Okay, so this is how this one is going down.

The first chapter didn't happen, instead it went how the movie went; Chuck disappeared and Teddy is convinced that Chuck is alive and is being tortured at the light house – only he doesn't find an empty place and he isn't being told that his whole life is a lie.

In this one he finds exactly what he's expecting…

2/2

Enjoy!

X.x.X.x

He tore open the door, gun at the ready, and looked up and down the cylinder shaped building. "Damn drugs." He muttered under his breath as he looked at his shaking hands, before taking a deep breath and starting his race up the winding stairs, bound to find his partner. However, every time he opened one of the doors at the end of each platform, he was met with empty rooms that wouldn't hold anything but maybe a bed with a small nightstand.

Teddy reached the final platform and tore the door open this was the last room, "This has to be it." He said in a disbelieving voice as he stepped into the middle of the largest room in the light house. "H-how… how can there be nothing here?" He shouted and kicked at a toppled over chair.

The room was filled with empty boxes and crates covered with dusty white sheets, a desk with an office chair sat at in the middle of the musty room but other than that there was nothing. "Nothing?"

He spun around the room slowly, hoping to see something that would lead to a secret passage or – "It's a front… a decoy." He whispered and turned back to the door and sped down the spiraling staircase, when he reached the bottom of the stairs he stumbled to a stop and looked around the flooring for something, anything that would lead him to his friend.

Taking a deep breath before moving under the staircase, the Marshall ran his hands over the damp brick wall, hoping to find some sort of latch that would open the 'secret' door to the actual facility. Ted was certain that there was more to this lighthouse than what was let on, he was even more certain that his partner was alive.

Finally, after running over the entire perimeter of the lighthouse he gave up, there was nothing on the ground either. "Damnit!" After breathing heavily in despair he leaned up against the wall, his legs bracing his back against the bricks. Leaning his head back he sighed, "I don't know what to do…" He sighed silently hoping his wife would visit him one last time but he knew that was the last thing he really needed. Right now he needed his partner and he had no idea where he was.

Then as sudden as a clap of thunder before a big storm there was a loud bang and then dust began to fall from around the walls, like rain, around him – covering him in a thin sheet of dust and dirt. He came away from the wall just before a large hole in the wall swallowed him into darkness.

Surprised he stared at the black abyss into the secret passage he undoubtedly found with the help of fate. "Chuck!" He called in a harsh whisper before looking over his shoulder a few times and stepped into the unknown.

X.x.X.x

With unresolved fear and anticipation he walked down the center of the narrow passage way, tripping every so often over clutter that filled the hall – resisting the urge to cry out when he slammed his foot against a fallen brick. Bracing his hands on the damp walls he breathed in the musty air to keep himself from making any noise.

Once he felt calm enough he stood up straight and blinked rapidly a few times as water and sweat dripped into his eyes. The passage was dripping with water - a lot like a leaky boat would and had soaked him to the bone in the short time he'd been there. He was certain that sweat was a heavy contributor to how wet he was.

As he limped forward, shuffling his right foot more than he probably should, he tried to keep his shaking arms steady. He knew that if he was this shaky now he would be worthless to Chuck when it came down to having to take the shot with his stolen weapon he was holding in his hands. Finally, at the end of the darkened tunnel he saw a light. Something in him told him that he shouldn't move towards the light but he figured it was just his sense of humor trying to make light of his tense situation.

Moving forward slowly, trying not to make too much noise with his injured foot which was dragging pathetically on the wet cement as he walked.

He licked his lips as he drew near to the door at the end of the walkway in anticipation. He heard strangled cries as another person reminded the victim that he could scream all he wanted, nobody would hear him because, "He was under water".

Something boiled in him, Chuck was in there and they were not only torturing him but taunting him. He crept closer to the door, licking his dry, cracked lips again, and peeked through the crack of the partially opened door. He came just in time.

The 'doctors' had strapped him to a operation table with leather straps around his wrists and ankles, another strap wrapped over his chest and yet another over his forehead. "Chuck…" he breathed in surprise. Just as the name left his lips he heard a low humming sound and watched as the doctors moved in with hair razor to shave his head of his thick curly hair.

Without another thought Teddy burst through the door and raised his gun and pointed it in the directions of the doctors. There were three of them , all of them standing around Chuck's 'table' but he didn't hesitate instead he fired three shots, landing each bullet from the rifle to the intended target's head. "Boss" He heard a pathetic call from the operation table.

Once the three doctors fell to the surprisingly dry floor with dull thuds Teddy moved around the table to the left side but the right side of his friend and partner. "Hey…" He greeted as he placed a hand on his friends chest noting his morbid appearance. "What did they do to you Chuck?" He whispered, did he really fall off that cliff-side? He wondered to himself. Chuck was covered in deep cuts which were stitched together with thick threads at the ends of the severed skin. His chest, arms and right side of his face were discolored in yellow and purple, his shirt was unbuttoned down the middle until the last two buttons, his shoes and socks were missing and he was covered in twisted wires that were attached to his face, neck, chest, and arms; though some looked like they could be IV's.

"B-boss… how'd y-you find me?" He asked between short breaths.

He's in shock… He figured and began to unbuckle the straps around his partner's wrists. "I knew something was wrong when they tried to convince me you didn't exist." He said carefully, trying to concentrate his own shaking hands and fumbling fingers on the buckles.

"Y-you alright?" He asked his eyes going over his boss's body.

Laughing a bit Ted paused. "You were almost… and you're asking me?"

"Boss you're shakin'…" He pointed out with a sharp look in his eye.

"They've been druggin' us Chuck… 'm goin' through withdrawls…" He explained as he finally managed to release his buddy's hands and moved to his legs while Chuck started to yank at the wires and IV's frantically.

"What are you talkin' about?" He asked in surprise, trying not to panic.

Ted sighed as he fumbled at the buckles on the other straps near his feet. "It's in the food, our drinks, even our borrowed smokes." He elaborated.

"You fuckin' kidding me?" He asked and waited patiently for Ted to finish with the ankle straps so he could move onto the head strap which he couldn't get undone by himself.

As Ted worked at getting the head restraint undone he continued. "No, you were right, bud. This whole thing was a set up… they were lookin' into me as much as I was lookin' into them." He finished releasing his friend from his complicated restraints and stepped back.

Chuck sat up and gritted his teeth against the pain. "Damn" He bit out under his breath before sitting up straight and looking back at the man in front of him. "I told you boss, this whole thing stunk."

Nodding Ted agreed, "You were right…" He repeated genuinely.

"We gotta get out of here boss, they can't know that you found me. We'll have to come back another time… or send someone else. We've got the proof… we've got the list." He said before slumping his shoulders in unspoken defeat. "You do have the paper… right?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I got the paper." He moved to help Chuck wrap his arm around his shoulders while wrapping his own arm around his waist for support. "We're getting the next ferry out of here." He informed and guided him down the damp, narrow, passageway.

X.x.X.x

The two soaking wet men stumbled down the pathway from the lighthouse down to the bank. "Chuck, ya thing you can swim?" He asked as their feet stumbled to a stop by the crashing waves. The water looked cold and dark, morbidly welcoming, but still frightening as it lapped against the beaten, slippery, rocks.

"Yeah, should be…" He said in a low, deep, voice.

Ted turned to face his friend, "Hey, listen," he ordered and made Chuck square off to him, "I'm not goin' to let you die here." He assured.

With a small, dark, laugh Chuck nodded. "Okay Boss…"

"I mean it Chuck," he pushed further but after that didn't say anything more, instead he dove into the dark water with perfect form. He swam out with practiced strokes effortlessly before stopping and turning to face where he'd left Chuck, treading water patiently while watching Chuck carefully. "I've got your back" He assured, spitting out water as it splashed into his opened mouth.

"Boss I can hardly breathe as it is…" he said nervously and took a few steps back.

"No," Ted shook his head violently as he bobbed in the harsh waves, "don't quit now! We can get out of here Chuck!"

"Ted –"

"Chuck you get in this water," He ordered.

The damaged man stood on the shore, still as a statue but at the sound of a motor boat from the other side of the lighthouse his eyes went wide. "Chuck they're coming! We have to leave… now!" He said his arms tired of treading as he continued to keep the water from forcing itself down his throat.

After a few moments of hesitation where his brain said yes but his feet said no he finally jumped into the frigid waters below, swimming quickly to catch up with Ted. As they swam back to the mainland Ted continuously looked behind him to make sure Chuck hadn't ducked under.

Once they were on the shore Teddy was able to climb the rocky terrain easier, despite his constant shake, as a result he ended up dragging Chuck up with him. By the time they were back in the soft grass they were covered in mud staining his white clothing a dark brown color with bits of grass pasted on like shredded pieces of paper on glue. He looked over to his friend who was now laying on his back which covered him in mud on the front and the back, he let out a small laugh, despite their current situation, at his partners face which had mud around his eyes making him look like he had a child's costume mask on. "Hey buddy… you got some stuff…" he pointed at his own face, unaware he was sporting a similar look.

"Oh yeah?" Chuck said with a half smirk, still pained but amused as well. "I'm just following your lead."

Ted let out an airy laugh before laying on his back next to Chuck, "Following me isn't always the best idea." He said seriously. On the corner of his eye he could see Chuck loll his head in his direction, he could feel his glare.

"Bull shit Boss." He said, angrily?

"If we had just…"

"If we had just not taken the case I would have never met you but probably would have gotten to the same place, only I wouldn't have been as aware of the situation and I'd still be in that lighthouse… dead or alive." He argued.

Ted turned his own head to look at his partner and friend. "You undersell yourself."

With a small chuckle, a wince following soon after, Chuck shook his head against the ground. "I learned from the best." They laughed together, one wincing after and the other pausing in concern before stopping completely as he noticed his shake was even worse – his whole body now shook like a dryer machine on the highest setting.

"Boss, we gotta get you to a doctor."

"Nobody nearby I hope…" He said with a small smile which earned him a humored smile in return but nothing further. Instead both of them got to their feet, trying to keep their balance as the trekked for the ferry's dock, not even two minutes after they got started an alarm sounded from behind them, from the lighthouse.

Sharing a short look they scrambled forward. "What… do you… propose… we do…" Chuck started, talking between breaths before stumbling to a stop and putting his hands on his knees as he bent forward. Ted stumbled to a stop a few feet in front of him but turned to face his partner as he caught his breath. "When we get to the ferry…?" He finished finally, still bent forward but he craned his neck forward to look at his partner and friend.

"We'll just sneak on… the chances of the ferry man being in on this freak-show can't be too likely… so he may not search all the nooks and crannies." Ted shrugged a little and took a few steps toward Chuck. "C'mon buddy… we gotta keep moving." He encouraged and Chuck nodded while he placed his hand on Ted's shoulder for support.

"Okay…"

X.x.X.x

Once they were back at the dock they slipped on, most of the security was focused on the main building and the shores around the lighthouse. Ted was shaking but still did his best to support his friend, holding Chuck's right arm around his shoulders, his own left arm wrapped around Chuck's middle for added support.

They stumbled into the cargo hold below deck and hid in the far back, making a wall of crates and boxes to try and hide their position in the corner. Once Ted finished making a small wall around their tiny square he fell back and sat next to Chuck who was slumped against the wall behind them.

"You alright?" Ted asked.

Chuck grimaced and nodded, "Yeah,"

"Hang in there buddy." Ted said and wrapped his arm around his partners shoulders.

"Boss… you're just as bad as I am."

With a laugh his friend begged to differ, "I didn't fall off a cliff, get dragged into a lighthouse where I almost had my head cut open."

Chuck shivered at the thought but managed a small laugh, "Yeah well… I didn't fall."

Ted turned his head to look at Chuck directly instead of just looking forward and talking to the crates. "What?" He asked, anger bleeding through his tone.

"Boss, I may not be the most coordinated person but I'm not clumsy enough to fall off a cliff. I was pushed." He said and nodded his head before turning his head to meet Ted's. "They pushed me off so you'd find me and then took me away before you could get to me… they faked my death, man."

Ted growled deep in his chest, "These people are fucked up." He said low, "I swear, I will come back with an army to take these people out." He vowed and Chuck nodded.

"I'll be with you, Boss." He swallowed hard and leaned his head back against the far wall.

"You okay?" Ted asked concern clear in his voice.

He nodded and pulled his lips into a thin line. "Yeah, the adrenaline is just wearing off." He said with a playful wink before closing his eyes, keeping his head back.

"We're safe here, just relax." Ted assured and just as he finished the engine roared from below them and he smiled, "We're going home Chuck." He added and ruffled Chuck's matted hair.

In return Chuck leaned to the side and fell against Ted in relief and exhaustion – falling asleep within moments.

Ted smiled and wrapped his arm around Chuck again, keeping him close as the ferry left for the mainland, "We're going home." He repeated softly.

X.x.X.x

Had a hard time figuring out how to finish this one off - Hope it went alright and you liked it.

~ Leave a comment with whatever suggestions or thoughts you have about it. ~