Chuck dropped the box he was holding as the flash over took his body. Sarah noticed the flash and quickly made an excuse about getting the rest of the boxes later, and needing a drink. Ellie and Devon agreed, it was decided they would meet back at the fountain in an hour to finish.
Sarah dragged Chuck into the apartment and turned on the TV so she could connect to Beckman.
"Chuck are you with me?" Sarah asked, while also texting Casey to come over quickly with Carina.
"They…they have the codes Sarah." Chuck cried out frightened. "They want to nuke D.C.! in a month, it's a whole big Fulcrum plan!"
Carina and Casey quickly slipped into the apartment, just in time to hear what Chuck had found out from his flash.
General Beckman immediately popped online, looking a little worse for ware.
"What was the flash?" She asked, her voice filled with annoyance.
"A van drove by and I flashed on its plates, they belong to a part of Fulcrum, actually the person in charge is Samuel Thomas, Ron Thomas's brother, he is planning an attack a month from today in D.C. it's payback for us getting his brother." Chuck explained quickly.
The news caused the General to suddenly become alert.
"Nuke the capitol?" She clarified.
"Yes ma'am." Chuck replied.
"Ok listen team, we don't have much time, because if they figure out we know they could set the nuke off, so we need to be on high alert. For now I am going to send five teams out to do surveillance in order to get as much information on these guys. You guys have to train Chuck as much as you can, because I have feeling to end this we are going to need the intersect in the line of fire. Understand?" Beckman asked.
"Yes ma'am." Everyone replied.
"Ok, I am sending Bryce Larkin to help with the training, there is base about three miles from where you are now that you can train in. We need the numbers on that plate Bartowski." The general ordered.
Chuck quickly rambled of the plate numbers before the general's screen went black.
"This is bad." Sarah said.
"Really bad." Carina offered.
"Good thing we are the best team around! They are not going to nuke D.C. not now that we have their plan. We are going to beat them." Casey replied, pumping up the group.
"We are going to have to take down at least a quarter of Fulcrum's agency for this." Chuck said.
"So we will, come on lets get you trained, then we will fight, and we will be successful like we always are." Casey answered, trying to really raise the morale. "Ok?" He shouted.
"I said OK?!"
"Ok!" Everyone screamed, quickly rushing off to grab whatever they needed, they made a plan to meet at the base at 6, giving Chuck and Sarah plenty of time with the Awesome's.
"Sarah?" Chuck asked, before she could head out the door where Ellie and Devon were waiting.
"Yea?" She asked, confused at why he sounded scared.
"This mission is going to be successful, right?" Chuck asked, his voice not above a whisper.
"We are going to take these men down Chuck, it may be with some loses and a big fight, but we are going to win." Sarah replied, kissing him quickly to try and ease his nerves.
"If it doesn't, it will be bunkerville for me, huh?" Chuck asked.
"Which is why this time next month we are going to have beaten them, we can do this Chuck, flashing on those plates gave us the heads up, they may have a plan but we have the advantage." Sarah said soothingly.
"And Bryce coming?" Chuck asked again.
"Means nothing because I am in love with you, not him." Sarah answered with determination.
"Ok…ok yea, lets do this." Chuck stuttered out, obviously still nervous but still better then he was before.
"Lets go." Sarah smiled, grabbing his hand and leading him back out to where Ellie and Devon were waiting.
________________________________________________________________________
Casey and Carina were quickly grabbing every weapon they could and throwing it into the bags they were taking with them to the training facility.
"Bryce coming back? Think it will cause issues?" Carina asked Casey as they rushed around.
"A month ago I would have said yes, but now? Those two are so in love nothing could break them apart." Casey answered gruffly.
"Good." Carina replied. "And this new threat, a chance for us to do some big damage against Fulcrum, we are going to be successful, right?"
Casey stopped what he was doing and went over to pull Carina into a hug.
"Nothing is going to stop us from keeping this nation safe, especially not Fulcrum." Casey answered as Carina snuggled into his arms.
"I have never really like, relied on anyone before John, so I can't say that I love you, but I know I like you a lot, don't let me lose you, ok?" Carina begged.
"I am not going anywhere." Casey soothed.
_______________________________________________________________
A week later at the training facility Carina and Sarah were trying to teach Chuck hand to hand combat. The only problem was, he wasn't doing a very good job on learning they way they were taught. At the agency Carina and Sarah bother were told to read a manual on basic maneuvers and then act out what they read, Chuck wasn't doing very well.
"You know he can't learn that way." Shouted a voice from the other side of the room.
Sarah and Carina both quickly looked up from their position to see Bryce Larkin walking into the building with a small smile on his face.
"Not everybody learns from reading like you two did. I myself learn by seeing, like Chuck." Bryce said.
"Why are you here?" Asked Sarah.
"Hey, I was pulled out from a deep undercover assignment to make sure the kid gets trained well enough to protect himself with Fulcrum's next big attempt." Bryce replied, throwing his hands up in defense.
"Chuck and I are together, don't say anything to him that will screw that up." Sarah said suddenly, deciding to cut right to the chase.
"I won't, if I can't be with you then I am happy you are with Chuck, but still Chuck and I were always the same in classes, you have to show him the moves, not have him read about them and then act them out." Bryce spoke, his voice a little softer then normal, but still filled with confidence.
"Finally, someone listens." Chuck breathed out, sweating from head to toe.
"What do you mean?" Carina asked. "We would have shown you if you told us."
"I did tell you!" Shouted Chuck "I asked if you guys could just spar a little instead of sparring with me and calling out the moves you wanted me to do!"
Sarah smiled as she remembered Chuck asking them over and over to just show him the moves. "Sorry that was our fault, we just thought you wanted to see us fight."
"Well I didn't! I can't believe I am going to say this but thank God Bryce is here." Chuck answered with a sigh, resting against the mat.
"Hey, this is no time for naps! Get up Chuck, we have to keep your endurance high. The general gave me the orders for the next mission to pass along, it goes down it two weeks, if we are successful it will cause a major blow to Fulcrum's plans, but first we have to get you trained because we will need you right in their line of sight." Bryce ordered. "I will debrief you all then, but for now the mission is to train Chuck."
And so the team did. They taught Chuck hand to hand, how to use a gun, had him working out, running long distances, and practicing stealth maneuvers. By the end of the two weeks, Chuck was a bit stronger, had better reflexes, could fire a gun, and fight almost as good as anyone who had trained him. He was a lean mean fighting machine, who complained after punching someone because it hurt his hand.
Sarah smiled as she watched Chuck spar with Carina, getting a few surprising moves in that sent Carina flying towards the mat. After the hit, he would shake out his hand, or rub a sore spot on his shoulder. Even being taught how to kill didn't take Chuck out of the man. He was still her big softy who rather run like a screaming little girl then fight, but the difference now was, he could fight, and he knew it. He had confidence.
"Alright guys I think that is enough for today, the mission is tomorrow night. Meet at the Bartowski's for debriefing tonight at 9. Tomorrow is the big day." Bryce announced.
Bryce had taken control of the training situation, coming in first in the mornings, and leaving after everyone else. He barley talked, just ordered. To Sarah, it seemed like he was distancing himself away from her and Chuck, something that would have to be fixed before the mission tomorrow. Feelings got agents killed.
________________________________________________________________________
At Chuck and Sarah's apartment, Chuck was laying face down on the bed trying to relax. His mucsles were screaming with pain from being used so differently and quickly over the past two weeks. He had been thrown to the floor hundreds of times in sparing, had fired guns that made him feel like he had gone deaf, done stealth moves that causes his legs to cramp so bad he thought they were going to crack, and worst of all, he had gotten his hair cut.
The hair cut order came straight from Beckman herself, said his hair was to hard to change if they ever needed new identities or to camouflage their selves as someone new, so she ordered it to be cut down to a nice trim hair due.
Sarah walked into the bedroom and saw Chuck with his head down on the pillow. She knew he had, had a hard couple of weeks and felt a bit sorry for everything he had gone to. Normally to get to where Chuck was agent wise, it took months, not two weeks, two ½ if you count the couple days before Bryce arrived. Now tomorrow they were going to deliver a blow to Fulcrum, hopefully big enough that it shuts down their plan to attack D.C.
"Hi sweetie." Sarah laughed as Chuck just mumbled something she couldn't understand into the pillow. "Are you ok?"
Chuck sighed as he rolled over to lay on his back, muscles pulling and stretching with every movement he made.
"I guess, just stiff, I hope I will be able to move tomorrow." Chuck admitted honestly.
"Don't worry, we will put some heating pads on you when you sleep, it will relax the muscles. You will be good as new tomorrow." Sarah said gently, lying on the bed next to Chuck.
"Tomorrow, big day." Chuck announced.
"Very big, we are going to have to do a lot of work, very quickly." Sarah agreed.
"A lot of fighting?" Asked Chuck.
Sarah thought it over, she could lie and say things were going to be easy, or tell the flat out truth that she was worried they may lose some lives in the mission. She decided there was no reason to baby him anymore, he was an agent.
"Yes, a lot of fighting. From what Bryce has said, we are infiltrating the headquarters for California, each state has their own, but they all run different projects, California's project was revenge for us capturing the regional commander Ron Thomas, but from what we have learned, if we stop this state's facility then we stop the attack. The other Fulcrum agencies around the world don't have time to clean up the mess." Sarah explained.
"Someone may die." Chuck said softly.
"Yes, a team is being sent in from D.C., supposed to be one of the best, and we could lose a couple of those men." Sarah admitted.
"One of us could die I mean." Chuck clarified, meaning the group of Carina, Casey, himself and Sarah, along with Bryce.
"No." Sarah replied firmly.
"We don't know that Sarah, something could happen and anyone of us could get shot, just like the team Beckman is sending in to help." Chuck answered softly.
"We don't even know what the mission really is yet Chuck, for all we know you and I will be in the surveillance van monitoring the cameras." Sarah replied, reminding Chuck of how little they knew of the mission they were going on tomorrow.
"Just promise me, tomorrow night or early the next morning, when this is over with…you will be by my side." Chuck pleaded, grabbing Sarah's hand.
"There is no other place I dream of being." Answered Sarah snuggling into Chuck's chest while keeps their hands intertwined.
"Good." Chuck replied.
"You have taken Bryce being here very well, if I may change the subject, I am proud of you." Sarah said as they both relaxed on the bed.
"We had a talk the first night his was there." Admitted Chuck.
"What happened?" Sarah asked, intrigued.
_________________________Flash Back_________________________________
"Bryce can I talk to you?" Chuck asked, jogging after Bryce as he walked towards his car. Chuck knew he didn't have a lot of time, since he told Sarah he would meet her home after he picked up a pizza for dinner, but he really wanted to talk to his old college friend.
"What's up Chuck? Good work today by the way." Bryce greeted, looking nervous.
"I need to talk to you about Sarah and me, as a couple." Chuck announced, sounding more confident then ever.
"I am not going to come between you two." Bryce said nervously, switching from foot to foot.
"I know that, you couldn't, but I need to talk to you anyway. Do you love her?" Asked Chuck, getting right to the point.
Bryce let out a sigh before seeming to mull over his next few words. He know he had the phrase it just the right way to not piss Chuck off.
"At a time, I may have, but now? No. No Chuck, I do not love her, well I am not in love with her. I love her like a friend, like I love you." Bryce admitted softly.
"So I can trust you?" Chuck asked, looking Bryce straight in the eye. "Because for the past five years I would have never guessed this coming, can I actually fully trust you Bryce?"
"Yes. I am not going to mess up our friendship twice." Bryce replied sternly.
_______________________End Flashback__________________________________
"Wow." Sarah exclaimed, after finding out the truth to why Bryce has been acting so weird.
"So basically now he just sort feels uncomfortable, he admitted a lot that day, I am sure it will all blow over soon." Chuck replied, pulling Sarah even closer towards him.
"I love you Chuck, promise me you won't take any risks tomorrow." Sarah pleaded, tears forming in her eyes.
"Promise me, you won't die to save my life." Chuck pleaded back.
"How about we both promise not to die trying to save each other's lives." Sarah proposed.
"I can't promise that. But, I will promise to be careful." Chuck replied.
"I guess as an agent myself, that is all I can ask for." Sarah admitted softly back.