With a slightly painful groan Ellie opened her eyes. Her head was still pounding, and she had to fight back the distinct feeling of wanting to throw up. As a doctor she knew she probably had a concussion, she just wasn't sure what had caused it, but judging by the room she was in, she knew it wasn't something innocent or an accident.

The room was dark, and the little part of it she could make out because of the sparse bits of light that came through the cracks that surrounded the only door in the room, was mostly concrete. There didn't seem to be anything on the walls other than the occasional spider that seemed to run across it. She could also feel the metal of the chair she was on, along with the painful and cold sensation of the handcuffs they had used to make sure she would stay in place. The room itself wasn't much warmer than the chair or the handcuffs, which made her suspect that it was some old warehouse of sorts.

Slowly as she tried to remember what had happened the reality of the situation started to set in. She still wasn't entirely sure what had happened, all she remembered was a weird man standing against the car next to hers, and the next thing she remembered was waking up with a pounding headache in a strange room. It frightened her to no end, mostly because she had no idea what these people wanted from her. She had nothing to offer them, she had only just paid of her college loans, she usually heard on the news that men like these went after people with money, so what could they possibly want from her? What if she couldn't offer them what they wanted? That would probably mean she'd die. Then what would happen to her brother or her husband? Would they even ever find out what would happen to her? Had one of them already alerted the authorities, or were they now in the same danger? And what on earth were they going to do to her to get what they wanted? Would they resort to torture?

There were just too many questions running through her mind and she seemed unable to find any answers. The more she tried, the bigger her headache grew, and the more frightened she'd become. She had always been the girl that found solace in solving puzzles, and having the answers, it was what had gotten her to the point she had reached, but now it played a huge part in freaking her out. Now it almost seemed it was working against her.

Taking a deep breath she tried to find at least a little calm, knowing she needed to be as relaxed an clear of mind as she could possibly be if she wanted to get out of this situation alive. If she ever wanted to fulfill her lifelong dreams of having a family, and seeing her brother carve out the happiness he deserved, she needed to stay strong and fight for her survival. If she only knew what they wanted, then perhaps she could think of a way out.

Continuing to struggle to remain calm, she closed her eyes, as she continued to try and regulate her breathing. Constantly taking a deep breath in, before exhaling slowly. With her eyes now closed, she tried to picture the people that meant the most to her, her husband, her brother, and even her father and Morgan. They all came by, and they all were part of some peaceful happy memory. They all were something to hold on to, something worth fighting for. They were her inner strength.

Finally finding just a hint of peace, or at least more than she had shortly after she had opened her eyes for the first time in what she could only describe as her prison, she could hear the rhythmic sound of someone walking towards the door. She couldn't help the fear that took hold of her, the feeling tightening around her chest, causing her to almost shake lightly. Making it somewhat harder to breath, and increasing the desire to throw up. At least, she told herself to find some strength, she would finally find out why she was here.

X-X-X-X-X

The loud rhythmic thumping of leather colliding with leather was echoing through the still mostly impersonal apartment, while sweat was glistening off the young blonde agent's body. Her breathing was slightly heavier and had even turned slightly irregular, from the work out that she had been practically doing for the last hour. Trying to put her mind at ease, trying to find some answers somewhere, and end the confusion, ultimately trying to let the thoughts fade into the background even if it was for just a little while.

Her mind had just been all over the place ever since Shaw had dropped the bomb on her. It had been like someone had pulled the rug out from underneath her. The CIA had been her constant since her senior year, and now she learned that in a lot of ways they had betrayed her. She had just always believed that somehow they would have her best interest at heart as well as that of the country, that the CIA had saved her, but now it seemed like she had always been manipulated.

She wondered what else they had manipulated her with? What if it had all been a lie since day one? What if her Dad had not been in danger and Graham had just sought her out as his next star pupil? There was after all no substitute in any field to a life long training, and in a lot of ways what she was doing now, was no different than what she had been doing since her Mother had left them. For a man with a keen eye like Graham, the possibilities must have seemed endless, and that was what he projected on her. All the things that he had made her do, all the things that he had told her, it couldn't have all been a lie, could it? How could she really trust anyone in the CIA anymore? How could she ever continue to work on for a person like Beckman, or with someone like Shaw?

Furiously she lashed out again at the bag, crying out while thrusting her fist against it. The bag swayed heavily as her fist collided with it, but unlike before everything had happened, she did not feel better. There was just so much going through her head, and it seemed like she was now completely without a centre in her life, she just couldn't find any peace. In fact she had not found peace since she had left Burbank. She had not found peace since he had left Burbank.

Resigning in the fact that the bag was not the escape she had desired it would be, she stepped away from it, and moved towards the bed. In frustration she let herself fall face first on the covers, letting out a frustrated groan in the process. She could feel the covers slowly absorbing the sweat that had still been glistening on the bare parts of her skin, as her thoughts continued to race.

She was desperate to know how far the manipulation had gone, and how long it had been. But she knew Beckman would never give her the answers she desired, and she wondered why on earth Shaw had even told her this much. It was almost like he wanted her to distrust her superiors, it was almost like he wanted her to be isolated completely. But it didn't make any sense, unless it was somehow connected to him being absent for most of the last few days. Was he somehow involved with something sinister? Surely he couldn't have been turned to The Ring, after all she knew why he had such hatred for them, and she just couldn't imagine that changing.

The most painful thing Shaw had said would probably have been the truth about her changing and abandoning Chuck, but why had she not seen that herself? Had she really just been manipulated in thinking that Chuck was changing, while no one else could really see that? Was it just all a ploy for them both to become isolated, so that they both could become the weapons the government desired?

The truth was, with everything she had been told, she was now even starting to doubt that Chuck had actually changed all that much. Yes he seemed different, and he was definitely more competent and capable as a spy, but that was not necessarily a bad thing. But had he really been capable of killing someone? She knew from the meetings that he still didn't care much for bullets, to such an extent even Mitchells had noticed, could he then really have killed the mole? After all she had been so different after the night of her red test. Had he really enjoyed all the lying? Or was it just her pain, and the constant reminding that Casey and Shaw gave her about his changing, or progress as they called it, that made her believe it? Had Casey been in on it as well? Had she perhaps made a mistake in who, or what to trust?

Still frustrated she tossed herself on her back, running her hand through her long golden locks as she stared at the ceiling. She wanted, or better yet, she needed answers, but she also needed to talk to Chuck. At the very least he deserved to know how they had gotten to this point, at the very least he needed to know who he was working for and how they perceived him. She just wasn't sure that he'd talk to her, so she wanted to talk to Ellie first. She knew that Ellie would not be more willing to talk to her, but she also knew that Ellie would love the chance to yell at her for hurting Chuck. So she'd be the best bet to get Chuck to talk to her about something more than just a mission. She just wasn't sure if he'd hang up before she could start talking to him.

Quickly she hoisted herself off the bed, walking to a small table which mostly served as a place to just throw things she just needed to discard things on. It wasn't the first time in the last four hours she had tried to call the female doctor that had meant so much to her, but somehow she had never accepted the call. If somehow she would get no response again, she'd just have to take her chances with Chuck himself.

Moving her lean fingers across the touch screen with ease, she quickly found the number she needed. Taking a deep breath, she pressed on call, and started praying someone would pick up.

X-X-X-X-X

The sound of footsteps that she had been hearing was becoming louder, and she just couldn't help the fear and panic that ran through her veins. It was almost becoming hard to breath, as she heard the person outside stop walking, and now slowly pushing something to the side. With a loud grinding noise, and an even louder bang, the what she assumed was a metal bolt moved aside, allowing the other person to push open the large metal door. It was cracking all the way.

Blinded by the sudden flash of light that sprang into the room, she quickly closed her eyes. The light causing her eyes, and head to hurt even more than it was already doing. After a few seconds, she carefully tried to open her eyes, and between her blinking she could make out the large frame of what seemed to be a raven haired man. Because of his position with the only source of light in his back it was nearly impossible to make out his face, but she could feel his gaze going over her.

After another few seconds, the man made his way towards her, and she was surprised by what she saw. She had seen this man before, in fact she recognized him as what she assumed was her brother's ex-girlfriends new flame. She had seen them one day in the Orange Orange together, when she had gone there to discuss something with the woman she had once hoped would become her sister-in-law. But seeing she was involved with such a man, was shocking to her. Sarah had always seemed so innocent, yes there was something mysterious about her, but she had never guessed it would be something like this. It just seemed so weird to think that Sarah would be involved with something like this. It just seemed more than likely that she had ran into the wrong guy, but what if she really was part of this? Had Chuck been sucked into such activities as well? Was that why things had always been so weird between them?

She could see him smirk at her, as he sat himself down on the small metal table she had somehow failed to notice before. Looking into his eyes, she could see something dark and sinister in them. As if he was a man with no more hope, that was now just out to do people harm as much as he could. It was a different thing than she had seen that one time at the Orange Orange.

She had been expecting him to speak, to make his demands, or ask his questions, like they always did in the movies, but he just kept looking at her while keeping his dark eyes locked on her in a gaze. Despite wanting to defy him, her urge to know more won over, and she opened her mouth to speak.

"Who… who are you?" She managed to croak out, her voice thick with the fear she was feeling. She tried to steady herself just a little upon hearing her own voice.

Shaw's smirk grew wider, as he remained silent, reaching into the pocket of his jeans, taking out an oddly familiar mobile phone, and a piece of paper. He placed both objects on the small table.

"What do you want from me?" Ellie asked, now having a slightly stronger voice, though panic was still audible in it.

But again he refused to answer, in stead his attention was drawn to the objects that he had placed on the small table, as the phone started vibrating, while the screen lit up, and the ring tone that belonged to Sarah's number started going.

"Ah, just in time." The man spoke out, with devious amusement in his voice.

Taking the piece of paper from the table, he placed it in her hand.

"As soon as I accept the call read what's on there." He said forcefully. All she could do was nod.

"Good."

He took the phone, and placed it at her ear, as he pressed the accept button. But unlike what the man had probably wanted, she stayed silent. She had wanted to read what was on the paper but the words were stuck in her mouth.

"Ellie? Ellie are you there?" She heard the voice of a familiar blonde speak from the other side of the phone, her voice filled with concern.

Ellie could feel something hard and cold suddenly pressed against her neck, so she started reading what was on the note, her voice shakily, and thick with emotion.

"Sarah, I… I don't know who they are, but they somehow took me hostage, they… they want you to bring them the… the intersect, or else his sister will die." She started, as she could hear the person on the other side of the line gasp slightly. "They… they claim they will find out if you tell anyone else, because they have people working close to both you and the intersect. If… if you do, they will not just kill the sister, but anyone else both you and the intersect care about. You have… five days." She finished her voice barely holding itself.

Before the blonde could answer, she raven haired man pulled away the phone and ended the call. Moving from behind her, back to face her, he flashed her a devious grin.

"Well done, Doctor Woodcombe." He said, as he pulled the piece of paper out of her hands, and then proceeded to smash her phone in front of her. "Wouldn't want them to track you, would you?" He said amused, as she looked at him with fearful eyes.

Without saying another word, he turned around and started moving towards the door, but before he could reach it she yelled after him.

"Wait, who are you? And what the hell do you want from me?" She yelled out in despair, towards his retreating form.

He just laughed, as he marched on, closing the metal door again as he left the room. She could hear the bolt lock move back into place as the darkness surrounded her again, while she dropped her head. While the footsteps were now removing themselves from her, she couldn't hold it together any longer, and she started sobbing silently.

X-X-X-X-X

It was a nice cool, and sunny Italian morning, as Chuck had noticed when he had gone out for a run with Casey. It had been part of his training for a while now, and although he had hated the idea of running for a long time, he was finally starting to enjoy it just a little. Granted it wasn't something he enjoyed half as much as he did when it came to his video games, but at least he didn't hate it anymore. Of course being able to run through the Italian country was a huge plus, and helped in the overall enjoyment.

Despite the fact that he had been starting to enjoy it slightly more he had been glad when they arrived home. His muscles still sore and tired from the training they had been doing over the last period, and in desperate need of some nurturing and relaxation. Taking a shower he had finally felt the tension leave his body slightly. After the shower he had wished to take a quick nap, but Casey would have probably come up to kick him out of the bed, so now he was sitting at the table in the garden.

The team was gathered around the medium sized oak table, to eat breakfast. It had become a ritual for the team to enjoy their meals together, as Casey had insisted it increased team spirit and moral. Chuck and Kayla didn't have much problems with it, but Morgan had sometimes complained about the hour, which mean he usually was the last one downstairs, today had been no different. It meant that the team was stuck with eating cereal now, as Morgan was seemingly the only one that could really cook anything. Apparently cooking wasn't something that they taught at the Farm.

He carefully took his eyes away from the bowl of cereal and threw a quick glance to the other side of the table, where Morgan and Kayla were apparently discussing some of the movies Morgan enjoyed watching, to his surprise Kayla had even seen some of the movies, and seemed to enjoy talking to the short bearded man. They both had a soft smile on their face, as they seemed to enjoy the flow of their conversation.

Looking over to the Major he could see he was in his usual morning ritual. Reading a whole bunch of newspapers, while drinking his blacker than black coffee. It was exactly this, that had Chuck wondering about why they were even here, the older man wasn't even participating in any conversations. He would have much rather been in bed right now. Though if he had gotten back to bed, he would probably have never got up again. He cursed the Major for coming up with the rigid training regime, even though he had agreed to it before.

The training though wasn't the most important thing on his mind, as he took another sip off his juice, before placing the glass back next to his bowl, all the while still holding on to his spoon, that was still placed inside the bowl. What was on his mind though, was the mission they had been on the night before. It had been an easy mission, and it seemed to have gotten them an in, into Borelli's organization. However he couldn't help but worry about his cover being compromised. He knew they were playing a high stake game, and this was a high risk gamble. One bad phone call and they would be in a world of problems, and with that a world of hurt.

Carefully chewing on another spoonful of cereal, he thought back to the concerns he had the night before when it had taken so long. It had been too much of a risk to go in as Carmichael, he knew that, and he cursed himself for it. He should have demanded a different cover from Beckman before going on this mission. His name was known in The Ring, he couldn't deny that. The uncomfortable feeling caused him to swallow his cereal down with some difficulty, as Morgan called out to him.

"Chuck?" He heard the short man say questioningly.

"Sorry buddy, zoned out a little there. You were saying?" He asked sheepishly.

"Kayla and I were thinking of going into the city today, since we have nothing planned. We were thinking that perhaps you wanted to tag along?" Morgan asked, giving his friend a small smile.

"Yeah sure, that sounds good." He stated returning the smile.

"What about you Casey?" The bearded one asked the experienced agent, with a hint of nerves in his voice.

"Not on your life moron, unless something happens I'm spending my day cleaning my guns." Casey stated gruffly. Causing Morgan to look at him incredulously.

"Come on why not?"

"Cause unlike what you might think moron, I'm not here on a vacation." He stated glaring at the shorter man.

"Come on Casey, there is nothing wrong with enjoying some down time. You don't seriously want to spent this whole assignment just going on missions and cleaning your guns do you?" Kayla chimed in, sounding slightly amused.

"Yeah Case, and I suppose watching the same Reagan documentary for the millionth time should bore you just a little." Chuck put in his own five cents.

The Major glared at them, and let out an inaudible growl, before returning to his newspapers. Causing the other three members of the team to laugh. Chuck was just about to re-engage in the conversation with Kayla and Morgan, when he felt his phone vibrate in his jeans pockets. Pulling it out he could see he had a message from Sarah, causing his eyebrow to arch. Opening the message, what he saw made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Go to our agreed personal emergency protocol…

She was requesting him to call her on their last line of communication, a burn phone, only she, Chuck, and Casey knew the existence and the number off. It was to only be used at times when even their last lines off communication could possibly be compromised. It was something they had agreed upon years before, very early on in their co-operation, when it had seemed his involvement with the CIA would last a lot longer than either party had hoped.

Knowing that time was off the essence, he quickly excused himself, and started to dash off to his room. Causing the other people at the table to look at him with surprise. He didn't care, as he practically ran up the long winded stairs, his muscles screaming at the renewed effort. It only took him a minute to reach his room, that he had gotten quite accustomed to over the short time he had been in Italy.

Not wasting any time, he threw open his closet, and threw some stuff to the side, looking for the briefcase that contained his cover identities, several currencies, and the now much needed burn phone. Finding the small handle that was in the floor, he pulled aside part of the floor, and pulled out the small briefcase. He entered the code, and clicked it open, immediately moving his hand to take out the phone. Without giving it a second thought, he pressed speed dial one. It didn't take her more than a second to pick up.

"Chuck secure." He said with a tense voice.

"Walker secure" She replied with a voice filled with concern and emotion.

Taken a back by the unusual amount of emotion in her voice, his own worries grew.

"What's going on Sarah?" He said with his voice growing more tense every second.

"Chuck I…" She started, taking a deep breath before continuing. "They took Ellie, Chuck." She finished her voice sounding unlike Chuck had ever heard before.

"Oh My God." He replied, his heart filled with worry and concern. Panic and fear rushing through his body, as the news started to sink in. "Who? What happened?" He managed to stammer out. Fighting to prevent his knees from buckling, while blinking his eyes in order to fight back the tears.

"I… I don't know. I'm so sorry Chuck. The Ring must have figured out who you are. Someone must have sold us out." She said remorsefully.

"God Sarah, what are we going to do?" He brought out his voice cracking.

"We are going to find her Chuck, and when we do we are going to destroy whoever did this. Meet me in San Diego, take the next flight. We'll rent a car to get to Burbank. Use the last passport that had us…" She said letting her voice drawl out. But he knew she was referring to the last passport that had their cover as married. "it should still be clean. Don't trust anyone Chuck, we have no idea who sold us out, but they have people watching us. If they find out you told anyone they are going to kill Ellie.." She finished, and at the tone in her voice he could hear the agent in her had taken over.

"Okay Sarah. God I'm so scared." He croaked out, a small tear escaping his eye.

"I know Chuck, we are going to get through this and save her Chuck, I promise. Remember ditch everything they can use to track you. I'll see you there." With that she ended the connection.

Quickly he turned back to his closet, as he pulled out his suitcase. He immediately started throwing in pieces of clothing, not even processing what passed through his hands. All he could think about was his sister being in the hands of the Ring. All he could think about was that it was somehow his fault that she was now in this situation. If he hadn't downloaded the new intersect none of this would have happened and his sister would just be at home with Devon. Now though she was in danger, something she had always tried to keep him out of, something that had always been their goal to keep her out of ever since Bryce sent him the intersect. He couldn't help but feel guilt and fear because of this situation, causing a few tears to escape his eyes, as he threw his passport in his suitcase. Now going by the name of Dean Rogers, married to Lisa Rogers, he slammed the suitcase shut.

Taking a deep breath, before turning to leave, he was surprised to see Casey standing there, leaning against the doorway, looking at him intently.

"What's going on Chuck?" The experienced agent asked with a low voice.

"Look John, I want to tell you, but I can't." He replied apologetically, while trying to make his way out of the room, but the experienced agent moved in the way. "Damn it Casey, I don't have time for this." He said annoyed.

"I'm going to ask you again Carmichael, What Is Going On?" He said with a dangerous tone as he glared at the young agent.

"Nothing, now let me past."

"Not on your life moron."

Chuck glared at him for a second. He knew Sarah had told him not to tell anyone, and he knew that was probably because of her not trusting people around the team. But he figured that telling Casey wouldn't be the worst thing possible. So instead of continuing arguing, he motioned the NSA agent to follow him into the room, and close the door, while he himself took a seat on his bed.

"The Ring found out my identity, they took Ellie." He said, still not able to talk about it without the fear of the situation being in his voice.

He could see the Major's eyes widen. "And you just thought let's go in and rescue her alone? Or are you going to give yourself up? You do realize that they will kill you both if you do right?" Casey said gruffly.

"I know that Casey. I'm meeting up with Walker."

"And you were just going to leave me out of it? Damn it Chuck, we're supposed to be partners, and this definitely goes into the you need your partner category." Casey exclaimed as he started pacing the room.

"I know John. It's just… they are going to kill her if they find out I told anyone. I need you here to cover for us Casey." He said looking at the other man with soft pleading eyes.

He could see the Major looking at him questioningly.

"There are only a handful of people that know who I am Casey. So unless they somehow found Jill, it has to be Beckman or Shaw. Either that or Morgan spilled the beans against Kayla."

Casey looked at him for a second before speaking. "You don't really think that you and Walker can just walk into a highly secured Ring facility do you?"

Chuck shook his head sadly. "No I don't. But I don't see another way John. Unless… Well there is one thing I can do."

"You're not going to tell me, are you Bartowski?"

"Not yet. But I'll stay in touch. Just cover for me here." He said moving from the bed to the door.

"Fine." Casey huffed. "Just be careful Chuck."

As Chuck opened the door, he looked back and nodded towards the Agent that had been a mentor to him, and with that he left.

X-X-X-X-X

Kayla was enjoying herself as she was walking through Rome with Morgan at her side, both enjoying themselves in the comfortable silence between them. She had not had a chance yet to really go into the city up until now, even during their down time she had not been given the chance to really go out yet, with all the training they had been doing, and the paper work she still had to do from her previous assignment. But now she finally had the chance, and it just gave her another reason to enjoy this assignment a little more. After all she had to admit that this city was something else.

They weren't even consciously doing any sightseeing, they were just strolling around, not really making any plans of where to go, and what to see, but still they had already passed several historic landmarks. Right now though they were on the look out for a small café to just sit down for a little while. Perhaps they could even eat some ice cream, she had always loved the Italian ice cream, ever since her parents had taken her there in her childhood. She would always remember those summers.

Now though she was there with her team. Well technically it wasn't her team, it was Carmichael's but still she was part of it, and she was really enjoying it. She hadn't been ordered yet to do any of the aspects of the job she had hated so much, like seduction missions or red ops. She had been grateful for Chuck's attitude towards those, just like it unsettled her just a little. The man was such an enigma, and there were so many secrets, about his name, his history, the reason he was recruited, what his major skill set was, and now he seemed to have disappeared on them. Not even Morgan had known where he had gone.

It was like the man had a double layer, it was like he was two people in one. On the one side he seemed like the loveable nerd, while in other moments he seemed this mysterious super agents, who did things his own way. Though what she had seen so far, he was successful, there was no use in denying that. He had easily convinced Borelli that he was a legitimate business partner, the eagerness of the Italian to get him on board had been enough showcase of that fact itself. But the secrets unnerved her. It almost made her question the man's integrity.

She glanced to her side, and she could see Morgan was taking in his surroundings with a light in his eyes. It was something else that unsettled her just a little, Morgan's attitude was so different to anything she had seen before, and his interest were definitely something other then what she usually encountered in this world. It just made her feel a little off, something she couldn't really explain.

As they turned another corner to walk in a small, but reasonable crowded street in the center of the city, she could see his eyes rest on something, and immediately she let her eyes follow suit. It was a beautiful little gelateria, with a beautiful setting of flowers in the nations colors spread out on the different tables, and along the edge of the terrace.

"Looks perfect doesn't it?" Morgan said, looking at her with his innocent almost naïve eyes.

"Definitely." She said while locking eyes with him for just a second, before they started walking towards it. "How did you even know about this place?"

"Well remember when I went out for a while couple of days ago, when you guys were all busy doing paperwork?"

"Yeah."

"Well I just love finding great places to eat, so I asked around a little, and some old Italian lady told me about this place. And I have to say, the ice cream they got here is really good." He said smiling softly at her.

"That sounds great Morg." She replied, as they took a seat at one of the tables.

It didn't take long before the young Italian waiter called Pietro came by to take their orders. Kayla ordered a combination of Chocolate, hazelnut, and nougat, while the short bearded man picked Chocolate, strawberry, and banana. Before they even had time to really get settled back in a comfortable conversation, the waiter came back with their orders. Without thinking even for just a second Kayla scooped some into her mouth. She was surprised by the taste of it.

"Wow Morg, this is just amazing." She said as the last remnants of the small scoop were melting on her tongue.

Morgan nodded at her with a smile. "I know. I was shocked to when I first tasted this."

"So this is why you didn't want any dinner?" She said with a small grin.

"I might have taken seconds, and thirds." He said with a slight shrug, causing her to laugh a little.

"You do realize that because of that, we had to eat Casey's cooking right?" She said still amused.

"Oh yeah I do. All the more reason to fill up on this delicious ice cream."

She shook her head a little in disbelief.

"You know Morg, I'm actually happy that neither Casey or Chuck tagged along with us today." She said smiling at him. Her remark seemed to take him a back a little.

"Yeah me too." He brought out as he seemed to recover.

They settled back into a comfortable conversation, as they ate their ice cream. Kayla couldn't help but be surprised at how easily she talked to Morgan, but she would be lying if she said she didn't like it. Suddenly though, her attention was diverted from the short man that was sitting in front of her as her phone started ringing. Glancing at the screen she saw that it was one of their superiors Special Agent Shaw.

"I'm sorry Morgan, but I have to take this." She said apologetically, as she got up from the table, and distanced herself just a little, accepting the call in the process. While Morgan just nodded at her in acknowledgement.

"Mitchells secure but in public." She stated in a professional voice.

"Shaw secure." She heard from the other side.

"Listen Mitchells we just got word, it seems like Carmichael and Walker have gone rogue." Shaw stated with a low voice.

"Wait, what? You are kidding." She said with disbelief in her voice. She couldn't believe it, had she been wrong about him? Had she judged him wrongly because of the innocence of his eyes? The same innocence she could see in those of Morgan, even if Carmichael's had seen more pain.

"I don't joke about these things Mitchells. Do you even have any idea where he is?" He asked.

"No actually, we had trouble finding him earlier." She answered hesitantly. An uncomfortable feeling now gripping around her stomach.

"Listen Mitchells, keep an eye on the rest of the team, they've been working together for a while now, they might be in on it. If you learn anything at all, contact me." He stated before he ended the connection.

She stared at her phone in disbelief. She just couldn't believe what he had just told her. How could this great Agent go rogue all of a sudden? Though it did answer all the secrecy, she had just hoped it had to do with his past, and the lack of trust towards her, but now he was some rogue Agent possibly even working for the Ring, that was something else. Who else was in on this? Could Casey and Morgan be in on it too or was it just Chuck and Walker? Looking over at Morgan who gave her a small smile, she couldn't help but think that things had just gotten a lot more complicated.

X-X-X-X-X

Sarah was fidgeting a little with the seam of her cotton jacket, as she was sitting on a small bench at the San Diego airport. She had already been in the city for hours, and had used some of the time to rent a car for the two of them to get into the Burbank area. But now she had settled herself on the uncomfortable plastic bench in the arrival terminal for flights coming in from Europe. She knew it wouldn't be long for him to arrive and it made her a little nervous.

She knew that right now Ellie had to be her focus. And in truth she had been utterly shocked, and had even experienced some fear and panic at first when she had heard that the young doctor had been taken, but slowly the Agent inside of her had taken over. Yeah she definitely was still worried about the woman she had long regarded as pretty much a close friend, or at least as close as she has ever had, and perhaps even a little as a sister, but she also knew that for now The Ring needed her alive. They'd lose their bargaining chip if they didn't.

The Agent inside of her had already scolded her for what she was doing. The right thing to do from a professional perspective would have been to take Chuck into a CIA secure facility, while they tried to find whoever leaked the information. Though if she was honest she could only think of one person that would be capable of it. She just couldn't imagine him doing that, even with all the weird behavior he had been showing. But as much as she should have put Chuck in some secure facility she knew that would have been a death warrant for Ellie, and she knew that both of the Bartowski siblings deserved more loyalty from her. It was exactly that kind of reasoning why she should have never been compromised.

Looking around herself, she tried to see if there was any imminent danger. But all she could see were happy families, and people waiting for loved ones. None of the people that were in the terminal seemed to be Rogue operatives, which was a good thing because the nerves about seeing him again were making her on edge, and definitely not at the top of her game.

Nerves about seeing someone was a new thing for her, or at least it had been in this context. She had to admit he had always made her feel unsettled, but till this had all started, she had always been good at saying goodbye. There had never been any reason to look back. But she had to admit that she had missed him more than she could have imagined. After her first anger and confusion had subsided, she had to admit that she had missed him like crazy, that he had changed her, and had become her touchstone, but above all she had to admit that she still loved him, despite the fact that she had been determined to fight it after everything that had happened. But after her outburst against Beckman, she knew, she knew that no matter what her feelings for him would always exist. She just wasn't sure if they could fix this, they had both been hurt so badly by each other. There was now such a painful history there, was there a way for them to rebuilt the foundation of trust they had? And even if there was, would he even still want that? Either way, this could be their last chance.

She knew it was a little selfish but at a certain emotional level, she was glad this thing with Ellie had happened, as it at least forced her and Chuck to get together. It gave them a chance to talk things through, to at the very least go their separate ways on better terms. She was determined to at least get her side of things out, and get some answers from him as well. For now though, she had to at least try to focus on saving Ellie. She would have to help him through this situation.

Noticing that Chuck's flight had arrived she got up, and started looking around the arrival terminal. It didn't take her eyes long to locate a familiar looking lanky nerd, with curly brown hair. Resting her eyes on his face, she locked eyes with him for just a second. She could see that his eyes lacked the spark they usually had, that there were definite worry lines across his face. He definitely looked tired, and worried, as he started making her way towards her. Still she couldn't help the small smile that crossed her face, as she saw him again.

As he started approaching her, she could see him plaster a smile on his face. To most people it would seem like he was happy to see her, his alleged wife, but to her it was clear that the smile was as fake as a watch you buy in some dark alley. Still she started zoning out a little on his face, ignoring most of what happened around her. She quickly scolded herself for it, as her eyes darted across the terminal, but there still seemed no real danger around.

When her eyes returned to the object of her concern, he had was only a few more steps away from her. A gap he closed within moments, causing them to look at each other awkwardly for a second, with their eyes locked. Both seemingly unsure on what to say. She was about to say something, when he surprised her by leaning down, cupping her face in the process. Despite the shock of what was happening, she closed her eyes, and started moving towards him, placing her hands on his back. He only shortly brushed her lips very softly, as she almost started losing herself in the moment, feeling warmth, and a surge of electricity coursing through her body, she considered deepening the kiss, but before she could he pulled back and enveloped her in a hug. She felt warm and safe in his arms, despite the tenseness she could feel in his body, she momentarily forgot the confusion about what had just happened, and the fear and panic about the situation. Just for a moment everything seemed right until he spoke, "For the cover." He whispered in her ear, causing her to nod slowly against his chest, as some disappointment stabbed in her chest.

He started pulling out of the embrace, and reluctantly she followed his lead. Somehow it always felt so right to be in his arms, and despite everything that had happened it still did. She locked eyes with him one more time, and she could see in them that the moment had lightened them just a little.

"It's good to see you again." She said honestly.

"Yeah." He replied shortly. "So ready to go?" He asked her, with a fake smile on his face.

She gave him a small nod, as she moved her hand towards his, intertwining her fingers with his, as they made their way to the exit, while she occasionally looked around to make sure they weren't being watched.

It didn't take them long to reach the parking lot, where she dragged him along towards the blue sedan she had rented. It was a perfectly neutral car, and it would be inconspicuous in most settings, which meant it was perfect for what they needed in their current situation.

Moving towards the car, she released his hand, as she moved to get into to car. She took her seat behind the steering wheel, while Chuck took place in the passenger seat. Not wasting any time, she darted out of the parking lot. An uncomfortable silence settling in the car. There was so much they needed to talk about, but she wasn't sure how she could bring it up, especially not with the current situation.

They drove the first fifteen minutes in silence, while she occasionally glanced to her side, to see him staring outside of the window. Seemingly completely zoned out and deep in thought about what was going on. She wanted to reassure him just a little.

"You know Chuck, it's going to be all right. We are going to get her out of there." She said trying to convince the both of them.

He looked at her with doubt in his eyes. "How can you be so sure of that Sarah?" he asked with a voice deep with concern and doubt.

"Because I think together we can handle anything Chuck." She said looking at him trying to convey the double meaning.

He snickered a little. "You mean like we handled this last year?" He said with a cynical voice.

"Look Chuck I know we made a lot of mistakes this last year, and we have a lot to talk about, but I'm sorry for what happened." She said with a sincere voice, switching her eyes between the road and the man sitting next to her.

He looked at her incredulously, "What are you saying Agent Walker?"

"I'm saying I made a mistake okay?" She stated slightly annoyed by his changed tone. "Shaw and trusting him with that information, and actually that whole relationship was a mistake." She said now fixing her own eyes back on the road.

"Right." He said obviously not believing her.

"Look you can say what you want Chuck, but it isn't like you were perfect this last year, now were you?" She said with a definite edge on her voice, glaring at him for a second.

He sighed a little, running his hand through is hair. "I suppose you are right." He finally said with a soft voice, as the features on his face softened. "I know I hurt you and Hannah with that situation. It's definitely something I'm not proud off. Actually I'm really sorry for hurting you." He said his voice still soft, and a definite sincerity in it.

"Thank you." She said the edge nearly gone from her voice.

A new silence settled over the car as she returned her focus to the road. This time the silence was a little more comfortable. She knew that even though there was a lot more to discuss, this probably wouldn't be the best time. She definitely needed to talk to him again about his red test, and Prague, but for now at least some cold was out of the air and she was grateful for it. It was some sort of start. A big part of her hoped that the soft kiss they had shared was not for the cover, but was his way of seeing if there was still something there. It was something else to talk about. But for now her head needed to be back in the game.

They had just settled in to the silence, when Chuck decided to interrupt it once more.

"I tried to contact my dad." He admitted softly from the other side of the car.

"You did what?" She almost shouted. "I told you to keep this quiet." She said glaring at him.

"I know that. But we can't do this alone Sarah." He said with a soft voice, not letting himself get riled up by her tone.

She sighed. "I suppose you're right Chuck. Are you sure no one got wind of you contacting him?"

"Look, my dad came up with this system, so I'm pretty sure it's safe. Besides I had to do something, this is a Ring facility Ellie's at Sarah, there will be more than just one guard."

She slowly nodded her head, she knew he was right. "So when is your dad meeting with us?" She asked him.

"Don't know, I'm not even sure he got the message." He said with uncertainty in his voice, as he turned his gaze to what was happening outside the car.

"Why not?" She asked him incredulously it seemed odd that he claimed to contact his dad without knowing if he got the message.

"It's a bit of a primitive system okay. But he'll know how to contact me when he gets the message, we'll just have to wait and see."

Nodding once more, she returned her eyes to the road. They could definitely use Orion's help, she knew that. She hoped that he would get the message in time, because time was definitely of the essence if they wanted to do this right.

X-X-X-X-X

Stephen Bartowski just arrived at his private base in Encino. It was their old family home, one he had bought back in a way from when his family had sold the place years before, for what he assumed was the money they needed for college, though he could in no way or form rule out that they needed it for food. He certainly wasn't proud of the fact that he had abandoned them all those years before, but he also knew that it had been the right thing to do. It was either that or uproot them, and effectively ruin their lives even more than what he had done by leaving in this way. But even though he knew it had been the right thing to do, it didn't mean he didn't feel any guilt because of it.

Another thing that he felt guilty about was not telling his children, not even Chuck, the real and whole story of him leaving. He had pretended towards Ellie that he had just been incapable of handling things, while he had told his son only half of the truth. Neither of them had any idea of Hartley or why their mother left. They had every right to know, but he just wasn't sure how to tell them. Not to mention that Chuck would have never left the CIA if he had known about his mother, he would have definitely gone to look for her, he was certain of it. If he did, all the sacrifices would have been for nothing.

He was actually just coming home from a trip to Moscow, where he had discussed things with his wife. They always had to plan those trips carefully, making sure Hartley was out of town on his business. Making sure none of Volkoff's lieutenants was anywhere close to them, so they could have some time alone. They needed it, they only met every few months.

Throwing the pile of newspapers that had gathered on his porch while he was gone on the small kitchen table, he went to make himself some coffee. Whistling a small tune while working on it. Somehow he felt himself drawn to the newspapers. He wasn't sure why, but he had a distinct urge to go through the add section, the section his kids would use to contact him if they somehow needed him. It was the only thing of use that had come from his son's involvement with the CIA, that he finally had the chance to be there again for his kids when they needed him. That he finally had the chance to be some what of a father figure for them again, even if he was absent most of the time, at least now he could come to their aid.

Looking through the different newspapers starting back at the newspapers from two weeks earlier, he carefully went through each and every one of them. The first thirteen were all clean off any messages from his children, and he felt himself relax just a little. Now having a mug of coffee in his hand, he took a sip from it, as he picked up the last paper and opened it. Immediately flipping through the pages, till his eyes rested on the page he was looking for. It didn't take him long to find that his son had sent him a message, deciphering the code, the message unsettled him deeply, and angered him to no end.

Spy stuff, they took Ellie, call me…

Which was followed by an unknown number, which he guessed was some sort of burn phone. He couldn't help the anger and worry that came over him. Worry about the fate of his daughter, anger because of the stupidity of his son, how could he still be involved in this world? Now all the sacrifices their family had made to keep the two of them safe had been for nothing. Trying to settle his temper, he took out his phone, took a deep breath, and dialed the number.

X-X-X-X-X

Shaw had been having a good day so far. His plan seemed to fall into place every step he took. He just seemed in perfect control so far. Walker and The Intersect were now isolated, there were just a few more steps he had to take to complete his contingency plans. But for now he didn't seem to need it. However he would not let his revenge come down to chance. He was going to destroy Walker, regardless of his own survival she would not get out of this.

So far he had to admit he was having fun. He had never thought he would enjoy something so evil as this, even he had to admit that kidnapping an innocent civilian was more than evil, but if one civilian had to suffer for the sake of destroying the organization that had destroyed him, then so be it. Besides the fear in her eyes had somehow gave him some sort of enjoyment.

If he was honest with himself he hated the person he had become, but there just didn't seem to be a way back anymore. Something had snapped in him a long time ago. He had effectively become a remorseless person, but back then his anger had been aimed at a totally different group of people. Sadly the wrong group, but now, now he would focus them on a group he knew well enough to destroy in a lot less than the five years he had spent fighting The Ring. They would definitely regret that they had killed his wife, that they had killed his future.

Walking back inside after the walk he had just taken around the complex, always on a vigil look out for Walker, who he still considered a potential threat, he walked into the room that had become their common room. But right now he was there alone, while the other fifteen Ring agents were doing different job around the secure location. He wasn't sure yet if the fifteen would be enough, and he was considering calling in extra support. The question would be if he would get it, but with him presenting them with The Intersect could sway things in his favor.

Putting his feet on the table casually, he relaxed a little, closing his eyes just for a moment. But his moment of peace was rudely interrupted by his Ring phone going off.

"Shaw secure" He said gruffly.

"Borelli secure" He heard a man say with a thick Italian accent.

"I'm sorry to bother you Agent Shaw, but I have information pertaining The Intersect. The director told me to call you."

"Well out with it man." He said annoyed.

"I found someone that might be able to help you fix The Intersect. A man named Carmichael." The Italian stated with pride in his voice.

He couldn't belief what he was hearing. This man had worked with Carmichael in Rome? He scolded himself for not reading the last reports, but was more than happy with the new opportunity that was presented to him.

"Damn it man, Carmichael is CIA." He exclaimed.

"You can't be serious senor Shaw." The Italian said with disbelief.

"Trust me Borelli. Now if you manage to destroy his team, we might be able to reward you." He spoke with a sinister voice.

"I understand." He heard Borelli speak with a definite edge on his voice.

"Good, call me again when you have results." With that he ended the call.

"My day just keeps getting better and better." He muttered under his voice, as he once again closed his eyes to get some rest.