A/N: I got a great review from my loyal reader Richard that I just felt I need to share:

From Richard: Another great chapter. POTUS may have ulterior motives. Sarah's spidery sense is tingling. Ellie and Devon moving back needs a house. Chuck and Sarah do also. Gretchen as well. Think Carmichael Industries Home Builders is about to come into existence? Not to mention Zondra, Mary, Jeffery. Perhaps Cpt. Kirk as well?

My answer: Hi Richard

Glad you liked it. It was longer than usual Just wanted to get our heroes home. As far as POTUS goes, have you ever known a politician that didn't have ulterior motives. It makes sense that Sarah has Spidey Sense, after all she did trap Chuck in her web. She still owes him a Spidey kiss.

Ellie and Devon are both doctors they can afford a house. Chuck and Sarah already have a house. It's being remodeled to fit their needs. Gretchen will be staying at CI for a while till she heals. Zondra is in Italy, Mary is in D.C., Jeffrey's Momma will never let him leave Chicago and Captain Kirk is circling Uranus to wipe out Klingons. Thanx for reading and sending me your review. It's my reviewers that charge up my writing mojo. LR

No, I didn't put this here to brag. I shared it because I thought it was a fun review and I wanted to share it. Okay I lied, I put it up so I could tell the Star Trek joke.

A Heart Torn

A Charah Tale

By Lord Rapier

Edited and guided by CliffM

Chapter 34

Shhhh, Be Vewy, Vewy quiet.

I'm Hunting Wykahs

Carmichael Industries, Burbank, Ca

After slamming the door Chuck walks behind his desk and activates the security protocols. Okay maybe it was a little overkill, but if I don't put my foot down, I'll never get this done. If I don't find Ryker, we can't get married, which means no little Bartowski's for the foreseeable future. More importantly, I would be letting Sarah down. I refuse to let that happen. I have to make it safe for her to be with her mother and Molly. Chuck takes a swig of wine, turns on his thinking music and starts typing.

Okay, say goodbye to Chuck Bartowski and hello to The Piranha. Let's see what my search parameters are. I have these six pictures, a last known location. Most likely the items were stolen and will be somewhere connected to an underground market. Good chance they'll have shown up on the Dark Web. He takes another swig of wine, "Damn that's one hell of an idea." He sets about creating a packet with all the search parameters and copies of the photos and encrypts it. Not too difficult but just enough to be a challenge.

Now, a little finesse, let's see if she can figure out how to get it back to me. He goes about ensuring that there is no backtrail leading to him. He writes an E Mail with the subject: Show Me. He attaches the files ensuring that all metadata is removed. The only thing he puts in the body is TP. He sends the message off to Margret Mae at Carmichael Industries, Chicago. If she figures this out, I'm bringing her to the home office.

Carmichael Industries, Chicago, Il.

Margret Mae approaches Remington Steele's office. Connie Brooks looks up from her keyboard. "Morning Maggie, how can I help you?"

"I was hoping Mr. Steele might be able to spare a moment."

"I'll check." Connie smiles as she picks up the phone and presses a button.

The phone on Remy's desk buzzes, he presses the speaker button. "Yes Connie."

"Sir, Ms. Mae is requesting a short meeting with you."

"Sure, send her in." The door opens and Maggie Mae steps into the office. Remy stands up and gestures at a chair in front of his desk. "Good morning, Maggie, have a seat, what can I do for you?"

Maggie sits down and passes a paper across the desk. Remy picks it up and looks at it. He sets it back on the desk and looks at Maggie puzzled. "Not much here."

"No Sir, not much at all. It showed up in my mail client, no indication as to where it may have come from. There were a bunch of encrypted files attached."

Remy nods, "I see, I'm guessing you have more to say."

Maggie takes a deep breath. "You may recall that when Mr. Bartowski was here on Saturday, he suggested that I may be eligible for training from a cyber pro. Ms. Walker said she would mention me to that pro. Sir I believe that this is a test from TP, The Piranha."

Remy picks up the paper and looks at it again, "You're getting all this from TP, it could stand for toilet paper, a missent message, someone's shopping list."

Maggie lets out a short laugh, "Yes Sir, that is possible. I took a look at the packet attached to this "shopping list." The encryption is sexy as hell. Oops, excuse me Sir, not very professional. I'm sorry Sir, I'm not feeling very professional. The possibility that I'm this close to meeting The Piranha is making it hard to breathe."

Remy nods, "I see it's kind of like meeting Rod Stewart."

Maggie looks confused, "I'm sorry Sir, Rod who?"

Remy laughs, "Okay, I'm old. How can I help you Ms. Mae?"

"Sir, If I'm going accept this challenge, I'm going to need time and the use of company resources."

Remy presses his fingertips together, "I see. Do you have some idea how this might impact our work?"

"I'm happy to work on it after hours and on my breaks, with your permission of course."

Remy sits nodding as he thinks. "This is ultimately about receiving training, to be more productive for me. I'll offer you two options. First option, you can focus on this project at work as long as you can be available when I need you. Second option, I'll authorize three days of vacation and allow you to take it here in the office."

Maggie is shocked, "Sir, both options are most generous and more than I anticipated. Do you have a preference which I choose.?"

Remy leans forward, "Since you're doing this to improve your value to the company, I would hate for you to use your vacation days on it. Here's my thought; start with option one If it works, great. If you find you can't make it work, we can default to option two. Plus, to be honest, I like knowing you'll be here if I need you."

Margret stands and reaches her hand across the desk. "Thank you, Sir, I'll do my best to balance work and this challenge."

Remy stands and shakes her hand. Maggie holds on to it, "Sir, did you know this was coming?"

Remy smiles and releases her hand, "No idea. Now that you've explained it to me, I still have no idea. However, what I do know is that you will kick ass. Best of luck, I hope you get to meet your hero. I also hope you won't be disappointed."

"Thank you, Sir, I'll get back to work now." Margret Mae walks out the door.

Remy sits down and takes a sip of his morning coffee. Chuck, what the hell are you up to now. I thought you gave up The Piranha alias after college.

Woodcomb home, Chicago, Il.

Ellie walks into Clara's room, where she finds April Dancer straightening up. "April, you don't have to do that. Clara is in school you can take a break."

April stands up to face Ellie, "Thank you Ma'am, but I'm here to look after the family, helping out is part of the job."

"April, you can call me Ellie."

"If it's all the same to you Ma'am, I prefer not to."

Ellie smiles, "Whatever you're comfortable with. Do you have a moment to join me for a cup of coffee?"

"Yes Ma'am, I'd like that."

April sits at the dining room table while Ellie steps into the kitchen to get the coffee and cups. "How do you take your coffee April?"

"Black works for me Ma'am, thank you."

Ellie puts the coffee in front of April. "I'd like to start by saying it's a pleasure having you in our home. You make us feel much safer and Clara loves you."

"Thank you Ma'am I'm fond of her as well. You and Dr. Woodcomb have made me feel welcome. Ma'am is there something I can help you with?"

Ellie draws in a deep breath, "Well, Devon and I were wondering if you'd like to stay on with us. It wouldn't be permanent, Probably about six months."

"Ma'am, I'm flattered that you would want me around that long. I don't really have that option. I'm under contract to Carmichael Industries. Ma'am I know that Mr. Bartowski is covering my fee right now. Our operatives aren't cheap."

Ellie smiles and pats April's hand. "Yes, I know. My brother is good to us, and Clara is beyond value to him. When I spoke to him about you continuing to stay with us, he said the first thing I needed to do is talk to you, to see if you would be interested. If you're interested, I'll speak with Mr. Steele and see what we can work out."

April sits back in her chair sipping her coffee. Her eyes stay on Ellie over her cup. Ellie sits patiently waiting for a couple of minutes. Soon Ellie starts to tap her fingers on the table. April smiles behind her cup. "Ma'am, I wasn't filled in on the reasons for this assignment. Would you be okay filling me in?"

"April I'm not sure how much I can tell you. A prowler was caught outside our home. It seems that our house was under surveillance. We're not sure who it was or what their agenda was. My primary concern is Clara. I need our family to be safe."

"I see. Ma'am, please understand that this is not personal. I like you and your husband, you're good people. I will admit that Clara has gotten under my skin. I'm not saying that I wouldn't be interested. I'm concerned that a lengthy assignment like this could make me soft. When I leave here, I would go back to my usual assignments. Losing my edge could be dangerous. Would you mind if I take some time to think it over." April smiles. "To be honest, the more time I spend with Clara the better for your cause. You've raised a wonderful little girl. I don't think I've met another child with her compassion and ability to empathize."

Ellie nods, "Thank you, I wish I could take all the credit, she seems to have inherited the same genes as her uncle. She relates to people in ways I can't explain."

April smiles, "Mr. Bartowski does have good energy. He doesn't get too involved in the day to day at our office, but he does take care of his people."

Ellie nods, "Trusting people is what he does best. Take your time, think it through. Let us know when you've decided. I do want to remind you that if you agree, I still have to talk to Mr. Steele and see if we can make it happen."

April stands, "Yes Ma'am I understand. It's time to pick Clara up at school. Thank you for the coffee and your confidence in me."

When April walks out the door Ellie sits back and sips at the last of her coffee. How does Chuck do it? He seems to find great people and then he hones them to be the best they can be.

Carmichael Industries, Burbank, CA

Chuck dives back into his work, no longer a part of the world around him. He's in the zone and the shutters are keeping out all light and indications of time passing. Finally, he's getting it done. This is for you Baby, I love you. I won't let you down. SHHHH be vewy Vewy quiet, I'm hunting Wykahs heh heh heh heh . Oh great now I have an inner Elmer Fudd. Okay time to get serious. Chuck gets lost in computer wonderland. He's gone down the digital rabbit hole, oblivious to the chaos erupting outside his office.

Mrs. Sawyer is close to tears, "Yes General Beckman, I understand. You've been trying to get through to Mr. Bartowski all day. Yes, I understand, It's a national emergency."

Beckman is screaming, "WELL IF YOU UNDERSTAND, THEN GET YOUR BOSS ON THE PHONE ASAP. DO I NEED TO SEND A SQUAD OF MARINES OUT THERE?"

"Ma'am, I wish I could, but it's not possible. I have no way of reaching him. He's in a security lockdown. Perhaps Mr. Casey or Mr. Morgan could help you?"

"Mrs. Sawyer do you know who I am? Who I work for?"

"Yes, Ma'am I do. There's nothing I can do. I really wish I could help."

"Mrs. Sawyer how would you like a tax audit going back twenty years? I understand it can feel like a financial colonoscopy. Get your boss on the phone now or get ready to spend the rest of your life in an IRS office."

A light goes on in Mrs. Sawyer's head, she smiles. "Yes, Ma'am I'll have the boss on the phone immediately. Thank you for your patience. You are a valued customer, and we at Carmichael Industries, appreciate your patronage."

"What the hell was that…?" There's a click as the call is transferred. Beckman's foot is tapping a mile a minute."

"Hello, this is Sarah."

"Sarah? It's Diane, I told your office manager that I wanted to speak to Chuck."

"Hi Diane, it's nice to hear from you, you seem upset."

"Sarah what's wrong with your office manager. I told her I wanted to speak to the boss, she seemed to understand, then transferred me to you. This is urgent stuff. I can't be fooling around. You tell your husband that if he doesn't get on this phone immediately, I'm going to tell his Mommy on him."

Sarah laughs, "I'm sorry for the confusion Diane. When Chuck is indisposed, I'm the boss. I'm afraid he's unreachable right now. Can I help?"

Beckman grunts, "Sarah, You know I love you, and I appreciate your skills… Is this phone secure?"

Sarah looks across the table at Gretchen and Alex, they're staring at her. She suddenly stands and walks out of the room. "No, it's not, and I'm not alone."

Beckman lets out with a deep sigh, "I need Chuck, call me from a secure line." Beckman hangs up.

Sarah looks at the phone as if it bit her. She walks back into the dining room where the table is covered with notes. Coffee cups and soiled plates from quickly eaten lunches and dinners. She walks over to the table and plops down in a chair. "I have to go."

Alex looks at her, "Sarah what's up? Can we help?"

Sarah purses her lips, "To be honest, I don't know what's up. I have a feeling that even if I did, I couldn't tell you. Beckman is insisting she has to speak to Chuck. However, the minute I know something that I can tell you, I will. I promise if you can help, I'll reach out." She shakes her head. "I really don't want this. I just want normal." She stands up.

Gretchen grabs her hand, "How heavy?" Sarah shrugs. Gretchen nods. "We're

here if you need us."

Sarah smiles, "You know what? You can help." She walks around and puts her arms around Gretchen. Come on Sis, it's hug time." Alex gets up and wraps her arms around the two women. Sarah soaks in the love. "Okay, maybe it's time for you to go home Alex, it's late. Gretchen if you don't rest, you won't heal. We need to get this program up and running, but not at the risk of your health, and your home life."

Alex reassures her, "It's okay Sarah, that call earlier was from Morgan. He took the boys home and fed them. I was enjoying the girl time."

Sarah smiles, "I'm glad, I've been enjoying our time together too. Alex is there a way to get to Chuck when he goes into lockdown?"

Alex shakes her head, "Not that I'm aware of. Mrs. Sawyer may know, sorry."

Sarah stands up, "Okay ladies, see you soon." Sarah gets into the elevator and rides down to Chuck's private entrance. The elevator stops and the door opens. Walking across the small corridor she tries the door. Locked tight. She bangs on the door, no response. She looks at the keypad. Damn, I really need to get caught up around here. I don't even know how to get into his office. I'm going to tear him a new one. What if he got hurt and needs help. This won't do.

She stares at the keypad then closes her eyes. A smile comes to her slowly. She punches in 09242007, nothing happens. Then 09242007Sarah, nothing happens, then charah09242007.

Her smile grows wider as the sounds of locks opening fill her ears. She turns the knob and walks into the office. Chuck is typing away furiously his eyes focused on the screen of his laptop. The music playing though his headset is loud enough for Sarah to hear it. She shakes her head. He's totally unaware that I'm standing here. Walking over she touches his shoulder. Chuck startles and jumps up. His left arm wraps around her right arm, locking it. His right hand comes back his flat palm aimed at her nose. Sarah screams, "CHUCK."

He snaps out of it, "Baby, Oh my God, I almost hit you." He pulls the headset off and tosses it aside, he wraps his arms around her. "Baby, I'm sorry, you surprised me. How'd you get in here?"

Sarah hugs him hard, "It's okay Chuck, no harm done. Did you think I would forget the day I met you?"

Chuck kisses her, "I know it's a day I'll never forget. Why am I so hungry, what time is it?"

Sarah smooths his hair, "It's well after seven Sweetheart, you've been locked in here all day. Was it worth it? Did you get a lot done?"

Chuck nods, still a little dazed, "Sarah why are you in here? Did you bring a sandwich?"

Sarah laughs, "I'm sorry Chuck, no I didn't. I had to figure out how to get in because Beckman is freaking out. She's been trying to get to you all day. Seems that Mrs. S wasn't having it. She finally forwarded her to me. She said we need to call her on a secure line."

Chuck's face shows he's not happy, "I don't suppose I have time to run upstairs and warm up some of Momma's food."

Sarah's grin shows her sadness. "That's up to you baby, but she seemed pretty frantic."

"Fine why don't you get her on the line while I grab another protein bar."

For the first time Sarah takes a good looks at Chuck's desk. It's littered with protein bar wrappers, an empty wine bottle, and papers covered in notes. As she cleans up, she takes a quick look at the notes. It seems like a strange language, combining symbols, letters, and numbers. She shrugs as she dumps the trash into the trash and recycling bins, So this is what it's like being married to a genius.

She sits down and presses the buttons to call Beckman. Chuck sits in his chair eating his snack.

Beckman picks up on the first ring, "Sarah?"

"You have both of us Diane, but I'm warning you Chuck is exhausted and hungry. I won't let you push him."

"Understood, I'll be nice. Chuck I'm sorry to bother you, but we're having an emergency, and I don't know who I can turn to except you. Are you in a secure space?"

Chuck talks with his mouth full, "Wait a moment." He pushes the button, and the room is secure again. "Okay, go ahead."

Beckman is clearly worried, "Chuck we've had a major incursion into the computers at one of our research facilities."

Chuck groans, "Sorry Diane, like Sarah told you I'm tired. Define incursion."

"Large amounts of programming were wiped, gone without a trace. Our techs can't figure out how they got in, nor where the data went."

"Diane, I would love to help, but I don't know what I can do. We haven't installed our software on your systems yet. What programming was wiped out? Maybe I can point you in a direction."

There's silence on the line for a few seconds. "I can't tell you that Chuck."

"Okay can you give me access so I can take a look remotely?"

Again, a pause. "I'm sorry Chuck I can't do that either."

"Diane, I'm confused. If you can't read me in, and you can't give me access, why did you call? How can I help?"

"Chuck I've only known of two people who could have pulled this off, and one of them is dead."

Sarah jumps out of her seat, "Out with it General, what are you implying?"

Beckman draws in a deep breath, "Chuck did you hack into our computers?"

Sarah is livid, "How dare you, after all he's done, all he's sacrificed. He just single handedly saved Europe and your administration from a major fucking embarrassment. How dare you accuse him of treason? I'm taking my husband home to feed him and get him some rest. By the way he's exhausted from working all day trying to find your rogue agent. Remember him, one of the many that have tried to kill me. How dare you?"

Beckman calmly says, "Sarah I understand that I've upset you, but he hasn't answered the question."

Chuck leans into the speaker and sadly says, "No."

Sarah leans in as well, "You have your answer. Good night, I wouldn't call again until you have an answer on the asshole that bugged our family's home, and an apology. You can tell your boss he can shove his wedding up his ass." Sarah pushes the button to hang up. "Come on Hon, let's get you fed and bathed, then I'll give you a nice massage."

Chuck stands, "Thank you Baby, but I gotta say Mama Hen is a little scary. Are you sure about the wedding?"

Sarah puts her arm around him and leans on his shoulder as they walk towards the private door. "I'm fine. I'm not going to let anyone treat you that way. We can have a ceremony right here on the campus."

Chuck stops, "I need to check on Mrs. Sawyer."

Chuck takes Sarah's hand and walks to the outer door. He opens it and sticks his head out. He sighs, "Mrs. S. What the hell are you doing here so late?"

"Excuse me Boss, do you think you're talking to the boys at the bar?"

Sarah steps out and laughs, "Please excuse him, he's exhausted. What are you doing here so late?"

Mrs. Sawyer grabs her purse and stands up. "Okay I'll let it go this time, but only because you asked nicely Boss. General Beckman has been drilling down on the Boss all day. I wasn't going anywhere until I was sure he didn't need me. May I ask how you got past me Ms. Walker?"

Sarah smiles then moves over and hugs The Office Manager, "I'm his wife, I know all the important stuff. Thanks for looking out for him. Next time someone is giving you a hard time let me know right away. No reason you need to be abused for doing your job."

Mrs. Sawyer hugs her back, "Good to know. Take care of him he looks like crap."

Chuck smiles as she walks past him, "Thanks."

She smiles back. "You're welcome, get some rest."

The White house, Washington D.C.

"YOU DID WHAT? You accused a frickin' hero of committing treason. He's your friend, almost family. I've only known him a short time and I know he wouldn't do that. You're lucky my wife can't hear about this. She would kick your ass across the White House lawn."

"Mr. President as far as I know he's the only person capable of doing this. Do you think it's coincidence that the Intersect research is gone, and nothing else?"

"I see, and knowing Chuck Bartowski the way that you do, you think he would do this? He doesn't even want to be the damned Intersect, why would he care? Did you think he got jealous? Has it occurred to you that there may a Russian or Chinese version of Chuck and they found out what we're working on? Isn't that why we're hiring his firm?"

Beckman stares at the President, "Mr. President, I think I may have fucked up."

"Damn right you did, and you better fix it, or you'll be joining that pilot in Antarctica as his personal snow shoveler. You'd better hope Sarah doesn't cancel that wedding. Joyce will kill both of us."

"I'll fix it Sir. I have a thought on how to do that. I'm going to give Sarah a day to calm down. She was pretty fired up. I've never seen her act like this. It's almost like they've switched roles. He's become the calm cool one, and she's the emotional one."

"You're surprised she's pissed? You insulted her husband, the guy who just risked his life for us. Do you really want to take the chance that the next time we need him he won't be available? I hope I don't need to remind you. It was his computer skills, andhis team, that saved the day, not the intersect. Plus, now more than ever we need his sister to cooperate with us. I wouldn't be shocked if that opportunity is gone." Frank sits down across from Beckman. "Diane this isn't like you, to go off half-cocked. What the hell possessed you to question one of your most loyal people?"

Beckman sighs and sits back, "I don't know Frank. I couldn't imagine anyone else with his skills. Someone who could sneak into our servers, wipe everything, and get out unnoticed and untraceable. The only other person I've run into that could do that, was Orion, Chuck's father Stephen. He was shot and killed by Shaw during the Ring situation.

All I could think was that Chuck betrayed my trust, I saw red. It doesn't happen often. Last time I went off on him like that was when he brought Grimes into Castle without clearance. Sarah almost died that time because of my stubbornness.

I let my hurt get the best of me. It never occurred to me that there could be another Chuck. I guess I had blinders on. To me Chuck and Intersect are interchangeable names. Seems I've had him on a tall pedestal. I really do owe them an apology."

Carmichael Industries, Burbank, CA

Sarah sits Chuck at the table, "Let me warm something up for you. We still have some of Master Chief's tamales. Or do you prefer commie food?"

Chuck laughs, he grabs Sarah and pulls her into his lap. "Bartowski is Polish. I could go for something Polish."

Chuck kisses her neck repeatedly. Sarah giggles, "Charles Bartowski, you cut that out…, for now. You need a hot meal and a bath" She sniffs the air, "Definitely a bath."

Chuck lifts his face to look into her eyes, "I do. More importantly I need to tell you how much I love you. Thank you for standing up for me. You're willing to give up your dream wedding for me?"

Sarah strokes the side of his face. "Any wedding you're in, is my dream wedding. Baby, I know Beckman's accusation upset you."

Chuck smiles unconvincingly, "I'm okay."

"Fine, let me know when you're ready to talk about it. Now if you plan on being strong enough to walk down the aisle you need to eat." Chuck opens his mouth to speak. Sarah stops him, "Food…you need to eat food. I'm picking, you're having tamales."

Sarah walks into the kitchen and pulls out a couple of the frozen tamales. She puts them in the microwave to defrost and heat. "Sarah where's Gretchen?"

Sarah looks up, "Good question looks like the girls cleaned up the mess I left behind. Your food is warming. I'll be right back. I'm going to check her room."

Sarah knocks on the guest room door. "Come in."

Gretchen is stretched out on the queen-sized bed, her injured leg raised on a pillow. Sarah glances at the TV. A red headed actor is acting perplexed about a vessel with a pestle and a chalice in the palace. Sarah looks confused. Gretchen is laughing her head off. She pauses the picture. "This guy is hilarious. I can't believe I was missing all this. Hi Sarah, how are you?"

"Well, it's been an evening. Chuck has been catching me up on pop culture too. We were wondering where you disappeared to. You know you can watch the big TV in the living room."

"Thank you. I appreciate how welcoming you've both been. I figured I'd give the newlyweds some privacy."

Sarah plops down on the bed next to Gretchen, "Thank you, that's very considerate." Sarah sighs. "I can't stay long if I don't force feed Chuck he won't eat. He's in one of his obsessive computer moods. Add to that, Beckman just accused him of treason. He won't admit it, but he's hurt. I'm warming his dinner. We'll talk later." Sarah sits up and looks at her friend, "I'm glad you're here."

Gretchen smiles, "Me too."

Sarah walks back out to chuck. She hugs him from behind and kisses his cheek. "How's my husband doing?"

Chuck puts his hands on her arms and holds them tight, "Your husband is trying to decide if he's hungrier for tamales or his wife."

Sarah kisses his neck, "Mmmm, that does sound like a tough choice, I say my husband can have it all. Let me get your food for you." She walks into the kitchen and yells, "Gretchen is fine, just giving us some space. Imagine that Carina Miller being considerate." Sarah puts the tamale's on a plate in front of him. She takes up her position behind him again and leans down to kiss his cheek and nibble on his ear, while he eats.

"Baby you eat, then you'll get a hot bath and a nice massage. Then I'm going to…" she leans in and whispers in his ear. Chuck starts eating like a man possessed. Sarah laughs hard and hugs him tighter. "Thank you for loving me Sweetheart."

Chuck nods, "Uh huh." and continues stuffing food into his mouth. Sarah keeps laughing.

The phone rings. Sarah notices it's still dark outside and answers, "Mmmm."

Casey's voice is loud and angry, "Put original Bartowski on. But first say good-bye, cause I'm gonna kill him."

Sarah glances over at the clock, "Casey it's not even six yet, what's going on?"

"What's going on is I'm down at the reception desk. My desk security man woke me up to tell me that there's a someone down here demanding to see you and the nerd."

Sarah shakes Chuck and puts the phone between them. "John who is it? What's his name."

Casey grunts, "You know what? Screw this, I'm bringing them up there. I'm up, now it's your turn." The phone goes dead.

"Sarah what the hell was he yelling about? It's still dark outside."

Sarah kisses him, "I don't know Chuck. He says that there's someone at the desk demanding to see us. The security guard woke Casey, and he's pissed. He's on his way up. We need to get dressed." There's a loud banging at the front door. "I guess we're not going to get dressed."

"I'll get it Sweetheart. Take your time"

Sarah throws a robe on, "Thanks Hon, but I have to see what this is about."

They walk out to the door. Chuck checks the monitor Casey is standing there blocking the other person from the camera's view. He opens the door and sees Casey there scowling. "John, what the hell is going on?"

Casey's face breaks into huge smile and he steps aside. Chuck's eyes go wide, "MEI-LING!" He rushes out the door and hugs his friend.

"Good morning, Chuck. I apologize. Mr. Casey insisted we do it this way." Casey smiles and looks like he's about to crow. "I was prepared to wait in the lobby until a better hour. If it makes it any better, I've brought breakfast." She points to boxes and a cooler on the floor. She lifts a thermos box, "Perhaps some coffee would help."

Chuck smiles, "I'm sorry, I'm being rude, come in. Sarah it's Mei-Ling."

She walks into the apartment where Sarah is standing with arms outstretched. "Mei-Ling, It's so good to see you again. Casey, we'll talk later." Sarah hugs her hard.

Gretchen comes hobbling out, on her crutches, in a robe. "What's all the racket about?"

Sarah is excited, "Gretchen, come meet our friend Mei-Ling. Mei-Ling this is Gretchen my good friend and partner from my agency days."

Casey steps into the room carrying the boxes. Chuck follows with the cooler.

Mei-ling smiles and extends her hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Gretchen. I'm sorry to see you've been in an accident."

Gretchen laughs, "Yeah, an accident called Chuck."

Mei-Ling looks shocked, "Excuse me?"

Gretchen hobbles over to the table, "Relax it was a fair fight, plus I challenged him. I didn't know he could kick ass like that. Never judge a book by its cover."

Mei-Ling looks at Sarah, "Is she talking about your Chuck? I'm confused."

Sarah laughs, "Did you say something about breakfast?"

Mei-Ling nods. "I did." She starts to unpack boxes. "I've brought bagels and cream cheese and smoked salmon. Also, a traditional Chinese breakfast; soybean milk and deep-fried dough sticks. Steamed buns, tofu pudding, wheat noodles, and rice noodles for breakfast. I wasn't sure what you would enjoy so I brought many things. It is, of course, a gift from General Beckman."

Sarah stands up, "Nobody eats." Everyone at the table stops moving. "Did she think a bagel makes up for what she did?"

Casey stands up, "Walker, what's going on? Since when is Beckman on the naughty list?"

Sarah is beathing hard, "Since she accused Chuck of treason."

Casey puts his coffee cup down. "WHAT! That's bullshit."

Mei-Ling reaches into her bag, "Perhaps these will explain." She hands envelopes to Sarah and Chuck."

They open their respective letters. Sarah reads the handwritten note to herself:

Dear Sarah

"Let me begin with something we can both agree on. I'm an ass." Sarah snickers. "It wasn't long ago that I referred to you and Chuck as family. How could I have forgotten who you are to me, so quickly? I could blame my years in spy work as an excuse. Perhaps that would explain my paranoid accusation. But there is no excuse for my behavior.

To be honest even if Chuck did have a hand in this, and I do believe him when he says he didn't. Even if he did, I believe he would have had a damn good reason and deserves my trust. Plain and simple I screwed up.

If I myself didn't eventually see my screw up, the President made it abundantly clear that he did. He offered me a one-way ticket to a very cold place. However, that is not the reason for this letter. I am much more afraid that I could lose you and Chuck, and there is no doubt that would include Casey as well. I created the greatest, most efficient, and loyal team in history, and then I forgot who they are. Please forgive me.

As proof of atonement, I offer this: If you will allow me to extract your wedding from my bosses' posterior, I will attend you as bridesmaid. All embarrassments accepted including puffy pink taffeta dress.

I wish I could have been there to say this to you in person. However, I am up to my stars in politicians and sycophants. If you will accept my call, I would be happy to say the very same words to you. Please forgive me, I don't do well in subzero weather. Diane Beckman, Your friend.

As Sarah reads her letter Chuck is doing the same.

Dear Chuck

"I'm so sorry. My only defense is my stupidity. I couldn't imagine there could be anyone as smart and capable as you. If you Please forgive me, you have my word I will never doubt you again. Diane Beckman, Your friend."

It doesn't take him as long to read. He puts the letter down and waits for Sarah to look up.

Sarah lowers her letter and looks at Chuck. He shrugs and offers his to Sarah. They exchange letters as their guests wait patiently while they read.

Chuck smiles, "If it hadn't been for her, I'd still be living in a concrete bunker alone. Instead of with the love of my life."

Sarah sighs, "Fine, but if she ever talks to you that way again, she's going to find out that I haven't forgotten all my old skills. Okay everyone let's eat. Chuck has work to do, and I have a wedding to plan."

Casey picks up his coffee cup, "Is anyone going to tell me what the hell is going on, and Mei-Ling why are you here?"

Chuck smears Cream Cheese on his bagel, "Well partner, this is what you missed…"

Isolated Naval station, Antarctica

A man lies in his rack staring at the springs of the bunk above him thinking. I smiled when my commanding officer said that I'd caught the attention of the President himself. I knew something was wrong when he asked if I know how to speak penguin.

A/N This is a particularly important note: I've been having a rough time plus. Were it not for the support and patience of CliffM, A Heart Torn would have faded away for who knows how long. So, if you're enjoying this story, you owe him a thank you.

Thanks for taking the time to read my imaginings. I hope I'm not disappointing any Charah fans. I haven't received any refusals to the wedding invite so if you've sent me a review you will be part of the wedding.

P.S. What? You don't know the Star Trek joke?

What do the Starship Enterprise and toilet paper have in common?

They both circle Uranus to wipeout Klingons.