June 12, 2014 - Honolulu

Chuck sat on the roof of the building in which he lived, something he did when he needed to think and gather his thoughts. He looked east as the sun rose over the ocean, causing the water to glow brightly. It was a beautiful sight. He hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night, and he drained the last of the coffee he put into a large thermos he had for these exact situations.

He clicked on the iPhone next to him dialing a number putting it to his ear while it rang.

"Hello?" the voice at the other end said rather groggily.

"Hey, Dad. It's me."

"Son, I…how are you?" Stephen was shocked his son called him and knew where he was. The older man still operated as an independent spy, working out of Canada most recently. It was still the middle of the night in Vancouver, but it brought Stephen joy that his son had contacted him after several years.

"I'm good, Dad. I wanted to talk to you," Chuck said quietly.

"Of course son, anytime," the older man said gratefully. It had destroyed him when his daughter and her family had been murdered. After her funeral, he had entered a state of depression that took him months to break. He had blamed himself for not being there for his children and for what Chuck went through. In the family, they used to talk about the 'Bartowski Curse', that all Bartowski men left their families to protect them. But Stephen knew better. There was no such thing. There was no excuses for what he did.

"It was hard after Ellie, Devon and Clara died, but I've accepted now that it wasn't my fault. How could I have known my sister and her family would be murdered," he said as tears starting to well up in the corner of his eyes. He dabbed at them with a napkin.

Stephen exhaled. "I was a shitty father, I left you kids when you needed me the most and I will regret that for the rest of my life. I use to think there really was a Bartowski Curse; my father left me and my mother when I was a young boy to protect us from his job. But I've learned many years later there is no curse, it was cowardice." Stephen's voice cracked as his emotions boiled over. "I left because I was a coward, and I am so sorry I did that to the two of you."

"Dad…I…" Tears fell freely from Chuck's eyes.

"Let's change the topic. Otherwise we'll spend all day beating ourselves up. What are you doing these days?"

"I work for this guy, a good guy. His name is Newton. He's given me a job, and it pays pretty well," he said. It was true, too. Newton gave each of them a sizeable down payment to start. And after this job was done, he planned to give them an even bigger prize.

"Let's meet up after you're done with this job. I know this place here in Vancouver that makes great pancakes. These Canadians know their stuff," he said with a laugh.

"Sure. I'd like that," Chuck smiled, a good genuine smile.

9:25 am

Alex North…formerly Alex Forrest…was a decorated CIA agent, having saved her country many times in the past. She graduated in the top ten of her college class and received a commendation for saving the lives of many of her colleagues from a Fulcrum attack. And yet she was given a babysitting job?

Sure her retainer was significant and she'd be getting three times that much upon successful completion of this job, more than enough to open that security firm with her husband, Ross. But it was still a babysitting job, no matter how cute the little kid was.

She watched the young girl, Megan, talking with her friends, her radiant smile and her kind nature obviously gotten from her mother. Alex had been watching over the last few days. Megan had some of her father's features but Alex could tell she was a spitting image of her mother. Sipping her iced tea, Alex kept watch from afar, making sure Megan didn't know of her presence and yet close enough to react should something suspicious occur.

And for the first time in four days, something did.

Alex spotted the suspicious man with a scar on his left eyebrow not five feet away from the girls and calmly flipping through a magazine. Too calmly, in fact. Alex didn't rise to the top of the CIA without being able to spot the difference between someone reading a magazine and someone pretending to do so.

The group of girls left the food court. Alex threw plastic cup in the trash, following suit.

9:30 am

Newton checked his watch. It was bright and early, and he wouldn't have minded going outside on such a beautiful Friday and enjoy the weather. However, he had more important issues to attend to, like this meeting with the Ring agent Kr. Booting his computer, he connected with his two employees.

"Chuck? Mr. Casey? Do you copy?"

"Yes, Newton. Loud and clear," responded Chuck.

Chuck and Casey sat in a 1973 Dodge GTO watching as Roku and two dozen of his soldiers piled into three large SUV's. It was clear the boss wasn't taking any chances, being the meticulous mobster that he was. He had always stayed one step ahead of the law for so long, which allowed him to maintain his criminal empire so efficiently. Staying three cars behind them, Chuck followed the mobster and his crew to the meeting which the former spy knew would be anything but regular. For ten miles Chuck expertly remained hidden, careful in not letting Roku spot him.

The three SUV's pulled into an old abandoned military installation, which had fallen into disrepair for years after the government shut it down. Recently, it was revived as a recycling center for old cars.

Pulling up under a bridge, the two former spies got out watching from afar as Roku and his men entered the old facility.

"We could be walking into a trap. Are ou prepared?" Chuck asked the former soldier.

Casey's lips formed an amused grin as he pulled out his Desert Eagle complete and pocketed several extra magazines. He would have been offended at the question had he not known of the man's reputation as someone who watched their co-workers.

"Always," he replied calmly.

Roku looked around the abandoned facility. He wasn't taking chances; he was prepared in case this nuisance of a spy decided to double cross him. Truthfully, he was expecting it.

"You've come a little heavy, Roku. Do you not trust me?" asked an amused voice coming from behind a door.

"I don't have time for this. Come out now, Mr. Shaw," Roku replied in annoyance.

The Ring agent revealed himself, buttoning up his jacket and looking at the mob boss with amusement. He then met the derisive stares of his men.

"Roku, it's a pleasure to see you again," he said, his lips forming a fake smile.

"Let's make this quick Shaw. Where is my money?" Roku demanded, wanting ten million dollars for this little job he pulled for the Ring.

Shaw chuckled deviously; the Ring agent had the mob boss right where he wanted him.

"There isn't any money. I decided to get a little insurance policy. Your daughter, Megan."

Roku´s eyes widened and his nostrils flared. He pulled out a Glock and so did his twenty-four associates. Shaw put his hands up with considerable amusement.

"You can kill me if you want, but if I die, a signal from the chip inserted in my chest will be sent to my man on the street following your sweet little daughter, and he will kill her on the spot."

Roku motioned for his men to stand down, begrudgingly keeping his rage in check.

"Good. Now hand over the key," Shaw ordered.

One of Roku's men handed over the Doomsday device to Shaw, who causally inserted into his breast pocket.

"Thank you," Shaw politely said, although the politeness was clearly tinged with contempt for Roku and his organization.

Flashbangs broke through the windows, blinding everybody in the area. The men inside drew their guns, despite being unable to see. Shaw, being the slithering snake that he was, managed to cover his eyes to elude the temporarily blinding lights. He pulled out his iPhone, speed dialing his man's number.

"Connelly, kill the brat! Do you hear me, Connelly?" he raged into his phone.

"He's dead," Alex spat before she hung up on him.

"Son of a bitch!" Shaw growled as he saw his plans coming apart.

He ran across the base when he saw a familiar figure leaning against the exit. The exit was sealed shut, but Shaw didn't even register that as he stared in complete disbelief at the person in front of him.

"Chuck Bartowski?"

Shaw tried to shake his head clear. This HAD to be a joke. That scrawny nerd with the computer in his head was still around? Although scrawny was an outdated term, as Chuck looked much bigger and far more muscular than the last time Shaw saw him. And that huge grin was gone from his face, replaced with a scowl of contempt.

"It's been a long time Shaw. Are you still the same old slimy bastard you were four years ago?" Chuck asked derisively.

Shaw couldn't help but laugh as if someone was playing a joke on him like he was punked. "What makes you think you can take me on?"

Chuck laughed quietly as he shook his head. He remembered Shaw's big ego, but he somehow underestimated just how pretentious this wooden prick was.

"It's a wonder how you became an agent in the first place, Shaw. You aren't very bright, especially since your entire scheme has come apart. Give me the key now and I'll see you are treated fairly."

Shaw's incredulity at seeing Chuck again turned quickly into blind rage as he attacked. But Chuck expected this to happen. Shaw barely drew his gun when Chuck spun and kicked it out of his hands, the metal skittering along the concrete floor. Shaw leaped into the air to land a vertical kick, but Chuck dropped out of the way. He sprung back up to deliver a hook to Shaw's face as he landed. Shaw staggered back, surprised by Chuck's strength, but he was undeterred as he tried to land another shot. Chuck sidestepped him and drove his foot hard into Shaw's knee. Shaw howled in pain as he dropped to the ground, but he was on adrenaline overload with an extra infusion of rage. With a primal scream, he launched himself at Chuck, who didn't anticipate that move. Both of them tumbled through another door, which led them onto a catwalk over several vats of molten steel used to melt the cars.

"What the fuck did she ever see in you anyway?" Shaw growled as he landed punch after punch to Chuck's midsection while they were on the grating, referring to the blonde agent whose lives she both changed. Chuck wrapped his arm around Shaw's head and drove it hard onto the grating, following it up with a hard chop to Shaw's kidney. Shaw screamed once again as he untangled himself from Shaw.

"Sarah? How is she by the way?" Chuck asked matter-of-factly.

"How the fuck should I know? I haven't seen her in years. Up and left, no note, no nothing!"

Shaw went after Chuck again, but a hard jab by Chuck knocked him back. "I guess you couldn't measure up to what we had," Chuck said.

"You son of a bitch," Shaw growled and went after Chuck again. Chuck used Shaw's momentum against him and tripped him, landing a hard chop to the back of his neck in the process. Shaw fell against the railing, and the Ares Key fell out of Shaw's pocket into one of the vats. It melted into nothingness instantaneously.

"Give it up, Shaw. You have nothing now," Chuck said calmly.

Shaw turned to him. "I still have one thing. I'll send you to meet your family!"

Shaw pulled a knife out of his boot and lunged at Chuck, who tried to dive out of the way of the attack. However, Shaw managed to inflict a deep cut on Chuck's arm. Chuck screamed as he fell to the catwalk. Shaw turned around to see Chuck writhing in pain. A deranged smile formed on his lips as he dove at Chuck with the knife, intending to plunge it into his heart. Chuck rolled onto his back and just barely had enough time to bring his feet up to knock Shaw back.

Shaw fell against the railing, and his momentum flipped him over the catwalk. Chuck jumped to his feet in horror as Shaw splashed into one of the vats, and orange plume splashing upward. He screamed in agony as the pool of molten metal enveloped him and melted him away.

"Damn," he gasped.

10:25 pm

Chuck got off the phone with the Prime Minister of Japan, explaining everything that happened. Fortunately, Chuck's wound was quickly attended to by Casey and a medical team. The Prime Minister asked Chuck to come to Japan for a debriefing and to report to his government's ministers over the events of earlier in the day. Roku was nowhere to be found, having fled to parts unknown. Catherine thanked Newton and the team for all their hard work, and the appreciated their augmented bank accounts.

"You did an excellent job," Newton said proudly as he addressed the team. "Lives were saved and a madman was stopped. You should all be proud of yourselves."

"Not well enough, Mr. Newton. The Ring is still out there plotting God knows what," Chuck sighed in frustration.

"Don't worry, Chuck. Their time will come. And if I were a betting man, my money would be on you. Actually, it already was."

Newton had a broad smile for Chuck, but he could only return a weak one as he looked out the window as the moon hanged in the dark sky. Shaw may have been dead, but Chuck felt that another crisis was on the horizon.

Montreal, Quebec, Canada - September 12, 2014

The city came alive at night with the glittering shine of its lights; the ambiance in the air was one of excitement. Chuck and his team had temporarily moved to the city for more assignments…once he had his breakfast with his father. This particular night, Chuck and Alex were searching for a Ring agent in a strip club. The music was blaring and the lights were flashing, causing nothing but a massive headache for him.

"He has to be around here somewhere," Alex said as she looked around, trying to remain nondescript in her cocktail waitress outfit.

"No question about that," Chuck agreed.

A bright blue top flew into his face; Chuck pulled it off in annoyance and looked around. He saw a blonde dancer twirl around the pole, the obvious owner of the blue colored top. Although Chuck didn't see her face, there was something familiar about her. The attitude, the body. Chuck watched in fascination as she spun around the pole, her pert breasts jiggling to entice the crowd. She swung around so she was looking directly at Chuck and froze in mid-pose, still hanging off of the stripper pole. Chuck's eyes widened as well.

"Chuck," she gasped.

Chuck blinked once unable to speak.

"Sarah?"

THE END

Author's Note: I'd like to thank all who took the time and reviewed, reviews are important to the author. I admit I didn't think this would become as popular as it did. I also would like to thank PJ Murphy for all his dedication to this, take a bow!

Yep a cliffhanger!