A/N I loved all the guesses on who the villain is, but I needed to get Ellie Grace out of the Vault first. All of the nasty villain stuff will have to wait until next chapter.

Thank you for the reviews, I reveled over each one of them.

Wepdiggy, thank you for the beta!

Disclaimer: Chuck's not mine. If it was, I wouldn't waiting this long to bring it back!

Men in police uniforms swarmed over Casa Barkowski. They secured the perimeter, turned away local emergency services, and started clearing out the bodies. It was one of the most efficient operations Eckhart had ever seen. Agent Fitzgerald, the NSA team leader, corralled Team Bartowski in the game room. They had been warned not to leave the room until they were given the all clear. It was a little bit scary how quickly dead bodies and evidence disappeared. Within minutes of the NSA team arrival, anyone not involved in the fire fight would not have been able to tell there had been one. She didn't think they had much time on their own.

She looked at the members of Team Bartowski. "Whitaker, have you been in the room the entire time?"

Whitaker only nodded, so Eckhart went on. "Ok, how many NSA folks have been in here."

"Two."

"Could they have bugged the room?"

"I don't think so. They seemed pretty concerned about getting the outside cleaned up quickly."

Eckhart nodded. "We don't have much time, so tell me what we know, so far."

Taylor was the first to speak up. "There were two engagements out front. The first started in the garage, but moved outside where it looks like Colonel Casey efficiently dealt with the remaining forces." She paused and looked around at them. "One against six with little or no return fire. He hit them so fast, they never saw him coming."

There was something odd in her voice when she said it, but Eckhart couldn't quite place it. It wasn't awe, although that might be part of it. She mentally made a note to talk to Taylor later away from the group. "What about the second engagement?"

"Well, that one was harder to read, and the NSA showed up before I got a real good look. If I was going to make a guess, I believe the Colonel got the guys on the roof, but then was overrun by the rest of the soldiers on the ground. Since his body wasn't among the others, I think we have to assume he has been captured by whoever made the attack."

I knew it. As soon as he didn't come in with that post-violence grin on his face, I knew he was gone. She had to focus on controlling her breathing and hammering heart. The protective bastard should have stayed inside where he would have been safe, but no, he has to go running off to be the damned hero. She looked up to see everyone watching her. She blushed slightly at getting caught being emotional. Turning to Grant, she said, "I saw you out back before the NSA got here. Any clues on who they are or who they work for?"

Grant shook his head. "No identifying scars, marks, or tattoos. No identifying jewelry. I took some pictures of those I thought were leading the attack, but I don't recognize any of them. I was hoping the database might hit on one of them."

Eckhart nodded and then turned to Whitaker. "Anything?"

Whitaker shrugged. "I heard a couple of the NSA guys talking about a ring, but I don't think it was anything. No one made it through the garage because of Colonel Casey, so I never saw them."

They had nothing but a few pictures. Eckhart pushed on her forehead with a fist. Dammit, John, where are you? What am I suppose to do with this goat screw you left me? With a growl that would have made Casey grin, she made her decision. "We don't have much, but it is ours. We are going to wait for the Bartowskis to return and see what they can do with the information we have. We give nothing to the NSA, so hand over your cell phones."

Once she had their phones, she went over to one of the drawers and pulled out a Riplock bag. She made sure the phones were turned off and dumped all of them in the bag. She tossed the bag to Grant. "Hide them."

Looking around the room, Grant decided on a spot and pulled out his All-In-One Tool and started working on the back panel of a vintage Gallaxia arcade game console.

While he was working on hiding the phones, she sat down in front of Taylor and Whitaker on the coffee table. "You do not lie to the NSA agents. Tell them exactly what you told me, and if they ask about the phones or pictures, you tell them you don't have one and didn't take any pictures."

"Damn." She looked up to see Grant hit the front panel of the Gallaxia game he had just hid the cell phones in. He was looking behind her. "I almost had my high score."

From behind her Fitzgerald said, "Captain Eckhart, would you come with me."

You got high score in my book, Grant. She turned and smiled at Fitzgerald. "Certainly."

Before she got up, she turned back to Taylor and Whitaker, "Remember, relax and tell them what happened. This is not a trial."

Getting up, she followed Fitzgerald out of the room. They went upstairs into the master bedroom, where Eckhart immediately remembered the baby. John never told me the combination. How are we going to get her out? She was looking at the lock set up when General Beckman startled her. A small miracle had kept the large screen plasma television from being damaged, and on it was General Beckman.

"Lieutenant, what happened?"

"We had a large number of hostiles approach the house. In order to draw fire away from his team and disrupt the enemy, Colonel Casey went outside to confront the enemy."

"Casey abandoned his team to play Lone Ranger? I find that hard to believe. In your opinion did the situation merit his actions?"

Believe it. If I find out he's off riding a large white horse, I am going to knock him off it. "Yes, ma'am. I believe he saved the lives of his team."

The General did not seem convinced, but went on. "What is your current situation?"

"The NSA is holding my team for a debriefing, but I could use them to help me get the baby out of the vault."

The General shuffled some papers on her desk and looked up again. "Let the NSA debrief your team, and then I will be in touch. I will contact the littlest Bartowski's parents."

The screen went black. The littlest Bartowski? Leave it to Gracie to melt the wicked witch's heart.

***

They sat on a leather sofa in the waiting room of Dr. Harold Mayweather, a renowned neurologist at Johns Hopkins. Sarah was looking around at the beautiful paintings in the room, but her mind was on Chuck. Ever since reloading the Intersect back into his brain, he was having horrible headaches, and his super ninja impersonations stressed him the worst. On top of the headaches, he dealt with pulled muscles and strained tendons from making his body do things it was not in shape to do. They had been able to deal with the physical limitations with a regular workout and yoga, but the headaches were getting progressively worse. It was why they were at Johns Hopkins visiting Dr. Mayweather who was the last in a long line of CIA approved doctors who felt he could help Chuck.

She glanced over at her husband and her heart missed a beat. He held his head in his hands, and his leg bounced uncontrollably. She knew he was nervous about the test, but Dr. Mayweather assured them this would be the last test he needed from Chuck. Sarah just worried about Chuck's ability to cope with the test on top of all of the side affects of the headaches. He rarely slept for an entire night any more, and the lack of sleep was twisting him. She was worried that the Chuck she loved was being overshadowed by the Intersect and what it was doing to his brain.

Her phone started buzzing at the same time she heard Chuck say, "Sarah. I can't do it." The pain in his voice cut right through her. She sat her phone next to her and gathered his hand in hers.

"Chuck.." She tried to say what she knew he wanted to hear, but she was torn. If there was a chance that Dr. Mayweather could relieve Chuck's pain, she thought they should stay.

Tears of frustration welled up in her eyes. She felt so helpless and trapped between loving Chuck and doing what she thought was best. Getting off the couch, she knelt down in front of him and pulled him into a hug. "I know you are in pain, but Dr. Mayweather may have the answer."

"Like the last three doctors who were sure they had the answer?"

His voice was bitter and angry, and it made her doubt her argument to stay even more. "Chuck, if you don't want to…"

Chuck cut her off. "It's not that I don't want to. I really want the headaches to go away, but I just can't make it through another test."

What could she say? He had stoically endured grueling batteries of tests, only to have the doctors find nothing. She knew he was frustrated and in pain, and the feeling of uselessness assaulted her again. She was the best agent in the CIA; she had hunted down and killed entire cells of terrorists; she had kept Chuck hidden from Fulcrum for years; she had become a wife and a mother; but she couldn't take away his pain.

The tears that had welled up in her eyes started to roll down her cheeks. "Let's go home, sweetie."

"Thank you." The relief in his voice convinced her she had made the right decision. He hugged her hard, and said, "I miss Gracie so much."

She didn't trust herself to say much, so she hugged him back and said, "Me too."

Bolting for the door hand in hand, they both felt lighter. Neither of them had liked leaving Gracie behind, but she was too young to be flying. Now they were going back home to her, and each of them excitedly talked about the things they missed most about her.

Both of them forgot about Sarah's phone that was left behind buzzing on the couch.

***

Whitaker was the last to get debriefed, so while they waited, Eckhart decided to brainstorm ways to get baby Gracie out of the vault. "Is breaking in out of the question?" If John were here, he would have an answer to this. Even if he didn't have the code, he would have an answer.

Grant snorted and counted options off on his fingers. "A plasma torch would burn up all the oxygen. The concussion from explosives would be fatal. It would take too long to get a drill big enough to drill the lock."

"Damn. Alright, so we have to hack the lock. Taylor, what did you find out?"

"Nothing good. The lock only opens at the time limit or with a combination thumb print and access code. We are going to have to have one of the parents here to open it."

"Let's assume we are not going to be able to contact Chuck or Sarah. What are our options?"

After twenty minutes of discussion, they were frustrated and had come up with only three workable ideas. First, they decided Grant would call the manufacturer and explain the situation in the hopes that they possibly had a back door in the lock programming. Second, Taylor was going to work on finding something with a thumb print from Chuck or Sarah and transfer the print to a latex glove or plastic slide. Lastly, they decided one of the people who knew Chuck and Sarah best was Morgan. Eckhart was going to get a hold of him and see if they could come up with a list of possible pass codes to try.

They were breaking up when Whitaker finally got out of his debrief. When he heard what they were discussing, he suggested having the plane fueled and ready to take off in Baltimore so when they reached Chuck and Sarah, there was no delay in getting them in the air.

Eckhart liked the idea, but was going to take it a step further. "Take the SUV, get to the airport and be ready to pick the Bartowski's up when they land. Advise airport security what you are doing, so you can get out of there easier when you leave."

She turned to the rest of the team. "Let's get Gracie out of the vault."

The team broke up to get started on their assignments, and the first thing Eckhart did was call the General to get the flight started to Baltimore. The General was clearly getting tired of the constant phone calls, and agreed to the flight, but added one more step of her own. While Eckhart was on the phone, the General contacted the Baltimore office, and had someone sent to contact the Bartowskis.

***

Thirty minutes after leaving Dr. Mayweather's office, Chuck and Sarah arrived back at their hotel. Chuck had booked the earliest flight back to L.A. on the trip, so they had just enough time to pack and get to the airport. If traffic wasn't bad, they might even be able to catch a bite to eat too.

Chuck finished packing his shirt when his phone started playing the Imperial March from Star Wars. Beckman. Mayweather probably told her he had left, and she was calling to tell him to get his butt back to Johns Hopkins. He was debating on whether to answer it or not, when Sarah heard it in the bathroom and yelled for him to answer it.

He hesitated. If she orders me to go back, what am I going to do? I can't go back, but if I don't, she can make my life miserable. After Bryce died, he had been forceful in asking for some down time for Team Bartowski. He needed time to explore his new super powers, he and Sarah had needed time to grieve, and Casey, well, even Casey needed a break. He was burning up brain cells trying to figure out how to best use Chuck's new skills. The General had declined the request leaving Chuck no choice but to confront her, and the conversation was still fresh in his head.

"Yes, Mr. Bartowski?"

"General, the team needs a break."

"As much as I understand how much Agent Larkin's death affected your team, we need to press our short window of advantage."

"I understand, ma'am, but I…I think…well, I have to insist."

"Insist, Mr. Bartowski?" The General's voice had frosted over.

"Just two weeks, that is all I am asking."

"Unfortunately, national security waits for no one. You have the weekend, Mr. Bartowski, and the next time you think you want to insist on something? Think again."

He didn't push his luck. "Yes, ma'am, um, I mean, thank you, ma'am." The screen had gone black before he was done talking.

Chuck decided he didn't want to bet the General was deficient in the long term memory area. It could be very uncomfortable for him. He cut the ringer on the phone, threw it in his pocket, and went on packing. When Sarah asked who it was on the phone, he told her General Beckman was checking on him.

Sarah thought it was uncharacteristically kind of the General, but seemed to take the lie at face value. Chuck's stomach rolled over with guilt. I can't do any more tests. I just can't. It is still no reason to lie to Sarah. Why did I do that? She would understand, but I can't lie to her. He dropped what he was doing and went into the bathroom where he found her packing her various makeup items.

"I have to apologize for something." He tried to keep his tone light, but knew he had been unsuccessful when she looked at him frowning slightly. I guess that isn't really the way to start off a light conversation.

"What I meant to say is that I made a bonehead move." Oh, that's much better, idiot.

"Chuck, just say it."

"I lied to you. Beckman was calling and I didn't want to talk to her because she was going to tell me to go back to the doctor and I knew that I couldn't go back so I didn't answer the phone because then I would have to disregard her order and then she would get pissed and we would never get home to see Gracie." He took a deep breath after it all came out.

Sarah laughed in relief. "Thank you for telling me the truth." She gave him kiss.

"You aren't mad?"

"How many times have you known the General just to call and check up on us?"

He smiled sheepishly. "You got me there."

"I figured it had to do with you leaving the doctor's office, and if it was something different, you would tell me."

Chuck gently pulled her closer and nibbled on her neck. In between nibbles, he said, "Have I shown you lately how much I love you?"

The nibbles got her every time, but she made a valiant effort to catch her breath, and said, "Chuck…sweetie. We have to finish…"

He stopped nibbling momentarily. "My thoughts exactly." He started unbuttoning her shirt which led quickly to the rest of their clothes littering the ground between the bathroom and the bed.

***

Eckhart was starting to get frustrated with the first friend. "Yes, I understand that, Morgan. It is only the twentieth time we have gone over Chuck's obsession with Zork. You are sure it is related to a video game?"

"No, I understand you are his first soul mate, but…"

"I cede to your knowledge of everything Chuck, but…"

"Morgan?" How would John get his attention?

"Morgan!" No, not quite the right inflection.

"Morgan Grimes!" Too motherish. The idea of John with hands on hips and tapping his foot made her smile. Then she remembered he was missing, and her smile disappeared.

Her frustration came out in a perfect John growl. "Moron, you are on my last nerve. Either listen to me or get off my phone, nut sack."

She smiled again when Morgan stuttered for a moment and then was quiet. "Good. I am just trying to suggest that maybe Sarah had her own ideas about what the code should be."

Taylor ran into the office. "I've got it. I found a solid thumb print off of one of Sarah's perfume bottles." She saw Eckhart was still on the phone and rolled her eyes. "Still?"

Eckhart could only nod. "I agree. Chuck is a wizard of all things electronic, but Sarah is his wife. I think that may trump the friendship soul mate card." Eckhart held the phone away from her ear as Morgan went into another monologue and looked at Taylor. "So if I can find a code, we are good to go?"

Taylor smiled and nodded. "I think I had the easy part."

"How is Grant coming? I don't know if I am going to get anywhere with Morgan."

"He is striking out. The manufacturer isn't going budge, but he is still fighting it."

She put the phone back to her ear when she heard silence. "Morgan don't make me go Casey on your ass again. We are running out of time. I need you to focus and give me your best guess."

"Yes, take into account that this is a pass code set by the two of them."

"Zork Dork? Did she really call him that?"

"He ate it up?"

"Ok, we will give it a shot. Thank you, Morgan." She hung up the phone.

"Ok, so we have the important dates of their lives, and a short list from Morgan that is topped by 'Zork Dork'."

Taylor nodded. "I made up a bunch of slides with Sarah's print so we should have plenty to work with."

She dialed Grant's phone, and after she listened for a few moments, she said, "I agree, meet us at the vault."

***

Sarah lay on her side facing Chuck with her leg entwined with his and running her fingers through his hair. He was deep asleep, and although she would give him a hard time about falling asleep on her, she understood he needed it. If sex relaxed him enough to sleep, she was going to have to throw herself on the proverbial sword more often. She turned over to check the clock, and Chuck rolled toward her and pulled her close to him. They were going to miss their flight if she didn't get him up now. She leaned over to the clock and turned it away from her before snuggling back into Chuck. They could catch another flight.

She didn't know how long they had slept when they were both awoken by someone pounding on the door. Sarah jumped up from the bed and threw on Chuck's shirt. On her way to the door, she picked up her gun off of the nightstand. She looked through the peep hole and saw a gentleman in a suit. He wasn't staff, and he had the look of a government employee.

She opened the door with the chain on it. "May I help you?"

"Ma'am. I was sent by General Beckman. You need to call home immediately."

Sarah frowned. "Message received. Thank you."

"With respect ma'am, I was told to wait until cleared from the General directly."

Sarah only nodded and shut the door.

Chuck had gotten out of bed and was getting his pants on. "Who is that?"

"An agent sent by the General. He says we are supposed to call home immediately."

Chuck's eyes opened wide. "The call earlier. I should have answered the phone."

Sarah walked over and ran a hand up his chest. "There is nothing you can do about now." She slowly took off his shirt, and then pressed herself against him to give him a kiss. "Get dressed, and then tell the agent at the door to go home."

Chuck looked relieved that he was not going to have to call the Beckman. He kissed Sarah back, grabbed his shirt, and headed for the bathroom. Sarah looked for her phone, but couldn't find it. She realized she must have left it at the doctor's office. No wonder Beckman had sent someone to contact them. Her phone was lost and Chuck wasn't answering his.

Something must be wrong. She dialed home a little bit faster.

***

Taylor laid the clear plastic sheet with the thumb print on it on the reader, and then, while wearing latex gloves to hide her own print, she pressed down on the plastic sheet. The reader blinked red for a moment and then turned solid green.

"The print is good. What are you going to try first?"

Eckhart's heart told her it was a combination of dates, but Morgan did know the couple better than she did. "We go with Zork Dork first."

Taylor shook her head. "I think it is a waste of time. Sarah would never make that the code."

Growling, Grant said, "Let's just go down the list. You made enough prints, right?"

"Quit being an impatient jerk."

"Quit being such a…" He was looking for something that would hit home with Taylor without offending Eckhart. He decided it was a losing battle. "Don't be such a girl."

Taylor laughed. "You are such a tough guy."

"We have the entire list to go, so I will start with Zork Dork, and then each of you can alternate picks. Now focus and let's get this done." Eckhart didn't want to listen to the banter any more. It reminded her too much of her debates with John. She really wanted to get on with finding him, and it was beginning to chaff that she was held up rescuing the baby.

Both Taylor and Grant grinned at each other, and watched as Eckhart entered Zork Dork. The thumb reader blinked red and stayed red.

"Strike one." She stepped away from the lock and let Grant and Taylor go at it. She moved over to the window and watched the clouds float through a clear blue sky. These days were her favorite days to watch clouds; the white clouds were in such contrast to the clear blue sky. John always said they were perfect days for flying, but not for cloud watching. If he was going to watch clouds, he preferred a nice stormy day with swirling dark clouds.

Taylor quickly switched out the thumb print with a new one. When she saw steady green, she said, "My first pick is Gracie's birth date." Red.

"Nice try there, Taylor, but that is too simple. How about their wedding anniversary? If there was no honeymoon, there would be no Gracie." Red.

"Ok, I am switching tactics. We are going with the date that Chuck quit the Buy More and Sarah quit the Orange Orange." Red.

"What kind of significant date is that? Puhlease, Grant. I've got it. It is the Bone Cracker Medal from Halo. Morgan says it is Chuck's favorite game and Sarah's favorite medal." Red.

"I am sticking with the dates, and the logical choice is Chuck and Sarah's first real date." Red.

"Nope, you are way off base there Taylor. It is obviously…"

Everyone turned to look at the home phone when it rang. Everyone scrambled at once for the phone, but Eckhart held up a hand. "I'll get it. You two keep going."

Picking up the phone, she said, "Bartowski residence."

"Jane? Jane, it's Sarah. I was told to call home."

"Sarah, we were attacked..."

"Oh, God. Is Gracie ok?"

"Yes, Gracie is fine, but she is locked in the vault. We need the access code."

"But you need a thumb print too. The General has a flight on standby; we will be on it right away."

"Sarah, Taylor got around the thumb print, but we need the code."

"Oh, good. She will have to show me how she did that. The code is…"

Eckhart heard Sarah and Taylor say the code at the same time.

"Tron & Yori"