Chuck 1. Chapter 1

**Hello, FF fans, here is the newest chapter of my new story. This story is entitled 'Don't let go.' The title has several meanings as I will explore as much of them as I can in this story. There is no specific order or timeline with this one. I am writing this based on what I felt were my favourite scenes, situations or lines from all 5 seasons. So before you all complain lol that I am all over the place, there is a logical explanation to my madness. Please read and review – I LIKE TO READ WHAT YOU ALL ARE THINKING. I don't own Chuck…..ENJOY!**

**Thanks to Ms Romance Writer for her suggestions to change the direction with this first chapter and giving it a run through. Thanks Buddy! **

_**Chapter one **_

_**Everything has a beginning…**_

**Echo Park /Los Angeles National Cemetery **

Chuck debated on what he should wear. He tossed several suits of his dads onto his bed finally deciding a blue one. His sister Ellie passed by his room still angry with him that he was still going despite the fact that the man whose funeral it was, was the man who was solely responsible for having her little brother kicked out of Stanford and sleeping with his girlfriend. But Ellie wasn't nothing like her brother in regards to treating people the same even when they treated you the way they did. That was one thing she loved about her brother, his selfless attitude and his good heart.

Ellie walked in as Chuck struggled with his tie – he usually pulled his Buy More tie over his head so he wouldn't have to deal with the thing. Ellie stepped up behind him pushing down on his shoulders so that he was the same height as she was. Hand over hand she tied her little brothers tie. As Chuck reached for his suit jacket, she grabbed his hand.

"Take a deep breath, you'll do fine."

Chuck smiled and fixed his collar. Walking out of his bedroom he saw Devon standing at the door. Tossing his car keys Chuck fumbled a bit but grabbed them. "What are these for?"

"Well we can't have you drive up to the cemetery in a Nerd Herder car can we?"

"Thanks guys."

Chuck found a seat. He looked around and the amount of people could have filled his apartment. He was shocked to see that none of Bryce's family was there; well honestly he wasn't shocked because Bryce never talked about his family. He turned in his seat looking at a few he suspected were coworkers from the bank. Reaching into his suit jacket he grabbed his speech and laid in on the chair beside him. He grabbed the bulletin and read through it. The priest stood up at the front of the small crowd and started talking. As the priest spoke a young lady with blonde hair and a dark suit slipped in the back. Chuck noticed the woman as his name was being called to speak; he turned to face the small crowd. Fixing his suit he unfolded his little speech.

"Good morning, friends and acquaintances of our dear friend Bryce Larkin." A few nervous coughs clouded the already somber space. Chuck cleared his throat and began to speak.

"My name is Charles Bartowski, Chuck for short. I was surprised to be asked to speak. When I got a call from Bryce's lawyer stating that I was asked to speak upon his death I wasn't sure what to say. We were close once."

The blonde stranger sat up. She was now intrigued by this tall and quite handsome man who now was talking about her old partner.

"But as things happened between us we went our separate ways. I could be angry at the man but this is neither the place nor time. Yes some would say that Bryce was a good man, a trust worthy man and a good friend others would say that he was sinister, a liar and even a coward. But whatever our opinions are of the man and what he did in the past has nothing to do with what he had gone through. I bet his last days were like his life mysterious but probably exactly what he wanted them to be like. I don't know how exciting an accountant job can be but I bet Bryce made it fun and adventurous. So as we say our goodbyes to Bryce we must remember the good in the man and may he rest in peace."

Chuck folded up his speech and started walking towards the main building for the luncheon. Chuck opened the doors and went straight for the wine. He guzzled down the first glass; mostly to calm his nerves. As he reached for the second glass his hand grazed another as they both of them reached for the same glass. "Oh sorry, here you take this one I'll grab another?"

The blonde smiled and nodded. She took a sip and brought her glass down. Chuck balanced on his balls of his feet trying to look casual. He wasn't use to standing so close to a beautiful woman.

"Hi my name is Sarah?"

"Uh Charles, Chuck for short."

"Well nice to meet you Chuck, I didn't know that people still named their children Chuck."

"Yeah well my parents were Sadist and well a little weird."

As Sarah laughed Chuck took another sip.

"Thank you for your speech."

"My pleasure. You a friend or did you worked with Bryce?"

Sarah knew that she couldn't tell him who she was exactly but she was good at stretching the truth.

"Yes we worked together in DC. He was in upper management and we shared a few contracts together."

"So you're here to represent the company?"

"Yes you can say that?"

Sarah was surprised that Chuck was so easy to talk to. Despite what she got out of their conversation, Bryce wasn't all to kind to him but he spoke of him out of respect. As the crowd dissipated Chuck and Sarah finished off a few more glasses of wine. Sarah looked at her watch. She had to get back to the airport and head back to DC. Bryce's funeral wasn't what she had in mind when she came back to the US. A few days ago she was in Belarus picking up the pieces of her last mission with the now deceased Bryce Larkin. She was told to head to LA no questions asked. Chuck noticed Sarah playing with her watch. Sarah saw that he was staring at her.

"Oh sorry but I have to head back to DC, I have a lot of paper work to do and this."

"Wasn't what you had in mind?"

Again Sarah was taken aback by Chuck's forwardness and attentive attitude.

"Ya this wasn't a totally a personal visit."

"Understandable."

Chuck got up and pulled Sarah's chair away so she could get up. Sarah couldn't get her footings and leaned into Chuck. She couldn't help get a whiff of his cologne. '_A musky woodsy smell'_. She tried to stay where she was longer but Chuck being the gentleman, stopped that. Helping her they walked out to the parking lot as a limo was there from the airport. Chuck opened the door as Sarah reached for the door she turned around.

"Bryce was lucky to have had a friend like you. In our line of work friends are far and few, despite what they can sometimes do to us."

They said their goodbyes as Chuck closed the door sharing a few more glances as the limo drove out of sight.

**CIA OFFICE WASHINGTON DC**

Sarah threw her bags down as she entered her cubicle, longing for a few minutes to catch her breath. It wasn't your run of the mill, everyday welcome she was use to when she came back from a mission even after the funeral of her partner Bryce. And not every day you're escorted back to Langley by two CIA officers in their CIA attire. Sarah couldn't shake the last mission no matter how hard she tried to forget it; and the sour taste in her mouth wouldn't leave her. She knew that her escort was probably the result of that. As she looked down the hall she had hoped that this time she would get that corner office she desperately wanted, but with her record lately she knew it was a long shot.

She didn't know that General Beckman had conversed with Langston Graham while she was away and word spread quickly that the infamous Agent Walker might be on the chopping block. She was told to sit tight till 'they' whoever 'they' were, where ready for her. Flashes of the last mission popped into her mind, how stupid was she to be swept in by her emotions. She knew that working with Bryce would not end well but she was committed to the partnership but after he left with the Intel and left her, just left her there she screwed up and now he was dead.

Agents passed her cubicle with mournful stares as other onlookers raised their heads over their own cubicle to see what could be the last few glimpses of a decorative Agent.

Sarah sat down and went to her drawer. _Maybe a glass_ she pulled the drawer open as her eye caught the neck of the bottle. As she reached for it a deep voice startled her current mission.

"Agent Walker, they're ready for you?"

They Sarah thought, there's more than one? Sarah closed the drawer eyeing the bottle one more time. Wearing the same suit since LA she fixed her skirt and pulled down her blazer. Raising her head high she walked out and down the hall for what felt like the longest walk to Langston Graham's office. The officer motioned her to the door. Knocking confidently, she waited for her opportunity to enter. Sarah opened the door as Langston Graham was walking towards her. She noticed General Beckman sitting to her right. Langston shook Sarah's hand as he escorted her to the empty chair. Sarah sat down greeting the General with a hand shake and a nod.

Langston resumed his place behind the desk. "Welcome back Agent Walker."

"Thanks."

"I guess you're wondering why you were escorted from the airport and why you're here with us right now."

"More than you know."

"Well." As Langston looked at the General. "We know that the last mission didn't go as…."

"About that, I am so sorry for how the mission ended. There is no excuse for how it was handled."

"Agent Walker." The General interrupting the younger Agent.

"We know more than you think we know about the mission. We know that Bryce betrayed you but what is more important is what transpired from that mission. After he left you in Belarus he snuck back into the US and broke into the DNI. The Intel that you recovered in Belarus wasn't lost as you first reported it. We believe that Bryce left you knowing exactly that what you recovered wasn't going to make its way back to us."

"What do mean?" This mission was planned?"

"We're not sure but what we can put together is Bryce knew what he was doing whether he let you in on it or not the Intel helped him break into the DNI."

"You're telling me that I helped him?"

"No we are not saying that but we can't shake the feeling that it's seem very coincidental that this Intel goes missing on your watch then the next thing the DNI is broken into."

"I did no such thing?"

"Sarah!" Langston trying to keep her calm. "The General is trying to answer some questions."

Sarah sat back in her chair. She hated being blamed for Bryce's choices and this one broke the camel's back.

"Sarah, we used the DNI to hide and store all our Governmental secrets. Since 9-11 we joined forces with the NSA to safe guard all our Government secrets in case of another attack. As a joint agreement we thought that the DNI would be the safest place to hold what we felt was important for National Security. All data, files, codes, you name it was stored in a complex piece of technology called the Intersect. The Intersect was created by a man who was known only as Orion. Orion was a head of his time when it came to technology and the CIA. But we lost contact with him several years ago and all his files, our files were downloaded into it. The problem is that files were still being downloaded as of recent and we were unsure if this was part of the Intersects original plan or someone else's doing. The Intersect was downloaded to a portable drive by Bryce. As Bryce tried to escape NSA agent John Casey shot him dead."

Sarah sat up. "Why are you telling me this now and not as soon as it happened?"

_She personally wanted the man dead many times but to actually hear the words and to be at his funeral she knew that it was not just a wishful dream but real all too real. _

Langston looked at Sarah. "I know that you two were close."

"We were partners and nothing else."

'_Who was she fooling; everyone knew that they were more than partners…..'_

"You should know that were not judging you or care what you did beyond the walls of this agency but that doesn't matter now. What matters is that Bryce sent the files to someone in Los Angeles. We have ID this person as we need you to."

"Take him out?"

"Not exactly." Beckman interjected. "We need you to do what you do best."

"And if I don't accept?"

"You have no choice, take this assignment."

"Or what?" As Sarah stood up hearing enough.

"Be reassigned and you might not like where I put you." Sarah staring down the little but ferocious red headed General.

Langston walked up to Sarah walking her towards the wide office window overlooking the city scape.

"Please take this job as a favour to me. And in a few months if you're not happy I'll see what I can do."

Sarah knew that it couldn't get worse but she knew that assignment like these go to agents like her who have burned many bridges. This time thanks to Bryce Larkin. But she knew that Langston Graham had her back. He had backed her up many times, almost like her own personal fire extinguisher but this time his hands were tied. But she trusted the man, he saved her life after her dad was arrested, made her into the spy she was today.

_(When Beckman called everyone jumped. Beckman had her in mind for this assignment when she heard of who was behind the heist at the DNI and as soon as the proof came back it was indeed Bryce Larkin and all the Government secrets were sent to someone in LA she needed immediate action and only the best would do.) _

Sarah closed the door behind her as Langston waved goodbye. The General sat back in her seat and waited. "So do you think she'll take it?"

Langston nodded. "Walker is always up for challenge especially when she is going in blind. She wants to earn hers stripes back after what Larkin did."

"What do we know about this Chuck Bartowski?"

"Not much except that he attended Stanford with Bryce so I am guessing he is well informed about this."

"And if he isn't?"

"Well that is why we are sending in Agent Walker. Who can resist someone like her? She is good at her job."

"Well that's why worries me. Maybe what Bryce did to her can't be fixed. Bryce should have never been allowed to leave her like he did. We don't know what they did to her?"

"I will have her debrief like we always have our agents do. And we will go from there. I expect her to be at the airport by 6 am tomorrow."

"You can monitor the on goings once she is there. I have purchased a small warehouse building near where Mr. Bartowski works. I had the basement turned into a CIA/NSA sub station where the both parties can monitor Agents Walkers actions." 

"You're not having her go in alone are you?"

"Oh no I have also recruited Major John Casey to join her. He'll meet us at the airport, I trust Walker but she can be a hot head putting it lightly and loose cannon thanks to her years with Larkin. I am hoping that her true self will come through and she'll be that spy that she once was and could be again."

Beckman finished her drink and headed to the door. Turning around she looked at Langston.

"Do you think that we will ever find Orion?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, but right now we need to protect what he has created and take care of Mr. Bartowski."

**DEBREIFING ROOM FOUR/SARAH'S APARTMENT**

Sarah sat in cold faintly lit debriefing room. She knew it was mandatory but she dredged bringing back the memories of the last few months. She pondered on how much she should say knowing that every detail was being analyzed and picked apart to see if she was fit to go back into the field. She also knew that her intimate relationship with Bryce wasn't a secret, but now she could say that it was nonexistent. She remembered the last time a year ago when her defences were down and the combination of several glasses of Jack and the charming lies of Bryce led to her waking up naked and alone. Bryce got what he wanted but she didn't. She knew that their relationship was just act to fill a need. It wasn't love or even a slight definition of it.

Hours later after the suits picked apart every detail of the last few months she got the go ahead to leave. Heading back to her cubicle she grabbed her bags and hailed a cab. Tossing her bags on the floor of her vacant apartment she went to the fridge to grab a bottle of water as it was the only items she had in there. She thumbed through her mail and debated whether to order take out or go to bed. She opted for both. After a long hot shower in her own shower she waited for her order to arrive. The front desk knew to not bother her so when the order arrived, they quietly brought it up stairs and knocked gently on the door.

Sarah crawled into bed with her favourite Chinese food. Curling up in her own sheets she ate a little and opened the file that Langston left on her desk. She read the file but the file was limited with Intel. '_Maybe that is why I need to go there's nothing on the person in question'_ As Sarah read on her own tiredness overtook her, flipping off the light she settled for a long overdue sleep. But her thoughts were on a young man named Chuck. Sarah rolled over as an annoying buzz awakened her slumber. She stared at her phone and knew that if she rolled over they would be calling, he would be calling. Langston's words echoing her inner conscience. She knew that this was and could be temporary till the heat was off and they had forgotten the last mission. Now that Bryce was dead they had no reason to bring up the last mission expect for the fact that he had stolen something important and had given it to a civilian.

Walking towards her closet she went to the back to grab her summer wear; as DC was warm but LA was warmer. She grabbed a few bikini's and matching wraps and tossed them into her suitcase, a few pairs of black jeans and t shirts to match and a grey skirt and pink blouse, and her favourite brown leather jacket and her favourite tight blue jeans. Topping the suitcase with personal items she closed it and zipped it up. Rolling it to the front door she went and grabbed her lap top and other spy related items she stored in her apartment. Cramming the last items into her carry on she again wondered when she would be back home. This was her house but it never felt like a home just a place that she rested her head. She hoped that one day there would be a place she could call home.

**CIA HANGER – JOHN F KENNEDY AIRPORT 06:00 HRS **

Arriving at the airport she reminded herself that it was only a temporary thing, it would be an in and out type situation, it would be that easy. The driver pulled up alongside an accustomed CIA jet. As her in view came into focus there stood two gentlemen. One she knew but the other she wasn't sure. Langston opened her door and helped her out. Sarah stood facing the taller burly man. She took her sunglass off and hung them on the outside of her tank top and pulled her leather jacket down.

"Agent Walker I would like to introduce Major John Casey NSA."

Sarah's heart skipped a slight beat as this was the man that had shot Bryce. The Major stood stoic and didn't wait for the younger Agent to respond. He grabbed his gear and headed to the jet. Sarah turned to face Langston Graham. "Seriously! You want me to fly across the country with the man who just killed my partner."

"Don't see it as the guy who killed your partner but think it as getting to know your new partner."

Sarah wondered if it wasn't too late to back out. "Please trust me, I know in time you two will be great together. You're the best and so is he."

"I have a few questions about this, the man that you have your eyes on…"

"Save it till you're in the air."

"But."

"Sarah just get on the plane, everything will work out?"

Sarah shook her head and boarded the plane. As she turned around she reminded Langston of his words.

"Yes in a few months,"

Langston back away as the jet moved onto the runway and headed west.

**LAX LOCAL TIME 10:00**

Sarah kept to herself as the flight dragged on. The major sipped his several cups of dark roast while reading the new Intel they had on Mr. Bartowski. Little words were spoken at first and Sarah appreciated that. She sensed that they were a lot like; they liked to keep to themselves, do the job and move on. They both didn't like being emotionally attached to their subjects or if they were given an asset they knew where to draw the line. As he read the file what he found interesting he passed onto Sarah to read. The Intel was new to her and she had over 5 hours to learn as much as she could about who they believed was the recipient of Bryce's email. As she opened the file her eyes were drawn to a picture of the man she had just met hours before. She didn't want to believe that this guy could be working with Bryce. She knew that she should disclose that she had already met the man in question. She was sure that he had nothing to do with Bryce. But her spy side and non-spy side were like a game of tug ol war with what she knew was right. As the plane came to a stop the door opened and both the Major and the Agent exited the jet. A tall female agent with long reddish brown hair awaited their arrival. Sarah recognized the agent from her photo and clocked her as a by the book kind of agent. As Sarah placed her carry on down the on ground, the agent spoke.

"Welcome Major Casey and Agent Walker my name is Agent Forester and I will be your contact here in LA. I will also report to Langley on the direction this mission is taking. If I feel that it is not going as planned I will let you know and report."

Major Casey grunted as Sarah tried not to respond. She disliked being watched when she was on a mission. Bryce was bad enough of a partner to do that and it drove her nuts. The Major eyed the reddish brown haired agent, he didn't take orders well either. Agent Forester walked to the black SUV and they all took a ride into the city. Sarah stared outside as she hadn't see LA like this before. Most of her trips here were in and out or flying over. She rarely took in the sites of her destinations, but seeing all if this less than 48 hours ago was a new record. The Major rolled down the window and inhaled the sea breeze. He felt a little pastey and hoped that the coastal sun would change that. 

The SUV pulled up behind a small warehouse type building that house an orange orange yogurt shop and weinerlicious combo with a big sign opening soon spread across the front window. Across the parking lot Sarah saw the big BUY MORE sign along with other big box type stores. Agent Forester opened the door to the yogurt weinerlicious shop as the Major and Sarah followed.

"If this mission does go anywhere we have made arrangements for covers to be put in place at one of these local businesses." Sarah wasn't impressed and Casey just grunted.

As the older agent led them behind the counter to the back freezer each looked at each other and wondered where this was leading to. Forester pulled down a message board that hid an eye scanner. The scanner scanned her eyes and the one of the freezers doors opened up to a dark stairwell. As they approached the landing a set of the stairs came to display an underground CIA substation. Casey walked ahead of the ladies and admired the new digs as he called them. Sarah on the other hand knew that this wasn't what she signed up for. Agent Forester gave the newbies a tour then had them sit down. As Sarah rolled her chair up to the table a subtle beep sounded and instantly up on the screen where the faces of General Beckman and Langston Graham staring at them.

"Welcome Agent Forester and Walker and Major Casey. We hope that your flight was okay."

Both nodded then looked at each other.

"I hope that Agent Forester has shown you what we call Castle. This will be your home away from home." As Langston continued talking to the three.

"Major you will be the eyes and ears till we know what we are dealing with. Walker I need to make contact with Mr. Bartowski, see how he acts, and make an excuse to get him alone. Once we know where the Intersect is we can decide what to do with Mr. Bartowski. Agent Forester I thank you for your time in getting this team prepared. I will keep you in mind if we need an extra hand down here in Castle."

Agent Forester bowed and headed up the stairs.

Sarah turned around in her chair as she followed the older Agent up the stairs and out of view. Turning back she watched as Beckman opened the file on her desk. "Agent Walker you will enter the Buy More and seek out Mr. Bartowski. Once we have an idea what type of person we are dealing with you will report back to me for further instructions? Major I will have you set up visual and auditory surveillance in and around the Buy More. If Bryce has sent the Intersect to Mr. Bartowski, others will be watching him as well. We need to have all ours eyes and ears on him at all times. Once you have set up that I will get you to set up surveillance at his residence. Do I make myself clear?"

_Sarah hated this part of her job. She knew that they were looking at the wrong man. Well she hoped that she was right in how she felt. She was one of the best, and being the best wasn't something that was handed to her it was a gift and it was earned. She just hoped that Chuck wasn't the next man to be buried. _

Both the Major and Sarah nodded. As quick as the General appeared she disappeared. Sarah leaned back in her chair as the Major got up to survey his new home. Walking to the back of where Sarah was sitting, Sarah sat up. "An armory! Now we are getting somewhere." Sarah leaned back scanning the underground digs.

**BUY MORE 09:00**

Sarah didn't sleep like she would have in her own bed. Castle's bunk are not what you say comfortable. The major had been up for hours, and Castle smelled like a coffee shop. He had slipped out to buy some breakfast which he said didn't mean that they were friends, just buying them what was needed. Sarah hugged her cup between her cold hands and took a sip. So far LA was not a high point but at least the coffee was good. She grabbed her bag and headed to the back of the large area. She noticed the change rooms and bathrooms and dujo for training. Everything you would need to train an asset or protect someone big. She headed to the change room and entered the shower stall. At least she didn't have to share with the older Major. She chose to wear her dark blue jeans, white blouse and brown jacket, make it casual. Walking out the Major had his gear waiting on the table.

"Remember Walker in and out I don't expect to stay in LA forever."

"I'll try to remember that and thanks for the coffee, but your guess is as good as mine on where this will end up. You might be right we could be done today of this could last for months." Sarah shook slightly in her own skin. She didn't want to be here even more now that she knew the man and now she may have jinxed it by saying what she just said. Grabbing her purse she headed up stairs. Forrester left a black SUV for surveillance as Sarah chose to walk across the parking.

_Play the part_ she reminded herself.


	2. Chapter 2

**Just a reminder, this story will include all my favorite scenes and lines from all five seasons of Chuck. I don't own Chuck. Written all for the love of the show. Enjoy and please leave a comment or two.**

**Chapter Two – Entering the Lion's Den**

Walking into the Buy More felt to some degree like walking into a den of lions. There was something about being in his territory, his world; one that she had to find out more about in order to possibly prevent something bad happening to him. She cursed herself in that this one man had gotten under her skin like he did. He was not like Bryce or like any of the other guys she had met or had come in contact with so why this was guy so different.

She scanned the floor to settle on a few Nerd Herders at the desk. As she approached she ran scenarios of what she would do once she got to the desk. Maybe ring the bell or stand on her tippy toes to look for him over the shelves; or maybe possibly asking one of the Nerd Herder minions where he was. The closer she got to the desk her answers were clear. A deep voice came from the back letting them know that they had to get back to work and work they must as Bartowski wasn't coming in. Sarah had just dodged a bullet.

Turning herself around, she walked out towards the SVU and slid into the front seat. Casey removed the headset he was wearing and moved to the driver side seat. "So?"

"He's not working today."

"Great another day wasted in the land of Hollywood."

"Well it's not that bad, you could sight see?"

"Me, never. My idea of sight seeing is staring into a loaded high end rifle and aiming at my target. So what do we do now?"

"Go about this another way?"

"Maybe we should talk to Beckman."

"And tell her what? That the guy in question had a day off? Sarah stared out towards the Buy More. No give me a few hours and I'll get back to you."

Sarah left Casey at Castle and took a cab to the only known address that she had. Pulling up she paid the driver and stepped out. The mid-morning sun was already high in the horizon. She admired the neighbourhood, very laid back to that of Rodeo drive or even Hollywood Blvd. It reminded her of her home back in San Diego; a bedroom community off the beaten path. She knew that walking up to his residence would be a bad idea but she wanted to understand him and why 'they' thought that he could be a threat. She walked around the corner where she found a local coffee shop. '_Blend in and if by chance I bump into him I have an excuse. He probably has forgotten all about me it's not like we had anything in common. Or I made an impression on him.' _Sarah walked in and ordered a coffee. Sitting by the window she was able to view the street corner that Chuck lived on – if he decided to walk out she would be able to see him. Sarah made herself believe that what she was doing was surveillance but of a different kind.

Two coffees later and a light lunch she strolled back towards the gate of the complex. Looking carefully not to be seen by anyone she walked up and passed a cement fountain. She was able to see the number of his place that read 1838 on the right hand side of the door. As sun passed so did the time, she stood staring at his door. Who was she fooling; yes this was poor spy work even for an advanced spy like herself. Walking around the side of his unit she stared at the window where she had to chuckle as she got a glimpse of him walking around in a pair of Scooby doo pyjamas. But at the same time the laughter warmed her soul the instant thought that he could be a threat crept through. That word started to bother her 'a threat'. But as she continued to watch she saw two more civilians walk amongst the apartment whom she figured where Chuck's sister and her boyfriend. She remembered reading in the file that his sister raised him after their parents had died and that she was able to put both of them through University. She was a Doctor at a local Hospital and seemed to be doing okay but Chuck on the other hand had not. She hoped to find out why he ended up working at the Buy More after attending Stanford. Stanford was not your everyday University. You had to be pretty smart to attend there.

Sarah looked at her watch and decided to head back to Castle. What she would tell Casey was still to be determined? Hailing a cab she headed back.

**Next Morning**

Casey again brought another coffee for Sarah. Sarah was beginning to think that the man never slept and if he did it had to be standing up because she never saw him lay down. Walking out towards the core of Castle she sat down as the Major sat down beside her. Dressed in sweats she wanted to try out the dujo for a workout after the debriefing with the General – maybe knocking some sense into her as to why she was letting one guy over take her thoughts. Beckman popped up the screen as on cue. Sarah stated what she had found out, which didn't sit well with the little red headed General. Casey convinced the General to give them till the end of the week. Begrudgingly the General agreed.

Sarah stretched and warmed up her muscles as she got ready to pound the living daylights out of the hanging punching bag. Each punch there after reminded her that she had to get some answers before everything got out of hand. Knocking the bag once more time she felt that she had settled on a plan to make contact with Chuck. She just hoped that it wasn't a waste of time.

Sarah opened the back door of the store and looked towards the Buy More where she got a glimpse of Chuck walking into the sliding doors. Casey came up behind her. "Stop gawking and let's get this done."

Sarah regained her composure and headed towards the store. Walking in the store was extremely busy. Looking around she watched Chuck work amongst the crowds. He was beyond what you would describe as the ideal employee. Sarah could tell that he loved his job and while watching him she couldn't figure out why if Bryce had sent him an email, why would he still be working at a Buy More and not doing something with the file? Sarah spoke into her watch suggesting to Casey that he should go over to Chuck's apartment as see what he could come up with. Casey grunted then agreed to go. Sarah signed off and waited to hear from him.

Chuck stood by the herder's desk and attended to all kind of customers, from a dad who forgot to add digital tape to his recorder and missed recording his daughter dance recital; to pre-teens want the latest video game. Throughout the chaos of the rush of customers Chuck paused to listen to a song that was playing throughout the stores sound system. He last heard that song the other day when he spoke at his late friend's funeral. Bryce wasn't a fan of music so he was surprised that it was playing or for all Chuck knew it could have been a random song but it made him think of the young lady he met. He could have lied to himself that he hadn't thought of her at least once or twice since then. But maybe his luck would change. 'W_ho am I kidding, she doesn't live her and the chances of her showing up again is as much luck as it was getting that email from my dead ex friend.'_

Chuck looked up to see what could only be a miracle. Stepping out of the crowd he got a glimpse of what to him looked like the girl he had met a few days ago. Not wanting to miss this opportunity Chuck jumped over the desk and ran towards the door only to be disappointed as whom he thought was there was now gone.

Sarah leaned against the side wall catching her breathe till she leaned forward to see Chuck running his hands through his brown hair. '_Why didn't I want him to see me?' _ Chuck scanned the parking lot once more till a shorter man came up behind him. "Yo Chuckster whatcha doing out here? Big Mike is asking for you."

Chuck smiled at his little bearded friend then looked towards the side where Sarah was leaning.

"We still on for tonight?"

"Ya buddy we are."

Sarah waited till the close was clear then headed back to Castle.

Casey arrived an hour later with Chuck's computer. He placed it on table as Sarah walked in.

"There's not much here. Looks like the whole thing is fried?"

"Is there anything salvageable?"

"We can get our tech guys to looks at it. I can make a call to Agent Forester and she can send over a computer guy?"

"By the time they send us one it could be too late."

"Well we need to know what was sent to this Chuck guy and find out what it had on it."

"So what did you find out the Buy More?"

"Well he loves his job and is very good at it. The store was so busy that I couldn't actually talk to him. '_She hated to lie about this but she was going with her gut, whether Casey accepted her answer or not she had to do it her way.'_

Casey opened the side panel of the computer and sure enough everything looked fried. Sarah walked around and stood behind Casey. "I'm no computer tech so you better get someone who is."

Casey looked up. "And what are we going to do?"

Sarah chose her words carefully. "More surveillance." 

**Next Day **__

Agent Forester made arrangements for Chuck's computer to be sent to the CIA office downtown LA. Casey wasn't going to let the tower out of his sight so he tagged along. Sarah added to her list of things that she noticed about Casey was that he didn't trust others he didn't know and he didn't trust precious Intel getting into wrong hands. '_Maybe Casey was right by his action to shoot Bryce. Maybe Bryce was walking that fine line that ended with a bullet in his chest. With all the missions that we had been on this was the one that got you killed?' _Sarah ran the whole thing around in her head over and over as she set out to do 'some more surveillance'.

Sarah pulled up to the same local coffee shop and sat at the same table. Grabbing her black writing pad and a pen she stared out towards the corner. No sooner than she took the cap off the pen, she saw Chuck step out onto the street corner. The sharp dressed man she met a few days ago was now wearing dark sweats and a grey t shirt. His hair seemed longer than it did a few days ago and she was able to see how he really looked underneath it all. Sarah looked at her watch 8:00 am and jotted down the time. Sarah watched as he stretched and warmed his muscles up and in flash he was gone. Sarah grabbed her stuff and jumped into the black SUV and followed Chuck. She looked ridiculous driving in such a huge vehicle. She prayed that if this mission lasted any longer she wanted her own car shipped from DC. Sarah drove but kept her distance of thirty feet. Chuck kept a steady pace and in no time headed to the beach. Sarah parked her car in the next parking lot and grabbed her binoculars and scanned the area for Chuck. There in the distance she saw him, watching him intently as he passed. She started the car and back up and headed out of the parking lot. She turned into the slow lane and watched as he ran by. As he jogged Sarah memorized the route. Running west on Melrose past Echo Park Ave, then south down Sunset Blvd where he cut through Dodger's Stadium. As he ran alongside Dodger's Stadium he crossed Academy Road. Sarah was so focused on the street signs that she lost him briefly near Morton Ave. Backing up and turning herself around she was able to get back onto Academy Road where she got back onto Echo Park Ave. Stopping the SVU she waited knowing that Chuck would have to run back through here, well she hoped. Sarah rolled down her window and scanned the area. For what seemed like forever Chuck finally was heading in her direction. Running still at a steady pace he ran kiddy corner past the Cathedral of St. Paul towards the very small coffee shop. Chuck stopped catching his breath as Sarah watched he reached into his sock and pull out a few dollars. Sarah smiled, and put her binoculars down. Reaching for her book she jotted down the time. (Just a few minutes before 10 am)

Sarah watched Chuck for the next few days as her time was running out. But instead of watching she grabbed her runners and waited for Chuck to run by. Sarah stretched as she waited for Chuck, knowing his routine she hoped that for a Wednesday morning he wouldn't let her down. She waited till he was close enough to the coffee shop. Sarah had cut across the back alley so she could hopefully run into him, when he came out of the coffee shop. It sounded like a good idea and very innocent in her head. Picking up speed she cut through the last alley just before the coffee shop. Sarah ran past the coffee shop as Chuck walked out, as if on cue Sarah slams into Chuck, his iced coffee spills all over his shirt. He looks up surprised to see her again as he swore that he saw her the other day.

"Sarah?"

"Oh so sorry, I didn't mean to run into you of all people."

"Well I guess I am the lucky one."

'_You're not the only one.' _Sarah thought to herself.

Chuck grabbed a few napkins from the closest table and tried to wipe up the remaining drink of his shirt.

Sarah looks at him.

"Thank goodness the coffee was cold."

Sarah tried not to laugh but she couldn't help it especially when Chuck laughed too.

"You have time to have some coffee? Maybe drink it this time?"

Sarah blushed at what had just happened and nodded.

Chuck walked up to the counter. "So what would you like?"

"Whatever you're having?"

"Well I will have something hot this time. Unless I fear for the rest of my shirt."

"I am terribly sorry."

"It's nothing, it happens."

Sitting down at a corner table they slowly sipped their coffees. Remembrances of their last sit down, made this one even more awkward, but as the time their conversation warmed up. Between the sips of their Americano, Sarah tells him that she just moved here and was in the neighbourhood checking out the area, and must have walked a little too far. Chuck offered to walk Sarah back to her hotel but wanted to change first. Sarah agreed and walked back to Chuck's house. Remembering that she didn't have a place to lay her head she had to come up with a plan and fast. '_I can't take him to the Orange Orange; I just hope that there is a Hotel nearby that will work for me.'_ As she entered his place, she observed and noticed that his walls were full of memorabilia of Star Wars; the far wall near the kitchen hosted a tall American Indian statue. Chuck dropped his keys on the small table by the door and took off his shirt heading to his room. Sarah catches her breathe again as she notices; well it's not hard to notice Chuck's broad shoulders. As well as his physical features were quite pleasing to her eyes.

"Make yourself at home." His voice was her cue to do some recon and snoop around. At first she shuffled through a pile of letters and bills; nothing. Heading to a pile of Buy More files which she thought might be a cover, nothing that connected Chuck to Bryce. Sarah took one last look behind a few posters and framed photos as Chuck came back into the main room. Sarah quickly sat down.

Looking fresh in blue jeans and a light color shirt with the sleeves roll up Chuck looks at her.

"Are u ready to go?"

"Yes." As Sarah gets up and heads out the door. Chuck locks up. "Got to be careful. We got broken into the other day."

Sarah's ears perked up. "Really?"

"Yeah, the funny part was that all they took was my computer."

"Why?" Like she didn't know.

"My computer blew up the other day after I received an email. So whoever got it they wouldn't find much unless they knew their way around computer?"

Chuck locked up and put the keys into his pocket. As they walked through the courtyard Sarah admired the fountain again.

"You like?"

"It's unique."

"Yea I think so too – I do a lot of thinking out here, very peaceful. When I have had a hard day at work I come out here and in no time I am relaxed."

"So where do you work?"

"I work at the Buy More, didn't I tell you that?"

"Sorry if you did, I guess I forgot. You like working there?"

"It's okay, don't get me wrong. It's a nice gig and all but its' not exactly what I had in mind as a career. But our past has a way of changing things."

Sarah wasn't sure what Chuck meant but decided to let him continue to talk. Strolling down the street they headed towards a main strip. Sarah hoped that there was a Hotel nearby.

"So you left your upper DC job to move to the west coast?"

Sarah was startled by Chuck's question. She paused as she remembered telling Chuck that she and Bryce had worked together.

"Oh yes but my contract is done with them so I decided to take a few weeks now to come out here and see if LA was the place to be. And then I will decide whether I am needed out here or not."

"Sounds like you have a cool job. They seem very flexible?"

If Chuck really knew that the General wasn't as flexible as Sarah wished she was but she did give them a few more days.

"It has its ups and downs just like any job."

Chuck smiled as they continued to stroll the street. Cars sped by as Sarah submerged herself in all that Chuck had to say. Between the quirky jokes, Sci Fi and historical references she was starting to figure this guy out, but she needed to dig a little deeper.

"So you mentioned that your computer was stolen? Did you report it?"

Chuck shook his head. "No."

"Why not?"

"There wasn't really anything on there that I can't put on another one. My music, photos and files are either stored on my phone or stored on a portable drive just in case things like this happen. And after my computer crashed I got."

Just then Chuck stopped talking and looked up. "Is this your Hotel?"

Sarah was waiting for Chuck to finish what he was going to say. This was the only lead she had so far. Sarah looked up to see a sign that read Maison23. Sarah quickly scanned the Hotel. '_It would do for now.'_

Sarah stood with her back towards the hotel's parking lot. "I guess this is me?"

"This was fun."

"Yeah it was."

Chuck rolled on his balls of his feet. He didn't want this to end but he knew that it would be weird just standing out here not doing anything. Sarah felt the same.

Chuck moved closer. He wasn't sure where his confidence was coming from but he knew that he shouldn't miss an opportunity. Sarah's inner voice knew that she had to stay focussed but there was something about Chuck, even from the first day she met him. As Chuck moved closer Sarah went with her head and not her heart.

"So you were about to say something about why your computer crashed?"

Chuck fumbled and stepped back. "Oh yes, I got an email from our dearly departed Bryce. I hadn't heard from him for years then all of a sudden I got an email on my birthday and then."

"Then what?"

Chuck looked confused as he replied. "Don't know. It's not important I guess when I can't remember."

Sarah knew that whatever Bryce had sent him; it had hit close to home. Sarah was good at reading people but this time she wasn't sure.

Chuck turned to head back.

"You want me to call for a taxi?"

"No it's not too far and I like the view."

Sarah waved as Chuck started moving. Biting her lip the words just came out.

"As you know I am new here and…."

Chuck walked back and stood in front of Sarah.

"Would you like to see the sights? Maybe if you're not busy we can go for supper?"

"Sure."

Chuck smiled a huge smile as he took one step back. "Can I call you here? To set a time and place?"

Sarah walked up to Chuck and motioned for his phone. Sarah added her name and current number to Chuck's phone.

"Call me and I'll meet you later. I have a meeting with a realtor and I might not get back here in time."

Chuck tipped his head with the phone still in his hand as he headed back to Echo Park. Sarah waited then walked towards the front veranda. She hid behind a pillar just in case Chuck was one of those guys who waited till the girl was inside. Sure enough Sarah got a glimpse of Chuck waiting at the end of the parking lot. When he knew she was safe he headed back.

Sarah jumped into the nearest cab and headed back to Castle. Rummaging through her suit case she needed to find something to wear. She tossed a few items onto her cot then found what she would wear. She made sure her blouse was wrinkle free and her black jeans were clean. She took her shoes off and headed to the armory. Knowing that Casey would be gone for a while she helped herself to a few items to protect herself. Grabbing a small pistol, small enough to hide in the small of her back, a few small knives to hide in her boots and to make sure she had all her bases covered she found a small bottle of a sedative. Walking back she reached for her hair accessories and dipped them into the sedative and would place them into the back of her hair.

Drying off she heard her phone ring. She turned her phone over as an unknown number popped up. Removing the towel from her hair she answered the phone. It was so nice to hear Chuck's voice even after such a short time. Chuck listed some options and agreeing to them she had to get ready and make arrangements to get there at the same time as Chuck. Sarah continued to get ready then as she walked into the main part of Castle she scribbled down on a piece of paper the name Maison23 and circled it. At the same time she torn another piece out and quickly wrote a note to Casey.

_Checking out some leads will be back later. Helped myself to the armory. Will keep you posted._

_Agent Walker._

Sarah grabbed the keys to Castle and made her way to the Mexican restaurant. Chuck was waiting outside the door as Sarah's taxi approached the restaurant. Chuck waited for the taxi to stop as he opened the door. Sarah smiled as they made their way inside. Chuck motioned for them to sit at a nearby booth. Chuck and Sarah ordered a few drinks. As Sarah took in the view Chuck watched. When Sarah saw that Chuck was looking at her she took a sip of her margarita.

"What?"

"Nothing, I just can't figure you out."

"And that is bad because?"

"Didn't say that it was? Its' just a few days ago we met and that was that and now we are together here having a meal."

"Small world."

"No more as a weird coincidence?"

Chuck was right. This encounter was not something that would happen to normal people it was something that would have been made up or created as a great storyline. Nothing like this ever happened to Sarah let alone Chuck; even the fact that she was having supper with her ex-boyfriends/lover's oldest friend; was beyond a normal occurrence. But as they enjoyed the evening her spy senses were still conflicting on the matter at hand, did he or didn't he have knowledge of the Intersect. Chuck reached for the bill and wanted to take her to one more place before they called it a night.

Chuck sat down as the music started to play. Sarah wasn't a fan of music so he hoped that things would change. As Chuck sipped his beer Sarah nursed her tonic water. She scanned the room, noticing that several patrons nearby were also at the same Mexican restaurant. With all the places to go they ended up here?

She was alone with no back up. Apart of her wished she had let Casey in on what she was doing but Sarah felt that this was the easiest way to gain his trust. She had to act fast for both their sakes. Grabbing Chuck's arm they headed to the dance floor, '_cause a diversion she told herself'. _

But as they moved across the dance floor she knew that she had to get him out of there. Grabbing his hand Chuck barely had time to put his drink down. Heading to the back of the night club. Sarah knew that her innocence persona was coming to an end. These men wanted something and she knew what it was. Sarah ran outside with Chuck at her side. Chuck for the life of him did not have a clue to why they were being forced out of the night club so quickly. Sarah continued to run with Chuck sticking close by. Grabbing her phone she called Casey. She knew that the CIA office was nearby but time was running out. Buying her time till Casey arrived she was able to lay low. Chuck looked at her and the girl who he just danced with, had a meal and coffee with was not the girl that he was staring at. When Casey confirmed his ETA Sarah headed up the street looking back often.

"Sarah I don't want to pry, but what the hell is going on and why have you turned into a she male action figure. I mean GI Jane was a great movie but you're so far from being like Demi Moore in the movie?"

Sarah looked at Chuck like he was speaking polish or something and if he was at least she could answer him but movie references was not what she needed now. Reaching the end of the street she waited for Casey but as the men ran to the door and headed in their direction she had to keep running. As Casey squealed around the corner he noticed that Sarah and Chuck had ran across the street. Casey followed in the SUV. Sarah and Chuck continued to run but her footwear and her sore foot from out running the men earlier slowed her down. Chuck skidded to a stop when he noticed that three thugs were following them. He stared them down and grabbed his head. The pain shot through his sinus cavity at unbearable speed. He saw images of the three men doing some pretty nasty stuff that he wished he never saw. Chuck tried to scream out to Sarah but his words were muffled in the pain. Sarah noticed Chuck holding his head. She grabbed her knife and jimmied a car door and tossed Chuck inside.

Sarah hotwired the car and shifted into reverse. Chuck held onto his head as Sarah drove back wards losing the three men. As she turned around and shifted into drive another car sped up beside them smashing the rear side door. Sarah managed to push forward and speed up. The car followed them and rear ended them. As the car spun and stopped, Sarah kicked the smashed window open grabbing Chuck as the car drove backwards in their direction. Sarah pushed Chuck to the curb as the car smashed the car again this time nothing was left. Sarah got up and turned Chuck over. He was coming out whatever he had been in whether he had passed out she didn't know. Sarah looked up to see that the men weren't giving up. Sarah forced Chuck to stand. As they ran Chuck remembered what he had seen moments ago.

"Sarah those men aren't good guys."

Chuck explained in great detail what he had seen and Sarah was surprised at the amount of classified Intel he was telling her. Sarah wasn't sure how he knew what he knew but if he was remotely right they had to stop it. Sarah called for Casey to meet them at the top of the Hanselman building. Casey waited as Chuck and Sarah walked the last few stairs. Casey drew he gun just in case but mostly to show Chuck who was boss. Sarah quickly filled Casey in as he drew his gun and circled the laser of his gun on Chuck's forehead. "You're telling me that all our secrets, every one of them are hiding inside his head." Sarah nodded. Casey was shocked and Chuck well he wasn't sure what to believe anymore.

**CASTLE**

Chuck sat with his head in his hands as Sarah and Casey watched from a close circuit feed. Every blink, every breath pained Sarah as she watched Chuck figure the last few hours out. Nothing made sense especially when she thought she was dealing with the Intersect being a disc or computer file that she could physically see. Not something of this magnitude. Was this even possible that one person could hold that much information and not go crazy.

Casey looked at his watch as he waited for the General to return his call. He made sure that whoever took the message knew that it was of National security. Sarah knew that looking at his watch wouldn't speed the General's response but she was a guilty as he was. Sarah couldn't wait like Casey could so she went to the small kitchen and then to the medic bag to grab Chuck some aspirin. When she walked in, she pulled up a stool and sat beside him. He didn't look at her at first which killed the veteran agent; his response self-explanatory yet lethal. Sarah knew that nothing would change the already tense situation so she left the glass and the bottle of aspirin in front of Chuck's arm and returned to wait with Casey. Chuck lifted his head slightly as he watched her leave. As the minutes passed the dredged beep of the feed finally came through. Both Casey and Sarah awaited the General. She seemed interested with the urgency of the call but failed to show it.

"Evening Major and Agent Walker."

"Evening General, sorry for the lateness of this call but we felt that you needed to know what was happening out here as the events have changed drastically."

"Go on."

Both Casey and Sarah looked at each other; each asking the same questions, but one asking themselves even more questions. Casey wasn't sure if Sarah would disclose to the General that she had made contact with this Chuck guy like she did. The way they acted towards each other he knew that it wasn't something you would see if you had just met someone.

"We have found the Intersect file."

The General interests took a sudden shift.

"We are still trying to piece together the reasons behind the whole thing and what happened after Bryce took the file from the DNI so we can't give you anything concrete."

Casey watched as Sarah's eye wandered towards the feed then back to the screen that faced them.

"General, Agent Walker and I have secured the Intersect and it is not going anywhere but we feel that we need to remain here to uncover, like Agent Walker said earlier why Bryce sent the file here in the first place."

"So is this file transferable?"

"Again General we are not sure, but we feel that…"

"I sense that you two have more to say about this. Are you not telling me everything?"

Sarah knew that if she told the General the truth Chuck could be sent away for a very long time; knowing that the CIA wasn't always fair with their practices with dealing with situations that made them unsure. _'Toss and ask questions after was their motto.'_

"General we think that the file is…" (Sarah continued to tell Beckman)

"What you're telling me that all our secrets are inside the head of this guy named Chuck."

"Yes General."

"Where is this Chuck?"

"He's in the next room."

"He's unaware of the importance of this. This is as new to him as it is to us."

"How did you come across this Intel?"

Sarah closed her eyes as she tried to compose herself and come up with a reasonable explanation and one that would buy them some time and not have the General over react.

"It doesn't matter at the moment as long as we have the Intersect no matter what form it has come in. You can't let this Chuck out your sight. There is no where he can go." The red headed General chided.

Chuck sat up as he heard the last few words. He got up and as he did he knocked over the pill bottle. He headed up the stairs. He needed to get out. Casey nudged Sarah as he saw the nerd running for a way out. Sarah excused herself and followed him out. As she passed the table that Chuck had sat at, she saw the bottle had not been open nor the glass touched. Chuck searched for a door till he found a sliding door. Pushing the button the door slid open which he entered. As the floor underneath him spun and when the half turn stopped another sliding door opened which led to what looked like a walk in fridge. Seeing a small window he walked towards that door and opened it up then to walk into a small but quaint frozen yogurt shop on one side and a hot dog stand on the other. Seeing what looked like a way out he pushed the outside door and to his surprise across the parking lot was the big Buy More sign. A sign that he saw every day. Walking a few feet forward he turned to see Sarah standing at the same door he had just come out of.

"There's nowhere to go is there?"

Sarah shook her head.

"And you're a spy?" His toned deafening.

"Yes, but there is more to this."

"I bet there is."

"Chuck." Sarah walked up to him as he turned to face the Buy More. She raised her hand. She needed Chuck to know that he wasn't alone. As she reached to touch him, her fingers slightly grazed his shoulder.

"I need you to do one thing. And I know that you're confused, angry and scared but I need you to trust me. Can you do that?"

Chuck's pain in his head and all the emotions he was feeling. He couldn't give her the answer she wanted to hear. Chuck took one last look at her and headed home. He knew that it would take him over an hour to walk home but this time the fresh air wasn't what he needed, it was the time away from Sarah.

Sarah watched Chuck as long as she could and once his shadow had disappeared she headed back into Castle. Beckman ordered Sarah to return to DC to speak to the personal at Langley. The General then made a few phone calls which included a call to Agent Forester to find Casey a house or apartment close to Chuck to watch him, while Sarah was in DC. Beckman asked Sarah now that she was going to stay in LA where would she want her things to be moved to. It didn't take Sarah long to suggest a room at the Maison23. The truth it was close enough to Chuck's Echo Park apartment and had easy access to major roads if ever there was a threat on his life, but it was the first or rather the second place that no matter what was going on it felt like a safe place, especially when she was with Chuck.

Sarah took the first shift watching Chuck as Casey take over when Sarah's ride took her to the airport back to DC.


	3. Chapter 3

Hot off the presses. Enjoy and thanks for those who have stopped by and read and reviewed. It's nice to hear from those who actually sit down and read my work.

I own nothing all for fun…..Now to start chapter 4 -

**Chapter 3 - The First Mission**

Five long days had passed since his world turned upside down. Chuck was tired of fighting the images of the two guys he'd seen days before. The scary part was, he didn't have a clue who these guys were but yet had enough information that many organizations and law enforcements agencies would probably give their first born for. But when the images crossed over from the depths of his inner thoughts to that of dreams he knew something wasn't right. Meanwhile things got interesting when the apartment next to him conveniently became available and the tough hulk like character Major John Casey moved in next door, Chuck knew that his life wouldn't be the same again.

He had not seen or heard from Sarah since he left her standing alone in the parking lot and he was beginning to wonder what they had. If what they had meant something to her as it did to him. Chuck thought he understood women and how they ticked but from the start there was something different about Sarah, something that normal girls didn't have. She was so much different than his sister and even Jill to make a comparison. Jill was like the girl next door that happened to sleep with his best friend and comparing your sister to girls you liked probably made sense as you compare your possible significant other with people you already know. But Chuck was limited in that area. Comparing his girlfriends to his sister was one thing but comparing them to his mom, that was a different story. When a parent leaves, that void is hard to fill even if you're starting to feel something for someone.

Hearing chatter he knew that Sarah wasn't back from wherever she went. He didn't know how to face her even if she did return. She did lie to him. Would he feel the same about her as he did before all of this? He was glad that Ellie was gone to a medical conference otherwise his ditching work wouldn't sit right with the older sibling. It was also a blessing in disguise as the nightmares kept him up most of the night. Casey knew that what he was going through had to be documented as the survival of someone having that much data stored in one's brain would only result in some type of psychosis. Casey sat staring out his window that allowed him a view of Chuck living room. Along with installations of camera's and bugs throughout the apartment were only made possible after he knew Chuck had crashed.

Sarah pulled up in her very own car that was one thing she wanted to have out here from DC if she planned on staying; knowing that this could all be over in blink of an eye or something that could go on for years. From the beginning she knew that Chuck was different. From the way he presented himself to the way he spoke. There was a mystery about him that swallowed her whole. The mystery of the whole thing was what made her take the job plus she did have the option of leaving as was promised by Graham but right now that was the furthest thing from her mind. Shutting the door of her car she saw that the neighbourhood was very quiet as most of the kids were in school and those who worked had probably been gone for the day. Despite the few sounds of dogs barking and light traffic passing by it was the beat of her heart that was causing the most noise.

Walking up to the entrance of the complex she went to her phone to grab the apartment number of Casey's house. Seeing that it was adjacent to Chuck's she walked up and knocked.

Casey put down his notes and walked to the door. Opening the door a nod was the only greeting they gave each other. Casey held up a glass that looked like a good idea, so Sarah sat down awaiting her glass of liquid courage. Sarah downed the first glass as Casey topped off the glass for a second. Helping herself to Casey's files she browsed what she could before walking over to the window.

"He finally fell asleep a few hours ago. The images as he called them are pretty constant and he has been very restless."

"Has he seen anybody else?"

"Nope he refuses to leave and I haven't pushed him because I don't know the extent of what this file can do."

"How is he otherwise?"

"Having feelings for the nerd?"

"No I'm just curious to his well-being. (H_onestly it is killing her not to know how he was doing.) _This has to be doing a number on him. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I guess but what I am concerned about is how long we need babysit him. What did Beckman say?"

"She wants some test done. From what they have on this file that they call the Intersect it was created by a scientist/agent with the CIA; known only as Orion. And unfortunately he has disappeared and has not been seen from for years. They are trying to check his redacted file but you know how that goes. It's like a finding a needle in a hay stack."

"So when does Beckman want to see Chuck?"

"She doesn't. She wants us to administer the tests. Basically give him some files maybe some pictures, see how he reacts and what data he can give us. Give him stuff that is pretty basic and common knowledge then give him some Intel that is above our pay grade and again see what he does with it. From what I got from meeting with Beckman and the others is that the initial reason that the Intersect was created was to create sect of super agents, that didn't need to rely on first or secondary hand data. They would already have that knowledge on them and because they would be prepared it would cut down the need for several agents to go with them. One army personal stated that there was a slight chance that these super agents could hold skills of those with knowledge of Kung Fu, tactical combat, basic to extreme survival skills and everything in between, government Intel, puzzles, computers you name it they would be capable of handling it."

"That would drive someone crazy."

"Indeed it has. Some agents who were chosen specifically for the team, ended up in some comatose vegetable state while others didn't make it. Also what I got out of the meetings was the Intersect could only survive in a few agents that had a special chemical makeup. The creator Orion made so that one or maybe two people would only be capable to host it. So far Chuck has out lasted most of them."

"Well I wouldn't celebrate yet. His nightmares would only be described as ones a soldier would experience from post-traumatic stress. And honestly I have seen my share of those."

Sarah looked out again then noticed Casey's feed of Chuck's room. Walking back she sat down to stare at the live feed.

"So when did you set this up."

Casey got up and headed to the kitchen. "A few days ago when he first fell asleep. Most of the feeds will allow us to view his place and anyone coming in or going out of the complex. His apartment is bugged except the bathroom. I felt that his bedroom was fair game but if we developed a heart we can shut the feed off. I also set up a facial recognition software program so that if we needed to run someones face we could. Plus those two guys are still out there and one day they will be coming for him."

"Has Chuck said anything about them?"

"We haven't really talked about them but I know he wants to know."

As Casey distracted himself in the kitchen, Sarah turned up the feed so she could hear him. She couldn't help stare at his sleeping form, wondering what was going on in that head of his.

Sarah stuck around not wanting to head to her hotel room so soon. She wanted to see Chuck as it had been a very long week without him. Though their time together wasn't anything special it was unique in its own way. Chuck wasn't like every other guy she knew or would know for that matter, but getting too attached was something that could easily happen.

"Hey earth to Walker?"

Sarah stared at Casey longer than she wanted to.

"Oh sorry you were saying."

Casey shook his slightly. "Need to run and get a few supplies. Now that the boy is sleeping and you're here I can finally leave." As Casey grabbed his jacket.

"He should be sleeping for a while so there's no rush in fulfilling your babysitting duties. Help yourself to whatever, there's not a huge selection to choose from though."

Casey exited the door leaving Sarah to her thoughts and the various eyes on Chuck.

As the clock ticked by and casing the home of the Major, Sarah opened the door and walked out towards the fountain. The same fountain that caught her eye the first time she walked through here. The trickling of the water or the serenity of the whole fountain combined drew her to sit down near the edge. Sitting on the ledge, she dragged her fingers through the cool water. Noticing a few coins she wondered if they had been thrown by Chuck, she was curious to know if he wished for anything and if they had ever been granted.

_Flashes, mugs shots, bombs blowing up, statues of famous images, computer programs, Government historical documents and pictures of famous and not so famous people. _The images continued to range from clear to unfocussed snapshots as Chuck's eye flickered in the midst of his sleeping. As his thoughts spinned out of control the only refuge was to open his eyes but that was only a temporary solution. Finally waking up in a cold sweat as he had done several times before, he felt that this time was different. This time instead of staring at his wall and window he saw what could only be described as an angel. Tossing the blankets off him he walked to the window and pulled back the blinds. His excitement to see her quickly faded as he was still angry with her for lying, but at the same time, _did she really lie to me?_ _Do I let her explain?_

Chuck walked out of his room down the hall and reached for the door handle and stepped out towards the fountain.

Sarah turned to sound of a door opening and to her surprise saw Chuck walking out. He was dressed in solid dark pair of blue pajama bottoms and a grey long sleeve t shirt. His hair was messy but the bed head look suited him. He had grown some facial hair that also sat well with the agent. Sarah had seen several of Chucks looks already and each one added to his appeal. Sarah got up but Chuck motioned for her to stay seated. Chuck grabbed a lawn chair and sat down facing her. Sarah smiled slightly as Chuck sat down facing her.

"Your back?"

"Yes I got back a few hours ago." Both Sarah and Chuck looked nervous but were determined not to show it.

"How are you?"

Chuck didn't want to give Sarah any inkling that he forgave her, but answered her questions. As the lull in their conversation surfaced Chuck got up and headed back towards his apartment. Sarah remained seated but waited for anything that came her way.

Chuck turned to face the fountain. "You asked me something a few days ago and I haven't forgotten it." Chuck walked back and sat down. Placing Sarah's hand in his he stared directly into her eyes. "But I need you to know that I haven't forgiven you for lying to me."

Sarah was surprized by his forwardness but she couldn't blame him. At least he was talking to her.

"That needs to be earned, if this is ever going to work."

Chuck squeezed her hand pushed his chair back and walked back into his apartment. Sarah brought her hand up under her hair and settled her hand behind her ear. She smiled slightly but knew that this was a very small step.

**LATER THAT DAY**

Sarah rolled her suit case into her room. 832 marked the bold green door that opened and would now be her home. The only comfort she felt was that there might be a reason for staying and that her time here wouldn't be wasted.

Unpacking her suit case fell short of being completed as she stared at her stuffed suitcase for what seemed like an eternity. She wasn't too keen on the whole making yourself at home deal because most times the job didn't allow that to be possible. And the other thing was she didn't know what a real home felt like. Sarah closed her suitcase and placed it on rack near the window only to grab a few items to changed and called it a night.

**Next morning ECHO PARK**

Sarah strolled into the nearby coffee shop and memories of the last time she was there interrupted her present thoughts. She felt that bringing some coffee might ease the already tense atmosphere that was obviously present. Securing the white paper bag closed and placing her purse up and over her shoulder she carried the tray back across the street. Casey met Sarah as she walked in. This was going to be their first official meeting as Chuck woke Casey up at 3 in the morning finally demanding some answers.

Sarah waited for Chuck to come to the door. He had showered and cleaned up quite nicely despite how he felt. Sarah smiled at him but Chuck never responded. Casey followed and grabbed a coffee as he sat down. Sarah passed Chuck his and for the first time since he arrived he finally acknowledged her. Sitting in Casey's brown chair Chuck noticed that his furnishing had to come from Good Will because they weren't very fancy.

Crossing her legs slightly Sarah sat on the couch as Casey sat next to her and Chuck sat across from him. "So Casey tells me you want some answers?"

Chuck took a sip and put his coffee down. "Where to start?

"Wherever you want?"

Chuck gathered his words carefully as he didn't trust any of them, and why should he. He eyed the seasoned Agent and the veteran Major.

"So you're an agent with the CIA and you're a Major with the NSA?"

"Yes Major John Casey works with the NSA and I am a CIA agent."

"So how did it come to be that both of you came to be watching me. Knowing that I have now acquired some serious babysitters to watch me makes me think that this is much bigger than anyone anticipated. And being tired of fighting these images of the two guys that I saw days ago."

Sarah glances to her right at Casey. Casey's eye widen.

"These men whom I don't have a clue who they are have been invading my thoughts more than I care to admit. Plus when the apartment next to me suddenly comes available and you move in Casey?"

"What is it you want to know Chuck?"

"What the heck is going on?"

Between the sips of their coffees Sarah tried to explain the best she could. What she couldn't answer Casey jumped in.

"It's new to us as it is to you."

Chuck stands up. "Maybe but it's not your life that has been turned upside down by your ex friend who stole these files in the first place and you Casey you shooting him for it."

"Chuck!" Sarah defending Casey.

"Save it I have had enough." Chuck stormed out the door slamming it shut.

"Well that went well." Sarah giving him a dirty look.

Sarah grabs her purse and the white paper bag as Casey grabs his Danish.

"Where are you going?"

"Well someone has to go after him?"

Casey bit into his Danish as Sarah walks out the door.

Sarah had a hunch on where to find Chuck and as she drove up to the spot she scanned the area and low and be hold Chuck sat facing the water. It wasn't an ocean view but it was one place Sarah figured he enjoyed being at. Sarah took her heels off tossing them onto the front seat of her car grabbing the paper bag and her keys she headed down towards the water.

Walking up behind Chuck she knew that he would figure it out it because it didn't take a spy to see that someone was standing behind him.

Sarah moved to Chuck's side.

"Is this spot taken?"

Chuck looked up and shook his head. Sarah reached out her hand as Chuck helped her fall gracefully to the sand.

Staring out at the water. "It's not the ocean but one day I can take you there."

"No this its fine."

Sarah opened the paper bag and handed Chuck a Danish.

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day?"

As Chuck reached for the Danish a slight tingle crossed his hand when his fingers grazed Sarah's. Moving his hand back quickly he took a bite and nodded his approval and thanks. Eating in silence Chuck took his last bite and brought his knees to his chest.

"There's nowhere to hide is there?"

"Not from us. What you hold is very important and many people will try to find you and it is our job to protect you."

"What about my family and my friends?"

"Tell them nothing, for their safety and yours."

"And you?"

Sarah was taken aback by Chuck's question. She knew what he was asking but she had to not think about it.

"One day at a time Chuck. Your life is what is most important right now, nothing else matters."

Chuck took his eyes off Sarah and drifted towards the water.

"Are you ready?"

Chuck smiled slightly and got up dusted off his jeans and turned to help Sarah up.

"Chuck one more thing. I don't expect you to believe me but I do need you to trust me."

Chuck was going to stand by his earlier comment that trust had to be earned and he was going to stick with it. But as he reached out his hand as a temporary olive branch Sarah knew that it was another step closer to something. Sarah dusted off her feet as she slipped her feet into her heels. Chuck was idolizing her ride and wondered how a CIA agent could afford a car like hers. '_Maybe this CIA thing can have its perks.'_

_**ECHO PARK/CASTLE **_**Next Morning**

Casey knocked on Chuck's door. Chuck had awoken from finally fallen asleep after talking some more to Sarah and Casey the day before. For the first time in a week he really slept. Chuck wasn't a gambling man but his dad always told him Aces Charles so when the thought of Sarah being close was his reason for him finally sleeping Chuck never shrugged the idea off from being true. Sarah too finally slept withdrawing from possibly throwing a knife at her alarm clock when the thought crossed her mind. Casey knocked again as Chuck opened the door. He stood looking refreshed in a pair of dark jeans and a buttoned down demin shirt. Casey eyed the younger man and nodded his approval. Chuck closed the door and followed Casey to the back parking lot where Chuck quickly changed his mind on the benefits of working for the Government as Casey's car wasn't even in the same ball park as was Sarah's. Casey's mid 80's Crown Victoria could definitely have been that elephant in the room.

Casey drove down Echo Park Ave towards Melrose towards Burbank. Chuck knew exactly where Casey was driving to as the big BUY MORE sign came into view. Chuck wasn't ready to go back to work and feared that he would have to don his Buy More attire when he was broad sided as Casey veered to the left and parked in front of the Orange Orange / Weinerlicious. Chuck wondered how long that combo would last and who would win yogurt or gourmet hotdogs.

Chuck remembered standing on the exact spot a week ago when he left Sarah standing there alone after he had found out. Not wanting to be seen by the Buy More minions he quickly followed Casey into Castle. Casey allowed Chuck to go first to see if Agent Walker had convince the General to give Chuck access to Castle. As Casey pulled down the scanner Casey nudged Chuck to move closer. Chuck lowered his shoulders as the retinal scan scanned his pupils. As the locks unlocked Chuck stood up as the door slid open. Chuck followed down the set of stairs till he came in view of an image that he hoped he wouldn't get tired of seeing. '_One benefit I guess.' Chuck thought to himself…_

Sarah greeted Chuck with a sincere smile and a good morning. Chuck returned the greeting and sat down. As the rest sat down as a chirp sounded with sudden image of the red headed General.

"Good morning Mr. Bartowski, Agent Walker and Major Casey."

"Good morning General." Chuck a little behind. Which sounded more like 'ning General'

"Good to see all of you especially you Mr. Bartowski. I hope that you are rested and eager to get on with this."

"This you meaning my permanent new guest or my health. Which frankly are one in the same."

The General wasn't sure how to answer the younger man but put on her General face and carried on.

"We need to move on with how things have ended up. When I spoke to Agent Walker here in DC." Chuck now knew where Sarah had been. He turned to face her then turned back to face the General. "Until we know what we are dealing with, I am going to move on with my initial plans but instead I am going to pass it onto you three. I am putting together Team Bartowski. In that Chuck you will go on missions with Agent Walker and Major Casey and we will monitor what you are capable of. To see what is Intersect driven and what is not. From your file that Agent Walker provided it says that you are very knowledgeable in the line of computers and that you have a degree from Stanford."

"Well I wouldn't say a degree per say. I am shy of a few classes due to my untimely dismissal from Stanford, knowledgeable I would say I do, I dabble in a few things."

"Oh I see, but looking at your grades that won't be an issue. You're highly qualified without having the Intersect. Mr. Bartowski." The General gave a subtle smile.

"I will monitor you here from DC and I will be in the area at the end of the month to debrief with the team. Good luck you three."

"General, may I ask you a question?" The General surprised by the intrusion.

"How long will this go on? I mean you're working on trying to get this out of my head right, right?"

"Mr. Bartowski you just focus on this day and the next, and leave the rest to us. Agent Walker and Major Casey a word in private."

Chuck got up and headed out the door as Casey closed the meeting room doors.

"I wanted to speak to you two in private. We are unsure what this download can do. So I need you to watch him closely and monitor any changes in behaviour. Also any word on the two men that followed you and Chuck, Agent Walker?"

"Nothing yet but we are checking out all possible leads ma'am."

The General nodded. "That is all, good day."

Casey reopened the doors as Chuck was leaning against the railing. Sarah motioned for Chuck to come and sit. Chuck sat down eyeing the space around him. He had never been in a room like this nor had any inkling to be in one. The closest he ever got to being in anything Governmental was during his five hour Call of Duty marathons with his best friend Morgan. This was real all too real.

**WEEK LATER**

Chuck punched in as his shift had already started. Between filling in Sarah and Casey in with his recent flashes and trying to work at the Buy More moments to breathe were short and few. Sarah watched from the window as a new mission just landed on the table. Sarah knew that taking Chuck with them on this mission would set the precedence for any future missions. Sarah was enticed by Chuck's brain and the fact that he had not succumbed to some type of psychosis by now and to be honest his brain was only one of many things she liked about him. Sarah also remembered what the General said. 'You're an asset with or without the Intersect.'

Closing up the store she headed over to the Buy More. This would be their first meeting as their cover was boyfriend and girlfriend, and from what Chuck had told her about his coworkers she wasn't sure how they would accept her. Sarah sauntered in and as on cue Chuck walked up to her.

"Give me a kiss."

"Excuse me?"

"Give me a kiss. If we plan on selling this give me a kiss?"

Chuck obviously nervous and palms sweating.

"I'm not so keen on the whole PDA thing."

Sarah looked upset. She should have explained her motives on the whole boyfriend/girlfriend angle she was taking but being a pro she grabbed his hand despite the clamminess to it and leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Chuck took the sign and nervously kissed her right cheek. Hoping for more and nothing happening she grabbed his hand and walked towards the home electronics room. The Nerd Herd minions all gathered to watch the master of their Herd being swept away by a blonde bomb shell. Lester and Jeff trying to compose themselves and Morgan Grimes applauding his best friend but wanting to know who she was and why he didn't know anything about her.

Wanting answers Morgan snuck around past the Nerd Herd desk past the appliances and walked up to the Home Electronic section only to find it empty. He was sure that they walked in there.

Sarah let go of Chuck's hand as they entered the long tunnel from the Buy More. Chuck wasn't a fan of tight spaces especially when his tall stature was to blame. Sarah held onto his hand helping him to adjust. As they entered the tunnel lights appeared simultaneously on the inner side of the of the tunnel walls. The light seemed to settle Chuck as Sarah had already started observing him. Sarah was good at her job and knew just when to step in and when not too. After a few turns Sarah reached for a scan pad and placed her right hand on the pad. The green light scanned her hand and instantly her picture came on the screen. The hidden door opened up like a garage door revealing the far end of Castle. Sarah tossed her bag on the table as Chuck slowly walked in behind her.

Chuck noticed Casey had ran down the stairs holding a green shirt and a pair of light khaki pants. Chuck intrigued reached for the garments as Casey looked at him. "Me know to and you to not ask questions."

"Gotcha." Chuck reached for them again as Casey flicked his fingers at Chuck's hand.

"If you're done boys."

Chuck and Casey stared at the screen as Beckman and Graham sat on the other side of the screen.

"Good morning team. We have just been informed that one of own has be compromised. We believe that this agent was following a lead. The last contact that we had with Agent Russell was when he and his partner Cassidy Winters were to make a Black Drop. They had not been heard from since."

No one was asking what a Black drop was so Chuck being Chuck asked.

"Excuse me, but what is a Black Drop?"

"Team do you care to fill Mr. Bartowski in?" Langston not as patient as the General.

Sarah turned to face Chuck. "A Black Drop is when an agent or asset is called upon to make a drop of a selected amount of cash to a central location to either pay for new Intel or secure safe travel for items like drugs or diamonds."

"Exactly Agent Walker. Our agent was to make the drop at the **Hotel Itapua** in Encarnación, Paraguay. But when our extraction team arrived the drop had been made but our agents were not heard from. We managed to get a feed of off of one of the CCTV feeds but it was too grainy to actually see anything. We need you guys to find out what happened to them. Once we have an idea where they are Agent Walker and Major Casey will leave for Paraguay and extract the two agents. Mr. Bartowski you will piggy bag from Castle. Let's see what those computer skills can actually do. That is all."

Before Chuck could fathom what had just happened the screen went black and Casey headed towards the armory. Sarah went to her station and Chuck stood there still. Chuck was still standing in the same spot when Sarah returned with a file. He looked so helpless standing there. Putting down the file she walked up to him and grabbed his upper arm not to scare him too much.

"You ok?"

"Oh I'm fine."

"I know your fine but that wasn't a fine."

"What am I doing here? I mean I'm not a spy, what can I do?"

Sarah led him back to a computer and made him sit down.

"You will do what you do best. Beckman said that the live feed was too grainy. Maybe you can do something to fix it and maybe you can follow that lead and when you're done you can get a lead on their cell phones."

Chuck turned on the computer in front of him and instantly he had total access to the anything he wanted. It didn't take him long for his fingers to go crazy on the keys. Once Sarah knew he was settled she walked away and continued with her tasks.

Chuck brought up the latest and only feed from the corner of the Hotel in question. Chuck watched what he could and analyzed the footage from all angles. Chuck tapped into the limited feeds of the Hotel lobby and the CCTV feeds that the General had mentioned. The more he looked the less he saw. After a few hours of staring he got up and went to the kitchen. Hovering over the coffee pot looking for filters and coffee, Sarah stood at the entrance watching him. After a few moments she whispered. "Over to your left top shelf."

Chuck smiled but didn't let Sarah see. He reached for the filters just where Sarah said they would be. Sarah walked and turned her back and leaned against the counter looking at Chuck as he figured how much coffee was needed.

"4 - 5 scoops for 12 cups of water. Depending on how strong you want your coffee."

Chuck nodded a thank you. He wasn't use to an audience when he made coffee so there seemed to be more grounds on the counter than was expected.

He put the lid back on the can and returned it to the top shelf. Then he went looking for the cups. Sarah looked at Chuck and pointed above her head. Chuck walked over and leaned into her as he opened the door. Sarah held her breath as his scent over took her senses. Chuck's arm moved along Sarah's as he grabbed two cups. Stepping back, he finally took a breath and walked towards the fridge. Sarah bit her bottom lip as those feeling came to the surface once again. She had to do something, maybe change the subject. "So Chuck any luck on the feed."

"Nothing yet, but I needed a break. I feel that I am missing something."

"Don't worry you'll figure it out."

"I hope so, I feel like I am spying."

"You are Chuck, so think like a spy."

Those words trigger a flash on what Chuck had just saw on one of the feeds. He put the crème down and ran out of the kitchen. Sarah followed as Chuck sat down and brought up another angle. As he watched he transferred the image to a fresh screen. Cropping a selected image he was able to get a visual on one of the agents. Up came the confirmed facial recognition of Agent Russell. Sarah watched as Chuck boxed his person. The two of them watched as the boxed imaged walked over to the designated drop spot. As the two of them watched the drop nothing was dropped. Chuck rewound and fast forwarded the scene over and over putting the image into a looped feed.

Sarah walked over to the table and pressed the direct contact button to the General. Sarah told Chuck to transfer the feed so that Beckman could see what they were seeing. The commotion got Casey's attention and he quickly joined the meeting.

"As you can see General, Chuck was able to bring up Agent Russell and the drop. From what we can view the drop was made as expected but nothing was dropped. Agent Russell never made the drop. It just looked like he did. From there his person just disappeared."

"Good work Chuck. Agent Walker and Major Casey suit up you going to Paraguay mission now a recovery."

"Yes ma'am we'll be on the next flight."

"Chuck I would like you to continue doing what you've been doing. See if you can get any more leads that can assist Agent Walker and Major Casey. If this is going to be a recovery I would like to have as much Intel as I can. I don't like having my Agents going in blind."

"Yes General I'll do my best."

The General signed off and Chuck walked towards the armory as Sarah and Casey prepared their bags for a departure. Sarah looked up.

"Good job on spotting Agent Russell. You might be a spy after all."

Chuck chuckled at the comment but didn't totally dismiss the idea of ever being a spy. "Just doing what I was asked to do."

"So where does this leave me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well if you two are going who's…."

"Is the moron going to miss having a babysitter?"

"No, Casey."

"Chuck you're going to stay in Castle while we are gone. It's safer for you to be here than out there. There's enough to do here and we need you to be our eyes once we get there. Plus if those two guys are still looking for I would feel better knowing that you were safe in here."

Sarah left Chuck staring at the guns. Casey zipped up his last bag and headed towards the door.

"The floors need a mopping."

Chuck walked Sarah up the back stairs. Passing her bag to her he looked at her sincerely. "Fly safe and come back."

"Nothing will stop me from coming back."

Sarah grabbed Chuck's hand.

"We'll see you soon."

Before Chuck could respond Sarah was gone. Chuck looked around and felt the silence in the bunker. He snapped his fingers and rolled on his heels of his shoes then got a very mischievous look in his eyes. Sliding down the inner rail of the stairs he walked over to the main room and hooked up his phone to a set of speakers. He had been working on a mix and thought that this would be the perfect time to play it. Walking over to the kitchen he finally made himself that cup of coffee and rummaged through the cupboards for anything edible. Two cups later and a few games of Indy car racing Chuck walked through his home away from home. Admiring how much the Government put into making this bunker livable and operational. From the latest technological advancements for espionage and the latest spyware tactical weapons at your fingertips, plus what was in his head they meant business. Chuck looked at clock and noticed that only a few hours had past. Their flight wouldn't arrive for another three hours and it would be another hour or so before they would make contact with him. Chuck walked past the kitchen towards a long hallway that he remembered walking down earlier that day. Making a left turn he ended up to what looked like a small gym. The name on the door read Dujo. Chuck walked in and to his surprise was a fully equipped gym.

Chuck walked a little further down a few steps into the core of the Dujo. Noticing a change of clothes he decided that it had been awhile since he'd worked out. Reminding himself that he was no Arnold but since he was a little guy his dad taught him a bit of Tai Chi that seemed to get him out of some sticky situations like in high school when he had to defend himself and his best friend Morgan. It was either scream like a little girl or stand up for himself. Unfolding the navy blue t shirt he pulled his grey tie over his head and laid it on the bench. Unbuttoning his white Buy More shirt he laid it beside his tie. Going from his black dress pants to dark grey sweats he took his chucks off and went bare foot. He could faintly hear his music in the back ground and knowing that he was completely safe inside Castle it didn't take him long to find his calm center.

Chuck started slowly with a few Yoga moves, stretching and focusing on his breathing, taking deep breaths he held his energy in his toes. Holding it as long as he could he released his hold on his toes and returned to holding his breath as he tried to consciously focus on present but was interrupted as his brain kicked in. The flashes that had subsided had returned. He chose to continue throughout the many flashes. If he was going live with this for however long he had to figure out how to have it live with him and not him live with it. The Intersect was only one part and Chuck and he vowed to not let it over take what was left of him. Chuck repeated his steps and after a while he started to sweat. Droplets slid down his forehead and down his back he pushed forward to finish. Working up his body he focused on his calf muscles, thighs, back, stomach, chest, neck and finally where most of the tension was near his neck and face. The flashes stopped but did a number on him as they always do. Deciding to stop he laid down on the mat of the Dujo and wiped is forehead with his shirt. Catching his breath he felt relaxed and closed his eyes.

What felt like minutes actually were a few hours. Chuck got up and headed out towards the main part of Castle. He noticed that his music mix had stopped an hour ago and that his sister and Morgan had called. He texted his sister and he let Morgan's message pass for now. Hearing his stomach growling he snuck up to the Weinerlicious and made sure that he wasn't seen. Grabbing a few hotdogs and buns and the bare essentials you have when you eat hotdogs, he slipped over and grabbed a huge cup and filled it with flavored frozen yogurt. Grabbing the fresh fruit from the fridge and grabbing a few bottles of pop he headed back down to Castle. He liked the idea that everything was sealed and locked up. The fear of those two guys that crept up in his thoughts earlier were still faceless once again.

Frying up the hotdogs in the small but full kitchen he prepared his meal. He ate his yogurt first making sure he had room for dessert. Once he felt that his dogs were cooked he prepared them with the mustard and ketchup condiments he took from the restaurant. Grabbing his plate he walked back and dragged the couch to the viewing room and started watching a movie on cable as it was the only source of entertainment he had, also staying close to the main room just in case he was needed. As the clocked ticked Chuck began to worry some. Not hearing from Sarah when she was here was one thing but not hearing from her because she was in another country was a different story. It felt different. Chuck brought up the feed from the Hotel and if it was planned the phone rang. Chuck pressed the button as his hands were busy on the keyboard.

"Chuck, were here."

Chuck's heart slowed down as did Sarah's when Chuck replied.

"Thanks the flight was crowded but okay. We just arrived at the Hotel Parana, Casey is checking us in. We'll go out in a few hours and start with looking at the corner where the drop was to be made."

"Okay what can I do?"

"Just be our eyes Chuck."

"I can do that."

"I bet you're already watching the spot."

Chuck smiled. "Guilty but I just logged on."

"I believe you. So what have you been up to?"

Chuck looked around not sure how to explain what he had been doing so he thought he'd lay on thick and make it sound better than it really was.

"I was running through Castle reenacting out a scene from Risky Business with my pants off and just my white Buy More shirt listening to Bob Seager's Old time Rock and Roll."

Sarah speechless but intrigue with why Chuck would be running around in his underwear.

"Risky Business?"

"Yeah Tom Cruise is in it."

Dead silence filled the line.

"Hello?"

"Oh sorry, Casey just walked in. Sorry you were saying?"

"It can wait."

"Okay Chuck we'll be in touch and stay in Castle."

Chuck pressed the button and hung up. But the phone rang again.

"Chuck?"

"Yeah."

"We'll talk soon."

"Yeah, be safe."

"I will, bye."

"Bye."

Chuck rolled back to the computer and scanned the street and following other leads as they came to him. As his feed scanned back towards the corner he got a glimpse of Sarah. Whether Sarah knew it or not she moved her right finger slightly in front of the camera. Then Casey stole the moment by motioning Chuck to set up an audio feed. Chuck grabbed a set of head phones and tapped into their audio and visual feeds. Chuck scanned the CCTV feed as far as he could down the length of the street and informed Sarah and Casey that the live feed could only cover so much.

**The next day**

Chuck still in his sweats and t shirt headed back from making a fresh pot of coffee. He'd slept a little between glances of the street in front of the Hotel. Chuck clicked on the facial scanner of the cities feed to see if he could find Agent Russell or even Agent Winters. Logging in he was again granted access to the CIA data bank. He got curious as to why the two agents were in Paraguay in the first place. As Chuck read their files things started to make some sense. How they both asked to go on several missions together but weren't officially a team. How both their files and reports were similar. As Chuck continued to read the things that didn't add up were who they were making the drop for? From what Chuck could tell the CIA had no knowledge of this mission. What were they getting in the end? Was it drugs? Cash? Intel?

Chuck got on the phone and called Sarah but Casey answered her phone.

"She's on the phone with Beckman."

"Ok, I have some news."

"Spill it."

"I found out that the CIA had no recognition of this mission."

"Well that's now two people that have said the same thing. Beckman just told Sarah the same thing."

"Great now what?"

"Keep digging."

"For what?"

Sarah walked over and took the phone from Casey.

"Chuck?"

"Good morning Sarah?"

"Good morning Chuck. So you found out something?"

"Yeah but Casey told me that Beckman already filled you in."

"She did but when you get to know Beckman she is a woman of few words. What did you find out?"

"Well they seemed to make it a habit of going on missions together whether they were a team or not and most of their reports seemed fraudulent. I mean they read like one person completed them and not two."

"What else?"

"What do you mean?"

"I know you Chuck you always have more than you say you do."

Chuck laughed, she was beginning to know him which scared him but also urged him to get to know her as well.

"Your right." Sarah smiled.

"Remember I'm no spy but why would you want a report to sound the same almost word for word. I mean the only time you would do that is if you wanted to cheat. Or avoid…..

Sarah interrupted Chuck. "Telling the truth."

"Exactly."

"You a genius Chuck."

"If you say so. But there's more. I read that the CIA had no….the CIA had no idea they were in Paraguay till their beckons went off. There last mission report read that they were in South America doing some Intel but failed to locate their target. They went off grit for a day or so. So when I read that I checked their steps and found that one or two of them slipped into a Western Union and picked up a huge transferred of a lot of money that was addressed to a villa in Gran Chaco just north of you. From surveillance video the image is not the best but it does fit the description of Agent Russell and outside you can get a glimpse of a young woman standing outside almost on a look out."

"Can you send me that?"

"Already did, you should be getting it soon." As Sarah checked her phone they decided that this was a lead to check out. Saying goodbye, Casey and Sarah left the hotel hoping not to return. Tossing their gears into a small jeep they headed north.

Casey pulled up to the small sleepy town as tumbleweed blew across the dirt road. There was a slight breeze that helped a little but it felt like an oven for the two agents.

Casey followed Sarah towards the only building on the street that wasn't run down. The building housed the post office, Western Union, bus station and local grocery. Sarah went to the back of the store with the picture of Agent Russell. Casey stood near the front and grabbed a few cokes from an antique pop machine where you added the coins then opened the door and pulled the glass bottle from its locked position. Casey had not seen one of these machines since he was a teenager and heading to the army for his first tour. Sarah came by stuffing the picture of Russell into her back pocket. As Casey handed her the cold bottle Sarah took a sip. "Yeah the lady identified the man in the picture. He was here a few hours ago and left with a young woman fitting Cassidy's description. She also told me that they bought a truck from a guy up the road."

"So I guess we're heading there?"

Sarah smiled and jumped in the jeep and drank the rest of the cold drink. Casey sped off coming to fork in the road. The left side didn't look like it had be travelled on recently so they veered off to the right and headed up the road till they got to a small farm with variety of small farm animals, laundry faintly blowing in the wind and a wide selection of used cars. A small run down deck wrapped around the dilapidated home. Casey kept his finger on his gun as Sarah and he walked around the house. There was no sign of anybody. Sarah called out as she walked in. Casey headed to the hallway that led from the front door. On the wall Casey noticed a picture of the front of the house. He noticed the selection of cars, four cars all various colors and makes but only one burgundy truck. Casey took the photo and walked back out. He held the picture up as Sarah followed him back out.

"What did you find?"

"Here take a look."

Sarah took a glance at the photo.

"There's something missing?"

Casey pointed to the burgundy truck then pointed to the empty space where the cars where lined up. They looked around but couldn't see the truck anywhere.

Walking back to their jeep Casey got on the sat phone and called Chuck.

Chuck ran to the phone as he noticed that it was an incoming call from the sat phone.

"Hello." Hoping that it was Sarah. Only to be disappointed.

"Chuck I need you to do a satellite search on any burgundy truck leaving the area in the last few hours or so."

"What do you say?"

Casey not interested in being nice.

"Do this or you'll lose a finger or two?"

Chuck swallowed hard then sat in front of the computer. Grabbing a head set he put it on and waited for the satellite to give him what he needed. As Chuck waited for the feed he could tell that Casey was getting impatience. Chuck finally got a hit as the senior was about to respond to the delay.

"You got a map?"

Casey grabbed a map and placed it on the hood of the jeep. Casey put the phone on speaker so Sarah could hear.

"From the feed there seems to be a truck driving north from where you are. I would say it has a few hours or so on you. There seems to be little traffic going south but one going pretty fast heading north.

"That could be them?"

"Sarah?"

"Hi Chuck."

"How's the weather?" (_How's the weather? What a stupid thing to ask?) _Chuck kicking himself for asking the question.

"Everything is fine here and you?"

"Good."

"Looks like we are getting closer. So we'll be in touch very soon once we have located Russell and Winter's ok?"

"Ok." Sarah pressed end and Casey folded up the map.

Chuck pressed on and watched the feed to see if it would help Sarah and Casey. As Chuck watched one of his facial recognition software programs went off. Chuck brought up the area and saw that it was a small fishery. Chuck was surprised that it had a security camera for such a small place. Chuck brought up the feed and got a glimpse of Russell and Winter's paying for a ticket to board a small boat. Chuck rang the sat phone and filled them in. Casey did a U turn on the highway and crossed the road and headed down a dirt road towards the fishery.

Casey skidded to a stop as Sarah jumped out but as Casey ran around to the front side of the jeep Sarah had to motion for him to put his gun away, as Sarah saw small children. Sarah pointed for Casey to walk along the far end of the dock as Sarah would come up the front. Sarah didn't want to make a scene so she walked in casually. Russell and Winter's being agents also knew when possible danger was lurking. Russell spotted Casey and yelled for Winter's to run. Sarah ran after Winter's as Russell jumped into the water. Casey jumped in and tackled Russell when he came treading by. Casey grabbed Russell by his shirt collar and dragged him out of the water. Sarah cuffed Winter's to the back of the jeep as Casey's pushed Russell towards the tailgate of the jeep. Sarah cuffed Russell as Casey squeaked the excess water from his shirt.

"Who are you people?" Russell inquiring.

"Agent Walker CIA and Major John Casey NSA."

Russell and Winter's knew they were done.

"How did you find us?"

"Your beacons and a little spy work from our team."

**Castle**

Chuck was happy to see the doors open with Sarah and Casey walking in with two people with black cloths over their heads. As they approached the main area Sarah and Casey opened the holding cells and put Russell in one and Winter's in the other.

Sarah walked back in as Chuck waited to really see her.

Sarah smiled as she clicked on the link to Beckman.

"Yes Agent Walker welcome back."

"Thanks General. We have Russell and Winter's in custody."

"Good I will like to speak to them if I could."

Casey walked over and brought Russell and Winter's in sat them in front of the General.

Chuck watched as Beckman debriefed with Russell and Winter's. As Beckman talked with the two agents Chuck and Casey waited. When Beckman was done with them Casey escorted them back to their holding cells.

When Casey came back Sarah filled them in. "Beckman is sending a team to transfer them to Langley in a few hours."

"What's going to happen to them?"

"They are being charged with fraud and falsifying documents. Basically they were trying to leave the agency."

"And they are being charged with that?"

Sarah knew that Chuck didn't understand CIA protocol so she tried to explain it as easily as she could but as the words came out Casey jumped in.

"Spies don't fall in love."

Chuck looking confused.

"They tried to run and leave the CIA behind. But got stupid and ended up in bigger trouble than if they just came out and told someone."

Casey repeated what he said earlier. "Chuck that is why spies don't fall in love."

Casey walked back to the holding cells to wait for the transfer. Sarah exchanged glances with Chuck knowing deep down there was already something starting and it scared both of them.


End file.
