Chuck vs. What has to be done
"Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength."
~Unknown.
That quote is what launched me into this sequel of Chuck vs. The vacation. This is my experiment in seeing how I think Chuck would react to the situation we were left in at the end of CvTV. We all know that when the chips are down Chuck has a tendency to step up to the plate and save the day.
But how will he react when the situation is worse than what we have seen on the show before?
Let's find out shall we?
Charles 'Chuck' Irving Bartowski – Charles Ian Michaelson
Sarah Walker – Sara White
John Casey – John Reynolds
?????????? – Christina Terrell
Eleanor Fae Bartowski-Woodcombe – Elizabeth Harrison
Devon 'Awesome' Woodcombe – David Harrison
Morgan Grimes – Martin Burns(KIA)
Anna Wu – Tina Cho (KIA)
Carina - Rachel Erin Davis
Chapter 1.
John stepped up beside Christina and handed her a cup of coffee. "How long has he been at it?"
Christina nodded in thanks for the coffee then looked back through the window at the meeting room. There were files and folders covering the entire meeting table that could easily seat 12 people. The walls had groups of pictures making their way around the room. In the middle of the table sat Chuck, methodically going through the contents of a file in front of him before moving it to his left and grabbing another from his right.
Finally with a sigh she replied, "Four and half days give or take. Might be 5, hell I barely know what day it is myself and I've slept. I've never seen anything like it... it's like Chuck took a vacation and he left us Agent Michaelson and the intersect."
John snorted. "I don't think that's very far from the truth. How much of Chuck's past did your file have in it?"
Christina shook her head. "Not much, just that he attended Stanford for college, really. It pretty much began when your team was formed."
John sighed. "I'm going to tell you a story, a story about the last time Chuck lost someone he was in love with. The only reason I'm telling you this is because I'm going to need your help to keep an eye on him. I'm more worried about the twerp than I ever have been before."
John slurped his coffee, and began. "When Chuck was in college he started dating a girl named Jill...."
"ARRRGGHHHHH!" Chuck slammed a folder down on his left as he failed to flash on anything in it yet again.
Chuck got up from the table forcefully, his chair skittering across the floor. He stepped out of the meeting room and headed for the gym, noticing but not caring that John and Christina followed him. After changing into his workout clothes he silently thanked Christina for washing them. He couldn't bring himself to go back to the house.
Chuck stretched and then began warming up on the heavy bag. He felt like he was fighting in water. Everything felt surreal from his lack of sleep. But he just couldn't sleep, he'd tried the first night. The nightmares were more than he could take.
Whap. Whap. Whap. Inhale. Exhale. Whap. Whap. Whap. The sounds of leather striking leather echoed through the gym. Chuck's vision started to pulse around the edges but he ignored it and pushed on. Whap. Whap. Whap. Inhale. Exhale. Whap. Whap. Whap. Suddenly Chuck felt very dizzy and he tried to hug the heavy bag as his balance went haywire. But he missed and was heading for the floor. He was unconcious before he hit the floor and never felt the impact.
John pulled out his cell and dialed a number as he walked into the gym. "Yeah he just passed out. I'm going to give him the injection and move him to the infirmary. He's all yours after that."
John pulled out a needle and tapped the air out of the tube. Christina asked, "What is that?"
"Temazepam. Medium dosage. Its a medication for insomniacs. Should give him about 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Ellie is on the way to hook him up to an IV and push some nutrients into him. He passed out because he hasn't eaten in over 18 hours but he's been working out every 6 hours. His blood sugar just crashed on him.
"So where was I? Oh yeah in the end it turned out that Bryce really hadn't betrayed him. And as for Jill, well, she had the drop on Sara and Chuck intervened saving her life. He tricked Jill into getting into this car that had one of the CIA special packages on it. He put the car into lockdown and sent her to jail for the rest of her life without blinking an eye."
Christina helped John move Chuck to the infirmary before speaking again. "Must have been tough for him to choose between two women he loved like that."
Ellie and David walked in at that moment and Ellie peered at John. "What two women?"
John chuckled, "I'm catching her up on Chuck's history with heartbreak and how dangerous it can be for him. I was just briefing her on Jill."
Ellie was efficiently hooking Chuck up to monitors and IV's when she snorted, "Heartbreak over Jill?" Ellie shook her head. "HA! Chuck spent five years in depression over betrayal by someone he considered a very good friend. And thinking that same friend had stolen away a woman he thought he was in love with."
Ellie hooked up a final line to Chuck and then turned to Christina and John. "Yes that's right, 5 years of depression over a woman he thought he was in love with. I know my brother... and Sarah is the first girl he's ever been truly in love with."
Suddenly Chuck sat straight up in bed, his eyes were screwed tightly shut. Machines started beeping because Chuck's pulse rate had shot through the roof. Chuck screamed out one word, "SARAH!!" then collapsed back on the bed.
By the time David had reacted and gotten a syringe of medicine Chuck's heartrate was going back down. Ellie reached out and held David back from injecting Chuck, "He's just having a nightmare."
Casey looked perplexed. "I though people on that drug didn't dream....."
David looked up at Casey. "You know how much he loves Sara, man. To be honest I've always felt a little insecure seeing the love those two shared. Those two share the kind of thing that poems and songs are written about. I've always wondered if I let Ellie see I love her as much as everyone can plainly see those two love one another. There is nothing in this world or the next that will keep Chuck from reaching Sara. I just hope for his sake that she's still on this world."
John's eyes turned cold. "If she isn't, you can guarantee that Saint Peter is going to need to hire some help...."
6 hours later...
John looked up at the screen as General Beckman's face appeared.
"General."
Beckman nodded. "Colonel Reynolds. Any news?"
John shook his head. "Just that we finally got Michaelson to get some sleep. Anything on your end?"
Beckman exhaled heavily and shook her head. "No... we had another lead yesterday. Our teams showed up only to find the safehouse cleared out. The coffee on the table was still warm. They are staying one step ahead of us. We did find hair samples that were DNA matches to Agents White and Davis. And again, we found no evidence that either one was being tortured."
Beckman leaned over the desk again. "I originally put your team on lockdown because I was worried that this was a plot to get at the Intersect. But now I believe that Agent Davis was the primary target and Agent White was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Do you think your team is ready to take the lead on this investigation?"
Casey stood up. "Ma'am I was starting to get worried that I'd turn around to find Chuck had dissapeared on me. You know there isn't a place in the world that can hold him in with what he has in his head. He's stayed in here out of respect to you. I've seen what Michaelson is capable of when it comes to White's safety. You let him out of this cage and I'll guarantee you that we will take apart The Ring piece by piece until we find her."
The General's brow wrinkled. "Colonel there are some missions that even though you succeed you never really come back from. I'm worried this may be one of those. I'm counting on you to bring everyone home, intact, from this one. Undersood?"
"Ma'am Yes Ma'am!"
"Good, Beckman out."
John walked out of the meeting room and stepped up beside Christina as she held Chuck's hand while he slept. "Go get some shuteye Terrell. We just got the green light, our team is taking over the investigation as soon as he's awake and ready to go."
Christina shook her head. "No, I'm going to nap here. He hasn't had a nightmare since I started holding his hand."
Casey grunted. "Fine. I'm gonna be on the couch out there. Come get me as soon as he wakes up."
Chuck's eyes fluttered open and he struggled to take in his surroundings. As he looked around he saw Ellie sitting to his left. He smiled at her involuntarily, she smiled back. "Hey little brother...."
Chuck croaked out, "Hey big sister...." Ellie held a glass of water up for him. But when Chuck went to raise his right hand it seemed to be stuck. Chuck looked over and saw that Christina was basically hugging his hand and had her head laying on it. Chuck would have smiled at the scene if it hadn't driven home the fact that Sara was gone. Chuck pulled his hand free, and while he was gentle about it he was far from tender.
Ellie watched as Chuck's face changed. She knew what was happening, she did it on a daily basis. Chuck was distancing himself from his emotions so that he could deal with everything. She knew it was neccesary but it still broke her heart to watch it happen. She'd always loved the fact that Chuck had always been so open with his emotions.
Christina woke up and looked up to find Chuck's eyes open. She smiled up at him. "Hey there. You feeling better?"
Chuck shrugged. "Physically."
Christina winced. "Well that's a start. Ellie would you mind giving him a full checkup. Beckman wants us to take over the investigation. I want to make sure he's ready for it."
Chuck smiled but it was a cold smile that made both of the girls lean back slightly. "Finally."
Christina stood up. "Well I'll... I'll just get you some food. I'm sure your starving."
Ellie looked Chuck over medically and then checked him out in a more sisterly fashion. "Are you okay little brother?"
Chuck shrugged. "I have to be sis. I have to get her back. What we have together has become my everything. I don't know how to exist without her anymore. So for now, nothing else matters but getting her back. When that's done I'll worry about the rest."
Ellie tried to hold her composure, but a few stray tears coursed down her cheeks as she leaned down and hugged Chuck. "I love you little brother. Come back to me, and bring my sister with you."
Chuck nodded. "I'll do my best."