Chuck was staring at the snowy television picture still trying to absorb what he just watched. He rewound the tape and watched it again several times. Although Chuck and John Casey didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things, he thought that he had at least developed a silent working respect. Sarah's last words, "I love you…" still echoed in his head. He had so many things he wanted to tell her. How ironic Chuck was seeing so clearly how much of a fool he had been. Everything he ever wanted in a woman had been in front of him the whole time but he let the little details get in the way. Now, he would not get the chance to tell Sarah that he loved her too.
Chuck silently vowed to himself that after the smoke cleared that he would find Sarah again. After all, he still has the Intersect in his head. As much as it pained him, he knew the best thing he could do for Sarah right now was keep his distance. If his fake death were somehow connected to Sarah, she would be in a great deal of trouble. Chuck could only shudder at the thought of what his life would be like had Sarah not been there with him to help him through the missions. He could not confide in his sister or his best friend so Sarah had filled that gap. She took a genuine interest in what Chuck had to say or was feeling and he would be forever grateful.
He wanted to see Ellie to explain why he's been so secretive the last few years. Chuck and his sister had always been close growing up, confiding in each other and being each other's protector. He knew it was hard for Ellie when Chuck life suddenly became more private. Ellie already had to deal with their Mother and Father leaving but through it all, the two of them got each other through. But now he was leaving. It hurt him to think of the pain he would be bringing his sister upon hearing of his death. What did bring comfort to Chuck was Devon was there and he was not leaving his sister alone. Chuck knew Ellie would be proud of him knowing the service he had been providing his Country.
Chuck also knew what allowed his sister to give him some space the last couple of years was the fact that Sarah was there and as far as Ellie was considered, Sarah was rightfully the new leading lady in his life. Chuck longed to give his sister a hug and tell her he loved her but he would return, provided everything went well and have a chance to tell his sister everything in person. Chuck for a little while kept trying to decide would Casey actually go through it. Over the last couple of years Casey had cut Chuck some slack but he was still driven by duty. He knew well of Casey's reputation and that scared him.
Chuck carefully reviewed the plan in his head. It was not only his life he was affecting but those that cared about him too if he screwed this up. He was already going to be hurting those he loved and cared about and didn't need to add to it by adding extra CIA/NSA scrutiny on top of it. At 5PM, he left as instructed. In the car he took several deep breaths and let out a deep sigh. He thought carefully about what he would say in the message he would leave. He called the house and left a message for Ellie about picking up sizzling shrimp. As Sarah said, a man in a mask forced him back into the Nerd Herder at the restaurant. The guy didn't identify himself or say much except tell Chuck the same things that Sarah had already mentioned on the tape.
When they got the 2nd car, Chuck did as Sarah instructed. He felt bad for the person and his family whose body he was about to burn. The guy looked about his age and was virtually the same height and build as Chuck. He found the duffle bag that Sarah had told him about. Chuck's jaw dropped when he saw the cash that Sarah had placed in the bag. Judging from the money he had seen on missions, he estimated there had to be at least $50K in the bag. He thought to himself that had to be her life savings. Chuck didn't know when Sarah's Dad first was imprisoned, he had buried in the back yard a bunch of money for Sarah and this was a significant portion of that. Sarah had been saving it for use when she eventually retired from the CIA.
Chuck vowed to himself that he would use as little as possible and would return every cent in person to her plus interest. Chuck and the mysterious helper finished dressing the body and armed the CIA incinerator. Chuck asked what's next and he was instructed to keep following the plan. Chuck got in the 2nd car and drove away. A few miles down the road he heard the explosion and saw the flaming in the rear view mirror light up the night sky. He headed to the motel as instructed. He stared at the telephone longing to call Sarah and his sister. He headed to the bathroom, cut his hair and flushed the cut strands down the toilet as instructed. He bleached his year blond with the provided hair dye. He sat on the bad and just let him mind wander. He was instructed to wait till past midnight before heading out.
Back at Chuck's condo Casey was waiting. Chuck should have been home an hour ago even after stopping at the restaurant. However, it's California who knows what accidents are delaying him. He headed back to his unit and initiated a trace on Chuck GPS. Casey could find no active signal. Using his computer he traced Chuck's last known location and his movement for the last 4 hours. He traced Chuck leaving the hotel where he was scheduled to work over to the restaurant. From there Casey traced him to a location out in the middle of nowhere outside the city. Casey knew something was wrong, pounded his fist on the table. He immediately called for assistance to the last known location of Chuck. Casey called Sarah and questioned her if he knew anything Chuck was up to tonight. Sarah responded shocked that Chuck had disappeared and sounded really worried as her voice cracked. She told Casey she's meet him at the last known coordinates right away.
As Casey, Sarah and various other CIA and FBI agents were onsite at the location of Chuck's disappearance trying to piece together what happened, Sarah did her best to put on a show and everyone appeared to be buying it. As far as the FBI was concerned, this was a robbery gone awry. Casey's naturally untrusting self wasn't ready to call it cut and dry but so far he had no evidence to the contrary. Sarah didn't have to hardly try to let the tears flow as she would most likely never see Chuck again. This was important for the illusion as Casey already knew Sarah had been falling for Chuck and Sarah had to sell believing Chuck was dead.
Later that evening Sarah was at Chuck's condo trying to console Ellie who had lost it. Sarah had been crying as well. In addition to the pain she had caused Chuck, she was causing the same amount of pain to Ellie and it was eating her up inside. Although Sarah didn't want to admit it, she enjoyed the conversations she had with Ellie. She secretly enjoyed being included in the family events and was honored to be asked to be a bridesmaid in Ellie and Devon's wedding. Morgan was locked inside Chuck's room and refused to come out. Devon tried his best to console his Fiance and talk Morgan out of Chuck room. Devon had to work to maintain his composure and appear to be the strong one. Over the years, he had bonded with his future brother-in-law and considered him an important part of his family. Sarah wanted to shout Chuck was ok but she couldn't. The house was bugged and they have to believe Chuck was dead as the family would be monitored for a while still. She did her best to try and comfort Ellie and they ended up comforting each other.
Later that night as midnight passed, Chuck got in the car and proceeded to head up North. Chuck had spent the last 3-4 hours worrying. Worrying about what would happen to Sarah if he was discovered alive. Worrying that he may never see her again and not being able to tell her he does love her and everything he was feeling which had suddenly become clear to him. Worrying about the pain he was putting his sister through. Worrying about his best friend Morgan. Chuck always was like a big brother to Morgan, helping him up when he fell down or got in trouble. It comforted him slightly that Sarah would be there to help her sister but the pain was still tearing him up inside. He hadn't eaten since the bowl of cereal at breakfast but he wasn't in the mood to eat anything.