A/N: "Chuck sure is stupid," or some variation thereof has been the biggest line said in the reviews. I understand, and hopefully this chapter lets you all in on why he's acting this way. I did a lot of research before I began to write this story and after the reviews begin to pile in, I realized I'd never put all this info in. It was in my head, but you guys don't know what's in there (nor do you want to know) so hopefully this helps. Guys, get ready, because things…well…they get interesting. I give you Pros and Cons Ch 6, The Plan

Disclaimer: Don't own Chuck, and don't we all need a good cuddling before bed?

Ellie sat there, stunned. She had listened to Bryce's story, and read Jack's letter. She was blown away at what had happened to her brother, and now she understood. Chuck had kept saying he didn't want to get hurt again, but the truth was, he was hung up on the woman now known as Sarah, and she understood why. Chuck was in love, and he wouldn't let himself be in love.

"Bryce, why?" Ellie asked. Bryce knew what she meant.

"It was complicated," Bryce began. He saw Ellie's eyebrow twitch. "And I'll try to make it as uncomplicated as possible. Chuck still hasn't figured it all out."

"He doesn't know she didn't con you because of him?" Ellie asked. Bryce shook his head, smiling.

"When she was arrested I went and saw her without him, and she told me everything, about how she couldn't swindle me because he was great, and she thought maybe she could be better," Bryce explained, a wistful smile on his face remembering that time some two and a half years ago. "I'll just call her Sarah so you're not confused. Sarah came over to meet me and con me, but she met your brother and he was just Chuck." Ellie smiled, knowing exactly what Bryce meant. "He had her laughing in no time and her wanting to know why some woman would stand him up. She was smitten the first night. She found out about Jill cheating, told Chuck, and he ripped her apart, because he thought he was going to be alone. He'd rather have been with Jill, and her cheating on him than alone."

"Our parents, what they've done to his ego and his psyche," Ellie muttered, shaking her head. "I mean, he wasn't a baby, and Dad was around for a while, but…Ugh." She studied Bryce for a minute. "You really don't understand why he was, and is the way he is, do you?"

"It makes absolutely no sense," Bryce said.

"Has Chuck ever talked about therapy with you?" Ellie asked. Bryce shook his head, shocked with what he was hearing. "Chuck has Abandonment Anxiety. Symptoms include, a partner who tends to give too much, or is a people pleaser, trust issues, envy of other people's relationship-"

"Oh my God," Bryce said softly, cutting her off. Ellie just waited. Bryce took a deep breath. "So, after we told Chuck, he ripped into me and into her. One of the things he implied were we would be off together and he'd be all alone." Ellie just nodded. "What else?"

"Feeling of insecurity in a relationship," she said. Bryce buried his head into his hands. "Or not believing he's good enough to have one, and settling for a less-than-satisfactory relationship." Bryce just shut his eyes with that last one. "Jill." Bryce opened his eyes and nodded.

"Jill," Bryce said. "Ellie, God, no wonder." He was quiet.

"Bryce, just tell me."

"After he ripped into us, we were both drunk, hurt, found the other attractive…" he trailed off.

"And you slept together," Ellie said, nodding, and understanding.

"The only damn time, but of course your brother walked in the next morning, apologizing for how he had been, seeing us in my bed, and assuming that we were meant to be forever," Bryce said, a little red from embarrassment. "We both knew it was such a mistake," Bryce said, hoping up and pacing. "El, he's my brother and I knew he was in love with her, but she's so…" He shook his head, a sad smile on his face. "I won't lie, there was a serious attraction there, and we were both hurt, drunk…"

"How awkward?" she asked. Bryce blushed. Ellie had never seen him blush.

"The awkwardest," he replied, making her chuckle. "I feel like today, we're finally back to where we were pre-incident."

"Incident?" Ellis asked, her eyebrows raised. "Mr. Love-Them-And-Leave-Them Bryce Larkin?"

"Does that tell you how bad it is?" Bryce asked.

"And, now he won't 'take your girl,'" Ellie said, shaking her head.

"She's not my girl, like I said, we both agreed it was a mistake," Bryce said. "Besides, even if we were a thing, like he thinks, we're not now. The biggest problem is, he thinks she's out of his league, and she thinks she doesn't deserve him."

"How does Jack know about me?" Ellie asked. Bryce grinned. "You told him about me?" Bryce nodded. She sat there a second and thought. She studied Bryce. "So, how does this work?" Bryce shrugged.

"We meet Al," Bryce said. "He's supposed to tell us everything about how to pull this off." He smiled. "Ellie, I need your help to do this. Do you think everyone deserves a second chance?" His eyes were dancing. Ellie groaned.

"I now understand why Chuck says that to irritate you," she replied, grinning. "I don't know about everyone, but Chuck does," Ellie said. "I need to meet her."

"I thought you'd say that," Bryce replied.

-ooooo-

"Chuck, I'm telling you I saw that movie with you and Bryce," Sarah said, laughing. "That was the night they arrested me." Chuck winced. She gave him a shoulder bump. "Hey, it's fine."

"That was Avengers 2, Sarah, this one is Infinity Way, it's the next one," he said, all excited. She shook her head.

"Great, wonder if they'll arrest me during the movie this time rather than after?" she asked. She looked over and his jaw had dropped. "Too soon?"

"You are awesome, you know that?" he asked. She bounced a shoulder.

"I'm aware," she said. He handed her a key. "What's this."

"A key," he replied, smirking. She glared at him, but it turned into a grin and she lightly slapped his shoulder. "You're staying here, you need to come and go when you please. You aren't a prisoner here," he said with a grin. She smirked at him. "I want you to consider this your home for as long as you want it to be. But this, this is your key."

"Thank you, Chuck," Sarah replied. "You don't know what this means." She started to tear up a bit.

"Hey, it's okay," he said, and pulled her in for a hug. She clung to him. "So, the bed," he began and paused. She pushed back and gave him a look. "Jeez, Sarah! Spend some time in the pen and your mind goes dirty!" She laughed at him. "Do we need to push it up against the wall to protect your back? Do we need to set something up, because I'm fine with you sleeping in the tub, but one night I'm going to forget your in there, and then I'll remember, and I'll make a mess." At this point Sarah was laughing so hard she was crying. She had to hold on to him to stay on her feet she was laughing so hard. She looked at him and their eyes met. He swallowed thickly. "So, uh, the security code."

"Your birthday," she said, punching it in, sobering up from that moment. "Got it." She felt the look. "What can I say, I'll never con you, but know that I do notice things."

"Sarah Walker, what all do you notice?" he asked, trying to sound affronted.

"Chuck Bartowski," she said, and paused. "Don't you wish you knew," she said in a husky voice and headed off to her room.

"Not cool, Walker, not cool," he said.

"You like it," she yelled from her room. Chuck stood there in the living room. If he was honest, he did.

-ooooo-

"So what am I trying to do again, Morgan?" he asked, taking a sip of chardonnay, talking to the microphone in front of him. He had always worked from home like this with speakers and a mike, and it occurred to him as he started that perhaps he needed a headset since he had a roommate. No that was the wrong word, or was it? He shook his head. He really didn't need the thought of Sarah and her long legs in his head right now.

"Our client swears the actual books are behind that firewall," Morgan said. "The intel all looks legit, but we need access before we can determine if it's right or not."

"And how much trouble will we get in if caught?" Chuck asked.

"You really don't want to know," Morgan answered. "Besides, Dude, when have you ever gotten caught?" Chuck typed, and was quiet. "Chuck, there's sixteen girls missing, this could -find them."

"And the authorities are ready to move?" he asked.

"Yep, they can't arrest the jerks, but they can free the girls," Morgan said.

"Well, that's something, isn't it," Chuck said. "Maybe we can stir up enough to get them to do something stupid like getting caught."

"Chuck, there!" he said, watching the mirrored monitor at his site.

"Got it buddy," he said, opening the file. "Do you need more?"

"Nope, they're going in," Morgan said. Chuck kept typing. "What are you doing?"

"Making it look like they double crossed their buyers," Chuck said.

"Dude, that may get them….oh…Chuck," Morgan said.

"Morgan, they kidnapped girls with the intent on selling them," Chuck said.

"Dude, I approve," Morgan said over the speaker.

"Me too," Sarah said behind him, tears in her eyes. She walked up to him and put her hands on his shoulders, giving them a squeeze. He was saving lives. "How old?"

"Uh, Sarah," Morgan said.

"Morgan. How. Old?" she asked.

"Between 13 and 15," he said.

"Guys, found weapon shipments information, and sent it to you," Chuck said.

"Way to go, Bartowski," Casey said. "That just got ATF involved. We got them."

"That should get us a percentage of whatever cash they have on hand," Morgan said.

"I don't care if we make a dime," Chuck said.

"None of us do on this one, Bartowski," Casey said. "But, we gotta fund this somehow."

"I know, Casey," he said. "Am I clear?"

"You're good, you did good, now get some rest and we'll see you and your new PA on Monday," Morgan said. "Welcome to the team, Sarah."

"Thanks," she said. Chuck signed out, and turned in his chair. He looked beat. Sarah didn't hesitate, she sat in his lap and hugged him. "How often do you do that?"

"Every once in a while we get something similar," he admitted. "That was the worst one to date. What really kills me is when I can't find anything and then nothing can be done."

"Nothing?" Sarah asked.

"Well, the one time it happened, Casey took a few days off and when he came back he was grinning a lot," Chuck said, shrugging. "Casey doesn't grin and the girl was returned to her parents." He looked very tired.

"Come on, Chuck, let's get you to bed," she said, standing and pulling on his hands.

"Geez, Walker," he said winking. She put a hand on his chest.

"Chuck Bartowski, play all you want, but if I was trying to get you in bed, there would be NO question I was trying, are we clear?" The smirk on her face left his knees weak. All he could do was nod. "Good, now will you sleep okay?" He shrugged. "You saved lives."

"Sometimes you think, what if we missed one?" he admitted. "What did they go through before we got there? What if we hadn't saved them?" She pulled him in. "You're very hands-on as a personal assistant."

"I'm proud of you, Chuck," she said.

"Thanks," he said. She felt him swallow. "I'm so glad you're out. I've missed just talking."

"Chuck, you have everyone, yet I have a feeling you're all alone," she said. He nodded into her shoulder, she felt it getting wet.

"I'm the only one that can do this part, and if I mess up…." He couldn't say anything more, and she held him as he softly cried.

"Chuck," she said softly. She stood there holding him until he was through. He was barely awake on his feet. She took his hand, led him to bed, and got him into the covers. She crawled in beside him, and held his head against her until he fell asleep, with her lightly running her hand through his hair, wondering how he would react if he knew this meant more to her than one stupid night of sex with Bryce Larkin.

-ooooo-

The door opened, with Carina in the lead, her gun out in front of her, Casey behind her typing in the code.

"Bryce, you and Ellie stay out, do you hear me," Carina said.

"Guys, he's asleep, you know he is," Bryce argued.

"SOP, Larkin," Casey said. "Chuck even set it up. Whenever we pull a mission like that everyone checks in the next morning to make sure no one was retaliated against. You got the master bedroom, Miller?"

"Oh, you know I do," Carina answered grinning.

"Uh, remember, we are dating," Bryce said.

"What's wrong, Bryce, scared I'll see Chuck's naked ass and leave you?" Carina asked.

"Can we leave my brother's naked ass out of this please?" Ellie begged. "Found him yet?"

"Guest room is empty, bed not slept in," Casey said. Everyone froze.

"Okay, Chuckles, here's hoping you got lucky which will answer a lot of questions," Carina said.

"Ok, I know we're worried but what if they're 'occupied' behind this door?" Ellie asked.

"That's probably a best-case scenario," Casey muttered. "I'm outside if you need backup."

"Roger," Carina said, and swung open the door. "I have one boss man clothed and not in the act of coitus."

"Chuck, Bryce, and Morgan got you to watch that show, didn't they?" Ellie muttered. "Any sign of Sarah?"

"None, but she did sleep in his bathtub the night before last, so that's where I'm going to check next," she said. Carina had already observed the bed, and it was obvious Chuck hadn't slept alone. Sarah walked out of the bathroom, and her eyebrows raised at the gun. Carina put her finger to her lips and holstered the gun. "I found Blondie, she was sleeping in the tub again," Carina said, raising her eyebrows twice toward Sarah. Sarah shook her head and put her hands together beside her head and then leaned her head over to indicate sleep. "Turning off the headset," she said. She clicked it off, and pulled out the earpiece looking over at Chuck. "You know he would get pretty worried after we'd do a job like that. He told me he always worried he'd miss one, and it weighed on him." She turned to Sarah. "I'm glad you were here for him."

"Carina, nothing happened last night," Sarah retorted.

"Oh, no, nothing happened at all," Carina replied, staring at her. "Let's get something straight, Blondie, I like you. I know about you and Bryce having sex, that was nothing. You and Chuck…heh…last night in a moment where he needed someone to just be there for him, my guess is, looking at the indentations on the bed, you held him. You, the ex-con who's been in jail for two and a half years held him all night, to keep the bad thoughts and dreams away. You soothed all his worries so for the first time after we did one of these missions he could sleep through the night. Nope, nothing at all happened in here."

"This is between us, right?" Sarah said.

"It is for now, but his sister is at the front door, and sister, I'm not getting in her way," Carina said. Sarah's eyes got wide.

"We'll talk later," she said, and began to flee, when she was caught by a beautiful brunette with a smile she knew. It had to be Ellie. "Hi," Sarah said, terrified.

"Come on, let's get you into some fresh clothes," Ellie said, leading her to her bedroom. Sarah was powerless to resist. Sarah walked in, and Ellie shut the door, leaned against it, and crossed her arms studying her. "You're quite beautiful."

"Thanks?" Sarah said, not knowing where this was going.

"I mean I get it, how you could con someone out of everything," Ellie said. Sarah winced.

"It's more than looks," Sarah said, knowing that telling the truth was probably best in this situation. Ellie nodded. "It's knowing how to read someone, make them feel comfortable, that sort of thing."

"Everything my brother needs in a PA to keep the wolves at bay, and to assist him," Ellie said.

"I would never do that to your brother," Sarah replied.

"Oh, I know," Ellie said. "They're both pretty well off now, and if you wanted something, you'd have it, I'm well aware of my brother's hang ups, but what I didn't understand was how did Stanford break him and now I see."

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked. "Ellie if this is about Jill, he had to know she was cheating on him."

"Yes he did, and you did the right thing, never let him tell you that you didn't," Ellie said. Sarah was getting more confused by the second. Ellie was studying Sarah, a slow smile consuming her face. "He thinks everyone deserves a second chance."

"I disagree," Sarah said softly.

"Oh, I think you're right, but you know Chuck," Ellie said. Sarah nodded.

"Some don't deserve a first," Sarah said softly. Ellie nodded.

"Well, that's where you are," she said, still nodding as if making a diagnosis. She smiled at Sarah. "Now I know what I have to work with. He thinks you and Bryce are supposed to be together and you're out of his league, and you think he's too good for you."

"Ellie, there is nothing going on between us," Sarah insisted. Ellie laughed.

"You don't even believe that story," Ellie said, watching Sarah redden. "You hurt him, you'll answer to me."

"I'm not chasing him," Sarah said, her eyes flashing. "I'm not." Ellie stepped forward, and undid her arms. She reached out and took Sarah's hands, and saw the tears in Sarah's eyes.

"Why the hell not?" she asked softly. "It's going to be very hard to be my sister if you don't do some chasing, he's quite dense about some things." Ellie pulled the shocked woman into a hug. "Now, get dressed, we have a team meeting, and I need to go check on him." Ellie put a hand on her face gently, and Sarah nearly burst into tears. "Welcome to the family, Sarah, you're home." She gave her a soft smile and left Sarah. Sarah looked around the room tears in her eyes.

"I'm not there," Sarah said. "Yet." Ellie hurried down the hall, excited. She passed Bryce, gave him a thumbs up, and entered her brother's bedroom.

"Everyone out, except Casey and Carina, doctor's orders," Ellie said. Chuck gave her a look.

"Sis, I'm fine, really," Chuck said, while Ellie was ignoring him and beginning to give him the once over.

"I didn't make the SOP for this, you did, brother of mine, and what kind of employee would I be not to follow the rules put down by the esteemed CEO?" Ellie asked, her eyes dancing.

"She slept in the tub," Chuck said.

"No she didn't, Chuckles," Carina answered.

"Casey, you've observed him, anything different than normal after one of these ops?" Ellie asked.

"Yes, he seems more rested, less whiny," Casey began.

"I don't whine," Chuck whined. Ellie gave him a pointed look. "Okay, maybe I do."

"And more sure of himself. If I didn't know better I'd think he got laid," Casey said. Chuck's eyes popped out of his head.

"That did not happen," Chuck said. "Sarah may have helped me get into bed, but no clothes were removed."

"That just makes it more interesting," Carina added. Chuck turned 43 shades of red.

"Carina you're embarrassing my brother a little too much this early, I need you to dial it back a hair," Ellie said, satisfied with the shape of her brother. "I give you an all clear and doctor's orders whatever you did last night, you need to every night you have that kind of mission."

"Ellie, I can't order Sarah to do that," Chuck said.

"Can't order me to do what?" Sarah asked. Ellie spun, and smiled.

"Whatever you did last night to him, you need to do after these types of missions, and you need to make sure and call in that he's okay in the morning," Ellie said.

"Why?" Sarah asked.

"Most times after one of these missions he's fidgety, emotional, and depressed, too much emotional trauma," Ellie said. "Whatever you did, you're good for him." Sarah smiled.

"So doctor's orders?" Sarah asked. Ellie nodded. Sarah looked at Chuck. "Sorry, Chuck, doctor's orders. Apparently I'm good for you."

"Yeah, you are," he said, before he could stop himself. The look on her face made him wonder if maybe he was wrong, maybe he did have a chance at something more.

A/N: Some of you are going to be okay with what I did, some of you aren't. I understand either way. This one will not be quick to fix. She's going to have to make him understand. But, it's Sarah Walker, it's Chuck, it's me. It will be okay, pinky swear. Next time, Sarah talks to Chuck about…well…her feelings…Come on back for Ch 7, Feelings. Hope you liked it, reviews and PMs are always welcomed…Take Care

DC