A/N: I don't own Chuck or anyone else in the Chuck world. I forgot to mention it last chapter. To everyone who thought by that omission that I did, sorry.

Many thanks once again to jagged1, my amazing beta. Without her, I'm sure it would be unreadable.

Leave a review if you like this, I share them with jag so for every two I only get one. Lol.

Xxx

Chapter 2

Xxx

Sid groaned before opening his eyes, alerting anyone that might be in the room that he was waking up.

Sid looked at Chuck. "We need to make this poignant so Ellie will side with us and not harass us about it. I need to make her think that a near death experience made us consider our options and a relationship that is going nowhere needs to end."

Chuck looked blankly at the still shadowed figure who called himself 'Sid'. "Let me see you." Chuck begged.

Sid turned but was still a shadow bathed in the light behind him. He snickered and then moved into the darkness emerging into the light and appearing in front of the cell bars.

Chuck jumped back when the face appeared. It was him, yet it wasn't him. The face was dark and there was a hint of malevolence in his eyes.

"You're me," Chuck gasped.

"No, Chuck, I'm not you. I'm a man," Sid laughed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I really need to wake up."

Sid opened his eyes, blinking under the bright lights. He noticed only a red-eyed Sarah looking at him. She was so good at her job that she could cry on command and become the concerned girlfriend. It only made the task he had to do seem easier.

"Agent Walker, I need to speak with Major Casey alone. Can you call him?"

Sarah was taken aback. She'd sat with Chuck for over five hours holding his hand and praying that he would wake up and come back to her. She'd told him as much, many times whispering in his ear. Ellie said that comatose patients sometimes heard heartfelt words and she hoped that Chuck could hear her. It took all of her self-control to hold back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. Chuck seemed to be looking right through her. Requesting Casey when all she wanted to do was take him in her arms and hold him.

"Talk to me, Chuck. What do you need Casey for?" Sarah choked out.

"I need to discuss the mission objectives and I…" Sid needed the hardened Major Casey to get control of his life. He didn't need an actress weeping at his bedside, pretending to be something she obviously was not.

"Major Casey, if you're listening and I know you are: I need a moment of your time to discuss our mission, ASAP." Sid knew by using terms related to the mission that Casey would be here in no time and then he could explain what he wanted and a way to get it done.

Xxx

"Sid, look at her. Talk to her, she's worried about us."

"Chuck, do you think the CIA would employ an actress that was less than Oscar-worthy to handle the precious Intersect? She's done this so many times before. Take a look at these files that I was able to access. See how her job required her to even marry one mark," Sid said as files flashed across the main screen.

Chuck looked at the files that Sid shared and shut his eyes quickly turning away. He didn't want to believe it.

"No, Sarah wouldn't do that," Chuck cried.

"Look at it, she dated a German arms merchant and faked a pregnancy so he would marry her and bring her into his home. After three months, she turned the files over to her superiors and then moved on to her next assignment."

"CHUCK."

Xxx

Sarah kept talking to Chuck but he was ignoring her. He really wanted to talk to Casey and reinforce the need for the removal of Agent Walker and the other requests that he needed taken care of if they wanted him to remain the central position in the Intersect project.

Casey pushed the door open more violently than he needed to, but he was obviously pissed off. Chuck had called for his appearance. "Moron, if you ever jeopardize our covers again I'll rip your spleen out and feed it to you."

"Leave him alone Casey." Sarah said, stepping in front of the advancing Casey.

"Walker, give us a couple minutes," Casey growled looking in Sarah's direction for the first time.

Sarah reluctantly released Chuck's hand and moved to the door. She looked back at Chuck as she quietly left the room.

"Okay, Bartowski, why did you need to see me so fast and what's with the disregard for our covers?"

Sid considered his words carefully. Lesser men had wilted under the glare of Major John Casey but Sid was not intimidated.

Staring intently into the blue eyes of Casey, Sid returned the hard stare. "This cover is over. I want a real job and a real paycheck. I want out of the Buy-More. I want to move into my own apartment and I want Agent Walker gone."

Casey's jaw dropped and then snapped shut after Chuck finished his demands. He'd never asked for anything before. "Chuck, we can't just…"

"You're the freaking NSA - you can do anything. I'm sick of doing what I do for nothing. I want a real life. Make it happen."

"You work for the NSA, you follow orders," Casey growled,

"That's the problem. I don't work for the NSA. I'm used by the NSA and the CIA, an asset that is likely to be disposed of when I'm of no use any more," Chuck nearly shouted. "How long do I have before they get the new Intersect up and running, then it's either a bunker or a botched robbery for me?"

Casey looked at Chuck; he'd grown up somehow and started to understand how things worked.

"Chuck," Casey started, thinking about how he'd almost killed Chuck the last time the new Intersect was supposed to be on-line. Ellie won't like this." Casey tried tact. "She likes Walker and thinks she's good for you."

"I told Ellie last night that this relationship was never going to be more than it was. You told me the truth. Last night she suggested that I end it if that was the case. I'm sure she'll be fine."

"I'll talk to General Beckman, see what she says. I can't promise anything," Casey finally said, deciding he wasn't getting anywhere.

"I don't care what Bitchman says, I know what I want and if she doesn't agree then its over. I don't care anymore."

"Careful moron, you might get what you're asking for." Casey muttered after taking one last look at Chuck and leaving the room. He seemed to have the resolve that would make a hardened agent cringe.

Sarah looked up hopefully at Casey as he left Chuck's room before beginning her questions.

"What's going on with him, Casey? He doesn't seem like the Chuck we all know. What's happening? Did I do something to upset him?"

"Hell, Walker, I don't know. He does seem harder and tougher. He said he wants out of the Buy-More and a paycheck. He said he wants out of the cover relationship and you gone. What did you say to him?"

Sarah was fearful to admit what she'd said to Chuck but the situation required her to be honest. "I told him the truth. I told him that I loved him and I wanted him to come back to me. I do love him, Casey. I just never realized it until now. I don't want to lose him."

"This last mission was so hard, haven't you ever wanted real?" Sarah asked with glistening eyes. "It felt so comfortable with Chuck, it felt so real. I know I hurt him when I wouldn't spend an extra night."

"You better get back in there and convince him or you're out on the next plane."

Sarah moved past Casey and into the room, looking at Chuck as she climbed up on the bed next to Chuck with glistening eyes. "Please don't send me away. I love you, Chuck. I didn't realize it until I almost lost you. When Casey told me about the code red, I almost died. The part of me that's been in love with you for so long almost died with you. The minutes between that moment and the moment that Ellie told me you were going to be okay were the longest of my life."

Sid opened his eyes and looked at the agent lying by his side. "Agent Walker, I'm tired of the cover. I want real. Please leave now."

Sarah looked at Chuck with tears in her eyes as she climbed off the bed. She wondered how he could do this to her. She knew she'd held back and sent Chuck mixed signals, but now she was telling him the truth but he didn't seem to care.

"I love you Chuck. Don't forget that," Sarah cried before running out of the room.

Ellie caught the distraught Sarah after she'd rushed out of the room. "What's wrong?" Ellie asked.

"I don't know. I told him I loved him and he told me to go away."

"I have to be honest, last night when Chuck came home from your house sitting; he said you and he would never be more than you were right now. I told him if he felt that way maybe he should move on. I'm so sorry I said that but Chuck seemed so adamant. Please forgive me."

"Ellie, I think I love him and he wants me to go away. I need you to help me. I'm so scared that he'll never come back to me."

"Let me talk to him. Go home and get some sleep. I'm sure he'll be ready to talk to you in a few hours."

"Thanks, Ellie," Sarah said, giving her a hug before she could even think about it but she was acting on pure instinct and not a mission parameter.

Xxx

"See how she tried to use your feelings to her advantage? I won't let that happen again. I'm in control. Accept it," Sid taunted Chuck.

"Please, let me talk to her," Chuck pleaded.

"It's all an act Chuck, accept it."

Xxx

"Chuck?" Ellie called softly as she pushed her head inside the partially open door.

Chuck opened his eyes and looked toward the door but it was Sid that answered. "Hi, Ellie."

Ellie pushed the door open the rest of the way and moved to the side of the bed. "How are you feeling Chuck?"

"Okay I guess, still a little tired. What happened?"

"They're not sure, they think it might've been some sort of seizure but the CAT scan, the EEG and all the other tests don't show anything to explain it."

"Okay," Sid nodded knowing he was the cause of it, "when can I get out of here?"

"They still have the results of a few tests to come back but if they don't find anything, I think they'll let you go home considering you live with two doctors," Ellie smiled.

"Good, you know how I hate hospitals," Chuck smiled.

"Chuck, I just saw Sarah in the hallway. I'm so sorry I ever told you that you should move on if you felt your relationship with her wasn't going anywhere. There's still a chance for you two, just give it another chance."

Chuck closed his eyes before answering. "Ellie, you were right. We're not going anywhere, we'll always be friends but I think that's about it."

Sid looked toward the quiet Chuck still inside the cell intently listening to Ellie. "It's another lie we'll have to live with 'Chuck'. Unless we can convince Beckman to accept our terms, she'll never send her away as long as she does her JOB. Casey and Sarah are the best the NSA and CIA have to offer and Beckman wants to keep to a minimum the number of people who know about the Intersect. We'll have to remain FRIENDS," and Sid used air quotes, "until then, so we can accomplish the missions. That's why we need to be unemotional and logical. Our handlers are here for just one reason, to handle us. We can't trust either of them. We have to be careful or we could be killed or even worse, put in the bunker for the rest of our lives."

"Chuck, are you listening to me?"

"Sorry, Ellie, my mind sort of wandered for a minute. What did you say?"

"I said, I thought maybe you should give this thing with Sarah another chance. She was crying and I think she really cares about you and is just scared to go to the next level."

"I'll think about it. I'm really tired all of a sudden. Can we talk about this later?"

"Sure, Chuck, just think about it please. I know I'm right."

Chuck's eyes had closed and when he didn't respond Ellie pressed her hand to Chuck's forehead brushing his hair back, pressing a sisterly kiss to his forehead. "Sleep little brother, and know I love you and want only what's best for you."

Ellie turned and left the room, almost running into Devon when she looked back.

"Hey, Babe, how's the Chuckster?"

"Asleep and a little confused I think. Have you spoken to the doctor?"

"Yeah, all the tests came back negative. They have no idea what happened. If I didn't know Chuck as well as I do, I would swear it might be a reaction to some drugs but the toxicology results all came back negative. They said he can go home in a couple hours. Let's let him sleep and when he wakes up, we'll take him home. Our shifts will be over by then."

"Okay Devon, I better get back to my rounds."

"Is Sarah in there with him?"

"No, I sent her home. Chuck was being a little difficult and Sarah was very upset."

"Why?" Devon asked perplexed. "I thought after what happened we wouldn't be able to get Sarah out of there."

"I stuck my nose where I shouldn't have. Last night when Chuck came home from house sitting, he looked so sad. He told me that he and Sarah would never be more than they are right now. I told him if he felt that way maybe he should break up with her and move on."

"Ellie, you didn't, tell me you didn't? We agreed that we wouldn't get involved and let them move ahead at their own pace."

"I know but he looked so sad and forlorn, I couldn't help it. He seemed so happy when he and Sarah first started dating but lately seeing him like that is killing me. I want him to be happy like us."

"I know, babe, me too," Devon said before taking Ellie into his arms and squeezing Xxx

"Where is Agent Walker?"

"She's at the hospital with Bartowski."

"Good, make sure he's not left alone until we determine what happened."

After having explained what Chuck had demanded, Casey waited for her to explode. "Yes General, those are his demands," Casey replied to Beckman's question, making a point to highlight the word 'demands'. He wanted her to understand how out of character it was for Chuck.

"I'll take it under advisement. When will he get out of the hospital? Bartowski will need to be examined to make sure he can continue with this operation. Please acquire copies of all the tests done on him at the hospital and forward them to me. I'll have my doctors look at them. If anything out of the ordinary arises, I'll want you to take him for a thorough examination. We can take no chances with the health of the Intersect."

"General if I may…"

"No, you may not, not at this time. I'll contact you after the doctors have had a chance to review the test results. I'll want him tested tomorrow to see if he can still flash. Perhaps then we can discuss your recommendations before I make a decision. Right now things will remain as they are. Beckman out."

Casey sat at the table and pondered the significance of Beckman's answer. He was glad he hadn't been ordered to kill Chuck but he was surprised that she would even consider Chuck's demands.

Out of the Buy-More, he could understand. He could even understand wanting to move into his own apartment and being paid for his work with the team. What he couldn't fathom was sending Walker away. Chuck was in love with her, why would he want her gone? In a flash of memory, he remembered telling Chuck to man up; he was just a job to Walker and she would be gone when the assignment was over. Shit.

That was very shortsighted. I gave him a night of not having to listen to Chuck's lady feelings but in the long run, it was a mistake. The mission is all that matters. I should've let it go.

Xxx

Devon peeked inside the door of the hospital room and saw that Chuck was awake. His eyes darted to look at him. "Hey, Chuckster, how're you feeling?" Devon boomed.

"Better Devon. Where's Ellie?"

"She went home to get everything ready for you. She wanted to make your favorite dinner," Devon replied, thinking how what he'd just said wasn't false. Ellie did want to make Chuck's favorite dinner but she also wanted Devon to have a guy talk with Chuck and find out what he was thinking.

"Does that mean I can get out of here now?"

"While you get dressed, I'll get the wheelchair and then we're on our way."

"Sounds good, I really can't wait to get home," Sid replied with a feigned smile. It's Devon and Ellie's home and we're squatting, not for long. After we talk to Beckman, it's either the bunker or our own place.

Chuck was dressed and waiting when Devon pushed the chair into the room and smiled when Chuck sat down. "Let's go, Chuck."

Chuck sat in the chair silently all the way to the car and for the first few minutes after they'd left the hospital, waiting for Devon to begin.

Devon cleared his throat and began uncomfortably. "Ellie wanted me to give you your phone in case you wanted to call Sarah and have her come over for dinner." Devon handed the phone to Chuck, who looked at it as if it was a cobra about to strike.

"I'm still kind of tired and I think I'll probably go to bed right after dinner. I just need some quiet," Sid replied trying to think of excuses.

"Okay, Chuck, fair enough. You do kind of look like crap," Devon laughed slapping him on the shoulder and smiling. "You know, we promised the doctor that you wouldn't be alone for a while just in case of a relapse. Ellie and I have to work tomorrow…we couldn't switch shifts. I'm sure Sarah wouldn't mind coming over."

Chuck gave a small smile back. "Thanks, Devon, but I don't really feel like lying around all day tomorrow. I think I'll go into work and if I'm tired or anything I'm sure Morgan will take me home."

"Dude, you can't ignore the problem. Ellie told me what you said and what she said. I've seen the way Sarah looks at you, if she's not in love with you, it's a case of very serious like."

"I just need some time to think. Please cover for me with Ellie."

"Sure, bro, you can count on me. Just don't wait too long," Devon said while helping Chuck to the apartment.

Once inside, Chuck looked around. "Ellie, I know you probably made a great dinner but I think I would fall asleep in my soup. Mind if I pass and go to bed?"

"Are you sure Chuck? I made your favorite."

"Positive. Thanks for the ride, Devon, and what I'm sure would've been a great dinner."

"I'll check on you later," Ellie said with a worried expression.

"Thanks, sis."

As soon as Chuck's bedroom door closed, Ellie turned to Devon with a questioning look. "What did he say?"

"He just said he needed time to think. I think we should give him a little space. A near-death experience can make people rethink their whole life. What they want to do, how they want to spend it and who they want to spend it with."

"I know, Devon, I just don't want him to make a huge mistake because of something I said. Maybe I should call Sarah to come over. I'm sure when he sees her he'll be happy."

"I talked to him, babe. Give him time. A day or two at least. He has some decisions to make. I told him we couldn't get out of work tomorrow and he vetoed having Sarah come over and stay with him. He said he'd go to work and if he got tired, he'd get Morgan to bring him home."

"I have to call Morgan and explain what happened. He helped Chuck after Jill dumped him. He'll talk some sense into him."

Xxx

Sid turned to Chuck You're an emotional cripple. Everyone knows it. They all feel the need to help you. You can't handle anything yourself, but I can. I can make decisions based on logic and fact. I won't be controlled as easily as you."

"That's not true, they just care about me and want me to be happy."

"There's no way we're spending the day with Morgan. His idea of fun is snorting grape soda out his nose. We'll go to work early tomorrow and then either we'll be gone or I'll be quitting that Nerd Herd job before break. I'm not weak like you, I'm taking control of my life."

"But it's not your life, it's my life and I want it back." Chuck replied while rubbing his hands over his face. "It's my life."

"I've already shown you who is stronger. You're in a cell and I'm out here. As soon as I'm able to find the missing pieces of the Fulcrum Intersect, you'll be gone and it'll be just me."

"Let me out, we can share. It'll be like playing as a team in Call of Duty!" Chuck screamed at him.

"I'm not big on video games and this isn't a two player game. I don't share," Sid laughed. "Quiet now, I need some sleep. If you're good, I'll let you see Agent Walker tomorrow."

Xxx

A/N 2: Tell me what you think, hit the little green button. I hope that the wait for the next chapter won't be so long.

You're all the best.