A/N: I'm not going to lie; uplink2 really saved my bacon on this chapter. The first draft of this felt completely off, then he worked his magic, and now I feel a ton better. So thankful to have him as a beta, and we should all be thankful we have him in this Chuckverse FF. You my friend are Awesome!

I would also like to thank a guest reviewer. I appreciate all reviews, but since this person is a guest, well, I'll thank you on here since I can't PM you. I'm completely floored that you think this story is one of the best, to put it in your words, "if Sarah left" stories. There are so many damn great stories out there that it's hard for me to believe your opinion, but I respect it none-the-less lol.

Thank you everyone for your kind words.

I don't own Chuck or anything for that matter. No money being made here.

Words in italics are characters thoughts. Watch the dates and locations cause I tend to jump around a lot.

…...

Chapter 10

May 2010

Los Angeles

Castle/Carmichael Industries

"Chuck I didn't leave to be with Bryce."

His eyes widened. "What?"

"Chuck…"

She inhaled sharply. As much as this conversation terrified her, there wasn't a doubt in her mind that this was a pivotal moment in her life. If she ever wanted to be with Chuck, she had to conquer her fears. Sarah needed to bare her soul to the man seated across from her in hopes that not only would he accept her, but Chuck wouldn't leave as well.

"…After Ellie's wedding, when I left, it wasn't to be with Bryce…"

Chuck knew he shouldn't interrupt, but his head was absolutely spinning. "But…"

"…Chuck please let me finish. If I have to stop, than I might lose what little courage I have left."

Chuck understood how difficult this was for her, so he just nodded and gave both her hands, which were still linked with his, a reassuring squeeze.

"I know what it looked like, and I admit that I didn't handle the whole situation as well as I could have…"

Chuck snorted which resulted in a slightly indignant stare from the beautiful bomb shell.

"Sorry"

"No, don't be, I have no right to be angry…It's just…the day I left you was the biggest mistake of my life. I should have never left, but the least I could have done was told you that the reasons for me leaving had nothing to do with Bryce. You should know that after meeting you, I haven't been with anyone else, including him."

That got a small smile from Chuck. Seeing this, Sarah felt a little more courage build as she took a breath and plowed forward.

"That day, I convinced myself that I had a lot of good reasons for leaving. I thought I had to leave to keep you safe. I thought I had to leave because you deserved better, which by the way I still think you do. I thought I had to leave because it was my duty. But all of those reasons were just superficial rationalizations…I realized that the real reason was because I was afraid."

Sarah could see Chuck struggling to keep quiet, so she took pity on him.

"Go ahead."

Chuck exploded in an effort to lighten the mood a little. "But you're the great Sarah Walker! What do you have to be afraid of!?"

She shook her head and gave him a sad smile.

"I'm not as great as you think, and that's the problem. I was scared that if I stayed with you, you would end up realizing how fucked up I was. You yourself told me I could never be normal. I was afraid that you would realize that I can never give you what you deserve and you would leave me behind like every other person in my life has."

"Sarah, do you realize that what you did to me was exactly what you were afraid of me doing to you?"

She lowered her head. "I never thought of that."

Chuck tilted her head up with his finger under her chin. "Look at me."

Nervously, her eyes met his, and what she saw took her breath away. Bottomless warm chocolate eyes with a mixture of love, understanding, pain, and fear were on full display. She could always tell how Chuck was feeling from his eyes alone, and the fact that she was the cause for how he was feeling at the moment, made her both want to hold her breath so she wouldn't move and break the spell, and run away from the scrutiny of his gaze all at the same time.

"Sarah, I'm not going to lie, what you did damn near killed me. But I know what you were afraid of. I felt the pain of abandonment too many times in my life."

He gave her a reassuring smile and continued.

"Nobody's perfect Sarah, but no matter what you do, you'll always be perfect in my eyes…I think that's why I'm still in love with you…I don't think I could ever stop."

Sarah was using all she had to hold back the tears, but she was fighting a losing battle as a drop escaped her shut eyelids and slid down her cheek to fall on one of her outstretched arms.

She shook her head to try to dispel the tears.

"I don't deserve you…you're too good for me."

Chuck released her hands and turned his body so he wasn't facing her completely anymore.

The moment she felt the loss of her soul mates hands, her full bag of insecurities hit her all at once.

He's finally realized it! I actually helped him figure out how screwed up I am and that he can do sooooo much better! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!...What the hell am I going to do now? I have nothing...I can't lose him! But how could he ever be with a monster like me?

Chuck glanced over at Sarah and saw the far away, 'freaking out' look she had on her face. He knew that look all too well. Hell, he was fairly certain he created that look. To his credit, he did exactly what Sarah needed.

"Sarah, you just don't know how great you are. It's me who doesn't deserve you…I'm not the same man you knew. I killed…"

Chuck dropped his head in his hands.

Sarah was thankful for the brief reprieve from her insecurities. She knew Chuck tried to distract her from her own malicious thoughts by putting the focus on him…He always knew the right thing to say or do to make her feel better, and that's one of the reasons she loved him. Sarah finally realized that nothing should, or could change that.

She could tell he was hurting, so she was ok with shifting the conversation to him so that she could try to be the strong emotional rock for a change.

She inched a little closer and started to run her left hand through his curls.

God this feels so good! "Chuck, its' ok, talk to me."

It felt so good having Sarah massaging his scalp that he had no intention of having her stop. But as good as it felt, it couldn't take away the torment he felt every time he thought back to his Red Test.

He hadn't found anyone yet he felt comfortable enough with to discuss that fateful day. He hadn't found them because it was always meant to be Sarah.

"I'm sure you know all about Red Tests…"

Sarah didn't know what to say so she stayed silent as she continued to stroke his hair. Luckily, Chuck apparently didn't expect a response since he continued to talk.

"…Mine took place in Newport, Rhode Island. His name was Patrick Tate and he was a CIA agent secretly working for the Ring…I followed him down an alley where he got the jump on me, and we struggled for a bit. He fell to the floor and I quickly withdrew my gun to gain the upper hand. I pointed the gun at him, but…I just, I couldn't…"

Chuck took a quick breather and Sarah desperately wanted to wrap him in her arms to keep all the evils of the world at bay. She was terrified of this happening. She didn't want Chuck to change, but more importantly, she was afraid of all the pain and suffering this job entails. This business can really test a person's boundaries and chip away at someone's soul, bit by bit till there's nothing left. And there needed to be more people like Chuck in this world. More people like the sweet, kind-hearted, gullible…almost to a fault…nerd from Burbank. It absolutely broke her heart to see him in such pain.

Once he composed himself, he continued.

"…I decided to place him under arrest, but he pulled his back-up piece and shot me."

Sarah unknowingly clenched her fists, tightly gripping chocolate curls in her hand, the moment she heard Chuck say he was shot.

"OW, Sarah, Sarah too tight!"

That seemed to snap her out of her frozen demeanor, but it did nothing to temper her anger as she released her hold on his beloved curls.

"You weren't going to kill him and that SON-OF-A-BITCH shot you!"

He held his hands up to her to try to plicate the situation.

"Relax Sarah, I'm fine. The bullet didn't even penetrate my vest; it just resulted in me passing out."

There was no doubt, at the moment, she wanted to find a dozen Ring agents to take her anger out on, but some of the things he was saying weren't adding up.

"Wait, if you passed out when he shot you, does that mean he's still alive? How are you an agent if you didn't kill him?"

"When Tate fired, I fired my gun out of reflex. When I came to…Well I…It was a kill shot, right through the heart."

Sarah could see the distraught written all over his face, but after hearing about what happened with his Red Test, she was relieved, and happy he was alive. A smile was forming on her face before she even realized.

Chuck saw the smile and was clearly confused.

"Sarah, why are you smiling? I killed someone in cold blood. I'm a murderer!"

She cupped his face in her hands as she looked directly into his deep, bottomless, warm eyes.

"No Chuck, you're not. Tate was a bad guy who hurt a lot of good people. You gave him a chance by trying to arrest him, but he took advantage of your mercy and tried to kill you. You didn't kill him in cold blood, you were only protecting yourself…and I'm glad you did, otherwise I wouldn't be holding you in my hands right this moment."

"But Sarah…"

"No Chuck…Do you think I'm a murderer? I've killed more people than I can count. Is that how you see me, as a monster?"

Any worries she had were quickly dispelled by Chuck's reaction.

He grabbed her hands around his face and held on for dear life.

"Of course not! I could never think that about you!"

"Then what makes you so special? Why is it that when you kill someone…in self defense mind you… you're a murderer, but when I do it, I'm not?"

Chuck's mouth opened so he could begin to explain his reasoning, but for the life of him he couldn't think of a response.

"Chuck, you did what you had to do. By stopping Tate, you probably saved the lives of, I don't know how many people. You definitely saved the life of the one person that matters the most to me."

Chuck being Chuck, that statement flew completely over his head.

"Who's that?"

Sarah smiled and shook her head in an amused manner.

"You, moron."

"Jeez Sarah, hanging out with Casey a little too much aren't we?"

That caused the both of them to break out in a little bit of laughter as the heavy atmosphere in the room lightened significantly.

Sarah knew Chuck though, and she knew he probably wasn't completely convinced.

"I didn't help much did I? You still feel like you were wrong in what you did, don't you?"

"No, you really did help, but…a part of me will always feel ashamed of what I've done, whether it was the right choice or not. Thankfully he was the only one, but that's still one too many."

"And that's one of the reasons why you're so special. From now on Chuck, you leave that part of the job to me, Casey, and Carina."

"Thanks…it really helps to have a person to talk about this stuff with."

"Why haven't you talked to Carina, Tiffany, or even Casey about this?"

"I tried but…it just never felt right you know? It never felt like whenever we used to talk."

They gave each other a small smile.

"If…if you want to talk about your Red Test…"

Sarah's smile was replaced with sorrow.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…we don't have to if…"

"No, it's not that I don't want to tell you, it's just that, that Test was the worst moment in my life. It's always been difficult to think about, let alone talk about it out loud."

Chuck nodded and was about to change the subject, since he didn't expect Sarah to want to talk about her past, when she surprised him.

"I didn't know who she was. I definitely didn't know she was the wife of the once CIA agent Daniel Shaw…It…It took place in Paris. She was walking down a street and I started walking towards her, ready to ki- terminate her, but she dropped a piece of jewelry and I just walked by because I couldn't do it…I saw in a reflection that she reached for something in her bag. I thought it was a weapon so I turned and fired."

Sarah had been shedding more tears lately than she had been ever since she was a little girl, so she wasn't surprised when more tears threatened to spill.

"Hey, come on. Just like you told me, you were only defending yourself."

"But that's the thing Chuck, I never did find out if she was pulling out a weapon, I didn't have enough time to go back to check…No, that's not true. Honestly…I've never wanted to admit this, but the main reason I didn't go back to see if she had a weapon wasn't because I didn't have enough time. She was only a couple feet from me, I could have easily checked her over and left before the police came. I was just too afraid to go over and look in her bag, just to find out she didn't have anything."

Chuck collected her in his arms and embraced her, which seemed to break the damn, as she sobbed into his shoulder.

"It's ok Sarah. I promise it will all be ok."

Between sobs she said, "I didn't know who she was or what her name was. I was just given a photo and the time and place to be there."

"Hey, listen to me ok. We'll get through this together, I promise."

Sarah felt so safe in his arms, and she felt like a weight had been lifted after confessing her sins to the only man who knew, and loved, the girl behind the beautiful agent façade.

She felt so serene in his arms while he stroked her hair and cooed sweet nothings in her ear. As blissful as she felt, she couldn't help but notice that he said 'We'll get through this', so she decided to ask.

"Does that mean you forgive me, and we can finally be together?"

She sounded so innocent and hopeful. Kind of like a 5 year old girl asking her father if he could skip work to play with her.

Chuck sighed. He really wanted to say that everything was fixed between them to make her feel better, but he couldn't lie, not about this.

He detached from her and held her away at arms' length as he looked into her red puffy, but still gorgeous, eyes.

"Sarah, this talk has been great…You explaining why you left, then the both of us sharing difficult truths in our lives…but it doesn't erase what you did. I hate that I have them, but I still have these insecurities. You abandoned me just like my parents, and even Bryce. Granted, my father and Bryce have explained to me why they did what they did, but that doesn't make what they've done any less hurtful…You explained why you left, and I get it, I really do, but it still doesn't change the fact that you abandoned me…I do want to be with you, but it's just going to take some time for me to open my heart completely to a point where I actually believe you won't leave me again…where I won't be afraid when I wake up in bed one morning and find the spot next to me, empty.

Sarah, I trusted you, and when you left, I felt like you just had been playing me so the Intersect would cooperate. And when it was removed, it was like you just threw me away because I didn't matter anymore. The fact that you left with Bryce 'effin' Larkin made it hurt all the more."

Chuck shifted a little closer to her in hopes that his ever nearing presence showed her he still wanted her here. He wanted her home.

"Sarah, I want to be able to trust you again, but it's not going to happen overnight after one amazing talk. It'll take some time, and I hope you understand that."

She didn't like it, but she had to respect the fact that he was still hurting and give him time, right? But she wanted him badly, and she didn't know if she could stop herself. Either way, Sarah was going to get Chuck to trust her with his heart by any means necessary, or she was going to die trying.

"I understand."

"Just be patient with me Sarah. I do love you. I always have."

She smiled. "I can be patient with you, if you are with me."

"Deal"

Figuring they had been through the emotional wringer enough for one day, Chuck got up and headed for the door.

"I think it's safe to say that we're ready to get out of here. I'll just contact Carina."

Sarah stood up and faced him. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Huh?"

"I get that you want to take this slow Chuck, but I've been waiting far too long for this."

"Sarah what are you…"

Sarah grabbed a fistful of Chuck's shirt and pulled him in close as she crashed her lips into his.

The kiss started off full of raw wanton lust. Sarah had gone too long without the taste of his lips, and she wanted to quell her hunger. But after a few seconds, the kiss shifted from animalistic to passionate, loving, and full of tenderness. The jolts of electricity flowing through their flesh, was ever so present. It wasn't about what they wanted anymore it was about what they needed. And what they both needed was each other.

Chuck was caught off guard by the kiss, and to be honest, it ticked him off at first. Sure, it felt fantastic, and she tasted deliciously, but he had just got done saying how it was going to take some time for him to trust her again. That pinch of ire died quickly the moment the kiss changed. When that happened, he wouldn't be able to say, but he knew the kiss was different. It was life-altering. It was special. It was…them.

Chuck, much to both of their disappointment, pulled her off of him. He knew they needed to slow down, and to be honest, he wasn't ready to fully forgive her just yet. Chuck was surprised to find the dazed look that was evident on his face reflected on her features as well.

After he regained his normal breathing patterns and a somewhat reasonable heart rate, he spoke.

"As great as that was Sarah, and it was…WOW…remember the conversation we just had?"

"I'll tell you what Chuck…" A mischievous grin graced her features. She loved the taste of him, and she had no intentions of starving herself of him. "…From time to time, I'm going to be doing certain things to you, and if you tell me to stop, I'll consider it."

Chuck's eyes widened. He knew there was a good chance she was going to induce a heart attack if that kiss was any indication of the type of things she was going to do to him.

"That's not fair Sarah!"

"Why is that sweetie?" she flatly asked in an innocent tone.

"Sarah I'm serious!"

"Has anyone ever told you how adorable you look when you're trying to be serious?"

She saw the look in his eyes and she huffed slightly in indignation. "Chuck, I get it, you need time, but here's the thing; I'm here to stay. I'm going to have the General permanently reassign me back to Team Bartowski. Then, I'm going to do everything I can to make you realize that you can trust me again because I don't want to spend another second more than we have to, apart…So you're just going to have to man up and live with it…Now if you will please get someone to open that door so we can get out of here."

Chuck mumbled something under his breath that she couldn't hear.

Sarah narrowed her eyes and asked "What was that Chuck?"

He sighed "Nothing."

"That's what I thought." She got up on her tippy toes and gave him a peck on the lips.

As Chuck worked on Cortana to get them out of there, he was lost in his own thoughts as well. He couldn't believe what Sarah had just laid on him. Apparently, even though she understood he needed time, she didn't seem to want to give him space while that time he needed took place. True, he only asked for patience and not space, but he never expected this! He knew with the way Sarah could make him feel, it was only a matter of time until they were together, but he hoped that would be enough time for his heart to be completely healed. He didn't want to jump into anything before either of them were both ready.

He wanted to marry, and to start a family with this woman. He needed to stay strong so his wants and desires wouldn't mess anything up. Chuck was definitely going to make her work for it however.

Casey, Carina, and Tiffany were watching the 'couple' on the video feed when the computer screen went pitch black.

Since Tiffany knew the ins and outs of everything involving Castle more than anyone, even Chuck, she rushed to the monitor to get the video feed back up.

Carina was just waiting impatiently for Andrews to fix the damn thing because she wanted to see if anything naughty was happening.

Casey was instantly on guard in case they were under attack.

Tiffany was typing away at the computer, but even before she could figure out what the problem was, the message: 'STOP WATCHING US, AND GET US OUT OF HERE…LOVE, EVERYBODY'S FAVORITE NERD!'; appeared on the screen.

That got a chuckle out of the two female agents as Carina went to go release the lovebirds. Even Casey cracked and amused grin.

Carina had a mischievous expression on her face as the door to the holding cell slid open.

"Some performance you two put on there."

Chuck reddened a little as Sarah just rolled her eyes.

The three of them walked back to the conference room, and the moment they entered, Casey gave a disgusted grunt while Tiffany asked if everything was ok.

Sarah nodded while Chuck answered. "Don't know how much of that you guys saw, but, yeah we're getting there."

Chuck turned to Sarah and gave her a smile, which Sarah reciprocated.

Casey's gruff voice snapped the two of them out of making googly eyes at one another.

"Great, just what the team needed. Bartowski and Walker in a relationship, acting like a bunch of horny teenagers." Although the sarcasm was dripping off his tone, the Colonel was happy for the idiots. He always knew they belonged together. And even though he was still weary of Sarah hurting the kid, he knew deep down she was a good woman. He definitely knew Chuck was a good man and that Walker could use a guy like Bartowski in her life. This time, if Sarah was planning on abandoning Chuck again, he would knock some sense into her. He would definitely kill Larkin himself if he tried anything to hurt his family. His family? Yeah, he considered his team his family.

Chuck shook his head at the response the Colonel gave. "Casey, Sarah and I aren't really together…"

Sarah nodded in agreement even with the hurt she was feeling.

Chuck continued. "…It's too soon and we decided that we would be better off taking things slow as friends."

The three other agents in the room kept quiet, eyes continuously darting between the spy couple.

Sarah was getting angry. Yes, she knew she needed to prove to him that she wasn't going anywhere and that he was her first priority, but how slow was he talking? Quite frankly, she had enough, and she voiced her frustration towards this whole friend idea.

Friends…Does he want to explore other brunette options?!

"Chuck, we agreed on being patient with each other, not being separated. I agree that we need to take things slow, but I was serious when I told you I didn't want to spend any more time, than absolutely necessary, apart…What, you want to start dating other people? Is that what you want Chuck?"

"Of course that's not it…but maybe you might need to take some time to see if Bryce…"

That seemed to tip Sarah over the edge. Didn't he get it? Bryce is history! Who gives a shit about that douche bag?! Alright, that was a bit harsh, but she was getting tired of all of Chuck's stupid insecurities.

"There is no Bryce and I Chuck, there is only a, you and me, got it? You wanted time to trust me again, and I get that, but listen up because I'm not going to repeat myself anymore…We've been apart for far too long, and I don't know how to get you to trust me again except by spending time with you and proving to you how much you mean to me."

Chuck understood Sarah's need to be around him, he wasn't that dense, but it just came back to the whole not ready to forgive her thing. It was petty, he knew, but he needed time to sort out all of his thoughts and emotions. But he figured he could do this for her. It might make it a little more difficult on his part, especially with the way that Sarah could turn his brain to mush, but he could suffer through it.

As if on cue, his eyes became unfocused as he stared at the exquisite vision before him. Her blond locks framing her face, as her ragged breath…obviously from the anger she felt towards him at the moment…caused her ample chest to rise and fall. Her flushed cheeks red from the yelling and the sweat glistening off her forehead made it seem like it was a 1,000 degrees in Castle. He figured she was hot because she was wearing way too much clothes, so he figured he could remedy that by taking off her…and that's enough of that thinking!

Chuck shook himself out of his fantasy. "Fine Sarah, I get it, but shouldn't one of us tell Bryce about your request for permanent reassignment?"

Sarah shrugged her shoulders. "Why? I've told him there wasn't anything between us anymore. He knows that I want to be part of this team. Bryce is many things, but he's not an idiot, he knows how much I lo- care about you."

Chuck noticed the almost slip of the word love, but he figured, just like she was going to try to be patient with him, he need to do the same with her.

"Still, he needs to know officially so there won't be any mix-ups…I'll just tell him…by the way where is he?"

Carina, Tiffany, and Casey, all broke out grins.

Carina spoke. "He's resting up."

Chuck knew that something was going on, but he shrugged it off.

"Alright…has anyone seen my dad?"

"He's down in the lab working on the Governor." Casey responded.

"Ok, well I'm going to help him on that. The faster we get Bryce fixed up the better off he'll be…Sarah, I guess I'll see you later?"

Sarah walked up to him, gave him a kiss on the lips, turned him around, and patted him on the butt to send him off towards the lab "Of course."

He walked off thinking to himself how whatever Sarah wanted, she probably was going to get. But if she wanted him, was that such a bad thing?

The moment Sarah turned back to the rest of the team, her eyes locked onto Tiffany's.

Tiffany tone wasn't more or less threatening, but you could tell that whatever she said you had best believed.

"I'm sure you know that if you hurt him, there will be a bullet with your name on it, fired from anyone of us…" Carina and Casey probably wouldn't shoot her…probably…but they didn't protest, so Tiffany continued. "But, even with saying that, please take care of him."

Sarah's voice was soft but left no room for doubt. "I promise."

Casey asked "So Walker, how are you going to deal with the moron's bearded gnome and Ellie?"

Sarah's eyes widened in realization. Ellie, oh shit!

May 2010

Los Angeles

Castle/Carmichael Industries

It had been a couple of days since Sarah and Chuck's heart to heart, and they were slowly getting back to some sort of normalcy. Sarah respected the whole going slowly thing, but she still remained slightly affectionate with Chuck. It was mostly playful banter here and there, mixing in some chaste kisses every so often. He had even become used to all the teasing they did to one another.

It had recently become, much to the disgust of Tiffany and Casey, a game between the two children of who could make the other one crack first. Sarah's go to move mostly always involved rubbing up against him while Chuck just had to make his hot and heavy breath ghost all over her bare skin.

It surprised Sarah that Chuck would give as good, as he got, but it was further proof of how he'd changed. And this change wasn't because of the job, it was because of her. That both saddened and excited her. She wasn't going to lie, this slightly more confident and bolder Chuck turned her insides to goo more often than not.

It felt great settling into a routine with Sarah. It felt just like old times, well except for all the teasing, which by the way had surprised the hell out of him that he would participate in such things. But even as much as they were progressing, the full trust for Chuck still wasn't there. The continued talks between the two, helped repair those issues bit by bit however. They talked about everything, ranging from everyday nonsense, to heavier subjects.

Chuck wasn't purposely holding back his trust; everything seemed great between the two. But everything also seemed honky dory a couple of years ago before Sarah just up and left.

Hell, how could they even have considered moving forward when Sarah hadn't even made things right with Ellie and Morgan yet? Sarah said she wasn't stalling, but he knew. Chuck knew it was because she was scared…of Ellie more so than Morgan. As much as he wanted to come to her rescue, he decided that he needed to be strong and let her clean up her own mess. Of course he wouldn't let her suffer the wrath of his sister on her own, but Ellie deserved almost as much of an apology from Sarah as Chuck did. He needed to see how serious Sarah really was in regards to their relationship.

All the playfulness was great, but when it came down to it, he needed more from Sarah to be completely reassured.

To be fair, he hadn't even told Bryce about Sarah's request for reassignment or about their growing relationship either, but he had an excuse. Orion had put Bryce in a medically induced coma to limit the chances of Bryce flashing, and to give his system a sort of reboot.

Thankfully, Chuck and Orion had finished with the Governor, and all that was left to do was to put the watch…which was what housed the Governor…onto Bryce, wake him up from his coma, and to do some initial testing to see if the Governor worked.

Chuck sensing the opportunity to tell Bryce about Sarah and himself, told everybody he wanted to wake Bryce up alone, and to have some privacy while he talked to him before the first round of testing took place. No one saw the harm in letting Chuck talk to his ex-friend, so they agreed.

Chuck sat in a chair, next to the head of Bryce's bed, in the small infirmary room in Castle waiting for Bryce to wake up.

Bryce groaned as his eyes fluttered open "Wa- water."

Chuck grabbed a cup of water and put the straw into Bryce's lips as he hungrily sucked the cup dry.

Chuck placed the cup on a table a couple feet from him and placed his attention back on the matter at hand.

"Relax Bryce, try not to move so much."

For the most part, Bryce was a little groggy, but he recognized the voice.

"Chuck, what happened?"

"We put you into a medically induce coma while we worked to fix the Intersect. Well not fix it per se, but we did create a device that should help fight off the effects of the Intersect turning your brain into Swiss cheese."

Chuck nodded his head towards the watch on Bryce's left wrist, which he lifted to see what the device looked like.

"A watch?"

"It's…something like that yeah. Look we need to do some testing to see if it worked, but before we start, I wanted to talk to you about Sarah."

"Is she ok?"

"Yeah, she's fine. I just wanted to tell you that Sarah is going to be putting in a request for reassignment."

"Reassignment?"

"Yes, she wants to rejoin Team Bartowski. I also wanted to tell you that she and I are…together."

Bryce struggled to sit upright, but when he did, he gave Chuck an amused smirk. "Together?"

Chuck nodded.

Seeing as his only friend wasn't joking, Bryce turned serious.

"Chuck buddy, I don't think that's…"

Chuck knew this was coming, so he quickly cut him off.

"I don't want to hear it Bryce. I just thought you should know that Sarah and I are together, and that even though I'm ok with the two of you being friends, I will not tolerate you hitting on her."

A part of Bryce still loved her, or what he considered love. Even though he knew Chuck and Sarah had feelings for one another, he still had a semblance of hope.

"Buddy, she's MY partner. I don't think the two of you together is for the best. I mean her and I still…"

Chuck cut him off again. "Get your head out of your ass for two seconds and listen carefully. She wants on this team. I want her on this team. We love each other and even though I would never tell Sarah who she can be friends with, if I find out you crossed a line…"

Bryce saw an opening to implant some doubt, so he interrupted his best friend.

"Sarah told you she loved you?"

Chuck knew he shouldn't put so much stock on anything Bryce said, but the fact that he was still having issues believing Sarah every time she had said that she was here to say, and the fact that she still hadn't said 'I love you', even though it hadn't even been a week since they reconnected, made Bryce's question bother him more than he cared to admit.

Chuck didn't answer the question as he got up from the chair and walked towards the door.

When he reached the door handle, he turned and simply stated "Remember Bryce, if you cross a line, I'm going to kick your ass."

Bryce arrogantly smiled. "Buddy, I love ya and all, but even if you are a fully trained agent now, I still have the Intersect 2.0."

Chuck returned his smile. "Come on Bryce. You and I both know that the original is always better than the sequel."

With that, Chuck left and shut the door behind him.

Bryce really did love Chuck. He thought of him as a brother, and it's not like he wanted to hurt his best friend, but he thought he knew Sarah. He didn't believe Sarah was capable of being what Chuck wanted. He knew his brother wanted to someday settle down to start a family, and he did the things he did so that Chuck could achieve that dream. Bryce just didn't think Sarah was the settling down type. Maybe he didn't know her as much as he thought?

No…he knew, and besides, he was the Intersect. Sure, now that he had the Governor, he could probably go off on his own and take down the Ring. That was the plan anyways, for the Intersect to basically be a one man army, but if he had Sarah by his side, he would be unstoppable. Larkin and Walker were the best of the best, and with Sarah as his partner, they would be respected and feared by everyone.

He needed to talk to Sarah to get some answers.

The testing went off without a hitch, but the General and Orion decided to give it a couple more days, along with a little more testing, before they reinstated the Intersect back to active field duty. That seemed to be fine with everyone since it gave the team a little down time.

Everyone was in the conference room listening intently while the General was winding down the meeting.

"If that is all, contact me if there are any new developments."

Just before Diane disconnected the feed, Sarah spoke up. "Ma'am"

Before the conference, Chuck had told Sarah everything that was said in the conversation with Bryce, and she was definitely turned on by the fact that Chuck wanted to protect her honor. She would have definitely loved to show him how much she appreciated it, but Chuck still didn't trust her completely enough for something as intimate as sex.

Chuck had said something about needing more from her, and she knew he was talking about things that showed how serious she was about their relationship. Working things out with Ellie and Morgan was one way to show him, and this meeting, with Bryce in attendance, gave her the opportunity for another.

Beckman paused and retracted her finger from the disconnect button. "Yes Agent Walker?"

"I would like to be reassigned back to Team Bartowski ma'am."

Bryce was sitting in a wheelchair off to the side. He would have stood up to protest if he could, but his body was still adjusting to the mini coma he had just woke up from. That didn't stop his protest however.

He was shocked. He remembered all the things Chuck had said, but he figured he would have more time to talk to Sarah before anything happened.

"Sarah, you're my partner. We're the best team out there, you really want to throw all we have away?!"

Even with the stoic face the General was presenting, on the inside she was smiling. She knew it was only a matter of time before Walker had requested a reassignment. Diane wasn't going to give in so easily however, she wanted to test the agent to see how dedicated she would be to Chu-…I mean how dedicated she would be to the team! Dammit!

By the look on Larkin's face, Diane knew this would get very interesting.

"I'm also curious Agent Walker. Team Intersect is the tip of the spear in our war against the Ring, and you're telling me you want to leave?"

"Yes ma'am. I feel like with the Intersect working at full capacity again, my talents would be more effective on Team Bartowki. The Intersect was always meant to be a one man operation. If Bryce needs support, he can always request our help, but my point still stands. I belong here with this team."

This was it. Beckman arched her brow. "And what if I say no? What if I think you and Larkin make an invaluable team?" Diane saw out of the corner of her eye that Larkin had a smug smile on and was nodding his head in agreement. She had to do everything in her power not to laugh.

This is it, my job or Chuck? Sarah glanced at Chuck and he gave her a smile. No contest.

"Then I'll resign ma'am…This team needs me, and I need him."

Everybody was so shocked that only Beckman and Orion had caught Sarah's slip of saying she needed 'him' instead of 'team'.

Chuck was flabbergasted. She would quit for me? Wait, you can quit…FOCUS! This can't be a play right? She has to be telling the truth. But maybe she knows Beckman would never fire one of the best spies out there. Crap…come on Chuck; use your big ass brain to figure it out!

Beckman expected as much…or more like hoped. Now, it's Chuck's turn.

"Well, maybe that might be for the best Ms. Walker."

Chuck snapped out of his thoughts at the mention of Sarah's new title. He looked Sarah over and even though he saw the sadness in her expression, he also saw that she wasn't objecting.

She's telling the truth! Chuck spoke up.

"That won't be necessary General."

"And why not Agent Carmichael?"

"Please Diane, you're not going to let go of one of the top spies out there."

"Bartowski!" Casey barked. The Colonel could never believe how much unprofessionalism the General let the moron get away it. He understood that Beckman and Bartowski had developed some type of relationship. It was hard to get close to the twerp and not care for the idiot, but this was General Beckman. She was the toughest General he knew! Nothing seemed to make sense when it involved the nerd.

Chuck ignored the Colonel. "With Sarah on this team we would be all the more unstoppable. And besides, with the Governor, the Intersect should work perfectly. Now you would have two unstoppable forces coming at the Ring from both sides."

"Do any of the other members of Team Bartowski have any objection to this reassignment?" The General looked at Casey, Carina, and Tiffany.

"No ma'am" all three agents replied.

Diane faked a sigh of defeat. "I'll think about it."

Bryce tried to protest, but Beckman stopped it cold.

"…I don't want to hear any more of this subject. I'll tell you my decision when I decide…Now, if there is nothing else…"

Chuck responded. "Actually ma'am…"

Beckman shook her head. "Yes Chuck?"

"I just wanted an update on Shaw. The bots in his bloodstream will only probably last another week, two at best."

"Yes, well we have been tracking Shaw, and it appears he still hasn't gone to the main Ring facility. I'm sending a Tactical team to…motivate him in making the decision that going to that Ring base would be in his best interest."

Bryce spoke up. "I'm sure I can persuade him."

"That maybe so Agent Larkin, but when Team Bartowski saved you and Agent Walker from capture, rumors of a mystery team that killed the Intersect have spread. Therefore, I'd rather all of you lay low. Good day."

The General disconnected the feed.

Taking advantage of the quiet room, Bryce spoke.

"Is this what you really want Sarah? I mean Larkin and Walker, we're great together."

Chuck's jaw clenched so Sarah stroked his cheek which worked in calming him down.

Sarah answered Bryce's question while she looked directly into the eyes of the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.

"Yes Bryce. I want to be here…I need Chuck." She rested her forehead on Chuck's.

Orion decided it was probably best for everyone if he got Bryce out of there for some rest. He grabbed the wheelchair and started rolling Larkin back to the infirmary.

Bryce felt hurt. Sarah had never acted like that with him, but then again he didn't really want that. His pride was hurt if anything, not his heart. If Sarah really wanted to be with his best friend, which he finally realized looked to be the case, he was going to have to accept it. Besides, if he had a partner, that person needed to be as dedicated to the mission as he was. He didn't like to admit it, but probably because of Chuck, Sarah's performance had been slipping as of late. No, he would need to go at this alone. It would probably be for the best.

With their foreheads still connected, Chuck said "I can't believe you did all that."

"I told you I was serious about us."

Now Sarah knew she needed to get started on the task of making up with Ellie and Morgan. She hadn't gotten to it yet not because she was afraid…she was…but because she didn't feel like the timing was right…Does anyone actually believe that?

However, Sarah wanted Chuck so bad that she didn't care how afraid…I mean if the timing was right or not! She did miss Ellie for the most part, Morgan not so much, but more importantly, once she made things right with those two, it would be another step closer in proving she was here for him and here to stay.

Sarah decided that tonight would be the night since Ellie and Awesome were coming over to Casa Bartowski/Grimes for dinner.

Casa Bartowski/Grimes

Chuck was sitting at the dining room table with Ellie and Awesome seated across from him and Morgan at the head of the table. There was an empty chair to his left, as well as a place setting for the 'special guest' Chuck said would be coming for tonight's dinner.

Chuck was beyond nervous as his knee bounced furiously while his eyes kept darting towards the front door. A part of him was worried that everything would all go to hell once Sarah came, and then there was that small part of him that worried she wouldn't come at all.

Ellie and Awesome kept glancing at Chuck and back to each other wondering why Chuck was acting so strangely and who this 'special guest' was.

Morgan knew who this guest would be since Chuck gave him a heads up before diner. He didn't know why Sarah was coming to dinner, or that they were even friends, let alone together, but he agreed to keep his mouth shut until she got there. Morgan was obviously upset Chuck had invited her over to their place. He never understood firstly, how Chuck got with so many hot women to begin with, and secondly, why they kept hurting the greatest man he knew. He wanted answers from Vicky…no she doesn't deserve that moniker anymore…from the evil blonde, and he wasn't going to let her leave without them.

Ellie finally had enough. "Chuck, what's going on, why are you so nervous?"

Awesome responded next. "Yeah bro, what's the big deal with this 'special guest'?"

Ellie got an idea, and she hoped she was right. "Is it Tiffany, are you guys finally a couple?" She squealed.

Chuck' knee stopped moving a 100 miles a minute as he looked at his sis in dismay.

"El, how many times have we got to go through this, Tiffany and I are just friends."

Ellie shook her head. "I don't get it little brother. You guys are so cute together, and she definitely likes you."

Awesome agreed. "She's Awesome!"

Chuck sighed. "I do love her sis, but not in that way. Besides, I'm…well uh, I'm…"

Just then, a knock came at the door.

Chuck quickly stood up, resulting in the table to shake and his chair to crash to the floor.

"I got it!"

Ellie was really worried with the way her little brother had been acting so she decided to take control of the situation.

She stood up before Chuck could take a step towards the door.

"Stay there Chuck I'll get it."

"But El…"

"Stay Chuck, I said I'll get it."

He didn't want to upset his sister before the main event occurred so he acquiesced.

Ellie got to the door and opened it without looking through the spyhole. Once she realized who was standing before her, she gasped as her eyes widened in shock. But as fast as the shock came, it was gone all that much quicker as anger boiled through the beautiful brunette.

"YOU!"

A/N (2): Any and all reviews are appreciated.