Let us do something, while we have the chance, partner.

Still don't own Chuck.

"That is all her."
-Chuck episode 3.17

Chapter 1—the Wait

Los Angeles
October 24, 1870

Chuck knew he was running late. He hardly got any sleep from the night before and woke at the very last minute. He was sitting on his bed pulling on his boot. The sides of the boot just fit over the braces he was wearing for the broken leg. The break was healing, or at least that was what his sister said. After picking up his jacket, he got the plate from the pocket. He checked it in the morning light. It was the front plate for a twenty dollar note. The workmanship was authentic. He made a mental note to let Whitley know that the plate appeared to be from one of the counterfeiters on the East Coast. He put the plate in the box and slid it under his bed.

Chuck went through the hall and started through the kitchen. His saddle bags were there and he grabbed them. He was about to head out the back door when his sister said, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

He ran his tongue over the false gold teeth and took out the denture. Quickly putting it into his pocket he turned around. Ellie and Devon were sitting at the kitchen table. Devon held up a glass, "Only the most important meal of the day, bud."

"Of course, breakfast." Chuck took the glass, "Thanks." Ellie looked over the newspaper and smiled at the exchange. Then Chuck took a drink, "What did I… what is that… what did I just drink?"

"Nopales and jalapeño juice. Let me tell you Bro, it does wonders for your bones. Keeps them straight and gives a little kick to your staying power." Devon smiled, "Know what I mean."

Ellie put down the newspaper she was reading at the table asked, "Hey, where were you last night. I heard you come stomping in at four in the morning?"

Chuck realized that with the broken leg and cane, going quietly down the hall was going to take more effort. "Oh yeah, it was a crazy night. Morgan and I were at the Golden Palace and beat the house at cards, then we rode around shaking down bar keeps, and smacked around a few saloon girls." When he saw her look, Chuck added, "Relax it was just a card game we were playing with his cousins."

"Oh good card games," said Ellie in a sarcastic manner.

Devon came to the defense of his Bro, "Oh come on, what's one night of blowing off a little steam."

"One night has a funny way of adding up, I mean five years and you," Ellie was beginning.

"We were just wondering about your big plans, Bro." Devon started asking. "All that talk about going on a trip around the world and what's happening with Sarah. I thought…"

"I just have a lot on my plate at this moment," Chuck lamely provided.

"Like what precisely?" Ellie responded. "We were happy when you came with us and stayed at the house, but shouldn't your life be moving somewhere. And I thought you and Sarah were just perfect for each other."

Chuck was about to take a seat at the table when Morgan saved him by knocking at the back door, "Hey, morning. We have to be leaving, if you're going to fix the piping at the store before you start working the trestle."

Chuck turned back from walking out the door, "Ellie, like I said. I have a lot on my plate." Thinking of the previous night and getting the plate, he smiled. "I promise when I get back from this repair job and the work out at the mines we can talk." He grabbed his saddle bags and walked out the back door.

The repair job at Big Mike's took longer than expected. And Chuck was not happy with the being late for work lecture that he got from Emmett. Chuck was not really late for work as his arrangement with Moses Finkelstein, Founder and Owner of the San Pedro Rails allowed Chuck enough leeway to keep his own time. But two of the station crew were late and Chuck got sucked into the being late for work lecture.

Chuck finally got all the equipment he needed loaded on to the flat bed car. The trestle at the south bend of the tracks had some timbers that were going bad. They were starting to crack and if not replaced would cause the train to develop a sway when it went across the bridge. Eventually the timbers would fail and the train would simply fall off the track at that point. The worst case was the timbers would fail with the train on the bridge and it would all come down.

Chuck looked at everything and saw the timbers. He shook his head in disbelief. He had to take the timbers off the car Emmett had readied. Sometimes, well most of the time, any real railroad related task Emmett completed had to be redone. He told the station crew how to put them back on the car so they would not roll off. The crew, equipment, and cars were ready by noon. While the cars were being coupled to an engine, Chuck explained to the Station Master what they would be doing. Once they reached the trestle they would unload, build the necessary tower and wrenching platform. Then the next day they would begin the repairs. Chuck had promised Moses that it would only take a day to do the repairs. He was going to hold to his promise.

On the way to the trestle Chuck was in the passenger car of the train with the crew. He was watching out the window thinking of Sarah. They had been in fairly constant communication. Using the 'engineering car' after Sarah got on the East bound train, Chuck had been able to send Telegraph messages to her along the way. They used her codes. Yesterday, in the middle of tracking the plates and getting support for Sarah, he remembered one of the messages he sent just for Sarah. The funeral, the will and the family had become overwhelming. He sent her back a message to reassure her that he was with her in anything. Before he left for the trestle he had gotten her last message. He just did not realize how attracted to Sarah and dependent he had become. The wait at the Telegraph office for the message was almost unbearable. After she came to his birthday party, they had been together all the time. Even after the accident in the pass by Reno the only thing he remembered thinking of was Sarah. Then the short time at Denver was special, especially the last night.

That night Chuck and Sarah had gone in the dressing room at the Denver Theatre. It was right, everything was perfect. He remembered closing the door after Casey's comment. The he had hardly turned and he was met by a glorious kiss. They were wrapped in each other's arms. She was his girl and this meant everything. Then it came, a quick knock at the door. It was Casey. He was saying they had to come out. But like when they started, everything was perfect that night. They saw it on the dresser. Someone else must have thought of celebrating the night. They knew at the instant, it had to be. They grabbed the handles and opened the door, in one smooth move and without any warning, they dumped the ice on Casey's head. Lisa, General Stanfield and the new Territorial Governor were standing there. Lisa broke out in a laugh that could not be contained. Chuck smiled to himself at the memory of Casey laughing too.

Sarah's laugh had been so sweet and happy. He wanted that laugh to be back with him. She was so happy that night. After introductions were made, the Governor understood that Sarah was with the daughter of John Jay Walker the owner of Pacific Western and Lisa was the granddaughter of Hiram Schwartz of H & J Schwartz and Company of New York. Chuck also introduced Henry Richardson, the owner of Peaks ranch south of Denver. Chuck started so that the group understood how important this was. After explaining that Lisa, Sarah and Henry Richardson were the targets of Fulcrum and could still be threatened, he made them all promise to keep what was going to be explained a secret. Sarah explained to the Governor what had happened that night. Chuck added how happy he was with the General Stanfield's hotel staff, 10th Cavalry and Pinkerton agents. They made the capture of the Fulcrum agents possible. Chuck watched Henry Richardson and his family standing there too, he noticed the son looking at Lisa. Thinking that he looked like a nice kid, Chuck began to explain Lisa's part. He could tell the boy's eyes were getting wider as he continued the story. When he finished, Sarah was holding Chuck's hand and smiling at him.

Chuck and Sarah were busy the rest of the night. They were happy that the Cavalry unit took the Fulcrum agents back as prisoners. Lazslo was shackled and put with the group going with the Cavalry. Using the 10th turned out to work best all the way around. Being stationed at Leavenworth, Kansas they were able to get on the Kansas Pacific Railway and come straight into Denver. They took charge of the prisoners and were ordered to deliver them to an Eastern prison. Casey turned Javier Cruz's body over to the local sheriff. They had everything wrapped up and were out of the theatre with enough time that the actors agreed to put on the play for people that had stayed.

Chuck, Sarah, Casey, and Lisa went to the telegraph office to send in their reports. Chuck was surprised seeing Hannah there. Chuck and Sarah told her that Lazslo would not be coming back. They also said that they had to quit. After Lisa hummed and aahed a bit, she finally asked if she could continue her classes. Hannah smiled at Lisa and said she would be happy to continue them. The office was still short handed and any willing help would be accepted. Back Schwartz's house, they explained the events again. Lisa ended asking if it was okay to continue at the Telegraph office and then slipped in that the Richardson boy had asked if he could see her tomorrow before he left for his ranch. Chuck and Sarah got a big chuckle. Casey looked as concerned as Hiram.

The next day things did not work in their favor. Chuck and Sarah were worried that they would get orders from their bosses that would be in conflict with what they wanted. It did not work that way, Sarah's message held the news that her grandfather on her mother's side had passed away. The message was from her grandfather's lawyer. She had enough time to get to the funeral, if she left that day. Sarah told Chuck that he was the only family member that meant anything to her and that she had to go back. At the same time Chuck received an encoded message to track down a counterfeit plate that was headed to Los Angeles. It suggested that Sarah and Casey would be a part of the mission. After a brief discussion, Chuck sent back word that Sarah would be attending a funeral and Casey still needed to tie up a few security problems for Hiram. The reply to Chuck's message was delivered at the Schwartz's house while Sarah was packing. Sarah would be provided escort by the other Secret Service agents and U.S. Marshals to the funeral and then to Washington, D.C. She was to provide a firsthand account of the actions that had taken place. The message ended, "She has our sympathies, G sends."

Chuck remembered seeing her off at the train station, she had the 'engineering car' that had been part of a deal that Chuck, Hiram and the President worked with Leland Stanford and Union Pacific for the services Chuck provided. It was set up as a special; taking her up to Cheyenne in order to catch the earliest East bound train. He saw her onto the car and kissed her one last time before getting off and waving at the engineer.

But Ellie had been right. He had been following the same path of the last five years over and over, complete a mission and move on. Make sure his friends and family did not know what he did and keep them safe. Help his boss in what was needed to keep the country secure. But most important, try to forget the Civil War and make sure it could not happen again.

He knew now forces like Fulcrum wanted to destroy the country or worse, forcibly take over. The last action in Denver had crippled them but they were still out there. He knew other organizations were out there. The President was set on stopping the Klan down in the South. But Fulcrum did appear to be more far reaching. Knowing they would come back, he began to plan their defeat. They had to be defeated or Sarah, Lisa and others would be at risk. He wanted them to be safe.

Chuck's demeanor became serious as he took stock of himself. He had the training of an Ancient, the descendants of what the Navajo call the Anasazi or the Ghosts of the Plains. The training included expert tracking and now this new ability to flash. Trained as an expert horseman from the Ancients, he learned to fight with the U.S. Cavalry during the Civil War. He finished the rigorous courses at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and upon graduation with an engineering degree he received a commission as a Captain. After a particularly hazardous scouting mission, his commander made Chuck his engineer. The position stuck and Chuck remembered being transferred into the Army's Engineers. He learned more about railroading in the last year of the war than over the last five years.

General Stanfield had been his commanding officer during the last year in the Civil War. Chuck had an easy time with the mapping missions. He used his experience with the Ancients and training at Rensselaer to not only draw the maps but highlight the critical centers for follow-on operations. In those cases the operations were conducted behind Confederate lines. Each time the engineers used different names and clothes of the area. Had they been caught, they would be shot as spies. He was sure that it was that experience and the unwanted recognition from the battle for Weldon's Railroad that got him his current job. He'd won a medal for his worst and best day. His actions that day saved hundreds of Union troops, but he also knew that his actions took out a Confederate position that held nearly as many. The day ended with him in a trench covered in dirt with a gash that ran the side of his chest. Big Mike had been there to pull him out and Danny, now a hotel clerk for General Stanfield, helped take him over to the medical station.

Chuck's current boss presented that medal and also made sure he got a glowing recommendation for his current job. Yes, he realized that he would have to count his current position while taking stock of his situation. He was a Secret Service Agent. He was sure that he would have continued backing of his boss to pursue Fulcrum. He thought it a little complicated that whileChief Herman C. Whitley was his boss on paper and Whitley's boss was the Secretary of the Treasury, Chuck's boss was President Grant.

Chuck also knew that his covers had provided some toward the count of his assets. While an Agent, most of his cover jobs had been with railroads. He'd worked for the Baltimore and Ohio and New York Central. Both jobs helped him get the position with the San Pedro Rails. Moses Finkelstein, Founder and Owner of the San Pedro Rails, had recently completed the line and his engineer moved on. It worked perfectly for Ellie and Devon. They were looking for an opportunity and Los Angeles worked fine. And the deal he had with Moses worked as he had the leeway he needed for his job as an Agent.

Thinking of deals, Chuck started going through the deals he had and prospects that were out there. From the prospecting he had been doing as a cover, he found it amusing that he actually struck two veins. The cover was so that he could get away from his Sister and his railroad job with something they would understand. He would stay out a week at a time. Then when there was a real job as an Agent, he would tell them he was headed to the mine. But it forced him to learn about mining and prospecting. He was surprised that he found the gold veins so easily. The first one played out but the second one was still going and looked promising. He had been able to dig out more than enough to pay off his sister's home and cover the purchase of some equipment to expand the mine.

Then the first deal had been with Hiram Schwartz as a partner, brokering a deal with Leland Stanford and his associates. One of those men was Edwin Crocker. He was a graduate of Rensselaer and told Chuck he could be counted as a friend. They had formed the Pacific Union Express Company. The deal that was brokered was a merger of that company with Wells Fargo. With Leland offering a lease of the mining equipment, Chuck was able to use his money to leverage a piece of the deal. Chuck thought back about the circumstances. His little sum of money was really just a down payment that was backed by Hiram. Hiram was putting up a large sum of money, but none of it was in place in San Francisco. In order to get the Wells Fargo people to budge on the deal, Chuck's money provided the first payment. Hiram also finished a couple other deals like that for a Michigan railroad takeover and Missouri merger. Chuck was a partner in those.

The 'engineering car' had been part of a deal, but that was mainly for payment of services that Chuck had given the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads. Hiram and his boss got involved in that one. Sarah, Casey and Lisa were added as partners so they could get access as needed. They were able to use the car at anytime they wanted and it would be serviced by the two railroads and any that they connected to in the future.

The next deal was a bit of speculation. Chuck had put up a continuing share of the proceeds from the mine to a narrow gauge railroad that General Palmer was developing. He knew that Hiram was counting on that to work in order for his ore processing plant to be successful.

Finally, he had two other assets. He owned land with oil on it near Bakersfield. It was one of the reasons Fulcrum was drawn to Hiram, who was looking to buy the property. The land put them in the cross hairs of Fulcrum. Then he knew that the Sheriff held another twenty thousand dollars for him as the bounty on Tommy Delgado, Torrez, Martin and Waller. He absolutely hated that. The last time he received a bounty he gave it to the orphanage. That worked as sister and friends did not know he was in a gun fight with six murders at Pales Verdes. But as he learned when he came back from Denver, they did find out about Tommy and the other three. Moses was talking about giving him a thousand dollar bonus for protecting the trestle. He was sure that part of the push from Ellie that morning was related to the money. He knew at this point that the money would not go to something that Ellie would expect. It was going to be part of his war chest to fight Fulcrum.

Chuck looked at the message from Sarah and knew the first battle was won.

A/N Okay Partners, little history.

Herman C. Whitley was the second Director of the Secret Service. See Wikipedia.

Nopales comes from the Prickly Pear cactus. It does contain several vitamins; one of them is Vitamin C. What can I say, it's a Western. See Wikipedia.

Colorado did not become a state until1876. See Wikipedia.

The Kansas Pacific Railway connected Denver to Kansas City in the summer of 1870. See Wikipedia

10th Cavalry Regiment was stationed at Ft Leavenworth. See Wikipedia

The Wells Fargo and Pacific Union Express merger did take place in 1870. See Wikipedia. There were deals happening with Michigan and Missouri railroads during that time, but information is scarce. Google. Edwin Bryant Crocker was a 1833 graduate of Rensselaer, and one of the 'Big Four' who built the western portion of the transcontinental railroad. See Wikipedia.

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