Title: Sacrifice
Author: Cindy Ryan
Pairings: C/S
Category: angst, AU
Timeline: Alternate ending for Chuck vs the best friend
Notes: This hasn't been beta'd but I've done my best to catch any errors

Once back at the castle John Casey's computer beeped. He crossed the room and sat down in front of the laptop.
Casey frowned seeing one of the programs open. They had a running search in case anybody from Fulcrum on down did any digging on the Intersect.

The program had gotten a hit.
Several hits.

Not on the Intersect but on Chuck himself.
Or at least the 'accident' that had killed Chuck.
Somebody in the LAPD was doing some digging.

Not that he was worried about any of the idiots at the LAPD making the connection between Chuck and the CIA.
They'd covered their tracks.

Something nagged at the back of Casey's mind….. If the LAPD got lucky and discovered the link it wouldn't be pretty.

John reached for the phone to call Walker but then hesitated. He could handle whatever it was for now.

Casey shook his head wondering when he had gotten soft.

Time to do some searching and find out what exactly the LAPD knew about Chuck.

*******

Sarah's eyes were red and puffy as she sat in her hotel room. She was curled up in the chair by the window.
The drapes however were drawn Sarah wanting nothing to do with the view.

She hated that she'd bailed on the memorial. More than anything she'd wanted to be there for Ellie….the woman had been nothing but kind to her.
Sarah knew Chuck would understand but that was a small comfort.

In her right hand Sarah held her blackberry. She scrolled through files on what the CIA knew on the Triads.
Locations.
Leaders.

Sarah wasn't sure what she was going to do with the information but she felt she had to do something.
Chuck deserved some kind of justice.

She was going to make that happen no matter what.

**********

The pain filled fog drifted allowing sounds to penetrate.

Voices.
Movement.

He tried to focus on them.
Claw his way back.

Too much effort…..too tired
The oblivion won and he slipped back.

**********

John Casey sipped the too hot coffee and cursed as it burnt his tongue. He had left the castle twenty minutes before once he identified the detective who was investigating Bartowski.
Now he sat in traffic wondering if he was wasting his time.
The detective seemed to be going through his normal routine. Nothing out of the ordinary.

That was until the electronic bug Casey had slipped into Sheldon's car picked up an interesting phone conversation.

At first John thought this detective might be working for Fulcrum but as he listened Casey realized that couldn't be farther from the truth.

"Yeah, Doc, I found a lead that could explain our John Doe's injuries."

Casey's hand froze on the coffee cup…..couldn't be…..

"I'll let you know as soon as I have anything definite."

As the call ended John quickly pulled over and out of traffic. He'd be able to find Sheldon again if he needed to.
Casey threw the car into park and turned to the small laptop on the seat next to him. He logged the call and activated a trace program.

Watching the computer screen John's mind struggled to wrap around what he'd heard.

A John Doe matching Bartowski's description would explain the digging the LAPD was doing.
If it was actually Chuck…..

Casey shook his head…..he knew the type of explosive that'd been in the Nerd Herder. He had the results from the techs….
Inconclusive results….. heat too intense to confirm a hundred percent……

He'd seen the explosion himself…..seen what was left of the car…..
If Chuck had some how been thrown clear…..

Casey shoved the possibility away….

The computer beeped signaling its result.
John pulled up the address on a map and frowned.
It was close to the explosion site.
Too close not to investigate further.

Casey eased the car out into traffic once again.

If there was some chance that Chuck had used up one of his nine lives and survived Casey knew what the CIA's response would be.

They had to assess what Bartowski's injuries were and his state of mind.
The intersect had to be protected.
At all costs.

********

Sarah showered and got dressed. She'd make the rounds check on Ellie and Morgan, touch base with Casey and then Sarah decided she'd do a little surveillance.

She dressed in a comfortable pair of shorts and a t-shirt adding a pair of tennis shoes something that she could easily blend in to whatever group of people she was near. Grabbing a pair of sunglasses, her camera, purse and cellphone Sarah left

On the way out of the hotel Sarah pulled out the phone and scrolled down to Casey's number. Her thumb hesitated over the talk button. They were technically off duty and she knew he'd contact her if there was anything going on that she needed to know about.

Sarah made her way to her car and got in while dialing Morgan's number. As expected it went straight to voicemail. She tried Ellie and Devon and got the same. She pulled the car out of the parking lot and decided to head to Morgan's first and then circle back to Ellie's late afternoon.

With a plan for the day set Sarah maneuvered her way through traffic. She could only hope that what she did today made a difference.

However small it may be.

*********

It was mid-day by the time Casey found the small medical clinic that the call had traced to.

It was the type of place for homeless and for others down on their luck with nowhere else to go.
A place that had seen better days and was hanging on by their fingernails.
A place the city and country needed more of.

John pulled the car over to the right side of the road a block over. He shut the engine off and opened the door.

He shut the door and dodged traffic as he crossed the street.

Placing his sunglasses on Casey walked up to the clinic. Normally he'd go undercover as part of the staff but at a place this small it was too risky….everybody would know everybody.
He'd play things by ear.

Casey stepped into the clinic and hung back by the door as he scanned the room.
It didn't take him long to find why Detective Sheldon had been digging.

John took his glasses off and walked forward not believing what was before him.

A young man with dark hair lay in one of the four beds.
Hooked up to monitors and an IV.
Pale as the sheets beneath him.
One arm was wrapped in bandages and supported in a sling.

It was official Chuck definitely had nine lives and he'd used up eight of them.
By some miracle or twist of fate John found himself looking at somebody he thought he'd never see again.

Chuck was alive….banged up pretty good but alive.

John stopped at the right side of the bed looking down at the man who had saved his life at least once.
He had to get him back to the Castle before Fulcrum found out the Intersect was vulnerable.
There they could determine what his injuries and what needed to be done.

Footsteps behind caused Casey to look into the friendly face of a man in a lab coat.

"Do you know this young man?"

Casey straightened pulled out his badge flashing it briefly. He opened his mouth and said the first thing that came to mind.

"This man is a witness in an upcoming trial. The government thanks you for your care of him, Doctor, but I need to get him somewhere secure."

Beckett nodded. "Of course. My staff and I will be happy to help in anyway we can."

"Thank you but our people will take care of it."

The doctor looked back at Chuck. "His condition is stable but I wouldn't transport him over long distances."

"Understood."Casey replied quietly as he reached for his phone.