's the least restrictive. What about my sister? My friends?"

"You died tonight, Mr. Bartowski. A Fulcrum agent shot you dead after learning about the intersect, although we'll cover it as a botched carjacking and your remains burned to cinders."

Chuck panicked for a moment – Ellie would think he was dead – and then calmed down as the implications dawned on him. She would be safe and no one would ever be able to use her as leverage.

"It isn't your fault that your cover was blown but it is your responsibility to live with the outcome. We need what's in your head until it can be duplicated in another intersect and placed in a competent agent. We'll entertain your future at that point. It's a great sacrifice for you personally, but you're not alone in giving up your old life."

"For how long?" He had to have something to hang on to, some thread of hope, no matter how small, that someday he could be 'Chuck Bartowski' again.

"Mr. Bartowski, I honestly wish I could answer that question. Now, you have a plane to catch and you need to learn your legend and become comfortable with your cover. There won't be another option other than a secure facility if you can't adapt or if you cover fails and you're exposed. There will be times when we'll call on you for assistance. Be well, Mr. Bartowski, and be careful."

The screen in the entertainment center at the BuyMore darkened and Casey brought up the lights and stood up.

"Well, Bartowski, this is where we part company. You reached the only decision you could have under the circumstances. I hope you make it, Chuck." He glared at the silent form of Sarah Walker, CIA, who was still studying her nails, then turned on his heel and left for other duties. Chuck wouldn't see 'John Casey' again.

"OK, Bartowski, we have a plane to catch. Here are your briefing papers, your new identity and," she handed him a thick manila envelope, "the usual credit cards, your wedding ring and a new cell phone."

"We? Wedding ring?" He looked shocked and uncertain. He looked at his handler but she wouldn't meet his eyes.

"What aren't you telling me, Agent Walker?" He regretted his tone but he wanted answers. His initial attraction to her had gradually changed into a grudging acceptance of her in his life. There never could be anything between them. Bryce was back and apparently rehabilitated. He and Sarah were 'a couple' even though their Agency duties kept them apart except for brief liaisons.

She looked at him for the first time since the briefing and her eyes met his and then slid away.

"My assignment is to accompany you into relocation as your wife, to continue on as... We're a married couple and we'll assume lives and careers that have been carefully selected for us. We have to catch a plane. We don't have time for this now. We can talk on the plane after you've read your briefing package."

"Your assignment? You mean your punishment, don't you, Agent Walker? They're punishing you for blowing my cover, aren't they? It wasn't your fault. It was just bad luck, that's all. Get Beckman back and I'll explain it to her. I'll – I'll take the bunker. This is so wrong…"

He choked on his words, unable to believe the cruelty inherent in the intelligence business.

"The decision's been made and we have a plane to catch. You need to have your legend and identity down pat as soon as possible. Now, let's go. We're wasting time we don't have. Fulcrum could have reorganized their local forces and be coming for you."

In Flight

She had put her seat back and was asleep. He studied her profile. In the four months since Sarah Walker had been dropped into his life he'd learned little if anything about the amazing woman who protected him and that bothered him. He liked to know the people in his life and Sarah Walker simply kept him at arm's length on anything that wasn't related to the damned intersect and their cover.

He knew that her old partner was Bryce Larkin. They had been together for years until he went rogue and sent him the intersect email. She wasn't totally trusted by her bosses because of that. This was her chance to regain that trust, and get back into the Big Show. Casey had been in Burbank more to keep an eye on her than to monitor Chuck.

Chuck wasn't stupid or socially challenged or naive. When Sarah Walker returned to the Big Show, she'd do it after killing him or turning him over to an extraction team. He wasn't paranoid, just realistic – more so than either of his handlers could even begin to suspect.

He opened his manila envelope and took out the contents and organized them on the tray table. He put on the wedding ring and wasn't a bit surprised that it fit comfortably on his finger. He examined the cell phone and checked the address book – of course, it was empty. Charles Carmichael was only one day old, hardly old enough to have friends.

He memorized his legend and his cover. They were having marital problems after three years of marriage and that would account for absences when Walker went on special missions or finally requested reassignment. Theirs would be a rocky marriage with frequent separations and finally, if necessary, a divorce. He was shocked to find a copy of a marriage license in the name of Charles Carmichael and Sarah Walker. It couldn't be real, could it?

He was a high school science teacher and his wife was a physiotherapist who was hoping to open her own practice. They'd changed his birthday and added a year to his age.

He repacked his envelope and raised the tray table and put his seat back and tried to sleep.

Sarah Walker wasn't sleeping. She was observing the asset and how he was adapting to his new situation.

Sarah had allowed his identity to be compromised and now she had new orders, a new identity and a husband. She knew it was for the cover but she never figured Graham would actually marry them for the cover. Even if it was just on paper, it was still a legal marriage. Bryce would not be happy. She was not happy. She didn't care if Bartowski was happy or not, it was a done deal - Graham's way of saying 'You fucked up, Agent, and this is your penance.'

She'd been surprised and a little ashamed when he realized what 'sacrifice' she was making when he chose relocation and then demanded that she contact Beckman and tell her he'd take the bunker. It was never an option, he was too valuable to be put under and forgotten. She just couldn't tell him that.

'I'll give it a few months and see how things progress. If he can keep his damned mouth shut and accept his situation, I can ask for reassignment – and a divorce – and rejoin Bryce and get on with our lives. Graham has already hinted that 2.0 will soon be operational and then he'd have an accident and his despondent widow would return 'back East' to family and friends.'

The part of her that had been ashamed at his demand to go to a bunker rather than have her 'punished' reared its head and flooded her with guilt that she quickly squelched. He was always going to killed, it was just a question of when. They needed him until…they didn't. Then he was surplus, excess, a security risk and therefore a danger that would be removed from the equation.

A/N: This is not a death fic but rather a celebration of life in the face of adversity.

Jim