Author's Note: Okay, so it's been awhile since my last posting. Sorry, holiday craziness got in the way. And since I have a few more busy days ahead of me, I figured I'd make this update just a little bit longer. Just to remind you, this takes place way back in season three, somewhere between Chuck versus the Beard and Chuck versus the Tic Tac. Have at it guys! Thanks for sticking with the story! :)
Chuck Versus the Liability
Part Nine
The ride home was long, which made Casey's silence especially unnerving. They'd been stuck in traffic for an hour now and Sarah had expected some irritation from him or at least some grumbling about the mess of a mission they'd finally completed. Instead he just sat there in the passenger seat, staring at his phone. The only sound in the car was some broadcaster, speaking in hushed tones about an incoming storm.
It was weird to remember just how normal this civilian world was. These people worried about traffic and rain while she worried about guns and bombs and national security. She knew how much Chuck struggled to live in both of these worlds and how much that struggle had cost him today. For Ellie, it was even more cruel. She had been ripped right out of her happy, peaceful life and tossed straight into their horror show. And for that, Sarah felt incredibly guilty.
A sudden burst of music interrupted her thoughts as the weather report led into some bouncy new song. Sarah quickly turned it off. She was amazed that Casey hadn't beaten her to it. No one hated fresh-faced teens singing about love more than he did. But his eyes were still glued to his phone. His expression was unreadable. And now the tall pair of buildings that signaled her exit had finally come into view. They were back in Burbank and she was one step closer to putting this day behind her. Sarah just wanted to go to bed and wake up to her version of normal… regular missions, a few hours of face time at the yogurt shop, a quick hi to Ellie in the courtyard as she went to pick up Chuck for work…
Sarah was surprised by how much she suddenly missed the Bartowskis and the fact that she missed them at all considering she'd seen them both in the past twenty-four hours. But the party was a distant memory. And that last moment with Chuck on the ship felt like a lifetime ago. Since then, the bomb had been disarmed, the bad guys caught, the day saved. But Sarah hadn't seen either one of the siblings. She had a cover to maintain afterall and that cover had forced her to walk away, to let some other team swoop in for the eventual rescue.
For a long while though, Sarah Walker had kept her earpiece in. She'd been able to hear everything, Ellie's relief when the agents had come through the door and Chuck's insistence that they not be separated for interviews or interrogations or anything else. Chuck had forgotten that Sarah was there of course, that the radio was still working, but she was okay with that. She just wanted to hear his voice, Ellie's too. They were alive. That's all that mattered. Dugan was dead and Hoyt was gone, hopefully back to the hole he'd crawled out of.
Sarah stole a glance at Casey as they pulled up in front of the Orange Orange. She wondered what he was thinking. Had this mission left any kind of mark on him or was it just another day of work? But Casey didn't say a word. He just shouldered his bag and got out of the car.
"Casey, hold on," Sarah called after him.
She couldn't figure out what the rush was. They were done, it was over. But Casey marched straight through the shop like a soldier heading into battle. Castle's entrance was still mangled from their earlier escape. Wires were hanging from the ceiling and jagged pieces of metal reached out from the huge hole that Morgan had made. None of that slowed Casey down. And just before they hit the stairs, Sarah finally figured it out. All this time Casey had been watching his phone, what he'd actually been looking at was the surveillance from Castle.
Someone was in there, someone who Casey really wanted to see.
Hoyt must have realized that they'd be returning soon. He was scrambling to collect up the last of his things, probably hoping to make a quick exit. His files were in a neat stack, his hard drives packed up, but Sarah knew it was already way too late. Hoyt had made a huge mistake coming back here.
"You son of a bitch!" Casey dropped his bag and was on him within seconds. A single punch took Hoyt to the ground. The blow stunned the man, but then he staggered to his feet, wiping a bloody lip with the back of his sleeve.
"Colonel Casey," Hoyt held up one hand. "I know you're upset-"
Casey was only too happy to confirm that. He grabbed Hoyt's jacket and drove his knee straight into the agent's stomach.
"You piece of crap!" Apparently the encounter with Price had only scratched the surface of Casey's bubbling rage. He landed several additional blows, each more punishing than the last. Sarah heard something crack as Hoyt doubled over in pain.
"You don't deserve to work for this country!"
"Agent Walker," Hoyt's words were garbled as he tried to defend himself. Back in training he'd probably passed his written tests easily, but the one subject he'd clearly never aced was fighting. "Get control of your partner!"
Nice try… Sarah thought. But there was no controlling John Casey. This had been building all day, ever since they'd discovered the truth about Hoyt. And agent or not, he certainly deserved everything that was coming his way.
"Colonel, stop!"
Sarah watched as Hoyt's arrogance gave way to fear. He was a bully, one who used his rules and regulations instead of his fists. But as most bullies eventually learned, there was always someone bigger and badder than them.
"Were you planning to let that girl die?" Casey threw Hoyt across the conference table. A stack of folders went flying. Hoyt's precious reports scattered across the room in an ever-widening debris field.
"She's a liability right?" Casey had him by the collar now. "So who cares if she gets blown to bits?"
"Colonel, stand down!" Hoyt was flailing around like a wounded animal. Sarah had seen Casey angry. She'd seen him take on five or six guys without even blinking. But she'd never seen anything quite like this. Casey was actually shaking with fury, he seemed almost possessed.
"The only agent you had in that building was a bomb squad guy who couldn't handle a bomb!"
"Dugan was our priority, the card-"
"What about Bartowski?" Casey let out a low growl. "He has served this country for three years and you let him walk into a trap."
"He chose to go in there."
"To rescue his sister!" Casey slammed Hoyt down again, causing the table to screech in protest. "A very nice doctor you seemed hell bent on killing."
Hoyt was finally experiencing the terror he'd inflicted on so many others. His entire body was trembling now, his skin had turned white. His eyes darted over to Sarah, but she'd already made her position quite clear. She might stop Casey from beating him to death, but that was about it.
"I was just doing my job," Hoyt's breath came out in ragged gasps. "Bartowski's sister was not my responsibility."
"She's a citizen of this country," Casey gritted his teeth, barely suppressing his urge to kill. "Those are the people we're supposed to protect."
"Colonel Casey!"
Sarah jumped as General Beckman appeared on the screen.
"That's enough."
Casey didn't seem to hear her at first. Sarah waited as he took a deep breath then finally turned towards the front of the room. Hoyt was left sprawled across the table, gulping for air.
"Agent Hoyt, you are to report back to Washington immediately." Beckman seemed on the verge of yelling, but she managed to keep herself in check. "We can discuss this mission further upon your return."
"Of course, General." Hoyt was definitely hurting as he struggled to stand. But Beckman showed no sympathy. In fact her expression matched Casey's perfectly.
"It's going to be a very, very long discussion, Agent Hoyt." She glared at him. "So you'd better prepare yourself."
Hoyt rubbed his swollen jaw and gave her a nod. He didn't even bother to collect up his papers as he headed for the stairs. Sarah knew they would never see him again. With any luck he'd be shipped off to some base in Siberia, the further away from Casey the better. Sarah didn't want her partner facing a murder charge.
"General Beckman." Casey clasped his hands behind his back, finally at peace. "I apologize for what you just saw."
"As well you should." Beckman didn't look much happier with either of them.
She put on her glasses and appeared to be reading from a report in front of her. "Not only did you just assault an agent, but apparently you disobeyed at least one direct order."
"General," Sarah stepped up beside Casey. "Agent Hoyt's primary concern was examining what Chuck would do in this situation, even though that put him at considerable risk. We felt we needed to intervene to insure his safety."
Sarah couldn't quite tell how her argument was going over. But at least she had the courage of her convictions.
"Agent Hoyt was ordered to evaluate your team." The general confirmed exactly what they already knew. "But I must admit that his decisions were…" she paused for a moment, trying to come up with the right word. "-misguided."
Sarah could think of a few better descriptions.
"Clearly we don't condone risking civilians and agents unless it is absolutely necessary," Beckman continued. "And that wasn't the case here."
No… Sarah thought. It certainly wasn't.
"General, had we known Ellie Bartowski's location earlier, we could have prevented everything that happened today," Sarah spoke up quickly, not wanting to miss her opportunity. This wasn't just some procedural mishap that had occurred.
"Instead we nearly lost Chuck and probably traumatized his sister. And now Dugan's dead and we have no chance to question him."
"I am well aware of what happened today." Beckman softened, just a bit. "And I can promise you that Agent Hoyt will be punished for his part in this mess."
Sarah watched as the hint of a smile crossed Casey's face.
"But now we need to discuss Agent Bartowski."
Casey's smile faded fast. Sarah's heart sank. She had thought they were home free, with Ellie safe and Hoyt gone from their lives… But now she knew where this conversation was headed. And Casey seemed to sense it too.
"That memory card was a decoy," Sarah tried not to sound as anxious as she suddenly felt.
"Yes it was," Beckman folded her hands in front of her. "But Bartowski didn't know that."
It was an important point, one that Sarah had intentionally ignored. She and Casey had done a lot of crazy things today, but they had never endangered anyone else. With Chuck it was different. That card made it different. Chuck had thought it was real, and he'd taken it anyway, public safety be damned. That was not something the general could overlook.
"While we all might hate to admit it," She took off her glasses and laid them in front of her. "Agent Hoyt has proven that Chuck cannot do his job while continuing to reside near his family."
It was like watching a judge hand down a sentence.
"I am hesitant to remove him, but it may be our only option."
"General, our cover wasn't blown." Sarah's protest was immediate. Casey had fallen silent beside her, but Sarah was ready to argue for both of them. "Ellie never saw us. She doesn't know anything about Chuck's spy life."
"His cover isn't my concern right now," Beckman said firmly. "His actions are."
"General-"
"There will be a meeting tomorrow." The general's gaze fell directly on Sarah. "By then I expect you to have that decoy card in hand. I'm quite certain people will be asking about it."
"General, this hardly seems fair."
"We're not in the business of being fair," Beckman could easily recite the company line, she'd done it many, many times before. "We're in the business of protecting this country."
"Chuck's spent the last three years helping us do that."
"And today he committed a serious offense-"
"We don't know that," Sarah interrupted her. Beckman was growing more and more aggravated, but for Sarah that was barely registering now. "We only know part of the story."
"Walker-" Casey gently grabbed her elbow, but Sarah shook him off. Chuck was her partner, she certainly had a right to be heard.
"This is his future," she snapped. "We can't just decide it on somebody's guess!"
"Agent Walker, he took that card to the ship."
"We don't know that," Sarah repeated, her frustration mounting. She could feel Casey falling back behind her and Sarah realized she was on her own here. "Maybe you should ask him what happened before you force him to leave!"
"I don't need to ask him anything." Beckman's image grew larger as she leaned towards the camera. "He took that card to a very dangerous man, a known terrorist!"
"But we never saw him give it to anyone," Sarah stepped forward. All she wanted was for Beckman to listen, to give them a chance. "Chuck knew what he was doing."
"And if the tables had turned?" Beckman demanded. "If our people hadn't arrived? We all know that card would have gone straight to Dugan!"
"To save his sister!"
"And endanger this country!"
"That's ridiculous!"
"No, that's a crime, Agent Walker!"
"Well then it's our fault!" Sarah shouted, the full force of her anger aimed at the screen. "Because we never prepared him for something like this!"
Casey dropped his head as her words echoed through Castle. Beckman froze. It was as if the monitor had suddenly glitched. She just sat there, completely still. She was clearly taken aback, stunned that her agent would use such a tone with her.
Sarah took a deep breath. She knew she was playing a dangerous game here. You simply didn't yell at a United States general, no matter how noble your cause. But this was much harder than she had ever imagined.
"General," she started over again, surprised to find herself blinking back tears. It was a struggle just to keep her voice even. "You know that Chuck's family means everything to him."
Beckman didn't respond right away. She was probably deciding just how hard she should come down on Sarah. In the end though, she chose restraint over anger. She was the one who had sent Hoyt here, and that couldn't have been an easy burden to bear.
"I'm sorry Agent Walker," she let out a long sigh. "But a spy doesn't compromise national security. Not for his family, not for anything."
Sarah closed her eyes just for a second as she tried to regain her composure. She knew she'd have to let this fight go. If she continued down this road, she risked losing even more than she already had. As it was, Chuck's entire life was about to be uprooted. And Sarah's as well… Once Chuck was reassigned there was no telling where she and Casey would land. Everything they'd been working for would just end. It would all disappear, never to be mentioned again except in closed door meetings with their superiors.
"One more thing." The general was treading lightly here. "And before you say anything, I realize that this will be a difficult task."
Because there haven't been enough of those for one day, Sarah thought bitterly. It was far too soon for another mission and she resented the general for even mentioning one. But Beckman pressed on anyway.
"I am going to ask-" she started then stopped, glancing down at her desk as she reconsidered her statement. "I am going to ask that you not tell Bartowski about Agent Hoyt's actions today."
Sarah barely kept her jaw from dropping. Another mission, any other mission, would have been preferable to that request.
"If he discovered that one of our agents knew his sister's location all along…" Beckman trailed off then shook her head. "I'm afraid that it would be impossible for him to continue his work. We may have to reassign him, but we certainly cannot afford to lose him."
"General, are you asking us to lie to Chuck?"
"I'm asking you to omit some of the facts, Agent Walker. We must preserve Agent Bartowski's trust in his government."
"General Beckman…"
"I understand your loyalty to Chuck, but this is an order."
Sarah knew another battle wouldn't make any difference. Beckman had already made up her mind.
"Believe me, Agent Hoyt is the least of his worries right now."
She wasn't just talking about the job. Chuck's civilian life had taken a far greater hit than his professional one today. And that would weigh on him heavily.
"This really is the best thing for him, Sarah."
The general was being sincere. Whether or not her decision was right, well only time would tell.
Beckman cleared her throat and Sarah could see her switching gears. Forget the messy personal stuff, she was ready to get back to business. As far as she was concerned, Hoyt's disastrous tenure here was no longer their problem. And she was certainly done debating Chuck's reassignment. They were back to good versus evil and the black and white rules of being a spy. Everything else would fall by the wayside.
"We'll reconvene tomorrow at oh nine hundred." Beckman straightened in her seat. "I'd like Agent Bartowski to be here for that."
She gave them a curt nod and then she was gone. Sarah and Casey were finally alone. No more Beckman and no Agent Hoyt. The Castle was theirs once more, for a little while anyway.
Sarah lowered herself into a chair, overwhelmed and exhausted. This had been a truly horrible day and now on top of everything else she was facing reassignment. The damage Hoyt had done was probably irreparable. The CIA was about to lose one of its best teams and the Castle base would have to be closed.
Sarah punched a button on the console beside her. There was the surveillance from Chuck's building. His apartment was empty, but Sarah caught sight of him out in the courtyard, hovering near Ellie's door. She knew the damage wouldn't be limited to the CIA. This whole thing would take a very personal toll.
"You think he knows how bad this could get?" Sarah glanced over at Casey.
"Doubt it." Now that the general was gone he had come back to life. "Right now all that kid's feeling is guilt. He nearly got his sister killed."
"Is that how you see it?"
"No, but that's how he sees it." Casey was right of course. This was Chuck they were talking about. "None of this would've happened if he didn't work for us."
"But Ellie thinks it was just a mistake." Sarah watched Chuck up on the screen, nervously playing with the zipper on his jacket. "The wrong card showed up at the Buy More and Dugan went after Chuck just because he was there."
It was the same tale every time. Bad things always seemed to happen at the Buy More.
"She thinks that Chuck's involvement was all some big accident."
"Well we'll need a good story when he disappears." Casey went over to retrieve his bag. "It's going to be a pain in the ass to separate those two."
"So you agree with Beckman?" Sarah was surprised by how detached he suddenly seemed. Casey cared about Chuck and his family. His little outburst with Hoyt had only served to confirm that. But now Casey was back to his usual gruff self, just following orders.
"You really think we should force Chuck to leave?"
"He took that card to a terrorist base." Casey unzipped his bag then laid several guns out on the table. "This was over the moment he stepped onto that ship."
"He was protecting his sister."
"Yeah, but everybody's got someone," Casey muttered. To him this was just some greeting card statement, one that certainly didn't apply to the life that he knew.
"They have a kid or a dog, or a sibling or someone they'll do anything to protect. And then they'll toss their principles right out the window."
"Casey, that's human nature."
"No, that's weakness." He began to reload the guns one by one, slamming the magazines in with increasing irritation. If there was one thing Casey hated besides boy bands and communism, it was weakness.
"It's like Beckman said." He had a knack for repeating the general's speeches. "We don't compromise, not for anyone or anything. We stay in control."
"Casey, you nearly killed Hoyt just now." Sarah leaned across the table, careful not to disturb his vast array of weaponry. "Control is hardly your strong suit."
Casey's head shot up as he tightened his grip on his favorite gun.
"Hoyt crossed a line," he said slowly, his tone warning her to back off this subject. "Bartowski's a member of this team and Ellie sure as hell didn't deserve what happened to her."
That last part hit a nerve. But she and Casey were on the same side here. They were partners, two people who had done their jobs to the best of their ability. And yet they'd come up just a little bit short.
"We should have been watching out for her, Casey."
"Maybe." He knew as well as she did that they had failed Ellie badly and it seemed to bother him just as much. "But that doesn't erase what that kid did. He broke the rules."
"But we broke the rules too."
They were hardly innocents in all of this. Sarah had nearly lost count of their various offences. Deleting the Buy More footage, breaking out of Castle, taking on Hoyt… It was a miracle that they hadn't landed in jail. But Casey just shook his head.
"We fought the bad guys," he reminded her. "Chuck almost helped them. And those people in Beckman's meetings, they don't give a damn why he did it."
There was no bitterness in his words, no anger, just truth. Chuck had wanted this job, but there was a reason that Sarah had tried to talk him out of it. No matter what happened or what the stakes were, national security, the greater good, that was supposed to be the priority. Theirs was a different world and Chuck's decision to put his family first simply didn't jibe with it.
"We don't get hugs and kisses and birthday parties." Casey glanced around at their surroundings, the dimly lit Castle that they practically lived in, the one they would soon be leaving.
"We get missions, Walker. And that's never gonna change."
She knew that, hell she'd signed up for that. Once upon a time she'd been proud of her ability to detach, to walk away from anyone or anything. But now… now it was all so different.
Sarah gradually turned her attention back to the screen. The courtyard was deserted. Chuck had finally worked up the courage to enter Ellie's apartment. At least they had each other for a little while longer.
"So everybody has someone," Sarah sighed.
"Exactly," Casey regarded his weapons once more. He seemed content to be the exception. "Everybody but us."
Morgan Grimes was staring at her.
Ellie had actually grown used to this over the years. It had started when they were kids on the first day Chuck had brought his friend home. Morgan had always watched her with this ridiculous and completely unwarranted adoration. But now all she could see was his worry.
"Morgan?"
"What?" Morgan was on his feet instantly, like an over eager kid who'd finally been called upon. "Do you need something? How about tea? Tea's supposed to be calming."
"Then maybe you should drink some." She tried for a bit of levity, but Morgan just shook his head. If she wasn't interested, then neither was he.
After a moment, he finally settled into the chair again, his chin on his hands, his eyes back on her. And now came the awkward silence. Ellie glanced around her apartment, hoping that he could take a hint. It was starting to get uncomfortable now. But still he refused to look away.
"Morgan," she sighed. "Can you please stop staring at me?"
He blinked once. He didn't seem to process what she was saying. His mind was clearly elsewhere. She had no idea what Chuck had told him, but she knew the story must have frightened him. It took a lot to keep Morgan Grimes quiet.
"Morgan?"
He blinked again. And now at last, he leaned back a little. He crossed his legs, trying to appear more relaxed. But his act wasn't fooling anyone. She could still see his fingers digging into the chair.
"Sorry." He gave her a sheepish grin then seemed to think better of it. "I didn't mean to get weird there."
"It's okay." Ellie managed a smile of her own. "Believe me, I get it."
"It's just-" he started to stumble over his words as he finally tore his gaze away. "Are you sure you should've left the hospital? It seemed like they wanted you to stay overnight."
"Morgan-"
"And medical professionals-" he rushed ahead. "Like yourself for instance, they tend to be pretty smart people."
"It was just a precaution."
It felt like she'd been saying the same sentence for days. Morgan was having a hard time, but with Chuck it had been far, far worse. Even after she'd escaped the hospital exam room, he'd literally chased her down the hall, admission papers in hand. But Ellie was a doctor. She didn't stay in a hospital unless she was working there.
"I'd much rather be home," she explained. "That's the best medicine Morgan, trust me."
Morgan finally nodded, but still he seemed anxious about the whole situation. He'd been the first one in the door when she and Chuck had come home and he hadn't left since.
"I just want you to be okay," he said quietly. There were no jokes or flirtatious smiles. Morgan was as serious as she'd ever seen him and his concern was achingly sweet.
"Morgan, I'm fine." She put her hand on his knee, wanting to make sure he heard her this time. "I'm okay, I promise."
He nodded again and then suddenly his eyes went up to the ceiling. It took Ellie a minute to figure it out. Morgan was trying not to cry.
"Where's Chuck?" He stood quickly, swiping at his cheeks with one of his hands.
"I'm here, buddy."
They both turned and saw Chuck standing near the doorway. Ellie had no idea how long he'd been there. His hands were shoved into his pockets, his gaze was cast downward. Her little brother looked utterly miserable.
"Chuck, everything's fine now." Somehow she needed to remind him of that. It was as if he'd forgotten how the story had ended. They had both made it home, they were safe.
"Why do you seem so sad?"
"He's just having a bad day." Morgan went and slapped his friend on the back, still sniffling just a bit. Then he glanced over at Ellie. His face reddened considerably. "Well I guess both of you are, really."
This was true. But after all Chuck had done, he had no reason to be upset. He'd been amazing out on that ship. She was about to tell him that when she heard the door slam. Ellie jumped, grabbing for the arm of the couch. But then she heard a familiar voice.
"Oh thank god!"
It was Devon.
Ellie suddenly realized how much she'd missed him. It had barely been a day since she'd last seen her husband, but that day had been the longest one of her life. She'd thought about him a lot back in that little room on the ship, about all the wonderful times they'd shared and the future they'd probably never have together. But now, out of the blue, she had her life back. Everything she'd given up on was possible again. Taking all those trips they'd planned, making a family, growing old together… It was a lot to process in the few seconds it took him to walk through the door.
"Devon!"
He caught her up in a hug, lifting her into the air. Ellie buried her face in his shoulder as her feet finally came to rest on the floor. But she wasn't going to cry again, not now.
"Thank god you're here." Devon stroked the back of her head. She could actually feel his heart thumping in his chest.
"I missed you," Ellie mumbled. "I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again."
"Are you okay?" Devon gently pushed her back. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear as he quickly examined her. She was obviously in one piece, but that didn't seem to calm his frazzled nerves. And finally his eyes darted over to Chuck.
"Is she okay?"
"Devon, I'm fine." She tried to pull his focus back, but Devon was still waiting for her brother's response. None was forthcoming. Ellie knew instantly that something was wrong. Chuck wasn't looking at either of them.
"She's fine." Morgan, ever the peacekeeper, stepped in between her husband and brother. "Everybody's okay. Really the whole thing probably sounds worse than it was."
"Really Morgan?" Devon's tone changed abruptly. He sounded cold, bitter even. "Are you sure about that?"
Morgan was suddenly preoccupied with his shoes.
"Maybe not."
And unfortunately in that moment Devon glanced down. Ellie immediately pulled her hands into her sleeves, but it was too late.
"What's this?" He gently took hold of one of her wrists and lifted it for closer inspection. The ugly red marks were hard to miss. "What happened here?"
Ellie turned to her brother for help. Chuck still hadn't said a word through any of this and he certainly didn't seem ready to now.
"They're rope burns," she finally admitted. She thought Devon's head might explode as his expression switched from concern to fury.
"Rope burns?"
"I know this seems bad." Ellie squeezed his fingers. "But please don't freak out."
"Babe, that's a little hard right now."
Devon was staring at Chuck again. He was obviously waiting for some explanation.
"How in the hell did this happen?"
"It wasn't his fault," Ellie insisted. If Chuck wouldn't come to his own defense then she would do it for him. She certainly owed him that much.
"Some people wanted this memory card that came into the Buy More." The story sounded crazier each time she told it, but it was the truth and he'd have to accept it. "We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"And Chuck, he found her," Morgan added. "Everybody's safe now."
"Yeah, he's a real hero."
Ellie could hear her husband's anger mixed in with the sarcasm. She'd seen him get upset before, but never at Chuck, at least not that she could remember.
"Devon…"
This was her little brother they were talking about, the brother who had nearly died trying to save her. And after everything that had happened, the last thing she needed was a confrontation between the two people she loved most in the world. Devon must have seen the hurt in her eyes, because his expression softened immediately.
"El, I'm sorry." He pulled her in for another long hug. "I was just scared. But you're right, it's nobody's fault."
"No, it's not," she murmured. It had happened and she was tired of thinking about it, tired of wondering how things could have been different. She simply wanted to stay right where she was, warm, happy, wrapped in Devon's arms. It was the first time she had really felt safe that day. But then abruptly, Devon stepped back.
"Babe, I just need to steal Chuck for a second."
"What?" Ellie didn't want to let go of him, but finally she had to. "Wait, Devon, don't leave."
"I'll be right outside." He made sure to look her straight in the eye. "Believe me, I'm not gonna let anything happen to you."
"Devon-"
"It'll just be a second." Devon kissed her on the top of the head then turned and grabbed a hold of Chuck's arm. He half guided, half pushed her brother towards the door. His voice became serious as he glanced back at Morgan.
"Make sure you stay with her."
"You know I will." Morgan gave him a nod as he took Ellie's hand. And for once she wasn't in a rush to let go.
"I'll guard her with my life if I have to."
But Devon never heard him. He and Chuck were already gone.
Author's Note: I'll try to update again soon. If you have a chance please leave your comments in the reviews section. It's really great to know what people like, where they think the story is going etc. Thanks again guys!
