I would like to apologize. The last chapter was Betad but I didn't put the changes in. My bad. Charahkids did a good job on it though, as they also did this chapter to.

Personalized thank at the bottom as always.

Chapter 2

Present

They drove in silence from the dingy hotel they were staying at ten miles away from the facility. Each person was lost in their own thoughts, following their own rituals of what they need to do before a mission. Sarah sat up front with Casey, watching the scenery roll by without even seeing anything at all. Not that there was much to see in the pitch blackness of the night in the middle of nowhere. They were driving with no lights on in order to avoid any detection and it was a miracle they hadn't crashed with the new moon that night.

They had decided it was the best time to put the plan into action, when less security would be on duty. It always seemed kind of cliché to Sarah and she had always wondered why nobody had picked up on it, but night time is always the time for any illegal activity to take place. One would think it's best to have extra security at night. The confidence of those in power never ceased to amaze and amuse her.

It didn't matter now. It worked to their advantage at the moment. The plan was simple but the extraction would be anything but. The security surrounding Chuck in the facility was so great that most of the people who worked in the facility weren't even aware there was an extra person. He was so well hidden, such a big deal that Orion had only seen four people on rotating shifts enter the secret location. There was no internet connection into or out of that location, everything was brought in separately or was on an independent system so secure even he couldn't find anything.

If only they had hidden the original Intersect so well, they would never be in this situation. Chuck wouldn't be here. He'd be back in Burbank living his life as pitiful as he always thought it was. But he'd be safe, and he'd have his friends and family. Not locked up behind a hidden wall, his existence all but wiped out. A caged animal at the zoo had more freedom than Chuck did right now. And Sarah couldn't stand the thought of Chuck living in those conditions for much longer.

The thought of Chuck locked up in a tiny room made Sarah's gut turned. Chuck was a social butterfly that thrived off his environment. He loved the sun, he loved the freedom. He loved the open spaces and most of all he loves his home, his friends, his family. Sarah had written a report once they got settled into the operation about how he would fair if taken into custody and her findings were conclusive: Chuck would not fair at all. He would wilt and fall apart, completely shut down if separated from his environment and it was because of the report she believed that they waited so long to take him in.

Sarah only hoped that she wasn't entirely right on it and that Chuck would be in a better state than imagined. She hoped and prayed that he knew that as long as she drew breath she would do everything in her power to save him. However with Chuck's history of abandonment and disappointment, she wasn't sure if he would actually believe it or for how long.

The plan was simple in its complexity. They were to drive up to the side of the fence outside the compound and wait for confirmation from Orion that the cameras were looped and ready to go.

Then they would infiltrate the facility.

It was dangerous and treasonous. But it had to be done. Their only other option was to leave Chuck to whatever fate the government handed him and that was not acceptable.

Turning around in her seat Sarah glanced in the back of the car, seeing her comrades, her partners in this mission. It was an odd assortment of people who would never come together for anything else other than rescuing Chuck. Only Chuck could bring these people together. The only one Sarah trusted completely with this mission, with Chuck was Casey. Theoretically with the planning of Casey, Morgan, Orion and her they could get through the mission with just them but Casey, hating to admit it wanted a couple more people if possible to watch their backs, even if he didn't trust the people who were doing it.

Sitting in the seat behind Casey was Jill Roberts. She hated the woman and would gladly jump at the chance to take the bitch down. But they needed her and therefore she tolerated her presence at the moment.

Sitting right behind her was Bryce Larkin. He was the first to jump to the chance to save Chuck, which she was glad for as he brought the most important person with him, Orion. As much as she blamed herself for what happened to Chuck, she blamed Bryce for even more. He was a lousy friend and did nothing but hurt Chuck. She only hoped that he was capable of helping him in a useful way as good as he was at the other way.

10 months previous.

Sarah gave a loud scream into her pillow in frustration. It's been 2 months since Chuck had been taken and she was no closer to finding him. She had wanted to spend her whole time devoted to his search but she knew that would be impossible. If the NSA or CIA figured out she was looking for her missing asset they would move him further underground if they hadn't already, and then she would never find him.

The plan was for both her and Casey to go back to work in the respective agencies and play nice. To bide their time and build up more sources in order to find him. Sarah vehemently hated the plan, and told him on a regular basis, but she knew that Casey was right.

"Bartowski is secure Walker." He had told her, over and over again whenever they spoke. "Not only from people on the outside trying to harm him, but also from people on the inside. He may not be happy but the government will take care of him."

Sarah would just nod in understanding and close her eyes. He was right. Of course he was. But she felt differently. Chuck was physically safe; she wasn't concerned about that, but what about mentally. Chuck's whole world was his friends and family and being isolated with drones of humans would hurt him.

She just prayed that he held onto hope that she was coming as soon as she could.

It's been a hard two months on her mission wise. The CIA pleased with her actions with the Intersect had given her the best picks of assignments sending her all over the globe on missions. It was every agents dream. But it made her feel empty and hollow. This used to be what she wanted, what she coveted, what she was promised by Graham at the close of the Operation Bartowski, but now that she had it, it all felt like a hollow victory. Nothing meant anything to her. The pride she once had in her job had left her and the only thing on her mind now was Chuck.

A knock on her hotel startled Sarah out of her thoughts and she stopped her screaming, laying silently on the bed waiting. When another knock happened a little louder she grabbed the gun that was on the nightstand next to the bed and slowly got out of bed walking towards the door. She was currently on a mission in Columbia and the only people who knew where she was located were the CIA director and of course Casey. The both of them had dropped all pretense of secrecy and agency rivalry and worked together in everything, no matter what it was.

"Who is it?" She shouted loudly after another knock, every sense throughout her on high alert, ready for anything.

"Sarah, it's me. Please open the door." Bryce's voice sounded. Sarah's posture fell from alert to the exhaustion she felt in a heartbeat and she lowered her gun to her side as she walked towards the door. She paused for a moment to peak through the peephole in the door before unlocking the door and opening it up a lot harder than what was strictly necessary.

Bryce Larkin stood on the other side of the door, leaning casually against the door frame as if he hadn't a care in the world grinning like an idiot. The look had no effect on Sarah, only causing annoyance to course up through her.

"What are you doing here?" She hissed at him as Bryce entered the dark hotel room. He didn't bother replying as he walked by the bed and turned on the light. Sarah blinked a few times from the sudden brightness while continuing her glare.

"I'm here to help." He said simply, as if that were to explain it all. Sarah eyed him warily, setting her gun down on the dresser before crossing her arms.

"It's a simple recon mission Bryce. I've done it hundreds of times." She stated glowering at the man before her. He paid her no mind as he shrugged out of his jacket and tossed it on a nearby chair before warily plopping down on the bed.

Sarah rolled her eyes at his actions and reached out grabbing the coat from the chair and folding it a little more neatly before placing it back. She was in no mood to deal with Bryce, she never was. Not since she met Chuck, even though he never really said anything horrible about Bryce. Just told the truth of the events and shrugged it off, accepting it.

"I'm not talking about your mission here Sarah. I'm talking about Chuck." He teased.

Sarah's breath hitched at the sound of his name and she had to turn away from him. Chuck was always on her mind, at the forefront no matter what she was doing or who she was talking to, but aside from Casey she never spoke of him out loud, never saying his name. She was never sure if she was under surveillance or not, or who was listening in. She didn't want anyone to know that she hadn't just forgotten about her asset like they believed she did.

"Sarah-"

"How did you find out?" She interrupted, not wanting to hear what he really had to say. She heard him give a tired sigh and she turned back around. His shoulders were slumped and he had run his hand over his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. For a second she believed that he was truly remorseful.

"I went to see him. I went to Burbank." He said. Anger shot through her.

"Why did you go there Bryce. What did you do?" She demanded.

"I didn't do anything Sarah. I went to his apartment but he wasn't there and his bedroom looked like it hadn't been used in a while. Casey was gone, you wouldn't respond to any of my messages. I had to find out what was going on."

Sarah scoffed and moved closer to him. "Didn't Beckman tell you? Certainly since his situation was entirely your fault she would love a chance to rub that in."

"She did tell me. She told me that the Intersect had been terminated." He said despondently. Sarah eyed him warily, her heart constricting at hearing it said like that. For all intents and purposes he was. He was dead to the world. "There were a series of documents and videos that were released, in secret that was said to contain the identity of the Intersect. I dug for those, I did everything I could."

Bryce stood up from the bed and walked to the window to look out the dirty dingy glass. Sarah watched his every step, still on alert. One could never be too careful with Bryce Larkin around.

"I was tasked with gathering the intel for them, which I was glad for. I knew I had to get to them before anyone in Fulcrum did to save Chuck's identity." Bryce turned back to Sarah then, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the window. "Imagine my surprise when I finally get them and it turns out its not Chuck's identity but some other agent. An agent that had in fact been terminated and looked remarkably like Chuck."

"What?" She asked confused, her brows narrowed as she listened. That didn't make any sense.

"That's when I went to Beckman and she told me that Chuck was gone and that was it." Bryce scoffed coming closer to Sarah. "That was it Sarah. As if Chuck meant nothing to me."

"Wasn't he?" She bit out, immediately regretting it at seeing the hurt on his face.

Bryce took a step back and looked around for a second before finally settling back on the edge of her bed. "I know I was a crap friend Sarah. But never say he was nothing to me. He was my first friend. He was my only real friend. The only one I would trust with anything and everything."

Sarah flinched slightly at the sting, but didn't react any more. Bryce made his bed and he had to lie in it.

"I tried to find out more, Sarah. That's why I went to Burbank." He stated. "I couldn't risk talking to Ellie, she already thought I was dead and I didn't want to bring up any more pain for her so I went to the Buy More and asked."

Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of the Buy More. She hated the store as much as Chuck loved it. It always amused her to no end. Chuck didn't belong at the Buy More. He belonged somewhere better, and he knew it and he hated his job for the most part. But at the same time he loved it. The Buy More was like his second home and it was filled with all his friends. Even the creepy Jeff and Lester adored Chuck and practically worshiped the ground he walked on.

But they all loved Chuck, they all trusted him. He was their fearless leader to which any one of them could go to if they had a problem and he would make time for them. Seeing their despondent faces on the day of Chucks 'funeral' broke her heart. It just emphasized even more how important Chuck was to the lives of those around him.

"Did you know Morgan's not there anymore? I could have sworn he would be there till the end of time. I asked where he was and they said he got a position as a product tester for new electronics." Bryce stated amazed.

"He's dead." She, whispered, repeating the party line she was instructed. Tears flowed into her eyes, she didn't have to fake them, they were real despite the fact the she knew he was in fact alive. But regardless the mere thought of all that was destroyed brought tears to her eyes.

"Morgan?" He asked confused.

Sarah glared at him and resisted the urge to reach out and slap Bryce for his deliberate stupidity. "No, Chuck. He's dead."

"No, Sarah. I know he's not." Bryce said simply, causing Sarah to shake her head.

"Is this what you came to help with? To bring this all up? We already know all of this." She shouted angrily. She began pacing around the room, turning on the lights as she went around, flooding the darkened room with light and dissipating the darkness.

"No Sarah. I'm here to help you." He placated.

Sarah stopped in front of the window staring out at the city below. It was a beautiful sight and she wished Chuck could see it. "You can't help. There's nothing to help with."

She heard Bryce get up from the bed and step up behind her. She felt the electricity pass between them, the chemistry there always was, but she didn't respond to it. Didn't want it at all. If he touched her, she was sure she'd break his arm. The only person she belongs to now was Chuck, whether he was there to claim her or not.

"He's out there Sarah." He started softly. "And we can get him. We can free him."

She looked at his reflection in the glass curiously. "How can we free him? We don't even know where he is."

She watched as Bryce's frown turned into his normal cheeky grin he had always plastered on his face. He knew something, and Sarah was well aware that if he didn't spit it out in the next ten seconds she would probably end up killing him.

"You know where?" She asked astonished, finally turning around. But to her dismay Bryce shook his head and her heart sank again. She had to resist the urge to punch him in his pretty face.

"Not yet, but I have a source. And they may be the only ones capable of even trying to find him." He said.

Sarah cocked her head to the side and furrowed her brow. "Who? Who would be willing to risk their lives for someone they don't even know?" She asked simply. Bryce's grin just widened and he held his arms out wide to the side.

"Orion, that's who."

"Not possible." She said simply, slipping around him and plopping down tiredly onto the bed. She wished Bryce would just leave so she could attempt to get some sleep. She knew it wasn't possible, her dreams always flittering back to Chuck, but she just wanted to be left in peace.

"Yes it is Sarah. He's in hiding but I'm in contact with him." Bryce said eagerly.

"Orion is dead. He was bombed in Barstow along with the majority of Fulcrum's Intersect project." She told him tiredly. Bryce pulled a chair up and sat in front of her, leaning towards her.

"That's what everyone thinks and he prefers it that way. I heard that they were keeping the creator of the Intersect at Black Rock, and that they were keeping eyes on his son." Bryce explained. "So I was able to get there and get him out. I knew if the government was aware of the hide out they wouldn't risk an op to rescue him when they could just destroy him as well as a large chunk of enemy agencies."

Sarah swallowed hard looking away. Stephen Bartowski was alive. Orion was alive. Chuck's father was alive. It had been a small blessing to her that Chuck never knew the fate of his father, knowing that he would have taken the news hard. But hearing it now, she knew Chuck would be elated and relieved.

"Does Ellie know?" Sarah asked her mind thinking about her friend. She looked over at her phone that lay on the top of the duvet, thinking about calling her, of telling her the news. But Ellie didn't know still that Sarah was a spy.

"No. It's not safe yet to tell her. Not until we get Chuck." Sarah nodded her head in agreement. That was a good idea. Ellie already didn't have a clue about her father. She could wait a little longer.

"What is the plan then?" Sarah asked softly.

"The plan is you finish this mission and then we start putting together a plan to rescue Chuck." With that Bryce pulled out a phone from his pocket and handed it to her.

Sarah turned the phone over several times in her hand. It felt the same weight as any other cell phone however it looked higher end and less like a plain burn phone. Sarah looked up at Bryce questioningly.

"It's a special phone made by Orion. It's encrypted and untraceable. It's how we'll communicate with you. Keep it on you at all times when possible. Don't let anyone know about it."

Sarah nodded her head, still amazed that Orion was alive. "Casey." She said suddenly, looking up from her phone. "I need one for Casey."

Bryce gave her a sour loook before shaking her head. "Sarah the less people who know about this the better for the op. It's not safe to have too many people involved."

"He's my partner Bryce. I need him on this." She argued.

"He's not your partner Sarah. He's NSA. A killer. I'm your partner."

Sarah glared at him for a moment, not relenting. She would not cut Casey out of Chuck's rescue mission. He may not say it aloud, or even show it at all, but she knew for a fact that Casey cared about Chuck, and that he was worried about him.

"Is Orion's number on here?" She said, swiping the front of the screen and looking at the icons for the address book. Bryce reached out and snatched the phone from her hand, glaring.

"Why is it so important for Casey to be on this? We can do this without him." He stated firmly.

Sarah wouldn't relent on this. And she was sure Orion would agree with her. "We need him Bryce. There aren't many people we can trust with this, but I promise you, John Casey is one of them."

Bryce stared at her for several minutes, Sarah not blinking, not backing down. With an annoyed sigh he handed Sarah back the cell phone and grabbed another one out of his jacket pocket that Sarah had neatly placed. He grabbed another cell phone and practically tossed it at her, a small grin crossing her face.

"So Orion agreed with me before I even knew I'd insist. Interesting isn't it? Interesting isn't it?" She teased.

Bryce gave her a sour look and stood up grabbing his coat, obviously ready to leave now that he's done what he's come to do. "Yes, Orion seems to have some kind of soft spot for you Sarah." He stated putting his coat on. He straightened it, and fixed the cuffs before standing before her, staring once again at her. "Just what was your relationship with Chuck anyways? Orion seems to think it was more than a cover."

It was, but Sarah wouldn't tell Bryce that. Not then at least. Not many people knew that the cover was just a cover for the real thing and she wanted to keep it that way for now. She just shook her head and walked to the door, opening it for him, giving him the obvious hint that she was ready for him to leave.

He followed her, stopping right outside the door for one more gland. "We'll be in touch Sarah. Stay safe." With a final nod and glance at their surroundings Bryce turned and walked down the hall without looking back.

Sarah closed the door quietly, slumping against it, her body feeling as exhausted as her mind. Bryce had only been by for twenty minutes but like everything with Bryce Larkin it felt much longer and more draining.

Standing up straight Sarah went around the room and begun turning the lights, sighing quietly to herself that she has to do an extra thorough clean job on the room in order to erase all traces of Bryce. He always had a way of giving her more work to do.

Finally when all the lights were off but the one by the bed Sarah plopped down heavily on the uncomfortable mattress and looked at the phone next to her. It was a standard smartphone and wouldn't look out of place anywhere.

Turning off the lamp Sarah got under the covers and lay down. She had a few more hours that she could use for sleep before she had to get up and set up the final stages of the mission. She couldn't wait for it to be over, to be out of this hell hole and back into the states. Most of all she couldn't wait to get started on finding Chuck.

A vibration on the blanket caused her eyes to open again moments after finally being able to shut them, and she looked down seeing the special phone. The screen was lit up, a blank picture of the earth splashing light around the darkened room. Picking it up Sarah saw the incoming encryption and cautiously pushed accept.

"Hello?" She said into the device. There was no sound on the other end for a moment.

"Hello Agent Walker." Orion's voice came to her. Sarah felt her body stiffen at it, though she hadn't a clue why. He wasn't an enemy. He was Chuck's father.

"Mr. Bartowski-"

"Orion, please. Call me Orion. We don't know who else is listening." He stated. Sarah pursed her lips and gave a slight nod in understanding, though he couldn't see her.

"Orion. I'm glad you're alive." She told him, meaning it. A light chuckle flittered to her ear and her heart leapt at the familiarity of it.

"I'm glad too. I'm just sorry that you and Chuck were the ones to suffer for it." He said. Sarah remained silent. "I know what you did for Chuck, Sarah. I know what you continue to do."

"It's nothing that he doesn't deserve. Chuck deserves our loyalty and our protection. I'm not about to let him rot in a bunker for the rest of his life." She told him firmly. Again he chuckled.

"Oh come on Sarah. We both know it's more than that. He's more than that to you. I saw the way you looked at my son. The way you protected him from everything and anyone. And of course, the way he treated you. He was more than an asset to you." He said.

Sarah's eyes burnt slightly as prickles of tears tried to escape but she wouldn't allow them. She would be firm and deny them to fall. She's cried enough over losing Chuck, now was the time to be strong and put herself into action.

"He was very special to me." She allowed, swallowing.

"I don't want you to worry Sarah. We'll get him. I had to leave my children for the protection. I'm not going to leave them in the governments hands."

"But what kind of life will he have outside? He'll always be on the run. He'll always be hunted." She said darkly, hating that she had said it. It was something that had been on her mind ever since she and Casey begun planning.

"Sarah, I understand. I do." He told her, but it just made her angry.

"Do you? Do you know anything about your son? About how he lives his life? About who he is? He'll be wanted for the rest of his life; they will never let him go." She didn't know why all this was coming out now, why it was all coming out to Orion and not to Casey or hell even Bryce but right now everything felt like it was building up about to burst.

"You're right Sarah, I don't know my son as well as I'd like. I made a choice, a choice to keep my children safe and the consequence of that choice was a forfeited getting to know my children, watching them grow, watching them evolve."

The tears finally broke through Sarah's eyes, and her breath hitched a few times but she wouldn't make a sound. She couldn't stop the tears but she'd stop sobbing like a wounded child.

"I would like nothing more for Chuck to be able to go home and live his life Sarah." Orion continued. "But we both know that's not possible. Not now. Not ever."

"I know." She whispered into the phone, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "We just have to get him out."

"Yeah. And then we'll worry about the rest. We'll worry about the after."

"Ok." She said, feeling herself settle down. Feeling some relief in the pit of her stomach at finally having those worries off her chest. "I didn't….It was…I'm sorry I unloaded that on you." She apologized.

Orion chuckled again and she swore she could see his smile through the phone. He seemed to be an easy going person for someone who was wanted by the government. "It's ok Sarah. It's something I've thought about too. I'm just glad, I'm glad Chuck has you. If anything else I know he's not alone."

The compliment caused her to smile and she felt lighter than she had for a while. She was glad that Orion had called her, and talked to her. For the first time since this all began she finally felt as though she had a chance to see her Chuck again. And it felt good.

"I'll let you get some sleep Sarah. Finish your mission and we'll be in touch once you're in the states and get the ball rolling on this. Bryce is doing some recon for me while on his CIA missions." Orion informed her. Sarah nodded her head in understanding, laying back down in bed with the phone still pressed to her hear.

"Orion." She said, before he could hang up. "I just want you to know. Chuck. I love him. And I will do anything I can to save him. Remember that."

With that Sarah disconnected the phone and stared at it for a few more moments before setting it on the night stand. She was wide awake now, her mind wheeling and dealing with everything she had learned, everything she would learn. The prospect of saving Chuck. It kept her awake and she wasn't sure if she would ever sleep again until the whole ordeal was over with.

It felt great to get some of that stuff off her mind, stuff that she hadn't been able to say to Casey, though he had to have been thinking the same things as she. He knew Chuck, he watched him almost 24 hours a day for two years. She felt worse about the fact he would probably never see Ellie or Morgan again.

Closing her eyes, Sarah took a few deep breaths and tried to empty her mind. She needed sleep. She was going to finish the current mission tomorrow, no matter what..

A/N: So 2nd chapter. Hope you liked it. Feel free to RR. I'm hoping the next one will be out by Saturday so cross your fingers :)

Here is my thanks:

zanex9: Thank you for reviewing. Hope you enjoy the rest of it.

Nomadic Nerd: Thanks for the welcome! I must admit I did miss it a little. I love writing.

charahkids: Hopefully!

Doc in Oz: Hopefully it doesn't disappoint.

smokeater159: Thank you, i hope you enjoy it.

wilf21: thanks! I'm glad that you are reading it. I'm going to go for more drama than angst this time, hopefully.

phnxgrl: I know its been done before but I'm hoping for a new twist.

atcDave: while it can go dark and it will a little bit I'm aiming more for drama than angst so it wont be like...full on torturing poor Chuck as much as I enjoy it.

Rob M (Guest): Because nothing ever goes well for Chuck? lol. And I loves me some Morgan.

MrBi11: Here it is!

sevenrez: It's still a few chapters out! but its coming.

wassupchuck:Thanks for reviewing! I hope you enjoy it.