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It hadn’t even been a few months after Sarah had lost her memory. After Chuck and Sarah had gotten back together, Chuck realised just how toxic the relationship was. Sarah was not the Sarah he had fallen in love with, and she didn’t love him as much as he did her. So, he let her go. Unfortunately, it did not go well. Sarah blamed it all on Chuck, saying she was trying her best to be happy with him and that he wasn’t making it easier on her.
The following days were difficult, to say the least. Chuck’s fellow Nerd Herder’s didn’t understand what was going on and kept making jokes about it all. Yeah, sure, Chuck knew Jeff and Lester weren’t the smartest when it came to emotions or people, but they weren’t stupid by any means. It had gotten to the point that he dreaded work, and not even having Morgan there made it better.
“Wanna go to the movies?” “No thanks, I’m good.”
“Wanna play some video games?” “Sorry, I’m busy.”
“Wanna train?” “I’m good; I have the Intersect.”
Neither Devon nor Ellie knew about Sarah and Chuck’s decision to end the relationship. In all honesty, Chuck was afraid Ellie would want to move back to California because of him. He wanted her to be happy, and having her out here would not be the way to do that.
So, Chuck did his best to appear that everything was fine.
And, for a while, it worked.
No one suspected a thing. Chuck had many excuses set up, and, for the most part, everyone bought them.
And then Casey came back.
It was only for a week, the NSA agent had told Chuck, but it was during that week that everything came crashing down.
Two days into his visit, Morgan, Lester, and Jeff crowded around Casey and Chuck in the theatre room. The conversation started normal enough, but it soon took a turn for the worse.
“So, Chuck,” Morgan began. “You haven’t told us about Sarah for a while now.”
Chuck tensed.
“Oh, yeah, she’s doing fine,” Chuck answered with a nervous laugh.
“So, like, where is she working now?” Lester asked.
“She told me she was still looking for a job.”
A shrill scream from the front of the store made Jeff and Lester run for the back while Morgan and Chuck exchanged looks.
“I’ll do it,” Chuck sighed.
“No, no, it’s my turn,” Morgan answered.
The shorter male left the two secret agents alone, and Chuck felt himself sweat a little.
“So,” Casey started. “You and Sarah. How is she, honestly.”
Chuck winced. It wasn’t a question. He didn’t respond, and Casey kept staring.
“Well, I’ll tell you,” the older man answered. “Sarah’s on a mission right now. I thought it weird that she never mentioned you when I saw her. You mind telling me about that?”
The Nerd turned away and was startled when a hand circled his wrist. Chuck winced. The bruises were still prominent, and he was lucky that the weather was cool enough to justify wearing long sleeves.
“Who did this to you?” Casey demanded.
“N-no one,” Chuck stuttered.
“Bullshit. Tell me who did this, and I will kill whoever it is.”
“Nonononono! There’s no need for that!”
“Then tell me who did this.”
The Nerd muttered something under his breath, but Casey caught it anyways.
“I’m going to kill her.”
“No, don’t! It was an accident!”
“Accident or not, that doesn’t mean she had the right to hurt you, Bartowski!”
“It was my fault, to begin with.”
“Don’t care. Sarah knows better, amnesia or not.”
Chuck stared at the floor in shame.
“No, she doesn’t,” he murmured. “I pushed her too far. I knew she wasn’t happy, and I forced it. Sarah stayed with me because she felt she had to. After a few months, I decided to end it. I couldn’t bear to see her like that anymore, Casey. When I told her we should get a divorce, we had a fight.”
Tears sprung into his eyes, but he kept them back for the NSA agent’s sake.
“At first, it wasn’t too bad. But, as Sarah realised I was serious, she pinned me against the wall,” Chuck admitted while rubbing his wrists as phantom pains hit. “I let it happen because I was afraid she would kill me if I tried anything. She told me how it was my fault she wanted to stay, and I can’t help but believe it.”
“Bartowski—”
“It’s true, Casey! I asked her to stay, and she said yes to appease me! For months, I have been holding onto the hope that she would remember the good times we all had, but it just isn’t the case. I know you don’t care—”
“What you did was normal.”
That statement made Chuck close his mouth, his teeth clicking together.
“You just lost the love of your life, your wife, no less. It’s normal to hold onto hope that Sarah would return to you. All you wanted to do was help her remember, and in your mind, that meant her staying with you. How Sarah handled the aftermath of you letting her go was not okay by any standards. My guess is the fear kicked in without her realising it, but that still doesn’t justify her actions.”
The Nerd Herder had silent tears run down his cheeks. Without speaking another word, the NSA agent pulled Chuck into a hug. The younger male stiffened, but he soon relaxed into it as Casey ran a hand over his back. Chuck did everything he could to not start sobbing hysterically, no matter how much he wanted to.
“I’m not gonna hit you for crying, Bartowski,” Casey grumbled.
And so, Chuck finally let go.