Chuck had been home a couple weeks and was slowly improving. He could go a short time walking unassisted before needing to sit down or lean on his cane. Due to his limitations, he was allowed to return to work on light duty. The CIA and NSA had both acknowledged that he was one of their best analysts, with or without the Intersect. However, his recovery also meant he couldn't be out in the field and had to stay in the van or Castle, during any ops that Sarah, Casey, or any team they were assisting, were participating in.
He also had been spending his down time at work and at home trying to track down Kieran Ryker for Sarah, and he was pretty sure he'd found a lead. From what he could find hacking Ryker's various aliases, the rogue operative returned to the scene of the crime at least a few times over the previous 2 years, as if he would find a new lead or clue as to what happened to the baby. Luckily, Sarah had changed identities so many times, it was nearly impossible to track all of them and her birthname was so buried, that it might as well be non-existent. Chuck hid Sarah's base identity further still to the point of striking any reference of her birth from public records.
"What are you up to?" Sarah asked approaching him from behind and wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissing his neck.
"Trying to trace where Ryker might be," Chuck admitted, "I have a good feeling I know where he might be or at least will be soon." He felt Sarah stiffen against his back, "Don't worry, he's nowhere near Elk Grove. Your mom and Molly are still safe."
Sarah let out a sigh of relief, "In that case where do you think he's going to be?"
"Budapest," Chuck stated.
"Hungary?" Sarah asked, "Why would he be there? Does he really think I'd be dumb enough to hide her there?"
"I think it's more he's hoping you screwed up somehow and left some kind of trace or something that would indicate where you and Molly went after you saved her," Chuck explained, "He always starts at the same café, has a cup of coffee, talks to the waitstaff and patrons to see if anyone might have remembered you."
"It was over two years ago, I doubt they would," Sarah rolled her eyes.
"Well, you are very unforgettable," Chuck pointed out, turning to look at her, "And I'm not just saying that because I'm your boyfriend, and hope to eventually be more than that."
"You are such a nerd!" She huffed.
" Your nerd," Chuck pointed out, "And you love me for it."
"Damn right I do," Sarah leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lips before taking a seat on their bed. "So, what's the plan?"
"Figured we'd work that out together." Chuck shrugged, "Way I see it we can go one of a few ways. All of the immediate plans would involve some or all of us to travel to Hungary. The first is basically to ambush Ryker, arrest him, and throw him in a deep dark hole of your, or Casey's choosing."
"Interesting option," Sarah nodded, "But not quite as satisfying as one would think."
"True," Chuck nodded, "So we need something more Mama Bear approved."
Sarah grimaced, "Please don't call me that. Considering Casey is known to some as 'Sugar Bear...'"
"I got ya," Chuck nodded making a motion as if striking an item off a list, "No more 'Mama Bear' from now on. Okay, the second option is some of the same, only with grievous, possibly mortal, bodily harm inflicted on Ryker by you and possibly Casey."
"That one could work," Sarah agreed, "And would be incredibly cathartic."
"Note to self never get between Sarah and her children," Chuck teased.
"They'll be your children too, so I think we can make an exception for you," Sarah shrugged, smiling at the goofy grin Chuck got on his face at her statement. "Did you have any other ideas in that brilliant brain of yours?"
"Sorry, I fell into my happy place there for a moment," Chuck shook his head as if to clear it, "The last idea I had was to go next door, brief the rest of our team, and once we arrive in Hungary, release the 'Uncle' Casey and sit back and enjoy the carnage."
Sarah couldn't help but laugh at Chuck's phrasing, "That might be the best idea yet! In all seriousness, though, we should actually sit down and have a briefing with Casey to work out a game plan on how to deal with Ryker."
"Agreed," Chuck nodded, "Do you want to do that now or wait until the morning."
"Probably best to wait until morning," Sarah advised, "I think Casey said something about having plans tonight."
"Casey has plans?" Chuck looked surprised.
"Something about a fair or something at his daughter's school," Sarah shrugged.
"It's still so strange to me to think of Casey as a dad," Chuck shook his head, "I mean I know we've known about Alex nearly the whole time the team has been together but it's still a little weird to see him go into caring dad mode around her."
"He was a little awkward at first," Sarah agreed, "But he's at least there. More than I can say about my dad."
"Mine too," Chuck shrugged, "He just checked out after Mom left. But I think he's gotten better since I woke up. You know, he actually came to visit me in the hospital and the rehab facility a few times, and not all of it was Intersect related. I mean, there was still a little of that. He had some questions about how I coped with it in my head, and I had questions about how he developed it, programmed it. I'm actually a little excited to start helping him and Ellie with it once I can walk more than 50 feet without falling over."
"You'll get there," Sarah assured him, "You're doing better every day, I wouldn't be surprise if, by the time we are able to go after Ryker, you'll have started your work with your dad, or will be very soon after. Have you thought about what you're going to do about the new Intersect?"
"Well, that's more of a discussion that we need to have than a solo decision for me," Chuck pointed out, "However, I have thought about it, and as exciting as it is and as much as I know I could do with it, I'm not sure I should. We have Molly to think about, and I really don't want to do to her what my parents did."
Sarah nodded, "I get what you mean. Do you want to quit the company all together? Would you go back to the BuyMore?"
"No to both," Chuck shook his head, "Well no with an asterisk, to be honest. I wouldn't mind being an analyst, or a tech and mech specialist designing spy gear, I always kind a wanted to be Q, you know? But if I were to stay with the company, I wouldn't want to do something that would be putting me or our family in constant danger."
"Not to mention a lot of those jobs are based in and around D.C." Sarah added.
"There's that, too," Chuck agreed, "And I don't know about you, but I would like Molly to grow up near her Aunt Ellie. Maybe someday Ellie will find her someone special and have kids of her own, I'd like Molly and any siblings we eventually give her, to grow up near family. Aunts, uncles, cousins, the whole nine."
"Good point," Sarah nodded, "I really don't want to have a whole continent between our family."
"What about you?" Chuck asked.
"What about me?" Sarah countered.
"Are you planning to stay with the CIA once all is said and done?" Chuck asked.
"I really don't know," Sarah sighed, leaning back on the pillows at the head of the bed, "Not a lot of my skills are transferrable, you know? I've been spying since I was 16 years old, it's all I've ever known."
"Your degree from Harvard is still valid, though," Chuck pointed out, "Could that give you an avenue for alternative work options?"
"Maybe," Sarah shrugged, "I suppose I could find work as a translator, or teach, possibly both… I just don't know if I'd be any good at it."
"Are you kidding me?" Chuck asked, walking over to the bed, and sitting next to Sarah, wrapping her up in his arms, "You are patient, kind but tough and stern when you need to be, and willing to meet people where they are. I think you'd be a great teacher if you wanted to pursue that, not that I'm trying to push you one way or another."
"But don't I need at graduate degree to teach?" Sarah asked.
"If you want to teach college, yeah," Chuck shrugged, "But I think to teach in a high school, you just need your teaching credentials. If that's something you want to do, we can look into what options you would have and what qualifications are needed."
"It would be good to know my options," Sarah nodded, snuggling into her boyfriend.
"If it helps you any, if I decide to not continue with the CIA, I'm thinking about going back to school, get my masters, maybe my doctorate," Chuck spoke softly, his hand running softly up and down Sarah's arm, "It could mean moving, maybe near San Francisco, or San Luis Obispo, but there are programs in and around L.A. that would work for me, too."
"And what would you do with your advanced degree?" Sarah asked.
"I could teach, maybe start my own tech company," Chuck mused, "Granted, I could start my own tech company now if I wanted, but completing my graduate degree was always my original plan."
"We don't have to decide for either of us right now," Sarah reminded him, "We can keep discussing it. I mean, if one, or both of us, want to go back to school, we still have like five or six months before fall term starts. Of course, that's assuming we have the Ryker situation handled by then."
"True," Chuck agreed. They sat quietly for a while before he spoke again, "Speaking of situations, what is up with Ellie, she's been acting a little weird lately."
Sarah hesitated for a moment before responding, "I have an idea, but it's not my place to say. You should talk to her about it."
"Which means you think that whatever is going on, I'm not going to like," Chuck groaned.
"No, it means that this is Ellie's story to tell," Sarah corrected, "But no matter what, you need to be supportive of her, even if you might not like or understand the choices she's made."
"Okay, point taken," Chuck sighed, "I'll talk to her when she gets home from Dad's."
"She won't be back until late," Sarah reminded him, "She said she had something to do tonight after work."
"Right," Chuck nodded then sat up, "Wait, Ellie has something to do tonight, and Casey has plans on the same night? That can't be a coincidence."
Sarah was quiet, not knowing how to respond to Chuck's statement without giving away Ellie and Casey's news.
"Wait, what kind of fair is Alex's school having?" Chuck asked.
"I think it's a STEM fair," Sarah admitted.
"Do you think the hospital sent Ellie to represent women in STEM-related fields?" Chuck asked, "I know she's talked to high school students and young women's organizations before about considering joining the medical field."
"Maybe," Sarah shrugged.
"Yeah, that makes sense," Chuck relaxed back on the bed.
"You still should talk to her," Sarah stated.
"I know, I will," Chuck nodded, "Tomorrow is Saturday, I'll talk to her then."
Chuck had fallen asleep before Ellie had gotten home from whatever she had been doing the previous night and he and Sarah had gone to Casey's to debrief him on the Ryker situation. At Casey's insistence, they contacted Beckman to have their mission sanctioned, that way they would be protected in case they were unable to capture Ryker alive. Since Ryker was a known rogue agent and considering the unsanctioned nature of the op that he'd essentially conned Sarah into, Beckman gave her full approval to locate and deal with Ryker however they saw fit.
"One more thing," She'd said, "Whether you bring him in dead or alive, shoot that bastard for me. Going after a child, killing her only family is just unfathomably vile. If I were 15 years younger, I'd kill him myself."
The vehemence in her statement had only partially surprised her team, perhaps Casey even less so than his compatriots since he'd worked for her for a substantial portion of his NSA career, but even he was slightly surprised at her reaction, even though he knew he shouldn't have been. Once she'd disconnected, the team had dived deep into a planning session agreeing it was best to go sooner than later, regardless of Chuck's current mobility restrictions. Their primary plan was for Sarah to confront Ryker while Casey acted as sniper and Chuck served as overwatch. Once they had settled on a departure date of the next Tuesday, Chuck had worked out the logistics of travel and housing during the mission. It was early afternoon by the time they had wrapped up.
Entering the apartment, Chuck and Sarah found Ellie lounging on the couch, reading a well-worn novel. Due to the wear and age of the book it was hard to see the title, but she seemed to be enjoying it. Chuck hated to interrupt her downtime, but he knew if he didn't ask now, he would struggle to find another time.
"Hey Elle?" He called out, taking a seat on the coffee table, facing his sister, "Can I talk to you a moment?"
"Sure Chuck," Ellie closed her book and sat up, "What's up?"
"I know it might seem like I'm a little paranoid, but is there something going on with you?" He asked, "I mean you've been… different since I woke up. Are you okay?"
"I'm fine Chuck," Ellie assured him, "And there have been some changes happening in my life, more than Devon leaving and Dad coming back."
"You know you can tell me anything, Ellie," Chuck reminded her, "We've never kept secrets from each other before." When Ellie raised an eyebrow at him, he hedged a little, "Okay, so my job with the CIA was a pretty big thing to keep from you, but I was under orders and it was for your safety and protection."
"It still would have been nice to know what was going on the last couple years," Ellie pointed out, "At least that way, if something did go sideways, I knew who I could turn to."
"You have a point, Sis," Chuck agreed, "But that's water under the bridge now. What's going on with you?"
They were interrupted by a knock at the door, before either of them could stand to answer, Sarah had appeared and opened the door to let Casey inside.
"I figured this was a discussion we should all be a part of," Was the only explanation Sarah gave.
"Why would Casey need to be…" He trailed off as realization hit him, their seemingly coincidental plans, their interactions over the past month or so, the look they exchanged full of peace and assurance, "You have got to be fracking kidding me!"
Chuck sprung to his feet, pacing the living room, "Are you serious? How long has this been going on? Is this some kind of cover forced on you by the NSA while Ellie is working on the Intersect project with Dad? Is that the real reason Devon left, because that story about him being some kind of Russian spy is more than a little far-fetched. Casey, did you at least wait until Devon was gone before putting the moves on Ellie?"
"Okay, that's enough, sit the hell down, Bartowski," Casey ordered, pointing toward a chair near the couch, "Now let me get one damned thing straight with you. I did not 'put the moves' on your sister, I did not move in on her while she was otherwise committed. There was nothing untoward in my treatment before nor after we began seeing each other, and I resent the implication that my intentions toward her were anything less than honorable. Do you have any idea the hell that woman has gone through the last few months? And yes, I have owned up to my part in it, and she has forgiven me."
"There was nothing to forgive," Ellie corrected, "You were doing your job, you all were. What happened between Devon and I was inevitable; we had been fighting for a while. I'm certain we would have realized that we weren't right for each other eventually, and likely before the wedding. John did nothing wrong, except maybe waiting too long to ask me out," She gave her beau a cheeky smile, reaching out to John to sit next to her. John silent acquiesced, taking her hand gently in his own and holding it as she continued to speak to her brother, "But he waited until I was ready and open to a relationship. Which is what this is, this is not a cover, or a rebound, it's a real relationship, just as real as yours and Sarah's."
"This is why you didn't want to tell me, last night, isn't it?" Chuck looked at his girlfriend who silently nodded. "I just… I need some air."
Chuck stormed out of the apartment and Sarah started to go after him when she was stopped by Ellie and Casey both calling out to her.
"Leave him be," Ellie advised, "He's had a lot thrown at him by all of us and he needs time to process."
"I just hate to see him hurting like this," Sarah sighed, sinking down in the chair that Chuck had vacated.
"I honestly don't blame the kid," Casey admitted, "I was prepared for this kind of reaction from him. He really liked Devon, and let's face it, I don't make things easy for him."
"That's because you can see the potential for greatness that we all see in him," Sarah pointed out, "Not to mention, the brotherly ribbing you both do."
Casey grunted his acknowledgement of Sarah's statement.
"John," Ellie warned.
"Sorry, Elle," John gave her a small smile, "You're not wrong, Sarah. I suppose I see you both as younger siblings to an extent. You actually remind me a bit of my actual sister; she was spunky and bullheaded like you."
"'Was?'" Sarah sat forward, intrigued.
"Was," Casey nodded, "She died when she was 20, non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. They didn't catch it until it was too late."
"Oh, John," Ellie sighed, squeezing his hand, "I'm so sorry."
"It was 15 years ago," He shrugged, "She was actually a few months younger than you, Ellie. She'd be turning 36 next month."
Before the conversation could go further, Chuck came back in, taking in the three people who still sat in the living room. "I don't really understand how all this," He gestured to his sister and her boyfriend, "Happened, but I won't get in the way of it. A blind man can see you make her happy, Casey, so I won't do anything to jeopardize that."
Casey nodded his understanding and was met with an answering nod from the skinny nerd, "But if you hurt her, so help me, I will take on the Intersect again just so that I can kick your ass."
"Won't be necessary," Casey stood and walked to Chuck, extending his hand, "You have my word, I will never intentionally do anything to hurt or harm your sister."
Chuck shook the older man's hand, "That's all I ask. Just be good to her. It took me a while to accept Devon, and to be honest, it never really seemed like a good match. But you two… well in a weird way it works. I'll come around eventually, just give me some time."
"You're a good man, Bartowski," Casey grunted.
"Well, I learned from the best," Chuck answered earnestly.
"Now that that's settled, there's something else you should know, Ellie," Sarah looked at the doctor as she motioned for the men to join them.
"Oh my God, you're pregnant!" Ellie practically squealed.
"No, not pregnant," Sarah shook her head, "We're not quite there yet, but it does involve a child…"
The foursome spent the next couple hours with Sarah telling Ellie about Molly followed by the team telling Ellie what they could about their upcoming mission. Ellie was understandably concerned, not only for Molly, but for the team's safety; making them all promise to take care of each other. Once the debrief was finished, Ellie went to prepare dinner, with the rest of the team jumping in to help where they could.