A short chapter to get this old thing goin' again. :)

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Bryce grits his teeth. It's become hard not to tell Chuck things.

Years of spy training. Years of it, and the the more time he spends around Chuck, the harder it is for him to lie to the guy. But the General's orders were clear: Drag Shaw's true identity out when the time is right and no sooner.

'I am a spy,' he thinks. 'I am the best spy.'

He's also a spy who is on closing duty at the Buy More.

His last shift before this waking acid trip of an assignment ends. The next day his team would be headed for Rome, and he still hasn't decided if he's going with.

"What?" Chuck asks as he hooks up his Iphone to the store sound system after the doors have closed. "Of course you're coming! Come on, Bryce, it's gonna be awesome, it'll be like old times, except...y'know. Less midterms." Chuck thinks for a second. "And less Jill." He shakes out his head and sets up a playlist.

"What are you doing?" Bryce asks, watching.

"Oh hey, that's right! You've never closed up before!" Chuck grins at him. "The staff has a running close-the-store playlist. Every staff member picks one song to go on the- You haven't picked a song! Pick a song."

Bryce laughs a little. "I am terrified of this mix CD."

"As well you should be."

"What did Casey pick?"

Chuck grins. "Neil Diamond, what else? Now quick quick quick pick a song before the natives get restless. And no fair choosing Cecelia, it's already on here. It's Fernando's jam."

Bryce laughs. "Damn! Okay...how about some David Bowie."

Chuck raises an eyebrow. "Golden Years?"

"Golden Years."

The taller spy thumbs up the song, places it into his Buy More mix, and then presses play before leading Bryce back out to the empty sales floor. "Attention Buymoria! Bryce...has chosen a song. And it is thus."

They walk through the store, through coworkers bopping their heads and dancing, and singing and Bryce realizes that closing time is, among other things, one giant karaoke and dance party. He grins a little as he sets about helping Chuck do some of the closing chores.

"You gonna miss it here?"

"No," Chuck replies automatically, and then backpedals. "Yeah. I don't know, man, it's hard to say...I mean...these past few months, for the first time in years I've really loved my life. I mean mostly cause...y'know. Spy now. And...and I have Sarah. But...I don't know."

"Still over-thinking it?" Bryce asks.

Chuck nods. "I'm really good at it."

"Chuck. Rome is beautiful. You've already taken a rather extensive online course in Italian, and you're not only gonna have a full team, but one of said members is your girlfriend."

He frowns. "But what if she meets some buff, tan Italian guy?"

"It's nothing she hasn't seen before, and believe me, buff tan Italian guys are a dime a dozen."

Both Bryce and Chuck look up at the new voice and find Sarah leaning on the Nerd Herd desk, an amused grin on her face.

"Hi," Chuck stammers out. "Hey. Hi, Sarah."

She leans over and pecks his lips. "Hi. So it looks like I have to go to Paris tonight."

Chuck's eyes widen. "Wh- Paris? But...But Sarah..."

Sarah takes his hand. "We had a little break-in down in Castle while you were up here. Shaw and I handled it, but it turned out to be a Ring Agent looking for some of our files. After a little...persuading on Daniel's part, he gave up the location of the Ring Leader."

"Paris," Chuck says glumly, holding her hand tightly. "So...what about Rome?"

"I will meet you there," she promises.

He swallows. "I'll go with you! To Paris, I mean! I can help you find the Ring Leader and then- and then we can go to Rome together."

"That's very sweet, Chuck, but it's a two-man job and the General wants you rested for your flight tomorrow.." She leans over the desk and kisses him again before pulling away. "I will see you in Rome. I promise. And I'll call from Paris."

Bryce tilts his head, a little confused. Why would Sarah being going with Shaw to Paris if the General knows about Shaw's betrayal?

His answer comes in the form of a knock.

As she pulls away from Chuck, Sarah she taps on the desk, as if it's the most natural thing in the world, and it sets the alarms in Bryce's head off immediately.

They watch Sarah walk away, and she glances back at them, before they look at each other.

Bryce knits his eyebrows together. "Did you-"

Chuck nods. "That was-"

"SOS," they say in unison, and as one, they're off like a shot toward the secret entrance into Castle through the Buy More locker rooms, only to be stopped by a merry yellow sticky note attached to Chuck's locker.

He rips it off and reads it. "'Chuck- wait one hour then grab supplies and Casey, love Sarah.'"

"An hour?" Bryce snaps. "She wants us to wait an hour? When she's with Shaw?"

"Sarah knows what she's doing, Bryce," Chuck says evenly. "We have to- wait. Wait, what about...what about Shaw?"

Bryce gives him a wary look.

"Shaw's a bad guy and you didn't tell me? What is wrong with you!"

"I didn't tell you because Beckman told me not to!" Bryce cries. "It was orders!"

"That's what the Nazis used to say, Bryce! Come on!"

"Does it really matter now?" Bryce snaps. "Sarah is on her way to Paris. With Shaw. Who is a Ring agent." He stops and thinks. "Wait. How did Sarah know about Shaw?"

Chuck rolls his eyes. "Bryce. Buddy. She's Sarah. She runs spy circles around both of us, of course she figured it out."

"We cannot wait an hour to follow them," Bryce says. "We gather up supplies and screw Casey and go after them."

Chuck looks torn between following Sarah's directions or going after her, knowing she's in danger.

Bryce is in no mood. After having his initial gut reaction about Shaw brushed off and then confirmed, he's tired of waiting around for the other shoe to drop.

"You know what? Do whatever you want. I'm going now."

Chuck's eyes widen as he watches Bryce open up the lockers to get into Castle. "Bryce, wait-!"

It's too late. Bryce is already in, heading down the stairs toward the armory.

He doesn't make it. Something hard and cold hits the back of his head and the world goes black.