A/N: Thanks to those that left reviews. I do try to reply to all of them.
Beta thanks to Captainrick944, once again. You're a star, my friend.
This chapter rewrites "Chuck Versus the Imported Hard Salami" and "Chuck Versus the Nemesis." It could be labelled as "The Return of the Bryce."
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Chapter 8: Past Boyfriends
Sarah was happily eating breakfast with Chuck and his sister, who had now fully recovered from her poisoning. Watching the two of them interact was such a joy to her. Chuck made no effort to read his sister's mind. In fact, quite the opposite. He was really getting to grips with blocking thoughts.
Sarah was quite envious of the connection between these two siblings. She was an only child of an unhappy marriage, so this jealousy was not surprising.
'You know she sees you as part of the family,' Chuck thought. 'Us being together means you ARE part of the family.'
Sarah gripped his hand, and smiled. 'I know and I feel it. I just wish I'd had it before. Maybe my life would have turned out better.'
'But then, I would never have met you.'
She looked at him fondly. 'Silver lining?'
'For me, certainly.'
'Me too.' She leaned over and kissed his cheek. 'Good for the cover.'
Ellie rolled her eyes. "You lovebirds can't get enough of each other, can you?"
Sarah grinned.
On the drive to work, Chuck started thinking about something.
"You didn't do anything wrong, Chuck. Lou just misinterpreted your behavior around her. She's probably not used to guys being kind."
He looked at her. "Why not?"
"She's a beautiful woman and, with her job, probably gets approached a lot. If what I experience is anything to go by, I suspect most men are quite a handful."
"Do you mean in your main job or at the Wienerlicious?"
She laughed. "Well, I was just thinking of the latter."
"I love you in that uniform but hate what you have to put up with when you wear it."
She grinned. "Should I wear it in our bedroom? So, you can see me in it and maybe help me out if it?"
"God, yes!"
That got a big laugh. Then, she got back to her original topic. "Shall we go to her deli for lunch? I'll be nice to her," she promised. Then, she grinned. "I like the idea of ordering myself a Chuck Bartowski."
"I doubt that's on the menu anymore," he drily commented. She suspected he was right. Then, he added, "Ok. Let's eat there today."
Chuck's 'reign' as Assistant Manager was proving a success. All of the sales staff felt motivated to succeed, and sales were up. That was on top of the increased sales due to the time of year. Today was Friday, November 19th. Next Friday was a big day for shoppers expecting discounts to compete with the growing Internet retailers, particularly Amazon. Many waited for Black Friday to get the big deals, but current high sales did not support that concept.
Even when Chuck took time off for his 'other job,' that motivation persisted, which was good. No one regretted the loss of Harry Tang, who had left after Chuck got the job.
The Nerd Herd team were slightly less happy than the sales team. Promoting Anna had seemed the best option, but Lester and Jeff were less than happy. However, she ruled them with an iron fist. They stepped out of line far less than before.
Still, the Buy More team was definitely operating more efficiently, and customers seemed happier. That was all that Big Mike wanted. Other than good sales figures and his food, that is.
Chuck was standing by the Nerd Herd desk surveying the store when Sarah walked in. As always, she paused on entry to look around the store, searching for Chuck. It seemed more sensible now that he'd been promoted as he could be anywhere. In the past, it was just for effect. Back then, he was nearly always in the same place, behind the desk.
She spotted him and smiled with a wave before walking over to him.
"Ready for our late lunch?" she asked.
He nodded and was about to walk with her when Casey walked up to them and muttered, "Mission?"
Sarah shook her head. "Just lunch."
"We're going to check out Lou's Diner if you want to come," Chuck told him.
Casey grunted and looked at Sarah, "Checking out the competition?"
Both read his mind. He was deliberately saying something that could be interpreted two ways. The deli was competition for the Wienerlicious, or Lou was competing with Sarah for Chuck's affection. He was starting to wonder if she was compromised. That was worrying. If he aired those thoughts with Beckman, it would cause problems.
Sarah ignored one of those choices and drily commented, "I think anywhere could make better food than the Wienerlicious, but, yes, I want to see what her deli is like. I may not have to eat that food anymore."
Casey grunted and walked off.
'He's getting suspicious,' she thought.
'What should we do?' he asked.
'Maybe disagree in front of the general over something?'
They both were thinking about this as they walked across the parking lot.
When they entered the deli, the main lunch rush was over. There were plenty of empty tables to choose from. They walked to the counter as Lou watched them. She looked less irritated than the last time they saw her, but, reading her mind, they could tell it was an act. She had believed Chuck to be available. She thought he was flirting back, which reinforced that belief.
'You really have to tone down your charm, Chuck. You give women the wrong idea.'
'I didn't do anything. I was just being myself,' he replied, exasperated.
'That's exactly the problem.' Sarah looked at the man she loved. 'I don't really want you to change much, just smaller smiles at women you help. And keep the grins to a minimum.'
He could tell she was teasing him, but that there was also some feeling behind those words. He pushed that back of his mind as they reached the counter.
'Hi, you two. What'll you have?" Lou asked, the smile and friendliness forced.
Sarah read Chuck's mind. "Hi, Lou. I've been dying to come over to try something since Chuck was so enthused over what you gave him. We need to make a selection, but in the meantime, could we have two lemonades?"
Her words seemed to relax Lou. "Sure." She went to get the drinks, and Sarah looked at the board.
'Don't bother searching for it. There's no Chuck Bartowski. The only one here is standing next to you.'
She grinned. 'Don't worry. I'll have one of those tonight. Maybe multiple times.' He choked a bit.
When Lou returned with the drinks, they ordered and paid. "Just go find a table. I'll bring your sandwiches."
They walked to a table by the window. As they sat down, Chuck spotted a flier pinned to the notice board and flashed.
Sarah read what was in that flash and turned to look herself. As she'd already 'read' his thoughts, she didn't flash, just read the flyer, which was for DJ Mocean playing at Club Ares that evening at 22:00 hours, the host being Stavros Demetrios. Chuck's flash had been on that man. Stavros was a known smuggler, the son of an influential man, Yari Demetrios.
When Lou brought their sandwiches, Sarah pointed at the flier and asked, "What's the flier?"
Lou looked at it. "What? The invite thing?" She walked over to it and took it down, dropping it in a trashcan. "Oh, it's nothing. Some invitation for a party at, uh... Club Ares."
Sarah 'read' her connection but still asked, "Stavros Demetrios?"
Lou was honest. "My ex. He owns the place. Why, do you know him?"
Sarah shook her head, although she had details about him. "No, I don't."
"Best keep it that way. He's volatile." Lou thought about him, and the images were not of a nice man. "He thought I was dating some guy and Stavros trashed his car. Threatened to kill him. Believe me, the last thing you want is that lunatic swimming around in your head."
She left them at that point.
'We need to report this, Chuck.'
He sighed. 'I know. I just wanted some time to just live normally.'
She smiled, 'We are far from normal, and you know it.'
He looked at his gorgeous girlfriend. Suddenly, normal did not seem desirable.
Chuck, Sarah and Casey were standing in Casey's apartment, looking at Beckman on the screen in front of them.
"Stavros Demetrios, a handsome playboy, owns and operates a number of LA clubs."
Chuck commented, "I don't think he's that handsome."
Beckman ignored him. "He's the son of Yari Demetrios, the shipping magnate." She paused briefly. "We have information that a volatile package is coming to Los Angeles. The cargo itself is time-sensitive, which, knowing the Demetrios family ties to the Middle East, could mean a weapon."
Sarah looked at Chuck. "Chuck, we need you to get as close to Stavros as possible and see if you flash on anything related to the shipment."
He saw this as the opportunity to disagree with her. "What? You want me to get close to a man whose ex-girlfriend tells us is violent? That doesn't sound like a good idea. Plus, I like Lou. I don't want to get her involved in all this. I'm not doing it, Agent Walker." He said her name with a lot of scorn.
Casey thought he might have been wrong about the two of them. That drove him to make their disagreement continue, "Why don't you and your 'girlfriend' hit Club Ares tonight? I hear it's supposed to be all the rage."
"You will do that, Mr. Bartowski," Beckman stated, staring him down.
Chuck grumbled and stomped off.
Beckman asked Sarah to stay. Once Chuck had left, Beckman asked, "Are you having problems with the asset?"
Sarah controlled herself, hearing him called that again. "I think he likes this girl and is getting frustrated with our cover relationship, Ma'am. However, I will get him to do this."
Beckman looked at her for a while. "Hmm. I don't want to suggest you use sex to control him, although I suspect your boss would. Maybe give him hope of a future with you."
"Let me get him through this before I try anything else, General. I can do this."
"Very well."
Chuck didn't like wearing a jacket, but it was for the party.
Casey told them, "We're going to be tapped into the club's surveillance feed. All we need is the audio of Stavros talking."
"I'll get Stavros' attention and plant a bug on him," Sarah said.
Chuck looked at her and read her mind. He didn't have to think it, he could say it. "You're supposed to be my girlfriend, not a girl looking to hook up with him."
Sarah just shrugged. "We'll have a fight, and I'll seek comfort."
Chuck stared at her. 'I don't want you to do this, Sarah.'
'Chuck, I don't either, but it secures our cover. You keep playing up you're upset, and I'll keep ignoring it.'
'I really don't want this, Sarah.' "Sarah, you shouldn't have to do this."
She placed her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Chuck, this is my job!" 'I won't let him do anything, Chuck. If I don't do it, Casey and Beckman will know I'm compromised.'
Chuck visibly backed down. 'I'm not happy about this.'
'Sorry, Chuck, but nothing is going to happen. We'll make up quickly.'
Everything went well at the party.
Sarah and Chuck got into a loud argument near where Stavros was sitting. She angrily turned and walked away, passing Stavros' table. Predictably, he got up from between two girls and stopped her. He then pulled her to the table and sat her down. She was 'crying,' and he comforted her. She quickly planted a bug on him.
Sarah 'read' his mind. She ignored his thoughts of what he'd like to do to her and dug deeper. His current smuggling did not contain anything dangerous. The meats were time sensitive, but that didn't seem likely to trigger any concerns. Maybe he wasn't the problem.
"I've got a signal," Casey told Chuck through his earpiece.
Chuck rushed to the table and begged Sarah to come back to him. "Let me make it up to you. I'll buy you anything," he told her. 'And don't slap me this time. That really hurt!'
Sarah looked at him. "It'll cost you."
"Anything," he replied. 'I would do anything for you, Sarah. Even this humiliation.'
Sarah pushed herself off Stavros. "Thank you for caring," she said to him.
Stavros glared at Chuck. "You treat her well, or you will suffer."
As she and Chuck walked slowly away, with Chuck going overboard in his profuse apologies, an older man pushed passed them. Both recognized him.
"Casey, his dad is here," Chuck said. "And he looks frightened for some reason."
The older man sat by his son and started talking. "I've got them," Casey said.
"Yari told his son he has an important package arriving at four tomorrow afternoon in San Pedro," Casey told Beckman, with Chuck and Sarah alongside him. "The key phrase was, 'The package is time sensitive, so, if it expires, we're all dead.' Stavros will be collecting it."
"Whoever they are working for frightens them," Chuck commented.
"Or it is a bomb that will explode, taking us all out," Sarah said.
"Great!"
"Good job, team. Thank you for cooperating, Mr. Bartowski," Beckman looked at him. "We won't need you at the docks. However, keep an eye on the deli woman when it happens, in case she is involved."
He was stunned that she would think that. "I don't think she is."
"And that trust is why you leave the thinking to these agents," she replied. She ended the call.
Chuck looked at the other two. "So, I have to spy on Lou?"
"If she leaves after three, she is probably heading there. Go over there around then," Sarah told him. 'We both know she's not involved, but run with it, Chuck.'
"I really don't like this," he stated, thinking it too.
As he usually did, Chuck took a late lunch break. It worked well because he effectively covered for Anna and her crew while they had theirs. He decided he'd eat at Lou's. She made no move to go anywhere.
She walked over to him. "Blondie dumped you?"
He looked up at her. "No. She's got other things to do this afternoon."
"Couldn't resist coming to see me, then?" Chuck 'read' her thoughts. She was wondering if she could take him from Sarah. He had to squash that.
"Sorry. It's your sandwiches that draw me here."
She sighed and walked away.
He got a call from Sarah. "They must have found the bug. They'd already cleared it out. The only freighter left was empty apart from a camera pointing at us."
"Well, no movement here," he replied.
"We will have to check the video recording at the port."
"Maybe I can help," he offered.
Sarah chuckled. "I'm counting on it."
Chuck sat with Sarah and Casey as they tried to see anything around the ship, but nothing was visible.
"There must be dozens of trucks leaving there around that time," Chuck said.
"Yeah. And none show what they are carrying," Casey grumbled.
"Don't they have to be processed and recorded at the port?" Chuck asked.
"We've checked. Somehow they didn't show up," Sarah told him.
Chuck looked at the defeated pair of agents. "Can't we operate on a process of elimination, then? The ones that go through the gates that aren't on record are the ones. Then, we use traffic cameras to follow them."
"Go for it, Bartowski. I'm not stopping you," Casey said as he walked to his printer.
Chuck got started. 'Can I help?' Sarah asked.
'No. This is a one-person job,' Chuck replied.
"This is interesting." Casey walked over and showed them a photo. "This was taken at the docks." The photo showed Lou handing money to Stavros."
"I doubt she pays her ex to stay away," Sarah commented.
Chuck shook his head. 'We know she's not involved. We would have 'read' it in her head.'
'Still need to follow this up, Chuck.'
Chuck realized this wasn't helping and continued his work.
An hour later, he had identified six unrecorded trucks between three and four that afternoon. Following them on traffic cameras had five go to one warehouse and the other to a separate warehouse on the other side of town.
"That must be it," he declared.
"We should check all of them," Casey replied. "To be sure."
"Why would they risk damaging the rest of their cargo?" Chuck asked.
"We have to be absolutely sure this time," Sarah told him.
Casey called Beckman.
Chuck looked at his girlfriend. "Where's Graham? We haven't seen or heard from him for a while?"
"I don't know," she confessed. 'I hope they aren't accelerating the new Intersect.'
Casey came back. "We raid both tonight. Bartowski is probably right about where the bomb is, so we'll focus there, but Beckman is arranging for men to go to the other warehouse too. They will wait for the results of our raid before attacking."
He hesitated before adding, "It's possible the bomb is to take out that side of LA. The radius of destruction not reaching their other warehouse."
"I'm coming with you," Chuck stated.
Both agents asked, "Why?"
"Who's defused bombs recently?" Chuck replied.
"No. You're too valuable," Sarah stated.
'If anything happened to you, Sarah, I couldn't carry on.'
'Nothing will happen to me, Chuck. I promise.'
Chuck wasn't convinced.
The raid was surprisingly successful. The security at the first warehouse was significant. In the process of securing the huge wooden crate in the center of the warehouse, many men on both sides were killed, but the NSA and the military prevailed.
The only strange thing was when Casey stopped Yuri Demetrios, a sniper shot him. Someone obviously did not want him talking.
Sarah called Chuck to let him know that his tracking had been successful. She was surprised when she sensed his thoughts approaching. She turned, and he grinned at her. "I couldn't stay away, but I did stay in the car."
Sarah frowned but said nothing. 'We'll talk about that later, Chuck.'
The crate was opened. The timer still had over a day on the clock. "We'll get our experts on it," Casey stated.
Standing eight feet away from it, Chuck sensed a presence. Not coherent thoughts, but definitely something. Sarah 'read' his thoughts and walked closer to it. She felt those too.
She looked at Chuck. 'Say you flashed.'
"That's not a bomb," Chuck stated.
"How'd you know?" Casey asked. "Did you flash?"
Chuck nodded. "I think it's a life support system."
Casey made another call. When he finished, he said, "Experts in that coming too."
Sarah was going to lead Chuck away, but he shook off her hand. "I'm staying. I want to see who it is."
The three waited.
The scientist checked it out while the bomb disposal guy watched. Once he'd finished, the scientist walked to the three that were standing waiting. "All clear. Looks mean, but it's nonlethal. That timer wasn't a fuse. It was measuring an oxygen supply." He requested to be able to open it. "Not sure what will happen to the person inside when it runs out."
They had a medical team supporting them, but Casey called Beckman, who gave the approval to open it. They watched as this was done.
Inside was a naked man with a cloth over his lower body. Various sensors covered his chest. The three looked at him.
"Oh, my god. Bryce," Sarah said.
"Didn't I kill him?" asked Casey.
Chuck was just silent, not believing the man he had hated for so many years and thought to be dead was lying there, alive.
= ! = =
Casey said he'd go with the medical team and Bryce, so Sarah went home with Chuck.
When they got to his room, the conversation started.
'First of all, I'm mad at you for risking your life, Chuck.'
'Sarah, I told you. I couldn't live without you, so if you were going to die, I'd go too.'
She placed her hands on either side of his face. Tears were forming in her eyes. 'It's both wonderful and terrible that you feel that way, Chuck.'
He looked at her. 'I'm sorry, Sarah, but life wouldn't be worth living without you.'
'You've only known me a little over a month, Chuck. You lived without me before that.'
He snorted and said, 'And what a shitty life that was. No. I have found the love of my life. I can't go back to that.' He leaned forward and gently kissed her. 'Besides, who else am I going to have sex dreams with?'
She laughed. 'True.' Then she looked serious again. 'You know it scares the hell out of me when you take risks.'
'I know. It's the same for me when you do. We're not going to agree on this, Sarah.' She sighed. 'At least I stayed in the car during the shooting.'
She smiled. 'Thank you for that, at least.' She kissed him. A lingering kiss. He could 'read' the fear of losing him in her thoughts and how grateful she was that she didn't.
When she pulled away, he thought, 'So, the other thing is the man that's come back into our lives.'
'Yes.' She held his gaze. 'I don't want more insecurity from you. I could sense it rising when you saw him.' He tried to look away. 'There's no point doing that, Chuck. Being able to read your mind means I can tell. You know that.'
'I'm sorry, Sarah. I have always felt insecure around him, even before he did anything bad. Knowing you were lovers makes it even stronger.'
'Chuck, we were more than just partners, and, yes, I thought for a while we were in love, but I was wrong then. Now I know what love is really like. I can see that.' She kissed Chuck again. 'I love you with all my heart. When I saw him earlier, I felt nothing but disgust and loathing for him. For what he did to me but even more what he did to you. He will never take me from you, Chuck. You are my forever.'
Knowing Chuck would still be shaky over Bryce, Sarah decided tonight was going to be special for him. When she went to the bathroom before bed, she dressed for him.
Chuck was surprised when she walked into the bedroom dressed as if she was going to work. He read her thoughts and looked her in the eyes. 'You did promise this,' he thought.
'I did. Time to undress me, I think.'
He slowly unbuttoned her blouse, exposing her bare breasts. 'You don't have these beauties free underneath normally.'
'True, but you can imagine them that way.'
As he slid the blouse off her shoulders, he kissed her tips, and they hardened. They both knew they would never be like this under her blouse when she was cooking during the day, but she was cooking something else tonight.
He slid the skirt down her legs, and she was now naked. As always, Chuck loved what he found. He knew that from now on, he would imagine her with nothing on underneath those two outer garments when she was working at the Wienerlicious. Totally ridiculous but hot as hell.
Sarah loved his thoughts. They made her feel even hotter than she was anyway. He dove between her legs, and she knew exactly how much he liked what he found. As he tasted her excitement, both knew this had been a great idea.
He eased her down onto the bed, and continued to taste perfection for some time. She could also sense all of that via the mind link, which just made it and even more overwhelming experience.
Their lovemaking lasted well into the night. Both needed it after the day they'd had. Neither thought of Bryce Larkin again that night.
Chuck woke feeling great. He felt refreshed even though he hadn't had that much sleep. In spite of who had reentered their lives, Chuck had never felt so good.
Of course, Bryce was a problem and was also the reason Chuck was alone in the bed at this hour on a Monday morning, but Chuck couldn't help feeling that this time he, and not Bryce, was the winner. Sarah had made sure he felt that way last night, and that feeling wasn't going away.
This Monday morning was weirder than normal. Chuck felt like he was in some kind of alternate reality. Bryce had returned from the dead. That was weird enough, but when he got to the Buy More, Morgan told his taller friend that he had a girlfriend. Morgan with a girlfriend was something Chuck never thought would happen. What made it weirder was who the girlfriend was. Anna Wu, the scariest employee of the Buy More.
Chuck started to worry about his friend. Would Anna hurt him? Such a scary woman could do untold damage to his bearded buddy. Then, he stopped himself following that train of thought. Chuck was with the scariest woman on the planet. She could, and did, kill. She probably knew over a hundred ways to hurt him, and yet he never felt safer. Of course, protecting him was her job, but he was sure if he stepped out of line in the relationship, that wouldn't save him.
Of course, that brought his thoughts back to her ex. His nemesis, as he thought of Bryce. Chuck wondered what Sarah would do to Bryce if she was left alone with him. Chuck was no longer worried about her going back to her ex, not after last night; he was more worried for Bryce. He'd been brought back to life, but could that happen if Sarah sliced him into little pieces with one of her unbelievably sharp knives?
She wouldn't be able to do that today, at least not until the timer, which was still going, reached zero. Bryce was under incredibly tight security and everyone wanted to see what would happen at zero hour.
In the meantime, Casey and Sarah were interrogating the men that had been captured to find out who shot Yuri. Sarah didn't need to use force. She could just read their minds and probably already knew everything, but she had to play along, so Casey would be using that force. She was probably bored out of her mind by now. As Chuck hadn't heard anything from them, he guessed the interrogation wasn't providing any answers.
He was nervous about that zero hour, though. It played on his mind all day. Who had brought Bryce back to life? How had they done it? And why?
'What a complete waste of my time,' Sarah thought. She'd spent all her time from that early rise to now, two in the afternoon, with Casey. The interrogations had been bad enough. Totally pointless. None of these men knew anything. What was worse, though, was Casey's ever-darkening mood. He hated that Bryce was still alive when he was sure he'd killed the rogue. That undermined his confidence, and he thought Beckman's confidence in him too. Casey was channeling all his frustration into finding this killer, and because that was failing too, he was getting worse.
They had finished with all of the men, so Sarah said she was heading back to the Buy More. They'd left Chuck on his own, and she really didn't feel comfortable with that. She called her boyfriend on the way, and they'd agreed to eat at Lou's. Maybe they could clear her mystery up.
Lou was at the counter, wiping the surface clean as they walked in. She looked up. Both sensed her disappointment at seeing Sarah. Sarah inwardly smiled at Lou's thought, 'So, he was telling the truth, and they were only apart yesterday.'
'I do so love you, Chuck Bartowski,' Sarah thought at her boyfriend.
'And I love you too, Sarah Walker.'
"So, you've not dumped him, then?" Lou asked Sarah.
Sarah shook her head. "Why would I?"
She almost laughed at Lou's thought, 'So I could have him.' Sarah almost told the woman that would never happen, but Chuck asked her not to.
All three dropped the subject. Chuck and Sarah ordered coffees and sandwiches. When Lou took Chuck's money, Sarah said, "We saw your ex the other day."
Lou instantly thought about what she was going to be doing later shortly. Chuck and Sarah 'read' it all before taking their coffees and sitting at a table, waiting for the sandwiches. Lou has been using her connection with Stavros to illegally import Portuguese cured meats, meats with no additives or preservatives which would not survive ten days stuck going through customs.
'Now he's been taken into custody, he'll not be handing that over to her. She's lost her money this time but also won't be able to get that meat anymore,' Chuck thought.
'We can't help that, Chuck,' Sarah replied.
Chuck felt sad for the woman. Yes, she was doing something illegal, but it wasn't that bad. Now she would have problems, maybe even financial ones. He hoped she'd get through it ok.
Sarah loved this about her boyfriend. Empathy at its best.
When Lou brought their sandwiches, the two sat quietly eating. Exes on both their minds, Lou's and Sarah's.
Neither felt like being there when zero hour arrived. Whether Bryce revived or died was not something either felt like witnessing. Shortly after the time came around, Sarah got a call from Casey to let her know what had happened. As she heard it, Chuck saw her thoughts.
Bryce had opened his eyes and gasped when the timer hit zero. He was alive. The medical team examined him and declared he needed to continue on the drip feed they were using for at least until morning, so could he not be quizzed before then.
A somewhat subdued couple left Lou's Diner. Chuck had to go back to work. Sarah had taken the day off and the next, so she headed home.
That night, they made love quietly. Neither knew what was in store for the next day, but both needed their connection. The next twenty-four hours were probably going to be hard for both of them. Chuck had booked the following day off as there was no way he was going to let Sarah suffer on her own.
Sarah had been called over to Casey's early the next morning and then had to go with him to the secure hospital facility. Chuck went too.
Seeing Bryce through the one-way mirror was grim. He did not look good.
While Chuck watched him, Casey and Sarah were being updated on what had been discovered so far.
When they joined Chuck, Casey told him, "He won't talk to our people."
"Not even you?" Chuck asked. He knew why but was acting as if he didn't.
Casey grunted. "He hasn't seen me because I was the one who shot him. That's seen as unwise. He won't see Walker either because he doesn't know she's here. Those aren't the only reasons, though."
Chuck read it in both of their minds, but shouldn't know, so asked, "What else?"
Casey replied, "Because he asked for you. We want to know what happened to him. We think he'll talk to you."
Chuck didn't like this at all. "Hold on a second. You want me to go in there and ask him what exactly? Just so we're on the same page." He sarcastically quoted, "'Hey, Bryce, why did you send me the intersect? Why did you choose my life to ruin?'" He looked at Casey. "How exactly do I start that conversation?"
"Just talk to him, okay?" Sarah told him. "Be a friend. You're good at that." She added the thought, 'Even with people who don't deserve it.'
He looked at her. 'I don't want to do this, Sarah.'
'I know, but it's the only way. I'll stay by the window. Don't go too far in. Our connection should still work. I'll be there if you need me.'
'Thanks, Sarah,' he replied. She would make this easier, he knew.
As he stood outside the door, waiting for it to open, Casey whispered to him, "Remember, he's rogue CIA, a trained assassin... So be careful."
"Thanks!" Chuck said sarcastically. He walked in.
Bryce didn't look up but asked, "Who are you?"
Chuck was close enough now to be able to read the man's mind. "Hey, Bryce, buddy. It's me... Chuck."
Bryce looked up at him. "I don't believe you. What did you do with the real Chuck?" Bryce replied, and Chuck saw that he really thought it wasn't his old friend.
Chuck replied, "All right, well... Unless we're in the twilight zone right now, and there really is another Chuck, and I'm his clone, the answer to your question is- yes, I am Chuck."
"Prove it," Bryce replied. He then asked Chuck a question in Klingon.
Chuck replied, also in Klingon, but his reply was not great.
Casey turned to Sarah. "What the hell?"
She ignored him and continued to listen and 'read' Chuck's thoughts. Bryce's question hadn't made sense to her, but the use of that language was a good test.
Bryce smiled. "Your Klingon's a bit rusty, Chuck."
Chuck replied, "Yeah, I've been kind of busy lately... Ever since I got your email."
"You opened it, didn't you?"
"Yeah, I did."
"Your computer?"
"Destroyed."
"So, you're the only one." Bryce's words had a finality to them.
"I don't get it, Bryce. Why'd you do it? Why'd you send me the Intersect? Then, why did you destroy it? And last up, how the hell are you still alive?"
"It's complicated." Chuck couldn't read his mind. Damn spies and their training, hiding their thoughts.
"Who saved you?" Chuck asked.
"They did." Chuck saw his thought. Fulcrum.
However, he had to ask, "'They' saved you? Did they? Could you be any more cryptic? Can I get a name, a place, a something?"
"Come here." Chuck saw what he planned to do.
"Don't," Casey muttered.
"No, I don't think so," Chuck replied. 'He plans to take me hostage, to escape,' he thought at his girlfriend. She moved to the door.
Bryce broke free and grabbed a syringe full of liquid and a very, very long needle. He rushed up, but Chuck was already backing away. Sarah burst in through the door with her gun pointing at Bryce. Casey followed.
Bryce was shocked to see his ex-partner. "Sarah, what are you doing here?"
Then he looked at the older agent. "Hello, Casey. Planning to try again?"
"We will shoot you unless you drop that, Bryce," Sarah told him. She 'listened' to his thoughts of whether she actually would, but he knew Casey would, so Bryce lowered it and placed it back on the tray.
"Good choice, Larkin," Casey snapped, but both Chuck and Sarah could 'read' that he was disappointed.
Chuck wanted to ask about Fulcrum, but Sarah advised not. She, however, did. "What do 'they' want with you?"
Bryce refused to answer and Casey grabbed him and zip-tied him up.
"You need me, Chuck," Bryce called as Sarah led Chuck away.
Ellie beamed, "Today is Thanksgiving. It's the first where Chuck has a girlfriend to bring along."
"Gee, thanks, Ellie. You paint me in such a great light," Chuck replied to his sister.
She shrugged. "Well, it's true."
"Morgan, however, is bringing someone along," Chuck stated.
Ellie looked doubtful. "Like, a real someone or an imaginary someone?"
"Uh, real, actually, very real, and she's very nice. And…she-"
Ellie cut through his monologue. "She? You said 'she.'"
"Yes. Anna. Morgan's girlfriend. There could be a little issue, though, because she knows about you and Morgan."
Ellie was now completely confused. "Me and Morgan?"
"Morgan's crush on you."
"Oh, God," Ellie remembered. "He won't say anything stupid, will he?"
"Well, it is Morgan."
Ellie groaned. "Don't let him ruin it." Then she turned serious. "You are going out to get me the things I asked you to get, aren't you?"
"Yeah. Going now," Chuck replied as he headed out to the Nerd Herder he was using.
Sarah had had to work over at Casey's to write up her reports that she'd left to be with Chuck that afternoon, so she missed him going out. She did, however, see Casey dressed up smart. "You going over to join in the Thanksgiving meal?"
"Yeah, his sister invited me."
"You going now?"
"Yup. Early bird gets more drinks."
Sarah chuckled. "I'm just finishing here, then I'll be over."
He looked at her briefly. "Feel anything for your old flame?"
She looked at him. "Nothing. Just glad he was picked up this afternoon and is on his way to DC."
"Moved on?" Casey asked.
Sarah didn't like his train of thought but answered, "What do you mean? Moved on where?"
"I hear you fall for the guys you work with. So, moved on to the next person you're working with. Bartowski." He was challenging her. Testing her.
She scowled. "Bryce was a mistake, and I haven't fallen for Chuck. He's not my type. He's just my job. Protecting him."
She saw the concern flash through his mind as she said that last bit. "Yeah, whatever you say," he replied.
When Sarah eventually walked across, she was blissfully unaware that she was being watched.
Casey got a call just after Sarah walked in. He stepped outside to take the call. When he returned, he looked really pissed off. Sarah didn't see this, as by then, she was in the shower, so it wasn't until Chuck was back and she was mostly dressed for the evening that she found out about the call. Chuck invited Casey into their bedroom to talk. He ostensibly was going to the bathroom.
"How the hell did Bryce escape?" she asked.
"Larkin managed to smash the driver's head against the windshield causing the car to swerve. The other NSA man was knocked out in that crash. When he recovered, Larkin was gone."
"When was this?" Chuck asked.
"Three hours ago," Casey replied.
"Damn it!" Sarah exclaimed. "He'll be long gone by now?"
"So, are you and Casey gonna go after Bryce?" Chuck asked.
She shook her head. "No. Bryce is probably halfway around the world by now. It's someone else's job to find him."
"Sarah, this is Bryce Larkin we're talking about here. Your old flame, my old nemesis. We have to do something."
'Stop it, Chuck. He's not our problem anymore.' She glared at him and said, "We each have our own assignment."
He slumped his shoulders. "Right. And I'm yours."
"That's right, moron," Casey chipped in.
Casey returned to the living room while Sarah popped back into the bathroom to apply her makeup.
'You know you don't need that. You look gorgeous anyway.'
'Thanks, Chuck, but war paint is essential in these situations.'
He chucked and went to join the others.
she was about to take her things back into their bedroom when she sensed someone in there. Someone unwelcome.
She cursed the fact that her gun and knives were in the bedroom. She moved closer to the door and 'read' his thoughts. He was above the door and would drop behind her when she walked in.
She opened the laundry cupboard and quietly pulled out a mop. Not the best of weapons, but it would dislodge Bryce.
She opened the door and rammed the mop handle upwards.
Bryce cried out and fell to the floor, clutching between his legs.
Sarah kicked his shoulder, causing him to fall further into the room. She called down the hallway, "Sorry, I tripped. No need to come and help. I can handle it."
Chuck was worried about her. That sounded like a loud bump. "I know she doesn't need it, but being a good boyfriend." He got up and walked down there.
"I trained him well," Ellie told everyone.
When Chuck walked into the room, he saw Bryce on the ground, obviously in pain, with hands covering his crotch. Sarah was standing a few feet away from him, holding a knife in each hand. Sarah shared her memory of what she'd done, and he read the equivalent thoughts from Bryce.
Chuck was amused. "Not how you hoped to use your balls, huh?" He chuckled. "Thought you'd whisk Sarah away for sex somewhere?"
"That- That's not wh- why I'm here," Bryce just managed to get out. However, thoughts of sex filled his mind.
'Not helpful, Chuck!' Sarah admonished him. 'What's worse is you get to see all that.'
Chuck didn't like it and wished he'd kept his mouth shut.
'Only thing I'd want you to know, Chuck, is that this is his memory, not what it was actually like. He was nowhere near your size, finished too quickly, and gave me a lot less satisfaction than he imagined. You are MUCH better than him; a dream, even when I'm not dreaming.'
As always, Chuck felt much better after that from Sarah. However, he still had to block out Bryce's thoughts of sex with his girlfriend.
Sarah turned to the man on the ground. "Why shouldn't I arrest you right now?"
Bryce sat up. "Because I'm not a rogue spy." He ignored Chuck completely. "And, because, Sarah... You're still in love with me."
Sarah laughed at that. "Did a mop handle in your crotch not convince you? I am so over you."
"Come on, Sarah. You still feel it." He held his arms open to her.
She reached behind her, whipped round the mop, and jabbed it into Bryce's crotch once more. He gasped. "Now you know how I 'feel' about you. You are nothing but pain to me," Sarah hissed.
Bryce clearly did not believe it. To progress things, Chuck asked, "Why are you here, Bryce?"
Bryce looked at him briefly, then answered, "I couldn't talk before. I didn't know who could be trusted. They have people everywhere."
"Go on," Sarah encouraged.
"I was recruited by an outfit called Fulcrum, a special access group inside the CIA," Bryce stated. "They knew who I was, my activation codes, my record. They ordered me to shed my agency contacts and go deep. Only then did I realize it was an internal strike to download and destroy the Intersect. Fulcrum had plans for its intel."
"How can we trust you, Bryce?" Sarah asked. She could 'see' everything he said was true, but he was hiding something.
"I didn't mean to hurt you, Sarah. I didn't know who to trust."
Knowing what Stephen Bartowski had told them, Sarah tried a different tack. "Why Chuck?"
Chuck followed Sarah's line, "Yeah, why Chuck?"
"I needed a friend who wasn't a spy. He wouldn't know anything about Fulcrum, or the Intersect, or Sandwall."
Chuck flashed on Operation Sandwall. Both Chuck and Sarah then knew he was telling at least some of the truth, but he hadn't mentioned Orion at all.
Sarah was about to ask more when Casey stepped in. He raised his gun and was about to shoot Bryce, but Chuck stepped in front of him. "Not in my bedroom, Casey!"
Casey growled and lowered his gun.
Bryce hadn't moved. He knew Sarah's proficiency with knives.
"Casey, Chuck flashed. Bryce isn't rogue," Sarah told the NSA agent.
"I don't get it, Bryce. How are you alive?" Chuck asked. He didn't expect a clear answer. It wasn't clear in Bryce's head, after all.
"I don't know how they did it if that's what you're asking. They probably used one of the European clinics. I don't remember it."
Sarah thought that phrase about European clinics was ridiculous. As if Europe could work magic. She pushed, "But you know why they did it."
"Yeah." Bryce looked at Chuck. "You know the first part already. I downloaded the Intersect intel and blew up the computer. Raced out of the DNI." He turned to look at the older man. "Then, I ran into you, Casey. So, I'm on the ground. No white light, just Casey staring down at me. Then… they brought me back, but they weren't trying to save me. This was a Fulcrum team. They wanted something."
Chuck and Sarah saw Bryce's memory.
xxx
A man was leaning over him. Both flashed on him. Fortunately, Bryce was focused on his dream, and Sarah had her back to Casey.
The man was Tommy Delgado, a known member of Fulcrum.
Tommy asked, "Bryce. Where are they? Where are the intersect files? Tell me, Bryce. What happened to the Intersect? Tell me, or I'll let you die again."
Bryce gasped out, "I saw... I saw them. They're in me."
Tommy turned to those with him. "Save him. Whatever it takes, save him."
xxx
"Fulcrum thinks you're the Intersect," Chuck said.
Bryce nodded. "They brought me back to take it out of me. That's why I need your help."
"We're going to help you?" Casey questioned disbelievingly.
"I need to turn myself in to the CIA, but Fulcrum has operatives in every agency. I need to know I'm being handed over to the real CIA."
Before Sarah could stop him, Chuck said, "I can do that. I can be there at the transfer. If I flash on whoever they send, they're Fulcrum. If not..." He looked at Bryce. "You're on your way home."
Sarah couldn't disagree with that, although she would worry about her boyfriend. "It should work. Smart, Chuck."
Casey noted, "They still need a place where the transfer can go down, public place, lot of people."
Chuck said, "Public spot... Lots of witnesses. I know a place."
The location couldn't have been better. Buy More on Black Friday was at its busiest.
The transfer went well. The CIA guys were legit. Chuck had to say goodbye to his old friend.
"So, what happens now, Bryce? You just disappear all over again?"
"That's what I do well. Thanks, Chuck. For everything."
"Yeah. You're welcome."
"I'm taking him in, Chuck. To make sure he gets there this time. You stay here," Sarah said, looking sad because she really didn't want to go. 'As it's CIA, I have to have to go with them. Chuck. I'll be back as soon as I can.'
Chuck hated separating from the woman he loved, especially with her walking out with Bryce Larkin.
'You know he means nothing to me, Chuck.'
'I know. Be safe, Sarah.' He watched the two of them walk out with the CIA men. He knew it was stupid, but he felt like she was walking out of his life.
"Come on, Bartowski. Black Friday, remember," Casey muttered.
As the two of them sat in the back of the car. Bryce looked at Sarah. "Are we good?"
She 'saw' what he meant. Of course, they weren't good as friends, lovers, or even partners, so she pretended to interpret his question differently. "Yeah, we're clear."
He persisted, "No. Us."
She faced him. "I thought you were dead, Bryce."
He piled on the Larkin charm. "Come back with me."
"I have my assignment, Bryce."
He started to lean toward her for a kiss. Before she could stop him and tell him what for, she spotted a truck racing toward them. She grabbed Bryce and pulled.
The truck hit his side of the car and crushed the door.
Sarah managed to stay conscious but couldn't move because Bryce was lying on her, completely out of it.
Her door was ripped open, and she was pulled out. She pretended to be unconscious but read the man's mind. They were being taken by Fulcrum. She dug deeper. Their boss, Delgado, was getting Chuck. She felt fear, something so rare for her, but this was for Chuck. She sensed how many men there were near her. Only three.
She sensed the man go to get Bryce out of the car and leaped up. It took only a second to take him out and grab his gun. She shot the other two men and slapped Bryce to revive him. "Come on, Bryce, his boss has Chuck."
They jumped in the black SUV the men had arrived in and sped toward the Buy More.
Chuck sensed Tommy Delgado approaching. 'Shit!'
"Mr. Bartowski. I saw you handing over Bryce Larkin to the CIA," Tommy told him. "I want the Intersect, and you are going to help me find it."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Chuck replied.
"You don't seem to understand the situation, Charles. You think that all these witnesses are a guarantee that nothing's gonna happen to you? You couldn't be more wrong."
"You aren't making any sense," Chuck replied, although what Tommy was saying made far too much sense. Chuck had to stall to give Casey a chance to help.
"My men reacquired Bryce Larkin and Sarah Walker five minutes ago. I have seven trained killers stationed throughout the store. If you look over there..." Tommy nodded to his left. "You can also see that my men have neutralized Mr. Casey. Here's the thing, Charles. Nothing stops me from fulfilling my orders. Innocents... civilians. If you make me, I'll execute every last person in this place." Chuck could 'see' that is exactly what he would do.
Chuck felt defeated until Jeff ran up to him, panicking because the cash registers were down, and wanted to know what to do.
Tommy muttered to Chuck, "You say more than one word, and I'll kill him right here."
Chuck knew exactly what to say. The panic word all the team knew. "Pineapple."
Jeff's eyes widened, and he ran off to Morgan and repeated it. Once Morgan knew Chuck had said it, he grabbed a loudhailer, jumped up on a desk, and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we have an emergency. I need everyone to leave the store in an orderly fashion… Anna, pineapple."
She set off the alarm.
The people panicked, and Tommy was swept away from Chuck. Casey took out the men with him and grabbed Chuck to hide in the Home Theater room. In no time, the store was empty apart from Delgado's men, who started searching for Chuck.
Casey made a call. "Code black. Hostiles in the Buy More. I need a containment team right away."
Sarah and Bryce arrived and quickly defeated the men. Chuck watched the two of them work as the perfect team. "They really are great," he muttered to himself. It made him feel inadequate.
Casey started to usher him out of the Home Theater room, but Chuck sensed Tommy just outside and pushed back, saying, "Delgado. Left."
Casey reacted and shot to the left of the room, and Tommy gasped, dropping his gun. The bullet had taken him in the shoulder. Casey hit him with the butt of his gun, knocking him out.
The NSA team arrive shortly afterward.
Sarah had tried calling Graham, but he didn't respond, so she called Beckman who called for Bryce to have a call with her. Alone.
Chuck, Sarah and Casey watched the cleanup operation.
Chuck asked, "What are we going to do?"
Casey replied, "Relax, Bartowski. These are NSA cleaners. They'll have the Buy More back to normal in a jiffy."
That wasn't what Chuck was talking about. "What's happening with Bryce?"
Sarah didn't know, either. "He's still in there giving his report to General Beckman."
Bryce walked out of the Home Theater room. "It would appear I have a new assignment. I will need new clothes too. I'm going to a consulate dinner. They want me to go after Fulcrum… on my own, off the radar."
Casey was jealous. "Sounds like heaven."
Bryce continued, "That means Bryce Larkin is dead. And he's going to stay that way this time."
Both Chuck and Sarah could 'read' what his assignment actually was. He would indeed be going after Fulcrum, but was being sent away from this team intentionally. Bryce didn't like that. He wanted to stay and be with Sarah. In fact, he had argued that she should go with him, but Beckman had turned that down.
Bryce shook Chuck's hand for the second time that day. "Goodbye, Chuck." He turned to his ex-partner. "Sarah... We'll always have Omaha."
That didn't mean anything to Chuck, but he read both their minds. It was a code. Bryce was inviting her to go with him, despite what the general had ordered.
Sarah just shook her head. She would never leave Chuck.
Bryce frowned, then walked away and out of their lives.
On the way home, Chuck said, "You were amazing together, Sarah."
Sarah 'saw' that he meant how she and Bryce fought as a team. "We worked as partners for quite a while and built a rapport."
He nodded and asked, "Omaha?"
She nodded. "It was a code to meet later. We used it a lot when we were partners. We often acted as a married couple, the Andersons. That usually meant we should meet back at our hotel room, but sometimes at the airport." She looked over at him, "I think this time it meant the latter."
Chuck, of course, focused on the relationship. "Married, huh?"
She groaned, 'seeing' how he was taking this. "Our cover, Chuck."
He couldn't stop himself. "With conjugal rights and all."
"Chuck! Stop it!" She snapped. "Yes, we had sex, usually as post-mission relief." She clutched his hand. "I'm sorry if it upsets you, but you and I hadn't met back then. Anyway, like I said, it was never as good as with you, my love."
Chuck squeezed her hand. He knew this, but his insecurities wouldn't completely go away.
When they got to bed, both were insatiable. Neither made any attempt to be quiet. They knew they'd get comments the next morning from Devon, and maybe Ellie too, but they needed this.
Their lovemaking was intense and lasted well into the early hours.
By the time they could continue no longer, each felt they had completely washed Bryce Larkin out of their own and the other's system. He would no longer have any effect on either of them.
A.N: Two episodes in one chapter. I plan to do the same next time.
Please let me know, in a review, what you thought of this chapter.