Thank you Charahkids For betaing. Thanks at bottom.

Chapter 9

"Hey Sarah." Bryce greeted as Sarah slumped into a chair at the kitchen table an hour later. She didn't even have the energy to respond to him. She lowered her head on the table, feeling the satisfying pain from the loud thump it caused. "How's Chuck doing?"

Sarah sat up again and glared at him, not dignifying him with a response. The man knew exactly how Chuck was doing. Not well. Worse than not well. Absolutely horrible. She wished she had her weapon on her, she would smack him with it. But Bryce looked down at her with genuine interest and Sarah was tempted to give him an answer.

"Bryce, don't be an idiot." Jill stated coming up behind Sarah and placing a plate in front of her. Sarah looked down at it seeing pancakes and eggs and her stomach rumbled. She couldn't remember really the last time she really ate. Aside from some take out that they had during the drive back to Orion's cabin, she hasn't had a real meal in quite a while. She barely ate the take out, too concerned with the man who continually slept with his head in her lap.

Her grumbly stomach turned to revulsion at the reminder of Chuck and she pushed the plate away slightly to get the smell out of her nose. Jill sat down next to her concerned but Sarah refused to meet her eye. She tolerated Jill being there out of necessity of needing her for the mission but now that Chuck was safe she wanted nothing more than for Jill to go away. She didn't want her around Chuck at all ever again, despite what she had done to help him.

"We're just concerned Sarah that's all. Ellie well, she doesn't want us near Chuck." Jill explained, pushing the plate back in front of Sarah. She turned away from it, the smell of the food making her feel nauseated.

"Yeah well, can you blame her?" Sarah bit out standing up and going into kitchen. She searched the cabinet above the coffee pot for her cup, or what she claimed as her cup. It was Chuck's Buy More mug, one of the few things she allowed herself to take. She used it every time she had coffee, without fail and freaked out on the others if they used it. They've learned to not touch that particular mug.

"Ouch Sarah." Jill commented under her breath.

"Look, Sarah, I know what you're thinking and I understand. We don't want to hurt Chuck. We're keeping our distance as requested to help him but please, tell us something." Bryce begged her.

Sarah stopped fixing her coffee and turned to stare at Bryce. She had never heard that tone in his voice before and it scared her a little. Bryce had always been the overly competent suave spy who didn't seem to have a care in the world. But the way he sounded, begging for information, it slightly unnerved her.

"You two should probably consider going soon. Chuck's safe now." She said, turning her back to them once more.

Taking a sip of her coffee still facing the cabinet she could hear Bryce muttering to Jill, who was not taking Sarah's casual dismissal of her so well. She wanted to smile at that. Agitating Jill was just icing on whatever cake was around.

"Just take a walk." Sarah heard Bryce forcefully tell Jill. Taking a slow drink of her coffee Sarah let her eyes close in bliss as the warm liquid hit her empty stomach. She could tell that Devon had made it by the flavor. It was rich and good and always hit the right spot.

So wrapped up in her coffee, her body and mind weary with exhaustion she didn't hear Bryce get up from his chair and come up behind her. She jumped slightly as he placed his hands on either side of her on the counter effectively trapping her there.

"How is he?" He whispered into her ear. Sarah elbowed him in the chest hard and pushed him away.

"Don't ever come that close to me again." She warned her voice low and deadly as she slammed her coffee mug on the counter, slopping a few drops onto its clean surface. Turning to face him she watched with a small smile as he held where she elbowed him grimacing in pain.

"Sarah, damn it." He coughed out. "I'm not the enemy."

"You're not the enemy Bryce but you are an enemy." She said angrily. Bryce rubbed his chest a few more times before narrowing his brow at her.

"What does that even mean?" He asked annoyed. Sarah scoffed and elbowed her way past him, not dignifying it with answer. She was tired, and felt dirty. "Don't walk away from me Sarah." Bryce shouted after her.

She walked down the hall where they had placed Chuck's rooms and entered it. Sarah closed the door behind her harder then she intended but it gave her the resulting feeling she was aiming for. With a small smile on her face and kicking her shoes off she collapsed on Chucks queen sized bed face down and buried her face in his pillow, willing herself to relax.

The moments reprieve was brief however as the door was forced open roughly and hit the wall on the other side, most likely leaving a dent. Sarah rolled to her side to see Bryce standing at the door.

"Bryce, go away. I'm tired." She said drowsily. She knew she shouldn't have said what she did to Bryce. Not because it was rude or inaccurate but because she knew he wouldn't just let it go.

"What do you mean I'm an enemy? I don't want to hurt Chuck, Sarah. I never have." He ground out angrily.

Sarah sat up then, giving him a hard look. "But the fact is you have Bryce. You've hurt him worse of all." She said calmly.

"Any pain I've caused him, it was to save him." He argued. "And how could it be worse than anyone else. In case you forgot, the government imprisoned him."

Sarah turned away from him, not able to meet his eyes any longer as her mind's eye fluttered back to the images she had just seen not an hour ago. But she shook her head, removing the images and focusing back on the Bryce.

"Just go Bryce. I need some sleep." She lay back down then, curling her arm underneath the pillow. Bryce sat down at the edge of the bed staring at her. She could feel his gaze on her even with her eyes closed. "What?"

"I never meant to hurt him Sarah. I only wanted to save him. To keep him Chuck." His voice was softer, quieter. Sarah opened her eyes just a little and could see the sadness on his face.

"That's what makes it worse Bryce. You tried to save him, but in the end you betrayed him. You were his best friend, and that meant more to him than anything." Bryce nodded his head then, finally understanding. Or perhaps he knew it all along and just never faced it. Sarah had a feeling she wouldn't ever really know the answer to this.

"What the hell is going on?" Ellies voice rang out causing both spies to jump in surprise and reach for their weapons. They all needed sleep if none of them could hear Ellie Woodcomb come into the room.

Sarah watched her face carefully, seeing the angry glare she was giving at the both of them, though most of it was directed at Bryce. She hadn't been happy when she joined to find out that not only was Bryce Larkin alive but that he was going to be helping as well. Even with Bryce's explanation and pleading Ellie never forgave him for everything he'd done to Chuck. A small smile crossed her lips at remembering the sucker punch in the gut followed by another to the jaw Bryce had received from her the moment Ellie had seen him. It was beautifully poetic.

"Nothing Ellie, Bryce was just leaving." Sarah stated in a voice that left no room for argument. Bryce looked between the two girls, gaging them before nodding and standing up heading to the door. Before leaving though he turned around and looked at Sarah one last time. "What?"

"We do need to speak after your nap. About the repercussions." He said before leaving.

Ellie narrowed her eyes in confusion. Sarah padded the bed next to her, inviting her friend to come in and lie down for a few minutes. She could see Ellie too was on the verge of collapsing. Ellie grabbed Sarah's hand as soon as she was settled on her back and stared at the celling.

Sarah watched as the wheels turned in Ellie's head. It was something she always enjoyed watching whenever she had sleep overs at Chucks. The way he could just lay so still and stare into space. Sarah always wondered what was going on in his head, what was he thinking about? Was it day dreams or creations? As much as it fascinated her it also frightened her as well. She feared that it was the Intersect that occupied his mind that kept it always busy always running. She didn't know much about the science of the brain but she knew enough that it had to rest. That it couldn't be constantly running in the way the Intersect forced it too.

"You're thinking to loud." Ellie said softly, looking over at Sarah. She grinned at her friend and gave a shrug.

"Just thinking about Chuck. How we used to do this." She replied.

"Don't worry Sarah. You'll be able to do this again soon. He'll be alright." Ellie told her. Sarah wished she had Ellies confidence. So far everything she has seen has pointed to nothing but disappointment.

"How do you know?" She asked, not really wanting the answer. Ellie just smiled and shrugged.

"Because we're here. Because we'll help him."

Sarah wished she felt that confident.

Dinner that night was a silent affair. Jill had made some kind of chicken that surprisingly tasted pretty good, though Sarah would never tell her that. Apparently nobody else would either as she sulked through the whole meal waiting for someone to say something. The only one missing from the dining room table was Orion who elected to stay in the control room and watch over Chuck, not wanting him to be alone.

Or even more alone. Sarah thought to herself.

She watched as the others picked at their meals, each lost in their own thoughts. The nap had done her wonders and she felt rejuvenated a little bit or at least a little more mentally stable after discovering what had happened to Chuck. She was lost on what the next step would be. How do they fix the damage done?

"I'm going to go." Bryce said suddenly. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked over at him expectantly. "I got a call from Director Johnson. He wants me in his office. ASAP."

Sarah's gut twisted, knowing exactly what Director Johnson was calling Bryce about. If anything she's more surprised that it's taken the director this long to contact him.

"Did he say what he wanted to see you about?" She inquired unnecessarily.

Bryce shook his head and set down his fork. "No but he's been trying for several days with increased fervent."

"What are you going to tell him?" Ellie asked concerned. And she had every right to be. It was no secret she didn't trust Bryce Larkin with anything but especially now that they have Chuck. Before they hadn't really done anything that was a crime, much. But now they all committed treason.

"Supposedly I'm deep undercover searching out Fulcrum, and that's exactly what he's going to continue believing. Thanks to Orion's help I have some data to take to them to back it up if they suspect anything." He explained. Ellie nodded her head but still looked concerned. Sarah reached over and placed her hand on top of Ellies, giving it a slight squeeze.

"Don't worry Ellie. We'll protect him." She encouraged.

"What about you Casey?" Ellie inquired, looking at the large man who sat at the head of the table slowly sipping black coffee. He shrugged nonchalantly and placed the mug on the table.

"I've had some communications from General Beckman as well. I'm to return to DC in the next few days." He stated gruffly, taking another bite of the chicken.

"What does she think you are again?"

Casey gave a bark laugh and a sneer. "I'm supposed to be in Costa Gravas, getting some intel on the supposedly new democratic government."

"Don't tell me, Dad gathered info for you?" Ellie smiled knowingly at him.

"It sure as hell beats living in the walls for weeks on end. Again."

They all nodded in agreement at that and returned back to their plates, the silence descending once again upon them. Sarah hated this silence, it allowed her mind to think and wonder and with that comes worry, more thinking and then to panic about everything. Before Chuck, she never had such anxiety be but for the past three years it seemed all she could do was panic.

Finished pretending to eat Sarah stood up and took her plate to the sink to wash, rinsing it quickly before heading back down the hall that would lead to the underground lair of Orion. She figured she should probably get a little more sleep but it's been several hours since she saw Chuck and she wanted to see him for herself.

"Hey you." Orion greeted from his typical chair as she entered the code to get in.

Sarah gave him a smile and sat in the chair to his right. Glancing at the monitor in front of it she noted that Chuck appeared to be asleep and a small smile crossed her face.

"I'm still amazed at how fast you put this room together." She commented. Orion smiled and nodded his agreement.

"It wasn't that hard. I had this room set up. Devon and Morgan helped with it. We worked through the night and day until it was done."

"I wish it wasn't needed." She whispered.

"Me too Sarah." He turned back to the console he was working on before she arrived and pressed some keys. She looked over his shoulder to see that he was still watching the surveillance from the bunker and she shook her head.

"I don't understand why you keep watching those. You know what they've done. You can see it on Chuck."

Orion sat back again and turned towards her, eying her closely. "Because he went through it Sarah. The more we see the more we know. The more we can relate to him."

Sarah nodded her understanding, though she really didn't understand at all. She didn't want to see any more of the torture they put Chuck through. Just seeing the results of it was enough for her.

"They hurt my son Sarah." He said, his voice so quiet she almost didn't hear him. "They hurt him, with technology I dreamt up. That I built. I can never forgive them for that. I don't think I can forgive myself either for my role."

"It wasn't your fault." She countered. But it fell on deaf ears. Orion blamed himself for not destroying the technology better. He gave her another wane smile before turning his back to her again, going back to what he was doing.

Sarah stared at his back for a few more minutes, trying to gage him a little more before turning back to the monitor with Chuck. He was awake now and was sitting in a corner of the room with his legs drawn up again. He looked so small in his white clothing in the white room, almost invisible.

Standing up she walked to a corner of the small room where the makings for sandwiches were. Ellie had set it up there so if anyone were to feed Chuck they could just make it there. She pulled out a couple pieces of white bread and spread the peanut butter on both slices before putting the jam on. A smile escaped as she remembered how impassioned he was when he explained why he liked it that way, and she really couldn't blame him. Jelly should not be soaked up by the bread.

Satisfied it's how he liked it she placed it on a paper plate and grabbed a handful of chips from the bag that was also sitting there. Also his favorite, sour cream and onion. A bottle of water completed the meal as she headed out.

"Hey, unlock the door." She said as she left.

The door beeped as she approached it, once again indicating that it had unlocked and Sarah opened the door slowly, not wanting to startle Chuck.

"Chuck?" She asked softly as she entered the room. Chuck was against the opposite side of the room, knees drawn up and face buried in his arms. He didn't look up or move as the door closed and Sarah stood there gaging him.

Sarah waited a few moments, not sure how to approach him before shaking herself mentally and taking a step forward. The plate in her hand felt heavy despite the light weight food on it, and the pit in her stomach grew as she got closer to Chuck, stopping once she was still a few feet away. She took a moment to look at him, or look at what she could see, trying to notice something she didn't the day before. But he looked the same.

"I won't hurt you." Chuck's soft voice hit her. For the first time over a year she saw Chuck's eyes as they peeked up over his arms and met hers, and recognized her.

"Chuck." She said simply and dropped to her knees in front of him. Still skittish Chuck brought his body tighter to himself but kept his eyes on hers. Sarah felt overjoyed as tears pricked the outsides of her eyes. But blinking quickly she gathered her wits and sat down more properly, still cautiously.

The weight from the paper plate brought Sarah back to the here and now and she held out the plate to Chuck who eyed it warily for a moment before untangling his long arms and reaching out for it. Sarah fully expected Chuck to grab it and hide in another corner like he did earlier but was pleased when he just balanced it on his knees and took a chip in his thin fingers.

He brought the chip to his mouth and took a small bite from it, breaking the chip into pieces that fell down around his chest, but he paid it no mind to the crumbs as he begun chewing slowly. "Am I a prisoner?" He asked her. Sarah shook her head.

"No Chuck. Why would you ask that?" She replied softly, though the answer was plainly obvious. Chuck shrugged his shoulders and took another small bite, more crumbs falling.

"I'm in a padded cell with a locked door." He answered simply. Sarah turned to look at the door, her eyes saddened at the truth of it. They had to lock him up for his safety and theirs. It made her think if perhaps that was the same thing the government had told themselves and Chuck when they had imprisoned him. She wondered if perhaps they weren't any better than them.

"It won't be for long." She said hopefully. "We just have to make sure…" She trailed off then, not sure what they were making sure of. If he was sane, if he was safe. Would he harm himself or someone else if he were let free. They had no way to know the repercussions of his time in isolation yet.

"I can think." He said softly. He moved the plate down to his feet, ignoring the rest of the food on it. Sarah wanted to scold him and tell him to empty it, but she didn't want to push him. Perhaps he was saving it for later. Or Perhaps the damage is too severe.

"That's-"

"It's clearer. More controlled." He interrupted, his eyes loosing focus for a few seconds before coming back.

"They drugged you Chuck." Sarah explained.

Chuck licked his lips a few times moistening them, his eyes leaving hers for a moment and focusing on the bottle of water that she had brought in for him. Sarah followed his gaze to the bottle then picked it up and handed it to him. It took Chuck a moment or two to reach out his own fingers and grab it, staring at the cool liquid contained inside it. He licked his lips again as he twisted his fingers around the cap and tried to twist off. Sarah watched him struggle with the bottle for a moment or two before scooting closer to him and holding out her hand for it again. He stared at her outstretched hand warily, giving the bottle a few more tugs before finally relenting the bottle to her.

Sarah gave a small smile as she twisted the cap off eagerly and handed it back to him. The moment it touched his lips his eyes rolled slightly into his head as he greedily drank down the contents. Sarah wondered if anyone had given him anything to drink in since they arrived.

Chuck sighed softly as he finished the bottle off and let it drop down to the mattress floor as he slumped against the wall. Sarah wasn't sure what to say at the moment so she did what she always did, stayed quiet. The silence stretched between them but it wasn't totally uncomfortable.

"It was in the food. And the water." Chuck's raspy voice told her after several minutes. "I knew something was wrong."

A tear rolled down the side of his cheek and Sarah's heart broke. She wanted to close the distance between them and finally wrap her arms around him and hold him close and keep him safe. To never let anyone hurt him ever again. But she stopped herself. He wouldn't accept any form of physical contact right now.

"There wasn't anything you could do Chuck." She sympathized. Chuck closed his eyes tight in pain and more tears fell.

"I tried to not take it. But I was so hungry. so thirsty. I gave in." He whispered. "I knew they were using me but, you told me to just let it go."

That statement peaked her interest and she sat up a little more and leaned towards him, slowly scooting herself across the floor a few more inches, closing the gap. Chuck must have heard her move for he opened his eyes quickly and wide, looking fearfully at her, eyes darting around as if searching for an escape so she stopped.

"What do you mean I told you?" She asked curiously, watching Chuck swallow his fear, but he didn't move, just watched her.

"I know you weren't there Sarah. I'm not crazy." He said pleadingly, begging her to believe him in this. Sarah nodded her understanding as Chuck swallowed again. "I was lonely."

"It's over now Chuck." She told him, but Chuck didn't seem to hear her as his eyes completely lost focus and his face began to slacken.

Sarah let out a small sob that she had been holding back as Chuck got lost in his own head. His pleading voice begging her to believe that he was sane broke her heart even as she showed she understood, because she didn't believe it. As much as she wanted to she knew Chuck was broken. And he wouldn't ever be himself ever again. But sitting on the floor next to him she became determined to never give up on, and that she would love him no matter what had happen or will happen.

Even if he was completely insane.

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I've been sick for over a week with the cold and we're training temps. Next chapter will most likely not be till. 11/4 or 11/5 Due to breeders cup being next weekend. However...I have an almost done chapter so cross your fingers.

zanex9: I have high hopes for Chuckles.

atcDave: Healing coming up

phathead01: You're making me blush. I'm glad you're enjoying the story! And I hope you continue to!

phnxgrl: Chuck is so lucky he has friend who love him. Which is why I love this character.

wilf21: Its coming up. Never fear!

John Clark (Guest): Like a not so subtle punch in the face? It could happen.

sevenrez: They still have parts, but thats a few chapters out.

Rob M (Guest): Wow...so no pressure huh? lol. Well all that shall be answered hopefully in a way that you like as the story continues. I'm glad you're enjoying it though.