A/N - We are getting closer to Sochi. Probably two more chapters after this one. This helps set the stage for what is coming. Standard disclaimers - I don't own Chuck, Cutting Edge, Olympics, etc. Please let me know what you think.

Chapter 20

Sarah stared at the TV screen in disbelief. This was the second time she had seen her man unconscious on the ice. This time it was worse because she was 3,000 miles away and didn't know how to get any more information other than watch the TV. Calling Chuck's cell phone wouldn't help because he couldn't answer it. She did have the phone number of the Duck's PR director but didn't know for sure if she was in Boston. Carina was doing her best to comfort her and tell her that everything was going to be alright.

The TV showed a stretcher carrying Chuck off the ice and the Boston fans giving him a standing ovation. The two Bruin players were given five minute major penalties and game misconducts, not that it mattered as there was only a minute left in the game. Having a two man advantage for the remaining time, the Ducks scored one more meaningless goal and the game ended 3 – 0. The commentators said they would pass on any information regarding Chuck's condition as soon as they had any. Sarah decided to call the PR director to see if she knew anything.

After the players reached the locker room they were relieved to see Chuck sitting up with his left hand and wrist heavily wrapped and his head bandaged in the back. Crash went immediately to his friend and asked how he felt.

"Hey Crash, buddy. I'm OK I think. I just don't remember the last few minutes. The last thing I remember was passing you the puck near the end of the game. Did we win?"

"Yeah, we won my friend. 3 – 0."

"What happened?"

"You were hit in the back of the head by the sticks of two Bruins and were knocked out."

"Oh my God. You've got to call Sarah for me. She said she was going to watch the game with Carina. I bet she's freaking out!"

Crash went to his locker and grabbed his phone. He also got Chuck's phone. Crash called Sarah's number but the line was busy. He decided to call Carina.

Carina heard her phone ring and saw who it was from. She answered. "Hi Crash, do you have any news? Sarah is freaking out on me."

"He's OK. I'm right here with him. Can you put Sarah on the phone?"

"Right away." Carina tapped Sarah on the shoulder. "Crash is on the phone. Chuck's OK. Here, talk to him."

With tears in her eyes, she said "Hello?"

Crash had passed his phone to Chuck. "Hi baby."

"Chuck! Are you OK sweetheart?"

"I'm OK. I have a concussion and a cut in the back of my head. My wrist hurts like hell from the fall. I hope it's just sprained."

Sarah was relieved. "I'll catch the first flight I can to Boston."

"As much as I want to see you, please stay put. Since I can't play for a while, they're going to send me home first thing in the morning. I'll call you as soon as I know the flight number and time."

"Are you sure you don't want me to fly out there?"

"I would like nothing more than to see you, but I'm hoping to get a 7am flight or earlier. I would be gone before got here. The want me to stay awake due to the head injury. I might as well try to fly home early."

"Are they going to take you to the hospital?"

"Just for X-rays and a few hours of observation. I'll go straight to the airport from there. Hold on for a second." The travel secretary handed Chuck some documents. "Good news sweetheart. I'll be leaving at 6:30 am and will be landing in SFO at 9am. United Flight 2345."

"I can't wait to see you sweetheart. I'll see you at 9:00am or so tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you too. See you in the morning. I'll call you after the hospital checks me over."

They handed the phones back to Carina and Crash so they could chat for a few minutes. The TV commentators came back on and gave the following report.

"We have just received a report regarding the condition of Chuck Bartowski. He has suffered a concussion, cuts to the back of the head and what appears to be a severely sprained wrist. He is awake and will be taken to the hospital for X-rays and observation. That is good news, although it means the Ducks will be without the services of arguably their best player this year for several weeks. Let's go down to the locker room for the latest."

Reporter Nancy Robbins said "I have coach Carlyle with me for the latest. Coach, what is the latest and how will this injury to Chuck Bartowski affect the team?"

"Chuck will be sent home in the morning to start his recovery and it looks like he will be out for about 4 weeks. He is an integral part of our team and will be missed. It is up to the other players to step up and fill the void."

"Thank you coach. Back up to the booth."

Sarah turned her attention away from the TV and looked at Carina. She had just finished talking to Crash. "Crash said that Chuck is on the way to the hospital, but seems to be in good spirits."

"Thanks. You ready to go?"

"Let's go back to your home. We don't need to go the Fisherman's Warf."

"Thanks Carina, but I know Chuck is OK and we need to eat. Let's head over there."

Sarah paid the tab and they headed over to Fisherman's Warf before going back to Palo Alto.

One week later….

Alexei Volkoff stared at the Orion computer. His computer techs couldn't figure out how to log in to the computer and no one wanted to be the one to try to hack into the system for fear of the wrath of Volkoff. If a hacking program was tried on the login, it would immediately erase everything and cause the computer to overheat, frying the drive. If the special Omaha password that only Chuck and Stephen knew was not used after two tries, the same thing would happen.

Volkoff fumed at his techs. "With all the money I pay you, how can you not figure this out?"

"There is one person that is light years ahead of everyone else, and it is clear that his hand is involved here. He goes by Piranha."

"Who is the Piranha?"

"He's a ghost. No one knows for sure. I thought I had him once and hacked into his system. Instead, he trapped me. I got into a system that he wanted me to and he erased all my data through the back door. It was ingenious. It took me six months to recreate what I lost."

"What should I do? Give it back?"

"That's what I would do. If you try and hack it, it could destroy all of our files."

"I don't believe it! No one is that good. I've got to try so I know what the CIA knows about me."

"I strongly advise you against doing that."

"I will not be stopped by a ghost." Volkoff tried a login and it failed. After a second failed attempted, the screen displayed a river with a small piranha that went around devouring everything in its path until it grew the size of the screen. The display flashed brightly and the laptop started smoking. The security systems in the building started sounding their alarms and Volkoff's desktop computer started showing code scrolling through being erased. In a matter of minutes, Volkoff's entire network was destroyed.

Volkoff screamed at everyone in the room. "FIND OUT WHO THIS PIRANHA IS AND TAKE HIM OUT!"

Two weeks later…

Chuck was sitting in his Palo Alto living room watching Tron. Sarah was curled up next to him and he had his arm around her while they munched on some popcorn and sipped soft drinks. Chuck's wrist was improving but it was taking longer than expected because they later discovered he had a hairline fracture, pushing his recovery time out to six weeks. His concussion symptoms were also getting better and it helped having a top neurologist for a sister. The additional time needed for his wrist was actually a good thing as it kept Chuck from coming back too soon as this was his second severe concussion in less than two years. Chuck and Sarah attended the two games that the Ducks played against San Jose (one win and one loss) and invited the team over for dinner. It was a little cramped in their condo, but it was a nice day and they were able to set up tables outside.

Chuck leaned down and kissed his wife, a kiss that rapidly was becoming more and more heated. Before clothes started to be removed they heard a knock on the door. Both Sarah and Chuck groaned. "Who could that be?" Sarah asked. Chuck started to get up but Sarah told him to stay put as it was important for him to not stand up abruptly. Sarah looked through the peep hole. "It's your parents Chuck."

Sarah opened the door and welcomed them in as hugs were exchanged all around.

"Mom, dad, what a nice surprise. We didn't know you would be in town. You could have stayed with us."

"It's nice to see you too," Mary added. "I just wish it wasn't for something so serious."

Sarah and Chuck looked at each other. "What are you talking about? They took a seat at the kitchen table and Sarah gave them something to drink.

Stephen asked "Do you remember that computer I sent to you in Boston?"

Chuck nodded.

"It was stolen from Hannah Hansen, the night manager. Somehow a Volkoff Industries employee intercepted the passcode and impersonated the CIA courier. He got the computer."

"Not to worry dad. I put on our standard failsafe login protocol and backdoor trap. If they tried to hack the system or log in incorrectly, the computer would fry and if they were connected to their network, something else bad would happen."

Stephen chuckled. "I knew it would be safe in your hands. Did you look at what was in the file?"

"Just long enough to see that the data was readable. It looked like financial records."

"That's what it was. Bryce copied the file but we couldn't hack it. I knew you could."

Sarah beamed with pride at her husband and kissed him on the cheek.

"It's too bad we lost the computer. We could really use that data to bring down Volkoff Industries before he gets his tentacles in more legitimate business and be able to hide his organized crime activities."

"That's not a problem dad."

"Why not?"

"I made a copy, just in case."

Stephen and Mary beamed at their son. "Where is this copy?"

"In a safe place. The only other person who knows where is Sarah."

"Tell us where it is so we can get it and use it against Volkoff."

"I'll give you a copy. Don't worry about that. Just tell me where you want me to send it."

"Why won't you just give it to us?"

"No offense, mom and dad. But you work with the government and after what they did to Sarah and me in Vancouver, we want to have as little dealing with them as possible. We will help our country when we can, but we are not spies and never will be."

"We understand. When can we get the file?"

"I can get it for you tomorrow."

"OK, good. There is one more issue to deal with. Who knows that you're the Piranha?"

"Not very many. Why?"

"When Volkoff tried to login to the computer…"

"They didn't."

"They did. It was connected to their network and destroyed their entire system. We got wind that Volkoff has put out a hit on Piranha. Who knows you are him?"

Sarah almost freaked out on the spot. Chuck put his arms around her and held her close. She calmed down a little. "The only people who know besides those of us in this room are Morgan and Ellie." Morgan is up in Canada with his wife, Alex and you know where Ellie is. Morgan took a vow of secrecy regarding my hacker name. He won't tell anyone, not even his wife."

Mary said "We're going down to visit Ellie and Devon after we leave here. We'll talk to her then. It's important that you don't discuss this on the phone with anyone. You should be more anonymous when you hack something in the future."

"Right mom."

"Is Chuck safe? Are we safe?" asked Sarah.

Stephen nodded. "Chuck's handle is a ghost to the outside world. The best way to keep you safe though is to bring down Volkoff. We can do that with those financial records, especially now that his network has crashed. We can go in, seize all his assets and put him behind bars before he knows what has hit him."

"We'll get you the file tomorrow"

Three weeks later….

Chuck and Sarah were in the waiting room of the Duck's orthopedic surgeon waiting to see if he had clearance to play now that his wrist had healed. They stopped by and saw Ellie first and she gave him the OK to play as the concussion symptoms were gone. Sarah was a little apprehensive about Chuck playing hockey again as he seemed to get hurt more than most players. She kept this to herself though as she knew how important hockey was to the man she loved and didn't want her fears to keep him from playing. The doctor called them in to his office. After reviewing the X-Ray and examining his wrist, the doctor gave Chuck clearance to play. He was excited to be at the next practice. The Ducks were playing .500 hockey in his absence and Chuck wanted to help get them a high seed for the playoffs since they had fallen to third place in the Pacific Division behind Vancouver and San Jose.

Returning to their Newport Beach home, Chuck barbequed some cheeseburgers, medium rare with extra pickles for Sarah, and they sat outside by the pool to eat. Sarah had changed into her barely there blue string bikini and Chuck put on his board shorts.

"I know you're excited about playing again sweetheart, but can you not get injured for a while?"

Chuck got up from his chair and wrapped his arms around his wife and kissed her hard on the lips. "I love that you worry about me and I worry about you too. You know I don't do it on purpose?"

Sarah chuckled. "I know sweetie. It just freaks me out when I see you lying on the ice like that. Why can't you just pull a muscle or something like that. I can massage it and make it feel better."

"Oh, you're a temptress. I think I'll fake pulling a muscle just so you can massage it."

Sarah grinned at him. "You don't have to pull a muscle to get a massage from me. Although there is one part of you that rises to the occasion when I massage it."

Chuck turned red.

Sarah smirked. "We've been married almost two years and I can still embarrass you. You're so cute.

"Cute. Golly gee. Thanks for making me feel like I'm eight."

Sarah untied his board shorts and lowered them to the ground. "Oh, you most definitely are not eight."

Later that night, Chuck and Sarah were snuggled up in bed eating rocky road ice cream and Chuck was flipping through the channels. A news flash caught his eye.

"Breaking news. The FBI has just announced that Russian Kingpin Alexei Volkoff has just been arrested in New York City on grounds of extortion, racketeering, grand theft, murder and attempted murder. He faces 200 years to life in prison. Authorities tell us that the big break came when a hacker broke into Volkoff's network and destroyed the system, causing Volkoff to come to the United States to claim much of his financial resources. For once, anyway, we can thank a hacker for actually doing something good for a change."

Sarah started laughing. "My hockey playing nerd just brought down one of the biggest criminals in the world. I think you deserve some sort of medal."

Chucked pulled his wife in for a chocolaty kiss. "I've got something far far far better than a medal. I've got you."

Sarah smiled at him and said "You've got me all right and I never want to go anywhere else. I love you. I guess this means we're totally safe from Alexei Volkoff now."

"I love you too sweetheart. I'm never letting you go."

June 30, 2012

Chuck and Sarah's second anniversary celebration was a private affair this time. They decided to go to Australia for three weeks and since they both liked trains, decided to take the Ghan from Adelaide to Darwin and later take the Indian Pacific from Perth to Sydney. They started their journey by driving the Great Ocean Road from Melbourne and stopping for a night or two along the way in Torquay and Mt. Gambier before reaching Adelaide to catch the Ghan.

Sarah continued to excel at medical school as was still at the top of her class. She was instrumental in bringing Dr. Juan Diego Arnaldo to guest lecture at Stanford University and she was delighted that he was so well received. He performed several surgeries at the Stanford Medical Center and Sarah was very happy that he asked her to watch and assist. Dr. Arnaldo explained everything he did while Sarah asked questions and even made a suggestion to the famed surgeon. During the performance of another surgery a few days later, Dr. Arnaldo used Sarah's suggestion and it worked better than his previous method. With the help of Dr. Arnaldo, Sarah's new method was written up in the medical journals and he gave her full credit for the idea.

Chuck returned to the ice in time to help lead the Ducks to their second straight Stanley Cup championship and winning the Hart Trophy for League MVP. Despite missing six weeks and fifteen games, he led the league in scoring with 98 points, including 45 goals. Since his original three year contract was up at the end of the next year, the Ducks were eager to sign him to an extension. Chuck, after consulting with his agent and Sarah, agreed to a five year extension at $7 million per season, plus a $5 million signing bonus, not that he needed the money. It was nice to be appreciated.

After a wonderful trip around Australia, viewing the Twelve Apostles and other spectacular rock formations on the Great Ocean Road, seeing the lake that changes colors in Mt. Gambier, petting the dolphins in Monkey Mia, walking around Uluru, swimming in the Indian Ocean, and taking a boat cruise up the Swan River, the two lovers hopped on the Indian Pacific Train in Perth to head back to Sydney. While in the dining car eating dinner, the couple they shared a table with thought they recognized Chuck and Sarah.

"G'Day. Where are you from?' Sheila asked.

"We're from California," answered Chuck.

Sheila's boyfriend Bruce asked "You look familiar for some reason. Are you on the tele? Are you from Hollywood?"

Sarah chuckled. "No, we're not from Hollywood although we have been on TV."

"When was that?"

"The Winter Olympics in Vancouver."

"Wait…. You're that figure skater… Sarah something….."

Sarah nodded. "I was Walker then. Now I'm married to the most wonderful man in the world. I'm a Bartowski now. Chuck and I met at the Olympics."

"Walker and Larkin. Wait….. You're the hockey player…. What a small world."

"I didn't know winter sports were so popular down under," said Chuck.

"Australians are very sports minded. We've had some success with snowboarding and aerial skiing."

"That's right, sweetie," said Sarah looking at Chuck. "Do you remember when Morgan and Alex introduced us to those Aussie snowboarders?"

Chuck nodded. "I think we saw them at Patel's that one time. They were feeling no pain."

Bruce chuckled. "We Aussies have been known to drink a pint or two."

They all chuckled and enjoyed the rest of their meal. Afterwards, Bruce and Sheila taught Chuck and Sarah to play 500, a card game a little like Hearts, while drinking some champagne.

Chuck and Sarah fell asleep in each other's arms to the gentle rocking of the train after making love to sounds of Nina Simone playing in the background on Chuck's iPod.

Chuck and Sarah spent another three weeks in Vail working with Diane Beckman. Chuck had such a successful year on the ice, he didn't want to do anything different going into his third season with the Ducks than he did in the previous season. Sarah loved skating with her husband and getting the additional exercise she wanted. About half through their three weeks together Diane asked "How would you like to try a new move? Its point value is off the charts if it gets approved."

"What is it?"

"It's called the Pamchenko."

"Isn't it illegal?"

"What does it matter? You're not competing."

"OK. What is it?"

"It's a bounce spin into a throw twist."

"It sounds dangerous. I'm not going to risk my wife's beautiful head for a skating move."

"You're plenty strong enough to pull it off. In fact I think you two are the only skaters who can pull it off."

"Let's give it a try sweetie."

"What?"

"I want to give it a try. Please. Let's try it. For me?"

"You could bang your head on the ice."

"I'm not worried about it. I trust you. You would never let that happen."

"I would never do it on purpose. But what if I slipped?"

"You won't. You're too good on your skates. You stay on your feet when big huge guys are beating on you. I'm petite in comparison."

Chuck laughed. "OK, I'll give it a try, but if either of us want to stop, let's stop."

"Deal."

Over the next week, Diane worked with Chuck and Sarah on the parts of the move. Chuck became more and more comfortable holding Sarah by her feet and spinning her around before launching her in the air. Catching her proved to be the most difficult part as it required Chuck to move a pretty long distance after throwing her to get into position to catch Sarah. Finally, after adjusting his release point, Chuck was able to get into position to catch Sarah. With only one day left before they headed home to California, they decided to put it all together and give it a try.

Diane was secretly recording Chuck and Sarah again. The first attempt failed when Chuck slipped while trying to get into position and was late. The second try also was a little off and so was the third. Diane told them to take a little break as the move was very tiring. They went to the boards and took a drink from their water bottles. Sarah said "We can do this sweetie. We're almost there."

"I know honey. I think I was getting a little tired at the end."

Sarah grabbed Chuck by the shirt and pulled him in for a toe curling kiss.

After breaking for air Chuck smiled at his wife and said "I'm definitely ready to give it another try now."

This time everything went according to plan. Chuck launched Sarah at the perfect angle and she spun perfectly and came down in Chuck's waiting arms. It was spectacular.

Chuck and Sarah couldn't believe it for a moment and Diane was left speechless. She called Chuck and Sarah over and showed them the video she had just made.

"You sure you don't want to compete in the next Olympics?

Sarah laughed. "This was fun. I don't know if it would be as much fun if we were training for the Olympics for real."

"Probably not, but you two sure are good enough to win. I can see it now – Bartowski and Bartwoski win Olympic gold in Sochi."

"It will probably be Batruski and Butrowski win Olympic gold with the way commentators goof up our names."

They all laughed and decided to give it another try. The first time didn't quite work out but they succeeded in the final two times they tried. Chuck and Sarah thanked Diane for her time and headed back to their hotel. Diane walked back to her office, plopped down in her chair and sighed. Her assistant walked in with her schedule.

"Your next lessons are in 30 minutes. Do any of them have potential?"

Diane just looked down and sighed. "One or two if they are willing to put in the time and effort."

"That's not bad. Why the long face."

"Because the two skaters that have the best chance to win a gold medal just left the building."

"The Bartowskis?"

"Yep. Look at this." She showed her the video of the Pamchenko. Her assistant gasped.

"I didn't think that move was possible. How long have they been working on it?"

"About a week and a half."

"Impossible."

"Nope. These two are incredible together."

"You have to convince them to compete."

"Why? Sarah has already won a gold medal and so has Chuck. In case you haven't noticed, Chuck is a damn fine hockey player. He won the Hart Trophy last year for MVP. Sarah is the top in her class at medical school. They love their life together. Why would they give all that up?"

Krakow, Poland, September 1, 2012

Escorted by her father, the beautiful bride walked down the aisle of St. Mary's Basilica with a big smile on her face. The groom, smiling but nervous, waited for her arrival. This wedding joined two of Krakow's most prominent and wealthy families. Looking from the outside, rumors abounded that it was an arranged marriage to consolidate the fortunes of two rich and powerful men. The truth of the matter was far different. Soon to be husband and wife were very much in love and had known each other since childhood. Avid winter sports enthusiasts, they were looking forward to attending the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.

A/N 2 - Who is this young couple and how do they fit in the story? Stay tuned.