A/N: I am back, I apologize for the hiatus but real life is more pressing then fanfiction and I am taking a summer course to stay on track for graduation after my second year in the fall…so this naturally has been put on the back burner while I take English 1020, credit replacement class for speech 1010 (labored speech difficulties make a public speaking class, unrealistic) which makes writing in my free time the last thing I want to do, but writers block also played a part which brings me to the chapter itself.

This was a real SOB to get right, this honestly felt like the dam holding back the rest of my story. Writing, tweaking, deleting, rewriting, tweaking again…it was a hassle. What I settled on involves an unorthodox writing tool called an ellipsis. Those familiar with my writing know I use them sparingly to move out of dialogue and right to the next part of the chapter.

...

Think of these as similar to the episode material that scrapped from the final product before it airs. If I can't write part of a chapter I use this as a transition. Cop out or not I would drive myself insane trying to write every moment in a story especially given my hectic schedule.

Now that my long update is over, chapter six. Reviews are appreciated but not mandatory, the new stuff was fun but reworking cannon, in this case, was difficult.

Don't own Chuck!

Chuck Versus the Real Undercover Relationship

Chapter 6: Moves and Counter Moves

Chuck anticipated the next week to be busy and it did not disappoint. Sarah cautioned developing an asset was difficult and that was an understatement. Lou was not stupid, and he could not just explain away regular absences. Chuck figured out quickly that he was an inexperienced liar, he skated by most of her questions with a lot of what Sarah called the "carrot dangling" technique. Making promises he would or could not be able to keep, just to stay attached; it was brutal but necessary and very effective. Still, that did make Chuck any less conflicted about the harsh nature of spy work.

Chuck sighed frustratingly, "do we need to start this now? I don't know if I can focus. All I keep thinking about is how I will have to burn Lou soon. She is so happy, it makes me want to vomit; I mean I literally throw up in my mouth a little every time I think about having to break it off."

Sarah nodded, "That is why I think a distraction will help. You'll be in front of known smugglers soon and Casey and I are only providing surveillance from the van unless you are made, but regardless you need to master using a gun because it is the only other thing you'll have at your disposal besides combat training. If you get backed into a corner by a large group of people fighting your way out will get messy a lot faster than Casey and I could get to you." She pulled a gun from her hip and handed it to him. It was not her Smith & Wesson, it looked custom made. The closest match a 9mm handgun.

Chuck stared at it anxiously, "I did mention that I hate guns, right?"

Sarah nodded placing her hand on his, "How you react during gunfire sort of gave that away. That is why this gun is special."

Chuck looked at it skeptically, "Special or not, I really hate guns."

Sarah continued with a nod and smiled, "I know, but I meant that literally. The gun in your hand is actually a tranq pistol dressed up as a typical gun and the ammo, more specifically the shells, are blanks coated in the typical neurotoxin you would find in darts but concentrated so targets drop as you fire, assuming you don't miss. That way you can threaten as a typical spy would because enemies not taking you seriously with a gun would be a liability. The sound when you fire is identical to a regular gun, so you won't have to worry about giving yourself away when you use it and those on the receiving won't know until it is too late."

Chuck was in awe, "How did you do this?"

Sarah shook her head, "I didn't, Casey did. He has been working on it for weeks. Knows his way around a gun and took care of it. He pulled enough neurotoxin for 100 shots says he will resupply every few months; figures we aren't doing our jobs if you run out too quickly and nobody anticipates you as a one-man army, so he thinks it will be enough for now. Since we are just practicing though I loaded the gun with regular blanks, Casey will stock you when we dispatch anywhere."

Chuck was still surprised but nodded. "That solves one problem, now Lou?"

Sarah's smile turned solemn. "Unfortunately, there is nothing I can spin or sugarcoat to help with that Chuck. My best advice is to focus on why it is necessary because thinking about the backlash won't make burning Lou any easier. The truth is…as a spy, asset burning is the least of the things we do that will keep you up at night." Chuck nodded with an equally solemn expression.

They moved over to the shooting range. Sarah started at the fundamentals, "Proper breathing is the most important thing when firing a gun because it helps control accuracy. Too fast and your hands become unsteady, too slow and any recoil will mess up your shot. That is why it is important to clear your head, I suggest thinking about something that is important to you."

Chuck smiled, "Sounds like the same tactic used for Dementors in Harry Potter."

Sarah continued smiling. "The same idea, Although like it points out murder rips the soul apart and is a violation against nature; which is why we don't want to put you in that position." She was somber as she reflected on how what she said applied to

Chuck looked surprised again, "So Casey is concerned about me now?"

The sound of a light grunt filled the air, "Get over yourself numbnuts, I just did your wife the favor. Besides, only an idiot would force a gentle lamb like yourself to be a killer, you're not wired that way. Let's get started."

Chuck was off guard, "You're here?"

Casey shrugged, "I needed to see this for myself."

Chuck nodded, "Thanks, Casey."

Casey gave a slight nod back, "Yeah, but in the field don't get trigger happy, it takes a lot of time to make the ammo in sizable compacity." Chuck nodded.

Sarah turned to the shooting range with encouragement, "Alright Chuck, let's see how good a shot you are."

Casey grunted mockingly, "Five bucks says he misses the bullseye by at least three zones on every shot."

Chuck smiled wryly, "Fifty bucks says I hit it with an entire clip."

Casey raised his eyebrows, "I thought you were supposed to be smart?"

Chuck grinned, "Smart does not just boil down to information Casey."

Casey grunted, "What are you getting at?" Sarah had an inkling what Chuck was talking about.

Chuck smiled, "Here goes nothing!"

An entire clip later Casey looked torn between shock and annoyance. Every single shot hit the bullseye, 27 in all.

Casey's curiosity got the better of him, "How did you do that?"

Chuck smiled, "Duck Hunt, Nintendo. My muscle memory is quite literal, and hundreds of hours count for something."

Casey eyed Sarah, "Did you know about this?"

Sarah smiled, "The muscle memory, yes. The rest of it, no."

Casey shrugged handing Chuck the money, "Well then recon on the target and will be just fine."

II

Chuck spent so much time without his wedding ring lately his right hand ached regularly. He forced himself to ignore it as time went on because not to do so would jeopardize the mission. Lou was perfectly adequate and if Sarah had chosen to deny rather than embrace her feelings Chuck was sure he would be stuck in limbo with her. The fact that he was not was the only reason that doing what was necessary to save the world was tolerable. When the time came to exploit Lou Chuck ignored the somersaults his stomach was performing and powered through.

Chuck's made himself sound casual, "Want to go out tonight?"

Lou looked interested, "What did you have in mind?"

Chuck thought quickly, "it would not be fun if I spoiled the surprise before we even get there."

Lou gave a gauging smile, "You are clearly over our make-out sessions in the herder, so I'll bite, but you should know I don't normally like mystery after only a week of dating, but other than a little fear of being asked where this is going you seem normal to me. Let's go."

Chuck ignored his swirling stomach, which was twice as bad now. First, because he really hated stringing Lou along, and second because it was uncomfortable on every level to be kissing anyone else. He had no trouble admitting that Sarah was much better at faking any kind of attachment in those situations. Every night when he was back with Sarah she was empathetic to Chuck's struggles. He was surprised that she handled it so well and when he asked how reminded him this kind of thing was a typical requirement in the espionage world. Even with Sarah's secure and relaxed attitude, Chuck's intense sense of morality left him battling with himself even as he kept going with the mission.

As they drove to the destination, Lou gave a remark full of levity. "You must be really committed to this surprise if I am blindfolded. Do I even get a hint?"

Chuck responded casually but was grateful Lou could not see the nerves on his face. "It's somewhere new!"

Lou's interest spiked now," Fine keep your secret, but telling me won't spoil the mood."

The moral voice Chuck had been fighting within himself shot back disagreeably as if punishing the underdeveloped spy that he was; even as, outwardly, he continued to act mysterious and charming. "It will where we're going—I'm just trying something new, you know mixing things up a bit."

Lou relented. "I know you have a routine life by necessity, so I am not really surprised, just curious."

Chuck continued in an upbeat mood while privately feeling duller than ever. "Well, you know what they say about curiosity and cats—what is it with me and stupid puns…? Curiosity will kill this relationship, not that you know it never existed from the start, yet." Chuck took his still bare wedding ring hand momentarily off the wheel opening and closing it several times. Again, he was thankful Lou had agreed to the blindfold.

III

Chuck guided a still blindfolded Lou inside once they arrived. She seemed excited that they were somewhere fun which left Chuck feeling even more awful about what he would need to do all too soon and burn a perfect person as though he was a womanizer, by acting in that same cliché way that they did to get an egotistical high. Even worse, he would have to seem ignorant to knowing about Club Ares—and everything about Lou before they even met, akin to a stalker. Still, he shook it all off; everyone dealt with unpleasantness in their careers. Chuck was more than used to that from working at the Buy More, which was not even a career. The spy world was just infinitely more magnified with unpleasantness and people like Lou took the brunt of it. Even so, Chuck knew this was something he would have to deal with; the fallout from trying to stop a national security threat could not take precedence over averting the threat itself…he knew what he had to do, and stalling wasn't going to change his mission.

Lou was enthusiastic over the noise, "Can I see what club we're in now?" Chuck nodded taking off her blindfold. Lou's expression turned uncomfortable almost immediately.

As he watched Lou's expression shift, Chuck's brain switched to auto-pilot. He watched Sarah do it so many times copying the art of placating an asset was second nature, like his innate ability for retention of everything and considering he could have been the one who was subjected to "carrot dangling" it was easy to put Sarah's advice into practice. Chuck's inflection was naturally sympathetic. A feat because of the noise, "Something wrong?"

Lou was awkward in response, "This is my ex-boyfriend's club."

Chuck was ignorant and passive, "I didn't know, saw online that this place just opened and thought it would be fun…do you want to leave?"

Lou shrugged, "We're already here, let's just make sure we avoid Stavros. He cheated on me."

Chuck saw an opportunity to go after Stavros while keeping Lou ignorant a bit longer. He responded bluntly. "Who is this guy? I'm going after him!"

Lou protested immediately despite being grateful. She seemed concerned for him. "That is not necessary he doesn't pull punches…oh boy, you're already looking, this won't end well."

Chuck moved his way into the heart of the club with Lou trailing anxiously behind. He had his mission—plant a bug on or near Stavros to try and learn the location of the package—confronting Stavros was a way to cushion the blow he would have to deal Lou, but this was about principles. Meanwhile, outside Ares, Sarah and Casey were watching Chuck's hidden body cam with interest.

Casey was torn between praise and annoyance. He spoke through a frustrated grunt. "Credit the kid for not wasting time, but why is he picking a fight right away? Stavros is much bigger than Chuck…"

Sarah was quiet and then answered Casey analytically. "It's not like he could just casually seek out this guy. This gives the perfect excuse to plant the bug…let it play out." Casey grunted nervously.

Back in the club Chuck had finally pushed his way through the sea of people and spotted Stavros making small talk on a nearby sofa with a few other people. The whole group looked well-built and physically intimidating, but he wasted no time.

Chuck took the bug from behind his ear and shoved his hand into his pocket. He forced a ridged inflection into his voice, "Which one of you is Lou's ex?"

The man with long wild hair looked at Chuck. His accent was thick, "Who wants to know?"

Lou cut in quickly, "No one, let's go!"

Stavros stood up with interest, "Lou, you are over me I take it. Found yourself a twig to play with, did you?" Stavros looked at Chuck with a mocking expression.

Chuck restrained himself focusing on his surroundings. He needed a place to put the bug. There were drinks and food on the table surrounding the sofa but planting the bug in anything that would get thrown out was pointless. Then Chuck noticed that Stavros was wearing a leather jacket, he had a sudden idea, but it meant he had to get close.

Chuck played into the insult, "Who are you calling a twig, beaver head!" Chuck grabbed the open part of Stavros's jacket with a threatening look, using his one free hand.

Stavros looked down with a comical expression. "You're kidding if you think you can pick a fight with me."

Chuck pulled his occupied hand from his pocket slowly and then gripped his jacket carefully. "Apologize to Lou and I won't have to."

Lou was exasperated, "Chuck, it's not worth it, let's just go."

Stavros felt Chuck grip the inside of his jacket tightly disguising the bug that was still in his hand. Stavros smiled dangerously eying Lou. "I would listen to her and take your hand off me, Chuck. I will let you stay because this is the first time we have opened, and I am not in the mood for things to get…messy."

Chuck slackened his grip and the bug dropped seamlessly into the bottom of Stavros jacket. He sighed with the air of letting someone off the hook. "Your right it's not worth it, let's go dance." When he backed off from Stavros Chuck's eyes swam over his company and when they rested on the wider, graying short-haired man Chuck flashed.

The info was confirmation. A payoff to transport massive cargo. The facilitator was one Tommy Garza, CIA special ops…Chuck wondered how information related to the exact thing that Beckman and Graham had anticipated could be in the Intersect, it did not add up. He would have to table that for later, in the aftermath of the flash the involuntary facial tic that preceded them gave him a way out.

Chuck faked sudden discomfort, "On second thought let's just forget it, I get angry on an empty stomach and when you told me what he did I almost went Hulk. Don't know what I was thinking."

Stavros chimed in promptly," The next shipment will be here tomorrow, but you will need to pick it up before nightfall I have far more important things to do." A phone rang a second later. The same man Chuck flashed on whispered in Stavros' ear. He nodded, "Investors calling to congratulate, excuse yourselves.

Chuck shrugged as they left, "Restroom be back in a bit."

When Chuck made it to the restroom he whispered into his watch. "Guys I flashed, these people were paid off to transport a giant cargo container by one of the same people mentioned in Ryker's redacted Fulcrum file, Tommy Garza, oh and he is CIA special opts…guess Ryker didn't want all the details floating around."

Sarah sighed, "Guess Fulcrum has been at work for quite a while. We can't even trust our own intel anymore because it reeks of pulled strings."

Chuck whispered annoyed, "What is going on?"

Sarah was unsure, "Your slight of hand should tell us something."

Chuck whispered with reluctance, "I'm going back in…"

Casey chimed in, "Who would have thought your first solo undercover mission would be such a success. Don't get to comfortable."

Chuck gave an annoyed laugh, "nothing about this is comfortable."

...

The success of the mission did not make Chuck any less nervous about seizing a potential bomb the following evening. He and Sarah decided to get more training in, Casey was also present this time. Guilt over burning Lou earlier that day was also weighing on Chuck. That is why his next task caught him by surprise.

Sarah was blunt, "Your success doesn't change the fact that you need experience fighting when the odds are uneven. No training wheels this time though. We aren't holding back so you will need to push your ability to analyze and retain to the limit."

Chuck nodded albeit uncertainly, "Me versus to two trained spies. Yeah, that is not unfair at all…"

Casey grunted impatiently, "That is exactly the point numb-nuts."

Chuck shrugged "I know, the irony is this will probably still be easier than what I went through with Lou. Her screams still ring in my ears. Still it was easier to abruptly pull the plug once you cornered her into giving up the location of Stavros shipments."

Casey gave an acknowledging nod, "Figured FDA was a good out and she calmed down when she realized I could have arrested her for smuggling illegal meat. Not that I would have because her sandwiches are delicious, but the point is we know Tommy's wants the package delivered sometime tonight at port 19 of the Santa Monica Pier."

Sarah nodded agreeably, "Exactly it might not seem like much, but you gathered intel without arousing suspicion of our targets, so it was a very good job. Unfortunately burning Lou was unavoidable."

Chuck asked a tough question, "Would you burn me if you had to?"

Sarah looked at him seriously, "Not for a second and that has nothing to do with the ring on my finger, speaking of which I held onto yours." She tossed it back to him and he slipped it on again.

Chuck nodded gratefully, "Thanks for holding on to it."

Sarah smiled and then set to spar, "Your welcome, now let's see if you can fight us both."

Chuck nodded passively, "Let's get this over with so I can drown my sorrows in Johnny Walker like Casey suggested."

Chuck would need to think. Sarah he'd gotten familiar with, but Casey was much more unknown. Chuck knew very little apart from things he observed in Casey's fights; he was focused, until he wasn't. Maybe he could use Casey's hot-headed nature to his advantage, get him fighting recklessly. Casey's mobility was slower but his strength much greater. For some reason Chuck seemed to recall Dragon Ball of all things and, the fact that the best fighters were always turning the tables on their opponent and he needed to do that here.

Chuck decided he would strike first, engaging Casey. He rushed him, but played defense as they set to spar, using all manner of blocking techniques, canceling punches that went in all directions: up, down, left, up, right, right, left…Chuck was watching with his eyes while the rest of his brain was reacting, and after the seventh strike there was a small window where Casey stopped and then started over with the same pattern. Chuck was stronger to his right, so he took his opening when Casey went left the first time, parring to his stronger side and hitting Casey square in the face. He recoiled as Chuck went after him with a snap kick which he barely avoided before attacking again. Sarah finally acted going after Chuck from his weaker left side, sprinting like she was going to punch him square in the chest. He dropped low to the ground hoping Sarah and Casey's attacks would collide. She was agile enough to stop her momentum, but Casey was not. Chuck took the opportunity to kick him from behind, knocking to the ground, but he rolled away and got to his feet before Chuck could attack again, he was still frustrated that his kick recovery was so slow. With Sarah and Casey on either side of him they forced Chuck to fight with one hand at a time and evade with his body. Luckily, fighting off balance was something he had gotten much better with.

Chuck's internal dialogue kicked in as he fended off attacks from both sides, "They both are so predictable, but she's fast and he is so powerful, if I block much more they will break my hands…Casey about to end another combo going left and Sarah will roundhouse any second…if I duck again, and actually time it right they will connect; not until just before they follow through, come on…"

It happened just as Chuck anticipated, they connected as he planked to the ground. Sarah caught much more blowback landing in pain and out of breath on her back, Casey was on a knee, but his hand was throbbing, and he was just as out of breath, neither had any stamina left.

Chuck stood up, smiling with satisfaction. "Gotcha!"

Sarah laughed through breathy exhales, "I think I finally understand why Bryce sent you the Intersect…he knew you were smart enough to combat Fulcrum, you have an Eidetic memory; it is extremely rare, maybe a photographic memory too. Granted it can be selective at times, otherwise you would have remembered to stay in the car initially."

Casey returned to a stand with a chuckle, "you memorize better than anyone I have ever seen. Now it makes sense why this ended up in your head. At any rate we only have a few hours before we go after the bomb, I need scotch and a cigar."

IV

At the Fulcrum base in Barstow Ryker was interviewing Harry Tang, who seemed nervous but calm. Ryker found curious. Driven, ambitious and self-confident; yet he only worked in retail, and at a store not heard of before. What were Tommy and Edgar thinking?

Ryker gave a flat question, "Why are you here? You are just a store manager."

Harry shrugged, "That tall guy with black hair and the scar above his eye, he seemed interested in me for some reason. Came into the store after everyone else was gone and asked me what kind of people came through in the last few months. Told him we usually never get more than your average customer looking for tech tips."

Ryker dissected Tang's words, "Usually, Tommy was fishing for out of the ordinary?"

Tang nodded, shrugging while he continued showing envy. "Seemed that way, I told him except for the blond that came in with a broken phone two months ago, the Buy More was not an interesting place. That was the only time I wished I could trade places with Chuck Bartowski. He fixes a phone and bags somebody WAY out of his league…for a guy with awful luck it sure took a major swing that day."

Ryker dissected yet again, "What was this mystery woman like?"

Tang thought carefully, "Tall, then again she is always with Chuck and he is over six feet, so I can't be sure of her height. She was very flirty, too flirty with someone like Chuck for it to be natural. I was surprised when she came back the next day and asked him out. When I entered the parking lot later she was on the phone with someone and seemed angry about something."

Ryker pressed on, "Did you hear anything?"

Tang shook his head, "No, but my phone was picking up feedback, so she was definitely fishy."

Ryker was eager now, "A name?"

Tang was looking annoyed, "Sarah, I think…I thought I was here for a job not an interrogation."

Ryker ignored this, "tell me about this Chuck Bartowski."

Tang shrugged, "The everyman of the Buy More, or at least he was before blondie. Now his attendance is spotty at best. He could just be avoiding Casey, but I've seen the three of them take off together and not come back until the end of shift."

The pencil Ryker was holding snapped as he heard this information. Tommy said the trace signature in Bryce's PDA had led to Burbank, but they could not get an exact location, meaning it was likely Beckman and Graham had already inserted themselves there. Was this how and why? Had the Intersect database found its way into some nerd?

Ryker realized they had stumbled onto the perfect mole. He suddenly became friendly, "Listen Tang how would you like to work for the U.S government as an undercover spy?"

Tang was eager now, "Secret agent for the government, me?"

Ryker nodded, "Yes, return to the Buy More as a cover and regularly observe and report anything those three do. We will of course pay you quietly for your trouble and you will be given a burner phone."

Tang stood up and saluted, "Proud to serve my country in any way I can, sir!"

Ryker nodded, "Now if you will excuse me a guard will escort you out and situate you back in your residence."

Edgar came in shortly after Tang left. He was smirking expectantly. It was clear that Tang was a trump card. "Did he proof useful sir?"

Ryker nodded showing heightened enthusiasm, "yes, things are much more difficult then we anticipated. Bryce used a personal host for the computer."

Edgar guessed passively, "A fellow spy?"

Ryker shook his head bitterly, "No, a computer nerd named Chuck Bartowski. I thought only spies could handle the Intersect upload, this kid is peculiar."

Edgar shrugged, "he should be easy to identify and capture."

Ryker was full of contempt now, "Beckmann and Graham have already surrounded him with their best protection; Sarah Walker and John Casey, we will need to be strategic going forward."

Edgar asked a curious question, "sir it seems like Walker is a major sore spot for you?"

Ryker answered with contained rage, "Walker became pathetically moral and double-crossed me. The baby is in a void, I have looked high and low for her with no success. Millions of dollars that we have no claim to without the child so yes I am angry. She will pay."

Edgar nodded with a calculated expression, "Calm yourself, sir, the package will be deployed shortly. Tommy has been dispatched to play his role in this strategy and so has Alexis White."

Ryker nodded and spoke with renewed confidence, "enemies have been making moves since before Bryce took matters into his own hands. It's time to make our first noticeable move!"

V

Thankfully the pieces of intel gathered the previous day panned out. Port 19 was occupied by numerous shipping containers. It was impossible to tell if one housed a bomb because they were all unmarked.

Chuck scanned the area carefully, it was about the length of a football field. He addressed Sarah and Casey in a concerned whisper, "I don't get it are they planning to set off a chain of smaller bombs?"

Sarah shook her head, "I doubt it that would be a pain to smuggle."

Casey was in agreement, "yeah it's more likely the smaller ones are decoys." He looked sharply through his goggles, "Wait it looks like a hanger in the very back is opening, bet this is it!"

Sure enough, they all noticed the large rectangular box at the rear of the dock. Sarah exhaled sharply, "that size if it's a nuclear bomb that will decimate the west coast probably more!"

Casey breathed back in a blunt tone, "Stay here, I am going to move up and get a better angle, there's people coming." They nodded.

Casey moved up to where the smaller boxes ended, at least 10 rows up using the last row as cover starting furthest away from the two-unknown people.

Chuck focused his goggles on the men who were standing a few feet from the large container and started walking back in Casey's direction.

Chuck spoke sharply, "that is Stavros and the guy I flashed on yesterday."

Sarah nodded, "at least our intel was correct. Now the only question is will Tommy show up?"

Chuck noticed her tense expression, "you heard of him?"

Sarah continued in a guarded way, "CIA special ops, our Casey equivalent. Except he doesn't have a trace of morality in him and is a true executioner. His combat prowess is far more controlled than Casey too."

Suddenly cross-talk came over their comm links, Casey had synced to the same frequency as Chuck and Sarah's, so they could hear the conversation his picked up.

Yari was angry, "how did you let yourself get bugged? Odds are someone knows about the shipment!"

Stavros was defensive, "I don't even know how it wound up in my coat, I never took it off…what is with this package anyway?"

Yari was spooked, "I don't know, and I don't want to know. Our job was to make the delivery not ask questions. We were told to guard the package until they pick it up."

Chuck voiced obvious confusion, "are they moving locations? Why would Fulcrum smuggle a bomb into Burbank and then pick it back up again?"

Sarah sighed, "I don't know but these two are clearly just a middleman."

Yari and Stavros no sooner opened the container when Casey made himself known.

Chuck and Sarah sighed before she spoke frustratedly, "looks like Rambo is an appropriate nickname, what is he doing?" Chuck shrugged as they watched.

Casey addressed them threateningly, "by order of the NSA you two are under arrest. Cooperate or I will make sure you never see fresh air again!"

Just like that Casey's motivation was obvious. Sarah turned to Chuck with an irritated smile, "he's cutting right to the chase and making them talk."

Except they never did, a few seconds after both men shouted run to each other they were shot dead by sniper fire. Casey immediately followed the sound and ran off after it when he knew it had come from an area Looking high overhead, a notable distance away.

Chuck and Sarah both crouched together on instinct as they heard the sniper fire. Chuck jumped to conclusions frantically as Sarah breathed fast.

His voice was quick and high, "it was a setup, we were lured here to be killed in a bomb explosion!"

Sarah pulled Chuck to a stand with urgency, seems that way. Chuck I've got to stop that bomb I want you to get as far away from here as possible!"

Chuck shook his head insisting otherwise, "No way I'm coming with you."

Sarah pressed, "Chuck you're not going anywhere near a live bomb!"

Chuck was adamant, "there's no way you're going to defuse that thing by yourself, besides if this is our death parting moment I'm staying with you!" Chuck took the lead in a sprint before Sarah could object. They were feet from the bomb with two minutes to spare.

Chuck was not flashing, and his panic took over. "Oh, come on! The one time I don't flash!"

Sarah renewed her stance of retreat with Chuck, "okay run, I'm going to stay and try and diffuse it."

Chuck rolled his eyes, "that again, I'm not going anywhere.

Sarah pressed again, "Chuck are you seriously going to throw away your life."

Chuck stood his ground, "My life goes from unpleasant to unbearable if I survive and you don't. Graham and Beckman will place me underground forever and even if they don't, Casey as my eternal bodyguard…death is preferable."

One minute left. Sarah was panicking too now, "Chuck, you're as stubborn as the day you kissed me in my hotel, I can't let you die because the light you have goes with you if you do."

45 seconds left. "You didn't see me before I met you I was lost, falling endlessly in a pit of darkness; you pulled me free of it."

30 seconds left. Sarah smiled with sad anticipation, that is how I feel about you, it's why I married you."

15 seconds left. Chuck locked hands with Sarah. His smile was complacent. "Bomb or not, dying with you is the perfect way to go."

10 seconds left. Sarah grinned as she made a final request, "Shut up, and kiss me!"

He did, the kiss was overwhelming and climaxed just as the timer hit zero, but Chuck and Sarah did not stop. They kept going as it spilled over for several seconds. Suddenly a quiet beeping hit their ears and the ability to hear made them both realize they were not dead.

They broke the kiss looking surprised and confused. Sarah smiled with her arms around Chuck's neck, "Well, we are alive…and now I'm even more glad we are married; this would be a really uncomfortable moment if I was just your handler."

Chuck grinned, "It would have still been comfortable on my end." Sarah blushed. Chuck gave an honest, passive smile. "just saying."

They finally turned their attention to the false bomb. Sarah stared at it confused, "Nothing is turning out like we expected."

Casey hit their ears moments later. He sounded wounded, "That is an understatement…" Nobody had seen John Casey put through the ringer on this level. His right arm dislocated, face heavily bruised and bottom lip busted.

Chuck and Sarah ran to him just as he collapsed to his knees from exhaustion. With their help, he stood. Sarah responded dryly, "You look like hell."

Casey grunted weakly, "Part of me wishes I was already there, we had company…I thought that I'd at least take them with me, but judging from the zeros on that thing, it's a dud."

Chuck glanced back at the device momentarily as they helped Casey into a nearby chair. Sarah questioned him, "What happened John?"

Casey breathed frustratingly for several seconds," I know special ops when I see it; a duo did a number on me, and what's worse is the girl dislocated my shoulder. The only reason I'm not dead is that Fulcrum needs to maintain public ignorance and it's a lot harder to do that if a top agent is dead."

Sarah sounded calculating, "They weren't trying to kill us."

Chuck was crouched in front of the device. He stood up surveying it carefully, "They've been playing chess, and this is there latest move on the board. It's easy to miss when you're thinking death is imminent, this is not a bomb…it's a rejuvenation tank."

Sarah and Casey both were confused, "What are you saying?"

Chuck was blunt, "Someone is in suspended animation in here."

Casey actually managed to laugh, "I think almost dying went to your head Bartowski."

Sarah's response was not judgmental she was curious, "What makes you say that?"

Chuck continued to talk calculatingly, "This kind of interface is meant to seal in and regulate an oxygen supply, the timer expired which means it is safe to open without causing damage to whoever was placed in here."

Casey couldn't get past how far-fetched the theory was, "You're constantly walking the tightrope between competent spy and ridiculous nerd, but we aren't dead, so I might as well find out if you are right."

Chuck insisted otherwise, "You need the hospital first, Rambo. Whoever this is can wait a few hours."

Casey was going to object, but as he went to move his body failed him. "I'm too old for this shit! Somehow Chuck thought Casey was talking literally despite the irony of the reference.

The agencies cracked the lock on the device while Casey was treated by Ellie at Westside Medical, and Sarah and Casey returned, later on, to oversee it opened, the occupant left them both shocked…

Sarah was in disbelief, "Oh my god, Bryce!"

Casey looked dumbfounded, "Didn't I kill him, I don't know what is worse; that I am losing my edge, or that Chuck was right!" His arm was slung up

Sarah did not respond, the only thing that she knew was that Fulcrum had the upper hand and they needed to figure out why the myth of Lazarus was suddenly real.

A/N: Cue Bryce Larkin deep freeze from Tim Jones fabulous score! I know I skipped over a Lou confrontation, but this chapter was hard enough to write and I think a brief mention after the fact more than enough given we saw that in canon already, and I have bigger fish to fry. I won't put a timetable on the next chapter because school rules my life right now, so just keep an eye out!