Okay, boys and girls. Word of warning, don't expect a tearful reunion for Chuck and Sarah. But never fear, my little platypuses, like everyone else in this fandom, I do pull Charah. So have a little faith and bear with.

As you may have noticed, I'm getting into a groove where a new part shows up every weekend. So this one's actually arrived a couple days early. So maybe the regular schedule is moved up, or maybe I'll keep to weekends. Dunno yet. We'll see how easily Chapter 15 flows.

Oh, and thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews for Chapter 13. You guys really came through and made me feel like it was something special. I can't say how much I appreciate that.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: REVELATIONS OVER AMERICONE DREAM

"Chuck?"

Her voice quivered as she called his name. How dare she? How dare she act like she was the one who was betrayed.

"Rachel, I'm sorry."

And did he just apologize to her?

"You were hurt. I-I didn't know what to do. I had to call for help."

If she weren't handcuffed to the bed, Rachel would have stormed away, so palpable was her anger. As it were, she settled for turning her head away.

"Don't talk to me," she spat.

"Chuck..." she tried.

But he wouldn't have it. Holding up a hand to silence her, he warned, "Sarah, don't." Pushing right by, he walked out the front door into the courtyard.

Okay, seriously. What the hell?!

-------------

Eight Hours Earlier

"Chuck?"

"Double crap."

Sarah took in the sight before her. Chuck, looking remarkably well, cradling Rachel in his arms like she was precious. A sea of emotions washed over her. Not the least of which was confusion. And maybe… jealousy?

"Chuck? What's going on?"

Eighteen months working with the man, Sarah could practically hear the gears turning in his mind. He was desperately trying to figure out what to say. He was trying to come up with a lie.

Why did he need to lie to her?

"She needs help," he whimpered. Looking past her, his eyes found Ellie. "Please, help her."

Sparing a glance back at the Bartowski sister, Sarah could see the same confusion reflected in her eyes. But then, whatever thoughts or feelings the other woman might be experiencing, it was all pushed to the side. Doctor Bartowski took command.

"Put her on the bed."

Chuck obeyed, delicately laying the wounded agent on the bed. He then stood back and let his sister work. Ellie pulled away the leopard print sheet – Hey! Why is she nearly naked? – and went to work.

It was actually a fairly quick procedure. In all, less than an hour passed before Ellie declared the patient stable. She first examined the wound, and after determining the bullet to still be lodged inside Rachel's shoulder, produced a pair of forceps. She extracted the bullet, a .38, and dropped it into the trash can.

She then threaded a needle and stitched up the wound. After that, she applied a gauze bandage and taped it over the wound. Finally, she withdrew a syringe and vial of antibiotics. After measuring an appropriate dose, she injected the agent.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Chuck asked.

"I assume so," Ellie answered. "Judging from the location, no vital organs were punctured. Blood loss may be an issue. I think an infection is trying to kick in. Hopefully the antibiotics will stem it off." She took a deep, calming breath before spouting: "So why did I just play nursemaid to psychobitch?"

"It's… it's…"

"I swear to God, if the next word out of your mouth is 'complicated'..."

"...difficult to explain..." Chuck finished meekly.

Ellie simply stared at her brother for several long moments. She then stripped away her bloody latex gloves and tossed them into the trash. Before Chuck knew what hit him, Ellie wrapped him in a tight hug.

"Tell me you're okay."

"I'm okay, El. I swear."

"Chuck... What the hell is going on?"

"I don't know," Chuck said. "Not everything, anyway. But we need to give Rachel a chance to explain." He finally turned to look at Sarah. "We can't hand her over to the CIA."

"Are you insane?!" Ellie cried. "This woman kidnapped you!"

Chuck shrugged. "To be fair, that was a misunderstanding. I think. If I'm right, anyway."

"Right about what, Chuck?" Sarah asked. She couldn't wrap her mind around how he could defend Rachel, and she'd been friends with the other agent for years.

"About why we're here."

------------------

She was a badass secret agent. Had taken on foes and been in situations that would turn most people's hair white. She was someone who could face any situation with a grace and cool, no matter how rough it was.

So that's why she absolutely wouldn't pout.

Well, she wouldn't pout so that Chuck could see it. Of course, she thought as she spared a glance at the man in the passenger seat, he wasn't paying much attention to her anyway.

And he sure as hell wasn't buying her ice cream either.

Damn it to hell, she was pouting. This whole damn thing was so far from the joyful reunion she had imagined.

Sarah parked the Challenger in the hotel parking lot. She followed Chuck back inside the room – doing her best not to pout – and watched as he immediately relieved Ellie of nursemaid duties. Rather, soon as Chuck entered, Ellie got the hell away from her brother's abductor.

"I, uh, got you some ice cream," Chuck stammered. "I hear it's what wounded soldiers get in the hospital."

"Don't want any," Rachel snapped back. Though she kept her eyes on the plastic grocery sack he carried, obviously intrigued by what he brought.

"It's Ben and Jerry's," he explained. He sat in the chair next to the bed and began pulling out pint cartons. "I didn't know what kind you like, so I got a bunch. I got... Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream, S'mores, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Cherry Garcia, and Phish Food."

"You can't bribe me," Rachel proclaimed. Then, almost shyly, "Can I have the AmeriCone Dream? It actually is my favorite."

As Chuck gave her the pint of AmeriCone Dream and plastic spoon, Ellie shot a look to Sarah, incredulously asking "Did he really buy her ice cream?"

Sarah's reply: "Yup."

"Don't think for a moment this changes anything. I'm still mad at you."

Chuck suddenly looked greatly irritated. "You're mad at me?! You should be thankful to have a kidnappee willing to buy his kidnapper ice cream. Or are we forgetting that you threatened to kill me?"

"Yeah, about that..."

Everyone in the room cocked their head at the strange lilt in her voice. It was even enough to keep Ellie from killing her on the spot when Chuck made his "kill me" revelation.

"What about that?" Chuck questioned.

"First off, let me explain, it was necessary to have your compliance. Second, I may have, you know, kinda fibbed a bit."

Chuck blinked. "How's that?"

"Honestly, I'm a little surprised you bought it, smart guy as you are. But I suppose the fact I'm a highly skilled and dangerous assassin helped matters..."

Now Sarah blinked. Was Rachel... babbling? She only ever did that when... Oh Crap.

"NJ-27, Chuck? Nanites that make you go boom? I kinda, sorta, you know, made that up."

It took about six seconds for understanding to sink into his brain. "You made it up?" he exploded. "What about the thing? The detonator thing you kept waving around?"

"Oh, that's actually a detonator. Just for plastic explosives. Never know when a spot of C-4 will come in handy. Believe me, I'm really, really sorry for that whole bit. But like I said, at the time it was necessary. I was desperate, and while I know that doesn't actually excuse what I did..."

"You're damn straight!" both Bartowski's simultaneously yelled.

When she genuinely liked a guy, Sarah finished her earlier thought. That's the only time she ever babbled.

"And, you know, I'm incredibly sorry for that other thing, too," Rachel continued. This time with a subtle nod at Ellie.

Yeah, Chuck thought, better leave out the whole "threatening to kill my family" part. Ellie's stressed enough as is.

"So... friends?" Rachel asked hesitantly.

"It was all just an act?" Chuck asked sternly. "You never intended to make good?"

"Of course not!" was Rachel's vehement denial. "I may be a killer, Chuck, but I'm not a monster."

"That's debatable," Ellie retorted.

Rachel turned to the elder Bartowski. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. You must have been insane with worry. Like I said, I was desperate. That doesn't excuse it... but I truly am sorry. And I swear to you, I would protect your brother to my dying breath." Rachel cast a shy glance at the younger Bartowski. "He's a very special man."

Four words passed through Sarah's mind.

Son. Of. A. Bitch.

Something about Rachel's tone struck with Ellie. Things weren't forgiven, not even close. But the Elder Bartowksi nodded slightly. She wouldn't kill the peroxide blonde agent. Not yet anyway.

Sarah couldn't help the hurt sigh that escaped her lips. Freakin' figures. She even likes Rachel more than me now.

"Who's Sabine?" Chuck question cut through the air. Rachel sucked in a breath, wounded by the name.

"How did you...?"

"I snooped through your phone."

Rachel nodded, easily accepting this answer.

Sarah frowned. Why did she know that name?

"Once upon a time," Rachel began, "I knew another very special man. And he had a very special little girl."

Three more words to add to the list: Oh. Bloody. Hell. That's how she knew that name.

"I was tasked to protect him," Rachel continued. "And, uh, I got too close. I lost my objectivity. In short, I got compromised."

"Compromised?" Ellie questioned.

"I fell in love." She noted the nearly identical eyebrow raise of the Bartowski siblings. "Is it so hard to believe?" Her next comment was directed at Chuck. Or maybe Sarah simply imagined it was. "It does happen. Agents do fall in love."

Rachel took a bracing breath. "He was the chief computer specialist for a very large German bank. One day he discovered irregularities. Money was being diverted to fund some very bad people. They threatened him, I was brought in for protection.

"One night, said group attacked the schloss. Their goal was to kidnap his daughter and use her as leverage to gain his cooperation. It failed. I failed. He died."

"And Sabine?"

"I learned a month ago of another kidnapping attempt. This time it succeeded."

"With her father dead, who are they leveraging her against?" Ellie questioned.

"Me," Rachel simply answered.

Son of a bitch. Yeah, she'd said it before, but it bore repeating.

"How does my brother figure into this?" Ellie asked.

"You're brother is very special," Rachel repeated. "He possesses a very unique skill set that I needed."

"I don't understand..."

"I'm The Intersect," Chuck informed his sister.

Immediately, Sarah snapped, "Chuck!"

Chuck completely ignored her. "Eighteen months ago I was accidentally downloaded with a government supercomputer. Every secret of the US intelligence community is locked away somewhere up here," he said, tapping his temple.

"Government supercomputer? Downloaded?"

Ellie collapsed in a nearby chair.

"You okay?" Chuck asked.

Ellie nodded overenthusiastically. "Sure!" A moment later, she took a ragged breath and shook her head. "No."

"Do you need a moment?"

Ellie nodded again, taking a cleansing breath. It didn't work. She buried her head between her knees to keep from hyperventilating. She waved a hand and gasped, "Go on without me."

So they did.

"I'm with Ellie though," Chuck said. "How do I figure into this? I know I flashed on that guy..."

"Flashed?" Ellie managed.

"A data burst, triggered by visual or auditory stimuli," Chuck explained quickly, still focused on Rachel. "Alexander Harris. And why did you need Joseph Murphy to find him?"

"Alexander Harris. I'm surprised you don't know the name."

"I do know the name," Chuck said. "Would even without the Intersect. He was one of the founders of ArtemisCorp."

"ArtemisCorp?" Ellie asked.

"An old software company. Were real big in the early to mid 90s before they cashed out by selling everything they owned to Microsoft. Used to be a major government contractor. Harris was the real genius of the group. Also said to be an eccentric."

"To put it mildly," Rachel ruefully laughed. "After his early retirement, he made a deal with the government. He'd continue to work on various projects for them, but in exchange he wanted a blank slate. Every bit of information on the guy was removed from the system. Ever since he's essentially been living off the grid. Which allows him a personal freedom he wouldn't otherwise experience in this digital age. Allows him to pursue his interests, some of which aren't exactly kosher."

"Which would explain why I possess no specific information on him," Chuck surmised. "The only stuff in my head about Harris could be found searching newspaper articles online. Still doesn't explain Joey Murphy."

"One of Harris' interests is gambling. He's a full blown raging addict. Not only poker and blackjack, but any sport you can imagine. College hoops, football, boxing. So if there's one person a guy like Alexander Harris will in touch with, it's his bookie."

"That doesn't explain what these bad guys hope to leverage," Sarah said. Both Bartowski's startled, almost forgetting she was in the room.

"Don't know. Thought it best not to ask," Rachel answered. "They just said it would be located on Harris' personal laptop."

"And these bad guys?" Chuck asked.

"They call themselves Aube Nouvelle. New Dawn. They're a Neo-Nazi terrorist group. They've been connected to numerous bombings of Jewish businesses, homes, and synagogues in the past five years."

"Ugh," Chuck grunted. "I hate Nazis."

"You and me both," Rachel answered.

After a few moments, Chuck softly asked, "Why didn't you come to us earlier?"

Rachel shook her head. "Chuck, the US government doesn't care about my problem. Hell, the only reason I was given the assignment was because a) I was in the doghouse and the CIA wanted rid of me, and b) Deputy Director Coolbaugh owed the German Directors of the Bundesamt fürVerfassungsschutz and Bundeskriminalamt favors. The US has no interest in the situation, official or otherwise."

"No," Chuck said strongly. "Why didn't you come to us? Sarah and Casey, they're your friends. Surely they'd help you. And if they said no, you should have come to me. I'd have nagged them until they changed their minds. So why didn't you come to us?"

Rachel fought to keep tears from spilling. "Because it's not Sarah and Casey's mission. Not their responsibility. As for you... how was I to know you'd be such a great guy?"

Chuck shook his head. Flattery would get her nowhere. "You should have come to us. We would have helped."

"Really?" Rachel turned to Sarah. "I think that look says otherwise."

The Bartowskis then turned to face her. Sarah shifted anxiously, put off by the sudden attention. "She's right," she choked out. "It isn't our mission. Not our responsibility."

"Not your responsibility?!" Chuck exclaimed, not believing Sarah would say such a thing. "It's a kidnapped little girl and we're the good guys!"

"Chuck, I have but one priority. You."

"Sarah..."

"Chuck, no." Gotta head him off before he gives me the puppy eyes.

Sarah knew what reaction to expect. He'd give her The Look, plead his case, and ply at her conscience.

So she was completely floored by the reaction that occurred. Fury burned behind his eyes. He approached her quickly, wrapping his hand around her bicep in a vice-like grip, and hauled her towards the door. They were in the middle of the courtyard, Chuck glaring at her, before Sarah managed to recover.

"Chuck!"

"Don't Chuck me," he warned. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Excuse me?"

"The Sarah Walker I know would never just sit idly by as bad guys kidnap a little girl."

"Look, Chuck, I know it sounds cruel. And I feel for Rachel and the girl. But you and your safety are my only concern. Now that I have you safe and sound, my priority now is to clean up this mess and maybe convince Beckman..."

"Bullshit," Chuck interrupted. "What is this, some sort of jealousy? Or maybe resentment?"

Sarah was taken aback. "What?"

"Rachel went off the reservation, went against protocol. She actually let herself be human for a little while and fell in love. So I figure you're either jealous that's she capable of love or resentful she broke CIA rules."

Sarah stared coldly. "Go to hell, Chuck," she spat. "Pack your bags. We're leaving for LA."

"Like hell we are," Chuck retorted.

"Chuck, do not argue with me, because you will lose. Now I don't want to go all John Casey and toss you in the trunk, but at this point, I will."

"I ask again, where's the Sarah Walker I know?"

"What the hell do you want me to do, Chuck?!" she exploded. "Do you have any idea what's gone on the past week? Beckman put a termination order out on both of you! Now if I take you both back now so Beckman can hear her story, maybe, just maybe, she won't toss you in a bunker and ship Rachel off to Leavenworth for execution."

Chuck calmly stared back. "How does any of that help Sabine? How can you just stand there like some robot when your friend and a little girl need your help?"

"You know what, Chuck?! It's her own damn fault! If she'd just followed the rules for once she wouldn't be in this mess! But she went and did something stupid and now she's paying the price! She got too close and it got someone killed! If she'd just kept her objectivity then maybe there wouldn't be another child in this world without a daddy!"

"News flash, Sarah!" Chuck yelled back. "But sometimes actual people have actual emotions. Most people aren't like you. They can't flip them on and off like a light switch. If you even have an 'on' position."

"Yeah, and look what emotions got her! Look what love brought her! Pain and death. That's all!"

Chuck stared back at her calmly. "There are worse things than dying. If you'd ever been in love, you'd know that."

Goddammit! Sarah mentally screamed. Why can't he understand? I can't... we can't...

"Sarah," he said calmly, "we can't just turn our backs on Rachel and this girl. It isn't right and you know it. At least the Sarah Walker I know knows it."

Sarah stared off into the distance, her mind working over the situation. She knew what she should do, but her heart...

Son of a bitch. Sometimes she really missed the old days. Back in the days before she met a damn computer nerd who evoked all these... feelings... in her.

"Okay..." slipped from her lips before she even realized it. Chuck turned his best lopsided smile on her.

"There's the Sarah Walker I know. Maybe there's hope after all."

Despite the warm fuzzy feeling his smile evoked in her gut – and the unspoken thought his phrase alluded to - she couldn't quite shake the sinking feeling Fuzzy was rooming with. The feeling that was telling her there was no way this could possibly end well.

END PART

Dudes, just so you know, Chapter 15 oughta be freakin' sweet. Chuck, Sarah, Ellie, and Rachel on a cross-country road trip to Miami. Tempers flare. *cough*SarahAndRachelSmackdown*cough* It's gonna be so Awesome.