As the jeep drove fast through the busy streets of California, Chuck's mind could not stop thinking of his best friend Morgan. The bearded man may not have been the most capable spy, but he was the most loyal friend he a guy could have. He was was willing to do anything for him. He deeply regretted leaving Morgan and the rest of his family, especially Sarah.
"No, I get it he's your best friend", Sarah agrees as she moves closer to Chuck. She has that look about her, saying that she is ready to console him for whatever decision he'd make.
"You know you say that, but I don't think you have a clue what it means. Sarah, I don't have parents. I don't really talk about it because that's the way things are now. But it wasn't always this way. Morgan was there the first day my mom took off. He didn't say much, because honestly what's a fifth grader supposed to say? But we sat there and split a cherry cheesecake and played Legend of Zelda all night long, and my dad, well that's - that's a whole other story. But Morgan was there for that too. Morgan is more than just my best friend. He's my family! Before you got here, and long after you've gone, Morgan is my family!" Chuck finishes his speech with emotion that Sarah could not begin to understand.
"Last night we failed to learn the contents of the Triad's container. And now we don't know what kind of drugs or weapons are floating around the city and while I do appreciate your friendship with Morgan. Losing sight of that container endangers many people's best friends, not just yours Chuck" Sarah explains as she needed Chuck to be able to complete his mission while understanding the underlying seriousness of the situation.
Chuck finally arrived at his old apartment in Burbank, and after such a long drive he can't wait to see his family. It had been so long. He stood at the door and considered knocking, but decided to just try his luck with just opening it. He gripped the door knob and gave a sigh of relief when it twisted its full rotation and the door slowly swung open. First thing Chuck noticed was that it was very dark inside; the blinds were pulled shut even though it was the middle of the day. There was trash and clothes all over the place and dishes all over the kitchen. Pizza boxes stacked almost to the roof in the middle of the room also littering the apartment lounge.
"Hello anyone here, it's me Chuck." Chuck said as he entered and began to look for any sign of movement. There were so many beer bottles and empty whiskey bottles on the floor that it must be Morgan. He remembered his best friend telling him not to mix whiskey and gaming. All that was missing was six pack of grape soda… Chuck started to look around the rooms, searching for his best friend that he hadn't seen for ages.
"Morgan where are you?" Chuck yelled as he surveyed the apartment. He reached his old room and was surprised to see that it was just how he left it five years ago.
Chuck finally found his best friend lying on the couch, drunk, unshaven and looked like he hadn't taken a shower in days.
"Morgan! I'm so glad you are alive, buddy!" Chuck said with happiness as he went to help his friend off of the couch. Morgan's appearance reminded Chuck vaguely of how he looked when Morgan had come to see him back when he had lost Sarah and got fired from the CIA.
"Chuck, dude, is that really you?" Morgan slurred in confusion as he tried to figure out if Chuck was another side effect of all the drinking he did earlier that day.
"I have missed you buddy, but I had no doubt you would always make your way back here." He continued in the same drunken way.
Chuck smiled and pulled him from the couch only to crush him with a giant bear hug.
"Yes Morgan, it's me and I'm so sorry I left you and everyone else, he explained apologetically. He looked at the cluttered and gloomy room, realizing that without him, Morgan was a complete mess.
Morgan shook his head and grinned, "No worries buddy. I am your best friend and nothing will ever change that, especially not national security, nothing can break this bond!
"I'm so glad you said that. Thanks for forgiving me for leaving everyone", Chuck said with a sigh. Then he asked, "Morgan, I need to know where Ellie and Devon are."
"Dude, when you left, Ellie went after you. She was gone for a year and until she couldn't handle it anymore. She had herself committed into the city's mental health institute." He relayed the troubling information while watching Chuck's face change sorrowful with sadness. He handed Chuck the business card for the place.
"I—I can't believe I did all of this. I'm so sorry."
Morgan studied Chuck and knew that he was sincere.
Chuck continued, "I ran away to protect everyone but knowing that it only ruined their lives…" he could not finish. He felt so terrible.
Morgan patted his friend on the shoulder. "Chuck, we'll fix everything and make Shaw pay for what he made you do."
Chuck nodded, watching as the bearded man dashed for the bathroom. "Just give me ten minutes and then we'll go kick that stallion's ass."
Before Chuck can respond, the door slams and he just waits. Minutes passed in prickly silence. He was alone with only his guilty thoughts as company. Suddenly, Morgan walked out of the bathroom and stands in front of Chuck with a big grin. He looked just as he did when Chuck left him behind.
"So let's go, huh?"
Chuck smiled but shook his head. "I'm going to see my sister first. How about you stay, and I'll come back to get you."
It is not lost on Chuck how this hurt Morgan. He shrugged it off, but Chuck knew he was worried about being left for another five years.
"I'm coming back, I swear." He said.
Morgan brightened. "I know, dude. Go get Ellie. She needs you."
Chuck nodded and then left the apartment. He climbed into the jeep and drove away, hoping he'd honor his promise.
Chuck drove out to the mental institute, his mind focused on seeing Ellie. While he was driving, Chuck realized that his entire family had become damaged because of his decision. He gripped the steering wheel with both hands and bit back the blame that swept over him. When he finally arrived at the hospital, he walked into the building and made a beeline for the secretary's desk.
"Hi excuse me," he began nervously. "I'm looking for my sister, Eleanor Bartowski? I'm her brother…Chuck Bartowski."
The secretary eyed him carefully before handing him the guest sign-in sheet. She said, "She's in the recreational room at the moment; go straight until you reach the crossroad and then make a left."
He nodded and signed the list. "Ok. Well, thanks, have a good day."
"You too, Chuck," she replied with a flirtatious tone.
Once he reached the recreation room, he saw his sister sitting by herself in the farthest corner. She was staring out the window with no response on her face. While he started walking towards her, Chuck noticed she was dressed in a plain white jacket. The lively glow she used to have was gone and replaced with an incorrigible sadness. He stepped closer to her and timidly enveloped her into a soft embrace.
"Ellie…?" He said in a whisper, not quite sure how to start. He could no feel her responding to his touch and then found he was beginning to ramble out of blatant nervousness: "I'm so sorry for this. It's my entire fault for leaving you. I—I didn't mean for this to happen like this, I swear! But I had no choice…I just wanted to keep you safe—"
Ellie blinked. She shifted in Chuck's embrace, like she was being awakened from a deep trance-like state. She mumbled groggily, "Chuck…?"
Chuck slackened his hold in surprise. He let her go. Ellie slowly turned her head towards her brother and stared into his confused brown eyes. The blank expression was gone; replaced with the strong feelings that Chuck identified his sister with. He felt an overjoyed smile creep onto his lips.
"Ellie, it's me. It's Chuck. I'm here. Everything's going to be ok. I won't leave you ever again."
He kissed her on the forehead. Pulling away, he waited for her to speak.
"I can't believe you're actually here," she said breathlessly and touched his face. "You're actually real."
"Yes," he nodded. Then he felt like something or someone was missing. He looked around before asking, "Where's Devon? Shouldn't he be here with you? What…what happened?"
Her hand slipped from his face. Ellie bowed her head, looking ashamed. "I left him about six months after your disappearance. I was too obsessed with trying to find you and Sarah, and I spent a year trying to find you until I realized that it was impossible."
Chuck winced. The pain in his sister's voice panged at his heart. He let her finish.
"—I broke down because I felt like I failed you, Chuck. I was totally useless and alone. So before I did something I was going to regret, I committed myself here." She choked on her words and tears slid down her face. It was all coming back to her. She missed Chuck. She missed Sarah. She missed how everything was before knowing her whole life was a lie. And she missed her husband now more than ever.
"I'm going to make everything right, Ell." Chuck promised her determinedly. "I swear I will."
She lifted her chin to see the resolution in her brother's features. He was being absolutely honest and she trusted him.
Wiping the tears from his eyes, she asked, "How, Chuck? One person can't do all of this by themselves."
"You're right, but it won't just be me. I need help." He leaned and gave her one last tight hug. It reassured her that he'd come back. "I'm going to go find Sarah and Casey. Then I'll come back for you, sis."
"Do you promise," Ellie said.
"I promise."
She smiled. "Then go get them, little brother."
On the way back to the apartment, Chuck tried to get a hold of General Beckman. He got nothing but a message saying that the number had been disconnected. He tossed the cell phone into the passenger's seat out of anger. All he needed was one clue as to where Sarah or Casey could be found. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel when he approached a red light. Thinking hard, he remembered that he had Casey's private number in the back of his wallet in case of emergencies.
Well this is as good of a time as any, He thought wirily.
He quickly located the number and dialed. His hands weren't on fire per Casey's request, but he'd have to just get over it. This was not fun and games anymore. Chuck waited impatiently for someone (preferably Casey) to answer the phone, but after thirty seconds of waiting, he was given the most disappointing sound ever.
"This is Casey: leave a message."
This was followed by a stereotypical grunt, but Chuck ignored it.
He said after the dial tone, "Casey, it's me, Chuck. I know that it's been…awhile, and you're probably pissed, but just call me. It's important." He did not want to sound too pathetic and needy. It had been five grueling years and Chuck was not the same moron the Colonel had known him as before. He had grown; matured, and was trained to combat any situation despite his emotions getting in the way. He shouldn't have regressed like he did just then. He guessed that Casey always managed to bring the desperation out of him in a time of danger.
Chuck sighed and realized he was now turning into the apartment complex. He parked and walked out of the jeep towards the courtyard. The fountain at the center was trickling on endlessly; his eyes darted around for anything out of the ordinary. He stopped when his apartment door was slightly ajar. Chuck narrowed his eyes in suspicion and quickly pulled out a gun from his waistband. He cautiously entered the dark apartment with his weapon drawn.
He crept slowly through the doorway, making sure not to attract any unwanted attention. He also did not want to be caught off guard. Once his eyes were accustomed to the darkness, Chuck noticed a small shadow in the kitchen. He assumed it was Morgan, but he did not want to be certain. It could be a trap. He walked past the corner wall that separated the kitchen and the living room.
"Hi, Chuck. It's been a long time."
Chuck saw a figure come out of hiding from behind the counter in the kitchen. He braced himself for the reveal, even though he knew who the owner of the voice was.
A shot fired and ricocheted around the kitchen. Chuck dropped to one knee to take cover behind a wall. He cursed under his breath, "Shaw…"
"Chuck, why don't you come out and present yourself like a man?" Daniel Shaw asked with a nasty grin.
Chuck clutched the gun until his knuckles bled white. Shaw was right. He had to show that he was willing to stand up in the face of death. He closed his eyes briefly to summon all the control he could muster. He would not let this man who had caused him and his family so much pain to live.
He rose to his feet, gun drawn and eyes narrowed. "Shaw, I've been waiting for this moment for five years. Trust me when I say I don't need the Intersect to beat you," he explained confidently.
"Oh Chuck, we sadly won't be fighting today."
Chuck's brow furrowed. "And why's that?"
"These aren't the perfect conditions for such a…legendary battle."
"Cut the bullshit," Chuck snapped. His anger was hitting a boiling point. "Shaw, I won't let you escape from this. You've hurt too many people!"
Shaw rolled his eyes and then glanced over to the hallway where Chuck's bedroom was located. He made a motion with his hand and then focused back to Chuck.
"What are you going to do about it? Kill me? Last time I checked, you tried that already and failed."
Chuck leveled the gun so it was aimed between Shaw's eyes. He was shaking with white-hot rage. His finger was curled around the trigger, ready to pull.
"I won't fail this time," he told Shaw.
Shaw smirked.
Before Chuck could fire his gun, he felt a tiny needle prick him in the back of his neck. He lost his footing when something terrible had entered his body, causing him to crash to the floor.
He could not move, nor could he speak. It felt like his entire body was paralyzed. All he could do was glare venomously at Shaw who was looking very happy with himself.
"Chuck, I know you can't respond, so just listen." Shaw took a step to him and then crouched to one knee. He studied Chuck with cold heartless eyes. "You are going to die."
Chuck struggled to move but it was futile. He gnashed his teeth together to contain his hatred for the man kneeling before him.
"But first," Shaw continued. "I will show you what happens to a team when their leader abandons them."
He grabbed Chuck roughly by the arm and put him against the countertop. He remained there, motionless and at Shaw's mercy. He continued to shoot the older man daggers even when he felt cool metal bind his wrists together. He was being lead out of the apartment and his feet walked without his guidance. He wondered what he had been drugged with. It had even enabled the Intersect from functioning properly.
One Ring agent—Justin, the one that had manipulated Ellie so long ago— spoke up before they exited the apartment.
"Shaw, before we leave what should I do with Bartowski's furry friend over there?"
Shaw never broke his stride. He spoke in such a dismissive voice that made Chuck's skin crawl.
"I forgot about his idiot friend. Oh well, just dispose of him."
Justin nodded with a malevolent grin.
Chuck felt bile rise in his throat.
I should've never come back. He realized sadly. This all is my entire fault.
