I still don't own Chuck. I'm not sure who does at this point.

Let's talk a little about the timeline of this story and where it fits into canon. The time line from the show has always confused me a little. I see this taking place sometime around Anniversary, very early S4. So in the show, Ellie must have been about 6 months pregnant at that point, right? Clearly she would be showing. She had the baby 13 weeks later in Push Mix. But a six months pregnant Ellie certainly wouldn't be tricking Sarah into drinking multiple shots of tequila matching her shot for shot, or inviting her to go dancing at a club. So maybe it's better if Devon and Ellie wait until this story is over to start a family. J

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The New Team

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"I'm going with you."

Sarah… no wait, Agent Walker knew that this was not the time for panic. As much as it was trying to consume her, she simply couldn't allow that to happen. Chuck was in trouble… and he needed her. He needed Agent Walker at her very best… not lovesick schoolgirl Sarah. Making lovesick decisions was the way to get him killed. So she was able to give herself a little pep talk and push the panic down into that place where all of her personal emotions went on a mission. But this was also clearly a time for some urgency. So she talked while she was quickly changing into her classic black mission outfit. "No way," she said briskly. "Ellie, this isn't fun and games. This is as real as it gets."

Ellie didn't back down one bit. "I get that," she insisted firmly. "Do you really think that I don't get that? Sarah, I'm going with you."

Sarah paused for a moment to look into her eyes. "No way, Ellie," Sarah repeated. "This is far too dangerous. I can't allow anything bad to happen to you. Please don't ask me to make you a part of this nasty life."

Ellie knew that there was no time to waste. So she softened her tone and tried to take the desperation out of her voice. "I'm already part of this nasty life," she said calmly. "Remember the deal with that Shaw creep? So you're a little too late on that one. Anyway it's a little arrogant to think that you're the one who did that to me. That blame, if that's even the right word, goes totally on my dad. So are you really going to go off and leave me sitting here knowing what I now know? Are you really going to make me stay here all alone and know that my brother and best friend are in danger? That I may never know what happened to them? Are you really going to make me pace the floor all night, powerless to do anything to help while I worry and assume the worst? Come on, Sarah. You can't do that to me. You're not that cruel."

Ellie had just stumbled onto possibly the one argument that could make Sarah consider this. Because she knew how it felt to be helpless. It was very possibly the worst feeling in the world. There was something in Ellie's eyes and in her tone, a resolve there that was hard to ignore. "Okay," she finally said. "I'm not trying to be cruel. I'll take you to Castle with me. Maybe Beckman will agree to let you stay there and keep you informed. But, Ellie, understand something. There is no way in hell that she is ever going to allow you to participate in any mission."

x-x-x-x-x

There was one thing that Sarah hadn't counted on. Once they got to Castle it was plain that Beckman was even more panicked than she was… if that was even possible. It was obvious by her face. She didn't even say a single word about Ellie standing there in plain sight listening to every word.

"What in the hell happened?" Sarah asked as soon as she was facing the monitor where Beckman sat at her desk. "This was a nothing assignment." Indeed, Clyde Berkshire was a low level drug smuggler who Chuck had flashed on in the restaurant a few nights ago. It normally wouldn't have been an important enough assignment for a group as valuable as Team Bartowski. In fact Sarah had openly snickered when Beckman gave them the details. But they were in something of a lull mission wise, and she had some vague intelligence that Berkshire was funneling his drug profits to suspected terrorist groups. That was enough to interest the CIA. And they weren't really busy at the moment. So it was hard to protest when Beckman ordered them to find out what Berkshire was up too. "They weren't even going to contact him. They were just picking out a good stakeout spot to watch."

If Beckman noticed Sarah's edgy tone and lack of proper decorum, she didn't say anything. "I know," she said. "The whole thing was obviously a setup. After we did some digging, it turns out that Clyde Berkshire isn't a low level drug runner. He's a far bigger player. He is a medical doctor, apparently he led The Ring's project to create their own Intersect, and he has some known associations with Volkoff Industries."

That surely snapped Sarah's head up. "Volkoff?" she asked. She knew the name well. All agents did. Alexei Volkoff had been public enemy #1 since before Sarah was in grade school. She immediately got a very bad feeling. "Why wouldn't Chuck have known that Berkshire was a Volkoff associate? Or that he did Intersect research for The Ring? He flashed on the man. Surely that information would be in The Intersect. And why would Volkoff want Chuck anyway?"

Beckman just glared for a long moment. "Answer your own question, Agent Walker," she finally said with no hint of humor. "We don't know why The Intersect didn't have those details about him. It certainly should have. That in itself is more than a little disconcerting. It's one of the things that we need you to find out. It's very possible that the meeting in the restaurant the other night where The Intersect flashed on him was intentional. Luckily you were sick today and not with them. Otherwise you'd almost assuredly be captured as well. Do I have to remind you how important Bartowski is or what he represents? He knows all of our secrets. We simply can't have him falling into Alexei Volkoff's hands."

Sarah had heard enough. "Forget about the damn secrets," she snapped. "We have to save Chuck."

Beckman did an obvious double take. "I know," she said tersely. "Berkshire is currently on his way to Baltimore for the American Neurological Association Annual Meeting. We suspect that he will be using the event as a cover to make contact with Volkoff's people. We need you to go there and see if you can find out where they are holding The Intersect and how they are planning on handing him over."

"His name is not 'The Intersect'," Sarah snapped in clear anger. "His name is Chuck."

Ellie watched Sarah and Beckman glaring uncomfortably at each other for a long moment. "The ANA?" she finally asked, more to break the tension than anything. "I was invited to speak. I would have loved to go. I just couldn't work it out with my schedule. Maybe I could…"

Beckman ignored Ellie and continued to glare at Sarah. "I know full well what his name is, Agent Walker," she snapped.

Sarah finally tore her angry gaze away from Beckman and turned to Ellie. "Forget it," she said. "There is no way that you're going to Baltimore with me."

"But, Sarah," Ellie protested. "Think about it. I'm a doctor. Neurology is my specialty. I'm supposed to be there. He wouldn't suspect me."

"Forget it," Sarah repeated firmly. "Ellie, you don't understand men like this… or what they're capable of. It's far too dangerous. You don't have a clue what you'd be getting into here. I can't allow it."

"Let's not be too hasty," Beckman interrupted. "This actually might work out. Agent Walker, go and make arrangements to get to Baltimore ASAP. Doctor Woodcomb, could I speak to you privately for a moment?"

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck was in that dreamy zone somewhere between being awake and sleeping. He eventually became aware enough to hear someone calling his name. Was someone slapping his face? Suddenly he was jolted awake. He quickly shook his head, more on instinct to get rid of the horrible odor of smelling salts. When he opened his eye he was staring into eyes of the man he instantly recognized as Clyde Berkshire.

"Mr. Bartowski," Berkshire said. "How nice of you to join us."

Chuck took a moment to shake the cobwebs out as he looked around the room. The Intersect was fully engaged. It had already checked the integrity of the cuffs that had his arms and legs securely fastened to the chair. It was clearly actively searching for an escape path. When it finally came to the conclusion that escape wasn't possible, he glanced around the room. His eyes came to rest on Casey. He was bound in a similar fashion and still unconscious. "What's up with him?" Chuck asked.

"Don't worry," Berkshire replied. "He's perfectly fine, for now anyway. For how long is mostly up to you. He's our Plan B. I don't like Plan B much. Cutting off fingers is rather messy. Let's try and avoid that if we can, shall we?"

Chuck glared at him for a long moment, more to show that he wasn't afraid than anything. "Okay," he finally said dismissively. "I give. What's Plan A?"

Berkshire just laughed. "Why Mr. Bartowski," he said. "Isn't it obvious? You're Plan A."

"Like you really believe that I would help you in any way," Chuck spat out. "Seriously? You'll never get away with this."

"Yeah," Berkshire replied. "I understand what you mean. The blonde. Too bad that she wasn't with you. My intelligence was wrong. I've been told that she is always with you. She is definitely a complication. By the way, I think that congratulations are in order. She's incredibly hot. It seems such a shame."

Even though he knew it was futile Chuck struggled against the cuffs. "If you touch a single hair on Sarah's head," he growled. "I'll…"

"Relax," Berkshire interrupted. "I'm not going to harm the lovely Agent Walker. I'll leave that all to you."

Chuck was a little confused. So his response was less than smooth. "Huh?" he asked. "Me?"

"I'm sorry," Berkshire said in a faux comforting tone. "I really haven't explained this very well, have I? You see, I'm going to show you a series of flash cards. There is a, well, I guess that you'd call it a flaw in The Intersect. I prefer to think of it as a feature. Each one of these flash cards is going to remove a year from your memory."

When Berkshire held up the first card, Chuck writhed in pain for a long moment. "When we're finished," he said as he held up the second card. "You're going to be a senior at Stanford. You're lucky. I wish I was back in college. Parties, young women, not a care in the world. I'm afraid you've never met Agent Walker. But don't worry. Things will work out. You'll see."

"You're going to become our very incredibly powerful little soldier."

x-x-x-x-x

"Chuck, I can't take this. This is something real, something that you should give to a real girlfriend."

"I know."

Sarah looked at the bracelet sitting comfortably on her wrist. She normally saved wearing it for special occasions. Certainly she would never wear it on a mission. She made a mental note to take it off as soon as they got to Baltimore. It's just that it was such a special memory. It was comforting. It even made her forget for a moment the panic that was threatening to consume her.

"Hello! Earth to Sarah."

When Sarah was finally able to shake herself out of her mini daydream, she saw Ellie grinning at her.

"You haven't heard a single word I've been saying," Ellie said. "Have you?"

It was hard to get Sarah Walker to blush. But that quickly did the trick. "I'm sorry, Ellie," she said sheepishly. "I was just thinking about something."

"What were you thinking about?" Ellie asked.

It would have been easy for Sarah to tell her that she had been planning on what to do when they got to Baltimore. It's probably what she should have been thinking about. But she looked at her best friend's face all lit up like a Christmas tree. Suddenly she wanted to talk about this with her best friend. "I was thinking about the time when Chuck gave this to me," she said, holding her wrist up for Ellie to see.

Ellie's grin broadened even more. "I knew it," she said. "Tell me all about it."

Sarah opened her mouth to speak. "Don't forget," Ellie interrupted. "This is one of those 'best friend' moments I was talking about. I want every sappy detail."

"It was so romantic," Sarah sighed with something of her own growing smile in spite of the tension. "It was on Christmas Eve that night when we were being held hostage. Our relationship was complicated. Technically it was a cover. I tried to tell him that I couldn't take it, that this was something real, something that he should only give to a real girlfriend." Sarah paused for a moment to gather her composure. "He just said 'I know' and put it on my wrist."

"I hate to be the one to tell you," Ellie said in a faux serious tone. "But your mother's bracelet isn't something that you give to a real girlfriend. It's a family heirloom, something that you want to stay in your family. He never gave anything like that to Jill. It's something that you save and give to the person who you want to spend the rest of your life with."

Sarah was still struggling to gather her composure. But that got a definite twinkle in her eyes. "I know," she said, her voice no more than a whisper. "We had been dancing around for about a year. But that was the first time that I knew for sure that he was in love with me." Sarah paused for a long moment to blink back the tears. "I wanted so badly to tell him," she finally was able to get out. "Ellie, you'll never know how much I wanted to wrap my arms around him and tell him that I loved him too. I just couldn't do it. I was such a bitch. I hurt him. I allowed this amazing man, the only man I've ever loved, to twist in the wind for almost two years. I'd give anything for the chance to talk to him again… to be able to tell him how sorry I am."

Ellie knew that she had to change the mood. So she playfully bumped shoulders with Sarah. "Stop thinking like that," she said. "Of course you're going to talk to him again. Sweetie, I've never seen anybody so lovesick. I'm really not sure if I should make fun of you or cry at how romantic it is. Yes, of course, you've made mistakes. But guess what? So has he. And here is the good news. Your love has been tested… and you passed. You don't know how lucky you are. You know without any doubt that it's real. That's why you have to talk about it with him. It's not a threat. It'll clear the air." Ellie paused for a moment to look around the private jet that Beckman had acquired to take them to Baltimore. "I didn't realize that spies traveled in this much luxury," she said with a grin in a clear attempt to change the subject. "I'm actually looking forward to seeing Agent Walker in action. If she is half as bad-ass as Chuck tells me, I'm almost feeling sorry for the bad guys."

Sarah Walker had perhaps never before in her life needed to hear anything like she needed to hear that. But then she realized that Ellie was in far too good of a mood. This was her brother. "Okay," she said with narrowed eyebrows. "Exactly what did General Beckman tell you that has you in such a good mood anyway? I want every detail."

Ellie shrugged. "She told me that you were on the edge," she said with her grin not fading even a little. "I'm not in a good mood. I'm as worried as you are. But she told me that for you to be effective you had to start thinking rationally. She wanted me to calm you down a little. I think in her heart she's worried about you. That actually makes some sense. So my job is to keep you from panicking. Oh, she also told me that as long as she allowed Morgan Grimes to go on a mission, she might as well let me go on one. I've decided to take that as a compliment."

Sarah smiled at Ellie's tone. "You're doing a good job calming me down," she said. "So thank you for that. I hate to be the one to break this to you."

"But Beckman doesn't have a heart."

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck was still sitting bound in his chair. Berkshire had left some time ago. Suddenly she burst into the room.

"Chuck, thank God that I found you. I've been looking everywhere."

She worked quickly to unlock the cuffs. As soon as she had him free, she threw her arms around his neck and urgently pressed her lips to his. "Let's get out of here before they come back," she said frantically as soon as the long kiss broke. "We have some serious things to talk about. But first we have some work to do. I've really missed you."

Chuck stood up with a toothy grin and stretched his arms.

"I've really missed you too, Jill."

x-x-x-x-x

A/N: Okay, deep breaths. You know me well enough to know that things are not always what they seem. I think that the show missed a huge opportunity by not bringing Jill Roberts back. I'd think that Sarah might enjoy having a little chat with her. Don't you?

By the way, there really is an American Neurological Association. They actually do have an annual meeting in Baltimore. I'm not sure if they have a Dr. Eleanor Woodcomb attending, lol.

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