AN: Thanks again for the great feedback. We should start getting to the good stuff next chapter. I did proofread a few times, but let me know of any glaring mistakes.


Bartowski Residence

Chuck clambered through the oak door, locking the deadbolt behind him. Continually looking over his shoulder, he searched the house for his sister. He finally managed to find her in the kitchen. Ellie looked up from her chopping, sensing his presence. The smile she gave him quickly turned into a frown at his agitated state. Chuck stopped at the threshold between the living room and the kitchen. He looked to the entrance of the house and back at his sister.

"What's wrong sweetie," Ellie asked in a concerned tone, putting down her tools and taking steps toward her brother.

Chuck looked to his feet, summoning courage. "I know you're not going to believe me, but-"

Ellie closed the distance between the siblings, placing a comforting hand on his arm. "You can tell me," she urged.

Chuck took a deep breath. Blowing it out, he said, "I just saw Sarah outside."

Ellie let go of his arm, bringing her hand to her hip. She clenched the other hand in anger at the lies that she frequently had to tell. It hurt her deeply to reinforce Chuck's feeling that he was 'crazy'. "Honey, we've been over this so many times. Sarah isn't outside. She's not in a cab or a restaurant or a hotel. Sarah Walker doesn't exist. I really thought you were getting back to normal."

"But I was carrying the food and she came out of nowhere. She called my name," he said, trailing off towards the end, not sure what to believe.

Ellie was about to contradict him when she heard a commotion at the front door. She nearly fell over when the head of blond hair entered her home. Not knowing what was going on, but realizing that it couldn't be good, Ellie moved Chuck behind her.

"I told you," Chuck childishly muttered.

Ellie whipped her head around to look him in the eyes. Her gaze was full of anger, sorrow, and fear. "Go to your room now. Lock the door," she ordered.

By that time, Sarah had made her way to the pair. She heard Ellie's command. It hurt that they were both so scared of her presence, but she shouldn't have expected anything different. At that point in time, Sarah regretted not making contact with Ellie before confronting Chuck. The taller woman looked murderous.

"Don't go Chuck. We need to talk," Sarah pleaded.

"Go Chuck," Ellie reiterated.

Chuck was torn. He looked back and forth between the two woman. One was his fiercely loyal sister. The other was a woman purported to be a figment of his imagination. Her presence caused all types of knots in his stomach. His head hurt from trying to put the proverbial pieces together.

"Now!" Ellie screamed, breaking him out of his reverie.

With one last glance toward the enigmatic special agent, Chuck scampered into his room. Ellie was his sister. Chuck knew that she always had his best interests at heart. Sarah moved to follow him, but Ellie blocked her path. The blond gave an exasperated sigh.

"I need to talk to him Ellie. Time is of the essence. You don't understand," Sarah said, trying to sway the doctor to her side.

"I think I understand quite clearly. You and your agency want to swoop into his life again and use him. I'm not going to let that happen," Ellie said, moving backwards, towards the island. Never losing sight of Sarah, she reached behind her body and clasped the chopping knife between her fingers. Like some cheesy scene out of a B rate horror movie, Ellie brought the instrument of death forward. Surprise and then amusement flittered through Sarah's eyes.

"Put the knife down Ellie. You're not going to hurt me and I don't want to hurt you or Chuck," Sarah volunteered, trying to diffuse the situation.

"The Ellie you knew years ago wouldn't have, but things have changed. You changed us for the worse. There are so many things I want to do to you," Ellie said, seeming to slightly lose her grip on reality.

Sarah was tired. She was tired of feeling guilty about her decisions to save Chuck. She was tired of Ellie Bartowski hating her. For years, she felt the woman's hate radiating across the continent to her little home in the suburbs of D.C.

"I tried to save him. It's not standard procedure, but we often use mental facilities to reintroduce sensitive assets safely into society," Sarah defended.

Ellie was having none of Sarah's nonsense, replying " Because that makes it better?"

"He's still alive isn't he," Sarah stated, incredulously.

"And what a life he has. He's still living with his sister at thirty years old because of his continual breakdowns and panic attacks. We had to leave L.A., leave his friends because they too had memories of you. He can't even interact with the public. BuyMore has relegated him to the storage room. They're very close to firing him. He's an emotional wreak," Ellie said, getting more animated as her rant continued. The knife caught light radiating from the ceiling fixture. The reflection triggered something strange inside of Sarah.

"The alternative was death. Would that have been better." Sarah countered, moving closer to Ellie. Confused, Ellie just stood still. Sarah had a crazed look on her face. She stopped inches from Chuck's sister. Grabbing the woman's wrist, Sarah thrust the knife towards her stomach. She stopped it just before it could do damage, looking at Ellie intently.

"If his death would have been better, I want you to do it. Stab me. Kill me, because I did the hardest thing I've ever had to do and it was all for naught. I don't want to live like that," she said, pushing the knife harder against her body. She felt it break through her clothing and pierce her skin, but the agent didn't care. She had never been afraid of death, not when there was nothing in life to hold on to.

A jolt passed through Ellie's body at the thought. She had been ready to kill when Sarah walked into the house, but seeing the woman's pained eyes did something to her resolve. Ellie realized that Sarah truly didn't understand the consequences of her actions. "It is when you're told that the love of your life never existed," Ellie replied, hoping to finally reach the stubborn agent.

Her tactic worked. Sarah visibly recoiled, leaning back against the wall. Her face went pale. Ellie deflated at the younger woman's reaction. She lowered the knife to her side. Her adrenaline was suddenly gone. She felt like she could sleep for one hundred years.

Sensing that Sarah was speechless, Ellie continued, "He saw you everywhere, at least he thought he did. I can't tell you how many times I had to apologize for him, like he was some kind of invalid. He got well enough for the doctors at the hospital to release him, but he never really recovered."

Sarah shook her head. "I had no idea. I thought he would be ok."

"You thought a termination order was the worst thing that could happen to him. I get it, but that's the problem with you people. You only see the outside, the immediate results. You decided too quickly," Ellie said.

"It all happened very quickly," Sarah reasoned. There hadn't been much time at all for her to formulate a plan. Casey had always been an efficient assassin.

Ellie decided to take a small bit of pity on the conflicted person before her, saying, "Look, I'd never really wish for my brother's death. It's just that I wouldn't wish the life he has now on anyone, not even you and I really don't like you at this point in time."

Sarah opened her mouth to respond, but never go the chance. A crashing sound erupted inside of the house. Both woman looked at each other in a panic and rushed to Chuck's room. Ellie got there first, throwing the door open. Chuck was kneeling over a tray of split pills. Ellie put a comforting hand on his shoulder, bending down to help him clean the mess. Sarah stood stunned, in the doorway. Chuck's room was nothing like the Los Angeles one in which she had spent so many moments. It was barren. There were no posters or pictures on the walls. The space was simply filled with a bed and two tables. She couldn't even spot one of those fancy three centimeter laptops. It wasn't the room of the Chuck she had known.

The spy's shock was interrupted by Ellie's voice. She was trying to calm Chuck, who was visibly distraught over the spilt medicine. Sarah had a feeling it had more to do with her reappearance, but she'd given herself enough of a mental beating for the day. Ellie gathered Chuck to his feet. The pair reluctantly faced Sarah.

"Let's go in the living room to talk," Ellie suggested.

Sarah nodded her affirmation, moving to the side so the siblings could lead the way. They each took seats in an armchair. Sarah was left with the leather sofa opposite of them. She got the distinct feeling she had just entered an interrogation room. Two sets of brown eyes stared at her intently. Chuck appeared to be drinking her in, while Ellie had regained most of her lost anger. The group continued to sit in heavy silence. Surprisingly, Chuck spoke first.

"What in the world is going on? Why was I committed? Where have you been and why are you here now," he blurted.

Sarah looked to Ellie, who indicated it was her duty to explain the predicament. She absently ran a hand through her hair, buying time to gather her thoughts. "The NSA and several other Intersect related agencies wanted you terminated. They thought the mere knowledge of the Intersect's existence was too much," she explained.

Chuck gave no reaction.

Sarah persevered, saying, "I needed a way to get them off the scent. The CIA has a program where we are able to get certain agents and assets back into the real world. That program encompasses just about everything you experienced in Gateways. Once we are assured that they think their time with us was imagined, they assimilate back into society."

"And the NSA just let you do this," Chuck asked, disbelievingly.

Sarah smiled slightly inside. She always found Chuck's ignorance to the way government worked endearing. For his part, Chuck was aghast. He had just been told that things generally considered inhumane and un-American were regularly performed on citizens.

"The CIA is still the top dog of world intelligence. I was able to sway Director Graham and he pulled the reins on General Beckman," Sarah answered.

"That still doesn't explain what you're doing here. You promised to never come back, that the CIA would never come back for him," Ellie interjected.

Chuck's head pivoted toward his sister, as if comprehending something for the first time. He was going to broach that something in the form of a question, but Sarah drew his attention away from the other Bartowski.

"I was assured that was the case, but something has gone seriously wrong. The computer that replaced Chuck has failed to assimilate a very important pack of information. Indicators from our other branches tell us that there is something big going on, but it's generally the Intersect's job to put everything together," she explained, hoping the direness of the situation was evident.

Chuck was still unsure. "So you want me back?"

Sarah leaned forward, placing her elbows on her thighs. "We need to get you to Washington. No one has ever tested higher than you at data conclusion or any field for that matter. We need to get the information inside your head so you can tell us what it means. Many lives could be at stake."

"Hasn't he suffered enough," Ellie asked.

Sarah sat upright once more. Ellie's opinion would be important, but the agent wasn't quite sure whether it would be a deal breaker. The sister could tell that Sarah was manipulating Chuck. Her brother always had a penchant for forgiveness and giving.

"Of course, but this isn't my idea. They would have just pulled him off the street, if I hadn't come. There is no one else who can do it, at least not that we know of," Sarah said.

"How long? Is this a one time thing or indefinite," Chuck wondered.

Sarah rose from the sofa. She took a few steps and held out her hand to Chuck. He questioned her with his eyes. Ellie huffed a loud sigh of discontent. "I honestly don't know Chuck. I think the better question is whether or not you're again willing to put yourself in my hands."