The sacrifices one makes
Chapter 5
All for you
The morning was uneventful, if you count big Mike nearly choking on a doughnut the moment he heard Chuck saying he was quitting as a normal happening than everything was well in the world.
Chuck turned in his pocket protector and keys all the while thanking Big Mike for giving him a job when he needed it so many years ago Big Mike for his part simply choked back a sob wondering how he was going to handle all the other workers when the only one that was sane was leaving, Big Mike nodded his head in resignation giving him the "you deserve better than the buy more" speech.
Chuck for the first time in a while decided to actually listen to the nonsense that came out of the man's mouth mostly because he found an appreciation for the things he usually found annoying.
'It's my last day'
Was the normal thought giving him enough reason to appreciate things around him like Jeff and Lester being stupid, usually that would have annoyed him now he just found it funny?
He spoke to Morgan telling him he was going to travel around the world that he wouldn't be hearing from him for a while and Morgan bought it without questioning him, why would he have any doubt they were best friends and best friends don't keep secretes from each other.
That thought gave him a bitter taste but he knew it was better if Morgan didn't know poor guy could not keep a secret to save his life.
Finishing his business at the Buy More he walked towards the Orange Orange, stepping in he headed toward the fridge where he proceeded to type in his code and stepped into Castle making sure he was in the clear, he saw Sarah and Shaw sitting close by one another holding hands focused on the paper work in front of them seeing them so close made him feel empty he pushed the feeling as far down as he could, she deserved a superman so to speak and Shaw was as close as she was going to get.
Chuck focused his attention on the objective he came down to complete sneaking his way towards the inventory room he began to ponder where the communication devices that were used by the Ring agents where.
Stepping into the room he typed his code into the safe that he guessed housed the communication devices, seeing that they were there he proceeded to put one in his pants sensing someone coming he quickly shut the safe and turned to see Sarah with a deer caught in the headlights expression.
To his credit he didn't start to blabber on like a fool mostly because seeing her now made him feel tired, tired of the secretes, tired of having to convince her to trust him, tired of always feeling in second place to her job and to everything else just to keep him in the dark from who she really was, he mentally chuckled at the thought but it was a bitter one.
'If only you knew how much I love you Samantha Lisa Caddel'
He was so lost in his thoughts he didn't notice Sarah walk up to him and touch his injured shoulder until he felt the surge of pain run through his body, he bit his tongue to keep himself from screaming but his expressing gave off a pained one.
"Chuck what's wrong? Are you okay?"
Finally hearing her voice he stepped back an arm's length from her indicating he really didn't want her touching him, seeing her make a sadden expression brought some twisted form of pleasure.
"Agent walker I'm fine you don't need to be concerned, can you repeat what you were saying when you entered the room my mind was somewhere else I didn't catch what you were saying"
Sarah felt so cold hearing his tone, she had stepped into the room when she heard movement coming from it thinking it might be Casey she was getting ready to interrogate him on the things that had happened the other night with Chuck only to see said person standing there with a blank expression and an ice cold gaze, the kind you see on a field agent getting ready for a mission, one that she had worn many times, it was the gaze that indicated you weren't planning on coming back alive and if you did you weren't going to be the same person.
Clearing her voice and pushing down the pain she felt in her chest she spoke.
"I was asking why you were here"
Chuck for his part truly didn't have a response he wasn't planning on being caught and watching Sarah and Shaw so close and in their own little world he didn't think anything could distract them, he was wrong in that case, Sarah since the moment of sitting down next to Shaw couldn't focus on the things she was doing her mind was plagued with the events of the other night
"No reason I was looking into some files that I felt needed to be checked and I forgot to leave a written report the other night"
Surprised by how easy it was to mix truth and deceit he held his ground giving no room for emotion to creep into his visage.
Sarah watched his expressionless features and once more felt pain run through her chest usually Chuck was an open book to her he wouldn't hide anything from her, looking into his eyes she couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or lying anymore her gut feeling screamed at that something was right and she had to figure out what it was so she continued.
"Umm I was wondering if you were willing to talk about what happened yesterday"
Chucked watched how she seemed unsure in what words she should use he gave a sigh and rubbed his temple feeling a head ache coming in.
"It's nothing that I can't handle you don't need to worry about me"
If only Chuck knew how worried she was, from the way he acted to the pained expression he would make every so often.
Sarah watched Chuck's right shoulder noticing that it was completely still and felt herself begin to panic.
"Are you hurt?"
Was the last thing Sarah could ask hoping, praying even begging him to tell her something she couldn't stand being in the dark and not knowing what was happening.
"Agent walker"
Chuck's tone was cold far from what it used to be towards her, Sarah felt tears begin to build up but she refused to cry in front of him
"Please just tell me something!"
Chuck could hear the plead in her voice and it reminded him of how he begged her to tell him something about herself anything at all like where she grew up, what her first name was or even just her middle name only to be met with silence and he felt anger build up.
How dare she demand answers when she refused to answer any of his, a large part of him wanted to scream at her but the other part saw her pained expression the other part of him saw her try but fail to hold back tears.
Chuck told himself to just walk away but his feet wouldn't move he gave a defeated sigh and stared into her blue eyes pleading him to tell her something.
"Damn it Sarah"
Chuck muttered under his breath rubbing his eyes feeling defeated, no matter how hard he tried she still had a way to sway him.
"Close the door and turn off the video surveillance don't ask how or why when I show you"
Sarah moved quickly and turned off the video surveillance with the computer that was nearby and shut the door, afterword's she turned to see Chuck taking off his shirt and gasped as she saw how bad the wound was, the memory of how she grabbed his shoulder the other night and how she had done it again entering the room made her want to hold him as softly as she could and beg for forgiveness but seeing his expression stopped her from doing so.
Putting a trembling hand to her mouth she muffled the gasp that escaped her lips and tears began to fall.
"As you can see I'm alive and breathing a bit banged up but breathing the bullet got stuck in the muscle Casey was able to take it out I wasn't in the mood to go to the hospital, having a sister working there makes you make those type of decisions besides all I really needed to do was stop the bleeding so I cauterized it"
Hearing Chuck speak as if his wound was nothing made her want to scream at him, how dare he minimize the damage done to his body, she wanted to find the bastards who did this to her Chuck and rip them to pieces, she wanted them gone from the face of the earth but at the moment she needed to do one thing.
Sarah stepped towards a medical kit that was nearby and took out the disinfectant and made her way towards Chuck, by now he noticed her gaze focused on his wound a part of him really wanted to leave the other part simply wanted those soft hands tend to him for a bit, seeing that his feet were not moving he had unconsciously made up his mind.
Chuck stood there wincing as Sarah cleaned his wound delicately dabbing the cloth removing whatever type of infection It could have contracted her eyes telling him how sorry she was for not noticing sooner, tears could be seen in her eyes he forced himself to not wipe them away but he knew it was a matter of time before he cracked.
Chuck did not want to leave with her questioning his actions and any signs of affection from him would cause doubt in her to do what was needed of her in his cover operation she needed to hate him she needed to feel betrayed because it was only then that he could feel like she could do her job properly.
Even while reasoning with himself he was unable to stop his hand from brushing away the lone tear falling down her cheek, the warmth from Chuck's touch made Sarah shudder as he wiped away the tears from her eyes she looked into his brown eyes and saw once more the warmth in them.
Sarah couldn't help but lose herself in those brown pools of his, she felt herself get warmer and began to close the distance when a knock at the door brought them out of their trance Sarah stepped back and looked towards the door for a moment when her gaze fell back on Chuck his expression once more had become cold.
Chuck put his shirt on once more and remembered what his sister asked him to do, Chuck stared at the woman who held his heart and decided one more afternoon wouldn't hurt.
"Umm my sister is inviting everyone for a meal this afternoon so if you have time come over for a meal and bring Shaw if you want to"
Chuck walked past her not waiting for a response, never noticing the sadness in Sarah's eyes at the mention of Shaw.
Opening the door he sees Casey preparing to knock again but stopped when noticing who was stepping out.
Chuck motion towards the door with his eyes and was glad when Casey followed him towards the exit.
Once more Sarah stood alone feeling like a part of her was missing, watching Chuck exit Castle she understood, the part that was missing had just stepped outside.
Casey watched as Chuck made his way out of the Orange Orange and decided to keep his mouth shut Chuck was not in the mood to hear jokes about two adults in a locked room.
"So uhh kid you want to tell me what you were doing in the inventory room and why Walker seemed out of it when you stepped out"
Chuck turned to face Casey his expression unreadable to the veteran agent
"She wouldn't stop questioning me on what happened yesterday, finally I relented you know how I am when I see her sad"
Casey gave a grunt in understanding, it was common knowledge that Chuck would fold at a moment's notice when it came to Sarah
"I told Sarah she wasn't allowed to ask anything and that I was only going to show her, let's just say I have never seen Sarah so pale, after getting a hold of herself she got the med kit and began to clean my wound from any lingering infection that's when you knocked and I invited her to the meal Ellie is serving"
As if it were an afterthought he looked towards Casey who was still following him to Ellie's car
"By the way you're also invited she wants all our friends to be there for my last day here before joining the CIA"
Chuck watched Casey's expression darken and was quick to explain
"Ellie doesn't know anything all she knows is that I'm going to be an analyst in some undisclosed area where we won't be in contact for a while she knows not to tell you or Sarah, she doesn't know you guys are government agents"
Casey calmed down after hearing him explain everything
"You still haven't answered what you were doing in the room kid"
Chuck checked his surroundings making sure no one followed them out of the base and took out the Ring communication device from his pocket
"I'm going to get in contact with a Ring base soon, Beckman by now should have all my files fixed and Chuck Bartowski is officially dead everything the Ring is going to know is that I worked on the intersect project and that I have some insight on how it works I asked the General to keep me as Charles Carmichael since that version of me is the one that's been on missions after all"
Chuck paused for a while trying to figure out how he was going to say the next part
"Casey I want you to know I don't hold anything against you I know that everything you have done has been for the greater good and I respect that"
Casey had a bad feeling in his gut, it seems he was not going to like what was coming next
"I know about the hit order you got from Beckman the day the new intersect was being finished"
Casey felt sick to his stomach, he had never felt that before but watching Chuck say he knew of the hit order made him feel like shit, the worst part was that Chuck didn't hold it against him.
"Casey it's okay the General let me know it was her and Graham who ordered the hit more Graham than her but none the less she was part of the decision you were following orders and if I had to be taken out I would rather it be you than some sick bastard who would take his time… you wouldn't have made me suffer"
Chuck messed with his hair trying not to show he was still a bit shaken by the fact that he was alive by pure luck.
"It's going to be part of my cover, why I've decided to defect and betray everything and everyone the cover story is going to be that I stumbled upon some video footage of you entering the apartment to terminate the asset…I'm going to need you to play your part when the time comes this time there won't be an intersect blowing up to save me from you so in the times we face off you will have to shoot me with the intent to kill me do you understand that"
Casey couldn't help but tighten his fist, there wasn't a day that passed that he didn't regret his actions that day
"You know I never miss"
Casey hoped the hesitation in his voice didn't show, Chuck simply chuckled indicating he didn't notice it
"Your time in Costa Grava proves that statement to be incorrect Casey"
The small jab at Casey's past didn't ease his tension and Chuck noticed
"Casey for the good of this country, this team and my family you will put every ounce of yourself into this mission, I will not fail because you're letting your emotions and ties towards me take control, get a grip soldier"
Hearing Chuck speak with such authority broke Casey out of his thoughts he gave no answer but nodded his head and grunted
"Good I'll see you in a bit get back down to Castle and finish anything you need to do"
Chuck turned around and stepped into Ellie's car he started the car and held on to the steering wheel he took a breath all the while trying to calm his shaking hands
'Get yourself under control Bartowski'
He chided himself and drove off to the store to pick up everything Ellie needed.
Casey entered Castel once more and started heading down the stairs noting that Sarah wasn't sitting next to Shaw anymore instead she was in the next room seemingly focused on some reports but he knew better she looked frighten and the color on her cheeks had not returned.
Sarah for her part couldn't stop her hands from trembling the wound looked bad and untreated she didn't know how Chuck could even stand much less walk, judging by how a simple touch made him step back in pain she knew Chuck wasn't under any medication, Sarah winced at the memory the other night how she roughly made Chuck turn around towards her, grabbing Chuck in such a way must have brought unimaginable pain but he somehow was able to push it down, from the corner of her eyes Sarah could see Casey heading to his desk and in that instant she decided to get the answers she needed even if it meant beating them out of her partner.
To say Casey wasn't having a good day was like saying the Savanna has a slightly warm environment, it was a huge understatement, going to the shooting range was not going to fix his emotional state and he knew it, Chuck was too forgiving, the kid could have at least punched him in the face, but no he was too good of a person to do that, Casey both admired and hated that side of the kid, it was as if Chuck didn't understand the situation he was in all those years ago, if the intersect had not exploded Chuck would have been dead and his blood would have been on Casey's hands.
Casey was no saint, he was a cold hearted killer but only towards his enemies, people who were demons in disguise, those where the type of people he hunted down and killed mercilessly, Chuck was the closest to being a saint this earth had to offer, Chuck didn't hide behind the fucked up idea called 'the greater good', who ever had come up with that slogan must have never made the tough decisions that this life as an agent made him make god only knows how he hated that slogan, 'the greater good' what a fucking joke and Chuck saw it that way, he was willing defy anything and everything if it meant the people closest to him where safe and god help the person who tried to get in his way, Casey hated the fact that not so long ago his gun was pointed at an innocent man, a man who without incentive decided to protect the innocent people of this country.
Casey's thoughts were interrupted when he Sarah walk towards him, he really was not in the mood for this.
"Casey we need to talk"
Casey could see Sarah's hands tighten into fist and that only made him chuckle
"Not now walker I'm not in the mood"
Casey tried stepping around her but she was not going to let him
"Casey I swear if you don't tell me what's happening with Chuck I will beat it out of you"
Casey was many things, there could be a book written with all the things he was and there would even be a sequel to it but one thing he was not was a traitor he had almost crossed that line once and he was not going to do it again, not against Chuck.
"Walker the kid isn't your problem Chuck can handle himself you're not his mother, sister nor his lover you're simply the girl who never gave him a chance"
Casey watched as Sarah tried to hide the pain she felt by those words, Casey knew he cut her deep and enjoyed the pain he had caused her, she was no different in the department of hurting the only person who tried making bridges instead of burning them down.
"If you're done wasting my time I'd like to finish my business and be on my way, why don't you go and sit next to your new boy toy"
That was the last straw, in an instant Sarah's foot made contact to Casey's knee the pain he felt was numbed by the surge of adrenaline and anger that ran through his veins, he staggered a bit but was able to dodge the downward punch that came his way, it grazed his cheek and he lunged forward planning to end this scuffle quickly by pinning the more nimble agent to the floor, Sarah saw what Casey was planning and instead of jumping back she jumped over his head and took advantage of Casey's exposed back and landed a strong back kick causing Casey to stagger forward, Casey quickly turned around once more lunging forward he was capable of take a solid of Sarah's forearm, slinging it over his shoulder Casey quickly performed an overhead throw enjoying the sound of a body hitting the hard floor, the air in Sarah's lungs was forced out and she struggled to take it back making it easy for Casey to twist her arm and forcefully position her on her stomach Sarah tried to struggle but Casey's grip was firm as he pinned her arm behind her back with his knee on top of her, Casey would have taunted Sarah if it weren't for the fact that her knight in shining armor was pointing a tranquilizer gun at him
"Colonel Casey I suggest you remove yourself off my girlfriend if you don't want to be tranqed and sent to a holding cell"
Casey really despised Shaw, he had this annoying habit of showing up when he was least wanted, Casey smirked as he turned his head watching from the corner of his eye the man who at the moment was holding a tranquilizer gun aimed at his back.
"Well if it isn't superman, come to save the day again I see"
Casey chuckled as he got up and gave Sarah a hand up, Sarah quickly slapped it away from her
"Well I'll be leaving then I'll just finish my business later"
Casey turned to leave Castle but he could see Sarah was unwilling to let him go so he decided to give her something to diffuse this situation
"Walker, I gave Chuck my word, if you want answers you're going to have to ask him because I refuse to turn my back on him…again"
With that he walked up the stairs and stepped out with one thought.
'I need another drink'
The afternoon had come quick it was three thirty and Ellie had just finished the potato salad witch accompanied the grilled chicken and pasta, the wine was cooling in a bucket of ice, making sure the apple pie was in perfect condition she smiled to herself.
'So far so good'
Ellie couldn't help but grimace at the way Chuck had told her of an extra that was accompanying Sarah, apparently Sarah had a new "boyfriend", Ellie knew she couldn't judge Sarah for moving on if she did she would also be judging Chuck for having his little fling with Hanna, was she happy about the situation that they found themselves in? Of course not, did she want to state her opinion? Of course she did, was she going to do it? Maybe, she had not decided on the timing though, maybe after the dinner was over she could have a talk with her baby brother.
'Why are things so complicated?'
Chuck had gotten home and took a shower making sure not to aggravate the wound more than necessary, he struggled a little putting on a shirt but noting that it would be easier to put on a button up shirt Chuck opted for it instead, putting on a white button up shirt he finished his getup with worn down jeans and his normal chucks, pushing back his hair he noted he needed a haircut it was getting messy again, shrugging off the thought he stepped out of his apartment and came in contact with Casey who was also stepping out of his apartment.
Casey noted how Chuck was having trouble walking and once more stepped into his apartment and took out a bottle of pain killers and handed them to him.
Chuck quickly took the appropriate amount and gulped them down hoping they would do their job quickly, seeing that Chuck wasn't pleased Casey decided to voice his thoughts before the kid gulped more pills.
"It will take a while but you will start feeling better give it some time and drink one tablet every eight hours wouldn't want you to overdoes on pain meds"
Chuck nodded his head and both men headed for Ellie's apartment
"I'm leaving tonight close to midnight, I'll be leaving my family in your hands Casey don't let anything happen to them"
Casey grunted letting Chuck know that he would do everything in his power to protect them, Chuck opened the door and stepped in and was surprised to see Sarah and Shaw already in his sisters apartment a glass of wine in each hand, he gave a cordial nod and a smile that didn't reach his eyes
"Glad you guys could come, my sister wanted to share a meal today out of the blue and I had no reason to deny her request"
Ellie could hear Chuck from the kitchen and hid her surprise to how her little brother could lie so easily without stuttering witch he use to do any time he was lying since he was a child
"Well I'm glad you did Chuck the food smells great I haven't had a home cooked meal in a long time"
Shaw gave a smile to Ellie who was setting the table and put his cup down to help with the utensils, Ellie smiled in appreciation as she saw the tall and handsome man help with the plates and glasses, Sarah knew how to pick them of that she had no doubt but seeing Sarah from the corner of her eye she could tell Sarah was nowhere near letting go her feelings for Chuck.
"Chuck can we talk outside for a bit"
Sarah willed herself to not sound desperate, but there was no denying that she was, ever since Chuck had showed her what lay beneath his shirt she had not been able to shake of the feeling in her stomach, the fear she felt when she saw how badly Chuck's wound was astronomical and she couldn't stop herself from once more begging to have her questions answered.
Chuck had decided to let Sarah know what had happened yesterday it would have no impact on his operation and he was getting tired of having to hear her beg for answers, ever since the incident in the inventory room Chuck debated whether he should tell her what happened or not and being asked to step outside once more pushed him to his current decision, he just hoped there wouldn't be a problem afterwards.
Turning around to face Sarah who once more looked stunningly beautiful to him her height a little taller because of the brown boots giving her an extra inch or two her blue jeans form fitted to her body hugging her waist her white blouse shifting a bit with the soft wind her blue eyes that always put him in a trans seemed troubled he watched as she crossed her arms and her gaze indicating the hope of receiving some answers.
"I'm guessing you want to hear some answers from what happened yesterday"
Sarah didn't trust her voice and decided to nod, Chuck stuck his arm out indicating she should take a seat on the fountain ledge to which she did, Chuck took a deep breath and pondered on how and where to start.
"The meeting with the mobsters went as planned we met in an empty apartment and stepped into a room, I saw a sniper rifle already armed and pointed at the target that they were planning on taking"
Sarah watched as Chuck began to struggle with his words, she wanted to comfort him but withheld herself from doing so and decided to wait.
"When I looked into the lens I saw you and Shaw enter his apartment and I was able to hear the conversation you guys were having because bugs had been implanted the day before, as I watched and heard the conversation continue I was able to hear your true name, I decided on going over to you guys and make it seem like I was some ex-lover of yours that was going to kill Shaw with my hands"
Chuck wanted to laugh at the idea of him and Sarah being ex-lovers, in a parallel world that could be possible but not in this one.
"As I was stepping out Gruber got the drop on me and shot my shoulder he then killed the two men behind me, my blood started to pool down on the floor but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of hearing me beg, I was ready to meet my maker but then he started saying he was going to kill my friends my family, everyone that was close to me was going to follow me to the grave, all of a sudden I flashed"
Chuck still didn't understand how it was possible the intersect had always malfunctioned when his emotions ran rampant, how had it been possible to flash when his world had figuratively fallen apart and his world literally was going to end.
"Gruber had his guard down making it easy to grab a hold of the gun and pointing it away from me and with the other hand I punched his throat making it so that his grip loosened on the gun, I was able to pull it from him and the next thing I knew he was on the floor with a bullet to his head, after that I called Casey to get the cleaners and I headed out the last thing I remember was sitting down and then I found myself in Casey's apartment"
Sarah let go of a breath she hadn't noticed she was holding with trembling hands she reached for Chucks hand hoping to comfort him, she took a hold of him and noticed the warmth in his hands a complete contrast to her cold hands she tried to make eye contact with Chuck but he wouldn't let her.
"I don't feel sorry that I killed him, I want to but I don't, in that moment I felt sick to my stomach but I don't regret my actions if I hadn't done what I did he would have gone after everyone I care about and I couldn't let that happen if it would have ended with me than fine but he included you, Ellie, Devon, everyone near to me was going to die and I was not going to let that happen"
Chuck didn't notice what he said but Sarah did and couldn't help but feel relieved about the little revelation
'He still cares for me'
Sarah wanted to smile at the thought but seeing him so distant from her made her worry
"Chuck nobody would judge your actions you did what you had to do you were defending yourself!"
Hearing what Sarah said, Chuck pulled back his hand from hers and took a step back
"Sarah before I shot him there was a split second in which I deciding on shooting him or not, I could have held him at gun point and called for backup I could have done something else but I didn't, I shot him in the head it wasn't self-defense"
Chuck crossed his arms and held his gaze to the floor
"I killed him in cold blood nothing more and nothing less if I could go back to that moment in which I was pointing the gun to his head I would still pull the trigger"
Sarah watched as Chuck closed himself off, she really hated herself for doing this to him for pushing for answers when he wanted to be left alone it made sense why he would go to Casey, all that she had ever done was hurt him.
Sarah felt disgusted with herself, while she was with another man Chuck had been suffering on his own, bleeding in some alley God only knows how he was able to survive with all that blood loss, the image of Chuck bleeding out while she and Shaw kissed one another sickened her, tears began to run down her face, she had been crying a lot these two days but she couldn't help it Chuck was capable of bringing out these emotions out of her whether she wanted to or not
"Chuck please look at me"
Sarah stood up and put her hands to his cheeks to grab his attention, looking into those brown eyes of his brought out so many emotions in her she didn't know what to do with them.
"Chuck... I don't know how to convince you that you did the right thing but I can tell you one thing if I was in your shoes I would have done the same... I can tell you feel torn up about what you did and that you're still the same man that I met two years ago, you did what you had to do nothing more and nothing less"
Chuck gazed into her beautiful blue eyes it was like looking out to sea, filled with mysteries and dangerous at times but beautiful all the same he wanted to dive deep into them, Sarah watched and felt Chuck relax into her hands as she held his cheeks her fingers absent mindedly began to stroke them all of a sudden Chuck snapped himself out of his hypnotized state and looked away.
"Umm thanks Sarah for talking to me uh we should head back inside the food is probably being served already"
As he was speaking Morgan appeared and jumped on Chucks back Sarah was about to scream at him when she saw Chuck turn red in the face meaning he wanted to scream but stopped himself
"Hey Chuck did I surprise you"
They heard Morgan speak while he still held on to Chuck, Chuck for his part felt like passing out and Sarah decided to act quickly
"Hey Morgan me and Chuck are having a serious conversation so if you don't leave ill break your arms"
The last phrase was said in such a cold and serious tone that Morgan felt a sudden chill run up his spine he quickly jumped off Chuck and ran inside without saying an extra word, Chuck seeing the door close behind him let out a shaky breath,
'Dammit when are these pain meds going to kick in?'
Sarah watched as Chuck began to sit down on the ledge of the fountain she kneeled in front of him as he sat down.
"It's okay Chuck breath, breath I have pain meds with me do you want some"
Chuck shook his head
"Casey gave me some already I got a few more minutes before they start to kick in, just help me stand we gotta go back inside wouldn't want people to get the wrong idea about us"
The last part was meant as a joke but Sarah still felt a sting when she heard it she pushed the pain down and quickly help him stand up to get inside.
Once inside they noticed everyone was sitting down at the table Devon sat next to Ellie, Morgan took the front seat of the table to his left sat Shaw and to Shaw's right sat Casey leaving Chuck and Sarah two seats next to each other they quickly took their seats and Ellie began to serve.
The meal was great but the ambient was just heavy Morgan and Devon where the only ones who didn't notice even though Shaw, Casey, Sarah and Chuck smiled and laughed the smiles never reached their eyes and their laughs felt hollow Ellie tried her best to enjoy the meal but seeing Chuck the way that he was brought pain to her chest she pushed the tears down and pushed through to the end.
When the meal was over Shaw stood up and thanked Ellie for the meal he walked around to Sarah and extended his hand towards her, Ellie watched as Sarah shivered a bit at the thought of holding this man's hand but she quickly shook it off and gave a small smile extending her own and took a hold of his hand.
Ellie watched as Chuck seemed to die a little inside, Casey for his part simply looked at his plate in front of him not wanting to watch his friend hurt, Morgan and Devon where helping themselves to another piece of apple pie once more not noticing what was happening around them, Ellie stayed quite through it all she watched as Sarah and Shaw walk out the door and Casey followed behind giving them a nod and walking out.
Ellie watched as Chuck directed his gaze to his plates unwilling to look at any one
"You okay bro"
Devon notice Chuck's shoulders lift a bit as he tried to act happy in some way
"Yeah Devon I'm good well I gotta go pack"
Morgan deflated a bit
"You really are going to go around the world?"
Ellie stayed quite as Chuck once more spun a story, hiding her surprise at how Chuck easily convinced his best friend that he was telling the truth if she hadn't known the actual truth she would have been easily convinced as well by Chuck's story
"Well I better be going"
(All For Love, Tungevaag & Rabaan) (this is the song I felt fit this scene… listen on till the end of this chapter)
Chuck stood up and kissed Ellie's cheek putting as much love as he could into his action
"Love you sis"
Chuck gave her a smile that was actually real, Ellie was his mother she was the one at his science fair projects, she was the one who would stay up all night when he was sick, she was the one who would discipline him when he acted out, she was the one who worked two jobs to pay the bills and most importantly she was the one who fought for legal custody when their parents left, Chuck felt the words coming out of his mouth as if they were a law, he loved his sister more than anything or anyone and he would tear apart anything and anyone who tried to take her away from him.
"Love you more little brother"
Ellie loved Chuck more than anything and anyone including Devon, even though Devon was her husband Chuck was her child, the sister and brother title they gave each other was simply out of habit but deep down she knew Chuck was her child, she was the one who cooked the meals, who bought him clothes and was their when he had his first heartbreak, if she ever met Jill again hell would be receiving one of their own soon after, she loved Devon she really did but if Devon ever told her she had to choose between him and Chuck, Devon would be out the door and out of her life in an instant.
Chuck shook Devon's hand firmly and looked into his eyes
"Take care of my sister"
Devon in his entire time of knowing Chuck never felt intimidated by him until now, Chuck was a teddy bear in his eyes, Chuck was the kind of guy that gave the other cheek when it came to things that concerned his own wellbeing, looking into his brother in laws eyes he felt a chill run down his spine, Chuck wasn't giving him advice or a suggestion he wasn't asking for a favor… he was ordering him, in that moment Devon felt like an ant gazing upwards, when did Chuck become so… so…AWSOME?
"You have my word sir"
Devon had not meant to call him sir, even when meeting the parents of his past girlfriends he had never call the man of the house sir, but Chuck was different something about his brother in law told him that if he responded any differently he was going to be needing a doctor.
"Good"
Devon let go of a breath he didn't notice he was holding, Ellie for her part felt both embarrassed and honored, her brother had never tried to intimidate anyone until now, she wanted to chastise him and defend her husband but she decided not to.
'Maybe now Devon will think twice before upsetting me'
Chuck seeing he had the desired effect on his brother in law he gave one last look to his sister who smiled fondly back at him, he opened the door and stepped out, Morgan walking right behind him in awe, wondering when Chuck became so scary.
Chuck went to his room and locked the door as soon as he had entered the apartment he quickly told Morgan goodnight hearing Morgan say it back let him know that he was going to bed also, Chuck quickly took out the phone that was used by the ring agents and turned it on there was only one number on it he clicked on it and put it to his ear
"Hello"
A morphed voice spoke, Chuck hardened his resolve
'Time to get this show on the road'
"I'm sure you're wondering who I am and how I'm able to communicate with you, well the previous owner of this phone is dead"
If the person behind the phone was surprised Chuck wouldn't have ever known
"Is that supposed to scare me?"
The voice even when morphed sounded board
"Oh no no no far from it actually, I just thought you and your superiors would be interested in hiring someone who has worked on the intersect project, who has had a hand in developing it"
Chuck heard what he thought was a chuckle on the other side of the line
"And how am I supposed to believe that"
'Time to see if Beckman fixed those files for me'
"Well I'm sure you have many people hidden in the NSA and CIA so I'll leave it up to you to search me up, the name is Carmichael, Charles Carmichael and at the moment I'm in the mood to watch this world burn and your people can give me the tools to do so I'll be waiting for your call"
Chuck hanged up and quickly opened the door to his room to check if the hallway was clear, he saw the lights in Morgan's room off and concluded he was already asleep he went back inside his room and took out a couple suits and began to store all his necessities into his luggage when he was done he once more checked the hallway and headed outside once outside he take a deep breath to calm down his nerves and began his trek to the main street of his neighborhood.
Chuck began to look for a car focusing his sights on a 1977 Chevrolet Camaro he flashed on how to break into a car and how to start it, the rumbling of the engine relaxed his tense body and he chuckled a bit
"Haven't even joined the ring and I'm already breaking the law"
He spoke out loud, he shook his head and began to drive while waiting for the call that would give him a destination
'Time to take the war to them'
His thought was singular and to the point but very complicated to complete good thing he was always up for a challenge.