Sarah pulled into the garage of the safe house. No one had spoken a word sense Bryce admitted to loving her. Chuck jumped out of the car and ran into the house after grabbing a couple bag, not meeting anyone eye to eye.
"What happened?" Ellie asked as she watched her brother run through garage door into the house.
"Bryce…everything." Sarah admitted.
"Sarah…" Bryce tried, needing to talk to her.
"Not now." Sarah replied, pleading with her eyes.
"Later?" He asked, begging.
"Later." Sarah confirmed, before grabbing Ellie's hand and dragging her into the house.
"Oh awesome, we get to unload." Devon said as Casey came in from checking the area, once inside the garage he shut the door.
"No one leaves the house until we know we are good and safe, got me?" Casey asked.
"Yes sir." Bryce answered quietly, grabbing a bunch of bags and heading inside.
"What is with Larkin?" Casey asked turning towards Devon.
"Triangle issue. Not awesome." Devon replied with a sigh, grabbing himself a handful of bags.
"What? Why am I always left out of things…jezze I am not the frickin fat kid on the team!" Casey mumbled as he reached into the car.
___________________________________________________________________
Inside Bryce was mopping in the living room, Sarah and Ellie were whispering in the kitchen, while Chuck remained unseen.
"Where is Chuckles?" Devon asked.
"Back bedroom ,last door on the right." Sarah called back with a sigh.
Devon nodded and headed down towards the room, not bothering to knock as he walked in and saw Chuck on his laptop, typing away.
"What happened bro?" Devon asked as soon as he saw Chuck's disheveled face.
"Bryce Larkin." Chuck simply answered.
"Ok…what are you doing?" Devon asked, deciding to change his approach.
"Typing a letter to Beckman saying if she lets this whole mess disappear I will come back and behave in the bunker, doing whatever they want." Chuck replied after a second.
Devon quickly walked over and ripped the laptop from Chuck's hands, over powering the smaller man within seconds.
"Give it back!" Chuck yelled jumping to his feet.
"Not a chance in hell." Devon replied seriously. "This is not awesome Chuck, we risked a lot to come save you, you were trouble we helped that is what family does, now you are going to throw it all away?"
"Nothing matters now." Chuck simply sighed out.
"Why?" Devon prodded, turning the laptop off and putting it down.
"Because Bryce loves Sarah…Bryce is a big super agent spy, with strength and power, and confidence….I am a guy who works at the Buymore making $11.00 an hour…it is obvious who she will pick." Chuck answered softly.
"You don't know that bro, I see the way she looks at you, that is real, the love shinning…it can't be faked." Devon assured.
"But she loves Bryce…she did before he was dead, him being alive doesn't change how she felt about him." Chuck replied.
"I think Sarah is in love with you, and you love her and are scared of what that means…this is your excuse out instead of dealing bro." Devon answered with confidence.
"Or maybe this is just me realizing Bryce Larkin always gets what he wants." Chuck retorted.
____________________________________________________________________
"So Bryce just blurted that out in the car?" Ellie asked after hearing the whole story from Sarah.
"Yup. Perfect timing that one." Sarah replied sarcastically.
"Do you love him?" Ellie asked seriously.
"I…I don't know…no I know…it's confusing." Sarah sighed out.
"No, it really isn't. Look at it this way, when he died could you go on? Did your world stop? Could you breathe knowing it was one more breath you two would never share? Did your heart ache so bad you thought it would kill you?" Ellie rambled on.
"No…I just felt…sad for a bit, then I started working with Chuck." Sarah truthfully replied.
"And what happened?" Ellie pushed.
"Things with Bryce just sort of went to the back of my mind, Chuck became my priority." Sarah replied.
"Because of the job or how you felt?" Ellie asked.
"…Both I guess, I mean as an agent protecting the asset always is the top priority, but with Chuck it was more then protection, it was keeping him happy, helping him adjust, getting to know his family, learning to trust." Sarah answered.
"If you had not been able to get him out of the bunker, how would you have felt?" Ellie asked.
"Like I died. Like I had failed him." Sarah replied.
"So it seems, you care for Chuck a lot more then anyone else, you risked your career, your life, everything for the man while Bryce…you just brushed off and moved on. You can't do that if you are truly in love, the pain of losing the love of your life would be more then anything you have handled. I have seen it many times while I have been a doctor. A woman turning off the life support on her husband, a husband crying over his dying wife, kids all around…the pain is something unimaginable. You didn't feel that." Ellie said, looking Sarah straight in the eyes.
"…No…but I did feel something." Sarah pushed, trying to figured the whole mess out.
"Did you and Bryce ever talk? Did he beg to hear any parts of your past? Did he care more about himself and his safety more then yours?" Ellie asked.
"With us it was more, we worked really well together, and then we had great sex." Sarah explained.
"That isn't love Sarah." Ellie retorted seriously.
"No…no that is not." Sarah admitted after a couple of minutes, tears welling up in her eyes. "Love is…is needing the other person, him being your other half, risking your life to protect them, letting them hold you when you are sad…"
"Exactly." Ellie happily expressed. "And it seems…those are the things Chuck is, am I right?"
"Oh God…I really do love Chuck, like not high school puppy love, but love love!" Sarah cried out, the tears now slowly making their way down her face.
"I know it is scary Sarah, but Chuck feels the same way." Ellie assured, pulling the younger woman into a hug.
"I have never opened up to another person before, and now I find out I am 100% in love with someone, and I am talking to you about my fears." Sarah continued to cry.
"Maybe, you are learning to trust." Ellie soothingly replied.
"I was taught to never trust anyone." Sarah replied.
"Well the Bartowski's don't work that way, and you became a Bartowski a long time ago." Ellie soothed with a smile.
"This must be what being sisters feels like." Sarah whispered as she let Ellie clear the tears from her face.
"Damn straight. Sisters at heart sweetie, and I am guessing soon, sister's by marriage." Ellie answered with a wink.
"Thank you Ellie." Sarah honestly expressed.
"Anytime honey, now, go talk to those boys." Ellie pushed.