Causeway, Tuesday Afternoon
Sarah Walker frowned a little as she steered her Jeep into the parking lot. It made no sense - why was there a lot in Alexandria when her new home was way over in Maryland?
But, then, a lot of things hadn’t made sense lately. Bryce being back, Chuck rejecting her ... Sarah all but getting fired.
"Not demoted," General Diane Beckman had explained, face gravely looking down from the telecom screen, on that day almost two weeks before. "Reassigned. Consider it a paid sabbatical."
"It’s hard for me to look at it as a sabbatical when you’re shifting me away from the Intersect," Sarah had said, nails clenched into her palms as she fought to keep her composure. "I know this assignment inside and out. I’ve been with it from the start."
"I’d say you’ve been a little too involved in your work, Agent Walker," Beckman put in. "We looked the other way at your little affair d’couer with Agent Larkin - that’s to be expected when attractive young agents are paired. But your feelings for Mr. Bartowski -"
"I don’t have feelings for Chuck," Sarah lied, skipping the denial about Bryce.
"Yes, well, whatever you want to call it, it gave an enemy agent an advantage," Beckman said. "You hesitated when she had Chuck as a human shield, and we would have lost the Intersect if Major Casey hadn’t taken the shot. We can’t take that chance again."
Sarah looked to Casey for support, but he just grinned at her smugly. "She’s right," he nodded. "Seen things like this before. Buddy of mine got himself killed this way, had his eyes on a pretty Iraqi girl and not on the land mines."
"So what’s my new assignment?" Sarah asked, waving Casey off as her disappointment settled in a hard knot in her stomach. She’d pledged her life to the CIA, and that meant taking the work she was given. And maybe, she hoped, she'd get sent back to L.A. if she convinced Langley she was really, really sorry.
"It’s interesting work," Beckman offered. "You’ll be looking for high school-aged recruits in a small town in Maryland. Your cover job is ...." She glanced at her notes. "Oh, check your email. There were a few options and we’re letting you choose." As a consolation for losing Chuck, she didn’t have to spell out. "You’ll report to Maryland in ten days."
A few minutes later, Sarah was upstairs in Buy More, approaching the Nerd Herd desk with what she hoped would pass for a smile on her face. Chuck grinned at her goofily and gave her a light not-fake-even-though-it-sort-of-was peck by way of greeting.
"What’s up?" he asked.
"Um, well, the good news is - pick one: Mexican restaurant, coffee shop, tattoo parlor, sushi place, comic book shop."
"Comic book shop," Chuck said uneasily. "Much as I’m jonesing for a burrito, Really Strong Guy wins. Wait, what are we picking and why is it good news?"
"I don’t have to work at Orange Orange anymore," Sarah said carefully. She was mindful that they were in public; she wondered if part of why she’d chosen to tell him now and not in private was that he couldn’t make a scene. "I have a few new job options."
He gave her the look of a kicked puppy dog. "I would think that was good news if you looked less like the job choices were eating broken glass or sewage waste management. Where’s the bad in getting out of the fabulous world of food service?"
"It’s in Maryland," she made herself say, quickly, softly. "I’m … moving out there. For family."
Chuck just kept looking at her, and she kept jabbering. "I hear the new manager they’re hiring at Orange Orange is very good. He came from the same agency where they found me."
"Riiiiight," Chuck drawled at last, fidgeting as he looked at the oblivious customers waiting for his expertise. "Look, I can’t - I have to - there’s a line."
She nodded slowly. "I’ll come by your place tonight and we can talk for real."
"Good. Awesome and Ellie are working. I’ll ditch Morgan," Chuck promised, shifting to tend to a teen girl with a broken iPod even as he looked like he was fighting back tears. "See you there?"
She kept her promise and visited. It went about as well as she’d expected, and he’d been sullen and cold to her (and worse to her replacement, Agent Flint) until she left L.A.
And now she was a country away.
Sarah indulged herself with one last regretful sigh as she started across the causeway to her new life.
[OOC: Establishy unless someone wants to interrupt her on her way into town.]
But, then, a lot of things hadn’t made sense lately. Bryce being back, Chuck rejecting her ... Sarah all but getting fired.
"Not demoted," General Diane Beckman had explained, face gravely looking down from the telecom screen, on that day almost two weeks before. "Reassigned. Consider it a paid sabbatical."
"It’s hard for me to look at it as a sabbatical when you’re shifting me away from the Intersect," Sarah had said, nails clenched into her palms as she fought to keep her composure. "I know this assignment inside and out. I’ve been with it from the start."
"I’d say you’ve been a little too involved in your work, Agent Walker," Beckman put in. "We looked the other way at your little affair d’couer with Agent Larkin - that’s to be expected when attractive young agents are paired. But your feelings for Mr. Bartowski -"
"I don’t have feelings for Chuck," Sarah lied, skipping the denial about Bryce.
"Yes, well, whatever you want to call it, it gave an enemy agent an advantage," Beckman said. "You hesitated when she had Chuck as a human shield, and we would have lost the Intersect if Major Casey hadn’t taken the shot. We can’t take that chance again."
Sarah looked to Casey for support, but he just grinned at her smugly. "She’s right," he nodded. "Seen things like this before. Buddy of mine got himself killed this way, had his eyes on a pretty Iraqi girl and not on the land mines."
"So what’s my new assignment?" Sarah asked, waving Casey off as her disappointment settled in a hard knot in her stomach. She’d pledged her life to the CIA, and that meant taking the work she was given. And maybe, she hoped, she'd get sent back to L.A. if she convinced Langley she was really, really sorry.
"It’s interesting work," Beckman offered. "You’ll be looking for high school-aged recruits in a small town in Maryland. Your cover job is ...." She glanced at her notes. "Oh, check your email. There were a few options and we’re letting you choose." As a consolation for losing Chuck, she didn’t have to spell out. "You’ll report to Maryland in ten days."
A few minutes later, Sarah was upstairs in Buy More, approaching the Nerd Herd desk with what she hoped would pass for a smile on her face. Chuck grinned at her goofily and gave her a light not-fake-even-though-it-sort-of-was peck by way of greeting.
"What’s up?" he asked.
"Um, well, the good news is - pick one: Mexican restaurant, coffee shop, tattoo parlor, sushi place, comic book shop."
"Comic book shop," Chuck said uneasily. "Much as I’m jonesing for a burrito, Really Strong Guy wins. Wait, what are we picking and why is it good news?"
"I don’t have to work at Orange Orange anymore," Sarah said carefully. She was mindful that they were in public; she wondered if part of why she’d chosen to tell him now and not in private was that he couldn’t make a scene. "I have a few new job options."
He gave her the look of a kicked puppy dog. "I would think that was good news if you looked less like the job choices were eating broken glass or sewage waste management. Where’s the bad in getting out of the fabulous world of food service?"
"It’s in Maryland," she made herself say, quickly, softly. "I’m … moving out there. For family."
Chuck just kept looking at her, and she kept jabbering. "I hear the new manager they’re hiring at Orange Orange is very good. He came from the same agency where they found me."
"Riiiiight," Chuck drawled at last, fidgeting as he looked at the oblivious customers waiting for his expertise. "Look, I can’t - I have to - there’s a line."
She nodded slowly. "I’ll come by your place tonight and we can talk for real."
"Good. Awesome and Ellie are working. I’ll ditch Morgan," Chuck promised, shifting to tend to a teen girl with a broken iPod even as he looked like he was fighting back tears. "See you there?"
She kept her promise and visited. It went about as well as she’d expected, and he’d been sullen and cold to her (and worse to her replacement, Agent Flint) until she left L.A.
And now she was a country away.
Sarah indulged herself with one last regretful sigh as she started across the causeway to her new life.
[OOC: Establishy unless someone wants to interrupt her on her way into town.]