A/N: I don't own nor make any $ from Chuck. Thank you for all the reviews they are the best compensation!

Langston Graham never trusted anybody, and in truth, a man in his position could not afford to. He really had no friends or close associates, he only had opponents. He was constantly looking for an advantage over everyone he came in contact with, and used used any information he could for personal gain. So it would not come as a surprise to anyone who knew him, that he had installed a tracking device in the body armor of Casey's tactical gear. Bryce has used this signal to track their location to modest single family home, in the industrial district of the city.

The house faced an old strip mall that was closed and undergoing renovations, but with a 7 story parking garage, made a perfect sniper nest for Bryce. There was no moon tonight, and the area around him was completely deserted, as he looked through the scope on his rifle and ranged the building. The thermal signatures from the scope showed two targets in the front part of the house, and two in the back, appearing to be sleeping. He knew immediately that was Chuck and Sarah, and felt the bile in his stomach rise as he saw them together.

"I have located the package," Bryce keyed into his radio.

"Understood. Sit-rep?"

"Four targets. Two in the front part of the structure. Range 65 meters. Two in the rear of the structure. Range 73 meters."

"Understood. Are they clear?"

"No. Targets are obscured."

Graham wanted Bryce to recover the intersect from Chuck, so he could not use the .50 caliber loads; which would essentially go through walls. So he had to use a smaller caliber with much less power, and required an unobstructed view of the target. Bryce had prepared for this contingency, by attaching, small remote controlled charges on a few objects on the street, his plan was to draw them out of the house, by detonating them. From his position he would then be able to pick them off. He even went so far as to put a larger charge in the back of the house, so that they would be forced to evac out the front.

"Understood. Stand by."

"Roger."

Graham had designated Chuck and Casey as alpha targets one and two respectively, and Sarah and the man they knew as Colt, targets Bravo one and two. Chuck was higher priority then anyone else and Bryce would need to take him out first as the success of the mission depended on it.

Sarah bolted up in bed as Chuck softly snored. She had a strange feeling, her instincts screamed out something was happening but she just couldn't figure out what. Those instincts had served her well on many different continents and she learned long ago never to dismiss them. She kept replaying the conversation she had with Casey in her mind, because something seemed out of place.

I will radio that Chuck is missing...I will radio in...why would he have to radio in?...Why wouldn't Graham and Beckman call them first for updates? Chuck is a very important assets...they wanted him in a bunker to keep him safe for Christ sake..they need to know...They were overdue..why are they not contacting Casey? What could that mean? It either means they can't contact them...that seems highly unlikely given their vast resources...or it means they won't contact them. Why wouldn't they contact them...unless..they know!

She quickly got out of bed and checked her gun, then moved cautiously to the side window and peaked out.

Nothing.

It was a very dark night with no moon and visibility was severely limited.

Something is wrong.

"Chuck wake up," she said as she roused him out of bed.

"Hey what's going..,"

"Quiet. Listen I need you to get dressed and stay in this room until I come back for you. Do you understand?"

"Sarah what's wrong," he asked with fear spreading into his voice.

She could see the panic on his face, and although she wanted him to be calm, she knew this feeling she had had never failed to alert her to danger before. Trying to be his girlfriend right now wouldn't be the right move, she needed to be his agent.

"I don't know, but something feels wrong, and I'm not taking any chances with you," she said as she checked the magazine in her gun.

"Ok," Chuck said nervously.

She walked over to him and quickly kissed him.

"Don't worry. I will never let anyone hurt you," she smiled as she made her way out the door.

"Lock the door," she called from outside.

"Yes ...ah..Sarah," he stammered as he jumped out of bed and locked up behind her.

Casey and Hawkins were just finishing up an early breakfast when Sarah startled them.

"Casey something is wrong," she said as she entered the kitchen.

"What is it," he said as both men snapped to attention.

"I'm not sure but something doesn't feel right. It's too quiet. Why hasn't Graham or Beckman tried to contact us," she said as she peaked through the window.

"It's only been...,"

"We have the most important intelligence asset in the history of the United States! Why aren't they raising bloody murder trying to get a hold of us," Sarah said as she stared into his eyes.

Casey immediately picked up on her line of thought.

"Oh Shit," he said.

"What's wrong," Hawkins asked.

"Someone is coming for us," Sarah said as she helped Casey extinguish the lights and check out the front.

"Who?"

"I don't know, but I don't think they are taking prisoners," Sarah said as she peered around the shade an out the window.

Bryce focused his rifle on the front window when he saw the lights go out in the house.

"C'mon show yourself," he whispered as he saw movement behind the window shade.

"I have a possible target," he spoke in the radio.

"Can you confirm identity?"

"Negative. Target is partially obscured. Requesting permission to initiate action."

"Permission granted."

"Roger."

The silence of the moment was ripped apart, as Bryce touched a small hand held remote which activate the first charge of explosives that he had hidden.

"Get down," Sarah screamed as she saw a bright light flash in the street and the glass of the window shatter on her back.

The first explosion was followed by 3 successive ones all of which were getting progressively closer to the front of the house.

"What's your status," Casey called through the smoke.

"I'm ok," Hawkins replied.

"Walker?"

Silence.

"Walker!"

"I'm good," Sarah called back as she was already belly crawling back to get Chuck.

"Stay down," Casey called after her, but she just ignored him and went back to get Chuck.

Sarah couldn't see well as she crawled back to the bedroom and could feel tiny shards of glass cutting through her hands and knees, but she pushed herself forward. Although the explosions were outside, the increasing proximity and easterly wind current, had pushed the pungent black smoke into the house through the shattered windows.

"Chuck," she called as lungs burned from the smoke and heat, hoping desperately to hear a reply.

"Sarah!"

"Chuck! Hang on I'm coming! Stay down," she yelled back through the smoke elated to hear his voice.

Bryce had one charge left, it was the one that he placed towards the back of the house, but unlike the other charges, this one was more powerful. He placed it with the intention of preventing any exit from the rear of the house, and therefore it was designed ignite the house from the rear when it was detonated. He glassed the broken window with his scope and could see Casey and Hawkins, but they were staying low and making themselves a small target. He had not located Chuck or Sarah yet, but knew that once he detonated the final charge, the only way out would be through his kill zone. Bryce was satisfied with his plan as he sat waiting for his kill, and quickly pushed the button on the remote detonator.

Bryce might have been one of Graham's best, but he was ultimately a careless agent, and that made for a sloppy assassin. Immediately after the first explosion Bryce had once again ranged the target, but this time he had forgotten to disengage his laser. It was only on for a brief second, but a seasoned assassin like Casey noticed it immediately.

"What do you figure," Hawkins called to Casey as they lay down hiding from the sniper.

"I don't know for sure, but I would think no more then two and maybe just one," Casey said from cover.

"Yeah if there was a team they would have charged by now," Hawkins agreed.

"Where do you figure he is John?"

"If it were me I would be up there on that roof. It gives good sight lines from the front and he would just need to wait for us to come out the front."

"What about the back?"

"He would have to...oh shit Walker!"

His voice was drowned out as a giant explosion rocked the house, knocking the wind out of him.

"Should I come out?"

"No Chuck just stay in the room I'm almost there," Sarah called.

She was almost to the door when suddenly she felt an enormous burst of energy rock the house, and saw a brilliant light flash through the bottom of Chuck's door.

"Chuu..," was as far as she got when a tremendous wave of energy knocked her to the ground.

"Walker! Wake up!"

"Walker!"

Sarah could feel someone trying to pull her up, but the ringing in her ears drown out any sound. Her faculties slowly began to reboot, and a blurry image slowly materialized in front of her. After a few more seconds, she was able to synchronize the voice up with the face and John Casey came into focus.

"Walker are you ok," he said relieved to see her eyes open.

"Yeah I'm good..oh my God Chuck!"

"Down Walker. There is a sniper," Casey said as she tried to run to go find Chuck.

Sarah could see Hawkins crawl through the obliterated door and quickly followed him inside.

"Oh my God, Chuck," she cried as her heart sank in her chest when she saw the interior of the room.

"Walker! The roof is fully engaged. We only have a few seconds," Hawkins said as he pointed to the burning roof.

Sarah ignored him as she continued to search for Chuck. The heat from the fire was so intense that lower sections of the wall were now starting to ignite.

"Walker we don't have much time," Casey called as he joined the search.

Sarah didn't care. She didn't feel the heat or the burns, or the poison smoke that was choking her lungs. All she cared about was Chuck, and as each microsecond went by without finding him, she became frightened.

The smoke was so bad that visibility was down to inches, requiring the team to reach their hands and feel I front of them for any sign of Chuck.

Sarah was about to scream in frustration, when suddenly a voice cried out over the roar o the fire.

"I got him," Hawkins yelled from across the room.

Ignoring the burning flames and toxic smoke, Sarah ran to the sound of Hawkins voice. The smoke was so thick that she could barely see, but she pressed on until she literally ran into Hawkins.

"Jesus Christ," he swore as she fell on top of him.

"Chuck! How is he," she said, but suddenly felt her stomach drop when she saw Hawkins maneuver Chuck's heavily injured body away from the fire.

"Oh my God Chuck! Chuck! Is he alive," Sarah cried as she fell to her knees.

"I don't know yet Walker! We need to get him out of this room! Casey over here," Hawkins yelled as he pulled Chuck out from the rubble, of what was once the sidewall.

"Walker get back," Casey said as he moved passed her and helped Hawkins free Chuck.

"We got a pulse! We need to move him into the hallway," Sarah cried frantically as she true to pull him up.

"Walker stop! The sniper!"

Sarah snapped her head and looked at him wide eyed.

"The sniper is still outside."

"What?"

"Just move him to the hallway and stay low," Casey said as all three drug Chuck's bartered body into the hallway.

They got him out to the hallway and Hawkins, a combat trained medic, immediately went into a triage mode.

"I got him Walker, let me help him," Hawkins said as he pushed her aside.

Sarah knew that she needed to be strong for Chuck, but she was having a very difficult time at controlling her emotions. She could see a deep crimson stain on the side of his shirt, and his back. He also looked to had some burns on his hands and face, his hair was charred a bit. She couldn't make out any injuries to. The lower body, but it certainly didn't mean they weren't there. Casey needed to keep her focused on the mission or they would all be dead, so he steered her away from Hawkins and brought her up to speed on the sniper. He hadn't realized that Sarah had already gone back to check on Chuck before they saw the laser site through the broken window.

"We saw a laser site glass us through the window before the second explosion. We figure that an assault team would have been in here by now, so it might only be one," Casey said

Sarah was quiet for a second, and Casey mistakenly thought that she had zoned out and turned her focus back on Chuck.

"Walker I think if we...,"

"It's one man Casey! It's Bryce!"

"Larkin? How do you know?"

"We did this same maneuver in Peru. That worthless prick!"

"if it's Larkin then Graham and Beckman must have..shit they burned us Walker! They are going to clean the whole team."

"They won't get the chance! I swear to god I'm going to kill them all," Sarah said as she felt the rage burn inside of her.

"How is he," she asked Hawkins.

"Still alive, but he won't be for long I we don't get him out of here," Hawkins said as he was applying a tourniquet to Chuck's arm.

Sarah bent down and lightly kissed Chuck on the lips.

"Hang in there Chuck. Please don't leave me. I swear to God that nothing will keep us apart anymore," she whispered in his ear.

Sarah looked up at Casey.

"Just how good of a shot are you Casey?"

Before he had a chance to say anything Hawkins chimed in.

"Nobody can touch him."

"Good, because you'll only have one shot," Sarah said.