A/N – I think I will have to preface most of my chapters with an apology for the length of time between postings. So I am sorry but I do hope you still are reading and interested in this story. Mxpw has been great and also a bit ill this week so I have to doubly thank him for beta'ing despite that (and hope he does not get a relapse due to my spelling and lack of contraction usage).

I hope you enjoy the chapter.

The Inevitable Life of Chuck Bartowski

Chapter 11 Action Speaks

Brentwood, Los Angeles, 6.15 pm August 4th 1988

"No way!" Chuck cannot hide the incredulity from his voice. He loves Morgan like a brother but sometimes, he just does not understand how he can come up with such stories. It's not that he does not believe him but more that this one sounds too good to be true.

"Yes, way. My cousin Tim says that it really works. And he's graduating junior high so he knows what he's saying." Morgan's standing by the window of the tree house hoping to catch a glimpse of Ellie. If he turns his head just right, he can just about see her window from here. The last time, he got a look of her arm as she reached out to adjust the curtains and it was awesome.

"So all we have to do is close our eyes, picture the girl and count to twenty?" The last time Morgan convinced him that one of his ideas would work, he ended up with his parents being called to the principal's office because he had 'accidentally' hacked into the school's computer system to change Morgan's name to Beetlejuice.

"Yeah, but you really need to know what she looks like. It has to be like exact and then it'll work. Trust me." Morgan's knows this will work because he had done it the last time he was over and Chuck had told him Ellie was still at ballet practice. Ellie had then appeared a minute later saying that practice had been cancelled.

Chuck finally understands that the trick isn't going to work for him, at least not yet. He really does not like any of the girls at school but he does believe Morgan because out of everyone he knows, Morgan is the only person who has never lied to him. "Ok, I will try it sometime, I promise." He sees Morgan nod at his words and is glad that he has someone like him in his life.

"She's probably downstairs so if you want, we can go in and watch TV." Chuck does not get why Morgan's so into Ellie considering she's never really talked to him.

"Ok, just let me picture her and count to twenty to make sure."

Ballarat, California, 3.02 am, 31st March 2009

Sarah's up to eight hundred and ninety two before she feels that she can stop counting in her head and that she's built up enough courage to do what she truly wants to do right now.

She feels like a voyeur, just sitting by the chair watching him sleep but somehow it's the only place she wants to be right now. She has always been a reticent person, never comfortable with sharing her thoughts or her feelings and only acting on them when the time was right. Her father used to say to her, "Darlin', action speaks louder than words. That's how I got your mom to finally say yes to me." And she had always taken that to heart.

Except right now, she really wanted to talk to Chuck. Not in the stilted way she had earlier but to tell him what she's really feeling or what he is making her feel, to be exact. She can see Stephen working on his wrist computer. He had provided her with the list she needs and she knows that there is really nothing stopping her from leaving. However, she's finally being honest with herself and she knows that she can't leave without telling him the truth and that she will only be able to do it now and not when he's awake.

"I think I am falling for you. I know how cheesy that sounds and trust me, I already feel like an idiot for saying this while you're unconscious." She stops there, not because she's uncomfortable but because saying the words out loud is not as difficult as she imagined it would be. She slowly reaches out to push back the errant curl on his forehead and knows that it's been something she has always wanted to do.

"I hope I'll be able to show you soon." Her hand caresses his temple as she bends down to kiss him on his lips, regretting that he is still unconscious. The need she feels to stay by his side has intensified and it takes all her will power to finally get up and walk away. She knows that she is still not ready to get in her car and drive away. She has a duty to her country and owes a debt to Graham but still, she feels such a pull to just stay here. Intellectually, she knows that she had fulfilled her promise to Bryce and to Chuck. She had managed to protect Chuck and at the same time ensured Bryce's memory would not be tainted. Yet, she still cannot drive away and just sits on the hood of the car, going over reasons why she cannot leave as yet.

Holding Cell, Fulcrum research base, Las Vegas, 4.22pm, 6th April 2009

Chuck feels the heat from the bullet as it passes inches from his head and embeds into the wall behind him. He does not take a breath as he opens his eyes to see Vincent looking at him, an evil smile gracing his face. "I'm going to enjoy pulling the trigger the next time as well." He rears back and kicks Chuck in the stomach for good measure before turning around and walking out.

Chuck finally takes a breath and can feel his ribs protest at the movement. He slowly gets up, using the table to support him as he rights the chair and finally sits back in it. He knows that Vincent meant every word he had said including the implicit threat that he would not miss the next time. Chuck looks at the screens in front of him and finally starts typing again, hoping that his final message will eventually get to Sarah. He really is unsure of whether it would be fair to her to send it but he knows that Vincent will go through with his threat and he does not want to die without telling her the truth. He sends the message out and resumes his work on the code, this time more convinced than ever that he needs to step up and do what's right.

Despite her actions, he still wants to help Jill, although he knows that giving her the Intersect would not be the way to do it. Chuck realizes that he does not want to become like her and blame others for decisions he can make on his own. He's so intent on continuing the work that he does not notice the slight delay he is experiencing when he enters the keystrokes until he pauses for a bit and sees that the symbols only register at different intervals on the screen.

He starts to type again, only this time paying attention to the timing between the letters appearing onscreen and finally deciphers the Morse code in his head. "We're coming to get you, son. 1730."

Chuck can see the cameras in the room and tries his best not to change his expression, though the relief he feels is indescribable and only eclipsed by the understanding that the "we" in the message could only be referring to Sarah. He is still worried for her despite knowing how lethal an agent she can be. Chuck knows he may not be able to defend himself in a fight. However, he does possess the necessary skills to wreak some havoc on the base via the computer terminal he's been given access to.

His back and ribs still hurt when he breathes and he can see in the reflection off the screen that the bruises are darkening on his face. However, the message has imbued him with renewed hope and he knows that he needs to help his dad and Sarah any way that he can. The first system he gains access to is the central air-conditioning grid and he manages to shut down a few sections without being detected. He cannot access the main power or telecommunication grids but finally locates the power supply for the elevators. Chuck's not sure if he should shut them off immediately and decides instead to ensure that it would shut off completely in twenty minutes. He has no plan in his head except to perhaps create some confusion on the base, which hopefully will be able to help Sarah in some way.

He knows that he needs to do more though and finally realizes that he has been propelling towards this decision for sometime. To be honest, the knowledge of the Intersect and his affinity to it has always been a specter hovering above him. He would like nothing more than to ignore the fact that he could use the Intersect and its knowledge to help Sarah in her rescue attempt. Chuck does not even pause as he starts to furiously input the final codes on the screen. His fingers are a blur of movement and he doesn't even look at the screens as he finally enters the last part of the initialization code.

He is so intent on finishing the program that he does not register the alarm at first. It takes him by surprise and he wonders if it is a result of his tampering of the elevators. It's then that he notes a message coming through and it takes all of his concentration to translate it:- 'Sarah and Casey are inside.'

His heart skips a beat as he translates Sarah's name, partly driven by fear for her safety and partly driven by hope that she'll be there soon. The cameras are still recording and Chuck knows that he needs to do something when the time comes. He's all out of ideas but does not give up because he knows that Sarah is near and he needs to step up and ensure that he does everything in his power to get out of here alive, with her.

It's only when his index finger hovers above the Enter key, does he finally stop and look up at the screens before him. His finger presses the key before he can register any other thought and the screens fill with recognizable images that take over his entire focus.

Fulcrum research base, Las Vegas, 5.02pm, 6th April 2009

Casey has Sarah in a fireman's carry, one arm holding her body in place while the other is touching his gun at his side. He has no qualms about walking into a Fulcrum base and is actually looking forward to an up close fire flight compared to supervising the raid from afar. He sees the unguarded side entrance that Walker had described and quickly enters the numeric code she had given him. He can feel how tense she is and looks down as he harshly whispers, "Relax Walker otherwise they'll notice that you still have a big stick up your ass."

He can tell she really wants to respond, but that she's too much of a professional to actually do so and he can feel her relax a bit as he pushes open the door and walks into the dimly lit hallway. The plans that she had drawn for him were sketchy at best and the only thing he's really sure of is the fact that the holding cells would probably be located on the lowest level. The map shows five possibly six sub-basement levels and all he needs to do is to go down. He looks around for a stairwell and sees one at the end of the hallway. He walks towards it only to have the elevator doors open to reveal two men dressed in black. Casey does not overtly react although he does place his hand by his side, closer to his gun.

The man on the right nods at him as the one on the left exits and walks towards Casey, his eyes never leaving Casey's face. The elevator door does not close and Casey walks towards it. His steps are measured and he does not rush. It's only when Casey passes the man exiting the elevator does he tense up as he watches the man reach for his gun as he walks across his path. However, it's Sarah who reacts first by grabbing his gun and shooting the first man just as he raises his weapon before twisting around, Casey turning on his heel, and shooting the man in the lift. Casey does not hesitate as he runs towards the closing doors, entering just in time.

He puts her down and presses the button for the lowest level before taking a breath. "That was some shooting." He does not give out compliments easily, but she had surprised him with her skill as well as the fact that she had not looked to him for approval. She nods at his words as she silently checks the pockets of the dead man.

"You have to carry him out." She checks the clip of the gun in her hand before looking at Casey. "They may have already found the guy upstairs. Sorry, I …" she starts to say but stops abruptly. She had not wanted to give up their advantage so soon but she had felt him tense and acted purely on instinct. For a moment, it had felt like she was with Bryce again, looking out for her partner knowing that he would be doing the same thing.

"It was the right call." He hefts the body onto his shoulder and stands in front of the doors, blocking Sarah from view. His reservations about her skills are fading, although he is still concerned about her state of mind as she still refuses to look him in the eye. The sudden klaxon sound startles her and her eyes widen as the realization of what it may mean hits her at the same time that the elevator stops abruptly.

Stephen Bartowski knows exactly what he needs to do to finally finish all of this. He had wasted his chances early on by believing that he could escape with his wife and kids and Fulcrum would be none the wiser. After Fay's death, it was just easier to accept that he could never sever all ties and that Fulcrum would always be a part of his life. It was then that he began to plan for the inevitable.

He had hoped that Eleanor and Charles would be left alone and for twelve years, they had been. Unbeknownst to them, he had kept watch electronically, hacking into the local security cameras all over the city in order to catch glimpses of his children growing up. Allowing Charles to find him was a moment of weakness which he had tried to correct but, he was still a weak man and even having his son think him mad was better than having Charles not think of him at all.

His plans though were still there to be executed; all he needed was to wait for the right time. Stephen had not expected that he would have to use his own son as bait and even now understands that he may have gone too far in his quest for revenge. Sarah's dedication to Charles's safety has provided him with just the opportunity. He knows that all he needs to do is plant his devices in a few strategic places around the underground facility and wait for Sarah to rescues Chuck before detonating it all and burying Fulcrum's largest research facility forever. The last message from Charles was for Sarah and the words are still stuck in his mind because they would have been the same words he would have chosen if he had to say goodbye to Fay. He never had the chance though and he's not going to let his son's chance disappear. He owes Charles but more importantly, he realizes that he owes Sarah just as much.

His wrist pad shows him not only the way in, but also allows him to piggyback onto their wireless network in order to view all the security camera feeds. He places the small incendiary device next to a structural column, knowing that it will cause this side of the facility to cave in. The timers for all of the bombs are set for 5.45pm and Stephen realizes he's cutting it close, but he has faith in Sarah and Casey to do their jobs. He's come too far to not stick to his plan and his instincts. He may not have been there for his son in these past years but he can tell what type of person Charles has developed into. Stephen is counting on his son to be as prepared as he can be for his extraction, to sit tight and wait for the right moment.

He has four more devices to deploy when he hears the alarms go off. His wrist pad highlights that it is not a drill and he sends a message to his son, hoping that Chuck has not initiated this alarm. He waits; wasting precious minutes in hope that Chuck has not done the one thing he did not expect. However, he does not get an answer and he can tell that the alarm has been triggered from within the confines of the base.

Stephen looks at his wrist pad and begins to type furiously as he starts to run down the hallway towards the stairwell. Time is now his enemy as much as Fulcrum has been. The outcome that he wants is clear but the choices now open to him are fairly limited. His main focus of destroying Fulcrum from within, both figuratively and literally, has now been superceded by his focus on ensuring his son gets out of here alive. That job could not be left to Sarah and Casey any longer and Stephen understands that he needs to be Charles's father more than he needs to quell his thirst for revenge.

Chuck is not sure if the loud sound he hears is real or just a product of the download. He has yet to open his eyes as he can still feel the overload of data encroaching on all his senses. He blindly grabs for the chair he knows is close by; his hand finally grasping its side. It's only then that he blinks his eyes open. The alarm he is hearing is hardly distinguishable from the ringing in his ears but the flashing lights do indicate that his meddling has resulted in some chaos. The off-kilter feeling he is experiencing is so familiar that he immediately understands that the download has worked. Such that he is unsurprised when he looks up at the door to see his father and feels the onset of a flash.

Telephone booth

Shredding machine

Computer design plans

Software code

Timer

Handcuffs

Kill order for Fay Bartowski

Telephone booth

All at once, Chuck is cognizant that the flash he has experienced is different from the others. The images from the flash he had just seen were embedded with more information that did not register visually, but instead registered on a more subconscious level triggering a certain response from him. In this instance, not only did he finally understand his father's motivation in all of this, but he also has acquired a deeper understanding of the intricacies of Fulcrum's computer systems as well as that of the Intersect.

"Charles, we need to get you out of here." Stephen rushes over to where his son is sprawled on the floor. He wants desperately to attribute Charles's dazed expression to his captivity but he knows that it's not true. "You downloaded the Intersect." He does not phrase it as a question and knows that his tone is full of concern. "How are you feeling? Can you walk?" He sees the chain around his son's leg and takes out the small bolt cutter form his bag to remove it.

"They killed mom." Chuck didn't think he could feel anymore hurt about his mom's death, but he had been wrong about so many things. "You shouldn't have kept that from us." There is no accusation in his voice, only regret. "Where is Sarah?" It's then that Chuck realizes the one person that he wants to see more than anyone else is not here. "You said she was here, what happened?" This time there is fear and worry coloring his voice as he reaches out to grab his father's arm.

"I think they may be stuck in the elevators. We need to disable the alarm and get you out of here." He finally cuts through the chain and help's his son to his feet. "Did you use this terminal to activate the alarms?" He does not look at Charles; instead he begins to type different instructions and hopes one of them will allow him further access into Fulcrum's systems.

"Wait." Chuck finally understands the role he needs to play here as well as accept all the decisions he has made up to this point. All his feelings of expecting something more from life and his search for his father had never been about his parents' abandonment but about his own search for his place in the world. All his life, he wanted to do what was right and follow his beliefs. However, he had always been afraid of the unknown and the unexpected, instead just focusing on his teaching career. Knowingly downloading the Intersect, went against all his instincts of self-preservation. But it had not been a difficult decision to make. Knowing his place now and understanding the fact that he had the ability and skills to help people beyond the student population at Stanford, to actually help his country, have finally allowed him to accept the fact that he has done the correct thing. Not only because it would help him save Sarah but also because it was the right thing to do.

"You won't be able to stop anything but I can try and corrupt the system by using the Intersect data." He enters symbols and letter strings at an increasingly faster rate, all the while looking at the door to his cell, hoping that Sarah would just walk through. His hopes are dashed though when he sees Vincent, Jill and three armed men enter the cell, their guns pointed at him and his father. The smile on Vincent's face is enough to make his skin crawl and provides him with a view of what evil really looks like.

The cable wire slices into her palms but Sarah does not even register the pain, instead just focusing on getting to the air vent entrance at the side of the lift shaft. She can hear Casey grunting in frustration below her and knows that his added bulk is making this climb more difficult from his perspective. She does not say anything as she reaches from the vent and pulls herself up before extending her arm towards Casey.

"Thanks." Casey notes her bloodied palms and her determined expression and marvels at her dedication to the mission. He knows that it's more than a mission to her even though he cannot fully comprehend her relationship with Charles Bartowski. However, the fact that she had made it this far and had saved his life in the process makes him accept her more than he would have otherwise. "There's going to be gunplay." He sees her freeze at his comment and finally empathizes with her plight. He had never fully accepted that Ilsa had died for him, not because he did not believe it but because it would mean that he had to acknowledge her death.

"If you get to him, get out as quickly as you can. Don't look back." Even in the dim light, Casey can see her shocked expression. Her eyes are so wide that he can see her blue irises bright and iridescent. "Judging by the alarms, there's going to be a number of Fulcrum agents between here and there."

Sarah's always been a quick study and she understands Casey fully. He wants to take down as many agents as he can and he knows that the odds are against them coming out of this alive now that the base has been put on alert. She has never had a death wish and wants to stay alive now more than ever. Her choices in life have not been fatalistic but more reactionary, depending on the scenario coupled with the hope that in doing the right thing, she would always survive. She can feel the pounding in her head and knows her time may be running out but it does not detract from the fact that she would do everything in her power to see Chuck again, even if it was for the last time on her part. Sarah checks the magazine in her gun as well as touches the extras in her back pocket.

"I'm going to keep shooting until I run out. We can exit up ahead and try and find a stairwell down." The only partner she had ever had was Bryce and he had been such a good one that she had thought he could never be replaced. However, her time with Casey has shown that perhaps she had been wrong.

They are quiet when they reach the vent, instead taking note of the voices coming from the corridor. By the sound of their voices and the angled view from the vents, Casey guesses there are at least six people they would need to plough through first. With Sarah's shooting skills, he's actually pretty confident of at least making it to the stairwell as he signals a countdown to her.

The fluidity of their movements are a sight to see as both Casey and Sarah tumble out of the vent, guns already sighted and blazing as they target different Fulcrum operatives. Casey counts three down to Sarah's two in less than half a minute and does not flinch as he senses the bullets fly around him. It's only when he sees Sarah fall to the ground, does he understand that she has had another flash.

Sarah swings her gun around and tightens her finger on the trigger, aiming to hit the Fulcrum agent nearest to her. The flash that hits her is so sudden and unexpected that her finger involuntarily tightens before her aim is sound and her bullet grazes the man instead of fully incapacitating him. She feels rather than sees the impact of his bullets as she's sent crashing to the ground by their force. All her senses still wrapped around the images flashing though her head.

Casey's reaction is immediate as he switches focus to the shooter targeting Walker, taking him down before shooting the last man. He does not wait to check to see if Sarah is still breathing, instead just lifting her entire body over his shoulder and running towards the stairwell. He takes the steps two at a time and races downwards, hanging on to her body in a similar fashion to when they first broke into the base.

It is not a surprising move to see his father step in front of him, his left hand held out, thus shielding him from Vincent and the others. However, what does surprise Chuck is the wicked looking device he is holding in his right hand. "Don't even think about it or we all go up." Stephen's voice is measured and he does not blink, instead holding Vincent's gaze. He reacts just a split second before he sees Vincent does and hurls the bomb in the direction of the door at the same time pulling Chuck downwards behind the only table in the room.

The sound from the blast is ear shattering but it's the heat and debris that causes the most damage to the cell and to the occupants within it. The air is clouded and thick with dust and smoke and Chuck cannot see anything, although he can feel the weight of his father's body on top of his. He gingerly pushes up only to yelp in pain as he belatedly notices that his left arm is pinned down by a cinder block.

He is relieved though to finally feel his father slowly moving and grasping his left arm, allowing him to push off the debris with his other hand. "Are…are you ok?" His voice sounds distant and hoarse but he knows it's due to the smoke and the concussion blast. He can clearly see that his father is hurt as he struggles to sit up.

It's only when he feels something pushed into his hands does he understand the gravity of the situation. "No, we just need to get out of here." Chuck pushes the computer wrist pad away, not wanting to accept what it means. Instead he rises and half supports, half carries his dad as he slowly walks through the debris strewn area towards the large hole in the wall. He almost gags at the sight of the two partially charred bodies.

"Son, listen to me, you need to let me go." Stephen knows his job is still not fully done and that he still needs to ensure that his son gets the chance he deserves to be free from Fulcrum's grasp.

"No, dad, we…"

Stephen finally pulls on his son's hand as he secures the wrist pad on it. "Charles, you need to find Sarah and you need this to help her. I still have a job to do here."

"Sarah? Why? What's wrong with Sarah?" Chuck's focus shifts so suddenly that he has to literally stop to catch his breath. He knew she was here in the complex and was trying to get to him. Likewise, he was doing everything in his power to get to her as well.

"She downloaded the Intersect." The words have no contextual sense to Chuck, although he understands what they mean. Sarah was an agent who had been tasked to find the Intersect. There would be no need for her to download it. Furthermore, she alluded to it being the reason why Bryce had died and Jill's health had deteriorated so quickly. All these thoughts race through his head and he almost does not hear the sound of the gun being cocked.

"Another Intersect. The Ring will be pleased." Vincent can barely stand but he really wants to be the person to kill Chuck Bartowski. He can see Jill's sprawled body a few feet away and is almost sure she is dead and he does not like the feeling he is experiencing.

Chuck is not sure if it was the sound of the gun releasing the bullet into its chamber or the name of the Ring that causes him to flash. Truth be told, both of them were triggers and his current flash takes on a different dimension to those of his past ones. The images scroll through his mind, giving him links and background to the Ring members but it's the three dimensional images interspersed with binary codes that provides him with a skill that he never knew he had.

The roundhouse kick is performed with such precision and speed that Vincent doesn't even have time to react in any conceivable way. The subsequent follow up maneuver of a kick to Vincent's throat is a deadly one that sends him crashing to the ground.

She can hear the gunplay even before her eyes are open and she realizes that Casey had probably saved her life. She reaches for her back up gun and checks the clip before joining Casey in returning fire. "Where are we?" The bullet proof vest had proven to be a good idea but she knows that the bruises will remain for quite some time. "The two containment cells are in the basement, last two rooms at the end. Chuck has to be there."

"We're at the basement level but we're pinned down. There are two Tangos left." He's not sure if he should tell her about the explosion and returns fire instead, wanting to put off that discussion.

Sarah's always been good at reading people and can tell that he's keeping something from her. "What did I miss?" Her entire body aches from her head down and she's still not sure she can make it out of here alive. However, as long as she's conscious, she knows that she just has one thing to accomplish.

"There was an explosion a couple of minutes back. It sounded like a doozy and it took out some of the guys out there. I think it came from the holding cells." He's waiting for tears and some kind of emotional response as he looks straight at her. Instead, he's taken aback as he sees her stand and rush out from their hiding place, her gun held out and her aim true. He hears shots fired and cannot just wait there as he too runs out from behind with his gun held up, ready to fire.

He stops when all he sees is Sarah standing in the hallway, her head down and the two gunmen lying prone on the floor. He can see the smoke, dust and debris at the farthest end of the hallway and realizes that it's up to him to lead the way. Casey can't figure out when exactly her mission had become his but he knows that he has to find Bartowski as he raises his gun and walks down the hallway.

Sarah is counting in her head and only allows herself to reach twenty before she takes a breath and follows Casey down the hall. She has to know the truth even if she will never want to accept it. She owes Chuck that much.

She can't help but call his name as she surveys the destruction before her. "Chuck." Her voice has an equal measure of hope and fear in it and all she really wants is to hear him answer.

Chuck closes his eyes because he really doesn't want to see any of it any longer. Not the destruction surrounding him or the dead man before him. He cannot explain his actions, although he has a pretty good idea that they are Intersect related. Killing someone though, is completely beyond his comprehension, and all he really wants right now, all he really needs, is to see Sarah.

He counts in his head, each number adding to the last as he pictures her in his mind, completely blocking out all the images and binary code from before. As he finally reaches twenty, he hears the sound of his name and he finally opens his eyes.

He sees a big man come through the hole in the wall first, but his focus is solely on the person right behind the man. Her hair is in disarray and he can see cuts and bruises on her face and hands but he cannot help but think that she is the most beautiful person he has ever seen.

She sees him standing there, blood trickling down the side of his face. He's holding one of his arms close to his body and she hopes it's not broken. However, despite all her own aches and pains, the sight of him alive and standing in front of her is really all she needs.

The End

So the poll for this chapter is

1) If Casey closed his eyes and counted to twenty, would he want to see Ilsa or Ronald Reagan more?

2) Would you like Jill to be dead or for Chuck to get some closure?

3) Is Morgan's appearance in flashback enough or should he appear in another chapter?

4) The next chapter should have the following….(fill in your request)