Posted August 21, 2021

A/N: For this chapter, the last chapter didn't happen. It's set in the same episode, "Chuck vs the Break-Up," starting a day later. Like the last chapter, Ellie sees "Bruce."

October 14, 2008
Westside Medical
Southern California

Looking at the elevators during her shift, Ellie Bartowski saw someone who made her temper go through the roof. She blurted out, "I don't believe it."

Devon Woodcomb, another doctor and Ellie's future husband, was standing right next to her, so he heard her frustration. "What's up, Babe?"

There was no point of hiding now. She turned to face Devon, pointed at the man loitering down the hall. "That's Sarah's ex. That guy just won't back off. You know what, Chuck might be too nice to say anything, but I'm not."

"Whoa. Whoa. Hold on, Babe. Let me handle this."

Ellie didn't think Devon would give Bruce what he deserved, but for some reason, she liked it when Devon put himself out there for her. This way, he'd be "awesome", like he always was, and he'd get the message across. And no one would get arrested or fired. (In other words, those things wouldn't happen to her, when she clocked Bruce with a metal bed pan.)

Down the hall, Ellie could hear Devon, "Hey, Bro! Whoa! That cut looks infected. Yeah, I better take a look at that—come on." Perfect. Devon always had a great "bedside manner" that sneaked up on the most unruly people. His entire personality sounded non-threatening but gave little choice, other than to follow the "awesome" advice.

"Is something wrong, Dr. B-W-to-be?"

Ellie jumped in surprise. She'd been caught eavesdropping by Curtis. He was a great orderly. He knew his place and knew his job wasn't to be a doctor. (That was a problem with a few in the hospital who were wanting to be "stars," beyond their training.) He was always ready to help out and was there to do whatever you needed him to do. His 6'7", almost 400-pound frame meant no job was too big. Curtis was a gentle giant, making it almost hard to believe he had played football for Long Beach State.

With his enormous size, Ellie couldn't help but be startled when he caught her snooping. She took a deep, calming breath and answered Curtis, "No, nothing's wrong. How many times have I told you to call me Ellie when there isn't a patient around? If you have to call me Doctor, Doctor Ellie is fine."

"You actually said to not call you Dr. B. I figure you can't be Dr. W because we have one, but you could be Dr. B-W, but not yet."

Ellie sighed and smiled, "It's Ellie, to you."

"Yes, Ma'am." That wasn't any better than calling her by her last name, considering they were basically the same age, but he was always so polite. "What's wrong?" he asked again.

Ellie looked back towards the elevators and saw Devon had taken Bruce someplace to treat the cut. "It's ok. Devon is taking care of a problem."

Curtis became concerned at the word "problem." He asked, "Does Dr. Bruins need backup?" Curtis was one of the few people who didn't call her fiancé "Awesome" or even "Dr. Awesome" or "Dr. A." Devon explained it to her once. Since he was a Tight End for the UCLA Bruins while Curtis was on a different team, he wouldn't ever call an opposing player "awesome." It was probably a good thing they never lined up on opposing sides in the same game, or there might be "issues" in the hospital, even years later.

"I'm sure Devon's got it," she calmly said. "Did you see that man who Devon talked to?"

Curtis nodded. "He looked suspicious to me, wearing a hat and sunglasses inside. Is he the problem?"

"That's Sarah's ex. Sarah's my brother's girlfriend and the new patient in Room 247. A year ago, she moved across the country to get away from him, but now he's in LA and won't back-off. Devon is being Devon and getting him to leave."

"Got it. The best Tight Ends both receive and block," Curtis said. "I like your brother. He's always such a nice guy and everyone should be helping him. Dr. Bruin is putting up a great block for Chuck."

"I agree. I should get back to my floor."

"See you later, Dr. B-W-to-be." After a teasing glare from Ellie, Curtis corrected to "Dr. Ellie." No patients were around, but it was closer, so Ellie smiled and left.

At the elevators, she had a scary thought. Originally, she was mad because Bruce ruined Chuck and Sarah's date two nights ago. The next day, she saw him flirting with Sarah at the Orange Orange. That night, she ended up in the hospital. Chuck would never do something to hurt Sarah. Sarah was accident prone, though. Bruce might have done something to distract Sarah so she would get hurt even worse than normal. Or maybe he was the cause.

Ellie made a decision that she couldn't leave it to Devon to handle this on his own. That wasn't fair to him. They were going to be a team in all things. It was time for her to start acting like it: four feet in.

At the glass door to the room where Devon was treating Bruce, she took a deep breath before entering. Inside, Devon was treating a cut on Bruce's cheek. Devon's back was to the door. The ex's eyes were shut. Ellie froze in shock because she couldn't believe what she saw.

"Sorry, Bro, but you got a lot of dirt in there." He poked the wound with a long swab on a stick.

"Ow."

"So… how do you know Sarah?" Devon calmly asked.

"She's my ex."

"Based on all the flowers you sent, I'd say you still had feelings for her."

"It's complicated."

"I know. She's dating my soon-to-be brother-in-law, Chuck." Because of the noise a moment before, Devon looked at the door and saw Ellie standing there, still frozen with her mouth open. "That's Dr. B, my fiancée. I call her Dr. Babe, but she's Dr. Bartowski to you." Addressing her, he started, "This is Bruce—"

"I know who this is. His name is not Bruce. It's Bryce Larkin—unless he's going to try to spin some story about being Bryce's evil twin. That's not possible though, because Bryce was evil. This is the man who came into town, and Sarah ends up in the hospital the next day. That means he's evil, too, and can't be the good twin."

Bryce started, "Ellie, I can explain—"

Ellie didn't let him finish whatever lame excuse he had. "See. He knows me. He can't be Bryce's twin, Bruce. That had to be Bryce."

Bryce said, "I'm surprised you thought of the evil twin idea. I'm not sure I would have thought of that cover story. That's a good one."

"I grew up with Chuck. I couldn't help but learn about evil twins." She didn't know all the "rules." She thought one of them was about a goatee. However, growing up with Chuck and around Morgan, she couldn't be fooled by the obvious sci-fi ruses. She also knew at least a dozen of the "Evil Overlord" rules. She continued, "You're not a twin, though. You're some guy who faked his death, came back, and hurt Sarah."

"I would never do anything to hurt Sarah. I thought she was my girlfriend. I didn't know about her and Chuck."

If Ellie hadn't known Chuck or Sarah, she wouldn't have believed that story because of how Bryce said it. "You faked your death, so that lie shouldn't surprise me. Chuck knows you are in town. I'm a little surprised he didn't tell me it was you, but I'm a little proud of him for trying to handle it himself and for not completely melting down like almost everyone would from seeing you again after what you did."

"I didn't do anything to Chuck," Bryce said. "I was only looking out for what was good for him." Ellie knew that had to be a lie, just like being dead. It didn't make sense on the surface. If he didn't do anything to Chuck, he couldn't be looking out for him. If he did do something, it couldn't have been good because the last five and a half years almost destroyed Chuck.

Bryce tried to get off the defensive with a question. "So, um, Chuck and Sarah... is it serious?"

Ellie immediately answered, "Yes." She had her own questions: What was still going on between Sarah and Bryce? How did Sarah meet Chuck? Maybe Sarah got fed up with Bryce and left to meet the "anti-Bryce"—Chuck—the one good person she heard about from Bryce. Then Chuck and Sarah hit it off. But what about Bryce now?

Devon had been quiet, watching the back-and-forth between Ellie and Bryce, but he took the opportunity to answer Bryce's question and shut him down. "I'm specializing in cardiothoracic medicine. That means there's one thing in the world I know best: the human heart. I've spent enough time with Chuck and Sarah to see how they are together—see how she looks at him. My professional opinion? She's in love with Chuck, Dude."

Bryce wrinkled his brow and said, "She can't be. If Sarah loves anybody, it's me."

Ellie blurted out, "I thought some of Chuck's friends at the Buy More were weird, but you are delusional." The not-dead guy was completely insane. First he framed Chuck for cheating. Then he stole his girlfriend (which is probably why he framed Chuck). Now he was trying to steal Chuck's girlfriend again. The difference was Ellie liked this one. Sarah was so much better than Jill. Ellie wasn't a heart surgeon like Devon, but she didn't need to be a heart expert. One look at Sarah gazing at Chuck was all she needed to know the truth.

"She's just pretending to love Chuck," Bryce argued. "Although, if she's starting to have feelings for her, that would explain why she got hurt."

Ellie wasn't about to back down from the challenge. "You're saying that the woman who was hit on the back of the head hard enough to get a concussion has herself to blame? It's more likely that it's your fault. You're the one who pretended to be dead. Who knows what else you are capable of."

Bryce tried to spin a story. "What happened was not my fault. If she had left Chuck behind and come with me, she would've been safe."

"No." Ellie couldn't imagine how that would be possible. "You shouldn't be anywhere close to Sarah. I don't know how much of what happened is your fault, but I know you're involved somehow. Whatever the reason, that can be determined later. Faking your death and stalking are both illegal." Ellie stepped over to the panel on the wall and pressed the "Code Blue" button and the mic for the intercom. "I need security in Room 253. We have a dangerous man that I think is the reason we had someone admitted to the ER last night."

Bryce panicked, "Ellie! Don't!" He pulled her away from the panel by the shoulder, yanking her to the ground. "We were just trying to complete our mission. Spies aren't supposed to fall in love. It's Sarah's fault."

Ellie was ok but stunned that she ended up on the floor. She wasn't ready for any kind of physical fight, and Bryce was an athlete at Stanford. Security couldn't get there fast enough. Fortunately for her, she had her over 6'4" fiancé there with her. She saw a look of anger on Devon's face. He made a fist and punched, but Bryce was ready for it so Devon only made contact with an arm that blocked the swing. Bryce darted around the doctor, shoved his back so he stumbled across the room, and ran out into the hall.

Devon helped Ellie quickly stand, and the two of them hurried into the hall to see where Bryce had gone, probably by the emergency stairs. He hadn't made it that far.

Bryce was off his feet in a bear-hug hold from Curits, the one man who worked at the hospital who was taller than Devon. Bryce squirmed around, but he wasn't going anywhere, considering the former football player had 200 pounds on Chuck's nemesis. Ellie raced back into the room, grabbed a syringe from the emergency metal box on the wall, and injected Bryce's backside with tranquilizer, knocking him out.

"Thanks, Curtis," Ellie said. The two former football players exchanged high-five, and of course, Devon said his trademark phrase.

"Dr. B-W-to-be, I heard the commotion and saw the man you were worried about run out of the room. You don't run in the hospital unless you are trying to save someone's life, and I knew he wasn't doing that, so he had to be up to no good."

"You did a great thing in stopping him. He pulled me down when I called security and raced out of the room before Devon could stop him. I can't believe you could stop him. And stop calling me that. It's Ellie—or if you have to, Dr. Ellie."

Devon said, "The best offensive lineman are really big with quick feet. My man Curtis put up a wall to stop the problem. Awesome job." He gave the bigger man a slap on the back with a huge grin.

Ellie had a terrible thought and said, "I'm going to leave you two with him until security collects him, but I have a suspicion I need to check. Thanks again, Curtis. I'll bring homemade muffins tomorrow."

Curtis looked like he had just been given a great gift. "Sounds wonderful. If you need me to stop anyone else, just let me know."

Ellie squeezed his arm in gratitude and gave Devon a quick kiss on the cheek, which she figured was ok in the workplace after she had been attacked. Then, she stalked over to Sarah's room.

Sarah greeted Ellie with a big smile. "Hi, Ellie! Did you see Chuck? He was just here and brought me flowers."

"Considering that wall of floral arrangements you have, it's not like you need them," Ellie responded in a flat voice. She frowned and went to the computer on a cart at the side of the room. She entered Sarah's name to pull up her patient file. "Don't you prefer getting the entire flower shop from 'Bruce?'"

"But Chuck got me Gardenias. Those are my favorite. Only he knows that. I don't even know how he knows that. How do you know who sent me the others?"

Ellie navigated past the MRI that showed the concussion and went to Sarah's head x-rays. She stayed focused on the computer screen and didn't look at Sarah. "They could be from your many admirers, but after meeting your ex, I doubt it. I saw his room at his and Chuck's frat house. He was always a show-off."

"You met…"

Ellie barely refrained from laughing at the pause. "The 'dead man' who really isn't dead? Yes, I saw Bryce Larkin loitering in the hall outside your room."

"That was dumb of him. He shouldn't have come to check on me. It's bad for his cover."

Cover? Ellie didn't know what that was supposed to mean. She did see something she had feared on the computer screen. This was not Sarah's first head injury. Sarah's file only had a skull x-ray, but Ellie suspected there would be many more signs of prior injuries if she had full-body x-rays. Sarah's skull x-ray showed a couple small, older skull fractures that were completely healed. If the doctor had to guess, Sarah's ex had physically abused her. No wonder she moved across the country.

Sarah interrupted Ellie's angry thoughts. "What's wrong? You look upset. I thought it was only a minor concussion, but you're seeing something else."

Ellie turned away from the computer and focused on the victim. Sarah always looked so "put-together." It was no different now, even though the blonde was wearing a hospital gown and had been unconscious the night before. Without confirming in Sarah's records, Ellie would have no idea Sarah had been brought into the ER less than twelve hours before. The doctor answered, "When something is a 'minor' concussion, that just means it's not a 'major' concussion. All head injuries are still serious. You were knocked out. Chuck was there so we know you didn't have a seizure. If you had, you wouldn't be allowed to drive for six months."

"You have to say that. You're a doctor. This wasn't that serious, so I'm not worried about that. I thought I was going to be getting out of here soon. You saw something else."

"I saw signs of previous skull fractures."

Sarah's mouth formed a small circle. "Oh…those."

"Yeah, those. Has Bryce been beating you?"

Sarah shook her head. "No, those are Bryce's fault."

"You're telling me Bryce didn't ever hit you? To cause injuries like that, Bryce would have to do something major, like push you down the stairs."

"Bryce did not push me down the stairs."

"That was not my question. That was just an example. He could have done something else. Maybe he hit you with a weapon. If he laid a finger on you, you shouldn't defend him. It's not your fault. You did the right thing in going across the country to get away from him. But he found you, and the next day you ended up in the hospital. No one deserves to be treated like that. The hospital has programs to help women who have been physically abused."

"Bryce did not hurt me."

Victims often made excuses for their attackers or said nothing happened, so she repeated the unanswered question, "He never hit you?" Sarah still didn't respond. That wasn't it, though. Ellie knew there was something the other woman was holding back. Maybe he didn't actually "hit" her. Maybe he convinced her to do reckless things. It would still be his fault.

Maybe a battered woman program was the wrong approach. Ellie suggested, "I know where you can go to a self-defense class run by a local gym."

Sarah wrinkled her brow. "Why? To teach it?"

Now, they weren't on the same page at all. "What do you mean? Oh, you've had a self-defense class before."

"No, but I've had training." They were no closer to the same page. Sarah chewed her bottom lip a second before making a decision. "I thought you might have heard some of this before from Chuck. I'm surprised it never came up because he was so impressed when I told him shortly after we met. When I was in college, during the summers, I earned three black belts."

Ellie had not heard anything like that before. She had thought Sarah was a klutz in the kitchen. Maybe she was there, but she was skilled at other things. Ellie pointed at the screen and suggested, "Are you saying these are from your martial arts training?"

"One of them, yes. It was minor before my third black belt qualification, and I didn't even know about it at the time. None of them are from anything Bryce did. He knows what I can do and was impressed, like Chuck. Unlike Chuck, while we were dating he suggested we spar—which we did only once. He took a swing, and I reacted. He was on crutches the next three weeks, and we agreed to never do that again. That's why I was being evasive about him hitting me. Technically, he did. His swing was a glancing blow, so he sort of hit me once, but he didn't injure me at all, and he learned never to do that again. "

"Chuck knows this? He knows about Bryce? I thought he went to his funeral."

Sarah deeply inhaled and exhaled before answering. "When Chuck and I met, we thought he was dead. Around Thanksgiving, we discovered he had been healing since being shot. Chuck and I thought it was best to not bring it up to you. Bryce should still be 'off the radar,' so the fact he came here was foolish."

That could be possible, but a lot still didn't make sense—like why did Sarah meet her ex's old college roommate, of all people. But first, "How did you get hurt? The injury report says you were hit by a large metal object on the back of the head, and you had scrapes from having been knocked to the pavement. What did he do? He said something crazy about a 'mission' and you being a spy."

Up until this point, Sarah had never really looked hurt in the hospital bed, but now she looked very mad. "Bryce shouldn't have said anything about that. Now, you've heard enough that guessing is more dangerous than a little truth."

"About what? Some made-up story, like what Morgan and Chuck used to talk about when they played outside when they were twelve? I don't know what hold Bryce has over you, but—"

The door to the room opened, and in walked Devon, holding another bouquet of flowers for Sarah. He said, "I intercepted this from the flower delivery man. That Bryce doesn't know when to back off. I see why he's Chuck's biggest enemy."

He handed the flowers to Ellie and said, "Babe, when you are finished here, we need to go down to the station and give our statements. I've already checked in with my department head, and he said I can go now since I'm not scheduled for any surgeries. I'll meet you at the car in fifteen minutes."

Devon looked at the blonde patient. "Hey, Sarah. You're looking awesome. We're taking care of your ex so you don't have to worry about him when you get out. Keep getting better." He gave a little half-salute/wave and left.

With just the two of them in the room, Ellie let her fury fly. "Can you believe that man!? He just doesn't back off. He must have called this in before. Look, this one has a note." She plucked the note and read it aloud, "Let's meet in private. And there's a phone number. Los Angeles area code, which is not DC. Does that mean he's moved here?"

Sarah sat up, face full of concern. "Ellie, could you get me my phone?"

"Are you thinking of calling this number? That's not a good idea. It wouldn't matter anyway because this isn't where he is anymore."

"I need my phone. The room phone isn't secure." Secure? What's that mean? Sarah extended her hand and said, "I need to see the card, too. Bryce is not acting like someone who is supposed to be undercover, and his behavior has to stop, now."

At least it sounded like Sarah was going to shut him down. That would be an ok reason to call and leave a message. It's not like Bryce was where he could answer anyway. Ellie found Sarah's phone in her things across the room and gave it and the flower note card to Sarah. Out of habit, she thought maybe she should step out during the call to be polite, but stayed when Sarah said, "You should stay. Bryce already said too much, and you can make sure no one else interrupts us." Knows too much? Ellie felt like she didn't know anything, other than Sarah thought Bryce didn't physically hurt her.

Before Sarah dialed, Ellie said, "Bryce isn't there. He was arrested and is being taken to the local precinct."

"Is that what Devon meant by 'statement?' What did Bryce do?"

"I thought he might have caused the injury that put you here. Doctors are required to report physical abuse. I didn't have proof, but that didn't matter because I knew he had faked his death, which is also illegal, so I called security. He pushed both Devon and me and ran to escape. One of the orderlies, this huge guy, stopped him, and I tranquilized Bryce."

Sarah chucked a little. "That would've been funny to see. Not him assaulting you, but him getting stopped. If I had been stopped like that, I would have escaped in the elevator by now, and before I left, I might have left a note on a floral arrangement that would be delivered from the downstairs flower shop." Why would Sarah be arrested?

Sarah dialed. When the call was answered, she started in. "You know what, Bryce? You've been extremely reckless ever since you came into town. You almost blew my cover yesterday at the Orange Orange."

From outside the conversation, Ellie mused, "That was Bryce who I saw yesterday, from the back."

Picking up on what Ellie had said, Sarah changed her statement, "You did blow my cover a little yesterday, showing up in public where everyone knows I'm with Chuck. You were seen where you should not have been. Then today, you've been excessive with the flower deliveries and hung around my room—another place no one should see you. Since you were seen both times and said things in front of Ellie, blowing part of my cover, I have to read her in a little."

Sarah stopped. "You're not Bryce? Von Hayes… Von Hayes, we've been looking for you. If you want to stay alive, you need to tell me where that microchip is." Did Sarah just threaten someone from a hospital bed? What's going on?

After listening for a few seconds, Sarah said, "I don't care how little legroom is in a Lamborghini. A Porsche is a faster car and handles better … I can't meet you in private. The woman you were going to give the microchip to blew up a car and put me in a hospital. I should get out of this bed and shoot you for that, but Chuck is ok, so you get a reprieve. … As long as we get the chip, I don't care if you are prosecuted, so immunity would be fine. … Ten million? That's too much. Five is probably too much. How about four and a half. … No, I can't meet you because I'm stuck in the hospital. … No, you can't meet him either, unless you want to meet him in jail. … You met Chuck last night when you yelled at 'Jorge.' He almost died last night when we were trying to stop you, so there is no way I'm letting him near you again without me there to protect him. I'll let my partner know we've made a deal. … No, he's not my partner. You haven't met my partner. He'll call you back and make the arrangements." Sarah hung up and had what could best be described as an "evil grin."

When Sarah looked up at Ellie, the normally assured doctor asked, "What just happened?"

Sarah said, "Bryce told you I'm a spy."

Ellie waved it off. "He was just making up things to justify what he's been doing."

Sarah grimaced. "Bryce has been making all kinds of mistakes for over a year, but that part was true, Bryce and I are spies. You just heard part of the mission."

Ellie still didn't understand. I had to be some kind of ruse. They couldn't be real spies. Were spies even real now that the Cold War was over? Sarah was in the same delusion as Bryce. Or was she? If she really had black belts… And the injuries… And Bryce faking his death… It sounded like Sarah just negotiated a trade for four and half million dollars… She had that car that no one who burned hot dogs or made soft serve treats would own…

"You're figuring out that based on everything you've learned about me, it makes more sense," Sarah said.

Ellie needed to sit down. She sat on the edge of Sara's bed because it was closest. "Does Chuck know?"

"Yes, Chuck knows what I do. That's how he knows about Bryce." Sarah let out a half laugh. "Chuck knows more about me than anyone else."

"How long has he known?" Ellie asked.

"Since part way through our first date. That's when I thought Bryce was dead and told him who I was."

That long? "No wonder he was out all night. I thought maybe he stayed with you all night on the first date."

"We did stay together, but not that way." If Ellie didn't know better, Sarah sounded a little disappointed. Then again, maybe Sarah was a little disappointed. Sarah continued, "We were together watching the sunrise on the beach while he thought about what Bryce had done to pull him into the spy world and what he had to do now."

A first date with a happy ending was almost more believable, even for someone who had been celibate like her brother. "So Chuck is a spy, too?"

"No! Chuck is not a spy," Sarah insisted.

Ellie was even more confused. "Then what is he?"

"I can't tell you that. Chuck is special. I'm sure you know that, but now the government knows he's special in a way you couldn't imagine. My primary job is his safety. He works with us to save lives. He saved dozens of lives during our first date. He's even saved my life a few times."

She did always know Chuck was special, ever since their dad made a point of telling her. He also told her to watch out for him. She didn't know how to do that if Chuck was a spy or if he was some unique thing that worked with a spy. "Chuck has always gone above and beyond to help people, but being a spy is dangerous. He could be hurt."

"I will not let that happen," Sarah asserted.

Ellie didn't want Sarah hurt either. "But you are not always able to help him because you get hurt, like whatever happened last night. You said he almost died and there was a bomb."

"Chuck was on a mission with Bryce and me. Chuck was captured, but I made sure he was safe. The person you heard me call was escaping the opposite direction. Bryce went after that man, but didn't stop him, which is why the mission isn't over. I rescued Chuck, but there was a bomb that blew up a car. I pushed Chuck clear, but I'm embarrassed to say I didn't get clear myself."

Ellie gasped. "Why would you be embarrassed? You got hurt being a hero and saving my brother."

"I didn't get clear in time."

"You're not someone from one of Chuck's comic books with superpowers. No one can always do everything. Why wasn't Bryce helping?"

"Before I went after Chuck, Bryce argued that the mission was more important so we should go after the other man. Chuck is my primary mission, and he's the most important thing to me, so I went the other way."

Most important thing? Ellie was having a hard time coming to terms with this new reality, but she wasn't missing certain things. She said, "Figures Bryce wouldn't care about Chuck. He betrayed him in college, getting him kicked out of school and stealing his girlfriend. Of course he wouldn't care if Chuck died now. To me, it sounds like by slowing you down, Bryce is to blame for your getting hurt."

That might have been too harsh when Ellie didn't know everything that happened. "I'm sorry. He was your boyfriend. You probably believe that it's not Bryce's fault and that he didn't betray Chuck in college."

"No, I believed Chuck even before we found proof last year."

"Proof?"

"Sorry, because my cover was compromised by Bryce being an idiot and my medical records, you now know that I'm a spy and that I do more than serve yogurt. You can know I'm here to protect Chuck. You were in the room when I made the call about the microchip, but you can't know the details of what we do. Know that I don't have to 'believe' you about Bryce. I believed and agreed with you a year ago because even then I trusted Chuck more than I trusted Bryce and he was my spy partner, but now I've seen the evidence. I don't know why the higher-ups haven't done anything with it, but that call is above my pay grade. I'm protecting Chuck regardless. You're not cleared to know why I'm protecting him."

That was a fine line, but Ellie supposed it made some sense. Yesterday, she didn't know Sarah was a spy and everything was fine. Today, she knew that but not most of what Sarah was doing, why she was doing it, and what other "secrets" they learned. There was something she did want to know as Chuck's big sister who looked out for him. "Bryce said something. He said spies can't fall in love. He also said that you and he—"

"No. Bryce and I are not together. He tried to get me to go into hiding with him last year, after we discovered he's alive. I chose to stay with Chuck."

"You never loved Bryce?" Ellie pried.

"No. Not really," Sarah said. "At the time, I didn't know better and I thought that might be all I would ever get. We were taught that spies don't fall in love."

Ellie realized that was a careful way to say it. "At the time" she didn't know better. Did that mean she knew better now? She said they were taught "spies don't fall in love." How can you teach someone how to not feel something? Earlier, Sarah had said Chuck was the "most important person" to her.

Over the past year, Ellie had noticed how Sarah looked at Chuck two different ways. There was the way she looked at Chuck when she knew people were watching. Her eyes lit up, and she looked completely love-struck. Then there were the times when she didn't know people were looking. Ellie didn't know how to describe it before. Sometimes it seemed almost a little sad, like she was feeling something she was taught not to do. Now Ellie understood it was with "longing."

Sarah was responsible for taking care of Chuck. Why shouldn't she care deeply about the person she was protecting? It was sort of like doctors treating the people they cared about. It was more like the Nightingale Syndrome. Meanwhile they were a couple… sort of… maybe not really… "Are you and Chuck really boyfriend and girlfriend, or is that a con?"

"It is not a con," Sarah emphasized. "Chuck knows what I am, and I know what he is. We aren't a normal couple because of what we do, but we are a different kind of couple. We're—"

"Complicated. I hate that word, but now I get it. Here I thought you love Chuck and he loves you."

Sarah ignored the first part of that and focused on the second, quietly asking, "Has Chuck told you he loves me?"

"Everyone knows Chuck has loved you since the beginning. Sometimes, his confidence gets in the way by making him think he isn't good enough for you…or anyone, but…" Ellie pointed her hand at Sarah. "Oh, now I understand why he thinks he's not good enough for a spy."

"Chuck's fantastic. He's definitely good enough. I'm the person that's not good enough for him." They both thought they were not good enough for the other. Ellie didn't know if that was cute or sad.

Sarah made her question more specific. "Has he actually told you that he loves me?"

The question seemed unnecessary to Ellie. "Doesn't Chuck say that all the time to you? He normally doesn't stay quiet about anything." It clicked. "I get it. You two are pretending to be in love, but can't tell each other how you really feel. Don't worry. I've known Chuck his whole life, obviously. I know him better than anyone else. Morgan might argue that, but he's wrong, and it doesn't matter in this case. We both know my brother loves you."

"Really?" Sarah's hopeful smile revealed all of her teeth.

"Really."

Sarah's smile almost glowed, so Ellie changed the subject. "When I stopped by the Orange Orange this morning, I was going to ask you to be one of my bridesmaids, but if you don't want to because this is just your job."

"I would love to be your bridesmaid. Spending time with Chuck and you has never seemed like work to me. I don't really have friends. I have a couple spies I trust (most of the time) that you could call 'friends,' but Chuck is probably the closest thing I have to a best friend, and you're the next closest."

Wow, what a lonely life. Sarah had always been a good friend to Ellie, and it sounded like that wasn't only because it was her job. Sarah didn't deserve that. Ellie wanted her in her wedding. She put her hands on Sarah to show she still accepted her brother's "girlfriend" or whatever she was. "Good. Should I invite your 'spy partner', too?"

"You probably will, but he will probably try to get out of it. Don't worry. He's always there when you need him."

A 'he' who came into Chuck's life at the same time as Sarah… Ellie only needed one guess for that. No wonder the gruff neighbor was always so sweet, even when it looked like it was painful for him to be polite to anybody. She'd keep asking him over for dinners. He was better company than Morgan and seemed to love her cooking almost as much.

A thought occurred to her. Ellie said with a smirk, "No guns at the wedding." Spies used guns, didn't they? A couple minutes ago, Ellie had heard Sarah threaten to kill someone.

"I can't promise that," Sarah solemnly said. "The bride is number 1 at the wedding, but Chuck is still my number 1 priority."

For Chuck, the man Sarah clearly loved but couldn't admit to loving, she'd probably use her bare hands, but shooting was faster. "Understood. At least I know if there are any 'problems' at the wedding, you will take care of them."

A/N: If you like Bryce Larkin and think he was a good spy, sorry. If that's not the case, there are some other things you can read:
- "Chuck vs the Whole Truth", chapter 9, "Charah vs Dellie 4, The Exes" (11 years ago) - Upon hearing the "whole truth" after season 3, Devon, a civilian, breaks down what Bryce did that was wrong and all the mistakes he made.
- "Chuck vs the Nemesis's Ex", chapter 1, "Scene from an Italian Restaurant" - Chuck and Sarah meet in the first story in what looks like a dinner in which Bryce is going to propose, locking in Sarah as his partner.
- Its sequel, "The Bartowskis vs the Spy World", chapters 9-10, "El Camino Real" and "Happy Together" - The Bartowskis deal with the "Bryce Bomb."
- "Chuck vs His Former Handler", chapters 6-7, "Sweet Potatoes and Marshmallows" and "I Come in Peace" - Bryce shows up at Thanksgiving, so Ellie and Devon learn the truth
- Its sequel, "Chuck & His Roommate vs the Next Mission", chapter 3, "I Hate Bryce Larkin" - Bryce comes back to the apartment while Ellie is in the kitchen, so Ellie takes things into her own hands.
- "Ellie vs the Ninja", chapter 11, "Ellie vs the Nemesis" - This story could be called "Ellie vs All Comers." This chapter is an "Ellie vs Bryce," because she never had to hear the "Bruce" cover story.

(In the Intersect Couple stories, Bryce really died when stealing the Intersect, because people die when Casey shoots them.)