Published September 20, 2021

A/N: Sarah said Chuck has to go. Chuck said he has to save Sarah. The little problem is there's a shaggy man in the van, and it's not the Mystery Machine.

Don't worry. The "extraction team" does not include davida6. Not saying he couldn't do it, but we want him safe to beta future chapters, like he did this one. It's never safe in the car, so he wasn't there either. As for Chuck and Morgan… no spoilers.

Still in the Van
Thursday, February 28, 2008

Chuck and Morgan were still in the "Custom Eats" van, talking about what Chuck had been doing for the FDA. Hearing Sarah was in trouble, Chuck didn't stay still. He immediately went to the back and started rummaging around in one of the boxes back there.

After he had entered the van to challenge Chuck, Morgan hadn't looked in the back. Seeing it now, it was pretty cool. There was nothing that would be expected in a large delivery van for a catering company. Instead, one side was covered in computers and screens. There were two chairs for people working on the computers. On the other side, in the far corner, there were racks, one of which had the box Chuck was rummaging through. To the side of it, it looked like machine guns and shotguns! Why would the FDA have guns?

Morgan asked Chuck, "What are you doing?"

Chuck didn't stop his search and said, "Getting something to rescue Sarah."

"Rescue? I'm sure she's fine."

"She is not fine. You heard her. She's in trouble." Morgan knew Chuck to sometimes be nervous about random things, but that was when he was not doing something that he thought he should do. He never dived in, head-first. This time, Chuck was panicking and doing something.

"Got it!" Chuck exclaimed. He held up a small black device that had two cables dangling from it.

"What is that?" Morgan asked, knowing he probably wouldn't understand. If it was sold in the Buy More, he still might not understand, but this was something not sold at the Buy More. Since he wouldn't understand, he reminded Chuck, "You heard Sarah. She said to leave."

"Of course she said to leave. That doesn't mean she doesn't need help. I'm going to help her." Chuck opened the back door to the van. Before he stepped out, he turned to Morgan and said, "Morgan, you need to stay in the car." Actually, it was a van not a car, though he supposed it didn't matter. Where was Chuck going?

Chuck had been thinking what he had said, so instead of leaving, he said, "You know what? It's never safe in the car. You're coming with me. However, you have to stay behind me and not do anything even slightly dangerous. You need to do exactly what I tell you."

Morgan said, "When have I ever done anything dangerous? When have I ever not done what you tell me?"

Chuck stared at Morgan, and Morgan realized, "Ok, maybe I don't always do what I'm told, but I always have a good reason."

"To you, maybe, but that doesn't make it a good reason. This time it's serious, Morgan. Lives are at stake. You must do everything you are told."

That had to be overstating it, but he would do what his best friend said. Chuck hopped out the back, and Morgan followed. Before they rushed the building as an "extraction team," he had a final look at the van. With a name like "Custom Eats," it sure seemed like a catering van. The guns were the kind of sweet surprise he figured would be inside.

They went to a door in the back of the building. Chuck connected the toy he found to the security pad by the door. That was odd. Why wouldn't they simply go in the front? Oh, this must be related to what Sarah was doing. They probably weren't supposed to be there, so they had to sneak inside. Why would the FDA be doing missions like spies?

Maybe Chuck was hacking into the building. That gave Morgan the opportunity to ask, "Is this because you're Piranha?"

The door clicked open and Chuck pulled it open a few inches. Then he stopped and asked Morgan. "Why would you say that?"

"I know what you did back in college. You weren't holding hospitals hostage or toppling small, third-word governments, but you could have. After Boba Fett did what he did, you stopped. I figure Sarah found out about Piranha. You're afraid they're going to arrest you as a hacker, so you're helping. Or maybe you found out what she's doing, and you told her what you can do so you can help."

"Neither of those is true. Sarah knows I'm good with computers, but not that good. Being Piranha has nothing to do with it. Only you and Ellie know about that. Bryce didn't even know, and it's a really good thing he doesn't know."

"What? Oh, you mean because he's dead. It's hard to believe that Sarah still doesn't know. She must really love you to want you around all the—"

Chuck didn't let Morgan finish before rolling his eyes and charging inside.

A few minutes later

Morgan could barely believe what Chuck had just done to find Sarah. Morgan didn't know Chuck had that in him. His best friend opened the locked room and barreled in. Morgan started to follow. Inside was none other than the woman who was better than Vicki Vale herself, Sarah Walker. She was in a chair at the other side of a simple table. She was all in black, and her hands were cuffed and chained together through rings on the table. Instead of two pigtails, like she wore when working at the Wienerlicious, her hair was pulled back into a single ponytail. Instead of friendly, she looked tough.

Her first response was not a thank you for saving her. "Chuck, I told you to leave. What are you doing here?"

With a little bravado, Chuck said, "I'm Chuck Bartowski, I'm here to rescue you." Sarah didn't recognize what Chuck was trying to do, but he corrected himself. "That's not right. That would mean that I'm a little short for a stormtrooper and that we're brother and sister. I know. You're still the princess. You even dressed like her on Halloween. I'm more Han, like I was in that fake picture you had made. And despite his stature, this hairy guy is Chewy. The important thing to say is is 'I know.'"

Sarah showed no recognition in what Chuck was saying. She didn't get the second Star Wars reference, either. When she looked past Chuck, and her eyes fell on Morgan, she looked furious. "Not only did you not leave, but you brought Morgan!?"

Chuck went to unlock Sarah's cuffs with the keys he brought from the security guard station. "You can yell at me later. Just know I didn't bring Morgan. He was here. It's never safe in the car. I thought I should bring him along, rather leave him where there are guns and other dangerous things."

Sarah didn't seem to need Chuck's help unlocking as she slipped her hands free of the chains. She stood up and glared at Chuck so fiercely, Morgan wanted to run away because he was nearby.

The blonde looked at her tall boyfriend, then looked back and forth between Chuck and Morgan a couple times. Then, a small smile formed on her face, and she threw both of her arms around Chuck in a solid bear hug. Chuck started to return it when Sarah put both of her hands on the side of Chuck's face, and she leaned in and up to kiss him. For a tiny bit of a second, Morgan thought he might have to leave the room and give them privacy, but surprisingly, Chuck didn't kiss her. He put his hands on the sides or her arms and pushed her back.

Chuck said, "He knows. You don't have to do that."

"Knows what?" Sarah asked with some disappointment in her voice.

"He found out where we were going and knows we're working for the… F...D…A,"

"The FDA? Why would he think that?"

"I'm not exactly sure. I told him that you and I aren't a real couple, so you don't have to fake your gratitude for saving your life."

"What do you mean? I'm not faking it. I'm furious at you for not leaving when I told you, but I'm always happy to see you. I was out of my chains but was still going to have to surprise my captors, find Casey, and break us out. I'm definitely mad that you brought Morgan where neither of you should be, but thank you both."

Sarah walked around the table to Morgan and quickly kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Morgan." Then she whispered, "I'm not in the FDA." She walked over to Chuck and said, "Thank you, Chuck," before giving him a strong, wet kiss on the lips.

When she pulled back, Chuck had an amazed smile on his face, Then Sarah lightly tapped him on the cheek to break him out of his stupor. "You have keys, so I assume you somehow took care of the guard. Do you know where Casey is?"

Chuck went back to normal, becoming serious again. "We found your cell, and I didn't look for him. We can go back out there and look some more."

Sarah peeked into the hall then went out, "Let's go!"

At the watch desk, the guard was still unconscious. After what he had seen earlier, Morgan felt obligated to say to Sarah on Chuck's behalf, "That guy's not dead."

Sarah went around the desk and said, "Of course not. Chuck wouldn't do that." She pulled the guard out of the seat so he fell on the floor, and she went to one keyboard. Chuck took another.

After a few seconds, Chuck said, "Here he is. Room LL47."

Sarah joined him to take a look at his screen. She said, "Here's what we are going to do. Chuck, you need to leave with Morgan and take both of you to safety—"

"What about your safety? I'm here to help you."

"Chuck, the best thing you can do to help is to get away, so I don't have to worry about you." She changed her tact and looked at Morgan, "Sorry, Morgan. No offense. Chuck is my number one priority, not you. I can't both save Casey and protect Chuck, while Chuck is trying to keep you safe. Please make sure Chuck and you both get to safety. I can do this. I've done things like this before in third-world countries. I was ready to do this before you saved me, but now you've taken care of that second hardest part. The hardest part would be doing the rest while protecting Chuck. That I haven't done before. By getting yourself out of harm's way, you're helping me, making the hardest part a piece of cake. Can you do that Morgan?"

Why was she asking him? He still didn't know what was going on. All he knew was this 'mission' was a lot more dangerous than what he thought the FDA did. Sarah said she wasn't in the FDA. What could that mean? With Sarah looking out for his best bud and with her saying the safest thing was for them to leave, then he'd make sure it would happen. Morgan nodded that he would do what Sarah asked.

"Thanks, Morgan. Chuck, keep both you and Morgan safe by leaving. Please." Sarah kissed Chuck on the lips again, and he looked as amazed as before.

This time he breathed out, "Yeah," in agreement. Then, he seemed to wake up from his dream-like state. "Here. You need this." Chuck held out the gun he shot the guard with earlier. Before they found Sarah, Morgan was initially shocked that Chuck was shooting a gun at anyone. Then the gunshot didn't sound like a real gun. Chuck told him it was a "tranq gun." Morgan didn't know those were real outside of movies, but it made sense that if Chuck was going to have a gun, it'd be one that didn't kill people. Chuck wouldn't hurt even the people who deserved it. Chuck was really good at Duck Hunt, Call of Duty, and Halo. If he ever needed a gun, that's what he should have. He'd win every time.

Now he was offering it to Sarah. He and Morgan would be weaponless, running for their lives. Sarah turned him down, though. She looked around the guard's station and went for a drawer. She must not have been guessing or had x-ray vision or something because that was exactly the drawer she wanted. She pulled out two guns. "These are mine and Casey's. We're good."

She pulled Chuck's collar for another kiss and then swatted Chuck's butt and said, "Now go!"

A little while later

Safely away, Chuck dropped Morgan off at Corona's to be a designated driver for Jeff and Lester when Chuck got a call on his cell. It was Sarah. After a quick conversation, Chuck relayed part of it to Morgan. "Sarah and Casey are ok. Casey was grumpy, more than normal, so it's probably a good thing he didn't see either you or me. Sarah would like to debrief you tomorrow morning. 7:30 at The Pie Shack. I've been wanting to try that place out. Don't say anything to anyone, of course. Later, Morgan."

Morgan got out and held up a hand to wave as Chuck sped off. Morgan had about as much idea what was going on as he did last night. Last night, he thought Chuck, Sarah, and Casey were with the FDA. Now he knew they weren't with the FDA. But who were they working for? Sarah was acting like a spy—or at least how he thought a spy would act. Why would a spy be in LA or hanging around the Buy More?

Last night, Morgan thought Chuck was involved because of Piranha, but Chuck said that wasn't the case. Did that mean he was doing it only to impress Sarah? She was so hot, Morgan could believe that.

Last night, Morgan thought there was something weird about the "fake couple" idea. Chuck and Sarah always seemed so into each other. Tonight, Chuck said it wasn't real. He told Sarah that he told Morgan it wasn't real. Then she kept kissing him, but Chuck acted like they didn't do that all the time.

None of it made sense.

A/N: Remember, in "Chuck vs the Goodbye," Sarah didn't wait around for someone to rescue her.

Morgan has to get up early for the next chapter, but whether or not you read it then is up to you.