It's been a busy week in the Chuck fandom. A finale, a wedding, and a fifth and final season. Now that we know that we have the show until at least the end of the year, I think I am going to slow down and tell a longer story. I'll post a chapter a week, perhaps more if I get ahead. But I would like to end this story sometime after the season starts.

I don't own Chuck. Actually, I don't own much of anything.

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Old Boyfriends and New Girlfriends

x-x-x-x-x

Sarah was pretty used to the after affects of her body being abused on missions. After all, you didn't get into tens years worth of fights without the other guy getting a shot or two of his own in sometimes. She had been knocked unconscious a couple of times. It certainly wasn't the first time she had taken stitches either. She had to admit, she couldn't remember ever getting knocked out and taking stitches in the same fight before. But, all in all, she wasn't feeling all that badly.

For one thing, she had her own personal Emergency Room Doctor treating her like… well, the sister that she was. Fortunately Ellie no longer went anywhere without her medical bag full of supplies. She learned her lesson on that one during her last adventure with Chuck and Sarah. So she was able to put the twelve stitches in Sarah's right arm as soon as the auto pilot took over the flying duties. Naturally, Sarah had to take off her shirt… and her lacy bra wasn't exactly modest. So in that manner, both doctor and patient were actually dressed somewhat similarly. She had to try hard to keep from laughing at poor Chuck in the back seat. He and Casey were cuddled by necessity in the cramped quarters. That was awkward enough. But they were also trying hard to look anyplace except for the obvious.

But the real reason Sarah wasn't feeling all that badly didn't become apparent until they had landed. And actually it was something of a surprise. Agent Walker was pretty well known in spy circles for not wanting help. As a matter of fact, a sure fire way to get under her skin was to suggest that she needed help. It had started more than one fight in the past. So Casey was more than a little stunned when she allowed Chuck to physically carry her in his arms from the plane to the van.

Sarah physically felt relatively fine. For one thing, the vicodin that Ellie gave her in the plane just before they landed was starting to kick in. She most certainly could have walked to the van. Truth be told, she could have carried Chuck to the van. But it felt so good to be babied for once… by the one person in the world who could get away with it. As soon as they got inside Chuck gently helped her into the back seat. Then he found a blanket, wrapped it around them, and cuddled with her.

It was one of those moments that you never wanted to end. Sure they had problems. Devon had to be rescued. The Ring's plot had to be stopped. They were still on the run from the entire U.S. government with shoot-to-kill targets on their backs. She had no idea how to get Chuck and Ellie to even sit down and listen to their dad, much less reconcile with him. But that all seemed a million miles away as Sarah allowed herself to get lost in the warm glow from the drug… and the even warmer glow from having Chuck's arms wrapped around her, surrounding her with the feeling of comfort, safety, and just plain happiness.

They were both sound asleep leaning on each other before Casey even had the van on the freeway.

Ellie watched them with somewhat mixed feelings. Yes, she was more than a little frantic about Devon. After all, she didn't know where he was, who had him, or what they wanted. And it now seemed that her only hope to get him back in one piece was to depend on the dad that she had come to accept that she could never depend on. But she couldn't help but smile softly as she looked at them cuddled together sleeping in that back seat. They both looked like they didn't have a care in the world. "Have you ever imagined two people more in love?" she asked, far more to herself than to Casey.

Casey didn't take his eyes off the road. If fact, he conspicuously didn't look at her at all. But to her surprise, he answered with more than his usual grunt. "I really haven't," he said. "If you only knew the list of men who have taken their shot at her."

"Bryce Larkin?" Ellie asked skeptically. "He's not her type. I know he is probably good looking. But come on."

"Bryce isn't even in the top third," Casey said. "There have been billionaires, princes, and jet set playboys of every type and shape. They were all itching to take their shot at the challenge of bagging the famous, untamable Sarah Walker. She shot them all down without so much as a second glance… and not only does she end up with Chuck Bartowski, she looks like the cheerleader who just got asked to the prom by the quarterback. Go figure."

Ellie wasn't quite sure how she really felt about John. When she first met him, she honestly thought of him as on the edge of creepy, and maybe even a little bit over the edge. But then she learned that he was part of the team that was protecting her brother, so that earned him a few points. Chuck spoke as highly of him as he did anyone. That had to count for something. Devon had just spent a couple of weeks with him. It would certainly be nothing short of gross overstatement to call them close friends. But Devon came away actually liking him. Not that it meant all that much, Devon liked everyone.

There was still the little matter of the surveillance cameras in virtually every corner of her home to deal with. John Casey had most assuredly seen her naked on multiple occasions and in the most intimate of circumstance. She still had every intention of having a not-so-gentle discussion with him soon to formally register her outrage. But she had to admit, this was the most human she had ever witnessed him being. Maybe she could cut him a bit of slack. And the way he avoided gawking at her dressed in that ridiculously revealing, barely there halter top. It was kinda cute. "I guess the girl just has high standards," she said with a smile.

"She held out until she found what she was looking for."

x-x-x-x-x

Misty struggled to wake from her dream. The real struggle was that she really didn't want to wake. The dream was so, well, dreamy. Here she was floating on a cloud, cuddled with the best looking guy she had ever seen. Best looking didn't even begin to cover it. This Devon was the most amazing male specimen she could imagine. And a heart surgeon to boot? That was almost too good to be true.

But eventually, the whine in her ear forced her to open her eyes. And when she did, there was some good news… and some bad news. The good news was that she was, indeed cuddled with Devon. He actually had his arms around her as he also slept. Apparently, he was dreaming as well. So that was very, very good. Unfortunately the bad news was, well, puzzling. They were in some kind of airplane.

Devon was starting to stir himself, so Misty gently slapped his face. Just before he opened his eyes, she pressed her lips to his and kissed him. Clearly Devon was still dreaming because he kissed back. And actually, it was anything but just a simple kiss. Their tongues danced for quite a long moment. Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he quickly broke the kiss. "I'm so sorry," he quickly said. "I was dreaming. I thought you were Ellie."

Okay, so Misty wasn't to wild about being drugged. That seemed substantially over the line for some kind of an adventure fantasy. But that no longer mattered. She was on cloud nine. Sure, she had kissed her fair share of men before. But never had she experienced the huge amount of electricity that had just flowed between them. It very well might have been the high point of her life. "Don't be sorry," she said with a contented smile. "I'm not sorry, not even a little bit. And actually, tonight I am Ellie, remember? I must be. I'm wearing her bra."

Devon quickly looked around. It was clearly a private jet of some kind. In fact, it was the very same plane that Chuck had ridden in some ten days ago. It had ten or so seats… but he and Misty were the only ones in the cabin. They were completely unsecured. But just like Chuck ten days ago, where were they going to go? "Where are we?" he asked.

Misty smiled. "Come on, Devon," she said. "If you don't know, then we're in big trouble. How could Ellie have set this all up in one day? She's been planning this for a long, long time. Just how much did this adventure cost you anyway?"

Devon looked out the window. The irony was that Ellie was currently only a few miles away. Not that he would ever know but she was in the plane just five miles to the left… and about three miles below. But all he could see was darkness. "Listen to me," he said softly and firmly. "Look into my eyes and hear what I'm telling you. I've been trying to tell you all night. This is not a game."

That was the first time that Misty was starting to get an uneasy feeling about this. "What do you mean?" she asked. "If you didn't set this up, who are these guys? Where are they taking us?"

Devon was beside himself. "I'm so sorry for getting you involved in this," he said in pure panic. "I really didn't think they would do anything but follow us. I'm not totally sure who they are. I think they might be with the CIA."

Suddenly Misty's dislike for whoever this Ellie person was grew by a full measure. "The CIA?" she questioned incredulously. "What is Ellie into that the CIA wants her?"

"It's not Ellie," Devon said quickly. "They're after her brother. I'm not totally sure why myself. I'm so sorry. Don't worry. I'll tell them you're not Ellie and they'll let you go."

Misty thought about it for a long moment. "No they won't," she finally said. "If they would kidnap two private citizens off a public street, they must be serious. If they find out I'm not Ellie, I just become a complication. Do you know what happens to complications?"

Pure surprise overcame Devon's panic, for a moment anyway. "I see what you mean," he said, clearly concerned. "I really don't think they will do anything to you. But I agree that we won't risk it. We'll pretend that you're Ellie until we figure out what it is exactly that they want."

There was one thing about Misty. She was a pragmatist. She always had been. And if she was in this weird situation, why not make the best of it? And there was clearly one way to do that. Staring into his eyes, even as panicked as he obviously was, all she could see was where she definitely wanted to be. "Good," she said as she snuggled back into Devon's side. "One thing is for sure. To fool them, we're going to have to be believable as an engaged couple."

"Let's practice."

x-x-x-x-x

"Hello, Eleanor," Steven said as soon as her and Casey stepped into the room. If he was surprised at the way she was dressed, he didn't say anything about it. For her part, Ellie wasn't going to give an emotional inch. She just stood there sullenly in her barely there cocktail waitress outfit, hands firmly on her hips, and glared at him. "It's good to see you. Your brother tells me that you're a doctor. I'm very proud of you."

"I can't say that I'm proud of you," Ellie snapped. "You were going to make pancakes."

In site of the incredible tenseness that permeated the room, Steven could help but smile. "My God," he said. "I can't get over how much you look exactly like your mother when you're angry. Trust me. I'm something of an expert at that. I've missed seeing you so much. I understand that I have some serious explaining to do to you."

Casey grunted as he sat down Ellie's bags. "I assume you got another room," he said.

"I did," Steven said as he handed Casey a key. "It's next door."

"Wait," Ellie said in alarm. "Where are you going?"

"He's going to his own room, Eleanor," Steven said. "Three people can't stay here. There are only two beds."

"I'll take the other room," Ellie snapped.

"Sorry," Casey said. The sparkle in his eyes told everybody that he was enjoying her awkward discomfort. "With the security situation the way it is, you can't be alone. I don't think you would be very welcome over with Chuck and Sarah. I suppose that you could come next door with me. Good luck explaining to Devon that you chose to spend the night with me over your dad."

Ellie just stood there and glared.

"Oh, by the way," Casey said with a grin as he twisted the knife. "I don't own a pair of pajamas… in case that factors at all into your decision making."

But to Casey's surprise, Ellie didn't answer right away. She was clearly considering her options. One thing for sure, she didn't have any worries about Devon. He had been very cool about her two weeks rooming with Cole. Of course, he had never actually seen Cole, but still. Besides, that smirk on John's face was really getting annoying. Sarah had told her all about how he liked to jab at people. Maybe she could turn that smirk upside down. And anything had to be better than sharing the room with Dad. "No pajamas, huh?" she said thoughtfully. "What are we talking about? Boxers? Or briefs?"

Casey wasn't expecting that question… at all. So his response was somewhat less than smooth. "Umm… boxers."

Ellie's smirk turned sinister. "Well, John," she said as she picked up her bag. "I think that I can handle boxers. On the other hand, it only seems fair to tell you that I wear bikini briefs. But I guess you know all about that, having seen two years of surveillance footage of me getting ready for bed. I don't have any pajamas with me either. But then again you've already seen everything that I have. It might actually be justice for me to see you getting ready for bed for once, don't you think?"

Casey's face turned beet red but he didn't respond.

Ellie had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at him. "Maybe we can discuss how it feels to have your personal space violated like that," she said. "Okay. Let's go."

x-x-x-x-x

Okay, so Sarah again let Chuck carry her from the van to the hotel room. But there was no longer any pretense of it being at all medical. The bruised section of her ribs was still a little sore from where she had taken a couple punches. And she could begin to feel the pull from the stitches in her arm where the local anesthetic had worn off. But this was clearly not required. This was pure romance. In fact they were both giggling even before he even got to the door. It got even worse when he realized that he needed the key to unlock the door… and it was in his wallet.

"You do realize," Sarah said as soon as she could stop laughing enough to get the words out, "that dropping the girl sort of negates any romantic benefit the guy would get from carrying her in he first place."

"I understand that," Chuck said as he fumbled trying to open his wallet and extract the key with his one free hand. "Trust me. The guy is going to do his best. After all, he needs all the romantic benefit he can get."

"I wouldn't worry too much," Sarah said. "After all, saving the girl's life usually counts as an automatic get-the-guy-lucky-that-night card."

Chuck was still fumbling with his wallet. "Someday," he said. "You're going to have to tell me the complete set of rules." Finally he was able to open the door. They stumbled awkwardly into the dark room. Even though they were still uncontrollably giggling, Sarah had her arms wrapped tightly around his neck and her lips firmly pressed to his. Chuck had every intention on carrying her directly to the bed… and then maybe playing his newly awarded lucky card when, suddenly, unexpected, the lights came on.

The last thing in the world Sarah was expecting at that point was any trouble. She had lost her gun in the earlier battle. But it still only took her about a second before she was standing with a knife in her hand, with Chuck pushed behind her, ready to face the threat standing opposite them in the room. "Bryce," she said with a sigh of relief as she lowered her weapon. "What in the world are you doing here?"

"Hey, buddy," Chuck said. "Have you been sitting here in the dark?"

Bryce didn't answer right away. He just stared at them for a long moment. "I came to see Sarah," he finally said.

"Chuck, do you think that you could give us a minute?"

x-x-x-x-x

Devon really didn't know what to do. On the one hand, the last thing that he wanted was to endanger this poor girl who had totally innocently gotten involved in this mess. And there was some wisdom in not letting them know that she wasn't Ellie. Casey hadn't told him all that much. But what he did tell him was chilling. He knew there was this organization called Fulcrum that was after Chuck. He had also told him all about how ruthless they could be and how they would stop at nothing to get him.

Ellie had been assuming that it was the CIA that was following them. But what if it was Fulcrum that now had them captured? Who knew what they would do to Misty if they discovered their mistake?

On the other hand, he didn't want to do anything to send the wrong message to Misty. She seemed like a nice enough kid, and she was incredibly attractive. But there was one thing for sure. He was never, ever going to do anything to betray Ellie. And the way she had been looking at him in the car… and especially the way she was currently snuggled into his side said that she was clearly looking for more than just a little excitement.

This was going to be very complicated.

x-x-x-x-x

Chuck turned to leave. "I'll be next door," he said. But before he could take a step, he felt Sarah firmly grab his wrist.

"Chuck is not going anywhere," Sarah said. "There are no secrets between us. Chuck knows everything. Anything you have to say to me, you can say to both of us."

Bryce shrugged his shoulders. "As you wish," he said. "I was hoping to spare him an uncomfortable moment. But I guess he's going to find out sooner or later anyway. I just wanted to let you know that I've decided that I'm not giving up. I'm ready to fight."

Sarah was confused. "Okay, Bryce," she said. "That's good. It's no surprise. I don't think that any of us are ready to give up. Why do you think you had to tell me that?"

On the other hand, Chuck knew instantly what Bryce meant, probably because he always suspected that it was true. So he stepped between them. "I'm ready to fight too," he said.

Bryce stepped to the door. "Fair enough," he said as he opened the door. "I thought you were my friend. And here you stab me in the back and steal my girl. Well, you're not getting away with this. I love her. Be sure of one thing."

"I'm going to get her back."

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