A/N: I am so, so, so, so sorry. Mary is left in this terrible position and I don't touch this for a month…I got nothing other than I wasn't feeling it (mouth issues) but hopefully we can fix that problem…I suspect someone dies this chapter…and I'm the author, so I should know….I mean I don't, but I really should…hope you enjoy Ch 14, The Nerd Saves the Day

Disclaimer: I don't own Chuck, and my preference to Samsung over Apple may have came through this chapter.

Last time on Casey & Walker

"You're mine, Bartowski, and I'm yours, we never do that again," Sarah said. "This is too important. We're too important."

"Forever important?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know if forever is long enough."

"I think we have an opening for Mr. Larkin, as our lawyer. He just informed us of Detective Ryan's identity, one Chuck Bartowski, you may know his mother….Mary Bartowski"

"Welcome home, Bryce."

It was comfortable and warm. Not just that, but it was home. Chuck peeled open one eye, and saw a tangled mess of limbs, sheets, and blonde hair mixed with him. He grinned and shut his eye. He really didn't care what he was supposed to do today. Nobody was taking this amazing feeling away from him. No one. That's when the pounding on the door began.

"Naeiou," came the voice under the blankets, but on top of him. "Make the bad noise staaaaap, Chuuuuck."

"You're freaking adorable when you pout like that."

"I'll show you freaking something else if you make whoever go away." Chuck bounded out of bed. "CLOTHES!" He came scurrying back and she giggled, watching him dress.

"What?"

"Maybe I'm not the only one freaking adorable." Chuck put on his boxers, turned, shimmied a second, and hurried back to the door. "HURRY!" He opened the door, and there stood Beckman. She took one look at his appearance, shook her head, pushed pass him, and went and sat on his couch. Casey, Molly, and Cole followed her in.

"Put some pants on, Moron," Casey said. Chuck walked back to the bedroom, defeated.

"And no fun in there, we haven't that kind of time," Molly yelled. Sarah turned four shades of red.

"You really shouldn't tell your sister so much," Chuck deadpanned walking into their bathroom. The two joined the other four in the living room a minute later and Beckman told Chuck to sit down. He didn't like the look on her face at all.

"Chuck, Fulcrum Industries has just hired Bryce Larkin as legal counsel," Beckman explained. "If you're right about the Ring-"

"Mom," he blurted out. He felt a hand on his shoulder, but it barely even registered. He was in shock. He and his mother weren't the closest, but he had no want to see her hurt. This could be bad, floating in the river wearing cement shoes bad. He had no clue what to do.

"Do you have a way of contacting her, Chuck?" Sarah asked softly. Chuck turned to her, and nodded. He went into the bedroom, came back to them and had a cellphone that Sarah had never seen before. "A burner?" He nodded, hit a button, and the call was made.

"Hello," a man's voice said over the speaker. "Hello?"

"Who is this?" Chuck asked.

"This is Bernie Ominsky." Chuck dropped his head. "I found this phone, and I'm going to destroy it."

"The phone?" Chuck asked. Bernie laughed.

"I'm going to throw it into my big crusher and crush it," Bernie said.

"That's not real smart, Bernie, because we have ways of finding out where the phone is, even after the fact."

"Bernie's talking about Mary, and not the phone, right?" Sarah whispered to Molly. Molly nodded.

"This way they can't really prove anything," Molly said.

"How do you know where I am? Everyone knows you can't trace a burner." Bernie taunted. Chuck looked sick. Beckman was on her phone sending a team to Fulcrum right then. "I just want to be left alone. Is that so much to ask?"

"That's all you want, Bernie?" Chuck was trying to keep him on the phone, to hear anything but he couldn't. Sarah looked bored at the whole thing. She put a piece of paper in front of him, gesturing for him to write down the phone number. He gave her a look, but did it anyway. She patted him on the back and walked over to her computer. She typed in a few things, sat and waited. She looked annoyed and Chuck was puzzled.

"I wouldn't mind you returning something to me," Bernie replied, pulling Chuck back into the conversation.

"What do you want returned, Bernie?"

"You're a smart boy, Chuck, you'll figure it out, in oh, say, the next 24 hours," and with that the connection broke. Chuck sprung up from the couch.

"HE KNOWS!" Chuck started to pace. "What are we gonna do?"

"Chuck we have 24 hours, he obviously wants Sasha released, why is that?" Chuck turned to Beckman. He was impressed at her ability to remain calm. "We need to know what Sasha knows, Chuck."

"My mom, Diane, my mom…"

He felt her at his arm and looked over at Sarah. "Trust me, Chuck, I'll get her. You, Molly, and Cole go interview Sasha. Casey and I will get her." Chuck nodded, gave her a kiss on the cheek, and headed out with Cole and Molly behind him.

"I know you want to make him feel better, but don't promise something you can't deliver," Casey said gently. She grinned.

"I already know where they are," she said, spinning her laptop at him.

-ooooo-

"You know, Tommy, I find it very interesting how no one really pays attention to names anymore." Tommy Delgado, the #2 of Fulcrum sat in Ted Roark's office. Tommy had no idea why he had been invited to Roark Industries, but rumors were Ted wasn't the most stable, so don't upset him was the advice he was given. "A fulcrum has different definitions, and one of those definitions is a prop or a support." Ted was looking at his computer, studying the baseball standings, trying to figure out if Volkoff would get mad if he had Tommy go kill a couple of Padres so the Dodgers could take over first place. "But what is a prop?" There was silence for a bit.

"Are you actually asking me?"

"Why not, Tommy? Aren't you a smart guy?"

"I mean yeah, but usually I'm just considered a point and click kinda guy," he said with a grin.

Ted slapped the table, enthusiastic. "We're wasting you, Tommy, you need to come work for me."

"I kinda have a boss."

Ted made a face. It was a part nod, part smile, part grimace. "You do…currently." Ted grinned. "That's why you're here. A prop is something used as a support, typically one that is not an integral part of the thing being supported."

"So you're saying Fulcrum is not important?"

Ted spread his hands, and shrugged. "I didn't say that, I'm just telling you the definition. I could hire you, if Bernie weren't around."

"Is this an order?"

Ted thought for a second. "Let's just put it this way, Bernie is throwing a Hail Mary and he has a very weak arm." Ted pushed a piece of paper over to Tommy that had an address. "I like the way you think. It's good you're a point and click guy, but you can also have other uses."

"I'll take care of this," Tommy said standing. Ted stood up and shook his hand.

"Welcome to Roark Industries," Ted said. Tommy nodded and left. Ted picked up his phone and made a call. "I was calling Mr. Volkoff. What? His daughter? Whatever you gotta tell yourself to sleep at night honey. Look tell him I'm taking care of the mess. He'll know what it refers to, now go lay on your back and be a good "daughter". Yes, I am implying you're a prostitute. Good-bye." Ted hung up and shook his head. "It's so hard to get good help some days."

-ooooo-

Chuck walked into the interview room with Cole and Molly closely behind him. Zondra watched from the observation window. She was probably the closest person to Chuck, besides Sarah, and she had never seen him this upset. He was close to breaking. She was shocked he actually cared this much about his mother, but now it all made sense. She couldn't understand how he had pushed, and pushed, and pushed people away, but this explained it. Because when you were in Chuck Bartowski's life, you were in for life. Chuck didn't stop caring, he didn't stop loving, and that's why he had to be sure you were someone worth getting close to, someone worth loving. He didn't have a choice with Mary, she was his mother. She always would be, but she had hurt him so much over the years. It made what he did a few months ago even bolder, but he did it to take the target off of Mary, and it had worked. Chuck understood Volkoff and how to deal with Volkoff's beliefs but this, this was scary. Volkoff knew who Mary was now, and how to deal with Chuck. This was not just scary, but bad.

Chuck tossed a huge file on the desk. Sasha glanced at it and winced. It was her file, her kills over the years.

"Now that we've ID'd you, you are five minutes from being picked up by federal agents, and being sent to a very dark hole," Chuck said sitting down and relaxing. Cole and Molly stared at him. Chuck looked over at them. "What?"

"Uh, aren't you supposed to question her?" Molly asked.

"What's the point, she's obviously getting old," Chuck said. Sasha stiffened. "If she were any good she would have killed them at any point throughout the night."

"You're a fool!" Sasha spat.

Chuck huffed, like he was put out. He raised his hand as if to shush her as he talked. "I need you not to talk, you don't have a lawyer."

"I have waived my right to council and signed your stupid paper," she said nodding toward it. Chuck shrugged and yawned. "I was going to wait for them to have the sex, and then kill them both, discrediting them."

"We weren't going to have sex!" Cole blurted out.

"No," Chuck agreed. "You were going to have the sex."

"Is there a difference between sex and the sex?" Molly asked, smirking.

"If you have to ask, he's probably not doing it right," Chuck chided. Cole gave him a look. "Sorry, Cole, you had to pretend to be seeing my girl, you were very professional, and because of her, we were all put in a bad spot. I'm sorry."

"It's all right, Chuck," Cole answered. "I don't think it was pleasant for any of us."

"Except Casey," Chuck replied. Molly and Cole had to agree with him on that.

"Does anyone care what I have to say?" Sasha spat.

"NO!" they all three said together. Chuck got up and headed to the door.

"Bernie said they were about to find us," Sasha said.

"Who's us," Chuck asked, as if he didn't care, his hand on the door.

"I'm not stupid," Sasha said.

"No, no you're not," Chuck replied. "Have a nice life in a hole."

"Wait! I can give you Bernie."

"It won't help you, Sasha," Chuck said, shrugging watching Molly and Cole leave the room. "Bernie's not enough."

"Would Volkoff be enough?"

Chuck spun back, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head. "You can get us Volkoff?"

"No, Bernie could, he's the only one, but if they know you're onto Bernie, they'll kill him and give up Fulcrum," Sasha explained. "There's things you know that are going on, but no one has the proof." Chuck nodded. Volkoff was famous for that. He had experienced Volkoff's ability to avoid anything linking to him the entire time Chuck was undercover. He was never let in the inner circle, and he wondered if he really ever would have been. "The cop might."

Chuck was gobsmacked. "The cop?"

"Lt. Frank Mauser," she said with a grin. "Is that worth anything?" Molly rushed back in.

"I might be able to do something," Molly told her.

"You were listening in the other room?" Sasha asked, her eyebrow arched.

Molly grinned at her. "Wouldn't you?" Sasha nodded. Molly turned to Chuck. "Do you have any other questions for her?"

"Where's Mary?" Chuck asked.

"I don't know who that is," Sasha replied.

"Do you know where Bernie might be holding her?"

-ooooo-

Sarah looked down at her phone and saw it was Chuck. "Hey, Baby, you okay?"

"I know where Bernie is," Chuck said rapidly.

"Old hunting cabin?" Sarah asked. She could hear Chuck stop walking, and just freeze in place.

"How?"

"I only needed the phone number to trace it, those TV shows are so wrong," Sarah said, giggling. "We're actually here now. We're going in to save her, okay?"

"I love you, be careful."

"Love you, Chuck." She disconnected the phone and looked over at Casey.

"Serious, huh?"

Sarah nodded. "Casey, I feel more for him then I ever did with Bryce."

"Doesn't make it forever."

"No, it doesn't," she agreed.

"Doesn't not make it forever."

Sarah smiled at Casey. "Casey," she began.

"Let's save your boytoy's mom, so she can be at your wedding," he said gruffly.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were near crying." Casey shot her a look. "My bad," she said, grinning. The two slowly entered the cabin, and checked each room before they found an entrance for a basement. Sarah started to go down the stairs when Casey stopped her.

"Age before beauty, huh?" Casey said, grinning.

"Don't worry, Casey, I still think you're pretty," Sarah chided. Casey grunted as the two descended the stairs. "Shit!" she said, as she realized they had been played. The phone was there, along with a computer with a count down screen in the corner of the monitor. The main picture showed what looked to be a live feed of Mary Bartowski. A digitized voice came on.

"Now that you realized we're not playing, the exchange must happen in 12 hours. Don't try to trace the computer, it's encrypted."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Amateur hour," she muttered. In a few minutes she was grinning. She pulled out her phone and pulled up and app.

"What's that?" Casey asked.

"Samsung phone, easier to program and use. I've created my own app and with it I can follow this signal," Sarah explained. "Give me five and I've got him."

"Damn, Walker, I don't understand what's going on, but if you think we got him, then we've got him."

Sarah looked up at Casey and winked. "We got him."

-ooooo-

"Chuck, it was a trap, but I turned it on him, we've got him. We'll catch Bernie and then this is over." Sarah had called Chuck as soon as they had gotten back in the vehicle.

"It's not, Sarah, they'll know who she is, and Ellie, and Awesome." Chuck was beginning to spiral.

"Hey, Bartowski, Bryce nor Volkoff has the cajones to go after either of the good doctors," Casey said. He had been listening in to the conversation that was on speaker. "And we both know people who can get your mom and dad out of town."

"And, Chuck, I dare someone to try and come take you from me." Casey looked over at Sarah and winked.

"Bartowski, you better find yourself something nice to wear, because I have a feeling she's going to be dragging you off to exchange vows."

"Casey, why would she be dragging me?"

"Christ," he muttered.

"Stepped into that one, didn't you?" Sarah was grinning at her partner knowing he was hating these lady feelings. "Chuck, we'll get her, don't worry."

"I trust you two, love you," Chuck said, and hung up. Sarah looked at Casey.

"Hope you know what you're doing, Walker."

"Me too, John, me too."

-ooooo-

Roark's phone rang. He shook his head, watching the Dodgers give up another run. He picked up the phone, and listened.

"It's done, but there were, complications."

"Oh, and are those complications going to affect us?

"No, sir."

"That's what I wanted to hear." Ted hung up. Welp, Bernie was dead which probably meant the shut down of Fulcrum. There were complications. He pulled up his computer and did a quick search. He found an article, read it, found out very little and shrugged. It wasn't his problem. The Dodgers weren't his problem either but he was seriously thinking about having someone start shooting Padres players.

-ooooo-

"There's some tracks here, but no idea of the make of the car, we can get forensics out here, but this looks professional, Ryan."

"Call me Chuck, or Bartowski, that cover is dead now." The cop looked at Chuck and nodded. "Walk me through it."

"We have one dead, and two wounded," the uniform began.

"Two wounded, my ass," Casey said, chewing a cigar and coming up towards Chuck with Sarah in tow. His shirt was ripped and it looked like he had stiches in his arm. Chuck did the thing Casey hated, and hugged him. Casey didn't stop him. "I'm okay, Kid," he said.

"Yeah, and you saved my mom," Chuck said. Casey nodded.

"You two need a room?" Sarah asked with a grin on her face. Chuck let go of Casey, grabbed Sarah and pulled her in for a kiss. The uniform gave them a look.

"Their partners," Casey said as if that should explain it all. "I got this with Bartowski, you go and help those in the cabin. The uniform took off. "Okay, enough." The two broke apart. "Are we gonna do this here or at the precinct?"

"Get it over now," Sarah said, arms still locked around Chuck.

"Right." Casey looked around and got his bearings. "So we came in and Bernie didn't have a clue. You're mom was tied up there." He pointed at a pole he had her on, outside, beside a giant crusher. "You can see the sheet behind her and the camera that was filming her."

"I knew it couldn't be too deep in these woods because he would have to have both electricity and wifi," Sarah explained. Chuck nodded. "We approached there, and Casey was untying her when Bernie came around back. I had my weapon on him, told him to freeze, when a shot rang out, blowing out Bernie's brains."

"I'm gonna guess that's why you're in that stylish tee shirt instead of what you left the apartment in this morning." Chuck had wondered why the clothes change. "Brains get on you."

"Yeah, they let me take a shower after they had processed me," Sarah explained.

"So while that's going on, I get your mom untied, push her to the ground as the next one lodged right into that pole she was tied to, shooting splinters into my arm. She falls above a window, I tell her to cover herself, take my gun, break the window, getting shards in my arm and some on your mom. Sarah shows up, we haul her over the window, I toss Sarah, knowing how pissed you'd be if she got shot."

"Thank you, for both," he said softly.

Casey nodded. "I then hopped over, and we hunkered down until the shooting stopped. We heard a car drive off, but stayed under cover until the Calvary arrived."

"Okay, all three of you to the hospital to get checked out." Casey and Sarah looked at him, surprised. "It's that or go with me to see the mayor."

"I hear they have a taco bar in the afternoons according to Ellie," Sarah told Casey. Casey grunted. He did enjoy tacos. She was then spun and caught up in a hug. "I'm okay."

"I know," Chuck whispered into her ear. "I'm not sure I am."

"Just out of curiosity which one of you is wearing the dress?"

"Oh, Casey, he is wearing a tux or a suit, because afterwards when I peel it off…"

"OH MY BRAIN!" Casey screamed as he ran away. She hugged Chuck again. "I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, hopefully it won't take long." Chuck watched them go, and then trudged to his vehicle to begin a meeting he had never been as scared about in his life.

-ooooo-

"Vivian, huh?" Jack was shaking his head, taking a drink he had poured from the decanter that was at his bar. He looked at Chuck over the glass in front of his face. Chuck sat there quietly looking quite nervous. Jack smiled to himself. "So Bernie is dead, everyone at Fulcrum seems to have a new job, and Sasha has been picked up by the feds. What else?"

"Mauser was arrested, but is refusing to flip," Chuck added. Jack nodded, that wasn't a surprise. "He's telling everyone that if he does he's dead. He says he'll serve his time." Jack leaned back, and took another drink studying Chuck. His hands were clearly sweating. "So we've taken down the outside layer of the Ring. Now three more, but it's going to get harder, Jack. It's going to get more dangerous." He was silent, and Jack shook his head.

"Kid, what's eating you?"

"I guess Molly told you what the four of us went through?" Jack nodded. "Jack…I love her. I don't mean I have a crush on her, I don't mean I like having her around. I love her. She is my life Jack. She told me we were forever. I didn't know that forever was possible for a guy like me, but now I want forever, Jack. Either of us could go at any minute."

Jack leaned forward, his eyes twinkling and a grin covering his face. "Kid, what are you gonna do about it?"

"I'm asking permission to ask your daughter to marry me." Chuck was afraid he might pass out his heart was beating so fast.

Jack sat there a second studying him, holding back the grin. "You, wanna marry my daughter," he said pointing his finger at Chuck. Chuck nodded. Jack sat back. "Okay," as he grinned.

A smile covered Chuck's face. "Okay?" Jack nodded.

"About time you asked."

"Sir, I haven't known her that long," Chuck insisted. Jack waved.

"Kid, what you two have been through…" he trailed off and shook his head. "Just be the man to her I know you are." Chuck stood and went to shake Jack's hand. Jack shook his head, got up, came around, and hugged Chuck. "You're family, son. Family."

-ooooo-

Chuck walked into his apartment and as he shut the door, he was attacked. Blonde hair and kisses were everywhere. She yanked at his shirt, pulling it out of his pants and she had it off of him in record time. Hands were on his chest, kisses on his neck making him groan and not able to have a clear thought, and then suddenly he had a very clear thought as a hand slid down his pants. It surprised him and he pushed her away a bit. She looked frantic, her eyes were puffy, she had been crying and he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms. She began to cry and he held her as the sobbing continued. He realized she was topless and only in her underwear.

"Talk to me," he said softly.

"It exploded right in front of me. His head, Chuck. It exploded and there was nothing I could do. If that sniper had decided it was me, I would be dead right this second. I would be gone, Chuck." She looked at him, tears in his eyes. "Chuck, what we do…I mean I always knew….I could lose you, you could lose me at any second. I need you, Chuck. I need you in my life."

"I'm here baby, always."

"Take me to bed, Chuck, please." He picked her up as she held on to him. He took her into the bed room, laid her down gently, and crawled in beside her. He held her, softly stroking her hair, until she fell asleep. All he could think, over and over was what she said. She needed him in her life. He knew exactly how she felt.

A/N: Let's talk about "burner" phones. You can't trace who they're purchased to if they are paid for in cash, but the phone number…uh, that signal has to go somewhere and they work like any other cell phone, their signal hitting towers. Phone companies can find that phone.

That got heavy. Sorry Mary to leave you like that for so long. Fulcrum's in shambles, but the other three companies appear to be in fine shape…or are they? Find out next time on Casey and Walker…Same Chuck Time, Same Chuck Channel…Hope you liked it, reviews and PMs are always welcomed…Til next time!

DC