Yay!! Okay, so the story is starting to pick up a little more with this chapter so I hope you guys like it!! And thanks to D.K. Hellcat for your reviews, they really make me happy but I can never reply to them directly so I'll thank you here! :D

"Hey, did you find anything?" Sarah asked as she rounded the corner, walking up behind Casey to peek over his shoulder. She hid her smirk as she saw a number of windows containing images of Chuck getting dressed in the bathroom click closed rapidly.

Casey shot a glance over his shoulder at Sarah but ignored the teasing look she gave him. "Well, there's no record of a Mark Bartowski anywhere in our files if that's what you're asking." The other agent answered, looking back at the computer screen which was now covered in open pages and documents from deep government files.

Sarah frowned and shook her head slightly. "But that's impossible. The system should have a record of anyone who has ever been in federal court."

"Exactly, so I did a cross-reference search with the last name "Bartowski" and found this…" Casey clicked on a link attached to a file and a picture of a woman appeared on the screen, a small placard displaying her name and the date held below her. She had long, dark hair and blood-shot brown eyes with deep circles beneath them. The name on the placard read Evelyn Bartowski.

"Chuck's mother?" Sarah asked, her eyebrows drawing together in confusion.

"Yep. Evelyn Bartowski: arrested June 27, 1993 for DUI and assaulting a police officer." Casey scrolled down the screen, reading off highlighted bits of information. "Mother of three; Eleanor Marie, Charles Irving, and Andrew Cooper…ring a bell?"

"So Bartowski-?"

"Is his mother's maiden name." Casey answered for her, minimizing the file and searching through a jumble of small icons tucked away at the bottom of the computer screen.

"So who is Chuck's father?"

"Well, the files were kept pretty hidden but thanks to the access of security codes and the miracle of Google, I was able to find a few articles centered around child abuse cases from that year." Casey typed in a few more commands on the search screen and another file appeared almost instantly.

The man in the photo was in his early thirties, his eyes hard and cold as he glared at the camera. His mouth was set in a firm line and his jaw was clenched, clearly not in the mood for pictures. He looked like a hungry wolf, calculating and deadly.

"Recognize him." It wasn't question; it didn't need to be, this man was easy to remember.

Sarah's eyes widened and she gasped involuntarily. "DeWitt…?! Marcus DeWitt, the drug dealer?! He's Chuck's father?!"

Casey nodded somberly, his fist clenching and unclenching tensely at his side. "He resurfaced about a two years ago during a sting operation in San Diego. He was arrested under suspicion of dealing a new drug called White Star but due to the lack of evidence the charges had to be dropped."

"Why was he out of jail to begin with?!" Sarah snapped angrily, her temper flaring with this new information.

Casey shrugged half-heartedly, forcing himself to conceal his anger as well. "He's the man of one thousand breaks apparently. He ended up getting a very good lawyer and his sentence was reduced. He's been out for about four years but has managed to stay just out of reach of the police ever since."

Sarah clenched her fists tightly, her nails biting painfully into her palms. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a second. "Okay, so what is White Star and why would he be trying to get in touch with Chuck now?"

Casey shook his head slowly. "Apparently, White Star is a new kind of drug comparable to heroine but with an increased high that last about twice as long as the original substance. It depletes the pigmentation of the skin in the area of the injection site causing a white star-like mark, hence the name." Another photo appeared on the screen of a man's arm, the inside crook of his elbow faded into a dull white spidery mark. "The only problem is that the drug has a pretty bad track record for killing most of the buyers."

"How?"

The agent pulled up another file, a handwritten police report displayed across the screen. "The drug causes a dramatic spike in the core body temperature and, if it's not controlled, the person goes brain dead in a matter of minutes. However, even though they know the risks, people keep showing up to buy the drug so it manages to stay on the market. " Casey sighed heavily and closed the file. "My guess is that daddy dearest isn't just dropping by for an innocent visit and plans to do some business down here." A few more files were closed before only one remained, a lone photo displayed dejectedly across the screen.

It was Chuck, no older than eight years old, sitting alone on one of the benches in the courtroom. His hair sat in a mop of curls on top of his head and his dark eyes were cast to the floor.

"God…" Sarah whispered quietly, shaking her head. "He must have been so scared…to think he kept it in for so long…"

Casey closed the file, the very image making him sick. The idea that someone could be that cold and heartless toward someone as kind-hearted as Chuck made him furious. "Well, at least now we know what we're up against." He muttered through clenched teeth.

Both he and Sarah looked up as Chuck appeared in the doorway, dressed in a white t-shirt and a pair of baggy jeans. The younger man offered them a weak smile and ran a hand through his damp hair.

"Feeling any better?" Casey asked, watching him carefully. A little bit of color had returned to Chuck's face and he looked a little calmer than he had earlier.

Chuck started to answer but jumped at the sound of someone knocking on the door. He looked toward the front of the house, his eyes widening a little.

Sarah noticed the younger man's fear and felt another surge of anger shoot through her again. Her eyes narrowed and she pulled her gun, walking to the front door and pressing her back against the wall. "Who is it?" She called loud enough to be heard outside.

"It's Morgan." The voice called back as Sarah peeked through the hole in the door, recognizing the green Buy More t-shirt and scruffy dark hair. "I came to check on Chuck, I knew he was staying with Casey."

Sarah sighed and pushed her gun into the back pocket of her jeans. "Feel up for some company?" She asked, turning the lock and grabbing the doorknob to open the door. She glanced over her shoulder at Chuck, frowning at his alarmed expression.

"Morgan didn't know I was staying here…" He whispered weakly, his wide eyes locked on the cracked door.

Before she had time to react, a tiny silver dart embedded itself in Sarah's shoulder and she collapsed to the ground in a heap.

Casey was on his feet in an instant, gun drawn and standing in front of Chuck protectively.

A short man in a Buy More shirt pushed through the door and carefully stepped over Sarah. He pulled off a scruffy wig along with some glued on facial hair and dropped it to the floor, waving a voice transformer at the two men teasingly.

"Amazing how far technology has come." His thick German accent was disguised by Morgan's voice. He smirked lightly and shoved into his back pocket, enjoying the horrified look on Chuck's face. "Oh, not to worry, we didn't do anything to your little friend. We just recorded his voice and borrowed a shirt from your supply room." The man laughed and pulled his gun, pointing it toward Casey. "Bartowski is coming with me."

Casey growled softly, keeping himself safely in front of Chuck. "I don't think so." In one swift movement, he's pushed the younger man back into the hall and aimed his gun at the German. "Chuck run!" He yelled, wincing as a dart struck him in the shoulder and thigh.

Chuck's eyes widened as the NSA agent slumped to the ground. The German walked toward him, a dangerous smile spreading across his face. "Time for a homecoming, Bartowski." He chided, loading another dart into the gun.

Chuck didn't wait for the chamber to close. He bolted into Casey bedroom, knowing the agent kept at least one other gun in the dresser by the bed. He burst into the room right as a dart shot past him, planting itself in the wall uselessly. His mad dash to the dresser was instantly cut off as someone grabbed him from behind, a strong arm pinning him against another body in an iron-like grip. A cloth with something that smelled sickeningly sweet was pressed over his mouth an nose and Chuck struggled desperately, his limbs already becoming weak and unresponsive as the drug entered his blood stream.

A hazy face appeared before him, the cold smile making his eyes widen slowly. "Hello again, son." The words echoed uselessly in his mind and his struggling ceased as the last ounce of consciousness left him.

Yay cliffhanger!! I promise to update soon but I'm trying to come up with a good transition to the next chapter so I decided to stop here for now. Hope you like it!!