I don't own Chuck

She didn't make any extra noise, but she wasn't trying to be quiet as she brought the card table into the room. She sat it up, and walked out, with him yelling into the gag. She could hear him, but she did her best to drown it out. The lyrics played through her head.

Who will you run to when it all falls down?
Who's gonna pick your world up off from the ground?
Who's gonna take away the tears you cry?
Who's gonna love you baby as good as I?

She set up the laptop, and started it up. She got the connection set and saw Ellie on the screen. "Chuck," Ellie said. Chuck stopped squirming and yelling. Sarah grabbed his chair and drug it over in front of the computer, and pulled the mask off of his head. Chuck's eyes went wide. Sarah removed the ropes that restrained him, but let the gag in his mouth because she didn't want to hear him right now.

She walked out of the room, letting Ellie talk to Chuck. She walked out of the house, grabbed the ax that was leaning on the side of the house, and headed over to the lumber that was piled up beside the house. She knew she was going to need fire wood. They were far north, in a remote area of America. That had been done on purposed. She swung the ax, perfectly splitting the wood in front of her. She decided that today she would chop wood, but one of Chuck's chores while he was here was to make sure they had enough wood. He was going to pull his weight. She would protect him, but he was going to do his part. She was having trouble seeing as she split the wood. She was sure it was the sawdust in her eyes making her tear up.

}o{

She was nearly finished when she heard the door open to the house. She had positioned herself where she could see all directions but that one. She knew that having her back to the door was the safest play…at least physically. She heard him clear his throat, and she couldn't help but just bury the ax in the wood as she turned.

He looked ashamed…she hated how much that upset her. "For the record, what happened with the tying up, that was all to see if you could flash, and free yourself…it had nothing to do with…" she trailed off, her mask firmly in place.

"Right-right," Chuck said quickly. He rubbed his hands on his pants.

Good, she thought. He's nervous. He should be. He should be terrified. "Ellie explained the danger I was in, and the danger I have put you in." She tilted her head. "It's obvious to anyone who has seen the surveillance footage of me over the last two years how I feel about you."

She couldn't help but scoff at that. "Sarah-" he began.

"Nuh-uh," she said quickly. "If you 'felt' that way," she used finger-quotes. "You had an opportunity to show it."

"It's not that simple," Chuck protested.

"THE HELL IT WASN'T!" Sarah yelled. Chuck stepped back. They could hear her words echoing through the valley. "I apologize," she said.

"You shouldn't be here, this isn't fair to you," Chuck began.

"I'm being compensated to be here, quite well," Sarah replied. She saw the look of hurt on his face. "Come on, Chuck, it doesn't matter how mad I am, or hurt I am, I'm not going to let someone do to you what they would have to do to get the Intersect out of your brain."

"I'm sorry," Chuck told her.

Sarah shrugged. "What's done is done. I have had worse jobs. What we have to do first is train you. Then we have to get your emotions under control so that you can use that thing in your head. And you better believe I'm invested in this, buddy." Chuck yanked his head up, hopeful. "Because you're right. IF they have tied me to you…" Chuck's shoulders slumped. "So, first thing, don't ask where we are."

"Ellie told me not to," Chuck replied.

"Good," Sarah told him. "Every day, you need to make sure that wood box there is full. If we get stuck in snow for a few weeks…." Chuck looked worried. "Exactly, keep it full." She walked over to where the lumber was piled. "If it falls below this line, let me know so I can get some more delivered."

"Okay," Chuck said, nodding. "Keep wood filled so we don't freeze to death."

"Can you handle it?" Sarah asked, looking him right in his eyes.

"I can handle it," he replied. She nodded, turned and walked back toward the house. She had to. There was something in those eyes that called to her, and she couldn't do this…not and keep him safe. She couldn't lose him, she had already lost him once, and as bad as it was they couldn't be, if he wasn't in this world…she couldn't think about that.

}o{

"Chuck," Ellie said, as he was removing the gag. "Chuck, are you listening to me?"

"Sarah's leaving, Ellie, I need to talk to her," Chuck insisted.

"She's not leaving," Ellie told him. "Beckman and I had her do this."

"Why?" Chuck asked, sitting. Ellie glared at him and he gulped. "How do you know about Beckman?" The glare intensified. "Ellie, do you know about Prague?" He was wrong, NOW the glare intensified.

"What the hell were you thinking, Chuck?" Ellie asked.

"Which screw up were you talking about?" Chuck asked. Ellie sighed. "Me getting the Intersect…wait, do you know about the Intersect?" Ellie slightly tilted her head, and he saw her eyebrow twitch. "Right, you know about the Intersect." He cleared his throat. "Or do you mean the colossal mistake I made with Sarah?"

"Colossal?" Ellie asked.

"Ellie….I love her," Chuck told her. Ellie smiled. "What?"

"Well, at least you admitted it, and that, baby brother, that we can work with."