Don't own Chuck

After digging out the phone Chuck walked into Morgan's kitchen and made himself a cup of coffee. He needed the caffeine as this whole situation was wearing on him. By now he was supposed to be over Jill, and she was supposed to be out of his life forever and now what? He was on the run with his Ex and worse he knew Sarah would be hunting for them. What would she be thinking? He had decided to call her and explain but then Morgan came in.

"Chuck, dude, can I tell you something?"

"No, Morgan I know what you're going to say and this is something I have to do by myself. I can't and won't drag you guys down with me."

"But you need to talk to Sarah. You know she's going to be worried."

"I know and I will, but first I need for you to do me one last favor. How long before Alex comes home?"

"About three hours, she's got lock up tonight so it'll be late."

"Morgan I need for you to take the herder and go see Alex. After you get out wipe down your prints and if anyone asks you don't know how it got there. Stay with her until she closes then ride back with her. Can you do that?"

"Sure but…"

"Just go Morgan. I'm so terribly sorry."

"Chuck, we've been friends for a long time now and don't you remember what I told you the last time you were seeing Jill behind my back."

"I know and I'm sorry but I'm not seeing her. I was helping her and things went sideways."

"But that's it friends lie for friends but they don't lie to friends. That crap you feed me this morning about Carina. What was that?"

"I'm sorry Morgan but in my defense I never mentioned Carina was in town you jumped to that conclusion on your own."

"And you let me run with it and why? So you could run off to see Jill and have an excuse to be out?"

"Guilty as charged. I'm so sorry. If I could take it back I would but at the time there was just no other way."

"Wait you were supposed to see Jill alone. I mean without Sarah and Casey?"

"That was the idea at least but then they showed up at the hotel when the shooting started. I know they're pissed because I left them there."

"You're sure they don't know anything? I saw both of them getting out of one of our surveillance vans this morning and both of them looked like the cat that ate the canary when I asked what they were doing inside. Casey told me that they were prepping it for a mission."

"You know I pressed my distress beacon and they showed up almost immediately. I never thought anything about it."

"Then why did Casey give me the third degree in the bathroom after you left asking me about what you and I were up too. Naturally I thought he was talking about Carina?"

"That would explain the third degree I got from Sarah about the video feed being out last night. Crap Morgan I've been played. They used me as bait to lure Jill out."

"Wow Chuck that's kind of a strong accusation to be throwing around about Sarah. Casey I could understand but Sarah."

"I need a few minutes to process this."

"I guess the no lies no secrets just flew out the window."

"Shut up Morgan."

"Well there is one other question that hasn't been answered."

"And what's that?" asked Chuck still processing last revelation.

"If that's Jill's daughter, then who's the kid's father?"

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BACK AT CASTLE

Casey and Sarah drove back to Castle attached the listening device to the computer then started decrypting the audio file. Standing around never set well with either and now with everything that was going on it was worse. Sarah couldn't help but feel that she should be out there looking for Chuck. The more she stood ideal the more her thoughts went dark until they were interrupted by the voice of General Beckman.

"Agents Casey, Bartowski I've just been given information that I think you need. The man that was captured…"

"You mean the man Chuck captured," interrupted Sarah wanting to clarify any doubts about her husband.

"Yes, anyway the man confessed that he is a member of a group called Wolf Den, assassins for hire."

"Wasn't that the codename for that rouge CIA operative that killed LaFleur, Jill's boss and wasn't he responsible for releasing the Bio weapon at that conference in the Sheraton?" Casey still remembered how he pleaded with Chuck to be allowed to die with dignity before Chuck did that other thing to try and save him.

"Yes, it seems he was the one who formed this cell of ruthless killers. Further the man stated that Luther Kowambe has put a kill order out on Dr. Roberts after she destroyed her laboratory in Zamibia and killed all of her co-workers. Actually, it seems Dr. Roberts may have done us a favor by destroying the lab. It had been rumored that Kowambe was following in his brother's footsteps by conducting illegal genetic experiments and organ harvesting.

"Good", said Casey. "I mean that she destroyed the lab." Sarah muffled her laugh but it was short lived when she remembered Chuck saying the same thing when Luther's brother Martin was arrested.

"General was all of her data destroyed too?"

"As far as we can know and that is the reason we need Dr. Roberts. We need to know what she was working on and progress she made. I have further bad news. Luther Kowambe is on a flight to LA as we speak. Officially he is here to visit the Zamibian Consulate but unofficially he is heading up the manhunt or in this case the womanhunt."

"General, what are your orders?"

"Find Chuck and arrest Dr. Roberts nothing has changed."

"And Kowambe and his killers?"

"It would give me great pleasure to throw Mr. Kowambe in a cell but unless Zamibia revokes his diplomatic immunity there is little we can do. But that being said we will not allow assassins to operate freely on U.S. soil. The Wolf and his pack are wanted criminals and if discovered must be brought to justice dead or alive."

Sarah's phone began to ring and she glanced down at the screen "Caller Unknown."

"General one moment, please I need take this," said Sarah.

"Agent Barowski, you're still in a briefing," said the General wondering what the hell was going on with her team.

"I know but I just have a feeling," she said as she answered it. Her eyes lit up and she smiled. "I love you too. Chuck tell me where you are. We'll come and get you."

"Colonel put a trace on that call, now."

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Chuck sat at the kitchen table staring at the phone with Morgan sitting across from him. Morgan had refused to leave Chuck and nothing short of a tranq dart was going to stop him. As he was making his call Jill came back and took a seat on the opposite side of Chuck, which Morgan didn't have to like. But Chuck wasn't thinking about either he had only one person on his mind as the phone rang.

"Love, it's me," he said as he heard her pick up. "I love you, I want you to know that I love you so very much. …. It's better if you don't know for now. Put me on speaker I need to talk to everyone."

"Okay Sweetie, speak."

"Is General Beckman there?"

"I'm here Mr. Bartowski. I want you to know your position in the agency is tenuous right now. Is Dr. Roberts with you?"

"I don't…."

"Yes, I am," interrupted Jill.

"I want you to know you've caused quite the dilemma."

"Let me do the talking," said Chuck to Jill. "General I assume it was your idea to throw me out as bait and see what you could catch, a bit of Bartowski chum." Sarah and Casey looked at each other Chuck was right. Why hadn't they seen this?

"I assure all of you that was not what was supposed to happen."

"Well it did and now I'm left with cleaning up the mess."

"Agent Bartowski, Chuck, Dr. Roberts has a kill order out on her from her former boss. She can best explain the how and the why but those men in her hotel were part of a group-"

"Wolf Den," said Chuck. "I know and Wolf is their leader. His second is Alpha and the rest are called Betas probably confusing labeling Christmas gifts but cheaper on name tags."

"Sweetie this is nothing to joke about. Tell us where you are. We'll come and help you."

"I'd like to but there's more in play than just Jill. If it was just her I'd already have arrested her," Chuck said as he looked straight at Jill. "That you have to believe me."

"What is it then? Can't you tell me?"

"Love we're on an open line. The General should know what I'm talking about and if she doesn't than it's even above her pay grade."

"What the hell are you talking about?" said the General.

"Then I'm right. I can only tell you I'm on mission. If I can only say there are people in danger and if I say anymore I'm putting them and you at risk. Love, I'm going to have to go dark. That is the only way this will work."

"Chuck, let us come. You need back up."

"I probably will but you always seem to show up when I need you like this evening."

"Agent Bartowski, you need to know Luther Kowambe is on a flight here to head up the hunt for Dr. Roberts and now you."

"That's all the more reason I need to go dark. Love, please don't be too mad with me and as far as I'm concerned I still agree to no secrets and no lies like we said in Budapest. Love, I have to go I'll see you on the other side of the tunnel. I love you."

"No wait," Sarah yelled but Chuck was gone.

"General, we couldn't trace the signal he was using an Orion phone and as you know they are untraceable. Do you have any idea what Chuck was talking about when he said that there was more in play then we knew?"

"No and nothing more cryptic than that I want them both found yesterday. I'll make every effort to look into Dr. Roberts from my end. There seems to be more going on here than we know. If there's nothing else? Beckman out.

"Roger that." Casey looked at Sarah. "You heard what I heard, right? What do you think he was talking about when he mentioned Budapest?"

"What could he have meant? Okay Budapest, what does Chuck know that's linked to Budapest, Kieran Ryker my handler, a bad one at that." Sarah remembered how Ryker found out that Molly was alive. "Shaw, do you think it could have something to do with Shaw?"

"No, I believe there's something else going on here. Shaw's in double solitary confinement whatever that is at Supermax. Listen, that's not the only reason he'd mention Budapest, is it? Maybe you're over thinking it and maybe not. I don't know we need to talk to the moron about using cryptic codes. They're only good if the other person knows the key.

"That's right but what would Budapest have to do with Jill. It doesn't make sense."

"You know what else doesn't make sense is how he could call on an Orion phone. Didn't Volkoff blow up Orion's base with all of his gadgets?"

"You mean Chuck's childhood home. No not everything. There was a phone but Chuck lent it to Morgan so he could make free phone calls to Jeff and Lester while they're on tour.

"That's where he's at. Alex is out late at her cover job."

"Let's take my Lotus."

"No, let's take my Crown Vic. I don't think you ought to be driving," said Casey and given not only her physical condition but also the way she felt mentally he was right. "Hey the cypher just decrypted the audio file. Let me copy this over to a flash drive and we can listen to it on the way over to the Shire."

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AT MORGAN'S

Chuck hung up the phone and just looked at it for a while. That had been one of the hardest calls he had ever had to make almost as hard as sitting on the beach and watching Sarah walk away. That almost destroyed him and yet here he was. He knew how Sarah must be feeling and he didn't like it. He had gone into a dark place after she left and he still didn't know what pulled himself out. He had made one final effort to win her back and it had worked. But if it hadn't well failure hadn't been an option nor was it now.

"Jill I think you need to explain what Beckman said about your Boss Kowambe. Does it have to do with you blowing up your lab and killing all your co-workers?"

"Yes, but how-"

"Remember no lies no deception or I walk."

"You know you won't as long as Skye is involved. But yes, I did do that."

"Crap, Jill what's wrong with you?" said Morgan. "I don't think you were like this back in Stanford."

"No I wasn't. They changed me, Fulcrum, Hydra, Kowambe they're all the same. They take you and mould you. Before long you don't even recognize yourself in the mirror. They make you do things; things you know are wrong but you don't have a choice."

"There's always a choice. It may not be easy but there is always a choice."

"That's easy to say now but wait until your wife has her baby then tell me."

"Morgan, you have a choice," said Chuck trying to show Jill that there are always options. "You can come with us or stay here. I figure it won't be long before Sarah and Casey arrive. Sarah knows I gave you this phone so we need to get on the road. But Morgan if you stay I'm going to have to gas you. You'll sleep for a couple of hours and by the time they or Alex arrive you won't remember anything. I'm sorry but you know too much."

"Do you even have to ask of course I'll go. Team of three, army of one, "highway to the danger zone", live free or die hard.-"

"Morgan this isn't the opening credits for a TV series this is real life."

"Is he always like this?" asked Jill.

"This is actually one of his calmer moments. You don't remember Morgan very well, do you? Let's get Skye and go then. And no Morgan you can't take your Red Bull with you the last thing we need is for you bouncing around inside the herder."

"Just one?"

"Little Buddy this is your last chance once we go out that door there's no turning back."

"Let's do this," said Morgan as he open the door.

"Wow boy," said Chuck as he flashed.

"Chuck are you alright," asked Jill seeing him act odd. Morgan realized he flashed but for once he did what he was supposed to do keep his mouth shut.

"Yeah Morgan, close the door. Close it now," Chuck said. "We've been found. There's a black SUV that just pulled up. The driver is the Wolf with Alpha sitting by his side. Jill get Skye! We need to go out the back before they surround us. Morgan, you're coming with us."

"What about Alex or Casey and Sarah?"

"Did Casey leave any toys around?" asked Chuck. If Casey followed the thirty foot rule he had to have left something and knowing Casey it would come in large calibers.

"There's a lock box under the sofa but I'm forbidden under pain of Casey to touch it. He told me I'd never see another bullet if I opened it." Chuck lifted up the sofa and found the box but it required a combination to open it.

"I suppose Casey never gave you the combination?"

"I suppose you're right." Chuck looked at the lock and flashed. He punched in the combination and the box opened up with a hiss.

"Wow, how'd you do that?" asked Jill.

"You have to know Casey. It was easy, his combination was Ronald Reagan's birthday." Morgan nodded his head in agreement. "Now let's see what we have to play with. Just what we need."

"Chuck, you can't shoot that thing inside the house." Morgan was thinking about the classic mistake in Rambo. Where Sylvester Stallone shoots a LAW from inside his helicopter the LAW has a back blast that can kill out to 100 feet, which meant he would have either blown up his own helicopter or killed all the MIA's he had just rescued.

"Would you like to run outside and yell Mr. Wolf please let me shoot this before you blow my head off?"

"Well, put like that but Alex is going to kill us."

"Better her than them now Jill, you and Morgan take Skye to the back and when hell breaks loose run for the herder. I'll be right behind you."

"Chuck, I should be the one to shoot and run."

"Jill, do you know how to operate a M72 Light Anti-tank Weapon?"

"Well no but you can teach me."

"Just go," Morgan grabbed Skye still asleep and carried her. Chuck was proud of his little buddy.

"We're ready," yelled Morgan. Chuck popped the caps and safety. The SUV was so close he really didn't have to aim all he did was open the door ajar then with his foot he snapped it open. As the door swung wide he fired and ran. He didn't wait to see if he hit his target because as soon as the door opened, Wolf's men opened fire with automatic weapons.

"Chuck run," yelled Morgan as bullets rained through his living room.

"Go, go," yelled Chuck back holding his hands up to his face to shield from flying glass. Chuck got ahead of Morgan with Skye and Jill to run guard. Two armed men carrying Chinese Type 56s came around the corner of the garage and before they could fire Chuck darted one and took the other out with a spinning heel kick.

"That was amazing. You've really improved the Morgan," said Jill.

"The what?"

"I'll explain later we need to get in the herder." But between the flames, smoke and general confusion they made it to the herder and were off before Wolf knew what was going on. Chuck had done what he had intended to. He got them out safely and alerted Casey and Sarah before they arrived. Chucks was thinking about Sarah as he drove off and he wasn't sure if he actually saw her or only wished he had as a dark car flew past.