Chapter 7

After Zac had told Orion everything he could remember, he saw the look on the man's face and felt his own face fall. The look told him that the older man had no real idea how to get him home. Ellie had already gone back to her apartment and had left the two men alone.

"You really have no idea how to help do you?"

Steven had been quiet for a moment but the words drew him back as he looked at the young man who so resembled his son. He felt bad that he had no real idea how to help. How did you reverse a happening that had switched two people in their realities? He took a deep breath and smile at the young man and said

"Don't worry, we'll find some way to reverse this."

Zac just sighed and said

"I hope so."

He looked at the older man and grinned as he said

"I really would like to get back to my life and I'm sure you'd like to get your son back."

Zac knew that Sarah and Casey would like to get Chuck back too.

Steven nodded as he turned and got his computer out and opened it. After it had booted up, he began entering data and watched as the screen began to scroll information across it.

It had been over an hour that Steven had been tinkering with his computer and he seemed no closer to a solution. It was frustrating him and he was sure that if he could just get a handle on the problem he would be able to find a solution. The scientist in him was intrigued at the possibilities this brought up, but the father in him only wanted to get this man back and his son home. He closed his eyes and thought of his son. He'd tried to be a good dad, but when he began working on the intersect for the government, it became clear he'd have to disappear to protect his family. After Mary had gone under deep cover to help get Hartley back from what the intersect had done to him as Agent X, he had tried to be both mother and father to his kids, but it just didn't work. As he worked on the intersect, he had tested it on himself and luckily he hadn't gone over the edge. Then he had come into his lab and seen Chuck sitting in front of the computer with that look on his face and seeing the words on the screen that said download complete, he knew he'd have to leave. The last thing he wanted was for his kids to get mixed up in the spy game. But no matter how he had tried to protect them, Chuck had downloaded the intersect and had become involved. Now, he seemed more and more comfortable in that role, and he had to admit, that he was proud of him and Ellie. Both had turned out great. He pulled himself out of thoughts of the past and began to work on the current situation.

Chuck was sitting in the living room of the house that belonged to Zac. He was deep in thought and seemed a million miles away. He had been here for a week now, and he was no closer to a solution. He just knew that he wanted to go home. He missed Sarah,Morgan and Casey...Casey with his grunts. He had even numbered the grunts to a system that he felt were the meaning of each grunt. He smiled to himself as he thought of the NSA agent. When he had first met him, he had scared him. He was sure he had been sent to kill him, but thankfully Sarah had run interference for him. Now, he counted Casey as a good friend and confidante. Maybe not as close as Morgan but still a good friend.

He wondered what they were doing right now. Were they on a mission, and did his doppelganger have the ability to do it? He sighed as he picked up the remote to change the channel. But nothing on TV was holding his interest. He was worried about how he'd get back home. Could he get use to this kind of life if he had to stay here? Would he be flashing on things? He got a thoughtful look and realized that he hadn't flashed since he found himself here. He wrinkled his brow and thought about it for a moment...he hadn't. He again picked up the remote and switched to a news channel and began watching. After several stories had been shown, he still hadn't flashed on anything. He tried to flash, but nothing happened. Did the intersect not work here? As he tried to bring one on, he realized that nothing was going to happen. It was as if he no long had it in his brain. He wasn't sure how he felt about that. The intersect had been so much a part of his life for the last four years,and he was even getting use to having it that now he felt a little naked without it. He wondered if it had transferred to Zac and now he would have it? He felt like that guy in that show he and Morgan had never missed watching, Quantum Leap. He chuckled to him self...yeah I'm Dr Sam Beckett...leaping into people's life to put right what once when wrong. Now he laughed and said to himself

"Get a grip,Chuck. This is not a TV show, and I'm not someone who goes leaping around into other people!"

He had to be tired if he was thinking that way. He looked at the clock and saw it was just a little after eight pm and he again began channel surfing. As he did, he noticed that the face on the screen was his...or rather Zac's. It must be the show. He decided to watch and see how his life was being portrayed. He settled back into the recliner and turned his attention to the TV.

Steven had been working on his equations for over three hours and was getting tired. He thought he was on to something, but he wanted to check his data. Casey and Sarah had come home over and hour ago, and they were all in the kitchen getting dinner ready. He could hear the conversation, but didn't pay attention to what they were saying. He kept staring at the screen knowing he was missing something, but what? He'd gotten all the info from Zac about what had happened just before he found himself here, so what was he missing? He thought about it for a few more minutes and then it struck him. Getting up, he walked into the kitchen and found that Sarah was just putting the finishing touches on the salad. Casey was bending over the oven to take the meat loaf out and placing it on the counter top. Zac was getting the plates out of the cabinet.

"Sarah, Casey tell me exactly what happened just before Zac arrived."

Sarah turned to look at Chuck's father with a look of confusion on her face and said

"What do you mean?"

Steven sighed and backed up in his question and said

"I need to know the exact conditions that were at play the moment Chuck left and what happened just after."

Sarah thought for a moment, and then said

"Well, we were in Castle and we had just finished a mission. Casey had just returned from putting the guns up and Chuck had sat down at the table."

Steven nodded and continued

"Did you notice any difference in Charles' behavior?"

Sarah wasn't sure what he meant

"I'm not sure..."

Casey cut in and said

"He was exhausted...said he hadn't slept well and was looking forward to some rest."

Now that Sarah thought back, she could remember that Chuck looked bad, and on the ride back to Castle he had been very quite. Once they were there, he had quietly sat down and...and...he had gone to lay his head down on the table and had accidentally gotten a static electric shock from the table. She remembered that he had jumped, and then it looked like he had flashed, and then...

"He got a shock from the table, or..."

Now Casey again spoke up and said

"It was the computer...he touched it as he started to lay his head down...must of been a good one, he jumped like a shot."

Steven was now smiling as he said

"We can do this. Zac told me he was also quite tired and he hadn't slept much the night before. I think that was the catalyst. The fact that they were both tired and the shock of static electricity must have caused the switch!"

He went back into the living room and began typing data into the computer. After a few moments, he said

"I think I know how to do the switch but its going to take a few days to set this up."

He had saved his data and shut the laptop down and placed it back into his case. He turned to the others and smiled again. For the first time in three hours, he felt that he would be able to do this. He would be able to send this young man home and retrieve his son. It was a good feeling.

TBC

A/N Sorry to take so long to update, but to be honest, I wasn't sure how to get them back to their lives. I though about it for a long time and decided I wanted to get Orion in on it(cause I really like Scott Bakula) I didn't just want to have them just return by themselves. I apologize for making you wait so long and I only plan one more chapter, so I'm getting ready to wrap it up. I'll try not to make you wait too long. Thanks to all who have read and reviewed and to those who have read but not reviewed.