Chapter 3

A/N For any who are wondering about the time line...Zac is in season 2 since they were filming the 3-D episode, but Chuck's time line is somewhere late season 4 hence the mention on the different hair length. I kind of like the season 2 hair style.

Sarah sat and watched the man she knew as Chuck sleeping. He had finally fallen asleep after an hour of trying to convince them he was not her Chuck. She was beginning to believe he wasn't. But how was that possible? And if he was an actor named Zac how had he changed places with Chuck? How could he look exactly like Chuck? And most important, where was Chuck? Was he safe where ever he was?

She watched as Zac seemed to get a little restless and started to shift. She had to admit, she was intrigued by this man. How weird was it to think that someone so like her Chuck could be living out there somewhere. She found that she wanted to get to know him better. But she was curious...was there an actress out there that looked like her? She had noticed that Zac had seemed quite comfortable around both her and Casey, and he even seemed to recognize General Beckman. Did they all have doubles out there? It was kind of scary to think of.

Zac now was softly snoring and seemed to be in a peaceful sleep. He had mentioned that he had not slept well last night, but he seemed to be in a deep sleep that suggested he had miss a lot of sleep. She looked up as Casey came in and sat down in his favorite chair. He had gotten each of them a sandwich and some water, and he handed Sarah her's. Taking a bite, he chewed thoughtfully and then said

"Okay, Walker, what do you think of his story? Do you believe him?"

"I don't know Casey. He seems so sure that he is who he claims to be, but how could there be a man out there who looks exactly like Chuck, and talks exactly like Chuck?"

She wasn't sure. Casey nodded and said

"Well he certainly talks like Bartowski, and he's a dead ringer too. If he is this actor, why haven't we ever heard of him? And why haven't we ever seen this show he claims to be on?"

Casey was now staring at the man as he slept. After a moment he just grunted and then said

"He sure sleeps like Bartowski...even snores like him."

Sarah gave Casey a sour look and said

"Are you still bugging our bedroom?"

Casey just smirked at her and she rolled her eyes at him, determined to make sure she disabled the bugs in the bedroom. After a few moments of silence, he said

"One things for sure, he didn't just grow his hair in a day, and he was in his nerd herd suit so that's weird. Something strange is happening here. He was never out of sight after we got back to Castle, so he had no chance to change clothes."

He rose and took both his and Walker's plate into the kitchen. He didn't want Walker to see, but he was beginning to believe the nerd. He wasn't their Chuck. But if not, how did he get here and where was Chuck? Somehow he was going to have to stall Beckman and try and retrieve Chuck and get this guy back to where he belonged. The only problem was how?

Zac was slowly waking up and at first he was slightly confused. Where was he? He wasn't home and he didn't remember going home. He wasn't in his trailer at work, he just knew that. He heard the sound of water running and it took him a moment to realize it was a shower running. Causality he opened his eyes and looked around. He was laying on a couch that was not too comfortable. The room looked familiar and then it all came back to him. Somehow he was in Chuck's spy world. How had it happened? How was he going to get back to where he belonged? He wasn't a spy, and he didn't have an intersect in his head. He sighed loudly as he sat up, and stretching to get the kinks out of his muscles. He stood and went to look in the kitchen. He was hungry and realized he hadn't eaten since last night. He went to the fridge and opened the door, but found nothing but some bottled water and what looked like a crust of bread. He again sighed and thought as he closed the door 'doesn't this guy ever eat?' As he turned to check the cabinets, to see if there was any munchies, Sarah came into the room wrapped only in a towel. His eyes bugged out as he looked at her. She was so beautiful and he could only imagine Yvonne and then he blushed as he realized where his thought were going. He quickly averted his eyes and tried to clear his throat. But Sarah thought nothing of it and said

"I've got to get my bag...Casey went over to our place and picked up some clothes for both of us..."

She saw the blush and secretly smiled to herself. It was so much like Chuck in the beginning. She wondered if Zac had a crush on the actress that played her? He was still staring at his feet as he said

"Um...I'm...Um...I was hungry and was looking for something to eat...missed lunch and didn't have time for breakfast this morning...had a muffin though and coffee..."

Sarah had picked up her bag and she looked at him as he tried hard not to look at her and said

"Casey went to pick up some food, I hope you like Subway?"

He looked up and then just as quickly looked down and stammered

"Uh...yeah...love Subway...one of our unofficial sponsors. Our fans have done a Subway campaign to keep us on air."

He trailed off and Sarah excused herself to get dressed. He finally looked up as she disappeared into the bedroom. He wanted to kick himself. Here he was a twenty-eight years old American red blooded male, and he had just acted like a sixteen year old. Sarah must think he was stupid. He walked back out into the living room and sank into the couch again. How could he be so stupid? He'd seen women wrapped in towels before, had even seen women without being wrapped in a towel. What was wrong with him? As he thought about his reaction, it suddenly hit him. He had a crush on his co star...had since the second episode. But she was with someone else, so he had not persuaded it. But now, he began to think of what it would be like to date her. They did have great on screen chemistry and he felt that if he ever got the chance, they could have great chemistry off screen too. He sighed and decided that if he ever got back home, he would find some way to let her know he liked her.

The front door opened to reveal Casey with an armful of food. He grunted at Zac and shut the door. He took the food to the dining room table and set it all down. There were sandwiches, chips, cookies and drinks. The sight of all the food made Zac's stomach growl. Casey heard it and smirked and said

"What's wrong Bartowski? You ready to eat?"

Zac just rolled his eyes and looked at this man. He had given up trying to convince him he was not Chuck and so he just said

"Well yeah I am. I didn't have time for breakfast before the limo picked me up and we were just about to call lunch break when..."

Casey just grunted and walked into the kitchen mumbling under his breath something about a limo. Sarah came out of the bedroom dressed in a pair of jeans and a top. Zach was still looking at the food and she said

"Are you hungry?"

Before he could speak, Casey said

"Yeah, the numb-nuts hasn't eaten since last night."

Zac glared at Casey and was about to say something when Sarah smiled at him and said

"Come on lets eat...I'm sure Casey got something you'd like."

She took his arm and guided him to the chair across from Casey. He sat down and reached for a sandwich, but Casey grabbed it and said

"That one's mine...meatball marinara and cheese...Here this one's for you."

He shoved a roast beef and cheese at the young man, and Sarah had pick up a Turkey Breast and cheese. There was still a Tuna, Chicken roasted and a Cold Cut Combo left. Zac liked the roast beef, but he was not going to eat it just because Casey shoved it at him. He reached out and took the Tuna and unwrapped it. Casey looked at him and Zac said

"I'm hungry...okay!"

Casey just grunted and continued to eat. He smiled to himself as he noticed that he didn't put the Roast Beef back, but reached for some chips instead. He tore the bag open and spilled the chips on the paper wrapping and then took a bite of his sandwich. He closed his eyes and savored the taste. He didn't realize that he was so hungry, but it really tasted good. Sarah had moved a drink in front of him, and he took a long gulp. He was thirsty too. He continued to enjoy his meal and was silent as he ate. He was so into the meal he didn't notice the looks that the two were giving him. At mid bite, he heard a grunt from Casey. He looked at him and saw the smirk on the older man's face, and it suddenly reminded him of Adam. He suddenly felt alone, and he put his sandwich down and rubbed his eyes. Zac's emotions were always close to the surface, even as a child, and he had to compose himself before he choked up. The last thing he wanted to do was show any emotions in front of this guy. He felt Sarah's hand on his arm and he looked at her. She again smiled that smile at him and said

"Just ignore Casey and eat. I know you're hungry and he has a habit of scarfing down a whole bucket of chicken in one sitting."

Another louder grunt came from Casey as he glared at Walker.

Zac just smiled at her and whispered

"Thanks, I am hungry, but I should slow down...I could give myself heartburn."

His smile got bigger, and now Sarah had to keep her emotions in check. So much like Chuck...

They finished dinner and since both Sarah and Casey were suppose to watch him, it was decided that they would all spend the night in Casey's apartment. They had gone back into the living room and Casey began fiddling with his bonsai tree. He trimmed a couple of leaves off and then watered it. Sarah and Zac watched him and when he was finished, he sat in his favorite chair and began reading a magazine on firearms. Sarah had taken the opportunity to try and get Zac to talk, but he didn't say much. He still looked tired and a couple of times he yawned and then apologized for yawning in her face. He was close to nodding off when Casey put the magazine down and said

"Time to hit the sack."

When Casey said he'd take the couch and that Sarah could have the bedroom, Zac cleared his throat and said

"Where am I going to sleep?"

Both Casey and Sarah looked at him and then Sarah gently said

"You will be sleeping in the bedroom with me."

He gulped and stammered

"Uh...is...is...there a comfortable... chair in there?"

For the life of him he couldn't remember if the set had a comfy chair in the bedroom. Before Casey could say anything to make him feel worse, Sarah took the bag of things that he had brought for Chuck and took his hand and started towards the bedroom. He hesitated and both Sarah and Zac thought they heard Casey mumble something about 'real men'

"Come on Chuck...Zac. I've got your things here...you can take a shower and then we will go to bed. Maybe by tomorrow we can figure this all out...okay?"

He again looked at the beautiful spy and then just nodded. He took the bag and went into the bathroom to clean up. Casey had come to the hall closet to get a pillow and some blankets out and she hissed at him

"Casey will you please take it easy on him? Can't you see he's a decent guy and is out of his element here. He wants to get back as much as we want our Chuck back. You could try and make it a little easier on him."

Casey just shrugged and said

"Don't talk about his 'lady feelings' to me. From what I saw at Castle, he could hold his own in this reality."

"Well, just back off some, will you?"

He grunted and walked back to the couch to settle down. Sarah went into the bedroom and sat on the end of the bed. She got out a pair of shorts and one of Chuck's tees that she usually slept in. After she changed, she began to brush her hair and think about the man in the bathroom.

Zac cautiously open the door to the bathroom and looked out. He had taken a shower and had to admit he felt better. He had gotten all the make up off and then had let the hot water stream over his tired body. It had felt good. His hair was still damp, and he was now dressed in some sweat pants and a tee. At first he felt funny wearing someone else things but then he thought that if Chuck had taken over his life, he'd be wearing his things, so he figured why not? He looked at the closed bedroom door and paused for a moment. He was nervous about spending the night in the same room with Sarah, as he didn't believe in jumping into bed with anyone. And the fact that she looked exactly like Yvonne was having an effect on him. He really hoped Casey had a comfy chair he could sleep in, as he didn't want to sleep on the floor. He took a deep breath and knocked softly on the door and waited.

Sarah opened the door and took his arm and pulled him in. He stumbled in and then stood there looking for that chair, but saw none. He sighed as he thought he'd be sleeping on the floor. Sarah smiled and said

"You can sleep in the bed...I don't bite."

He gave a nervous laugh and said

"Um...I'm not sure..."

She sat on the side of the bed and said

"We will just sleep, Chuc...Zac so come on lets go to bed."

She slipped under the covers and looked at him. His hair was still damp and he looked so much like her Chuck, she was having trouble keeping her breathing level. She noticed he was too. Finally he moved and sat on the very edge of the bed. He finally got in and laid down but made sure there was plenty of space between them. He quickly covered up and laid on his back. Sarah turned off the lamp and the room was bathed in the moonlight shinning in the window. Sarah turned and looked at his silhouette and marveled again on how much like Chuck he was. He was staring up at the ceiling and suddenly he turned and looked at her and said softly

"Sarah...do you think I'll ever get home?"

"I don't know, Zac. We don't even know how you got here in the first place and how to get you back."

He was silent for a moment and then continued

"Its like this Twilight Zone episode I saw once. This astronaut comes back to Earth, but its different. The people he knows have changed and he tries to find out what is going on. They think he's crazy and want to lock him up, but he finds out that there is an identical Earth in the same orbit but on the opposite side of the Sun so neither knows of the other. He finally is able to take off again..."

He stopped and again turned to Sarah and said

"I feel just like that astronaut."

"Don't worry we'll find a way somehow."

She settled back and thought for a moment before she said

"Did he get home?"

Zac grinned and nodded and said

"He did."

They both settled down and even though Zac had taken a nap this afternoon, he was still tired and drifted off to sleep dreaming of being home in his own bed... Maybe tomorrow.

TBC