A/N: Boy am I happy to see all of you...no, really...my head hurts...two chapters in less than 34 hours...sure, there's lots of fluff and stuff but, still...anyway...heres some more...my fingers are killing me...one fingered typing...not as cool as I'd imagined it would be...all those years ago...when i was young and keyboards only had 27 keys...that's right...twenty seven keys...you kids these days have it so easy...hell, when I was your age...we had no 3's or 8's...that's right...and no letters F, J, M, Q, R, U ,W or Y's...so don't tell me how rough you have it...sissy's...that's right...I'd walk 37 miles to school, uphill, balancing an anvil on my head...on a unicycle...wait...it's actually been 3 chapters...two stories...help me! I'm losing it...and not in that John Cusack...'Sure Thing' kinda way...I need sleep...and chunky monkey...and Jager.

Hey Jim...Get Better.

Yes, we have no bananas...or betas...and i don't own Chuck. Hooray...all the disclaimers out of the way...now i can grovel...please oh please oh please oh please...would you be so kind as to review...not just for me...oh no...do it for everyone who posts here...go on...tell them how cool they are...tell them how much you love/loathe their stories...we just want that most basic of needs...human contact...and not that creepy, 'after school special' human contact...no, we want to know that our labor of love isn't going unappreciated...CRAP!...what a whining cry baby I've become...please review...because it's the right thing to do. More soon and maybe...just maybe...walkabout before monday morning. JT

Sarah Vs. The Strong Swimmer Chapter 9

"Chuck…Chuck…wake up, sleepyhead…I know that you were out late with Casey and Carina but you did promise to make all of us breakfast before taking the twins to the beach…wake up" Sarah whispered the last words into his ear.

Opening his eyes, he reached up and pulled Sarah down to him, finding her lips and quickly deepening the kiss. Moments later he felt Sarah place her hand on his chest as she pushed herself away. "mmmmm…more…please" he mumbled as he struggled to sit up. Looking at Sarah, he did an almost comical double-take. "Sarah…you're as big as a house…"

Reaching out her hand, she grabbed his ear lobe and gave it a pinch. "And who's fault is that? You and that damn eyebrow dance…" she said with a bright smile before releasing his ear and straightening back up. "I know I keep saying it but, really, a second set of twins? You really do have strong swimmers…and I really do love your delivery method but maybe we should consider stopping after this…not the 'delivery' part…just the 'knocking' me up part, ok?" she said with a snort while performing her own eyebrow dance. "Get up…stop looking so confused and get your sleepy ass out of bed…did you forget that you promised Jim and Nicky blueberry pancakes?...if you're not in the kitchen in ten minutes, I'm gonna let them activate their 'wonder twin powers' on your ass…now get moving. I'll go start the prep work but you better hurry up." She said over her shoulder as she waddled towards the door.

'What the hell?' he asked himself as he swung his legs to the side of the bed. Wandering into the bathroom, he hit the light switch and looked into the mirror. "Sarah is going to have twins…again" he mumbled to himself with wonder. Reaching out and turning the faucet on, he splashed cold water into his face before reaching for his toothbrush. Looking into the mirror again, he noticed all of the gray hairs that were prominent at his temples. 'What the hell?' he wondered to himself, squinting his eyes at the sudden brightness of the bathroom lights.

"Chuck" he heard Sarah call out to him. "Chuck…I really need you…I can't do this by myself…not in this condition." He closed his eyes, trying to block out the increasing brightness of the bathroom lights. "Chuck…I need you…really, I can't do this without you." Chuck blinked his eyes, not believing how much the lights were starting to hurt him. 'Why does she sound so distant?' he asked himself. 'Is something wrong?' he wondered.

"Sarah…" he tried to yell back to her, wanting to let her know that everything would be fine if he could just find that damned dimmer switch for the lights. "Sarah…" he called again, "…please help me with these damn…er, sorry kids…darn lights…where is the dimmer switch?"

"Sarah…" Chuck croaked, "…lights…switch…ouch"

Immediately on her feet and leaning over the hospital bed, Sarah looked down into the brown eyes that she'd been so worried about. "Chuck…oh, Chuck…stay with me…I need you…we…we need you" she pleaded, tears starting to find their way down her cheeks.

"S'kay, Sarah…blueberry pancakes…the twins…be right there" he mumbled before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

"Sarah…what is it?" Ellie asked as she pushed off of the wall where she had been leaning and rushed to the bedside, concern evident in her eyes.

Obviously startled, Sarah jumped a little and then calmed right down. "Oh…Ellie…I didn't see you there. Chuck was awake…he had his eyes open and he talked to me…well sorta talked…to me." she answered, a small smile on her face.

"Well…what did he say?" she asked, giving Sarah a slight nudge.

"He said 'Sarah', and something about the lights. He also said 'blueberry pancakes' and something about 'the twins', she finished, looking into Ellie's eyes.

"He was talking about your…?" Ellie asked, confused.

"No…at least I don't think so…but if he was…so what? As long as he comes back to me, he can talk about anything he wants…" she replied as she gazed down at him, the tears still racing each other down her cheeks.

Ellie pulled her into a hug and spoke softly, "Sarah, he's asleep now…that's normal…after being in a coma for ten days he's going to be tired and sleep . You should go home and get cleaned up…after you get a few hours rest. He's going to be out for a few hours, at least. I promise I'll call if anything changes."

"But Ellie…I want to be here for him…"

"Sarah, you've been here for the entire ten days…you need to get some sleep."

"Oh…ok Ellie…I'll go home…but only for a few hours and then I'll be right back!"

"Sarah?"

"Yeah, Ellie"

"Who's 'we'?"

"What?"

"I heard you talking to Chuck…who's 'we'?"

"Ellie…I…uh…I'm…"

"Oh my god…you're pregnant…aren't you?" she asked, already pretty sure that she knew the answer. "That's why you didn't drink at the last 'movie night' at our place…and that's why you haven't been drinking coffee?"

"Yes…you're right…I'm pregnant" she said, almost seeming to be relieved that Ellie finally knew.

"Does Chuck know?"

"Yeah, he does." She answered with a smile, "we just couldn't figure out how to tell you."

"Alright…" Ellie said, having come to a decision, "…you're coming with me! First we're going to the cafeteria for some juice and real food. After that, we're going to the doctor's lounge so you can get cleaned up and then take a nap…for a few hours."

"But Ellie…what about Chuck?"

"Sarah…he's asleep and he'll be that way for a while. Do you think that he'd be happy, knowing that you've been neglecting your self…and my little niece or nephew? No, he wouldn't! After the nap, we'll check back in here and then you're going to see a friend of mine…she's one of the best pediatricians in the city."

"Yes ma'am" she said meekly, allowing Ellie to wrap an arm around her shoulders and guide her out of the room.

-0—0—0—0—0-

"Major Casey, what is the latest news concerning the asset?" General Beckman asked.

"Ma'am…I just got a call from the hospital informing me that it appears that Chuck has pulled out of the coma. He is now sleeping soundly."

"Major…as soon as possible, we want you to test him and find out if he can still 'flash'…report back to us once that question has been answered and we will decide where to go from there. Dis…"

"Excuse me, General…what about the mission we were running at the time of the incident?"

"What about it…I was under the impression that it was blown to hell." The Director asked, "Is there something that you failed to put in your report?"

"No…in fact, this is a recent development. Yesterday, the host of the party visited the hospital to check up on Chuck. He seemed concerned for his health…maybe worried about getting sued. Anyway, he left a contact number and I was wondering if we should have Agent Hansen make contact…play the concerned girlfriend…maybe we can salvage something…if it hasn't been too long already."

"Great idea, Major." General Beckman said, a faint smile playing around her lips. "I'll contact the DEA and have the director send Agent Hansen by the hospital to 'check' up on Chuck. Make sure that you give her the contact information and tell her to proceed ahead, acting as the 'concerned girlfriend'. Maybe we can salvage something after all. We weren't looking forward to trying some other way to get in. Those damn gang bangers really f'ed things up…I'm assuming that you've handled that problem?"

"Oh yes…that has most definitely been handled."

"Was there anything else, Major? No? Good. Carry on." The General said before disconnecting the feed from her end.

"Major?" Director Graham surprised Casey by remaining connected.

"Yes sir?"

"How is Agent Walker handling the 'situation'?"

"I believe that she's doing fine, sir."

"Good…well if there are any problems with her job performance, please be sure to let me know. Good day."

Casey was left staring at an empty monitor. "I really hope I was right, Walker" he mumbled to himself, knowing that his partner was compromised but hoping that her professionalism would allow her to continue doing her job. Walking away from the monitor, he yelled towards the back bedroom. "Carina…you're going to be getting a call from your boss shortly…they went for your idea…time to play up the upset girlfriend angle. Here's the number for that tool who threw the party. Remember…Chuck's going to be ok but you're worried that his partners back in Florida might be getting nervous. Let's see if we can salvage anything."

"But what if he wants to talk to Chuck? What are we going to do then?"

"Not sure yet…I'm going to go down to the hospital and talk to Walker…I'll be in touch as soon as I have anything for you."

"Maybe I should go with you…help out? I mean, after all, it's been ten days…she can't still be pissed, can she?"

"Carina…you've known her longer than I have…did what happened that night give you impression that she'd be in a forgiving mood…as far as you were concerned…any time soon?"

Carina wandered out into the kitchen and Casey caught sight of the two black eyes that were finally starting to show signs of fading. The doctor had done a great job of straightening out her nose and she was finding it easier to breath through it as the swelling continued to go down. "You're probably right…you should definitely talk to her first…yeah, that would be best." She agreed after catching her reflection on the front of the refrigerator door.

-00—00-0-0-0-0—

Sarah awoke with a start and immediately wonder where she was. It took her a few moments to remember that she was sacked out in the doctor's lounge where Ellie had left her. Throwing off the blanket that was covering her, she got to her feet and headed for the door. Reaching for the door handle, she realized that something was missing…namely, her clothes. Not all of them were gone, she was still wearing her bra and panties but that wasn't enough to wear for roaming through the halls of the hospital. Looking back at the cot she had been sleeping on, she caught sight of a set of scrubs that Ellie had left for her. Having dressed in less than two minutes, Sarah walked into Chuck's room less than five minutes later.

Walking into the room, Sarah noticed right away that there seemed to be too many people present…far too many for her taste. Chuck was awake and as soon as he caught sight of her, everyone else in the room vanished, as far as he was concerned. The crowd at his bedside turned around at the sound of her entrance and after seeing who the new guest was, turned right back to Chuck. Morgan was holding a thick stack of comic books and, surprise surprise, Big Mike was holding a box of donuts, half of which, Sarah would be willing to bet, were gone. Thankfully, none of the other 'buymorons' had shown up and Sarah was fairly confident she'd have the room to herself momentarily.

"Morgan, it's great to see you…you can just stack the comics on the tray there next to the bed…that's it" she said as she began to guide him towards the door. Thinking he would out slick Sarah, Morgan tried to twist from under her arm and go back to the bedside. Seconds later he found himself twisted like a pretzel, his arm suddenly taking up a painful position behind his back as he exited Chuck's room.

"You can stop by later, Morgan…I need some time with my boyfriend…I'm sure you understand." Sarah said.

Before he could turn back to say that ,no, he didn't understand, Sarah was already back in the room and preparing to show Big Mike to the door.

"How very nice of you to stop by" Sarah said to Chuck's former boss, obviously not meaning her sentiment one bit, "sorry you have to eat and run…but you have to eat and run…have a nice day." Sarah said as she led Big Mike out into the hallway to stand next to Morgan, leaving them both wondering what had just happened. Walking back into the room, she paused at the door and did a quick head count. Finding only Ellie and Devon inside, she stepped in and closed the door behind her. Walking over to the bed, she looked into Chuck's eyes and sighed at how good it felt to see herself reflected in them. "Chuck…I'm so sorry I wasn't here when you woke up…again. Is everything ok? Do you need anything? Would you like a donut?" she asked, holding up the box that had been in Big Mike's hand when she hustled him out into the hallway.

"No, Sarah…all I want is you" he said in a quiet voice as he held his hand out to her. Taking the cue, she walked over to the bed and placed her hand into his, feeling his grip as he tried to pull her closer. Looking into her eyes, Chuck got worried. "Sarah, you look so tired…are you alright? Is everything…you know…is the…"

"It's ok Chuck, Ellie knows."

"And so does Devon..." Ellie said with a smile, "I hope you guys don't mind but I had to tell him."

Exchanging glances, Sarah merely shook her head while Chuck spoke for them. "Yeah, that's fine Ellie. Now Sarah…you look so tired…are you sure you're alright?"

"Chuck…I'm fine. I'm not the one who was shot and just woke up from a ten day coma."

"Ten days?" he asked, shocked by Sarah's statement. Before he could say anything else, first Ellie's, and then Devon's pagers started to beep. They both looked down and then, almost as one, they started to move towards the door.

"We'll check in on you later, little brother" Ellie said with a smile, "it's just so great to see you awake again. You'll tell me later all about that party you went to" she said as she left and Chuck knew she was right…he would tell her…if he wanted to or not.

"Later bro" Devon added on his way out. "It's so cool that you guys have a little one on the way. That's awesome!" he said, not surprising Chuck or Sarah at all with his choice of words.

"Ah…alone at last, Miss Walker. Tell me what happened. I don't seem to recall anything."

"Well…you flashed on three gang bangers who crashed the party looking for some members of a rival gang. Before anyone knew what was happening, they pulled their weapons and just started blasting. From what I heard, no more than twenty shots were fired, most of them directed at the rival gang members. Case's pretty sure your were hit by a ricochet. He was looking right at you when you collapsed in front of the bar…Chuck…I was so afraid when Casey told me to call for medical help…when he told me it was you who got hit…I got the med team there and then I rushed in to make sure that you were alright."

"Was anyone else hurt…Casey…Carina…are they ok?"

"Yeah, they're both fine…for the most part." Sarah finished in an almost hushed voice.

"Alright Sarah…what's wrong…talk to me."

"Well…somehow…Carina's nose got broken…twice." She said quietly, refusing to look Chuck in the eye.

"Give me your hand Sarah…no, the other one" he said with his palm held out. Taking her right hand in his, he looked at the back of her hand. "Mmmmm…so how did these knuckles get bruised?" he asked as he looked her hand over.

"Well…um…I…uh…"

"Sarah…you broke her nose? Twice?"

"I warned her to keep you safe Chuck. I'm sorry, but I did warn her. Plus, she let that new shirt I bought you get ruined. I really liked that shirt."

"Sarah…we can always get another shirt. Well, at least you didn't cut her or shoot her…that's something, I guess." Looking at Sarah he noticed that her head was still hanging down and she appeared to be muttering something. "What was that Sarah…out with it!"

"I said…Casey made me give him my blades and guns before he'd let me talk to her."

"Did you beat up Casey as well?"

"No, of course not. He didn't promise me to keep you safe and he….."

"You're mumbling again, Sarah."

"I said…he wasn't looking at your ass whenever he thought I wasn't looking…"

Chuck started to laugh, softly at first and then harder until he stopped suddenly, wincing from the sudden pain in his side. "please don't make me laugh anymore…at least not right away"

"I won't" she said, obviously feeling bad for Chuck's discomfort. "I'm so sorry Chuck…you shouldn't be here…it's all my fault…"

"Sarah…Sarah, stop it. It's not your fault. C'mere he said, holding out his arm so he could pull her into a hug. "It just happened. You couldn't have stopped it. It could have Casey who caught the ricochet, just a easily as me…so stop trying to blame yourself. Now listen…I'm tired and I think I'm about ready to take another nap…" and he did. Sarah looked down in surprise and then smiled. Pulling up a chair, she leaned her head onto his shoulder and allowed herself to drift off to sleep.