Chuck vs. The Cerebral Assassin

Well, many you were left hanging as the story left off in the last chapter with Chuck calling either Dr. Burke or Sarah. You'll find out who he called and just to inform you the story is going to pick up after this chatper.

Again, if you enjoyed reading my stories and left a comment please leave a comment for this this one as well. Tell me what you think and I hope you enjoy the read.

I don't own Chuck but I would like to own a piece of memorabilia.

Worst Case Scenario

XXX

"I just got out of the shower, changed, and now sitting in bed. It's been a long day." she replied.

For a brief moment Chuck forgets his train of the thought as the image of Sarah completely in the nude pops in his mind. He knows he shouldn't be thinking of her like that since she's after all his partner because that would absolutely unprofessional. However, as a guy, how could he not being that she's a beautiful and not to mention attractive woman who has a very lucky fiancé she's going to marry.

He quickly shakes that thought out of his head and responds to her. "You sound tired..." he replied with concern. "…maybe I should call back tomorrow."

"No, I'm fine." responded Sarah as she lets out a faint yawn. For her, the day has been an uneventful one with her practically on her feet all day and she knows she's going to have to do it all over again Sunday. "It's the drawbacks of being a spy and all. Logging in countless hours sometimes without any sleep at all. Besides, I always have time to talk to you no matter how early or late it is."

A grin appears on Chuck's face as he leans with his back against the headboard. It felt good to hear Sarah say that she would always have time to talk to him no matter the time of day. In his mind, it's the sign of a truly great friend who you can always count on to be either a sounding board or someone to provide much needed advice when he or she really needs it.

"I appreciate that Sarah." said Chuck. "You've been a great friend throughout all this and I honestly don't know what I would do without you in my life." he added.

Sarah instantly felt the stinging words of great friend uttered over the phone from Chuck. She's glad that he isn't able to see her facial expression when he said that or she would have some explaining to do as to why she expressed a sour look on her face. As much as it pains her heart to talk with Chuck not revealing her feelings to him she remains vigilant and steadfast for his sake.

For Chuck to tell her that he honestly didn't know what he'd do without her deeply touched her. However, she would have to disagree with that as she wouldn't have known what do without him if they had never have met or was never assigned to come to Los Angeles because of the intersect. She would never be the woman she is today without him in her life and not as interesting to say the least.

"I will continue to be…" replied Sarah. "…for you." she softly stated. The minute those two words left her mouth she regretted saying it especially in a seemingly romantic tone. The last thing she needs is for Chuck to be in a uncomfortable situation where an engaged woman is hitting on him causing awkwardness between the two of them. She immediately changes the subject in order to avoid an incident of sorts. "So how's your sessions been going with Dr. Burke?" she said with a hint of disdain concerning the woman treating her fiancé.

"They've been going well thanks for asking." he cheerfully replied. "I think with her help I'm going to make a full recovery." Chuck added.

"That's good to hear." replied Sarah. To be honest, it wasn't good to hear being that something inside didn't trust Dr. Burke at all. What kind of doctor doesn't let family, friend, or especially loved ones help in any way they can she thinks to himself. "So are you going to meet with her tomorrow for another scheduled session?" she wondered.

"Actually, she took a flight out of town for the weekend to a conference. She'll be back on Monday." he said.

A wide smile appears on Sarah's face upon hearing that bit of news. It brings her a bit of comfort knowing the woman she doesn't trust is miles away from him giving her the opportunity to talk to him without her somehow getting in the way by hindering what she says or does. If she had her way, she would use Castle's computer to cancel her return flight and she would end up finding an alternate ride home but she wouldn't be that cruel.

"Oh I forgot to ask, how was the sizzling shrimp you had for dinner?" asked Sarah.

"It was excellent but how could you have known about the dinner I had with Leslie?" wondered Chuck. "You're not spying on me are you?" he jokingly said with a bit of laughter.

Upon hearing that, a look of disbelief appears on Sarah's face. She has her misgivings before about her but now this just takes the cake. Yet, she has to investigate further to see if it's the same order she had delivered to him Friday night. "Of course not." she quickly replied back. Sarah's eyebrow furrow as she continues her investigations. "So you had dinner with Dr. Burke you say." she stated biting her lip in order to restrain herself from cursing.

"Yeah. She came by room Friday night with a bag containing two orders of sizzling shrimp, which you told me is my favorite." he said. "It was a complete surprise to me and we ended up having a nice meal together."

"Uh huh."

It's the only two words that Sarah could utter at this point because the Chinese food that she ordered for Chuck was apparently intercepted by Dr. Burke. As Chuck continues to talk, Sarah is too busy thinking about getting her hands around his doctor's neck once she gets back from her weekend conference. Her thoughts are suddenly interrupted by Chuck's voice trying to get her attention over the phone.

"Sarah…hello." said Chuck. "You there?"

"Yeah, I'm here." she answered expressing anger on her face.

"So I was saying that I met another new friend who enjoys video games and comic books. His name is Ma…"

Chuck doesn't finish his sentence as Sarah immediately cuts him off. "Chuck, sorry but I'm going to go to sleep now. It was great talking with you." she said shaking her head.

"Okay, is everything all right?" he asked. "Did I say something wrong and if I did I apologize."

"No, its not you trust me." replied Sarah. "Have a good night Chuck and sleep well."

"Well good night to you too Sarah and sweet dreams." he said before his line clicks off.

Sarah closes her cell phones and grips it tightly in her hand. The anger in her eyes shows that even though she had another great conversation with Chuck, she's unfortunately not going to have any sweet dreams to speak off.

XXX

"I knew it!" stated Sarah as she paces back and forth in front of the conference table where Casey, Cassidy, and Bryce are sitting. The following Sunday morning started off in all intensive purposes lively as Sarah angrily vented her feelings concerning Dr. Burke and how she took credit for the 2 orders of sizzling shrimp she ordered for Chuck Friday night. "Something just didn't feel right with her and now I know why." she emphatically said.

"I'm in favor of kicking her ass." quickly replied Cassidy. The oldest Wexler sister then glances over at Casey who is sitting in front of her. "How about it big guy. You in?"

The burly NSA Agent sits with his arms crossed as his eyes dart from Cassidy to Sarah who is continuing to pace back and forth in front of them. He knows that as much as he would like to help in the illegal assault of a government employee knowing full well he has the ability and the authority to cover it up there are more important matters to attend to. "It's not going to solve anything." he calmly replied.

"It would make Sarah feel a whole lot better I know that for sure." Cassidy retorted giving a nod towards her little sister.

Sarah acknowledges her and then stops pacing as she stares directly at her partner with a intense glare towards her partner. "You told me you have my back on this." she angrily responded.

"I do." grunted Casey.

"Then what gives?" questioned Sarah.

"Beckman assigned us to find Manoosh Depak and it's considered a matter of high priority. You know the worst case scenario in all this Walker. " stated Casey. "We can deal with this Jerry Springer moment later and from what Bartowski said she's out of town on a weekend conference. As of right now she's not considered a threat but if we don't find this kid then this mystery organization will have an intersect of their own."

As the discussion between the 3 of them continue, Bryce is sitting there not saying a word. There is a reason he isn't contributing to the discussion because the last time he opened his mouth he ended up locked in a triangle choke hold and then knocked out to where he woke up to find himself staring up at the dojo lights a couple hours later. He thought it best just to keep his mouth shut and not get in trouble for something he said.

Bryce has never seen Sarah this angry before even when they were partners back in the day. In his mind, this Dr. Leslie Burke has really gotten not only under her skin but in her head as well when it comes to Chuck so much so she wants to physically harm her in the worst way. He had to hand it to Chuck though, he has two women fighting over him and he has no idea its going on. Lucky bastard he thinks to himself.

His thoughts are suddenly interrupted when Sarah hollers out his name causing him to look over to see her glaring directly at him. "What?" he said briefly glancing over at Cassidy and Casey.

"You're smiling." she responded. Sarah noticed Bryce sitting there with a distant look in his eyes as if he was day dreaming and it must have been good by the seemingly amused look on his face. "Do you find this whole thing funny to you Bryce?"

"No." he said shaking his head. "Not at all. I was just thinking about…" He pauses as he attempts to make up a plausible excuse to avoid being in Sarah's cross hairs again so he says the first thing that pops into his mind. "…I was thinking about a YouTube video I watched last night. Funny stuff."

In that moment, Bryce assumes he has avoided getting a tongue lashing but unfortunately he's wrong. "Castle's computers aren't for recreational use Larkin." grunted Casey. "Moron." he added.

"Forget about him Casey." responded Sarah. In her view, Bryce is far less important to deal with at the moment and brings the attention back to the shady actions of what Dr. Burke has done. "I'm going up there to talk to her on Monday and give her a piece of my mind." she emphatically stated.

"I advise against that Walker." replied the proud marine. "Like I said before, you need to be focused at the task at hand and besides Bartowski's a smart kid. Nobody will ever come between the two of you because his heart will always be loyal to you." firmly stated Casey.

"He's right sis." responded Cassidy. "Chuck has been in love with you since the very first time you two met. You two are meant to be together and nothing not even Dr. Burke will come between the two."

There is a brief pause as Sarah acknowledges her older sister and partner with a nod. She then turns to Bryce who sitting there tight lipped. "What do you say Bryce."

"I agree with those two." he quickly said.

"That's good to know Larkin." stated Casey. He immediately stands up from the conference table and stares all 3 individuals in the eyes. "Now let's get to work and find Manoosh Depak." he said as he walks off.

XXX

It's around 10 a.m. and silence blankets Chuck room as he is sound asleep in his bed. Since, he has nothing really scheduled, he decided to sleep in for the day. He is above the covers laying sprawled out on his stomach with his head under the two pillows over his head. The silence is suddenly interrupted by the sound of his phone ringing causing him to slowly be aware of the sound.

He blindly reaches over with his right hand trying to locate the phone. After a few unsuccessful attempts he finally locates it grabbing the phone and brings the receiver under the pillows. "Hello?" said the muffled voice of Chuck.

"Chuck?" asked the voice the on the other end of the line.

In his groggy state the voice on the other end of the line sounded like Charlie Brown's teacher. He was enjoying the deep sleep that he was having in until it was abruptly broken up much to his chagrin. It took him a while to get his bearing straight because he just woken up by a ringing phone causing him to be somewhat cranky. After a few seconds, he clears his throat and responds to whoever is calling him.

"Yes?" he replied half asleep. "Who is this?" Chuck asked

"It's Leslie. Did I catch you at a bad time?" questioned Dr. Burke. "Should I call back later?" she wondered

Upon hearing Dr. Burke's voice, his head pops out from underneath the two pillows like a gopher poking his head from a hole. He slowly turns over making sure he doesn't fall of the bed, sits up and leans back against the headboard. As he rubs his eyes he responds to her question. "Oh hey." he said. "No…" he responded yawning. "…you didn't catch me at a bad time. I'm awake. What's up?" he asked shaking his head in order to wake himself up.

"I had some time to spare since the conference broke for an hour." she said. "So I called to see how you're doing." replied Dr. Burke.

"That's nice of you. I'm doing good thanks for asking." he said scratching his head. Chuck yawns as he reaches over to pick up his watch to check the time. "How is everything going at the conference?"

He really didn't know what went on conferences but if he could fair to guess it involved a lot of medical jargon that would most definitely go way over his head. Medical professionals possibly wearing expensive suits talking about the latest book they've written or paper they've published in some major medical journal that he may never read during his lifetime.

"It going. All the usual stuff that we need to be informed or be updated on concerning mental health." she responded back. "To be perfectly honest, its boring as hell but in order to be a great doctor you have to know these things or you won't be as effective to your patients." Dr. Burke added.

Chuck is impressed at Leslie's dedication to her field and even though it can be considered not only boring but tedious to keep up-to-date on new information or techniques it shows a willingness on her part to keep up instead of fall behind. "It all makes a difference in the end and you have to be proud of that, especially when it comes to the patients you look after." he said. "They are the ones who benefit from you going to those conferences and listening to those boring lectures or speeches." stated Chuck with a bit of laughter.

Dr. Burke responds with a bit of laughter as well to what Chuck said. "I am proud and I know all my hard work pays off as I make a difference one patient at a time." she happily said.

"I know I am one of those patients that is proud of you." Chuck said. "You've certainly made a difference in my life when it comes to working hard to help me fully recover by pushing me when I need it the most." he replied.

"Thank you. I pride myself on being a consummate professional putting all my blood, sweat, and tears into what I do." she responded. "I care and maybe sometimes too much."

In Chuck's mind, she's not giving herself enough credit. She's helped many patients including Karl who is still struggling to regain his memory and she hasn't given up on him. He has spoken very highly of her whenever he returns from his session and constantly reassuring him that he will be able to remember the face staring back at him the mirror.

"It just shows that you tend to wear your heart on your sleeve." he answered. "You can't fault yourself for that now can you."

"I guess not." retorted Dr. Burke. "You know, you're considered one of many special patients that I've enjoyed helping over the years." she said. "You've all made it worthwhile for me to get up in the morning and do what I do."

"Special?" Chuck said leaning forward. "You think I'm special?"

"Of course." softly replied Dr. Burke.

"How many special patients have you brought dinner to and shared a meal with?" he asked with curiosity.

There is a brief pause on the other end of the line leaving Chuck to wait on her response to which she gives. "Just one." she says. Again there is a brief pause on the end of the line as Chuck lets those two words she says sink in. He is about to responds back to her when she hears her voice again on the line. "Chuck, I have to go. I'll see you when I get back from the conference on Monday."

"Yeah." he replies back rubbing the back of his neck. "I'll see you then." he responded as he hangs the phone back on its base. Chuck shakes his head giving a quick a grin as he briefly stares at the phone sitting to his right. Afterwards, he takes a deep breathe getting off his bed and heads towards the door grabbing the towel hanging on the rack in order for him to take a shower.

XXX

Chuck had a pretty uneventful morning with the exception of the phone call he received from Leslie. He would meet up with his friend Karl for lunch and they would eventually go their separate ways to meet up again later. The following evening he found himself once again in the recreation room along side not only Karl but his new friend Manoosh who arrived 30 minutes later bringing not only his own game controller but a nacho sampler platter enough for 3 guys to share.

"I'm on your 6 Manoosh!" exclaimed Chuck.

"Keep an eye out Chuck." he quickly replied. The newest recruit to Chuck and Karl's growing gamer group keeps his eyes focused on the flat screen tv before him. He reaches over in order to partake in some nachos with one hand while still expertly maneuvering the control with the other without missing a beat. "Karl what's your 20!?" he quickly asked.

"I got you covered top side fellas!" he quickly responded with a smirk on his face. "As your resident sniper both your paths will be smooth and clear of enemies. I always make sure of that." proclaimed Karl.

Chuck is having a blast playing along side his two new found friends. As he sits there, he thinks to himself what his stay would be like if they didn't show up as they did. It would have been a lot different that's for sure as he would have either sat in the cafeteria or in the recreation room for that matter alone keeping to himself because he didn't know anybody in the facility except for his doctor.

Yet, it would only be a matter of time before a friend would find him and they would form an immediate bond. A bond in which they would be able to interact normally around each other doing guys stuff in what they now referred to as their very own gamer man cave. It has essentially been a place where he can be, in a sense, on his own even though there are 1 or two other people in there as well.

In any case, he's glad that he was able to forge new found friendships in just a short amount of time. The man with no memory wonders if the Chuck that is somewhere in the Swiss cheese brain of his is just the opposite of him and can easily make friends without even trying. He shakes those thoughts out of his head because to him its absolutely futile to be jealous of yourself, which is kind of funny if you think about it.

His thoughts are interrupted when Manoosh gets his attention by pointing at the screen. "Chuck 3'Oclock!" he hollered.

He quickly reacts as he taps the buttons on the controllers inevitably dispatching the enemy without any problems. As all 3 continue to play on, Chuck reaches over to chow down on some nacho sampler and washes it down with bottled water. He wipes his mouth with his sleeve and resumes game play but at the same time he does he poses a question to the newest member of Team Bartowski.

"Dude, where did you get the nachos?" asked Chuck. "They taste awesome." he said reaching over to grab some and stuffs them into his mouth.

"Two and Half Amigos Restaurant and Cantina." Manoosh responded quickly glancing over at him. 'It's a favorite hang out spot of mine and I go there whenever I just want to disappear." he added.

"You two ladies talk later." stated Karl. "We have a mission to accomplish." he said sticking his tongue like a 5 year old as he repeatedly taps the button on his controller.

The 3 big kids continue on there mission at hand having a grand old time. However, the fun soon stops when a clearly audible clearing of the throat is heard behind them causing all three men to stop what they're doing in order to turn around to see who it is. The person standing in the doorway is Dr. Vale who is seemingly miffed not at Chuck or Karl but at Manoosh.

"Mr. Depak, why aren't you in the lab?" questioned Dr. Vale. "Need I remind you what we discussed." he firmly stated.

"No worries doc." Manoosh sets his controller on the floor, stands up, and hops over the couch to stand directly in front of his boss. "It's done. So like I said before its all good."

As boss and assistant are busy with their discussion Chuck and Karl turn to each other expressing a hint of laughter at what is going on. When Chuck turns his attention back to Manoosh and Dr. Karl, a third party enters the room dressed in a black suit. It's at that point, Chuck suddenly feels a sensation come over him as his eyes start to flutter to the point where he sees images relating to the individual in questions.

When its over, he has no idea what just happened causing him to quietly freak out a bit as he quietly mutters two words. "Oh boy."

XXX