AN: OMG thanks so much for the reviews!!! I'm so glad that this fic is so well received by the Chuck fans! It took me like a week, but here's the next chapter. Its significantly shorter than #1, but its more of an interlude and Chara chapter than anything. I was focusing my attention more on my other story, Vs the Out of Body Experience if anyone wants to know. ;) Anyways, this is Part I of II parts in the Ten Rings. As this story progresses, it will devel further into the Marvel universe if anyone cares. Not much though, just SHIELD and small references and stuff. If you have any questions on comic stuff, just send me a PM and i'll answer any questions. Reviews will be much appreciated please!!!!!!!

Chapter Two: The Ten Rings Part I

Expecting to still be lying on top of the hard arena surface, Chuck was pleasantly surprised to find himself comfortably situated upon an expensive leather couch. His right arm dangled at the side of the sofa, twitching each time he inhaled through his slightly parted mouth. A dull, but present pain throbbed in several places on his body, one being his hand. Still having his eyes closed while lost in a half-conscious state, Chuck's chest rose up and down slowly until his heart beat and breathing became in sync.

Once the aching from his hand had turned for the worse, Chuck moaned in his sleep, and moved his injured appendage to a more comfortable spot. It rested painfully on his stomach, several digits burned with a hot intensity that turned Chuck's peaceful nap into a restless nightmare. He tossed and turned on the couch, eyebrows drawing inward in an upset expression, and bared his teeth after the constant stabs of pain escalated into something far nastier. Whatever drugs that had been injected into his system while he was under had begun to wear off. A louder moan emitted from the back of his throat.

Back at the front desk, Samantha Wesson was typing her standard Intel report. Her fingers flew across the keyboard as she deftly went over her notes, glancing back and forth to make sure that she transferred the data correctly. The constant tapping noise from the keyboard died off once she had finished her last sentence. Receding her hands backwards, the SHIELD agent sighed a breath of relief; she pushed her swivel chair with her feet, sending her flying to the other side of the desk. Spinning the chair around and around, she wasted time waiting for the printer to print out the hard copy.

"What are you doing?"

Pulling her knees inward in attempt to spin the chair around faster, Sam rotated in her seat slowly until she was face to face with the female spy. He cheeks were flushed red from being caught messing around.

"I-I uh, was waiting for the printer," she explained. Getting up from her chair, Sam jetted over to the printer and retrieved her copy of her latest paper. "What do you want, Agent Walker? Is Charlie awake yet?"

Sarah stood in the center of the room and shook her head, "No, Chuck's still asleep. It's been three hours; shouldn't he have woken up by now?"

Scanning over the pages of the report, Sam picked up a pen and signed her name at the bottom along with the date. Looking up, she noticed that Sarah was out of her gym close and now dressed in a pair of stonewashed jeans and a purple halter top; her hair was down also. Setting down the paper and pen, Sam cracked her knuckles and said in a very careful voice, "Even though Agent Carmichael had beat Colonel Casey, he still was never properly trained to handle the extensive physical strain that the Intersect had him absorb. Casey knocked him around pretty good before the Intersect had even been activated too, and it resulted in some minimal injuries." Snapping out of her professional tone, she added humorously, "Anyways, I gave Charlie enough pain relievers to send him into a mini medicated coma. You know, He's pretty lanky for a superspy…"

Agreeing with what Sam had said, Sarah only nodded and took a seat in one of the waiting chairs. She folded her hands over her lap and lowered her gaze at the dark carpet floor. Her mind still reeled from what she had seen Chuck do. Ever since the wedding, it felt as though she had been transported into another dimension. One where Bryce Larkin was dead, Chuck was a super agent, and she wanted nothing to do with the spy world any longer. All Sarah wanted was to be normal. And now she was faced with the terrifying thought that maybe Chuck had been destined to become the government's number one secret weapon all along? If so, then their roles had been reversed. Sarah's dream of normalcy and Chuck's fate of becoming a spy had fallen on the other ends of the spectrum. Yet, neither of them knew how the other one felt on the issue. This was because both of them wouldn't dare tell.

A very sore and irritated John Casey (who was holding an icepack against his chin) limped tiredly into the main entrance, stealing a perturbed glance at his somber partner and then grunting just loud enough to get her attention. Shifting the ice from the bottom of his chin, Casey held the freezing bag in his hand and took a seat next to Sarah. She was still concentrating on the floor, Casey noticed. He leaned back in the armchair and stared at the ceiling fan; it whirled around and around like a propeller revolving around a plane.

"Chuck's up," He mentioned in a quiet voice.

Snapping Sarah from her reverie, she bounded to her feet and immediately made her attempt to go to Chuck. But Casey was quicker, even beaten and bruised; the Colonel sat up and blocked the young woman from escaping. She gave him a questioning look. He returned it with concerned, but hard eyes. Defeated, she sat back down.

"Chuck's up," he repeated slowly, "but he's in a lot of pain. I could hardly sleep myself with him moaning and groaning for the last ten minutes. He looks like hell."

"Then why won't you let me see him?" Sarah asked angrily.

"I didn't forbid you from going to see your boyfriend, Walker." Casey said defensively, "I just wanted to warn you beforehand that the Intersect did a real number on him. From what I could see, Bartowski broke several fingers in his right hand, and may have done some damage to a ligament or two in his legs. Who knows about the internal injuries…?"

"We might need to take him to the hospital then?" She sighed.

"Oh, you need a doctor?" Sam asked interestedly. It was the first time she engaged herself in the conversation.

"You're not a doctor," Casey sneered at her.

Exiting from the front desk, Samantha held a shiny silver box with a large navy blue colored cross stamped across the top. She brought it up for Sarah and Casey to see, both raising speculative eyebrows. Flashing a smile that could light a stadium, she leaped toward the spies and handed them the medical kit.

"I am not a doctor, this is true," she said, nodding as she spoke, "but I still have this spiffy little first aid kit that can be just as effective as any doctor could be."

Not fully comprehending the significance of what a seemingly ordinary first aid kit could do to help Chuck heal, Sarah's lip tugged down into a perplexed frown. Casey mirrored her exactly.

"What will first aid do to help set Chuck's bones, or cure any of his wounds that are infected?" Sarah inquired harshly.

Taken back by her forceful tone, Sam held the case to her face and gently tapped on the logo of the maker with her index finger. It bold lettering, the label read: Stark Industries.

"The great thing about working for SHIELD is the health benefits," Sam joked lightly and handed the case over to Sarah who examined it thoroughly, "If you didn't know, Stark Industries is one of our major sponsors and providers, if not the biggest. It's really cool because some of the stuff in here incorporates the new Arc Reactor technology that the public have no knowledge about---"

"This is a SI product?" said Casey cut in.

"---So whatever is wrong with Chuck, this case will have everything we need to help him?"

Sam itched the side of her cheek and nodded, "Yes. I already used some of the pain relievers encased in there just after he fainted. They're fast acting and can temporarily cure almost any injury for a set period of time. That's why he's probably up now. When it wears off, it wears off with a vengeance." And for the first time since they've met, Sam laughed spitefully, "It's just one of the many side-effects of governmental technology, huh? Nothing's absolute."

Confused by her sudden sarcasm, Sarah thanked her for the kit and along with Casey, went to go see Chuck.

The small flame that was the pain in his hand had raged into a burning inferno. Not only were his fingers caught aflame, but so were his thighs, ankles, ribs and feet. Each flared up simultaneously, getting Chuck to graduate from his constant incoherent moaning to a strangled howl of pain. He whipped his head back and forth, succumbing to the fever of whatever sickness plagued him. Tears sat in the corners of his closed eyes, and from that moment on, Chuck knew that this unbearable hurt couldn't be attributed towards mere fatigue.

"God, ah, S-Sarah--!" He cried out, thrashing uncontrollably on the sofa. "H-he-help, please…"

His breathing became hitched and uneven as the beating of his heart sped up rapidly. Hearing the pounding of blood pump through his ears, Chuck struggled to sit himself up and open his eyes. When he understood that it was near impossible to accomplish the simple of tasks, he resorted to weathering it out.

What the hell is going on? Screamed Chuck internally, his mind felt heavier all the sudden. It was like he was about to flash on something. This cannot be good.

Suddenly, the pain had all but vanished. Every inflamed body part had been quenched. The thumping in his heart slowed down until his pulse returned to normal, and of course, the throbbing in his brain (and the flashing sensation) faded away. More than a little confused, and slightly frightened by these turn of events, Chuck timidly opened one eye, not knowing what to expect. The blurry vision that impaired Chuck's sight corrected itself. He blinked several times, making sure that what—or who he saw was in fact real and not some figment of his imagination, or the Intersect's trick. Lifting his arm up, he grasped at thin air, desperate to touch the angelic figure before him.

A dreamy smile spread across Chuck's face, and feeling more confident, he slowly let his other eye slide open. A colder hand held his warmer one and rubbed it gently. Chuck lifted his body up and touched the side of her face. Convinced that this was real, he caressed her cheek and pushed a strand of golden hair behind her ear.

"You came for me…." He said hoarse whisper.

Everything that had worried her minutes before when she saw him dying in front of her very eyes had vanished. Calmness and love washed through her. She let his hand press up against her cheek, a teetering smile set on his face. For a moment, she chose not to respond, just relish in their moment together, alone. But when he sent her a strangely befuddled look and retracted his hand from her soft skin, did she have to return to reality.

"W-where did the pain go?"

His voice was laced with childish uncertainty. This made Sarah want to envelope him in a hug and never let go.

"Chuck the pain's gone and never coming back." She explained to him and waited for his expression to change. It never did.

"You're wrong, it will come back," His eyes watered and his voice wavered on the verge of panic, "When I flash, everything burns. My head, my body…it's like I'm on fire. D-do-don't make me flash anymore, Sarah. Please? It hurts. I should've never re-uploaded the Intersect, Bryce was right. He's always right. Was always right, it's my fault he's dead too, right? All of this is my fault, maybe I deserve this, right?!"

In the middle of his incoherent babble, Sarah covered his mouth with her free hand. Crying pitifully, he shut his eyes and shook his head rapidly. He blamed himself for everything. Sarah knew he was delusional. It had to be a side-effect from the trial medication and from his mental fatigue. What could she do now? Let him cry until he passes out? Unsure, Sarah removed her hand from his mouth and smiled sadly.

"Chuck, you don't know what you are saying," Sarah consoled him with her motherly voice, "Just close your eyes and go to sleep, you'll feel a thousand times better next time you wake up, ok?" Even she didn't know if she convinced herself with that lie.

"You p-promise?" he stuttered, his brown eyes still glassy from crying.

"I promise."

"Ok, can you stay with me until I fall asleep?"

"Of course," she agreed.

Lolling his bed back on the headrest of the couch, Chuck closed his eyes. Sarah stayed put for a few minutes, watching over him until he calmed down and fell asleep. Once she was certain that he was unconscious, she stealthily got up and---

"You know I've been scared to tell you this ever since the moment I met you…"

Freezing where she was, Sarah listened to Chuck's ramblings. Was he asleep, or just so heavily drugged that he had no clue what was coming out of his mouth?

"You probably don't feel the same way, and I don't really expect you to either." He licked his dry lips and smiled goofily, "But since we have an e-es-established relationship now, I feel like I need to come clean."

Craning her neck to one side, Sarah decided to sit back down and hear Chuck out. She couldn't see his face, it was still leaning back against the couch. But what she couldn't see was that Chuck was staring fully aware at the top of the ceiling. He was smiling.

"I love you Sarah Walker."

With his last effort to stay awake, Chuck listened attentively if Sarah decided to respond.

"I love you too, Chuck Bartowski."

From that point on, Chuck fell into a peaceful sleep. A wide grin lingered on his face.

End Chapter Two

Next Chapter: The Ten Rings Part II

An: Sorry if that was confusing and or angsty for a bit. I'm writing this while being devoid of sleep. Sorry. i'll have chapter three out maybe tomorrow if y'all review a lot. =) Trust me when I say that Chuck's condition will be adressed soon and same with Stark Industries and stuff.